A/N: There was quite a delay in getting this one out to the public, but this chapter consisted of little but establishing strong ties between Love Hina and Negima, and laying out some villain backstory, so it was a chore to work on at times. Add on to the fact that I picked up an XBox 360 and a bajillion games for it about halfway through this chapter, so I got distracted. Besides, I had figured the string of quick uploads for the last four before this were more luck than anything else. Updates should come about once a month now under normal circumstances, give or take.

Chapter XV:
Magical Clusterfuck, Take 2!

The Ties That Bind

Two children wearing the distinctive red and white training clothing of Shinmeiryu laughed as they ran and played across the unused training grounds of the mountain dojo. The taller, older child stopped suddenly, leaning over and putting her hands on her knees to catch her breath from all the running they had been doing.

"Aneue?" the shorter girl asked, tugging on the older one's sleeve. "I heard Tsuruko-neesama saying that I was going to leave the dojo soon. Am I, aneue?"

The taller girl knelt down and placed her hand on the other girl's head, ruffling her hair. "You're going to stay with some nice people for a while," she told her. "They have a little girl that's your age, so you'll have a new friend to play with."

The girl's grip tightened on her sleeve. "But I don't wanna go!" she argued. "I want to stay here and play with aneue and Tsuruko-neesama!"

"It'll be okay," the taller girl said, running her fingers through the younger girl's hair in a soothing manner. "You won't be gone forever. And you'll still be coming back here to train with us. The truth is, this is actually your first mission. The Kansai Magic Association has asked us to send one of our younger members to watch over and befriend their leader's daughter. Do you think you can handle it?"

Schooling her features into a cute expression of determination, even though tears were still gathered in the corners of her eyes, the little girl nodded. "I can, aneue!" she proclaimed.

"That's a good girl," the older girl said, pulling the younger into a hug. "You make me so proud of you."

The little girl giggled and clung tightly to the girl's gi. "I want to grow up big and strong like you, aneue!"

"You will, Setsuna," the older girl said with a smile. "You will..."

---

May 5, 2007
Hinata Apartments, Hinata, Japan
0555 hours

In the dimness of the pre-dawn light, Motoko opened her eyes slowly, staring up at the ceiling. Beside her, she could hear Seno's slow, rhythmic breathing, indicating he was still deeply asleep. Letting her eyes slip partially shut, she allowed herself to revel in these quiet few moments of laziness before she would have to get up.

That dream... she mused. Those events took place seven years ago. I wonder why I'm dreaming of them now, all of a sudden. Perhaps because of those teachers from Mahora? I'd heard from aneue that she had moved to Tokyo to attend Mahora Academy...

She blinked, raising her arm from where it rested on her forehead and lowering it to lay against her stomach. A wry smile twisted her mouth. It's only natural to assume that Mahora has employed Setsuna in the ranks of its magic society, even though she has no magical talent to speak of. I wonder, if it is her they will be sending after us next. After all this time, I wonder if she could bring herself to raise sword against me.

"You know, you should probably go to the bathroom if you're so messed up that you've got that kind of look on your face," her husband's voice sounded from beside her.

She looked over to see Seno watching her with one eye open, his arm draped over his head, and grinning irritably at her. "I was just thinking about who Mahora might send after us next," she said.

"I doubt they will," he replied, turning to lay on his back. "At least, not anytime soon. We gave them one hell of a beating, and Sabashii and that super-overdrive of his... Damn. Needless to say, I think they'll leave us alone for a while."

Turning onto her side, she snuggled up against him, resting her head on his shoulder and laying her arm over his stomach. "You're probably right," she agreed. "And speaking of Sabashii, what are we going to do about him? It's obvious he's incredibly powerful, and there's no telling what could happen if he suddenly turned against us."

"I don't even want to think about that," he answered, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and laying his head against hers. "He's been a cool bastard, but now it's just kinda creepy."

She hummed lightly in agreement, closing her eyes. "I think now would be a good time for a bath," she said out of the blue. "Are you going to join me?"

"Let's wait a few minutes," he replied. He paused for theatric effect, then explained, "I'm having a lazy moment."

Motoko only laughed lightly in response.

---

May 5, 2007
Mahora Academy, Japan
0615 hours

A somber group had gathered in the headmaster's office early that morning. Along with the survivors of the original "Mahora Ten" were a number of other mage teachers and students. Though barely even a fraction of the total magic-inclined population at Mahora, the dozen or so gathered in that room represented the city-academy's best and brightest.

"...And that is pretty much the gist of our encounter at the Hinata-S?," Gandolfini concluded the tale of their total defeat, then resumed his seat.

For several moments, there was silence as the shock of such a powerful group of mages having existed practically right next door to them without their being aware of it set in. A slightly-scruffy teacher with spiked, short blond hair and glasses grinned irritably. "One thing that I have to admit, is that this Sabashii fellow had a good point," he said. "You guys did cause a lot of unnecessary ruckus by going and trying to apprehend them."

"We have since realized the foolishness of our actions, Takahata-san," Gandolfini replied icily. "Underscored by the death of Yakanatama-sensei."

Takahata glanced toward the headmaster. "Will there be any attempts to bring this man to justice for murder?"

"I do not believe so," the headmaster replied, running a hand over his lengthy white beard. "If we are to believe the video provided to us by Asakura-san, then it was Yakanatama-sensei who first used lethal force against this man Sabashii. He was wholly justified in using lethal force to defend his own life."

Gandolfini turned his gaze toward the red-haired schoolgirl that had been following the Hinata tenants in the airport when they had seen off Keitaro the previous day. "Asakura Kazumi-san," he stated. "How is it that you managed to be in a position to record most of the battle that occurred, and yet neither we nor the opposition were aware of your presence? More importantly, why were you there to begin with?"

Blinking rapidly, the self-appointed journalist of Class 3-A's eyes widened as she struggled to come up with a good excuse to explain away the fact that she'd been stalking the Hinata-S?'s residents. "I, uh, you see, well..."

"I asked her to go," spoke a young voice with an English accent. All eyes turned to the youngest person in the room, a young boy of obvious European descent who exuded an air of authority. "I had heard of a famous hot springs inn on Sagami Bay and asked Kazumi-san to look into it as a possible idea for the next class field trip."

"Oh, nobody told you, Negi-kun?" Takahata asked, either oblivious to or uncaring that the boy, Negi, was lying through his teeth. "Hinata-S? became an all-girls' dormitory about ten years ago. The owner seems to have kept that under wraps, so it's not really a surprise that you didn't know."

"Oh, really?" Negi replied, scratching the back of his head. He turned and bowed toward Kazumi. "Sorry I wasted your time then, Kazumi-san."

Gandolfini narrowed his eyes, but otherwise seemed satisfied with Kazumi's excuse for having been present at the battle. "Regardless, I believe that we should prepare for the possibility that they may make a retaliatory strike against this academy."

The blonde nun who had been defeated by Seno nudged Mei lightly, her other arm held protectively over her bandaged stomach. "Hey, Mei-chan, your step-sister lives there, right? Do you think they'd strike at us?"

Mei shook her head. "Not at all," she answered. "They almost certainly want to be left alone. They don't want to have anything to do with us."

"I do not believe we can take your words at face value, Mei-chan," Kuzunoha said. "After all, you are extremely close to one of them. Your opinion could be biased, and that runs the risk of jeopardizing our students."

Standing next to the Shinmei instructor, the bearded man with sunglasses calmly adjusted said sunglasses. "I think you're mistaken, Touko-san," he replied calmly. "If anyone is biased, it's you. Young Mei-san is possessed of a calmness beyond her years, and very likely knows her own half-sister better than you give her credit for. I imagine that you, on the other hand, are hoping that they attack us, in some sort of desire for retribution against that swordswoman that held you off capably while unarmed, and then handily defeated you once she regained her blade."

Among the students, the eyes of a girl with her long black hair pulled into a ponytail on the left side of her head widened. Kuzunoha-sensei was defeated easily? I wonder who this swordswoman could be...

"That's preposterous, Kataragi-sensei!" Kuzunoha snapped back. "What about that foreign mage that beat you so easily? Don't you want to get her back?"

"Not at all," he answered evenly, sliding his hands into his pants pockets. "Despite her age, her skill with spellslinging was obviously superior to mine. That ability she used to be able to cast so quickly and efficiently, without apparent energy cost or the ability to interrupt, is something I would wish to learn from her."

The headmaster smiled. "Such a pinnacle of grace even in defeat, Kataragi-sensei," he said, nodding to the younger man. "It is why you are so well-respected at this academy, of course."

Kataragi bowed in return. "Thank you for your kind words, Headmaster."

Young Natsume timidly raised her hand.

"Yes, Natsume-san?" the headmaster asked, waving his hand toward her.

"There is also the matter," she said quietly, "of the woman that I fought. I believe that she is the Yochi no Kouken. And that, if she is, then the ones she fights with are the Heroes Chosen by the Gods of legend."

A murmur ran through the gathering. Negi leaned over to the girl with her hair in a left-side ponytail and whispered, "Setsuna-san, what legend?"

"I'll tell you later, Negi-sensei," she whispered back.

Even Kataragi was skeptical of Natsume's claim. "What proof do you have?"

"Umm, very little," she replied, poking her index fingers together. "She mentioned something about the Guardians, using the specific plural, and she knew my name without being told it."

"That's not very substantive evidence," Takahata said, smiling in an attempt to not intimidate Natsume, even though he also doubted her. "Do you have anything else?"

"She's telling the truth," Mei interjected, steel underlaying her words. "The woman's name is Otohime Mutsumi-san, and she is the Yochi no Kouken, as much as those she fought alongside are the Chosen Heroes."

"Again, Sakura-san, what proof do you have of this claim?" Gandolfini pressed.

"I was there almost a year ago, on Pararakelse Island," she answered, lifting her chin in an expression of defiance. "I was there when their destinies were revealed to them, when their powers were awakened by the powers of the Lifestream contained within a local Streammind."

"The creatures that embody the collective consciousness of the planet's Lifestream?" Takahata asked, surprise in his voice. "Are you sure that's what you supposedly saw?"

"As surely as I see you standing in front of me, Takahata-sensei."

At that moment, a knock sounded on the door, followed by another mage teacher entering the room, a number of manila envelopes tucked under his arm. Starting from the back of the room, he began to pass out the envelopes to everyone in the room, explaining as he did so, "My apologies for not having these documents prepared on time. It was a little bit of a hassle to get all the information we wanted from our friends in the American government."

"Do not trouble yourself, Seruhiko-san," the headmaster said, lifting a hand toward the man. "You have done quite well to gather this much information in the short time you were given." He accepted the last envelope, but placed it neatly on his desk before him without opening it up. "As you can see, what you are holding in your hands is a collection of dossiers, the most complete and up-to-date information we have been able to collect on these individuals, gathered from a number of sources."

After flipping through several of the files, Gandolfini looked to the headmaster and adjusted his glasses. "Even as it stands, some of this information is outdated, and some of their special abilities are not listed because they apparently were hitherto unknown," he said. "That makes this group especially dangerous, as changing as a violent storm on the darkest of nights."

Takahata chuckled. "That sounds like a pretty good name for them as a group," he said. "Kuro Arashi. The storm of blackest night."

To this, no one had anything to say.

"Well, I'm glad we're in agreement," Takahata said. "So from now on, we'll call these guys Kuro Arashi."

The young girl with her hair pulled into a left-side ponytail carefully scanned the dossier files, committing each name and face to memory. Then she flipped the profile of Kaolla Su to the bottom of the stack, and came face-to-face with Motoko's image. Her eyes widened in shock. Is...is that really...?

Without a word, the girl shot to her feet, fielding the dossiers under her right arm, bowed toward the headmaster, and then proceeded to bolt out of his office.

"Setsuna-san?!" Negi called after her.

"Negi, look at this," another girl with long red hair pulled into a pair of ponytails with bells decorating them said, tugging on the boy teacher's sleeve and holding Motoko's dossier with her other hand.

"What is it, Asuna-san?" he asked, turning toward her.

"Look here, under the family listing," Asuna replied, pointing with her finger.

And Negi proceeded to do just that. "Oh, I see," he said. "So that's why she took off..."

---

May 5, 2007
Hinata Apartments, Hinata, Japan
0733 hours, local time

Finishing off a healthy sip of his tea, Sabashii gently and quietly set down the cup and glanced around, noting the direct stares that each of the tenants were giving him. Coughing into his fist, he closed his eyes and asked, "So, is there any reason why we have chosen the hot springs as the location of my interrogation?"

Surely enough, the entire crew, clad in various bathing suits, had gathered in the hot springs after breakfast. At first, there was no outward indication that the hot springs were now fed by a natural Lifestream well, aside from the water carrying an extremely-light blue color, unusual for such shallow water. But as soon as the tenants had entered the water, they felt as if all their aches and pains, all their injuries and maladies, had instantly vanished. The healing power of the Lifestream, Mutsumi had explained.

Directly across from Sabashii, Seno sat leaning back against the rocks ringing the hot springs, his right leg stretched out beneath the water, his left bent up so that his knee protruded above the surface. Motoko sat between her husband's legs, her left arm laid over his knee, her head resting on her arm.

"We're in Hinata," Seno said with a smirk, leaning his head to the right. "Nothing we do around here ever makes sense. I mean, come on. Picking a fight with a bunch of people that came to arrest us?"

Motoko nodded, raising herself off his knee to lean back against him. "Taking off after the landlord to an out-of-the-way island we know nothing about."

"Farewell parties in the hot springs," Naru commented, leaning against the rocks a few feet to Seno and Motoko's left.

Right next to Naru, Kitsune piped up, "Kaolla's nutty inventions."

"Partying every other weekend," Haruka said in her usual deadpan tone, leaning against the rocks nearest the changing area.

"The dichotomy of good and evil!" Mutsumi exclaimed from beside the tea shop proprietor.

At this, silence fell over the hot springs as everyone stared at Mutsumi's sudden comment, broken only by the wooden knocking sound of the souzu striking the rocks. After several such moments of silence, Mutsumi looked around at the staring, sometimes incredulous, expressions.

"Ara, is there something on my face?"

"Minus five points, turtle lady," Kaolla said matter-of-factly, one finger stuck in her mouth and an expression akin to that of a confused kitten on her face.

Sabashii raised a finger. "And, of course, fighting the Heaven-Slayer," he said. "Can't forget to add that to the list of senseless actions."

Reaching his left hand forward, Seno gently brushed his fingertips along Motoko's spine, nearly causing her to purr in pleasure from the sensation. "We're not responsible for that," he said. "The little bastard dragged him into our personal fight. The inevitable ass-kicking that's got his name on it is his own responsibility."

The white-haired man grinned. "True enough." He reached back to pick up his cup of tea and took another sip, allowing the warmth from both within and without to sober his mood. "So. It seems I owe all of you some semblance of an explanation."

He paused, waiting to see if anyone had anything to say to that, but the group was merely watching him, their expressions waiting, expectant. With a shrug, he launched into it.

"As far as my straight-up combat skills are concerned, I was taught to fight by a master of the ancient arts of the assassins. This man taught me both martial arts, and his secret arts." The looks that passed between several of his newfound friends did not go unnoticed by him. He recognized the looks of fear, that skills like his could so freely be taught. "You need not fear. No one else will ever learn that which I know."

"Why not?" Haruka asked, flicking an expended cigarette butt into a nearby trashcan with perfect precision. Without looking.

"My master's final test for me was a deathmatch, no holds barred, using everything he had taught me." He paused to set his tea cup down on the rocks beside him. "You can see before you the outcome of that contest."

"That does explain your unarmed combat skill," Motoko said, grabbing Seno's hands and moving them to encircle her waist so she could concentrate. "But that form of magic you used. 'Wicked darkness mana,' I believe that man Gandolfini called it?"

The assassin tensed slightly, but quickly forced himself to relax. "Toe-may-to, toe-mah-to," he said nonchalantly, waving his left hand dismissively. "Magic is magic is magic. It all depends on what system you used to learn it, and your own abilities. The system we use as heroes seems to rely on casting time and magic points, or as we gamers call it, MP. Similar to what you see in Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy XI, for example. We have access to very powerful magic, but the use of said magic is very rigid, unlike the incanted style that the Mahorans seemed to use. With their style, you could do things like incant a spell beforehand and have it ready to be instantly cast at a later point. You could also change the target of your magic and redirect it in midstrike, things that we generally can't do with our style of magic."

"And what about mana?" Shinobu asked, tilting her head to the left, curiosity written all across her face. Recently, she'd been getting more and more interested in the subject of magic; the young girl was taking to her status as a mage like a duck to water.

"Mana is a very, very ancient style of magic, supposedly dating back even before humans," Sabashii explained. "It's said that mana is the direct form of magic used by God, Himself. It is the magic that He infused into the Lifestream in order to direct it to create life."

"Contrary to what you may think," Mutsumi said, picking up the tale, "life was born not of light, but of darkness."

"No kidden?" Kitsune asked.

The World Guardian nodded her head. "In the original mana, the magicks of light and darkness are both subdivided into separate categories. Light divides into primordial and holy, darkness into primordial and wicked. Primordial darkness is the darkness of the universe, from which life was born. Primordial light is the light of true Judgment, which burns all things, evil or not." She smiled faintly. "Modern mages' inability to differentiate between primordial and holy light is the reason why modern 'holy' magic will still work against things that are not inherently evil."

"Wicked darkness," Sabashii continued, "is obviously, the darkness of evil and destruction. Now right now, I'm sure some of you are wondering if I'm evil, because I use wicked darkness mana. Well, before you ask me that, let me ask some questions of you. Motoko, you use a blade that houses a sealed demon. Does that make you evil? Seno, I am told that you once housed an evil spirit in your body. Does that make you evil? Naru, you once unjustly persecuted the man you now love. Does that make you evil?"

He shrugged slightly. "I'm not asking you not to judge me," he said. "I'll be the first to tell you that I have indeed done some cruel and wicked things in my life. I'm very likely the most morally-challenged out of all of us, but you could say I've turned over a new leaf. It's not like I'm out to correct all the injustices in the world. I just think that a little bit of my evil might be necessary to make the world a better place by removing a greater evil."

"The Heaven-Slayer's evil," Mutsumi said, staring intently at the white-haired man. "I believe I speak for everyone here when I say absolution is something that is not beyond the reach of any man who is willing to work toward atonement."

Sabashii met her gaze with just as much strength. "Can you promise me that redemption, Yochi no Kouken?"

She smiled faintly. "If not I, then I may know one or two who can."

From where she was sitting, Shinobu swayed forward slightly, tightly shutting her eyes and placing her left hand to her forehead. She groaned quietly, sliding down into the water.

Naru, the closest person to her, leaned over and laid a hand on the girl's head. "Shinobu, you okay?"

"I don't know," the young domestic engineer replied. "My eyes hurt, and I have a splitting headache."

"Let me see," Naru said gently, tilting the blue-haired girl's chin up toward her. "Open your eyes, Shinobu."

When the white mage complied, Naru neatly recoiled in shock. As the others caught sight of Shinobu's eyes, they likewise reacted with surprise. Her normally-dark blue eyes had become light lavender, and her pupils were nowhere to be seen.

"What is this?" Shinobu asked, blinking, as she looked around at everyone. "I can't see anyone. All I see are blotches of white. And...some other colors, but mostly white."

Closing her own eyes, Nealla focused her senses on Shinobu and concentrated. "She seems to be using some sort of sensing ability... Shinobu, try and focus on me."

"Okay..." the white mage replied unsteadily. "I...see a large amount of magic. A lot of white, like I said before. But now I can see your shape, and a color. It's sort of...creme-colored, and the white is sort of like an aura around you."

The MolMolian black mage nodded. "As I suspected," she said. "This change in your eyes is related to a visual aura sensing ability you seem to have developed. With a little practice, I imagine it could function as well for you as a Scan spell."

"Looks like she's got Byakkugan," Sabashii commented off-hand. At the silence that ensued, he looked directly at Seno. "What, not a Naruto fan?"

"Nah, not my cup of tea," the swordsman answered.

As Nealla and Shinobu continued to work on Shinobu's newfound ability, Naru suddenly tensed up, feeling the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Raising her right hand out of the water, she formed a blade of holy energy in her hand. "I sense a demon," she said suddenly.

That set most of the group scattering to where they had left their weapons just inside the hot springs; they had learned better than to be caught without their weapons nearby or easily accessible after yesterday's incident. Motoko, however, had a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Can you tell what kind?" she asked. "And if it's a full demon or a hanyou?"

Naru closed her eyes and concentrated for a moment. "A bird demon, it seems," she said after that moment passed. "And it doesn't seem strong enough to be a full adult demon."

The faintest hint of a smirk crossed Motoko's lips as she stood up, accepting the Youto Hina that Seno was holding out to her. "Leave this to me," she said, then leapt up and over the retaining wall of the hot springs, toward the stairs leading up to Hinata-S?.

Kitsune chuckled. "Looks like demon-hunter Motoko's back in business," she said, tucking her twin daggers under her arm as she walked toward the changing rooms. "I gotta watch this."

---

The pony-tailed girl had been able to sense a residual feeling of magic from the minute she'd stepped off the train at Hinata Onsen. The closer she'd gotten to the Hinata, the stronger it had gotten. By the time she was halfway up the steps, the air was fairly-well charged with magic energy. It was a pleasant feeling, not in any way oppressive, and she could tell why her aneue would've chosen to stay here.

Almost too late, she sensed an incoming attack. Rolling backwards, she pulled her nodachi from where it rested on her back, ripping the fabric covering off of it and sliding off the hard wood sheath at the same time. With precious little time left, she settled herself into a kneel, the blade of her war sword pointed out to intercept the incoming strike with the hard clash of steel against steel.

Before she could counter, her attacker flipped away, sailing gracefully through the air to alight on top of a lamp post at the entrance landing. Now with plenty of distance separating them, the girl took the time to study her enemy. She blushed slightly as she realized that her enemy was a very beautiful woman wearing an almost-risque bathing suit, with long, night-black hair flowing gently in the wind behind her.

The girl's eyes widened, and even as she watched, a familiar yellow crane landed on her attacker's left shoulder, squawking toward the younger girl. "Ts-Tsuruko-neesama!?" she muttered. "W-what are you doing here?"

The woman laughed lightly and smiled toward the girl. "Do I truly resemble aneue so?" she asked. "I suppose I do. But you're mistaken, Setsuna."

"Hah," a male voice called out from the apartment entrance. "Never thought I'd see the day you got mistaken for Tsuruko, hon."

The woman turned back and shrugged. "It's inevitable, really," she replied. "I look the same that aneue did when she was my age."

"Aneue!" the girl, Setsuna, shouted. Her face was as red as her school uniform, and she was standing in the classic pose of one who wanted to say something but was embarrassed to do so. "I...I..."

Motoko smiled at her, resting the Youto Hina on her free shoulder. "You've become a lovely young lady," she said. "And skilled, to boot, to use a nodachi as your weapon of choice."

A white-haired man wearing nothing but white dress pants appeared at the top of the landing, giving Setsuna a critical eye. "You wear a Mahora uniform," he said. "Have you come attempting to finish what they began yesterday?"

Motoko shot him a terse look. "I doubt that's the reason for her visit, Sabashii," she told him.

"I simply wish to make sure," Sabashii replied with a shrug. "To know if there's going to be a fight, so we can get it over with, or if there won't be, so we can invite her in for tea."

Chuckling, Motoko turned back to Setsuna. "What is the reason for your visit?" she asked.

"I...came to see you," the girl answered quietly.

Motoko smiled again. "Well, come in then," she said. "We all just came out of the hot springs, so give us a few minutes to make ourselves decent and then we'll all have a nice little chat."

---

Fifteen minutes later

Setsuna found herself seated in a recliner in the living room, a tray of tea and snacks on the table in the center of the room, surrounded by Motoko and ten other people she didn't know, all arranged variously on other couches and chairs in the immediate area. Well, perhaps she knew them a little more than they were aware; she had studied their dossiers on the train ride over from Mahora, after all.

"So who is she, Motoko?" the one called Naru asked, giving Setsuna a friendly smile.

Standing behind her, Motoko placed her hands on Setsuna's shoulders and said, "Everyone, this is my baby sister, Setsuna Sakurazaki."

The room all but exploded with noise as all the tenants tried to welcome her at the same time. After a few moments of this chaos, and by some unspoken agreement that underscored how well they cooperated as a group, they decided to go down the ranks from Setsuna's left to her right.

First was the white-haired man, Sabashii. She barely repressed a shiver as he gave her an evaluative stare. Then he gave her a knowing smile, stood, and bowed slightly in her direction. "Kokuei Sabashii," he introduced himself. "Welcome to Hinata-S?. It's a little crazy around here, but I doubt that'd put you off."

With that, he moved to walk around her chair and wander off to another part of the building, but not before giving her hair a playful ruffle in passing.

Next was the chain-smoking woman, Haruka. She took a puff of her cigarette, then lowered it down and nodded to Setsuna. "Urashima Haruka. I run the Tea Shop down the stairs, and I'm sort of the matron around here. Nice to meet you."

The blue-haired girl next to Haruka stood, and then bowed politely. This one was the one that had clocked Mei with a stir-fry skillet; obviously not one to be underestimated despite her age and demure demeanor. "My name is Maehara Shinobu. We never knew Motoko had a younger sister." She bowed again, and then sat.

A ball of hyperactivity in human form was seated on the end of the couch directly opposite Setsuna. As her turn came up, she grinned and waved exaggeratedly at the pony-tailed girl. "Hiyas! I'm Kaolla Su. Are you afraid of turtles like Motoko? If you're not, you can help me catch Tama and cook her for supper!"

Setsuna blinked at that 'introduction,' even as a green-and-yellow turtle literally flew into the room and landed on Shinobu's head, raising a flipper in greeting at the new girl.

"There ya are, you little devil!" Kaolla exclaimed, pouncing at the turtle and inadvertantly tackling Shinobu over the back of the couch in the process. A small melee ensued as Kaolla attempted to wrangle the turtle while Shinobu tried to get free of the obstinate foreigner.

Setsuna looked up at Motoko standing behind her. "Aneue, is this normal?"

The Shinmeiryu heir smirked slightly. "Actually, this seems to be a pretty calm morning." Shippu on her shoulder squawked in agreement.

Paling considerably, Setsuna turned back to face the next person. She looked almost identical to the young girl that had just tackled a turtle and her friend over the couch, and therefore had to be Nealla. She was wearing clothing that appeared to be inspired by an Arabian design, idly strumming a sitar that rested in her lap. She nodded her head toward Setsuna. "My name is Nealla Su. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

The fox-eyed Kitsune was lounging on the end of the couch, and she waved abortively at the girl. "Name's Konno Mitsune," she said. "But seein' as you're practically family, you can call me Kitsune."

On the next couch, arranged perpendicular on Setsuna's right, Naru smiled at her. "Hello, I'm Narusegawa Naru. It seems I sort of got stuck with the managerial duties while our landlord is away, so come see me if you have any questions."

Next to her sat the woman Natsume had identified as the Yochi no Kouken. She was holding a watermelon in her lap, occasionally thumping its surface to judge its ripeness. "I'm Otohime Mutsumi," she said. "As soon as I figure out if this watermelon is good, we can all have a piece of it." And then she proceeded to go back to thumping the watermelon.

"Sometimes, I wonder if it's contagious..." the man on the end said, then turned to Setsuna and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees as he looked at her. "So, Motoko's little sister, eh? Name's Seno, and I guess that'd make me your brother-in-law."

Setsuna's eyes widened to the approximate size of dinner plates, and she looked up at Motoko for confirmation. The older girl smiled and slipped her wedding band off her finger, then held it out to Setsuna, who took it delicately and turned it between her fingers, reading Seno's name and the date of their wedding engraved along the inner band.

After a moment, she returned the ring to Motoko, then bowed toward the collective group. "It's nice to meet you, everyone," she said. "I hope you didn't misunderstand that I want to move here. Though it does seem a very relaxing place, I simply am unable to right now."

"Well you're welcome here anytime, just the same," Kitsune offered. "Any family o' Motoko's is family of ours, ya know?"

Sabashii suddenly stepped out from the kitchen, cracking the knuckles of his bare, gloveless hands as his attention focused toward the front entrance. "I sense that we have company," he said. "Familiar company."

The crew knew what that meant.

In less than five seconds of a frenzied flurry of activity, the group had arranged themselves like a phalanx from ancient warfare: Sabashii, Seno, Motoko, and Naru in the first row. Sabashii stood idly by, but his tense energy belied his combat readiness. To Sabashii's right, Seno stood in a low, traditional crouch, his left hand clutching the sheath of his sword, his right loosely wrapped around the hilt.

Sparing a glance to the assassin, the swordsman asked, "Wearing your pavement-crusher today?"

Sabashii chuckled. "They don't want daddy to take his belt off."

Next to Seno, Motoko stood with her weight balanced evenly on both feet, holding the Youto Hina down and toward the ground behind her. Her ki signature was rising as she prepared an ability to be used as an opening strike.

Naru's wings had unfolded from her back with barely a grimace on the Tokyo University student's part, eliciting a short gasp of surprise from Setsuna, and a katana-length blade of pure white energy had formed in her right hand, which she now held in a double-handed grip on her right side.

Behind the front line, Kitsune stood between Seno and Motoko, holding her daggers in the same pose she'd adopted before fighting the speed nun yesterday: crossed with the right blade held in front of her left shoulder, left blade held behind her right elbow.

Kaolla stood on Kitsune's right, her missile packs securely strapped to her forearms and shins, with her reloaded one-shot plasma cannon slung over her back on a strap. She was grinning ear-to-ear, and bouncing from foot to foot in anticipation of another battle.

"Princess, please calm yourself," Nealla said from Kaolla's right. Though she held no weapons, and seemed rather unconcerned, magical energy swirled about her like winds swirling around a hurricane

Shinobu stood to Kitsune's left, letting the weight of the stir-fry skillet she'd used against Mei rest against the ground as she held her left hand up near her face, preparing to cast another Hastega the way she had the previous day.

To her left, Mutsumi stood calmly as ever, her metal quarterstaff extended to its full length and standing on its end as she gazed out toward the front landing, swaying lightly back and forth on her feet and humming an idle tune.

Haruka stepped out of the kitchen, dragging the freshly-released Lorenzo behind her. She shoved the man's M14 into his hand, then took up a position beside the dinner table, ready to dive behind it for cover if necessary.

For his part, Lorenzo swiftly crossed the room to take cover behind the couch that Kitsune had been seated upon, checking his weapon as he did so, then flicking off the safety and letting it rest on the back of the couch, aimed toward the entrance.

"So what are we betting on their strength estimate?" Seno asked.

"I say they bring at least thirty," Kitsune replied.

Motoko shook her head. "In such a confined environment, more numbers is a liability," she argued. "I believe they will bring the same number or less, but bring more experienced, more powerful mages."

"I think I'm taking Motoko's side on this one," Naru said.

"Well, no time like the present to find out," Sabashii input as Gandolfini appeared at the top of the stairs.

Catching sight of the welcoming party that was prepared for them, Gandolfini and the Mahora party drew to a stop once clear of the stairs, allowing the Hinata tenants to get a good look at their numbers. Along with the other eight survivors of the 'Mahora Ten,' there were two junior high school girls, if their identical uniforms to Setsuna's were any indication, and a kid in a business suit. Interestingly enough, the boy had an oaken staff wrapped in white cloth over his back.

Sabashii narrowed his eyes at the boy. That staff... Could it possibly be...?

Gandolfini raised his hands just slightly. "You may put away your weapons, Hinata tenants," he said. "We have not come here for battle. We have come here for discussion."

"What have we to discuss with you?" Haruka called out, taking on her role as the mediator.

"Mahora's decision concerning your group," Gandolfini answered calmly.

"I don't see any deception in their auras," Shinobu said, her voice strained as she used her newfound ability to try and sense their intent. Her voice wavered slightly. "But...I could be wrong."

"Seno?" Haruka asked.

Wordlessly, the swordsman slid his blade out a fraction of an inch, but there were no cracks upon its surface. "They're clean," he said. Then he shrugged. "Or they're hella good liars."

Haruka nodded, then called out to the Mahorans, "Well, that being the case, why don't you all come inside and we'll discuss this over tea?"

With a polite nod, Gandolfini and the others complied. As they entered the foyer and everyone within became visible to the group from Mahora, one of the school girls, with long brown hair laid straight down her back, suddenly broke out of the group and ran straight for Setsuna, calling out "Secchan!" as she did.

To the general surprise of everyone involved, the girl showed no signs of stopping or even slowing down as she neared Setsuna. Extending her left arm, the girl caught Setsuna around the neck with a flying tackle that bore them both to the ground.

"Holy shit," Seno said, flicking a glance over to Motoko. "Your sister just got clotheslined."

"So she did," the swordswoman replied, holding a hand over her mouth in a futile attempt to hide her own smirk.

On the ground, the girl took the opportunity, while Setsuna was still stunned, to seat herself in a straddle on the taller girl's stomach. This produced another round of surprised, confused, and embarrassed expressions from all observing. The girl then proceeded to poke Setsuna's face until the stunned swordswoman focused her eyes on the girl's face. Upon noticing their position, Setsuna's face lit up like a stop light.

"Ojou-sama, would you please get off of me?" she asked, her voice as quiet and frail as a dead leaf in autumn.

"No!" the girl replied, leaning down until their faces were inches apart. "You're going to lie there and listen to me. You had me so worried, taking off like that without a word..."

As the girl bickered at Setsuna, Seno's eyebrows furrowed at the same time he felt warmth emanating from the sword in his hand. He drew the weapon just enough to reveal the habaki and a millimeter of the blade itself, and raised an eyebrow at the strong, distinct glow coming from the sword.

Leaning to the right, he nudged Motoko with his elbow to get her attention, then turned his body to the right to show her the condition of his weapon. Upon seeing it, Motoko smiled a knowing smile, then forcibly wiped it off of her face and said amusedly, "That's interesting."

Leaning forward from behind onto the swordsman's left shoulder, Kitsune eyed the weapon's glow, then pronounced, "That's very interesting."

Seno shooed the fox off his shoulder, then fully sheathed his blade, marched over to the two girls, and proceeded to hook the shorter girl under her arms and haul her up bodily off of Setsuna. "As amusing as it was to watch that," he told her, "we don't need yet another reason for us to deserve our current TV-MA rating."

"What?" the girl asked as Seno set her down.

"You're better off not knowing," Haruka answered, then glared at the swordsman. "You done bashing the fourth wall yet?"

"Until the next good excuse."

Pulling herself to her feet, Setsuna carefully straightened up her hair and clothing, then bowed in Seno's direction. "Thank you, Seno-dono."

His right eye twitched. "Don't do that."

She blinked, looking at the Hinata tenants as if they would have an explanation for his sudden near-hostility. "Do what, Seno-dono?"

"That!" he exclaimed, pointing a finger at her as if it would answer all her questions. "The formality crap. I can't stand it. Lived in America for four years, where respect is all of nil. Sad to say I got used to it." He shrugged.

A devious smile worked its way across Setsuna's features. "Sorry," she told him. "I won't let it happen again." She paused for a moment, and then very deliberately added, "Seno-dono."

Glaring lasers at the youngest of the Aoyama sisters, the swordsman turned and kicked the back of the couch, muttering under his breath, "Dammit, if you weren't my sister-in-law, I'd kick your ass from here to next Tuesday..."

"You kids finished yet?" Haruka asked testily, blinking slowly at the two. She nodded her head toward the Mahorans, who had since arranged themselves in the general seating area in the living room. "We have business to attend to, after all." She fixed her gaze on Gandolfini. "What 'decision' has Mahora come to concerning us?"

At some unspoken signal from the Tea Shop proprietor, the Hinata crew discreetly spread out into a loose encirclement formation around the Mahorans. If there was to be another battle, and a few of the tenants believed there would, then the home team was determined to start it off with the upper hand.

If Gandolfini took notice of the none-too-subtle shift in the room's tactical layout, he did nothing to betray that knowledge. Maintaining a cool demeanor, he gestured toward Natsume and said, "Young Natsume is convinced that the lot of you are the Chosen Heroes of legend. After the school headmaster consulted with a trusted confidant, we have agreed to operate under the assumption that, ostensibly at least, that descriptor can be applied to your group."

"And that tells me exactly what?" Haruka pressed.

As she continued to interrogate the Mahorans, Mutsumi looked out the open window she had placed herself near, staring up into the cloudless sky. I sense your hand in this matter, she thought.

Do you? a cultured, male voice echoed into her mind. How can you be certain our friend without the thump-thump isn't responsible?

A wry smile crossed Mutsumi's lips. These people wouldn't have any reason to have any sort of prolonged contact with the captain, she thought. You, on the other hand, have a well-known penchant for your fascination with and dabbling in the affairs of unique magic-rich areas such as Mahora.

The voice chuckled. This is true. I admit, I have given my council to Headmaster Konoe on occasion. A decent fellow, the old man. Reminds me of Confucius. In any case, you can't say that my intervention wasn't helpful, this time. I did get the Mahorans off you and your Heroes' collective backside. There was a pause. You might try paying attention, Mutsumi. Your friends are talking to you.

Blinking once, then shaking her head, the Okinawan woman spun around to find all eyes in the room turned to her. She found herself at a loss as to the topic of conversation, until Tama flew over to her shoulder and began to "Myuh" at her.

Mutsumi nodded her head at the turtle's 'explanation,' then turned her attention to the group. "It was never specifically stated in the legends what the supposed adversary or adversaries of the Heroes would be, but the threat posed by Namusan Sapou, especially if he still pursues his war against God, would definitely qualify."

The girl that had pounced Setsuna earlier blinked rapidly at Mutsumi. "Did that turtle just tell her what we were talking about?" she asked.

"You get used to it," Kitsune answered. "We don't really get it ourselves."

"Wait, rewind that a second," the red-haired schoolgirl, Asuna, said. "Why does this guy and this war of his count as this kind of epic adversary?"

"Because Namusan Sapou would attempt to turn humanity to his side, and use the entire world as a battleground from which to wage his war against God," Nealla explained calmly.

"War against God?" Setsuna asked.

Mutsumi looked around at the gathered group, then took a deep breath.

Before she could say anything, however, Seno cut in, "My inner RPG player is telling me that it's backstory and plot revelation time."

The anemic smiled. "Right you are, Seno. So I suggest everyone settle in and get some refreshments. This could take a while."

"I'll go make some tea," Shinobu volunteered, heading for the kitchen.

"Let me help you," the girl who had tackled Setsuna said, following the white mage. "My name's Konoe Konoka."

"Maehara Shinobu. It's nice to meet you, Konoka..." The girls' conversation trailed off as they entered the kitchen.

"I'm goin' up to the room to get some sodas out of my stash," Seno told Motoko as he headed up the stairs. "Want something, hon?"

The swordswoman shook her head, then sat down on the couch beside Setsuna and closed her eyes. "No, thank you."

Across from her, Kuzunoha regarded her steadily. "You have grown into a fine young woman, Motoko-sama," she said, "and a powerful swordswoman beside the fact. Your entire demeanor exudes calmness and wisdom. You have indeed come a long way from the frightened, lonely child you were when you left Kyoto."

Motoko smiled warmly at the Shinmei instructor. "Thank you for your kind words, Kuzunoha." She leaned over and threw an arm around Setsuna, who blinked at the unusual amount of affection that the older swordswoman was showing. "So, you will have to tell me sometime about all the adventures you have been having at Mahora Academy, little sister."

"There really hasn't been anything exciting, aneue," Setsuna said. "As you probably know, it's part of my assigned duties to ensure that any demons who manage to infiltrate past Mahora Academy's magical defenses are quickly and efficiently dispatched, on top of my duties to protect Ojou-sama at all costs. Other than that, it isn't anything special."

Motoko's smile shifted into a smirk. "That's not what aneue told me," she replied. "I specifically recall mention of a certain field trip to Kyoto..."

The younger girl reddened. "There were a few confrontations with a radical faction of the Kansai Magic Association..."

"Oh, were there? I was told more about your little trip to the cinema village."

Setsuna's entire body tensed up until it was painful as she lowered her head until her eyes were shadowed. Her face was now hot enough to cook eggs on. "That wasn't... I didn't... It..."

"You know, the way you get off on teasing her like that, you're becoming more and more like Tsuruko every day," Seno commented, his intervention once again sparing Setsuna from further embarrassment. The swordsman was leaning against the banister, an open can of Barq's root beer in his right hand and another in his left.

"Thank you again, Seno-dono," Setsuna said, placing her hand over her heart. Ostensibly, this was to placate the rapidly-beating organ, but in reality, she was feeling through her uniform jacket the photograph of herself and Konoka that she kept in a pocket near her heart at all times.

At that exact moment, Konoka and Shinobu returned from the kitchen, each carrying a large tray of tea and cups, in time to catch the comment about the cinema village. "Oh, are you talking about when we went to the cinema village in Kyoto?" Konoka asked, then giggled. "I got to dress up as a princess and Secchan was my samurai bodyguard."

Motoko, Seno, and Kitsune exchanged meaningful glances. These glances did not go unnoticed by Sabashii, Haruka, or Naru. By an unspoken agreement and the obvious fact that it would be discussed later, no one said anything.

"Someone took our picture and sent us copies, too!" Konoka continued, reaching into her shirt to pull out a gold, rectangular locket which she removed, opened, and passed around. "It was a lot of fun. I want to go back someday."

"I remember this," Negi said fondly, smiling as he looked at the picture before passing it on to Naru. "This was right before the fight against Tsukoyomi, wasn't it?"

Motoko raised an eyebrow at the boy teacher. "Tsukoyomi, you say? Little blonde girl with glasses? Fights with two kodachi?"

"On the money," Asuna said with obvious surprise.

"Still introducing herself as a member of Shinmeiryu, no doubt," Motoko scoffed.

"She's not?" Negi asked, blinking.

"Tsukoyomi was expelled from Shinmeiryu just about a year ago," Kuzunoha explained. "By selling her services as a common thug, she was giving the Shinmeiryu a poor image as brutish hired muscle."

"And so she was expelled from Shinmeiryu," Motoko said, scowling. "She knew it was inevitable. The child was far too bloodthirsty."

"You guys know her?" Asuna asked.

Setsuna smiled faintly. "Don't you remember, Asuna-san? Aneue knows of Tsukoyomi and the Shinmeiryu, because aneue is the heiress to Shinmeiryu."

Silence befell the room to match the paled, awestruck expressions on the faces of Negi, Konoka, and Asuna. "So, you're in charge of the swordsmanship school where Setsuna-san trained?" Negi asked, a bit nervously. He knew full well what Setsuna was capable of, and therefore to be the heir of that swordsmanship style, Motoko's skill had to be a fearsome sight indeed.

"I will be one day, when I feel I am ready," the swordswoman answered with a nod. "But that is a tale for another time." She gestured toward Mutsumi with her right hand. "I do believe it is Mutsumi's turn to tell us a story."

Mutsumi smiled warmly at her friend, then wasted no time in launching directly into her story. "In the beginning, there was darkness. And from this darkness, God summoned His power, and from the primordial darkness, He created the primordial light, then divided light and darkness. God then looked upon what He had wrought, and saw that it was good. On the second day, God created the Earth and the heavens, and all the planets therein. God then looked upon what He had wrought, and saw that it was good. On the third day-"

Simultaneously, in the same tone of voice and utilizing the same bastardized English accent, Seno and Sabashii chimed in, "Skip a bit, Brother."

Blinking, Mutsumi looked between the two and said, "Ara?"

Seno chuckled. "Sorry, Monty Python reference. Continue."

Laughing quietly, Mutsumi nodded, and took a moment to look between the gathered groups. Then, she continued, "Contrary to what is recorded in theological texts around the world, humans were not the first sentient creatures that God created. Many hundreds of thousands of years before He created us, the first sentient beings that God put upon the Earth were the djinn, as sort of a test to see if the world He had created was capable of supporting intelligent life. The djinn, being the closest creatures to God outside the realm of heaven, were gifted with the same mana-type magic that God had used to create the world. Over the years, the djinn grew and prospered, and as a reward for their good deeds, God created a paradise for them, the entrance of which is hidden high on a forbidding mountain somewhere in the world, and bade them enter their paradise to live the rest of eternity in utter prosperity."

Mutsumi cleared her throat, unused to speaking for such a prolonged period of time, then accepted a cup of tea from Shinobu with a grateful nod. She paused to take a sip of tea and collect her thoughts, then continued. "As the djinn that had inhabited the world moved to their new paradise, God filled the world they had left behind with human beings. He commanded them to be fruitful and multiply, and perform good deeds in His name, and for a time, all was good.

"However, there was one djinn who did not agree with God's designs, and felt that the move to the djinn paradise was banishment from the Earth they had worked so hard to make livable. This djinn's name was Namusan Sapou."

An almost-palpable level of nervous tension filled the room at this point, assisted by the low and sinister manner in which Mutsumi was speaking. "Namusan gathered a large army of like-minded djinn and began a rebellion against God. At first, this rebellion was contained to Earth and the djinn paradise, fighting at once the djinn who did not agree with Namusan, and the humans, who Namusan and his followers viewed as worthless creatures who had stolen and defiled their home on Earth. With the inability of both humans and djinn to ascend to Heaven, there was little Namusan and his followers could do but slaughter God's other creations in the mortal realm.

"One day, as a raiding party returned from destroying a human village, the face of the war changed. You see, Namusan's soldiers had brought back a prisoner, and the rebel Marid could tell right away that this woman was neither human nor djinn. In time, he realized the woman was an angel, one of God's favored creations, and possessed of the ability to move between Earth and the Heavens at will." Mutsumi paused again, and watched several expressions flick in Naru's direction. "Without a second thought, Namusan raped the angel on the spot, treating her as little more than breeding stock to produce a new type of soldier for his armies, a djinn-angel half-breed."

At this pause, Naru shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. Curiously, several of the Mahorans, and Motoko, were watching Setsuna closely, as the young Shinmei practicioner trembled as well, but in anger, insofar as Mutsumi's empathic abilities indicated.

"This activity did not go unnoticed in the higher realms. Enraged by Namusan's actions, God gathered His armies and sent them to the Earth below to crush this rebel movement. To lead them, God appointed the archangel Gabriel as the first of the Arbiters, zealous holy warriors 'each created and consumed in times of extraordinary crisis' that were known as the Blades of God."

Seno and Lorenzo both shook their heads silently.

"Unfortunately, Namusan had been planning from the beginning for the day when God would come down from the heavens to face him directly, and rather than slaughtering the humans as the angels had been led to believe, Namusan had in fact spent all the years in his campaigns conquering and subverting humanity. When the angels descended to face Namusan and his djinn, they were also forced to battle the very humans they had been originally created to watch over. And then, as if things could not get any worse, it was learned very quickly that Namusan had somehow discovered the secret of immortality. No weapon or magic possessed by the Heavenly Armies could slay him, no injury was considered anything more than a minor nuisance."

"That explains how he got up so fast after you, Seno, and Motoko took him down back there on Pararakelse Island," Kitsune drawled. "Bein' immortal, it's a wonder we managed to beat him at all."

Mutsumi nodded solemnly. "Because of this, the war raged on for hundreds, some accounts even say thousands, of years. In a last-ditch effort, the Heavenly Armies lured Namusan and his forces to the continent of what is now MolMol. As the two opposing armies slaughtered one another all across the continent, decimating its ecosystem and reducing its size to the small island nation that MolMol is today, Gabriel managed to draw Namusan to what is now the Desert of Death on Pararakelse Island. Assisted by the last remaining strength the original angel possessed after so many years of endless rape and forced childbirth, Gabriel gave his life in order to seal Namusan beneath the desert sands until Judgment Day, at which time his immortality would not save him, and God would cast him into the lake of fire."

Her story completed, Mutsumi leaned back in her seat and lifted her cup, quietly sipping tea from it. Some of the Mahorans, particularly Gandolfini and Kataragi, seemed familiar already with the Legend of the Heaven-Slayer. Everyone else was more or less wide-eyed and awestruck. Truly, the Namusan of legend was not a fellow to be trifled with.

Sabashii, however, did not seem to have learned anything new, nor exhibit any unease at the man's capabilities. His expression was hard as he said, "The first step to defeating one's enemy is to know his weakness. His immorality had to come from somewhere, which means we need to find that out. I vote we go to Mahora Academy. They have a library there, built on an island. This library houses the largest collection of knowledge, both magical and mundane, in the mortal world. If nothing else, it'd be a good place to start."

A/N: Also, for those of you interested in this sort of thing, there is now a bonafide, easy-to-reach place on the intarweb where you can regularly contact the stars of Kuro Arashi. We've got ourselves set up in a little forum by the title of Gamer's Sanctuary. If you want to find it, you can easily do so by clicking the homepage link on my writer profile here.