Magister Negi Magi is owned by Ken Akamatsu and Kodansha Ltd. Tokyo in Japan, and by Funimation and Ballantine - DelRey in the United States, NOT by me.
SPOILER ALERT! AU story occurring after c189.
(-)
"I learned from her that battles aren't always won with fists."
-Kotaro Inugami. As told to Kazumi Asakura. Author of: "One Million Steps : A Journey to Megalo-Mesembria and the World Beyond."
(-)
Ala Alba in the World of Magic: Tales From the Fireside.
Chapter Eighteen: Two Ways to Fight.
(-)
"Hey Akira!"
Akira Okochi turned as Natsumi Murakami came running down the corridor from the veranda area, waving her arms frantically. "I'm on break Natsumi! What does Mama want now?"
Natsumi came to a stop, leaning against the stairs leading up to the Prize Fighter's suites. Straightening up and noticing the Ma-Jin Akira had recently become friends with, she gave the dark-skinned girl a friendly smile. "Hey Bekus!" After leaning back to take a deep breath, she faced Akira again. "Mister Phlippir is here again! Mama wants you to come take care of him before he starts irritating people!"
Bekus watched Akira blanche, giving her own start as the Hu-Jin girl did so."Is that that Iru-Jin guy..."
Akira rubbed at her temples. "Yes. The one who always drinks too many Nishin-Martinis." Giving a sigh of resignation, she took a moment to quiet her nerves. She wasn't required to act like one of Chairman Dolnegus 'Courtesan' hostesses, Mister Phlippir was a different species after all, but having to spend the evening with the energetic amphibian was always a trying experience. "I made the mistake once of letting him know I was a swimming champion at school, and now he always wants to 'talk shop' when he comes to the arena..."
Bekus groaned sympathetically. "I don't envy you Akira! I remember that guy from before you showed up! He was always singing some song about how fast he could swim!" She hummed a few bars to herself, then shook her head. "Something about being quicker than a lightning Sagita I think."
Akira crossed her arms and nodded, then looked at Bekus and indicated Natsumi with her eyes. Bekus flushed a bit, but blinked to say it was okay. "Well then..." Stepping forward, she placed a hand on Natsumi's shoulder. "...why don't you take Bekus to meet Kojirou?"
Natsumi nodded as Akira leaned in to whisper that the Ma-Jin girl knew about her and Kojirou, and not to worry about it, then patted her shoulder and walked off.
Despite her reassurance to Akira, Bekus felt decidedly awkward, waiting to be lead to meet a young man she liked by that person's apparent girlfriend.
Natsumi watched Bekus for a moment, then indicated for the Ma-Jin girl to proceed her up the stairs with a palm up, raised hand.
(-)
Kotaro Inugami held up a flag Natsumi Murakami had sewn in her free time and given to him as a joint present with Negi.
Spread across a field of red was a 'from-the-front' striking Phoenix. Main body done in flames of white-gold, with stylized wings of a design similar to the Ala Alba badges, and their group's name emblazoned below the Phoenix in an arc of black, white-gold trimmed letters.
("This is actually kind of cool! I've never given much thought to 'group identity' symbols before, but this really is nice!") Hearing a knocking at the door to the suite he shared with Negi, Kotaro carefully folded the flag length-wise twice, then lay it across the back of a chair. "Is that you Akira?"
Opening into the room as he walked over, the door revealed Natsumi Murakami and a similarly dressed Ma-Jin girl he'd seen around several times.
"Hey Kojirou! This is Bekus, a friend of Akira's who wanted to meet you."
Kotaro looked past Natsumi as a nervous, dark-skinned girl followed her into the suite. He only barely understood that the maid-outfitted Bekus's hesitant nature was caused by his 'Kojirou' disguise, but he fully understood, after many beratements over his rough nature from Chizuru Naba and Ayaka Yukihiro, about being polite to a girl. "Hello! I'm Kojirou Oogami. I'm pleased to meet any friend of Akira's!"
Bekus's skin turned an even darker shade of it's natural color as she reached out to take Kojirou's offered hand. "Tha... Thank you very much!"
Kotaro smiled, wondering as Bekus voice cracked why girls always got so nervous around boys they liked. ("Boys they liked?") As the Ma-Jin girl began to go on about how great it was to get to meet him, he risked a quick glance in a mirror. Seeing himself reflected there with Bekus gave him a fleeting understanding about what his looks meant to someone like the two girls now in the room with him. He had constantly harassed Negi about acting silly around the Class A girls. Now he began to fleetingly understand that a boy could get the same reaction out of a girl, if he wanted to. Smiling again, he refocused his attention on Bekus, noticing Natsumi's barely concealed jealousy as he did so.
"...anyway, I'm just so glad to meet you! I can leave in a few days when I pay-off my contract, and tell my friends and family I actually got to meet a famous prize-fighter!"
Kotaro released Bekus hand and started looking around the suite for something to give her. Finally seeing a program book, he retrieved it, pulled a stylus from a nightstand drawer, flipped to his picture in the program, and quickly signed his nom-de-guerre. "Here. Now you can prove it to!"
Bekus accepted the program with trembling hands and clutched it protectively to her chest. "Thank you so very much! I'll treasure it always!"
Natsumi coughed and stepped in between her two annoyingly sugary companions.. "Well then! Breaks over Bekus! We'd better get back to work, or we're going to have to listen to Mama gripe at us again!"
Kotaro looked at the flushed Natsumi and shook his head. ("I sure wish I understood this whole 'relationships' thing better!") Walking over to hold the door, he wondered if he should tease Natsumi later over her reactions to Bekus fawning.
Natsumi raged internally at her all too obvious jealousy. ("Why am I so upset over a ten-year-old kid?") That Bekus liked Kojirou was obvious, but she had behaved during the entire visit, not doing anything improper, and just gushing like an over-excited fan-girl. Not able to take the Ma-Jin's praise for Kojirou any more, she intervened. 'Kojirou's' continued smile made her flush even more, so she was completely unprepared for him to go flying across the room after opening the door to let them out.
Bekus starred in open-mouth shock as Kojirou crashed into the far wall, and her now massive cousin Helu'man, his hair long and flowing like her grandfather's, ducked into the suite and shut the door. He looked at her and sniffed dismissively, then moved to approach the barely stirring Kojirou. Shaken back to reality by being ignored, she moved to try and stop him. "You... You Idiot! I'm almost paid off! If you smash anything up I'll be stuck here even longer!"
Helu'man turned to look as Bekus grabbed the hem of his trenchcoat's sleeve. Despite her protests to the contrary, the look in her eyes said she still had feelings for him. He didn't care. Her sacrifice two years ago had kept him from loosing the chance to join the isolationist organization he now worked for. Keeping in contact with her had simply been cover for his assignment. If the order to break his cover by neutralizing this Kojirou person hadn't come, he would have contrived some reason to keep his cousin in debt, just to be able to continue watching the Granicus City Arenas for strong fighters as candidates for possible recruitment by his employers. "Stay out of the way Bekus! You're of no more use to me anyway!"
Kotaro felt his head swimming. ("Bro... broken ribs, maybe a concussion too...") Trying desperately to focus his eyes, he looked up and saw such a look of pain on Bekus face it reminded him of his long forgotten memories of being abandoned by his parents. The huge Ma-Jin man shouted something, then back-handed the dark-skinned girl, sending her flying into the suite's wardrobe. Groaning, he tried to rise to respond to such an offense against a girl, but fell back again just as his view was blocked by Natsumi.
Natsumi spread her arms out to prevent the Ma-Jin from approaching the barely stirring Kotaro. She understood she had no chance against the big man, but if she could just delay him long enough for help to come... "Get out of here! If you want to fight Kojirou, you need to go through the arena administration!"
Not even bothering to speak, Helu'man just walked over, grabbed the interfering Hu-Jin by the neck, and lifted her into the air.
Kotaro watched with building rage as Natsumi, her feet flailing helplessly, clawed and pounded at the Ma-Jin's hand as he started to choke her. Rage finally grew stronger than pain in his stunned mind. That this person would hit a girl was bad enough. That he would try to harm his sister was unforgivable...
Natsumi felt her hands fall limply aside, her vision narrowing and focusing on a face oddly similar to that old German guy who had broken into her room looking for Kotaro. Suddenly, she found herself on her back, chest heaving as her body began to once more draw in wonderful, reviving air.
Helu'man dropped the freckle-faced maid as something hit him hard in his midsection. He and whatever it was quickly crashed into the room's bed and smashed it to pieces.
"YOU'LL PAY FOR HURTING NATSUMI!"
Getting an arm between himself and his attacker, Helu'man shouted with effort and flung the person away.
Kotaro could feel his lycanthropic blood quickly mending his ribs and concussion as he fully entered his hybrid form for the first time since Kyoto. Natsumi's proximity meant nothing. This unexpected enemy might be young, but his scent marked him as an opponent where half-measures and worry over what Natsumi might think of him later didn't matter.
Needing just a little longer to fully recover, Kotaro clenched his fist and called out to his guardian spirits. "Inugami! Two spirits come forth!" Instantly, a pair of dog spirits rushed out from his shadow and sank their teeth into his opponent. The Ma-Jin man roared in annoyance, shaking his arm and trying to dislodge the Inugami even as they held tight with their jaws and began attacking with their claws.
Finally able to smash the two Inugami against a wall and forcibly de-summon them, Helu'man turned to give their waiting master a look of contempt. "Two Inugami? Is that all you've got Hanyou? Don't make me laugh! I'll bury you up to your neck for three days and make you into a REAL Inugami! THIRTEEN ARROWS OF DARKNESS!"
Kotaro jumped aside as the Ma-Jin's Sagita impacted where he'd just been standing. Remembering his training with Kaede, he shadow-spilt in the instant of lag after the Sagita spell was cast and attacked his enemy from two sides.
Helu'man roared as he smashed one Kojirou, only to have the other rake him across the back with it's claws. Invoking the Darkness Sagita again, he sent them after the remaining opponent, only to be confronted this time with not two enemies, but three!
Kotaro attacked again, once more sacrificing his shadow-clones to permit an un-blocked strike at his opponents back. losing the shadow-clones to direct attack drained him, but they also bought him time. Just a little longer, and he'd show this girl-hitting Ma-Jin what he was REALLY capable of as a Master of Inugami!
Bekus, still stunned, looked up from where she lay and saw her cousin readying a petrification attack. Heart-sick over the waste the last two years of her life had been, hoping only that Kojirou would remember her, she rose to her feet and rushed out to intercept the attack.
"Bekus! NO!" Kotaro saw the Ma-Jin girl rushing out to intercept an attack he could have easily dodged. Apparently unconcerned, the big Ma-Jin would have petrified Bekus anyway if Natsumi hadn't suddenly grabbed one of his legs, and sank her teeth into his hamstring. Shouting in pain as the petrification attack shorted out, he swung wildly at Natsumi, tearing her uniform, but otherwise leaving her seemingly unharmed. Bekus hesitated for a moment, then suddenly seemed to find herself, and rushed forward to kick the big Ma-Jin in his shin.
Helu'man knocked Bekus aside again, then reached down to grab the idiot clinging to his ankle and flung her aside as well. Turning back to Kojirou, he found the Hanyou kneeling in a position of summoning.
"INUGAMI! TWENTY-NINE SPIRITS COME FORTH!"
Natsumi, dazed by being thrown against a wall, watched as a mob of dogs rushed out of Kotaro's shadow and attacked the big Ma-Jin guy. She'd known he was different, ever since he'd changed from a dog to a boy in her dorm room. This display however, this kind of display frightened her a little, and also made her understand how foolish she'd been to worry about his safety. Biting, scratching and howling, Kotaro's shadowy dogs pushed the big Ma-Jin guy back towards the suite's balcony until he hit the rail, and went backwards over it.
"RETURN!" Kotaro could see Natsumi stirring as the dog spirits re-entered his shadow, so he went over to check on the unmoving Bekus.
Natsumi snorted with suddenly returned jealousy. Looking towards the balcony, she got up and walked over, drawn by a morbid curiosity to see what had happened to Kotaro's opponent. Just as she reached the railing, the scared, bloody Ma-Jin man reached up to grab what was left of her maid uniform. She barely had time to shriek as he slipped and fell, bending her painfully across the balcony rail and nearly taking her with him. Unable to scream, she flailed at the increasingly demonic looking Ma-Jin with one hand, while she tried to keep from being pulled completely over the side with the other. Just as both her feet left the ground, Kotaro was there, leaning out over the railing and punching the Ma-Jin in the face.
"I.."
Kotaro punched again.
"...have had..."
Another punch, stunning the Ma-Jin and bloodying his nose.
"...enough of..."
One more, and the Ma-Jin's grip on her uniform began to fail.
"...YOU!"
Kotaro delivered one last punch just as part of Natsumi's uniform tore away. A look of disbelief on his face, the Ma-Jin fell down to the next verandah level, scattering several customers and a debt-slave waitress when he smashed into that group of people's table.
Finally relaxing, Kotaro lay against Natsumi for a moment until a scream drew his attention back into the destroyed suite.
Natsumi turned and realized several things as she saw Ako fall over in a faint. Bekus, her uniform ruined, was lying unconscious on the floor in the middle of a wrecked room. Kotaro, back to his normal teen form, was leaning up against her also ruined uniform covered body,.. in a position that suggested he'd just...
Natsumi didn't know if she should just scream and push Kotaro away, or simply faint like Ako... "Kotaro... I think you'd better move before..."
The sound of a deep, outraged roar came from the suite's doorway.
("TOO LATE!")
Natsumi hadn't seen fear in Kotaro's eyes over the last few minutes like she saw in them now, as her Ku-Jin boss Mama, teeth and claws bared, rushed impossibly fast across the room and grabbed him by the back of his head.
"WE LET YOU TWO HAVE NEARLY UNFETTERED ACCESS TO THREE GIRLS BECAUSE THEY'RE YOUR FRIENDS, AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY US?"
Kotaro didn't really understand why the Ku-Jin Mama was so angry. Hadn't he just saved Natsumi and Bekus? All he did understand was that Mama was about to tear him apart. He was preparing himself to fight the big Ku-Jin woman, out of pure self-defense, when Natsumi suddenly grabbed the arm he was being held with.
"Mama stop! Kojirou saved us! He didn't do ANYTHING else! Natsumi glanced over at Kotaro's confused expression and sighed mentally. ("I'm not sure he would even know HOW to do 'anything else!'") Turning back to Mama, she flushed and struggled to hold up what was left of her uniform.
Mama looked down at Natsumi, then back at the still groggy but finally sitting up Bekus. Neither girl's state of dress spoke well in Kojirou's defense, but his look as he held still in her hand was more angry and afraid then guilty, so she relaxed and gently set him down. After having sent Ako to find out why Natsumi and Bekus were taking so long to come back from break, then going to investigate herself after a customer complained about sounds of fighting coming from a room above his table, she realized this situation was more complex than just an out of control Prize-fighter beating up and forcing himself on a couple of debt-slaves. "I think we're going to have to have a talk..."
(-)
Akira heard about the disturbance involving Kojirou from an hysterical Nek-Jin waitress who had nearly been killed by a falling body. Prevented from seeing her friends, she was beside herself with worry until the next day, when she was called in to Chairman Dolnegus's office to tell her small part in the story. Now, she watched with growing anger as Dolnegus told Bekus without remorse that she would be responsible for all the damage and healing expenses for herself, Natsumi and Kojirou. Even with testimony from the three people in the room, as well as Mama, someone had to pay, and since her cousin had vanished before he could be captured, she was it. ("Heartless jerk! She just had a few days left!") Watching Bekus, already hurt by her cousin's betrayal, start to cry, she remembered something she'd read in her father's journal; ("Never pass up an opportunity to help a friend Akira, even if you may never see them again.") She barely knew Bekus. The Ma-Jin girl had been all but hostile to her just a few days ago. Her normal preference was to be someone who helped others from the sidelines, now, the thought that Bekus would be trapped in this place two more years strained her sense of justice beyond the breaking point.
"Chairman Dolnegus!"
Silence descended upon the office as Akira stepped forward and placed a palm against her chest. "Please give Bekus debt to me!" That produced a collective gasp from everyone in the room, except Chairman Dolnegus. ("Fight's on! You greedy cheapskate!")
Dolnegus felt his eyes narrow as the tall, black-haired girl he'd picked up in Hecates unflinchingly tried to stare him down. ("What are you up to? My proud little debt-slave?")
Akira held her ground and snapped her hand out in a 'Don't move!' stopping gesture when she heard Kotaro start to step forward. "How can you possibly expect Bekus to be responsible for what happened, when she told her cousin repeatedly to go away?" ("Seeing to it you don't condemn an innocent girl for two more years, 'Chairman' Dolnegus!")
Dolnegus straightened up and lowered his cowl. So. Here it was. The confrontation he'd expected from this girl ever since he'd seen the hate in her eyes back in Hecates. ("Such determination! I wonder how far she's willing to take this?") "Everyone out. Mama, you stay. Tosaka, you and your two companions leave as well. No one enters this office until I say so."
Kotaro had started towards Akira to quiet her down, but the hand gesture to stay put, even as she kept her eyes locked on Dolnegus, told him a kind of battle he couldn't help her with had just begun.
Covering his Van-Dyke beard with folded hands, Dolnegus watched Akira over his square-framed glasses as the Ostian refugee-turned-general helper and guard Tosaka herded everyone out of the room, then closed the door as he left. "You already owe a significant portion of one-million Drachma, Miss Okochi. Why would you take on more debt just for a girl you hardly know?"
Akira kept her gaze steady and brought herself to a posture of attention. "Chairman Dolnegus. I concede my original debt to you, whatever else I may feel, because you did save Ako's life." Dolnegus dipped his head slightly in acknowledgement. "However, I cannot see anything but greed in your assigning of more debt to Bekus, when she only has a few days left in her original contract!"
Dolnegus wondered again where Akira Okochi wanted to take her protest. No matter how she 'felt,' she really wasn't dealing from a position of strength. "As one of my debt-slaves, it is not your place to tell me what I may do with another of my debt-slaves. I therefore reject your, 'request.'"
Akira heard the expected words and suddenly felt an amazing calmness come over her. ("Why am I doing this? He's right. I hardly know Bekus.") Even considering what might happen next, the answer was still obvious. ("Because what he's doing is WRONG! And I won't let him get away with it! Even if I have to...")
"AKIRA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
Dolnegus signaled his Ku-Jin debt-slave supervisor to stay back as Akira reached up to slip two fingers under her slave-collar. "You're willing to gamble your life, Miss Okochi, that you'll change my mind?"
Akira felt as if every emotion had left her body. With her heart racing, and the sound of blood roaring in her ears, it took every bit of self-control she possessed to keep her voice steady and her attention focused on Chairman Dolnegus. "No. You're gambling 'your' life that after Kojirou hears the bang, you'll be able to stop him after he breaks in here."
Dolnegus actually flinched as Akira Okochi's eyes became those of one who thought themselves already dead. If she was invoking Kojirou Oogami's name as part of her gambit, then she and the talented prize-fighter waiting outside his office door were closer than originally thought.
Reputation was a powerful thing. It had kept anyone except Katrina Adenaur of Ariadne from challenging him openly for nearly ten years. Now, he was being confronted by a mundane debt-slave willing to use the only weapon she had in an attempt to change his mind. Most fascinating. As well as exciting. He began to smile, and that actually made Akira Okochi flinch just the tiniest bit. She couldn't know it, but there was more power in her threat than she probably thought. He'd not been in a real fight for over five years. He was out of practice. It was actually quite likely, even with Mama's help, that he wouldn't be able to prevent his own death at the hands of Akira Okochi's talented young Inu-Jin friend.
Akira Okochi's plain, intestinal fortitude was a different kind of strength that was also impressive. He could use his Master control crystal and simply disable her, but the determination to have her way, along with a willingness to pay the ultimate price, reminded him of an equally determined young mage he'd known only as 'Hisao,' from twenty years ago during the war. Well then, she would still have a lesser price to pay, but he would give in to her 'demand.' "Well played Miss Okochi!" Now he relaxed and began to laugh. "Well played indeed!"
Akira watched Dolnegus take up a handkerchief to wipe at his tears of amusement. Emotion began to flowing back into her, starting out as trickle, then turning into a torrent that left her nearly numb from it's intensity. Realizing she'd won, she let her hand fall limply aside.
Dolnegus pulled the Master control crystal from it's pocket in his robe. "Since Bekus had no possible control over her cousin's actions, I have decided to forgive her entire debt, including the small remaining original amount."
Akira nodded shallowly, seeing the crystal and knowing what it meant for her.
Dolnegus watched Akira steel herself, and his respect for her grew another notch. "Never speak of what just happened. EVER. Do I make myself clear, Miss Okochi?" After Akira nodded, he turned to Mama. "Bring everyone back in."
Akira watched her friends re-enter the room. All of them gave her questioning looks, but she remained silent, and only shook her head.
Dolnegus gave Akira a slight nod of approval at her keeping of the bargain, then held out his control crystal. "Libero Bekus Herrmann."
Bekus heard a click and felt her Slave-collar fall away. She reached up to touch her slightly pale neck, then fainted and joined the collar on the floor.
Dolnegus nodded as Mama knelt to examine Bekus. Turning to face Kojirou Oogami, he pointed at Akira with the crystal. "Your friend, Miss Okochi, has been insubordinate. Since discipline must be maintained, she is to be punished. You WILL NOT interfere."
Kotaro clenched his fists and gave Akira another worried look, but she just shook her head again.
Dolnegus held out the crystal once more. "Plecto Akira Okochi."
Akira locked her knees and braced herself as the slave collar flashed and began delivering powerful shocks to her body. She'd been surprised before, but this time she swore she'd not fall. As Ako fainted and Natsumi buried her face in Kotaro's shoulder, she began shouting out her agony, but stayed standing and kept her eyes locked on Chairman Dolnegus.
Dolnegus kept Akira going longer than he normally would have for simple defiance. Her successful challenge of his authority demanded it. In addition, her proud nature and apparent toughness intrigued him, so he continued testing her until it was obvious she was about to collapse.
Akira staggered and nearly fell when her punishment finally ended. Brushing away Kojirou and Mama's whispered offers of assistance, she straightened up and faced Dolnegus again. "Wi... Will tha..." Taking a deep breath, she slowly brought her heels together and stood facing Dolnegus in a position of slightly unsteady attention. "Will that be all, Sir?"
Dolnegus silently returned Akira's still defiant look with one of sincere respect, and with that, she finally relaxed. "Yes Miss Okochi. See to it that this never happens again." After closing his eyes for a moment, he looked up and addressed his debt-slave supervisor. "Mama. Since Miss Okochi, Miss Murakami, and Miss Izumi were all involved in a most trying disturbance caused by a customer, they are dismissed to permit rest and recovery for the remainder of today and tomorrow. See to it that their accounts receive the appropriate compensation." Turning slightly, he made a hand motion to Tosaka. "Please move Mister Oogami and Mister Springfield's things to a new room. Closer to their three friends if possible."
Tosaka mumbled something about 'unfair privileges' under his breath, which earned him a sharp look from both Chairman Dolnegus and Mama. After shaking his head and quickly bowing to acknowledge the order, he turned and lead the way out of the office.
Mama watched as Tosaka's tall friend picked up Bekus and carried her from the room. When she and Dolnegus were finally alone, she gave him a questioning look. "Sir?"
Dolnegus took his Master control crystal out again. As Mama waited for him to say something, he began to stare into it thoughtfully. "I know they're inexperienced, but please add Miss Okochi and her two friends to the group we'll be taking to Ostia."
Mama bowed to Dolnegus. "Yes Sir." When he continued to stare into his crystal without giving another order, she bowed again, and was starting to leave when his male Su-Jin secretary burst into the office.
"CHAIRMAN DOLNEGUS! THERE'S BIG TROUBLE!"
Dolnegus and Mama both groaned. If trouble came in threes, then here was number three. Right on time.
(-)
Tosaka shook his head as he and his two friends deposited Akira, who had collapsed outside Chairman Dolnegus's office, Ako, and Bekus on the bed in Kojirou's new room. Since one was now free, and the others granted unprecedented time off, they could all stay here until they wanted to get up. Surprised by the Chairman's unexpected reversal, he looked at Akira Okochi lying there on the bed, and wondered what exactly had happened in the Chairman's office. ("That Nagi 'kid' is bad enough! I wonder what other kinds of trouble the Boss might have brought on himself by picking those three up in Hecates?") He nodded to the smart-mouthed Inu-Jin jerk that kept calling him 'Rooster-Head,' then lead his friends out and closed the door.
Kotaro let out a sigh, then went to see what was in the new suite's kitchen as Natsumi made sure the three unconscious girls were comfortable. He was sorting through several possible options when he heard the HD Viewer come on, and Natsumi began shouting excitedly.
"Kotaro! Come quick! Kazumi's on the viewer!"
Rushing out of the kitchen, he saw some kind of ship, fighting a big summoned spirit somewhere on a night-darkened ocean. As the marquee 'Battle in Granicus Gulf!' scrolled across the bottom of the screen, Kazumi Asakura was providing a voice-over.
"Once again, this is fresh video from Granicus Gulf, where the Estimated Prophet of Ariadne was attacked by a rogue Sukunai no Kami!"
Kotaro watched as the ship poured an immense and continuous volume of what seemed to be Sagita Magica shots into it's enemy. There was a brief pause when the ship was hit by the summoned spirit's magical energy beam attack, but the storm of tracers quickly resumed.
"Such a fierce battle! This reporter had no idea who would win!"
Natsumi gasped as the ship seemed to explode, then gave several excited claps as it emerged from the flames damaged, but still afloat.
"In the end, Estimated Prophet emerged victorious! How exciting and fortunate! Who knows what kind of havoc might have been wrought on the nearby cities of Borea or Granicus if the Sukunai no Kami had not been stopped!"
Kotaro was beginning to have the feeling Kazumi was talking-up an admittedly interesting battle just to cover something else.
"This reporter does not know the full details of possible casualties on the victorious ship, but she does know that the three members of a literary study group traveling on the Estimated Prophet for the purpose of research are safe, and should arrive with the ship in Granicus City tomorrow."
Kotaro tried to remain calm, but his tail began to wag excitedly.
"This is Kasayo McDowell, freelance reporter, bringing you this story through your KitNews affiliate in Granicus City!"
Kotaro started to turn towards Natsumi, but she had already jumped up, and had him around the neck.
"It's the Library Trio Kotaro! It has to be! Kazumi's found Yue, Nodoka, and Haruna!"
Kotaro felt excitement as well, but Natsumi hanging off his neck made him nervous. Taking hold of her shoulders, he tried to keep her from getting any friendlier. "Please! Stop being so clingy!"
Natsumi flushed. Suddenly remembering the hunky 'Kojirou' was just the scrawny Kotaro, she let him go and stepped away. "Anyway, since we have tomorrow off, I'm going to go ask Mama for permission to go meet them!"
Kotaro reached up to scratch his ear as Natsumi ran out of the suite, then glanced briefly over at the three maid-uniformed girls asleep on the suite's bed. He doubted anything could happen to them while he was here, so he retrieved a snack and a drink from the suite's kitchen, then went and sat down on the couch placed in front of the HD Viewer. "I wonder if there's any good replays or fights on the viewer right now?"
(-)
Natsumi Murakami stood near the entrance to the Granicus City arena's, chatting with her friend Akira Okochi, and Akira's friend Bekus. Around them, people came and went from the arena's, several of them waving greetings to various of the three of them as they passed by.
Bekus was showing Akira the arena program book with Kojirou's autograph when Natsumi noticed a tall person, dressed all in black leather, walking towards them around the curve of the arena's structure. As the person drew closer, she felt a slight chill, then suddenly realized who the person was. "YOU! You're the one who broke into my room and kidnapped Chizuru!"
Bekus looked at Natsumi, then turned to see the tall man dressed in leather just as he removed his hat. "Grandfather!"
Natsumi stared, open-mouthed, as Bekus ran over to hug the big German guy who'd caused so much trouble over Kotaro. "You're..."
Wilhelm Joseph von Herrmann smiled at Chizuru Naba's freckle-faced roommate. "Good day Miss Murakami. Please forgive my previous rudeness, since that involved a job. I'm freelance at the moment, so there'll be no trouble."
Bekus looked up at her grandfather. "You know Natsumi?"
Natsumi started shaking and pointing at Bekus's grandfather. "He beat up my brother, knocked out Ayaka, and kidnapped Chizuru! He's a bad man!"
Akira started looking around for water to use as a weapon, then took a defensive stance when she couldn't find any.
Bekus stepped back and began pouting at her grandfather. "So THAT'S where you've been the last seven years! You let yourself get summoned again!"
Wilhelm put his hand behind his neck and started laughing nervously. "Well! I wasn't paying attention, and they kind of got me!" Looking back down at his granddaughter, he gave a contented sigh. "Anyway, your father had unavoidable business, so I came to pick you up Bekus."
Bekus pouted again, then smiled and gave her grandfather another hug. "That's okay! I've not seen you for so long!" Turning back to Natsumi, she reached out and shook the red-head's hand, then Akira's. "Thanks Akira. I don't know what you did to convince Chairman Dolnegus to let me go, but I'll never forget you because of it!"
Akira returned Bekus handshake. "You're welcome!" After a brief glance up at the side of the arena, she returned her gaze to the dark-skinned Ma-Jin. "I guess I'm here for a while, so let me know where you are when you get settled."
Bekus nodded, tears in her eyes, then pulled Akira into a strong embrace. Stepping back, she looked over Akira and Natsumi one more time. "Stay well you two. You and all your friends." Bowing, she rose back up, then turned and started walking away.
Wilhelm Joseph von Herrmann replaced and tipped his hat. "Good day, Ladies."
Akira watched the two Ma-Jin with a feeling of longing as they walked away. Bekus was clinging to her grandfather's arm, begging him to take her to Ostia for the celebration that would happen there. Turning to Natsumi, she recognized the look on the freckle-faced girl's face, and reached up to place a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry Natsumi. That'll be us some day. Professor Springfield won't let us down."
Natsumi nodded and sighed. "Let's go get Kotaro, and go meet the library girls."
tsuzuku
(-)
Author's Notes:
Phlippir the Iru-Jin. Poor guy. A washed up star from an old Magic World adventure show.
Kotaro's arena program book. They're in a stadium. Of course there's program books. (Filled with heaps of advertisements!)
Inugami.
Things are a bit more complex than this, but essentially an Inugami is created by burying a dog up to it's neck, starving it for three days, then killing it in various gruesome ways. The dog then becomes a spirit bound to the one who killed it.
Though if mistakes are made, the spirit can turn on it's creator.
Makes a person wonder about Kotaro, considering he's half dog-demon. However, considering also the Inugami that attacked Asuna in Kyoto were rather laid-back, perhaps Kotaro has collected a number of 'free' Inugami who are willing to cooperate with him?
Kotaro probably never saw that movie, who's first part is great, but who's second part stinks.
'Nishin-Martini.' (Japanese.) A Herring Martini.
'nom-de-guerre.' (French.) 'War-name,' or 'false-name.'
"Libero Bekus Herrmann." (Latin.) 'Release Bekus Herrmann.'
"Plecto Akira Okochi." (Latin.) 'Punish Akira Okochi.
'HD viewer.' Television.
See 'Chapter 06 - A Swimmer, A Cat-Girl Nurse,' for previous references to 'Hisao.'
Poor Kotaro. A feast before him and he's too young to even know it! Good thing this is a 'T' rated story and not an Eroge Dating-Sim!
Mahora's Paparazzi strikes! Her first story ever on a big-time news network!
What? 'Demons' can't have families to?" (They gotta' reproduce somehow. Otherwise where did Se-chan and Kota-kun come from?)
Chapter 19: 'Three Blades and a Maiden.'