For my reviewers, and those who have followed this story from the moment I posted the first chapter. I was pleasantly surprised by the attention I got for this story. So here is something written for those who have favorited, followed, or reviewed this story. (And finally, that long ass chapter you've all been waiting for.) Thank you, and enjoy.
On High Guard
Aspirator
ELEVEN - EPILOGUE
It took another five years before Koko witnessed a second wedding proposal.
Surprisingly, it came from the Queen herself.
Hotaru Imai had brazenly propositioned the charming Prince Ruka. Of course, everyone clapped him in the back. She had scowled and stated that it was for nothing more than stategic gain. But Ruka smiled, and Koko knew better. When all was said and done, Mikan nudged Natsume, who looked at her blankly.
So here they were, with one problem.
The Ibaragis - who claims itself independent from any Kingdoms but kept itself a Land and not its own Kingdom - lay smack in the middle of the two Kingdoms.
Ruka was perfectly happy to leave them be, but Hotaru had sent him a withering look then stated that they will without a doubt be dealing with trouble in the future, if not the near future.
Knowing where this conversation was going, Natsume, of course, stepped forward to protest the same way he did all those years ago. In fact, so did Youichi, the current Commander of the High Guard.
Koko watched with half wariness, half bemusement as the conversation heated up in the small Council room. Ruka sat next to him, quiet, but with a wrinkle between his eyebrows. Yuu hid behind his parchment. Tsubasa stood by the door, happy to stay uninvolved. Mikan, surprisingly, took stance next to Hotaru - but for a different reason.
"It might be hard to believe, but I am quite capable with Magic!" Mikan claimed, which was significant due to her usually humble personality. "More than you!"
Natsume opened his mouth to retort - probably something like, 'Obviously, I'm Enhanced', Koko could easily guess - but Mikan had stopped him with a wave.
She went on to look him in the eye seriously. "Were you too busy protecting me to realize that I'm a much more powerful sorceress than her?"
"You're more powerful than a lot of magicians," Natsume snorted, but turned as serious as she is. Rather factually, which meant he was uncomfortable with the next statement, he droned, "I do not plan to lose you on the one percent chance that Ibaragi finds a way to trick you into defeat. Who knows what her wounded puppy act could do to you."
Mikan grinned when she realized Natsume believed faithfully that she had a 99% chance of winning. And that, however emotionlessly stated, was a rather sweet statement. "Natsume -"
Hotaru was not to be distracted. "Two Kingdoms' future is in the line."
"Which is why this is too high of a risk."
"You and I have a different definition of how to take risks." Hotaru bit back, "we have to be a step ahead."
"A step ahead," it was Youichi who answered this time, with military strategy in mind, "or declaring war whence there was peace?"
"We will prepare to strike a move against the Ibaragis." Hotaru stated coldly, not answering his rhetorical question but the severity of her tone meant that she was not completely ignoring it. "I am the Queen, and that is final." Hotaru rarely pulled rank, but when she did - well, the last time she did, it was on the same matter.
"In all due respect," Natsume bit out in a manner opposite. He pointed out with an air of doubt, "you now have a King." His meaning was clear. It is not final.
Koko, and everyone else, turned to the man. Prince - now King, Koko corrected himself - Nogi's hair stood on end as he searched for an amiable response. He scratched the back of his head, right underneath the crown, then touched the golden flowers gently. "I stand by -" he was quickly shot a quelling look by his Queen, so he settled with something else, "-we should discuss this again tomorrow."
"I agree," Yuu pitched in for the first time, "regardless of our final action, the Ibaragi's are a formidable force." He lifted his parchments again, "we should study up."
"Yes," the Queen agreed, as she moved to dismiss her subjects, "we should find their weaknesses."
The advisor did not miss Natsume muttering - 'I already know Ruka's' - under his breath when he marched off, causing a rather flustered looking King.
Apparently, the Ibaragis must have felt, with their weird voodoo intuition, that they were a matter of dissent. The next day, Koko discovered, did not bring discussion - but action. Hotaru wore a smug smile that was replaced quickly with grimness.
With both the King and the Queen in one place, the Ibaragis were upon them. And just as Natsume had predicted, they had the backing of Persona's Soulless army.
But they were not the problem; Natsume was a strict and commanding teacher, who brought out the best in his students. That, in addition to the original High Guards made them capable of holding back the Soulless.
No, the problem came in the form of Nobara Ibaragi's right hand Alice.
In the five years that passed, Luna Koizumi had gone and gotten herself Enhanced. Not only did she have Magic, just like Natsume now, but she knew how to use it…just like Natsume.
A sorceress and an Enhanced Alice.
The pair entered the mostly empty throne room, Nobara with her sickeningly sweet smile and Luna with a poised, smug smirk. Their Soulless army kept the High Guards and Alice Academy students occupied outside.
Hotaru sat tensely on the seat of the throne while Ruka stood regally next to her. Yuu and Koko stood behind the pair; Yuu looking ready to melt into the curtains and Koko eager to witness this exchange as a spectator - and a spectator only. Tsubasa kept his hand on his hilt but knew this was out of his range.
The unwelcome women walked forward until they were in the center of the long throne room, then stopped. Nobara glanced around the room airily then her gaze locked onto Mikan. She blinked innocently, then smiled that sweet smile.
It was not hard to deduce that the Ibaragi daughter knew.
With their gazes locked, Mikan paced slowly down the steps of the grand staircase that led up to the throne. When she reached the bottom of the staircase, she stopped, still more than ten feet away from the foreigners. Without words exchanged, Natsume had already somehow found his way to her side.
A sorceress and an Enhanced Alice.
"What is your name?" came the soft voice of Nobara. At the same time, Luna raised her arm.
In an instant - nobody had even moved a muscle - a blue haze surrounded the throne and the small council that stood by it.
Luna huffed airily, then produced a large double-sided spear with blue flames clinging to both sharp ends. She twirled it around once before rapping one sharp end against the floor.
"Who-" Koko uttered, wondering whether it was Mikan or Natsume who had conjured the shield.
"Mikan." The Queen answered, her knuckles white as she clenched the arm of the throne chair tightly, and Koko could understand the feeling of helplessness - which is not something a Queen often experiences.
The Advisor couldn't help but feel his insides turn at the smirk on Luna's face as she twirled the deadly weapon around like a baton. He could see the blue flames even when he closed his eyes. "You were right," Koko found himself forming the words numbly, referring to a prior discussion with Hotaru, "they do conjure up magical weapons."
Other than Luna showing off her new powers, no one of the four facing each other moved, or even blinked.
"I am of the Yukihiras." Mikan answered the question that Nobara was really asking. Natsume glanced at her briefly before returning his burning gaze back onto the smirking Luna. The female Alice twirled around her spear again, tauntingly.
Natsume did not react, save for narrowing his eyes. He didn't produce a weapon of his own, as expected.
Mikan smiled, but there was something fierce and protective in her smile.
"The Yukihiras are one of the most powerful in all the lands," Nobara responded softly, as if carrying on a thoughtful conversation about the crops.
Their own sorceress, however, was not famous for her patience. "I know what you are, and what you're after," Mikan stated bravely. Squaring her shoulders, she sharpened her gaze. "Come and get it."
Natsume, his eyes narrowing as Luna stepped closer, muttered sideways to his love, "do not underestimate her. She is not as she seems."
Koko looked at the woman that had two kingdoms running scared. She had a petite build, with wide blue eyes, and a gentle face. She wore elegant clothes, showing her wealth without the flashy, overbearingly bright jewelry. She was definitely shorter than Mikan, who was just slightly below average in height, and looked much younger.
All of the sudden, in response to Mikan's challenge, her wide blue irises flashed ice-white. Leaving them a frighteningly light shade of blue. In the same instant, it seemed as if the air stilled and frost bit up the walls.
The Alices were already reacting to the change in atmosphere. Luna charged immediately. In response, Natsume was swift. He moved forward to block her path, but appeared to be on defense as he dodged her sharp blue flames. With a wave of his hand, the blue flames dissipated to leave an ordinary spear - in which, with an unidentified weapon or perhaps sheer will, he had split in half.
Luna held on to both pieces of the spear, and the flames reappeared.
Nobara, on the other hand, focused her energy on the throne. Koko flinched when sharp pointed blue icicles sped straight at them at eye level -
They dissipated without Mikan even lifting a finger.
The Ibaragi daughter was not fazed. She stepped forward, throwing both arms up then pushing her palms outwards as if shoving an invisible force towards the throne.
Mikan finally lifted her right hand, then clenched it tightly to a fist. She closed her eyes.
Koko glanced around in confusion. There seemed to be an invisible but palpable power struggle in the air, but he couldn't see any physical struggle.
It was a few tense seconds before the hazy blue shield around the throne flickered, then turned to solid ice. For a moment, a crack travelled up across the dome, drawing horrified gazes. A scrape of metal came from behind Koko, indicating that Tsubasa had unsheathed his sword, just in case. Then, fresh snow glazed over the ice and melted into the air, to reveal the hazy blue dome that originally formed the shield.
Mikan opened her eyes, gazing emotionlessly but somehow with contempt- a skill she learned from Natsume for sure - at her challenger.
Nobara moved her gaze to the former Commander, who was at the moment blocking another wild attack from the female Alice. Natsume jumped to avoid her swipe at his legs, then in mid-air produced a long, thin blade. It was sharp blue, as if crafted from a mix of ice and steel.
With one hand, Nobara pushed towards the throne's shield, with the other she raised hellfire against the former Commander.
"She's trying to draw you out!" Natsume growled at his sorceress, then narrowly missed a sharp jab from Luna.
"Focus on your own fight!" The sorceress yelled back, her eyes peeling away from Nobara's attacks to glance over him briefly and frowning at the rips in his clothing. But no blood had been drawn…yet.
Finally, Koko watched their own sorceress lift her hands to produce magic. Mikan raised her arms and pushed an attack against her opponent.
Blue sizzling bands of rope circled around Nobara, tightening around her waist, her arms, her knees, and her ankles. The petite sorceress struggled against the magical ties, throwing a heated glare at the sorceress.
Then all of the sudden, as if sucked by a vacuum, all of that vanished with a blue glow. Mikan's attack was sucked into Nobara's body.
For a split second, Mikan stood there, arms dangling against her sides, staring at the other sorcerer.
Then her own attack was upon her.
Koko squinted, leaning forward slightly to get a better look as Mikan's arms were tied against her waist. Her figure crashed to the ground in a heap as the magical rope wrapped around her ankles and knees. Their sorceress was now defending herself against the very attack she had just released on her opponent.
Then, while Mikan's body glowed blue as she fought against the blue rope digging into her skin, Nobara unleashed the same attack on Natsume. The former Commander attempted to dodge the attack while taking a swipe at Luna, but the magical ropes followed his movements - causing him to stumble forwards as the magical rope wound itself around his legs. At the same time, Luna saw her opportunity and lunged forward with her spear. The sharp end of the spear portruded out of Natsume's back as she stabbed clean through his lower torso.
With his left hand, Natsume threw a fireball in the other Alice's face to send her reeling back. His whole body tensing in pain, he pulled out the staff from his torso. Then, he quickly slashed at the magical rope with his long sword, cutting himself free.
The blue rope around Mikan shook as it struggled to tighten against Mikan's push outwards. Mikan's infamous dagger was in her hands again, but every time she attempted to cut it, the rope had rewound and tightened itself as Nobara focused her attack back on Mikan. From the ground, she glanced up in horror as Natsume lurched to his knees, clutching at his stomach with his left hand. Blood soaked his hand and spewed onto the tiled floor of the throne room.
The female Enhanced Alice countered Natsume's flames with ice, making a productive comeback. But Luna, having had Magic for far shorter than Natsume, was not accustomed to the pain of Magic coursing through her veins. Blood dripped out the side of her lips as she attacked Natsume again, but her movements were slower and weaker. Natsume, a testament to his skill, quickly blocked her attacks while still on his knees. From his lower vantage point, he knocked her off of her feet. Then with a gust of blue wind, sent her flying across the room.
Luna slammed against the opposite wall, then crumpled to the ground unconscious. The cost of Magic in her veins had taken its toll.
Natsume was not doing much better. Due to the wound in his stomach, he staggered to his feet. His eyes narrowed at the Ibaragi sorceress, but he swayed.
The enemy sorceress' eyes widened as Mikan finally shattered the blue rope to pieces. She took no time scrambling to her feet. In desperation, Nobara threw an attack at the standing Alice. A hail of sharp blue shards, like a meteor shower, shot across the room at lightning speed to Mikan's horror. The commander swung his sword in an arc to deflect most of the attacks - but he was not fast enough.
A blue shard pierced his leg and his shoulder, causing him to stumble back into the wall, then slide down in pain. He looked up under his raven hair, locking eyes with Mikan.
And she was furious.
Nobara had been taken cheap shots the entire fight.
Ignoring, or perhaps not hearing, the advice and warnings of Hotaru and Koko, Mikan hurled vicious magical attacks at the woman. It looked as if a thunderstorm was raging inside the throne room; flashes of blue clashed amidst bursts of blue shields appearing.
The magical spells meant to harm Nobara only raced towards her more rapidly, as if pulled in by a force as strong as gravity. And then almost immediately, they rebounded back towards Mikan, who would throw up a blue shield in her defense then continue throwing spells.
With her body lurching forward, Mikan seemed to be giving one last hurrah as she threw - with a magical force that nearly upended the whole room - a sizzling, crackling concentrated dark blue beam.
The other sorceress stumbled as the beam hit her square in the chest. But quickly, she regained her footing, then held onto the beam as if it was a lifeline. "Yes, finally," Nobara smiled in bliss, pulling the beam into her body.
With a gasp, Mikan wobbled sideways, sweat starting to collect on her brow. She reached forward and grabbed onto the beam, as if in a magical tug-of-war.
Mikan dug her heels into the ground, but the smooth tile only allowed her feet to be dragged closer to the other sorceress.
Soon, Mikan was face to face with Nobara. All of the sudden, Mikan let go of the beam and it sucked quickly into Nobara, who tilted backwards at the force.
Oddly gentle, Mikan placed her hand on Nobara's chest, where the beam had last disappeared into. Nobara's eyes furrowed in puzzlement and opened her mouth to object, but she was interrupted -
All in one motion, her veins had glowed blue as if showing how her Magic is coursing through her veins. Her head was thrown back, her arms outstretched, and her feet floated above the ground. Mikan's hand remained on Nobara's chest, following her as the weaker sorceress floated upwards.
Then Mikan pulled her arm back, and the blue that was coursing through Nobara's body floated out of her skin and into the air. The Ibaragi sorceress immediately crashed to the ground, as if released. She fell to her knees and panted heavily.
"You..." The Ibaragi heiress was at a loss for words when she realized what happened. She looked at her hands, as if feeling strange in her own skin. Her sky blue eyes widened in horror as she looked up at Mikan and the floating mass of blue Magic in the air.
The younger sorceress could only watch as the blue liquid floating in the air whirled in a viscous tornado, a darker blue - indicating the Dark Magic - mingled with the Pure blue Magic. Then, Mikan turned her palm upwards. The blue viscous tornado whirled downwards into her palm. The pure blue magic dissolved into her skin while the Dark Magic formed a solid, dark blue, pulsating stone.
"That's - You've -" Nobara gasped, scrambling to her feet, and snatching the stone from Mikan's palm.
But it turned black in her hands. It was nothing but a stone now. Nobara clenched the stone, ripped at it, knocked it against her hand, but it remained the same.
"Yes," Mikan responded calmly, letting her hands rest by her sides as she watched the ex-sorceress. "I have taken your magic and encased it in stone." With a wave backwards, the force field that surrounded the throne dissipated. They were safe now.
Hotaru stood up, looking down mercilessly at the ex-sorceress. Nobara fell to her knees lethargically, tears streaming down her face as the consequences hit her. "I'll take that as a surrender," the Queen stated mildly.
Mikan immediately rushed to her husband. Natsume's tired eyes looked up wearily at her, but a corner of his lips quirked. She crouched next to him, smiling back. "I told you I was more powerful."
"I know." He responded breathlessly, then nodded at his stomach wound wordlessly. Koko immediately understood the exchange; he had given her permission to heal him.
With a bright grin, Mikan set to work healing his physical wounds. Natsume still has to suffer the pain of Magic wrecking havoc on the inside, but at least he was not on the verge of death.
Koko breathed a sigh of relief. All is well again. He watched as Ruka leaned to whisper in Hotaru's ears, interrupting her harsh rebuke of the Ibaragi heiress.
The Advisor really was looking forward to the next wedding.