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 33:
Noontide Showdown
A Love Magister Hina Negima! fanfic by James "Ray" Edwards
It was another secluded path flanked by lush green brush and shaded from the rays of the sun by a healthy canopy of leaves created by the overreaching branches of the trees; the cobbles of the path was made of perfectly shaped interlocking stone rectangles. She hated them. They were always occurring in a regulated frequency, everything in perfect harmony.
Perfect: it was a perfect place for an ambush.
Kanako spat acidly at the very taste of the word in her mouth, an uneasy tingle knotting up in the bottom of her spine. With Negi in her arms, her movement was hampered significantly, not to mention her lack of chakra was not helping matters either. If she had to go into battle now, things would get very ugly, indeed.
Keitaro was the taijutsu expert not her, and he was going to pitch a fit when saw the shabby state her school uniform was in. There were plenty of rips and tears, making it virtually scandalous, although the raven-haired girl had to wonder how she could look scandalous at all with her hair in disarray while grass and dirt clung to nearly every inch of her body.
The cascading sound of rushing water from up ahead greeted her alert ears, probably from a ornamental fountain, meaning she was about to arrive at a plaza. A bath would be nice about now, considering her condition, but Kanako doubted the faculty would appreciate her using the water fountain for --- extracurricular activities. Perhaps, she should find a swimming pool instead?
She sighed glancing down at the delicate bundle of humanity in her arms that was practically curling up against her. If Negi Springfield had been conscious, she would have been highly tempted to black mail him right about now. By controlling him, she would gain a substantial advantage in her present enterprise: A. Find out what was happening in Mahora Academy exactly. B. Deal with the problem. C. And then destroy Mahora Academy.
However, would such a ploy even work against a mage? Admittedly, he was still only a magister magi-in-training, but certainly, he was also a child, not to mention human and a righteous one at that too. He most definitely had some morals or otherwise he would not have even bothered to come after her. Yet, one important question remained to be asked:
Did she really want to take advantage of him? What was it worth to her? Did he deserve it like the rest? Why had she bothered to take care of him? Why was she thinking about these things? Why did she even care?
"How troublesome. All of my oh-so-brilliant plans are getting mucked up because of you, Springfield Negi, and the rest of the idiots," Kanako muttered underneath her breath, with a faint hiss of mortification. "And I just have this ill feeling that something even worse is about to happen."
Now then, there was a flight of stairs she had to ascend first and...
"Kisama! You're the one, aren't you?" demanded a feminine voice suddenly, smoldering with barely tempered anger.
Inwardly, Kanako gave a sigh as she came to a soundless stop. Why did her instincts always have to be right at times like these? The wind grew restless with a howl, sending the leaves of the vegetation rustling together in a symphonic chorus.
"Black hair, like the feathers of a crow, with a persistent cowlick, if I should add. A red ribbon, blood red, tying your hair back into a low ponytail. Killing eyes, cat's eyes, and a devil's grace. Cold, silent, malice: Death. There's no mistake, you're the one that hurt Asuna-chan."
So Kagurazaka Asuna does have someone willing to fight for her, huh? I should've figured there'd be someone self-righteous enough to-
"Ten seconds."
"What?" Kanako asked incredulously as she looked up to make eye contact with the speaker. The surprising sight of the older girl managed to make her raise her brows some, and quite frankly, she wondered if Kagurazaka honestly had an elder sister.
The resemblance was uncanny. Aside from the Gothic black and white uniform worn by Saint Ursula's High School of Mahora Academy, not to mention she was not wearing those hideous "cow" bells, it was like looking at a visitor from the future. Her long hair was a more matured golden brown, instead Asuna's bright girlish auburn that bordered on orange to red. The high school girl's eyes shared the same shade as her hair, concealed by a pair of rather "nerdy" glasses that did little to hide the broiling emotions beneath her pretty face.
Yes, a few years certainly did make a difference in all the right places, much to the raven-haired girl's chagrin.
"That's Springfield-sensei, the new --- kid, isn't it?"
Interesting, she can actually pronounce English correctly. Not bad. Though I wonder why she stressed that last remark about him? "And?"
"I don't know what you did to him, but you must be a pretty sick little b-"
Kanako did not even bother with the rest of the contemptible girl's tirade. She now knew exactly where this was leading and calmly set Negi down in a shaded patch of grass beside the path. Oddly, the unconscious boy let out a groan at the separation, muttering something about a sister in English. An interesting occurrence that might be worth looking into for future reference, but for now, she had bigger fish to fry.
"I hope you knew what you're getting yourself into..." she spoke with disinterest as she casually began to ascend the steps, looking at nowhere in particular. "Back at Kitsusho Academy in Tokyo, we had a --- special way of dealing with business, and like it or not --- MAIRU!"
With an unnerving whistle of air, Kanako took off in a dead run, flowing like the wind, her face masked in a grim purpose. Oh, she would make sure it was "painless," but she was also going to beat this foul-mouthed upstart into the ground for even conceiving of the thought of challenging her. First, though, she felt a test of power was in order.
Kanako soared to the top of the steps with a single bound, appearing almost suddenly in the air right above her astonished opponent. Tucking her legs in, she balled her hands together into a single fist, and brutally swung down upon the honey-haired girl's head like her fists were a club. She could end it all right here in one blow.
The jarring resistance of her impromptu club colliding into the defensively crossed wrists of her opponent with a thud was --- unexpected but acceptable. Unflinchingly, Kanako powered through the rest of her swing, kicking her legs out as she literally vaulted over the girl, earning a grunt out of her opponent. Kagurazaka's friend apparently had some skill, after all. Maybe she was taking the upperclassman (well, upperclasswoman) a little too lightly. Perhaps, she should have used an axe kick instead?
It was time for a test in reflexes, and she hit the ground with an audible scuff of her shoes, rolling smoothly into a crouch behind the honey-haired girl. Without a looking, Kanako pivoted her body about on her toes, using one hand for a counter balance, as she lashed out with a cutting leg sweep to the ankles. Imagine her surprise when she felt only a rustle of air through the space that her opponent once occupied.
What the-! Where did she-AGH! thought the raven-haired girl in alarm, but it was already too late.
She felt a pair of strong hands dig into the lapels of her clothes, jacket and all, hauling her upwards and yanking her backwards into an uncomfortable position with her back painfully arched. Everything was turned upside down and right side up in a jarring burst of vertigo, the sound of cloth tearing ringing in her ears. Kanako was airborne, hurtling helpless through the air, a soundless shriek of disbelief on her lips, before she promptly crashed into the water fountain's ample pool with a mortifying splash.
Rushing water invaded her nostrils and throat so suddenly that she choked. Panic-stricken she floundered about like a child in the shallow pool, thrashing water this way and that, before Kanako pulled herself up instinctively onto all fours. Spitting and coughing vehemently, she expelled out the offending water, all the while, a new searing emotion took root deep in the core of heart:
Indignation.
"Arara? What's the matter? Don't tell me you don't know how to kitty paddle?" Kagurazaka's champion cried mockingly in a bombastic tone of voice. "I thought you could use a bath to wake yourself up --- and clean up too. You smell worse than a boy after gym with all that dirt, grass, and grime all over you. Your uniform might as well be rags. What're you supposed to be anyway, some kind of sadistic, exhibitionist, wannabe Goth?"
Kanako grit her teeth in fury. Oh, I'm definitely going to break your pretty. little. face in...
"Get up! I'm not done with you yet! You're going to feel what Asuna-chan went through and a thousand times worse!"
"What was that move just now, Senpai?" she asked the honey-haired girl tonelessly, as she rose to her feet with all the dignity she could muster. Streams of water dripped down her drenched clothes and hair, splashing noisily into the pool of water beneath her feet that rose up to her shins. Honestly, Kanako resembled something more of a wet black kitten that had seen better days than a deadly black panther, but one look at her gleaming hazel eyes, and it was obvious that she was dead serious about this fight.
For her two cents, "Senpai" raised a sarcastic brow at the contradictory manner of the younger girl's response. Was Urashima finally going to start taking her seriously? Or did the cold look in her eyes mean something else?
"Didn't see it, did you --- Urashima-kun?"
"No, but I can guess that in my arrogance I had underestimated not only your power, but your response time as well. A backwards flip coupled together with a quick acrobatic mid-air twist to reorient yourself, gaining the proper leverage, so that you can grab me by the shoulders as you came down with your back to me. By using the momentum you gained, the rest is history. Impressive."
"Hmmm, my opinion of you might be getting a little higher, but I still can't believe Asuna-chan lost to you."
Kanako calmly removed herself from the water fountain's pool, vaulting expertly over the stone rim, her wet shoe-clad feet hitting the pavement with a squish, accompanied by the splatter of dripping water. "So you're the one who trained her then?"
"Narusegawa Naru, Saint Ursula's Class One-A; remember it."
"Is that so? Hmm, I see. Now that I have a name..."
Without a further word, Kanako exploded into motion, crossing the expanse that separated the two of them, and hurled her entire body into a palm thrust, catching Naru off guard. Her astonishing burst of speed, the sudden movement, the blow to the jaw, like a slap to her face; there was only the jarring impact that thundered in her ears as the older girl staggered, her shaken senses ablaze with alarm as she felt her center of gravity lifting off the ground. She had gotten careless all right!
"I have to return the favor," hissed the raven-haired girl, her eyes flashing dangerously.
Her hand shot out like a striking viper, seizing Naru viciously by the throat, as she stepped inwards into the stunned girl's guard in an instant and grabbed a handful of Naru's uniform, her fingers digging in like claws. The honey-haired girl gave a choked gasp of pain, her pretty twisted into a grimace that blossomed into disbelief, when she found herself suddenly lifted well above the smaller girl's head, a startling feat of strength. As it turns out, Naru could hurtle through the air in a manner just as an undignified as her younger opponent.
The tables had turned unexpectedly, though much to her private chagrin, she threw in an audible impulsive screech against her own volition.
Splash!
"Aawgh-pffttt! Gah!" Naru spat animatedly, much to her private chagrin that now she was soaked to the bone as well. Half-blind from the water dripping down her glasses and face, she quickly scrambled up from the pooling water in the fountain in an effort to ready herself for the certain follow up attack.
"I'd say we're about even now --- but not yet-!"
Barely, she heard the whistle of air coming from above over the constant ambience of the fountain, and instinctively rolled aside, as an eruption of water splashed onto her back. Oh, how Naru was regretting untying her long hair and wearing these confounding glasses on a day like this! Why was she still wearing them anyway? It was not like she even needed them in the first place!
Still, I'd better hang onto them a little bit longer, just in case... Sorry, Shishou, but I'm going to have to break one of your rules. This one's personal.
"Hey! I hope you like the water, Urashima-yarou!" Naru shouted back impertinently. She knew fully well that Kanako was bearing down on her exposed back, the water splashing vehemently with her passage, but not to be outdone, even she had more surprises up her sleeve.
Focus chi --- and STRIKE!
"DOKKAN!"
The unexpected quite literally blasted Kanako away. Her only warning was a brief flare of what she suspected was blue chakra around Narusegawa's right hand, clutched tightly into a fist, before it was promptly smashed into the cement foundation. With a shout of "Dokkan!", the water fountain exploded with a roar, an great geyser of pressurized frigid water swept them apart in an instant. Vaguely, she registered herself being thrown airborne again, tumbling about as random chunks of debris buffeted her around like a toy.
For several minutes, there was nothing but a blank tape, static, her senses completely overwhelmed. Yet, she was still conscious, just unable respond to all the stimuli bombarding her body. When her body finally resumed business-as-usual, she deftly aware that she was freezing cold, shivering in fact, her flesh a sickly pale color. There were all sorts of new aches and pains, but never would she allow anyone to say that Kanako Urashima was a "quitter."
What the hell was that attack just now? Kanako thought with a curse.
She forced herself to stand, rising up from the pooling water that spread across the devastated ground. The miniature plaza had been virtually annihilated by Narusegawa's handiwork. There was nothing left standing, a splintering crater filled with bursting pipes and pooling water in the center where the water fountain had once been. It was then that a sudden thought hit her.
Where was Naru Narusegawa?
"Arara, don't say I didn't give you fair warning..." whispered a familiar voice acidly in her ear.
FROM BEHIND ME?
Her expression at the time must have been priceless. Kanako could only wonder how much Keitaro-niisan could have laughed at just how completely "spooked" she looked for it happened not once --- but twice in the same day. Of course, knowing Onii-chan with his poor sense of dark humor, he would have been absolutely horrified.
"...Hyappo Shinshou!"
The explosion of chakra struck her square in the back sending her flying forwards, a searing pain erupting across her senses. She hardly even had a moment to contemplate what was happening to her when a white-black blur appeared right in front of her. All Kanako understood was that she had grossly --- grossly underestimated Naru Narusegawa.
"How about one more? Kuraenasai --- DOKKAN!"
With deadly precision, she was struck in the stomach by an iron-hard fist that exploded with a thunderclap of blue chakra. Her thoughts were ablaze with stunned awe, Ugh! The force of a cannon in a single punch? Unbelievable. Looks like that wretch, Narusegawa, is certainly living up to the name of Ba Ji Quan!
Darkness eroded away Kanako's vision in an instant, her eyes rolling neatly into the back of her head, as if she were fainting. Everything was shutting down, air whistling past her ears. She did not even feel the tough trunk of the tree splintering underneath her tremendous velocity, the screams of her agonizing body, as she broke it neatly in half upon impact.
Ouch.
Naru was at a loss for words, blue waves of chi still radiating out from her outstretched fist. The roar from the Dokkan ringing in her ears, as the leaves on the trees rustled ominously from the black breeze shifting through them. Her eyes were transfixed in awe upon the broken remains of the tree, now an ugly stump, which Kanako had broken when she had crashed through it.
Had she over done it by bringing out the greater potential of Ba Ji Quan? She had certainly wanted to teach the raven-haired brat a lesson, but --- was not this a bit much?
The bespectacled girl shook her head vigorously, gritting her teeth, a righteous anger burning brightly in her eyes. No, of course I didn't over do it! That girl deserved every bit of this after what she did to Asuna-chan. She's the on in the wrong, not me. Serves her right for picking on the wrong person. Hmph!
Oh well, what was done was done, and it was not like she could take those punches back anyway. Besides, at least the expenditure of her chi had dried herself out nicely from the freezing water from the water foun-THE WATER FOUNTAIN?
Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Naru threw a wild look at her devastated surroundings, the grim gravity of the situation finally sinking into her passionate mind. There was a lot of collateral damage, at least in the hundreds and thousands of yen for sure! How the heck was she going to fix or pay for all of this? Argh, this was another thing Shishou had warned her about going all out with Ba Ji Quan. It was seriously not that hard to cause a whole lot of damage fast without even the practitioner's conscious knowledge using the style's powerful techniques.
The honey-haired girl made a face. This was going to be ugly, but she supposed, she should at least go check up on Urashima fir-!
"Ooi..." hissed a familiar voice in a thick pained rasp.
Impossible! How the-? I hit her dead center in the gut! But still-!
Kanako Urashima was still standing.
To Be Continued...
Author's Notes:
Chapter 33, the much anticipated fight; oh, and did I forget to mention we're over the 100,000+ word mark? Huzzah! Fight! Fight! Fight! Ohhh, what an upset! Naru's a lot tougher than she looks! Has Kanako finally bit off more than she can chew? Or is this fight just simply an unfair handicap? After all, Kanako doesn't have any useable chakra left, but oh, she's still standing? Could this be a sign of a comeback?
Well, maybe we'll find out on the next episode Glass Moon!
Reviewers and readers alike, 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 34:
The Changing Tide?
"By the way, where's your blazer? Isn't it a bit cold to be prancing about in just that white shortsleeve blouse and our uniform's flimsy vest?"
Tsudzuku!