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 41:
The Park
A Love Magister Hina Negima! fanfic by James "Ray" Edwards
"What am I doing here?" Setsuna wondered aloud with a sigh, leaning back on the bench, as her sullen eyes sought out the heavens.
The evening sky was beginning to set in, the sun racing ever faster towards the east. Black clouds from the approaching storm front followed in its wake, making blatantly obvious that it was going to storm tonight, with plenty of rain, thunder, and lightning to go around. Under normal circumstances, classes would be over within the next thirty minutes, ending at exactly 4:00 PM (or 16:00).
What could Tatsumiya have been thinking to send to her place like this? Here she was sitting on a bench by a lamppost in one of the elegant plazas in Mahora Central Park. Decorative water fountains littered the place, ringed by trees that provided a healthy dose of seclusion, no doubt to the "private" joys of couples who frequented the area. Multiple paths lined the periphery allowing easy access, not to mention scenic routes for person's more inclined for a little solitude, a brief getaway from the hustle and bustle of modern living.
Today was especially rare as Setsuna largely had the park to herself. Except for the one jogger and another passerby, she had yet to see any other persons worth of note. It should have brought her a sense of relief that she could have a little peace and quiet to meditate properly on the day's events. However, there was only turmoil in her heart, a violent spinning hurricane that destroyed relentlessly, wiping away the slate.
Officially, she was a retainer of the Konoe Clan. All her fees, tuition, benefits, and vice-versa were taken care of by the clan as part of her contract. They even provided her with a healthy monthly stipend for her own personal use, but she never really had a reason to spend it and ended putting it always in her savings. She should have been happy with her work. What more could a yojimbo ask for than to protect an important client?
Alas, there was more; a yojimbo could ask for, much more. The people who had raised her was not the Konoe Clan, who held great influence in the Magic Association, but the Kensai Association, to be more specific, the Aoyama Clan. They were an old, powerful family and were among the few great "movers" of the Kensai. Through their teachings of the Shinmei Ryu, some of the best agents the Kensai Association had ever seen had been produced. The fact was, it was an honor and a privilege to have been adopted by such a family.
However, the Aoyama Clan was also the most politically conservative of all the families in the association. They hated demons, the emissaries of sin, corruption, and evil: the forces of the otherworld with a zeal that few matched. Half-breed demons, hanyou: the abominations created between humans and such beasts had no place in the pure world they sought to create in this tireless struggle between Good and Evil. Good shall triumph and all those who had been tainted would taste the righteous fires of Heaven.
Aku Soku Zan: Slay Evil Immediately; this attitude had been encouraged even more in recent years with the successful "cleansing" of Kyoto. This had forced moderates and the more liberal branches of the family to --- reconsider their positions, as the voices of the conservatives grew ever louder and more insistent. Their triumph could all be traced to one person and one person only...
...Motoko Aoyama.
That incredible killing intent earlier... She's here for me; I'm certain of it, thought the raven-haired girl gravely. She's grown much more powerful than I remember, but then again, it seems like a lifetime since we last met.
Yes, their last meeting together had been --- unpleasant. The ties that bind them had been burned irrevocably that fateful day, but as much as Motoko wanted to, there was no way she could draw blood and steel in the streets. There would be harsh repercussions, even for a person of her esteem. Setsuna, hanyou or otherwise with the blood of kotengu from the dreaded Uzoku clans flowing through her veins, was still a member of the Kensai Association and a retainer of the Konoe Clan.
To strike her down openly in public would be political and social suicide, and to murder her in secret would be even worse. So what was Motoko up to? What was her goal by coming here? Certainly, she was not so frivolous to come to this school just to frighten her old --- nemesis, could she?
Setsuna smiled bitterly. My, how far we've fallen --- Sempai. The only saving graces, I suppose, is that Konoka-ojousama's memories have faded much and I've kept myself well hidden, despite being in the same class as her. But... If Mo-! No... If Aoyama-sempai were to learn of your presence, Ojou-sama, what then?
Of course, she probably already knew. Aoyama-sempai was driven like that; she was absolutely relentless in the pursuit of her goals. With that said, what did she plan to do with Konoka-ojousama?
What?
The raven-haired girl breathed deeply, collecting her troubled thoughts and packing them away for later mediation. The air was catching a slight chill, the storming sky growing darker. By her guess, today would appear to be an early sunset thanks to the black, moody storm front. It was an eerie symbolic reflection of her own mood, and yet, perhaps there was wisdom in Mana Tatsumiya's suggestion for her to come to the park, after all. She was not at peace, far from it in fact, but she had gained some footing upon the dilemma she was drowning up to her neck in.
"I suppose --- the only way to find out your true intentions..." Setsuna murmured as she rose to her feet, a grim light in her sharp eyes. "...is to confront you, isn't that right, Sempai?"
Wearily, she sighed, feeling the invisible weight of her world pressing down on her shoulders, duty and honor. It was suffocating to be honest, like a manacle around her throat, wrists, and legs that would tighten ever so slightly, squeezing every ounce of life out of her, little by little. Yes, this was the price she paid to live in this world, to be able to serve and protect the only important person left to her.
Everyone else...
Everyone else in her life had been taken away from her: some in death, some in martyrdom, some in dishonor, and some in incomprehensible hate.
Setsuna shook her head admonishingly. Why was she wasting her time thinking about the past now? Who cared if her old wounds had ruptured open? The world would go on and her suffering was beneath its notice, not even worth a small footnote. It was only as a yojimbo could she find meaning in this world that cared not for her, a worthless demi-human abomination.
Yes, there was no need for anything else. She should return to her room in the girl's dormitory. It was hers and hers alone, a luxury that the Konoe Clan had so kindly arranged for her use. Yes, she should return at once to that cold, isolated abode, so she could focus on her studies. It would not do to dishonor the noble house that had so graciously accepted her as a retainer. Yes, it would not do at all to...
Suddenly, her stomach gave off a rumbling groan, stopping her dead in her tracks. A hot red blush flared up on her cheeks instantly, as Setsuna shot darting glances around her to see if anyone had borne witness to such an --- undignified act. Her brows twitched irritably upon realizing that she had not eaten anything since breakfast, a light one at that too. With all the excitement today, she had forgotten to eat lunch while she brooded away into oblivion. Some yojimbo she was; this was utterly incompetent behavior!
Now, she had an urge to have some sukiyaki for...
"Hm, enjoy your afternoon, Sakurazaki," Mana bid her cordially as she turned to leave for good. "Oh, and one more thing."
"What now?"
"You have my phone numbers, both of them, don't you?"
"Of course, they were written on your business card."
"Ah, yes. We're having sukiyaki tonight up at the shrine. If you wish to join us, just give me a call."
Mana Tatsumiya: why did she have to remember that confounding raccoon girl at the worst of times? Setsuna grudgingly bit back a few choice words, thinking of the massive debt she owed to the miko-in-training Oh sure, she could have paid it off anytime she wanted, but it went against the principle of the matter that was the simple fact that Tatsumiya was obviously overcharging for her services. In fact...well, it could not hurt to have dinner with her, could it?
Why-!
Unconsciously, Setsuna threw herself aside, diving into a roll, her shoulder taking the brunt of her weight, as a whistle of rushing air greeted her ears. The pavement behind her exploded, showering her back with splinters and debris. Rolling into a crouch, she leapt forward instinctively, dodging the second blow that shattered the tile paved ground beneath her. The violent upheaval of air forced her further away, carrying her on the wind. She landed several meters from where she began, her feet hitting the ground running with a staccato clap, putting a healthy distance between herself and the source of danger.
The raven-haired girl whirled about, pivoting on one heel to a skidding stop, her expression serious with grave intent, analyzing the damage before her gaze. The bench she had sat upon moments ago was an unrecognizable pile splinters and kindling, the lamppost bent in half into a painful shape, while the dust subsided betwixt the two large craters in the pavement. Two massive fists appeared to sprout from the craters materializing into lean muscular arms with a body that was half-man and half-serpent, a blue-skinned behemoth bigger than a school bus. A macabre mask rested upon the creature's head, a bleached white skull bearing two sets of jaws and slashed with crimson, as two bright yellow eyes glowered balefully at her.
It was a Hollow.
Impossible! This can't be! thought Setsuna in growing alarm, her complexion paling. What's a Hollow doing here? Mahora City's supposed to be a safe haven from-!
The Hollow howled, throwing its head back as a black shockwave of shimmering reiatsu erupted from its body. She barely managed to raise her own reiatsu to counter the force in time, bracing her arms and feet defensively. The shockwave flowed around her, deflected by the field she had created using her spirit force, but even so, it still infected her with a sickly, filthy feeling throughout her body. She felt violated as she shivered uncontrollably, freezing and burning up altogether at once.
Indeed, this was a powerful Hollow, but no matter, she could still-
Setsuna paused, a heart wrenching twist worming its way into her gut as her right hand hovered over her left hip, reaching for a familiar presence that was not at her side presently. The raven-haired girl stood transfixed and utterly unable to believe that her most prized possession was not with her, as a thick fog descended into the plaza. Inhuman shrieks and laughter rose in chorus to join the giant man-serpent Hollow. Yes, more of those wraiths, hideous black shapes shifting in the concealing veil of the fog, all around her, surrounding the entire plaza, crawling out of the wood work like the plague, and they were coming for her.
Insufferable! she thought in utter outrage, her trembling hands bawling into fists as stared warily at the "Boss Hollow." It was just standing there, watching her, but she the distinct feeling that it was actually grinning beneath that contemptible skull mask. Why did it have to be today of all days that I had to leave you behind Yuunagi?
There was no way she could possibly defeat them all using just kidou. She was not a miko or a even bushi for that matter. Without her sword, she was helpless because she had nowhere near the reiatsu capacity needed to banish such numerous and powerful foes, nor could she use --- the talents of her filthy, cursed blood without Yuunagi by her side.
The cacophony of barking and whimpering emanating from behind drew her attention immediately to a pack of the wraiths approaching her. Setsuna whirled about face --- and it took all of the discipline from her extensive training to recoil away in revulsion. They possessed the bodies of dogs, thin, bony, and emaciated beyond recognition, and yet they lopped towards her with a hulking air, bearing the bleached white skull masks that all Hollows wore over their human faces. The staccato rhythm of their long claws clicking against the pavement expressed their anticipation.
The bodies of dogs and the faces of men, she had to wonder if this was some kind sick joke about the nature of men?
Drool ran freely from their open mouths, dripping onto the pavement and burning sizzling holes through the tiles. Setsuna could smell the sulfurous air reeking from their mouths, and it did take much further evidence for her to deduce quite accurately that they had acid for saliva. She had maybe a good twenty meters left, but why had they not charged her yet? With the concealing fog generated by the reiatsu of the many Hollows in the area, she could only see within a radius of fifty meters presently.
Setsuna counted twelve dogs to this pack alone, each one a hulking brute that came all the way to her shoulder. However, they were just ambling towards her as if it were a pleasant Sunday afternoon stroll. The even had their vile tongues lolling out of their jaws.
The raven-haired girl cringed in apprehension. Something was off about this entire situation. She was surrounded, so why had not all the Hollows rushed her at once? Yes, she had read that even Hollows could exhibit considerable intelligence, particularly the ones who retained more of their former personalities. Still, what were they up to? The Boss Hollow had not moved an inch, even though she had her back to it.
Damn, looks I don't have any other choice but to spring this trap, thought Setsuna as she summoned her reiatsu once more. A faint white glow enveloped her in an instant and the dog-like Hollows stopped their advance, quirking their heads aside in a most curious manner. Again, it was very queer behavior coming from such beasts, but she would not let it disturb her any further:
"Rage that burns within the heart, reveal yourself and consume my foes! Hadou Yonjuu --- ENKOU!"
With a roar, a great bright sphere of blue flame materialized above her in mid air as she struck her open hand skyward. The heat fanning out from the fireball was intense, yet the the wraiths did not move an inch. They just continued to stare, much to her silent anger. Vehemently, she brought her hand crashing down with a shout, unleashing a molten river of roaring fire down upon the pack. They hardly the time to dodge as they were swept away, burned to cinders in a near instant, and yet none of them screamed.
Setsuna breathed deeply, wiping the sweat from her perspiring brow with the back of her hand. Using the level forty demon art had taken a lot out of her reiatsu, though she still had plenty of ki left. Of course, how was she supposed to use any ki techniques when she did not have Yuunagi, her zanpakutou? It was impossible.
The eerie sound of harsh guttural laughter drew her attention back to the Boss Hollow, and sure enough, it had moved a single inch from the spot where it stood. The wraith had its head thrown back in a most pronounced manner as if it were laughing at the misfortune of its own kind. An interesting sight certainly, but she had little time to waste. The wall of blue flame behind her should buy her some time from any other assaults from that direction, and in the fog, she could see the shapes of other Hollows, undeterred by the deaths of first attackers, twitching with anticipation.
They were waiting for something, so it seemed. Could it be a command perhaps?
"They only wanted to welcome you, embrace you, make your passing painless," hissed an ambiguous voice in her ear, freezing the raven-haired girl on the spot. "You called to us; you belong with us. So why do you reject us, girl?"
A pale look of pure horror had etched itself upon Setsuna's disbelieving face. The Hollow --- the Hollow had spoken to her! Even now, those great, big glowing yellow eyes gazed at her with a look of unbearable concern. It was absurd, completely absurd. Hollows were vile, corrupted souls! Why would she want to have anything to do with them?
The Boss Hollow's eyes narrowed as it lowered itself down into a crouch. "No matter; you will join us one way or another."
A black crackling energy enveloped the spirit's body from head to --- well --- tail, blasting the area with a violent burst of air. Setsuna strained against the powerful, steeling her resolve, as she began to chant another incantation, a white ball of her own reiatsu gathering in her right hand. She did not believe a word of what this abomination had shown her, and she was going to prove it by sending the Hollow straight to Hell!
The giant shape of the Boss Hollow shattered into countless glittering shards of obsidian from which a humanoid blue-white figure, no bigger than a man, shot forward with the speed of a bullet. Only reflexes hardened by years of training saved her in the nick of time as Setsuna forced the flow of ki into her feet and leapt upwards narrowly dodging a grasping hand. Jagged claws of ebony tipped each finger of the muscled blue hand that had been meant for her throat, a chilling sight to behold, but now that she had the advantage, almost literally gliding above her opponent, she could not afford to hesitate:
"The destruction of my foes, blast them to dust with fury! Hadou Sanjuukyuu --- BAKAHATSU!"
To Be Continued...
Author's Note
Chapter 41 is here, and by golly, did somebody turn up the drama? We got explosions, action, angst, and more looks into the workings of the "real" world! Question is, will Setsuna survive the night at this rate? Girl's got a lot of issues to settle, and where the heck did all these Hollows come from? Are we going to see some "Setsuna versus Motoko! Duel 1: Heaven or Hell! FIGHT!" in the future? And where's Keitaro?
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 around the usual time): YOUTH! POWER! EX-PLO-SION!
Omake!
Naze Nani Glass Moon Desu
Episode Preview!
Chapter 42:
A Little Help
"DAINAMIKKU! EEENNN-TORII!"
Tsudzuku!