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 36:

Report

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

While one Chachamaru Karakuri was busy bringing in the last casualties of the afternoon's troublesome events, things were far from well elsewhere on campus. Shinobu fretted intensely, pacing back and forth with a yellow cellphone in hand, featuring a banana themed pattern no less. It was not hers, of course; in fact, Kaolla Su was quite frankly enjoying the sun on the roof of Sakuraba Hall with her.

Kaolla snored loudly, a noticeable dribble of drool spilling out of a corner of her mouth. "Oooo...banana split sundaes...where's that fluxing hyper spanner!...ooo...bananas..."

Correction, Kaolla Su was the only one enjoying the afternoon sun and the blue skies up above, not a white cloud in sight. The indigo-haired girl sighed, silently repressing the urge to start pulling at her own hair and scream pitifully. She was beginning to understand very clearly now why she had been partnered with the eccentric foreign girl.

Kaolla-san, why did you have to be such a screw-up? thought Shinobu. She gazed forlornly at the sleeping girl, who was in an --- undignified pose of repose, with her arms and legs curled up in the air rather submissively. With a blush, the younger girl ran over and pressed those troubling appendages back to the floor where they belonged.

The scouter had gone missing in action, probably destroyed before it could even relay back the data it had been recording, much to Shinobu's dismay. Kaolla being the brilliant mad scientist she was had apparently, due to a failure of imagination, forgotten to add a coded satellite data uplink that would allow the data to be transmitted remotely and continuously to more secure channels. Hence, all their hard work had been completely for naught.

Shinobu sighed, muttering lightly to herself, "And now I have to make a report, without any solid evidence at all. I know Kaolla-san will vouch for me, but..."

Would everyone back home really believe her? It was common knowledge among them that Mahora City was an extraordinarily well-protected bastion from the supernatural. The power of the magical and spiritual barriers that protected the city were the stuff of legend, which could banish most "malicious" entities or prevent them from manifesting in the first place with ease. Simply put, it was one of the safe havens in the "true" world.

"...but it was real. I really, really saw a Hollow --- and that girl..."

She had to try! If no one else would listen to her, then at least --- Hime-sama will listen. With this renewed resolve, Shinobu braved the speed dial function, hoping this would not be her last phone call yet. She could feel the tension stirring in her, the excitement and the nervousness building into an electrifying feeling, as the cell phone rang patiently in her ear. Any moment now would be the moment of truth.

"Hey! If it isn't Shinobu-konekochan!" answered a familiar narcissist's voice proudly over the phone, "how's it going, babe? You usually don't call; hell, you never call, especially me."

Shinobu choked, her expression gone slack.

"Awww, don't tell me you hit the wrong speed dial number again, Shinobu-koneko."

"Aughhh..."

"OH-hohoho! I guess, you did, didn't you, you naughty little kitty?"

The indigo-haired girl's complexion felt at that moment that red was a very appropriate color for her cheeks.

"Come on, say it, Koneko-chan! You know," the young man dropped to a low husky voice, doing his best David Bowie impression, "how much I love to hear you say it."

"Ko-K-Kon-ni-chi-wa, Ka-KA-SAKATA-SEMPAI!"

"Aww, it's Sakata Kentaro, you know; super rich guy, you know; don't diss the super rich guy, you know. Sa-Ka-Ta. Ken-Ta-Ro. And I really wish you'd call me 'Kentaro-sempai', instead. Sakata makes me sound like some high school loser playboy who thinks he's all that, when he's got nothing. All talk and no bite, you dig?"

"Ha-Hai! Ken-Ta-Sa-Sakata-SENpai!"

Kentaro sniffed like a wounded animal. "Oh, so not only is my name not worth remembering, but now I've been DEMOTED to just Sakata-SENpai? Aww, Shinobu-chan, I thought we were tighter than that, you know."

She did NOT want to know what he meant by that!

"Go-Gomen nasai, Kentaro-sempai," the indigo-haired girl apologized profusely. It was all a game, Shinobu knew that much, and it was the kind of exaggerated play acting that Kentaro absolutely adored, except she could never tell when he was serious or just kidding.

Maybe...

Maybe that was why she did not trust him.

"Mattaku, see! I knew you could do it. So what's up?"

The indigo-haired girl could feel the magnetism of that bombastic grin he had plastered all over his face through the phone. It made her cringe inwardly just to think about it. "There was an incident today involving a Hollow attack on campus."

On the other end of the line, Kentaro clammed up. This was it. The moment of truth, and she could not help but feel a touch of satisfaction at making the normally vivacious (to the point of being a braggart) young man --- well --- shut up.

"You know, in all the time I've known you, Maehara-kun, you've always been one of them straight --- forward types like Gunslinger and KOS-MOS. Of course, that is, if you can work up the guts to say anything."

Shinobu bit her lip, a fiery feeling of indignation welling up inside her. Is he trying to make me --- angry? But wait a minute, why is he calling me "Maehara-kun" all of sudden? Sakata-san has never talked to me like that before.

"So let's hear it then. What happened?"

"E-Etou..." she stuttered nervously. She was quite taken a back by what she perceived to be Kentaro's sincerity. If it was not his sincerity, then at the least it was his undivided attention, both of which were unnerving things to her.

"Oh, come on, this is business here, Maehara-kun. I admit I sure as --- pardon my language --- hell love just how fine I am, but we don't have time to kill. Hehhehe, kill... Oh, I just love the sound of that word."

Silence.

"Well, time's wasting away, Maehara-kun."

Shinobu shivered inwardly. This was another thing she did not like about Kentaro Sakata: his bloodlust. "Well --- I think you understand."

"Sure, I do," he affirmed casually, "the Hollow just means that there's some shady business going down in Mahora City. I'll get somebody to look into it. Money makes the world go round, after all; doesn't it, Maehara-kun?"

"Hai." She knew better than to inquire any further beyond this point. Whether she liked it or not, Kentaro Sakata was one of her superiors.

"Oh, by the way, you should come home soon. Your imouto-chan's getting down right angsty without you here. It's amazing she's still in one piece after getting her throat torn out, but that's a Methuselah for you."

"Nyamo-chan!" she blurted out impulsively before she could stop herself.

"Fufufu, and they say you're not supposed to have --- a heart."

Shinobu scowled furiously, but held her tongue. This was another thing she did not like about Kentaro Sakata: his complete and utter lack of respect for her. She had earned her place at home, just like everyone else!

"Her recovery should be done in another week or two. Her regenerated vocal cords still need some time to get used to speaking again. After that, we'll get her enrolled and send her down there, so we can pull Su-chan out. Hard to believe, but the Techs are having a hard time keeping up on maintenance and other stuff around here, which makes no sense at all considering all the collateral damage and mayhem she's always causing."

"Understood, Kentaro-sempai, but what about-"

"KOS-MOS got herself pretty much totaled on her last sortie," Kentaro told her, moving right on along as if she had not said anything.

This irritated Shinobu but again she did not say a word. Instead, she occupied herself by trying to absorb all the information he was giving her. It shocked her to hear that KOS-MOS, one of their best, had gotten hurt at all. Admittedly, she was a cold "woman" but a very powerful one at that too, and the indigo-haired girl did admire her for her strength and professionalism. Still, how could she have possibly been wounded at all?

"If it weren't for Gunslinger, she wouldn't be here right now, but I have to say, that fellow really knows how to dish out the Harrison Ford-esque moments --- Indiana Jones! --- for a Catholic priest no less. Amen, to divine retribution and cybernetic love!"

Shinobu blushed, feeling all of her previous indignation draining out of her, only to be replaced by a sudden feeling of embarrassed self-consciousness. "A-An-Anou..."

"Oh, the good Father denies it flatly; psshhh, man of the cloth? Yeah --- right."

I --- I wonder if KOS-MOS and Iqus-san really are... Mou, I shouldn't be a gossiper like Sakata-san! Gossiping about other people isn't --- a good, right? she thought uneasily, as she attempted to change the subject. "Umm, what about the..."

"'The Girl'? What about the girl? You're in Mahora Academy's all girls school for God's sake. Ttaku, all those beautiful young flowers!"

Shinobu sweated, a faint blush gracing her cheeks. I have no idea how he managed to rise so high up at home, then again, I do hear rumors that he...

"Konoemon-jiji must be a super pervert! Yeah, that's it! He's trying to horde all those flowers to himself! That's why he separated Mahora Academy into an all-boys and all-girls institution until you hit college! Grrr, what a --- ooohhhh, never mind. Anyway, what about her?"

"Huh?"

"Tsk, Earth to Shinobu-koneko; HELLLL-LO!"

Shinobu blinked. Why did he just... "E-etou..."

"Name, phone numbers, looks, something, anything! Hello, can I have some common sense here? Don't tell me because you missed out on your-"

"URUSAI!" Shinobu roared suddenly, her face ablaze with fury. Her normally indigo-hued eyes flashed with crimson for an instant before reverting to normal, kicking up a brief vehement breeze.

It was only a moment later that she fully comprehended what she had done.

"A-Anou --- I didn't --- I-I --- Sakata-san --- I didn't mean to..."

Kentaro giggled, a cunning devilish note that grew in tempo, rising in volume, before finally erupting in a crescendo of manic laughter. "That's it! I knew it all along. Now, I'm starting to understand why That Woman took you with us. You DO have what it takes, Shinobu! All you need is a push, that's all. A push in the right direction."

"W-What?" What's he talking about? Why --- why am I shaking so much?

"You don't have to be afraid of what you really are, Methuselah. Embrace it, Shinobu. The REAL you! Power is not a sin, Shinobu. It's the right of the strong! Can't you imagine how much more happier you and Nyamo-koneko would be?"

She could not say a word. Her body had grown cold and taut, paralyzed by something that she could not describe. Was it fear? Was it anticipation? What were that mad man's words doing to her?

"Ku-ku-ku, speechless, huh? Oh well, at least everything's clearer to me now. Yes, much clearer... Now, who is this girl."

"I --- I don't know," Shinobu rasped mechanically in a straining voice, her body trembling as sweat poured down her brow. There was a piercing whine in her ears, low pitched and acid. What was wrong with her? It was like she was coming down with a fever, but that was impossible! She had not gotten sick since...!

"You don't know or you don't want to say?"

"I don't know. I --- I want to know. She's... She's just like her."

"Ah, someone like Anou Onna, is it? Tell me more, Shin-no-bu."

"Ghgk!" There was something prying into her skull, drilling, smashing with a hammer. What the hell was it?

"No need to be shy, now."

"My --- my head! It hurts!"

"Come on, let me see now. Let me see --- exactly."

The foreign presence dug deeper, forcing out the images. Every sensation, everything she thought was bubbling up to the surface, and like a puppet, she began to repeat her feelings in words:

"Black hair, glossy; she was very pretty. Probably a year older than me, though we're in the same grade. Hazel --- h-hazel eyes: cold, full, hot, determined, empty, and lost. A red ribbon. She's a lot like a cat."

"A black kitten, huh? Plus the persistent cowlick?"

"H-Hai. Cute, very cute."

"Hmmmm, ah! I see. I can see her now, clearly. Well! You take care of yourself, koneko-chan. Sorry, if Su-chan's giving you a run for your money, but I kinda, kinda arranged so that you would both be together in the same classroom. Ja ne!"

The line went dead with a click, taking the noise with it. As if she had released from a spell, Shinobu gasped and collapsed onto all fours, the cellphone clattering noisily onto the ground. The odd commotion managed to rouse Kaolla Su from her catnap with a guttural snort, which was quite unlady-like. She had been having such a nice dream too.

"SHshl-nor-bru?" the foreign girl gurgled out groggily. That's odd. Hmmm, bananas! Monkeys! What's Shinomu doing on her knees, sitting back on her haunches, clutching her arms like that, shaking like a banana milkshake, and --- DRAWING BLOOD?

"Shinobu?"

"GO AWAY!" the trembling girl screamed, a burst of violent pressurized air erupting from her presence.

Kaolla was more than happy to oblige, scuttling away on all fours to the exit. She certainly did not want to be turned into a banana pancake, and she knew better than to try reaching out to the distraught girl. Of course, she would have appreciated knowing what had set dear Shinomu off, but --- Shinobu Maehara is a Methuselah. Things tended to get very, very ugly when she got --- angry.

"Waaaa, I'll be in here if you need me, okies, Shinomu? Waaa!"

The door slammed shut, accompanied by a frantic locking click a second later. It was just a nick of time of too as Shinobu let loose with another howl, the pure force of air hammered into the door, splintering the metal with a creak. Tiles ripped from the very floor flew haphazardly through the air like dangerous shrapnel as the tall metal fence that formed the safe perimeter of the rooftop shuddered and squealed, its shape beginning to twist and heave unnaturally.

Beneath the veil of her bangs on her haggard face, irises of the purest crimson, like blood, burned hatefully. She hissed like feral beast. That man! Who was that man? That man had done something to her! What had he done to her? How dare he touch her? Memories. How dare he-! That night... Okaa-san. Otou-san. That night-!

"Some day, definitely, definitely; I'm going to... I'm going to-!"

Kill.

To Be Continued...

Author's Note

As promised, I've defeated the evil lame-o space aliens come to steal all our hair gel and come down from the mountain to give you --- Chapter 36. It's an introspective recap episode, shame on me, and shame on you if miss out on the glaring plot dynamics just because its an introspective recap episode. Now, why is there a freakin' recap episode? Well, if you've been gauging the weather, noting Kanako's effectively out of commission presently, there's about to be a change in the flow of things.

Who exactly does Shinobu and Kaolla work for? What's Nyamo got to do with it? What's Shinobu's deal? Who is That Woman, AKA the Princess? What the frell did I do to Shinobu you ask? I'm not talking, but for those of you who are so recently pop-otaku inclined, you might have heard of a Krusnik 02 or something related to a gothic vampire show with lots of bishies. What the hell is KOS-MOS from Xenosaga doing in this universe? Who's this Father Iqus person, AKA Gunslinger? And isn't Kentaro just a BLEEP! But even though, he's a BLEEP! --- ain't he just so much fun?

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

Reviewers and readers alike, I'd like to once again thank you all very much for your continued patronage. If y'all was a bit miffed by the short high budget fight scene, my bad but I really could not go any further --- unless you wanted to see hell unleashed, which would completely be contrary to Kitsune's warning. She did say that Kanako was not going to be in the land of the conscious for long after using the "health kit" to fix herself up.

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.

Oh, and by the way, mad KUDOS points to anybody who figures out the reference/cameo/spoiler/coolness persons/characters in today's episode preview or anywhere else in this chapter that I have not pointed out already.

So without further adieu, that wraps it up, folks, and so I hope to meet you soon in 2006: LOVE AND PEACE!

Omake!

Naze Nani Glass Moon Desu

Episode Preview!

Chapter 37:

Eerie and Ethereal

"Moro, Maru; bring him inside, won't you? We have a customer, a very important customer."

Tsudzuku!