Chapter 3
May 4, 2010
Train from Kyoto to Mahora
“For the last time, Asuna,” Konoka said, irritation filtering into her voice, “It was all just bad luck—whether you were there or not, it probably would have happened anyways, okay? We didn’t really think that we could hide the broken Koyane Wards for very long, so stop the guilt-trip!”
She regretted her outburst when she saw Asuna check herself, her expression changing from self-recrimination to puzzlement and concern for Konoka. “Okay, okay…” Asuna sat back in her seat, choosing not to question her, and Konoka was grateful of that. “I mean, if Setsuna and Mana had trouble with them, then I probably couldn’t have helped that much.”
“That’s not true,” Konoka sighed, and leaned her head against the window pane. They were on the train to Mahora, and while the compartment wasn’t rented out to them, most passengers took one look at the badly concealed weapons cases that Setsuna and Mana carried with them and wisely chose to sit in other compartments, giving them all a measure of privacy. “Let’s just…concentrate on other things now.”
Asuna raised an eyebrow, then glanced at Setsuna, who was sitting at the first row of seats by the door. Since they were at the head of the train, it was the only entrance or exit. Even so, Asuna just gave Konoka a look and tilted her head.
Yes, they both knew how unnaturally good Setsuna’s hearing was.
“Are you looking forward to seeing—Mahora again?” Konoka asked instead. She had nearly slipped up on the surprise!
“It would be nice to see Evangeline again,” Asuna grinned, propping her feet up on the seat across from her. “I wonder if we’ll have time to have a match?”
“You don’t have to attend the meeting with Kyo and I, so you should have lots of free time,” Konoka giggled somewhat enviously.
“I wish Negi were there, though,” Asuna said wistfully, and Konoka just smiled. “Last letter he sent me said that he was still in Wales, working on gateports and other research stuff he told me was classified.”
“It would be fun to have everyone together again,” Konoka agreed, leaning her head back against the seat to try and nap before they got there. “School was so fun and easy.”
She tried very hard not to glance at Set-chan.
At least Mana and Asuna pretended not to notice.
**O**
“Setsuna-san!”
Hearing the sudden sound, Setsuna’s hand went to Yuunagi’s hilt, then she relaxed and smiled, waving back. “Negi-sensei!”
A proper gentleman, Negi bounded over and shook Setsuna’s hand, but his unbridled delight kept the greeting from being too formal. He startled a little when he looked at her face—everyone did when they looked her in the eyes.
Even Konoka.
Demon red, and ice-cold even when she smiled, Setsuna knew.
He recovered quickly. “Ah, you’re here first?”
“Yes, I’m just surveying the location before Ojou-sama and the rest of them arrive,” Setsuna told him. Truthfully, there was no need for her to have rushed ahead, since with Negi and Evangeline at Mahora, there was no danger to speak of that could possibly hurt Konoka. But it made for a good excuse to stay away from the main delegation. “Did you just arrive?”
“No, I got here yesterday,” Negi chattered. He looked just the same as when he had taken aging pills, but there was a way he carried himself that showed that his real age matched his body, rather than using it as a disguise. “I managed to finish up the barrier spells I was developing before I took a flight here, so at the very least there will be
some good news today. How are you and Konoka-san and Mana-san and Asuna? She still doesn’t know I’m here, right?”
“No, she should be delightedly surprised to see you,” she replied with a smile. “Asuna still has trouble getting along with the servants, but she’s been enjoying her work. Mana is a great help. And Ojou-sama has been…busy.”
Right then the rented limos began pulling in through Mahora’s gate, prompting Setsuna to turn serious. She bowed deeply. “Negi-sensei, I turn my charge over to your protection.”
“I promise to protect her while she is in my care,” he said solemnly, his simple words accompanied by a determined glint in his glasses. Then he gave her a worried look. “But Setsuna-san, I really think—”
“NEGI!!!” Asuna’s scream cut him short, and Setsuna quickly ducked out as the redhead tackled their former teacher, both of them erupting into a lively greeting full of loud shouting and heartfelt affection. Setsuna sidled along the shadows in the main path, Yuunagi hung over one shoulder, as the sounds of Asuna berating Negi for not telling her that he would be present faded behind her.
She was happy to see Negi, but it was even better that he was attending the same meeting as Konoka. Asuna wouldn’t likely have the patience to attend the whole meeting and Setsuna knew that there was no way she could manage to keep a strong face so close around Konoka. Not with her nerves so raw and her self-control in shreds after the disaster at the Koyane Wards.
Negi could take care of Konoka.
She had come to that conclusion once before.
Half of her wished that he could stay so that she could go. And the other half of her wanted things to stay the way they were, every agonizing and heartwrenching moment.
At least now, Setsuna had a purpose in Konoka’s life.
Half of her wanted freedom and the other half willingly bore the torture.
And a very, very small part of her…
Why are you even thinking this? Setsuna growled. She broke into a run, letting the physical exertion drive her tormentous thoughts away. Her thoughts and emotions faded into a pleasant haze as she forced herself to go faster, whizzing through the campus towards the main administrative building. This early, the students were still in class, so Setsuna allowed herself her top speed, racing up steps and passing like a blur across the ground until she halted, gasping outside the headmaster’s office.
She panted, then straightened and rapped on the door. “Sir, it’s Sakurazaki.”
“Come in, Setsuna.”
“Pardon my intrusion.” Konoemon’s office hadn’t changed over the years, except for a few more photo frames on his shelves. Setsuna kept her gaze averted from them.
“Sir, Ojou-sama and Kyo Wallward have arrived. They are being escorted by Mana and Negi-sensei to the conference room, where Negi-sensei will temporarily take up close-guard duties while Mana will be stationed outside in the hall.”
“I’m sure you have everything taken care of,” Konoemon interrupted her, waving a hand. “I have no doubts in your diligence, Setsuna.”
“You honour me too much, sir.”
He hmphed, looking wryly amused at her formality. “How has my granddaughter settled into her new household?”
“They love her,” Setsuna said. “She’s kind to them, but they know that she is strong and smart.”
Konoemon made another ambiguous sound, stroking his long moustache. “And how about you and Mana?”
“We work separately from the other servants. It is an arrangement that suits us all.” She couldn’t quite hide her exasperation when she said, “The Wallward guards are efficient at normal bodyguard routines, but they aren’t much use in a fight.”
“I see. Then it is fortunate that you and Mana—ah, and Asuna, I suppose—are there to protect Konoka.”
Sometimes, Setsuna had to wonder how much Konoemon approved of his grandson-in-law, since the old man never seemed to refer to him at all. But then again, maybe the headmaster was just keeping their conversations strictly business—only Konoka was Setsuna’s business. “We’ll do our best, sir.”
Konoemon nodded approvingly, then changed topics, adopting a more familiar tone. “I heard you’ve made an appointment with Shizuna-san? Is everything alright?”
“Yes, I only had a few questions for her.”
Setsuna shifted her weight once under the headmaster’s keen eyes as he observed her without speaking. She supposed that he’d had many years to work on his patient stare that was often rewarded with confessions of wrong-doing from nervous students. It was frightfully effective, but Setsuna wasn’t lying. Sort of.
Still, she broke first. “Sir, is there anything else you wish for me to report on?”
Konoemon’s eyes twinkled in a way Setsuna couldn’t decipher. “No, you may go.” Just as Setsuna bowed her way out the door, he called out, “Setsuna?”
“Yes, sir?”
“You are not just an employee of the Konoe—you are family. No matter the circumstance, we will stand by you. Please remember that.”
She bowed low, although she had no need to hide her expression at his statement. Inside, Setsuna only had a hollow that did not allow for tears. Words had lost value with her now.
Her kind had no family. But it was kind of him to lie.
“Yes, sir.”
**O**
Konoka clicked her remote to call up the first image. “These are excerpts from the texts my grandfather gave me. As you can see, the uses of the Koyane Wards varies slightly in the different sources, but I’ve been able to find the commonalities between all the descriptions.” She paused to take a sip of water.
Presenting to a room full of important family figures was definitely more intimidating than doing a class project presentation. On one side of the room, the Wallwards were seated in formal western wear, all looking nearly identical in their business suits, while the other half of the room had the Konoe and their friends, wearing their varied formal robes and kimonos.
And it was definitely odd to be lecturing to her former teacher!
“A number of
oni were terrorizing Japan in our ancestors’ age—” Quickly, Konoka added, “—around the year 989.” Thankfully, her slip seemed to be overlooked by the Wallward Dragonlady, as the mood remained one of wary interest and didn’t devolve into irritated antagonism. The Wallwards were sensitive about their status as new money and power, especially in the presence of Konoka’s old and powerful family.
“Kiyohara Nagiko designed the spell that would be cast from the Fujiwara’s most powerful mages, one from each of the five families, to seal the
oni away in another dimension so that humans could live safely in a world without the god-demons. Together, they created the circle of wards to imprison the
oni and appointed a guardian of the Wards to ensure that the demons remained bound through the ages.”
“Until now,” someone in the Wallwards said. Konoka hadn’t caught who had said it, but she replied lightly,
“The Wards still stand, and the
oni remain bound. As the current guardian, I will do my duty to ensure that the wards are repaired.”
Kyo stepped in at that moment, taking over the presentation. Konoka sat down next to Asuna, whose eyes were glazed over with boredom. Clicking her pen, Konoka scribbled on the edge of Asuna’s notebook.
Was I that boring? =P
Asuna startled, giving Konoka a sheepish grin. She wrote underneath,
You were fine, until all the diagrams started coming out…I stopped understanding then, but Negi seemed fascinated. Besides, I knew all that stuff already: Wards = lock bad guys away!
Konoka stifled a giggle, blushing when Kyo paused for a moment in the middle of his explanations of the physical properties of the wards to give her a confused look. He rallied hastily, “As I was saying…the exterior ring of stones are also tied to the Wards’ functioning, although they are mostly used to physically and magically defend the interior stone which is the actual seal over the portal…”
God, your husband’s diagrams are worse than yours.
Tongue in cheek, Konoka wrote,
Asuna, shouldn’t you be paying attention? You’re helping me with my research, and healing the physical vulnerability in the stones requires knowledge of those magical networks.
No way! Asuna grinned and scribbled,
Besides, if those magical circuits give me trouble, I could just punch them and—
SHRIIIIIIP!
Everyone turned to stare at Konoka, who had just frantically torn their written conversation into pieces.
“Um, is there something wrong?” Eishun asked his daughter.
She went red. “My apologies. Kyo, please continue.” Konoka winced as she got a disapproving glare from Kyo’s grandmother before everyone went back to pay attention to the images Kyo was describing.
Asuna was grimacing.
Konoka?
Her hand shaking slightly, Konoka wrote,
I’m sorry. But… She paused, taking a few breaths.
Don’t ever write that down, just in case. The fewer people who know about you, and about what you can do, the better… I don’t want anyone coming after you again for evil goals, Asuna.
She dropped her pen and stood before Asuna could recover from her surprise to reply. “Thanks Kyo—now, from the research that we’ve gathered so far, we’ve been able to identify the most evident failures. One, the physical weakness in the stones. Normal seals magically amplify the strength of the objects they are bound to, so you can’t just take a sledgehammer and smash the stone and thus break the seal. However, this crack in one of the ring-stones broke the hub of this magic command, resulting in a physical vulnerability to the Koyane Wards that is our highest priority.”
“Do you know what broke the ring-stone?” Negi asked innocently. He pointed at the image of the cracked monolith on the screen and traced the deep gouge with a finger. “Damage like that isn’t easy—these Wards have stood for more than a thousand years against demonic and magical attack, so
something had to have been different in the attack that caused this. Are the broken ring-stone and the Wards’ general magical failure from the same event, or different ones?”
“We don’t know,” Konoka said quickly. “Kyo’s research team hasn’t been able to find much on the Wards’ current magical state—apparently, their state fluctuates so much that it’s impossible to observe properly. Most of our data on the current urgent problem is related to the physical damage.”
“I heard that yesterday, a group of demons discovered the Koyane Wards’ weakness and managed to flee alive?” Alden Wallward said coolly.
“Unfortunately, yes Uncle,” Kyo spoke before Konoka could. “Our guards were able to slay the majority of them, but one slipped through by accident in the chaos. We currently have set our strongest barriers and a contingent of guards to ensure that the Wards can’t be breached.”
A loud scoff cut through the room. Evangeline flashed her fangs, her deceptively young face full of malicious amusement. “Please, your strongest barriers stand up worse than soap bubbles. And Sakurazaki can beat all your guards blindfolded and with her hands tied to her ankles. Do you really think that you can last against even the lamest mage keen on breaking in?”
“Ah, which is where I can be of service!” Negi jumped in hastily. He stood and bowed to the Wallward side of the room, as they appeared more offended than the seasoned Konoe. “I’ve spent the last year studying barrier spells in my home country, and I’ve brought over some of my new designs that I will be delighted to share with all of you. They should be able to supplement the spells you already have in place.”
“Thank you,” Kyo said somewhat stiffly, bowing in return. “We appreciate your assistance, Negi Springfield.”
“Hmpf,” Evangeline snorted, getting up. “Shrimps playing with sharks. If you don’t suck up your pride soon, you’re all going to get run over by the big boys.” She smirked at Konoka. “At least you’re getting off your ass this time around, since you’re the only mage worth a damn in Kyoto.” The vampire strolled out, cackling.
“We’re grateful for all the help we’ve received so far,” Konoka tried to save the situation, bowing deeply. “None of this would be possible without your support. Evangeline-san does bring up a valid point—the demons who attacked yesterday were only minor monsters, but even Setsuna and Mana, both great warriors, had difficulty fighting them. Negi-sensei’s spells are most welcome.”
“I heard,” Grandmother Wallward spoke, her voice diamond-hard, “that the Konoe’s bodyguard could not enter the ring of Wards, and so failed to stop the demon that escaped?” Damn, Konoka fretted, she must have gotten the exact events from one of the Wallward servants…
“Honoured grandmother, the Wards are powerful, even at failing strength,” Konoka said politely.
“Really?” The Wallward Head may be old, but there wasn’t a shred of weakness in her intimidating gaze or her dry, cutting voice. “Are you sure it is not a…” she paused delicately. “…personal failing of your bodyguard that barred her entry? Did others not enter the outer ring in the past?”
Kyo spoke quickly before Konoka could open her mouth, her fists shaking at her side. “Not that I personally know of, Grandmother…Um, Konoka, you mentioned an urban legend about the Wards to me once? About how lovers would walk inside to look into the mirror? My researchers didn’t want to risk any danger, but there may be a precedent…”
Asuna’s eyes went wide, and she stared at Konoka. Konoka prayed that all the attention in the room truly was on her, but she didn’t dare give Asuna a look begging her to be discrete.
Please don't say it, Asuna…
“Well?” Uncle Alden demanded. “So shouldn’t you look up these past couples, and see if it’s just Sakurazaki who has the problem?”
“But that’s the thing,” Konoka said quietly. All the side muttering in the room stilled. “No one has ever done it. So there is no precedent. It could be harmless, or it could be taboo. We just…don’t know.”
Thank god, Asuna had controlled her expression into one of light concern.
But Konoka knew that her friend’s mind was turning, and that she was starting to put the pieces together.
To her relief, all Asuna did was give her a brief
We’ll talk later look and kept her mouth shut.
“Right now, I’m developing a spell that can heal the broken stone to repair the physical vulnerability. After that, we can turn our attention to finding the initial spell that created the Koyane Wards, and what is required to make them as strong as they were before.” Konoka glanced at the clock on the wall. “Everyone, how about we take a short break? Afterwards, we can discuss the other items on today’s meeting agenda.”
When everyone rose and started talking loudly, Konoka sighed with relief when she saw Asuna sneak out. She had expected Asuna to flee at the threat of more boring debates after the break, and now she had more time to compose herself before Asuna confronted her lies later on.
“Konoka?” Kyo was at her elbow. He offered her a glass of juice, which she took gratefully.
“Thank you.”
He rubbed his head, messing unruly locks already chaotic from his nervous fingers, and Konoka reached up and tried to put his hair in some kind of order. “Thanks…You did really well. You know, presenting.”
“So did you.” She bit her lip and looked down. Softly, she said, “Thank you for not blaming it on Setsuna earlier. In front of everyone.”
“She did her best.” Kyo exhaled, rubbing his eyes under his glasses. “No point in tossing blame around at this point.”
“It wasn’t her fault,” Konoka couldn’t help saying, even after his comment.
A nasty thought entered her mind.
Being so defensive…Who are you really trying to convince?
**O**
“Setsuna-san!” Shizuna waved Setsuna over to sit on one of the beds as she pulled out her file. “How have you been doing?”
“Fine.” Setsuna wanted to get over the pleasantries, as she was uncomfortable enough as it is. Bluntly, she dove right into her problem. “I’ve been healing faster than before.”
“Ah.” Shizuna adjusted her glasses. “Have you been getting healed by Konoka-san?”
“No, sensei.”
“What kind of injuries?”
“Mostly superficial ones, from the errant demon here and there. And training injuries.”
The nurse flipped through the papers in her lap. “From the information I’ve looked up after your call, some demons increase in healing ability the older they age. It could possibly just be an effect of your growing up.”
Setsuna pressed her lips together. “But I’m a half.”
“It seems you’ve thought of the other possibility already,” Shizuna sighed. “Yes, it
is possible that your demon blood is growing in influence on your body, thus accelerating your physical capabilities.
Possible.”
Even if she had thought of it, having someone else say it sent her spirits plummeting. Dully, Setsuna said, “I’ve been getting faster. Stronger.”
“You were just a teenager the last time we measured your reflexes, so don’t discount plain aging as a part of the explanation, Setsuna-san.” Eyeing her head to toe, Shizuna added unhappily, “And you’ve lost weight. Have you been eating properly, and getting enough rest?”
“…Probably not enough. But I have been.”
Clucking her tongue, Shizuna admonished, “You’ll make yourself sick, and then how will you protect Konoka-san?”
“I’ll be as fast as I need to be for her.”
“I’m sure.” The bespectacled woman definitely didn’t sound impressed.
Setsuna took a breath, waiting for her nerves to settle. “How…how can I find out which is the case?” Whether she was growing older and stronger or…darker and less human…
“I can ask—”
“
No. Please.”
Shizuna blew a puff of air through her bangs. “Pay attention to any physical changes over the next few months. Try to avoid any magics meant only for humans or only for demons, to be on the safe side. I’ll look closer into tengu-demon tribes, and see what I can find about their normal young adult physiology.”
She knew how much trouble she was heaping on the nurse. Neither Konoka, Eishun nor Konoemon would be happy that something like this was being kept from them, but Setsuna didn’t want them to know. “Thank you. It’s really…” Setsuna swallowed. “Thank you.”
“Keep yourself healthy, and it will be no trouble,” Shizuna said with a pointed look.
Abruptly, Setsuna said, “Shizuna-sensei.”
“Yes?”
“I need your help with something.”
“Help? What kind of help?”
“…How to fall out of love.”