A The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya fanfiction
Setting and all non-original characters are property of Nagaru Tanigawa
[One]
To anyone who didn’t know better, I might look like an ordinary high school student. Anyone who came to that conclusion, however, wouldn’t be looking very closely. First of all there is the fact that three of my four closest friends include an alien, a time traveler and an esper. (That’s a fancy word that basically means ‘psychic.’) How did I come to fall in with such a diverse crowd? Well… the answer to that lies with the fourth person, and the de facto leader of our little group: Haruhi Suzumiya. None of the three has been able to tell me (or convince me of anyway) exactly what Haruhi is, or why they are interested in her; although ‘Were drawn to her’ might be a better way to out it. To Yuki (the alien) she represents little more than “an explosion of data.” As Yuki has the personality of a laptop, it seems fitting that she views Haruhi that way. Beyond that she can only describe Haruhi as something more than human. According to Miss Asahina, the time traveler, Haruhi caused some sort of temporal anomaly three years ago that prevents time travelers from the future form traveling to any point earlier than that… although as frightened as Miss Asahina is around Haruhi, it would seem that she may have done more than that. It’s possible, at least if you were to believe Itzuki – the psychic, that Haruhi may very well be (or at least have the powers of) a god. His take on Miss Azahina’s investigation is that Haruhi may have actually created time travel three years ago or, more profoundly, created the entire universe just three years ago. Either would explain with Miss Asahina’s people can’t travel back farther than three years ago from the present day. Time travel was either impossible prior to that point or there wasn’t anything to go back to. As for me? All I know is that these three claim to be here for no more important a reason than Haruhi wanted them to be. She wanted to meet interesting people, like aliens, time travelers and espers, and these three just seemed to show up – as if she willed it to happen. What I don’t understand is why Haruhi can’t figure it out – why she still isn’t privy to the knowledge that they’re anything other than normal high school students. Personally, I’m not so convinced of Haruhi’s divinity. My life may have gotten really strange since meets Miss Haruhi Suzumiya, but I somehow doubt that a god could possibly be experiencing what she is right now…
“Haaaaaaaaah-shoo! Haaaah-shoo! Hah-SHOO! Huh… Huh… HAAAAHHSHoo!”
I blessed her.
“Oh man… *sniff* another month, I’m gonna be sneezing…”
I just looked on, mildly amused. I had to admit that I found this more than a little bit entertaining. First off, she was a very beautiful girl, and she looked really cute when she sneezed. (Not that I had like a fetish or anything… *a-hem* Where were we? Oh yeah…) And considering how much trouble she usually caused everyone around her, us four in particular, I found it some how fitting that she was being bothered by something for a change. (At least by something other than her own boredom. That usually led to near catastrophe for the rest of us.)
“So what’s the deal? Are you sick or something?” I wasn’t really that concerned… but I didn’t want to catch anything. (Could a god even get sick?)
“No you moron… haaaaah… I have… *sniff*… HAAAATHOO! Allergies. Do you really think I could be sick for a month, Kyon?”
‘Kyon’ was her nickname for me. It’s kind of become everyone’s nickname for me. I really wish they’d stop calling me that. “If it’s going to be like this for a whole month why don’t you take something? I’m sure…” (I was still talking, but there’s really no point in continuing because from this point on Haruhi was now talking over me. This happens a lot.)
“No, no. None of that stuff works. Plus it makes me tired. Class is already boring enough. If I took anything I’d just fall asleep.”
I tried telling her that it doesn’t all have that effect, or that there are different things she could try, but she just kept taking, so I don’t think she heard any of it. Unfortunately, while I’ve been telling you all of this, I missed most of what she was saying. “What?”
“I said: So don’t forget and make sure to be on time!”
Uh oh. Now I’m in trouble. “Wait… What am I supposed to do?”
“RRRRRRR! We’ren’t you listening?! We’re going… *sniff* hang on… haahAAAHTCHOO! *sniff* Man! We’re going to have a club meeting! So don’t… for… get… haaah… HAHTCHoo. Hey… what’re you lookin’ at?!”
I hadn’t realized that I’d been staring. “I’m sorry. Tissue?” She didn’t seem to have any, so I offered. It probably wasn’t polite for me to be staring. (Or to feel as amused as I did at her suffering.) She blew her nose and dropped the tissue back on my desk.
“Thanks… Hey… Why *sniff* why do you keep looking at me like that?”
“Huh? Oh… I didn’t realize… was I…”
“HAAAHTchoo! Would it kill them to close the window? Geeze! Just once I’d like everyone else to feel like I do. Nobody understands at all. Just once I wish everyone else could go through what I have to. *sniff*”
It occurred to me that if she wasn’t so eccentric, it might be easier for people to understand her, but that wasn’t really the issue here. As she put her head down on her desk, sniffling and blowing her nose (and still giving me the tissues back! – I mean, come on! She never returns anything else she borrows, what makes her think I want these back?!) I did feel a little sorry for her. (And that wasn’t easy.) But if she hated it so much, and if she had the power that Itzuki claimed she did, why couldn’t she just will it away? Or had she actually wished for this at some point? I’d never heard of anyone being allergic to cherry blossoms… did she bring this on herself? Suddenly I didn’t feel so good. I got that same nervous creeping sensation, kind of like a tingling in my spine, that I got every time Haruhi got some wacky idea in her head. What did she say? ‘I wish everyone else could go through what I have to’? I wonder… Nah… Itzuki’s just crazy. Still… you never know…
[Two]
That afternoon, at the club meeting, Haruhi didn’t show up. As usual, I was the first to arrive – well, except for Yuki, but I’m not entirely sure she ever leaves this room. She gave me a nod, which from her is about the same as getting someone else’s life’s story. After a few minutes Miss Asahina showed up. I left so that she could change into her maid’s outfit (I have no idea why she lets Haruhi make her wear that thing!) When I went back in, she already had the tea ready. I was almost finished with my cup by the time Itzuki arrived.
“No Haruhi today? That’s a surprise.”
I told him there was a note on the desk, apparently from Haruhi. I didn’t open because… well, frankly because I don’t care what it says. I still have no idea why I keep coming to this ridiculous club. Itzuki read the note.
“SOS Brigade Members,
I am not coming to the meeting today, but that doesn’t mean you can go home! Meet without me today, and we’ll have our regular meeting tomorrow.
- Haruhi Suzumiya
- SOS Brigade Chief”
“I wonder why she’s not here?” He asked, putting the note back on the desk.
“Allergies, I guess. She wasn’t feeling to well.” Miss Asahina looked at Itzuki as if I’d said something important. Itzuki just shrugged his shoulders and Yuki never looked up from her book. (She rarely does.)
So after playing a few rounds of Othello, we got ready to go home. Although it was a relatively quiet afternoon without Haruhi, Itzuki finally brought up the question that had been on everyone’s mind. “I wonder if she has anything planned for tomorrow. Kyon, did she say anything to you?”
I answered only that she just said that she wasn’t feeling well, and that just once she’d like everyone to know how she felt. Itzuki gave me a strange look, but I just shrugged my shoulders. What? Would everyone suddenly become bored, haughty and eccentric for a day? Whatever. I’ll let these three worry about whatever Haruhi has planned. As usual, I’ll just be dragged along for the ride. Sometimes I wish my life was normal… but if nothing else hanging around with Haruhi is never boring. It certainly keeps the reflexes sharp.
[Three]
“HAAAARshooo!”
I woke up the next morning with a sneeze. As rare as that was, I was keenly aware of something else – I was going to sneeze again.
“HAAAARshooo! Ha… HAAAAtchoo! Ha… ahhh…. ahHATCH-oo.”
What was that all about? A double was very uncommon for me, but four in a row? Unfortunately I didn’t have much time to ponder. Looking over at my alarm clock I realized that I’d overslept. Crap, I’m late!
Now I had no idea what was going on, but the walk to school was miserable. I couldn’t stop sneezing every few seconds and I felt like a wreck by the time I’d gotten there. What I didn’t notice until I took my seat was that I was apparently not alone. Looking around it seemed like I was sitting in an entire classroom full of sniffly, sneezy classmates. Even the teacher seemed affected. Every couple seconds someone would sneeze, or sniff, or blow there nose. I couldn’t tell you for the life of me what the teacher was lecturing about. Halfway through I think she just gave up. Everybody was in a state of misery. Well… everyone except Haruhi.
Don’t get me wrong. She still issued the occasional sneeze, followed by a hearty sniff and a wipe of her nose on the back of her hand or the cuff of her sleeve, but, while everyone else seemed to be miserable, Haruhi appeared ecstatic.
“Kyon!” Her enthusiasm was almost terrifying.
I looked at her through red, itchy eyes as I wiped my nose on the back of my hand.
“Isn’t it amazing?!”
“Huh?” I sniffed, and it would have been louder than etiquette normally would dictate, except that it could barely be heard over the sound of everyone else doing the same thing.
“What could have caused this? I mean… what could make everyone sick on the same day… all at once?! This is amazing. Maybe it’s some kind of super-bug! Maybe it’s a government weapon! Or maybe aliens have infected us with some kind of extraterrestrial microbe! Or maybe they’ve seeded the world with a new kind of tree that everyone’s allergic too!”
Who’s ‘they?’ Is she still talking about aliens or is she back to the government? “Haruhi… hang on… hah… HAAAARshooo! It’s probably just an outbreak of something that’s going around. Someone probably came to school yesterday with a really contagious cold or flu or some… suh… sah-HAAAAshooo! Something.” Or maybe someone with latent god-like powers made everyone sick or allergic just for their own amusement.
“NO WAY! Nothing could something to be this widespread, so quickly! It just HAS to aliens… or maybe something from the future! Maybe they’re trying to….”
I stopped listening. She’d be on like this until class started, and probably during class as well. (And I’m still not sure who ‘they’ are.) If there was some scenario she could imagine that involved psychics, then every member of our little clique would be represented in her ridiculous fantasy. Well, everyone except me, who represents the mundane everyday occurrences of the real world. I’m sure it would never occur to her that this could just be a really virulent strain of infection, and that maybe we should actually be concerned. Still, I wonder… maybe it would be worth asking Yuki or Miss Asahina about what’s going on. I’d just as soon not deal with Itzuki right now.
“Kyon! Are you listening?!”
Oh boy. No, I wasn’t. I’m in trouble now. “I’m sorry Haruhi. I missed that last part, what did you say?”
“Not ME, you idiot! The teacher just said that since everyone is sick, including the teachers, that classes will be cancelled today!”
“Thank god. Now I can go home and get some…” I felt Haruhi grab the collar of my shirt… too late to brace for impact… she pulled and my chair toppled backwards. I hit my head on the edge of her desk. *WHAM!* “OW!”
“NO WAY! Just because classes are out doesn’t mean that the SOS brigade members are getting off so easy! We got to investigate this! I want you in the club room ASAP!”
Another sneeze stifled my protest. It was a lost cause anyway. Whenever Haruhi gets an idea in her head, resistance is futile. Still… a few minutes in the air conditioned club room might be good before starting the trek home anyway.
[Four]
After class let out, I had no idea where Haruhi went, but wherever it was, she was in a hurry and didn’t have any plans of informing me about it. I shuffled to the club room, feeling miserable, wiping my nose on my sleeve and sneezing every few seconds. At least the club room was air conditioned – although why I thought that would help is beyond me. Why am I assuming that it’s allergies and not a cold or flu or something anyway? I mean… just because it’s weird doesn’t mean it has to be Haruhi’s doing, does it?
“Kyon!” It was Itzuki.
“Hey. *sniff* You don’t look so bad. I though everyone was sick.”
“Well, I figured it would be a bad day for allergies, so I took something before I came to school.”
“You normally have allergies?” I didn’t know that.
“No. It was just something that you said yesterday, when Miss Suzumiya didn’t show for the club meeting. You told us the she said she wanted everyone to feel like she did. You also mentioned that Miss Suzumiya was really being bothered by her allergies yesterday. Based on Miss Suzumiya’s propensity to make things happen, I figured that something like this might happen.”
“You figured all that out just based on what I said at club yesterday?”
“Well… that… and I am psychic.” He flashed what some people might call his ‘winning smile.’ In my sickened state it made me want to punch him.
“And you didn’t think to clue me in on your little brainstorm? *sniff* Thanks, buddy.”
“Oh. I hadn’t thought of that. Sorry!” He put his hand on the back of his head and bowed. “Listen… I’m going to be a few minutes late, but I WILL be make the meeting today, so please let Miss Suzumiya know OK?”
“Oh don’t worry… *sniff* whatever she has planned, I don’t intend to let you miss out on any of the fun.”
[Five]
When I got to the room, Yuki was there by herself. (Does she ever leave?) I noticed right away that she didn’t seem bothered by what whatever was affecting everybody else either. But then, since she wasn’t exactly human, I wasn’t too surprised.
“So, I guess you managed to avoid whatever’s going around?”
“Negative. As I am programmed to blend in with humans in order to facilitate the collection of data, I was affected the same as everyone else.” The monotone she spoke might seem creepy to some, but I found it oddly soothing.
“But you don’t seem to have any symptoms. Did you take something? Some medicine I mean?”
“Negative. As I am not biologically human, what you consider medicinal would have no affect on me.”
“Then how *sniff* are you keeping yourself from… whatever’s going on? Do you actually know what’s going on?”
“According to the data I’ve gathered, there is strong probability that Haruhi Suzumiya has caused all of the humans around her, including at lest everyone at the school, to develop a severe allergy to the pollen in the air this time of year.”
“*sniff* So that’s it. But y-you… hang on… HAAAASHooo! *sniff* you don’t seem affected.”
“Negative.”
“Why not?”
“I am modifying the data of the atmosphere immediately surrounding my vessel to create a small amount of breathable air that is free from irritants.”
“Heh. That’s handy. *sniff* think you could send me some?”
“Negative. Any more dramatic change to the environmental data could have devastating consequences at some point in the future.”
We’ve had this conversation once before, when I wanted her to make it rain in order to cancel a baseball tournament Haruhi got us into. At this point I was willing to chance it, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to persuade her. “Do you know how Haruhi managed to cause this? Are you even sure it was her?”
“The data is insufficient for certainty. It is only the most probable explanation based on available data. As for the method by which this was accomplished, I am still collecting data.”
“Are you counting… how… ha… HAAAATchoo! How many times I’ve sneezed in that data of yours?” I was kidding of course. But with Yuki… you never know.
“You have sneezed exactly 39 times since entering the area of observation. Based on that symptom alone, your level of reaction is 0.6 standard deviations below the mean of all observed subjects.”
*sniff* Was that supposed to make me feel batter? I’d hate to see how someone above the mean was doing. From that point on we sat in silence, something you get used to if you spend any significant amount of time hanging around Yuki, until Miss Asahina arrived. She seemed nervous, like she thought she was late, but also seemed unaffected by whatever had happened to everyone else.
“Oh! Hi Kyon! Hi Yuki! Ummmm… Is Miss Suzumiya not here yet then?”
“Not yet. Say… you seemed to be coping with the situation pretty well.” My god, she was cute.
“Well… ummm… I was briefed about this event, so I was able to… eeep!” She put her hand over her mount as if she had just said something she shouldn’t have. “That’s classified! I’ll make the tea!”
As I went to the door so that she could change into her maid’s outfit, I asked her if, since this was such an important event in history, she knew how long it would last. She just smiled and said: “That’s classified.”
I guess there was no point in asking her why she couldn’t have been bothered to tell me about it ahead of time. I already knew the answer.
[Six]
Once Haruhi arrived, with Itzuki in tow, it’s hard to describe the events that followed. We basically spent several hours, split into groups, going around campus trying to “gather information” or “investigate the mystery.” If you’ve ever spent any time with Haruhi, you’d know that, once she’s in “the zone,” chaos and confusion are the order of the day as her enthusiasm overwhelms what little organizational skills and common sense that she has. Of course she was thoroughly dissatisfied with the small amount of information we were able to get. (As if running around accosting random strangers was any way to investigate something!) What we found out was that the phenomenon was apparently limited to the people in the school and, as everyone from the school went home, except for the SOS Brigade, very few people had any idea what we were talking about. Somehow this was all my fault and, in addition to the nearly perfect misery I was feeling in my nose, I had to put up with Haruhi’s constant verbal abuse as well. Of course, there was no way that Haruhi would have let me stay in the air conditioned club room and risk my doing anything useful like searching for news about what we’re investigating on the web or something sensible like that. Come to think of it, I don’t think she said “bless you” a single time that day either!
This went on until early evening. Yuki, Miss Asahina and Itzuki left for wherever they all call home and I was left walking down the big hill will Haruhi. We stopped (well… she stopped and I took the hint) and sat on a sidewalk bench. There didn’t seem to be anyone else around.
“Kyon?” She asked, in a serious tone that suggested we were about to have an actual conversation. “What do you think happened today? Whatever was going on, it was all over the school but…” She just trailed off.
“I don’t know.” I wasn’t about to give her any of Yuki’s, Itzuki’s or Miss Asahina’s theories. “Probably a really bad 24 hour bug that we all caught, being in such close proximity to one another.”
“Hmmmm. I feel kind of bad. Usually I’m the only one getting… sick this time of year. At first I was so fascinated by what was going on. It really felt like something… interesting might have happened. And I… huh… well I hate to admit it but a small part of me was kind of happy not to be the only one suffering for a change.”
She looked at me. I wasn’t aware of it, but my expression must have looked judgmental.
“What I mean is,” she continued quickly. “It was good not to feel so… *sniff* alone.”
“Hmmm. I guess I can understand that. I hope everything’s back to normal tomorrow.”
“Yeah… me too.” (That was a relief!) “I was glad that everyone else got to see what I go though… but seeing everyone like that… I just felt really… sorry for them.”
Wait a sec… ‘Everyone?’ Everyone got to go home early. And ‘everyone’ she was hanging around with all day was fine. Everyone but me anyway!
“Ha…ru…hi… hang on… haaAARSHOO!” It’s too bad Yuki wasn’t around. I was curious to know if I’d topped a hundred yet. “I’m sure people are more sympathetic towards you than you think. You’re just always so strong, and a bit hard-headed.” I didn’t exactly like the look she was giving me, but there was a bit of a concession in it. “What I mean is that you pretty much always follow your own path. You follow your heart. And you do it with such strength and enthusiasm that some people might find it a little bit… intimidating. *sniff* You’ve got friends though, you know. And people who care about you.” That sounded sappy, but at times like these (which were rare) sappy sometimes went over well with her. Would she realize that I was trying to say that I cared?
“*sniff* Thanks Kyon. And bless you. Hey, by the way… I’ve got one pill left. I’m supposed to take it in a little while but... Would… you want it instead?”
“Huh?” That was a surprise. “Do they work?”
“Not really. They don’t do much for the sneezing, just the congestion. And the headache, if you’ve got one.”
“All right. Thanks. What about you?”
“I’ll be all right. They don’t really seem to help anyway. Besides, like you said, everything will be back to normal tomorrow right?”
“After all that’s happened? I think everything is going to be fine.” I took the pill, grateful to get some relief and we walked the rest of the way home sharing a very comfortable silence.
Showing posts with label pollen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pollen. Show all posts
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
The Angry Spirits of the Forest - Part 10 (InuYasha)
PART TEN - An InuYasha fan-fiction. Setting and all non-original characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi.
Illustrations by (Kawaii) Kitty Kuchiki (ne Nakamura)
‘A few handkerchiefs’ ended up being several scraps of cloth discarded by the village seamstresses; but Kagome was grateful to be able to wipe her nose with something other than her shirt, and blow it more discreetly that by putting a finger on one nostril and exhaling hard out of the other. While InuYasha and Shippo insisted the handkerchiefs weren’t necessary, once they tried them, they had to admit they helped. Most of the trip was otherwise uneventful. The old man told them stories of his adventures as a young monk by firelight, saving the more lecherous episodes for Miroku, after the others had fallen asleep.
After a three day hike, the party stood atop a tree lined precipice overlooking a low clearing. Tree spirits circled the clearing and stood almost still – looking like tall trees blowing in the wind. In the center was what looked like an ancient Banyan tree. If the other tree-sprits resembled giant people, the one in the center resembled a humongous spider or octopus – his many limbs and sprawling trunks took root in dozens of places around the clearing.
“That’s the ancient one!” The Elder whispered in Kagome’s ear, but as she looked at the sprawling banyan, she didn’t need to be told. She could sense the sacred jewel, even at her current distance. She was also confident she could make the shot from here.
She drew an arrow and blew her nose one last time, just to be safe. Notching the arrow she slowly stood up. She was no longer camouflaged by the wood, but none of the tree-sprits seemed to notice. Her nose still itched, but a quick sniff was enough to ward off any sneezes for a few more seconds. She drew her bow and took aim.
“hah…”
“Shippo! Shh!” Miroku cautioned.
“HAAAH….” Shippo’s eyes narrowed as he brought a finger under his nose.
“Shippo! No!” Sango whispered.
“HAAAH-AAAAAHTCHOOOO! *sniff* Sorry!” The little fox demon rubbed his nose with his finger as he apologized.
Shippo’s sneeze drew the attention of the sprits, but Kagome was ready and loosed her arrow just as they turned around. Halfway to the target it erupted in purple light. The arrow plunged into the tangle of limbs that made up the ancient tree and found its mark deep with the writhing mass. With a flash of light, the Jewel Shard was ejected. The change in the Ancient one was immediate. What once roiled with anger now stood calmly, looking like it was at peace. They scampered down the embankment to retrieve the Jewel Shard. The trees surrounding the clearing merely looked on.
Kagome picked up the shard, but noticed something was different. She could detect no trace of the anger that had tainted the shard. It felt purified, as if it had been cleansed in a way that she thought only herself or Kikiyo could have done. She felt a rush of sadness as she realized that it was the life force of the Ancient One that had purified the Shard. As she held this piece of life force in her hands, she felt an immediate connection and a thorough understanding of the immense love and wisdom possessed by the ancient spirit. But when she turned to face him, her fears were realized - the Ancient One was dying.
“No! *sniff* No! No! No!” She ran into a jumble of limbs and branches that seemed to embrace her as she lost herself in them.
She heard a voice that was almost as quiet as the wind. “thhhaaaank yoooouuuu chiiiiild…”
Tears started to fall from her eyes “I’m so sorry! Please… *sniff* don’t die.” To her hands it felt as if the tree was actually growing cold.”
She felt something like a hand on her shoulder. She looked back, and up, and saw the tree-spirit that had helped them before. He seemed to smile at her. His voice was still deep and rumbling, but gentle now and lower in volume out of respect for the Ancient One. “This… was the only way… Do not weep child… You have done… a great thing today.”
Again the voice like the wind spoke. "shhhwshshhhhesssshhh," they assumed that was the name of the sprit who'd helped them, "yooooouuuuu… kneeeew… yooooouuuu alooooone saaawww the eeeevil in the traveler clooooaaaked in whiiiiite… yooouuuu aaare wiiiiiise… guiiiide myyyy childrennnn and… accept the stewardship of the sssssacred foressssst... that I passsss tooooo…. yoooouuuu…"
With that final decree the last bit of life left the ancient tree. Kagome broke down, sobbing openly as she felt the limbs grow stiff and brittle around her. She felt a breeze in her hair as the last bit of life escaped. While just a moment ago she felt surrounded by love and warmth, now, sitting within the dead tree, she had never felt so profoundly alone and empty. The other tree spirits bowed in final respect and began to withdraw into the forest.
InuYasha, unfamiliar with the ways of the sprits, perceived their actions as callous. “*sniff* Aren’t you even going to bury him… or something?”
The sprit that had carried Kagome turned to him to explain. “No… He must remain here…”
“*sniff* So you’re just going to let him rot?”
“Yes.” InuYasha was surprised that it was Kagome who answered. “He will go into the ground here… and… another scared tree will grow in this spot… won’t it?” She looked up at the tree-spirit.
“Yes child… Every sacred tree marks a place where an ancient spirit passed on... A tree will grow here that will house the Kodama… And they in turn will bring more life to the trees in the forest…. We will… shepherd that life until the trees’ voices grow quiet… or our own do... We must leave this place… It is sacred now… you should not return here…”
Kagome shed a final tear for the fallen spirit, but as she joined the Shard to the others she carried she felt comforted knowing that a small part of that spirit would always be with her. The journey back to the village was made faster by the tree-spirit’s offer to transport them. While this shortened a three day journey to only one, for InuYasha, Kagome and Shippo, who could not stop sneezing for even a few minutes, it may as well have been a year. By the time they were back the village elder had re-affirmed both of their commitments to the former treaty, and the spirit even forgave the village of their obligation to plant 100 saplings in payment for felling a sacred tree. (Though the Elder still planned to do that anyway.) At the outskirts of the village, the travelers said their good-byes to tree spirit and waved as it went back into the forest.
[EPILOGUE]
After getting a full night’s rest for the first time in days, the six travelers departed the next morning, fully stocked for the journey ahead. Without another jewel shard to follow northward, they trekked back the way they came. This came as a relief to InuYasha, Shippo and even Kirara, who probably could not have endured an extended trip through the forest. And while Kagome was sad that she would probably never see the tree-spirit again she had to admit, with a chuckle as she wiped here nose with a long since saturated scrap of cloth, that there was at least one part of her that couldn’t get away fast enough.
Illustrations by (Kawaii) Kitty Kuchiki (ne Nakamura)
Shippo… No!
‘A few handkerchiefs’ ended up being several scraps of cloth discarded by the village seamstresses; but Kagome was grateful to be able to wipe her nose with something other than her shirt, and blow it more discreetly that by putting a finger on one nostril and exhaling hard out of the other. While InuYasha and Shippo insisted the handkerchiefs weren’t necessary, once they tried them, they had to admit they helped. Most of the trip was otherwise uneventful. The old man told them stories of his adventures as a young monk by firelight, saving the more lecherous episodes for Miroku, after the others had fallen asleep.
After a three day hike, the party stood atop a tree lined precipice overlooking a low clearing. Tree spirits circled the clearing and stood almost still – looking like tall trees blowing in the wind. In the center was what looked like an ancient Banyan tree. If the other tree-sprits resembled giant people, the one in the center resembled a humongous spider or octopus – his many limbs and sprawling trunks took root in dozens of places around the clearing.
“That’s the ancient one!” The Elder whispered in Kagome’s ear, but as she looked at the sprawling banyan, she didn’t need to be told. She could sense the sacred jewel, even at her current distance. She was also confident she could make the shot from here.
She drew an arrow and blew her nose one last time, just to be safe. Notching the arrow she slowly stood up. She was no longer camouflaged by the wood, but none of the tree-sprits seemed to notice. Her nose still itched, but a quick sniff was enough to ward off any sneezes for a few more seconds. She drew her bow and took aim.
“hah…”
“Shippo! Shh!” Miroku cautioned.
“HAAAH….” Shippo’s eyes narrowed as he brought a finger under his nose.
“Shippo! No!” Sango whispered.
“HAAAH-AAAAAHTCHOOOO! *sniff* Sorry!” The little fox demon rubbed his nose with his finger as he apologized.
Shippo’s sneeze drew the attention of the sprits, but Kagome was ready and loosed her arrow just as they turned around. Halfway to the target it erupted in purple light. The arrow plunged into the tangle of limbs that made up the ancient tree and found its mark deep with the writhing mass. With a flash of light, the Jewel Shard was ejected. The change in the Ancient one was immediate. What once roiled with anger now stood calmly, looking like it was at peace. They scampered down the embankment to retrieve the Jewel Shard. The trees surrounding the clearing merely looked on.
Kagome picked up the shard, but noticed something was different. She could detect no trace of the anger that had tainted the shard. It felt purified, as if it had been cleansed in a way that she thought only herself or Kikiyo could have done. She felt a rush of sadness as she realized that it was the life force of the Ancient One that had purified the Shard. As she held this piece of life force in her hands, she felt an immediate connection and a thorough understanding of the immense love and wisdom possessed by the ancient spirit. But when she turned to face him, her fears were realized - the Ancient One was dying.
“No! *sniff* No! No! No!” She ran into a jumble of limbs and branches that seemed to embrace her as she lost herself in them.
She heard a voice that was almost as quiet as the wind. “thhhaaaank yoooouuuu chiiiiild…”
Tears started to fall from her eyes “I’m so sorry! Please… *sniff* don’t die.” To her hands it felt as if the tree was actually growing cold.”
She felt something like a hand on her shoulder. She looked back, and up, and saw the tree-spirit that had helped them before. He seemed to smile at her. His voice was still deep and rumbling, but gentle now and lower in volume out of respect for the Ancient One. “This… was the only way… Do not weep child… You have done… a great thing today.”
Again the voice like the wind spoke. "shhhwshshhhhesssshhh," they assumed that was the name of the sprit who'd helped them, "yooooouuuuu… kneeeew… yooooouuuu alooooone saaawww the eeeevil in the traveler clooooaaaked in whiiiiite… yooouuuu aaare wiiiiiise… guiiiide myyyy childrennnn and… accept the stewardship of the sssssacred foressssst... that I passsss tooooo…. yoooouuuu…"
With that final decree the last bit of life left the ancient tree. Kagome broke down, sobbing openly as she felt the limbs grow stiff and brittle around her. She felt a breeze in her hair as the last bit of life escaped. While just a moment ago she felt surrounded by love and warmth, now, sitting within the dead tree, she had never felt so profoundly alone and empty. The other tree spirits bowed in final respect and began to withdraw into the forest.
InuYasha, unfamiliar with the ways of the sprits, perceived their actions as callous. “*sniff* Aren’t you even going to bury him… or something?”
The sprit that had carried Kagome turned to him to explain. “No… He must remain here…”
“*sniff* So you’re just going to let him rot?”
“Yes.” InuYasha was surprised that it was Kagome who answered. “He will go into the ground here… and… another scared tree will grow in this spot… won’t it?” She looked up at the tree-spirit.
“Yes child… Every sacred tree marks a place where an ancient spirit passed on... A tree will grow here that will house the Kodama… And they in turn will bring more life to the trees in the forest…. We will… shepherd that life until the trees’ voices grow quiet… or our own do... We must leave this place… It is sacred now… you should not return here…”
Kagome shed a final tear for the fallen spirit, but as she joined the Shard to the others she carried she felt comforted knowing that a small part of that spirit would always be with her. The journey back to the village was made faster by the tree-spirit’s offer to transport them. While this shortened a three day journey to only one, for InuYasha, Kagome and Shippo, who could not stop sneezing for even a few minutes, it may as well have been a year. By the time they were back the village elder had re-affirmed both of their commitments to the former treaty, and the spirit even forgave the village of their obligation to plant 100 saplings in payment for felling a sacred tree. (Though the Elder still planned to do that anyway.) At the outskirts of the village, the travelers said their good-byes to tree spirit and waved as it went back into the forest.
[EPILOGUE]
After getting a full night’s rest for the first time in days, the six travelers departed the next morning, fully stocked for the journey ahead. Without another jewel shard to follow northward, they trekked back the way they came. This came as a relief to InuYasha, Shippo and even Kirara, who probably could not have endured an extended trip through the forest. And while Kagome was sad that she would probably never see the tree-spirit again she had to admit, with a chuckle as she wiped here nose with a long since saturated scrap of cloth, that there was at least one part of her that couldn’t get away fast enough.
The Angry Spirits of the Forest - Part 9 (InuYasha)
PART NINE - An InuYasha fan-fiction. Setting and all non-original characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi.
Illustrations by (Kawaii) Kitty Kuchiki (ne Nakamura)
Like what happened to you when I got captured in the first place?
Following the battle that almost was, InuYasha and Kagome argued for some time. It took a great effort to convince InuYasha that the tree-sprits were peaceful by nature, and while he never fully ceded the point, he was intrigued when Kagome mentioned the Sacred Jewel shard. The five travelers met with the Captain and the Elder back at the temple to discuss their next move.
“*sniff* We need to get close enough to the spirit known as the Ancient One. Then I… can… gotta sneeze… ha… HAAATCHoo! *sniff* Then I can use my sacred arrow to remove the shard. *sniff* after that, he should return to normal!”
“*sniff* Assuming you don’t sneeze and miss the mark.” InuYasha teased under his breath.
“Like what happened to you when I got captured in the first place?” Kagome said, feigning sweetness in her tone.
“Yeah… well…” InuYasha took the hint and went back to sheepishly studying some spot on the floor.
At this point Miroku had a question for the Elder. “Do you have anyone who can lead us into their territory? How will we find them?” The look on the Captain's face said that he didn’t know the way, and wouldn’t go within ten miles of the place if he did, having seen how many there actually were.
“Hmmmm… I’ll take you,” the Elder sighed. “I went there quite frequently in my youth. I was there with my Grandfather when he made the Treaty of the Trees with the Ancient One. It has been many years, but I know the paths well. It will be about three days march. Captain?” The Captain snapped to attention. “You’ll need to make preparations for more attacks. Keep trying to drive them back with the fire, and don’t harm any that you don’t absolutely have to. I’m leaving you in charge here.”
“Elder….?” The Captain was both moved by the trust being placed in him, and concerned for the old man’s safety. But he regained his composure and stood at attention once again. “Yes, sir!”
“You there…” The Elder signaled to one of the guards. “Prepare rations and equipment for six people on a six-day march. And get this lot anything else they require.” Although he had been little more than a spiritual counselor for many years, the old man was clearly excited about the prospect of leading a quest.
Miroku, Sango, Shippo and InuYasha all indicated that they didn’t need anything special, beyond a replenishment of food and water. They were used to traveling long distances on foot, and came into the village fairly well equipped. Only Kagome had any requests.
“I’ll need a bow and… some arrows… and… hah… AHH… HATCHoo! Man! *sniiiiiiffffff* …and a hanky or two!” She punctuated her request by wiping her nose on her sleeve for what seemed like the hundredth time.
TO BE CONTINUED
Illustrations by (Kawaii) Kitty Kuchiki (ne Nakamura)
Like what happened to you when I got captured in the first place?
Following the battle that almost was, InuYasha and Kagome argued for some time. It took a great effort to convince InuYasha that the tree-sprits were peaceful by nature, and while he never fully ceded the point, he was intrigued when Kagome mentioned the Sacred Jewel shard. The five travelers met with the Captain and the Elder back at the temple to discuss their next move.
“*sniff* We need to get close enough to the spirit known as the Ancient One. Then I… can… gotta sneeze… ha… HAAATCHoo! *sniff* Then I can use my sacred arrow to remove the shard. *sniff* after that, he should return to normal!”
“*sniff* Assuming you don’t sneeze and miss the mark.” InuYasha teased under his breath.
“Like what happened to you when I got captured in the first place?” Kagome said, feigning sweetness in her tone.
“Yeah… well…” InuYasha took the hint and went back to sheepishly studying some spot on the floor.
At this point Miroku had a question for the Elder. “Do you have anyone who can lead us into their territory? How will we find them?” The look on the Captain's face said that he didn’t know the way, and wouldn’t go within ten miles of the place if he did, having seen how many there actually were.
“Hmmmm… I’ll take you,” the Elder sighed. “I went there quite frequently in my youth. I was there with my Grandfather when he made the Treaty of the Trees with the Ancient One. It has been many years, but I know the paths well. It will be about three days march. Captain?” The Captain snapped to attention. “You’ll need to make preparations for more attacks. Keep trying to drive them back with the fire, and don’t harm any that you don’t absolutely have to. I’m leaving you in charge here.”
“Elder….?” The Captain was both moved by the trust being placed in him, and concerned for the old man’s safety. But he regained his composure and stood at attention once again. “Yes, sir!”
“You there…” The Elder signaled to one of the guards. “Prepare rations and equipment for six people on a six-day march. And get this lot anything else they require.” Although he had been little more than a spiritual counselor for many years, the old man was clearly excited about the prospect of leading a quest.
Miroku, Sango, Shippo and InuYasha all indicated that they didn’t need anything special, beyond a replenishment of food and water. They were used to traveling long distances on foot, and came into the village fairly well equipped. Only Kagome had any requests.
“I’ll need a bow and… some arrows… and… hah… AHH… HATCHoo! Man! *sniiiiiiffffff* …and a hanky or two!” She punctuated her request by wiping her nose on her sleeve for what seemed like the hundredth time.
TO BE CONTINUED
The Angry Spirits of the Forest - Part 8 (InuYasha)
PART EIGHT - An InuYasha fan-fiction. Setting and all non-original characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi.
Illustrations by (Kawaii) Kitty Kuchiki (ne Nakamura)
SIT, BOY!
Kagome and Shippo awoke just as they cleared the edge of the forest. They were a few hundred meters from where the attackers emerged and as Shippo wiped the sleep from his eyes, Kagome sized up the situation. She could see the archers on the walls, and could smell the tar in the field. No big mystery as to what was being planned there. Seeing Miroku on the corner guard tower and InuYasha starting to charge the field, she figured out what they had in mind and knew they had no time lose.
“Quickly… get me to that guard tower!”
The lone tree sprit moved much faster than the attackers, who now numbered almost a hundred and advanced at a much slower more deliberate pace. When they were within shouting distance of the tower, she called out for Miroku.
“MIROKU! STAND DOWN! DON’T USE YOUR WIND TUNNEL! STAND DOWN!”
“Kagome?” Miroku was confused to see her and Shippo, especially as they were being carried by one of the beings they were about to attack, but he signaled his compliance. He hoped she knew what she was doing.
“ARCHERS! FIRE NOW! BEFORE THEY REACH THE TAR! QUICKLY! FIRE! FIRE!”
Seeing Miroku’s compliance with the girl that was shouting to them, the Captain conceded as well and gave the order to fire.
‘What are those idiots doing?!’ InuYasha thought to himself, not aware of what was happening back at the village. A wall of flame now stood between him and his enemy, cutting him off as the trees began to retreat into the wood.
“Oh no you don’t! TESSAIGA!” But just as InuYasha raised the sword that could kill a hundred demons in a single stroke, Kagome came into range behind him.
“SIT BOY!” And with that command, Kaede’s necklace came to life and brought InuYasha down face-first into the ground. He was now helpless to do anything but watch the tree-sprits flee into the safety of the wood.
TO BE CONTINUED
Illustrations by (Kawaii) Kitty Kuchiki (ne Nakamura)
SIT, BOY!
Kagome and Shippo awoke just as they cleared the edge of the forest. They were a few hundred meters from where the attackers emerged and as Shippo wiped the sleep from his eyes, Kagome sized up the situation. She could see the archers on the walls, and could smell the tar in the field. No big mystery as to what was being planned there. Seeing Miroku on the corner guard tower and InuYasha starting to charge the field, she figured out what they had in mind and knew they had no time lose.
“Quickly… get me to that guard tower!”
The lone tree sprit moved much faster than the attackers, who now numbered almost a hundred and advanced at a much slower more deliberate pace. When they were within shouting distance of the tower, she called out for Miroku.
“MIROKU! STAND DOWN! DON’T USE YOUR WIND TUNNEL! STAND DOWN!”
“Kagome?” Miroku was confused to see her and Shippo, especially as they were being carried by one of the beings they were about to attack, but he signaled his compliance. He hoped she knew what she was doing.
“ARCHERS! FIRE NOW! BEFORE THEY REACH THE TAR! QUICKLY! FIRE! FIRE!”
Seeing Miroku’s compliance with the girl that was shouting to them, the Captain conceded as well and gave the order to fire.
‘What are those idiots doing?!’ InuYasha thought to himself, not aware of what was happening back at the village. A wall of flame now stood between him and his enemy, cutting him off as the trees began to retreat into the wood.
“Oh no you don’t! TESSAIGA!” But just as InuYasha raised the sword that could kill a hundred demons in a single stroke, Kagome came into range behind him.
“SIT BOY!” And with that command, Kaede’s necklace came to life and brought InuYasha down face-first into the ground. He was now helpless to do anything but watch the tree-sprits flee into the safety of the wood.
TO BE CONTINUED
The Angry Spirits of the Forest - Part 7 (InuYasha)
PART SEVEN - An InuYasha fan-fiction. Setting and all non-original characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi.
Illustrations by (Kawaii) Kitty Kuchiki (ne Nakamura)
“And that’s the one flaw in these preparations,” Miroku observed, “Given the change they will flee before the fire does any damage. But we noticed something before - when I activated my Wind Tunnel: they took root and remained in place. If we waited until they were in the middle of the field to light the fires, I could activate the Wind Tunnel. They would either take root and be consumed in the flame, or try to flee and be sucked in.”
“I saw you on the field before,” started the Guard Captain. “Won’t that send flaming tar hurtling towards the village?”
“If I’m up on rampart, the tar on the ground shouldn’t be affected. And even if it is, whatever doesn’t end up getting stuck to the trees will get sucked into the void as well. I wouldn’t advocate any plan that would risk harming the village.”
“Yeah *sniff* and then I can jump in with Tessaiga and finish them off! I had them shaking in fear last time…”
But InuYasha was interrupted by the elder’s laughter. “Heh-heh… you thought they were shaking in fear? Foolish boy.” InuYasha bristled at that remark. “They weren’t raising their hands in surrender…heh-heh… they were attacking!”
“*sniff* Wha...? How…?”
“What happened when you tried to activate your demonic powers?” The Elder asked, seemingly amused.
InuYasha couldn’t even look the old man in the eye as he muttered his response. “I sneezed and the attack got all fouled up.”
“And do you think that happened by coincidence? By raising their limbs, they caught the wind in their leaves. This increased the amount of pollen released in the area, and that was what disabled your attack. You’ll need to take that into account if you plan to attack them again. *sigh* I just don’t know… I’m concerned that it has come to this… What will happen I wonder…?”
“Elder!” The Captain snapped. “We are prepared this time! With this trap and our new found allies we are sure to be victorious!” It was clear from their posture that InuYasha and Miroku concurred.
“*sniff* And then you gotta help us rescue Kagome!” InuYasha looked at the Captain, who nodded in reply.
“Hmmmm… The impetuousness of youth. I am sure that we can win the battle. It is not even impossible that we could destroy every tree spirit in the forest! But what would that accomplish?”
Illustrations by (Kawaii) Kitty Kuchiki (ne Nakamura)
I had them shaking in fear last time…
It took several hours for InuYasha, Miroku, Sango and Kirara to recover from the earlier battle but, after their respite, they joined the village guard in making preparations for the next attack. The field over which the two previous attacks had taken place was now lined with tar. Archers with flaming arrows were positioned along the northern wall. If the tree spirits tried to cross the field, they would be surrounded by the one thing they were weak against: fire.
While Sango and Kirara scouted the perimeter of the wood, InuYasha and Miroku met with the Guard Captain and the Village Elder with a strategy that would make the defensive plan even deadlier.
“Each attack was merely a hit-and-run. But the second wave was much larger than the first. I think they fled because they didn’t expect to encounter all of you,” the Village Elder counseled the warriors.
While Sango and Kirara scouted the perimeter of the wood, InuYasha and Miroku met with the Guard Captain and the Village Elder with a strategy that would make the defensive plan even deadlier.
“Each attack was merely a hit-and-run. But the second wave was much larger than the first. I think they fled because they didn’t expect to encounter all of you,” the Village Elder counseled the warriors.
“And that’s the one flaw in these preparations,” Miroku observed, “Given the change they will flee before the fire does any damage. But we noticed something before - when I activated my Wind Tunnel: they took root and remained in place. If we waited until they were in the middle of the field to light the fires, I could activate the Wind Tunnel. They would either take root and be consumed in the flame, or try to flee and be sucked in.”
“I saw you on the field before,” started the Guard Captain. “Won’t that send flaming tar hurtling towards the village?”
“If I’m up on rampart, the tar on the ground shouldn’t be affected. And even if it is, whatever doesn’t end up getting stuck to the trees will get sucked into the void as well. I wouldn’t advocate any plan that would risk harming the village.”
“Yeah *sniff* and then I can jump in with Tessaiga and finish them off! I had them shaking in fear last time…”
But InuYasha was interrupted by the elder’s laughter. “Heh-heh… you thought they were shaking in fear? Foolish boy.” InuYasha bristled at that remark. “They weren’t raising their hands in surrender…heh-heh… they were attacking!”
“*sniff* Wha...? How…?”
“What happened when you tried to activate your demonic powers?” The Elder asked, seemingly amused.
InuYasha couldn’t even look the old man in the eye as he muttered his response. “I sneezed and the attack got all fouled up.”
“And do you think that happened by coincidence? By raising their limbs, they caught the wind in their leaves. This increased the amount of pollen released in the area, and that was what disabled your attack. You’ll need to take that into account if you plan to attack them again. *sigh* I just don’t know… I’m concerned that it has come to this… What will happen I wonder…?”
“Elder!” The Captain snapped. “We are prepared this time! With this trap and our new found allies we are sure to be victorious!” It was clear from their posture that InuYasha and Miroku concurred.
“*sniff* And then you gotta help us rescue Kagome!” InuYasha looked at the Captain, who nodded in reply.
“Hmmmm… The impetuousness of youth. I am sure that we can win the battle. It is not even impossible that we could destroy every tree spirit in the forest! But what would that accomplish?”
“We would be safe!” The Captain declared.
“Would we? And who would defend us against the demons from over the mountains without the sacred wood acting as a buffer zone? The Shinrinyahsa have been our shield against them for generations. Before the Treaty of the Trees we fought with the demons constantly. Plus… they manage and keep healthy the very timber that we make our living off of. They even maintain the river to prevent it from flooding. You take for granted all they have done for us… and are ignorant of how tenuous our livelihood will be without them. Victory on the field may be irrelevant in the long run.”
Miroku considered this in silence, but he saw no better options. InuYasha and the Captain were unmoved however and were about to launch a counter-argument when Sango burst in.
“Would we? And who would defend us against the demons from over the mountains without the sacred wood acting as a buffer zone? The Shinrinyahsa have been our shield against them for generations. Before the Treaty of the Trees we fought with the demons constantly. Plus… they manage and keep healthy the very timber that we make our living off of. They even maintain the river to prevent it from flooding. You take for granted all they have done for us… and are ignorant of how tenuous our livelihood will be without them. Victory on the field may be irrelevant in the long run.”
Miroku considered this in silence, but he saw no better options. InuYasha and the Captain were unmoved however and were about to launch a counter-argument when Sango burst in.
“They’re here! Ready the militia!”
TO BE CONTINUED
TO BE CONTINUED
Thursday, December 22, 2011
The Angry Spirits of the Forest - Part 6 (InuYasha)
PART SIX - An InuYasha fan-fiction. Setting and all non-original characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi.
Illustrations by (Kawaii) Kitty Kuchiki (ne Nakamura)
As the sun set, Kagome and Shippo were being taken towards the base of the mountain, held firmly but gently by a new captor. As he was only a single tree-spirit, the pollen was not as thick as it had been in the large group, but each ground-shaking stride shook more loose from the enormous tree. For several minutes, all that could be heard were the giant’s thunderous footsteps, followed by Kagome’s high-pitched sneezes.
*BOOM*
“Hashoo!”
*BOOM*
“Hahyaht… shoo!"
*BOOM*
“HAAAAshoo-oo!”
A soon as they were sure they’d have no hope of finding their way back, the behemoth stopped. He raised his quarry to eye level to examine them. He seemed larger than the others, and Kagome and Shippo were now uncomfortably high off the ground. Although his nose itched like mad, Shippo was too scared to sneeze. Kagome, on the other hand, was too busy sneezing to be scared.
Shippo finally broke the uncomfortable silence. “Um… m-mister shinrinyahsa? Uh… what do plan to do with us?”
“DOOOO? HMMMM…” It spoke slowly, with a gravelly voice deeper than any human’s, and more booming than any demon’s. “WELLLL…. NOTHING… IF WHAT YOU MEAN IS... WHAT DO I PLAN TO DO… TO YOU…”
“Phew. *sniff* So… your not on their side then?”
“HMMMMM… I’M NOT SURE WHOSE SIDE I AM ON… BECAUSE… I AM NOT SURE… WHO IS ON MY SIDE. BUT WE ARE PLEDGED TO KEEP THE HUMANS SAFE… SO SAFE IS WHERE I SHALL KEEP YOU.”
“Great! In that case… I… haah… HAAAAH… HAHHTCHOOO!”
With the sneeze, Shippo found himself quickly drawn close to the tree-spirit's suspicious eyes. “THAT SOUND YOU MAKE! ARE… YOU… A… DEMON?!” It eyes almost seemed to catch fire when he spoke that word.
“Please! *sniff* I am a demon but *sniff* I’m a friend of the forest! *sniff* And the humans! I used to live in a wood like this one! *sniff* and my friend here is human! Please don’t hurt me! *sniff* I just want to help!” The tiny Shippo was rightly terrified of the giant tree, holding him with an iron grip and a fiery gaze.
“HMMMMM… HA… HAAAH… HAAAAAHHHHHH!” The tree now seemed to smile a little. “YOU… ARE… A… FOX DEMON… NO? I ALWAYS LIKED FOX DEMONS… WHAT… WONDERFUL MISCHIEF THEY WOULD MAKE… I HAVEN’T SEEN A FOX DEMON IN SO LONG… I’D FORGOTTEN WHAT THEY LOOKED LIKE!”
“Oh thank you! I was so frightened! But you really seem very nice!” Shippo was still held fast, but he was so high up that he was grateful for the strong support.
“BUT… WHAT OF YOU FRIEND? SHE’S… NOT LIKE ANY DEMON I’VE EVER SEEN…”
“She’s not! *sniff* She a human!” Shippo managed to free an arm, and wipes his nose on his sleeve.
“BUT… SHE MAKES THE SAME SOUND AS YOU…” He now drew Kagome closer, to examine her. Moving deeper into the leaves did not help her condition any. “ARE YOU ILL… LITTLE HUMAN?”
“No… Hah… HAAAHShoo! I’m *sniff* aller… aller… AAAH-shoo! Allergic… to… you! HAAAT-shoo!” But she got the feeling that the tree-spirit did not understand. “I’m *sniff* human but *sniff* I’m seem to be affected the same… as… the… deeAAHSHoo! demons. *sniff* Worse actually.” She rolled her eyes as she said that. “Hey… *sniff* if you guys are pledged to protect the humans, *sniff* then why’d you… ah… AAAHTChooo! …attack the village?”
“BOOO-RA-RUUUM! I HAD NO PART OF THAT! WE ARE A… PEACEFUL RACE! BUT… THAT… DEMON… CAME. WITH THAT… JEWEL!”
“*sniff* Did he…hah… hatSHOO! Did he were a cloak, *sniff* with a baboon’s head?”
The sprit’s eyes opened wide upon hearing this, and his already uncomfortably tight grip grew tighter still. “YESSS! YESSS! DO YOU… KNOW… THIS… DEMON?”
“Yes. And now I know we’re on the same side too! *sniff* We’re fighting that same demon! His name… is… NarAAACHOOO!”
“NARA-CHOO YOU SAY?”
Shippo couldn’t help but laugh. “No silly! She sneezed again! His name is NARAKU!”
The tree-spirit's eyes narrow in anger as he repeated the name. “NA… RA… KU!”
Kagome still had some questions. “But *sniff* even with the jewel… hang on… hah… HAAAHHTChoo! *sniff* why did the spirits attack? Was it over the sacred tree that was cut down?” As soon as she said it, she’d hoped that he actually knew about it! She couldn’t imagine how angry he’d be if that was enough to justify the attack. Fortunately he reacted as if he not only knew, but was ashamed at how the sprits reacted. His “trunk” almost seemed to slump (or wilt.)
“HOOOOOMMMM… YES… IT WAS A SHAME… BUT... LOSING ONE LIFE… DOES NOT MEAN… YOU TAKE ANOTHER! THE HUMAN’S SHOULD HAVE PLANTED… 100 NEW SAPLINGS TO ATONE… BUT… THEY WERE NEVER GIVEN… THE CHANCE!”
“*sniff* What happened?” Shippo looked as if he was a child hearing a bedtime story.
“THE… JEWEL… IT MADE THE ANCIENT ONE… ANGRY… IT FILLED HIM WITH… RAGE. HIS POLLEN SPREAD… AND MADE THE OTHERS… CONFUSED… AND SOON… THEY FELT AS ANGRY… AND VENGEFUL… AS THE ANCIENT ONE… BUT… THIS IS NOT OUR WAY…” The tree’s voice started to sound sad.
“But how did… oh man… hang on… hah… HAAAHTCHOO!” Kagome rubbed her nose vigorously with her index finger in an attempt to stave off more sneezing. “How did Naraku get so far into the forest? *sniff* Didn’t your pollen bother him too?”
“IF IT DID… I DO NOT KNOW… HE DIDN’T SHOW ANY SIGNS… OF DISTRESS. THAT’S WHY THE ANCIENT ONE… AGREED TO MEET WITH HIM.”
“So… *sniff* he was tricked?”
“YES… HE IS NO LONGER HIMSELF. HE NEVER WOULD HAVE APPROVED… OF ATTACKING… THE VILLAGE.” Although still more booming than any human or demon they’d come across, the tree-spirit’s voice began to grow quieter. His sadness now seemed mingled with shame. A drop of sap below one eye had the look of a tear. Shippo bent and hugged the limb that held him.
“It’s OK. You, me and Kagome will find a way to fix this.”
“Wait… *sniff* Will… *sniff* Will the other’s attack again?”
The sprint seemed to grow taller as it stood up strait once again. Its eyes took on a distant look. “THEY ARE… ALREADY ON THE MOVE…”
“*sniff* Then we… hah… HAT-choo! We must go… hah… b-back! Hat-SHOO!”
“WHY…? WE CANNOT STOP THEM… THE VILLAGERS… MUST WEATHER THIS ATTACK… AT LEAST UNTIL… WE CAN GET MORE… HELP…”
“No! *sniff* You don’t… *sniff* oh man!... ah-AH-tchoo! Understand! HATCHOO! InuYasha and the others will be ready for them this time! *sniff* InuYasha’s really strong and… HAHT-choo! His sword could destroy everyone in one strike if… he… gets… thechanceAAH-CHOO! Quickly! We’ve got to head them off at… the… vil-lage.. HAAAHtchoo! Hurry! Please!”
Although he did not fully understand, the spirit started moving quickly back toward the village. He cradled Kagome and Shippo and advised them to rest while they could as it would be about a hour’s march. Although she still sneezed with nearly every bounding step, Kagome did manage to get a little rest as they made their way back to the village.
Illustrations by (Kawaii) Kitty Kuchiki (ne Nakamura)
That sound you make! Are you a DEMON?!
As the sun set, Kagome and Shippo were being taken towards the base of the mountain, held firmly but gently by a new captor. As he was only a single tree-spirit, the pollen was not as thick as it had been in the large group, but each ground-shaking stride shook more loose from the enormous tree. For several minutes, all that could be heard were the giant’s thunderous footsteps, followed by Kagome’s high-pitched sneezes.
*BOOM*
“Hashoo!”
*BOOM*
“Hahyaht… shoo!"
*BOOM*
“HAAAAshoo-oo!”
A soon as they were sure they’d have no hope of finding their way back, the behemoth stopped. He raised his quarry to eye level to examine them. He seemed larger than the others, and Kagome and Shippo were now uncomfortably high off the ground. Although his nose itched like mad, Shippo was too scared to sneeze. Kagome, on the other hand, was too busy sneezing to be scared.
Shippo finally broke the uncomfortable silence. “Um… m-mister shinrinyahsa? Uh… what do plan to do with us?”
“DOOOO? HMMMM…” It spoke slowly, with a gravelly voice deeper than any human’s, and more booming than any demon’s. “WELLLL…. NOTHING… IF WHAT YOU MEAN IS... WHAT DO I PLAN TO DO… TO YOU…”
“Phew. *sniff* So… your not on their side then?”
“HMMMMM… I’M NOT SURE WHOSE SIDE I AM ON… BECAUSE… I AM NOT SURE… WHO IS ON MY SIDE. BUT WE ARE PLEDGED TO KEEP THE HUMANS SAFE… SO SAFE IS WHERE I SHALL KEEP YOU.”
“Great! In that case… I… haah… HAAAAH… HAHHTCHOOO!”
With the sneeze, Shippo found himself quickly drawn close to the tree-spirit's suspicious eyes. “THAT SOUND YOU MAKE! ARE… YOU… A… DEMON?!” It eyes almost seemed to catch fire when he spoke that word.
“Please! *sniff* I am a demon but *sniff* I’m a friend of the forest! *sniff* And the humans! I used to live in a wood like this one! *sniff* and my friend here is human! Please don’t hurt me! *sniff* I just want to help!” The tiny Shippo was rightly terrified of the giant tree, holding him with an iron grip and a fiery gaze.
“HMMMMM… HA… HAAAH… HAAAAAHHHHHH!” The tree now seemed to smile a little. “YOU… ARE… A… FOX DEMON… NO? I ALWAYS LIKED FOX DEMONS… WHAT… WONDERFUL MISCHIEF THEY WOULD MAKE… I HAVEN’T SEEN A FOX DEMON IN SO LONG… I’D FORGOTTEN WHAT THEY LOOKED LIKE!”
“Oh thank you! I was so frightened! But you really seem very nice!” Shippo was still held fast, but he was so high up that he was grateful for the strong support.
“BUT… WHAT OF YOU FRIEND? SHE’S… NOT LIKE ANY DEMON I’VE EVER SEEN…”
“She’s not! *sniff* She a human!” Shippo managed to free an arm, and wipes his nose on his sleeve.
“BUT… SHE MAKES THE SAME SOUND AS YOU…” He now drew Kagome closer, to examine her. Moving deeper into the leaves did not help her condition any. “ARE YOU ILL… LITTLE HUMAN?”
“No… Hah… HAAAHShoo! I’m *sniff* aller… aller… AAAH-shoo! Allergic… to… you! HAAAT-shoo!” But she got the feeling that the tree-spirit did not understand. “I’m *sniff* human but *sniff* I’m seem to be affected the same… as… the… deeAAHSHoo! demons. *sniff* Worse actually.” She rolled her eyes as she said that. “Hey… *sniff* if you guys are pledged to protect the humans, *sniff* then why’d you… ah… AAAHTChooo! …attack the village?”
“BOOO-RA-RUUUM! I HAD NO PART OF THAT! WE ARE A… PEACEFUL RACE! BUT… THAT… DEMON… CAME. WITH THAT… JEWEL!”
“*sniff* Did he…hah… hatSHOO! Did he were a cloak, *sniff* with a baboon’s head?”
The sprit’s eyes opened wide upon hearing this, and his already uncomfortably tight grip grew tighter still. “YESSS! YESSS! DO YOU… KNOW… THIS… DEMON?”
“Yes. And now I know we’re on the same side too! *sniff* We’re fighting that same demon! His name… is… NarAAACHOOO!”
“NARA-CHOO YOU SAY?”
Shippo couldn’t help but laugh. “No silly! She sneezed again! His name is NARAKU!”
The tree-spirit's eyes narrow in anger as he repeated the name. “NA… RA… KU!”
Kagome still had some questions. “But *sniff* even with the jewel… hang on… hah… HAAAHHTChoo! *sniff* why did the spirits attack? Was it over the sacred tree that was cut down?” As soon as she said it, she’d hoped that he actually knew about it! She couldn’t imagine how angry he’d be if that was enough to justify the attack. Fortunately he reacted as if he not only knew, but was ashamed at how the sprits reacted. His “trunk” almost seemed to slump (or wilt.)
“HOOOOOMMMM… YES… IT WAS A SHAME… BUT... LOSING ONE LIFE… DOES NOT MEAN… YOU TAKE ANOTHER! THE HUMAN’S SHOULD HAVE PLANTED… 100 NEW SAPLINGS TO ATONE… BUT… THEY WERE NEVER GIVEN… THE CHANCE!”
“*sniff* What happened?” Shippo looked as if he was a child hearing a bedtime story.
“THE… JEWEL… IT MADE THE ANCIENT ONE… ANGRY… IT FILLED HIM WITH… RAGE. HIS POLLEN SPREAD… AND MADE THE OTHERS… CONFUSED… AND SOON… THEY FELT AS ANGRY… AND VENGEFUL… AS THE ANCIENT ONE… BUT… THIS IS NOT OUR WAY…” The tree’s voice started to sound sad.
“But how did… oh man… hang on… hah… HAAAHTCHOO!” Kagome rubbed her nose vigorously with her index finger in an attempt to stave off more sneezing. “How did Naraku get so far into the forest? *sniff* Didn’t your pollen bother him too?”
“IF IT DID… I DO NOT KNOW… HE DIDN’T SHOW ANY SIGNS… OF DISTRESS. THAT’S WHY THE ANCIENT ONE… AGREED TO MEET WITH HIM.”
“So… *sniff* he was tricked?”
“YES… HE IS NO LONGER HIMSELF. HE NEVER WOULD HAVE APPROVED… OF ATTACKING… THE VILLAGE.” Although still more booming than any human or demon they’d come across, the tree-spirit’s voice began to grow quieter. His sadness now seemed mingled with shame. A drop of sap below one eye had the look of a tear. Shippo bent and hugged the limb that held him.
“It’s OK. You, me and Kagome will find a way to fix this.”
“Wait… *sniff* Will… *sniff* Will the other’s attack again?”
The sprint seemed to grow taller as it stood up strait once again. Its eyes took on a distant look. “THEY ARE… ALREADY ON THE MOVE…”
“*sniff* Then we… hah… HAT-choo! We must go… hah… b-back! Hat-SHOO!”
“WHY…? WE CANNOT STOP THEM… THE VILLAGERS… MUST WEATHER THIS ATTACK… AT LEAST UNTIL… WE CAN GET MORE… HELP…”
“No! *sniff* You don’t… *sniff* oh man!... ah-AH-tchoo! Understand! HATCHOO! InuYasha and the others will be ready for them this time! *sniff* InuYasha’s really strong and… HAHT-choo! His sword could destroy everyone in one strike if… he… gets… thechanceAAH-CHOO! Quickly! We’ve got to head them off at… the… vil-lage.. HAAAHtchoo! Hurry! Please!”
Although he did not fully understand, the spirit started moving quickly back toward the village. He cradled Kagome and Shippo and advised them to rest while they could as it would be about a hour’s march. Although she still sneezed with nearly every bounding step, Kagome did manage to get a little rest as they made their way back to the village.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
The Angry Spirits of the Forest - Part 5 (InuYasha)
PART FIVE- An InuYasha fan-fiction. Setting and all non-original characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi.
Illustrations by (Kawaii) Kitty Kuchiki (ne Nakamura)
Kagome would have been amazed how fast the tree-sprits moved through the forest. Despite their huge size and ponderous wooden bodies, they moved with impressive speed and grace without disturbing or damaging any of the surrounding flora. All of this, however, was lost on Kagome as she could barely open her eyes, or even breathe for all the sneezing. She was in the middle of a tramp of walking trees and the clouds of pollen that shook loose with every thunderous step filled her every breath. It bothered Shippo as well, but he was now so stuffed up that he’d stopped sneezing. He was getting very concerned about Kagome.
“*sniff* Kagome?”
“Haht-shoo!”
“*sniff* You OK?”
“HAAASH-shooo!”
“What’re *sniff* What’re we gonna do?”
“Haaah-SHOO! Ohhhhh!”
Shippo just patted her on the shoulders and tried to comfort her as best he was able. Since Kagome was out of commission, the clever little fox demon looked around and tried to formulate a plan. They were sitting in the high braches of one of the tree-spirits. Not much held them in place, but it would be a rather nasty fall. He figured they couldn’t climb down without being noticed, but if he could inflate his body just enough to slow their fall they might have a few seconds before they were noticed if they jumped. Once he sensed a break in Kagome’s sneezing he told her the plan.
“*sniff* What?!”
“We gotta jump Kagome! I’ll float us down!”
“*sniff* No way Shippo! *sniff* We’ll never make it!” The tree-spirits seemed oblivious to their conversation.
“It’s our only chance! *sniff* Come on!” Shippo grabbed both of Kagome’s hand and tried to jump down, but she resisted and they ended up balanced precariously on their high bough.
Come on Kagome! *sniff* Trust me!”
“No! *sniff* It’s too high!”
But as Shippo hung from Kagome’s hands he knew there was no other way, and he didn’t want to be taken all the way back to their lair. “I’m really sorry about this, Kagome.” Hanging upside down, he hooked his legs over her outstretched arms and wiggled his fluffy tail in front of her nose, shaking loose the pollen that had collected on it.
“N-no… Ship… Shippo… Nah… Nah… NaaAAAH-SHOO!” She lost her balance with the sneeze and they fell towards the ground. Half way down, Shippo finally managed the shape-change, inflating himself and slowing their fall just enough to avoid injury despite still having hard landing.
At first they assumed they’d have to run for it, but the tree-sprits seemed unaware of the fact that they were free. The troop continued to move in the same direction without so much as a pause. Judging from their momentum, the strongest castle walls couldn’t have slowed their pace. All the two fugitives really had to do was get out of the way and avoid being trampled. They quickly scampered to the side of the path, and hid under a giant tree root. The sprits seemed to avoid trodding on such things. Unfortunately, at the ground level, the pollen cloud was at its thickest. It stung their eyes and set them sneezing almost continuously until the thunderous march finally passed. It took several more minutes before either of their noses calmed down, and when they finally emerged from their hiding place all was quiet and the air had cleared considerably.
“*sniff* Where are we Kagome?”
“I don’t know Shippo. *sniff* I can see the mountain through the trees over there, but we were moving so fast… *sniff* I’m not sure how far we are from the village.” After taking a few minutes to blow their noses and get their bearings, they started back up the wide path they had being taken down. At some point, they thought, it had to lead back to the village.
After walking for over an hour, it still looked like they were in the same place, relative to the mountain. Only the sun had moved, and it now hung very low in the sky. They didn’t like the idea of spending the night in this dense, living wood. They sat and took a break. At first both were too tired to speak, but Shippo was the first to notice the now familiar tickle creeping back into his nose.
“Ka…Kagome? I… hah… HAAAAH… HAAHTCHOOO!”
Before her own breath hitched Kagome leapt to her feet and instinctively reached for an arrow, but the quiver was empty; her arrows a casualty of the rough ride and the sneezing which doubled her over even while hanging from the high branches. They heard something that sound like wood being twisted before they were swept up effortlessly, and carried off of the path, deeper into the forest.
TO BE CONTINUED
Illustrations by (Kawaii) Kitty Kuchiki (ne Nakamura)
I’m really sorry about this, Kagome.
Kagome would have been amazed how fast the tree-sprits moved through the forest. Despite their huge size and ponderous wooden bodies, they moved with impressive speed and grace without disturbing or damaging any of the surrounding flora. All of this, however, was lost on Kagome as she could barely open her eyes, or even breathe for all the sneezing. She was in the middle of a tramp of walking trees and the clouds of pollen that shook loose with every thunderous step filled her every breath. It bothered Shippo as well, but he was now so stuffed up that he’d stopped sneezing. He was getting very concerned about Kagome.
“*sniff* Kagome?”
“Haht-shoo!”
“*sniff* You OK?”
“HAAASH-shooo!”
“What’re *sniff* What’re we gonna do?”
“Haaah-SHOO! Ohhhhh!”
Shippo just patted her on the shoulders and tried to comfort her as best he was able. Since Kagome was out of commission, the clever little fox demon looked around and tried to formulate a plan. They were sitting in the high braches of one of the tree-spirits. Not much held them in place, but it would be a rather nasty fall. He figured they couldn’t climb down without being noticed, but if he could inflate his body just enough to slow their fall they might have a few seconds before they were noticed if they jumped. Once he sensed a break in Kagome’s sneezing he told her the plan.
“*sniff* What?!”
“We gotta jump Kagome! I’ll float us down!”
“*sniff* No way Shippo! *sniff* We’ll never make it!” The tree-spirits seemed oblivious to their conversation.
“It’s our only chance! *sniff* Come on!” Shippo grabbed both of Kagome’s hand and tried to jump down, but she resisted and they ended up balanced precariously on their high bough.
Come on Kagome! *sniff* Trust me!”
“No! *sniff* It’s too high!”
But as Shippo hung from Kagome’s hands he knew there was no other way, and he didn’t want to be taken all the way back to their lair. “I’m really sorry about this, Kagome.” Hanging upside down, he hooked his legs over her outstretched arms and wiggled his fluffy tail in front of her nose, shaking loose the pollen that had collected on it.
“N-no… Ship… Shippo… Nah… Nah… NaaAAAH-SHOO!” She lost her balance with the sneeze and they fell towards the ground. Half way down, Shippo finally managed the shape-change, inflating himself and slowing their fall just enough to avoid injury despite still having hard landing.
At first they assumed they’d have to run for it, but the tree-sprits seemed unaware of the fact that they were free. The troop continued to move in the same direction without so much as a pause. Judging from their momentum, the strongest castle walls couldn’t have slowed their pace. All the two fugitives really had to do was get out of the way and avoid being trampled. They quickly scampered to the side of the path, and hid under a giant tree root. The sprits seemed to avoid trodding on such things. Unfortunately, at the ground level, the pollen cloud was at its thickest. It stung their eyes and set them sneezing almost continuously until the thunderous march finally passed. It took several more minutes before either of their noses calmed down, and when they finally emerged from their hiding place all was quiet and the air had cleared considerably.
“*sniff* Where are we Kagome?”
“I don’t know Shippo. *sniff* I can see the mountain through the trees over there, but we were moving so fast… *sniff* I’m not sure how far we are from the village.” After taking a few minutes to blow their noses and get their bearings, they started back up the wide path they had being taken down. At some point, they thought, it had to lead back to the village.
After walking for over an hour, it still looked like they were in the same place, relative to the mountain. Only the sun had moved, and it now hung very low in the sky. They didn’t like the idea of spending the night in this dense, living wood. They sat and took a break. At first both were too tired to speak, but Shippo was the first to notice the now familiar tickle creeping back into his nose.
“Ka…Kagome? I… hah… HAAAAH… HAAHTCHOOO!”
Before her own breath hitched Kagome leapt to her feet and instinctively reached for an arrow, but the quiver was empty; her arrows a casualty of the rough ride and the sneezing which doubled her over even while hanging from the high branches. They heard something that sound like wood being twisted before they were swept up effortlessly, and carried off of the path, deeper into the forest.
TO BE CONTINUED
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
The Angry Spirits of the Forest - Part 4 (InuYasha)
PART FOUR - An InuYasha fan-fiction
Setting and all non-original characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi.
Illustrations by (Kawaii) Kitty Kuchiki (ne Nakamura)
IRON REAVER S-SOUL S-T-STEAAACHOOOO!
While Sango and Kirara went on patrol, InuYasha and Miroku helped the villagers bury what remained of their dead. There were almost three dozen loggers killed the day before, and they got a sense of not only what the village had lost but of what they might be up against themselves. Once they finished, Miroku had blessed the gravesites and the two of them went to join Sango on guard duty.
“Sango, have you heard anything?” Miroku asked.
“I’m not sure. There seems to be a lot of movement from within the forest, but every time I get close enough for a look it stops. Do you sense anything?”
“No. But the tree sprits are not really demons, so I wouldn’t be able to. If they were corrupted by the sacred jewel, Kagome should be able to sense it, but she’s still meeting with the village elder. InuYasha, can you smell anything?”
“HaraAAHTCHOO! *sniff* No. *sniff* I’m completely blocked up. I can’t even smell you.”
Miroku started to chuckle at InuYasha’s remark when all three of them were startled by what looked like several giant, anthropomorphic trees crashing through the perimeter of the wood. Each stood over twenty feet tall, and while they caused no damage to the tree line, their footsteps shook the ground and sounded as if the entire forest was being brought down on top of them. As the first wave began their charge, another dozen emerged behind them.
Sango was the first to act. “KIRARA!” she yelled and the nekomata moved to attack the lead tree-spirit. Sango threw her weapon, Hiraikotsu, just as Kirara was thrown off by her target. The giant boomerang severed two of the trees-sprit’s limbs before returning, but the tree spirit had several remaining and was not slowed. As she waited for the weapon to return to her, Sango was struck from behind by what felt like a giant club and fell unconscious. The Hiraikotsu sailed over her body and landed in the woods.
“SANGO!” Miroku yelled in horror as he loosened the binding on his right hand. “WIND TUNNEL!”
As the monk activated the black hole he carried as his curse, what looked like tons of debris flew towards him from the forest only to be swallowed up by the void. He was surprised however that only a single tree-spirit was sucked in. The rest stood perfectly still, appearing to resist its pull by taking root. Miroku cut off the power just as InuYasha jumped in its path to prevent Sango from being sucked in.
“Would you knock that off?! There’s only one way to handle these guys… TESSAIGA!” But as InuYasha drew his sword, he was stunned to see that blade did not transform, instead retaining the dull, rusty appearance it had when inert.
Three of the spirits now focused their attacks on InuYahsa. Rather than lung forward however, the seemed reach toward the sky and quiver. Taking this for vulnerability, InuYasha attempted another attack. He almost failed to notice the nearly maddening burn that flared up in his eyes and nose.
“IRON REAVER S-SOUL S-T-STEAAACHOOOO!” Rather than leaping forward and swiping with his claws, InuYasha stood doubled over by the force of the sneeze. Seeing that he was prone, one of the tree-sprits struck him with a stout limb. InuYasha flew through the air in a wide arc and landed at the foot of another spirit on the other side of the field. Before he could move, InuYasha was crushed under the sprit’s foot. Although not physically harmed, he was pinned as the behemoth took root in the ground, its tendrils tangling themselves around his limbs before tunneling deep into the earth.
Miroku raised his staff in defense. He looked around. Sango and InuYasha were down and Kirara was no longer in sight. He could not outrun the giants and his wind-tunnel proved ineffective. As the spirits closed in on him, he braced for the worst, knowing he was out of options. As he waited for what he assumed would be the final blow, he could hear Kagome and Shippo yelling to him. He looked over his shoulder to see the two changing towards the melee on the back of Kirara.
“NO! KAGOME! GO BACK!” *whack* Miroku was taken out with a single sweep of the tree-sprit’s limb. His unconscious body landed several meters from where he was struck. Two more moved quickly to attack the village’s remaining defenders. In a deftly coordinated move, one snatched Kagome, and Shippo (who was clinging to her shoulders), off of Kirara’s back while another swept its limbs across Kirara’s path, sending the giant demon-cat tumbling through the air, finally hitting the ground, unconscious.
“KAGOME! KAGOME! NO! LET GO OF ME! KAGOME!” InuYasha screamed as he struggled against his captor. As the three-sprits retreated into the woods, the one holding InuYasha began to tighten its grip, cutting off its prisoner’s breath. Once InuYasha fell still, it released him and followed its brethren into the dense forest.
TO BE CONTINUED
Setting and all non-original characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi.
Illustrations by (Kawaii) Kitty Kuchiki (ne Nakamura)
IRON REAVER S-SOUL S-T-STEAAACHOOOO!
While Sango and Kirara went on patrol, InuYasha and Miroku helped the villagers bury what remained of their dead. There were almost three dozen loggers killed the day before, and they got a sense of not only what the village had lost but of what they might be up against themselves. Once they finished, Miroku had blessed the gravesites and the two of them went to join Sango on guard duty.
“Sango, have you heard anything?” Miroku asked.
“I’m not sure. There seems to be a lot of movement from within the forest, but every time I get close enough for a look it stops. Do you sense anything?”
“No. But the tree sprits are not really demons, so I wouldn’t be able to. If they were corrupted by the sacred jewel, Kagome should be able to sense it, but she’s still meeting with the village elder. InuYasha, can you smell anything?”
“HaraAAHTCHOO! *sniff* No. *sniff* I’m completely blocked up. I can’t even smell you.”
Miroku started to chuckle at InuYasha’s remark when all three of them were startled by what looked like several giant, anthropomorphic trees crashing through the perimeter of the wood. Each stood over twenty feet tall, and while they caused no damage to the tree line, their footsteps shook the ground and sounded as if the entire forest was being brought down on top of them. As the first wave began their charge, another dozen emerged behind them.
Sango was the first to act. “KIRARA!” she yelled and the nekomata moved to attack the lead tree-spirit. Sango threw her weapon, Hiraikotsu, just as Kirara was thrown off by her target. The giant boomerang severed two of the trees-sprit’s limbs before returning, but the tree spirit had several remaining and was not slowed. As she waited for the weapon to return to her, Sango was struck from behind by what felt like a giant club and fell unconscious. The Hiraikotsu sailed over her body and landed in the woods.
“SANGO!” Miroku yelled in horror as he loosened the binding on his right hand. “WIND TUNNEL!”
As the monk activated the black hole he carried as his curse, what looked like tons of debris flew towards him from the forest only to be swallowed up by the void. He was surprised however that only a single tree-spirit was sucked in. The rest stood perfectly still, appearing to resist its pull by taking root. Miroku cut off the power just as InuYasha jumped in its path to prevent Sango from being sucked in.
“Would you knock that off?! There’s only one way to handle these guys… TESSAIGA!” But as InuYasha drew his sword, he was stunned to see that blade did not transform, instead retaining the dull, rusty appearance it had when inert.
Three of the spirits now focused their attacks on InuYahsa. Rather than lung forward however, the seemed reach toward the sky and quiver. Taking this for vulnerability, InuYasha attempted another attack. He almost failed to notice the nearly maddening burn that flared up in his eyes and nose.
“IRON REAVER S-SOUL S-T-STEAAACHOOOO!” Rather than leaping forward and swiping with his claws, InuYasha stood doubled over by the force of the sneeze. Seeing that he was prone, one of the tree-sprits struck him with a stout limb. InuYasha flew through the air in a wide arc and landed at the foot of another spirit on the other side of the field. Before he could move, InuYasha was crushed under the sprit’s foot. Although not physically harmed, he was pinned as the behemoth took root in the ground, its tendrils tangling themselves around his limbs before tunneling deep into the earth.
Miroku raised his staff in defense. He looked around. Sango and InuYasha were down and Kirara was no longer in sight. He could not outrun the giants and his wind-tunnel proved ineffective. As the spirits closed in on him, he braced for the worst, knowing he was out of options. As he waited for what he assumed would be the final blow, he could hear Kagome and Shippo yelling to him. He looked over his shoulder to see the two changing towards the melee on the back of Kirara.
“NO! KAGOME! GO BACK!” *whack* Miroku was taken out with a single sweep of the tree-sprit’s limb. His unconscious body landed several meters from where he was struck. Two more moved quickly to attack the village’s remaining defenders. In a deftly coordinated move, one snatched Kagome, and Shippo (who was clinging to her shoulders), off of Kirara’s back while another swept its limbs across Kirara’s path, sending the giant demon-cat tumbling through the air, finally hitting the ground, unconscious.
“KAGOME! KAGOME! NO! LET GO OF ME! KAGOME!” InuYasha screamed as he struggled against his captor. As the three-sprits retreated into the woods, the one holding InuYasha began to tighten its grip, cutting off its prisoner’s breath. Once InuYasha fell still, it released him and followed its brethren into the dense forest.
TO BE CONTINUED
Monday, November 14, 2011
The Angry Spirits of the Forest - Part 3 (InuYasha)
PART THREE - An InuYasha fan-fiction
Setting and all non-original characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi.
Illustrations by (Kawaii) Kitty Kuchiki (ne Nakamura)
After a satisfying meal, Miroku, Sango and InuYasha helped the villagers bury their dead, before going on guard duty with Kirara. While they strengthened diplomatic ties in the village, Shippo and Kagome were left to converse with the village elder.
“*sniff* So… you were attacked by tree-demons?” Kagome started.
“Heh-heh… Not demons my dear: Spirits. Guardian spirits of the forest. We have lived alongside the Shinrinyahsa for generations. They protect us from the demon tribes to the north by using their pollen to make the woods almost unbearable for them… and if any demon does make it too far into the woods, the tree-spirits are ferocious fighters. In return, we only log the portions of the forest that they deem are ready for harvest. We leave any areas and trees alone that they want preserved.”
“But … hah … HAT-shoo! Excuse me… But why did they attack you?”
“We still don’t know for sure. We have a treaty with them, spelling out our agreement that they will protect us in exchange for us respecting their boundaries. But there was a sacred tree that was accidentally felled recently. Some of the men misread the tree’s marking and thought it was designated for timber.”
Shippo was very interested in the story and jumped into the conversation. “*sniff* Oh boy! No wonder they were angry! Those sacred trees are the homes of other spirits, aren’t they?”
“Oh yes. There live the kodama - spirits who spread health and green growth throughout the forest. The Shinrinyasha rely on them to support their own efforts. When a sacred tree is destroyed, those spirits living within it are lost as well. Their loss saddens the greater spirits, and also has a diminishing effect on the surrounding woods.”
“Wow *sniff* its no wonder they attacked you!”
“But that’s just it, little fox-demon! Our treaty acknowledges that mistakes will be made. The penalty for destroying a sacred tree is to raise one hundred new saplings to maturity. There is no provision for them to attack us.”
“Then why… oh god… HAH-shoo! Excuse me… *sniff* Why do you think they attacked? What made them change?”
“The spirits have been restless for several days now. Ever since that traveler came through. He’s the reason the other villagers were so suspicious of you.”
“Traveler? *sniff* What d-did... hat-SHOO! Excuse me. *sniff* What did he look like?”
“I never really saw him, young lady. He wore a great white cloak. Its cowl was fashioned from a baboon’s head and obscured most of his face.”
Kagome and Shippo looked at each other in shock. “NARAKU!”
TO BE CONTINUED
Setting and all non-original characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi.
Illustrations by (Kawaii) Kitty Kuchiki (ne Nakamura)
Traveler? *sniff* What d-did... hat-SHOO! Excuse me. *sniff* What did he look like?
After a satisfying meal, Miroku, Sango and InuYasha helped the villagers bury their dead, before going on guard duty with Kirara. While they strengthened diplomatic ties in the village, Shippo and Kagome were left to converse with the village elder.
“*sniff* So… you were attacked by tree-demons?” Kagome started.
“Heh-heh… Not demons my dear: Spirits. Guardian spirits of the forest. We have lived alongside the Shinrinyahsa for generations. They protect us from the demon tribes to the north by using their pollen to make the woods almost unbearable for them… and if any demon does make it too far into the woods, the tree-spirits are ferocious fighters. In return, we only log the portions of the forest that they deem are ready for harvest. We leave any areas and trees alone that they want preserved.”
“But … hah … HAT-shoo! Excuse me… But why did they attack you?”
“We still don’t know for sure. We have a treaty with them, spelling out our agreement that they will protect us in exchange for us respecting their boundaries. But there was a sacred tree that was accidentally felled recently. Some of the men misread the tree’s marking and thought it was designated for timber.”
Shippo was very interested in the story and jumped into the conversation. “*sniff* Oh boy! No wonder they were angry! Those sacred trees are the homes of other spirits, aren’t they?”
“Oh yes. There live the kodama - spirits who spread health and green growth throughout the forest. The Shinrinyasha rely on them to support their own efforts. When a sacred tree is destroyed, those spirits living within it are lost as well. Their loss saddens the greater spirits, and also has a diminishing effect on the surrounding woods.”
“Wow *sniff* its no wonder they attacked you!”
“But that’s just it, little fox-demon! Our treaty acknowledges that mistakes will be made. The penalty for destroying a sacred tree is to raise one hundred new saplings to maturity. There is no provision for them to attack us.”
“Then why… oh god… HAH-shoo! Excuse me… *sniff* Why do you think they attacked? What made them change?”
“The spirits have been restless for several days now. Ever since that traveler came through. He’s the reason the other villagers were so suspicious of you.”
“Traveler? *sniff* What d-did... hat-SHOO! Excuse me. *sniff* What did he look like?”
“I never really saw him, young lady. He wore a great white cloak. Its cowl was fashioned from a baboon’s head and obscured most of his face.”
Kagome and Shippo looked at each other in shock. “NARAKU!”
TO BE CONTINUED
Sunday, November 13, 2011
The Angry Spirits of the Forest - Part 2 (InuYasha)
PART TWO - An InuYasha fan-fiction
Setting and all non-original characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi.
Illustrations by (Kawaii) Kitty Kuchiki (ne Nakamura)
“YOU SHALL NOT PASS!”
“What?”
“YOU SHALL NOT PASS!”
The friends were met at the gate of the village by a contingent of guardsman brandishing spears. None of them actually wanted to fight the villagers, but after so much walking, and so much listening to Kagome sneezing every few seconds, InuYasha was short on patience.
“Whadaya mean?! We’ve been walking for days! Why… I… oughta… haaahAAAHTCHOO!” His hand had been moving closer to Tessaiga’s hilt, but the sneeze pulled it away while he covered up. Kagome stepped forward, put a hand on InuYahsa’s shoulder to calm him and tried to allay the villager’s fears.
“We don’t want to fight. *sniff* We’re just looking for a place to *sniff* sleep and to replenish our supplies in… the… m-morn… ing… HASHOO! HASHOO! haAHTSHoo! Oh man!”
“SHE’S A DEMON TOO! NONE SHALL PASS!”
“I’m not a… a… aAHTChoo! Demon! Do I *sniff* look like a… de… mon… HAT-shoo!” She had been resisting the urge to rub her nose, but was now overcome.
The one appearing to be the captain of this rag-tag troop stepped forward. The others fell silent as he spoke. “You smell that fragrant dust in the air? The tree-spirits release that to keep the demons out of the sacred wood. It drives them crazy! Just like your friends there! It don’t bother humans. So what’s your story?”
“I don’t… Ha-ha…AAAAshoo! know… AHTCH-oo! I… ah… I… ah-hah-*long inhale*-HATCHOO!”
The guards all started yelling again. “SICKNESS! ILLNESS! THE PLAGUE! UNCLEAN! UNCLEAN! NONE SHALL PASS!” Now convinced Kagome was bearing some dreaded illness, even the Captain could not restore order to his men. They were starting to thrust their spears more aggressively.
“*sniff* Got any other bright ideas, Kagome?” Inuyasha muttered derisively, wiping his nose with his sleeve.
Miroku stepped forward, trying to ply his trade in exchange for entry to the village. “I sense a dark presence surrounding this place!” he began boldly. “If you let…”
But he was cut of by the cackle of hysterical laughter coming from behind the guards. “HahahahHAAAAH! Oh sonny! Hahaha! Don’t even try that one here! I used to run that scam all the time when I was a young traveling monk! AAAHhahahaHAAA!” An ancient looking man, scarcely four feet tall made his way through the guards, who made way for him deferentially.
“Village elder?” Several of the guards gasped. “But… But they’re demons! And she has the plague!”
“Out of my way, you superstitious fools! We’ve just lost one battle, you shouldn’t be so eager to start another!” The feisty old man scolded. He gave each of the travelers an appraising look. “Hmmmm… three demons traveling with a priestess, and monk and demon slayer? I don’t think we’ll have to worry about them. Come in friends. You may stay at the temple. You’ll have to work a bit, but you’ll find plenty of food and rest as well.”
TO BE CONTINUED
Setting and all non-original characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi.
Illustrations by (Kawaii) Kitty Kuchiki (ne Nakamura)
Got any other bright ideas?
“YOU SHALL NOT PASS!”
“What?”
“YOU SHALL NOT PASS!”
The friends were met at the gate of the village by a contingent of guardsman brandishing spears. None of them actually wanted to fight the villagers, but after so much walking, and so much listening to Kagome sneezing every few seconds, InuYasha was short on patience.
“Whadaya mean?! We’ve been walking for days! Why… I… oughta… haaahAAAHTCHOO!” His hand had been moving closer to Tessaiga’s hilt, but the sneeze pulled it away while he covered up. Kagome stepped forward, put a hand on InuYahsa’s shoulder to calm him and tried to allay the villager’s fears.
“We don’t want to fight. *sniff* We’re just looking for a place to *sniff* sleep and to replenish our supplies in… the… m-morn… ing… HASHOO! HASHOO! haAHTSHoo! Oh man!”
“SHE’S A DEMON TOO! NONE SHALL PASS!”
“I’m not a… a… aAHTChoo! Demon! Do I *sniff* look like a… de… mon… HAT-shoo!” She had been resisting the urge to rub her nose, but was now overcome.
The one appearing to be the captain of this rag-tag troop stepped forward. The others fell silent as he spoke. “You smell that fragrant dust in the air? The tree-spirits release that to keep the demons out of the sacred wood. It drives them crazy! Just like your friends there! It don’t bother humans. So what’s your story?”
“I don’t… Ha-ha…AAAAshoo! know… AHTCH-oo! I… ah… I… ah-hah-*long inhale*-HATCHOO!”
The guards all started yelling again. “SICKNESS! ILLNESS! THE PLAGUE! UNCLEAN! UNCLEAN! NONE SHALL PASS!” Now convinced Kagome was bearing some dreaded illness, even the Captain could not restore order to his men. They were starting to thrust their spears more aggressively.
“*sniff* Got any other bright ideas, Kagome?” Inuyasha muttered derisively, wiping his nose with his sleeve.
Miroku stepped forward, trying to ply his trade in exchange for entry to the village. “I sense a dark presence surrounding this place!” he began boldly. “If you let…”
But he was cut of by the cackle of hysterical laughter coming from behind the guards. “HahahahHAAAAH! Oh sonny! Hahaha! Don’t even try that one here! I used to run that scam all the time when I was a young traveling monk! AAAHhahahaHAAA!” An ancient looking man, scarcely four feet tall made his way through the guards, who made way for him deferentially.
“Village elder?” Several of the guards gasped. “But… But they’re demons! And she has the plague!”
“Out of my way, you superstitious fools! We’ve just lost one battle, you shouldn’t be so eager to start another!” The feisty old man scolded. He gave each of the travelers an appraising look. “Hmmmm… three demons traveling with a priestess, and monk and demon slayer? I don’t think we’ll have to worry about them. Come in friends. You may stay at the temple. You’ll have to work a bit, but you’ll find plenty of food and rest as well.”
TO BE CONTINUED
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
The Angry Spirits of the Forest - Part 1 (InuYasha)
PART ONE
An InuYasha fan-fiction
Setting and all non-original characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi.
Illustrations by (Kawaii) Kitty Kuchiki (ne Nakamura)
The six weary travelers had been tracking the Sacred Jewel Shard for days. Kagome, the young girl with the ability to detect the Sacred Shards, had only the faintest impression of where it was. She could detect its general direction, but despite three days of pursuit her sense of the shard’s precise location grew no stronger. The shard was still on the move.
Luckily, InuYasha was able to supplement Kagome sixth sense for the jewel with his own demonically enhanced sense of smell. He could track their quarry, but its smell was either unfamiliar to him, or had been magically altered in an attempt to throw them off. Between the two of them, however, they would not lose the trail.
Finally, after so many days pursuit, the signal Kagome was picking up started to grow in strength. It was still a few days march away – but it was no longer on the move and they were gaining on it. The six weary travelers tried to pick up their pace, but the wind was against them.
As the reached the top of the grassy hill they spied a village is the distance, beyond which lay an immense forest at the foot of a great chain of mountains. Ironically, as Kagome’s ability to sense jewel increased, it seemed InuYasha’s ability to pick up their quarry’s scent was weakening. The young monk, Miroku, was the first to notice this.
“InuYasha, what’s wrong? Has the trail gone cold?”
“Nah. It’s this damn wind! It’s blowing something down from the mountains that bugging… my… n-n-nose… HAAATCHOO! *sniff* Ugh… I’m also picking up the scent of human blood. *sniff* I think that village was attacked recently. *sniff*”
As the two men leading the party conversed, the demon hunter, Sango, noticed that Kagome seemed bothered by something as well. Without wanting to attract attention, she quietly approached her friend. “Kagome? Are you ok?”
Kagome was rubbing her nose with her index finger. “Yeah,” she whispered, “but *sniff* whatever that wind is blowing, it’s *sniff* bothering my… nose… t-too… hat-SHOO! Hah… HaAAHSHOO! HATChoo *sniff* Ohhhh…”
Although their voices were low, Kagome’s sneezes attracted InuYasha’s attention. “Don’t tell me you’re getting sick now!” He yelled at her.
“I’m not s-sick, I… HAT-SHOO! *sniff* something’s j-just m-making me snee… ah… sneeze! aaaAAHHTCHOO! Besides, *sniff* you sound as bad as I do!”
“That’s 'cause I have a heightened sense of smell!” InuYasha reacted defensively, rubbing his nose, as if warding off another sneeze himself.
Miroku put his hand to his chin, pensively. “I wonder… Shippo, how are you feeling?”
The diminutive fox-demon was riding on the back of Kirara. “Well… *sniff* now that you mention it… *sniff*… my nose is all itchy too! Aaah… HAAAAH… HAHHTCHOOO!” The force of the little demon’s sneeze sent him somersaulting backwards, off of Kirara.
“What about you Kirara?”
While Kirara couldn’t talk, she made several pawing gestures which indicated that her nose was bothered as well. She made a sound like a sneeze, but Miroku couldn’t tell if it was that, of if she was just trying to clear her nose.
“What are you thinking?” Sango asked him.
“I’m wondering if that forest up ahead is inhabited by the Shinrinyasha.”
“*sniff* Shin… rin… wha?” Kagome asked in a stuffy sounding voice.
“The Shinrinyahsa are forest spirits. They take the form of giant moving trees. They look almost like a giant person that was carved from a tree, or turned into one - braches and all. I’ve never seen one, but the legends say that their pollen is a natural irritant to demons and anything… unnatural. It could explain why InuYasha, Shippo and Kirara seemed bother by the wind blowing form that direction.”
“*sniff* Then why… hang on… hat-SHOO! *sniff* Why am I sneezing then?” In the back of her mind, Kagome thought she might be allergic to something. Although she never got allergies at home, she had some friends that did. Was this what they felt like? She now felt horrible about every time she ever told one of them that “all they needed was a little fresh air.” ‘This was awful!’ she thought. ‘A week of this would drive me crazy!’ She almost hoped that she was just getting a little sick, not being sure what she could do about allergies back in this time period.
“I don’t know,” Miroku answered. “I’ve never heard of a human being affected.”
The group trekked on. The three demons were only sniffling, but Kagome seemed to sneeze every few seconds. Not patient by nature and already irritated by his own condition, InuYasha’s temper eventually got the better of him.
“Ashoo! … Hahshoo! … HAT-shoo! … HAAAHshoo!”
“ARE YOU GOING TO KEEP DOING THAT?!” InuYasha bellowed at Kagome.
“Thanks for the sympathy you big… jah…jah… JASHOO! JERK! *sniff* I can’t help it! *sniff*… hat-SHOO! *sniff* I wish I could!”
“Yeah, InuYasha! Stop being so me… aaahh… me… AAAAHHH… meAAHHHTCHOO!... mean.” Shippo finished his statement from the ground, his sneeze having knocked him off of Kirara again.
“Besides *sniff*,” Kagome continued her verbal counterattack, “It’s not like *sniff* you’re doing… much… bet… ter… AAAHHshoo!”
“I’m doing just fine.” InuYasha boasted. Kagome eyed him suspiciously. “Yeah. N-no p-problems here… ah…. *sniff*.” Kagome narrowed her eyes, not believing a word of it. “Y-you w-won’t hear… me… snee… ah… snee… AAAAHHHTCHOO!”
“HAH!” Kagome yelled, pointing at him, before she was racked by another sneeze of her own.
Miroku and Sango just shook there heads as Kagome and InuYahsa went on like this almost the entire way to the village while Shippo and Kirara suffered in relative silence.
TO BE CONTINUED
An InuYasha fan-fiction
Setting and all non-original characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi.
Illustrations by (Kawaii) Kitty Kuchiki (ne Nakamura)
Whatever that wind is blowing, it’s bothering my… nose… t-too… hat-SHOO!
The six weary travelers had been tracking the Sacred Jewel Shard for days. Kagome, the young girl with the ability to detect the Sacred Shards, had only the faintest impression of where it was. She could detect its general direction, but despite three days of pursuit her sense of the shard’s precise location grew no stronger. The shard was still on the move.
Luckily, InuYasha was able to supplement Kagome sixth sense for the jewel with his own demonically enhanced sense of smell. He could track their quarry, but its smell was either unfamiliar to him, or had been magically altered in an attempt to throw them off. Between the two of them, however, they would not lose the trail.
Finally, after so many days pursuit, the signal Kagome was picking up started to grow in strength. It was still a few days march away – but it was no longer on the move and they were gaining on it. The six weary travelers tried to pick up their pace, but the wind was against them.
As the reached the top of the grassy hill they spied a village is the distance, beyond which lay an immense forest at the foot of a great chain of mountains. Ironically, as Kagome’s ability to sense jewel increased, it seemed InuYasha’s ability to pick up their quarry’s scent was weakening. The young monk, Miroku, was the first to notice this.
“InuYasha, what’s wrong? Has the trail gone cold?”
“Nah. It’s this damn wind! It’s blowing something down from the mountains that bugging… my… n-n-nose… HAAATCHOO! *sniff* Ugh… I’m also picking up the scent of human blood. *sniff* I think that village was attacked recently. *sniff*”
As the two men leading the party conversed, the demon hunter, Sango, noticed that Kagome seemed bothered by something as well. Without wanting to attract attention, she quietly approached her friend. “Kagome? Are you ok?”
Kagome was rubbing her nose with her index finger. “Yeah,” she whispered, “but *sniff* whatever that wind is blowing, it’s *sniff* bothering my… nose… t-too… hat-SHOO! Hah… HaAAHSHOO! HATChoo *sniff* Ohhhh…”
Although their voices were low, Kagome’s sneezes attracted InuYasha’s attention. “Don’t tell me you’re getting sick now!” He yelled at her.
“I’m not s-sick, I… HAT-SHOO! *sniff* something’s j-just m-making me snee… ah… sneeze! aaaAAHHTCHOO! Besides, *sniff* you sound as bad as I do!”
“That’s 'cause I have a heightened sense of smell!” InuYasha reacted defensively, rubbing his nose, as if warding off another sneeze himself.
Miroku put his hand to his chin, pensively. “I wonder… Shippo, how are you feeling?”
The diminutive fox-demon was riding on the back of Kirara. “Well… *sniff* now that you mention it… *sniff*… my nose is all itchy too! Aaah… HAAAAH… HAHHTCHOOO!” The force of the little demon’s sneeze sent him somersaulting backwards, off of Kirara.
“What about you Kirara?”
While Kirara couldn’t talk, she made several pawing gestures which indicated that her nose was bothered as well. She made a sound like a sneeze, but Miroku couldn’t tell if it was that, of if she was just trying to clear her nose.
“What are you thinking?” Sango asked him.
“I’m wondering if that forest up ahead is inhabited by the Shinrinyasha.”
“*sniff* Shin… rin… wha?” Kagome asked in a stuffy sounding voice.
“The Shinrinyahsa are forest spirits. They take the form of giant moving trees. They look almost like a giant person that was carved from a tree, or turned into one - braches and all. I’ve never seen one, but the legends say that their pollen is a natural irritant to demons and anything… unnatural. It could explain why InuYasha, Shippo and Kirara seemed bother by the wind blowing form that direction.”
“*sniff* Then why… hang on… hat-SHOO! *sniff* Why am I sneezing then?” In the back of her mind, Kagome thought she might be allergic to something. Although she never got allergies at home, she had some friends that did. Was this what they felt like? She now felt horrible about every time she ever told one of them that “all they needed was a little fresh air.” ‘This was awful!’ she thought. ‘A week of this would drive me crazy!’ She almost hoped that she was just getting a little sick, not being sure what she could do about allergies back in this time period.
“I don’t know,” Miroku answered. “I’ve never heard of a human being affected.”
The group trekked on. The three demons were only sniffling, but Kagome seemed to sneeze every few seconds. Not patient by nature and already irritated by his own condition, InuYasha’s temper eventually got the better of him.
“Ashoo! … Hahshoo! … HAT-shoo! … HAAAHshoo!”
“ARE YOU GOING TO KEEP DOING THAT?!” InuYasha bellowed at Kagome.
“Thanks for the sympathy you big… jah…jah… JASHOO! JERK! *sniff* I can’t help it! *sniff*… hat-SHOO! *sniff* I wish I could!”
“Yeah, InuYasha! Stop being so me… aaahh… me… AAAAHHH… meAAHHHTCHOO!... mean.” Shippo finished his statement from the ground, his sneeze having knocked him off of Kirara again.
“Besides *sniff*,” Kagome continued her verbal counterattack, “It’s not like *sniff* you’re doing… much… bet… ter… AAAHHshoo!”
“I’m doing just fine.” InuYasha boasted. Kagome eyed him suspiciously. “Yeah. N-no p-problems here… ah…. *sniff*.” Kagome narrowed her eyes, not believing a word of it. “Y-you w-won’t hear… me… snee… ah… snee… AAAAHHHTCHOO!”
“HAH!” Kagome yelled, pointing at him, before she was racked by another sneeze of her own.
Miroku and Sango just shook there heads as Kagome and InuYahsa went on like this almost the entire way to the village while Shippo and Kirara suffered in relative silence.
TO BE CONTINUED
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Hellsing Drabble
Hellsing Drabble
Setting and all non-original characters are property Kouta Hirano
"Sir Integra? It's time to wake up." Shortly after the mellow voice of her butler, Walter, floated into her consciousness, Sir Integra Wingates Hellsing was thrust into a state of full wakefulness as the curtains were drawn and intense sunlight flooded into her room. She raised her hand to shield her eyes from the sudden, blinding light.
"Walter, what time is it?" she asked in a weary tone.
"7:00 Ma'am. Later than usual, so I took the liberty of poking my head in the door. I hope you don't mind."
"No. Thank you. I would have overslept." She sat of the edge of the bed with a look that, from Walter's point of view, suggested she was concentrating on some tiny spot on the floor.
"I laid out your suit in the dressing room, so if you don't need anything else, I'll…"
"HAAAHHHShoo-oo!" Integra bent over, almost parallel the floor. Her golden white hair was thrown over her head and now hung in hear face. Both hands were pressed firmly against her nose. She remained in that position for a moment, reminiscent of someone who might be trying to staunch a wound. "Ooooh! *sniff*."
"Bless you, ma'am. Are you…"
"I'm fine, Walter. Give me a few minutes, I'll join you presently."
She felt a little better after a quick shower and, once prepared for the day ahead, nothing about her immaculate appearance betrayed the symptoms she was feeling aside from the slightest tinge of pink around the edges of her nose.
"Can't be helped." She sighed, putting on a pair of white gloves. Finally she put on her glasses. The pads applied pressure to her irritated nose in the worst possible place, and she had no time to remove them before another harsh sneeze overtook her.
"HAAAAAHHHTCH! *sniff* Ohhhhh…" She hated this. Her sneeze had a sound of near desperation, in complete contrast with her normally unflappable demeanor. It bothered her to no end that while she had the will to keep a 300 year old vampire and one of the most powerful beings on earth in check, there were times when she could not control her own respiration. 'Maybe the gloves are a bad idea today,' she thought, leaving them behind opting for the handkerchief instead.
She met Walter in the hallway and he briefed her on the day's agenda as they made their way to her office. Thankfully the schedule was light, and she would be able to address the backlog of paperwork that accumulated after their last case. As they descended the spiral staircase down to the administration level, she stopped him, putting a hand on his chest and turn slightly away. Even so, Walter could see the look of intense concentration as her eyes narrowed. He could see her nostrils flare as she took a long, sharp breath.
"HAAAHYEEEESHHoo!" Again she bent over, holding her thumb firmly against her nose, is if to prevent another from coming. Her hair which had been perfect to a strand again hung haphazardly over her face. After half a minute in that position, she rose and gently pushed her fair locks back behind her shoulder.
"If you're not feeling well today ma'am, perhaps you should…"
"Walter, we go through this every year." Integra interrupted him in a frustrated tone. "*sniff* You know perfectly well there's not a bloody thing wrong with me aside… from…" the last word raised a level in pitch as she tried to keep from taking that sharp inhale, but there was no preventing it. "HAAAAAAHYEEEEEShoo!" The wet, desperate sound echoed through the corridor. She was breathing from her mouth in slow, heavy breaths, her nose pressed in the crook of her hand between her thumb and forefinger. She remained bent over a moment longer, eyes closed, trying to will away any future occurrences. "…aside from all the pollen from that blasted weed." She finished, picking up where she'd left off. "In a week or so this will pass, as it always does, and no amount of rest will hasten that!"
"Still, I could make a trip to the phar…"
"Forget it, Walter. *sniff* You know the only thing that helps would put me out for the day and I have far too much work to do. The only effect of anything else would be to dull my wits down to the level of all the men I'm surrounded by." Walter did not take her barb personally - he knew full well that she had nothing but respect for all members of the Hellsing organization – but he did take the hint that she was in no mood to discuss it further. He went on with the briefing until they reached the door to her office. With her hand on the door knob she began to ask him a final question, but her voice was ovewhelmed by her hitching breath.
"Haaaah… HAAAYEEETshoo! Damn!" She swore under her breath, still bent over, one hand remaining on the door knob, while the other pinched her irritated nose. She had hoped to have taken her leave of Walter before using the handkerchief, but it couldn't be put off any longer. "Excuse me, Walter." She turned and blew, making as little noise as her wet, runny nose would allow.
"Sir Integra, really, if you do not feel…"
"WALTER! IF YOU SAY ONE MORE WORD ON THE MATTER I'M GOING TO CUT YOUR HEAD OFF, SCOOP OUT THE INSIDES AND SEND IT TO YOUR MOTHER AS A VASE! *sniff*." Her icy expression communicated utter finality.
"Of course ma'am."
She opened the door, but froze in the doorway as she turned. In the middle of her desk was a stout crystal vase filled with a bouquet of small purple blooms. He eyes started to tear up just looking at it. "What the hell are those?" she asked in a clearly annoyed tone.
"Well… Ah… I believe that they are…"
"*sniff* I know what they bloody well are! *sniff* What the devil are they doing on my desk?!"
"Ah… let's see…" The butler pushed past her and examined the offending package. "There's a note... apparently they're from Alucard… 'Hope you're feeling bet…'"
"Remove them immediately." She interrupted him firmly. She held her breath for a moment as Walter brought them through the doorway. As she sat down she swore she could still detect the slightest hint of their scent, lingering. She blew her nose again, the handkerchief now soaked through. "Damn." She swore again, quietly.
"*sniff* That wasn't very bloody funny you know!" She said aloud, certain she was not talking to herself.
"I thought women enjoyed getting flow…"
She turned to cut him off, but was cut off herself by a sharp intake of breath "HEEEEYAAAAATchoo!" Every muscle in her body felt fatigued as they tensed, bending her over. Her breathing got noticeably heavier and, breathing through her mouth, she sounded winded. Her clear blue eyes, now red with irritation, each shed a single tear. She rubbed her itchy nose vigorously with her finger before sitting up again.
Alucard emerged from the shadows and stood staring at his human master. As far as he knew, this woman sitting before him may as well have been made of iron. Her will was at least as strong as his, and she ruled both him and the Hellsing organization with discipline and unwavering control. He had more respect for her than he thought he could possess for any human, and yet some small, petty part of him still harbored the slightest bitterness at his position. Some small part of him was subtly amused by seeing this otherwise indomitable woman grapple with something so maddeningly just beyond her control.
"I'll never figure out why you put up with it."
Choosing not to stand on protocol on Alucard's behalf, she blew her nose again into the small, already saturated handkerchief. She looked up, through stray strands of misplaced hair, with piercing blue eyes now rimmed with redness. "*sniff* Why are you here?"
He just and continued to stare. The smallest grin graced his countenance.
"*sniff* Isn't there a werewolf somewhere that needs kill.. ing…?" She had not been able to finish before her voice lost its authority. Her breath hitched again, and she inhaled sharply. "HAAAHYEEETchoo." Her hair obscured her face again. Her nose had grown quite red, and her eyes almost hurt to open. As annoying as her condition was, she was infinitely more annoyed by Alucard's smug, satisfied grin.
"Can't afford to show any weakness, can you?" He taunted, as if reading her mind.
"If you're enjoying this so much, why not just drink some of my blood. Maybe then you'll have the same reaction. *sniff*"
"The offer is always open for you to drink some of mine. Then you would never feel like this again."
The gaze she fixed on him made him feel exposed, as if she were shining a light into the very depths of his dark soul. She was the only human who could do that. He had known thousands of them over hundreds of years of un-life and, for all his experiences, he could still not read that expression. He still could not read what she was thinking; what her eyes were telling him. Then he saw those same steely blue eyes start to slowly narrow. He knew what this look meant. He waited, grinning, for her to succumb to the incontrollable intake of breath.
"HEEEEYAAAATCHshoo."
"Bless you." He said smiling, as he sunk back into the shadows from whence he came.
"*sniff* Ugh. This is going to be a long week." Integra said to herself, still bent over and holding her nose firmly against the back of her hand.
Setting and all non-original characters are property Kouta Hirano
"Sir Integra? It's time to wake up." Shortly after the mellow voice of her butler, Walter, floated into her consciousness, Sir Integra Wingates Hellsing was thrust into a state of full wakefulness as the curtains were drawn and intense sunlight flooded into her room. She raised her hand to shield her eyes from the sudden, blinding light.
"Walter, what time is it?" she asked in a weary tone.
"7:00 Ma'am. Later than usual, so I took the liberty of poking my head in the door. I hope you don't mind."
"No. Thank you. I would have overslept." She sat of the edge of the bed with a look that, from Walter's point of view, suggested she was concentrating on some tiny spot on the floor.
"I laid out your suit in the dressing room, so if you don't need anything else, I'll…"
"HAAAHHHShoo-oo!" Integra bent over, almost parallel the floor. Her golden white hair was thrown over her head and now hung in hear face. Both hands were pressed firmly against her nose. She remained in that position for a moment, reminiscent of someone who might be trying to staunch a wound. "Ooooh! *sniff*."
"Bless you, ma'am. Are you…"
"I'm fine, Walter. Give me a few minutes, I'll join you presently."
She felt a little better after a quick shower and, once prepared for the day ahead, nothing about her immaculate appearance betrayed the symptoms she was feeling aside from the slightest tinge of pink around the edges of her nose.
"Can't be helped." She sighed, putting on a pair of white gloves. Finally she put on her glasses. The pads applied pressure to her irritated nose in the worst possible place, and she had no time to remove them before another harsh sneeze overtook her.
"HAAAAAHHHTCH! *sniff* Ohhhhh…" She hated this. Her sneeze had a sound of near desperation, in complete contrast with her normally unflappable demeanor. It bothered her to no end that while she had the will to keep a 300 year old vampire and one of the most powerful beings on earth in check, there were times when she could not control her own respiration. 'Maybe the gloves are a bad idea today,' she thought, leaving them behind opting for the handkerchief instead.
She met Walter in the hallway and he briefed her on the day's agenda as they made their way to her office. Thankfully the schedule was light, and she would be able to address the backlog of paperwork that accumulated after their last case. As they descended the spiral staircase down to the administration level, she stopped him, putting a hand on his chest and turn slightly away. Even so, Walter could see the look of intense concentration as her eyes narrowed. He could see her nostrils flare as she took a long, sharp breath.
"HAAAHYEEEESHHoo!" Again she bent over, holding her thumb firmly against her nose, is if to prevent another from coming. Her hair which had been perfect to a strand again hung haphazardly over her face. After half a minute in that position, she rose and gently pushed her fair locks back behind her shoulder.
"If you're not feeling well today ma'am, perhaps you should…"
"Walter, we go through this every year." Integra interrupted him in a frustrated tone. "*sniff* You know perfectly well there's not a bloody thing wrong with me aside… from…" the last word raised a level in pitch as she tried to keep from taking that sharp inhale, but there was no preventing it. "HAAAAAAHYEEEEEShoo!" The wet, desperate sound echoed through the corridor. She was breathing from her mouth in slow, heavy breaths, her nose pressed in the crook of her hand between her thumb and forefinger. She remained bent over a moment longer, eyes closed, trying to will away any future occurrences. "…aside from all the pollen from that blasted weed." She finished, picking up where she'd left off. "In a week or so this will pass, as it always does, and no amount of rest will hasten that!"
"Still, I could make a trip to the phar…"
"Forget it, Walter. *sniff* You know the only thing that helps would put me out for the day and I have far too much work to do. The only effect of anything else would be to dull my wits down to the level of all the men I'm surrounded by." Walter did not take her barb personally - he knew full well that she had nothing but respect for all members of the Hellsing organization – but he did take the hint that she was in no mood to discuss it further. He went on with the briefing until they reached the door to her office. With her hand on the door knob she began to ask him a final question, but her voice was ovewhelmed by her hitching breath.
"Haaaah… HAAAYEEETshoo! Damn!" She swore under her breath, still bent over, one hand remaining on the door knob, while the other pinched her irritated nose. She had hoped to have taken her leave of Walter before using the handkerchief, but it couldn't be put off any longer. "Excuse me, Walter." She turned and blew, making as little noise as her wet, runny nose would allow.
"Sir Integra, really, if you do not feel…"
"WALTER! IF YOU SAY ONE MORE WORD ON THE MATTER I'M GOING TO CUT YOUR HEAD OFF, SCOOP OUT THE INSIDES AND SEND IT TO YOUR MOTHER AS A VASE! *sniff*." Her icy expression communicated utter finality.
"Of course ma'am."
She opened the door, but froze in the doorway as she turned. In the middle of her desk was a stout crystal vase filled with a bouquet of small purple blooms. He eyes started to tear up just looking at it. "What the hell are those?" she asked in a clearly annoyed tone.
"Well… Ah… I believe that they are…"
"*sniff* I know what they bloody well are! *sniff* What the devil are they doing on my desk?!"
"Ah… let's see…" The butler pushed past her and examined the offending package. "There's a note... apparently they're from Alucard… 'Hope you're feeling bet…'"
"Remove them immediately." She interrupted him firmly. She held her breath for a moment as Walter brought them through the doorway. As she sat down she swore she could still detect the slightest hint of their scent, lingering. She blew her nose again, the handkerchief now soaked through. "Damn." She swore again, quietly.
"*sniff* That wasn't very bloody funny you know!" She said aloud, certain she was not talking to herself.
"I thought women enjoyed getting flow…"
She turned to cut him off, but was cut off herself by a sharp intake of breath "HEEEEYAAAAATchoo!" Every muscle in her body felt fatigued as they tensed, bending her over. Her breathing got noticeably heavier and, breathing through her mouth, she sounded winded. Her clear blue eyes, now red with irritation, each shed a single tear. She rubbed her itchy nose vigorously with her finger before sitting up again.
Alucard emerged from the shadows and stood staring at his human master. As far as he knew, this woman sitting before him may as well have been made of iron. Her will was at least as strong as his, and she ruled both him and the Hellsing organization with discipline and unwavering control. He had more respect for her than he thought he could possess for any human, and yet some small, petty part of him still harbored the slightest bitterness at his position. Some small part of him was subtly amused by seeing this otherwise indomitable woman grapple with something so maddeningly just beyond her control.
"I'll never figure out why you put up with it."
Choosing not to stand on protocol on Alucard's behalf, she blew her nose again into the small, already saturated handkerchief. She looked up, through stray strands of misplaced hair, with piercing blue eyes now rimmed with redness. "*sniff* Why are you here?"
He just and continued to stare. The smallest grin graced his countenance.
"*sniff* Isn't there a werewolf somewhere that needs kill.. ing…?" She had not been able to finish before her voice lost its authority. Her breath hitched again, and she inhaled sharply. "HAAAHYEEETchoo." Her hair obscured her face again. Her nose had grown quite red, and her eyes almost hurt to open. As annoying as her condition was, she was infinitely more annoyed by Alucard's smug, satisfied grin.
"Can't afford to show any weakness, can you?" He taunted, as if reading her mind.
"If you're enjoying this so much, why not just drink some of my blood. Maybe then you'll have the same reaction. *sniff*"
"The offer is always open for you to drink some of mine. Then you would never feel like this again."
The gaze she fixed on him made him feel exposed, as if she were shining a light into the very depths of his dark soul. She was the only human who could do that. He had known thousands of them over hundreds of years of un-life and, for all his experiences, he could still not read that expression. He still could not read what she was thinking; what her eyes were telling him. Then he saw those same steely blue eyes start to slowly narrow. He knew what this look meant. He waited, grinning, for her to succumb to the incontrollable intake of breath.
"HEEEEYAAAATCHshoo."
"Bless you." He said smiling, as he sunk back into the shadows from whence he came.
"*sniff* Ugh. This is going to be a long week." Integra said to herself, still bent over and holding her nose firmly against the back of her hand.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Wandering from the Path (Mahou Sensei Negima!)
A Mahou Sensei Negima! Fanfic
Setting and all non-original characters are property of Ken Akamatsu
The Mirror of Eirsed is the property of J.K. Rowling
After a long day of lecturing and several hours spent in the office grading papers, 10 year old Professor Negi Springfield finally arrived at the dorm room he shared with two of his students, Asuna Kagurazaka and Konoka Konoe. He wanted nothing more than to drop into his bed and get a good night's sleep, but as he opened the door, careful not to wake his dorm mates, he noticed a small envelope on the floor. It was a letter, and he could sense the hint of enchantment it bore. Assuming it was from his sister back in Whales, he opened it without even noticing that there was no return address. Expecting the familiar image of his older sister to rise off of the page, he was shocked by what he saw instead.
Rising from the page was what looked like a ghost, except it was all black. After getting over his surprise, he realized that it was the figure of a man in a long black cloak. The cowl was drawn low over the man’s face and Negi could not see his features. The dark figure spoke:
“Professor Negi Springfield,
Due to certain constrains relative to my security, I am afraid that I am unable to introduce myself, but rest assured that I am a friend and I want to help you. You are searching for something… someone, to be more precise. I have no knowledge or skill that can help you, but I know where you may be able to find something that can. If you are interested in learning more, go the club known as Seppuku on the same night that you arrive in Kyoto. Once you are there, I will find you.”
As if the figure’s dark demeanor and mysterious tone were not enough to make Negi feel ill at ease, moments after the ghostly figure finished his message, the page ignited and was consumed almost instantly in purple flame. Neither of his dorm mates, nor his ermine familiar, Kamo, were awakened by the letter or the flame. It also made Negi nervous that the man apparently knew so much about him. He was searching for someone: his father, whom he had seen only once in his entire life that he could remember - outside of old photographs. ‘Something that can… Help me?’ he pondered to himself. Although exhausted, sleep was slow to come as he kept replaying the mysterious message over and over in his mind. They left for their class trip to Kyoto the day after tomorrow.
--------------------
Saturday normally meant a half day of classes but, since they were leaving for Kyoto the following day, classes were cancelled. As they sat down to lunch, Negi decided it would be wise to enlist the help of his friend Asuna, with who he shared one of several Pactio contracts. He told her about the letter and asked what she thought about it.
Asuna answered him in a whisper to avoid anyone overhearing. “Sounds dangerous if you ask me. You remember what happened last time right? It could be a trap.”
“I’m sure it is quite dangerous, but I’ve already made up my mind to go. I want you to help me.”
Asuna was quite surprised. It was not often that Negi actually asked for help. “W-What do you want me to do?”
“I want you to come with me, but to stay out of sight. I’ll activate the contract before we go into the club. You keep your distance, but look sharp. If anything happens, you come in a flash to back me up!” Negi’s enthusiasm gave Asuna the impression that he thought he was the first person to ever think up something like that.
“There is one problem… The 10 foot sword – fan – thingy that comes out when I use the card or you activate the contract? Might attract a little attention.”
“Hmmm… You’re right.” Negi was disappointed in himself, not having spotted something so obvious. It did occur to him however that his student was rather clever for having seen it. “Well… if you attracted attention, maybe we could bring someone else… Someone who would not attract attention. They could be our element of surprise!”
Asuna thought for a moment. She still had her misgivings, and didn’t like the idea of playing decoy, which felt too much to her like being the bait, but she had to admit: this plan did have some potential.
“OK. I’m surprised you actually want more students along, but of those you have contracts with… Bookworm for sure. She’s so quiet, she could escape your attention in an empty room.” ‘Bookworm’ was the nickname of Nodoka Miyazaki, a shy mouse of a girl, with enormous courage despite, and rather a large crush on Negi, though she was practically phobic about most other men and boys. Although he was hesitant to put Nodoka in danger, he had to admit she was a natural choice. She was quiet and, when her contract was activated she received a journal whose pages displayed the thoughts and intentions of whomever she asked it to. That made her the perfect lookout.
“…And if bookworm comes you’ll need Yue as well – someone who can keep a cool head in case something goes wrong. Bookworm will freak if she’s faced with a pressure situation.” Negi wasn’t so sure about that, but Yue Ayase was also a natural choice to partner with Nodoka. They were best friends and Yue always kept her cool in any situation.
“Now… I might need some help in the front line, so… Setsuna.” The list was getting longer than Negi planned, but again Setsuna Sakurazaki was a master sword maiden in the Shinmei-ryu and stealth was one of her specialties. Although he was already straining to keep everyone’s role strait in his head, Asuna was still adding to the roster.
“As a second lookout you also can’t beat Asakura… and Fei Ku would be perfect for…”
“No, I think that will do Asuna.” Negi interrupted her gently. “You, Nodoka, Yue and Setsuna will be my backup. That should work out swimmingly. Thank you. I knew I could count on you for advice.”
“Eh… thanks.” Seeing as this was the first time he’d ever asked her ‘advice’ she was a bit confused by his reaction. “By the way, you told me you were meeting with this suspicious guy, but you never told me why.”
“He can help me find my father.” Negi’s reply quashed any idea’s Asuna might have had about trying to talk him out of it. “We’ll approach the others once we’re in Kyoto. Oh… and… if for some reason Nodoka and Yue can’t go with us, Asakura would be a good second choice as a lookout. Fei could fill in for Setsuna as well. Good thinking.”
Asuna was surprised. His mind was racing and yet he still managed to not only listen to what she was saying, but actually used her idea, even after he had essentially turned it down. ‘For a little brat, he’s pretty sharp,’ Asuna thought to herself as they finished lunch.
--------------------
Back in the Dean’s office, Professor Takamichi Takahata had been called in to discuss an important matter with Dean Konoe.
“The Mirror of Erised has been located.” The ancient man said in his slow, creaky voice. “It’s in Kyoto.”
“Hmmm… That could complicate things. Do you think he’ll…?”
“He already knows.”
“Then should we warn Negi?”
“Yes… Yes, I think it is important that he be warned… But be careful with your words Takahata-sensei. The youth’s desire to find his father is strong. If he gets the wrong idea… Your warning may backfire. Make sure to tell him everything he needs to know, but nothing more.”
“You can count on me, Dean Konoe.”
Takahata-sensei had known Negi since he was a very little boy, and had also known his father, Nagi, the ‘Thousand Master,’ quite well. They had been close friends, and he missed him deeply. He caught up to Negi on his way back from lunch.
“Hello there, Negi! How are you doing?”
“Takamichi! I’m feeling splendid! How are you?”
“Fine, fine. Are you all packed and ready for the trip? I’m excited myself, I’ll be able to go with everyone this year!” Takahata had been sent on diplomatic errand by Dean Konoe during the previous trip to Kyoto, and missed it.
“Just about, yes. I can’t wait to get back. I might actually get to visit some of the temples this time! With the business last time, I didn’t have even a minute to play tourist!” Although he hadn’t been there, Takahata knew about the trouble they had with the Hogakio clan, and their uprising against the Kansai Magic Association.
“Yeah, about the trip… There’s something I need to discuss with you.” For a moment Negi’s feared that he was going to be told he wouldn’t be able to go. “Do you know about the Mirror of Erised?”
No longer in danger of missing the trip, Negi regained his composure. “Uh… Sure, it’s a legend. A mirror that shows you whatever you want.”
“Well… that’s almost right. The mirror shows the viewer nothing more or less than his heart’s most desperate desire. And it’s no legend… in fact, it’s been found.”
“Really? My word! To think of it… But… why are you telling me about this?”
“Dean Konoe asked me to talk to you about it. We wanted to warn you about it. To make sure you knew that nothing could ever be gained by looking into that mirror. No wisdom has ever been found there, and so tempting are its images that even great men have wasted away sitting in front of it. If you ever want to actually find what your heart desires, you should not be tempted to look there. Please Negi. Promise me that if you hear anything else about it, that you’ll stay away.”
“OK… I promise… But… my heart’s most… You mean to see my…”
“Yes. It will show him to you, but that’s it. It won’t reunite you, nor will the mirror tell you anything about him. You must understand this.”
“I do. Although I thought it was only a legend, I wouldn't have considered using something like that. You don’t have to worry about me!” The whole conversation struck Negi as a bit odd, since he had no intention of taking on a quest anytime soon.
“Although I trust your word, there’s something else I need to tell you. Although the mirror itself is useless, it is located in a temple that houses many other treasures. These are all guarded with dangerous and deadly enchantments. If you went in there to get the mirror despite your promise to me, you’ll probably get yourself killed.”
“Oh, don’t worry about me! I don’t plan to do anything dangerous on this trip!” Negi thought of the cloaked man, but there was nothing dangerous about talking to someone, he reasoned, especially with four of his friends keeping an eye out. ‘But why do you need a lookout out if it’s not dangerous?’ his conscious asked him.
--------------------
The trip to Kyoto was uneventful, and once all of the girls were checked into the hotel, Negi and Asuna sought out Nodoka, Yue and Setsuna. The five of them disappearing into the night did not escape the attention of Kazumi Asakura – the school’s resident paparazzi, who also shared a Pactio with Negi. She spied on them from a distance, but missed the first part of the conversation.
“So that’s it really.” Negi had just finished telling the four girls whatever it was he had called them away for. “Will you help me?”
“I am hesitant to leave lady Konoe unprotected, especially considering what happened last year, but I will do so for one night. I’ll have Mana fill in for me. Don’t worry… I won’t tell her what we’re doing. Just that I’ll need to be away.” Setsuna Sakurazaki was duty bound to protect the life of Konoka Konoe even at the cost of her own. She was often assisted in this duty by her classmate Mana Tatsumiya a capable shrine maiden and demon hunter.
“Um… It sounds dangerous… and… well… I’m afraid, but I’ll protect… I mean… I’ll go.” Despite her timid tone there was no limit to Nodoka’s courage, especially when it came to Negi.
“If bookworm’s going, you’ll need me. If anything happens she’ll wet her pants.” Yue teased her friend in a cool, even tone.
“Hey!” Yue’s gentle taunt managed to cement Nodoka’s resolve.
As the five started into town, they separated to increase the chance that some of them would go unnoticed. As they did this Asakura, also unseen, drew her Pactio from her vest pocket. She activated it and used the camera that appeared to snap five quick pictures of her friends, just in case she’d need them for later. As she snuck after the group, she didn’t notice that she herself was being followed.
--------------------
“How many are with him?” The dark figure asked, coming out onto the balcony.
“The red-head with the Bells in her hair is following him at a distance. She was his minister last time… And someone’s following her, but somehow… I don’t think they know she is.” answered the young girl in the pink dress.
“Well. Nothing should happen tonight, but wait here just in case, and make a note if you see anyone else.”
“Hai!”
The cloaked figure withdrew and crossed the street to the club Seppuku.
The inside of the club was dark, with pulsating lights. Smoke hung in the air and while there was music playing, the dance floor remained empty for the moment. Negi entered apprehensively and took his seat at a table facing the door. Asuna sat down on the opposite side of the room and made no effort to hide the fact that she was watching him. (Carrying the large Harisen that was summoned upon activating her Pactio card, she was hard to miss.) Setsuna reached the back alleyway unnoticed and slipped in through the rear. Neither Negi nor Asuna were aware of where she was and no one else noticed as Yue and Nodoka entered, taking a seat towards the back of the club. Once settled, Nodoka activated her Pactio card and was now trying to locate Negi’s contact using the journal.
Negi recognized the figure’s cloak from the letter, but still couldn’t see his face. “Hello, Negi Springfield. I am here to help you in your quest.”
“I’m not on a quest.” Negi answered, somewhat annoyed sounding. “You said you had something that could help me find my…”
“...Father. Yes. I do. Tell me… have you ever heard of the mirror of Erised?”
Negi felt deflated. All this preparation and anticipation and the only thing this mysterious looking charlatan had to offer was smoke and mirrors. “Not interested.” Negi answered flatly and got up to leave.
“I wouldn’t leave so quickly.” said the dark figure in a deep, steady voice. “I see that you know of it, but what exactly do you know. What have you been told?”
Negi paused, but did not yet take his seat. Standing up, at least he was looking eye to eye with the cloaked man. “It shows you your heart’s deepest desire. Nothing more. It’s useless as a tool for knowledge.”
“Heh-heh-heh… But what if knowledge was in fact your heart’s most desperate desire?” As he pondered this, Negi didn’t even realize that he’d sat down again. “For you, your heart’s desire may be to see your father again. Easy enough, and you are right – no knowledge can be gained from the mirror that way. But what if you trained your heart… what if you truly believed that what you wanted so desperately was to know where your father was?”
Negi felt as though he’d had the wind knocked out of him. Could the mirror tell him that? Why didn’t Takahata tell him? “My mentor told me that no wisdom could be gained from it. Are you saying he lied to me?”
“No, my boy. But many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view. Your mentor was simply telling you the truth as he knew it. But his knowledge was incomplete, and this is because so few have had the necessary wisdom and discipline to wield the mirror properly. Are you willing to take the risk? Great men have wasted away sitting in front of it.” Takahata’s exact words. Was Negi being tested?
“Go on. Tell me how this would work.”
“As I said, you must possess both discipline and wisdom in great abundance. You need discipline to control your heart. The heart is simple, basic. It wants only to see your father again. But you must convince it that what it really wants is to know where your father is. You will then need wisdom to discern his location from the details in the pictures you are presented with.”
“How do you mean?”
“Well… The mirror won’t just come out and tell you where he is, but… Are there Mountains in the background? Are they snow capped? Do you see any rare flora? Is there a river nearby? All of these details will help narrow down the possible locations. If you comeback in a day and he’s now in the desert, then the desert must be close to the mountains you saw. Can you see the ocean in the background? All of these are subtle clues that will, in fact, impart great knowledge… But only if you have the discipline to conjure them and the wisdom to interpret them. It won’t be easy, or quick, but you may get something that will shorten your search.”
‘I’m sorry Takamichi,’ Negi thought to himself, ‘but I’m going to have to break that promise I made to you.’ “Do you know where it is?”
“Yes. It's in a temple, not far from here... deep in the catacombs. I have this ancient map…” He handed a rolled parchment to Negi, who took it with great care. “You must be able to detect and dispel barrier enchantments as well as disarm magical traps.”
“I think we… I mean I can handle that.” Negi could almost feel the dark figure’s smile, having given up information he’d have preferred not to.
“And there are Stone Golems inside… you must be prepared to fight them.”
Negi just nodded, not wanting to give away any more information.
“But most importantly of all… The air inside the catacombs is dense with a certain type of fungal spore. The body reacts very badly… inflammation… suffocation… death awaits all who would breathe them. You must protect yourself against that, and you must cast the spell in the entrance room of the temple.”
“Why…?” Negi thought this advice sounded a little too specific.
“The interior chamber of the Temple has powerful protections to prevent any magic from being used inside. If you wait until inside the catacombs, it will be too late, and if you cast the spell out in the street, even assuming it wouldn’t run out too soon, there would be witnesses. The entryway is poorly lit, and mostly cut off from view. You will not been seen or disturbed there. And it’s only a quick walk from there to the catacombs… the entrance is a hidden staircase behind the Altar. It’s a trap door, and should be easy enough to find, even without the use of your magic.”
“There is one problem…” He thought of Asuna. “One of my part… I mean my partner,” Negi was kicking himself again for given the man more free information, “well, she’s sort of immune to magic. How shall I protect her?”
“Hmmmm…” The man in the shadowy cloak thought quietly to himself for a while. “You practice the western magic, yes? If I may be so bold, may I ask you… is she your minister?”
“We have a contract, yes.”
“Well then that’s easy! Even if she’s a magic canceller, just activate the contract. Her magical shield will not prevent you from casting a protective spell on her while the contract is active.”
[Author’s Note: The aforementioned point may not be cannon. Please just go with it.]
“Wow… Thanks, I never knew… Wait a second. How do you know so much anyway? And why are you helping me? What do you want?”
“I will not tell you how I come by my information. I’m sorry. As for what I want… After you’re done... Once you are reunited with your father or, heaven forbid, find out that he has, beyond any doubt or recall, passed on… I will come for the Mirror. I want it… once it is no longer of any use to your present search.”
Negi was surprised by this. In the course of there conversation, while he could not see the man’s face, he did spy the end of a short beard, and the man’s whiskers were white. “But… it could take so long… and you’re so… so…”
“Old? Heh-heh-heh… Older than you could possibly guess. But have no fear - time is on my side. For you, however, or for your father, it can run out. Do we have a deal? Will you grant my wish, in exchange for what I have given you?”
“Well… Yes but… how do I know I can trust you? I do I know you won’t simply take it from me, once I have it?”
“My boy… If I had the strength, to defeat you… and your friends,” so he had picked up on that, Negi thought to himself, “I would simply go and get it myself. But that is beyond my power.”
“All right. I’ll do it.” Negi replied, as he thought to himself, ‘I’m so sorry, Takamichi.’
--------------------
While Negi was inside talking to the figure, Kazumi Asakura waited across the street from the club, trying to figure out what was going on inside. Through her camera, she could see Asuna, Nodoka and Yue. Setsuna had used a charm to hide herself, so there was no surprise that Asakura couldn’t see her, but something was also preventing her from seeing Negi. As she tried to get a better view, she was startled when something small, white and furry jumped from the bushes behind her and landed on her shoulder.
“HIYA SISTER!” Kazumi almost jumped out of her skin, but it was just Kamo, Negi’s ermine familiar.
Asakura scolded the little pest, in her valley-girl accent. “Oh – my – god… Kamo! You just, like, scared the hell out of me!”
“Well what’s going on? I can’t find the boss or the chief anywhere! I’m surprised to run into you here!”
“Professor Negi is inside but, like, I can’t see what’s going on. Bookworm and Yue are with him, so are, like, Asuna and Setsuna.”
“WHOA! He calls out the troops and doesn’t even tell me?! Oh boy! He’s gonna hear it when I get back!”
“Aaaah… No-o! You, like, can’t say any-thing about this! He doesn’t know I was, like, spying on him! If he needs our help then, like, it’s better if he doesn’t know we’re keeping tabs. We’ll round up, like, Mana, Kaede and Fei Ku. We can, like, be the reserves in case anything really bad happens.”
“Oh, MAN! OK, OK. I’ll keep quiet about it.”
The two then snuck back the hotel.
--------------------
After meeting with Negi, the cloaked man was the first of the two to leave. He knew that the boy had other helpers, but that didn’t concern him right now. Hopefully Tsukuyomi was doing her job, and making note of anyone roughly the age of Negi’s students who left the club. As he entered his own room across the street he was happy to see that she was still keeping watch from the balcony. In her pink, frilly, Lolita dress with that white bonnet hat and eyeglasses, just the slightest bit too big for her face, he found himself amazed that this delicate looking porcelain doll of a girl could be so deadly. He was not sure her exact age, but her body still looked undeveloped and her face was a balance of awkwardness and beauty, with just some a child’s cute features remaining, mingled with a subtle hint of the woman’s face she would one day possess.
“So… How many others?” The dark man asked his ally, as he sat down.
“Well, two more left the club after Negi and Bells. And although I didn’t see her, I’m sure that… Setsuna was with them.” There seemed to be the slightest bit of longing in her eyes as she said this.
“That’s the one from Shinmei-ryu?”
“Yes.”
“Your rival? Your… equal?”
Tsukuyomi looked downward and answered quietly. “Yes.”
“Have no fear. This time you shall have the advantage.” As he said this his gaze fell upon a potted plant in the corner of the room. A small cat came from behind it, crossed the room and leapt into the man’s lap.
“But what if your spell doesn’t work? What if they disarm the traps in the temple? You were paid to capture him! Not to go on some kind of…”
“Correction.” The man interrupted sternly. “I will be paid to capture him, and will get a bonus for the Shinmei-ryu and the Magic Canceller. And from that payment, you will be paid for your assistance. If he succeeds… then the temple will be open to us. I assure you there will be something in there that you would gladly take as compensation should my payment somehow… fall through. So my dear… even if my plan fails… we still win.”
“There was still the other one, taking… pictures of the club. I’m sure she was keeping watch, but I'm still not sure that they knew it.”
“As I thought.” The man concluded. “I sensed that someone was trying to break my detection barrier. It must have been her.” The cloaked man now stroked the small black cat in his lap.
--------------------
Once they were a good distance for the meeting place, the five friends joined up again. Negi wanted to know immediately what Nodoka’s Journal revealed about the man.
“Um… well… nothing. I couldn’t even locate him, even though he was right there in front of me!” Her voice sounded like she was on the verge of tears.
“That’s OK Nodoka! At least we know he is a wizard of some kind! And that he’s powerful enough to shield his thoughts from your journal. That’s not a comforting thought, but it’s important to know!” Negi knew that they would have to be on their guard. What he hadn’t expected was to see Professor Takahata waiting for them in the Hotel lobby as they arrived, way past curfew. He didn’t look happy, but he remained quite calm.
“You girls are in trouble.” He said evenly. “Negi-sensei, where did you find them?” So he was still being treated like a teacher, Negi thought to himself. That was good, but he felt terrible about what he now had to do, in order to keep their little quest a secret from Takahata.
“I caught them trying to sneak into a dance club.” Negi felt his body temperature rise with such a bold lie. He wasn’t sure if Takahata bought it, but he could feel the waves of anger rising off of the girls at his betrayal.
“Well… In that case I’d say you girls should be confined to quarters for say… All day and all night tomorrow?”
Negi’s body heat now swelled as his heart started racing. He would need them tomorrow. Plus he knew Asuna’s punishment for him would be even worse if she was personally grounded by her crush, Professor Takahata.
“Aaaaaahh… Takamichi… don’t you think that’s a bit harsh? I mean…”
“No, Professor Springfield. Sneaking into a club underage is serious business. I’m being lenient not sending them home right this minute.” At that thought, Negi decided not to push his luck. He felt like an absolute heel getting the girls in trouble just for helping him, and then getting off scott free himself.
He whispered to Asuna “Don’t worry… I’ll get you all out of this.”
But the fire in her Blue and Green eyes spoke volumes. “You … are … so … dead!” she muttered back under her breath, her boiling rage making Negi feel smaller than he thought possible.
He couldn’t sleep a wink that night. He knew he had to sneak the girls out and sneak them back in… if they were caught breaking their confinement, the girls would be sent home, and he’d be force to admit to Takahata-sensei that he’d broken his promise and lied, rather profoundly.
--------------------
The next day passed without the girls getting even a message from Negi. The four girls were put in a single room as the chaperones took turns keeping watch in the hall. They were told not to socialize, and that they would be separated if they made any noise. By sunset, they had just about concluded that the quest was off.
“Come on,” Asuna whispered. “The little brat’s not coming. Let’s get ready for bed.”
“Oh Asuna…” Nodoka tried to keep her hopes up, she really wanted to spend time with Negi, especially doing something so exciting, but she didn’t know what else she could say.
“I mean the little runt betrayed us! He made me look like some kind of delinquent in front of Tak…” She cut herself off, blushing profusely. She wasn’t sure how many of them really knew about her infatuation with Takahata-sensei, but she hadn’t wanted to just blurt it out.
“Think about it, Asuna!” Setsuna whispered harshly. “What else could he do? He must have his reasons for keeping the quest a secret. We agreed to help him. So give him a chance to make it right. I’m sure he didn’t plan for things to work out that way. Truth be told…” she was immediately struck by the irony of this statement, “it was pretty quick thinking on the kid’s part.”
“Hmpft! Well I’m going to bed!” Asuna shot back quietly. “You all may as well do the same!”
Setsuna remained where she was but Asuna took off her tee shirt and folded her pants neatly on the bed before rummaging through her bag for her nightgown. Nodoka did the same.
“I gotta pee.” Yue said, and went into the bathroom. She left the door open, in case anyone still wanted to talk. Since she was behind the wall, she reasoned, it was not as if anyone could see.
--------------------
While the young hostages stewed in their makeshift prison, Negi stood on the edge of the roof. He’d spent the entire day brewing four flying potions. It wasn’t easy, given the time constraints, but he was sure they would work. He mounted his staff, and flew in a wide arc towards the window to the girl’s room. Seeing it was open he figured he would fly right in. ‘It would be like making an almost… heroic entrance,’ he thought to himself.
“I’m here!” He whispered loudly, as he landed in the middle of the room.
“Eek!” Nodoka let out the tiniest scream as she tried to cover up with nothing to use except her own two hands. She stood directly right in front of him wearing only a small a-cup bra and narrow pair of candy-striped panties. While Nodoka was embarrassed beyond all reckoning, the sight of her stunned the young Negi into a state of near paralysis.
‘Oh. And there’s Asuna…’ his mind told him in a stupid sounding sing-song voice. ‘She’s not even wearing a bra and… oh look… she must have bought another pair of those teddy bear underpants I accidentally disintegrated on her that one time...’ In his shocked and confused state this all seemed like a happy dream. Although the image shifted to nightmarish rather quickly, the happy narration still played in his head.
‘My word, Asuna does not look happy at all.’ He thought, his mind still speaking to him in the same dull, sing-song tone. ‘Oh my… she looks even madder than before. My word… is she going to…’
*&$% POW @#$% !
‘… hit … me … ?’
Negi tumbled accross the room from the force of the blow, landing in the small hallway in front of the door. He gained consciousness just in time to look up and see a very surprised Yue, sitting with her panties down around her ankles. Whatever else he might have seen, from his vantage point below her on the floor, was consumed by darkness as he fainted.
‘So… indigo… then…’ was the last thought he had before going limp.
--------------------
“Ne-gi…? Ne-gi…?” It was the sweet sound of Nodoka’s voice. Negi came to and looked up to find himself surrounded by the four girls, thankfully fully dressed this time. “Oh! You’re OK. Thank God!” Negi sat up…
“No…doka?” The image of her trembling, half-naked body threatened to creep back into his mind, but he pushed it away. They had work to do. He explained to them what it was they were actually seeking, and showed the girls the flying potions which luckily had not been broken as a result of Asuna’s attack. At the end he explained why he had lied to Takahata. Yue and Setsuna seemed to understand. Nodoka looked disappointed. Asuna was furious.
“So not only do you make me look like some kind of miscreant in front of Professor Takahata, but you lied and broke your promise to him as well?! Why the hell should we help you anyway?!” If Negi didn’t know better he’d swear her long orange pigtails looked as if they were on fire.
Negi thought for a moment… “Asuna… What is your heart’s most desperate desire?” A voice whispered in Negi’s conscious, but he ignored it.
“Huh…? Me…? I… uh… well… you know…” Asuna stammered. She couldn’t just come out and say it, could she? ‘What the hell?’ she thought, ‘Is the little runt trying to embarrass me some more?!’
Negi continued, in a knowing tone of voice. “You may think it’s that certain person but…” The voice in Negi’s conscious was practically screaming at him to stop talking. “… Are you sure it’s not to find a way to make him… love you?” Once said, the voice in Negi’s head went silent.
“Eek.” A small cry escape Nodoka, but Asuna just stared at him.
After a few seconds, she answered him. “Let’s go.”
--------------------
The five friends crept through dark, back alleys trying to avoid the main street as they made there way to the temple. Once Setsuna was convinced the coast was clear, they went through the massive double doors at the front of the temple. As they waited quietly in the entryway, hearts pounding, Negi began the incantation that would protect them from the deadly spores in the catacombs.
“Activate the contract for Asuna Kagurazaka, Setsuna Sakuazaki, Yue Ayase and Nodoka Miyazaki for one hour.” All four girls felt themselves powering up. Negi felt drained, but continued with the spell. “Inkipium confestum muys magica… Allergium prohibitus totallus!” The last word echoed in the chamber, but the blue light that Negi expected to rise up and engulf them instead seems to slough off of them and fall to the floor. He was sure he’d done the incantation correctly, but felt uneasy about it. “Um… perhaps we should try that again?”
“Meow.” The four girls were startled by the sound of a black cat coming from the shadows. It started rubbing itself against Asuna’s legs, purring as it went.
“Ha-hah. It’s just a ca… ca… caHAHT-SHOOO!”
“Asuna please!” Negi cried, more startled by the sneeze than by the cat. “Not so loud! We’re not supposed to be here! We need to keep…”
“Hey… I th… though that incanta… a… ation was supposed to protect us from th-this kind… of… thing…ing… HAHT-SHOO!” Negi knew something went wrong with the spell; the ethereal flow didn’t look right at all. Nodoka went over to pick up the cat, as Asuna was to busy rubbing her nose and trying to get away, with nowhere to go in the small room.
“I didn’t know you were aller… aller… gic… to… ca… eSHOO!” Nodoka’s cute, high pitched sneeze was not nearly as loud as Asuna’s, but it reverberated in the nearly silent temple none the less.
“I’m… n-not… HAHT-SHOO!” Every breath Asuna took increased her urge to sneeze. The cat left the two and walked past Yue.
“aaaAAAAHHH-choo!” Yue’s sneeze was deep and throaty. The cat continued past Setsuna.
“Some… S… Something went wr...wrong w-with th-the s-spell… eh… EHTChoo!” Although she was bent over, she was pointing upwards. The group saw a small paper charm stuck to the ceiling. Negi couldn’t read most of it, but he recognized one of the Kanji: REVERSE.
“It’s a tra… aaa… AAAAHHH-SSSSHHHHOOOOOO!” As always happened when Negi sneezed his air magic went out of control. The gale force wind blew up all of the girl’s skirts, despite their best efforts to hold them down. Needless to say, while he was the smallest of the group, even slightly smaller than Yue, his sneeze was far and away the loudest. “…trap! Oh dear me… I’m terribly sorry.” Four faces glared back at him, looking simultaneously embarrassed and annoyed.
The cat left the entranceway and the group pulled desperately at the door… but it wouldn’t budge. Setsuna drew her sword to cut it down.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you…” called a deep voice from the middle of the temple. It belonged to the dark figure Negi had met with earlier. Standing next to him was a tween-aged looking girl in a frilly pink dress, wearing eyeglasses and a wide brimmed bonnet-hat, and wielding a sword almost identical to Setsuna’s. Her other hand was behind her back. Setsuna recognized her immediately, and remembered that she’d also used a dagger in their last encounter.
“W-Why n-not?” Setsuna tried to sound threatening, but her voice wavered and betrayed her as she struggled against another sneeze.
“There’s an explosive rune on the other side. If you strike through the door… it will detonate, killing you… and your friends. Ent-Golem! Necoyokai!” On that command the black cat walked towards him, growing larger as it did. Although the shadows obscured the transformation, by the time it reached the cloaked man, it was standing upright, roughly six feet tall – a cat demon. With their itchy noses the group was dreading even more what was already an unwelcome surprise. The next thing they saw filled them with despair.
Lumbering out of the shadows from the back end of the temple, standing nearly twelve feet tall, was what looked like a giant, woven out of ragweed bushes. Coarse vines stuck out where tendons would be, and tree limbs substituted for bones. Fine dust seemed to shake off the monstrosity with every step as he shambled up behind the man in black. His mere presence was causing their eyes to water and there noses to run liberally.
“Now… you can surrender now, and I will ease your suffering while we wait for my clients, or you can try to fight… in which case you will only suffer more.” There was no decision to be made. Setsuna and Asuna charged, while Negi, Nodoka and Yue began their incantations.
Asuna engaged the Ent-Golem, while Setsuna crossed swords once again with her Shinmei-Ryu rival, Tsukuyomi. The attack was fierce – she knew she would have to end it quickly, but it was hard to concentrate with her eyes tearing up and her nose in a constant state of over-sensitivity. Their blades clashed, but Tsukuyomi kept her left hand behind her. ‘I can’t forget about the dagger…’ Setsuna thought to herself. Seeing an opening, Setsuna pinned Tsukuyomi against a bench. Unfortunately, she could no longer move herself, or her opponent would free herself. It took almost all her strength to maintain the hold, but she had just enough leverage to raise her other hand in defense as Tsukuyomi’s hidden hand flashed from behind her back. When Setsuna caught it mid-air, it did not possess a dagger, as she had expected, but a long feather. Despite her best efforts, with a quick manipulation of her fingers, Setsuna’s opponent angled the feather downward and gently tickled her nose with the end of it, smiling mischievously all the while.
“H-Hey… N-No… eh… EHTChoo!” The sneeze momentarily sapped her strength and she was pushed off by her opponent, who continued her attack, this time striking with both sword and feather. Every swipe of the feather caused Setsuna to sneeze again, breaking her concentration. The fight was quickly going against her.
Meanwhile, Asuna had her plate full with the Ent-Golem. She held her hands on opposite ends of her Harisen, as she tried to push back against the creature’s relentless assault.
“HAHT-SHOO! Hey! ha… HAHT-SHOO! How about some h-help over here?” She looked back at the three diminutive Wizards, desperately trying to complete their incantations, but between the sniffling and sneezing, noone could get the complicated wording out properly. “HAHT-SHOO! Oh man!”
The Golem was pushing her into a corner. Her eyes stung and her nose felt as if ants were crawling around inside it. With one more sneeze, she pushed back and gave herself enough room to launch a counter offensive. One strike… Another… Another… she knocked more pollen of the creature with every blow as she drove it back. At this point she wrote off getting any help from Negi and the others. With the Golem on the ropes she raised her weapon to strike the finishing blow when the Cat-Demon flew past her.
With her left paw, she shredded the front of Asuna’s shirt, giving her several lacerations on her torso as she flew by. One of her claws caught the front of Asuna’s bra, severing the fabric holding the two cups together. While this was both embarrassing and painful, it would not have been enough to break Asuna’s attack on the Golem… but she was struck in the nose by the cat-demon's tail. At this point, already off balance having drawn back her Harisen, the sneeze took out her last bit of concentration.
“HAHT-SHOOO!” With her eyes closed, she never saw it coming.
* WHAM *
What felt like a tree trunk slammed into her, sending her sprawling across the floor. She hit her head, breaking an urn as she landed, and fell unconscious.
The entire time this was happening, the Dark figure just stood and watched while Negi tried to ready an attack spell meant for him, and Yue and Nodoka tried to act as artillery for Asuna against the Ent-Golem.
“Inkipium confestum we… we… we… AAAAHHH-SSSSHHHHOOOOOO!” Every hurricane force sneeze that Negi issued just served to spread more pollen and dander into the air.
“aaaAAAAHHH-choo! *sniff* This is n-no good Negi! aaaAAAAHHH-choo!” Yue, normally cool in any situation, sounded almost panicky. Since they were inside, she could not use her broom to call lightning, and she could not string two words together without sneezing.
“Inkip… eSHOO! Ink… Ink… In… eSHOO!” Tears ran from Nodoka’s eyes, although she was not crying. She tried to think of the shortest spell she knew, but nothing came to mind that would be of any use here. If any of them got even close to completing a spell that dratted cat demon flew by, with its claws and tail. Once Asuna fell however, their fight ended quickly as the Golem swept up all three with a single blow of its mighty limb.
Finally it was down to Setsuna. “*sniff* eh… EHTChoo!” She knew it was coming, she left her sword open on that one, and her grip was too light.
* CLANG *
Tsukuyomi sent Setsuna’s sword flying, and then came back with the feather.
“Ack! *sniff* eh… eh… EHTChoo!” Her eyes were now closed.
* THUD *
Tsukuyomi drove an open, flat hand into Setsuna’s chin as hard as she could. Setsuna fell. “Wow. I’ve finally defeated you! I don’t believe it!” Setsuna, looking up from the ground, heard the girl’s gloating, but could not respond. The world went dark as her head dropped to the floor.
--------------------
When they came to, the group found themselves disarmed and bound. Their hands were tied behind them, to their ankles and they were lined up along a wall in an uncomfortable kneeling position. Most of there clothes were in tatters from the fight. The man in the black cloak and the girl in the pink dress had left, and the Ent-Golem was also nowhere to be seen. Necoyokai was the only visible guard left. She was back the form of a small black housecat, but there was little doubt in the captives’ minds that it was the same cat-demon they’d fought before – its voice hadn’t changed.
“I’m bored.” The small cat said, in a high-pitched and whiny tone.
It pounced up on Nodoka’s lap, and to her dismay, Nodoka discovered that the botched protection spell was still very much in effect. The tickle in her nose started with her first, hitched breath.
“Oh… *sniff*… K-Kitty… *sniff* please…” Necoyokai dragged it tail gently across the end of Nodoka’s pink, runny nose, overwhelming any defenses she had left. “eSHOO! *sniff* eSHOO! eSHOO! *sniff* eSHOO-OO! Oh… Please kitty… eSHOO!”
The cat jumped from Nodoka to Yue, who looked strait ahead, remaining as still as stone. The look on her face was one of casual indifference. The demon-cat gave Yue the same treatment as Nodoka, running its tail under her nose. Yue didn’t even blink.
“Oh come one!” The demon-cat demanded. “You're no fun!” She tried few more twitches of her tail, but the only response from Yue was a single tear from her left eye running down her cheek. She didn’t even seem to notice it.
“Oooooh… Playing it cool, huh? That’s OK. I like a challenge.” The cat demon began pacing over Yue’s lap, keeping its tail pointed upwards the entire time. Looking back, it noticed Yue eyes narrow every so slightly. Then her lips parted as she fought the urge to sneeze. The demon cat now began lightly batting her nose with its tail. Yue’s irritated nostrils flared as she drew a long, sharp breath.
“aaaaaAAAAAAHHH-choo!”
“Gotcha! That was fun!”
She then jumped from Yue to Asuna, who had no intentions of begging, like Nodoka or of trying to play it cool, like Yue. The instant the beast landed on her, she began bucking and hopping about, trying to throw it off of her. This hurt her wrists and ankles like hell, but she refused to give her jailor any satisfaction. “Get off of me you little…”
As Asuna pitched and struggled, the demon-cat extended her claws into Asuna’s thighs in an effort to hold on.
“OW! You bi…”
“If you don’t want the claws then… SIT… STILL!” Asuna stopped fighting, but leaned back, trying to get her face out of range of the cat’s tail. This plan backfired, as the cat simply leapt up onto her shoulders. She briefly considered trying to throw her off again, but she could feel just the slightest poke from the cat’s claws through her shirt and reconsidered. She didn’t exactly want it taking a swipe at her face.
“What the…?! W-Why don’t y-you j-just go aw…aw…away… ay… HAHT-SHOO!”
“What? Aren’t you enjoying this?” The cat’s innocent tone made it sound even crueler. “I need to do something to pass the time.”
“Well… HAHT-SHOO! Why do you go chase a… a… HAHT-SHOO! mouse or go lick your backside or some… some… HAHT-SHOO! something!”
“Lick my…?! Why you!”
Necoyokai now started doing what could only be described as laps around Asuna’s head. She made sure to drag her entire body across the whole of Asuna’s face. Asuna could feel the beast’s claws digging in to her chest and shoulders, in order to hold on while navigating the awkward circuit. After several minutes, during which Asuna’s sneezing was about as steady and constant as her breathing should have been, the cat jumped down and eyed Setsuna. Asuna fell over and lay on her side on the ground. Her nose was bright read and ran like a stream. Her eyes were also red and nearly swollen shut. She breathed through her mouth, with a raspy sound, and didn’t have an ounce of fight left in her. Negi felt like crying at the sight of his dear, if somewhat violent-tempered, friend in this state.
When the cat landed on Setsuna she, like Yue, showed no response. “You too, huh? Oh well.”
She went to work, pacing across her lap, running her tail across her nose, but got no response from the disciplined warrior-girl.
“Hmmm… you’re good! I can see why Tsukuyomi has such a crush on you.” At hearing those words, Setsuna felt her body temperature rise a few degrees, but it didn’t show. The cat jumped up of her shoulders. It stretched around behind her head; poking its face around one side and nuzzling the right side of her nose, while her tail reached around the other side tickle her from the left.
“Still nothing?” It asked sounding both innocent and disappointed. Setsuna stared directly ahead. Yue was immensely impressed by her discipline. Asuna was far too miserable to notice. Nodoka was looking at Negi, who had changed from looking sad to angry, though his voice still sounded as it he was on the verge of tears.
“STOP IT!” he screamed. “JUST STOP IT!” He was crying now. He knew that this was all his fault: That’s he’d lied and broken his promise, to his friend and mentor no less; and that he’d led the girls into danger for purely selfish reasons. He sobbed openly as tears ran down his face. This sight broke Nodoka’s heart, but she didn’t cry herself, trying to be strong for this boy, who she loved.
“You want some? You want your’s now?” The cat jumped down from Setsuna’s shoulders, having been unable to elicit even a sniff. It made its way over to Negi.
“You think you can talk to me like that? You think you’re important? You’re just a kid. A brat, just like them!” She wasted no time in getting up on Negi’s shoulder and rubbing her head against his nose, oblivious to the danger she was putting herself in.
“aahh… haaaaaahhh… AAAAHHH-SSSSHHHHOOOOOO!” The wind blew the cat demon across the floor. It rolled to a stop having been forced it back into it bipedal human-hybrid form. The girl’s tattered shirts were also blown upwards in the breeze, but as his eyes were closed, the girls were spared another embarrassing exposure.
Negi had hoped his sneeze would have knocked the cat-demon unconscious, but she seemed relatively unharmed. Seeming a bit annoyed however, she stomped back to Negi and, taking him by the back of his shirt, dragged his about halfway across the room and dumped him unceremonious on his side. “You’ll stay over here.” She said tersely.
Necoyokai went back to torturing the four girls, although her efforts on Setsuna were still frustrated. After several minutes of this, the man in the cloak and Tsukuyomi returned.
“Come, we have much to discuss.” The cloaked figure said to the Cat-demon in an authoritative voice as he passed. “Is the spell still in effect?”
“On everyone except the Shinmei-Ryu, it seems.” Necoyokai answered.
Tsukuyomi approached Setsuna with the same mischievous glint her eye as earlier. “Oh….?” She withdrew the long feather for its holder on her belt and rapidly tickled the end of Setsuna’s nose with it. The response was strong and immediate.
“Oh… ah… no… eh… eh… EHTChoo! EHTChoo! eh… EHTChoo!” Setsuna was helpless to resist.
“I’d say it’s still very much in effect.” Tsukuyomi concluded in a highly satisfied tone. The cat-demon seemed simultaneously impressed and disappointed, as the three went into a room in the back of the temple, leaving the five captives unguarded. Each struggled against their bonds but after several minutes none were able to free themselves.
“Girls…” Negi began, “I can’t begin to say how sorry I am to have gotten you all into this. I swear… I promise that we will get out of this, and that I will explain everything to Takami… Professor Takahata when we get back. I will take full responsibility for what’s happened, and make sure that you girl’s aren’t punished any further. I’m… so sorry.”
“Negi…” if she’d been free, Nodoka would have held him. Her heart ached, and even though she had suffered, and was still very much in danger, she had completely forgiven him.
As they sat silently in the gloom, their captors secluded in a back room, a small creature came bounding across the wide room, right towards Negi. “Kamo!” Negi exclaimed in an excited whisper.
“Hey Boss!” Kamo replied, also keeping quiet. “I’m gonna get you outta here! I’ve got Asakura and the rest of the cavalry waiting outside!” Negi didn’t like the idea of more students getting involved, but he had to admit he needed the help. Kamo got to work quickly and quietly, trying to undo Negi’s bonds without arousing attention. Unfortunately he was not aware of what had happened to them. He stood directly in front of Negi’s chest, reaching over his side to work on the knot. His tail was inches from Negi’s nose.
“K-Kamo… *sniff* tah...tail… huh… aaaah…”
“Boss? What’s wrong?”
“AAAAHHH-SSSSHHHHOOOOOO!” Kamo flew through air hitting the opposite wall, a good twenty yards away, with a thud and fell unconscious. Negi resisted the urge to cry out, not wanting to broadcast the fact that they were getting help. Asuna, who was not as fond of the ermine, just thought to herself, ‘Now why couldn’t he have done that to the damn cat?’ Again they redoubled their efforts to break free, and again the got nowhere. Their captors returned.
“Our clients will arrive shortly, and they are most pleased with the work we’ve done.” He looked right at Negi. “I must thank you. You in particular have been very helpful.” Negi burned with anger. The man was about to continue when the group was startled by a loud CRACK coming from outside. One of the temple’s window panes shattered and the Cat-Demon was struck in the shoulder.
“What the…” was all she could say before disappearing in a cloud of ash. The temple doors were kicked open, as several students charged in. The attack was led by the Kung Fu fighting Fei Ku alongside the Ninja-in-training, Kaede Nagase. While they took up the front line, shrine-maiden and demon hunter Mana Tatsumiya entered slowly behind them, her rifle still leveled, followed closely by Kazumi Asakura.
As Fei charged to the front, Kaede threw a small metal star in Setsuna’s direction. Her aim was true and it struck her bindings, severing them. Setsuna slowly rose and picked up her sword, which had been left about ten yards from where they were being held. It was Kazumi who address the cloaked man.
“OK! You’re, like, totally outnumbered! We’re taking our friends home!” Negi had never heard the valley girl speak with so much conviction.
Tsukuyomi looked around, “Uh… Yeah… I’m not getting paid for this!” She said sweetly and fled to the back of the temple. Shortly after disappearing in the shadows they could hear the sound of a door closing. With his Golem long since dispelled, his demon banished and his sword-maiden having fled, the dark man was forced to agree with Kazumi’s assessment of the situation
“Yes. You’re right. And I have no intention of trying to fight all of you…” with a flourish of his cloak, the shadowy figure disappeared in thick cloud of noxious black smoke.
“Come on,” Kazumi said, looking at Negi. “Let’s get you home
--------------------
Although Negi wanted to go back and admit responsibility right away, the four rescuers thought it would go better for all of them if they snuck back in. “You can, like, explain everything to Takahata-sensei in the morning.’ Kazumi argued. Reluctantly, Negi gave in. The group decided it would be best to split up. Kazumi joined Asuna and Negi; Fei carried Kamo; Kaede escorted Nodoka and Yue; while Mana went with Setsuna. They each took separate routes back the hotel, approaching it from different paths.
Fei-Ku had the easiest time, scaling the wall and slipping into her 2nd floor window with the unconscious Kamo tucked into a deep pocket in her Gi. Unfortunately, she had gotten turned around a bit making her way back and the window she was slipping into was in the same position, but on the opposite side of the building, as her room. Professor Takahata was jarred awake as Fei Ku nearly tripped over him lying in bed. Needless to say he got quite a shock from the sight of Ku Fei sneaking in though the window and into his bed. Fei just smiled innocently and gave up. She was caught.
Outside, Kaede waited for the clerk at the front desk to be called away before sneaking in with Yue and Nodoka and making a break for the nearest stairwell. The reached their floor without any trouble, but opened the stairwell door and almost walked right into the back of one of the school chaperones. The much taller Kaede grabbed the girls and silently whisked them into a nearby utility closet to hide until the chaperone moved on. The fit was close, and Nodoka was squashed against Yue, whose jacket had a lot more cat hair on it than Nodoka’s mainly due to Yue’s resistance to the demon’s little game.
“Yue… Y-You’re jacket *sniff*…” Nodoka whispered desperately.
“Hang in there, bookworm…” Yue’s whisper was cool and level, as always.
“…t-too m-much… *sniff* cat… hair... *sniff*…” Kaede was able to move just enough to put a finger under Nodoka’s twitching nose. This was more than either of the smaller girls could manage as they were pinned in the tight space.
“Just another minute… b-book… w-worm…. aaaaaAAAAAAHHH-choo!” Seconds after Yue’s loud, throaty sneeze the door opened and they were greeted by the chaperone, who stood outside, tapping his foot.
As Mana and Setsuna approached the hotel from a wooded area, Mana noticed a shadow coming from around the corner of the building. It was a teacher. “Get down!” She commanded in a whisper, grabbing Setsuna and forcing her to the ground. Her attention was so focused on the patrolling teacher the she did not notice Setsuna struggling as her face was planted directly into a small patch of flowering weeds.
“*sniiiif* Mana!” Setsuna pleaded in a whisper.
“Shhh! Quiet now!” She was still looking at the teacher. Setsuna pushed against the ground, trying frantically to raise herself, but Mana’s hand was of the back of her head, holding her down.
“*sniff* Mana… *sniff* I… can’t…!”
“Shush! She’s almost gone…”
“can’t… ha…hold…. on… eh… eh… EHTChoo! EHTChoo! EHTChoo!” Setsuna’s triple brought the attention of the teacher and they surrendered, caught.
Last to arrive were Kazumi, Asuna and Negi. Along the way he pleaded with Kazumi to just let him go, and explain everything to Professor Takahata, but Kazumi wouldn’t hear of it. She insisted on trying to sneak in and told Negi to sleep on it, and tell Takahata-sensei about it the morning if he still felt like he should. After a few more tries he gave up. The trio walked up behind the hotel, and caught just a whiff of tobacco and the sound of footsteps from around the corner before diving behind a dumpster. It was Takahata, who decided to take a look around after being woken by Fei Ku crawling into his window and over his bed.
The three crouched down in the shadows. Asuna gazed at Takahata through her still irritated eyes. Even roused from sleep in the middle of the night he seemed handsome to her. She pinched her nose as a precaution. She did not want to be caught by him a second time.
“Ka…zumi…” Negi managed as quietly as he could, “are you… w-wearing p-perfume?”
“Yeah! I, like, got it for my birthday! Do you like it?”
Asuna rolled her swollen eyes. ‘What were these two idiots doing?!’ she thought to herself.
“Yes… but… it’s going… to make… m-me… snee… ah… sneeze…. AAAAHHH-SSSSHHHHOOOOOO!”
Gravel and mulch flew past the startled Takahata. “Ok, Negi. Gig’s up. Come on out.”
The three did the ‘dead man’s walk’ back the hotel lobby, and were dismayed to see every single one of their co-conspirators lined up. Mana, Kaede, and Fei (with Kamo on her shoulder) stood behind a couch, while Nodoka, Yue and Setsuna sat on the couch, dabbing their red noses with tissues from a shared box on the coffee table.
Negi looked forlornly at Takahata. “Let them go back to their rooms, Takahata-sensei. This is all my doing. Let them go up and get some sleep and I’ll explain what’s been going on. I’ll take responsibility.”
Takahata sounded only the slightest bit angry. “I’ll decide who will take responsibility, Negi-sensei. But… I’ll hear you out. Girls? You can head up to your rooms. Go right to bed now, or there will be punishments! You’ve used up all your second chances.”
Negi started from the beginning, and told his friend about the cloaked man and his offer for the Mirror, as well as his own lies and broken promise. He considered explaining the reason for his deception, but figured Takahata was wise enough to fill that in for himself. When he finished, he was fighting back tears. “I’m so sorry… I’ll understand if I’m fired. I won’t protest. There’s no excuse for my behavior.”
Expected to be hit, or yelled at, or at the very least sacked, Negi was surprised when Takahata embraced him instead. He hugged his mentor back and finally broke down.
“Negi… I can’t say I’m not disappointed in you. I’m hurt that you broke your promise to me, and also that you never asked for my advice or told me about this man. And although I’m aware of how special these girls are, I’m appalled that you got them involved so recklessly. But… I can’t say that at your age, in your position, that I would have done any better. You’ve been given the responsibilities and burdens of an adult, and you always handle them so flawlessly, that it’s easy for me to forget how young you actually are. Don’t worry. You’re not fired. And I won’t report any of the girls’ involvement in this affair either. I know how much your dad means to you. That’s why Dean Konoe asked me to warn you. We didn’t want to go looking for this thing and end up getting thrown off the real trail in your search for your father. Negi, know this: I want you to find him. I long to see him again myself. And I will never be an obstacle in that endeavor. I will always be there to help you… All you have to do is: ask me.”
Drying his tears he looked up into his mentor’s gentle face. After all he’d done he did not deserve this man’s kindness. He was overwhelmed by it. ‘Was his father a man like Takamichi?’ he thought to himself. He stared at his friend for a moment longer before saying, “Thank you, Takamichi.” After embracing him one more time, as a grateful son would a beloved father, he headed upstairs to his room to get some much needed sleep.
Setting and all non-original characters are property of Ken Akamatsu
The Mirror of Eirsed is the property of J.K. Rowling
After a long day of lecturing and several hours spent in the office grading papers, 10 year old Professor Negi Springfield finally arrived at the dorm room he shared with two of his students, Asuna Kagurazaka and Konoka Konoe. He wanted nothing more than to drop into his bed and get a good night's sleep, but as he opened the door, careful not to wake his dorm mates, he noticed a small envelope on the floor. It was a letter, and he could sense the hint of enchantment it bore. Assuming it was from his sister back in Whales, he opened it without even noticing that there was no return address. Expecting the familiar image of his older sister to rise off of the page, he was shocked by what he saw instead.
Rising from the page was what looked like a ghost, except it was all black. After getting over his surprise, he realized that it was the figure of a man in a long black cloak. The cowl was drawn low over the man’s face and Negi could not see his features. The dark figure spoke:
“Professor Negi Springfield,
Due to certain constrains relative to my security, I am afraid that I am unable to introduce myself, but rest assured that I am a friend and I want to help you. You are searching for something… someone, to be more precise. I have no knowledge or skill that can help you, but I know where you may be able to find something that can. If you are interested in learning more, go the club known as Seppuku on the same night that you arrive in Kyoto. Once you are there, I will find you.”
As if the figure’s dark demeanor and mysterious tone were not enough to make Negi feel ill at ease, moments after the ghostly figure finished his message, the page ignited and was consumed almost instantly in purple flame. Neither of his dorm mates, nor his ermine familiar, Kamo, were awakened by the letter or the flame. It also made Negi nervous that the man apparently knew so much about him. He was searching for someone: his father, whom he had seen only once in his entire life that he could remember - outside of old photographs. ‘Something that can… Help me?’ he pondered to himself. Although exhausted, sleep was slow to come as he kept replaying the mysterious message over and over in his mind. They left for their class trip to Kyoto the day after tomorrow.
--------------------
Saturday normally meant a half day of classes but, since they were leaving for Kyoto the following day, classes were cancelled. As they sat down to lunch, Negi decided it would be wise to enlist the help of his friend Asuna, with who he shared one of several Pactio contracts. He told her about the letter and asked what she thought about it.
Asuna answered him in a whisper to avoid anyone overhearing. “Sounds dangerous if you ask me. You remember what happened last time right? It could be a trap.”
“I’m sure it is quite dangerous, but I’ve already made up my mind to go. I want you to help me.”
Asuna was quite surprised. It was not often that Negi actually asked for help. “W-What do you want me to do?”
“I want you to come with me, but to stay out of sight. I’ll activate the contract before we go into the club. You keep your distance, but look sharp. If anything happens, you come in a flash to back me up!” Negi’s enthusiasm gave Asuna the impression that he thought he was the first person to ever think up something like that.
“There is one problem… The 10 foot sword – fan – thingy that comes out when I use the card or you activate the contract? Might attract a little attention.”
“Hmmm… You’re right.” Negi was disappointed in himself, not having spotted something so obvious. It did occur to him however that his student was rather clever for having seen it. “Well… if you attracted attention, maybe we could bring someone else… Someone who would not attract attention. They could be our element of surprise!”
Asuna thought for a moment. She still had her misgivings, and didn’t like the idea of playing decoy, which felt too much to her like being the bait, but she had to admit: this plan did have some potential.
“OK. I’m surprised you actually want more students along, but of those you have contracts with… Bookworm for sure. She’s so quiet, she could escape your attention in an empty room.” ‘Bookworm’ was the nickname of Nodoka Miyazaki, a shy mouse of a girl, with enormous courage despite, and rather a large crush on Negi, though she was practically phobic about most other men and boys. Although he was hesitant to put Nodoka in danger, he had to admit she was a natural choice. She was quiet and, when her contract was activated she received a journal whose pages displayed the thoughts and intentions of whomever she asked it to. That made her the perfect lookout.
“…And if bookworm comes you’ll need Yue as well – someone who can keep a cool head in case something goes wrong. Bookworm will freak if she’s faced with a pressure situation.” Negi wasn’t so sure about that, but Yue Ayase was also a natural choice to partner with Nodoka. They were best friends and Yue always kept her cool in any situation.
“Now… I might need some help in the front line, so… Setsuna.” The list was getting longer than Negi planned, but again Setsuna Sakurazaki was a master sword maiden in the Shinmei-ryu and stealth was one of her specialties. Although he was already straining to keep everyone’s role strait in his head, Asuna was still adding to the roster.
“As a second lookout you also can’t beat Asakura… and Fei Ku would be perfect for…”
“No, I think that will do Asuna.” Negi interrupted her gently. “You, Nodoka, Yue and Setsuna will be my backup. That should work out swimmingly. Thank you. I knew I could count on you for advice.”
“Eh… thanks.” Seeing as this was the first time he’d ever asked her ‘advice’ she was a bit confused by his reaction. “By the way, you told me you were meeting with this suspicious guy, but you never told me why.”
“He can help me find my father.” Negi’s reply quashed any idea’s Asuna might have had about trying to talk him out of it. “We’ll approach the others once we’re in Kyoto. Oh… and… if for some reason Nodoka and Yue can’t go with us, Asakura would be a good second choice as a lookout. Fei could fill in for Setsuna as well. Good thinking.”
Asuna was surprised. His mind was racing and yet he still managed to not only listen to what she was saying, but actually used her idea, even after he had essentially turned it down. ‘For a little brat, he’s pretty sharp,’ Asuna thought to herself as they finished lunch.
--------------------
Back in the Dean’s office, Professor Takamichi Takahata had been called in to discuss an important matter with Dean Konoe.
“The Mirror of Erised has been located.” The ancient man said in his slow, creaky voice. “It’s in Kyoto.”
“Hmmm… That could complicate things. Do you think he’ll…?”
“He already knows.”
“Then should we warn Negi?”
“Yes… Yes, I think it is important that he be warned… But be careful with your words Takahata-sensei. The youth’s desire to find his father is strong. If he gets the wrong idea… Your warning may backfire. Make sure to tell him everything he needs to know, but nothing more.”
“You can count on me, Dean Konoe.”
Takahata-sensei had known Negi since he was a very little boy, and had also known his father, Nagi, the ‘Thousand Master,’ quite well. They had been close friends, and he missed him deeply. He caught up to Negi on his way back from lunch.
“Hello there, Negi! How are you doing?”
“Takamichi! I’m feeling splendid! How are you?”
“Fine, fine. Are you all packed and ready for the trip? I’m excited myself, I’ll be able to go with everyone this year!” Takahata had been sent on diplomatic errand by Dean Konoe during the previous trip to Kyoto, and missed it.
“Just about, yes. I can’t wait to get back. I might actually get to visit some of the temples this time! With the business last time, I didn’t have even a minute to play tourist!” Although he hadn’t been there, Takahata knew about the trouble they had with the Hogakio clan, and their uprising against the Kansai Magic Association.
“Yeah, about the trip… There’s something I need to discuss with you.” For a moment Negi’s feared that he was going to be told he wouldn’t be able to go. “Do you know about the Mirror of Erised?”
No longer in danger of missing the trip, Negi regained his composure. “Uh… Sure, it’s a legend. A mirror that shows you whatever you want.”
“Well… that’s almost right. The mirror shows the viewer nothing more or less than his heart’s most desperate desire. And it’s no legend… in fact, it’s been found.”
“Really? My word! To think of it… But… why are you telling me about this?”
“Dean Konoe asked me to talk to you about it. We wanted to warn you about it. To make sure you knew that nothing could ever be gained by looking into that mirror. No wisdom has ever been found there, and so tempting are its images that even great men have wasted away sitting in front of it. If you ever want to actually find what your heart desires, you should not be tempted to look there. Please Negi. Promise me that if you hear anything else about it, that you’ll stay away.”
“OK… I promise… But… my heart’s most… You mean to see my…”
“Yes. It will show him to you, but that’s it. It won’t reunite you, nor will the mirror tell you anything about him. You must understand this.”
“I do. Although I thought it was only a legend, I wouldn't have considered using something like that. You don’t have to worry about me!” The whole conversation struck Negi as a bit odd, since he had no intention of taking on a quest anytime soon.
“Although I trust your word, there’s something else I need to tell you. Although the mirror itself is useless, it is located in a temple that houses many other treasures. These are all guarded with dangerous and deadly enchantments. If you went in there to get the mirror despite your promise to me, you’ll probably get yourself killed.”
“Oh, don’t worry about me! I don’t plan to do anything dangerous on this trip!” Negi thought of the cloaked man, but there was nothing dangerous about talking to someone, he reasoned, especially with four of his friends keeping an eye out. ‘But why do you need a lookout out if it’s not dangerous?’ his conscious asked him.
--------------------
The trip to Kyoto was uneventful, and once all of the girls were checked into the hotel, Negi and Asuna sought out Nodoka, Yue and Setsuna. The five of them disappearing into the night did not escape the attention of Kazumi Asakura – the school’s resident paparazzi, who also shared a Pactio with Negi. She spied on them from a distance, but missed the first part of the conversation.
“So that’s it really.” Negi had just finished telling the four girls whatever it was he had called them away for. “Will you help me?”
“I am hesitant to leave lady Konoe unprotected, especially considering what happened last year, but I will do so for one night. I’ll have Mana fill in for me. Don’t worry… I won’t tell her what we’re doing. Just that I’ll need to be away.” Setsuna Sakurazaki was duty bound to protect the life of Konoka Konoe even at the cost of her own. She was often assisted in this duty by her classmate Mana Tatsumiya a capable shrine maiden and demon hunter.
“Um… It sounds dangerous… and… well… I’m afraid, but I’ll protect… I mean… I’ll go.” Despite her timid tone there was no limit to Nodoka’s courage, especially when it came to Negi.
“If bookworm’s going, you’ll need me. If anything happens she’ll wet her pants.” Yue teased her friend in a cool, even tone.
“Hey!” Yue’s gentle taunt managed to cement Nodoka’s resolve.
As the five started into town, they separated to increase the chance that some of them would go unnoticed. As they did this Asakura, also unseen, drew her Pactio from her vest pocket. She activated it and used the camera that appeared to snap five quick pictures of her friends, just in case she’d need them for later. As she snuck after the group, she didn’t notice that she herself was being followed.
--------------------
“How many are with him?” The dark figure asked, coming out onto the balcony.
“The red-head with the Bells in her hair is following him at a distance. She was his minister last time… And someone’s following her, but somehow… I don’t think they know she is.” answered the young girl in the pink dress.
“Well. Nothing should happen tonight, but wait here just in case, and make a note if you see anyone else.”
“Hai!”
The cloaked figure withdrew and crossed the street to the club Seppuku.
The inside of the club was dark, with pulsating lights. Smoke hung in the air and while there was music playing, the dance floor remained empty for the moment. Negi entered apprehensively and took his seat at a table facing the door. Asuna sat down on the opposite side of the room and made no effort to hide the fact that she was watching him. (Carrying the large Harisen that was summoned upon activating her Pactio card, she was hard to miss.) Setsuna reached the back alleyway unnoticed and slipped in through the rear. Neither Negi nor Asuna were aware of where she was and no one else noticed as Yue and Nodoka entered, taking a seat towards the back of the club. Once settled, Nodoka activated her Pactio card and was now trying to locate Negi’s contact using the journal.
Negi recognized the figure’s cloak from the letter, but still couldn’t see his face. “Hello, Negi Springfield. I am here to help you in your quest.”
“I’m not on a quest.” Negi answered, somewhat annoyed sounding. “You said you had something that could help me find my…”
“...Father. Yes. I do. Tell me… have you ever heard of the mirror of Erised?”
Negi felt deflated. All this preparation and anticipation and the only thing this mysterious looking charlatan had to offer was smoke and mirrors. “Not interested.” Negi answered flatly and got up to leave.
“I wouldn’t leave so quickly.” said the dark figure in a deep, steady voice. “I see that you know of it, but what exactly do you know. What have you been told?”
Negi paused, but did not yet take his seat. Standing up, at least he was looking eye to eye with the cloaked man. “It shows you your heart’s deepest desire. Nothing more. It’s useless as a tool for knowledge.”
“Heh-heh-heh… But what if knowledge was in fact your heart’s most desperate desire?” As he pondered this, Negi didn’t even realize that he’d sat down again. “For you, your heart’s desire may be to see your father again. Easy enough, and you are right – no knowledge can be gained from the mirror that way. But what if you trained your heart… what if you truly believed that what you wanted so desperately was to know where your father was?”
Negi felt as though he’d had the wind knocked out of him. Could the mirror tell him that? Why didn’t Takahata tell him? “My mentor told me that no wisdom could be gained from it. Are you saying he lied to me?”
“No, my boy. But many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view. Your mentor was simply telling you the truth as he knew it. But his knowledge was incomplete, and this is because so few have had the necessary wisdom and discipline to wield the mirror properly. Are you willing to take the risk? Great men have wasted away sitting in front of it.” Takahata’s exact words. Was Negi being tested?
“Go on. Tell me how this would work.”
“As I said, you must possess both discipline and wisdom in great abundance. You need discipline to control your heart. The heart is simple, basic. It wants only to see your father again. But you must convince it that what it really wants is to know where your father is. You will then need wisdom to discern his location from the details in the pictures you are presented with.”
“How do you mean?”
“Well… The mirror won’t just come out and tell you where he is, but… Are there Mountains in the background? Are they snow capped? Do you see any rare flora? Is there a river nearby? All of these details will help narrow down the possible locations. If you comeback in a day and he’s now in the desert, then the desert must be close to the mountains you saw. Can you see the ocean in the background? All of these are subtle clues that will, in fact, impart great knowledge… But only if you have the discipline to conjure them and the wisdom to interpret them. It won’t be easy, or quick, but you may get something that will shorten your search.”
‘I’m sorry Takamichi,’ Negi thought to himself, ‘but I’m going to have to break that promise I made to you.’ “Do you know where it is?”
“Yes. It's in a temple, not far from here... deep in the catacombs. I have this ancient map…” He handed a rolled parchment to Negi, who took it with great care. “You must be able to detect and dispel barrier enchantments as well as disarm magical traps.”
“I think we… I mean I can handle that.” Negi could almost feel the dark figure’s smile, having given up information he’d have preferred not to.
“And there are Stone Golems inside… you must be prepared to fight them.”
Negi just nodded, not wanting to give away any more information.
“But most importantly of all… The air inside the catacombs is dense with a certain type of fungal spore. The body reacts very badly… inflammation… suffocation… death awaits all who would breathe them. You must protect yourself against that, and you must cast the spell in the entrance room of the temple.”
“Why…?” Negi thought this advice sounded a little too specific.
“The interior chamber of the Temple has powerful protections to prevent any magic from being used inside. If you wait until inside the catacombs, it will be too late, and if you cast the spell out in the street, even assuming it wouldn’t run out too soon, there would be witnesses. The entryway is poorly lit, and mostly cut off from view. You will not been seen or disturbed there. And it’s only a quick walk from there to the catacombs… the entrance is a hidden staircase behind the Altar. It’s a trap door, and should be easy enough to find, even without the use of your magic.”
“There is one problem…” He thought of Asuna. “One of my part… I mean my partner,” Negi was kicking himself again for given the man more free information, “well, she’s sort of immune to magic. How shall I protect her?”
“Hmmmm…” The man in the shadowy cloak thought quietly to himself for a while. “You practice the western magic, yes? If I may be so bold, may I ask you… is she your minister?”
“We have a contract, yes.”
“Well then that’s easy! Even if she’s a magic canceller, just activate the contract. Her magical shield will not prevent you from casting a protective spell on her while the contract is active.”
[Author’s Note: The aforementioned point may not be cannon. Please just go with it.]
“Wow… Thanks, I never knew… Wait a second. How do you know so much anyway? And why are you helping me? What do you want?”
“I will not tell you how I come by my information. I’m sorry. As for what I want… After you’re done... Once you are reunited with your father or, heaven forbid, find out that he has, beyond any doubt or recall, passed on… I will come for the Mirror. I want it… once it is no longer of any use to your present search.”
Negi was surprised by this. In the course of there conversation, while he could not see the man’s face, he did spy the end of a short beard, and the man’s whiskers were white. “But… it could take so long… and you’re so… so…”
“Old? Heh-heh-heh… Older than you could possibly guess. But have no fear - time is on my side. For you, however, or for your father, it can run out. Do we have a deal? Will you grant my wish, in exchange for what I have given you?”
“Well… Yes but… how do I know I can trust you? I do I know you won’t simply take it from me, once I have it?”
“My boy… If I had the strength, to defeat you… and your friends,” so he had picked up on that, Negi thought to himself, “I would simply go and get it myself. But that is beyond my power.”
“All right. I’ll do it.” Negi replied, as he thought to himself, ‘I’m so sorry, Takamichi.’
--------------------
While Negi was inside talking to the figure, Kazumi Asakura waited across the street from the club, trying to figure out what was going on inside. Through her camera, she could see Asuna, Nodoka and Yue. Setsuna had used a charm to hide herself, so there was no surprise that Asakura couldn’t see her, but something was also preventing her from seeing Negi. As she tried to get a better view, she was startled when something small, white and furry jumped from the bushes behind her and landed on her shoulder.
“HIYA SISTER!” Kazumi almost jumped out of her skin, but it was just Kamo, Negi’s ermine familiar.
Asakura scolded the little pest, in her valley-girl accent. “Oh – my – god… Kamo! You just, like, scared the hell out of me!”
“Well what’s going on? I can’t find the boss or the chief anywhere! I’m surprised to run into you here!”
“Professor Negi is inside but, like, I can’t see what’s going on. Bookworm and Yue are with him, so are, like, Asuna and Setsuna.”
“WHOA! He calls out the troops and doesn’t even tell me?! Oh boy! He’s gonna hear it when I get back!”
“Aaaah… No-o! You, like, can’t say any-thing about this! He doesn’t know I was, like, spying on him! If he needs our help then, like, it’s better if he doesn’t know we’re keeping tabs. We’ll round up, like, Mana, Kaede and Fei Ku. We can, like, be the reserves in case anything really bad happens.”
“Oh, MAN! OK, OK. I’ll keep quiet about it.”
The two then snuck back the hotel.
--------------------
After meeting with Negi, the cloaked man was the first of the two to leave. He knew that the boy had other helpers, but that didn’t concern him right now. Hopefully Tsukuyomi was doing her job, and making note of anyone roughly the age of Negi’s students who left the club. As he entered his own room across the street he was happy to see that she was still keeping watch from the balcony. In her pink, frilly, Lolita dress with that white bonnet hat and eyeglasses, just the slightest bit too big for her face, he found himself amazed that this delicate looking porcelain doll of a girl could be so deadly. He was not sure her exact age, but her body still looked undeveloped and her face was a balance of awkwardness and beauty, with just some a child’s cute features remaining, mingled with a subtle hint of the woman’s face she would one day possess.
“So… How many others?” The dark man asked his ally, as he sat down.
“Well, two more left the club after Negi and Bells. And although I didn’t see her, I’m sure that… Setsuna was with them.” There seemed to be the slightest bit of longing in her eyes as she said this.
“That’s the one from Shinmei-ryu?”
“Yes.”
“Your rival? Your… equal?”
Tsukuyomi looked downward and answered quietly. “Yes.”
“Have no fear. This time you shall have the advantage.” As he said this his gaze fell upon a potted plant in the corner of the room. A small cat came from behind it, crossed the room and leapt into the man’s lap.
“But what if your spell doesn’t work? What if they disarm the traps in the temple? You were paid to capture him! Not to go on some kind of…”
“Correction.” The man interrupted sternly. “I will be paid to capture him, and will get a bonus for the Shinmei-ryu and the Magic Canceller. And from that payment, you will be paid for your assistance. If he succeeds… then the temple will be open to us. I assure you there will be something in there that you would gladly take as compensation should my payment somehow… fall through. So my dear… even if my plan fails… we still win.”
“There was still the other one, taking… pictures of the club. I’m sure she was keeping watch, but I'm still not sure that they knew it.”
“As I thought.” The man concluded. “I sensed that someone was trying to break my detection barrier. It must have been her.” The cloaked man now stroked the small black cat in his lap.
--------------------
Once they were a good distance for the meeting place, the five friends joined up again. Negi wanted to know immediately what Nodoka’s Journal revealed about the man.
“Um… well… nothing. I couldn’t even locate him, even though he was right there in front of me!” Her voice sounded like she was on the verge of tears.
“That’s OK Nodoka! At least we know he is a wizard of some kind! And that he’s powerful enough to shield his thoughts from your journal. That’s not a comforting thought, but it’s important to know!” Negi knew that they would have to be on their guard. What he hadn’t expected was to see Professor Takahata waiting for them in the Hotel lobby as they arrived, way past curfew. He didn’t look happy, but he remained quite calm.
“You girls are in trouble.” He said evenly. “Negi-sensei, where did you find them?” So he was still being treated like a teacher, Negi thought to himself. That was good, but he felt terrible about what he now had to do, in order to keep their little quest a secret from Takahata.
“I caught them trying to sneak into a dance club.” Negi felt his body temperature rise with such a bold lie. He wasn’t sure if Takahata bought it, but he could feel the waves of anger rising off of the girls at his betrayal.
“Well… In that case I’d say you girls should be confined to quarters for say… All day and all night tomorrow?”
Negi’s body heat now swelled as his heart started racing. He would need them tomorrow. Plus he knew Asuna’s punishment for him would be even worse if she was personally grounded by her crush, Professor Takahata.
“Aaaaaahh… Takamichi… don’t you think that’s a bit harsh? I mean…”
“No, Professor Springfield. Sneaking into a club underage is serious business. I’m being lenient not sending them home right this minute.” At that thought, Negi decided not to push his luck. He felt like an absolute heel getting the girls in trouble just for helping him, and then getting off scott free himself.
He whispered to Asuna “Don’t worry… I’ll get you all out of this.”
But the fire in her Blue and Green eyes spoke volumes. “You … are … so … dead!” she muttered back under her breath, her boiling rage making Negi feel smaller than he thought possible.
He couldn’t sleep a wink that night. He knew he had to sneak the girls out and sneak them back in… if they were caught breaking their confinement, the girls would be sent home, and he’d be force to admit to Takahata-sensei that he’d broken his promise and lied, rather profoundly.
--------------------
The next day passed without the girls getting even a message from Negi. The four girls were put in a single room as the chaperones took turns keeping watch in the hall. They were told not to socialize, and that they would be separated if they made any noise. By sunset, they had just about concluded that the quest was off.
“Come on,” Asuna whispered. “The little brat’s not coming. Let’s get ready for bed.”
“Oh Asuna…” Nodoka tried to keep her hopes up, she really wanted to spend time with Negi, especially doing something so exciting, but she didn’t know what else she could say.
“I mean the little runt betrayed us! He made me look like some kind of delinquent in front of Tak…” She cut herself off, blushing profusely. She wasn’t sure how many of them really knew about her infatuation with Takahata-sensei, but she hadn’t wanted to just blurt it out.
“Think about it, Asuna!” Setsuna whispered harshly. “What else could he do? He must have his reasons for keeping the quest a secret. We agreed to help him. So give him a chance to make it right. I’m sure he didn’t plan for things to work out that way. Truth be told…” she was immediately struck by the irony of this statement, “it was pretty quick thinking on the kid’s part.”
“Hmpft! Well I’m going to bed!” Asuna shot back quietly. “You all may as well do the same!”
Setsuna remained where she was but Asuna took off her tee shirt and folded her pants neatly on the bed before rummaging through her bag for her nightgown. Nodoka did the same.
“I gotta pee.” Yue said, and went into the bathroom. She left the door open, in case anyone still wanted to talk. Since she was behind the wall, she reasoned, it was not as if anyone could see.
--------------------
While the young hostages stewed in their makeshift prison, Negi stood on the edge of the roof. He’d spent the entire day brewing four flying potions. It wasn’t easy, given the time constraints, but he was sure they would work. He mounted his staff, and flew in a wide arc towards the window to the girl’s room. Seeing it was open he figured he would fly right in. ‘It would be like making an almost… heroic entrance,’ he thought to himself.
“I’m here!” He whispered loudly, as he landed in the middle of the room.
“Eek!” Nodoka let out the tiniest scream as she tried to cover up with nothing to use except her own two hands. She stood directly right in front of him wearing only a small a-cup bra and narrow pair of candy-striped panties. While Nodoka was embarrassed beyond all reckoning, the sight of her stunned the young Negi into a state of near paralysis.
‘Oh. And there’s Asuna…’ his mind told him in a stupid sounding sing-song voice. ‘She’s not even wearing a bra and… oh look… she must have bought another pair of those teddy bear underpants I accidentally disintegrated on her that one time...’ In his shocked and confused state this all seemed like a happy dream. Although the image shifted to nightmarish rather quickly, the happy narration still played in his head.
‘My word, Asuna does not look happy at all.’ He thought, his mind still speaking to him in the same dull, sing-song tone. ‘Oh my… she looks even madder than before. My word… is she going to…’
*&$% POW @#$% !
‘… hit … me … ?’
Negi tumbled accross the room from the force of the blow, landing in the small hallway in front of the door. He gained consciousness just in time to look up and see a very surprised Yue, sitting with her panties down around her ankles. Whatever else he might have seen, from his vantage point below her on the floor, was consumed by darkness as he fainted.
‘So… indigo… then…’ was the last thought he had before going limp.
--------------------
“Ne-gi…? Ne-gi…?” It was the sweet sound of Nodoka’s voice. Negi came to and looked up to find himself surrounded by the four girls, thankfully fully dressed this time. “Oh! You’re OK. Thank God!” Negi sat up…
“No…doka?” The image of her trembling, half-naked body threatened to creep back into his mind, but he pushed it away. They had work to do. He explained to them what it was they were actually seeking, and showed the girls the flying potions which luckily had not been broken as a result of Asuna’s attack. At the end he explained why he had lied to Takahata. Yue and Setsuna seemed to understand. Nodoka looked disappointed. Asuna was furious.
“So not only do you make me look like some kind of miscreant in front of Professor Takahata, but you lied and broke your promise to him as well?! Why the hell should we help you anyway?!” If Negi didn’t know better he’d swear her long orange pigtails looked as if they were on fire.
Negi thought for a moment… “Asuna… What is your heart’s most desperate desire?” A voice whispered in Negi’s conscious, but he ignored it.
“Huh…? Me…? I… uh… well… you know…” Asuna stammered. She couldn’t just come out and say it, could she? ‘What the hell?’ she thought, ‘Is the little runt trying to embarrass me some more?!’
Negi continued, in a knowing tone of voice. “You may think it’s that certain person but…” The voice in Negi’s conscious was practically screaming at him to stop talking. “… Are you sure it’s not to find a way to make him… love you?” Once said, the voice in Negi’s head went silent.
“Eek.” A small cry escape Nodoka, but Asuna just stared at him.
After a few seconds, she answered him. “Let’s go.”
--------------------
The five friends crept through dark, back alleys trying to avoid the main street as they made there way to the temple. Once Setsuna was convinced the coast was clear, they went through the massive double doors at the front of the temple. As they waited quietly in the entryway, hearts pounding, Negi began the incantation that would protect them from the deadly spores in the catacombs.
“Activate the contract for Asuna Kagurazaka, Setsuna Sakuazaki, Yue Ayase and Nodoka Miyazaki for one hour.” All four girls felt themselves powering up. Negi felt drained, but continued with the spell. “Inkipium confestum muys magica… Allergium prohibitus totallus!” The last word echoed in the chamber, but the blue light that Negi expected to rise up and engulf them instead seems to slough off of them and fall to the floor. He was sure he’d done the incantation correctly, but felt uneasy about it. “Um… perhaps we should try that again?”
“Meow.” The four girls were startled by the sound of a black cat coming from the shadows. It started rubbing itself against Asuna’s legs, purring as it went.
“Ha-hah. It’s just a ca… ca… caHAHT-SHOOO!”
“Asuna please!” Negi cried, more startled by the sneeze than by the cat. “Not so loud! We’re not supposed to be here! We need to keep…”
“Hey… I th… though that incanta… a… ation was supposed to protect us from th-this kind… of… thing…ing… HAHT-SHOO!” Negi knew something went wrong with the spell; the ethereal flow didn’t look right at all. Nodoka went over to pick up the cat, as Asuna was to busy rubbing her nose and trying to get away, with nowhere to go in the small room.
“I didn’t know you were aller… aller… gic… to… ca… eSHOO!” Nodoka’s cute, high pitched sneeze was not nearly as loud as Asuna’s, but it reverberated in the nearly silent temple none the less.
“I’m… n-not… HAHT-SHOO!” Every breath Asuna took increased her urge to sneeze. The cat left the two and walked past Yue.
“aaaAAAAHHH-choo!” Yue’s sneeze was deep and throaty. The cat continued past Setsuna.
“Some… S… Something went wr...wrong w-with th-the s-spell… eh… EHTChoo!” Although she was bent over, she was pointing upwards. The group saw a small paper charm stuck to the ceiling. Negi couldn’t read most of it, but he recognized one of the Kanji: REVERSE.
“It’s a tra… aaa… AAAAHHH-SSSSHHHHOOOOOO!” As always happened when Negi sneezed his air magic went out of control. The gale force wind blew up all of the girl’s skirts, despite their best efforts to hold them down. Needless to say, while he was the smallest of the group, even slightly smaller than Yue, his sneeze was far and away the loudest. “…trap! Oh dear me… I’m terribly sorry.” Four faces glared back at him, looking simultaneously embarrassed and annoyed.
The cat left the entranceway and the group pulled desperately at the door… but it wouldn’t budge. Setsuna drew her sword to cut it down.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you…” called a deep voice from the middle of the temple. It belonged to the dark figure Negi had met with earlier. Standing next to him was a tween-aged looking girl in a frilly pink dress, wearing eyeglasses and a wide brimmed bonnet-hat, and wielding a sword almost identical to Setsuna’s. Her other hand was behind her back. Setsuna recognized her immediately, and remembered that she’d also used a dagger in their last encounter.
“W-Why n-not?” Setsuna tried to sound threatening, but her voice wavered and betrayed her as she struggled against another sneeze.
“There’s an explosive rune on the other side. If you strike through the door… it will detonate, killing you… and your friends. Ent-Golem! Necoyokai!” On that command the black cat walked towards him, growing larger as it did. Although the shadows obscured the transformation, by the time it reached the cloaked man, it was standing upright, roughly six feet tall – a cat demon. With their itchy noses the group was dreading even more what was already an unwelcome surprise. The next thing they saw filled them with despair.
Lumbering out of the shadows from the back end of the temple, standing nearly twelve feet tall, was what looked like a giant, woven out of ragweed bushes. Coarse vines stuck out where tendons would be, and tree limbs substituted for bones. Fine dust seemed to shake off the monstrosity with every step as he shambled up behind the man in black. His mere presence was causing their eyes to water and there noses to run liberally.
“Now… you can surrender now, and I will ease your suffering while we wait for my clients, or you can try to fight… in which case you will only suffer more.” There was no decision to be made. Setsuna and Asuna charged, while Negi, Nodoka and Yue began their incantations.
Asuna engaged the Ent-Golem, while Setsuna crossed swords once again with her Shinmei-Ryu rival, Tsukuyomi. The attack was fierce – she knew she would have to end it quickly, but it was hard to concentrate with her eyes tearing up and her nose in a constant state of over-sensitivity. Their blades clashed, but Tsukuyomi kept her left hand behind her. ‘I can’t forget about the dagger…’ Setsuna thought to herself. Seeing an opening, Setsuna pinned Tsukuyomi against a bench. Unfortunately, she could no longer move herself, or her opponent would free herself. It took almost all her strength to maintain the hold, but she had just enough leverage to raise her other hand in defense as Tsukuyomi’s hidden hand flashed from behind her back. When Setsuna caught it mid-air, it did not possess a dagger, as she had expected, but a long feather. Despite her best efforts, with a quick manipulation of her fingers, Setsuna’s opponent angled the feather downward and gently tickled her nose with the end of it, smiling mischievously all the while.
“H-Hey… N-No… eh… EHTChoo!” The sneeze momentarily sapped her strength and she was pushed off by her opponent, who continued her attack, this time striking with both sword and feather. Every swipe of the feather caused Setsuna to sneeze again, breaking her concentration. The fight was quickly going against her.
Meanwhile, Asuna had her plate full with the Ent-Golem. She held her hands on opposite ends of her Harisen, as she tried to push back against the creature’s relentless assault.
“HAHT-SHOO! Hey! ha… HAHT-SHOO! How about some h-help over here?” She looked back at the three diminutive Wizards, desperately trying to complete their incantations, but between the sniffling and sneezing, noone could get the complicated wording out properly. “HAHT-SHOO! Oh man!”
The Golem was pushing her into a corner. Her eyes stung and her nose felt as if ants were crawling around inside it. With one more sneeze, she pushed back and gave herself enough room to launch a counter offensive. One strike… Another… Another… she knocked more pollen of the creature with every blow as she drove it back. At this point she wrote off getting any help from Negi and the others. With the Golem on the ropes she raised her weapon to strike the finishing blow when the Cat-Demon flew past her.
With her left paw, she shredded the front of Asuna’s shirt, giving her several lacerations on her torso as she flew by. One of her claws caught the front of Asuna’s bra, severing the fabric holding the two cups together. While this was both embarrassing and painful, it would not have been enough to break Asuna’s attack on the Golem… but she was struck in the nose by the cat-demon's tail. At this point, already off balance having drawn back her Harisen, the sneeze took out her last bit of concentration.
“HAHT-SHOOO!” With her eyes closed, she never saw it coming.
* WHAM *
What felt like a tree trunk slammed into her, sending her sprawling across the floor. She hit her head, breaking an urn as she landed, and fell unconscious.
The entire time this was happening, the Dark figure just stood and watched while Negi tried to ready an attack spell meant for him, and Yue and Nodoka tried to act as artillery for Asuna against the Ent-Golem.
“Inkipium confestum we… we… we… AAAAHHH-SSSSHHHHOOOOOO!” Every hurricane force sneeze that Negi issued just served to spread more pollen and dander into the air.
“aaaAAAAHHH-choo! *sniff* This is n-no good Negi! aaaAAAAHHH-choo!” Yue, normally cool in any situation, sounded almost panicky. Since they were inside, she could not use her broom to call lightning, and she could not string two words together without sneezing.
“Inkip… eSHOO! Ink… Ink… In… eSHOO!” Tears ran from Nodoka’s eyes, although she was not crying. She tried to think of the shortest spell she knew, but nothing came to mind that would be of any use here. If any of them got even close to completing a spell that dratted cat demon flew by, with its claws and tail. Once Asuna fell however, their fight ended quickly as the Golem swept up all three with a single blow of its mighty limb.
Finally it was down to Setsuna. “*sniff* eh… EHTChoo!” She knew it was coming, she left her sword open on that one, and her grip was too light.
* CLANG *
Tsukuyomi sent Setsuna’s sword flying, and then came back with the feather.
“Ack! *sniff* eh… eh… EHTChoo!” Her eyes were now closed.
* THUD *
Tsukuyomi drove an open, flat hand into Setsuna’s chin as hard as she could. Setsuna fell. “Wow. I’ve finally defeated you! I don’t believe it!” Setsuna, looking up from the ground, heard the girl’s gloating, but could not respond. The world went dark as her head dropped to the floor.
--------------------
When they came to, the group found themselves disarmed and bound. Their hands were tied behind them, to their ankles and they were lined up along a wall in an uncomfortable kneeling position. Most of there clothes were in tatters from the fight. The man in the black cloak and the girl in the pink dress had left, and the Ent-Golem was also nowhere to be seen. Necoyokai was the only visible guard left. She was back the form of a small black housecat, but there was little doubt in the captives’ minds that it was the same cat-demon they’d fought before – its voice hadn’t changed.
“I’m bored.” The small cat said, in a high-pitched and whiny tone.
It pounced up on Nodoka’s lap, and to her dismay, Nodoka discovered that the botched protection spell was still very much in effect. The tickle in her nose started with her first, hitched breath.
“Oh… *sniff*… K-Kitty… *sniff* please…” Necoyokai dragged it tail gently across the end of Nodoka’s pink, runny nose, overwhelming any defenses she had left. “eSHOO! *sniff* eSHOO! eSHOO! *sniff* eSHOO-OO! Oh… Please kitty… eSHOO!”
The cat jumped from Nodoka to Yue, who looked strait ahead, remaining as still as stone. The look on her face was one of casual indifference. The demon-cat gave Yue the same treatment as Nodoka, running its tail under her nose. Yue didn’t even blink.
“Oh come one!” The demon-cat demanded. “You're no fun!” She tried few more twitches of her tail, but the only response from Yue was a single tear from her left eye running down her cheek. She didn’t even seem to notice it.
“Oooooh… Playing it cool, huh? That’s OK. I like a challenge.” The cat demon began pacing over Yue’s lap, keeping its tail pointed upwards the entire time. Looking back, it noticed Yue eyes narrow every so slightly. Then her lips parted as she fought the urge to sneeze. The demon cat now began lightly batting her nose with its tail. Yue’s irritated nostrils flared as she drew a long, sharp breath.
“aaaaaAAAAAAHHH-choo!”
“Gotcha! That was fun!”
She then jumped from Yue to Asuna, who had no intentions of begging, like Nodoka or of trying to play it cool, like Yue. The instant the beast landed on her, she began bucking and hopping about, trying to throw it off of her. This hurt her wrists and ankles like hell, but she refused to give her jailor any satisfaction. “Get off of me you little…”
As Asuna pitched and struggled, the demon-cat extended her claws into Asuna’s thighs in an effort to hold on.
“OW! You bi…”
“If you don’t want the claws then… SIT… STILL!” Asuna stopped fighting, but leaned back, trying to get her face out of range of the cat’s tail. This plan backfired, as the cat simply leapt up onto her shoulders. She briefly considered trying to throw her off again, but she could feel just the slightest poke from the cat’s claws through her shirt and reconsidered. She didn’t exactly want it taking a swipe at her face.
“What the…?! W-Why don’t y-you j-just go aw…aw…away… ay… HAHT-SHOO!”
“What? Aren’t you enjoying this?” The cat’s innocent tone made it sound even crueler. “I need to do something to pass the time.”
“Well… HAHT-SHOO! Why do you go chase a… a… HAHT-SHOO! mouse or go lick your backside or some… some… HAHT-SHOO! something!”
“Lick my…?! Why you!”
Necoyokai now started doing what could only be described as laps around Asuna’s head. She made sure to drag her entire body across the whole of Asuna’s face. Asuna could feel the beast’s claws digging in to her chest and shoulders, in order to hold on while navigating the awkward circuit. After several minutes, during which Asuna’s sneezing was about as steady and constant as her breathing should have been, the cat jumped down and eyed Setsuna. Asuna fell over and lay on her side on the ground. Her nose was bright read and ran like a stream. Her eyes were also red and nearly swollen shut. She breathed through her mouth, with a raspy sound, and didn’t have an ounce of fight left in her. Negi felt like crying at the sight of his dear, if somewhat violent-tempered, friend in this state.
When the cat landed on Setsuna she, like Yue, showed no response. “You too, huh? Oh well.”
She went to work, pacing across her lap, running her tail across her nose, but got no response from the disciplined warrior-girl.
“Hmmm… you’re good! I can see why Tsukuyomi has such a crush on you.” At hearing those words, Setsuna felt her body temperature rise a few degrees, but it didn’t show. The cat jumped up of her shoulders. It stretched around behind her head; poking its face around one side and nuzzling the right side of her nose, while her tail reached around the other side tickle her from the left.
“Still nothing?” It asked sounding both innocent and disappointed. Setsuna stared directly ahead. Yue was immensely impressed by her discipline. Asuna was far too miserable to notice. Nodoka was looking at Negi, who had changed from looking sad to angry, though his voice still sounded as it he was on the verge of tears.
“STOP IT!” he screamed. “JUST STOP IT!” He was crying now. He knew that this was all his fault: That’s he’d lied and broken his promise, to his friend and mentor no less; and that he’d led the girls into danger for purely selfish reasons. He sobbed openly as tears ran down his face. This sight broke Nodoka’s heart, but she didn’t cry herself, trying to be strong for this boy, who she loved.
“You want some? You want your’s now?” The cat jumped down from Setsuna’s shoulders, having been unable to elicit even a sniff. It made its way over to Negi.
“You think you can talk to me like that? You think you’re important? You’re just a kid. A brat, just like them!” She wasted no time in getting up on Negi’s shoulder and rubbing her head against his nose, oblivious to the danger she was putting herself in.
“aahh… haaaaaahhh… AAAAHHH-SSSSHHHHOOOOOO!” The wind blew the cat demon across the floor. It rolled to a stop having been forced it back into it bipedal human-hybrid form. The girl’s tattered shirts were also blown upwards in the breeze, but as his eyes were closed, the girls were spared another embarrassing exposure.
Negi had hoped his sneeze would have knocked the cat-demon unconscious, but she seemed relatively unharmed. Seeming a bit annoyed however, she stomped back to Negi and, taking him by the back of his shirt, dragged his about halfway across the room and dumped him unceremonious on his side. “You’ll stay over here.” She said tersely.
Necoyokai went back to torturing the four girls, although her efforts on Setsuna were still frustrated. After several minutes of this, the man in the cloak and Tsukuyomi returned.
“Come, we have much to discuss.” The cloaked figure said to the Cat-demon in an authoritative voice as he passed. “Is the spell still in effect?”
“On everyone except the Shinmei-Ryu, it seems.” Necoyokai answered.
Tsukuyomi approached Setsuna with the same mischievous glint her eye as earlier. “Oh….?” She withdrew the long feather for its holder on her belt and rapidly tickled the end of Setsuna’s nose with it. The response was strong and immediate.
“Oh… ah… no… eh… eh… EHTChoo! EHTChoo! eh… EHTChoo!” Setsuna was helpless to resist.
“I’d say it’s still very much in effect.” Tsukuyomi concluded in a highly satisfied tone. The cat-demon seemed simultaneously impressed and disappointed, as the three went into a room in the back of the temple, leaving the five captives unguarded. Each struggled against their bonds but after several minutes none were able to free themselves.
“Girls…” Negi began, “I can’t begin to say how sorry I am to have gotten you all into this. I swear… I promise that we will get out of this, and that I will explain everything to Takami… Professor Takahata when we get back. I will take full responsibility for what’s happened, and make sure that you girl’s aren’t punished any further. I’m… so sorry.”
“Negi…” if she’d been free, Nodoka would have held him. Her heart ached, and even though she had suffered, and was still very much in danger, she had completely forgiven him.
As they sat silently in the gloom, their captors secluded in a back room, a small creature came bounding across the wide room, right towards Negi. “Kamo!” Negi exclaimed in an excited whisper.
“Hey Boss!” Kamo replied, also keeping quiet. “I’m gonna get you outta here! I’ve got Asakura and the rest of the cavalry waiting outside!” Negi didn’t like the idea of more students getting involved, but he had to admit he needed the help. Kamo got to work quickly and quietly, trying to undo Negi’s bonds without arousing attention. Unfortunately he was not aware of what had happened to them. He stood directly in front of Negi’s chest, reaching over his side to work on the knot. His tail was inches from Negi’s nose.
“K-Kamo… *sniff* tah...tail… huh… aaaah…”
“Boss? What’s wrong?”
“AAAAHHH-SSSSHHHHOOOOOO!” Kamo flew through air hitting the opposite wall, a good twenty yards away, with a thud and fell unconscious. Negi resisted the urge to cry out, not wanting to broadcast the fact that they were getting help. Asuna, who was not as fond of the ermine, just thought to herself, ‘Now why couldn’t he have done that to the damn cat?’ Again they redoubled their efforts to break free, and again the got nowhere. Their captors returned.
“Our clients will arrive shortly, and they are most pleased with the work we’ve done.” He looked right at Negi. “I must thank you. You in particular have been very helpful.” Negi burned with anger. The man was about to continue when the group was startled by a loud CRACK coming from outside. One of the temple’s window panes shattered and the Cat-Demon was struck in the shoulder.
“What the…” was all she could say before disappearing in a cloud of ash. The temple doors were kicked open, as several students charged in. The attack was led by the Kung Fu fighting Fei Ku alongside the Ninja-in-training, Kaede Nagase. While they took up the front line, shrine-maiden and demon hunter Mana Tatsumiya entered slowly behind them, her rifle still leveled, followed closely by Kazumi Asakura.
As Fei charged to the front, Kaede threw a small metal star in Setsuna’s direction. Her aim was true and it struck her bindings, severing them. Setsuna slowly rose and picked up her sword, which had been left about ten yards from where they were being held. It was Kazumi who address the cloaked man.
“OK! You’re, like, totally outnumbered! We’re taking our friends home!” Negi had never heard the valley girl speak with so much conviction.
Tsukuyomi looked around, “Uh… Yeah… I’m not getting paid for this!” She said sweetly and fled to the back of the temple. Shortly after disappearing in the shadows they could hear the sound of a door closing. With his Golem long since dispelled, his demon banished and his sword-maiden having fled, the dark man was forced to agree with Kazumi’s assessment of the situation
“Yes. You’re right. And I have no intention of trying to fight all of you…” with a flourish of his cloak, the shadowy figure disappeared in thick cloud of noxious black smoke.
“Come on,” Kazumi said, looking at Negi. “Let’s get you home
--------------------
Although Negi wanted to go back and admit responsibility right away, the four rescuers thought it would go better for all of them if they snuck back in. “You can, like, explain everything to Takahata-sensei in the morning.’ Kazumi argued. Reluctantly, Negi gave in. The group decided it would be best to split up. Kazumi joined Asuna and Negi; Fei carried Kamo; Kaede escorted Nodoka and Yue; while Mana went with Setsuna. They each took separate routes back the hotel, approaching it from different paths.
Fei-Ku had the easiest time, scaling the wall and slipping into her 2nd floor window with the unconscious Kamo tucked into a deep pocket in her Gi. Unfortunately, she had gotten turned around a bit making her way back and the window she was slipping into was in the same position, but on the opposite side of the building, as her room. Professor Takahata was jarred awake as Fei Ku nearly tripped over him lying in bed. Needless to say he got quite a shock from the sight of Ku Fei sneaking in though the window and into his bed. Fei just smiled innocently and gave up. She was caught.
Outside, Kaede waited for the clerk at the front desk to be called away before sneaking in with Yue and Nodoka and making a break for the nearest stairwell. The reached their floor without any trouble, but opened the stairwell door and almost walked right into the back of one of the school chaperones. The much taller Kaede grabbed the girls and silently whisked them into a nearby utility closet to hide until the chaperone moved on. The fit was close, and Nodoka was squashed against Yue, whose jacket had a lot more cat hair on it than Nodoka’s mainly due to Yue’s resistance to the demon’s little game.
“Yue… Y-You’re jacket *sniff*…” Nodoka whispered desperately.
“Hang in there, bookworm…” Yue’s whisper was cool and level, as always.
“…t-too m-much… *sniff* cat… hair... *sniff*…” Kaede was able to move just enough to put a finger under Nodoka’s twitching nose. This was more than either of the smaller girls could manage as they were pinned in the tight space.
“Just another minute… b-book… w-worm…. aaaaaAAAAAAHHH-choo!” Seconds after Yue’s loud, throaty sneeze the door opened and they were greeted by the chaperone, who stood outside, tapping his foot.
As Mana and Setsuna approached the hotel from a wooded area, Mana noticed a shadow coming from around the corner of the building. It was a teacher. “Get down!” She commanded in a whisper, grabbing Setsuna and forcing her to the ground. Her attention was so focused on the patrolling teacher the she did not notice Setsuna struggling as her face was planted directly into a small patch of flowering weeds.
“*sniiiif* Mana!” Setsuna pleaded in a whisper.
“Shhh! Quiet now!” She was still looking at the teacher. Setsuna pushed against the ground, trying frantically to raise herself, but Mana’s hand was of the back of her head, holding her down.
“*sniff* Mana… *sniff* I… can’t…!”
“Shush! She’s almost gone…”
“can’t… ha…hold…. on… eh… eh… EHTChoo! EHTChoo! EHTChoo!” Setsuna’s triple brought the attention of the teacher and they surrendered, caught.
Last to arrive were Kazumi, Asuna and Negi. Along the way he pleaded with Kazumi to just let him go, and explain everything to Professor Takahata, but Kazumi wouldn’t hear of it. She insisted on trying to sneak in and told Negi to sleep on it, and tell Takahata-sensei about it the morning if he still felt like he should. After a few more tries he gave up. The trio walked up behind the hotel, and caught just a whiff of tobacco and the sound of footsteps from around the corner before diving behind a dumpster. It was Takahata, who decided to take a look around after being woken by Fei Ku crawling into his window and over his bed.
The three crouched down in the shadows. Asuna gazed at Takahata through her still irritated eyes. Even roused from sleep in the middle of the night he seemed handsome to her. She pinched her nose as a precaution. She did not want to be caught by him a second time.
“Ka…zumi…” Negi managed as quietly as he could, “are you… w-wearing p-perfume?”
“Yeah! I, like, got it for my birthday! Do you like it?”
Asuna rolled her swollen eyes. ‘What were these two idiots doing?!’ she thought to herself.
“Yes… but… it’s going… to make… m-me… snee… ah… sneeze…. AAAAHHH-SSSSHHHHOOOOOO!”
Gravel and mulch flew past the startled Takahata. “Ok, Negi. Gig’s up. Come on out.”
The three did the ‘dead man’s walk’ back the hotel lobby, and were dismayed to see every single one of their co-conspirators lined up. Mana, Kaede, and Fei (with Kamo on her shoulder) stood behind a couch, while Nodoka, Yue and Setsuna sat on the couch, dabbing their red noses with tissues from a shared box on the coffee table.
Negi looked forlornly at Takahata. “Let them go back to their rooms, Takahata-sensei. This is all my doing. Let them go up and get some sleep and I’ll explain what’s been going on. I’ll take responsibility.”
Takahata sounded only the slightest bit angry. “I’ll decide who will take responsibility, Negi-sensei. But… I’ll hear you out. Girls? You can head up to your rooms. Go right to bed now, or there will be punishments! You’ve used up all your second chances.”
Negi started from the beginning, and told his friend about the cloaked man and his offer for the Mirror, as well as his own lies and broken promise. He considered explaining the reason for his deception, but figured Takahata was wise enough to fill that in for himself. When he finished, he was fighting back tears. “I’m so sorry… I’ll understand if I’m fired. I won’t protest. There’s no excuse for my behavior.”
Expected to be hit, or yelled at, or at the very least sacked, Negi was surprised when Takahata embraced him instead. He hugged his mentor back and finally broke down.
“Negi… I can’t say I’m not disappointed in you. I’m hurt that you broke your promise to me, and also that you never asked for my advice or told me about this man. And although I’m aware of how special these girls are, I’m appalled that you got them involved so recklessly. But… I can’t say that at your age, in your position, that I would have done any better. You’ve been given the responsibilities and burdens of an adult, and you always handle them so flawlessly, that it’s easy for me to forget how young you actually are. Don’t worry. You’re not fired. And I won’t report any of the girls’ involvement in this affair either. I know how much your dad means to you. That’s why Dean Konoe asked me to warn you. We didn’t want to go looking for this thing and end up getting thrown off the real trail in your search for your father. Negi, know this: I want you to find him. I long to see him again myself. And I will never be an obstacle in that endeavor. I will always be there to help you… All you have to do is: ask me.”
Drying his tears he looked up into his mentor’s gentle face. After all he’d done he did not deserve this man’s kindness. He was overwhelmed by it. ‘Was his father a man like Takamichi?’ he thought to himself. He stared at his friend for a moment longer before saying, “Thank you, Takamichi.” After embracing him one more time, as a grateful son would a beloved father, he headed upstairs to his room to get some much needed sleep.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)