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 40:

Similarities

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

"Well --- I suppose, you wanted to kill yourself, didn't you?"

Suicide.

Tsuruko flinched as if she had been physically struck. Perhaps, she had underestimated both Urashima-kun's frankness and the power of those damning words. Urashima-kun? Ho, maybe she should be addressing him as Keitaro-han instead. He has certainly earned the right.

"Yes," she smiled wistfully.

The dark brown-haired young man said nothing at first, seething internally at the older woman's eerie admission. He could not believe that she had seriously wanted to kill herself. Why should she want to? And what about that weird truck? Should he ask her why she did it? Or would that be --- no --- he had to ask. He had come this far already, and turning back now was...

"Any reason?"

"I'm --- I am afraid it is not something you would be able to understand, de gozaru," she evaded, hiding the cringe of utter disgust at her own cowardice. Again, she was hiding behind propriety and the formal humbleness of the samurai. It was pathetic, but she just...

"You're really just not ready to talk about it, right? The truth?" Keitaro smiled warmly, even as the dark-haired woman stared openly at him in shock. To be honest, he felt like he was walking on egg shells, very sharp egg shells, but he managed to hold his brave front somehow. "Hey, it's no big deal. Even Kana-chan says I look like a dope on the stupid side of nerdy, but it doesn't mean I'm seriously stupid. ...at least, I think I'm not one..."

"N-No! I did not --- I didn't mean-!"

"Oioi, you don't have to prove anything to me, Aoyama-san. Really... The only reason I saved you was because..."

Tsuruko held her breath, hanging onto every last word, her complexion ashen and pale. She hated to admit it, the cold sickly fear worming its way into her guts, but what the young man --- no --- this man said to her next could break her completely. There was already so little left of her; in fact, she was amazed she was still here, and all thanks to him. Back then, she had wanted to die, but now...

"Eh-hehe! I know it might sound crazy," the bespectacled young man laughed. His face brightened into a full blown grin as he scratched the back of his head out of a nervous habit, and boy was he nervous! "But really, truthfully, the only reason I saved you was because --- well, somewhere deep down --- I think I believed I had the power to. ...I was really doubting myself the entire time I was running to you. I was worried that I wouldn't make it in time, that I couldn't do it, but I was just too stupid and stubborn to quit --- and somehow it worked out. We've only known each other a short while, not very well at all really, and it probably wasn't any of my business, but --- I cared and that's enough for me, Aoyama Tsuruko-san."

Hehe! I know it sounds completely nuts; just crazy, completely crazy! But seriously, from the bottom of my heart, the only reason I saved you was, well, because I think --- I believed I could; deep down somewhere in my guts, I think. Shoot, I was scarred out of my mind that this was beyond me, out my league, but somehow it worked out just fine. It's like I couldn't let go, just too dumb and hard-headed to really let go when I should've... We don't know each other really, and I honestly don't know what to think of you, what'cha are, who you really are, but without you, I wouldn't be who I am; what I am now right now. So that's why I care --- and that's enough for me, Aoyama Tsuruko-chan.

Just like him.

Just like that man.

Just like Kaien-dono.

Kaien-han.

Kaien-baka.

Kaien-yan.

Kaien.

"Whoa, geez! Don't scare me like that," a voice admonished her, filled with concern.

She was being held by someone --- held by him, Keitaro Urashima, as she lay listlessly in his arms. The dark-haired woman felt so tired. He was the only thing standing between her and the sweet pavement that waited to greet her body. Why had he not let her fall? Why did he try so hard?

"Why?" Tsuruko asked him in a dull whisper.

"You're in a lot of pain, aren't you?"

"Hnn?"

"I see the same thing in Kana-chan too, you know."

"'Kana-chan'?"

"Urashima Kanako, my imouto."

"Is she-?"

"Yup, the same girl who was with me this morning on the train when you showed up."

"Hnnn."

"Do you have any sons or daughters, children?" Keitaro asked her tentatively. Maybe this'll get her to open up some to me. Don't know if I'm doing the right thing, but I got to try something. I --- I want to know what's bothering her so much. If I can help her, then maybe I'll finally be able to help Kanako-chan too.

Tsuruko smiled wistfully. Children? Why she had never even thought about it to be honest. Why should she? She had no reason to think about it, after all the horrors she had seen and committed. "How old do you think I am, Keitaro-kun?"

What the? Why is she addressing me by a first name all of a sudden? "Uh, well...this is a pretty touchy subject for gir...er, ladies, Ao-Aoyama-san."

"I don't mind it all, fufufu. So how old?"

"If you say so, I'd --- I'd guess twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine...maybe your thirties?"

"I'm twenty-two years old, and a husband was someone I had --- once --- four years ago."

Wow, she's right around Haruka-obasan's age too. ...wait, she had a husband once? "You were married when you were only eighteen?"

"It's not so unusual where I --- come from... An arranged marriage."

"Ah...he's --- he's not around anymore is he?"

The dark-haired woman's hard silence was enough confirmation that "Mister-Whoever" was six feet under. Keitaro seethed, kicking himself mentally in the head for asking such a stupid question. He was supposed to be helping her here, not making her more depressed. Still, she could not be completely alone, could she? There had to be someone she was close to, a relationship, something to keep her going.

"Um, how about siblings, Aoyama-san? Your family?"

"One."

"A brother? A sister?" Ouch, it sounds like she might not be on good terms with her family either, if it's only a sibling she cares about.

"A younger sister."

Keitaro beamed with enthusiasm at the revelation. "Really? What's her name, Aoyama-san?"

"Aoyama --- Motoko," Tsuruko replied emotionlessly, but even so he could sense the pained catch in her voice. Perhaps, there was some connection between her unfathomable sorrow and her little sister, and maybe, even her "late" husband, he presumed, had a part in it too.

"Motoko, huh? It's a good name."

"Hnnn..."

It was a soft nudge against his chest that told Keitaro that Tsuruko was done talking, and with great reluctance, he released her. The fact she could now stand on her own two feet, her strength returned, eased him somewhat, but it did little to affect the concerned frown on his face. He urgently wanted to find out more about her, the things that made Tsuruko Aoyama who she was, so he could help her --- before it was too late. If she continued on this path as she was now, then there was only one conclusion...

No! I won't let that happen! I won't let it happen to Kana-chan, and I won't let it happen to Aoyama-san either, thought Keitaro determinedly, shaking his head. "You know, we're not so different from each other, Aoyama-san."

Tsuruko said nothing, bowing her head low so that her bangs veiled her gaze effectively, much to his chagrin. Whether he liked it or not, this would have to be enough for now. It just, honestly, could not helped.

He sighed and decided to change the subject. "Say, where are-!"

Suddenly, the ronin was aware of everything, the unnatural stillness of his surroundings, cold and ominous. A thick white fog permeated through the trees and greenery like a veil of death, limiting visibility down to a few meters. The nearby light post, next to a bench on the paved path they both occupied, flickered alive with an orange glow, joining a line of other distant fireballs in the haunting distance. It appeared they were in a park and not at the gates of the afterlife.

Just to be sure...

"Ow!" Keitaro mumbled after having socked himself in the face. As it turns, he was still perfectly alive, having survived the earlier incident with the truck of death somehow. The very idea of his mortality had completely escaped him in the rush of things!

"So we're still alive, I see," Tsuruko remarked coolly in a matter-of-fact tone. If her sense of humor was not long gone, she might have laughed at Keitaro's antics, but presently, she had no appetite for such things. Glancing about her, she noted the change in scenery as well, before setting her gaze upon the bespectacled young man. "And in a completely different location as well."

Keitaro fidgeted nervously. "Eh-hehe! Sure is amazing, isn't it?" Not really; I think it's creepy as heck too. I wonder what happened?

"Yes, though I wonder how we managed to get-"

The shattering roar struck her from behind; inhuman, the screams of a thousand cacophonic voices, male and female, all wailing together at once. Tsuruko knew what the source of the scream was by heart, a Hollow, but it was already too late. The beast had taken her by surprise, when she was weakest, her subconscious defenses did not have a chance to mobilize. Now, she was paralyzed, completely helpless, and she could sense the malicious spirit was right on top of her.

Would this be end of her at last?

Suddenly, the dark-haired woman felt a sharp tug around her waist, the weightless sensation of being pulled against another body, much to her wide-eyed astonishment. The dispersion of air ruffling her hair as an immense reiatsu erupted from the body beside her, blazing bright with a staggering power that made her bones tingle. It was incredible and utterly unbelievable! She could hardly even hear the Hollow's pained shriek over the thunderous din of released spirit force.

Where was it coming from? Who could it be? No --- it couldn't be now, could it?

"Oi! Kusoyarou, didn't anybody ever teach you any manners?" Keitaro bellowed grimly, a deadly certainty gleaming in his dark brown eyes.

Tsuruko trembled with awe as her dark olive green eyes followed the length of the young man's right arm, a quarter of it buried into the grotesque flesh of the hulking beast hunched over them. The jaws of the Hollow's hideous skull mask lay slack, as it glared down at them in utter disbelief at the fist embedded in its stomach. Apparently, even the restless souls of the wicked and those who could not pass on could still share the same sentiments as the living.

"Nothing personal, but it's high time you tried to make peace with yourself!"

The blazing spirit force exploded with tumultuous force, whipping the air into a frenzy as the Hollow gave a fatal wounded cry, before it disintegrated instantly into a scintillating cloud of purified energy. With his task completely, Keitaro sighed and lowered his arm, allowing his reiatsu to ebb and return to its normal flow. There was no doubt in his mind about what had just happened and his own actions. Oh yes, he was in a ton of trouble now.

"Ne, Aoyama-san, are you-"

"Get down!" Tsuruko screamed as she shoved herself forcefully against him, causing them both to the deck.

She landed right on top of him, which was certainly a soft landing for her, though the screaming protests of Keitaro's back made it clear that it was not so nice for him. However, he hardly had a chance to voice his own opinion before a crackling column of crimson light shot by above them. The air sizzled with searing heat, and if they had still been standing, they would have vaporized for sure, leaving only smoking lumps of whatever the hell was left of them.

Quickly, Tsuruko mustered her resolve, her piercing gaze locking onto the black silhouette of the distant Hollow through the temporary window of opportunity. The wraith's last attack had opened up a clear line of sight for her through the fog, an easy shot:

"Hadou Sanjuusan --- Soukatsui!"

The dark-haired woman struck her open hand out to complete the ritual cast for "blast spell," her own reiatsu flaring as a massive surge of blue flame erupted from the outstretched hand. Caught by surprise itself, she watched with grim satisfaction as the Hollow was struck by her spell and erupted promptly into a screaming blue inferno. For several moments, it thrashed about wildly trying to put out the purifying flames before its strength gave out, giving into the inevitable.

Keitaro stared, a sickly feeling bubbling up his constricted, tense throat. The cogs of rationale in his mind, worried and alarmed, began to turn and twist, trying to put together the pieces of the growing crisis. Thanks to that little demonstration, Tsuruko had just made things a whole lot more complicated. He did not whether to dread or to feel --- betrayed somehow, but the latter emotion was utter nonsense. Why should he feel betrayed when he of his own volition trusted the woman and gave his sincere feelings to her?

He would have done the same a thousand times over for anyone else. Growing up with Kanako and learning to take care of her had nurtured a great capacity for compassion and humanity in him. Even sometimes, it scared him to think of what he would be willing to do for someone else, and yet he could hardly lift a finger for himself.

Still, standing face to face once again, Keitaro was torn between concern for his family and the dark-haired woman he had taken into his care unquestionably:

"So --- I guess we both have our fair share of secrets, huh, Aoyama-san?"

"So it appears, that it does," she replied to him with a sad smile, slipping back into that humble "Kyoto" formality.

How much does she know? Is she with those people who're after us? "I don't know whether to get to the point or try to pry the answers out of you..."

"Fufufu, I would not recommend it, Urashima-han."

Hmmm, Urashima-han? Is that Kansai-ben? Why did she switch to that? "You were there, weren't you? Way back at the train station this morning."

"Maybe or maybe I was not?"

"Tsk, you're not making this any easier-"

"We are in Mahora City, if you must know. Mahora Central Park, to be exact."

Huh? Mahora City? But --- but that's impossible! thought Keitaro with a frown. How could we have come this far and all the way from Kabuki­-cho in Shinjuku, Tokyo? That's at least a two hours ride away by Metro or more.

"There is too much interference by the reiatsu fog the Hollows are emitting for me to tell anything else beyond that, but I imagine there are a considerable of them massed here presently."

Oh great, I should've guessed those weren't the only the two Hollows around here. Wait! If she can sense them... Aoyama! Aoyama! I get the feeling I should know that name, but even if I don't --- I guess I'll be finding out in a little while...

"Your reiatsu is a very impressive, Urashima-han. I am amazed you are able to mask it so well. Tell me how is your ki then?"

She smiled amiably making him sweat, even though he could see the hot vapors of his own breath crystallizing in the air. This woman was really something and the words "beautiful," "elegant," and "dangerous" were right at the top of the list. He had to wonder now what that cane she carried around was really for, as it surely had to be a deception.

"Hmmm, more privy information, de gozaru? Now, that reminds me. Mae --- Ryujinki!"

Keitaro stared in awe as the air literally shook with rei...no --- this was different! --- a strange energy, sending his clothes and hairs bristling in the wind. Though he was nowhere near as good as Kanako when it came to gauging chakra (he supposed Tsuruko was referring to that when she said ki) or reiatsu, but he was no fool either. Tsuruko Aoyama was strong, incredibly strong, and with a thunder clap, a familiar cane materialized in her outstretched hand just like magic. He had no idea what sort of technique she had used, but she had used a foreign energy that he had no clue about to summon an object with frightening ease.

"That wasn't reiatsu, by the way, Urashima-kun. That was magic," Tsuruko told him plainly with a smile. He could only stare back in shock, unable to believe that she may have read his thoughts somehow. "Can you perform sorcery as well?"

In-Incredible... She can use magic too? thought the ronin with a grimace, as he watched the dark-haired woman adeptly sheathe the cane into a belt loop on the waist of her red hakama (like it was a sword). In the middle of all this commotion, he just realized that they had both dried themselves off quite thoroughly by releasing their respective reiatsu, another tell-tale sign of strength. However, she had won up him completely with her demonstration of magic. I...I really don't want to fight her

Tsuruko, apparently, shared similar sentiments, at least he suspected in regards to her superiority in a fight. "Well, I must be going now. It was a pleasure to meet you more personally, that it was, Urashima-han."

"Huh?" Keitaro blinked. She was not going to fight him? "You're --- leaving?"

"Yes, there is nothing else for me here."

Is she serious? This has to be some kind of joke! "B-But aren't you-"

"Here to what? Kill you? Capture you? Fufufu, do not be so presumptuous, Urashima-han. It was all coincidence. At the time, I just so happened to be in the neighborhood, so to speak. And please, be more careful of what you speak; you are revealing more of yourself to me than I am to you with your impulsive words, de gozaru."

The ronin frowned. He should be grateful that she did not want to fight him, but... "Ugh, but what about the Hollows?"

"They are presently none of my concern."

"Say WHAT?"

"Do not be so alarmed, Urashima-han."

"But-!"

"Think about it carefully, Urashima Keitaro," Tsuruko bellowed suddenly in a stern voice that startled him, commanding his obedience in an instant. "Would you want me, in my condition, to fight these wraiths and see that they are all given proper soul burials?"

Keitaro flinched at his lack of thoughtfulness. It was selfish and shameful of him to insist that Tsuruko should fight and help clear out this area of the Hollow threat as well, considering what she had been through. He did not know the exact details, but he had a feeling that it was not pretty in the slightest. "A-Aoyama-san, I'm sorry. I should've-"

"Do not feel pity for yourself. I know what you are planning to do, a noble effort, though it is most surely in vain."

"Huh?"

"You're going to fight them all alone, aren't you?"

What the? Am I that obvious? Oh, whatever! "But I have to try! What if there's someone else out there caught in this fog right now?"

"That is a possibility and yet there is also the possibility that there may be no innocents caught in this battlefield."

"Aoyama-san, I can't just stand by and watch on a bunch of 'what-ifs'! I have to see this through, even if I have to do it alone."

In the distance, the haunting wails of Hollows sprang up in a frenzied chorus, joined by many more voices. Without thinking, Tsuruko reached out with her reiatsu subconsciously and discovered they were massing together in one particular area. Their numbers were multiplying exponentially by the minute! Surely, Keitaro was rushing to his certain death, as she silently feared, but maybe, just maybe with his incredible reiatsu...

The dark-haired woman turned away with a heavy-hearted sigh, knowing that there was no way to convince him otherwise. "You're an admirable man, Urashima Keitaro."

Hey, she dropped all the formal stuff again. 'An admirable man'? What does she mean by that? wondered Keitaro curiously, as he had no idea of the terrible battle he would be soon rushing into fight. "Aoyama-san?"

"Please, don't die until the next time we meet again, Keitaro-yan. You might be the only thing left worth living for..."

"Huh-H-Hey! Wait, Aoyama-!"

For an instant, he saw Tsuruko's form blur and just like that she was gone from the spot, leaving him staring slack-jawed in shock. What the heck was that? Shyunpo or some other kind of "instantaneous body" technique? My God, if she could do that, summon that cane (probably a katana in disguise) with magic, and blast that huge flame --- shoot, she could have taken me down easily for sure. I got a ton of chakra but my control is terrible, the same goes for my reiatsu, and on top of that, the only techniques I can use are the ones where you have to burn a huge amount of chakra or reiatsu in the first place.

Without Kanako to cover for him, he would have been completely helpless against Tsuruko Aoyama in a matter of minutes, and it did not help that she could use magic too.

The cries of the Hollows grew louder and Keitaro gulped. It was a very good thing indeed that it had not come down to a fight. Besides, he had a job to do now, and he hoped Kanako would not mind if he was a few minutes late. What time of day was it anyway? He could check his cell phone...

Oh well, time to go bust in some heads.

To Be Continued...

Author's Note

Hey-HEY! It's the big number 40! Give yourselves all a big round applause because we've finally made it forty chapters/episodes in. Can you believe it? I didn't think we'd even get this far, considering I was expecting the producers to shut us down, but hey, we're still here, and I'm happy to say that as of this moment we have exactly 11 episodes left of the first arc/volume 1.

So what does that mean for all of us? Well, I can't say myself, but on the other hand, I'm starting to wonder if there is no such thing as a female completely immune to the wiles of the "Harem Effect." Why are some characters younger? Well, duh, it's an AU (although just maybe there's a higher reason for it, just maybe). Tsuruko got married when she was 18? Sheesh, what exactly went on with this Kaien fellow and her? And WHOA, Keitaro is being COOL? He can kick some butt? Tsuruko can kick butt and use magic? What did she mean exactly by he might be the only worth living for? Are we going to have a battle royale? When am I going to start giving some more answers out, dammit?

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

Reviewers and readers alike, I'd like to thank you all very much for your continued patronage. Remember, I 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.

So without further adieu, that wraps it up, folks (see you again around mid-next week): Let's get it on!

Omake!

Naze Nani Glass Moon Desu

Episode Preview!

Chapter 41:

The Park

"The destruction of my foes, blast them to dust with fury! Hadou Sanjuukyuu --- BAKAHATSU!"

Tsudzuku!