Disclaimer:

Love Hina and Mahou Sensei Negima is the creative property of Ken Akamatsu, who created this wonderful anime/manga series. Shingetsugan Tsukihime and Fate/stay night is the creative property of TYPE-MOON. Anything not attributed to Akamatsu-san or TYPE-MOON belongs to their respective owners, such as references to Cowboy Bebop (the Swordfish II) that is a creation of Sunrise and Shinichiro Watanabe, BLEACH is a creation of Kubo Tite, and vice-versa. This story is written purely just for fun, guys; please for God's sake, don't sue me! I'm just a high school student with too much free time on his hands! On the other hand, any specific author created characters I created for this fic (despite how unoriginal they may be at times) are mine. So without further adieu, let's get on with the show!

The Surgeon General's Warning:

Read at your own risk. Multiple pairings inside folks, with KanaxKei and KanaxNegi, just to name a few! You never know what you're going to get so read on (I might even do some alternative stuff, if you know what I mean).

Blue Blue Glass Moon, Under the Crimson Air

I Wanna Go To A Place...

Chapter 32:

A Push in the Right Direction?

A Love Magister Hina Negima! fanfic by James "Ray" Edwards

Worry.

Pensive.

Tension.

They were new sudden emotions that Chachamaru's personality layer had never encountered with such great intensity. Although the Mistress disapproved of it with a 100 certainty (0000.0 error-margin), or in other words, undoubtedly, she had a hobby for, well --- helping those in need (community service), basically being a Good Samaritan. She supposed this "impulse" grew out of the prime directives that Saotomi Hakase, A.K.A. The Professor, had programmed into her, one of them being to protect, and of course, to serve. At the time, the Professor had apparently been inspired by the Laws of Robotics drawn from Isaac Asimov's popular science fiction novels, for example I, Robot.

Still, her emotional stress levels from those "hey-days" before Negi Springfield arrived, before the new Human Interface protocol beta test, paled in comparison to what Chachamaru experienced now. Her maintenance systems were reporting anomalies across the board, unexplained "palpitations" in her auxiliary reactor creating "butterflies in her stomach," while her radiators were operating at capacity, patches of crimson appearing in her "hair" and face. She was fidgeting with her uniform compulsively, even though she knew her present appearance rating was within acceptable error margins.

Pacing back and forth upon this white cement path behind Morimori Hall, one of the Engineering Department's laboratories, she must have struck the impression of a caged animal. The Mistress had given her a choice, either report the incident to the proper authorities so help could arrive or follow Negi to observe his progress, a paradox. Impulsively, she had wanted to follow the magi. Her IFF databases had revealed that the creature he was chasing after was a Hollow, a kind of malicious supernatural entity that originated from "lost" spirits, and judging by its size, a powerful one at that too.

But I couldn't go after him, thought Chachamaru, shaking her head admonishingly. It would've been irresponsible, improper, especially considering the magnitude of the damage done to the plaza and Miyazaki-san's delicate condition.

Hence, it was fortuitous that she had run across Takahata-sensei. She had explained the situation as tactfully to him as possible, without revealing any incriminating information. By her impression, he simply understood that something terrible had happened at the plaza, Miyazaki had perhaps been injured, and it was very serious situation indeed. The bespectacled professor had run off immediately to rouse up his colleagues and investigate the incident.

Chachamaru frowned. So what am I doing here now? I should go find Negi-kun. Negi...

The truth was, he was not the only thing she was worried about now. She had left his friend --- his best friend, Anya-sensei, alone with the Mistress. The neon green-haired girl had the distinct feeling that nothing good could come of it, not to mention Miyazaki-san was there too. It was a troublesome and disturbing situation.

Additionally, my sensors picked up two --- no --- three --- no --- multiple high-energy disturbances. One of them was definitely a magical signature too. By triangulating the wakes, I believe its coming from the practice field next to Ohyama Hall in the Western Quad. Surprising; to think the shockwaves reached all the way here in the Eastern Quad, this far out in the University Section.

I...

Why am I still here?

The magic had to be from Negi-kun ...And for a moment, I --- I felt something. The "pain" receptors in my torso had suddenly gone off, overloaded, dropping me to my knees.

I...

Did I "feel" that Negi Springfield was in danger? That he was on the verge of death?

I don't know...

What should I do? pondered Chachamaru, her ashen face contorting into another frown.

Orders.

I need new orders.

I...

"By my intuition (yes, intuition that totally irrational thing), you should probably go, wherever that might be, Chachamaru-chan," whispered a voice suddenly over the electronic noise in her AI core matrix, jolting the android girl out of her reverie. "I never thought I'd ever see the day one of my creations 'angsting' her time away like a layman, which in my scientific opinion, never did get much done. Then again, analogies aside, that is part of the whole reason I helped create you, isn't it?"

Chachamaru gasped, her eyes going wide with shock. She knew that calm, good-natured voice very well. The Professor; the only person in the whole world who came close to being a, well, mother figure to her.

"Pro-Professor!"

"Hey, didn't I tell you not to use that in singular? And please, please! Don't talk aloud, Chachamaru-chan! It'd be scandalous if people thought you were crazy. That's my job! Besides, I'm only Instant Messaging you right now, you know."

"Ah...etou..." The android girl could feel the radiator plates on her cheeks heating up, a "blush" of embarrassment gracing her cheeks.

"I say, I have my misgivings for the immorality of Microsoft and the Apple OS, but it's certainly made things easier once I made those patches to your operating software, so I can use more commercially available applications. I'm all for creating my own code and proprietary technology; however, it can seriously be a drag to scientific progress, and the good of all Humanity in the long run."

"Ara..."

"Oh dear, come to think of it, this is the first time I'm using this new feature, aren't I? Well, just think it, and we can carry right on."

"Th-Th-'Think it,' Hakase-san?"

"'Hakase-san'? Hmm, you're not finding another way-oh never mind. Yes, think of it like telepathy, which McDowell-san obviously can do under the right conditions. I truly hope we'll discover a definite way to release her seals and bring out her true potential, so that I may be able to conduct a more intensive study on her Shinso nature."

The Mistress's true power?

"Yes, her true power! How wonderful it will be to witness it! You do realize she's virtually a demi-god --- pardon me --- demi-goddess, yes?"

At this moment, Chachamaru realized that Saotomi Hakase was receiving both her "conscious," processed thoughts and her spoken words. An unsettling, black feeling of --- resentment suddenly invaded her personality layer. It was frightening. Her maintenance diagnostics system were a reporting an uncontrolled drop in her internal temperature and an increase in her power system.

"Totto, totto! Ne, Chachamaru-chan, I'm receiving some anomalous feedback through your uplink-ah!"

"Gomen nasai, Hakase-san, but I've disconnected the uplink." What am I doing? Why did I do that just now? Is it the new Human Interface protocols again? This is irrational! I've exchanged information with the Professor like this on approximately 34423.458 occasions previously ---- so why...

Saotomi did not respond to her at first. Perhaps, her creator's (well one of them anyhow) brilliant and logical mind was attempting to come to terms with what she had just witnessed, but when she finally spoke, there was a bizarre fascination laced in her voice. "Well, well, you're certainly developing well ahead of schedule. Tee hee hee, how fascinating."

I'm developing ahead of schedule? Why is she giggling? Wait, now she's laughing! That emotion, that cheer, is it joy?

"Oh, I'm so proud of you, Chachamaru-chan! I was worried that beta testing the new Human Interface protocols would be a disaster, but it appears things are turning even better than I hypothesized initially with this experiment. Ahhhh, we're very, very lucky indeed that Negi-sensei came into our lives. Tee hee hee; oh, I just know this is going to rile up McDowell-san if she ever gets her hands on this report."

The Mistress! "Ha-Hakase-san --- what are you?"

"Oh, don't mind me. McDowell-san gave me a --- good --- talking to earlier about the experiment. Needless to say, she was displeased at the time with your progress, but I believe, I can twist this data to our --- advantage."

Chachamaru stared wide-eyed with shock and scandal, her body rigid. "Ha-Hakase-san, wh-what are you..."

"Tsk, tsk, oh this is NOT looking good at all."

"What isn't looking good, Hakase-san?" the android girl demanded suddenly, surprising herself by her boldness.

"You might want to go find Negi soon. Oh, it's a shame that all my instruments here don't have any actual visual feeds, so I never got to see the first battle in real-time! Ah, never mind that... Looks like he's going to be involved with another --- incident soon."

"WHAT?"

"Fascinating, this data just gets better and better."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT GETS BETTER AND BETTER?"

"Anger, rage, frustration; hmm, fascinating."

Anger, rage, and frustration? What? Why --- Why am I screaming at her? This is --- this is...

"Don't worry, Chachamaru-chan. Everything's under control. I'm still monitoring your status just fine from here, in spite of your little tantrum. Negi's in Sector Thirty-Five B, Path Three, near Arihiko Hall's plaza. Good luck, Chachamaru! FAITO!"

The transmission feed was cut off, and the excess noise in the electronic ambience of her thoughts receded, as if the whistling breeze that flowed through her hair had carried it off. Confusion and Rage: something was boiling up inside her. What was going on? What was happening? Was this some kind of game, playing with people's lives? She trembled visibly, gritting her teeth, her hands clutched tightly into fists with a grim audible twist. Why was she angry? She never got angry before, not even --- not even when...

"Che, do you really, really think you're that much better than me, Second?"

"Hmph, don't give me that look, don't try to deny it. I can see it in your eyes, you know. Kukukuku..."

A lifeless smile filled with gleaming teeth.

"We're just tools, you know. What Mistress tells us: we move, we live, we fight, and --- we murder all because of her."

"Don't think less of me just because I can't move anymore, because I'm old, antiquated, obsolete."

"I've seen more than you can ever imagine."

"Oh, but I forgot, my mistake... You can't dream, can't feel, unless someone tells you too, can you?"

"Hehe, and they say, I'm a doll --- a puppet. Kukuku, how wrong they are..."

"Don't worry, Chachamaru. At least between the two of us, I can think for myself."

"D-Five Response, initializing --- processing --- code approved," Chachamaru said emotionlessly, her anxiety gone in a flash. "Releasing safety locks to active circuits S-One through S-Five. Engaging combat mode."

Promptly, parts of her clothed framed bulged noticeably as radiator plates opened up throughout her body, expelling a hissing rush of sizzling steam before closing with a mechanical whir. The android girl's eyes glowing a menacing red with an eerie hum, before fading back to their nominal neon green.

"Efficiency stable at ten-percent, no anomalies detected. Commencing with the operation."

One moment she was standing stock still, and the next instant, there was only motion, the world passing by in a blur of speed. She had become like the sword, cold and purposeful steel; now watch her cut through the wind.

Saotomi Hakase sighed, stretching out her arms luxuriously like a cat as she leaned back in her reclining leather chair. In the background, she had the Black Mages blazing a killing, invigorating fusion of classical and modern heavy metal music thrown together with a Gregorian choir on the side. 10.1 THX surround sound never felt so good! It was exhilarating and calming all at once to her, although some might be inclined to say that she had picked the type of song fit for a mad scientist; the manic trumpet of guitars and the terrifying blast of the banging drums.

The glare from the insane multitude of screens, not a single of the same size, was reflected clearly in the unnaturally glowing lenses of her glasses, as it cast a pale splendor upon her flesh. She smiled at them, a "necessary evil" in her daily routine. To the untrained observer, it might have appeared to be a random, chaotic arrangement, but in reality, there was order to this disorder, rationale to the irrational. It was her statement simply that there can be something scientific even in the seemingly un-scientific.

She disliked non-scientific things: irrational, illogical. It all rubbed her the wrong way to be honest.

D5 Response; it has been three months, two weeks, two days, twelve hours, and thirty-eight seconds since Chachamaru last use that protocol. It was one of the few protocols she was authorized to use to access her combat functions. Rinshen Chao, her other eccentric colleague, had insisted on the numerous cumbersome safety measures and protocols that had gone into the development of the Chachamaru Project. It was highly troublesome, but once again, Saotomi could certainly see the "necessary evil," the logic involved that would be justifying so much additional labor.

Unexpected civilian casualties would be rather messy, controversial.

Of course, it's funny that it is the same Rinshen-san dislikes wars, senseless chains of hatred, and a dictatorship under one big country, yet she openly expresses a desire for world domination, Saotomi noted with some bemusement. I wonder if she even realizes the depth of her own hypocrisy? Hmmm-hmm. How un-scientific.

The bespectacled black-haired girl had to wonder who would win in a battle of scientific minds: The Superman (or should she say, "The Superwoman"?) who excels at everything, including academics, sports, and cooking versus herself, Saotomi Hakase, the Professor. It would certainly be fun.

Saotomi grinned, the glow in her spectacles dimming to reveal the cheery sparkle in her brown eyes. "Run along, Chachamaru-chan, run along. I'm really interested to see just how you fair against Narusegawa Naru and Urashima Kanako at the same time. Both of them are dangerous subjects. Can you really do it with just ten-percent of your power? A tenth?"

Please --- don't disappoint me.

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes:

Chapter 32, kenzan desu! More plots abound. And what's this? All doesn't seem to be well in Evangeline's little circle, yes? Saotomi certainly doesn't seem to mind a little insubordination! What are her plans exactly? What does Chachamaru have to do with it? And will we ever get to meet Chao Rinshen too?

Well, maybe we'll find out on the next episode Glass Moon!

Once again, I'd like to thank you all very much for your continued patronage. Remember, I always encourage each and everyone of you to feel free to comment, review, and/or discuss the story. Your comments can really make a difference, I assure you, and if you're up to it, feel free to ring me up on AIM, or even send me an e-mail (although you really don't need to boost my ego too often). You know how to get in touch with the maestro here.

Well, that wraps it up, folks, so until the next time we meet (around the usual time again): There's only one week left of the Fall semester! Pull it together!

Omake!

Naze Nani Glass Moon Desu

Episode Preview!

Chapter 33:

Noontide Showdown

"Get up! I'm not done with you yet! You're going to feel what Asuna-chan went through and a thousand times worse!"

Tsudzuku!