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

The New Life at Mahora...

Chapter 53:

Let's Play Nice

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

"O-kay, uh, just rem'mber ta --- play nice, 'kay, Kana-bleh!-I meant, Kanako-chan?" Keitaro slurred woozily as he shifted uneasily from foot to foot, sloppily holding up his index finger for emphasis. "If ya break --- err --- somethin', ya fix it, a'ight?"

Kanako sweated and wondered just how much blood her dear elder brother had lost in the process. Usually, he was never this "out of it," but for once, he genuinely seemed to be suffering in a state of delirium from blood loss. Of course, once he set his mind to something, there was not much she could do to change his mind, such was the case presently as he insisted that she go about her business to class, make some friends, and play nice.

"Hai, Keitaro-niisan," she replied to him flatly. The lack thereof enthusiasm was just to make it clear she was completely against his decision to wander off in his present condition.

"Cool, uh, wh'ch way --- to da Admin off'ces, 'gain?"

"Hmmm..." I really don't want to let him go.

"This way?"

"That way, Nii-san." And he hasn't told me exactly yet either, why he's at school today. There's no way Kei-niichan came here to pull me out of school and put me back at Kitsusho Academy in Tokyo, so what exactly is he planning? ...psh, as if he's suddenly going to be become a teacher or something.

She had no idea how right she would be proven later.

"Awe-some! Well, I'll --- catch y'all --- later, so, um --- play nice and make some friends too. Cee-ya!"

With those words said, Keitaro staggered off, teetering dangerously on the edge of disaster as he bumped into nearly every object in his path. From lamp posts to trash cans, he hit everything and it was only by some divine will that he had not up ended on his face yet, breaking another pair of glasses. Her brother was positively going to be the death of her some day from shear worry.

Turning about, she affixed a deadly glare upon the astonished faces of the other two girls in her present company. They were so enthralled by Keitaro's antics that they did not even notice her and that simply would not do. Kanako cleared her throat loudly with a rough pitch, jarring her fellow classmates out of their "tasteless" gawking. Now, she had their full attention.

"Not. A. Word. Understand?" she hissed firmly at them, the barest hints of steel edged in her voice.

Unfazed or apparently not picking up on the subtle threat she had laid out the table, the tall Amazonian girl seemed about to inquire about some matter when Sakurazaki quickly intervened. The girl efficiently silenced her companion with a light jab to the arm, eliciting a muffled "Ita!" and a somewhat hurt expression, but it earned the girl's obedience nonetheless. Kanako had to admit the demoness's reaction time was none too shabby, and perhaps, her elder brother's "Big Idea" might not be completely insane.

"Good. Now, you --- Amazon Athena: GO," she gestured curtly with her thumb for the dusky-skinned girl to hit the road.

For her part, the exotic beauty blinked, her restrained perturbation was a clear sign that she was not used to be treated in such a manner, or at least that was what Kanako thought. The raven-haired girl reasoned that "Athena's" reaction was likely a result of her exquisite good looks; beauty, so it seemed still had plenty of staying of power. Also, if Kanako was not mistaken, the girl was in her class as well. How did she ever miss someone like this in the middle of all that commotion yesterday was --- well, a touch surprising. And as if she were anticipating her mood, Sakurazaki intervened once again and gestured for the taller girl to leave, before she had to emphasize herself.

What a clever girl the demoness was indeed...

"Athena" did not respond at first, but soon after, she simply shrugged and shook her head, hefting her school bag on her shoulder, before gliding away on her graceful long slender legs. The image of a swan instantly came to mind as Kanako watched, taken in briefly by the enchanting sight. She would certainly look into this one later, especially because of those eerie lilac-hued eyes of hers. Something peculiar seemed to be radiating off of them, but she could not quite put her finger on it.

"What do you want-" Setsuna spoke aloud once Mana was safely out of an ear shot. She did not know why her raven-haired counterpart wanted this privacy nor did she understand why the ominous girl would approach her. After the fiasco with Keitaro, her elder brother, Kanako did not look like the type to engage in particularly friendly conversation.

Still, the sharp interjection that cut her off stung no less. "Quiet, you!"

She flinched, staggering back timidly despite her best efforts to stem this instinctive gut reaction that had been drilled into her over the years by the Aoyama...the Shinmei Ryu. It had been a while since someone had addressed with that particular reproachful tone edged acidly in spite and anger. Yes, quite a while indeed...

"G-Gomen-"

"How dare you address me in such a manner?"

"I..." It's okay. Pull it together. This much...

"You know who I am, and yet, you've got the nerve to show such disrespect?"

Disrespect? Setsuna's eyes flew wide in shock. What's she talking about? When did I-?

"What were you thinking this morning?"

"Wha-" I didn't mean to do any...

"Oh, my mistake! You WEREN'T thinking, is that it, Karas?"

"K-Karas?" Karas? Karasu? Crow? Crow. She knows! He already told her-?

"That's right. That's your name until the day you earn my trust," stated Kanako before she lunged in suddenly, grabbing a fistful of the front of Setsuna's blouse and hauling her up face to face. The action clearly caught the girl by surprise with the yelp she gave out, before she was blasted with tremendous killing intent, paralyzing the yojimbo in fear.

Instantly, Setsuna dropped her school bag with a clattering thud on the pavement, unable to tear her quivering dark brown eyes away from Kanako's own dangerously gleaming hazel brown. "And you WILL learn the meaning of respect! I will not have you humiliating me --- or humiliating Keitaro-niisan again in public, do you understand ME?"

"Ah-!" S-Such strength...!

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"

"...H-Hai," Setsuna barely managed to squeak out in reply.

This insane sensation of fear was overpowering; no hesitation in the wielder's intent at all! Whatever display the Urashima girl had done the other day in the classroom paled in comparison to the power she brandished now. How Keitaro could even be remotely related to this terrifying girl? It just did not make any sense to Setsuna, and even if Kanako surely had her soft moments, as indicated by her now obvious deep affection and respect for her elder brother, Keitaro's killing intent did not even come close to hers.

"I don't approve of Nii-san's business of calling you 'Sekkun'; in fact, I don't approve of his plans either. However, he may do as he pleases for now, but know this one thing, Karas."

"Y-Yes, Ojou-sama?"

"If you ever betray us, betray the trust, betray the love Keitaro-oniichan has given you..."

Betray the --- love he's given me? Wha-What? What's s-she ta-talking about? Kei-Urashima --- Shishou hasn't-!

"...I will hunt you down and take everything away from you. Believe, if you want to, that you don't have anything worth taking, but don't worry --- I'll find something. And when I do, death will be a mercy compared to the nightmares I will visit upon your worthless soul. Then, I'm going to drag you back kicking and screaming to the man you betrayed. You'll face Onii-chan and die a thousands deaths before you even realize and much, much worse, Karas. It would do you well to remember that, understood?"

"I --- I understand, Ojou-sama," Setsuna submitted submissively, unable to resist. She felt utterly powerless in the awesome presence of this terrible hazel-eyed girl, a miniscule leaf clinging by a thread to branch amidst a violent cyclone, twisting and churning. The proud yojimbo had no doubts that she was presently at the whim and mercy of Kanako Urashima.

One false move and the girl would snap her in two like a twig without remorse. There was a frightening fire burning in her eyes as her great power bubbled violently below the surface of that hand, threatening to explode at a moment's notice, and at the same time, it was inspiring. She did not know what it was, but the emotion was strangely familiar, a look she must have seen once on the faces of Arisugawa-sempai, Kishyuu-sempai, and --- Aoyama-sempai...

Kanako smiled triumphantly, knowing full well by the exhilarating bittersweet scent of cold fear that she had the demon girl's obedience. Setsuna Sakurazaki certainly looked strong and foreboding on the surface, but inside she was weak and soft, easily manipulated by a strong will. She was very much like a broken child searching for its meaning to exist, the resolve to stand up and fight.

However, the pain in those dark brown eyes was enough to make her shudder internally in an ambivalent mixture of revulsion and --- oddly enough, pity. Something seemed to have shattered the girl's spirit just recently, opening up old, old wounds, and perhaps --- it would be worth looking into the cause of her despair. The pangs of remorse threatened to shatter the cold, ruthless front she had so painstakingly constructed, but with equal efficiency, she dashed it to pieces before it could take root. She was about to do something emphatic and harsh just to prove her resolve when suddenly she saw something else:

Admiration. Respect. Love?

Kanako was taken aback, just barely able to stave off any physical outward signs of her inner disturbance. How could this demon girl react like this? She should have hated her, feared her --- not like her. Tsk, there was no way she could afford weakness now...

...but a little kindness never did hurt to win the heart and mind of a new --- servant --- right?

Gently, Kanako eased the girl back onto her feet and broke eye contact as she set her own school bag down. The spell broken, she did not expect to hear the thud Setsuna collapsing helplessly onto the ground, her trembling legs laid out underneath her. Her uniform was ruffled in disarray as a cold sheet of sweat gleamed in the early orange haze of dawn.

It was unsightly, and disturbed enough as she was, the hazel-eyed girl decided immediately that this expression of fear and cowardice was inappropriate and unsuitable for Setsuna. She reasoned it was especially true for someone who would become a part of her proud family and its long legacy. Yes, there was nothing wrong or out of character for her do what she was about to do next.

"Yare-yare, did I over do it?" mused Kanako airily as she bent over just a little to overshadow her counterpart.

"O-Ojou-!" Setsuna stuttered. Desperately, she struggled to compose herself, but somehow this was even worse than what she experienced yesterday with in the presence of Motoko Aoyama. Aoyama-sempai had simply expressed her murderous intent, but Kanako was completely different! She did not want to kill her; she wanted to do things far worse than death...

"Here."

She flinched again, slamming her eyes shut with a squeak, as she instinctively raised an arm to ward off a potential blow. It was disgusting behavior, but Setsuna could not help it. She had not been this afraid since...that time.

"Oioi, when somebody offers you their hand, chances are you have at least three seconds to figure out whether they're trying to kill you, exploit you, or help you. Reading body language, the clarity of their eyes, their breathing, the body's temperature, and even the scent they give off is important. In fact, it might even be possible to attempt to read their chakra, or ki in your case with what those idiots at the Shinmei Ryu taught."

Wh-What?

"I'm not sure if it's possible to see if their reiatsu makes a difference or not, but that's always a possibility we can explore."

Cautiously with slow deliberate movements, Setsuna peeked out from underneath her raised forearm and could only gasp as shock hit her at a mile per minute in the gut. Her heart jumped, performing proverbial flip-flops in mid-air inside her bosom. Kanako really had her hand held out openly, waiting for her to accept it, but most striking was her demeanor. Gone was all that inspired terror in her darkest nights, and in its place was something different. She was smiling, a faint twinkle dancing in her hazel brown eyes.

It was not the same level of emotion and devotion that she gave to her elder brother, but it was something similar. Setsuna remembered she had seen an expression just like that before on Kishyuu-sempai's face at the moment the young woman finally accepted her. The then "retired" no-bushi had expressed her doubts about taking in a hanyou, believing perhaps this was some political ploy to damage the reputation held by her household. Of course, Arisugawa-sempai was quick to remind her with an offhand remark that they were already considered disreputable for being a bunch of misfits and wash-ups.

Things were different now, and yet in a strange startling way, they were still the same.

"Look, I can't just leave you here, all right?" Kanako explained to her with a dramatic toss of her ponytail. "After all, from this moment henceforth: where I go, you go, and where you go, I go."

What? What does she mean by that? Shouldn't I be following her only? Why should she come where I go? I'm but...

"Do you understand, Sakurazaki Setsuna?"

"H-Hai, at least I think so, Urashima Kanako-sama," she replied somewhat nervously with a faint blush. It's strange --- but it feels nice in a way. To be able to be by someone's side again...

"Good, that'll do in the meantime; now, take my hand."

Carefully, Setsuna grasped that slender sinuous hand and was astonished by its tender softness. She was more surprised when Kanako effortlessly hauled her up and set her down on her feet again. In fact, she nearly fainted dead on the spot when those hands began drifting about, patting her down, and setting her uniform straight. The grace of the Urashima girl's hands was like the caress of a thousand sakura petals laying kisses all across her body.

"You know, you're not completely hopeless, after all, Karas," the hazel-eyed young woman remarked with a smirk. She chose to ignore the nervous hot blush creeping up Setsuna's pretty face, which she noted was oddly fitting, considering her high-strung demeanor. Then again, maybe she was reading into this too much, but still, if only she could reproduce the same effect on Keitaro without having him pass out like a light from her intent. "You had enough instinct to already sense how I wish to be addressed."

"Y-Yes, Ojou-sama?" the blushing girl stuttered in reply.

"Iiya. 'Ojou-sama' is too clumsy. Kanako-sama will do and you'll address me as such until further notice, understood?"

"Understood, Kanako-sama."

"Ooo, I like that: a fast learner," Kanako whistled appreciatively, before breaking away to retrieve her school bag. Internally, she was blushing from head to toe. She never really had a real "servant" per say before, and the unconscious enthusiasm Setsuna was taking to her role was a little embarrassing. " Now, come along then and gather your things, we've got a lot of work to do today, and if you're good, I might just approve of you joining us at the table tonight for dinner, after all."

"Eeeeeeehh?"

"What? Don't just stand there gawking. You didn't expect anything less from Nii-san now, did you?"

"B-But-!"

"Bah, get used to it, Karas. No amount of excuses will change his mind, and I already know he's going to work himself up to it today at some point. Ttaku, that boy really gives me a headache. He still hasn't told me what he's doing here, but I get the feeling he's up to no good and making plans to make my life even more --- interesting than it already is..."

Setsuna stared in open disbelief. Dinner? Now, Keitaro Urashima was going to invite her over to dinner, at the table with his sister as well? This is... This is...! Oh, what had she gotten herself into?

Unbelievable.

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes:

Three --- two --- one --- and we are LIVE! It's that time of the week again; yup, you know it. Episode 53! GO! And oh boy, is Setsuna something or what? I think Keitaro was totally feeling that samurai yojimbo girl action. Of course, it's no surprise that Kanako went feudal Japan on her. That girl is seriously devoted to Keitaro, but what's this? Has Sekkun worked her magic on Kanako too, or was Kanako actually reaching out in some empathy here? Feels like whatever training the Shinmei Ryu gave Setsuna was not pleasant in the slightest, no sir, but for what it's worth, it seems these two will work out just fine, like Keitaro thought so.

Sure, Kanako's insisting on the whole "Kanako-sama", but she's also hinting at the fact that this is NOT going to be some kind of Master-Slave/Servant. She definitely wants them to be equals, like sisters perhaps, though it remains to be seen if Setsuna can really earn her place among the Urashima family. Can she do it?

Well, maybe we'll find out on the next episode of 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.

Oh, and by the way, I'm happy to announce that the first chapter of Glass Moon's side story entitled "Endless Illusion: Re-ACT" should be up some time today as well in the Mahou Sensei Negima section. Keep your eyes peeled for it, read it, and enjoy the side character goodiness. Episode 1 starring Mana Tatsumiya: now playing! XD

So without further adieu, that wraps it up, folks (see you around the same time as usual): Don't erase this feeling. Don't forget my suffering. ENTANGLE! Shutsugeki --- ZEGAPAIN!

Omake!

Naze Nani Glass Moon Desu

Episode Preview!

Chapter 54:

The New Dynamic Duo

"Wai-desu! I had no idea they even made things this frilly. Adults can be SO creative-desu!"

Tsudzuku!