I LIVE!
And so does this fic, which is being editted as we speak to deal with FF's constant changing of the font.
Kuwabara: Seriously, WTF?
I know man, in the meantime, LET'S RAWK!
41st period.
"NO!" Asuna cried out, leaping desperately in front of the terrified form of Chibi-Negi, even as Kuwabara and Makoto tackled the demon, the duo cursing as they sailed right through it, a blast of magical energy launching from the creature's mouth towards the youth, only to be intercepted by two figures that thankfully WEREN'T incorporeal.
"That old man from the bar…and his cousin?" Asuna realized, looking upon the two magic users in confused relief, only for her eyes to widen as she realized the barrier they had erected to halt the attack hadn't done anything, as the duo were slowly turning to stone from the feet up.
As the group looked on in horror, Nekane, either as a result of her stance or some other cause, let out a pained gasp, which turned into a full on scream as her legs, turned to stone just under the knees, snapped off mid-way, sending her crashing to the ground, out cold from the pain.
"SHIT!" Kuwabara yelled, trying once again to tackle the demon as it lunged in for the kill, flanked by three, amorphous shapes composed of Goo, his fists merely passing through them despite his best efforts, even as old man Stan pulled another trick out from under his pointy hat.
"Hexagrama Et Pentagrama…!" the old man chanted, pulling a small, corked bottle out of his robes, his pipe rising and falling with every word "Malos Spiritus Sigillent!" he hurled the uncorked bottle at their assailants, a magical rune appearing in mid-air as the demons were sucked into it, their wails echoing horrifically over the sound of the vortex and Stan's final words "LAGENA SIGNATORIA!"
"Okay…" Kuwabara muttered, watching with mute disbelief as the bottle sealed itself, and the demons, before dropping to the floor with a little fanfare, rolling out of sight into the burning rubble "now THAT was bad-ass magic."
"You won't hear me denying it." Makoto muttered, hovering over to look at the vial, wondering if Rei had ever heard of anything like this, even as Asuna called out for them, looking back to find Chibi-Negi crying in the petrified arms of Old Stan, who had finally succumbed to the petrification spell, though not without giving the boy a few last words. "Dammit! I hate being useless!" Makoto snapped, punching her fist into her palm in irritation "This is wrong! This shouldn't have happened! Demon scum!"
Kuwabara merely nodded, but held his tongue as the brunette ranted on. He'd seen the evils that demons could accomplish. Hell he was on speaking terms, sort of, with Hiei for God's sake! Now there was a demon with no respect for human life.
But he also knew that humans were far from infallible too, hell if anything, there were some humans out there that made even demons recoil in terror. A good example would be Genkai, whose name still inspired equal amounts of fear and hatred in demon circles despite her advanced years and decrease in power, a better example of the worst of the worst would be Sakyo and the members of the Black Book Club, who used demons to satisfy their sick desires, and had actually turned Sensui on his own kind simply by letting him witness their perversions.
And the less said about the elder Toguro brother the better. After all, it took a pretty sick mind to come up with some of the things he did, as even though he and his brother had sold their souls to become demons, the Younger Toguro had still held onto his morals, which made one wonder just what the elder brother had been like as a human.
It was at that moment, just as the group were trying to decide what to do next, that the mysterious cloaked figure reappeared, standing before the stricken five year-old and his cousin. No words were said, but within seconds the group found themselves moved from the middle of the burning village to a vantage point of a grassy cliff, several miles away, watching as Negi's hometown burned.
"Forgive me." The figure spoke, his voice laden with sorrow and regret as he watched the village burn in the distance "I came too late." He blinked, looking round as Negi stood up, the little boy glaring at him, practice wand in hand, as he stood between the man and his cousin.
"You're…Negi aren't you?" the man asked, as if only recognizing the youth for the first time, walking towards the boy slowly as he tensed "I see…so you protect your cousin."
Kuwabara, heedless of the fact he was intangible, stepped beside the trembling Negi and glared at the man, unwilling to trust anyone that had made THAT face, only to blink as the man knelt and ruffled the boy's hair.
"You're so big…" the man noted, almost wistfully, ruffling the stunned child's hair with a hint of wonderment in his tone "That's right…" he recalled, holding out his staff, which Kuwabara recognized as the one Negi was always carrying around "I want you to have this…call it a legacy." He chuckled as the chibi-Negi struggled to lift it "Ha-ha…a bit heavy for you is it?" he asked, only to frown and look up into the sky "We're out of time, Nekane will be fine, I halted the petrification." He nodded at the young woman "Find someone else to bring her back all the way." That said, the man rose into the night sky, as if drawn there by some unseen force "I wish I could do more, but I must leave." He stated, smiling at the frantic form of Negi as he rose higher "Grow strong…Be Happy…"
And then he was gone, leaving a bawling Negi with an oversized lump of wood, the wounded form of his cousin, and the sight of their home burning amidst the falling snow.
Dream continues...
"My cousin and I were rescued three days later." Negi admitted, the events flashing forwards even as Asuna and Makoto wiped their tears, Kuwabara stubbornly refusing to cry "From that day on, for five years, I studied as hard as I could at the Magic Academy."
"What happened to your village?" Makoto asked, looking around them in concern as the people Negi had met at the academy walked around them.
"I don't know." Negi admitted solemnly, the scene before them shifting to a conversation he had with the Magus of the Magic Academy and Nekane, who were smiling at him with looks of pity in their eyes "I'd ask, and they'd reply 'That's nothing you need to worry about'"
"Th' hell it wasn't…" Kuwabara grumbled, growling in irritation at how unfeeling the people were being, even if it wasn't intentional "If my hometown was ransacked by demons I'd have raised hell till I got some answers!"
"Yes well…" Negi stammered, sounding uncertain with whether or not he approved of such tactics, for one thing he doubted it'd be proper "That night in the snow…I'd remember it and feel afraid. I put everything into my studies, a determination I didn't know I had." He sighed "But all I wanted was my father, the man, that brilliant mage that rescued me, I wanted nothing more than to see him again." His tone grew heavy "And yet…even today, I believe that horrible event was the result, of my stupid belief that, were I in enough danger, my father would come…"
"ARE YOU RETARDED?" Asuna yelled, the force of her rage actually ripping them out of the dreamscape and back into their bodies as she forcibly grabbed Negi by the shoulders "The demons were the ones at fault! You were only five years old! No way in HELL could that have been your doing!"
"She's right Bozu." Kuwabara muttered, pulling himself upright from his fall, having nearly fallen off the edge of the stairs when Asuna broke the spell, laying a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder "You can't go blamin' yerself for everythin' that goes wrong."
"And besides." Makoto reasoned, hugging the youth from behind with an encouraging smile on her face "You saw it yourself, your father is alive…that means there's still a chance of meeting him some day."
"Yeah!" Asuna insisted, pumping her fist in determination as Negi looked between them in honest confusion "So toss that 'it's all my fault' B.S outta your head and-eh?"
She trailed off, looking around in alarm at the sight of her classmates, even the usually taciturn Yue, bawling their eyes out not three feet away. Even Chachamaru's face was notably less emotionless, whilst Ku Fei's features could best be described as 'waterfall with eyes'.
"What're you all…?" Kuwabara stammered, catching sight of Nodoka's artifact and scowling in understanding, only to yelp as the emotional horde tackled the startled form of Negi En Masse, nearly throwing the tantei over the edge "GAH! CONTROL! HELP! THE LEDGE-! GIRLS, THE LEDGE! OH SHI-!"
"G-Girls please!" Negi insisted, trying to calm them down as they all offered their support in looking for his errant sire, heedless of Kuwabara's dilemma "I could never ask such a thing of you! Master!" he yelled the last at Evangeline "Tell them why it's wrong to even suggest it!"
"I…I wouldn't mind helping either…" the Maga Nosferatu stammered, turning her face away from her dumbstruck disciple, even as Chachazero gaped at the sight of her master's tears "at least a little…"
"YEAH!" Kazumi cheered, punching an energetic fist in the air, the other holding a bottle of Amazake she'd apparently pulled out of the cooler "Whadd'ya say we toast one more time, to finding Negi's father!"
"Toast all you want after you PULL ME BACK UP THIS LEDGE!" Kuwabara roared, holding on for dear life, having been shoved over the edge in the girl's mad bid to comfort Negi, his legs kicking frantically as the girls leapt to his aid.
Needless to say much booze was inhumed that night.
Meanwhile...
In room 665 of the junior high dorms the sound of the storm outside was muted by the thick, insulated walls and glass, though the rain pattered heavily on the window. Sadly, these conveniences meant little to the youth stuffing his face at the table, putting away mouthful on mouthful of satisfying grub as fast as Chizuru could put it out.
"Whoa…" Natsumi exclaimed, looking on in awe as the boy put away his seventh bowl of food, all the while praising it's taste "He sure bounced back fast," she noted, looking over the thermometer in amazement "his fever's gone too!"
"Have you remembered anything aside from your name, Kotaro-kun?" Chizuru asked, stepping out of the kitchenette and smiling at the boy.
"Not really." Kotaro admitted around a mouthful of sausage, a weary look on his young face as he shook his head "S'like my head's in a fog…"
"Is that so?" Chizuru asked, a kindly smile on her face "Then it can't be helped…" abruptly, her face took on a shadowy visage as she rolled up her sleeve, an oversized leek appearing in her hand out of thin air "Maybe a Negi suppository will clear that fog!" she advanced on the youth, who backed away as best he could, his face a mask of absolute terror "Last time you woke up before I could…"she admitted, pulling another stalk out and rubbing the two together, as if sharpening a knife, only for them to abruptly vanish as she dragged the terrified youth towards the bathroom "Kidding! Now let's get you all washed up shall we?"
"Poor Kotaro-kun…" Natsumi sighed, completely forgetting the fact the boy had, not even an hour ago, been using her as a hostage "he's already Chizu-ne's plaything…" she clapped her hands together in prayer "Namu…"
Though quite frankly, the fact that there was someone else to bear the load of Chizuru's 'playful' streak, which could traumatize those less accustomed to the older girl, was a great source of relief for the shy Drama Club member.
Evangeline's woods...
"Good grief that's a fierce lookin' storm a brewin'…" Kuwabara muttered, looking out the window of Evangeline's cottage at the falling rain "I didn't know any better I'd swear it was monsoon season."
"Hard to believe it's only been an hour out here." Makoto agreed, looking out into the thunderstorm, which had apparently only worsened since they left "If we'd had something like this back during our Uni days cramming for exams would've been a cinch!"
"You think so?" Evangeline chuckled, looking up at the brunette, drawing the attention of the denizens of 3-A with her tone "You DO realize that you'll age faster with repeated use, right?"
"Gack…good point…" Makoto muttered, recalling the time bending aspects of the loop, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that, in the space of an hour, she'd aged a day.
"I no mind!" cheered out an enthusiastic Ku Fei, who was more than willing to sacrifice a day if it meant she could further her skills, and possibly raise her GPA, a sentiment that was shared surprisingly by Kazumi, who actually dismissed the loss of a day or two as unimportant.
"I mean think about it." Kazumi reasoned with a smirk "It's not like we're losing a year right? And besides, us girls have our whole lives ahead of us anyways."
"And just what're you implying by that, Asakura?" Makoto growled, looming over the suddenly nervous paparazzi like the shadow of death, the denizens of 3-A deciding that it was time to head home as they literally tore down the door to escape her glare.
"Thought they'd never leave…" Evangeline muttered, sighing explosively as she recalled how hectic it had been trying to keep the misfits out of areas they had no call entering.
"Tell me about it…I'm beat…" Kuwabara muttered, stretching with an audible yawn, having spent the time either sparring with Makoto, Negi or an overly enthusiastic Ku Fei, practicing his materialization skills, and focusing on his reiki. As it stood, he'd already gotten several good hours of sleep in the resort, but his body still felt pretty hammered from the training "I'm hittin' the sack…"
"Pleasant dreams." Makoto chuckled, smiling teasingly at the Tantei as he made for the steps, "Try not to fall asleep in the tub!"
Kuwabara looked at her in confusion, noting a matching smirk on Evangeline's face that for some reason made him feel decidedly nervous, deciding that maybe he'd just settle with a shower before hitting the hay.
Evangeline, shaking her head with a chuckle, suddenly froze, all traces of amusement vanishing as she peered out into the rain, her eyes narrowed in concentration.
"Is something wrong, Master?" Chachamaru asked, the gynoid coming up behind the midian as Makoto made her way towards the kitchen for a mid-night snack.
"No…" Evangeline muttered after a moment's silence, though she continued to glare out into the night suspiciously "Probably my imagination…"
Not that Evangeline believed that for a second. She hadn't lived as long as she had by not being absolutely sure of her surroundings, and ever since Nagi had stripped her of the sum total of her magical ability, she'd seen to it that her awareness of her surroundings was top notch, enough that even the most paranoid conspiracy theorist would've have accused her of going to far.
As such, she subtly sent word to the few members of the Mahora patrol still awake via Chachamaru's communications function, telling them to keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary around the campus that evening.
Which basically meant they'd be packing live ammo and steel instead of stun rounds, as when it came to Mahora, UNUSUAL generally meant a threat to the campus.
Girl's dorms...
Yukihiro Ayaka, sole heir of the Yukihiro family, future leader of the Yukihiro Corporation and current Class Representative of Class 3-A at Mahora Academy, was having a fairly good day.
Not only had her classmates, usually on the far side of 'uncivilized', been relatively well behaved during today's lessons, but just as she was returning from filing a report with her father, who required regular updates on her situation at the campus, she'd bumped into none other than her beloved Negi-sensei, the child-sensei greeting her in the hallway not too far from her dorm room, no doubt on his way to carry out some piece of work for the dean.
'Ah, not only is he adorable, but he has the soul of a gentleman.' The shotacon sighed, watching as the loveable welsh homeroom teacher dashed off, having complimented her in passing 'He's exactly as a young boy should be,' she sighed, envisioning once again how her still-born little brother might have been 'there are those that could stand to learn a thing or two from him…' she trailed of as several panicked yells emitted from her dorm room, the sounds of a full scale riot seemingly taking place behind the door.
'Speaking of which…' she muttered, wondering if Chizuru was tormenting Natsumi again, opening the door with an audible clack "Really, Chizuru," she chastised with a sigh "can't you keep the noise down-?"
That was as far as Ayaka got before a small, black and white blur rammed into her stomach like a shotacon cruise-missile, her eyes bulging out of her head from the force of the tackle that would've downed even the stoutest rugby players, sending the blonde slumping to the floor in a boneless heap.
Needless to say, this was NOT Ayaka's definition of a good first impression.
"Who on earth IS this boy?" she demanded, after recuperating from her encounter, glaring at the boy from the other side of the table, dividing her ire between the unrepentant youth, a nervous looking Natsumi, and the ever cheerful Chizuru "He almost made me spit out the pasta I had for lunch!"
"Now-now Ayaka," Chizuru insisted calmingly, smiling serenely at her incensed roommate while Kotaro muttered under his breath "This is Natsumi-chan's Outoto, Murakami Kotaro." She turned her head at the cries of shock from the apparent siblings, their looks of shock turning to looks of terrified submission "Isn't that right?"
"Oh…" Ayaka gasped, placing a hand to her mouth as she looked between the understandably nervous 'siblings' in confusion "But be that as it may, what is he doing-?"
"Well, you see…" Chizuru began, suddenly looking stricken as she wiped tears from her eyes with her napkin "back at Natsumi-chan's home the situation is so bad you just wouldn't believe it, it's like a soap opera really…" she carried on despite Natsumi's cry of protest "and poor Kotaro-kun, well naturally Natsumi-chan's the only one he can come to!"
"H-How awful!" Ayaka stammered, her eyes wide with disbelief as various scenarios from a number of soap operas carried out inside her head, looking at the admittedly scruffy youth in concern "If that's the case I don't see the harm in-!"
"So is this the Old Lady that's in charge of this joint or what?" Kotaro asked, earning an exasperated look from Natsumi and a cheerful smile from Chizuru, even as Ayaka pulled a perfect somersault in mid-air, before planting her face into the carpet.
"OLD LADY?" Asuna's rival/best friend shrieked, getting right into the little brat's face in her hysteria "I'll have you know I'm all of fourteen you little-!"
"Fourteen?" Kotaro yelped, looking the Class Rep over in alarm as he took in her flustered appearance "No way! Maybe in DOG years but-!"
Whatever the youth had been about to say was cut off as Ayaka, her face oddly akin to her rival's during one of Negi's mishaps, planted her fist into the brat's skull with enough force for blood to spurt from his nose. Hardly befitting of a good first impression indeed.
However, the hidden onlookers could care less on Kotaro's inability to properly introduce himself to the fairer sex, having tracked the Inu-Hanyou all the way from Kyoto, resulting in an encounter that had left the boy beaten and defenseless where Chizuru had found him.
Mahora Grounds...
"The one we beat up near the academy has been located." One of the intruders reported, the slimy, amorphous body twirling upwards in the shadow of the roof space "The magical confusion spell must be working if he's idling around with girls like this, at the very least he's suffering from temporary Amnesia."
"Settle things there then while we can." A voice called out, seemingly out of thin air, the tone dark and laced with power and authority, even as the puddles of Goo morphed into three, admittedly cute, girls.
"As part of his punishment," the one wearing glasses and a kindergarten outfit reported, typing away at a palm-held computer that looked like a laptop in her small hands "the special abilities of Inugami Kotaro have been sealed."
"He can still use Chi though…" a calm, almost disinterested voice pointed out, the speaker a little girl with long hair that trailed to the floor and a bored expression on her face.
"Now would be the time to strike" suggested the apparent leader of the group, a slime-girl whose hair was done up in a manner similar to Makie's, only with different ribbons.
"Agreed." The dark, authoritative voice called out over their magical connection "Begin operations as planned…and don't let the High-Daylight Walker spot you!"
"Relax, we're in stealth mode." The leader opined, smirking to herself, though the idea of being caught on the Maga Nosferatu's turf made her shiver a little "We'll be fine."
"Just take care…" the voice ordered, the speaker a tall, Black-clad figure in a dark leather trench coat, wide brimmed hat and boots, who was standing out in the middle of the thunderstorm, looking in on the dorms as lighting crashed around him.
"Well then…" the figure muttered, sighing softly as he looked up at the dorm buildings with grim purpose in his eyes "Time to start."
Little short, but it'll do for now.
Cue the Nadesico music.
What new perils have arrived on campus?
1: Prepare for trouble!
2: Make it double!
3: But there's three of us...
This dark stranger's sights are locked on Kotaro!
?: So this is where our little stray has got to.
Kotaro: You're-!
Will Negi and the girls be able to handle this new development!
Next time on Reikai Sensei Kuwabara: Strangers in the Night!
?: We're having a special on wishes? Any takers?