Anime X-overs, Negima! Magister Negi Magi/魔法先生ネギま！ 1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Prologue

The door creaked slightly as it was tentatively pushed open. "Come on in, Lina," a tired old voice called out immediately. "Your sister is out right now."

Lina laughed sheepishly as she entered. "Thanks, old man," she muttered.

It was a pleasant enough family restaurant that nearly doubled as a bar; of course, in Wyoming the two were not mutually exclusive. The reality, however, was that this was the primary drinking hole of this town, this 'village' at the edge of the border between the world of magic and the world of no magic. It was modeled after a medieval pub, the kind that was still prevalent down the rabbit hole, and simply expanded the menu to cater to a wider variety of tastes.

It was Lina's family's restaurant…theirs, that is, and the old man's.

His name was Harold Brandan. He was old, with a long snow-white beard and bushy eyebrows that stuck out from under his wide-brimmed hat. The hat was old and worn as he was, with its tall point drooping and almost seeming sad. He was the kind of man that, when looking at him, you would see what you wanted to see: perhaps a powerful old mage, but perhaps just a tired, broken old man.

"Come on, now, come over here." He motioned to Lina. "You know my legs don't work that well. You come here if you want to see it."

Trying to act proud and not like an eager schoolgirl, Lina walked over to the table as Harold pulled a letter out of his jacket. He opened it and threw it down onto the table. The image of Kain appeared above the letter.

"Heya Uncle Harold," Kain declared cheerfully. "Kain here! How are you faring? I'm doing well. School continues to be…well, more exciting than it ever was for me back home!"

"I imagine that's true," Harold muttered, "at least when you didn't stop by to bother him."

"Shut up!" the girl hissed back.

"It's quite…unusual here. This school is supposed to be part of the 'normal' world, but I keep finding more and more evidences of magic at work here. Of course, the principal is a relative of the headmaster's and all, but still….

"In any case, now we're going to Kyoto on a class trip. My father had a home there, so I'll finally be able to learn something more about him! Of course, I already learned more than I thought I would here at the school, but…well…that's a story for another time, maybe.

"Anyway, all the best to all of you. How's Lina doing? Has she been kicked out of Arcanus Myrror yet? From what I hear, that can't be too far in coming. Haha. Well, I'd send her a letter, too, if she had a permanent address to send one to, but she wouldn't be Lina then, would she?

"I've got to go…still got things to prepare. Take care of yourselves, and I'll send you another letter soon!

"Ciao!"

The image winked out.

"Damn kid," Lina growled. "Who's he think he's talking about?"

Harold chuckled. "Well, amusing how often you've been coming by recently, hoping for a letter. Concerned about him?"

"What?! As if!" Lina screeched, reddening slightly and turning away. "Who'd be worried about a punk like him?"

"I said concerned, not worried…."

"Poh-tay-toh, Puh-tah-toh! In any case, he can't be in any danger, in Japan of all places. Seems like he's having fun." Lina sniffed disapprovingly.

"Oh, I don't know. He is teaching an all-girls class…."

Lina twitched.

"Twenty-nine girls, all his age…and him, with no experience with girls, apart from wild barbarians…oh, what danger could he be in…?"

Lina twitched again.

"Well, it's not as if it's any concern to you, is it?"

"Right," Lina scoffed, taking a seat. "In any case, I'm starving! I can at least have some grub before I take off. Stupid kid…."

There was the sound of a door opening in the back.

"Oh dear," Harold remarked. "That might be your sister, coming back…."

Lina was out the door in a flash.

Harold chuckled to himself. Ah, youth. It was a shame he'd never had the opportunity to have children of his own, but he was always too busy….

His little rascal of a nephew Kalan had managed it somehow, even if he—and his wife—had never been around to take care of their child. It was sad how they had disappeared….

But Kain still wanted to find him. Kain believed he could find his father, that he would, one day.

If it was Kain…and if it was Kalan…maybe he would….

Author's Note: Welcome to Act 2

This chapter introduces the older brother of Kalan's mother, Harold Brandan. He is loosely based on Negi's (unidentified true relation) uncle Stan. Stan sacrificed himself to save Negi when his village was attacked, despite the fact that he did nothing but badmouth and curse the name of Nagi, Negi's father. Negi's other unidentified 'relative', his so-called onee-chan, was the one survivor of Negi's village (besides Anya, who wasn't present at the time), but I really don't have an older sister to use for Kain, so I decided to give him an uncle (great uncle, technically) to be his family back home in Wyoming. More on this in a later flashback.

A nice, desolate part of America, Wyoming makes a fine place to have a magical portal to another world. It isn't the only one—just the one Kain comes from. Out in the middle of Wyoming at an undisclosed location (sorry, the Magic Circle is making me keep it secret), the portal to Arcanus Myrror is surrounded by several small villages of mages and mage descendants. One of them, Kalan's hometown, is where Kain was raised until he was five years old. The full history of what happened to that village will be revealed later. Kain and Harold, after the incident, moved to another nearby village and stayed with the family friends, the Inverses, who owned a diner/bar as described in this Prologue. Veterans of Slayers lore know that Lina is deathly afraid of her older sister, who is a powerful world-saving adventurer in her own right but who prefers to stay and act as a waitress at the family eatery.

With this small bit out of the way, on we move into Act 2, armed with more laughs…and much more action….


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Chapter One: Westward, Ho!

It was Monday afternoon, after classes were over, just two days after Kain's encounter with Miyu and Alyssa.

"This is a very…interesting lab, Caria-san," Kain remarked, looking around. Miyu stared at him blankly from her spot on the examination table.

"It is, isn't it?" Caria agreed. "The facilities here at Mahora are so much better than what I have back in Switzerland. Not to mention, the magic is stronger because of the Mahora Tree. I mean, Switzerland isn't a bad place for magic, since there's a gate there, but I don't think there's a better magical place on earth than Mahora Academy."

Kain stared at Caria for several long moments. "Is something the matter, Kain-sensei?" Miyu asked as Caria ran a few more tests on her.

"Er…no…it's just…Caria-san, you know about magic?"

"What? Oh, yes. My family's been using magic for generations. A few generations, at least. I think. Why?"

"No, nothing," Kain sighed, scratching his head. He sometimes felt it would be nice if his superiors would inform him about some of these special attributes of his students. "In any case, are you all right, Miyu?"

"My condition is satisfactory," Miyu replied. "As always, Caria-sama's work is exemplary. There is no residual damage from the earlier altercation."

"Right," Caria agreed. "Still, that was terrible to see. What silly games are you getting into where you could lose your arm so easily, Miyu?"

"I am merely fulfilling my duty."

Kain was trying to figure out which of them was crazy: him, or Caria. She seemed blasé or clueless about anything except her inventions, and very little of them made sense to Kain. "So…you created Miyu, Caria-san?"

"That's right. I'm…well, in scientist terms, I am her mother."

"But you named her Greer…?"

"It was my mother's maiden name. I thought it was a good name to give her. It'd be a little weird to call her Spetzer and tell everyone she was my child, wouldn't it?"

At least she understands that much. Aloud, Kain pressed, "So, why is Miyu working as Alyssa's servant?"

"The Searrs Foundation funded her development," Caria replied simply. "I was asked—and paid—to make Miyu for Alyssa's use, and I did so."

Ah, the Searrs Foundation. Kain had heard of it. He had even investigated it during the recent incident…Alysaser's human guise had been around for some time, and she had founded her own company and let it go to work. So she even had contact with it while she was here, did she? That was interesting, but he had other things to devote his attention to at this time.

"It's quite fascinating, really," Caria continued, her voice beginning to speed up and bubble. "Miyu's programming identifies Alyssa as her master, but she has shown her own will in pursuit of that programming. She is genuinely concerned for Alyssa, and shows incredible devotion to her. It must be the magic in her…I can't wait to study her as she continues to grow and develop."

Caria's single-mindedness was…remarkable. She could discuss any subject calmly and without thinking, but the minute she started discussing one of her inventions her mouth went off and far outpaced anything else in the room, including light. As she continued to drone on about the principles and discoveries that stemmed from Miyu's growth and development—words that Kain had to admit weren't usually associated with robots so far as he knew—Kain glanced idly around the lab. Some strange, metallic sphere about four inches in diameter, with slight lines and grooves running all through it, caught his eye. He picked it up idly. "What's this?" he demanded when Caria had seemed to have exhausted her current supply of words. Or she had simply paused for breath; he could never tell.

Caria glanced over at it and beamed. "Oh! That's my newest invention. I made it last night."

"Really? What's it do?"

"I'm not sure…I can't remember. I think I was asleep at the time."

Kain froze, and then, very carefully, put the object back down.

He soon found a reason to excuse himself.

"So it seems you had an exciting weekend, Kain-sensei," the principal noted as Kain settled into the chair.

"Er…yes," Kain admitted. He had already passed word of the incident along, with the most important details; he felt it was his duty and better in the long run.

"But it's all settled, then?"

"Mostly. Alyssa shouldn't cause any more problems for the school."

"Well, I certainly hope so," the principal sighed. "She's been quiet for all these years, but it was too much to hope that she'd remain quiet forever. Well, I should trust in you, as I planned in the beginning. Did you find anything out about what was clouding the senses of the academy's wizards?"

"Not a thing," Kamo declared, once again appearing on Kain's shoulder. Kain always wondered where Kamo ran off to, and why he kept popping in and out at whim. "I'm sure Alyssa knows something, or at least has an idea, but she wouldn't say a thing to us. I can tell you this, though—it isn't any normal kind of magic. It isn't Infernal, Celestial, elemental, undead, mortal, or anything else that uses mana as its energy base. No, and it isn't technological, either…."

"Hmm…are you sure, Kamo-san? That narrows the range of possibilities to a very small figure…."

"Yeah, I'm sure. It was…bizarre, and it's hard to describe. It was some sort of pocket-dimension ability, but it didn't move us into a parallel plane—it simply moved the signature of our existence, and any magical attempts to scry the battle, half-a-step out of phase. That's why you didn't sense anything—not even an inkling that anything was going on."

"Yet…despite this incredible power, the interloper didn't interfere with your fight?"

"No…I don't think harming Kain was his objective, nor was it helping Alyssa. Otherwise, with that kind of power, it would have been easy to take Kain out—a perfect opportunity."

"So, you don't think I'll come under attack again?" Kain queried, finally entering the conversation.

"Not from this guy," Kamo confirmed. "Of course, if something else comes after you, the school will probably be in the dark again. Figuratively speaking."

There was silence for a few moments before the principal put in, "Well, if there's nothing more to be done about it, there's nothing more to be said. Now, your class had chosen to go to Kyoto, yes?"

"Er, yes, that's right." A few days before the incident with Alyssa the class had taken a vote on where to go for their early-year class trip. As a rich and prestigious academy, Mahora sent its classes on trips every year, educational and recreational all in one. Because of its wealth, they often sent the students to far-off and exotic places—Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii or even California.

Hinagiku, however, had pitched a peculiar idea to the class. Since there were already so many foreigners in the class, and even their new teacher was from another country, perhaps it would be more beneficial for the class to see the historic sights of Japan, she reasoned. Perhaps somewhere close, accessible by train.

Obviously Hinagiku was more concerned about two unmentioned issues: avoiding travel by airplane, and avoiding seeming uncool by passing up the trip because of fear of travel by airplane. Nevertheless, the class seemed favorable to the idea, and they fell to arguing about what specific place they should visit.

Finally Sakura had silenced the class with the suggestion of "Kyoto." The idea was finally agreed upon.

"A fine choice," the principal said happily. "I have family in Kyoto, of course. Unfortunately, there is a bit of an issue with the proposed trip."

"Eh?" Kain wondered aloud, his happy thoughts about the promises of the trip suddenly melting away. "What do you mean?"

"Unfortunately, there is bit of difficulty brewing with the Kansai Magic Association," the principal explained. "Issues between the western and eastern mages of Japan have long plagued us; since my son married into their leadership, things have improved, but the issues have not died. Recently, some of the younger mages in the organization have begun stirring up trouble, and they've put up a protest about the possibility of a magic teacher taking a group of students there."

"Eh? But, why?" Kain demanded, starting to fret.

"Well, we of the Kantô Magic Association have usually opened our arms to the Western mages. The Kansai mages have always resisted the influence of foreigners; years ago, there was even war fought over these differences. As I say, since I became a director of the Kantô Magic Association, things have improved, but there are some who want to reignite the old fires."

"So…does this mean we can't go?" Kain truly sounded almost like a pathetic child.

The principal laughed. "Now, now, Kain. I understand your pain. You truly wish to go see your father's old home in Kyoto, don't you? Well, things are not hopeless. In fact, I can help matters by sending you as a special envoy." He reached into the desk and took out a sealed envelope. "Take this letter to the head of the Kansai Magic Association. I'll give you directions to his place. This should help assuage any problems and bad blood you're likely to encounter."

"Ah…yes, thank you, Mr. Principal!"

The old man nodded. "Now, there are several other classes going to Kyoto with you. They are, in addition to your 3-A: 3D, 3H, 3J, and 3S. Their homeroom teachers will also be going along, of course, and I expect you to work with them, particularly Shizuna-san and Narita-san. They will help…."

"Baby-sit?" Kain suggested.

"Supervise," Higurashi amended.

Kain didn't have much of a problem with this. He was quite aware of his special condition as a minor in an adult's world, and appreciated having help keeping his rambunctious class in line. Shizuna Minamoto was seemingly air-headed but reliable, and while Kain didn't know for certain if she was 'clued in' to the magical world, he suspected that was probably the case, since she was the principal's primary aide. Narita, on the other hand, was stern and no-nonsense, hard and unyielding. He was an older man and, Kain was sure, had no knowledge of magic. He would have preferred someone more magically-oriented, such as Meia, but at least neither was Yukiji.

It was probably a smarter move to send Narita anyway—if the hawks in the Kansai Magic Association would balk at a mage teacher entering their territory, they'd be all the more leery if several mages were in the commanding party. While Shizuna seemed close to the principal, she didn't seem to have any magic power to speak of herself.

After a little more conversation, Kain excused himself and headed out, brimming with excitement. Soon his journey would begin….

The days went by quickly for Kain as he prepared for the trip. The rest of the class seemed equally excited, save the less high-strung members, such as Yue and Chisame, who privately marveled at the idiocy of the class and their maturity, or lack thereof.

Each of them had their own thoughts over this time, particularly those who were only a few days removed from such a harrowing adventure.

Mai, for instance, was concerned about her proof of contract with Kain, her newest possession which she now held in her hand.

It was a card, about two inches wide by five inches tall. It was made of a strange, plastic-like material, and was smooth and almost warm to the touch. The back side was decorated with a kind of arcane symbol, and in the corner the words 'Kain Lockeheart' were engraved with Roman characters. The front was also engraved in English, with Roman numerals in the top left and bottom right corners (with the bottom right corner upside down) denoting fourteen (XIV). Written across the top was 'Card of Discipleship'. The top right corner was a red circle with 'Red' written in it, and the bottom left had a blue-green circle bordered by 'Sign' and the symbol of her own, Leo, inscribed within. A picture of her filled the center, dressed in her school uniform, in some sort of pose, with strange golden rings encircling her wrists and ankles—golden rings that also, for some inexplicable reason, were adorned by three equidistant large green stone-like objects, comma-shaped Japanese charms called magatama. 'Tokiha Mai' was superimposed over her picture, Mai in larger font than Tokiha, and underneath that, in smaller font, was written 'Fiery Beauty'. At the bottom of the card were two more descriptions: 'Virtue' above 'Valor' and 'Element' above 'Fire'.

"What is this about?" she muttered. Kamo had given it to her on Sunday, while Kain was busy checking on Alyssa and Miyu. He had explained that the card, as a physical symbol of the bond that had now formed between Mai and Kain, provided her all sorts of benefits. It was a focus for Kain to cast spells upon her (an idea she wasn't entirely comfortable with) as well as invoke the power of the contract; it would allow the two to communicate over a long distance, like a two-way radio or a cell phone; and it could even serve as a focus for instant travel. In other words, Kain could use his card (apparently Kamo had also granted him a copy) to summon her to his side instantly—another idea she didn't exactly fancy.

"What have you got there, Tokiha-san?"

Mai jumped and dropped the card. This was unfortunate, because the speaker was Risa Harada, younger of the Harada twins and a dedicated fan of mysticism. She spotted the card slip to the ground and, faster than Mai, reached down and snatched it up out of curiosity.

"What's this?" Risa demanded, examining it closely. She let out a gasp of delight and surprise. "Wow! What a beautiful card! Is this like some kind of special tarot card? How'd you get one of you? It's so exquisite!"

Mai managed to take the card back. "It's nothing," she muttered darkly, pocketing it. "It's got nothing to do with you."

"Ah, come on! Don't be stingy! You know I love fortunes; I'm president of the Fortune Telling Club! C'mon, let me in on the secret! How can I get one?"

If Mai had read a reliable horoscope that day, it would have told her something along the lines of: 'Today is not a good day for interacting with others. Stay out in the open too long, and your secrets will come out with you. Don't hang about anywhere near others and be very careful what you say; you never know who could be listening!'

Of course, Mai never read any horoscopes, good or bad, and so she muttered, "Yeah, right. It's not that easy to get. At the price of a kiss…."

Mai didn't expect the girl to hear her, but unfortunately for her, Risa's hearing was far too good when she found something to focus on, and she pressed, "A…kiss? Did you buy this card with a kiss, Tokiha-san?"

Mai started and blushed. "What? No! Y-you heard wrong…."

"Who? Who? Who, who, who?! Who did you have to kiss to get this from?"

"I-it wasn't like that, okay? J-just leave me alone…."

"Er, ladies? Is something the matter?"

The two turned as Kain approached, Kamo on his shoulder. "Kain-sensei," Mai murmured; then, seeing Kain and Kamo, the memory of the action that brought up this sudden topic of conversation overtook her, and she blushed and looked away determinedly.

This action, too, did not go unnoticed by Risa. As Kain stared in confusion, Risa glanced back and forth, her mind working fast. "What's this? What…hmm…did you get that from Kain-sensei?" She realized that she had indeed seen Kain's name on the back of the card briefly, although she hadn't recognized the English characters at first. "I…see…so to get a card like that, I have to kiss Kain-sensei? Oh, what an idea! A maiden like me could never just kiss anybody…."

She continued to mutter out loud as she dramatically added, "But Kain-sensei isn't just anybody, is he? A cool, athletic, genius child teacher who even draws attention from high schoolers? Getting my first kiss from such a boy might be worth it all on its own, and the card is just a bonus. After all, I have to have a cool, popular boyfriend to give me social prominence…especially considering how I'm falling behind Riku. Just because she's a few minutes older than me, I have to call her 'onee-chan'. It's not fair! And as if that wasn't enough, we were always the same in looks, but now she's beaten me by five important millimeters! I can't stand it!

"That settles it!" she finally declared loudly. She whirled to Kain and flashed her most alluring smile at him. "Kain-sensei…." she murmured slowly as she approached. "Can you give me a card with a kiiissss?"

Kain blanched, and as Kamo began to stir on his shoulder, he sighed, then snapped his fingers. Risa collapsed into his arms.

Mai stared in shock and horror for a second before she realized it seemed to be safe. "Er…did you…?"

"Just a simple sleep spell," he muttered. "People whose minds are preoccupied with a single thought are very susceptible to things like this. In her state she should wake up thinking, yes, that what little she saw was a dream. People are incredibly good at fooling themselves."

"Should have given her a contract," Kamo guffawed. "I mean, seriously, why not? She was so eager, and you could always use more help…."

"Enough, Kamo," Kain muttered. "I think our roles are reversed, Mai. Now you need to be more careful around others."

Mai sighed. "I suppose so," she replied darkly. "I guess I've come too far into that side…."

"In any case, I better leave Harada-san somewhere so she can rest a little." Kain hauled the girl over under a nearby tree.

"Are you looking forward to the trip, Mai-chan?" Kamo inquired, hopping off of Kain and onto Mai's shoulder as the young man took his charge away.

"Er…I suppose…." She thought about it. "I've never been to Kyoto before, to be honest, but I recall that Kagome originally came from there. I suppose it might be nice to meet her family."

"Yeah. And you'll get the opportunity." Kamo chuckled.

Mai stared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded.

"Oh, nothing, nothing. Nothing to say for now; you'll see when we get there."

Despite Mai's insistence, no other comments were forthcoming.

By Friday, Erika was also preparing for the trip. For her, it was somewhat more difficult event.

"I hate to worry about this," she muttered, packing a few hated bags of blood into her special suitcase.

"Of course you do," Iori soothed her cheerfully. "It's quite troublesome, isn't it? You could always choose to stay, of course. You could keep dear little Alyssa company. She can't leave, you know, and I doubt her pet robot will leave her behind."

Erika glared at Iori. When he merely returned the glare with his feckless smile, she finally said, "I'm not going to hide from it. I'm going to help take care of my class. It's my duty as the Student Body Vice-President."

Iori nodded. "Of course, of course. Kain will likely thank you before it's all over. He'll probably need your help just like before."

Erika's hand froze in the act of closing the bag. "What do you mean by that?" she finally demanded.

"Trouble's brewing with the Kansai folks again. It's gotten rowdy enough that the principal was a little leery of sending the class, particularly his granddaughter, into possible trouble. He's finally agreed only on the condition that Kain bring a letter of intent to the head of the Kansai Magic Association.

"It's hard for us to know just how much they'll try, but I think that Kain, like his father, is destined to attract trouble. Are you sure that much blood will be enough?"

Erika hesitated again. The more vampires used their magical powers, the more blood they had to consume. Iori's words suggested that, should trouble arise, she might need a great deal more than she normally would expect to consume over a week. Finally she shook her head. "I can't risk it. It'll be trouble enough to be discreet and keep what I have hidden. It won't be good if the class catches wind, especially a few of my roommates…."

Iori nodded again. "Of course. Well, here, take this." He proffered a small piece of paper, which Erika tentatively took. "This is the address of someone who can cater to our…exotic needs. Make sure you give him a call if you find the trouble more than you bargained for."

Erika nodded, and returned to her business. "Thank you, Nii-sama. I'll keep what you said in mind."

Friday evening a small group was gathered in Kain's room for a tea party.

Kanade's needling had finally paid off—Kanade was, despite her small stature, a veritable unstoppable force of nature bursting with energy. When she had her heart set on something, she could attack it with infinite patience until the world gave in to her from sheer exhaustion.

So when she tried to climb into Kain's room via the window (with her sister in tow), Kain only got her to abandon her design by agreeing to allow her to 'inspect the room' as was her duty as the Dormitory Supervisor. While they were there, it was only natural to have a social visit with tea and treats provided by the Yûki sisters.

Because they heard the commotion next door, Mai, Kagome, and Momo were allowed to attend the tea party. Momo seemed quite blasé about the whole matter, as did Haruna, who took the role of host of the party and served out the drink and food. Kagome was somewhat suspicious of Kanade's intentions, but was placated quickly.

So, to her surprise, the only ones that seemed uneasy about the situation were Mai and Kain. Although Kanade actually behaved herself quite well, Kain was worried about repercussions arising if others found out about this little harmless activity. Mai, on the other hand, found herself increasingly uncomfortable in Kain's presence, at least when there were others around as well. The weight of the secrets they now shared—particularly that blasted contract Kamo had talked them into—pressed in on her….

And speaking of Kamo…she eyed him suspiciously as he made his way like a curious pet from female to female, sniffing at treats and begging for affections. He had revealed himself to the dorm just after his arrival, keeping himself silent (except for occasional animal sounds) and ingratiating himself to the girls. The dorm allowed pets, and Kamo was already famous. Being clued in to his real nature, Mai was suspicious of Kamo's actions, particularly with how he loved to cuddle with the ladies….

Kanade looked around the room with approval. "You keep this place very orderly, Kain-sensei." And it was quite true. Kain's bed was nicely made, his floor was swept and clean, and the books and papers on his shelves and desk were neatly arranged. "I wouldn't have expected a boy's room to look this nice."

Kain sipped his tea. "What do you mean by that, Yûki-san?"

"Well, even if it is Kain-sensei, boys are normally known for being slobs and disorderly. It's unnatural for a teenage boy to be so neat and orderly."

"That's an unfair stereotype, Yûki-san," Momo reproved her. "You can't go around expecting things like that of people. It's impolite."

"Maybe." Kanade rose and wandered about the room a little. Then she suddenly whirled towards the bed, dropped flat, and stuck a hand underneath it. She rummaged around for a few seconds as the rest of the party stared at her. "Hmm…how odd," she muttered, withdrawing her hand. She stared intently into the darkness under the bed. "Isn't this where boys usually stash their ecchi magazines?"

Kain reddened slightly, but kept himself under control. "I wouldn't know about that, Yûki-san. I don't have any such magazines. Nor do I think I know anyone who does."

"Ha!" Yûki pointed at Kain triumphantly. "Very unnatural. Don't you like girls, Kain-sensei?"

"I don't see what one has to do with the other."

"Hmph. It's nothing to be embarrassed about, Kain-sensei. We all know teenage boys are sex-crazed dreamers. It's a sign of a healthy, growing young man to have a few of those lying around. Now, where do you hide them? Aha!"

She continued her unhurried but enthusiastic search of the room, checking under the desk, behind the bookshelf, and even in the closet, all while her fellows simply watched her. Kain sipped his tea without concern. He didn't have anything in the room that he needed to hide; true, he had several magic texts in his bookshelf, but Kanade wasn't looking for anything remotely like them and wouldn't take any notice of them. And even if she did, he was well aware that that normal people wouldn't understand anything about it—and he could pass it off as a game manual or something in any case.

Finally she sat down with a sigh. "I'm disappointed in you, Kain-sensei."

"That's rather sad," Kagome mused. "What would you have thought of him if you had found the ecchi magazines you were looking for?"

"Well, I'd finally have a better idea of just what kind of women he's into!"

Despite her attitude, Kanade was aware that Kain was displeased with the nature of her intrusion, and the party broke up a few minutes later with everyone returning calmly and unhurriedly to their own rooms.

Kamo chuckled when the rest of them had gone. "She's quite a character," he declared. "You know, she'd make a pretty good partner for you herself…."

"That's enough, Kamo."

"C'mon, don't be like that. You're going to need lots of help when you're on the road to finding your father. You think it's gonna be all roses? You need some strong companions to back you up and help you through the hardest parts."

"Who? My students?"

"Well, why not? They seem like strong, capable girls, and most of them are quite fond of you. Don't underestimate plucky young Japanese girls—or girls of any other nationality here. They've saved you before, right?"

"I can't do that, Kamo. I just can't. This is my quest and my business. They are my charges, the people I'm responsible for…not my tools or minions."

"Fine, fine. We'll worry about that when it comes, I guess. In any case, it's an exciting weekend, isn't it?"

Kain smiled. "Yes…this weekend couldn't go by fast enough!"

He stared out the window, lost in excited thought. Two more days, and he'd be heading west, to Kyoto…and on the trail of his father.

Author's Note: Character Introduction: Caria Spetzer, Risa Harada, and Riku Harada

The trip to Kyoto begins! Kain has no idea how exciting this trip will be…and how much he'll have to go through before getting a chance to finally visit his father's house.

Kanade Yûki did constantly discreetly climb into Kohei's room in Fortune Arterial to have little tea parties; Haruna was always in attendance as well, as was Erika and sometimes the other two members of Kohei's harem, as well as the Obligatory Male Best Friend™. In that series, the boys and girls shared a dormitory but lived on different floors, which is why the window-climbing means of sneaking into the boy's room for the party made sense. Why did she do this? Mostly because she's eccentric. She doesn't do much, honestly, besides hang around (at least in MSK), so I decided to pay homage to this eccentricity with this little section. This incident will also serve as fuel to later fires….

Caria Spetzer replaces Satomi Hakase as the resident mad scientist and inventor of the class' robot. Satomi was actually quite a minor character who had little appearance in the series. She's so insignificant I possibly could have left her, but as I mentioned, I've tried to make the main cast (the class) completely original (that is to say, new to the Negima universe), except for my very favorite ones among them. There were a couple possibilities for a replacement, but none were worth putting in, either, especially for so minor a role; finally I decided to use another of my own creations.

Caria Spetzer is one of twelve characters for one of my story ideas, the Second Generation of Elementalists; she is a clueless genius mad scientist, one who creates amazing things and then forgets about them. All the characters in that story are magic-users in their own right, and each has a specific element they are attuned to. In her case, lightning. The name is a fictional name for a very fictional world (a post-apocalyptic world that has been rebuilt through the appearance and development of magic). The twelve characters were intended to be of equal import, not any of them a truly 'main' character—the actual original idea was for a video game, an RPG, where you are free to pick a main character to start the story. My active imagination comes up with all kinds of ideas.

One of the plot holes in the original Negima story was the presence of Satomi and Chachamaru. Chachamaru is a robot with magic-nullifying abilities, owned by a vampire. Obviously, Satomi has to know something about magic, but nobody in the magic quarter of Mahora seems to know or care about this. True, Negi's only ten years old and generally naïve, but someone should have noticed something. Where did she get her knowledge? Later events point to a probable source, naturally, but still, what she does know is…uncanny….

I was going to have Caria follow this mold at first—a scientist who has somehow been pulled into the magic side and delights in combining the two—but the more I thought about it the more that seemed unlikely and presented a plot problem, especially in my revised story (with Kain slightly more open with the principal than Negi was). I decided to go ahead and keep some of her original character—she is from a magic family, and was put in Mahora for a couple reasons (one of them was to help keep her under control). She's not going to do very much here, just like Satomi—even though she knows about magic, she's not going to follow Kain on his adventures. So, I can't offer any of the usual 'please care for her' comments—she just won't get enough screen time. Nevertheless, I am fond of her, and I would like to have an occasional mechanical hijinx involving her crop up. We'll see if I ever get there.

One of the 'themes' in Negi's class that I wanted to keep was the twin motif. The twins of Fuuka and Fumika Narutaki were childlike little mischievous brats. Cute, but too minor to keep. My favorite twins from anime/manga are the Haradas from DNAngel. Daisuke, the hero, begins the story by confessing to his crush, Risa, on his 14th birthday but being summarily rejected by the girl who wants a 'cool' boyfriend and enjoys having Daisuke as just a friend. Her sister Riku, meanwhile, falls for Daisuke, while Daisuke's phantom thief alter-ego, Dark, falls for Riku but is the object of Risa's affections. Naturally, they are the main heroines of that story but don't get the same billing here…not even a major part. And, despite being twins, they otherwise have almost nothing in common with the Narutaki girls. However, they do provide some good integration with the class.

Risa partially replaces Konoka, who has ostensibly been replaced by Kagome (more on her later) but Kagome has not inherited all of Konoka's character traits…in particular, Konoka is a fortune-telling connoisseur. Risa, however, likes fortune telling, so she fits in nicely there. Riku, on the other hand, is athletic, and makes a nice addition to that side of the class. Although the two are nearly identical twins (Risa's comment about losing to her slightly older sister in the breast department actually comes from the DNAngel Manga), they are completely different in personality and clash all the time. Risa embraces her femininity and is rather selfish, caring more about how she is perceived and how much she can enjoy the privileges of wealth and status. Riku, on the other hand, is down-to-earth and cares more about other people, although she has tsundere tendencies. She's also athletic and actually more talented than her younger sister in a lot of ways. Konoka's obsession with the Pactio card transfers to Risa well and sets up for interesting encounters over the field trip. Risa's exchange is a bit over the top and extreme, even for her—she usually only mentions such things in front of her good friends, not mutters them before her target—but this scenario introduces Risa's obsessions and thoughts in a way more appropriate to the heavier comedy elements prominent in this story.

Both are fairly minor, but will have their uses. While Risa desires Kain for the status and benefits being his girlfriend can give her, Riku's the kind of girl who will have opportunity to like Kain genuinely (and fight her feelings the entire way). It will be quite a while before this situation will present itself, however.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Chapter Two: The Kyoto Chronicles, Part I: Waylaid by Mischief

Yukari and Matake awoke Monday morning to find Kazumi already awake and in the kitchen. They watched as, humming, she prepared an extra-large bentô box.

"Wow, fascinating," Yukari finally said behind her, startling her badly. "What a big lunch box. Kazumi seems to be hungry today."

"Well, she is a growing girl," Matake added.

"W-wait, no, this is…" Kazumi quavered.

"It's all right, Kazumi," Matake assured her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We know. It's for Kain-sensei, right?"

"Eh…."

"It's not a problem," Yukari agreed. "We'll support you, all the way!"

Kain, meanwhile, was also up bright and early, a good two hours before the train was to depart, and spent his first few moments running through the halls, knocking lightly and briefly on the doors of all his students and encouraging them to rise and ready themselves. Being at least somewhat tactful and proper, he was out of the dorm before any of them actually opened their doors to chastise or marvel at him.

Being the mini-town that it was, Mahora had its own train station that it could use to swiftly transport students and teachers to various places throughout the Tokyo area and, in this case, Japan. Kain was the first to arrive at the station, but it wasn't long before Shizuna, Narita, and the rest of the teachers arrived. Shizuna handed over the classes' travel plans and other necessary information for the trip, and shortly after this the students started arriving.

As usual, most of them were bounding with energy and chattering excitedly like elementary schoolers. Narita barked them into order before disappearing onto the train to bark at the students who had already arrived.

Kain's class was separated into six groups, which apparently had been decided by the principal. Group one was the largest, consisting of Mai, Momo, Kagome, Nodoka, Yue, and Ami—two entire dormitory room groups. Since they were among the best-behaved members of the class, the group was manageable despite its size; Mai was appointed, reluctantly, the group leader.

Group two had Hinagiku, Chisame, and the trio of Miki, Izumi and Riza. Hinagiku seemed to have her hands full, but since one of her primary jobs seemed to consist of babysitting the three anyway, it would likely work out. That is to say, there weren't many better options for dealing with those three.

Group three was Kazumi, Matake, Yukari, Alyssa and Miyu. Of course, since Miyu and Alyssa weren't coming, that left group three the smallest with...three members. They wouldn't be any trouble. The 'leader' job of watching over the group was shoved onto Yukari.

Group four had Erika leading the Harada twins, Rei, and Rakasu. The twins could sometimes be a handful, and Rakasu was enigmatic, but for the most part Erika had an easier job than her president Hinagiku.

Despite only having four members, group five was one of the most troublesome. Sakura was the group leader, and she was responsible and agreeable, and she got along well with everyone in class. Sometimes, however, she was too agreeable, and rarely bothered interfering in some of the class' crazier antics. Kiami's curious sense of humor aside, Akari wasn't too troublesome, and Caria, the fourth member, couldn't do anything 'amazing' without her lab to play with. Hopefully, at least.

Finally, group six had Kanade as leader with her 'subordinates' (her word) Nanami, Kaoru, and Yuki. Kanade was the most dangerous of the leaders, but Nanami was dangerous in her own right…she might listen to Hinagiku and Erika, but was unlikely to go along with any of Kanade's schemes. Kaoru could be easily swept along either direction by either of the two. Yuki would emotionlessly do whatever she was told, but never put any effort into it. She was a perfectly safe 'subordinate' for Kanade to have.

Kain herded them all onto the train and checked on them as preparations were made to depart. Before long the train took off and the trip began.

For the most part, the group was controlled, although the constant excited babble and ping-ponging conversations created a grind for some of the more antisocial students. Yue, Nodoka, Yukari and Kaoru settled in one of the four-seat booths with a table and set up a card game. Curious, Kain investigated.

"What's this?" he inquired as he observed the strange cards. Each of his students had her own deck, and the faces of the cards were quite different than any he had ever seen.

"Oh, it's a collectible card game," Yukari explained. "We make our decks from these cards of various spells and use them to battle each other, as if we were mages."

"Ah…." This was uncomfortably close to home with him, but it seemed harmless enough. It seemed Nodoka and Yue were allied against Yukari and Kaoru in this little mage war.

He watched the game proceed with cautious interest, and all was fine until the mischief happened.

"Sorry, but my Curse of Frogs will prevent you from doing any more magic this turn," Yue declared, revealing the card. "And with that, you're out of the game."

"Ah, blast it!" Kaoru swore, throwing her cards down. "Fine, I owe you two chocolates, then?"

She opened a little bag and started reaching in, but then something exploded out. It was a frog. Then another frog hopped out. Then a third. They were living, jumping, croaking frogs, and that wasn't the end of them. As the girls began to scream and shout, the frogs continued to spread, and soon the entire car was filled with commotion (and frogs) as the students fought desperately against them.

"That wasn't actually Ayase-san's card, was it?" he muttered to Kamo under his breath.

"Of course not. Someone used a conveniently-timed spell to cause the fuss from a distance. Now, focus. You can cancel the spell, can't you?"

Kain quickly countered it, and the onrush of frogs stopped. It did nothing for the frogs that were already there, however.

"What is this about?" Kain whispered again as he helped his students try and get the frogs out.

"It was probably one of the extremists from the Kansai Magic Association," Kamo replied. "If they're already here and after us, they must be trying to get the letter to the chief! Do you still have it?"

Kain started searching desperately for it. "Ah, here it is!" he sighed with relief, pulling the letter out. "No problem…."

Then a white streak zipped through the air and snatched the paper out of his hand. "Hey…?! What the…?! Come back!"

Kain, no longer heeding his class or the remaining frogs, chased the strange bird as it flew down the car. The door to the next one opened and it escaped.

Kain pressed after it onto the next car, but it seemed far faster than him.

Momo, who had been back in the restrooms, spotted the bird as it came racing towards her. There was a flash, and the white bird fell in two paper halves. The letter fluttered to the ground.

Momo replaced her sword into its sheath, and both sword and scabbard disappeared. She bent down and picked up the letter just as Kain came breathlessly into the car.

"Kain-sensei?"

"Oh! That's mine! Can I have it back, please?"

Momo handed it over with a smile. "You need to keep better track of your important items, Kain-sensei," she admonished him, and handed it over. With a wave, she started back towards 3-A's car.

Kain watched her go, trying to catch his breath, and staring in wonder. "How did she…?" he muttered.

"I'd keep an eye on her, Kiddo," Kamo warned him.

"Eh?"

"Look." He pointed to the scraps of paper on the ground. "That's a fine sword cut, but she didn't have any sign of a sword on her, and there's no way to hide a sword on that little girl…not without magic, in any case. She's definitely suspicious. And she was conveniently gone during this mischief until just now. She's probably an agent of the Kansai Magic Association."

"Eh?! But…! That can't be! Hinamori-san? She can't be…." If there was anyone he couldn't suspect of duplicity, it was Momo Hinamori. Quiet but friendly, reliable and always putting people at ease…

"Evidence says the contrary, Kiddo."

"No!" Kain shook his head. "It doesn't make sense. If she was the enemy, why'd she give the letter back instead of keeping it for herself?"

"Any number of reasons…either she didn't want to risk a confrontation with you this early, or just wanted to set you at ease. There's something screwy about her. Obviously she had to have used magic there…but do you sense any magic in here?"

"Er…no, not really…."

"And that's the problem, isn't it?"

"Er…."

It was. Kain had already checked the auras of every member of his class. All humans had a modicum of magical power inside them. Some had a very strong amount—Kagome, who was of mage stock, Mai had her unique powers, Caria certainly had some as well. Most of the class only had minor amounts.

But Momo had always confused Kain because she literally had no magical presence at all. She wasn't the only one, but that wasn't the issue here….

"The person responsible for keeping Alyssa's actions hidden used a form of magic even I couldn't identify. Someone with an ability like that probably uses a different source of power apart from magic."

"Now you're saying Hinamori-san is responsible for that, too?"

"I don't know, but there's way too much coincidence here for my liking. Let me see your student listing."

Reluctantly, Kain took out his notes on the class. Kamo looked it over.

"Ha. Zankensoki trained. I thought so."

"What? You know what that means?" Kain had forgotten all about asking Takamichi about it on his less-than-frequent returns to the school.

"Yeah. It's a variant of the shinmeiryû sword style taught by the Kansai Magic Association. Face it, Kid. I think your little girly's our enemy."

Kain didn't reply. Despite everything Kamo said, he couldn't fathom it. Momo Hinamori, an enemy?

Kain finally returned and helped the class herd the rest of the frogs from the train. We will not bother describing how this was done, but you may have our assurance that no animals were harmed in the making of this story.

Kain warily watched Momo, but she seemed perfectly at ease and showed no signs of strangeness.

Finally the group arrived in Kyoto. The classes were separated, and they chattered excitedly as they made their way to the exit…and to their surprise, there at the area 3-A was called to, a guide awaited them. A girl their age hailed them as they exited. She was of slightly above average height and build for a girl her age, with long dark hair in a ponytail. And Kagome went running over to her.

"Tokine-chan!"

"Kagome-chan!"

The two girls embraced briefly and began excitedly talking together. The class stared in shock while this went on.

Finally they remembered themselves, and the girl addressed as Tokine introduced herself. "Yukimura Tokine. A servant of the Higurashi family, I have been assigned to serve as your guide during this school trip."

This brought a series of whispered conversation amongst the class.

"Higurashi? Is Kagome-chan important?"

"Well, she is the principal's granddaughter…."

"But she has family servants over here in Kyoto? I never knew she was such a big shot…."

"This is our ride," Tokine explained, showing them a large bus that was labeled for the class. "Now, it's about lunchtime, so first we'll go somewhere to eat…."

There was a café near the station where the group was able to sit down to eat. Most of them had made bentôs to eat, and the rest had purchased them at the station earlier.

Kain had other thoughts on his mind. His eyes were on Momo as she and Kagome introduced Tokine to Mai.

"Higurashi-san's family is originally from Kyoto," Kain murmured to Kamo. "She lived here for years, and only came to Mahora at the start of middle school. This Yukimura-san apparently grew up with her. But Hinamori-san knows her, too, so she must have known Higurashi-san for a long time. So why is she suddenly supposed to be working against us?"

"If she knows these two from Kyoto, then that means Momo-chan is from Kyoto too, right? Probably she's been watching over Kagome on behalf of the Kansai Magic Association, but now that we're on this little mission she's gotten new orders. Anyway, look sharp—you've got a visitor."

Kamo fell silent and Kain turned to see Kazumi tentatively approaching, holding a large bentô in her hand. Yukari and Matake flanked her supportively. "Ah…Yoshida-san. May I help you with something?"

"Er, yes…um…."

Matake elbowed her encouragingly, causing her to give off a light squeal. "Well, you see, Kain-sensei, it looks like you didn't bring a lunch, and…."

"The thing is," Yukari put in smoothly, "Kazumi got a little too enthusiastic making lunch for us this morning. She made enough for all of us, but Matake and I had already prepared our lunches, so now she's got way too much to eat. Since we're on this trip, we can't really save any of it for later, so we've got to get rid of it somehow, and since, like she said, you didn't bring a lunch, would you like to help her out…?"

Kain blinked once or twice, and finally replied, "Er, well, I suppose so. I admit I did neglect to make a lunch for myself this morning. But is it really all right for me to take your lunch…?"

"Kain-sensei," Matake whispered conspiratorially, leaning in close and shielding her mouth, "you can't ask Kazumi to eat all of that by herself. Girls have to think about their weight at this age!"

"Aha, is that so? I humbly accept then." The trio brazenly took seats at his table as the bentô was laid out, a pair of chopsticks materialized for Kain's use, and Kamo hopped down to investigate the food as part of his 'inquisitive pet' routine.

Kain sampled a few selections within the box. "Well, this is quite remarkable, Yoshida-san. You are quite the cook."

"Ah, no, not really…" Kazumi protested in traditional Japanese form, blushing with pleasure at the compliment.

Kain was oblivious to the fiery glares that surrounded him at this point. For once, the majority of the noisy class was able to communicate their thoughts wordlessly to each other. Then, on cue, the pent-up energy exploded.

"Kain-sensei, try some of my bentô too!"

"Kain-sensei, I have too much, why don't you finish mine?"

"Kain-sensei, I'm on a diet, why don't you take this?"

The spattering of calmer students watched the scene as Kain's peaceful lunch suddenly became a frantic battle for survival. "Hmm, Kazumi-san is bold," Yue muttered to Nodoka. "I didn't expect that of her. We've got our work cut out for us, Nodoka."

"Er, yes…."

Finally Erika took pity on Kain and moved into the mêlée. "All right, all right," she sighed. "Kain-sensei isn't a sumotori, and I don't think we want to see him become one, so everyone take your food back to your own tables, all right?"

"No fair, Eririn!" Kanade whined. "You just want to take Kain-sensei for yourself and give him your bentô…."

"Go sit down and eat your food!"

Tokine stared at the scene. "Is your class…always like this…?" she asked.

Mai sighed and put her head in her hand. "You have no idea."

After lunch was finished, the class began its sightseeing trip. The first stop was….

"Kiyomizu Temple!"

"Hey, this is where you jump off, right? I've heard about this!"

"Someone try jumping off!"

"Ah," Yue remarked, surveying the temple scene. "This is the famous Kiyomizu Temple stage, then?" And she went into lecture mode.

"They use it for dancing and enacting Nô plays in honor of the Buddhist Goddess Kannon-sama. It's listed as a national treasure now. This is where the famous phrase 'I'm going to jump off the Kiyomizu stage…' came from. During the Edo period, there were 234 recorded cases of people actually jumping off. The survival rate was 85%...surprisingly high, isn't it?"

"Woah! She's a freak!" Riza exclaimed in shock while others, including Kain, stared at her in awe.

"Yue really loves those statues of Buddha from the shrines, so…" Ami attempted to explain.

The rest of the class continued their high-energy antics, calling for pictures and loudly admiring the scenery as they wandered around the temple, looking out from its high hilltop position over the city.

"Oh, that's right," Yue remembered aloud. "If you go a little further from here, there's a fortune telling place for your love life. It's very popular with the ladies."

"Love fortune telling?!"

Kaoru grasped Kain's shoulder. "Shall we go together, Kain-sensei?" she inquired sweetly.

"Ah…okay…."

Kazumi jumped. "W-wait! I want to go too!"

"Ah…me too…" Nodoka quavered.

"By the way…" Yue mentioned, "just below those stone steps is the famous Otowa Waterfall. If you drink from those three streams, you'll stay healthy, do well in school, and even get married…."

"Married?!" most of the class screeched.

Kanade, Kaoru, Riza, Miki, and Risa grabbed Kain and started that direction. "Let's go see them, Kain-sensei…."

"Stop flirting with the teacher in broad daylight!" Hinagiku scolded them uselessly.

With encouragement from Hinagiku and Erika, the ambitious students were separated from Kain, and they rushed forward down to the fortune-telling area with Kain trailing along slowly behind them. "They certainly are high-energy," Kain sighed happily. "It's good they're enjoying themselves so much…."

"Are you sure you should be so relaxed?" Kamo needled him. "We could get attacked again. Did you see Momo-chan? She's been standing back, carefully talking with that Tokine-ojo-chan."

"Do you still think Hinamori-san is our enemy? You shouldn't be so suspicious, Kamo. I still can't see it…."

"You need to stop being so naïve, Kiddo. Well, sometimes that makes you amusing to watch, but in this case, you're in trouble. Don't forget that Alyssa and Miyu were in your class for a month before they attacked you. You can't judge a book by its cover, even cute little ones like Alyssa and Momo-chan…."

"Hey! Kain-sensei! Hurry up! We've found the fortune-granting waterfalls!"

"Ah! Coming!"

The Otowa Waterfall was not an actual river waterfall, but a kind of fountain that ran over the temple, letting three streams of water fall into the pond below, just past the walkway.

"Yue! Yue! Which one is which?"

"Let's see…from the left to right, they are health, career and school, and marriage."

The girls crowded around the rightmost stream with cups on handles that were provided for this tourist experience, chattering excitedly.

"C'mon, form a line! Be orderly, at least!" Hinagiku barked in exasperation.

"Don't bother the other tourists with all this noise!" Erika agreed crossly.

The girls paid her little heed, as nearly half the class crowded the water with their little pails. Miki grabbed one and handed it to Hinagiku. "Here, Hina. Why don't you have some too? Unless you're too much of a tomboy to worry about ever getting married…."

Hinagiku flushed and took the proffered drink. "W-whatever. If it'll make you behave…."

The girls guzzled their drinks, chattering all the while.

"Hmm, this stuff tastes funny…."

"Smells funny, too. Is this a sign that it works?"

Kain wrinkled his brow and approached the water. He filled a cup and sniffed it.

"Wow…this is…strong…it must work…" another girl muttered.

Hinagiku finished her drink, wrinkled her nose, hiccupped, then collapsed to her knees. "What…the…."

Kain had been practically raised by neighbors who ran a bar. He knew alcohol when he smelled it.

"Kamo! This is wine!" he hissed.

"Yes, I can see that. It looks like the KMA is targeting your class again with more mischief. Fix it! Quick, Narita's coming!"

Kain hadn't spent a lot of time practicing water transmutation magics, but he quickly muttered the counterspell and moved to intercept Narita as he approached.

"What's going on with your class, Kain-sensei? They've been causing a commotion, which is usual for them, but…."

"Ah, it's nothing!" Kain insisted. "The class has just overexerted itself from the excitement of the trip and they're tired! I'm thinking I should go ahead and take them to our lodging…."

Tokine, who had been standing back talking with Momo, hurried forward. "That's right," she said. "I'll lead them, now."

Narita sniffed and turned away. "Very well. I guess it doesn't surprise me. I'll send Shizuna-san along to help look after everyone."

"Well done," Kamo whispered. "Who knows what he might have done if he'd found out your class had somehow gotten itself roaring drunk. You'd probably all be sent home instantly."

"Right…."

The place where they would be staying was a special resort operated by more affiliates of the Higurashi family. It was a fine traditional-style Japanese inn with a hot spring, but most of the class wasn't in much condition to appreciate it at the moment.

Kain looked up as Mai entered the otherwise empty parlor, sliding the door shut behind her with a sigh. "Over half the class has gotten dead drunk from a tourist fountain, including our illustrious Kaichô." She looked up at Kain seriously. "What's going on here? The frogs, the water turning to wine…well, obviously it's magic, but why? Was it you doing it?"

"Of course not!" Kain insisted, flushing at the thought. He calmed a little. "I'm not sure who's behind it, but someone's trying to sabotage our class…or me." He explained his letter of intent to the Kansai Magic Association and the troubles that had been brewing.

"So…you think someone from this magic group is trying to stop this letter from getting through?"

"Some people would like to see the Kansai mages go to war with our locals in the Tokyo area," Kamo reiterated. "They have an agent here trying to distract us with mischief so they can make off with the letter and foment conflict. And I think that agent is Momo-chan."

Mai stared at Kamo in shock for several seconds. More. A lengthy amount of time, but Kamo seemed immune to discomfort or embarrassment. "Momo," she repeated to make sure she had heard right. She glanced up at Kain. "You think Momo is a magical agent of these people?"

Kain shrugged. "I've been arguing with Kamo about it all day. He's convinced."

"It'll take too much time to explain all my reasonings," Kamo said. "As the kiddo mentioned, we've been arguing all day. But that Tokine-chan is suspicious, too, and they've been conspiring all day. Every chance they could get some distance from Kagome-chan, they were whispering together. Something's up. Beside, we have seen evidence that Momo-chan isn't normal." He explained their encounter with the paper bird on the train after the frog invasion.

Mai hesitated. She remembered the incident of Kain running off, and Momo returning unconcerned shortly afterwards. She could recall that Momo and Tokine did seem to try to be alone constantly….

"Kamo-kun's absurd accusations aside," Erika joined in, walking into view, "it is true that someone seems to be bent on attacking us magically. This trip won't be as fun-filled as we first thought…not for us, at any rate."

Kain hung his head. "Sorry about this, Mai, Sendô-san…."

"Don't worry about it," Mai rebuffed him with a smile. "You can't do this alone, right? We'll help out. And we'll find out if Momo really is behind this or not. I'll talk to her tonight…."

Erika smiled approvingly. "That's right," she agreed. "We'll help protect our class, and won't let anyone interfere with our trip."

"Thank you…thank you both," Kain said gratefully, bowing. "I still feel…wrong, relying on you, but I won't be stubborn. I'll accept your help."

"Now, speaking of Momo-chan," Kamo muttered, "where has she gone?"

Mai hesitated. "I'm…not sure. I haven't seen her since we put the class to bed…."

Kain rose. "You two stay here with the class and keep an eye out for her, in case something happens," he instructed. "You can hang around the sleeping girls without suspicion or comment, you see. I'll take a look around outside for a while in case something happens. And if I see Hinamori-san out there…I guess I'll track her…."

"Reliable, aren't they?" Kamo said approvingly as they left the building and went out into the darkening evening air.

"Yes…I'm quite grateful to have their help…."

"Wait!" Kamo hissed suddenly, silencing Kain. He pointed. "There she is!"

Momo was indeed outside, and heading away from them, up the path towards a special house owned by those who ran the resort. After helping settle in the class, Tokine had already gone up to that building for her lodging.

"She's going to consort with that other ojô-chan again, see? You better track her!"

"But…."

"You said you would! Get moving!"

Reluctantly, doing his best to mask his presence and silence his movement, Kain tailed her. She went straight to the building and went inside.

"Now what?" Kain whispered.

"Let me track her." Kamo closed his eyes. "After getting so much of her presence, I can sense her wherever she is."

He stood on Kain's shoulder, lost in thought, it would seem, for a few very long minutes. Finally he opened his eyes. "Good! She's exited the building by a back door! Get moving, off to the left. I think the Tokine-ojo-chan is out there with her."

Following Kamo's instructions, Kain moved (trespassed, he thought) onto the main building's grounds, agilely traversing the wooden wall of its boundary and making his way carefully through the plentiful garden trees and foliage. Eventually he started hearing sounds which, as he got closer, he could make out as Momo's and Tokine's voices, although he couldn't understand the actual words.

"That's them, all right!" Kamo hopped off of Kain's shoulder and ran across the ground, jumping onto a large rock up ahead that was wedged between two large, leafy trees. He stared out for a second and then waved Kain's direction. "Over here! You've got to see this!"

Kain carefully, fearfully, made his way more slowly to the rock and climbed up on top of it. He carefully put his hands out to move branches aside so he could get an unobstructed look.

"Great view, isn't it?" Kamo murmured smugly.

What Kain saw was a large natural hot spring, and relaxing naked in the hot spring were the nubile forms of Tokine and Momo, both with their hair up in towels. They seemed to be quite relaxed as they talked about their little conspiracy.

With a cry of absolute shock and embarrassment, Kain lost his balance and fell into the hot spring.

"What was that?" Momo gasped in alarm, drawing away and hunching down protectively.

Tokine half-stood, covering her chest with her left arm and thrusting out her right, extending her first two fingers. "Ketsu!" she commanded.

As Kain came sputtering to the surface, a translucent green cube formed around him, trapping him (and the water around him) inside it. His horror and embarrassment turned to curiosity and he began to probe the barrier with his hands.

"Kain-sensei?" Momo demanded in shock.

"It's your teacher?" Tokine glanced at Momo in disbelief, then back at Kain, still unafraid inside the bubble and moving his lips in fascination as he considered his new prison. Kamo was in full view on top of the rock above him, laughing hysterically and pounding the rock with his little paw. "What is this?" Tokine muttered in disgust. "More than the rodent, I'm trying to figure out if I should be relieved or insulted that this kid is more interested in my kekkai than our bodies…."

"I'm so terribly sorry!" Kain apologized, his face to the earth on top of his hands.

Tokine and Momo were now dressed, more or less, in towels, and sitting by the side of the pool. Kamo was next to him now, but he was still laughing uncontrollably.

"Don't worry about it, Kain-sensei," Momo pleaded. "I understand there are…mitigating circumstances, shall we say?"

Kain glanced askew at Kamo. "That's right, Mr. Mitigating Circumstances, you apologize too!"

"Sorry, Kain, I can't!" Kamo gasped. "To apologize, you have to be sorry, and I feel no remorse. I'm only sorry I couldn't string you along with this 'Momo-chan's a spy' gig any longer, or that there weren't more incredibly lovely flowers of womanhood here for your great 'becoming a man' moment…."

"What's with this perverted hamster?" Tokine muttered darkly.

"Ermine, Ojô-chan, although I'm actually just a magical spirit in animal form, and Kain's companion," Kamo greeted her. "All right, I'm sorry for the trouble. I was just really bored, I guess…."

"Let's not speak about it anymore," Momo replied with a sigh. "So, Kamo-kun was telling you I was a spy for the Kansai Magic Association?"

"Er…that's right…but…."

"It's not true," Kamo assured him. "She's got nothing to do with them, really. Her affiliation is the Soul Society."

Kain stared at Momo for a second before blushing and transferring the gaze to Kamo. "Soul Society? So she's a Soul Reaper?"

"Shinigami," Momo corrected him, "but yes, I am. I see you've heard of us."

"Ah, well, not much," Kain admitted, still piously keeping his eyes away from the two girls. "I've heard a little bit about you. The spirits of departed souls in Arcanus Myrror have difficulty passing on properly to the afterlife, and sometimes turn into monsters, and the Soul Reapers…er, shinigami…are a race of spiritual warriors who are capable of tending to both types of spirits. But, what is a…shinigami doing here, in our world?"

"Well, my full mission is confidential," Momo insisted, slightly red-faced. "I can't talk about it in detail; that's part of the reason why the principal never told you about me, I guess. I can tell you that part of it is serving as a bodyguard for Kagome. And…some of it is…personal…."

"I see…." Kain changed the subject. "You're the one who disposed of the spirit in the old school building last month, aren't you?"

"Right. It's rare, but sometimes spirits here on earth have the same trouble they do on Arcanus Myrror, and while we're here we have to do our shinigami work for them whenever we can. It happens most often in places where there is a high concentration of mana, as that mana can confuse departing spirits…."

Kain nodded. "So the Mahora Tree is partly to blame for that. Well, that explains why I couldn't fully analyze the magic you were using…shinigami use a unique magic different from most mages, don't you? And…why, I have so many questions now. If you're a shinigami, how can everyone in class see you? And why do you seem to age with the rest of the class?"

"Because she's in a gigai, an artificial body," Kamo declared, poking the girl and causing her to shriek a little. "They usually don't age, though…this must be one of Kisuke's special ones, right, Momo-chan?"

"Er…that's right…."

Tokine stared hard at Kamo. "You seem to be very familiar with Momo-chan," she accused him. "Do you two know each other?"

"Aha, yes, in fact! Momo-chan and I met…."

He was cut off as Momo shoved him hard into the earth, causing a nearly stuffed animal squeak to emerge from him. "That's enough," she commanded, red-faced. "I don't want you talking about that."

"Ah, if it's embarrassing, we can skip it," Kain agreed, motioning for peace with his two hands. "But what about you, Yukimura-san? What was the strange magic you used?"

"Well, I am a member of the Kansai Magic Association, but I assure you, not a member of the radical war hawks faction that's starting up. The Yukimuras are one of the two families that serve as the right hand of the head of the association, Higurashi Eishun. I'm a kekkaishi, a rare version of the more common onmyôdôjutsushi (yin-yang magician). We specialize in making kekkai, which are…."

"Barriers that manipulate space-time," Kain finished. "An amazing ability! I'm rather grateful you didn't use it to blow me up." He bowed his head to her.

Tokine flushed and looked away. "Yeah…no problem…."

"In any case, yeah, I lied about them being our enemies," Kamo broke in. "In fact, the two of them are Kagome's best friends, secret bodyguards, and our stalwart allies in this little battle coming up. So, can you clue us in on your conspiracy now?"

"Conspiracy? But…oh." Tokine shook her head. "As I've been explaining to Momo-chan, we've tried to get information on the war hawks, but they've broken off contact and gone into hiding. The ringleader is an onmyôdôjutsushi named Sarugaki Kiriha, and, in addition to a few other mages of the Kansai Magic Association, she's taken a couple magician exchange students with her and seems to have hired a few mercenaries as well."

"And she's planning on using this group she's gathered to start a conflict with the eastern mages?" Kain demanded, worried.

"No…not yet, at any rate. I think she'd like to cause trouble by stopping your visit with Higurashi-sama, but that's not her main objective. I think she's after Kagome-chan."

Kain blinked, once again forgetting himself and turning to stare before getting control. "Higurashi-san? But why?"

"By her parents' wishes, she's been raised as a normal girl, outside of the magic circle, but she's from strong magical stock, so she has hidden, untapped magical powers, and strong ones."

"Alyssa-chan attacked you earlier, to try and get your blood to undo the seal on her, right Kain-sensei?" Momo queried. Kain nodded, reluctantly. "Kagome's untapped magical power combined with her bloodline might be used to great effect at some of the places around here," she continued. "Her ancestors sealed away some terrible demons in ancient times, and they could be released through the careful manipulation of her power. It would take quite a bit of access to some of the association's ancient texts and spell scrolls, but Sarugaki has had ample opportunity to do so thus far."

Kain hesitated. "So…Higurashi-san might be in danger, and you two were sitting out here some distance from her taking a hot springs bath? What if she got attacked?!"

Now it was the girls' turn to hesitate and consider this. "Well…we figured, you were there, as well as Sendô-san and others…."

"But I'm not there now!" Kain hurriedly got to his feet.

"Easy, Kiddo," Kamo admonished hopping onto his shoulder. "Mai-chan and Erika-chan are there, and even if they don't know Kagome-chan's being targeted, that's not a problem. You have your copy of the card, right?"

"Mai?" Momo muttered as Kain nodded and withdrew the small trinket from the folds of his cloak.

"Now's a good opportunity to try it out. You can use it to contact Mai-chan telepathically. Put it to your forehead and try talking to her."

Kain had some skill with telepathic communication magic, so it was easy for him to adapt to using an item made for the purpose. Mai. Mai. Can you hear me?

Eh? What's going on? A voice is in my head!

Calm down! I'm talking to you telepathically through our contract card!

Kain-sensei? Okay…what's this about?

Well, I'm talking with Hinamori-san and Yukimura-san. They aren't our enemies, it turns out, they're our allies, and they have information on the people attacking us. Be careful, they're after Higurashi-san!

…Kagome? But…why?

Well, she doesn't know it, but she's actually an untrained mage. It's in her genes. She is the principal's granddaughter, after all. And the bad guys want to use her power to summon a demon or something. We aren't clear on the details yet, but she might be in danger. Where's she at now?

Eh…here in the room, staring at me muttering under my breath to myself. So, she's fine right now…eh!? What!?

Mai? Mai!

Only silence greeted his insistent calls.

"Something attacked Mai!" Kain shouted, turning and sprinting off in the direction of the resort building.

"Eh?" Tokine called in shock. "Wait for us, we have to get…." She turned and saw Momo leap to her pile of belongings she had insisted on bringing out with her and pulled out a small device that looked for all the world like a Pez dispenser. She pressed the caricature's head and a small pill flew out of it and into her mouth. In a flash another Momo separated from the towel-clad girl, one wearing a black kimono with a sword belted at her waist and her hair in a ponytail.

"Get dressed and stay put inside!" she commanded the Momo body as she dashed off after Kain at high speed.

Tokine sighed as she ran inside to put on her own clothes. "Darned convenient," she muttered as she struggled to dress herself.

Kain, meanwhile, had already arrived at the resort, coming into the parlor and finding a window smashed in, with Mai unconscious on the ground, Erika kneeling beside her, and Kagome nowhere to be seen….

Author's Note: Character Introduction: Momo Hinamori, Tokine Yukimura, and Kagome Higurashi

Now the real action, and real mystery, is starting. But first, we had the obligatory bath scene. Well, as much as I'm toning down/throwing out the ecchiness, the truth is that many of the series I'm strongly basing this story on—not only the original Negima, but also Hayate and Fortune Arterial—have comedic bath scenes. Like my hero, Piro (Fred Gallagher), author of MegaTokyo, I don't like fan service for fan service's sake but acknowledge that things like bath scenes, which have such great import to manga and anime culture and also show a side of Japan that frankly doesn't really exist in America, can have an interesting story impact when used right. When not used right, they are just random fan service and silliness. For instance, the original of the scene I've used here has the original accused spy, Setsuna Sakurazaki, wandering into the bath when Negi is already there, alone, since it's already been declared the teachers' turn to use it. There are many identical scenes to this—someone (usually Negi and one or more others talking to him/bathing him [because he's a child who won't bathe by himself]) is in the bath already, then for some never explained and therefore senseless reason others come wandering into the bath on their own, original party hides, original party is suddenly exposed and 'comedy' ensues. In some circumstances, it's threefold (Party 1 enters, hears Party 2 coming and hides, Party 2 hears Party 3 coming and tries to hide only to run into Party 1). Mostly these scenes are pointless, save to provide some cheap fan service humor.

In this case, the scene is an homage to the events of the aforementioned works and others, as well as a device for exposing some of Kamo's true nature (lecherous and a jokester) that hasn't had much opportunity to come out yet (for the record, the original Chamomile really did believe Setsuna was an evil spy). It's actually a harmless way of diffusing the suspicions Kamo has implanted in Kain, since his joke has run its course to the ultimate end and the girls have reacted with proper feminine horror and/or outrage, and not villainous intent to silence secrets.

There may be other bath scenes of confusion in the future, but they will likewise have real purpose and not random silly fan service…and there will be no copy of this particular incident in any form. Kain is smart enough to learn from his mistakes, unlike many anime protagonists.

I spent a lot of time developing the characters of Momo, Tokine, and Kagome for this story, particularly this important arc, and so I have a lot to say about them. Please forgive my long-windedness….

Momo Hinamori…deserves a confession. She is my second favorite anime girl of all time. This is firstly somewhat sad, and secondly rather unusual, the latter because most of the girls in the list are either directly main heroines (Kagome, Mai, Lina) or important support heroines/secondary love interests (Hinagiku, Kazumi, Ami, Nodoka). Momo, however, is a truly minor character in the Bleach universe, and does not acquit herself well in her appearances. Her blind and desperate devotion to her captain Sôsuke Aizen, who is eventually revealed as the main villain, is so sad that I have dubbed the disease 'Hinamori Syndrome' in her honor, because she has it the worst…although she is not the only one. Anakin Skywalker and Luke fon Fabre are two other examples of characters with Hinamori Syndrome, the inexplicable desire to blindly follow a leader one admires even when much evidence denotes their corruption.

Despite her rather pathetic showings, I found myself quite fond of her from her first appearance. As a lieutenant of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, she is actually among the most powerful (top 30 by any consideration) of the hundreds or thousands of Soul Reapers in the Seireitei. She is shown to be very caring of her fellow Soul Reapers, worrying greatly over Renji before and after his battle with Ichigo, arranging birthday parties and presents for Rangiku and Tôshirô, and being popular enough with her fellows that some recent Soul Reaper recruits hope to join 5th Division so they can work under her. She declared a reluctance to use violence and a desire not to fight when the ryôka invaded the Soul Society, but she shows great strength and force of will when she feels fighting is necessary—she showed bigger, ahem, guts than both Izuru and Renji when they were mere students attacked by powerful hollows, rushing in to save Shuhei without hesitation. Unfortunately, her mad devotion to Aizen leads her even to attack her best friends, Izuru and Tôshirô. Despite this, I can't help but care for the poor girl.

She serves mainly as the replacement for the aforementioned Setsuna as the swordswoman bodyguard of the magical granddaughter, in this case Kagome. I decided to keep her whole Soul Reaper background rather than adjust her into a magical swordmaiden and use the Soul Society as an interesting addition to Arcanus Myrror. She wears a ponytail instead of her trademark bun for two reasons—number one, it serves to separate her from Sakura for reasons that will be revealed when that character takes center stage. Two, she is somewhat halfway between the Momo who wore twin pigtails as a Soul Reaper in training, and the bun-coifed lieutenant of 5th Division. At the end of the OVA Bleach anime 'The Sealed Sword Frenzy' many of the Soul Reapers are shown in the World of the Living in modern threads, and Momo is among them, her hair in a cute ponytail, so that was the look I decided on for this incarnation of her. She has a somewhat deeper history than she should at this point, thanks to Kalan and Kamo, and their relationship, past, et cetera will be revealed later….

I wavered between using the Japanese original term 'shinigami' for her people and the American translation of Soul Reaper. Shinigami, of course, means 'death god', and is not nearly as impressive a name as it sounds for several reasons, not the least of which is that, while Kami is (also) the Japanese word used for the omnipotent Christian deity, true kami in the Japanese sense are actually quite different from Western gods. Also, shinigami is a common name in anime for angels or spirits who end life or guide ended life onward to their next destination, and they are completely different ideas in each incarnation. 'Grim Reaper' is a better overall translation for the word since it implies what they do—take away the dead—although they (usually) don't match the traditional Western image of a cloaked skeleton with a scythe. It's still a better image than Anubis, Hades, or any of the other 'gods of death' the west is familiar with. That's why, unlike a lot of anime purists, I like the 'Soul Reaper' translation. It sounds cool, is technically correct, and identifies them uniquely in the pantheon of spirit guides. Of course, as their culture is Japanese and I am trying to somewhat portray the Japanese/American clashing ideas, they (as a Japanese culture) would call themselves shinigami. Western mages, however, could conceivably change the name to something like 'Soul Reaper' in their texts, and this is the flavor I'm trying to portray. Kain, being American, read about 'Soul Reapers', but the shinigami actually don't like the word. Like names, the word used will depend on the context and who is using it.

As I mentioned, she replaces Setsuna, who was the swordswoman of Negima. Setsuna used Shinmeiryû sword style, which was recycled from the author's previous work of Love Hina, and I paid homage to that in Kamo's blitherings (it was another lie—Shinmeiryû has nothing to do with Soul Reapers). Momo doesn't use her sword as much, but she is still skilled with it, so she fits, but not perfectly. I actually quite liked Setsuna, and Konoka as well, but I couldn't keep them—they are a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they are both adorable in different ways and quite fun to have around, and they have to be together. On the other hand, I can't have them around together because of the quasi-lesbian relationship they share. Sorry, I cannot handle such things in my stories. Out they go, in comes Momo.

Momo is here for several reasons which will remain secret for now, but she can't serve as the childhood guardian Setsuna was to Konoka because she is a Soul Reaper. Because of that, I decided to give that role (but not the lesbian relationship) to an anime girl outside my top twelve but probably not top twenty, Tokine Yukimura of Kekkaishi. Strong-willed but feminine enough at heart, Tokine was a nice mixture, and her unique brand of magic is, like zanpaku-tô and Pactio cards, quite fun and interesting. Instead of guarding the 'magical' land of Karasumori, the two Kekkaishi families guard the all-important Higurashi family. Yes, that means Yoshimori will also likely make an appearance in this work. I decided, instead of making her a classmate, I would leave Momo alone to watch her in class (along with her other secret duties) and have Tokine appear as a guide to discreetly help protect her upon her arrival in Kyoto. Naturally, that means that she will not go back to school with them and will not join any of the special clubs except, of course, the magic secret club that she's already a part of, but she will likely make another appearance later.

Now, I should note that Kyoto, as part of the Kansai district, has a distinctive accent that is famous in Japan, the equivalent of a Southern or New England accent to Americans. Because of this story's adaptation, Tokine and Kagome (as well as others) are supposed to be from Kyoto and should have Kyoto dialects. Their original characters, however, do not, and it would ruin them to make it so. So, for whatever reason, these characters do not have the distinctive dialects, and I won't be doing anything with them. Besides, in a story written in English it would be almost impossible to really bring the thought of it across (the most distinctive difference in their speech and the only difference I could ever reliably understand is the common use of –han in place of the normal –san honorific), it isn't worth it. Especially considering most of my audience is likely even less familiar with the Kyoto/Tokyo speech differences than I am.

Kagome Higurashi is in my top twelve, and so I had to include her. There's not a particularly extraordinary thing about her that draws my attention…it's that she's not a perfect, but a perfectly normal girl. She is a teenager who gets angry, depressed, and discouraged easily, but who also recovers quickly, loves quickly, and fights on with a very strong sense of responsibility. She's a lot like Mai in that respect. Overall, I've just always thought of her as a good character.

Anyway, I needed someone to replace Konoka, and there were few worthy candidates. Finally I decided that Kagome, who originally was a shrine daughter and reincarnation of a great shrine maiden, could fit the bill nicely. Unaware of her heritage, she lives blissfully as a normal girl until this trouble comes upon her, and because of her 'normalness' she hasn't had much chance to assert herself in this crazy class. She'll spend a lot of time upcoming as a helpless victim, but following this, as a part of the magic secret, she'll get a lot more screen time, especially when the entire dorm room (Mai, Kagome and Momo) can abduct Kain to talk magic with him.

Like Mai and Kain, Kagome retains most of her own character but adopts much of her original's back story. The principal is not her wacky, somewhat stupid grandfather from Inuyasha, but rather a much closer copy of the principal from Negima, a fairly wise old mage whose main humorous foible is the constant desire to attempt to marry off his granddaughter, usually to Kain. Rather than having no father, her mother is gone, as we will see, and her father was an old companion of Kalan's. Like Mai, she has no little brother in this story.

Now, we can move on to some real action in the next few chapters as the Kyoto Craziness continues….


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Chapter Three: The Kyoto Chronicles, Part II: Of War and Secrets

Mai held her head as Erika propped her up. Kain knelt down next to her. "Mai! Are you all right? What happened? Who did this to you...?"

"Calmly, Kain-sensei," Erika murmured. "She can't answer them all at once."

Mai groaned and then muttered. "I don't know. We were just here together, and suddenly someone in…in a giant monkey suit crashed in. It grabbed Kagome, and when I jumped at it, it knocked me down and fled…."

Momo arrived then. "So someone's grabbed Kagome? We'd better go after her. Can you stay here with Mai, Sendô-san?"

Mai shook her head and got to her feet with just a slight sway. "No. I've got to go too!"

"But…!"

"No buts, Momo-chan," Kamo interrupted. "We'll need all the help we can get! Are we ready?"

"We better be," Erika snapped. "We're late as it is!"

The five of them headed out and, with Erika leading the way, tracking them through a vampire spell, they headed out after the furry kidnapper. Tokine, dressed now in the white robes of a Buddhist monk, carrying a shakujô, a Buddhist staff (but this one topped with a cross-like blade), joined them en route.

Meanwhile, the costumed interloper noticed the pursuers chasing after her. "Hmm, I didn't expect them to be this quick," she muttered. "I guess it's time to get the real party started." She stopped under a tree and unzipped the monkey suit, then stepped out of it.

The suit sagged for a second, then swelled up to mobility and began performing dramatic gorilla-like gestures.

"Go get them, Sarutobi!" the woman commanded, and, picking the unconscious Kagome back up, began away again.

Sarutobi seemed to be making a monkey cry of some sort, but it actually made no sound, and then it leapt onto the branches of a nearby tree and headed opposite the direction of its mistress.

Kain held up a hand and the five pursuers stopped as the empty monkey suit appeared on a tree branch above them. "What the…?" Mai gasped. "That's…the monkey, but…it's empty…."

"A kind of golem," Kain hazarded. "Animated by onmyôdôjutsu?"

"Yes," Tokine said through gritted teeth. "Almost certainly the work of Sarugaki Kiriha. She uses golems and shikigami almost exclusively to fight for her. Ketsu!"

Tokine brought her hand up, two fingers extended. A green barrier swept over the monkey suit. Unconcerned, it leapt off the branch, smashing the barrier to pieces, and landed on the ground with a heavy crash. It raised its head and gave a soundless roar.

"It's tough," Erika growled. "Any ideas?"

The monkey came charging in, but it slammed against a more wall-like barrier Tokine summoned. Kain dashed in behind it, raising his sword to strike, but its tail suddenly flashed out and swept him out of the way.

As it rounded on him, Erika, red-eyed, moved into its path, blocking its strike and knocking it backwards with a kick. Then Momo appeared above it, bringing her sword down, but it dodged out of the way.

"Hmm, this doesn't look good," Kamo muttered from the position he'd taken off on the sideline. He shouted out to Mai, "Mai-chan, I'm sending you your artifact!"

"Eh? Artifact?" Mai glanced over at him, but he was already doing…something. He began glowing and pulsating, and Mai felt energy building up around her. The card in her pocket suddenly seemed to grow hot, and then flames erupted around her. She hardly had time to feel startled before the energy filled her, and the flames focused and swirled in stirring fire over her wrists and ankles. Then, in a flash, she was adorned by the strange golden rings she had seen in the portrait on her card.

To her surprise, she suddenly started floating in the air. Instincts seemed to tell her how her new powers worked, and although her rationale screamed panic and confusion, those instincts took over. As her four companions danced around the un-stuffed primate, she rose above them, and, calling on the fire now blazing inside her, unleashed a lash of flame. It struck the creature and sent it sprawling.

As it attempted to recover, Momo dashed in and cut its left arm off, and Kain moved in next to her and removed its right arm. Erika was then behind it, grabbing it by the tail, and she hurled it into a tree. As it bounced from the impact, Tokine sealed it in a kekkai with another 'Ketsu!' and then proclaimed, "Metsu!" The kekkai imploded, reducing the golem to ash and dust.

"So…that's the artifact?" Kain wondered, staring at Mai. "Awesome…."

"Later, Kain-sensei!" Momo shouted, and the girls were off again.

Kiriha Sarugaki sat on the ground, huffing from the exertion. "The ojo-sama's heavier than I thought," she muttered. "And using Sarutobi right off the bat was taxing. But, that should help hold them for a little…." She cut herself off and her eyes widened in shock. "What!? They got him already!? Blast those kids! I underestimated them…."

"Kagome!"

The five dropped in. What they saw, standing over Kagome's prone form, was a young woman in her early twenties, with long black hair and glasses, now dressed in a traditional Japanese dress. She scowled at them as they arrived.

"Release Higurashi-san, right now!" Kain demanded.

"Hmm…I think not." Kiriha reached into her sleeve and pulled out three strips of prayers. She tossed them at her pursuers, and they transformed into large creatures. "Aid my escape, Charm-san!" She then scooped up Kagome and retreated again.

"Wait!" She didn't pay any heed to the command, of course, but all characters in chase situations, protagonists and antagonists alike, are required by law to utter it.

The three shikigami were now, in form and power, Japanese ogres, or oni, with chromatic skin, a somewhat random collection of horns on their heads, large powerful bodies, and spiked iron clubs. With roars, they lashed out with mighty swings, forcing the teenagers back.

Kain gritted his teeth. "We're losing time here," he growled. "Every second gets her closer to escaping with Higurashi-san. At least one of us needs to pursue her…."

The oni seemed ordered to prevent that, as they stood back and spread out, lashing out at anyone foolish enough to approach, but not rushing in to engage. Erika nodded. "Hinamori-chan would be best," she stated. "Her shinigami powers give her mobility, and those same powers are the last thing an onmyôdôjutsushi would expect."

"Right. We'll distract them," Tokine agreed, readying herself. "Ready, Momo-chan?"

"Any time." Momo gripped her sword.

Tokine nodded. "Ketsu!" A kekkai formed around one foot of the rightmost ogre, locking it in place.

Kain gestured, and a blast of wind-driven ice shards blinded the leftmost. Mai flew above the center ogre, hurling flame its way, and Erika dashed in while it looked up, forcing it back with a solid attack.

Momo disappeared and reappeared in the air some distance behind the ogres. Then, planting a foot on the air as if it were solid ground, she pushed off, disappearing again and reappearing another distance away, 'stepping' in pursuit of the abductor.

"Just a little more and I'm home free," Kiriha crowed. "So long, kiddies. Been fun. Not..."

She was brought up short with a cry as Momo appeared in front of her. She raised her sword threateningly. "Hand Kagome over. Now."

Kiriha grimaced. "Again with that? Not likely. You want to try and push me with a little sword, you snot-nosed brat? Try this on for size!" She pulled out another onmyôdô prayer strip and hurled it out, and it became a horde of small monkeys that leapt at Momo.

Momo hopped away, and then flashed backwards again, chanting all the while. "O ruler, mask of blood and flesh, all things of the universe fly, that which names all. Gathering of heat and war, beyond the seas in reverse, take steps to the south. Hado 31: Shakka-ho (Red Flame Cannon)!"

A huge fireball met the charging menagerie, and they vanished in the ensuing explosion. Momo then, without hesitating, turned back to the fleeing Kiriha. "Snap, Tobiume!"

Momo's katana changed shape, becoming straight and firm, and three prongs, one on the back side and two on the front, 'snapped' out. At the same time, another fireball flew from the sword and impacted in front of the woman. The blast knocked her backwards, and she landed on her rump, dropping Kagome next to her, and she stared in awe at the small smoldering crater in front of her.

"You shouldn't judge a book by its cover," Momo warned her sweetly as she slowly approached from behind. "I may look like this, but I've lived at least five times your total years, Sarugaki-san. So, 'snot-nosed brat', are you going to give me my friend back, or am I going to have to punish you?"

Kiriha turned back to her, fear dominating her features, but she reached into her sleeve again.

"I wouldn't," Momo warned, pointing her sword at the woman. "Your onmyôdôjutsu is effective against ordinary warriors, for certain, but I'm a shinigami, and my powers are much better suited to dealing with you. Besides, you must have already spent far too much mana on your creations thus far. You'd better surrender."

Before Kiriha could act or reply, there was a flash of lightning, and Momo recoiled from the blinding light. When she could see again, she looked into the air and saw a new arrival on a branch high above, holding Kiriha rather unceremoniously under one arm. She was short and somewhat slight, although expansive in the chest region, dressed in black, with short, light purple hair and deep purple eyes. An emotionless expression adorned her face as she stared down at Momo.

"Wha…? Kairen!" Kiriha grumbled loudly, thrashing slightly. "What are you doing? If you've come to help, just take her out or grab Kagome-ojo-sama, don't just…."

"Who are you?" Momo demanded, raising her sword in a two-handed ready stance. "Are you with that woman?"

"Hinamori Momo. Shinigami of the Soul Society, 13 Court Guard Squads. Fifth Division. Former seated officer." The girl addressed as Kairen stared at Momo as she identified her in a slow, measured, neutral tone. "I have no intention of engaging you at this time. There has been too much activity this night. There will be other opportunities. For your safety, Kiriha-sama, we should leave."

"Wait! Bakudo 4: Hainawa (Crawling Rope)!" Momo dropped her sword with her left hand and snapped out that hand with two fingers extended. A yellow light snaked out of them towards the pair up above her.

Kairen calmly reached out with her other hand and a purple orb appeared in it. The light disappeared into the orb, which then also vanished from sight. "Not at this time." Then the two of them were gone.

Momo stared after them for only a second before dropping her gaze. "Kagome!" She ran over to her roommate and knelt by her side. She seemed to be sleeping peacefully.

Moments later the other four appeared and came running up behind her. "Kagome! Is she all right?" Mai gasped.

"What about Sarugaki?" Erika demanded, looking around.

Momo shook her head. "She got away, but Kagome seems to be perfectly fine. Hopefully she won't remember anything that happened…well, since she seemed to be out the entire time, I guess we just have to worry about the initial attack."

Erika waved a hand negligently. "Considering what we went through today, I think it'll be easy to convince her it was all a dream. We should take her back before she wakes up, though."

"Right." Tokine watched as Kain dutifully insisted on carrying Kagome and picked her up. She turned to Mai. "Now, Tokiha-san, I'm interested in your 'artifact' there. What was the little hamster talking about? How'd you get it?"

"Eh? Er…well…." She looked down at her odd bracelets and anklets and sighed. "First, I'd like to know how to turn this off…."

Kamo gestured with a chuckle and the rings disappeared, causing Mai to fall the few feet onto the ground. "Right," she muttered, straightening herself. "Well, I guess we all have some explaining to do, don't we?"

"We really should share all the information we can," Erika said with a slightly embarrassed laugh. "This sudden adventure threw us together, so it seems that the war between the rebels of the KMA and the west has begun, and we're the first line of defense…."

It was somewhat disconcerting for Mai to see Momo's clone…er, gigai…serving tea to the five of them as they sat huddled in Kain's room at their hostelry. Every time she found some new piece of magic that she'd grown accustomed to, she felt a little depressed at the fact that she was…well…losing a grip on reality, as it were. Even so, she was growing used to magic, but this…gigai, and the thought that Momo was, essentially, just a spirit hiding in human skin nagged at her a bit. More nagging, however, was the revelation that Momo was, truly, not as she appeared, especially in age. Supposedly, she was actually over a hundred years old. All this….

"So…" she uttered slowly. "Momo is…a shinigami from this 'Soul Society'? And she's been here on assignment, watching over Kagome, all his time?"

"Pretty much," Momo conceded, sipping her tea. "And you, Mai, came into the magic secret by forging a magic contract with Kain-sensei, sealing it with a kiss?" She smiled at her friend beatifically.

Mai reddened quite a bit. "W-well, that's…I mean…."

Tokine put her chin in her hand as she looked at Mai thoughtfully. "Momo-chan said that Tokiha-san was bold and impetuous, but I didn't think she was forward enough to do that with her teacher…."

"It wasn't like that!" Mai and Kain declared in unison, quite red-faced.

"It was an emergency situation," Kamo conceded. "These two couldn't have done anything like that otherwise. Still, if anyone else wants a big power-up for the coming battle, you just have to say the word and…."

Momo reached out with a hand and flattened Kamo, squeaking the spiel out of him, and then she turned him over onto his back and began to play with his stomach, causing him to wriggle with paralyzed glee. "That's enough, Kamo-kun," she commanded.

Mai stared at the, for once, speechless pseudo-rodent. "You really do know each other, don't you?"

Momo waved the question away. "I'd rather not talk about that. Right now, we need to focus on our enemy. What are we facing here?"

"A skilled onmyôdôjutsushi," Erika declared. "Apparently she underestimated us, and felt she could deal with any guards Higurashi-san had. However, she does seem to have unique allies…."

"I don't recognize Momo-chan's description of the girl who took her away," Tokine agreed. "She must be one of the rumored mercenaries that she has recruited."

"The next attempt will be much better prepared," Momo put in. "We can't let Kagome out of our sight right now."

"Will she wait until tomorrow night, or could she attack us during the day?" Mai queried.

Kain shrugged. "That's a good question. She—or one of her helpers—tormented us with magic during the day, but she didn't make any attempts at Kagome. Maybe that was just an attempt to distract me…if so, it almost worked, but I won't be tricked as easily from here on out. Whether she'd risk an actual kidnapping in broad daylight? We have no way of knowing. To be safe, we should assume the possibility, however."

"I can send word to the chief," Tokine added, "but they won't be able to make an official move to help out until he's received an official request from the Kantô's representative. When are you supposed to meet with him?"

"Not until Wednesday. Tomorrow the class has activities in groups, and I have to supervise, so we're on our own, but after that we should be fine…."

"Right." Erika put her hands to the table and pushed herself to her feet. "We're not likely to have any more problems tonight, however. We should get some sleep. Tomorrow we'll keep an eye out for more trouble."

Mai and Momo were silent for some time as they settled down to go to sleep, neither one sure of what to say. Finally Momo offered, "I'm sorry, Mai, for keeping this from you for so long."

"Eh? Oh, no, it's nothing…."

"Be honest. You're put out that I'm…well, which is? That I kept magic a secret from you? That I'm not human? Or that I'm really so old?"

"N-no, none of that, really!"

"Really?"

Mai sighed. "I'm just not sure about…it. Everything I've been caught up in. I feel like I don't know anything anymore…just a few months ago I was a normal girl trying to do my schoolwork and earn my keep here, and now I'm in the middle of a magic war. One of my roommates and friends is from a family of powerful mages, and the other is a spirit…not to mention, I have classmates that are robots, vampires and demons. Oh, and our teacher is a mage…I've almost become used to that. I wonder how I got involved in this, and…I wonder, what does this make me…?"

Momo was silent for a moment. "Do you wish…you'd never become involved in the magical world?"

"What? Well…." Mai hesitated. "I really don't know. Part of me wishes I was still just a normal girl, living a normal life, and not being involved in this kind of danger, but…I could run away any time I wanted, but I just can't. I feel a little pride in the fact that I can help protect Kagome, and that…that I could help Kain-sensei find his father, help him realize his goal. No, I couldn't choose to go back and change anything, even if I had the option. I feel like…this is my world, now, too."

Momo smiled at her. "Well, if that's so, I have nothing more to say. I guess…welcome to the club…."

"I don't remember anything that happened yesterday after we visited the Otowa Waterfalls," Hinagiku moaned as the girls gathered for breakfast. "My head is killing me…."

"Well, I remember too much," Kagome muttered. "What happened yesterday? First the frogs on the train, then the waterfall…I didn't even drink any of it, but I had weird dreams all night. Monkeys attacked Mai and me, and tore all our clothes off, and then they dragged me off…."

Nodoka, meanwhile, was still inside her room, staring at her desk. "K-K-Kain-sensei…" she quavered. "We have free activity time today…would you like to gah…geh…come with our group? You wouldn't, would you…?"

"Nodoka," Ami called as she and Yue opened the door, "it's breakfast time."

"Everyone's gathered in the main hall downstairs," Yue added.

"Ah…coming!"

She bound her hair up into a ponytail and headed out after them. As she departed, the bobbly little Kain-Sensei Doll Made by Caria declared, "Of course I will, Miyazaki Nodoka-san!"

"Man, I can't believe we slept all day yesterday!" Kanade moaned loudly as the trio entered the hall. "Nights on field trips are for pillow fights, after all! How could we have wasted one of our four precious nights like that?"

Please, go back to the waterfall and try your luck again, Chisame thought bitterly. It was nice to have some peace and quiet for a change….

The girls ate, and then everyone got on the bus and headed out to a new location. Once there, they filed out, and Kain addressed them.

"This morning we are here at Nara to spend our time freely," he declared happily. "Stay with your groups and listen to your group leaders, but otherwise, the time is yours. Please meet back here at twelve-thirty for lunch. Dismissed!"

The party cheered, but they did not immediately disperse. Instead, they swarmed towards Kain.

"Kain-sensei! Come with us!"

"We're going to go shopping! Why don't you join us?"

"There's lots to see here, Kain-sensei! We'd like to start with…."

"K-Kain-sensei!" The explosion was not particularly loud, but considering its source, everyone fell silent and turned to Nodoka in shock. "W-would you like to go with our group today?"

Even Nodoka's most bitter rivals for Kain's attention were impressed with the usually reserved Honya's boldness in this declaration. The group stared at him, wondering where he would choose to go, and what that would say about his as-yet-undisclosed sentiments towards individual members of his class.

Kain, of course, was unaware of the importance of the scrutiny or his decision, and merely used the sudden silence to make a tactical and logical decision….

Enemy: the enemy had a target. That target was Kagome Higurashi.

The class was dividing out in groups. Kagome was in group one.

Therefore, in order to help protect Kagome if she came under attack, he should be close to her. Ergo, he should be with group one.

Nodoka Miyazaki was also in group one.

Issue solved.

"All right, Miyazaki-san…I'll stick with your group today."

And again, even some of her self-declared enemies were impressed at Honya's victory. A few congratulated her, and a few grumbled, but eventually the students separated into their group and departed to explore Nara.

Although it was the capital of the prefecture of the same name, Nara, on Kyoto's northern border, was a relatively small city by Japanese standards, with only roughly 300,000 inhabitants. As it was once the ancient capital of Japan (during most of the 8th century) it was known as a prominent tourist attraction, noted for its eight great Buddhist temples.

It was also known for its deer (in fact, the word nara means deer). The city's mythology placed deer as the patron guardians of the city, and they actually wandered around the town, half-tame. Kain, truthfully, was rather used to deer, as his homeland was also known for its deer population, and they would often wander through the streets of the towns, especially after dark. He was not, however, used to these deer, who were quite interested in people. Or, to be precise, they were interested in the treats that the locals would sell to tourists, which they in turn would feed to the deer.

Kain was fascinated by the deer, as was Mai…but for a different reason. Some of the deer had even been taught to bow to their human companions, and they would jostle and compete for food…they were far from the shy wild animals most of the world knew. Yet they seemed especially attracted to Kain, and approached him respectfully and did not shy at all from his touch.

Mai, novice in the ways of magic, had no way of knowing that magic left impressions on the soul…impressions that animals, with their better refined senses, could pick up on. Kain's own nature had left him with a spirit that could attract the natural denizens of the world.

Kagome hung back with Nodoka, Ami, and Yue, and the four of them spoke quietly while they watched Kain enchant the local tamelife. "That was very impressive, Nodoka-san," Kagome congratulated her classmate. "I didn't know you had it in you."

Nodoka giggled, somewhat embarrassed. "T-thank you, Higurashi-san. I'm just so happy I was able to ask Kain-sensei, and walk with him like this. I have no regrets this year!"

"We're happy for you, Nodoka," Yue assured her.

"You did great," Ami agreed. "But are you sure you're satisfied with just this?"

"Eh? W-what? You mean…well…."

"You know, this would be the perfect opportunity to tell him how you feel," Kagome agreed.

"N-no, I-I-I-I couldn't! I-I-I don't want to bother him…."

"C'mon, you can't let that stop you," Kagome wheedled. "Think of all the girls in our class with an interest in Kain-sensei! You can't fall behind them, can you? Look at what Kazumi-san did yesterday."

"B-but…! W-w-w-we're teacher and student! W-w-w-we can't have that kind of relationship anyway…."

"You can't let that stop you! Rules can't stay in the way of love! Now, we'll help you be alone with Kain-sensei…you make sure to confess to him!"

"B-but…!"

Meanwhile, Momo and Mai spoke together in the meanwhile, unaware of the conversation going on behind them.

"He seems so much like a kid," Momo giggled. "You could hardly believe he's supposed to be our supervisor."

"He does seem so innocent," Mai agreed.

"It amazes me…he's nothing like his father."

Sudden silence greeted this comment. Mai stared at Momo. Momo looked away. "Okay…."

Before she could niggle away at this little tidbit, Kain moved back to them, his animal friends having finally lost interest in him…or having been sent home. "I never expected to see wild animals moving so freely among people in such a big city! It's amazing."

"I suppose so," Mai agreed, tearing her attention away from Momo. "Well…."

"Hinamori-chan! Let's go see that temple over there!"

"Mai! Let's go get some food over there!"

"Wait, wha—?"

Moving like a crazy whirlwind, Kagome, Yue, and Ami careened into the pair of girls and dragged them away. Kain was left staring after them, and then turned to see Nodoka standing there, nervous and alarmed.

He smiled reassuringly at her. "Well, it seems we have been left alone. Shall we look around together while they play around?"

"Ah…yes!" Nodoka agreed happily.

The two of them made their through the Deer Park, passing a thousand stone lanterns, and up to Kasuga Shrine, one of the 'Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara'. The main thing Kain took away from the shrine was that the makers were rather obsessed with lanterns. In addition to the stone lanterns that lined the paths through the park and around the shrine, the shrine itself was filled with bronze lanterns, which were also very famous.

Nodoka, although not the source of information Yue was, did inform Kain of a few more important facts, such as how it was the shrine of the famous Fujiwara family and was established in 768 and was rebuilt several times over the centuries.

Yue and Ami watched secretly from the sidelines as the two traveled about. "They seem to be getting along well enough," Ami remarked brightly.

"But she's not making any progress on confessing," Yue noted. "While the shrine is fascinating, it's not a romantic subject and it's not helping her any…."

After finishing another subject, Nodoka turned and caught sight of her two friends staring at her. Remembering her assigned quest, Nodoka turned back to Kain nervously.

The teacher was looking around the shrine again, and finally turned himself back to her when no other instructions were forthcoming. "Miyazaki-san? Is something the matter?"

"Ah…no!" She shook her head. "It's just, um…what about these Buddha statues?!"

In fact, this is the part of the story where, once again, English translations simply cannot properly convey Japanese failures to communicate. While attempting to use the verb 'daisuki' to express her feelings to Kain, Nodoka could very well spend some time talking not only about Buddha statues, but certain types of radishes, very bad luck, and perhaps even the protagonist of some entirely separate anime. Since this joke just doesn't work in English, we shall spare the poor embarrassed and flustered girl any further torment. Instead, we shall skip ahead to the part where she trips and falls into the fountain around the shrine, after failing for the sixth or seventh time to confess her feelings to Kain. Following this, filled to the brim with despair and embarrassment, she flees into the woods….

"So all of that was just to give Honya time alone with Kain-sensei, just so that she could confess to him?" Mai shook her head. "What's with you, Kagome?"

Kagome gave a half-embarrassed chuckle. "Well, I can't help it. She's just so sweet on him; it's so romantic! Doesn't it just make you want to cheer her on?"

"Er…I guess…." Mai found her feelings about the matter oddly mixed. "They'll get in trouble if anything comes of it, though, won't they?" she continued, falling back on a natural objection. "After all, while underage teenagers have relationships all the time, relationships between teachers and students are completely forbidden, regardless of the age, right?"

"You sound like some sort of expert on relationships, Mai," Momo teased, causing the redhead to blush. "I must agree with you, though, that I'm not sure if it's really a great idea to encourage their relationship. Not just for the teacher/student conflict, either. We're still really young; what can we really understand about our own feelings at this point? He saved Nodoka-san from a terrible fall, or so I hear, and that would likely be the source of her infatuation, but is that really enough to base her relationship on?"

"You can't make assumptions like that about love!" Kagome insisted. "And you can't deny true love just because of socially imposed barriers! The best love stories of all time are those of forbidden love, aren't they? Like Orihime and Hikoboshi, or Romeo and Juliet!"

"This isn't a story, Kagome," Momo replied almost darkly. "In real life, strong attachments can hurt people."

Her two roommates stared at her, and she realized she had made another error of speech. She reddened as she attempted to come up with an out. This was happening to her more and more often, ever since Kain had stumbled upon her and Tokine in the bath….

"S-so I understand," she muttered, trying to look away.

Once again, timing was Momo's friend, and Nodoka chose this moment to stumble onto them. They saw her dripping, disheveled form and descended on her in sympathy.

"Honya! Are you okay?"

"What happened, Nodoka-san?"

Momo somehow produced a towel from somewhere about her person (Mai suspected some kind of magic, and briefly yearned to learn some of those more convenient types) and helped to dry the girl off. "Did you manage to confess, Nodoka-san?" Kagome demanded. "Did Kain-sensei just reject you off-hand? The nerve of that man! I'll go teach him…."

"N-n-no, that's not it!" Nodoka bubbled quickly. "I-I-I just couldn't do it…I tried but it wouldn't come out right, I just couldn't say it, and then I was so depressed I wasn't watching where I was going and I tripped and fell in the water and it's all gone wrong…."

(The narrator watching the scene must grudgingly admit that he really couldn't have explained the situation any better, which is why he didn't try).

"There, there," Momo soothed her. "It's all right, Nodoka-san. Just calm down."

Nodoka did so, sighing and gulping in air. She looked gratefully at Momo around the towel.

"I…guess it's harder than it seems," Mai offered. She really felt sympathy for the girl right now, but she wasn't sure what she could say that might help her.

"Can I ask you something, Nodoka-san?" Momo queried. "Why Kain-sensei? I mean, sure, he's a remarkable young man, but there are many remarkable young men around. Is it just because he's our teacher and always around, or because he's helped you…?"

"No, that's not it." Momo was taken aback by the firmness in Nodoka's voice. "I mean…of course, I'm grateful to Kain-sensei for…for everything. I probably…fell in love with him when he saved me, maybe even saved my life, back in February. But…that's not why I love him. He's…amazing, to be sure. He's only our age, and he's already graduated from college, he's here as our English teacher and he keeps instructing us even though we trouble him so much. But…there's something else about him. I-I've never liked boys…I've been so, so afraid of them…but Kain-sensei…. He's so…mature, and adult; even though he's only as old as we are, he seems much older. He has a dream, and he knows just what he wants to do with his life. I don't know what it is, but I can see it in his face, and it made me realize that I didn't really have anything I cared for that much. It's not here at school, it's somewhere far away, out there somewhere, and even though he can't chase it while he's here…he keeps on being our teacher and fulfills his duty, but he never loses sight of that goal."

Even Momo was impressed by this. Nodoka's admiration bordered on adoration, on worship; she was able to understand Kain just from watching him. How well did Nodoka really know Kain? Hardly at all, ignorant as she was of the secret of magic, but she could still see so much of his character….

Yes, that familiar tone of voice, that dreamy-eyed stare, the aura of reverence for another…it was painfully familiar to Momo. She found herself conflicted. She doubted Kain had any kind of true darkness hidden below the surface, that his gentle demeanor was any kind of a mask, but the situation was too familiar to her, too dreadfully, horribly similar. And yet….

And yet a growing part of her, getting louder all the time, wanted to see Nodoka's dreams realized, rather than shattered. She wanted to see her succeed, for the sake of the shattered idol that had already fallen from the pedestal….

"You're amazing, Nodoka-san," she admitted, causing the girl to stare at her in surprise. "I apologize for the impolite doubt I held. I can tell your feelings are genuine now. If you want Kain-sensei to know how you feel, if you want to tell him, then just think about what you just shared with us. Don't think of it as confessing to him, or anything; just think about him and say what you feel out loud, not for his sake, but yours. If you think of it like that, you should be able to do it."

Nodoka stared in shock. She opened her mouth to form a reply, but then they heard Kain's faint voice wafting their direction. "Miyazaki-san? Where'd you go? Are you all right?" Then there seemed to be the faint sound of him arguing with someone.

"There he is," Momo hissed, turning the girl around and depositing her towel somewhere about her person. "You're fine and presentable now. Go tell him. We'll be right here, cheering you on."

"Th-thank you, Hinamori-san," Nodoka replied, smiling bravely at her before she disappeared, along with Kagome and Mai, into the trees beyond.

Kain finally emerged into the clearing, Kamo sitting in his usual spot on his shoulder, and saw Nodoka standing there, waiting for him. "Ah, there you are," he said, sighing with relief as he approached her. "Are you all right? You took off rather suddenly…."

"No, it's fine," Nodoka insisted, bowing slightly. "I-I'm sorry I troubled you so. It's just…I wanted…I just wanted to tell you…."

"Eh? Yes, go on….."

"I just want you to know…Kain-sensei, I really like you! I've loved you ever since the day we met!"

Kain stared at her, open-mouthed, too shocked to even utter an 'Eh?'. Nodoka didn't give him much time, however, before she blurted, "That's all I wanted to say!" and fled into the woods again.

"She did it!" Yue murmured in a tone that was, for her, rather excited. "I knew she could. I just wish she'd stop running away…."

"That was quite a speech, Hinamori-san," Ami remarked. "I didn't know you could be such an expert on love."

"Oh, I-I'm not, I just…think I could understand how she feels a little…."

"Kain-sensei seems…shocked," Mai murmured. "Do you think we should, maybe, go see if he's all right?"

"Well, I guess that's better than rejecting her off-hand and breaking her poor maiden's heart," Kagome sighed.

"It's almost lunch time," Yue noted. "Why don't you three take Kain-sensei and guide him back to the station? Ami and I will find Nodoka and head back separately. I don't think either of them will be able to be near the other for a little while…."

The class gathered back together and returned to the hotel for lunch. Kain kept himself cloistered in his room, trying to sort his feelings after this bombshell was dropped on him.

Nodoka Miyazaki…liked him? As in, like liked him?

How…was he supposed to deal with that?

I thought Japanese girls were supposed to be reserved, and quiet, and shy, and…wait, that's a worthless thought. My class certainly proves that as a myth, either that or they are quite unusual, but amongst all of them, Nodoka Miyazaki seemed to better fit that mold than anyone else, even after this….

After this….

After this….

And then she…she…she told me she liked me! Well, I certainly like her too…I like all the class…but not like that…not like…she did mean it like that, didn't she?

What do I do? I-I've never had a girl like me before! I've never had a girl who could like me before! I…I can't refuse her, that would be terribly rude and insensitive, and I do like her, but…it's impossible! We're teacher and student! We would be in terrible trouble, I mean….

It would be worse than having my magic exposed….

"Are you okay, Kiddo?"

"Er? What?"

"Earth to space cadet! You okay, Kain?"

"Er…yeah…I'm good…."

"Hardly. So, how's it feel to have your first confession?"

"Er…first…?"

"I'll let you go with that for now. So, what are you freaked out about? The girl's into you! She'd make a pretty good partner, I think. Why don't you make a contract with her? She'd jump at the chance to kiss you, I think. And I get the feeling she'd be cool with the whole magic thing, too…."

"Kamo! Is that all you ever think about?"

"No, just an angle I always try to work in. Whatever. In any case…."

"I can't, Kamo! I'm her teacher! She's my student, she's…."

"She's not asked for anything yet," Kamo reminded him. "She just told you how she feels. All kidding aside, I don't think she's expecting anything else. Not yet, anyway. Stop freaking out just because a cute girl gave you the straight and worry about what's important."

Kain stared at him. "What's important?"

"Have you forgotten that another of your students is in constant danger?"

"What? Oh! Right…."

"Yeah, that's right. Kagome-chan. So far, it seems quiet today, but that might not last. You can't hide here. This evening the class is going to see more of the sights around here in Kyoto. Tokine-chan was with group two earlier this morning; you should have her follow group one, and with her, Mai-chan and Momo-chan with Kagome, she should be fine. Plus, Mai-chan can call you if something comes up. Meanwhile…you should probably spend some time on your own in order to get your head straight. Okay?"

"Right…thanks, Kamo."

The class was very worried by Kain's sudden dazed look. A meandering, hopelessly disconnected Kain, contrasted to an energized, alert Kain, was a somewhat disturbing sight. As he exited his room to finally make his way down to the dining room, Kanade and Kaoru approached him, with Miki, Riza, and Izumi trailing behind them, and several other students in the background, intently listening.

"Kain-sensei? Is something the matter? Did something happen this morning?"

"What? N-no, nothing! Nothing at all! Everything's normal…fine…."

"Something's disturbed our incredible sensei," Miki observed. "What, oh what could have happened to him?"

"N-nothing happened! Really…not like…." He trailed off, muttering to himself.

Riza began to laugh. "Ha, perhaps someone confessed to Kain-sensei, and the little boy doesn't know how to handle it!"

The trio began to laugh, and then stopped when they noticed Kain frozen in fear, reddening slowly. "I-I-I've got to be going," he declared and practically disappeared down the hall.

"Wait, WHAT?!"

The assembled class pursued Kain, but he had completely vanished. So, they gathered together to discuss the issue.

"Kain-sensei was confessed to? No way!"

"We've got to do something about this!"

"Who was it?"

"There's no choice," Miki remarked. "We'll have to ask her to investigate this matter."

"Illicit conduct between a teacher and student? This is certainly news!"

Class member number twenty-nine, Nanami Jinnai, member of the Journalism and Broadcasting Clubs, and the only person in class whose investigative skill exceeded Miki's. Like Mai, she also did part-time jobs and looked for any means to make cash, but for her money was a driving force—she had ambitions, and, while not exactly wicked, would go to many lengths to fulfill those ambitions. She recognized and appreciated the power of information and what it could bring her….

"So," she began, drawing out a notebook and pencil, "who is it? Narita? Well, as if. Seruhiko, maybe?"

"Not so much," Riza replied. "It seems someone confessed to Kain-sensei earlier today."

"Oh, someone confessed to…there's nothing objectionable about that!"

"I'd say it's far beyond the range of what's allowable under normal circumstances," Miki noted. "Kain-sensei isn't even an adult, but a young adolescent our age. Who knows what things could be gotten up to if the girl who confessed succeeds in starting a relationship with him?"

The gathered mass of students muttered their angry (or at least mildly irate) agreement.

"Fine, fine," Nanami sighed. She pulled out a camera. "I guess I can't refuse the request of my determined classmates. I'll investigate this, then….

"And," she said to herself after parting ways with them, "based on all the evidence we have so far, there's only one reasonable culprit…."

She arrived at the door of Nodoka Miyazaki and knocked. The timid girl was surprised to see her, but let her in, and after setting tea out for the two of them, she sat down to drink it.

And Nanami got right to point. "So, Miyazaki-san, is it true you slept with Kain-sensei?" This caused Nodoka to spit her drink out in a comedic stream.

"W-w-what? N-n-n-no! Nothing of the sort! I-I-I just…I…I just confessed…to him…."

"Right, that's what I thought. And, how did he reply?"

"H-h-he didn't…."

"That seems kind of cold…."

"N-no, that wasn't it! It's just…I ran away before he could reply. I-I just wanted him to hear it."

"Really? Well, it seems he got the message." Nanami leaned back and actually gave Nodoka a look of admiration. It was obvious that Kain was at least relatively fascinating to at least half the class; furthermore, there were at least a half-dozen who, for reasons pure or perhaps not, were more willing to more passionately pursue him. Of all of them, however, the two nervous hero-worshippers had made the first genuine moves; first Kazumi had prepared a lunch for him, setting the class into one brief chaotic tizzy, and now little shy Honya-chan had one-upped her by actually telling Kain-sensei her feelings. Even if she couldn't bear standing around to hear a reply, it was amazing all the same.

"Well, I guess I'll leave it at that," she finally continued, rising. "I guess I should cheer you on, Miyazaki-san. You've shaken our world on your own."

She left the bemused girl and exited the room. "Well, that was interesting. I can't really make much of a story out of this, though, and to be honest, I wouldn't want to. Oh well. Maybe I could get the feelings of the man himself…now, where did he go…?"

Rakasu, who had not been part of the interested crowd trying to pursue Kain, had spotted him leaving and gave Nanami directions. The would-be reporter headed out after the meandering teacher.

Meanwhile, Kamo was still trying to talk a measure of concentrated focus into his young friend.

"Well, we have our arrangements set up for today, in any case….."

"Yeah…."

"Kagome-chan should be in good hands…."

"Yeah…."

"We just have to hope that the enemy doesn't decide to try and do anything to any of your other students, like take hostages to get at Kagome-chan…."

"Yeah…wait, what?"

"Ah, so at least you're paying attention to some of what I say. As amusing as I find your little dilemma, don't let it blind you to what's happening around you. They could attack at any time…and if they get desperate, I don't think they're the kind who would shrink from involving normal people if it would get them what they want…."

"You're right…you're right, Kamo…I need to….."

And as he finally focused and let his awareness of the world open up, he saw something terrible. A child was chasing a ball out into the middle of the street….

Right in front of an oncoming truck….

"Whoa!" Kamo actually began to panic as Kain turned on his full speed and bore down on the child. Even he couldn't possibly grab the child and get him out of the way in time….

Kain landed and threw an arm around the little boy, drawing him in close. He swept his other arm towards the truck, and it suddenly hopped into the air and sailed over the two of them. It hit the ground hard, spun a little wildly back and forth as it braked hard, and finally came to a stop. The driver leaned out the window and stared back at them in shock. "Eh…?"

"We're okay," Kain noted, setting the child down and standing up to wave. "L-lucky bounce there, huh?"

Fortunately, the man seemed to be the sort who didn't want to question sudden good fortune any more than necessary. He nodded numbly, ducked back inside and drove off. In a few minutes he had forgotten all about the incident.

"You better run along home now," Kain instructed the little boy. "And be more careful with your things, okay?"

"Okay! Thank you, Onii-chan!"

Kain watched him wander off, and Kamo sighed. "Well done, Kiddo. Luckily, it seems no one else was really watching, at least not close enough to make out anything that happened…not that they'd believe what they saw if they did. And no one will really believe the kid when he talks about the amazing thing that happened to him. Still, that was a tad reckless…you couldn't have come up with a more subtle way of handling that?"

"Sorry, Kamo…I didn't have time. I saw him, and panicked, and did the first thing I could think of."

"Well, if no one really saw, no harm done. C'mon, let's get going."

As they wandered off, Nanami sat with her back against the alley wall, sweating from shock. "That was…what was that…? Some sort of martial art? Aikidô? No, no way. Mere martial arts couldn't do something like that. There's only one solution that makes sense: magic. What am I talking about? Since when has anything like magic 'made sense'? But…what I saw didn't make any sense."

She took in a deep breath and let it out, then smiled to herself. "Well, what I saw was definitely interesting…something like magic. This might be the best, most awesome story I ever could have discovered…the one that will break it all open for me…."

Author's Note: Character Introduction: Nanami Jinnai

This chapter, and the next one, will feature some action sandwiched by the usual student hijinxes. In fact, I have a lot to say about this chapter….

While the general idea for this part of the story was set (largely following the original Kyoto story arc of Negima), a lot of it is in motion. This breaks everything about the story, every point and nuance, into two pieces: those that are mimicking the original, and those that are original and are growing on their own. The two are weaving together in a fashion that is actually somewhat surprising, and surprisingly satisfactory.

I have (somewhat unintentionally) given Kain a much bigger combat force than he was supposed to have at this point, so the battles are going to have to be tougher…and I think they'll continue to improve as I get used to adding them and flushing out the characters. However, there was a lot in this chapter that had to happen in order to set up future events, particularly those that revolve around the battles.

I had a few homages in here, such as Kagome's dream version of her abduction, which actually mirrors one of the attempted kidnappings of Konoka from the original…just a small example of how randomly ecchi the work can be. Following the action, however, the plot line becomes Nodoka's efforts to express her feelings to her beloved sensei.

Another confession: I am naturally romantic, but, oddly, my own shy nature actually makes it difficult for me to even express romantic and/or tender scenes properly, including kisses and confessions and the like. I get embarrassed just thinking about them. They are necessary parts of the story and character development, and while I don't want to spend too much time on them, they need to be in here. In particular, Nodoka's confession sets off a chain of events that will determine Kain's fate during this trying portion of his teaching (and unintentional mage-fighting) career. We have seen the first few links: Nodoka confesses, class notices his disquiet and causes an uproar, Nanami investigates and discovers his secret. The next chapter will continue along this line, and then one after that as well. You have been warned; it doesn't stop here.

Anyway, I like the feel and flow of the original story, and I want the important characters to remain important, so I had to bring in the confession to allow Nodoka her moments (present and future). I suppose I could have completely rewritten how it comes about, but…it's so much easier this way, even with my difficulty in writing up romantic pieces. And, as I actually narrated in the text, Nodoka's attempts created Japanese pun comedy that just doesn't translate at all in English. So I simply fast-forwarded through that part and got to the important character developments….

And here I was aided by the addition of new characters. Had I simply been rewriting Negima with all the same characters, I could just copy pretty much what everyone said (I already do this a lot when I can), but apart from Nodoka and Yue, who are both more reserved, the rest of these characters are unique. As I noted in this trio's description, Ami lacks in some ways as a replacement for Nodoka and Yue's other friend Haruna. It is Haruna who drives and pushes Nodoka, sometimes violently, to go outside of her box and, against her will, confess her feelings to Negi (and she encourages her to do much more, as well….) But Ami Mizuno just isn't the kind of person who could browbeat Nodoka this way. Then Kagome came out of nowhere to save me in this instance, in a roundabout way.

Konoka, in the original, was often the fourth friend of the group, as she was also a member of the Library Exploration Club and helped them often, such as during the library adventure (it was she, and not Nodoka, who served as guide alongside Yue while they traveled below). However, that is another Konoka trait that didn't quite fit with Kagome, so it was axed. That kind of ruined the only occasional but useful friendship the character had with the library trio Despite that, Kagome is the kind of girl who gets along with other girls well enough, especially thoughtful and kind ones like these three. She's also actually quite romantic and fairly strong-willed (she tried to act as a romantic matchmaker several times in Inuyasha)….

And she has done hardly anything to this point besides offer a few random lines and serve as a great victim. However, after Nodoka manages to get Kain assigned to their group, Kagome's romantic nature is set off. Momo, Mai and Kain drifting away together to conspire about their circumstances allows Kagome to conspire about Nodoka's feelings, and she is able to be the one who instigates the 'Operation: Nodoka's Confession'. And Konoka did help out with it in the original as well, as Asuna, Negi, and Setsuna talked about the enemy….

Then, I could have just had Nodoka give out her confession, but…while somewhat annoying, her shy trepidation and pratfalls show some of her character, and, far more importantly, after running away and seeing her classmates, she has an opportunity to explain her feelings, and this really sets up her character, exposes her, fleshes her out. In the original, of course, Negi is just a child, and so when she meets Asuna and Setsuna, Setsuna questions her feelings for a child, and she is able to speak about how, despite his youth, he really does at times seem so much more mature than any of his students, so much older and wiser. Although he does share the same traits she can admire, Kain is older than Negi, and so the question of age doesn't arise. However….

I spent quite a bit of time pondering what to do with Momo, or, I should say, how much of her original Soul Reaper history to include. I decided quickly I wanted the Soul Society in all its glory, and she would be a part of it, but…at what point (relative to her history) do I bring her in? As a junior Soul Reaper? As the lieutenant we see in Bleach? I finally decided on who this Momo is, relative to her original, and that past will be revealed later…but I've been dropping hints about it constantly. Many of those hints worked together to mesh in with Nodoka's confession. Momo sees a dangerous parallel between her secret past and Nodoka's current crush, and questioned her about the validity of her feelings. This gave an opportunity for developing both characters, in-line with the story. Saved again by the characters evolving into my disjointed combo story!

And then there followed the confession, Kain's shocked reaction, the class' overreaction, and Nanami's recruiting. And, finally, the saving of the child. In the original, Negi saved a cat, but c'mon…if he's going to risk blowing his cover in such an outrageous fashion (slightly more outrageous in the original) it should be for a better cause than a little feline. Again, Kain isn't quite so pathetic as Negi at his worst.

So, on to Nanami Jinnai. She replaces Kazumi Asakura, the well-known Mahora Paparazzi girl who never misses a scoop. Like many students in the class, she kind of comes out of nowhere…until she takes center stage, there's hardly any mention of her in the story, and then all of a sudden voom! She's in it. For those keeping track at home, she is member number nine of the class to join the Magic Secret Club. Really? We're already up to nine? That's right, nearly one-third of the class has discovered the secret of mages, or has been revealed to be part of that world already. It's going to grow even more soon….

Anyway, Kazumi was a good character and rather important, although only part-time important, so while I didn't like her quite enough to make her a fourth retained student (and part of the reason I declined was that I didn't want two Kazumis confusing things), I did decide she needed a fairly competent replacement. Since Miki Hanabishi is famous in Hayate no Gotoku for investigating secrets, I thought she could prove to fill the role, but I finally balked—among other things, involving her would practically have to involve her two Baka Trio friends by default, and I have other plans for introducing them to magic. So Nanami came along, and she's a good fit.

Nanami hails from El-Hazard, a crazy show about, appropriately enough, a high-school group (three students, one teacher) who get transported to the magical kingdom of El-Hazard and have to adjust to the new world's rules as they search for a way home (or to conquer it, in one case). I've taken a few liberties in moving Nanami into Kazumi's place—she starts the series of El-Hazard by helping the journalism club, investigating the allegations that her older brother Katsuhiko essentially used bribery to be elected student body president. She isn't actually a reporter-type herself, but she is an outspoken, almost ruthless entrepreneur who will do anything to 'get ahead' and bringing down her evil brother fits into her schemes somehow. In any case, that ambitious drive meshes well with Kazumi, especially since she would indeed mimic the actions Kazumi takes next, and we'll see how that goes about in the next chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Chapter Four: The Kyoto Chronicles, Part III: Battles of Hand and Heart

Kain's energetic class could be easily distracted, and at this time a distraction made them forget (temporarily) that their beloved teacher's virtue was in jeopardy (as they saw it).

Rakasu Klein, noted J-pop idol, had been commissioned by her company to hold an impromptu concert for the city while she was visiting historic Kyoto. Rakasu seemed impossible to disturb, surprise, shock, or befuddle, and she cheerfully agreed. When word spread, the class found something new to cause an uproar about, and the company gave them all free tickets to attend. Apart from Group 1, led off just before the news struck by Mai, Momo, and Tokine, and currently with much else on their various minds anyway, the entire class followed Rakasu to the concert hall that had been hastily prepared for her performance.

Erika Sendô sat at the back of the hall, listening half-heartedly to the performance. She considered Rakasu a friend, more so than many members of the class (and she tried, mostly successfully, to get along with all of them), and enjoyed her singing as much as the next girl, but she couldn't fully appreciate it this day.

She was still on edge about the rebels from the KMA, and was worried not only about Kagome and the rest coming under attack, but…there was Kain to worry about, too. Mai and Momo had explained the situation to her and Tokine when they returned at lunch, and she had witnessed Kain's inability to cope with Nodoka's feelings. They had let him head out alone because it wouldn't have been good for him to spend too much time with his students in that condition (he couldn't face Nodoka in Group 1, and nearly any other group would contain girls that would seek to leap upon his troubled heart), and that was worrisome. True, he had Kamo with him, but alone and dazed, he would be quite vulnerable to the enemy if they attacked, and likely would provide quite a tasty target. If she were plotting against them, she would eliminate the boy while he was alone, especially if he seemed distracted.

She finally decided that she could be excused under these circumstances, and slipped out of the concert and out into the streets. A few seats in front of her, Rei Ayanami, student number 3, briefly turned her head back to watch her go, then returned her attention to the idol on stage.

Erika had barely felt the sun strike the top of her head when a terrifying voice from behind her declared, "Why, what is this! If it isn't Erika-ojô-sama…."

She turned and looked upon the speaker. She was a young woman in her early twenties, with curly blond hair and pale grey eyes hidden behind small and light spectacles. She dressed in loose-fitting flowery clothing of pseudo-Japanese design, and she held a long, slightly curved stick behind her back. She smiled a smile that had nothing to do with warmth or mirth or friendliness.

"Kinue-nee-san," Erika murmured. "Is that…you…?"

"It's been quite a while, hasn't it?" Kinue returned, drawing closer. "What, almost six years?"

"Yes…six years since you fled the Tôgi family…."

"Six years since I was forced out." Kinue's smile didn't fade. "Not that I blame your family for exiling me. I did have rather…unique views."

Erika didn't reply. Kinue turned away slightly and started off. "Shall we take a walk and catch up on old times? Maybe go somewhere a little less…crowded?"

Warily, Erika followed her as she started away. Kinue had been a member of the Tôgi family and served the Sendôs; she had been a servant, combination maid and bodyguard, of Erika when the girl was young. Erika still remembered her…perceptive and oddly cheerful, wise and instructive, but something about her was…off-putting. Erika had enjoyed being with her and learned from her, but there was something sinister about her presence that she didn't feel even when before her mother….

Then one day she disappeared. Iori had told her that she had had an argument with the Sendô family, that she couldn't see eye-to-eye with them. She had…other expectations of the vampires….

"So what have you been doing all this time?" Erika demanded as they made their way slowly through the crowd and into the less crowded part of town. "Where did you disappear to?"

"I journeyed. I had no purpose, and I honestly didn't feel like I needed one…all I had was my dream. Oh, but I finally have found someone. Not to give me a purpose, but who can help me accomplish my dream…."

"And is there any particular reason you're here in Kyoto at this time, Kinue-nee-san?" Erika said accusingly.

Kinue smiled her disturbing little smile at her. "You've really grown up, Erika-ojô-sama. You've become quite beautiful, and you've grown…intuitive, or perhaps just appropriately suspicious. Yes, the people I'm working for right now are interested in your dear little Kagome-chan. Of course, some of you are in the way. While I appreciated the thought of dealing with that cute little sensei of yours, it wasn't quite so enthralling as the thought of meeting back together with you, for old times' sake." She stopped and looked around. "Well…this area seems to be quiet enough. Shall we…settle the matter of our loyalties here?"

She swept her long stick around in front of her, and pulled at it. A long blade came out in her right hand, and a much shorter dagger in her left. "Let's see how much you've really grown," she breathed happily, and sprang at Erika.

Erika dodged back away and looked around wildly. While they had wandered to a less commercial section of the city, there were still far too many people around for her liking. Completely abandoned would have been her preference, but that was not an easy situation to find in a Japanese city like this….

She ducked out of the way and took off. Kinue pursued her, swiftly but calmly, through the thinning crowd. The onlookers who saw this came to natural conclusion every Japanese witness comes to when viewing such events: "What's this? Are they shooting a movie?"

As she had hoped, Erika soon found a park, all but abandoned. We won't worry about the exact where or why of this particular part; it's a simple necessity for story purposes. Erika ducked deeper into the trees and slowed down, turning and moving slowly backward as Kinue made her entrance.

"What's this?" the swordswoman needled as she followed her prey into the trees. "Running away, simply to avoid involving 'innocent bystanders'? This from a vampire of the Sendô family? This isn't like your kind at all. I was nice enough to take you away from the big crowds before starting the fight, but what do a few minor humans matter?"

She stepped into view and raised her long sword at Erika. "Come now. What's the use of having a vampire's power if you think like a human? You're quite soft, Erika-ojô-sama."

"Soft? Maybe. But I never asked to be a vampire!" Her eyes flamed to red, and Erika came charging in at Kinue.

Kinue leaned her head back as Erika's mana-laced hand cut through the air. The left hand came across next, and Kinue caught it with her long blade. Then Erika made a sudden jump into the air and swept her leg around in a wide arc, aiming for Kinue's head. She ducked under it, but Erika was still moving when she hit the ground, and came forward with a double-palm thrust. Kinue met the strike with a cross parry, but the blow forced her backwards.

"You don't know how good you've got it," Kinue said cheerfully as Erika continued her assault. "Didn't ask to be a vampire? Of course not. But you sound as if you don't appreciate your gift. Immortality, powers that mortals could only dream of…you are a superior species. Your family has known that for centuries. And, now, what, you feel as if you could be human?" She dodged back from one more strike and readied her blades. "Well, at least you can fight. Now, it's my turn."

Erika recoiled at the speed of Kinue's assault. She ducked under the wide swing of her long blade and blocked the dagger strike that came in next. She then blocked its second strike, then its third, but the fourth cut through her defenses and made a slash across her shoulder. A kick then forced Erika back, and Kinue brought her blades together and made a slash at the ground. A burst of energy erupted, sending a cutting wind flying across the ground towards Erika. She crossed her arms in front of her to block the blast, suffering light cuts across her forearms.

Kinue came dashing in again afterwards, but Erika surprised her by pushing in instead of drawing back. Erika knocked away Kinue's weapons and grabbed her by the face. She shoved her backwards and against a tree, locking eyes with her. "That's enough," she growled. "This ends now…."

Vampires possessed a variety of natural magics and powers, but perhaps none were more terrifying than their abilities over the mind. The memory-affecting magic with which Kain had professed inexpert skill came naturally to all vampires, and these powers were just a small part of the abilities that allowed vampires to dominate the humans around them and force them into capitulation and servitude. Erika loathed many aspects of her vampire nature, and she did not greatly appreciate her powers, but she still had great control over them and brought the full force of those powers to bear on Kinue.

Kinue's eyes seemed to shrink in their sockets. Then her sword slashed across, slicing Erika's torso from the navel up to the chest. Erika's reflexes allowed her to leap back in time to avoid the worst of the strike. She moved backward, stumbling back and clutching at the cut (and her clothes) as Kinue stepped away from the tree.

"You're obviously asking, 'Why didn't it work?'" she murmured. She turned up her blade and let Erika's blood trickle down, licking it off as it neared the hilt. "I wonder. Maybe I just have mental fortitude, and help from training in the art of Tetsuteiryû, the Tôgi family swordsmanship. Maybe I'm, as your family said, 'mentally unstable', and my mind can't be affected by such things. Or maybe my new employer has given me gifts. Who knows? Well, maybe I do, but leaving you wondering is more entertaining."

She leveled the sword at Erika again. "Ah, how wonderful it all is! You've become such a lovely young woman in the time we haven't been together. It makes it all the more pleasing to carve you up. Rich vampire blood, combined with the heart of a lovely young maiden…I couldn't ask for anything better…."

"What on earth are you after?" Erika hissed. "What's your aim?"

"My aim? Ah, it's hard to say. Maybe…I just want what your family always had. The power of the vampire…the power of something greater than human. If I had that, I could enjoy death and mayhem all I wish…."

She stopped suddenly. She seemed to be looking past Erika. Erika didn't take the bait of looking behind her…she couldn't imagine anything worse than what she faced in front of her could possibly be behind.

Then Kinue's smile fled for the first time. She turned away, her swords returning to her long stick as she put them together. "I guess that's all we have time for today," she called as she started away. "We'll have to finish this another time."

"Wait!" Erika called, starting after her.

"Oh, no, Erika-ojo-sama," Kinue warned the girl. "You really shouldn't try anything more in that condition. Go home, get a change of clothes, and freshen up your skills…I want our next encounter to be even more beautiful."

She finally disappeared from view. Only then did Erika risk a glance behind her. There seemed to be no one there. At the edge of her vision she thought she saw a shadow slip away, but it might have been her imagination.

It was later on that day, in the late afternoon.

Kain had returned to the hotel to find a note shoved under his door. It directed him to meet its author in the woods north of the city as soon as possible. It did not give a reason.

"Maybe it's a love letter form your little amour," Kamo teased. Kain didn't react well to this comment, but Kamo continued, "Well, regardless, we should see what this is about. Just be ready; anything could happen."

Kain made his way out to the area marked by the map. He ended up at the base of the small mountain that bordered the hotel. "We'll, we're here," he muttered. "Now, where's the person who wrote the note?"

"I don't…look out!" Kamo shouted.

An explosion up the cliff face suddenly brought a hail of rocks down on top of them. Kain gestured, and an incandescent shield flashed to life, deflecting all the stones.

"It seems the responsible party might be one of the mages working for that Kiriha girl! Watch out!"

Kain drew his sword and staff from the depths of his cloak. He looked around hurriedly for a few seconds, and when no other attacks seemed to be forthcoming, he started rising into the air. He turned and glanced up at the place on the rock face where the explosion had come from. Still, it now seemed eerily silent….

A flash caught Kain's attention, and he whirled to see Nanami stepping into sight, a smug expression on her face and a camera in her hand. "Oh, yes, that's a great shot. Nicely done, Kain-sensei. Now, do you or your little familiar have anything you'd like to say to your potential new fans?"

Kain stared at her, and Kamo began to laugh softly. "Oh, that's rich. She got us, Kiddo. What do we do now?"

Kain quickly dropped to the ground. "What's this about, Jinnai_-san?" he demanded, trying to discreetly put his sword away. "It's probably dangerous here, so you shouldn't…."

"Oh, no, it's not dangerous," Nanami assured him. "I borrowed that explosive from Caria and placed it myself. I figured it'd take something major like that to make you reveal your true colors…I had a few back-up plans prepared, but that worked out quite nicely. This will make an excellent story, of course. A genuine wizard, teaching our class! Ah, what this story will do for me…."

Kain tried to calm himself, and called upon the same tactics he had taken with Mai much earlier. "What are you talking about, Jinnai_-san? I don't know what you thought you saw, but…."

Without speaking, Nanami drew her phone from her pocket. She flipped it open and turned it to Kain. At the distance between them, it was hard to make out the picture exactly, but Kain could tell it was a video recording of his most recent act of magic, fending off the violent and terrible rocks. "Don't try any mind games on me, Kain-sensei. One push of the button and this goes straight to my personal homepage for all the world to see."

Kain paused. Nanami Jinnai was one of the smarter members of the class...and someone with her grades could have been a top-ten student at any other school. She was also ruthless. "Clever," he admitted. "However, who will believe what they see, even so? A video? You can do some great special effects with computers now, can't you? People don't appreciate others who try to turn hoaxes into breaking news…."

"Hoax? Really? I think that, with this information, there will be enough interested people that they'll start their own investigation into this. Come to think of it, there's a lot about our school that's weird and mysterious. How deep does this secret go…?"

"Well, assuming it's true," Kain began, still calmly, "do you really think you can expose something that would have been a secret for, what, probably centuries, so easily? If magic exists, wouldn't it have powers and steps to…prevent such accidents from going out?"

Nanami reached into a pocket and pulled out a small device. She hit a couple buttons, and then a sound began to play from it…retelling the conversation they had just shared. "Just keep giving me ammunition, Kain-sensei," she said happily. "That veiled threat will sound real good on the site with it, too. Wouldn't you rather just admit to it all and share the glory of revealing magic to the world with me?"

Then Kain made his move, dashing in. Shocked, Nanami went back to her phone, but something unexpected happened when she pushed a button. Another explosion rocked the mountain, and a much larger cascade of rubble descended down on them. "Whoops…wrong button…."

"You had another one of those?" Kain moaned.

He grabbed Nanami, and the two of them vanished as the landslide descended on them. They reappeared some distance away, and watched the end of the destruction.

Nanami sighed. "I dropped my phone," she moaned. "Well, that's that. Thanks, I guess, for saving me."

"You're welcome, I suppose," Kain muttered. "Look, this really isn't the best time to be bothering me with these kinds of things. Can we just put all of this on hold until after our trip, at least?"

Before Nanami could reply, the noise of the class approaching drew their attention aside. They gawked and carried on when they saw Kain practically cradling Nanami.

"Well, that was a waste," Nanami muttered as she settled into her room to change before dinner. "My best opportunity spoiled. And after he saved me from my own mistake, it really feels wrong to go trying to expose him now. What a failure…."

"Not necessarily, Ojô-chan. I'm quite impressed with your preparation and cunning."

Nanami started and looked around wildly. "What the—who's there?"

"Down here." She looked down to see Kamo standing on his hind legs, his hands(?) on his hips. "Yo."

"You're…Kain-sensei's familiar…."

"Close, but not quite. I'm his magical companion, though, to be sure. The name's Kamolai, Kamo-kun for short. And, if you're willing to work with me, I have a proposition that could work out well for the both of us…."

"Of all people you could let see you this time…you were spotted by Jinnai-san?!"

Kain, Momo, Mai, Erika and Tokine were gathered together in Kain's room to discuss the day's events and share what had transpired. After word came of the explosion and the class beheld the aftereffects, they were forced settle the matter with some wild story (it was easy enough to explain that Kain had saved Nanami, but coming up with a reason why they were alone in the woods together was another matter) and now he had to explain the entire situation to his comrades.

"Sorry," he croaked, seemingly like a little kid whose poor report card had just been revealed to his parents. "I don't know how she found out about it…anyway, Kamo said he'd take care of the matter…."

"He better have a great idea for dealing with her," Mai muttered darkly.

"Now, now," Momo soothed her. "Kain-sensei's had a rough day, after all…."

"And he's not the only one," Tokine observed. "We can't do much about your other student right now. But what about you, Sendô-san? What happened to you today?"

Erika reluctantly told about her encounter with Kinue. She finished off a pack of blood while she spoke and looked at it with disdain.

"Hmm." Mai sighed again. "Well, I guess we can be grateful that we had only one attack today. So is this Kinue one of the mercenaries hired by Kiriha to help her kidnap Kagome?"

"Probably…but from what Kinue-n…from what Kinue was saying, I don't think she works for someone as small-minded as Kiriha. Whomever she works for, they must be real dangerous…and real terrifying…."

Momo nodded. "I can't expect they'd attack again tonight, but it's hard to be sure. We'll be going to see the chief of the west tomorrow, right? If we can keep Kagome safe tonight, we should be in the clear. Once they've been fully informed of the seriousness of this situation and have official request from the Kanto to deal with it, their resources should be able to take care of everything."

"So, shall we take her to see our family tonight?" Tokine asked cheerfully. "I could probably convince your trip leader to allow us to go spend the night there. We ladies will take Kagome to go see the Yukimuras and the Sumimuras, and Kain-sensei can stay here."

"Eh? But I…."

Momo held up her hand. "No buts. Well, we actually encouraged Nodoka-san today, so it's partially our fault, but the point is that your head's not quite in the right frame of mind to be involved in any combat. I'm afraid we might not be able to rely on you if Kagome is attacked. On the other hand, we also can't let the rest of the students remain here, unsafe and unprotected. As you showed, you should be able to take care of them if anything happens, but it won't be likely, so you should be all right. And Kagome will be quite safe while she's guarded by all of us, plus the rest of the two families; they are all skilled kekkaishi."

Kain hung his head. Erika raised her hand. "I won't be coming with you guys tonight," she admitted. "I can't, I mean. I've already used a lot more of my power than I expected on this trip, and…well…the more I use my powers, the more blood I need. At the rate I'm going, I won't have enough to finish the trip. I need to go out and get some more."

"Er…you actually have places where…you can just go get blood?" Mai quavered.

"Yes. Nii-sama gave me the address of a place here that can…provide for us. We can get blood from blood banks and such, of course, but certain places are more…discreet and understanding."

"Not a bad idea," Momo conceded. "We should be prepared for anything. But will Narita-sensei allow you to take off like that? He probably wouldn't like it…."

"Er…I was thinking I would go under the pretense of getting some necessary supplies for the class…preparations for an end-trip party…he can't object too much to that…."

"Not a bad idea, but alone?" Tokine queried.

"W-well, I thought I could take Hina and the two of us, as the presidency, could go…and…I'd slip away from her…."

"Yeah, not a bad idea, but kind of risky," Mai pointed out. "I'll go with you to get your blood. And we'll pick up whatever 'supplies' you can think of on the way."

The other four stared at her. "Er…you will, Mai?" Kain demanded. "But you've always seemed…well…." He realized he might be entering dangerous territory and shut up.

"You don't have to, Tokiha-san, although I appreciate the thought," Erika put in quickly. "I'll make do…."

"No, I…I want to do something. With Tokine-san, Momo, and the rest of the two families, Kagome should have more than enough protection tonight. I'd like to do something else that would make me feel more useful. And if something does happen to attack the hotel, Sendô-fukukaichô and I will both be close enough to help out, right?"

Erika and Momo shared a meaningful look; Kain caught it, but couldn't interpret it. "All right," Erika finally agreed. "I'll accept your help, then, Tokiha-san."

"Now, we better get dressed and out to dinner," Momo declared, standing up and clapping her hands. "Before people start wondering about our absence."

"Harada Riku and Harada Risa, the twins. Risa had a neighbor friend who goes to the school who confessed to her earlier, but she rejected him because he wasn't cool enough for her. She wants a cool boyfriend who will improve her social standing, which of course means her eye is on Kain-sensei. Riku doesn't seem to care for boyfriends, but the point is both are available.

"Hirai Yukari. Roommates with Ogata Matake and Yoshida Kazumi; she's a member of the art and music clubs. She had a boyfriend, but they broke up just before the new school year.

"Sanada Sakura. Unparalleled genius and insurmountable number one, whether in sports, academics, or 'maiden' activities, such as sewing and cooking. Amazingly, despite this, she has no boyfriend. And Caria Spetzer, the genius inventor, seems more interested in machines than men. Also no boyfriend."

"Just as I expected from the information guru I picked," Kamo enthused. "You're quite a find, Nanami-chan. This class is ripe with potential partners for Kain…."

"And making partners for Kain-sensei with this 'contract' business creates these cards, then?" Nanami looked down at the card of Mai in her hand. "And these things are really that valuable?"

"Ojô-chan, I'm a magic spirit, and I can go places you've never dreamed of. On some of these worlds, copies of cards like that can run a literal fortune, and I have easy ways of transferring that money into currency appropriate to wherever I am, wherever I go. I don't have much use for it myself, of course, but I can reward you for your assistance easily enough. Not only that, but I promise to get you all the information you like on the magic world…not that I can let you say anything about it."

"Yeah, yeah, it's a huge secret, and there'll be huge trouble if it's exposed, right?" she replied easily. "Well, I can certainly understand. If you're willing to buy my silence with all this, I can certainly put a gag on the story. For now, though, I'll help you make some contracts with these girls. We'll get started tonight."

"Ho? Already prepared for something this big, even after all the preparations you made to expose Kain earlier today?"

"I always have an ace up my sleeve, just in case," she replied evenly. "I use Caria for a lot of help, too, because it's easy to convince her to invent or engineer things for me; I can spin it to sound interesting long enough for her to at least complete the project. We'll get Kain-sensei at least one contract tonight…."

"Aargh, it's been such a crazy day! A crazy trip!" Riza whined. "We got drunk or whatever happened after that visit to the waterfall yesterday, and we ended up sleeping through one of our valuable trip nights and didn't get to stay up having any fun at all!"

"Kain-sensei's been running all over, having fun with everyone but us," Miki continued. "And now Erika-chan and Mai-chan are out on 'class business' tonight while Kagome-chan, Momo-chan and the Tokine girl get to sleep over at the Yukimura family place? It's completely unfair!"

"Well, we're certainly not sleeping tonight!" Kanade agreed cheerfully. "With a night on a trip, there's only one thing to do: we must stay awake all night having a proper pillow fight! As the dorm supervisor, I hereby give this activity the stamp of approval!"

Most of the class cheered. Then the demon Narita suddenly appeared.

"That will be quite enough! It's late and almost time for you girls to be in bed! Kain-sensei may be lax with you, but I won't stand for you disrespecting our school and sullying our name with your shenanigans! As long as I am the Director of External Academy Affairs, I won't let you have your way! You have half an hour to get to bed and go to sleep! I don't want any of you making noise or going about after curfew! If I catch you, I'll make you squat in the foyer all night. We'll see how you like staying up then." Giving them all one final glower, the old man adjusted his spectacles and stomped off down the hall.

Kanade made a face after him. "That mean old man, spoiling our fun! What's the point of having a five-day four-night school trip if we can't stay up all night having fun?"

"There's no reason we have to let him spoil it," Nanami declared, smirking. "I have a great idea for how we can pass the night."

"But, Narita-sensei said…" Izumi began.

"That just means we can't get caught…it adds an interesting punishment to the game."

"Game? What game?" The class crowded in, fascinated.

"The game is…claim Kain-sensei's lips!" she declared. "Or, for a better name, we'll call it the Kiss-Kiss Carnival!"

"What?" the class screeched with equal mixture of shock and delight.

"We'll appoint teams based on our groups," Nanami explained. "Each team will select two members. Using only pillows as weapons, they will sneak through the school, trying to get to Kain-sensei. The object will be to give him a kiss. The teams that encounter each other can interfere, using those pillows…but make sure you don't get caught by Narita-sensei, or you're out and you'll have to squat all night, as he said! And, of course, you are forbidden to explain anything about the game to him.

"But here's the best part: whoever kisses Kain-sensei will win a fabulous rare prize!"

The class clamored in various levels of excitement, but Hinagiku's offended tone cut through the noise. "What is the meaning of this?! No! This is a lewd game, and as the student council president, I completely forbid it!"

"Ah, come on, Hi-chô!" Kanade wheedled. "It sounds like fun! Surely it's a great way to bring our class together…?"

"Absolutely not! What part of this game do you actually think is appropriate? Can't we just go to sleep like proper students instead of making up some weird, impossible games?"

"Oh, it sounds like Hina-chan is offended," Riza teased.

"What?! I'm only…!"

"Is the great Hina a kindergartener, all shaken up over one little kiss?" Miki put in.

"H-how dare you! I just…!"

"Maybe Hina-chan is just afraid of losing, since it's impossible for her!" Izumi finished.

"Hardly!" Hinagiku responded hotly, red-faced. "I-I-I'm a perfectly mature and worldly middle school girl who is in no wise bothered by a kiss, least of all with K-K-Kain-sensei! It's just that he's a teacher and we're students, and such interaction is completely inappropriate…."

"It sure sounds as if you're making excuses, Hina-chan," Sakura mentioned, smiling beatifically. "It sounds as if you're afraid you can't win, since the object is something you're not familiar with. Well, as for me, I don't think I'll be one of the participating members. I'm not afraid to admit I'm too embarrassed by the thought of kissing Kain-sensei to stand a chance here."

Hinagiku twitched.

Nanami sighed and shrugged. "Well, it's up to you, Hinagiku-san. If you take it upon yourself to exercise your authority as student council president, you can order us not to play this game, and we'll be forced to listen. Of course it would be your duty. It's not as if you'd be admitting your defeat and running away from Class 3-A's most crucial battlefield."

Hinagiku gritted her teeth. "Fine!" she exclaimed eventually, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "Since it seems my class consists of immature students who only want to get themselves into trouble, I may as well let you do as you like. We'll play this game…."

Kain sat in his room, oblivious to the danger that was being prepared for him, talking to Kamo. "It's about time you showed up again," he muttered. "Where have you been all evening? Did you get the mess with Jinnai_-san sorted out like you said you would?"

"Don't doubt me, Kiddo! It's all sorted! You could say Nanami-chan is our ally now. Don't worry. She won't do anything to expose your secret."

Kain sighed. "Thanks, Kamo. Sorry for being short with you. It's been a tiring day…."

"I bet. You better hit the sack and get some sleep. No telling what will happen tomorrow…."

Kain shook his head in response. "No. I can't sleep yet. I'm getting a bad feeling about tonight. I think I should go out and patrol around in case they attack us here. Among other things, they might not be aware that Hinamori-san and Yukimura-san took Higurashi-san away…."

"Are you sure? Well, you certainly are the diligent teacher. But you better be careful. Your students are restless, and that Narita guy is gonna be patrolling around, looking for them breaking curfew and causing trouble. I understand they want you, as a child-teacher, to set a good example and be in bed at an early hour as well. He won't like you snooping around after dark…."

"Yeah, well…I don't think I'll have too much trouble outwitting him…."

"True, but what if he checks your room?"

Kain thought about this. "Er…."

"Hmm. Well, I think I can help out," Kamo finally assured him. "Watch this."

He gestured with his little paw, and another Kain appeared in the room. He smiled at the two somewhat blankly.

"Ta-dah! A magic clone of you! It's not my best magic, so he's not very capable, but he should at least be able to pretend to be you, sleeping. So, if you feel the need to go out and look around, feel free. I'll keep this sensei here, asleep, so they won't find anything amiss."

Kain smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Kamo. I'll be off then." He rose and headed outside.

Kamo watched him go, then chuckled. "Well, this will make things interesting. And while we're at it…why not?" He gestured again, and five more Kains appeared. He gave them careful instructions, then, nodding to himself, he disappeared.

The night was about to get a whole lot crazier….

Kamo materialized in Nanami's room. She was sitting in front of a multitude of small television screens, some of them showing various portions of the hotel, some of them still blank. "How's Kain-sensei?" she demanded automatically as she fiddled with her camera screens. She was adjusting to the magical ermine fast.

"Well, let's just say he's ignorantly determined to make the game interesting…."

Curious, Nanami activated that camera next, and the inside of Kain's room was shown…with its six senseis sitting around, looking mostly blank. "What the heck is this?!" she demanded.

"Kain wanted to go outside and look around in case the bad guys attack us. So, I decided that this little handicap would make the game more fun. Don't worry. This will work out in the end, I think."

"Hmm. Well, okay…what about the circle?"

"Don't worry. It's all taken care of. This entire building is encircled with my magical power. The minute anyone gets Kain's lips, we've got a contract."

"Excellent. It's all taken care of…."

"So, do we have our gamers yet?"

"Of course. Here they are…."

Group one consisted of Nodoka and Yue. With three of their members missing, they had only a small selection to choose from to begin with, and they all knew how they wanted this to go.

"Y-Y-Yueeee…."

"Sheesh…our class is just overflowing with idiots," Yue muttered. "Just when Nodoka finally confesses, they have to go and run some stupid event like this…."

"Yue! Yue, it's all right. It's just a game…."

"No, it's not all right," Yue responded. "Kain-sensei is one of the most honest and upright people I know. Nodoka, you've chosen the right boy."

"Y…Yue…."

"We're going to win and get you a kiss, Nodoka! Let's go!"

"U-Un…."

Group two's champions were Hinagiku and Chisame.

"Why the heck are we doing this, Kaichô?" Chisame demanded crossly.

"If I try and stop this game, they'll just come up with something worse," Hinagiku replied coldly. "As student council president, I have to try and do something, so I'll just beat them at their own game."

"Fine, but why do I have to come along?"

"Who else do you want me to pick? You're the only reliably level-headed member of this entire class, it seems. Besides, my other options are Izumi, Miki, and Riza. They're more interested in watching than competing anyway, the cowards, and who knows how much worse they would make it if I dragged them out of there?"

I am finding the first available opportunity to ditch this fiasco… Chisame thought.

Group three, an equally small group as group one, had an equally paired team of one love-smitten student and her more forceful cheerleader.

"It was obviously Nodoka-chan who confessed to Kain-sensei earlier today," Matake muttered. "I feel sorry for getting in her way, but we can't let her win, right Kazumi?"

"Eh? Well, I-I don't know…."

"Kazumi, if you would rather not do this, we can call it off. But do you really want to give up a chance like this to get closer to Kain-sensei? Tell me honestly."

Matake looked hard at her friend, who blushed and looked away, but then returned a determined face. "No, I don't. I want to try."

Matake smiled. "Okay, then. Let's win this little game and get you a kiss with Kain-sensei!"

Group four was fronted by the twins, Riku and Risa.

"Why on earth are we competing in this stupid game?" Riku growled, blushing at the mere thought of locking lips with her teacher. "What's with you, Risa?"

"Isn't it obvious? I want one of those cards!"

"What cards?"

"I thought it was a dream, but I remember seeing Tokiha-san with this really impressive-looking tarot card! It was of her! And apparently she got it from kissing Kain-sensei. This is really too suspiciously similar to my dream, right? Maybe it didn't happen, but it was a premonition! A vision, telling me my fortune! If I can kiss Kain-sensei, I can get one of those cards, too!"

"Well, good luck with that," Riku muttered, aware that there was nothing else she could say about it to dissuade her sister. She blushed again as she considered the possibility that Mai and Kain had already kissed. "Do you really think we stand a chance considering our competition?" she continued.

Perhaps the most terrifying of the competition was group five, which fielded Kiami and Akari.

"I-I'm kind of nervous at the thought," Akari trembled. "I've never kissed anyone before! I guess…having my first with Kain-sensei wouldn't be so bad, but…oh, who am I kidding? I'm just in it for the competition…."

"That's fine. I'll take the kiss," Kiami replied coolly and calmly. "It should be great fun. They never said what kind of kiss it was supposed to be. Is it a peck on the cheek? Lips to lips? That was suggested by Nanami. Maybe we need to do a full, adult, deep kiss?"

Akari just blushed furiously in reply.

And group six had Kanade and Kaoru, both rather interested in the game, the prize, and the kiss with Kain-sensei, and they had agreed to 'share' him tonight should they win….

And so the game begins….

"Are you all right, Tokiha-san? You seem rather quiet."

"Eh? What?" Mai started. "Oh, no, I'm fine. Really…."

Erika smiled slightly as they walked along in the darkness. "You're not used to me yet, are you?"

"What? W-what do you mean?"

"I'm a vampire, Tokiha-san. Doesn't that make you nervous?"

The denial was on her lips, but Mai decided to be honest. "Yes, a little. I mean, even after all this, the thought that…that you're a vampire is a little disconcerting…."

"Even so, you agreed to come with me. Thank you for that."

"I-it's nothing, really! I feel like I owe you that much…."

"Really? What for?"

"Well…it doesn't feel right, I guess…the way I feel."

"You can't help your instinctual feelings, Tokiha-san."

"I know! But that doesn't mean I should just let it be!" She sighed. "Look, I'm just trying to deal with it, okay? I know you can't help what you are, and you've been…a good friend to both Kain-sensei and me. We're…well, we're a team, aren't we, Sendô-san?"

"Erika."

"What?"

"Call me Erika, Tokiha-san. After all, we are friends, aren't we?"

"Right…Erika. Then you can call me Mai."

"Of course."

Mai laughed. "You know, even this makes me feel better."

"Sometimes getting your trouble off your chest does. Now, what else are you thinking about?"

"Eh?"

"Worried about Kain-sensei?"

"What? Oh, not really. He should be fine back at the hotel. Even he can't get into too much trouble right now, could he?"

"Nanami-chan went all out for this," Miki noted approvingly. The girls—those that weren't involved in the game, at least—were gathered together in the combined room of the trio. The hotel was a traditional Japanese hot spring inn, and some of the rooms had partitions separated by moveable sliding bamboo walls. Miki, Riza and Izumi had, naturally, opted to take a triad of these rooms, and it served as the base of operations for the Kiss-Kiss Conspiracy.

As Miki noted, no expense had been spared—several television monitors showing various sections of the hotel were present, as well as speakers that relayed Nanami's play-by-play from her own broadcasting station.

"You must have bet on Hina-chan, eh, Miki?" Riza asked as they watched the various groups begin their careful explorations of the corridors.

"Well, no doubt she'd be the favorite to win…but could you imagine her actually kissing Kain-sensei?"

The assembled watchers thought about this matter for a second. Without exception, they could only imagine some other part of Hinagiku's anatomy (such as her fist) meeting Kain's lips should the situation arise.

"Absolutely not."

"No way."

"She'd die of shame first."

"That's our Hina-chan."

"Kiami-chan seems like she'd be the most likely to succeed," Sakura noted. "Her team is the most dangerous by far, and she's the kind who'd enjoy something forbidden like that…."

"Ah, but it's hard to underestimate Risa-san," Caria noted. "She seemed obsessed with the prize for some reason. She won't make it easy, even if Riku-san isn't as enthusiastic…."

The girls continued to discuss their various bets while the girls stalked through the halls.

"Kaichô, can't I go back?" Chisame whined.

"Never! We have to find and stop the other girls before they do something w—they'll regret. This entire nonsense will only end after we've defeated every one of them!"

"Why don't you just kiss him yourself," the bespectacled girl muttered. "After all, it's no secret you'd enjoy it as much as the rest of them…."

"Huh? What was that, Chisame-san?"

"Never mind…."

They came around the corner and wandered into Matake and Kazumi.

"Ha! Sorry, Kaichô, but I'm going to stop you here!" Matake declared boldly.

"That's my line, Oga-chan!"

Chisame and Kazumi watched with exasperation as Hinagiku expertly beat Matake back—with a pillow. It should be impossible to wield a pillow like a samurai sword, but Hinagiku managed it.

Her dominion did not last long, however….

"Ha! Has the fun started?"

Akari leapt into the middle of the group, dual-wielding pillows of doom. Her mighty (mightily-soft, that is) blows sent even Hinagiku flying.

Hinagiku picked herself up, red-faced and angry. "That does it," she growled. "Even if it's you, Akari-san, I won't back down!"

"Whoa, it's a three-way mêlée now!" Nanami broadcast. "Will Akari, Martial Arts Master, maintain the upper hand? It's against the rules not to use pillows, you know!"

"This is tough," Hinagiku panted, withdrawing briefly from the fight. "Chisame-san, lend me a…." Cue the anime picture for showing a vacant spot where a person once stood. "What? Where'd she go?"

"Sorry, Kaichô, but that's enough of this childish game for me," she muttered, looking back as she cleaned her glasses. She was already around the corner and long gone. "I'm going back to my room. Have to update my homepage, after all…."

And then she walked right into Narita. "Erk…."

"Hasegawa! What are you doing out at this hour? What are you up to?!"

"Oh dear, it seems Chisame has already been caught! Team two has already lost half its members!"

"What was that noise?" Matake gasped.

"It's Narita-sensei!" Hinagiku breathed, panicking. "We can't let ourselves get caught here. Everyone, run!"

"Oh, looks like that's our cue," Kiami smirked. "Let's go, Akari."

"O-oh, right!"

The two martial artists sprang away at record speed, knocking Matake around in the process.

Hinagiku and Kazumi soon disappeared as well, but Matake hadn't recovered by the time Narita came around the corner. "You too, Ogata!?"

Shortly thereafter Chisame and Matake were squatting in the foyer. "I hope you'll like it there until morning!"

Kazumi and Hinagiku observed their fallen comrades from a discreet distance. "It's over for them," Hinagiku muttered. "Once you're dead, there's no one who can collect your corpse." She looked at Kazumi. "Well, it seems Akari-san and Kiami-san are just about unstoppable. We at least have to beat them. Shall we declare a truce, Kazumi-san?"

"Uh? Ah, right, sure."

"All right then. Come with me…."

Meanwhile, Yue and Nodoka were outside, crawling around the building on a narrow ledge just underneath the strut of the roof.

"Yueeee…."

"What is it? I'm busy," Yue replied, holding a flashlight in her mouth and an open map in her hands. She kept her eyes on it as she crawled along.

"Why are we passing this way to get to Kain-sensei? This is just like our club activities…."

"According to my calculations, this is the shortest and safest route." She pointed to her map. "Kain-sensei's room is at the far end of the building, with the other teachers', so there's no way of avoiding the enemy, Narita-sensei, if we try to head directly there."

"I see! But if we use this roundabout route, we can get the rooms at the back of the building by the fire escape….

"B-but the fire escape might be locked…" Nodoka continued as they climbed down from their ledge.

"I thought that might be the case, so I unlocked it in advance."

"Y-Yue! You're amazing! Just what I expected!"

"C'mon, Nodoka! You can thank me after we're successful."

They opened the escape and carefully snuck into the building. The hallways were dark, silent, and eerie as they tiptoed through them.

"No one's here yet…" Yue muttered. "This is our chance. Kain-sensei's room is number 304, over there. Let's go." Nodoka grunted consent.

Her mind began to swim as she thought about the approaching task. A…a kiss…with Kain-sensei? Oh….

Then she suddenly heard whispering above her. "See? No one's here yet! I told you this was the way to go! Now's our chance!"

A roof escape opened and a rope ladder fell down. Nodoka stared as Kanade and Kaoru started to climb into the building. They finally spotted her.

"What?! Group one, damn it!" Kanade cursed. "Let's get them, Kaoru-chan!"

The two dropped down and moved to attack Nodoka. Suddenly a flying pillow stopped Kanade's charge and stunned her.

"Kanade-san! Kaoru-san! I will be your opponent!"

Kanade picked herself up. "Ho…do you think you can take the both of us by yourself, Yuecchi?"

"It seems like she intends to try," Kaoru muttered. "I've never seen this side of Yue-chan before…."

As the two approached Yue, she successfully clocked them both over the head with pillows. There was an audible clonk from both strikes and they collapsed to the ground. Then she dropped the pillows, revealing the heavy books she had been holding. Nodoka stared in shock.

"That's no fair!" Kanade seethed as soon as she recovered. "Books are against the rules, Yuecchi! You can use pillows as much as you like, but nothing else!"

A new fierce mêlée ensued, and as Nodoka continued to stare and try to utter some kind of objection, Yue turned to her.

"I'll hold them here!" she barked. "Nodoka, you get through that door!"

"B-but…"

Then Akari and Kiami came around the corner. "Oh, this looks like fun," Kiami murmured. "It's my turn this time, Akari."

"Nodoka, go, now!" Yue pressed, shoving her that direction.

Almost against her will, Nodoka slipped through the door, and Yue slammed it shut behind her. Nodoka stared at it for a few seconds, worried. "Yue…." Then she shook herself, took a deep breath, and looked around the room.

There wasn't much to see, as dark as it was, but she could make out a still figure in a futon, and she could make out the rhythmic rising and falling of his chest. "Kain-sensei…" she murmured. She approached and kneeled down next to it, and saw that it was, indeed, the form of her familiar teacher.

"K-Kain-sensei…I'm sorry it had to be like this. But…I'm…happy, all the same…please…let me kiss you…."

She bent down to perform the deed, closing her eyes as their lips neared. Then she suddenly felt a presence around her, and opened her eyes in fear. She saw five new figures suddenly clustered around them.

"It's a kiss…."

"Is she going to kiss him?"

"Cool, do it!"

"I want one, too…."

"Kiss…."

There were five Kains staring at her expectantly.

And this was more than the poor love-struck girl could take. Shrieking in shock and panic, she fainted.

"What was that scream?" Kiami demanded, stopping in mid-blow.

"Nodoka!" Yue cried in horror, and rushed into the room.

"Honya-chan!" Akari bellowed, following her. "Are you all right?"

Nodoka was collapsed on the ground, incoherent. The window was open.

"He escaped out the window!" Kanade crowed. "After him, Kaoru-chan!"

Kiami walked curiously to the window and stared out after them. Akari looked back and forth between the fallen girl and the window before Kiami called her over. "Honya looks fine. Let's go, Akari."

"R-right…."

The two martial artists leapt out the window as Yue tried to awaken Nodoka.

"Nodoka! Are you all right? What happened?"

"S-six Kain-senseis…."

"What?!"

"Wow, what a twist and turn of events! It seems Nodoka was able to enter Kain-sensei's room, but she failed to get a kiss, and now Kain-sensei has escaped! And did we really see that? Were there six Kain-senseis? What is the meaning of this?"

"She's a great narrator, I'll give her that," Miki murmured. She turned to Caria. "Are you responsible for this, Cari-chan? Did Nanami-chan have you make robot copies of Sensei?"

Caria stared in shock, then shook her head. "No, I've never made Kain-sensei robots. Although it's not a bad idea…maybe a super cleaning maid robot, Hermione Kain-sama…."

"Nothing out of the ordinary," Kain said happily as he completed his rounds. "Well, I feel a bit better now, regardless. It seems every time I tried to find some time to get my thoughts in order today, something else happened. I better let Kamo know I'm okay now."

Then he sighed. "But I still don't know what to do about Miyazaki-san. She confessed to me…and I still don't know how to answer her. She's contrite and I hate to disappoint her, but…"

He sucked in his breath. "I'll just have to man up and do what's necessary. I'm sure she'll understand. She's a good girl…."

"It's been a long time since I was here," Kagome sighed happily as she walked outside with Tokine and Momo. "This is kind of like old times, isn't it?"

"Right," Tokine agreed. "I've kinda missed you while you've been away at Mahora. Both of you."

"Why aren't you a student at Mahora anyway, Tokine-chan?" Kagome demanded. "I'm sure, with your grades, it wouldn't be a problem for you…."

"Ah, I just can't," Tokine sighed, waving the question away. "I have my duty as the only heir of the Yukimuras…as one of the two great families serving the Higurashis, we have to stay at their side at all times…."

"But if Father had me go to Mahora, why couldn't he let you go, too, if you have to 'serve our family' so closely?"

"Well, that's my job," Momo tried to explain. "Old Japanese tradition is sometimes a bother in modern times, but that's the price we pay for our family names…."

"Oi! Tokine!"

The three ladies turned to see a young man, perhaps a year younger than them, with wild and unkempt black hair, approaching. "Well, it seems you're finally back," he grunted somewhat disapprovingly. He stared at Kagome and Momo as if just noticing them for the first time. "Is that…Momo-san and Kagome-chan? So you are back…."

"Yoshimori! You refer to Kagome-chan with the proper respect!"

"Why should I? I grew up with her, too. Why should only you get to be informal?"

Kagome giggled and interrupted the small spat. "It's nice to see you too, Yoshimori-kun. It's been a while. You're all grown up."

"Don't make it sound like I'm just a little kid," he snapped, but rather good-naturedly. He narrowed his eyes at Tokine again. "Come here, Tokine." Grabbing her by the arm, he dragged the protesting girl off a little ways.

"So, was it true that you guys were attacked?" he whispered urgently.

Tokine yanked her arm free. "That's right, not that it's any of your business. We handled it just fine. Don't worry about us, and attend to your own duties."

"Don't say that! This concerns the Sumimura family just as much as it does yours! Besides, what if…." He suddenly grew red and embarrassed. He coughed and tried to regain his manliness. "Look, it would be bad for us all if something happened to you. Or Kagome-chan. If this matter is as serious as the rumors say, don't you need all the help you can get?"

"We have all the help we need for now," Tokine replied coldly. "I told you, don't…."

"Ah, enough with that! Fine, be independent if you must, but I'll act on my own feelings, too. I'll keep an eye on you, and if I see any trouble, I'll join in, with or without your approval." Without another word the boy turned and stalked away.

Kagome watched him go as she and Momo approached Tokine. "He hasn't changed much," Kagome giggled. "Still trying to be an adult but acting like a little kid."

Tokine sighed. "Yeah," she agreed, somewhat sadly. She tried to brighten up. "Well, anyway, why don't we take a bath? The hot springs we have here are better than the ones at the hotel…."

Next, a fan service cameo of one of the uninterested students or perhaps Shizuna in the bath before returning to the action? No, not at this time.

Instead we have Hinagiku and Kazumi making their way cautiously through the dark corridors. "I'm surprised you're participating in a game like this, Kazumi-san," Hinagiku mentioned conversationally. "I didn't think you were the type."

"Eh?! W-well…I'm not, I mean…I wouldn't normally…but…."

Hinagiku stopped and looked at the girl. Kazumi returned the stare in surprise. The president smiled slightly. "But it's Kain-sensei, right?"

Kazumi blushed and started to stutter something, then stopped, hardened her face, and looked back at Hinagiku with defiance in her eyes. "Yes," she said with hardly a quaver. "Because it's Kain-sensei…."

Hinagiku couldn't help but admire her classmate. "You know it isn't appropriate for a teacher and a student to have a relationship," Hinagiku said softly as she turned and started moving again. Surprised, Kazumi hurried after her, trying to think of a reply, but Hinagiku was already continuing, "That's the problem with this whole mess of a game. Normally, your relationships and who you go out with and the like are up to you, but moral lines like that exist for a reason.

"Even so…you really like Kain-sensei, don't you Kazumi-san?"

"O-of course…don't you, Hinagiku-san?"

"W-what?!" Hinagiku yelped, and tried to get a hold of herself. "W-why would you think such a thing?" she demanded, blushing furiously.

"Ah, w-well…I don't know. It just seems that you…treat him differently…."

"He's a teacher! I just treat him with the proper amount of respect, that's all! Why does it have to be because I l-like him…."

"Because…he's so amazing, isn't he? I can't help but like him immensely. He…saved my life once…I think. I can hardly remember anything about it, you know, but I remember him holding me, I remember his face, like a storybook prince or hero. Maybe I'm just a silly girl, but…it's not only that, you know. He is kind and considerate, helpful, a brilliant teacher…he's someone who draws other people close to him, don't you think?"

"Well…maybe," Hinagiku muttered, scratching at her cheek in embarrassment. She glanced back at Kazumi, who was smiling somewhat dreamily. She sighed again. "You know, you make it very hard for me to maintain a proper attitude about the situation."

Kazumi blinked. "What?"

Hinagiku smiled. "I mean you make me want to cheer you on. I can't approve of your relationship while he's your teacher, but…well, you're still young. When we graduate and go to high school, he should remain behind to teach middle school, or perhaps he'll be sent to another school to teach. I don't know, but if that's the case, I think I'll support you, Kazumi-san."

"R-really? …T-thank you, Hinagiku-san!"

"Ssh!" They flattened against the wall and saw the twins running by.

"Why are we going this way?" Riku moaned.

"Apparently Kain-sensei escaped from his room 304! We have to find him before the other teams do!"

"He escaped?" Hinagiku muttered. "I didn't think he'd have the mental capacity to flee when faced with such danger. I suppose he's more alert to trouble than I thought. We'd better find him and convince him to end this…." She spotted another form move swiftly but unhurriedly by down the hallway a ways. "There! That must be him!"

Kazumi, however, saw a different shadow go by another direction, and, without thinking much, took off that direction…and so the alliance was unintentionally separated.

Yue laid Nodoka down in a spare futon. Considerate of the girl's sensitivities, she did not take the easy route and lay her in Kain's futon. "Just rest here, Nodoka," she murmured. "I'll find Kain-sensei and bring him back here." But first, I need to go to the toilet….

"Ah! Yue-san."

Yue stared. "W-what? Kain-sensei!"

Indeed, the young teacher came strolling into the room. "Perfect timing!" Yue chattered, growing perhaps a bit too excited. "Quick, I need you to…."

"Hmm, is Nodoka-san sleeping?" the boy replied, staring calmly at the dozing girl. "You're right…it is perfect timing."

"W-what?"

"I have something I wish to talk to you about…."

"I lost him," Hinagiku muttered. "Was that him? Where did he go?"

"Are you looking for me, Hinagiku-san?"

Hinagiku whirled and saw a smiling Kain-sensei approaching her. "Kain-sensei! What are you…?"

"I have a request, Hinagiku-san…."

Around the hotel, four other propositions were being made to four other girls, for a total of six….

"I'm sorry, Yue-san, but I have a request…may I…kiss you?"

"Would you kiss me, Hinagiku-san…?"

"Kazumi-san…shall we kiss?"

"Please, will you kiss me, Riku-san?"

"Akari-san, is it a kiss you desire…?"

"I shall be claiming your lips, Kaoru-san…."

The class watched in awe as six simultaneous confessions called for six kisses….

"What the hell is going on here?!" Riza demanded. "Which one is the real one? Or all they all real? This is crazy!"

"This is getting to be a lot of fun!" Izumi crowed.

Yue, however, was not amused. "W-what did you say, Kain-sensei?" she breathed, horrified.

"Please…may I…Yue-san?"

He began to approach, and Yue began to back away. Then she tripped and fell to her backside just next to Nodoka.

Hardly slowing, Kain stepped easily to her and leaned his face close to Yue's. "Yue-san…."

"J-just a minute…." A quick glance over her shoulder reminded her that Nodoka was sleeping right next to her, and that thought steeled her resolve and her shaken nerves. "I've completely misjudged you, Kain-sensei!" she said scathingly, letting the anger rebuke him. "Nodoka just confessed to you, and immediately afterwards you go after me? Tell me it's not true!"

"I'm sorry, Yue-san…but…I wanted to kiss you…."

"W-wha…?"

"So, what's really going on here?" Nanami growled to Kamo as she stared at the screen. "Did you plan this?"

"Well, not exactly. I thought something like this might happen, so I made clone-forms of Kain and imbued them with magic spirits…you could say they are to me what a Chihuahua is to a dire wolf. Small, insignificant cousins without much intelligence, in this case. I didn't expect them all to absorb enough humanity to become obsessed with a kiss, although, considering their limited mentalities, it's not surprising they'd get fixated on one idea….."

And another Kain was backing Hinagiku against a wall. "W-w-w-wait a minute, what are you doing, Kain-sensei?" she demanded in outright panic. "We can't do this! W-w-w-w-we're teacher and student!"

"But I still want to kiss you…."

Kazumi found herself frozen, unable to resist, unable to think about resisting, as a Kain pushed her lightly against the wall and brought his face to her.

"Ho, you're lucky, Akari," Kiami murmured approvingly as Kain approached her. "It seems Kain's approaching you."

"W-what?! T-that can't be right! I'm not ready, I-I'm not mentally prepared for something like this…."

"You can take down criminal gangs without blinking," Kiami teased, "but you're unprepared for a single young man armed only with his lips…?"

"Why you?!" Risa screeched, flailing her fists at her older sister. "Why is it always you?! I want to kiss Kain-sensei! Why does he say he wants to kiss you?!"

"M-maybe because you act like an animal! In any case, if you want to, take him already! I never said I wanted it!"

"Kaoru-san…."

Kaoru put her hand in Kain-sensei's face. "N-not quite yet, Kain-sensei, I-I-I want to, but I'm a young maiden…."

"If you don't hurry up, I'll take him from you here and now…." Kanade warned her venomously.

T-this can't really be Kain-sensei, can it? Yue thought desperately as she lay on the ground, frozen, Kain's face drawing ever closer to hers. S-something's very wrong here! This is way too sudden! Kain-sensei suddenly likes me? With my underdeveloped, child-like body? I'm not cute at all, I'm nothing compared to any of the other girls in this class, and I…and even supposing he did like me above all of them, would he suddenly confess and try and do this right after Nodoka confessed to him? Something isn't right….

This has got to be a trick done by Jinnai or maybe someone else, one of the Baka Trio…but…he looks so serious…I-I'm sorry, Nodoka…I can't….

At that moment, the only truly unresisting party, Kazumi, received her kiss from Kain. And then, after a moment of bliss, Kain exploded. Literally, into little sparkles of magical light. Kazumi collapsed to the ground, completely out of it and unlikely to awaken for any length of time.

Kain suddenly paused, his lips a mere breath away from Yue's. "Eh?" he demanded of no one, sitting up slightly.

Yue took advantage of his distraction and pushed away. As she scrambled to her feet, she saw that Kain's arms had distorted somewhat into an inhuman shape. "A-ha!" she screeched. "I knew it! You're not Kain-sensei, you imposter! I…I don't know what you are, but…!"

Nodoka sat up, blinking her eyes. "Wha…?" she murmured sleepily, and stiffened when she saw the distorted teacher. "What…?!"

Kain's arms returned to normal, and he fled from the room.

Meanwhile, the other pseudo-Kains had also noticed the disappearance of one of their members. They all froze in the act of kissing…Hinagiku, Riku (after Risa had tripped, knocking both sisters down and herself out by hitting her head on the wall), Akari, and Kaoru.

Hinagiku lashed out, knocking her Kain-sensei into the wall. He exploded into light. She stared after him. "Eh? What was that…? What's the meaning of this?!"

Riku gave a similar reaction, and similarly knocked the stuffing (or whatever it was) out of her assailant. The other two turned and fled, leaving Akari, Kiami, Kanade and Kaoru bewildered. Then, they all gave chase.

Matake and Chisame looked up and stared in shock as three Kains and a multitude of girls suddenly came charging into the room from all directions. Cue all sorts of comical stares, shouts, exclamations and a general rumpus. While a few girls wondered if they had gone to heaven, most concluded that Nanami had succeeded in rigging some incredible prank….

And then Narita came storming in. "What's this about?" he barked.

And he got a rude awakening and was knocked senseless when the three Kains charged through him to escape.

"He's getting away," Kiami noted. "It doesn't matter which one is real, just kiss one!"

"Wait a minute!" Hinagiku demanded, but in vain.

Kiami and Akari caught up to a Kain, and Kiami claimed his lips. He exploded, and the explosion stunned both martial artists. Yue and Nodoka, crouching over the slain Narita, watched in awe as Kaoru and Kanade caught up to the other two, delivered their own kisses, and saw them explode into light.

Meanwhile, the audience was hooting and hollering all the while, loving every minute of this insane debacle, until Nanami announced, "It seems all of the Kain-senseis were fakes! I guest this means the entire betting pool goes to me!" The cheers turned into jeers.

"W-what's going on, Yue?" Nodoka demanded, almost in tears at the strange confusion and exploding teachers.

"I don't know," Yue replied, moving to the hallway. "But I'm not too surprised, I guess. I doubt the real Kain-sensei would have anything to do with something as stupid as this! He must be somewhere else! We still have a chance to find him!"

But still…to have pushed me down like that…a teacher, a young man and an imposter to boot…I should tell Nodoka about it, but it seems so stupid….

"What's wrong, Yue?"

"N-nothing!"

They looked back to the entrance and spotted the figure of Kain-sensei, draped in his odd white cloak, entering the building. "There he is!"

"I'm back," he said automatically, in Japanese fashion, although there was no one there to welcome him. "Hmm…it seems somewhat noisy in here…."

Yue shoved Nodoka forward and into Kain's field of vision. As she meeped like a small rodent, Kain said, "Oh, Miyazaki-san…."

"Psst! The real one has arrived, Nanami-chan!"

The class ooohed in anticipation.

"Oh, um, about what happened this morning…" Kain began nervously.

Erika and Mai came walking in, but were unnoticed as they stared at the developing scene.

"Eh?! N-no, it doesn't matter…just as long as you heard it…."

"N-no, I have to properly respond," Kain insisted. "I know you might not want to hear…because, I-I'm sorry, Miyazaki-san…I can't answer your feelings just yet. I'm not sure how my own heart is, anyway. I mean, I like you, Miyazaki-san, but I like Mai, and Hinamori-san, and Higurashi-san, and Hinagiku-san, and Ayase-san and all the Baka Rangers, and the rest of the class too…I like you all as my students, as a teacher, no, I even like you all as friends, but I can't give you or anyone more than that right now. Besides, as a teacher, it wouldn't be proper…."

This is definitely the real Kain-sensei, Yue thought. He has that cloak, too. The fakes didn't have it. That thing must be special somehow….

"So…at least…I can start out as your friend…is that all right, Miyazaki-san?"

Nodoka stared for a moment, and then smiled beautifully at him. "Yes! Of course!" she enthused.

"I can't quite hear what they're saying," Matake sighed.

"They aren't taking any notice of us," Chisame muttered. The two of them were still squatting there in the foyer.

Nodoka had been wringing a small cloth in her hand the entire time Kain was speaking with her, and at that moment she dropped it. Kain saw the handkerchief fall and instinctively leaned down to grab it as it drifted his way. Yue saw a chance and stuck her foot out as Nodoka moved to grab it on her own, and tripped her friend. Nodoka fell, Kain looked up in surprise, and, whether by Deus ex machina or perhaps through a bit of help from some other means, their lips met.

Riku and Hinagiku had just re-entered the lobby at this point, carrying the dazed and unconscious Risa and Kazumi. Save for those who had been knocked out, every member of the class witnessed the kiss, but no one noticed the circle of light that flared up around the building, or the culmination of that light in Nanami's room. Of course, considering their shock and amazement, they likely wouldn't have noticed if they'd seen it, or even thought anything of it after the night's activities.

And so, as Nodoka and Kain pulled away simultaneously, red-faced, embarrassed and apologizing, pandemonium erupted in the viewers' hall.

"What a surprise turn! It seems the winner is Group 1's Miyazaki Nodoka! Congratulations, Honya!"

"Nodoka-chan won! I can hardly believe it," Riza marvelled. "Wait, did anyone even bet on her?"

Ami gave a slight giggle, and the room turned to her in surprise. "Well," she said softly, slightly embarrassed and holding up a bet marker, "you have to be loyal to your friends, don't you?"

Yue smiled her slight smile as Kain and Nodoka apologized repeatedly and the others approached the scene. Good for you, Nodoka.

And back in Nanami's room, Kamo celebrated with his new creation. "All right! Miyazaki Nodoka's card!"

"And a few bonus cards from the fake senseis," Nanami remarked. "Should be quite a haul, right?"

"Yes…but…oh…time to scram!" And Kamo vanished.

Nanami stared after him, and then her door slid open. Narita glowered down at her. "Erp…."

"Jinnai! I thought as much! So you're the ringleader behind this mess!

"And Kain-sensei! I can't believe that you'd play with your students this way! You, too! All of you! Squat until morning!"

And so, with mixed levels of anger, embarrassment, and relief, the twelve warriors, Nanami, and Kain squatted (kneeling in what the Japanese call seiza) in the foyer….

Author's Note: Character Introduction: Yoshimori Sumimura

Well, there it is. The hardest piece of this work that I will have to write, the insane kissing contest. As mentioned last chapter, this is a rather necessary ingredient in the progression of Nodoka's heroine storyline. Well, I'm sure I could have come up with some other excuse to forge a contract between Nodoka and Kain, but this was by far the easiest way, and even borrowing similar situations to the characters they replace, there are girls who will require a unique situation, and I'm having enough trouble coming up with those….

Yes, the kissing contest is insane, inane, and perhaps completely unnecessary, but it is one of Negima's grand little comedy arcs, and it has its uses. Like most of the little crazy things I put in this story. I had a few differences, including the expanded groups (six instead of five) so I could include some of my extras. It had a few things come out of it that I didn't expect at first—for instance, one of my wembles is over how much attraction Hinagiku currently has to Kain. As I have mentioned before, Hinagiku's affections mirror her feelings for Hayate in their original story, so eventually she's going to realize her own feelings for him. I created the dojo incident back during the Alyssa arc in order to have the turning point of her 'interest' begin to blossom into 'love'. However, I ended up stifling that here by having her connect with Kazumi Yoshida. As I mentioned in her introduction, Kazumi is a tough write because she's so similar to Nodoka. I increased that similarity by having her conversation with Hinagiku mirror Momo's talk with Nodoka. However, this is important because a) Hinagiku needs a best friend to be love rivals with that she starts out cheering on, à la Ayumu Nishizawa in Hayate, and b) Kazumi needs a bit of extra support to avoid being totally buried by Nodoka's presence. That's one of the most significant changes in this version of the kissing contest.

Now that it's out of the way, I'll stop teasing the audience with occasional battles and let the action go. Really, I promise.

In other brief notes, I had a few cameos and inside jokes in this chapter, such as Caria's idea for 'Hermione Kain' maid-bot. This is a reference to the manga Zettai Karen Children, in which a toy-making character (who also creates all sorts of replicas and such) creates a feminine robot version of the male protagonist, Minamoto, and calls it Hermione. The robot actually has a terribly evil personality, opposite of its original, but it retains his neat-freak obsessive-compulsive mothering habit and decides to punish everyone by cleaning so well they'll be ashamed a robot maid had to clean up after him. Naturally, he's a side joke character who actually has no bearing on the real story, but his presence is amusing.

Running out of characters to introduce; most of the class members left have major parts to play later on and can't be revealed until their past is unfolded (or starts to) as happened for Momo two chapters ago. So, I'll go ahead and introduce a character that, as early as last chapter, was not fully confirmed.

Most of the characters I've abducted from other anime have come without their beaus, for a rather obvious reason—it's hard to involve them with Kain-sensei if they have their own love interest, after all. And there's not much place in the story for strong male characters, at least not yet. However, Yoshimori comes to us as the hero of Kekkaishi, as Tokine's friend and love interest. Tokine is a (mostly) temporary character anyway, and there's no harm in having her background resemble her original. While they're in Kyoto, Yoshimori will also be around to help out. He somewhat reminds me of the hero of my favorite anime, Hibiki Tokai of Vandread—a brash, loud-mouthed and arrogant kid who drives you crazy for the most part but who nonetheless kind of grows on you. The legitimate successor of the Sumimura clan, he is a powerful kekkaishi who, despite being a year younger than Tokine and being rather behind in his technique and skill, is leagues ahead of her in sheer power and stamina and has great potential (like all shonen manga heroes). He won't live up to his main protagonist billing here, but he'll be a big help in the battles to come.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Chapter Five: The Kyoto Chronicles, Part IV: All-Out War in Kyoto

"Wow, that's amazing, Honya-chan!"

The class gathered around Nodoka, who was filled with embarrassment, but it was overridden by her pleasure at her new prize. The beautiful card she held in her hand resembled a tarot card, but had her own image on it. It showed her in her school uniform, but with a long jacket on and surrounded by floating books.

"Ah! Ah! Let me hold it!" Risa begged. Nodoka allowed her. "Ah…." Risa sighed. "I knew you got a card from kissing Kain-sensei! If only I could have gotten it! I need another chance…."

"It seems like you guys had fun last night," Kagome laughed. "I'm sorry I missed it…although I guess I don't envy the punishment you got…."

"It was pretty fun," Kiami added. "We should do it again sometime."

"It was fun," Akari agreed.

No way am I doing that again, Chisame thought. My feet still hurt….

Risa gave the card back. She was about to say something more, but Shizuna entered and clapped her hands to silence the class and attract their attention. "Okay class! Today, the third day is a completely free activity day! Go back to your rooms and get ready!"

"Hai!"

As they separated, Kaoru approached Nodoka. "You did great Honya-chan! But I won't lose next time!" Nodoka could only stutter in response.

Nevertheless, she was once again giddy as she made her way back to her room. Hehehe…I'm taking good care of this card! It's proof of my first k-k-kiss with Kain-sensei!

"Eh?" She was brought up short as she spotted Mai, Erika, Momo, Tokine, Kain, and Nanami tucked away in a corner.

"I can't believe you, Kain-sensei!" Mai waved the guilty evidence in one hand. "All these cards! All that nonsense last night! How are you going to take responsibility for this?"

"Er…."

"C'mon, Ojô-chan," Kamo pleaded. "It was all fun, and…."

"That's right," Nanami agreed. "What's the matter with making a little profit while helping you guys out in your little magic crusade?"

"Jinnai-san, you and that perverted ermine stay out of this!"

"Easy, Mai," Momo soothed her. "Regardless of what happened last night, I think Kain-sensei is as much a victim in this as anyone…."

"I have to agree," Erika said. "Why are you so upset about this, Mai?"

Mai flushed and muttered, "I-it's the principle of the thing! And I don't mean the kisses! I mean these!" There were five cards in her hand; deformed, childish looking ones of Kazumi, Kiami, Kanade and Kaoru, and one much more elaborate one of Nodoka. The latter card radiated a small amount of magic. "These four that kissed your…your clones seem to be harmless, but what about Honya? She's just a normal girl! We can't get her involved in all of this! Well, we can't do anything about the gift cards Jinnai-san and Kamo-kun handed out, but we absolutely can't make use of the master cards!"

"Well, no need to worry about that," Kamo laughed. "Apart from Nodoka-chan's, the rest of them are useless anyway, just little trinkets, although they're still valuable to certain collectors…."

"But, Mai, you're just a normal girl too…" Kain protested.

"Well, I wish I still was," Mai muttered. "I don't know how you can say that after all that's happened. And after all that's happened, I'd rather keep the rest of my classmates from being tainted by this as much as possible…."

"In any case, keeping everything on the down low should help keep your secret safe," Tokine observed. "I'd say, based on how things are going, Kain-san, it's best to slow down how often your students find out…."

"Well, I don't have any real argument with it…we should keep Nodoka out of danger," Kain agreed.

"Oh, that's too bad," Kamo sighed. "Looks like the ojô-chan has a pretty powerful card, too. Oh well. Maybe next time….

"In any case, Mai-chan, I guess it's finally time to tell you the rest about your own card. You'll probably need it before we're done with Kyoto."

"Eh? But, isn't it just useful for communicating?"

"And transporting, remember. But more than that, you can use it to call out your artifact at any time."

"Eh? Really?" Mai pulled her card out to look at it.

Tokiha-san has a card, too… Nodoka thought, watching carefully from around a corner. It's not just me…and…is that ermine talking?

"Yeah! Give it a try! Just hold it like this and call out something."

"Something? That's very descriptive…."

"Well, you can say almost anything as long as you are thinking about making it come forth. If you feel sophisticated, you can say 'Adeat!' which means 'come forth' in Latin. You can say something in English to be impressive, or use a word like 'manifest'! Whatever you use, stick with that, and it will come out."

"Ah…okay…Manifest!" The card disappeared, and Mai's rings flamed into existence. "Ah…it really appeared…." Then she remembered where she was and began to panic as she floated slowly upward. "Okay, now how do I turn it off?"

"Call out 'disappear', or 'vanish', or any appropriate kind of 'go away' type of word or phrase."

"Vanish!" The rings disappeared, and Mai dropped lightly to the floor, her card reappearing in her hand.

As the clustered group murmured over this new demonstration, Nodoka turned and slunk away. That was odd, she thought. I couldn't make out most of what they were talking about, but…. She looked down at the card in her hand. Well, why not try it out? She had heard that well enough….

"Manifest!"

To her surprise, the card disappeared. A warm light exploded around her, filling her and flowing through her, and a large book appeared in the air and settled into her hands. It was lighter than she expected. It was just like one of the ones on her card, expensive looking with gold etching and an exotic crown-like symbol. The word 'Diarium Ejus' adorned its face.

"Eh? Ah…it turned into a book…how mysterious…it's beautiful…and it's shining…."

She opened the book. To her surprise….

"The pages…they're all blank!" She flipped through them, a little disappointed.

Then words and images started appearing on the book. Fascinated, she watched it, observing the result….

'Wednesday, the 18th of April,' she read. "A picture diary?" she murmured.

The picture above the entry showed Nodoka and Kain engaged in a kiss…a kiss seemingly somewhat more romantic than what had actually happened last night. 'I kissed my beloved Kain-sensei yesterday. Kya! It was only by accident, though. One day, I would like to do it in a more romantic way….'

She flushed as she read. Th-these are…my thoughts…?!

"What's the matter, Nodoka?"

Nodoka turned her head in surprise. "A-Ami?"

"We're getting ready to head out. Yue's just behind me. Let's hurry, now!" She walked on, seemingly somewhat distracted.

Nodoka watched her go, then looked down at her book. A new entry had appeared on the next page. The picture showed Kain surrounded by girls, including Nodoka, Mai, and Kagome. Next to the same date was Ami's name in parentheses. 'Nodoka actually got her kiss with Kain-sensei yesterday. I am so proud of her, so happy for her! Still, I can't help this feeling of disquiet. Nodoka confessed to him, kissed him, and yet…what does he really think? Of her, and the other girls? He seems to be spending so much time around Mai-san, Erika-fukukaichô, even Hinamori-san now. It's suspicious….

'And speaking of suspicious, what about this trip? Frogs appearing out of nowhere on the train, water from the waterfall turning to wine, and now that kissing festival that had mysterious exploding fake Kain-senseis! Something is wrong with all of this….'

The entry of Ami's very rampant thoughts ran onto the next page. Nodoka was just finishing it when Yue called her next. "There you are, Nodoka."

"Yue…."

"You were standing there quietly all by yourself, so I wondered if Kanade-san or someone had one of their weird ideas…."

A new entry was appearing in Nodoka's book, and she looked at it in surprise. It was dated the same but marked with Yue's name, and it showed a picture of a stunned Yue lying on the ground, and Kain leaning over her, his face dangerously close to hers. 'Yesterday was an extremely troublesome day. Kain-sensei pushed me down right in front of Nodoka. I just couldn't believe how stupid and absurd it all was, and even now I worry about…'

Nodoka shut the book with a snap, shock and horror on her face. Yue regarded her questioningly.

"What's that book about, Nodoka?"

"Ah…n-nothing…this is…."

"Why are you hiding it? We're friends, aren't we? You don't have to hide a book from me."

A-a-a-ahh! Nodoka moaned inwardly. T-t-this book is a very bad book!

"Hey!" Ami suddenly called, looking back at them. "Hurry up and get ready! We're going with Kain-sensei today, right? We need to hurry up and get changed into our casual clothes."

"Right, right, don't rush…unlike you, I didn't get much sleep," Yue muttered.

Kain finished changing and stepped out of the room, the letter from the principal in his hand. "All right!" he declared. "Today is complete free time, no schedules or necessary activities, so I finally have time to deliver the letter!"

"And we better escape before anyone catches us," Erika noted, and grabbed his arm and pulled him away.

The two slipped by, vaguely hearing the girls milling in the foyer wondering about Kain's location. "Eh? Has he left already? I was hoping to tour Osaka with him!"

"Escape via the back door successful," Kamo chuckled as they made their way out of the building and onto the grounds. "As much as I enjoy their company, we can't be distracted by the girls today. We've got work to do today."

"Ah, I'm surprised you know what that word means," Erika jabbed. "Well, we can leave Higurashi-san to Yukimura-san and Hinamori-chan. We'll meet up with Mai and head to the Kansai Magic Association's main temple."

"Ah, yes," Kain enthused. "I've got the map right here…."

"Is it far?" Erika asked, looking at the map.

"I don't think so. Here, it should be easy to get to…just past here, and…."

"Right. Where are we meeting with Mai?"

They arrived at the bridge that marked the edge of the hotel's grounds, but Mai wasn't present yet. "Odd," Kain mumbled. "She should have been here by now…."

"Kain-sensei!" Ami called out.

Kain turned to see Mai approaching…flanked by Momo, Kagome, Tokine, Nodoka, Yue and Ami. They were dressed in casual wear, and Kain's first appropriate reaction was….

"Oh, what cute clothes!" Then he remembered the situation and grew flustered. "Mai!" he hissed after dashing in close enough to conspire. "Why are the others with you?"

"Sorry, Mizuno-san saw me leaving! It seems she suspected we'd sneak off together or something…."

"Kain-sensei, what are you doing here with Erika-san?" Ami asked sweetly. "Planning on running away together?"

"I'm not letting him out of my sight today," Erika growled, thinking quickly and grabbing Kain roughly by the collar. "After what happened last night, can you blame me? Things obviously go crazy when I'm not around, and I have my duties and dignity as the fukukaichô to think about."

That seemed to satisfy Ami, who continued, "I see you have a map there. Did you have somewhere to go? Plans? Can we come along?"

"D-d-doesn't group one have activities or plans for today?" Kain asked hopefully.

"Nope!" Yue declared.

"Kain-sensei, let's look around together!" Kagome insisted.

"Mai!" Kain hissed.

"Sorry, sorry! But all we have to do is lose them along the way, right? Momo and Tokine-san will help with that…."

"All right, let's go!" Kagome insisted again.

"Hmm, even the area near the hotel is nice," Momo noted.

"Yes," Yue replied, going into lecture mode, "the Arashiyama Sagano area has many places famous for their autumn scenery. It would be nice to come here during autumn."

Nodoka continued to stare at the cover of her book.

"Where are we going, Sensei?" Ami asked.

"Do you want me to guide you?" Yue offered.

"Eh…no, um…I'm just kind of interested in looking around…." Kain laughed a tad desperately.

"Any bright ideas about how to lose them, Mai?" Kain growled, sidling up to her again.

"Unnn…can't think of much besides trying to lose them in a crowd…."

Ami watched them curiously. "Mai-san…if it's not too forward of me to ask…."

"Eh? What is it, Mizuno-san?"

"You aren't…dating Kain-sensei, are you?"

Mai almost fell over in shock. "Hardly!" she screeched, her face the red of angered embarrassment. "He's our teacher, you know! Even I'm not that dense!"

"Right…right…sorry for disrespecting you…."

She turned away, then noticed one of the group was lagging. "Nodoka, hurry up! I know how it is to daze out with a new book, but…well…I guess I don't have the right to say much more than that…."

Kagome had found something of interest. "Hey! An arcade! Let's get a sticker photo together of our Kyoto trip!"

They dragged everyone off to the booth, and took several photos…Ami and Yue made Nodoka take one with Kain, and many other combinations rolled through it. In each of them, there seemed to be a tiny ermine in the corner making a face.

"There's something odd about these photos," Kagome muttered, although she regarded them happily.

"Must be your imagination," Yue replied.

Momo waved them over. "Hey! Come check this out!"

"We've come all the way to Kyoto and Momo's interested in the arcade?" Mai muttered. "Is this a rare thing for her…shinigami people?"

"Well, it's not a bad idea to play some games," Kamo pointed out. "If we all get playing, they'll be distracted! Play a few games, and you can slip out."

"I guess that's a good idea…Momo probably thought of that…."

"Kain-san, have you played many games?" Tokine asked.

"Erm, not really."

"Well, try this one out. It's the newest fighting game from the Comcap franchise. You battle with all sorts of wizards and the like."

"It's inspired from the card game we were playing on the train," Yue noted.

"Ah, okay…how does this work…?"

He seemed to gain a grasp of the controls rather quickly, and showed quite a bit of skill at defeating the computer opponents presented to him after only one failure. The girls watched him and cheered.

"Not bad. Can I give this a go?"

Kain turned in surprise as a boy his age walked up to the second player's position. He was slightly taller than Kain, which was unusual since Kain, while short for his race, was still an American. He had medium-length black hair pulled back in a ponytail, with only a pair of bangs on his right and left sides, dressed in a lightweight green jacket over a black shirt and black pants. He smiled at Kain slightly as he put a coin into the machine.

"Hmm…all right." Kain turned his attention back to the game.

The boy selected a swordsman as his character, and the two began their duel. The match was a greater struggle than any of Kain's computer opponents, but by the end of the round he had barely defeated his opponent. The students cheered.

"Not bad," the boy admitted with complete calm. "You're a worthy challenge after all. I don't get too many at this game."

Kain felt the game boiling his blood more than he had felt in a long time. "Is that so? Well, I'm thankful to be recognized."

"Let's see how it continues…."

The second round was also a struggle, but the boy surprised Kain with an amazing block and counterstrike when they were both at critical life. The third and final round, however, Kain was completely overwhelmed. Everything he tried was too slow, and his opponent countered every move he made.

Kain stared at the screen in shock. "Wow," he breathed. "That was…amazing…."

"You're really not bad yourself, especially for a newbie." The boy turned away. "You've got great fighting instincts, I'll tell you that. Unfortunately, that's all I have time for today. Keep on fighting…Kain Lockeheart." He started off.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Kagome seethed. "You can't just win and run!"

"H-h-how do you know my name?" Kain marvelled.

The kid pointed to the screen, where Kain's name was on full display. "You entered it yourself when you started playing. If you don't pay better attention than that, you'll never be a real fighter." He laughed lightly but good-naturedly, and waved as he departed.

"Tsk, he got away…" Kagome muttered.

Before he managed it, however, he bumped into Nodoka, who was still hanging back and not paying much attention. He managed to catch her as she fell and straightened her.

"Ah, watch where you're going, Ojô-chan," he admonished. "Wander in a daze like that, and you could get hurt. It'd be a shame for such a thing to happen to a cute girl like you." He then left the blushing girl behind.

"Well, let's give Mizuno-chan a go," Momo declared. "She's actually really amazing when she plays video games. The genius girl is a natural!"

"E-eh? But I…well…."

"C'mon, let's see it, Ami-chan!" Kagome insisted.

"I shall be your opponent, if you like," Yue offered. "I won't make it easy on you, Ami."

"All right, I'll give it a try…."

The four of them zoned into the game quickly, and Kain and Mai saw their chance. "We'll leave Kagome to you and Momo, Tokine-san!"

Tokine nodded. "Count on us."

"Let's go, Erika!" Mai grabbed the girl, who had been observing the arcade in a bit of a nervous daze. Truth be told, she wasn't used to places of human excitement and passion like this.

Nodoka, however, had been in such a state of confusion and shock all morning that she had almost become an afterthought to the rest of the group. They zipped past her without noticing…but she noticed them, and followed them out into the street.

"Okay, let's get that letter delivered and put a stop to this madness, Kain-sensei!"

"That's the plan!"

Meanwhile, the boy ducked into an alleyway and approached Kiriha Sarugaki. "Kain Lockeheart, just as I suspected."

Kiriha smiled slightly. "So…son of the Grand Archmage, just as the rumors said. He'll be quite a challenge for us…and his little girlfriends aren't bad either. This should be interesting…I'm gonna pay you back good for before, you little brats!"

And the camera pans to show the assembled enemy team…Kiriha, Kinue, Kairen, the boy, and another young man with a blank expression and dark, earthy hair.

The stage has been prepared….

"I want to thank you both for all the help you've given me," Kain said to the girls as they rode the train.

The looked at him in surprise, and then Erika smiled. "It's not like we're doing this all for you," she replied. "Well, we're not saying we hate you or anything, but we're determined to protect our classmates and stop this mad war between mages, just as you are."

"That's right," Mai agreed. "We should be thanking you for allowing us to help out with this."

"Hehe, you're welcome, Mai-chan," Kamo said. "If it wasn't for the contract, you'd be in big trouble right now…."

Mai flicked him lightly with her finger. "I don't want to hear things like that from you, Kamo," she said crossly. "You've almost been more trouble than you're worth." Kamo just laughed in reply.

Their stop arrived, and a few minutes later they were standing in front of the designated location. A large, traditional Japanese walkway adorned by wooden pillars wound up into the mountains.

"So…this is the land of the Kansai Magic Association's main temple?" Erika wondered.

"After all we've been through, it feels…sinister. It feels like something's going to jump out at us any minute…" Mai noted.

"There is an odd feeling in the air," Kamo growled. "I'd keep your guard up, kiddos."

"There's no one around, Mai," Kain pointed out, drawing his staff from his cloak. "Go ahead and bring out your artifact, just to be safe."

"Okay," Erika declared as they readied themselves. "Let's go."

They dashed into the grounds and pounded their way up the path, scanning side to side in case a sudden attack came. After a relatively short sprint they ducked behind pillars and looked around.

"Nothing seems to be happening," Mai concluded. "Are we safe?"

"Seems like it," Kain remarked. "I guess we might make it unscathed…."

"No," Kamo sighed, "something's already happened."

The two stared at him. "What?"

"Erika-chan's gone."

They looked around. It was true. "W-w-what happened to her?" Mai quavered. "Was she kidnapped while we weren't looking?"

"More like we were the ones captured. Try running ahead."

"What?"

"Just run further up the path, Mai-chan."

"Fine…."

Kain watched her take off, flying rather than running at a very low altitude over the ground. She soon disappeared from sight, but then he heard the whirring of her rings behind him and turned as she pulled herself up, confusion dominating her face.

"W-what's going on?" Mai wailed.

"We've been caught in an enclosed space, a magic loop," Kamo explained. "I think it was triggered to affect only humans, and it got me too because I'm in contact with Kain. That's why Erika-chan's not here. Whoever set this up—hard money says that it's Kiriha and her goons, of course—wants her separated from us for some reason."

"No! There's got to be a way out! We just have to out-think it!" She charged off into the woods to the path's right….

And flew right back to the path from the left. "What? Really?"

"Yes, Mai-chan, you can't beat it like that. We'll have to find another way out."

Nodoka, meanwhile, had followed them all this way. She wondered where they had run off to, and was brought up short by a 'no entry' sign barring the path into the temple grounds, a short distance from the entrance. Did they go in here?

"Where is Kain-sensei?" she said aloud.

She felt her book stir in her hands, and she opened it. It showed a new entry, featuring Kain's thoughts, and read 'Trapped in this magic space? Troublesome. We have to get out of here! Who knows what will happen to Erika if she was separated from us on purpose? And they might be going after Kagome! This is a bad situation!'

It happened again! Is this…what Kain-sensei is thinking and feeling right now? He seems worried! What's going on?

Meanwhile, Kain and Mai explored their prison. A small rest area with vending machines and toilets was within the closed space, so they were able to sit down and ponder their predicament. "How do we get out of this?" Mai wailed. "What's happening to Erika?"

Kain was deep in thought. He stood up and paced around, looking up in the air, staring at the ground, and muttering. Mai observed him cautiously. "What's up?"

"I might have an idea on how to escape from here. My cloak can distort time and space, like when I used it against Alyssa. This is a time/space trap, so it should be able to help me make a hole…I just have to find the focus points of the spell…."

"You're close to a way of escaping? Good news for me, since I can't let that happen…I'd much rather deal with you directly than sit around waiting."

The trio looked around in surprise, seeking the source of this new voice. Suddenly he dropped from the trees over head. It was….

"Y-you! From the arcade earlier today!" Kain stammered.

The boy raised his head and smiled. "Greetings again, Kain Lockeheart. It's time for a rematch, I think." He clenched his hand slightly, and a long katana appeared in his grasp. "With real weapons this time…."

Erika glanced around when Mai and Kain disappeared. She knew some magic was at work, but she didn't get much time to ponder and analyze the situation before a lilting laugh caught her attention. Kinue came walking out of the trees and met her on the path. "Good morning, Erika-ojô-sama. What a pleasure to meet you here at this time." She pulled her blades from the stick she carried. "Shall we dance together again?"

Erika gritted her teeth. "This again, Kinue? What do you want?"

"The feel of death, perhaps, the joy of cutting? Some would say I'm less human than you are, perhaps. Maybe they're right. I don't feel as other humans do. I have…different emotions. Emotions that only the sword, and blood, and death can assuage. Now, no more talking, Erika-ojô-sama…now the only communication we need is the blade."

She leapt at Erika, swords flashing. Erika repelled them and leapt back, then looked up, her eyes red and aflame.

"You're right, Kinue-nee-san. The time for talking is over."

"I can't believe they ditched us," Kagome sighed. "Where'd they go, anyway?"

Ami wouldn't admit it—not to Kagome, at least—but since Nodoka had vanished alongside Erika and Mai, she didn't feel too put off this time. Yue was of the same opinion.

"What's up, you guys?" a voice called out. The group turned to see another five girls approaching: Yukari (who had spoken), Kazumi, Matake, Nanami, and Sakura.

"Gaming, huh?" Yukari continued. "Can I join in?"

"I thought you were going to be with Kain-sensei this morning," Sakura mentioned to Kagome as Yukari and Yue started their game together.

"We were, but it seems he slipped out." Kagome, standing with her arms crossed, drummed her fingers on her side. "He's been acting odd even since we arrived in Kyoto. Mai, too, and…." She risked a glance sideways at Momo, who was heading outside.

Momo sighed as she left the building. She couldn't shake the feeling of dread she was getting. It was going far too well; despite all their fears, they had only faced one attack yesterday—against Erika, and apparently from a personal vendetta more than the mission to kidnap Kagome. If anything was going to happen, it was going to be soon.

Oh. But not that soon…really?

Momo looked through the crowd and saw the purple hair and blank expression that had confronted her two nights ago. She had been called Kairen, and had taken Kiriha away before she could capture her.

Momo stared at her. Would she dare to attack Kagome here? Quite possibly…Momo felt that if any of Kiriha's forces were anything like the Kinue girl Erika described, they wouldn't care about the innocent bystanders.

She ducked back inside. Tokine looked over in surprise, then met her and listened to her whispered warning. She thought for a moment, nodded, and then the pair approached Kagome. "Kagome-chan! I just thought of something great to see. Let's go!"

The two grabbed her arms, and, over her protests, pulled her away.

Yukari and Yue, surprised, looked up from their game, and the rest of the present class looked over in confusion as well. Sakura watched them go, and then turned to her classmates. "This seems interesting. Shall we follow them?"

If we can lose everyone, we can get to a place where at least they won't be in danger, Momo thought. I hope Tokine's idea is a good place….

"So where are we going?" Kagome demanded, having decided to bear out whatever her ambitious friends had planned.

"Remember this place, Kagome-chan?" Tokine replied, pointing.

Kagome looked. "Oh, Cinema Town. Yes, we always wanted to come here when we were young, didn't we?"

"Let's go check it out," Momo insisted. "I've never had a chance to visit it before!"

They entered the amusement park, and Tokine noticed the changing room. Tourists visiting 'Cinema Town' could dress up in various costumes in order to better experience the art of great escapism. "Let's try something on!"

It was a good idea, Momo had to admit. When they moved to their own changing rooms, she was able to take a gikon, substitute soul pill, which kicked her spirit body out of her gigai. Advising her physical body to lie low and stay out of sight, she headed out and kept an eye out for their pursuers.

There was no sign of Kairen. She looked around, carefully, seeking danger in every face, in every figure. Still, nothing. Did they actually lose their enemy?

"Momo! There you are!" Kagome slapped her on the back.

Momo started. "K-Kagome! You can see—uh, sorry, I was distracted…." She instinctively wanted to ask the question, but realized it was pointless before it came fully out. It was strange—true, she was a mage descendant, and one with measurable power, but it took more than a bit of magic potential to see shinigami. Normally, especially in the human world, it took a well-trained mage to see a shinigami's spirit body…..

"Hey you guys! Looking good." Tokine had been following Kagome, and now Sakura, Ami, Yue, Nanami, Yukari, Matake and Kazumi emerged from the dressing room as well. All were dressed now, by some unspoken agreement, in Japanese clothing. Most were dressed in traditional kimonos; Kagome was dressed as a miko, an ancient Japanese shrine maiden, while Tokine had found Buddhist priest clothing approximating her own traditional kekkaishi outfit. Sakura had an elaborate noblewoman's kimono complete with umbrella that seemed quite extravagant, even for Cinema Town.

"That's an interesting kimono, Hinamori-san," Yue remarked. "I don't really recognize it. What time period is it from?"

"Eh…it's called a shihakushô," Momo replied nervously, trying to figure out why she was visible in broad daylight like this.

"Nice sword!" Yukari remarked. "It looks real authentic."

Before Momo could reply to that, a sudden snort sounded and a coach pulled by horses drew up level with the group. Momo froze as she spotted Kairen, dressed as…well, wrapped in black with a face mask, like a cinematic ninja, in the driver's seat. The door of the coach opened and Kiriha stepped out, dressed in a very low-cut kimono with a fan in her hand. She snapped it shut and pointed it at Momo. "Samurai! The time has come for you to repay the debt you owe me! If you have not the coin, never fear…I shall simply take your daughter instead!" She pointed the fan at Kagome.

Daughter? thought the assembled onlookers. To their eyes, Momo appeared more youthful than even Kagome did….

"Making her a miko will not save her from your debt! Be ready to pay your dues!"

"What's this about?" Matake muttered.

"Ah, Cinema Town has actors that spontaneously get the visitors involved in their acts," Yue explained. "It's all very well-scripted."

"Oh, sounds neat," Yukari said brightly.

Momo gritted her teeth and placed a hand on her sword. Well, it's not so bad for us that she's chosen the cover of Cinema Town to attack us, but I can't help but worry that this might be part of a bigger plot. "I refuse to bend to your mad schemes anymore, Ona! The only thing you will receive from my hand is my blade!"

"If you don't leave us alone, we'll make you pay!" Tokine agreed.

"Oh, quite the arrogant and overconfident bushido you are," Kiriha laughed. She pointed. "Well, if you wish to settle this, the stage of that courtyard will work best. Come, then, unless you will choose to flee like an honorless coward." She stepped back into her carriage, shut the door, and the caravan drove off.

Momo was startled at the clapping behind her. She turned and stared at her classmates. "Excellent, Hinamori-chan!" Yukari enthused. "I never knew you were such an actress! No wonder you guys decided you wanted to visit this place so much!"

Sakura looked coyly between Tokine and Momo. "I bet you guys set this up, didn't you? Yue-chan says that this happens on occasion, but you two were way too serious about this. Do you know these people?"

Silence fell as the group stared. Then Tokine began to laugh someone sheepishly and then coughed. "A-ah, well, we r-really shouldn't talk about this while the scene is still going." She turned to Momo. "We better go meet them for the battle, right, Momo-chan?"

"R-right."

They didn't enjoy going into battle with the happy-go-lucky class behind them, but at least they should be able to do battle without getting them involved or worrying about their secret being revealed….

Kain pulled his sword out of his cloak and blocked the boy's strike. "You—you're the boy from the arcade! Who are you? Why are you doing this?"

"You can call me Kenjirô," he replied, showing mercy on the poor narrator. "I'm a swordsman—and I enjoy matching my blade with worthy opponents. That, to me, is life and purpose. I don't care much about what my allies want—I just needed the opportunity to fight you, Kain Lockeheart!"

Mai, bedecked in her swirling rings, came descending on the swordsman from behind, but he ducked and rolled away just in time. "I'm not interested in fighting you, Ojô-chan," he muttered. "I prefer not to fight women…."

"Don't give me that!" Mai snapped. "If you attack one of us, you'll be fighting both! We're partners here, and we've got a mission to fulfill; we can't stand around here just because you're some battle-crazed idiot!"

Kenjirô smiled slightly and reached a hand into the inner folds of his jacket. "You've got a point," he agreed. "That's why Sarugaki-san prepared me with these. They should keep you busy while I fight to my heart's content." He drew out three strips of paper and threw them at Mai. They transformed en route, exploding into three large oni similar to the ones Kiriha had summoned two nights previous.

"What? These guys again?" Mai moaned. They immediately attacked her, and when Kain moved to stop them, Kenjirô appeared behind him, forcing him to break off his assault. As Mai tried to fly in to aid him, the oni struck again, forcing her back and away.

"Now, let's settle this properly, as men," Kenjirô breathed, and lashed out.

He was good, Kain had to admit. Based on sword skill, he has certainly Kain's superior, and better even than the kendo experts in his class. His speed and strength were also equivalent to what Kain could manage with his usual spell boosts.

Still, if this was all he had, he wasn't much of a threat. Kain parried a thrust but with only a little leverage, forcing it up only slightly and letting it slide across his left shoulder. He grimaced slightly at the pain, but then rammed the boy in the stomach with his staff, forcing him back. As Kenjirô staggered, he charged energy at the staff's tip, and then released a swarm of magical bolts that leapt towards his foe.

Kenjirô leapt back and away, retreating, but the missiles pursued him unerringly. Finally he stood his ground and swept his sword up to meet the attacks as they reached him. A small explosion engulfed him. When it ended, his long hair was now out of its pony tail and standing up slightly—it was also pure white. Kenjirô looked up with eyes that were now golden and almost bestial, with vertical irises. "Not bad, Kain Lockeheart," he admitted. "I didn't think you'd make me reveal myself so quickly."

Kain blanched. "W-what are you?"

"I'm a hanyô—a half-yôkai. My mother was human, but my father was a Sword Demon, a rare but powerful being whose yôki, or demonic power, existed in his soul blade. I have inherited that power." He raised his own sword. "We're perhaps not a pleasant people, but this is the only way we know how to live—by fighting and improving our swords and our skills."

Kain readied himself for another attack. "So why are you determined to fight me?" he demanded. "I'm not much of a swordsman myself, to be honest. I'm mostly a self-taught fighter in general, and I don't have a lot of experience."

"Maybe. But you're the son of Kalan Lockeheart. That should count for something. Are you ready? Here I come…."

Kenjirô came in again, stronger and faster. Kain was hard-pressed to keep up with his attacks now, let alone counter with an attack of his own. Kenjirô struck high, forcing him into a cross parry above his head, then lashed out with a kick, sending him flying into a tree just off the path. Kain impacted, gasping as he bounced, and just managed to duck as Kenjirô's sword came in. The blade cleaved into the tree at head high, going halfway in, and as Kain prepared to make use of this opening, he whirled back around, pulling the sword free with ease. Kain blocked the strike that came next, but it was a feint, and his opponent withdrew the sword again and cut upwards, slashing Kain across his torso. He staggered backwards, but no blood was yet drawn—he fell to one knee, however, breathing heavily.

"Pretty impressive magical shield," Kenjirô congratulated him. "To be honest, I'm surprised it's holding up that well against this blade of mine. Still, this is somewhat disappointing…I thought you'd at least be able to fight back a little better…."

Nodoka stumbled around, somewhat lost. W-what should I do? she thought. What should I do? Kain-sensei and Tokiha-san are in trouble, and they need help!

"But, where are they?" she wondered aloud. Then she realized something. "Wait! I can use the book again! If I just call out Kain-sensei's name, I'll be able to read about what he's thinking and feeling right now, right? That's how it seems to work. Let's see…."

She tried her experiment, and, sure enough, she opened the book to find it writing for itself. It showed a strange white-haired boy with a sword sending Kain flying. 'He's too strong! Is this guy really only half-demon? I don't have time to use any kind of spells or anything, I…I can't….'

Nodoka sat down on the path and continued reading, a combination of fascination and horror running through her. Is this really what's happening to Kain-sensei right now? She turned the page, where another picture formed to accentuate Kain's thoughts on his receiving a drubbing. It's like a light reading adventure novel aimed at kids!

"Oh, and Tokiha-san might be able to help, but she's stuck fighting those three weird ogres! And now he's lost her in the fighting! If only they could work together…do your best Kain-sensei!"

Meanwhile, the camera shows, behind her, Kain bouncing through the trees and struggling to get his feet under him as Kenjirô moves in pursuit. Nodoka fails to notice the action for some time as she continues to read…although the combatants, with other things on their mind, don't spot her, either.

Still, Nodoka finally noticed the strange sounds, just in time to turn and miss them as they again left the sight of our camera. Obviously, when she got into reading, she lost all track of her surroundings.

Mai struggled with the ogres for some time, dodging and weaving like a small bird as the ogres flailed at her with their large smashing weapons.

She gritted her teeth as she flew up and out of their reach. "Kain's in trouble!" she muttered to herself as she watched the three fiends. "I don't have time to play around like this…but can I take them on my own…?" She slapped her face. "No, I can't think like that. I can take them. I know it. I just have to try…." She stared at them again, steeled her resolve, took a deep breath, and charged in.

She threw fire out in front of her which the first oni blocked with his club, but she weaved around it, hardly slowing, and unleashed a few more blasts right into his face. As he staggered back, blinded, she charged at the second one, which was already moving to intercept her, and dodged around its club and slammed a fist into its stomach. To her surprise, it staggered and seemed to waver, and she flew up and kicked it in the jaw. It fell over, disintegrating into thin air almost too easily. She then flew in at the third at her maximum speed, actually slamming into it, and it, too, toppled like a tree and disappeared before it hit the ground. She turned towards the first oni, which had finally recovered, and fired a big stream of fire at its hand. It dropped the club in pain, and again Mai rushed in. She wasn't sure why, but against these things, her fists seemed to be far more effective than her flames, and with another mighty punch she dispelled the magically summoned creature.

She felt a small measure of satisfaction and relief, but suppressed it quickly. She still had work to do. It wasn't hard to tell Kain and Kenjirô's location from the sound of the blades crossing, and she flew in their direction.

Kenjirô knocked Kain down and was about to deliver a mighty overhand swing for a possible coup de grace when Mai flew in, grabbed Kain, and flew out without a pause before Kenjirô could even bring the sword down. "Hey, wait!" he demanded, charging after them, but even his speed couldn't match Mai at this full retreat.

Nodoka gasped as the two suddenly went blazing through the air above her and disappeared into the trees on the opposite side of the path. Nodoka stared after them, and then looked down at the book in her hands. Well, it was definitely working. "At least they got away," she muttered. "Oh…maybe I should run after them? But…."

She heard breathing and mild cursing behind her and started. Suddenly recalling something else useful she'd heard that morning, she muttered "Vanish," and sure enough the book returned to being a card. She pocketed it and turned just as Kenjirô came stomping out of the woods and back onto the road. His hair was back to being black and he was staring around with his normal, human eyes, although he was still holding his sword. Then he spotted Nodoka. "Oh, you're that ojô-chan from the arcade," he said, half-hiding the sword. "What are you doing here?"

"Y-you're from back then…."

Damn…did she follow me? Kenjirô wondered. Aloud, he said, "You can't be here! Didn't the sign outside say, 'No Entry'?"

"Eh…ah…s-s-sorry…."

"Well, it can't be helped," Kenjirô sighed. "Anyway, it's dangerous around here right now, so you should stay put, okay?"

Eh? Dangerous…?

"I'll undo the trap and let you out later, Ojô-chan," he continued. "Stay here and out of trouble until then, please." He turned to go.

Trap?! Then…this boy is…yes, there's no mistaking it! His hair seemed different in the picture, but he has that sword…he's definitely the boy who was beating up Kain-sensei! W-what should I do? What should I do?!

"Ja ne!" Kenjirô called as he started away.

"Ah! Wait!"

Kenjirô turned back in surprise. "Hmm?"

W-what should I do? Nodoka wondered, panicking. What can I do? I have to do something, but….

Maybe it was just her imagination, but the card in her pocket suddenly seemed to grow hot, and she came to her realization.

"Um…my…my name is Miyazaki Nodoka," she stated. "What's yours?"

He stared for a moment, then smiled. "Well, I suppose it would be rude of me to go away without saying after you introduced yourself. I'm Kenjirô. Hanatabi Kenjirô. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

He then turned away again. "Later!" he said again, and bounded off.

She stared after him. "Hanatabi Kenjirô-san…he doesn't really seem like a bad guy…but…sorry…I can't let you hurt Kain-sensei anymore….

"Manifest!"

Erika turned her head slightly. There was definitely something strange in the air, some odd magic happening behind the dimensional wall….

"So, you feel it too?" Kinue teased, dashing in again with a head-height slash.

Erika ducked under it and grabbed Kinue's arm, using her momentum in a perfect jujutsu throw. Kinue, however, recovered herself and shifted her momentum in mid air, landing gracefully some distance away. "Not bad, Erika-ojô-sama. Worried about your precious little sensei?"

Erika scowled. "I thought the time for talking was over."

"Oh, just being nice. He's probably not doing so well. The boy who's after him is as strong as I am…probably. Maybe stronger. He's a hanyô, but I hear his demon parentage is extremely strong…."

Erika dashed in this time, and Kinue widened her eyes in surprise. She deftly but only barely dodged Erika's savage strikes, once, twice, thrice, and then she retreated back into Erika's suddenly extended foot, causing her to fall. A sweep of Erika's right arm threw her fully to the ground, and then Erika came driving in with her other hand, the mana almost streaming off of it.

Kinue managed to flip over, once again barely avoiding the strike, and used her momentum to flip away several times before landing on her feet a safe distance away. She stared at Erika, who, her arm in the ground almost to the elbow, slowly withdrew her hand and rose back to her feet. Her blood-red eyes glistened at Kinue.

Kinue smiled again. "That's much more like it! That's how a vampire should look! Full of bloodlust and intent to kill. Tell me, is this sudden show of ferocity all on behalf of your precious little sensei?"

"Don't patronize me. I've just finally decided that I can't let a monster like you keep living to threaten my friends!" So declaring, Erika charged in again, and Kinue, smiling even more widely, moved to meet her in response.

"So, I see you've come to meet our challenge," Kiriha crowed as the costumed girls approached. "I commend you for the courage to stand and face me instead of running away."

Kiriha stood, gloating, an action she was born for, while Kairen stood next to her, still expressionless, in the middle of a large courtyard. They were in the ancient Japan section of Cinema Town, hence the abundance of archaic wear, and this terrain seemed to be a type of large town square. A few people wandered about, but they moved out of the way and looked with interest at this bit of theater. With nothing around except the large sakura tree rising form the center of the plaza, it was an ideal place to start a fight.

Momo put her hand on her sword. "Don't think you'll get away with any of this. We'll stop you right here and now; we won't let you use Kagome for any of your schemes."

She flushed and sighed with embarrassment as her audience once again applauded her acting.

"Hoho…well said," Kiriha laughed. "Well then, shall we get this started? I don't have all day, you know."

"Allow me," Tokine said. "Ketsu!"

Kiriha's eyes widened in surprise, but she dodged backwards before the translucent green cube of energy had finished forming around her. Momo charged in, drawing her sword, but Kairen was suddenly in her path, catching Momo's sword upon a collection of talons that she wore over the fingers of her right hand. Kairen pushed Momo back, and Momo went almost straight up into the air.

Kiriha, meanwhile, was moving back quickly, and drew a few more prayer strips out of her robes. She flung them at Tokine, and they transformed en-route into a swarm of monkeys. Tokine, however, simply encased them all with her kekkai and exploded them with a "Metsu!"

High above the terrain, Momo raised her sword. "Snap, Tobiume!" She flung a fireball from the transformed sword downward, and it exploded over the form of Kairen. She wasn't too surprised, however, when Kairen suddenly appeared behind her and slashed with her claws. Momo turned in time to block the blow and, after the clash, again retreated some distance, using the very air as a purchase as she readied a spell. "Bakudo number 63: Sajô Sabaku (Chainlink Chain Bonds)!" The stream of golden chains snaked out at Kairen, but she extended her left hand, and the chains disappeared in to the glowing purple mass.

The students below stared in shock at the battle raging before them. "Quite amazing," Sakura murmured, still seemingly cheerful and pleasant, her default state of being. "This has been well-prepared. Cinema Town has some impressive special effects, doesn't it?"

"Y-yeah," Yue agreed. Special effects? Well, it must be, but…I've never heard of anything like this! Is this really just a performance…? O-of course it can't be real….

Mai dropped Kain to the ground and the two remained, panting, for some time, Mai standing and Kain lying on the ground. After several moments, Kain whispered, "Thanks, Mai. You're a real life saver."

"N-not a problem." She straightened up and absentmindedly slapped at dust on her skirt. "Why were you in such trouble?" she demanded. "You beat Alyssa, and she's supposed to be some big demon monster, right? Why is this kid causing you so much trouble?"

"Er…to be honest, Alyssa was really going easy on me," Kain muttered. "If she'd been real serious, she probably could have killed me at any time. I beat her with a real tricky spell I'd spent all day preparing, and even so it barely worked. This time…I don't have terrain advantage."

"Sounds like you're trying to make excuses, Kiddo," Kamo declared, appearing again. "Still, you're right—this kid's not gonna be easy for you to take down."

"You always seem to appear and disappear at convenient times," Mai accused.

"So sue me, I'm not a fighter, Sosumi! Ah, the joke doesn't work in Japanese, despite it sounding like a Japanese name. Revenge!"

Mai stared at him, but he continued, "In any case, our best bet might be to find a way out of this dimensional space and check on Erika. If we can get her help, we can probably take him down real easy…."

"No." Kain stood up and brushed himself off. "We take him. I've got an idea."

"Oh, really? Well, I hope for your sake it's a good one. You can't take much more of this…."

"I'll be fine, now that I've had a moment to think. He's coming. Let's get ready. Can I count on you, Mai?"

Mai recoiled in surprise. "Who do you think you're talking to? Of course you can!"

"Right. Let's go."

The three hopped out of the bushes and headed back up the path. Along the way, Kain explained his plan to Mai.

"That's crazy! You can't think it will work…."

"It's risky, I'll give you that," Kamo agreed. "Are you sure it'll work?"

"I'm sure I won't be able to beat him any other way," Kain replied. "He's too fast and too strong. Even with this, I'll be hard-pressed to keep up…."

"Ah, there you are. Finally decided to come out and play?"

Mai and Kain froze in their tracks and stared at Kenjirô. He once again let his hair go white and pointed his sword at them. "Are you finally resolved to see this through, Kain?"

Kain raised his own sword in reply, held in his left hand. "Ready as I'll ever be."

Kenjirô frowned as Mai also readied herself. "I told you I'd rather not fight women, Ojô-chan. And really, Kain, what kind of man lets his woman do his fighting for him?"

Mai reddened at that, but Kain replied easily, "You have your rules, we have ours…and among other things, I don't think I have to take any lectures on honor and manliness from someone who fights by trapping people inside a maze."

He shrugged. "Well, I can't respond to that. Fine, then…let's begin…."

Mai charged in first, flying above Kenjirô and dropping flames on top of him. He dodged aside and raised his sword to meet Mai as she drew close. Mai withdrew as the sword came at her and raised her shield; Kenjirô's sword met the field and, after a second of strain, tossed her aside. She bounced off the ground and into a tree like a bad pinball.

Kain dashed in while Kenjirô was distracted and began to exchange sword blows with him. To Kenjirô's surprise, Kain was faster and stronger than he was before.

"Not bad," he declared as the two battled. "You've improved somehow. What's up?"

Kain didn't reply, but Kenjirô's acute senses detected the faintest phantom of the power flowing between his two opponents. "I see…it's that contract you two have. How much mana does it drain?"

Kain wasn't actually sure how long it would last, which was one of the reasons he wanted to avoid using it more than necessary and didn't rely on it immediately. Mai came racing in again, and Kenjirô was forced to withdraw as she threw more blasts of flame at him.

Kenjirô also saw another point of power in Kain's right hand, however. "So this is your strategy…let the girl distract me so you can hit me with your best spell? Not a bad idea…but it's not gonna happen."

He slashed at Mai, and a wave of slicing energy raced towards her. She blocked it with her shield, but the next instant he was above her, drawing another slip out of his clothes. A cascade of bar-like energy beams descended on Mai, pinning her to the ground.

"That one should hold you for a while," Kenjirô muttered. "As much as I'd enjoy playing with you longer, it seems your insistence on ganging up on me doesn't give me time." He raced in again at Kain.

Kain met his sword strikes, parrying, jumping under a low cut, knocking aside a third strike and ducking under the next sweep. Two more swings, and he forced Kain to stumble back and jumped in the air, bringing his sword down in a massive, mighty swing.

Kain dropped the sword from his hand, then reached out with that hand and caught the blade. Kenjirô's eyes widened in shock. Blood trickled from the wound, but Kenjirô stood there, frozen, his hands on his sword and Kain holding that blade in his hand.

"W-what…" he managed, but his speech was slurred and hard in coming. He was completely paralyzed. He could only look down as Kain raised his right hand, a ball of churning black-red energy held within. Kain smiled slightly before he put it to Kenjirô's stomach and fired it point blank.

Black-red fire shot through Kenjirô's torso. His skin whitened and he convulsed slightly from the shock of the attack, and when Kain finally released his sword, he staggered backwards before collapsing.

"W-what was…that…?" Kenjirô growled, struggling futilely to raise himself. "How…did you get me…?"

"I've made a bit of study of demons," Kain explained as Mai, already free from her own magic bonds, came over with a mix of wariness and relief. "More mazoku than yôkai, to be honest, but I know a lot of magic. You said that you inherited your sword powers from your father, right? As a sword demon, your sword is a part of your soul, kind of like Hinamori-san and other Soul Reapers. I figured I could use that to cast spells affecting your spirit through it…."

"You risked grabbing…my sword…just to try that out…?"

"You didn't leave me much choice. You're faster, stronger, and more skilled than I am…an ideal situation would have been to let Mai fight you and then hit you with some of my big artillery spells the first chance I had, but I figured you'd continue to try to negate her so you could get to me. As fast as you are, I couldn't rely on trying to get a hand on you myself, nor could I try to rely on getting a lucky shot with my doom bolt…the best way to touch you was through your sword."

"That was great, Kiddo," Kamo remarked, hopping onto Kain's shoulder. "You've done real well. Now, Mr. Swordswinger, why don't you tell us how to get out of here, since we won fair and square?"

Kenjirô gave a low chuckle. "Won? No…I don't think so…not yet…."

Demonic energy began to explode outward from Kenjirô and he rose to his feet, enveloped by a black whirlwind of energy. His hair was now whiter and longer, going halfway down his back, while his skin had become bright red. His eyes gave off a glow, now, seeming to cast a reflecting shadow on his personal demonic tempest.

"W-what the heck is this now?" Mai moaned. "He's still not done?"

"Your attack was magnificent, Kain," Kenjirô noted. "But I forgot to mention something…my father was of the highest class of yôkai, one of the great lords of Arcanus Myrror, and I've inherited all his power. I can call upon the full demon power in my blood." He raised his sword again. "I took round one, you did well on round two, but this is the final round, round three. Are you ready?"

"Wait a minute!" Kamo barked. "Even if you have demonic power, your body is still partially mortal. You're hurting yourself even worse calling it up like this. Stand down!"

"Shut up, hamster. I'm not here to talk to you. I'm here to fight Kain, and take the best that he can throw at me. Can you take my best, Kain? Let's find out!"

Mai moved to intercept the rush and put up her shield, but Kenjirô swatted her aside with one swing. Kain, calling once again on all the powers he could manage, scooped up his sword again and blocked Kenjirô's next strike. They danced for a few more seconds, but it was obvious that Kenjirô was now far above him. Even with his power, he relied mostly on his speed, Kain realized…but even knowing that didn't help him any. He couldn't keep up with the quickness of the monster. He blocked a couple of the strikes, but more were getting through. If only I knew where he would strike next… he thought. If only I had some way of knowing how he'd attack….

"Kain-sensei, to your left!"

Kain, moving automatically, blocked the strike coming in from his left side. Kenjirô, surprised, disappeared again.

"Above you, Kain-sensei!"

Again, Kain's sword moved as soon as he heard the words, meeting and deflecting another savage strike. Again Kenjirô vanished, frustrated.

"Behind you this time!"

And this time Mai moved and intercepted the attack first in response to the advisement, sending Kenjirô sailing with a flying kick. He flipped around in midair and hit the ground on his feet, causing grooves in the earth as he skidded for a distance. He stared at the two, and then all three turned to look at the speaker. There, of course, stood….

"Nodoka?!"

"Honya?! W-why are you here?"

Her? Kenjirô narrowed his eyes at the girl. I thought she was just a normal person…she didn't feel like she had any magical power. How's she predicting my moves…?

Kain saw Kenjirô staring at the girl and leapt into action. Kenjirô, surprised, ducked the first sword swing and blocked the second. "Hey, hey! Suddenly, so eager, Kain? What's the matter? Got your gumption back because your girl is here?"

Kain didn't reply, but flung his still-bleeding left hand at Kenjirô. He recoiled as the blood flew towards his eyes, but Kain made a quick gesture and his blood exploded in flame, forcing Kenjirô back again. Kain moved to charge in, but staggered suddenly, half-collapsing and gasping.

"Blast, Kain's in bad shape…he's pushed himself too hard, used too much magic." Kamo explained this after appearing next to Nodoka. "We can't deal with this much longer…."

Kenjirô recovered from his shock and charged at Kain, but Mai intercepted him. Nodoka again began to call out instructions for Mai, allowing her to gain the upper hand on him.

Damn her, how is she doing that?! Kenjirô thought furiously.

"Not bad, Ojô-chan," Kamo congratulated her. "That's your artifact, isn't it? I thought you might be nearby when I was explaining it to Mai-chan…."

"U-um, yes…anyway, K-K-Kamo-san, I think I understand what's happening! Let's get out of here for now, all right?"

"Heh, sure…but how do you suggest we get out of here? We're still trapped in this space…."

In response, Nodoka took a deep breath. "E-Excuse me, Kenjirô-san! How do we get out of here?"

"Are you crazy, Ojô-chan?" Kenjirô barked back while fending off Mai and Kain. "Like I'd ever…." And then he stared at Nodoka, who was reading in her book. Wait a minute…it couldn't be….

"H-head east and find the 6th gate from this open area! It seems all we need to do is destroy the runes hidden on the top, left, and right sides!"

"Nice," Kamo congratulated.

"Amazing!" Mai exclaimed.

"Is that it? Then it's time to go," Kain said softly.

"Like I'll let you!" Kenjirô leapt at him, his sword flashing.

Kain put his hand to the ground and a cloud of vapor billowed out, blinding everyone. Kamo leapt on his shoulder as he started flying, blazing a trail out of the cloud eastward. He scooped up Nodoka on the way, causing the girl to give a little shriek, and Mai sailed after him.

"There it is," he called. He extended a hand and three magical bolts flew out, striking the top and sides of the gate on the path and causing runes to light up on their surface. "All you now, Mai!"

Mai hurled her fire at the runes, shattering the pillars and upper arch. A white swirling field opened before them, and they continued into the gulf.

"Wait!" Kenjirô growling, pursuing them at breakneck speed.

"I don't think so," Kamo called back. He put his paws together in some kind of magic sign. "I do have a few tricks of my own. Rewind time!"

As Kain, Mai, Kamo and Nodoka disappeared into the portal, the archway suddenly reassembled itself, and the portal winked out. Kenjirô swiped at it with his sword, but it was far too late.

"Damn it," he cursed, and then his white hair receded and returned to black, his skin returned to normal, he seemed to swell inward slightly as he returned to his normal size, and he collapsed to the ground, his sword winking out.

"Damn," he repeated. "I really did push myself too far…they got me good." He smiled at the portal. "That was kinda fun, though. We have to do this again sometime…."

Author's Note: Character Introduction: The Villains, Kiriha Sarugaki, Kinue Tôgi, Kenjirô Hanatabi, and Kairen

As I hoped, action was the name of the game this chapter. And we aren't done yet, but the chapter's already long enough, and we arrived at a good point to pause. We'll finish the battles next chapter.

Not a lot to mention about the chapter itself, and there are no freshly appearing characters, so I'll go ahead and mention our current collection of villains.

Kiriha Sarugaki is strongly based on the main villainess from the Negima version of the Kyoto Arc, Chigusa Amagasaki. For all the nearly identical villains I'm putting in, I'm still changing the names…I'm not quite sure why. No reason I can give. In any case, she is not as exact (partially because of the changes) as the students are, but she is very similar, with similar abilities. Her past and her reasons will be revealed next chapter. Again, it is quite similar to the (mostly just hinted at) original story, but not identical.

Kinue Tôgi (although now her name is simply Kinue) is based on Tsukuyomi, and she is…pretty much the same. In the original story, Tsukuyomi was tied to Setsuna Sakurazaki. She was trained in the Shinmeiryû sword style just like Setsuna, and obsesses over her. She's a truly horrible lesbian psychopath who gets erotic thrill from fighting Setsuna. Yeah, she's a freak. I've moved her into the Tôgi family and let her go after Erika to slightly expand her freakiness…she really wants vampire power (or the next best thing).

Kenjirô Hanatabi is a character I developed during the demon anime craze, when YuYu Hakusho and Inuyasha were the popular anime in America. I really loved the worlds of the two anime, and, as was my usual case, I came up with my own similar worlds and my own related stories and my own characters.

Kenjirô replaces Kôtarô Inugami, the wolf-demon kid who encounters Negi in similar circumstances and goes from his enemy to (eventually) his best friend and rival. Kenjirô is here to fill a similar role. The original Kenjirô character is a quiet, reserved, almost tragic figure, but as I put him in this story he absorbed many of Kôtarô's qualities…and that's fine, because in this story he needs a little more aggressiveness to fill the shoes. He'll still have his own little quirks and personality traits outside of a fighting instinct that have yet to be revealed, but for now he's a savage antagonist.

And, finally, Kairen is…unique in placement, added because of all the extra protagonists in this version. Her image is based on a somewhat common ice girl archetype from certain anime and video games. Her combat style is based on the new strange one used by Viola from Soul Calibur V, simply because I like being able to make custom characters based on some of the more unique fighting styles the series offers. So, I can now make this character simply so I have a better visual idea of her. She is a quiet, silent, mysterious girl…similar to the already too-great number of girls of this type (obviously, I like this archetype)…and she faithfully serves her master (who hasn't really been revealed yet). She'll be around for a long time, but I don't have much more to say about her yet.

And so, let's move on and finish up this stage of battles….


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Chapter Six: The Kyoto Chronicles, Part V: Fireworks in Kyoto

The three exploded back into reality…and right into the middle of the battle between Erika and Kinue. They stared in shock as the newcomers landed in their midst. Kain sighted Kinue immediately, and raised a hand, two fingers extended, and began powering his doom bolt.

Kinue leapt back to avoid the shot, and then continued leaping backward out of the range of combat. "How disappointing," she sighed. "Well, not even I can take on all of you at once. I guess I'll have to let it go this time, Erika-ojô-sama. We'll continue…later…." She turned around and vanished into the trees.

Kain watched her go for a moment, then sighed and set Nodoka down. "Sendô-san," he said, turning to Erika. "Good to see you again. I suppose you had some trouble as well."

Erika sighed. Her look was somewhat disheveled, although, honestly, Kinue had obviously been as roughed up when she fled. She smiled slightly at the trio. "And it seems you've picked up a passenger. I suppose we've got to explain things to her, now?"

The four sat on a boulder just off the side of the path, Nodoka sitting across from Mai and Kain. They had just gotten drinks from the vending machine at the nearby rest stop, and now were trying to recuperate from their harrowing encounter…and come to grips with this unique situation.

"S-so..." Kain began, "I guess you've found out…haha, that's obvious…I'm sorry for keeping this a secret from you…but…well, you know…."

"Ah, no…it's okay. I-I kind of…had a bit of an idea, anyway…."

I'm not surprised, Mai thought, considering all that Kain's been doing from day one.

"B-but to think that Kain-sensei is a mage…I thought that stuff like magic only came from stories, novels and such things. To think that Kain-sensei is a real mage…it's quite exciting…."

Kain stared in startled admiration, Erika looked surprised and Mai stared in shock, mentally contrasting her own reaction towards magic and its troubles with Nodoka's excited acceptance. I guess girls who read a lot of books really are different….

"See?" Kamo gloated. "I told you she'd be fine material. Kids with their heads in the clouds are perfectly fine with magic and adventures."

"Kamo-kun," Mai hissed, "I thought we agreed not to get Honya involved in this…."

"But it's a bit late for that now," Kain remarked. "She knows, doesn't she?"

"Right!" Kamo agreed. He hopped over to Nodoka, startling her slightly. "See, she's got a pretty powerful artifact. You saw how great it was! She'll make a great partner for Kain!"

"Stop trying to steer the conversation, you perverted ermine!" Mai growled.

"C'mon, Mai," Erika soothed her with a sigh. "I agree…it's a bit late now. Who cares if, at this rate, our entire class will know about magic before we graduate…?" Kain blushed at this light needle.

Kain brushed at his hair with his left hand and winced slightly. The trio of girls noticed, and looked at him. The bleeding had stopped, but his hand still had that cut and dried blood coated his palm. Erika and Mai reacted almost instantly; Erika seemed to a make a kind of gagging sound and suddenly retreated from the stone, while Mai reached out and grabbed Kain's wrist. "You're still hurt!" she said accusingly. "Jeez, you're just so reckless…."

"H-here, allow me!" Nodoka insisted. "I-I always carry disinfectant and, and band-aids with me, since I'm clumsy and trip all the time, a-and for this trip, just in case, I brought some larger bandages, too…."

Nodoka had a handkerchief as well, which she wet at the nearby drinking fountain and used to clean Kain's hand off, then administered to the wound, disinfecting it and wrapping the bandages around it with reasonable skill. Mai watched silently as she worked.

Kamo snickered. "Ah, Mai-chan, you've got a special look on your face…kind of like, 'I'm feeling conflicted because my beloved little brother is being taken away by another girl….'"

Mai slapped a hand on Kamo and ground him into the rock. "Shut up, you perverted ermine."

"In any case," Erika said, reappearing, "now that we've escaped that ambush, we should move on to the headquarters and deliver that letter. And then we might need to check on Higurashi-san…if the enemy put this much effort into attacking us, who knows what they've sent after her, Hinamori-san and Yukimura-san?"

"R-right," Kain agreed. He started to stand and then staggered suddenly. Almost as one body the three girls moved to steady him. "Ah…."

"You're not well yet, Kiddo. You used quite a bit of magic during that fight…not to mention the pounding you took. Maybe we should rest here for just a while longer. In the meantime, I think I'll check on Momo-chan and the rest."

"R-right…."

The battle raging in Cinema Town was a very even affair. In particular, while Tokine was a member of one of the only two families in Kyoto that could use the rare kekkai magic, she was familiar with onmyôdôjutsu, and Kiriha was equally familiar with those kekkai techniques. She used a lot of smaller shikigami, forcing Tokine to focus her attention on them instead of attacking Kiriha, but the trade off was that Kiriha didn't really have time for any strong attacks of her own.

Momo, however, was finding her own battle a true exercise in futility. Her specialty was in kido, the magic spells of the shinigami, but the orb of power that Kairen wielded in her left hand seemed to neutralize any spell she used. It simply absorbed the magic, without making any sign of strengthening the girl, burdening her, or being prepared to be redirected—it was simply a kind of magic void that absorbed all the spiritual energy from Momo's spells and the blasts thrown out by her zanpaku-tô.

On the other hand, Kairen's combat skills seemed to be at least a match for her own. Momo would be the first to admit that shinigami swordplay, zanjutsu, was hardly her forte, but she was a former seated officer and certainly had the skills to match most humans. She had an advantage with her weapon, as well—Tobiume, when transformed, was an oddly-shaped sword that obviously was not well-suited to true swordsmanship, but it was a sword nonetheless. Kairen struck with claws that emerged from metal caps adorning her fingertips, sharp and deadly but much shorter than any sword. Tobiume's tines should have been incredibly difficult for such a small weapon to block safely, but the violet-haired girl silently deflected every strike Momo offered and returned her own with deadly speed and efficiency.

Momo handled the challenge with measured calm and patience. There were a couple of options open to her….

She withdrew slightly and began to chant. "Walls of iron sand, a priestly pagoda, glowing ironclad fireflies. Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring. Standing upright, silent to the end. Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle!

"Bakudo 75: Gochûtekkan (Quintet of 1 kan iron pillars)!"

Five large pillars of iron appeared in the air and began to collapse on top of Kairen. She raised her left hand and the orb once again absorbed the seemingly solid spell.

She hadn't even completed absorbing the spell before Momo was standing behind her, however, a fully charged spell in her hands. "A Nijû Eishô, a double incantation," she murmured. "Impressive…."

"Hado 63: Raikôhô (Thunder Roar Sear)!"

The explosion of violent lightning energy blasted through Kairen, and, blackened, she began to drop from the sky…and then slowly faded into nothingness.

"A substitution?" Momo gasped. "Ninjutsu?"

Kairen reappeared above Momo and dropped on top of her. Momo twisted, avoided a vital strike as the claws raked her back, and, to Kairen's surprise, brought the blade of her sword up over her shoulder. "Snap!" she commanded.

The explosion engulfed both of them this time, as Kairen, in the middle of her attack, could not bring her orb around in time to absorb the blast. Both girls plummeted, smoking, out of the explosion.

"Momo!" Kagome screamed. She dashed in, ignoring the few other girls who had the presence of mind to try and stop her. Something inside her had been stirring this entire time as she watched the two battles raging. After seeing her friend's distress, that instinct propelled her forward and into the air to catch Momo….

Tokine continued her duel with Kiriha. Finally it seemed the girl was slowing down, and Tokine entrapped her in a kekkai.

"Got you," she growled. "Game, set, and match. Surrender, Sarugaki-san."

Kiriha's look of shock turned into a mischievous smile. "You think so?" And she exploded into a strip of paper.

"A shikigami! When did she…?"

A chain of blackness flashed out from behind her and wrapped around her arms, binding her. "Who's match now, little Yukimura-ojô-chan?"

Her triumph did not last long. "Ketsu!"

Kiriha looked up and recoiled, just avoiding the blue kekkai before it encapsulated her. She stared at the young man, dressed in the purple robes of a Buddhist priest, standing on a blue kekkai, two fingers held in front of him and a bladed shakujô in his other hand. "Yoshimori!" Tokine barked. "What are you doing her?"

"Saving your bacon is what it looks like, Tokine." The young man smirked. "Didn't I tell you to let me know before you got involved in any more trouble?"

Kiriha glared at them. Two kekkaishi now…as young and inexperienced as they were, they were still far too dangerous. This called for some desperate measures.

She pulled another strip of paper from her robes. "Charm-san, aid my endeavor!" The talisman transformed into a great ape-like monster, far larger than anything she had as yet produced.

Yoshimori just scowled. "Bigger is better, huh? That thing doesn't scare me. Ketsu!" A large cube of blue energy appeared above the monster's head; then it expanded downwards at tremendous speed, slamming the monster's skull and driving it into the ground.

"Ketsu!" Several long, thin kekkai appeared and lanced like spears into the monster's body, further pinning it to the ground. Then the two together surrounded the monster with a pair of kekkai, and exploded it.

Kiriha gritted her teeth, but at that moment there was an explosion of energy behind her. All eyes turned to stare at the pillar of light. In the midst of it floated Momo and Kagome, slowly revolving and seemingly in a trance. Kagome slowly put her feet on the ground and Momo settled into her arms. The light intensified around her until it departed, and with it went the scars, burns, and cuts that were the proof of Momo's battle. Momo glanced up at Kagome in surprise, and then her own feet settled onto the ground.

"Kagome," Momo said it surprise. "That was…."

Kagome blinked, coming back to reality. "Eh? W-what happened? Did I…?"

"So, that's Kagome-ojô-sama's power," Kiriha murmured. "Impressive as I hoped…."

She glanced over as Kinue appeared behind her. "What? What is it?"

"Sorry, Kiriha-sama. Kenjirô-kun failed to stop Kain-kun, and he got out. They're on their way to the headquarters."

"Hmm. A setback." She glanced over at Kairen, who was picking herself off the ground and brushing at her somewhat blasted body. "Well, not much more we can do here. Let's get out of here."

The three vanished. Their opponents stared at their vacated location for several moments before relaxing, and Tokine, with Yoshimori trailing her, joined Momo and Kagome; at the same time, the rest of their classmates came over to congratulate them.

"That was amazing, Kagome-san, Momo-san," Yukari trilled. "How did you do that, anyway? It looked so real!"

"It was astonishing," Yue agreed, her inflection only rising slightly. "I didn't realize that Cinema Town had effects that were that realistic…."

Kazumi approached Kagome. "A-are you all right, Higurashi-san? You seem…bothered…."

"Eh?" Kagome started. "What? I'm fine…just…in a bit of a daze. I'm all right, really." She smiled bravely.

Tokine watched her carefully. "Sarugaki-san seems pretty serious about this," Yoshimori whispered to her. "Maybe we better get Kagome-chan to the head's place for safekeeping until this gets sorted out."

"I guess you're right…."

Kain was just getting up when Kamo suddenly reappeared. "Took you long enough," Mai muttered. "What's up?"

"Well, it seems things are mostly fine over on their end. They've decided to bring Kagome-chan over here for safety. They'll be arriving any moment…."

And then, there they were, cresting the hill…Kagome, Momo, Tokine, Yoshimori…and Nanami, Yue and Ami. Mai, Erika and Kain stared in shock.

"Showing off in front of others is nothing more than arrogant boasting," Yue argued with Yoshimori. "No matter how impressive you are, no one's going to respect you if you do nothing but arrogantly talk about yourself."

"T-that's not true!" Yoshimori contended hotly. "A man has to have confidence in himself, and he has to stand up for himself!"

"Perhaps so, but like most, you seem unable to draw the line between the difference. You just…oh, Nodoka, here you are!"

Ami and Yue went running over to her and began chattering excitedly, wondering where she'd gone, why she'd disappeared, and what they were doing here.

Mai pulled Momo aside while Kagome and Tokine introduced Kain to the grumbling Yoshimori (who had just experienced the misfortune of trying to argue with the young philosopher prodigy, Yue). "What are they doing here?" she hissed. "We're still getting way too many people involved in this…."

"Kamo-kun and I brought them," Nanami explained. "It's not Hinamori-chan's fault. She did a wonderful job losing the rest of them, but Yuecchi and Ami-san have been worried about Honya-chan all this time. So…."

One hour earlier, while Momo and Tokine had managed to grab Kagome and run before the rest of the girls could finish their changing (and Yoshimori expertly pursued them), Nanami had specifically grabbed those two. "I thought this might happen," she explained, "so I planted a GPS tracker in their clothes in the changing room. We can follow them wherever they go."

"Do you have any idea of the danger we're in, Jinnai-san?" Mai demanded. "Kain-sensei almost died in this recent battle!"

"And that's why, if Honya-chan's joined your party, we needed to bring her friends to her," Nanami replied cheerfully.

After this the group started on their way again, and before long they caught sight of their destination. Of course, Yue and Ami were actually somewhat unaware of what the destination was, but then….

"Ah, is that where we're going?" Yue pointed. "Very impressive architecture."

The building was a great castle of Japanese design, with the sloped, tiled roof and wooden porch surrounding it. A gate similar to the ones they'd been passing through all along this far-too-long path was right in front of the mansion. And the path was almost instantly lined by servants.

"Welcome back, Kagome-ojô-sama!"

Amazingly, it seemed the Higurashi family did not invest in cloning technology to produce their servants, as the kimono-clad girls all had different hair and different faces and a different look. This is actually somewhat rare amongst super-high-class families from universes like this.

Seeing this, most of the group went into shock mode, and quickly barraged poor Kagome, who was completely red with embarrassment, with questions about her situation.

"Wait, is this really your home, Higurashi-san?"

"You're on the level of Izumi-chan and Miki-chan, aren't you, Kagome-san?"

Mai, meanwhile, called on a different source for information.

"M-Momo, what's going on?"

"Eh, well…actually, the head of the Kansai Magic Association is Kagome's father…and in fact…their family home is actually the Association's headquarters…."

"W-well…really…so, this is Kagome's home…?"

Kagome took notice of Mai's disquiet and interrupted her interrogators. "A-are you upset, Mai? I-I know I don't talk about home much, but…."

"Ah, n-no! There's no way I can be upset! I'm just…surprised…."

The servant girls, bored of the street theater, started ushering the guests into the main house. They kneeled in the meeting chamber, chattering lightly and excitedly, waiting to see what exciting event would happen next. Finally the bamboo screen at the back of the room parted and a man came out, dressed in a priestly kimono, with short dark hair and glasses.

"Father!" Kagome dashed over and threw her arms around the man, who returned his daughter's hug. "It's been so long!"

"Aha…hello again, Kagome. Welcome home."

After they separated, he turned his attention to the others. "And these are your classmates, I see. You must be…Mizuno Ami-san, Miyazaki Nodoka-san, and Ayase Yue-san. And…Jinnai Nanami-san, correct? And Sendô Erika-san, the fukukaichô. Welcome to all of you."

Then his attention turned to the others. "Thanks for guiding them here, Tokine-chan, Yoshimori-kun. And, of course…thank you for looking after my daughter, Hinamori-kun, Mai-kun."

The group focused with curiosity on Mai and Momo, due to their special attention. Momo seemed unperturbed, but Mai blushed at the attention and started to stutter a reply, but he moved on and looked finally at Kain.

"And, of course, Kain Lockeheart-sensei. I understand you have a special purpose for coming here?"

"Y-yes." He rose and approached the Kansai chief, reaching into his cloak. He produced the letter and handed it over. "I bear this message from Higurashi Kensuke, principal of Mahora Academy and representative of…of Kanto."

Eishun Higurashi accepted the letter and opened it. The first page featured a doodle of the old man and scolded him for not being able to control his people. Eishun laughed slightly. "Ah, Father is as harsh as ever."

He perused the rest of the letter, but he already knew quite well what it was supposed to contain; this was simply a formality that allowed him political freedom to do what he already knew must be done. "I accept this letter on behalf of the Kansai, and promise that we will work together to solve this differences and difficulties. Your mission from your leader is complete, Kain-sensei."

He turned his attention to the students again. "It will be dark by the time you finish going back down the mountain," he explained. "Why don't you stay here tonight as my guests? We'll have a feast to celebrate your visit."

The class was quite excited by this idea, and happily agreed, although Ami quavered, "B-but we're supposed to be back at our hotel tonight…won't our staying here cause problems with Narita-sensei and the rest of the school…?"

Eishun waved her fears away, and explained. "I am the son of the principal, and my family has deep ties to the academy…which is why Kain-kun had to come here to deliver this letter to me. Don't worry, it'll all be taken care of."

And with that, there were no further objections.

A sumptuous meal was prepared for them, and they dined with pleasure on any teenager's dream—good food, and plenty of it.

There wasn't any alcohol served to the minors, but, even with this normally reserved bunch, the atmosphere was festive. In particular, Nodoka, Ami, Yue, Kagome and Nanami grew distracted enough for the others to have more sensitive conversations without notice.

"So, you're a kekkaishi like Yukimura-san?" Kain asked Yoshimori.

"Yep. I'm the legitimate heir of the Sumimuras. Not by choice," he added almost bitterly.

Kain nodded. "So, that's what the mark on your hand is about?"

Yoshimori stared at him for a second, and then half-smiled as he raised his bandage-wrapped hand. "So, you even saw it through this, huh? I guess the rumors are true…you really are a prodigy, just like your father, the legend."

His voice dropped to a more conspiratorial tone as his face fell with it. "Tell me…is it the same for you? I mean, your worth, your perception, everything you are dictated by family, by history, and not by who and what you are by yourself?"

Kain was a bit taken aback by the comment, but he considered it. "Not really," he admitted, shrugging. Yoshimori looked at him in surprise. "I mean, of course it's a heavy burden, always being known as my father's son, but…I've never regretted it. Maybe it would be different if I'd grown up literally in his shadow, but he's just a memory now…most people think he's dead. I don't have anything but legends of him. All I'm doing is chasing that legacy…so of course I'm going to be compared to it.

"Is it harder for you, Sumimura-san? Are you saying you feel like your name defines you, and not your individuality?"

"Something like that." Yoshimori sighed. "Maybe if I was the only son or the eldest son it'd be easier to accept. But my older brother was passed over. Not by any person, you see—the legacy of our two families, Tokine's and mine, the magic we carry, selects who becomes a legitimate heir, and there doesn't seem to be a reason that I can see. It skipped Tokine's father's generation. It passed over my older brother, who is a much more skilled kekkaishi than me, and chose me instead. Because of that, Grandpa gives me all sorts of crap and is always lecturing me and talking about my screw-ups. Drives me crazy."

He leaned back and sighed. "Sorry. I guess I was…expecting some sympathy from you, or something…that you had a similar situation, but I guess as an orphan you would want to cling to any memory of your family."

He made his proper appreciation for the meal and rose. He moved over to the chief and bowed slightly. "Higurashi-sama, it seems everything's taken care of here. I'm going back."

Eishun nodded at him. "Of course, Yoshimori-kun. Give my best to your grandfather."

Tokine watched him go, but Eishun called her attention. "Thank you again for taking care of Kagome and her class during their visit. It means a lot to her, I know, and quite a lot to us as well."

"J-just doing my duty as a member of the Yukimura family." She bowed.

"Of course. Service may be your family's 'duty' but friendship is not…so I thank you all the same. Even though she's been apart these last two years, she still thinks of you fondly, I know." He nodded at Momo. "And you, Hinamori-kun…thank you for your help as well. I understand that there are many reasons for your presence, but Kagome cares deeply for you, as well. I appreciate all you've done for her."

"I'm only doing my duty…and repaying the debts I owe, to you and others." Momo shrugged. "Besides, it's been…quite fun, living as a human child, not having many real worries or duties. I've been able to…cleanse myself, I think. These past two years have been like a rebirth, and they've done more for me than the last decade or so."

He nodded and turned to Mai. "Mai-kun…I understand that you have recently come to find out about the magical world. I'm somewhat surprised, honestly."

Mai started. "Eh? Y-yes…is there a problem?"

"No, it's just…unexpected. Anyway, you've been Kagome's best friend these past two years. I'm also grateful to you for all you've done, and I hope that you'll keep being her friend for as long as she stays."

He then turned to Erika. "Oh, Sendô-san, I apologize for my rudeness. I haven't really properly greeted you, considering you're also a representative of the Kanto region…."

Erika waved the comment away. "It's…not necessary. I'm more here as the Mahora Girl's Middle School's fukukaichô more than anything. I'm not really speaking for the academy itself, the Kanto Magic Association, or the Sendô family."

Eishun laughed. "I suppose that's true, but in my line of work, all the formalities are so important, I find myself lost in them. I apologize for repeating all the same things to you, but it's a terrible habit that's hard to break…."

Kamo hopped onto Eishun's shoulder with a laugh of his own. "It was a lot more fun when we were running around causing havoc with Kalan and the rest, wasn't it, Eishun-kun?"

"Indeed it was, Kamo-kun. I miss those days…almost as much as I miss him." He turned his smile on Kain. "I see you've become a fine young man in his image, Kain-kun. You're here in Kyoto to learn more about him?"

"Ah…yes! If I possibly can…."

He nodded. "I'm sure Kamo-kun could have shown you if you'd asked him, but I'll arrange for a proper guide to take you there tomorrow. You should have free time to finally go, and this mess should be behind us by then."

And that reminded Kain. "Ah, right! Can you tell us anything more about this Sarugaki Kiriha? Who is she, exactly, and why is she so bent on attacking us and trying to kidnap Higurashi-san?"

Eishun sighed. "It's a long story. To put it shortly, she has a past that isn't that unusual. Twenty years ago your father and I, and our companions, were involved in a great war that encompassed the magical world. A certain group was working in the shadows, trying to pit the various magical kingdoms against each other…and it was working well. We finally managed to reveal the plot and put a stop to them, but not before a lot of damage had been done. Among other things, the war drew in many of the magical citizens from this world, and many of the Kansai mages were on the opposite side of the war from the Kanto mages. Kiriha-san's father was one of those Kansai mages…and he was killed in the war. She's grown up bitter and angry at the Kanto mages, and joined the anti-East sentiment early.

"They have enough support that I could never do anything against them, as I'm sure you're aware. Now, however…I think someone else has contacted Kiriha-san and pushed her into this. She would never dare make a move against the chief's daughter, against Kagome, otherwise. Rather than these people being mercenaries she hired, I believe they're using her. They're hoping to use her power for some purpose…more than that I can't say.

"At least, now that you've managed to bring her here, she should be safe."

"I don't know," Erika murmured. "These…people have some dangerous allies on their side. From what Hinamori_-san said, they withdrew a little too easily this afternoon…would they have let us all get away after all of this? If they're that dangerous, I don't think they'll refrain from attacking us here."

Mai tensed. "You can't be serious, Erika. I-isn't this over?"

"It's hard to believe they'd honestly think they can attack us here," Eishun replied. "There are plenty of skilled mages here, as well as some very powerful wards and seals. Perhaps, if they have sufficient power, they might be preparing for an attack, but they wouldn't do it recklessly. Don't worry. I'll handle this situation. For now, Sensei, you and your students should enjoy the rest of your trip."

They returned to eating, and then Mai finally asked, "May I ask something, Higurashi-san? I-is there a reason you haven't told her about…magic?"

The man smiled in response. "Well, it was a decision that her mother and I agreed to when she was born. After all we'd seen in the magical world…after all we'd been through…we thought it might be better for her to be raised as a normal girl. After her mother died…well, I decided to keep to the promise we made. Now, however, the situation has changed. Even though I've kept her out of the magical world, fate has brought it to her. I heard about how her power was revealed earlier today, as well. I think it's time to let it take its course.

"Hinamori-kun…Tokine-chan…Mai-kun…if you three would talk to Kagome tonight…and discreetly tell her, I'd be grateful."

All three seemed to hesitate, but Tokine said, "O-of course, Higurashi-sama. We'll take care of it."

Dinner had finally come to an end, and a host of servant girls entered and bid the ladies to the baths….

The girls made the usual sounds and exclamations of relief as they settled into the great bath. "Your family really has it good, Kagome-san," Yue murmured. "This bath is even larger than the best at Mahora. It's quite incredible."

"Ah…well…" Kagome managed, embarrassed at the attention. "I guess…I've never spent a lot of time here, to be honest…."

"Well, I for one don't object to taking advantage of your family's opulence," Nanami said somewhat teasingly. "And this is the best way to spend it, after the long day we had."

"How often have you enjoyed these baths, Tokine-san?" Yue asked.

"E-eh? N-not very often. I don't often stay here at the main association building…."

Yue glanced down at Tokine's chest, and at the strange black square that adorned her right breast. "That's an interesting mark. Is that…a tattoo…?" She reached out for it.

"H-hey! What are you doing?" Tokine withdrew. "It's not a tattoo," she muttered. "I-it's a birthmark. I've had it since I was born."

Nanami stared for a second and then turned to Mai, who also wriggled uncomfortably at the attention. "Mai-san has one of those, too," she murmured. "Not quite so obvious, of course, but it shows up pretty well in the bath…." Indeed, on Mai's right breast there was a strange mark, a circular figure with a strange, a trailing tail running out from it, almost like a comet.

While Mai reacted to this unwanted attention, Momo sat in the water, silent, ignoring the conversation and others following. Nodoka watched her warily. "Are you all right, Hinamori-san?"

"Eh? Oh, I'm fine, I'm fine." She waved the question away. "Just a lot on my mind right now. It's been a trying day." She glanced over at the rest of the girls, who were once again distracted by their horseplay, and added conspiratorially, "I imagine it's the same for you."

"E-eh, ah, yes…."

They finally left the bath and dressed. There, Tokine pulled Kagome aside and asked her to gather with Momo and Mai in her room so they could talk.

Tokine and Kagome went on ahead while Mai and Momo lagged behind. "Are you all right, Momo?" Mai asked. "You've seemed…out of it since you joined us this afternoon…."

"Eh? Sorry…I'm just worried about something that happened this afternoon."

"What? You talked about how you were attacked. Was there something more?"

"Yes…well…when we arrived at Cinema Town, I used my gikon to release my shinigami form. I should have been completely invisible, except to highly powerful magicians or those trained in detecting spirits. Kagome saw me as a shinigami, however; that was surprising, as she's untrained, but her magical power is strong and probably has been empowered lately by the presence of Kamo-kun and Kain-sensei. So I guess that isn't too alarming.

"But…Jinnai-san…Hirai-san, Yoshida-san, Oga-san, Ayase-san, Mizuno-san and Sakura-chan. None of them have any real magical power…they shouldn't have been able to see me, and yet all of them did…."

Mai was silent for several moments. "So…what does that mean?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure what would allow everyone there to see me…that's a pretty incredible power. I'm not sure if the enemy was responsible for it…I don't know who was, but it sounds like the same kind of power than prevented anyone at the academy from realizing when you and Kain-sensei were battling Alyssa-chan…."

Mai blanched at the thought. "Did that person…follow us here?"

"I don't know. I don't know. I'm not sure what any of it means…maybe, right now, it doesn't mean anything."

They'd arrived at Kagome's room. Momo put a finger to her lips. "We'll talk about it more later, perhaps. For now, we have another mystery to reveal."

"What are we doing?" Kiriha demanded angrily. "I refrained from attacking them again because you were so insistent, but now look! They've arrived at the headquarters, so now they can officially request and receive aid from the chief and his lackeys! How is this helping?! Well, Newbie? What do you have to say for yourself?"

She turned to the young man in the dark suit with the earth-brown hair and green eyes. He stared out from the shadows at the main compound without any hint of expression or sentiment.

"Calm yourself, Kiriha-san," he murmured. "It's all right. You don't have to do anything more here. Just leave the rest to me…."

Kain and Eishun sat on the porch, sipping tea.

"I know you want to hear about your father, Kain-kun. I wish there was more I could tell you that you don't already know. He was…a strong person, strong in every way. Really, he became a hero because of that strength. His strength of presence, especially. That's why we all followed him. He had an aura about him that drew others, that caught their attention, that left an impression everywhere he went.

"He was uncompromising. That's the whole reason for why the war ended. He simply stubbornly and bull-headedly charged into the situations he didn't like and swung his fists around until there wasn't anyone left to argue with him."

"H-he's always sounded…amazing," Kain admitted. "I think I'm not anything like him…."

Eishun laughed. "I don't know, Kain-kun. I think you have more in common with him than you know. You're far more likely to overthink things than he was, but you have a kind of presence about you yourself. They may not seem like mighty warriors, but your students seem quite apt to follow you as much as we followed him."

"W-what?" Kain stuttered, blushing.

A servant came out and whispered in Eishun's ear. He rose slowly. "I'm sorry, Kain-kun. Duty calls, as is usually the case. Tomorrow, we'll go see Kalan's manor and you'll learn as much as you'd like about your father."

He departed. He looked out peacefully at the garden again before he noticed another figure taking the seat next to him.

"Good evening, Kain-sensei," Erika greeted him.

"Sendô-san. Er…but Higurashi-san…."

"Her father gave the task of explaining things to Kagome-san to the other three," she replied. "They're her friends, after all. For now, it would just complicate things if you or I were involved." She stared out at the garden.

Kain fidgeted. "Are you still…thinking about…the enemy…?"

Erika shrugged in response. "Maybe. I'm not sure. I should probably feel relieved myself, now that we've finally made it this far. I've had a…trying time. I never expected to meet Kinue-n…Kinue among our enemies. Really…I was kind of hoping to just enjoy this trip with my classmates, but…fate seems to have had other plans for us…."

"Ah…I'm sorry…."

"You don't have to apologize, Kain-sensei! It's not your fault, not at all! It's…my own fault, getting myself involved. It's just…even though I'm a vampire, I've never been involved in magical troubles much before this…."

Kamo chuckled, materializing on Kain's shoulder. "Most people aren't," he told her, "especially kids like you. Well, you might have to get used to it, but…."

There was a sound from inside somewhere. Kain and Erika turned to look. They strained their ears to hear. It sounded like a scream, suddenly strangled off, perhaps….

"What was that?" Kamo muttered. "I've got a bad feeling. Let's investigate."

The two rose and hurried inside.

Kagome stared at the three. "So," she said slowly, trying to come to grips with what she had just heard, "my father is a mage…the leader of all the mages in the Kansai region, in fact…no, wait, before that, magic? Are you saying it's real…?" She shook her head and then smiled sadly. "Well, I guess I don't need to look far for the proof, do I? All the strange little things that have happened since we've been on this trip. The amazing events of today. It's all so strange, but…somehow, I think I do understand…."

She turned to Momo and Tokine. "So…you two have been watching me…on this assignment, protecting me all this time?"

"Well, mostly…" Momo murmured.

"But we're still your friends, Kagome-chan," Tokine insisted quickly. "I mean…."

"Ah, no, I don't doubt that, Tokine-chan. It's just…quite a lot to think about…."

"It is, isn't it?" Mai agreed. "Your father asked me to help explain it, but…really, I'm new to this myself. Until just recently, I didn't know anything about magic or anything either…."

"And yet now you're the one with the contract with Kain-san," Tokine teased.

Mai reddened and snapped out, "W-will you leave me alone? That was…."

"Contract?" Kagome queried. To Mai's horror, Momo explained Kamo's contract power to her.

"Really…." Kagome fixed a strange probing gaze on Mai, a crooked smile adorning her face.

Suddenly there was a somewhat distant, muffled thump. All four girls stared at the door, from which it came. "What was that?" Mai asked somewhat tremulously.

"Maybe we should go find out." Determinedly, Momo rose and headed for the door.

The other three followed her out. A few doors down the hall was one of the servant's chambers. "I think it came from in here," Momo said. She opened the door.

The three behind her gasped, and Momo simply stared in shock. There were a dozen stone statues inside, amazingly life-like replicas of the serving girls….

"W-where did these come from?" Mai wondered. "Are they…?"

"The Higurashi servants…turned to stone…." Momo moved in and laid a few fingers carefully on a frozen face. She stepped back and shook herself. "Something's wrong here. This must be an attack, but…."

"Yes, an attack." A dark-haired young man stepped from the behind one of the stone girls in the back. "I must say, for the headquarters of the Kansai Magic Association…for the lair of a companion of the Grand Archmage…this has been quite disappointing." He raised a hand towards them.

Momo, Mai and Tokine reacted at once. Momo popped her gikon, Mai reached for her card, and Tokine raised her hand to form a kekkai. A wave of magic washed over the three of them, carefully avoiding Kagome.

Momo sailed backwards, her gigai falling, stoned, in front of her. A concaved shell of stone almost encapsulated Tokine, and Mai was pinned back against the wall, now just a faint outline of a wall of stone. The rock covering the latter two shattered, leaving them gasping for air.

"The most impressive I've seen so far," the boy murmured. He was suddenly behind Tokine. "Your kekkai is remarkable." A backhand blow sent her flying.

Momo leapt at him, drawing her sword, but his hand was around her throat before she had even realized he'd moved. She suddenly found herself slammed into the wall. "Skilled as you may be, a Soul Reaper of your caliber is no match for me."

Mai struggled to rise, but she stared in shock as the boy loomed over her. "And you…what are you…? You have no skill, no magical training, and yet you completely nullified my signature spell. Well, a mystery for another time." He punched Mai in the gut, causing to slump over, unconscious.

Kagome finally recovered from her terrified shock and rushed at the boy with a yell. He merely turned to her and raised a hand, which stopped her at the same time it stopped an inch from her face. Her eyes went blank, then closed as she slumped over, asleep…or unconscious.

"Game, set, and match," he murmured as he gathered the unconscious girl in his arms. "All too easy."

"That room," Kain murmured. "Isn't that the room for Nodoka, Mizuno-san, Ayase-san and Jinnai-san?"

He hurried over and threw open the door. Kamo swore. Kain stared in shock, and Erika gasped as she came running up behind and finally caught a glimpse.

Nodoka, Nanami and Ami were standing there, frozen…made of stone. Ami was recoiling in shock and her face frozen in the emotion of fear. Nanami stood at the back of the room, and was…in the act of covering something, or some such. Nodoka had a slip of paper or similar in her hand, perhaps her card, and seemed to have just drawn it from her robe. Kain rushed over to them. "Jinnai-san! Mizuno-san! Nodoka!" he cried, at each statue in turn.

He held Nodoka's arm for a few moments, then fell slowly to his knees. He was shaking slightly. He seemed lost, broken.

"Kain! Get a hold of yourself, Kiddo!" Kamo slapped his head.

Kain's shaking stopped. As Erika cautiously approached, trying to get her head around her own thoughts, she was brought up short with a gasp. Power suddenly exploded from Kain, creating a nearly visible aura around him as he slowly rose. His voice came out hoarse, low, and filled with deadly menace.

"Who did this?" he whispered. "Who's responsible for this? Who am I going to kill for this?"

What's the matter with him? Erika thought. His anger…it's bringing out all his power, recklessly and dangerously….

The power flow reached a crescendo and then snapped off as his staff fell out of his cloak and into his hand. He whirled around and stalked out of the room, his staff sounding loudly on the boards.

"K-Kain-sensei…" Erika began, trailing after him.

"He's snapped," Kamo muttered. "This could be bad. It's a childhood trauma, you see…."

"What about the person who did this? Petrification magic is…"

"Yes, pretty high level magic. Your fears are justified, Erika-chan. The enemy's come right to our doorstep…."

"Ah…Kain-kun…Kamo-kun, Sendô-san…."

Kain and Erika came around the corner and stopped as they spotted Eishun Higurashi. He was standing, leaning against the wall. His lower half was petrified, and the petrification was slowly spreading up his body.

"C-chief!" They hurried over to him.

"I-I'm sorry," he gasped. "It seems you were right, Sendô-san. I overestimated our defenses here at the temple. It's been so peaceful here the last fifteen years. I was careless, and they caught us off-guard. It's shameful…for me, a companion of Kalan Lockeheart, to be overcome so easily…."

The petrification had spread nearly to his shoulders. "Chief!"

"Kain-kun…Sendô-san…watch out for a dark-haired young man…his magic is on a different level altogether. No ordinary mage could break the temple's barrier so easily…and there was something…familiar about him…he might be…."

He sighed as the stone nearly covered him. "Please, tell the principal…I'm sorry…and take care of…Kagome…."

And with that, he was silenced.

Kain slammed his fist on the wall. "A dark-haired young man? Don't worry, Chief…I'll deal with him…mark my words…."

Author's Note: Character Introduction: Eishun Higurashi

We're running out of characters to introduce, so this time I'll have to go into a bit more detail on Kagome's father. In a minute.

Yes, I think we've plenty of action now, interspersed with a few hijinx. Nodoka has finally started to take her place, although she's now been removed from the action.

We have one random bath scene to direct attention to something that hasn't been addressed yet: Mai's 'birthmark', which she inherited from My-HiME and which points to her secret which is slowly, ever so slowly being revealed. Yeah, it'll be in the works for a while. I figured compare and contrast with the heritage of Tokine's mark as a legitimate heir (yes, that is from the Kekkaishi anime/manga—the Sumimura men have the mark on their right hand, and the Yukimura girls have it over their breast) was a good way and time to introduce it. Hopefully I'll be able to come back to it enough to make this scene more than a random bit of fan service.

Eishun Higurashi is based on Eishun Konoe, Konoka's father in the original. As I mentioned in her bio, Kagome has had her family pretty much replaced by Konoka's. Interestingly, Eishun Konoe is one of the plot holes of Negima. He is the son-in-law of Konoemon Konoe, principal of Mahora Academy and head of the Kanto Magic Association, yes he is never known as anything but Konoe. Of course, in Japan it is not unusual for a man marrying into a wealthy or important family and take the name of his wife, but it's odd that he was never given a, well, 'maiden' name; it's also odd that he should have changed last names when he was an important person himself, head of the Kansai Magic Association; furthermore, it's a very strange result when he raised the family in his home of Kyoto. To avoid this entanglement, I went ahead and just made Eishun the actual son of Konoemon. This does leave a hole as to why he's raising a family in Kyoto. I think I suggested earlier that Kyoto was their home, and grandfather principal took over the Kanto Magic Association to soothe the bad blood between the two factions. It might make more sense for them to be from Tokyo, and Eishun married into and took over the Kansai district. That's probably what I'll go with from here on out.

Eishun is a master of Shinmeiryû, the sword-style of Love Hina that was half-jokingly brought into Negima. It's a demon-exorcising skill, and is important because several characters in the show use it. For ease of use, I'll leave the name as is. Eishun also practices this sword-style, and is a master of it, although he made a poor showing here against our villain. He's gone soft from too much easy, peaceful living….

Nevertheless, we're not quite done with him yet….


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Chapter Seven: The Kyoto Chronicles, Part VI: The Night of the Kyoto War

This is crazy, Yue thought as she pelted through the trees. What the heck is going on here? Is this for real? No, that's a bad question, after all, reality is…no! This is not the time to start trying to define reality!

Just a minute ago we were all enjoying ourselves, playing cards….

A knock had come at the door. Ami rose and went to open it. A young man with dark hair, dressed in a somber suit, similar to a middle school boy's school uniform, stood in the doorway.

"Oh, h-hello there," Ami greeted him. "Are you from the mansion?"

In response, the young man raised his hand and there was an explosion of smoke. Ami recoiled, stepping back, and a moment later was frozen solid, stone.

Yue and Nanami rose to their feet, surprised and shocked. "W-what the heck is this?" Yue exclaimed.

This must be… Nanami thought, drawing a dreadfully correct conclusion.

"A-Ami!" Nodoka shrieked. I've got to do something, she thought. She reached for her card inside her kimono.

"That artifact of yours is dangerous," the boy murmured from right in front of Nodoka. "I'll send you off to sleep…."

"Yuecchi! Run!" hissed Nanami as Nodoka was turned to stone.

"What?!"

"You're small, smart and fit, right?"

"But…!"

"Just go!" And with that Nanami shoved Yue out a back door as the boy came for her next. "Call for help, Yuecchi!"

"Even if you say that," Yue muttered as the flashback faded, "what am I supposed to do? There's not a policeman in Japan who could handle something as crazy as this!" She slowed to a walk and then stopped. "Well…there are those two…maybe they can do something. They're all I can think of." She reached into her kimono and pulled out her cell phone.

Back at the hotel, while the class was clamoring and causing another ruckus as they were herded off to bed, Kiami's phone suddenly rang. She answered it.

"Moshi moshi? Ah, Baka leader. Whoa, slow down, Yue-san. You have to calm down. Hmm? In the mountains? So…you need help from Akari and myself, then?" Akari approached, curious as to the conversation and her name being mentioned. "I see. We'll be right there."

"That was Ayase-chan?" Rakasu asked, seemingly appearing out of nowhere—or at least it would have seemed to anyone but the ninja. Kiami nodded, and Rakasu continued, "She's out at the Higurashi manor right now. I'll give you the directions." She withdrew a round pink object with a face on it from somewhere about her person. The eyes blinked and the mouth opened, and a page printed out.

Kiami took it. "You know that much about the Higurashi family, Rakasu-san?"

"Well, the Higurashi family is in charge of Mahora Academy, and the Klein family is one of the members of the school's council, so we have many dealings together. Go on, I believe you may be needed, and swiftly."

Kiami observed Rakasu carefully for a moment, then turned to Akari. "Come, Akari. We have some work to do."

Rakasu watched them go, then slipped outside. Once she was securely away, she lifted up the little ball, which suddenly came to life and floated into the air, flapping ear-like wings and blinking its eyes. "Rakasu! Rakasu! Orders?"

"Call the principal, please, would you Haro?"

Haro's eyes blinked in a pattern for a minute, and then his voiced changed for a squeaky robot to the usual sound of a telephone. With a click, the principal came on. "Hello? Rakasu-chan, I assume, from the source of this call?"

"Yes, Mr. Principal. It seems we have a bit of a problem…."

Kensuke Higurashi sat at his desk, his left hand frozen with a piece poised over the go board while his right hand held the phone to his ear. "What?" he screeched. "Eishun's entire land was completely overcome? And it seems everyone's been turned to stone, and Kagome has already likely been kidnapped?!"

"That's correct, Mr. Principal. I've had Haro monitoring the temple all evening long, and the explosion of magical energy in the attack nearly overloaded his sensors. I think the enemy is too powerful, even for Kain-sensei and the others…I've sent him additional help, and they're quite capable, but it still might not be enough…."

"This is terrible, just terrible timing," the old man muttered. "Takamichi isn't due back for several days, Meia's on assignment, and none of the rest of the teachers have enough experience to deal with something of this caliber—and they don't have the magical skills to make it to Kyoto in time, anyway." He muttered under his breath, thinking hard. "We really don't have anyone we can send to help out…."

He looked up and stared at his opponent sitting across his desk. "Well, maybe we have something after all," he murmured.

Alyssa glanced at him askew from her seat. "What are you talking about, old man?"

"If the enemy is attacking us here, their objective is Higurashi-san," Kain declared, fighting to keep himself calm. "Isn't she with Mai, Hinamori-san and Tokine-san?"

"Give Mai a call using your card," Kamo suggested. "Find out if they're okay."

"Oh! Right." Kain fished around and found the card inside his cloak. He put it to his forehead.

Mai, can you hear me? Mai!

Mai! Is everything all right? Answer me!

Mai stirred, groaned, and sat up. She ached all over for some reason. She's only been hit by that spell, and then punched in the gut, but….

She managed to find her card and held it near her head. I-I'm here, Kain-sensei….

Oh, thank goodness! Are you all right? Is everyone with you?

W-we were attacked…by some dark-haired kid…ugh…. Mai sat up and glanced around. No good. He took us all out like nothing, and…and it looks like he grabbed Kagome and took off with her!

Blast…he's gotten everyone, including the chief! We've got to stop him! Are you well enough to fight? And what about Hinamori-san and Tokine-san?

I'm not about to let him take Kagome away. Mai rose and stumbled over to Momo, who was closer. "Momo! Wake up!"

Groaning, Momo did so. "He's tough," she muttered. "W-where did he go?"

Hearing the noise also seemed to stir Tokine, who was slowly rising. Mai raised her card again. It looks like we're all okay…just a little hurt, I guess….

It'll have to do. Let's meet at the front gate and we'll see if we can track his trail from there….

Kain replaced his card and began to run. "Wait, Kain-sensei!" Erika called after him.

"No time!" he barked back. "We have to find and stop him, before anyone else gets hurt." He growled and lowered his voice. "I won't let him get away with it…never again…."

He arrived at the large front door to the main manor. He glanced to the path and froze. A dark-haired young man in somber clothes was passing under the closest torii, and walking with him was a young woman with short purple hair dressed in a rather gothic black dress, carrying Kagome in her arms.

"Higurashi-san!"

The two stopped and glanced back at Kain. "Hmm? Oh, you're…."

Kain glowered at him, feeling the anger rise inside him again, as well as the pressure from his pent-up magic. "You…are you the one who did that to my students…to my friends…to Nodoka, and the chief?!"

The boy turned to fully face Kain. "And what if I am?"

Kain exploded. In one instant he was standing up on the porch, and the very next he was on the boy, slamming a fist into his face. He staggered backwards from the blow, and Kain came right in with a left follow-up. The dark-haired boy raised his hand and caught the fist; the contact created an explosion of air that whipped out and whistled through the surrounding trees, causing many leaves to blow away.

He looked at Kain in the eyes. His green orbs were cold and nearly lifeless, but a spark burned in the deepest part of them, burning with a mixture of indignation and amusement. "Not bad," he said. "No one has ever struck my face before. As a reward for the accomplishment, I'll send you to the same permanent sleep." He raised his other hand.

Kain's eyes widened and he recoiled, leaping backwards almost as quickly as he had rushed in. An explosion of smoke followed him, but he waved his staff and a shield repelled all the magic.

"You're not bad, Kain Lockeheart," the boy said calmly. "You are worthy of being his son."

Kain rose to his feet and pointed his staff at his opponent. "For all you've done…to my students, to my friends…for laying a hand on Higurashi-san, for tormenting her in pursuit of her power…I'll make you pay…."

"Really? You're better off not trying. Despite your skill, you are no match for me, at least at this time. But if you wish to rush to your father's side so soon…."

"Eminus-sama," murmured Kairen.

"In a moment, Kairen. We should deal with this nuisance while we have the chance…."

Erika came springing into combat, but Eminus knocked her away almost effortlessly. "Tread lightly, vampire," he warned her. "The undead can resist my petrification power, but that trait won't even come close to making you my equal…."

"Kagome!" With a shout, Mai, Momo and Tokine joined the battle. Tokine sent a volley of kekkai spears at the boy, while Momo and Mai hurled fire together at him. An explosion engulfed and/or obscured the two villains. When the dust had cleared, they were over a hundred feet away, far down the path.

"I don't have time to play with all of you," Eminus called back while they fled. "Feel free to pursue me, however, if your lives hold no value." A moment later, the two were gone.

Kain punched the ground and rose. He shook himself. "Higurashi-san…we have to go. We have to get her back! We have to…we need to save everyone, but…."

"Kagome comes first," Mai agreed. "We understand. C'mon, Kain-sensei…let's go."

"Hold, hold, hold it," Kamo snapped. "What do you think you're going to do?"

Mai blinked. "Eh?"

"Didn't that guy just own the three of you like nothing? Beat Higurashi Eishun, one of the companions of Kalan Lockeheart and champion of the magical world? Defeat an entire temple full of magic-users? He's bad news. You want to rush off after him without a plan? If you do, you're rushing off without any chance of winning. Do you even know who he is? Momo-chan does."

The four turned to stair at Momo, who blushed. "E-eh? N-not really. He's…familiar to be sure, but…."

"You're not mistaking it, ojo-chan, even if he looks kind of different. He's one of them."

"Them? Them who?" Erika demanded.

"The Obsidian Star. The adversaries of Kalan Lockeheart, the ones who instigated the Mage War twenty years ago, the ones who almost destroyed the magical world. You kids have skills…but you don't know what you're dealing with."

Mai glanced at Momo askew. "From the way Kamo-kun's talking, it sounds like you've fought with these guys before…just how well did you know Kain-sensei's father…?"

"This isn't the time for that," Momo sighed. "Like Kamo-kun says, we have to come up with a plan before we take him on…."

"Right," Kamo agreed. "Here's one for starters: we could use some more magic power right now, as much as we can get, so if one of you other ladies wants to form a contract with Kain…."

"This isn't the time for talk like that," Kain growled. He shook his head. "Enough. I think best on my feet anyway. We'll figure out how to stop this kid…Eminus…while we're on the move." And he flashed away, flying at high speed.

"K-Kain!" Kamo howled, clinging to his shoulder.

Repeating the exclamation, the three girls followed him.

"A-amazing, new guy, I have to admit!" Kiriha crowed. "How'd you break through the barrier so easily? We should have just left it to you from the start…."

She chuckled as Eminus stared at her, blank-faced. "Now that we have Kagome-ojo-sama, all we have to do is take here there and we've won…."

Kagome was resting the arms of a giant monkey doll, similar to the one Kiriha had used in her first appearance. She was awake now, but bound, with duct tape across her mouth. She writhed and tried to speak out of her gag.

"Now, now," Kiriha soothed, turning to her. "Don't worry, ojo-sama, we won't actually do anything bad to you. You could almost think of it as being good for you….

"Now, to the altar!"

"Wait!"

Kiriha turned and merely smiled in amusement as the five took up ready positions across from her.

"Stop right there!"

"Give Kagome back to us!"

"…You guys again, huh?"

"You better give up!" Erika insisted. "Reinforcements will arrive by tomorrow morning at the latest. You'll never get away with this! If you surrender now, we can reduce your punishment and sentence…!"

"Fufufu…tomorrow morning, you say? Then I'd better finish up tonight. If I can reach that place, it won't matter if you have the entirety of the Kanto Magic Association as reinforcements…."

She hopped from the rock she was standing on onto the pool of water that currently separated heroes from villains. The monkey hopped down with her, and they stood there, hovering just above the surface.

"Let me give you a demonstration. There's only a small amount of power in this place, but using ojo-sama's power…behold…."

She snapped a charm out, and it landed on Kagome's chest. Light flared around her as she recoiled from the sentiment of the magic pouring into her and through her, and then lights began to flare up all around Kiriha and her pet.

"K-Kagome!" Mai screamed.

"Oh, this is bad," Kamo muttered.

Sure enough, magic circles began to appear in the rapidly-multiplying pillars of light, and demonic forms rose out of the circles. Soon the sky began to fill with the creatures as they rose in the air and turned their attention to the callow youths.

"W-what is this?" Mai moaned. "Why are there so many?"

"These aren't any ordinary demons," Momo hissed. "These things are pretty high-level. Be careful!"

"T-there's so many," Kain added through gritted teeth. "Well over a hundred…."

Hmm, more impressive than I hoped, Kiriha thought. The enhanced spell strips the newbie provided give my power a good boost as well. This will hold them far longer than I really need….

"Play with these guys for a while," she said out loud. "Since you're mostly just brats, I've been told to try not to kill you if I can help it. Don't let me down, now!" And with that, the villains were off again.

"Wait!" Kain interjected, but he was forced back as the demons came swooping in to attack.

"What's this?" a demon guffawed. "Summoned after all this time, and all of us to deal with a few little girls and a little boy?"

"Sorry, kids," laughed another. "We can't refuse our orders when summoned like this. Don't hold it against us…."

As they continued to circle in, jockeying for position and surrounding the five, they huddled together, back to back. As a few sprang to attack, Tokine called out, "Ketsu!"

A green field surrounded the heroes, blocking the attacks.

"What's this? A kekkai? I haven't seen one in ages. Not too bad, I guess…."

"Shall we break it?"

"Not worth the effort. Our orders are to fight these kids and stop them from passing this point, right? Let's just see how long they decide to stay in there, and get them when the girl can't hold her barrier any more…."

"Nice, Tokine-chan," Kamo congratulated her. "Okay, from bad to worse. If you guys want to save Kagome-chan…heck, if you want to survive this…we really need to come up with a plan…."

"These guys are only a distraction," Momo said. "With our varied skills and experience, we could probably destroy all of them, but it would take far too long…we don't have time to struggle against this many, and even if we're stronger, it's far too dangerous…."

"But how can we escape them?" Tokine demanded.

"We can't," Kamo stated flatly. "Not all of us."

"Another distraction-and-run, Kamo-kun?" Erika asked.

"Yeah, but it's even more risky this time, because unlike before, they have heavier firepower on the other side of the delaying tactic. Kain could probably punch through these guys if you distracted them, but that Eminus kid would eat him alive instantly."

"So what do you suggest?" Kain demanded.

"Well, if you go through, once you're near the spot they're taking Kagome to you can use your contract to summon reinforcements. However…all we've got right now is Mai-chan. Even with her, I don't think you have a chance, even if you focus on surprising them, grabbing Kagome_-chan and running, and that should be your strategy. Honestly, you need at least a second companion to pull this off…."

"In other words, it comes back to the contract," Mai groaned.

"I hate to admit it, but he's probably right," Tokine sighed. "With the straits we're in, I think we have no choice but to use everything we can…."

"Are you serious, Tokine-san?" Mai asked. "I-I mean, yeah, but…."

"It's an emergency, Mai-chan, just like yours." Kamo turned to Kain. "Well, kiddo? What'll it be? Risk everything on some other crazy scheme, or go with my help this once?"

Kain hesitated. "I won't force anyone into this…the…the whole kiss thing aside, the contract and what comes with it can't be taken lightly (except, I guess, by Kamo himself). But if you all feel it's the only way…."

"All right then, who's our volunteer?" Kamo interrupted rather smoothly.

Erika drew back. "I-I've already said…because of who I am…what I am…it wouldn't work out well…."

"I'll do it," Momo said softly. "Sendô-san is right, she can't do it, and Tokine-chan has to stay here in Kyoto…we shouldn't lash her to Kain-sensei through a contract. I'm the only choice." Besides…I owe the Lockeheart family…at least this much….

"Are you sure?" Tokine queried. "As a shinigami, can you even form a contract with a human?"

Momo smiled at her. "Well, I guess we'll find out, won't we?"

"Well said, ojo-chan." Kamo's circle flared into being around them. "I hate to rush you, but you better hurry up. We have no time."

Momo sheathed her sword and turned to Kain, who, with trepidation and embarrassment, did the same. She looked up at his flushed face as he tried to calmly look at her. The energy was already filling her as she stood in the circle, but her mind was clear. Poor Kain-sensei. A young man with feelings and instincts and no understanding of how to deal with them. For me, this is just another duty…another means to an end, just like everything else we shinigami handle…. To Kain's surprise, she reached out without hesitation, took him by the back of the neck and the head, and pulled his lips into hers.

It was different, Kain thought upon reflection. With Mai, the two of them had been so embarrassed and overwhelmed by the act that they had let the magic carry them into it. He remembered little about the moment but the feel of the energy binding them together, and while warmth dominated the memory, it was the warmth and, well, joy of their spirits joining and binding together that superseded the physical act of the kiss. With Nodoka, the entire kiss had been an accident; furthermore, Nodoka had no understanding of what she was doing or what was actually expected of her, but the deep feelings she had for Kain allowed the magic to take hold and bind them. For Kain himself, however, he quite vividly remembered the brief moment and how they instantly pulled themselves away, and while he felt the binding, his varied emotions about the event dominated his thoughts and pushed the binding between them to the corner of his mind and heart.

But Momo mercilessly and mercenarily completed the contract, and yet the kiss was soft and warm and somehow full of more feeling than either of the previous two. And then, almost too soon, it was over.

Then Momo turned to the demons and automatically caught the card as it appeared in the air. Kain looked at her in wonder as he took the other copy Kamo proffered.

Momo extended the card and automatically commanded it, "Snap." The card became a long sash that wrapped around Momo's arms and shoulders, hovering like charmed snake rather than lying against her like proper fabric.

"Whispersteel Sash," Kamo said approvingly. "A strong defensive artifact. Momo-chan's experienced enough at all this, and has good instincts…a great choice. How Kalan would laugh…."

"Are you ready, Kain-sensei?" Momo demanded. "When Tokine-chan drops the kekkai, we'll blast a hole open for you, and you go through it at top speed to Kagome!"

"R-right." Kain squared his shoulders and pocketed his copy of the card. "Ready."

"Hey, it looks like they're getting ready to try something…."

"They gave the boy his last kiss; lots of pretty lights…."

"Shut up and get serious. Here they come."

Momo began to chant under her breath.

"Kai," Tokine barked, and the kekkai faded away.

Several demons fired of shots immediately, but Momo's sash suddenly unwound and stretched out into a wall in front of them. The energy blasts struck the material and exploded harmlessly, leaving no mark. Then Momo leapt high into the air over the top of it, as high as the demons furthest up in the sky.

She raised her transformed sword. "Snap, Tobiume," she commanded. Flame coursed, not in a giant ball from the tip of the blade, but in streaks along the blade's tines. When they reached the tips, they exploded outwards, turning into raging fire trails that roared amongst the demons. They streaked around the sky, curving in a swirling pattern until they met in the center of the mass, where they combined and suddenly exploded in one massive blast, creating a sizeable hole amongst the demon ranks.

Kain privately admired the skill with which she had woven her kido spells into her sword; even as he did so, Tokine began to launch a series of kekkai into the midst of them. As they recoiled from the barriers, Erika raced in, using them as accelerators and jumping blocks. She moved through the ranks of the front-most demons with her mana-blade, carving them to pieces. Finally, Mai flew in, her rings whirling, and unrolled waves of fire into those busy dodging Erika.

As the demon ranks collapsed into confusion, Kain sailed past them, flying at his top speed, Kamo riding easily on his shoulder. Several of them managed to watch him go.

"The kid's getting away. Do we chase him?"

"Don't bother. These girls would take you from behind…."

"Yeah, they're more fun than I first thought…."

"Besides, what difference is one kid going to make? Just enjoy the battle here."

Erika watched Kain go. Then she heard a laugh above her and looked up.

"Very brave of you girls, Erika-ojo-sama," Kinue congratulated her. "Sacrificing yourselves to let dear Kain Lockeheart-kun move onward to rescue your dear Kagome-ojo-sama. It won't do any good, however. He'll die, alone, before he even reaches his goal. You don't have to worry, though…we'll send you to meet him soon enough." She leapt down from her vantage point, coming at Erika with both blades extended.

"Erika!" Mai started to head her direction, but she was cut off as Kairen appeared before here, slashing with her claws and forcing her backwards.

"Do not be distracted, Tokiha Mai-dono," Kairen told her. "There are plenty of enemies for you. I shall be your opponent."

Momo had to tear her attention away to repulse a demon. Kairen was right. They all had more than enough foes to face here. "Please hurry, Kain Lockeheart," she muttered. "We're counting on you."

There was a large lake at the northernmost edge of the land surrounding the Kansai Magical Association, with a wooden dock leading up to a shrine, all constructed in the middle of the lake. There, on the altar of the shrine, Kiriha lay Kagome down.

"See that big boulder over there?" Kiriha asked the girl, pointing to the edge of the lake. "They say that, eighteen years ago, Chief and the Grand Archmage sealed away a powerful demon there. Of course, with Ojo-sama's power, we can undo that seal and release the demon….

"And, of course, if we summon that demon, then no amount of manpower they can muster against us will be able to stop us."

She leaned in her face close to Kagome's. "Please forgive our rough treatment of you, Ojo-sama. There's no actual danger to you, and it won't hurt a bit…in fact, you might even find the sensation…pleasant…."

She stepped backwards and raised her hands, gathering energy to begin the summoning ritual.

"Kami who dwell in the heavenly plains! Kami who are the source of everything, the source of life! Gather, eighty million kami of the heavenly city! Congregate unto me!"

Kain raced above the trees, slowly but steadily accelerating as he approached the lake.

"Look!" Kamo cried, pointing to the pillar of light now erupting from the shrine. "They're starting the summoning spell! We better hurry, kiddo!"

"I know!" Kain pressed onward….

And then a blast of energy cut his journey short. It flashed in front of him, causing him to reel backwards and lose his spell of flight, and he began plummeting to the ground.

"B-blast it!" He called forth another spell, and a cushion of air shocked his fall to nothing as he hit the ground. He glanced up to see a white-haired Kenjirô staring at him, a half-smirk on his face, the back of his sword resting across his shoulder.

"Yo, Kain-kun," Kenjirô called. "This is marvelous, isn't it? I didn't expect that we'd be able to have a proper rematch so soon. Now, it's just the two of us…no one to interfere."

"Kenjirô-san?" Kain stared in shock. "W-what are you doing?"

This is bad, Kamo thought. We don't have time to deal with this guy…not if we've still got that Eminus kid and all to worry about….

"What do you think I'm doing, Kain-kun? I'm here to fight you. You're not getting past here, Kain-kun…not unless you stop me!"

Kairen pressed Mai, forcing her backwards and not giving her much chance to turn her attention to any other opponent. The reason for this, oddly, became evident rather early, as the few demons that dared enter the battle were struck rather instinctively by Mai and vanished almost instantly. She didn't have time to examine this feat and wonder what it was about.

Erika battled Kinue once again, exchanging blows from hand to sword. They danced their dance, their third, and by now they knew each other's fighting style enough that 'dance' was an appropriate word—unskilled watchers would almost think the battle was a choreographed stage performance.

Momo and Tokine, meanwhile, battled most of the demons, throwing out their spells and using their barriers to block attacks. Experienced veterans both, the demons actually began to grow disconsolate as their numbers were thinned by the pair, who fought back to back as they battled.

A few of the smarter ones withdrew and watched the pair warily. "Astonishing," one said. "An army of a hundred and fifty demons, cut by a third in less than three minutes? Those two aren't bad…."

"For little mortal girls, they certainly aren't bad…."

"The black one isn't mortal. She's a shinigami."

"What's that?"

"Soul Reaper. You know, those ghost-hunters."

"Never heard of 'em."

"You never bother with the culture, do you?"

"Nah, I prefer to eat maidens. Never liked the taste of culture."

"Well, we better get back to this…."

They charged in again.

This is getting harder by the minute, Momo thought. Where is Kain-sensei? He's taking too long….

"Here they come again!" she barked. "Are you ready, Tokine-chan?"

"Ready!"

And the battle rejoined.

"Thousand wavering spirits, guardians of the ten thousand worlds, without delay, forge a path through the surface to that deepest of worlds….

"By the ties of blood to the emperor himself, Fujiwara no Asomi Higurashi Kagome….

"Burn and boil over! Live, o spirit! Dance, o spirit! Become as the spirit of a god!"

The power continued to build.

Erika turned as the pillar intensified. Behind her, Kinue laughed lightly. "Oh, beautiful, isn't it? Do you think the cute little mage-kun didn't make it in time?" Erika turned back to glare at her.

"Well, it's got nothing to do with us," Kinue murmured, raising her sword again. "Shall we continue, Erika-ojo-sama?"

Meanwhile, Mai was finally growing used to Kairen's combat, and came to some conclusions. Every time she threw a flare of her fire at Kairen, she raised that orb to absorb the power. On the other hand, every magic she touched seemed to disappear…..

As she tossed another burst of flame, she moved in immediately afterward, reaching out a hand towards the extended orb. Her fist closed over the magical sphere and it exploded into nothingness. Kairen's expressionless face grew slightly shocked as Mai then launched another blast of fire at her.

Kairen managed to raise her claws and the fire connected with the weapon. Two forces strained for a second before they neutralized each other, sending Kairen flying backwards and the flame veering off to the side. She landed, skidding backwards, and finally stopped. She raised her head to stare at Mai for a moment.

"Impressive," she intoned. "You learn quite quickly, Tokiha Mai-dono. This may become troublesome." She extended her left hand and, after a moment, the purple orb once again formed in her hand. "We shall continue…."

Momo continued her melee, blasting several of the beasts and swinging her sword at others. Her new sash flew out as she gestured, wrapping up another one that was trying to move in on her, and she dropped a fireball into the hole left open at the top of the cocoon; the contained explosion proved all the deadlier. Then a large beast landed on her right and she swept the sword around in a wide arc. To her surprise, the demon reached out and grabbed it. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Got you," the demon laughed.

Another demon came in behind, seizing the opportunity.

Momo let go of the sword with one hand and raised it towards the assailant. "Bakudo number eight: Seki (Repulsion)!" An incandescent shield appeared around her hand, blocking the blow and sending the demon flying. As the demon holding the sword stared in surprise, Momo let go of her sword with her other hand and leapt into the air, putting a hand to the monster's face. "Hado number thirty-three: Sôkatsusui (Blue Firefall)!" The blue flame engulfed the demon's face, causing it to drop the sword. Momo hit the ground first, snatched up the sword before it completed its fall, and raised it again. "Tobiume!" she cried, and the sword blew the demon away with another large fireball. Finally she turned to the one she had repulsed and wrapped it up with the Whispersteel Sash, then tossed yet another fireball into the midst of it.

Two more demons came charging in at Momo's back. "Ketsu!" Tokine cried, and the two were stopped short as four thin kekkai pierced each of them. Momo whirled around and sheared the two in twain. Her sash returned to her, and then moved out to block yet another blow seemingly of its own accord, dancing around her like a living shield. She eliminated this foe, too, with little effort after its initial strike, while Tokine continued to surround or pierce the enemies that came after her.

Finally Momo had a brief moment to glance at the intensifying light. "Hurry, Kain-sensei," she pleaded. "We don't have much more time…."

Kain and Kenjirô exchanged their sword blows. "Not bad, Kain-kun!" Kenjirô called. "Now you're starting to get serious!"

"Out of the way, Kenjirô-san! I don't have time to fight you right now!"

Kenjirô laughed. "Don't be a spoilsport, Kain-kun! I won't get a better chance than this!"

"You can't keep using the contract's power like this, kiddo!" Kamo barked. "You're sharing it all with both Mai-chan and Momo-chan right now, so it won't last!"

"I know! But I've got to get through this…that spell will be finished before too much longer!"

"Well, can't argue with that…."

"Kenjirô-san! Why are you allied with Sarugaki Kiriha? She took one of my friends and is using her magical power for something evil! Do you really want this to happen?"

"Honestly, I don't care one way or the other," Kenjirô replied, moving in to lock swords with Kain again. "You human wizards are always getting involved in stupid wars with each other over land, money, politics, and other foolish reasons. I don't care about any of that. I am a demon whose very existence is meant for battle…pure, true combat, not damnable excuses to kill and destroy. I don't really care if you wipe each other out. I just want to fight someone who can test and challenge my instincts, my natural abilities, and my refined skills! I just want to battle with you. And if that means temporarily listening to the orders of those brats, then so be it!"

"Then let me past!" Kain implored desperately. "I'll fight you as much as you want after this is over, just let me save Kagome-san first!"

"I appreciate the offer, but I can't accept. I won't have another chance to fight you when you're this desperate, when you're really giving your all. C'mon, show me what you've got…if you want to move past me, then do it over my defeated form!"

Kain managed to repel Kenjirô from the sword clash and leapt away. "I really have no time for this!" Kain hissed.

"Then finish me! Defeat me with your own two hands, just like the Grand Archmage did to my father! Show me the strength of the Lockeheart family! A man, a hero, must defeat the challenges that stand in his way!"

Kain exhaled. "Fine. I guess I'll have to do this…."

"W-wait, Kain! Don't get drawn in by his challenge…."

"I have no choice, Kamo. I won't let anyone else suffer on my account. If it's up to me…."

The power exploded around his form again, just as it had after he'd discovered his petrified students. He took his stance and let the power crescendo. "Let's do this, Kenjirô-san."

"That's the spirit." Kenjirô set himself into a stance ready to charge, his sword held in both hands with the blade pointing behind him. "If you want to finish this in a one-hit one-kill scenario, I'll be happy to oblige. Here I come, Kain-kun."

The two charged at each other while Kamo hid his face….

And suddenly there was an explosion between them as something came dropping out of the sky like a missile. They both halted their charges and leapt backwards, staring at the cloud obscuring the crater. The smoke cleared an instant later, and there stood a Japanese girl, with her medium-length black hair tied back in a short ponytail. She was wearing a short white top that revealed her midriff slightly and black shorts that went halfway down her thighs, while her hands were covered with knuckle gloves and her feet by sturdy black boots.

"H-Heiro-san?" Kain gasped

Akari turned to Kenjirô and looked at Kain out of the corner of her eye. "Getting hotheaded in an important moment like this," she chided lightly. "You still have a lot of training to do, Kain-sensei."

Mai screamed at the explosion as Kairen's sphere of power suddenly shattered her force field, and Kairen leapt on her immediately, grabbing her by the throat and forcing her to the ground, raising her claws to deliver a fatal blow. "It is my victory tonight, Tokiha Mai-dono. I don't wish to kill you, nor does my master wish your death, but…."

A volley of dark spheres descended from the sky on Tokine and Momo, forcing them to finally abandon their position as more shots came in from the sides. Tokine found her path occupied by several man-sized monsters. She caught the first one in a kekkai, but then her hand was grabbed by another demon and she was hoisted into the air. She flailed her shakujô at it, but it caught that wrist and forced the weapon from her hand.

"Well, that's that," intoned another demon, lowering its naginata at the crouching Momo. "You should surrender now, if you don't want your friends harmed….

Erika saw this and panicked. Its too much, she thought as she felt the bloodlust stir in her. We've done well, but I have no choice…in order to defeat Kinue and save them, I'll have to give into it….

She started to reach for the bloodlust inside her. Fire began to flare through her limbs and she felt the red cloud her eyes….

And then a giant four-pointed star of sharp metal whirled through the night towards Kairen, causing her to look up and then vanish as it passed over Mai. The demons stared in shock, and then a blue kekkai appeared over each forearm of the demon holding Tokine. They then exploded, removing its limbs, and as it stumbled back, howling in shock, another blue kekkai encompassed it and then destroyed it in an explosion.

As Erika and Kinue stared, Erika feeling her rage and bloodlust melt in sheer shock at this interference, a figure fell between them and sent Kinue flying in a punch. Erika stared up at him. "Nii-sama!" she exclaimed.

Iori Sendô ignored her, instead focusing on Kinue. "It's been quite a while, Kinue-chan," he greeted her cheerfully. "Fancy seeing you here. We should catch up on old times…."

"Yoshimori!" Tokine called, picking up her staff. "What are you doing here?"

"I felt the magic going on and started heading this way," he replied. "I caught sight of someone with a better sense of direction…and it seems I wasn't the only one." He glanced askew at Iori.

Mai picked herself up and stared as Kiami came walking over to her. "Are you all right, Mai-chan?" the girl asked in her usual level, careful tone.

"Y-yes…thank you…but what are you doing here…?"

"I called for help with my cell phone," Yue explained to Kain, stepping out of the trees. "I called Kiami-san and Akari-san, to be precise. I'm not quite sure what's going on, but I knew they'd be of help…."

"Ayase-san…but…eh…this is…."

"That's enough, Kain-sensei," Akari called to him. "I'm not quite sure what's going on here, exactly, but we can talk about all that later. For now, the only things I need to know…." she took a ready stance, "…is that this boy is one of the enemies who is threatening our classmates, and that you should be going. You have someone to rescue over at that pillar of light, right?"

"B-but, Heiro-san…."

"Don't worry about me, Kain-sensei. I'll be fine. Get going!"

"I don't think so!" Kenjirô barked, raising his sword. "I don't know who you are, but I'm not going to let you interfere in my duel…!"

To his shock, Akari was already in his face. "Is that so?" she said sweetly, and sent him flying with a vicious kick.

"S-sorry about this, Heiro-san, Ayase-san!" Kain apologized, and flew off again, Kamo materializing on his shoulder. "Later, Kenjirô-san, I promise!"

Kenjirô picked himself up and wiped his lip with his sleeve. "You'll pay for interfering, ojo-chan. My duel is with Kain-kun. I don't like to fight women…."

"Don't concern yourself with that, shonen," Akari warned him. "You're name is Kenjirô-san, right? If it's a fight you want, you'll get all you need from me. You've got good taste, recognizing Kain-sensei as your rival. Kain-sensei is strong and he seems to be skilled as a mage, but right now, I'm clearly stronger than him." She took a combat stance and let her ki rush out. Wind blew the grass and trees around them, and Kenjirô could feel the strong aura almost knock him over. "Disciple of Hokushinryû, Heiro Akari, will be your opponent."

Kenjirô stared in shock for a moment, and then offered a grim smile. "Is that so? Fine then, ojo-chan…let's get to it!"

They charged at each other.

Kain continued onward, blazing his trail above the trees. He glanced over his shoulder, back at Akari.

"Don't worry about her, kiddo; I can tell from her ki, she's a borderline master martial artist, and that means she can compete with most battlemages! She must be well-trained! You've got more important things to worry about! Get to it!"

"I know," Kain said, focusing on the path ahead of him again. "I know…and I'm ready for the next stage…."

"You've improved, Kinue-san," Iori laughed as he dodged the girl's blades. "You seem to have a good hold on Tetsuteiryû. You've quite grown since you left our home."

Kinue frowned. "No offense, Iori-dono, but I'm not here to fight you. Your imoto-chan is my target…."

"Sorry, but I'm not quite ready to give my sister to you."

Erika stared at the battle in awe. Iori wasn't even serious yet…his eyes were still blue. He had yet to call on any of his vampire powers.

Kiami, meanwhile, exchanged blows with Kairen. Kiami relied on a great number of weapons—hand and foot, and then she drew a pair of kunai and began to fight with the daggers, then threw them after retreating back a step and produced a pair of sai. After several more exchanges, she threw those away and pulled out a single shorter sword.

And, to Mai's shock, she was fighting with four of herself. That is, there were four Kiamis dancing about, battling Kairen.

"You're skilled," Kairen acknowledged after another clash ended. "Who are you?"

"Tsukimori Kiami, chûnin of the Fu-Ma clan. And you, too, seem to be skilled in ninjutsu. Tell me, why don't you match my bunshin?"

Kairen didn't reply. Kiami clucked her tongue. "Ah, I guess it has something to do with that orb. If you clone yourself, you can't use its power, can you? It must be inconvenient to use both ki and that magic if you can't fully control it."

"Do not patronize me," Kairen insisted with a slight hint of anger. "I am still more than a match for you."

"I guess we'll prove that now, won't we?"

And now the demons found themselves oppressed by a reinvigorated shinigami and two kekkaishi. Things weren't going well for them….

Or for Kenjirô either. He moved in, calling on his demonic power, but somehow this mortal girl was faster than he was every step of the way. His sword should have given him an edge in reach and lethality, but Kiami avoided every strike and moved in to beat him back almost at will. Almost more infuriating, he couldn't get a grasp on her fighting style. She took a most unorthodox main stance, fighting with her main hand extended towards him as if she practiced that sissy fencing sword-style of Western Europe, using it for both offense and defense. She relied on a lot of aggravating low kicks, but when he started to grow used to this style, she suddenly started dancing like a boxer and using quick jabs from her off-hand. Then she moved into a flexible, wide-motion style that unbalanced him with exotic strikes and then grabbed him and followed the grapple with a throw. As if this wasn't enough, she even began to dance on her hands, lashing out with spinning kicks. Kenjirô would not claim to be an expert of human martial arts styles, but Akari seemed to be trained in and adept at using several different styles—all at once.

Yue stared at the battle from off to the side. Is…is this real? This is like one of those childish stories Nodoka and Ami like to read. No human could have that kind of physical strength…they're fighting like characters from a kung-fu movie. Their power and actions contradict all known laws of physics. This must be what Kiami referred to as 'ki'…and 'mana'…in other words…magic. And that means that Kain-sensei….

Well, honestly, this battle isn't any of my business anymore, now that I've done my part. I think I'll go find the toilet….

"There they are!" Kain shouted. "I see them!"

"Great, but now what?" Kamo demanded. "That Eminus guy will kill you in an instant…."

"Not a problem…I've got a trick for him…."

"Really? I hope it's enough…."

Kiriha stopped and stared at the approaching figure. "Not that brat?!" she gasped in shock.

"Do not concern yourself," Eminus said negligently. "I'll deal with him."

He vanished and appeared at the opposite end of the lake, moving into Kain's path. "I thought I told you that your life was forfeit if you came after us," he called. "It seems you don't listen well, Kain Lockeheart…."

Kain came charging in faster, not deigning to reply. Eminus readied himself….

And then Kain was suddenly past him. Eminus turned to look in surprise, and noticed that he was no longer wearing the white cloak. The boy turned back to see the cloak now flying toward him, power radiating from it….

"Damn," he said.

Power exploded from the cloak, wrapping him in a field of energy and rendering him immobile.

Kain stopped, threw his staff and sword up, and brandished two cards.

"Momo! Mai! It's time! Are you ready?"

The two stiffened and turned towards the light. "Yes!" they broadcast back.

Kiriha glared at the kid. "What the hell did he do? The newbie was so confident….blast it! Come forth, demons!"

A dozen new monsters materialized and charged towards Kain….

The demons saw Mai and Momo standing motionless, and leapt to attack their helpless forms.

"By the contract, I invoke! Summon Kain's disciples: Tokiha Mai, Hinamori Momo!"

Kain threw the cards up, and an instant later the two girls were standing next to him. With almost no hesitation—even from Mai—they charged into the onrushing demon group and commenced the slaughter.

Kain caught his weapons and shot past them, landing on the shrine a few seconds later. He rose and glared at Kiriha. "Stop your spell and release Kagome-san! Now!"

"Don't get cute with me, you brat!" Kiriha barked a spell and shot lightning at Kain, but Kain leapt back into the air again, and continued rising until he was high above the shrine, almost at the point of energy where the ritual was forming a magical gate of some kind. He began to mutter a chant under his breath and waved his staff. The gem at its top flared brightly.

Magic circles began to appear around the shrine, and the building energy stalled and began to counteract the unsealing and summoning magic Kiriha commanded.

"No! You can't do this!" Kiriha shrieked.

Kain ignored her, continuing to chant. He raised his hand to finish his spell….

And a lance of stone hit him from behind, passing right through his shoulder. He faltered, and his spell shattered.

He turned even as he began to fall, and stared back at Eminus, who was now standing above and behind him in the air. One arm was pointed towards him, hand outstretched, but the other was gone.

Momo and Mai finished the last of their opponents and then turned to look at Kain. "Kain-sensei!" they shrieked almost in unison. Momo vanished and appeared in the air below Kain, catching him, and then used her step to return to the bridge, cradling the boy. Amazingly, it didn't seem like he was bleeding much…it almost seemed as if the blood was petrifying even as it left the wound….

Eminus settled on the edge of the bridge between the three and the shrine. "Truly remarkable, Kain Lockeheart-kun. It seems I underestimated your abilities and your genius. You could not have used that time-space sealing magic on me if you didn't have a full understanding of my condition…when did you even have time to discern my nature? If I hadn't sacrificed my arm to fool the spell, I would still be stuck in there and victory would already be yours.

"Because you underestimated me, however, victory is ours instead. The wait is over…."

The pillar of light exploded to maximum brightness, and a massive form began to crawl forth from the now completely formed portal….

Kenjirô made a desperate thrust at Akari's face, and she leaned backwards to avoid the blow, letting it pass over her face. Her motion continued, causing her to fall towards the ground, and yet without any hesitation her legs shot out, snaking around Kenjirô's arm and finally locking his neck between her feet. She then grabbed his wrist and, as she hit the ground, slammed him down with her. A twist of the wrist caused the sword to fall from his hand. She held him in the savage and somewhat unconventional lock. "And that does it. You may not have been completely serious here, Kenjirô-san, but I think the victory goes to me."

Kenjirô growled and sighed. "No…it's properly my loss. You're pretty amazing, Heiro-san…."

Yue reappeared, looking on the scene with surprise. "Oh…did you win…?"

And then they turned their heads towards the exploding light….

Tokine and Erika stopped their battles with the demons to watch in shock. In fact, all eyes turned towards the light.

"Oh dear," Iori said mildly. "It looks like they weren't in time. This could be bad…."

"Fufufu…thank you again, newbie," Kiriha chuckled. "Because of you, the ritual is complete." She was floating in the air by the monster's head now, Kagome's still form floating in the air in front of her.

The demon roared as it fell from the portal, landing in the lake and blasting water everywhere. It stood, waist-deep in the water, and again gave its scream.

"The two-faced, four-armed demon god 'Ryômen Sukunanokami', defeated sixteen hundred years ago, revived but sealed again eighteen years ago," Kiriha crowed. "Well, the legends say he was almost 180 feet tall, but up close he looks even bigger."

"W-what are we going to do about something like that?!" Mai moaned.

Kain struggled out of Momo's arms and stood, staring up at the thing. "We've got to stop it. That's all we can do!" He powered up his doom bolt and then launched a massive blast of it towards the creature."

"W-what?" Kiriha shrieked, panicking despite herself. "You can't possibly…!"

The missile impacted with…all the effect of a rubber band. The monster was unmoved.

Kiriha regained her composure and began to laugh. "Fufufu! Was that all you have, son of the Grand Archmage? Even you can't stop a monster like this! And with Kagome-ojo-chan's power, it's completely under my control! Victory is ours, and today we will have revenge on all the mages responsible for insulting Kansai magic!"

Kain collapsed to his knees, gasping. "No," he said through gritted teeth, "this can't be all! There must be…something we can do…right?"

Eminus began to stalk towards him. "You didn't do too badly, Kain-kun," he consoled him. "I'm most impressed…but in the end it wasn't enough."

Momo and Mai jumped to intercept them, but with a wave of his hand they were blasted back out across the lake and he continued moving towards the young teacher.

Kain looked up as Eminus stopped in front of him and raised his hand. "Goodbye, Kain-kun. I won't kill you, but anyone who could interfere with us can't be left alone…."

"Ho…what do you think you're doing to my cute little sensei?"

Kain blinked in surprise and looked around. The voice seemed to have come from nowhere and everywhere…and he recognized it. "Is that…?"

Eminus also looked around, more calmly. Then a hand shot out of the darkness at his feet and grasped his arm. A form followed, and a tiny figure in a black dress with light blond hair turned shining blue eyes and an evil smile at him. "You have quite some nerve, little boy, setting your sights on my prey. There's a steep price to pay for that. Shall we take your other arm as payment?"

"A-A-Alyssa-chan?" Kain gasped, completely nonplussed now.

"Alysaser, the Herdsman?" Eminus murmured. "What are you…?"

In response, Alyssa's shadow suddenly transformed into a dozen twisting spears that lanced into Eminus, picking him and throwing him into the lake.

Mai and Momo, who had recovered and were charging back, stopped and stared at the little girl as she turned her attention to Kiriha, once again her humor smashed by surprise, and the giant demon she held in sway. "Really, Kain-sensei, this is pathetic," Alyssa said sweetly. "Third-rate jokers like this are giving you such trouble? After you defeated me, it's rather insulting to see."

Kiriha gritted her teeth. "W-who the hell are you? Well, it doesn't matter…one more reinforcement won't make any difference! Get them, Sukunanokami!"

Alyssa seemed indifferent as the great beast ponderously turned its eyes towards the tiny figure. "Always thinking bigger is better," Alyssa muttered. Then, more loudly, "Is it ready, Miyu?"

Miyu's voice seemed to broadcast from somewhere about Alyssa's person. "It is fully charged, Alyssa-sama. You may fire at you whim."

"Of course." Alyssa's hair flared brightly and rose up as she extended a hand skyward. "Technology gives us so many new toys. Mixing my magic with this one should produce something dreadfully fun. Behold…Artemis, the Golden Lightning!"

High above the earth's atmosphere, orbiting the planet, a satellite passed over the tiny island nation of Japan. Suddenly a great organic mass materialized around it and fused with it, turning it into a bio-mechanical creature. The bottom of the satellite protruded a strange cross between an eye and a gun or cannon barrel. There was a surge of energy, and golden light shot towards the planet….

And then in one bright flash the light speared the monster, briefly bringing daylight to the entire area. When the light faded, allowing everyone to see again, the monster was in the process of disintegrating.

Alyssa laughed, somewhat maniacally. "Demon god? Really, you humans get so worked up over some of our big-but-stupid cousins. Real intelligent demonfolk know that smaller, more humanoid forms are much better for this world. Your pet is nothing, Sarugaki Kiriha, before true royalty of the demon world."

"Kagome!" Kiriha was nowhere to be seen, but Kagome had been left behind, and was now floating towards the ground. Mai flew up and caught her, and gently floated to the ground, holding her, and Momo joined her.

Alyssa stared at the three and smiled, and then turned to Kain. "Well, boy, you've now seen what can probably be called my best." Her smile turned into a frown as she looked him up and down. "And you've really let them work one over on you…."

Back at the scene of the great battle, the demons stared at the now suddenly still night. One by one, they began to fade away.

"Well, I guess that's it," one laughed. "It seems the battle has been decided."

"Yep, all the power holding us is gone. It was fun while it lasted…."

"That was pretty fun," added another. "We should get together and have a drink next time, what do you say?"

"E-eh?" Erika blinked. "Er…we're underage…."

"That's okay, ten years or so is nothing to us…or to you!"

The last few laughed as they faded out. Tokine stared after them for several seconds. "Well, they didn't seem to be too bad, for demons…that was almost anti-climactic."

Kiami watched them go, then turned back to Kairen. "It seems this is all over. What about you?"

Kairen nodded. "Yes, there is no more point in fighting. I have more pressing business now. Perhaps we shall cross blades again, Tsukimori-dono." She vanished.

"And you, Kinue-chan?" Iori asked. "What's your reaction to this?"

Kinue smiled. She was quite disheveled and seemingly injured, yet had almost not seemed to notice her injuries even once. "I guess that's it for me, too. I'll have to go see how my employer is handling all this. Shame I didn't get to finish things with dear Erika_-ojo-sama, but I'm sure we'll get another chance." And she, too, vanished.

"Oh? Is it over?" Akari demanded as she walked onto the scene, Yue and Kenjirô trailing her.

"Akari-san…shouldn't we tie this boy up, or something?" Yue demanded. "He is the enemy, after all…."

Kenjirô snorted. "You can if it makes you feel better, shrimp, but it's not necessary. I've already admitted defeat, and for a warrior who surrenders, his honor depends on his word, and both demand that I'm now your prisoner until you decide what to do with me. That's how the code of the warrior works."

Shrimp… Yue thought. Well, his way of thinking is rather simplistic. He seems to have a one-track mind…is that how the bad guys used him?

"T-that was amazing, Alyssa," Kain murmured. "Your real power…is incredible…."

She laughed. "Of course it is. I'm not called a princess of demonkind for nothing, you know."

"But…how did you come here…what about my father's curse…?"

"Well, it seems the principal's been researching the seal all this time, mostly for contingency plans. He still doesn't know how to undo it, but he can…well, suppress it temporarily, by signing a document and sealing it to the school, stating that I am in Kyoto on school business. He has to re-sign this document every ten minutes, but he's promised to do so for the rest of the school trip if I agreed to use my power to save everyone from this crisis. I must say, it's nice to be out and about again after so long…."

Suddenly Eminus burst forth from the water and leapt at Alyssa, a great stone spear in his hand. Alyssa merely smiled at him, but she recoiled in shock when Kain yelled her name and jumped in front of her.

"Stop it, you idiot!" Alyssa cried, throwing him aside. The next instant the spear pierced her abdomen, burrowing through her. She then exploded, making a mist of stone dust that swept over the shrine and then quickly disappeared.

Eminus stood there, watching, but then turned when he heard Alyssa's laugh. "Very brave, boy," she crowed as she reformed. "A magical construct, are you…a special homunculus, you seem to be part chimera, part golem, and part elemental. You're pretty powerful, but you should know it will take more than that to kill me." She lashed out at him….

And a purple flash rushed by. An instant later Kairen was crouched at the end of the bridge, Eminus standing next to her, her hands gripping his shirt. "There was no need for that, Kairen," he declared. "Still, I guess this is the end of this operation. There's no need to continue this pointless and dangerous battle. Farewell, Kain-kun. It appears that luck was with you today." The two vanished.

Kain stared after them. Alyssa turned to glare at him. "Very noble, but very stupid," she snapped. "I'm a demon, remember? With all my power, I'm a virtually immortal creature, and you're already badly injured. Why on earth did you try to take a blow like that for me?"

"S-sorry…it was just…instinct…."

He began to laugh, then suddenly cough and choke, and he collapsed to the ground.

"Kain-sensei!" Mai, Kagome, and Momo came running over to his side. Miyu finally appeared, settling down on the bridge next to them.

The great crowd of Yue, Kenjirô, Akari, Kiami, Erika, Iori, Tokine and Yoshimori emerged from the woods, and, spotting Kain's prone form, began to run towards him as well. Clamoring, they all gathered around him.

Mai propped him up. His eyes were closed, his breathing was hoarse and ragged, and petrification was now spreading from his wound, slowly transforming his body to stone. Momo dropped down next to him and cupped her hands, but the light of her healing spell seemed to do little more than slow the process. "W-what's happening to him now? He was hurt, but he wasn't changing like this…!" Mai demanded.

"Petrification is that brat's specialty!" Kamo cursed, hopping onto chain's chest. "Kain's natural magical power and resistance were holding it at bay, but now he's just about completely exhausted his reserves and he can't suppress it anymore! At this rate, the injury combined with the petrification will be too much for his body to take! He won't just turn to stone…he'll completely die!"

"C-can't you do anything more, Momo-chan?" Tokine pleaded.

Momo shook her head. "I know some healing kido, and I'm using it, but I'm not a healing expert…and I'm not used to healing mortal bodies, anyway…."

"W-what about you, Alyssa-chan?" Mai demanded. "Isn't your magic all that? Shouldn't it be powerful enough to stop this?"

Alyssa shot her a withering glare. "Sorry," she said curtly. "It's not like I want him to die, but I'm a demon, remember? Healing isn't our strong suit…."

Tokine shook her head. "What can we do? The reinforcements coming could heal him, but there's no way he'll last until they arrive!"

Kagome lowered her head, then pushed forward and knelt down next to Mai. She looked at Kamo, who was now hopping up and down on Kain's chest, begging him to somehow will himself well.

"You're…Kamo-kun, the contract guy, right?" Kagome demanded. Mai looked at her in surprise.

"Eh? Yes, ojo-chan?"

"If…if I make that contract thing with Kain-sensei, it might save him, right?"

"W-what?" Mai started. "What are you talking about, Kagome?"

"You guys told me everything…everyone…all of you worked so hard to help save me, and I've been nothing but a victim here! And now, because of that, Kain-sensei is dying! If there's anything I can do, I want to do it! So if this contract can draw out some of this magical power I have…."

"That would work!" Momo enthused. "It should be able to call forth the power she used to heal me at Cinema Town!"

Kamo laughed. "Ah, the best idea I've heard all day!"

The circle exploded around them. "Okay, Kagome-chan, go to it!"

Mai moved aside, and Kagome cradled Kain's head and shoulders. "Thanks for everything, Kain-sensei," she murmured. "I guess this is repayment…." And she kissed him.

Once again, the night was lit by an explosion of warm light.

The chill was gone. It was warm now…warm and peaceful…. He felt…like he would very much like to see why it was so warm….

He blinked several times, then slowly opened his eyes and looked up into Kagome's face. She smiled at him, blushing only slightly. "Welcome back, Kain-sensei!"

He smiled back at her. "Oh, thank goodness…you're all right, Kagome…."

The gathered crowd burst into applause and cheers.

Author's Note: Character Introduction: Rakasu Klein and Eminus

And so the great, epic battle in Kyoto has come to its conclusion. As a result, many more have been fully introduced to the secret of magic, villains and allies have been introduced, and revealed secrets have been replaced by an even greater number of secrets. Don't you hate that kind of story? (

Interestingly, I realized over the course of this that, not only do I have a greater number of combatants for the good guys, I have a greater number of people who are connected with Kalan Lockeheart (compared to Nagi's acquaintances). Kalan's adventures in the Seireitei brought him into contact with Momo Hinamori in a backstory that still has to be revealed. Because I didn't like how easy it was to make Pactio cards when they're supposed to be rare and powerful treasures (a simple—albeit magical—ermine can do it, and they even have 'Pactio shops' in the magical world? Talk about cheapened collector's items…) I made Kamo a companion of the Grand Archmage as well, giving him knowledge of all of Kalan's adventures. Because Kôtarô's uber-simpleminded desire to find and fight western mages made no sense and didn't mesh well with Kenjirô, I decided that he's acquainted with the Lockeheart name because their fathers once battled during that same time period, which I hinted at in Kenjirô's spiel to Kain.

This has some advantages and disadvantages. One disadvantage I have just noticed is that it allows a little too much information on Eminus, as I'll explain below.

In any case, with the next chapter we will wrap up the Kyoto Chronicles and Act 2 of the story. Act 3 will be a period of growth and training for Kain, the revelation of several back stories, and one relatively small but quite dangerous adventure. But of course, we aren't there quite yet….

Oh yes, the means of suppressing Alyssa's contract is straight out of the story…more or less. I'm being quite kind to Kensuke Higurashi, as in the original the principal had to stamp such a document every five seconds to allow Evangeline out. Ten minutes is still rough, perhaps, since the poor old man will have to stay up for two nights, but at least it isn't five seconds….

So, in this chapter we actually got to see somewhat more than a cameo of Rakasu Klein. The girl, whose name (which I hate) is technically Anglicized as Lacus Clyne, is my favorite female from any Gundam series, hands down, far and away; she's super-sweet and adorable, and seemingly a bit of a ditz, as well as being dangerously pacifistic (like many Gundam main heroines…see Relena Peacecraft or Marina Ismail). However, she is also remarkably strong when she has to be, and incredibly quick-witted…one of my favorite moments in Gundam SEED is the 'Take that, wench!' moment when Kira foolishly hands her back over to Athrun, and Rau Le Creuset tries then to attack and wipe out the Strike and the 'Legged Ship'. Without hesitating, Rakasu radios the commander and orders him to back down, citing her authority as…well…a civilian, and demanding he not seek to subject the eyes of one of the PLANTS' emissaries of peace to blood and war. One of the most evil villains from any Gundam series, pwned by a little pink-haired girl. Awesome.

Eh, of course, she has many other amazing moments and is a fantastic character, one of my top twelve, and was even the heroine I chose to be the model for my girl in the Magiverse Anime Story. Of course, I made it before I'd seen Bleach, Hayate, My-HiME, or several other shows that spawned the girls ranked ahead of her, and if I hadn't started the story until later, one of those others could very well have been the girl I chose instead, but that's neither here nor there.

Honestly, Rakasu is not a major character in this story, despite my fondness for her…she's simply too hard a piece to play in a modern/magical society. Because of this, she fit best as a member of the magical society, but more of an observer than anything else. Because she is a foreigner—and Klein is a perfect German name, and one of the reasons I prefer it over Clyne—it makes sense for her to be a member of one of Mahora's allied western families, and so the Klein family is part of Mahora's board of education. Her device/companion Haro—bearing the tag Made by Caria, of course—makes an excellent magical communication tool, even though it is too high tech to be her constant companion as it is in Gundam SEED.

I decided to keep her as an entertainment diva, for several reasons, not the least of which is as a shout out to several anime and manga I'm into right now, including The World God Only Knows and Hayate, which have a few high school-attending pop idols. It's amusing to think about.

So, she'll be a background character, and I'm still not sure Kain will ever even realize she knows all about his secret and the rest of That World.

And Eminus, the main villain…he is based on Fate Averencus from the original Negima, the main villain for most of that series (up until the final arc). A golem-like creation made in the image of a boy Negi's age, he is part of the evil organization that Nagi once defeated but is now rising up again, and its most powerful member (or so it seems). Eminus is in nearly the exact same role here. He has earth magic powers, mostly, but is a very powerful being, nearly the equal of Kalan Lockeheart, and under different circumstances would have provided a much more serious challenge to Alyssa.

As I mentioned, having so many more tie-ins to Kalan adds more information for our hero, in greater abundance and much earlier than Negi received it. We don't really know anything more about Fate for ages; we don't even see him until after two somewhat minor and one super major story arcs, and we don't learn anything about who he really is or who he's working for, or their connection to Nagi's past, until deep into the super-duper-ultra-major long story arc of their journey in the magical world. So, I'm going to have difficulty giving Kain satisfactory information about them—information he'll demand after this—without giving him spoilers. Heh, it's funny to think of the author giving his characters spoiler information….

In any case, he'll be gone for awhile, but wait for him…he'll be back with a vengeance.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Chapter Eight: The Kyoto Chronicles, Part VII: Masterful! And Farewell!

It was quite late, or perhaps quite early, as the group made their way back to the temple, with Akari carrying the absolutely spent and dead tired (but at least not dead) Kain. Along the way, they chatted and talked; Kiami, Akari and Yue seemed to be content to take what they witnessed with them without asking any further questions, but others were quite talkative and inquisitive.

"So just what are you doing here, Nii-sama?" Erika demanded of Iori.

Although Iori gave his usual mischievous smile, he decided the mood still wasn't festive enough to risk his usual humor. "Despite how I look, my dear imoto-chan, I am quite keen about observing the events going on around me. I'd heard rumors about Kyoto before your trip, so I decided to come up and have a look around myself. I arrived yesterday and did my snooping, and imagine how surprised I was to learn that Kinue-chan was about again. When I saw the light over by the KMA headquarters, I knew there was trouble and decided I should interfere."

"Oh…were you the one who chased her off the other day?"

"Pardon?"

Erika explained her first meeting with Kinue in Kyoto, and how something, or someone, seemed to have shaken her just when things were looking difficult for Erika. Iori thought a second and shook his head. "No…not me. Ah, but does it matter? All's well now, and you've seen the last of her…at least for a while."

Alyssa, meanwhile—with Miyu mysteriously absent—walked next to Kain and chatted with him.

"What was that, the thing you used to defeat the demon god? It was like some laser out of space…."

"Oho…trying to finagle my secrets out me, Kain-sensei?" she teased. "As you know, the Searrs Foundation has been my means of gaining financial dominance in your world for over a hundred years. I own several satellites, ones that have…slightly more power than most of those in orbit. I summoned one of my demonic servants and bound it to such a satellite, creating a…kind of MagiTech weapon. Honestly, I've never had a chance to use it before…we didn't quite possess the proper technology fifteen years ago, when I was sealed."

"I-it was…impressive…."

"Hmm. Perhaps. You are no slouch yourself, of course. I saw the last few minutes of your battle as I was coming in. That was a magnificent seal you used on that strange boy—it's just a pity he was able to bypass it."

On Kain's other side, Kenjirô conversed with the bearer of damaged goods. "What's that martial art you were using anyway, Akari-san?" he asked. "It was…unique…."

Akari smiled. "I study a variety of martial arts under many masters; I study American boxing, Krav Maga, jujutsu, jeet kune do, and capoeira and Brazilian jiu-jitsu."

"T-that's…amazing…what a variety…."

It was nearly dawn when they finally arrived at the headquarters; shortly thereafter, the main force of the KMA arrived, and they were able to undo the petrification magic over the household. Kenjirô was peacefully handed over to authorities, Yue hugged her two restored friends, Kagome hugged her father, and it was quite a celebratory atmosphere. They didn't get to sleep until late that morning, and didn't arise until the afternoon.

Meanwhile, Kiriha stalked through the woods away from the battle, cursing and muttering to herself under her breath, swearing vengeance on demon girls and obnoxious brats and….

And a figure wrapped in a brown covering, a large cloak or maybe a blanket, with a wide-brimmed hat, confronted her. Kiriha blinked in surprise. "Eh?"

"Sarugaki Kiriha. Although you are perhaps a victim of forces that sought to use you, you are nevertheless responsible for all of this befalling the KMA. Are you ready to receive your punishment?"

Kiriha glared at the figure. "D-don't make me laugh! Even if our plan was foiled, if you think I'm just gonna surrender peacefully here—!"

She reached into her robe for a talisman, but her eyes widened in horror as the figure dashed in; in less than a heartbeat she was staring into the red eyes and blank face of Miyu. The android's hand came flying around….

And Kiriha collapsed to the ground, knocked senseless. Miyu stared down at her. "It is interesting," she murmured to the unhearing girl. "I believe that, not too long ago, my master would have had me simply end your life instead of turning you in to the authorities. It seems that the teacher has had an effect on her as well."

Most of the exhausted party had collapsed in a single room, and no one minded. They finally began to stir, but at first they were content to lounge around in their futons, every single one, and enjoy the fact that everyone was safe and sound and all the imminent threats are over.

"Are you awake, Kain-sensei?" Mai murmured.

"Eh…yeah…you too, Mai?"

"No, I'm asking questions in my sleep."

"Eh…yeah…."

"Anyway, shouldn't we be heading over to your father's today? And we really ought to be getting back to the rest of the class sometime…I'm not sure Narita-sensei will be very happy with us being absent for so long…."

"Mai-chan's right, kiddo," Kamo declared, appearing with a pop as was his want. "Well, it's not like you didn't deserve the rest, after all you've been through, but if you want to get this done, now's the time…."

The door suddenly slammed open and Alyssa stood there, glaring at Kain as the teenagers started and jumped out of their futons. "Hey! Boy! It's time for you to pay for my services. You need to escort me around Kyoto for the rest of the trip. We'll start by seeing the sights on our way to your father's. You'd better be ready to go in a half hour, or there will be hell to pay." She slammed the door shut.

Twenty minutes later the various students, still carrying varying degrees of fatigue, ambled out of the building to join Alyssa and Miyu. "Your chief of the Kansai Magic Association has already gone out," she informed them. "We'll meet him somewhere along the way."

And although Alyssa had insisted that Kain escort her, she was far more familiar with the city than the rest of the party, and actually served as tour guide for them. It was a fine, peaceful afternoon, and all were in a good humor.

Finally they met Eishun Higurashi, not far from Kalan Lockeheart's estate and dressed in plainclothes. He also had a cigarette in his hand, although Kagome shortly took it away from him.

"It's in these back mountains. We're looking for a narrow three-story building."

"Where are we going?" Ami asked aside to her friends.

"Apparently, a holiday house belonging to Kain-sensei's father," Yue explained.

"K-Kain-sensei's…father's…" Nodoka murmured.

Kain, Eishun and Alyssa were walking at the head of the group.

"The demonic essence of Sukuna has been re-sealed," Eishun informed Alyssa. "Thank you for your part in dealing with it."

"Heh. It was nothing. And good work of your own. Sorry you have to handle the difficult chore, Higurashi Eishun."

"No, it's our duty to handle at least this much."

Kain turned to the chief. "Um…about Kenjirô-san…."

Eishun smiled pleasantly at the young man. "I understand. I don't think they'll punish him too harshly, even if he was working with Sarugaki Kiriha. Please, don't worry about it and leave him to us."

"O-of course, thank you…."

"Besides, the more important one to worry about is that dark-haired brat," Alyssa said. "He was no ordinary mage. He was a creation. Do you know whose?"

"We're currently looking into that. His visa and passport name him as Pakrov Eminus, an exchange student from the Athens Magic Society, but it's almost certainly a false name. He arrived here in Japan to study about a month ago."

"Hmm…you know more than that, though, don't you?""

"Nothing concrete. We don't want to rely on speculation, after all."

"As you like."

They saw a building begin to emerge from the trees, a large building with what seemed to be an observatory adorning one corner. "We're here," Eishun announced to the group.

"It looks like some kind of hidden home," Nanami observed.

"I thought it would look more Japanese, being in Kyoto and all," Kagome mentioned.

Yue and Nodoka were most impressed with the observatory.

"It's a little overgrown, since it's been fifteen years since Kalan Lockeheart has been here, but the inside is very clean," Eishun excused it. "Please come in, Kain-kun."

It was western style and of most unusual architecture…the entry room was quite narrow, but it went all the way up to the roof, three stories; a balcony overhung the entrance from the second story, and on the left wall was a bookcase that went up all the way to the top. These were only a few of the remarkable attributes of the house.

"It's quite fancy and modern," Momo noted.

"It's full of books!" Nodoka enthused, and Yue barely muttered, "Approval rating up," in agreement.

"I've kept it just like it was when he last visited," Eishun explained.

Kain glanced around in wonder. "This is where…my father once lived and studied…."

The girls began to swarm around the place; Ami, Nodoka and Yue clamored up the ladders and began to sift through the books.

"Is that all right?" Alyssa demanded, pointing at the trio.

"It's fine. Normal people wouldn't understand most of those books, anyway." He did turn to them and call out, "Ladies, please take good care of those books! They belong to an important friend of mine!"

Many of the girls joined the trio in studying the books; others wandered about the place, investigating rooms and seeing how Kain's father lived. Kain himself was shown to his father's study and poured over his most personal books and documents.

After some time wandering about making sure the girls were behaving themselves, Eishun returned to Kain. "How's it going, Kain-kun?"

"A-ah! Not bad. There are a lot of things I'd like to check…if I had time…but we're in the middle of a school trip right now."

Eishun laughed. "Feel free to come back whenever you like, Kain-kun. You should have plenty of time to do so."

"R-right, thank you. Um…Chief…is it all right if I ask you something about my father?"

"Yes…go ahead. Oh, wait a moment." He went to the balcony and called down, "Hinamori-kun! Mai-kun! Kagome! Please come up here. There are things you should hear as well."

Surprised, the three came up the stairs to join the men at the study. Yue watched them go, and then slipped after them, unnoticed.

Alyssa, with Miyu doing her stoic guardian routine, also came into the room to observe as they gathered. When they entered, Kain was looking at a picture he had found.

"What's this?" Mai asked.

"It's a photo of the Grand Archmage, Kain-kun's father, and his comrades. It's from twenty years ago."

There were eight figures in the photograph. A much younger version of the bespectacled Eishun stood next to a young man who was obviously Kain's father—he looked very much like Kain, but with longer hair and a taller, lankier frame. Behind him was a taller man wearing shades and a fedora, and on Eishun's right hand was a dark-skinned and dark-haired man wrapped in a black cloak. There was a man in a white suit, blond-haired, with a cigarette in his mouth, glasses, and a scraggly beard, who looked somewhat like Takamichi, on the right side of the photograph. Two women were also present: a blonde in a blue dress with shining blue eyes and her hair bound up in a braid-bedecked bun at the back of her head, and a young woman with long, light violet hair and deep, dark purple eyes, in a white dress with a blue blouse. Finally, there was a man with long black hair who stood with his back to the camera, so that only his strange long sleeveless overcoat, adorned with a diamond-like symbol surrounding the Japanese character for six, was visible.

"Wah! This is your father? He's so cute!"

Kagome and Mai grabbed and dominated the picture, giving it a careful scrutiny while Momo and Alyssa watched them with almost motherly smiles.

"Which one is Kain-sensei's father?" Mai demanded.

"This one, in the middle! He's a lot like Kain-sensei, but different, you know?"

"Uh, okay…." Mai looked more carefully at the picture, and at Kalan Lockeheart, who indeed did quite resemble his son but yet had something…different about him….

Mai stared. W-what is this…? Aren't these….

"Huh? Mai?" Kagome glanced over at her. "Are you all right?"

"Eh, yeah, I'm fine," Mai assured her, shaking herself awake.

"I was still a young man during the war," Eishun explained. "I fought alongside Kalan as one of his comrades. Finally, when peace returned about twenty years ago, he had become known for his many heroic deeds. He was acknowledged as the as the greatest mage of his era, and was called the Grand Archmage."

Kagome and Mai, new to the magical world, nodded obediently, although neither one actually understood much of what he was talking about. Momo, standing behind with Kamo on her shoulder, watched the pair mutely.

And at the doorway, Yue listened in. A war? What are they talking about? It can't be World War II….

"As I mentioned, Sarugaki Kiriha's father perished during that war, and she's never been able to let go. That's probably why she took the steps she did…or allowed herself to be swayed by Eminus' faction."

Eishun sighed. "I thought we had become inseparable friends after all that…but then, fifteen years ago, he suddenly disappeared…and no one has heard from him since. Where he was last…what he was doing…no one knows. The official records say he died shortly after his disappearance, but there's no record of his body's recovery, or his time or place of burial.

"Even I don't know any more than that…I'm sorry, Kain-kun."

Kain started from his reverie. "Ah, no…there's no need for that. Thank you."

He wandered back to the balcony, and Kamo hopped over to perch on his shoulder again. "No clues after all, eh kiddo?" he said softly.

Kain shook his head. "It doesn't really matter. I feel something just from seeing his room."

"Really? Well, at least there's that, then…."

Eishun stared after Kain for a moment, frowning. Finally he reached into a closet and withdrew a tubular cloth container and approached the boy. "Kain-kun…I do have something for you."

Yue carefully regarded the object. That's….

"Hey!" Nanami called suddenly from right next to Yue. "Everyone! Have you finished your complicated conversation?" Then, conspiratorially, she whispered to Yue, "Be careful, Yuecchi, or you'll be exposed…." Then she continued, "I'm going to take some memorial photos, so come downstairs!"

"Memorial photos?" Alyssa muttered, the first to arrive at the door.

"That's right. As a member of the Journalism Club, it's my duty to take memorial photos of our class during this trip for posterity. I'll need to get some of the rest of the class when we make it back to them."

"Oh…I'll pass…."

"C'mon, Alyssa-chan, you too!"

"No, Jinnai! Don't grab my head like that…!"

If this were a manga, we could have an illustration of this and all other memorial photos. As it is, you'll just have to use your imagination.

They finally returned to the hotel. Shizuna and Narita met them, the latter with disapproval, but apparently Eishun's influence was sufficient to prevent Narita from imposing any punishments or sanctions on the group, not even the pair who had mysteriously disappeared in the middle of the night. They made a few more official visits during the late afternoon and evening. The rest of the class made a big fuss and demanded information from those who had vanished the previous day, and several girls swore not to let Kain out of their sight the rest of the trip.

The greatest astonishment to most was the sudden appearance of Alyssa and Miyu, of course, but Alyssa waved away all questions and comments.

That evening, with everyone being ushered off to bed under Narita's stern gaze, Momo emerged late from the bath. After all this, Kagome and Mai both know about magic now. I wonder…what will happen now…?

"Momo."

Momo started and glanced over. "Kain-sensei…what are you doing here? Don't you think Narita-sensei will want you to be in bed soon as well…?"

"Don't worry about Narita-sensei. I'd like to talk to you, if you don't mind…privately, about that boy from last night, and about my father."

Momo hesitated, and then nodded. "Yes…it's about time I told you a little…but do we mind if we do it in our room, with Kagome and Mai? I think they should go ahead and hear it, too, especially after Higurashi-san included them this afternoon."

"That's fine. Lead on."

Mai and Kagome looked up in surprise as Momo poked her head inside, made sure that her two roommates were decent, and then ushered Kain into the room. "Kain-sensei…what are you doing here?" Mai demanded.

"Kain-sensei isn't through with looking for information about his father," Momo explained with a wry smile. "He's come to me for information now, and I decided I should share it with you as well. This is the best place for us to meet."

"Indeed," chuckled Kamo, appearing again. "Ah, how fortunate you are, kiddo! To be able to spend some time in the forbidden garden of these young ladies' room…."

Momo ignored Kamo, instead bringing out some tea to serve while they talked. "I thought you'd probably be asking about now. Your trip to your father's house wasn't satisfying, Kain-sensei?"

Kain shook his head. "It's not that. I even got this from the Chief." He reached into his cloak and pulled out the cloth container Eishun had given him. "It's a map of Mahora Academy…of Library Island, in fact. Apparently my father studied it, perhaps even hid some secrets down there. It's something for me to investigate." He replaced the object. "No, I'm not disappointed…but I am somewhat frustrated and tired of being left in the dark. There's so much about Mahora Academy, about my students, about everything that I've never been told, that for some reason I'm not privy to. I know I can't expect to be told everything, but I don't want to be left in the dark any more. Whatever you can tell me, Momo, I'll be grateful."

"Whatever I can tell you." Momo smiled as she sat down at the small table across from Kain and the other two took places next to her. "I haven't kept silent out of disrespect or dislike for you, Kain-sensei…I've simply been keeping this secret for the last two years, and I've…just never found a time to say anything. That…and a lot of what I have to say…is unpleasant."

She sighed and set down her tea. "During the war, which started nearly twenty-five years ago and ended twenty years ago, Kalan Lockeheart battled the Obsidian Star. This secret society instigated the war, used subterfuge and carefully-placed moles and magical clones to cause the great nations of Grandall, Dalkia and the Halteese Republic to go to war. Kalan was still a child, a graduate of Caelar University at the unsurpassed age of ten who had started his legacy early by winning the Mahora True Battle Tournament during the Mahora Festival. When the war started, he threw himself into it; at first he worked for Grandall, but he soon uncovered proof of the Obsidian Star's existence—they managed to frame Kalan and his allies, however, for the death of the senator they had replaced, and he was hunted as a fugitive. He escaped to the Soul Society.

"The Seireitei normally keeps itself aloof from the world of the living; our duty is to release the spirits of the departed from their bondage in both worlds, and we don't care about the politics of mortals. The Central 46, the Seireitei's ruling body, were divided as to what to do with him; some considered him dangerous, as even the fact that he was able to open a gate to the spiritual plane of the Soul Society and pass through demonstrated that he was a mage without equal. Eventually, they decided to grant Kalan and his party permission to encamp in the Rukongai, the poor district of lost souls on the outskirts of the Soul Society. After all, evicting them would have been too much trouble, and keeping them showed their disdain for the mortal kingdoms' foolish wars.

"At the time, I was a seated officer in the fifth division of the Gotei Thirteen, under the command of Aizen Sôsuke. Aizen-taichô…Aizen…was my goal, ever since he saved my life and the lives of my classmates during my days in Shinô Academy, the shinigami school of learning. I…worshipped him. He was kind, wise, and powerful, the very ideal of a shinigami and it was my greatest fortune that I was made his subordinate.

"But that was his façade. In reality, he was a manipulative megalomaniac who was in league with the Obsidian Star, and he had his own plans of ruling the Soul Society. He sought take advantage of Kalan…well, the entire adventure is too long a tale to give here. To shorten it as much as possible…there was an artifact he coveted, that had been hidden in the soul of one of my old classmates at Shinô Academy, so he arranged to have her executed in a way that would allow him to steal it. When Kalan caught wind of the supposed reasons for the execution, he decided he wasn't going to stand for it…his team invaded the Seireitei, and moved to rescue her. Aizen then faked his death, using the chaos caused by the ryôka, the invaders, to cover his own tracks….

"And Aizen…well…." Momo stopped, drawing in a breath and trying to find the words she could say.

"He used Momo-chan, plain and simple," Kamo interjected. "He was one bad dude, pretending to be such a kind, thoughtful captain, and all the while being such a vicious bastard who didn't care one whisker for a single other creature in the universe. He set Momo-chan up to fight Kalan, hoping that he'd kill her. I think he had several reasons for that—among other things, it would make his situation appear that much worse. Momo-chan's actually quite popular over in the Seireitei…." He leered at her.

Momo blushed and glared at the rodent. "It was a…very trying time for me, to say the least. Aizen left me a letter, telling how Kalan was plotting against the Seireitei, planning to destroy it, and that he had uncovered the plot and was going to confront him himself…and that, if he failed, he would need me to finish his work. I tracked Kalan down, and attacked him, hoping to avenge Aizen…but he stopped me, without killing me, and…tried to reason with me…but I wouldn't listen…."

"It was kind of amusing, in a sad way," Kamo added again. "We had to subdue her, and keep a hold on her for a while. Abducting an officer of the Gotei 13 didn't make our story that much better, of course." He waved a paw negligently. "Well, I'll speed things up for her. It took a while, but they stopped the execution, revealed the plot, and, eventually, even defeated Aizen. It was a pretty terrible battle. After the truth was finally revealed, Momo-chan was pretty heartbroken. We left her there in the Seireitei and used the clues we'd gotten from Aizen to track down the Obsidian Star, and near the end of the war, Momo-chan arrived to help out, although she'd probably put it a different way. We had a lot of allies showing up for that final battle.

"There's a lot more we could say about the war, about the Obsidian Star, about their leader, the Obsidian Prince, but what's more important to you is that kid, Eminus, right? Eminus…is a lot like a couple of the Obsidian Prince's minions, elemental-based constructs. We thought that the Obsidian Star was gone for good…but if Eminus is really a new version of the Prince's minions, then it may be that they're back. I can't tell you much more than that (and neither can Momo-chan), but if you ask me…well, they might have something to do with Kalan's disappearance. Eishun-kun recognized the kid, too, I think, but he didn't want to say anything because…well, he probably doesn't want you to involve yourself in anything too dangerous, and he doesn't want to raise alarm until he's absolutely sure."

The group stared at him, sitting on the table, calmly finishing the story for Momo. "S-so…these people we're fighting…are members of a group that almost destroyed the magical world?" Mai offered. "This seems…kind of heavy…."

"It's certainly serious," Kain murmured. "So…an enemy of my father's, is he…."

"So I guess that means they're our enemies, too," Kagome put in blithely. "We're all in this together now, aren't we?"

"Ah…Kagome…" Kain stuttered.

She took out her card. "That's what this means, doesn't it? I mean…it was a last-second emergency, the only way we had to save you, but still…I'm a part of this now. I'm Higurashi Kagome, the daughter of mages, disciple of Kain Lockeheart. I'm new to this magic business, but…I want to do my part to help out with this, too."

Kain looked at it and blushed. Kamo had given him the new card earlier in the day and informed him of the circumstances, but it was still a little disconcerting to think upon the fact that he now had four disciples. He opened his mouth to reply.

"I wouldn't object too strongly, Kain-sensei," Momo advised him first. "I think we're all in this together, after all…."

Mai watched the three warily as they continued their adorable little exchange. "Are you the one doing that to him, Kamo-kun?" she whispered.

"Hmm? Doing what?"

"Kain-sensei is…incredibly respectful. Even though he's American, he follows strict Japanese protocol, and addresses all his students by their family name, except for those who insist on being addressed casually, like Hinagiku-san and Sakura-san. However…whenever he makes a contract with a girl, he immediately starts calling her by her personal name, without honorifics. Me, first, and then Honya after your stupid game. And now, Kagome and Momo…and he's made contracts with all of them…us…."

Kamo laughed. "Don't blame me. Well, it might be because of the contract, you could say, but it's more because of Kain himself. You don't feel pressed to call him just Kain, do you?"

"Er…no, not really…."

"You're a good, respectful student, after all. Kain-sensei comes naturally to you, but you probably feel some…stronger bond, regardless. Kain is American, and Americans are actually a very casual people. Even though he's respectful, he's still American, and he prefers to speak casually, especially to people he cares about, that are important to him. The contract creates, or, rather, strengthens an emotional bond between the two it binds together. Now that you four are bound to him, his own natural instinct is to treat you…well, you could say intimately. If you point it out to him, he'll probably realize and stop it, but the point is, that now, when he looks at you, he doesn't see 'Miss Tokiha', but his companion, Mai. Get it?"

"I…guess so…."

"Well, if you're feeling jealous, you can always just remind yourself that you were the first…."

"I-I am not jealous…!"

"Eh? Mai?" She turned to see the three staring at her. "What were you and Kamo talking about?" Momo continued.

She blushed furiously and looked away. "Nothing," she muttered.

"So is there anything else you'd like to ask me about Kalan now?" Kamo asked as they tucked in for the night.

Kain hesitated. "Are you offering, Kamo-kun?"

Kamo chuckled. "Well, we're talking about it now, so I can tell you a few things. Where would you like to start?"

"Well…how did you come to meet my father?"

"Ah, starting from the beginning, are we?" Kamo chuckled again. "You see, I'm a magic elemental, something not of this world…or any world, as known to mortals. I travel about looking for…interesting people, people who can affect the course of worlds. I've accompanied a few wizards and heroes in other universes. I came to this world, and found Kalan, a Master of Magic, the finest mage the world had…and a kid of only ten years of age. He had headed into the magical world to help out with this war that had just started, and I decided to accompany him. I stayed with him all that time.

"After the war was over, we parted ways. He was involved in helping the stricken countries recover, and I wasn't much use to him anymore. I promise I'd watch over him and come again to help if ever he needed it, but…by the time I came back, he'd already disappeared."

"So then…."

"No, kiddo, I'm sorry, I don't know anything about how or why he disappeared. I think he was pretty secretive about those days, too…and I think that he had his reasons for it. And I think that we'll find out quite a bit more about it as we work together. Don't worry, Kain…I'll be with you to the end, and, frankly, I hope that won't be for a very long time. We'll find Kalan together, and if there is another darkness rising to threaten the magical world, we'll stop it together."

"Ah…thank you, Kamo…."

They finally returned to Mahora Academy on Friday afternoon. The class was its usual high-energy self (Yue and Chisame offered private thoughts like "What a bunch of idiots," and "What are they, kindergarteners?"). Still, by the time they finally got back, most of them were quite exhausted from all they had done, and slept through most of the day Saturday….

Kain, however, was awake in his room, pouring over the map that he had received from Eishun….

It had been a hectic, dangerous, frightening week. So much had happened, but, in truth, he couldn't regret any of it…it was, perhaps, simply a collection of events that had to happen. It had turned out all right in the end, and now he once again had more clues towards finding his father….

And he had a path to take on his road to emulating him. If his father's enemies had indeed returned, then, as the son of the Grand Archmage, it was his duty to deal with them….

Author's Note: The Party of Kalan Lockeheart and the Battle of the Soul Society

This was a rather short chapter, but I wanted to finish the adventure with the trip. This concludes Act 2, which pretty much consisted of a single week…but the most adventurous week Kain has had to date. Despite having two less chapters, Act 2 is actually 10% larger than Act 1….

Kalan Lockeheart's party was (more or less) introduced in this chapter. In addition, a few secrets were revealed, including the connection between Kalan and Momo. I'll give a brief explanation of these here, without giving too many spoilers.

I have mixed feelings regarding the party that Nagi Springfield had in the original. I didn't mind them, for the most part, as I have left most of the adults of the Negima universe intact, only adding a few characters of my own for my personal amusement. However, two of Nagi's party make significant contributions to the story during major arcs—Albireo Imma, who interferes in the tournament during the Mahora Festival, and Jack Rakan, who trains Negi during his adventure in the magical world. For these two important parts, I wanted to have characters that would be unique to Kalan, so I came up with significant characters to replace them. However, Eishun Higurashi (this version of Eishun Konoemon, as mentioned) and Gato, Takamichi's mentor (who has yet to really be revealed; in fact, I have yet to have Takamichi do anything in this story…) are minor enough to the main storyline that I decided to keep them. There is a Soul Reaper captain in the ranks of Kalan's party, as you may have noticed, because of the significance he played in the events of the Soul Society, as well as a few others I added for my own personal pleasure, including his wife, who was one of the two girls in the picture. That's all I'll say about that until it is revealed in the story, but I should probably mention (if you haven't already figured it out) that Kain was also raised without his mother and does not, in fact, even know who she is….

So, minus Eishun, Gato, and Kalan, that leaves five figures, two of which I have already mentioned to most of my readers and should be easily identifiable by their primary characteristics; one who is a fairly major anime character my readers should be familiar with (the aforementioned Soul Reaper captain); and the two girls. One of the girls is more or less my creation, has been used before in a previous story of mine (although her appearance in what I have written so far has been brief), and is Kain's mother. The other is another anime character whom I just decided I wanted to include; she might be identifiable by certain fanboys.

Now, if the Battle of the Soul Society sounds familiar, it is because I envision it as being nearly a carbon copy (just as most of my mini-stories or sub-stories here are carbon copies) of Bleach's first major story arc. All the main events are there—Kisuke Urahara, former captain and genius inventor of Soul Society, realizes that the enemy who framed him, Aizen, is hell-bent on acquiring the Hôgyôku, and so he hides it in Rukia Kuchiki's soul. Aizen finds this out, kills Central 46, and, taking their place, orders her executed. Kalan won't stand for this, invades the Seireitei, and commences to fight his way past the Soul Reapers until Aizen's plot is revealed. Of course, here the happy ending comes earlier—Kalan is (almost sadly) a much more amazing hero than Ichigo, and he immediately stomps Aizen and then does the impossible, destroying the Hôgyôku. The End, at least of the Soul Society portion of his adventures. As the Seireitei was indebted to him, they helped him during the rest of his war.

In the original, of course, Momo was a very minor character, and never became involved with Ichigo Kurosaki; Aizen had just used her during his many years as a captain, and now had no more use for her, but in his warped perception of 'compassion' decided to have her 'put down' and tried to arrange things so that Izuru Kira or Tôshirô Hitsugaya would do it for him. Since these two were actually her best friends in the Soul Society, it was more likely a sign of his sadism than anything else. But in this story, Kalan Lockeheart is already a person of interest to the Soul Society, rather than a strange but seemingly random invading ryôka. Therefore, he makes an even more capable scapegoat for Aizen's actions, just as Kisuke was, and so he tries to have Momo kill herself on Kalan's blade, as Kamo explained to Kain. Momo had not quite made lieutenant at that time (also contrasting the original), but she was still devoted to Aizen, and suffered the same mental breakdown over the situation, refusing to believe Kalan's innocence, and being enraged when Kalan (after figuring everything out from the clues provided) suggested that Aizen was behind everything. After he defeated his final captain opponent, the escaped Momo once again tried to confront Kalan…but then Aizen appeared, and tried to execute Momo himself. Kalan saved her, taking the blow instead, and then, despite all his previous injuries, proceeded to beat Aizen around and finally killed him. Momo's mental state was fragile after that, but after she finally recovered, she swore revenge on Aizen's allies, the Obsidian Star, and swore that she would repay Kalan for both parts of his debt (for saving her life, and make up for the injustices she heaped upon him for believing that he was the enemy). As Kamo said, she participated in the final battles, but she was still young and not up to the task of fighting such great enemies, and was largely ineffective; Kalan sent her home after it was all over, and so she spent the next twenty years living with her shame. Recently, her new captain, seeking to help give her a change of pace, gave her a mission to the world of the living, to aid Mahora Academy with a couple of their persons of interest, and thus she has arrived here….

For Momo, this portion of her life is extremely difficult to tell, which is why all the details didn't come out in the story. We will revisit this story later, and she will explain more, when we find out the rest of what she is still hiding from Kain and his party….

And now, with the scene back on Mahora Academy, we turn to Act 3, which will show an increased growth, in our characters, in the numbers of Kain's party, and in revealed secrets….


End file.

Anime X-overs, Negima! Magister Negi Magi/魔法先生ネギま！, Fantasy, Humor