Chapter 5
May 7, 2010
Konoe-Wallward House
“Konoka, I think you need to put the books away now.”
Without looking up, Konoka chuckled. “Aw, Asuna, is it becoming a bit much for you, sitting in this library?” She scribbled down a set of runes and double-checked them against her old notes. If she had any luck, this would be it, the theoretical spell that could heal the broken Ward stone and fix the physical flaw in the Koyane Wards…
“No!” protested Asuna, although she had given up on actually trying to read a hour ago and was practicing katas in the open space between the bookshelves. “But you’ve been in here all day, I think you need a break.”
“Sorry Asuna, I can’t…I have to do more reading tonight.”
“Konoka, you need downtime too, you know?”
She let out a breath, finally looking up to argue her point. “I have to start taking my research seriously. The Koyane Wards aren’t secure anymore, and everyone else is working so hard while I’m just taking my time…”
“You need to rest between testing your spells, not to mention all the energy you spend testing out the component parts of them! Look, Konoka, you paced yourself before for a reason. You know how much you can work and how much rest you need…” Asuna sighed, frustratedly angry. “Don’t start being stupid about your health now, please?”
“I’m not!” Konoka pouted, crossing her arms. “You’re not the only one getting stronger, you know.”
“Hey, Negi’s barriers are working fine so far, aren’t they?” Asuna pressed. “Not much can blast past Negi’s stuff, so you really have some time.” She came over and perched on the edge of Konoka’s desk, putting a hand over her book. “You probably have this stuff memorized by now.”
“Do not!”
“Oh yeah? What’s the sequence of strength runes on that broken stone?”
“One, four, four, six, two, seven…” Konoka trailed off, blushing at the redhead’s smirk.
“You need a break. You’ve been so…mopey lately.”
That was the wrong thing for Asuna to say, because Konoka clenched her teeth and pulled another heavy text towards herself. “I just feel like working hard, is that such a crime?”
Instead of backing down, Asuna retorted with, “Aren’t you too old for tantrums? Did you want to out-stubborn the bird-brain?” It seemed like Asuna had recharged her aggressive rudeness after talking with Evangeline when they had gone to Mahora.
“I’m
not throwing a tantrum.” Konoka began sketching a possible spell, jabbing her pen into her pad of paper and digging grooves in the surface from the force. “If Setsuna can do her job so perfectly, then I should follow her good example and do mine.”
“I know she’s been out of sight for a bit—”
“
Three days. She’s not even being professional anymore, since before she’d at least trade off with Mana-san for close guard sometimes.”
Asuna growled, snatching the book out of Konoka’s hands. “If it’s bothering you so much, why don’t you actually go and
talk to her? You know,
speak like normal people, instead of expecting her to read your mind?”
“If she wants to avoid me, that’s her right.” Konoka made a grab for her book but Asuna pulled away. “If she can do her job just fine without seeing me, then I’ve no right to ask her to act differently.”
“No
right?” Asuna steamed. “Since when do friends need
rights? What the hell! What’s wrong with you, Konoka?”
“Nothing!”
“Yeah, that’s why you’ve been sulking since Mahora. Just corner Setsuna and get her to—”
“I can’t.”
Asuna slammed the book down on the table in frustration, the bang it made loud enough to get two maids to look in the library door. Konoka winced and waved them off. Oh, she was going to hear from Ethan again about how disruptive Asuna was, and she’d have to spend a while listening to him rant to no end.
“Why
can’t you?” Asuna asked dangerously, her mismatched eyes softening in genuine concern. “To her, of course you’ve got the right to ask.”
“I don’t.” Konoka slipped her wedding ring off her finger, spinning it between her thumb and forefinger. “Asuna, I don’t have any right on Setsuna anymore. Don’t you see?” She wanted to cry, but she couldn’t. She wasn’t the victim here. “I gave up the right to ask anything of Set-chan when I married Kyo.” Konoka laid the ring on the table, then picked it up again and put it on once more. She sat back in her chair wearily. “I loved her, and I knew that she loved me too, but I still married him. It wasn’t Set-chan’s place to stop us, it was
mine. And I still didn’t.”
“Even so—”
“I made a mockery of her feelings and of mine.” Over the past month, Konoka’s had a lot of anguished nights to think about it all. “I let her go, dumped her like something I didn’t need anymore.”
Even though I still do, so, so much. “So you see—I have no right to ask anything of Set-chan anymore.” She closed her eyes. Quietly, Konoka said, “You know that if I even mention it to her, she would, whether she wanted to or not. And that would be wrong of me.”
Asuna
did understand to some extent, Konoka could see it in her silent contemplation. “Konoka, are you still friends with her? Because all the stuff you’re saying, that’s only if you’re less than friends.”
Or more
than friends, Konoka mentally finished for her. “I…I just don’t know.” Feeling too emotional, Konoka pulled her book back over and opened the cover. “She’s not…
my Set-chan anymore.” She would need Kyo’s help finding in his electronic archive someone’s reference to multi-unit looping spells, so that Konoka could get a good idea if her invented spell could hold itself together. “I’ll just be up for a couple more hours, you can go to bed if you want. I’m going to wait up for Kyo.”
“The only person in this house who stays up later than you do,” Asuna said dryly. “And no, I’m not forgetting Setsuna—that girl doesn’t
sleep.”
**O**
“Hey Set-chan?”
Setsuna’s stomach lurched—she was lying on her side in bed, staring at the most beautiful sight in the world. Konoka shifted so that she was closer, trailing light fingers over her arm.
“It’s kind of scary, graduating from high school.”
“Scary?” Setsuna asked, shivering under Konoka’s touch. She lay an arm across Konoka’s waist, sending waves of comfortable warmth and quivering desire through her body.
“Yeah…I mean, there’s university, and leaving most of our friends. Everything won’t be the same anymore.” The mage sniffed and with Setsuna’s coaxing, lay her head down on Setsuna’s shoulder and snuggled in. “Everyone’s going to go away and do their own things…Nodoka-chan and Yue-chan are leaving for the Magical World, Negi-kun’s going back to Wales…” She smiled weakly and tried for a joke. “At least Evangeline-san’s going to stay the same.”
“I won’t go away.”
“Set-chan—”
“No, it’s not because I think I have
to stay. I want
to stay with you, Kono-chan.” Setsuna blushed. “We’re…friends. So don’t worry, I’ll always be at your side, in good times and in bad.”
“Set-chan,” Konoka teased, “that sounded a lot like a marriage vow…”
Setsuna choked, sputtering as Konoka giggled, and as she jerked something brushed and coiled around her wrists—
She exploded upwards, yanking her wrists up to break free—and forced her breathing to calm when she realized that it was only her twisted blanket. Setsuna took a few more breaths, shaking off the fuzzy tatters of sleep and memory. One hand dropped to Yuunagi’s hilt, the touch comforting her further.
“Dream,” she said aloud. “I’m in my room. I’m twenty-one. I’m strong enough to help myself.” And the hardest part. “I’m safe here.”
But she never actually felt that safe. She only ever did when she was with Konoka, and even then her mind played tricks with her, and Setsuna would sometimes wake up in worse despair before assuring herself that it really was Konoka.
The practised chant worked though, and Setsuna could feel her heart rate slowing and the rest of her muscles begin to relax.
At least Mana wasn’t here this time. Not that the mercenary ever said anything in response of Setsuna’s quiet litany, but it was still embarrassing. Setsuna rubbed her wrist with a thumb. It would be easier, in a way, if she had scars. But after that incident she healed far too fast and far too well to scar anywhere.
The door opened, sending in a rectangle of light. “Setsuna?” Mana held up a letter. “You should see this.”
“Where’s Ojou-sama?” Setsuna asked immediately.
“With Asuna-san in the library. They should be going to bed soon.”
Mollified, Setsuna pushed her blanket aside and took the envelope from Mana. The flap had already been slit open, but she took a look at the crest. “Bounty Hunter’s guild?”
“I still have a mailbox with them,” Mana said, the corner of her lip twitching upwards.
A look at the sender made her mood lighten. “Nodoka!” She pulled out the letter.
A hologram sprang into view, and Nodoka appeared in the middle of the page, her hair still in its distinctive style but pulled back more until her bangs didn’t cover her face anymore. It was good to see her so different from the shy Honya-chan she used to be.
“Setsuna-san, Mana-san, I hope everything’s been alright with you two. Please give Konoka-san and Asuna-san my regards.”
Nodoka had always been extremely proper and polite, but the brisk way she went right into business wasn’t a very good sign.
“I wanted to warn you guys about something that has come to my attention in the last few days. There have been multiple postings for bounty hunters to break into the Koyane Wards, or to capture Konoka-san.” The little hologram Nodoka quickly added,
“Don’t worry, there aren’t that many contracts taken to go after Konoka-san—the gossip in the guild is that no one really wants to tangle with either of you! But I know that the Koyane Wards are under Konoka-san’s protection, so I thought that you should know. Most of the bounty hunters are amateurs, but there are a few decent groups who have accepted contracts. I’ve written down the names of all the groups I could identify at the bottom of this letter.
“Craig-san and the others have called in as many favours as they could to try and find the ones behind the bounties, but we haven’t had any luck so far. We’ll keep trying.” Nodoka nodded determinedly, then waved.
“Be careful, and good luck!” The magic dissipated, sinking back into the letters on the sheet.
“So…Wards, or Konoka-san?” Mana asked, her voice in that light tone that could mean teasing humour or wry seriousness.
“Is there even a question?” Setsuna replied, mimicking Mana’s tone. She scanned the list of bounty hunter names, committing them to memory, then handed the letter back to Mana.
“There might be,” Mana said as she unclipped her gun belt and stretched out on her bed. Before Setsuna could react, Mana continued. “Hazan Wallward is looking for you,”
Grunting in reply, Setsuna did up her top button and pulled her tie tight, grabbing her jacket and her sword. “Night.”
She really should go straight to Konoka—but it wasn’t even eleven yet, Konoka might still be awake. There was no way Setsuna could be close and yet remain unseen, so she sighed and headed towards the bodyguard common room. The Wallward guards could usually be found there when they were off duty, instead of resting or honing their skills. A waste of talent, but it was neither Setsuna’s business nor inclination to intervene.
Knocking briskly, Setsuna waited for someone to open the door. When it opened, she didn’t bother say anything, just stared at the man in front of her until he fidgeted and yelled for Hazan, backing off.
“Setsuna!” Hazan folded her cards in the poker game at the main table, coming over right away. Setsuna felt faint surprise to see that the solidarity between the Wallward guards included absolute trust, as Hazan didn’t even bother cleaning up her winnings before coming out into the hall and shutting the door behind her.
“You asked to see me.”
“Ah, yes—” Hazan glanced at the door and moved a little further down the hallway, Setsuna walking beside her calmly. “Sorry, people are pretty nosy in this house.”
Indeed, Setsuna could hear three people eavesdropping behind the common room door before they had moved out of earshot. “What did you need from me?”
“Right to the point, huh?” Hazan grinned, her grey eyes twinkling.
“I have elsewhere to be,” Setsuna answered, sighing at how she seemed to entertain Hazan all the time without trying. She seemed to do that a lot to her friends.
“Okay, I won’t keep you.” Now looking distinctly nervous, Hazan swallowed. “Can you teach us how to fight against magic and demons? We weren’t too useful in the last fight, and if things are going to be picking up both Kyo and Konoka-sama are going to be in danger in this house, and also whenever they go to the Wards. Will you?”
Setsuna had a simple answer to that. “No.”
Hazan didn’t seem too surprised, but she still protested vehemently. “Come on, Setsuna, if you help us improve we could make your job just a little easier, right? The more sharp eyes and skilled fighters the better, all around? We’ll work really hard, I swear.”
“No,” Setsuna repeated, but she conceded to a short explanation. “All of me is devoted to my service to Ojou-sama—I can’t be distracted by anything. All of you will be a distraction, and that I won’t allow.”
She watched Hazan process that, a variety of emotions mixing on her face.
“Ask Asuna,” Setsuna said abruptly, causing Hazan’s eyebrows to shoot up in surprise. “She learned how to fight demons later in life, unlike me. She’d enjoy teaching you, and she’s just as good a fighter as me.”
“Asuna?” Hazan blinked. “Isn’t she Konoka-sama’s secretary?”
The Wallwards had great connections in the magical community on Earth, but it seemed like they weren’t very current with news from the Magical World. A good thing, sometimes. “Ask her, and she’ll prove her skills to you.” Setsuna settled Yuunagi’s sheath over her shoulder. “Excuse me, I need to go on patrol.”
She walked outside onto the boardwalk, jumping up to grab one of the overhanging roof tiles and swung herself up onto the roof. The perimeter of the Konoe-Wallward house were patrolled by a thin rotation of guards, and security was so bad that it took no effort for Mana or Setsuna to slip past them any time they pleased. And none of them watched the skies for attack, and she couldn’t blame them—for a crew used to human infiltration, flying demons attacking from above wasn’t in the norm.
But Setsuna
was one of those flying demons, so she kept her eyes open.
And added benefit to roof-top patrolling was that she didn’t have to worry about encountering anyone else up here.
Silently, she ran up the shingles to perch on the ridge of the roof, one hand relaxed on her bent knee and the other light on the tile to keep her balance. In the Magical World, she and Kaede had the greatest time skulking around on rooftops, and the ninja had even taught Setsuna a few new tricks in sneaking and prowling. But she didn’t have a particular enemy this night, so Setsuna found a comfortable spot near the apex of three roofs and settled down for her shift.
Movement below caught Setsuna’s attention, and she shifted Yuunagi so that she could draw it quickly. A messy head walked by from the house and onto one of the stone paths, and Kyo sighed, rubbing his eyes as his glasses dangled from one hand.
He was tall, but shrimpy. Bare-handed, magic or no, Setsuna could wipe the floor with him on her worst days. Inside her, part of her stirred, purring at the thought. Prove her worth to Konoka by her strength, through blood and the sizzle of—
Setsuna sprang from her perch, running down the roof tiles and whipping Yuunagi from its sheath with a hiss of metal. She leapt off the roof, red eyes narrowed deeply in concentration.
“Ahh!” Kyo yelled in shock and pain as Setsuna barrelled into him, flinging him off the path as she stabbed down.
Coils lashed around her, bruising Setsuna’s arms and legs as the skewered snake-demon shrieked, baring its teeth in rage at being robbed of its prey. The demon swelled around Setsuna’s blade, growing in size as it hissed and struck.
Setsuna sprang out of the way, yanking Yuunagi out of the serpent’s belly while she moved, causing the demon to shriek again. She side-stepped, and promptly crashed into Kyo, who had jumped forward to try and help.
“Get out of here!” Setsuna shouted, splitting her attention for an instant.
The serpent was faster—its tail snapped into Setsuna, knocking her head over heels but Setsuna rolled into a fighting pose, Yuunagi brandished in front of her. But she hadn’t been its target.
Kyo gasped, trapped within the snake demon’s coils as the serpent hid its head behind his body, hissing a satisfied taunt.
Obviously, it didn’t expect Setsuna to take the risk and attack.
**O**
“What’re you going on about, Setsuna? I’m sure you could do it too if you tried.” The boisterous Rakan said over his shoulder. “If it’s the status of the technique that’s got you all worried, I’ll give it a brand new name just for you!”
Setsuna gaped at him. “Wha—you can’t just…”
“I call this technique the “In Celebration Of My First Kiss With Ojou-sama Strike”! How about it?”
“WHAT?” Setsuna spazzed, red-faced. “You were watching!?”
But even as she panicked, she was aware of Konoka behind her, looking embarrassed as well, but at the same time still blushingly gleeful and amused.
“Alright, here I go!”
**O**
“Zanmaken Ni-no-Tachi!”
Kyo screamed as Setsuna slashed downward, her attack cutting through him harmlessly to split the serpent into pieces. It didn’t have time to scream before it’s coils loosened as it fell, dead. There was silence, then Kyo gingerly stepped free, shuddering as he wiped demon blood off his glasses and jumped over to Setsuna’s side, his hands shaking.
“Th…Thank you, Setsuna-san.”
*“Zanmaken Ni-no-Tachi…IN CELEBRATION OF MY FIRST KISS WITH OJOU-SAMA…SPECIAL!”*
Setsuna’s stomach clenched and she waited for the memory to fade away, along with the gush of suppressed emotions that came with it. In her head, that was how she always finished the attack ever since Rakan had taught her how to have the confidence to teach herself. Because of it, Setsuna avoided using the attack whenever she could. She flicked her blade and walked to find her sheath, Kyo following behind her like a scared puppy. “My pleasure, sir.”
“Master!” A pair of guards came running up, panting. “Is everything alright?” They stared at the dead, disintegrating snake demon, then at Setsuna, then at Kyo.
“I’m fine, Setsuna-san saved me,” Kyo said unashamedly, nodding at her gratefully. “You can return to your posts.”
“You should find where it got in,” Setsuna spoke up. She pointed at the walls. “Those walls are spelled against minor demons, so there must be a hole somewhere.” To her shame, she hadn’t noticed how the demon had gotten in, she had been too preoccupied with her inappropriate thoughts…
“Setsuna-san?”
She blinked, and noticed that the guards had left. Kyo stared at her, then stuffed his hands into his pockets, the loose ends of his shirt flapping uncharacteristically slovenly in the breeze.
“Um…that was a Shinmeiryuu technique, wasn’t it?”
“You know of Shinmeiryuu?” Setsuna asked in surprise.
“Um, after we were betrothed, I did more research on the Kansai Magic Association,” Kyo said, looking at some of the plants to avoid meeting her eye, as if unsure of how she’d react. “And I read about it a little. I wanted to know why Konoemon-sama trusted you so implicitly with Konoka.”
Setsuna shifted uncomfortably, then sighed and put her sword on her shoulder. “Sir, for your safety while your guards search for the hole in the property’s spells, I would ask you to remain inside the house.”
He seemed to pick up that the conversation was over, and he looked a bit relieved as well. “I will. Thank you again…I know that you’re only here to protect Konoka.”
“I am.” Setsuna met his eyes with hers, watching him grow uneasy under the weight of her gaze. “That’s why I saved you.”
Once upon a time, she would have saved anyone on instinct. But that wasn’t the case now.
Now, it took every ounce of her strength to convince herself that her job involved saving lives, not just taking them all the time.
But I should have expected that…it’s in the blood.
**O**
Kyo opened the door to his study, and stopped in the doorway. Sprawled on his couch was a drunk Ethan, who was playing backgammon with Hazan who was entertaining herself between moves by spinning on Kyo’s leather chair.
“Is it really
that entertaining?” He asked her dryly as he shut the door and loosened his tie, shrugging off his soiled shirt.
“Spoiled rich boy,” Hazan retorted haughtily, giving herself another spin. “You don’t appreciate what you’ve got.”
“He sure doesn’t,” Ethan agreed, drinking more from his wine bottle—one purloined from Kyo’s untouched wine cabinet. “Yo, what happened to your clothes?”
“Demon guts.” Only with his two oldest friends did Kyo dare to quickly strip off his shirt to throw another one on, doing up the buttons with his back turned. “Setsuna-san saved me from one in the garden.”
“What?” Ethan shot upright.
“Calm down, he’s obviously fine.”
“Obviously?!”
“I really
am fine,” Kyo interjected.
“Well, it’s Setsuna,” Hazan shrugged, as if that just explained it.
“And that’s supposed to make me feel better…how?” Ethan said sarcastically. He rolled his turn so hard the dice bounced out and clattered on the floor.
Kyo sat down in one of his wheel-less, fold-up chairs and pulled his laptop towards himself. “She’s a good fighter. The house is pretty safe with her and Mana-san around.”
“It’d be safer if the guards could do their job right,” Ethan snarked, and his tone was half-teasing, half-insult.
“Hey!” Hazan chucked a book at his head before reaching down to scoop up the dice. “I’m working on that—if only Kyo would let us hire some more people…”
“Watch the books!” Kyo exclaimed, glaring at her. He signed into his account and groaned when messages popped up before his browser finished loading. “And you know I can’t. We’ve got a budget to keep.”
“We don’t have nearly enough people to reasonably guard this whole place, and from
demons?” Hazan tossed the dice onto the board. “Maybe you could get Konoka-sama to ask her friends…”
“We can’t afford to pay them, and I don’t need hand-outs from everybody,” Kyo said shortly.
“Dude, why the hell isn’t the Konoe pitching in for your budget?” Ethan demanded, sitting up properly. “All the money’s coming from
your side of the family.”
Kyo winced as he went through his company email, sending confirmations and quick replies to all the memos in his inbox. It was easy work, since he had lucked out with a good assistant who took care of all the details for him, so all he had to do was read over the proposals and give his okay. “Because the Konoe family paid to build this house. And trust me, thirty years of monthly budgets aren’t even going to come
close to what it cost to buy and build this place.”
Since Konoka didn’t work, and Kyo was still apprenticed to his grandmother Norah Wallward in their Software company, they had zero income to support their household. It was bad enough that they had to receive an allowance from his family every month to pay expenses, so there was no way Kyo was going to beg for more.
Even wringing their budget to the bone by having his friends staff his new house, Kyo knew that if costs for Konoka’s research went up again, he’d have to start coming up with new solutions. But that was his worry for another time.
“Sorry Kyo, but I’ve got another problem for you,” Hazan said apologetically, rolling around his desk to swivel beside him. “The research team is getting antsy…they called me to ask for a protective guard, but I don’t have any people to spare—and besides, I doubt we could do any good, considering our
last performance at the Wards. But they’re threatening to walk if they don’t get some protection.”
Gritting his teeth, Kyo thought rapidly as he tried to multi-task and check his reminder texts at the same time. “Ethan, did you arrange for the furniture pick-up tomorrow morning?”
“Lady Konoka already took care of that,” Ethan told him, and he started tidying Kyo’s office for him. Even though Ethan was often the one who caused the messes in the first place, but Kyo appreciated the effort. His best friend only chilled so much when the three of them were privately together. “She and I have also sorted out this month’s servant shifts, and also the final design for the staff uniforms.”
“That’s good,” Kyo said absently. “Hazan, do you have any ideas?”
“Well…a few,” Hazan offered. “You’re not going to like them much though,” she warned.
“Just go.” Kyo saw another invite message to video-conference with his father, and clicked the “Close” button again.
“One, is for you to hire one of Konoka-sama’s old friends…I’m sure that Setsuna or Mana-san could recommend someone to us. I’m sure that one or two of them could manage to protect the whole place.”
“Can’t—money. Next idea?”
“We could make Pactios with Konoka-sama?”
“What?” Both Kyo and Ethan exclaimed.
“What?” Hazan asked. “It would automatically make all of the guards more bad-ass, so we could probably afford to lend a few of us to have guard shifts at the Wards. Not to mention having Artefacts would be awesome.”
“I’m not letting a bunch of people kiss my wife!”
“Besides,” Ethan added, “
you’re a girl!”
“So?” Hazan rolled her eyes, crossing her arms in annoyance. “Setsuna did it, and so did, like, tons of other mages and their partners before.”
“Setsuna-san has a Pactio with Konoka?” Kyo startled. Then he thought about it and mused, “Well, I suppose it happened before we were married…”
“That was exactly my point,” muttered Ethan, his expression darkening. “No wonder she looks at her that way.”
“Hm?” Another pop-up appeared, and Kyo closed it again, trying to finish with his emails and the conversation they were having. “About Setsuna-san?”
“Nothing,” Ethan grumbled, in that tone where he was too exasperated with Kyo missing something obvious to bother explaining further. “Any better ideas, Hazan?”
“Well…” She looked guilty. “We could get Kyo and Konoka-sama to finish their research by the Wards. Then we could cover both of them
and the research team…not to mention that Konoka-sama’s personal guards would be there to assist as well.”
“Too dangerous!” protested Ethan, right as Kyo said, “That might be a good idea…” They stopped to stare at each other.
“Collateral damage, much?” Ethan scowled. “All the demons will be heading right for the lady, and you’re likely to chuck your chivalrous head right in the way.”
“It’ll be fine! I’m not useless in a fight, you know. Besides, Konoka had told me that she’s just about ready to test her spells on the Wards themselves soon, it could all work.”
“Uh, maybe,” Hazan said, her dark hair falling forward as she leaned in, her eyes flashing, “but Setsuna’s going to blow a gasket and refuse.”
“So?” Ethan frowned. “It’s not her place to say.”
“Konoka-sama’s probably going to go with whatever Setsuna says, and you know it.”
“I’ll ask Konoka later,” Kyo jumped in to resolve the conflict before the two of them started a fight. His Blackberry buzzed, and after checking the text, Kyo winced and accepted the video-conference call from his father. “Good evening, Father. Did you want something?”
“Yes, a grandson,” Castor Wallward rumbled, glaring at his son. “Did you want my report on magical links and sources, or not?”
Kyo flinched. And that was exactly why he hated talking with his father…“Sorry Father, I was occupied with other business earlier.”
“I’m your damn father; business number one is me, understand?”
“Yes Father.”
“Hmpf.” Castor glanced down at his notes. “You said that the Koyane Wards were showing irregular activity in their magical power levels and stability; well, working off the theory that the Wards could be affected by a secondary source, I did some searching on magical linking. I found that there are a few historical cases of spells being affected by outside influences—the Mass Glamour spell in 1340 could be affected by iron, and so on. The records don’t show if the pattern matches what you’ve found with the Wards, but it’s not impossible.”
“Thank you, Father. I appreciate your help.”
“Part of the job.” He eyed Kyo keenly, his blond hair neat even at the late hour. They always joked that Kyo got his dark and messy hair from his mother, who kept her hair short to prevent the crazier messes from occurring. Kyo felt an urge to reach up and try to tidy himself, but he resisted, staring firmly but meekly back at his father.
“Excuse me Father, but I’ll be passing the news on to Konoka.”
“Very well. Give your wife my regards.”
“I will.” He closed the video feed and let out a tired groan.
“Maybe you should go to bed,” Hazan whispered, keeping her voice down to prevent waking Ethan, who was asleep and snoring on Kyo’s couch.
“Can’t,” Kyo replied, closing his laptop and pulling a sweater on. “I have to talk to Konoka about this—she wanted my help searching up stuff in the Database.”
“Both of you should be sleeping. It’s already Saturday, if you get what I mean.”
He ignored her, creeping down the hall towards the library wing. The house was still, as the only people awake were the guards, and they were all on duty outside. Kyo wondered for a moment where Setsuna was, but then he shrugged and put it aside.
Rapping once on the library door, Kyo inched it open. “Konoka?”
**O**
September 18, 2009
Something about Kyo Wallward broke through Konoka’s usual act during her omiais, so that when she smiled at him she let some warmth and encouragement through instead of keeping it hidden behind her polite mask. Maybe it was how he looked down a lot, as if suffering silently that he wouldn’t be good enough for her and already giving up before they had even started dinner, that made Konoka take notice.
She would be looking down too, if she had Setsuna glaring at her menacingly, as her champion had the tendency to do on Konoka’s omiais ever since their Magical World adventures.
He noticed her smile and blushed, taking a breath as if to forestall any ungentlemanly fidgeting, and gave her a timid smile in return. “Konoka-san, you look…lovely today.”
Konoka had to resist giggling—he sounded sincere, but the line was so cliché it was as if the poor man was following a script. “Thank you, Kyo-kun. Do you like to read books?” She already knew that he did, from his resume that Grandpa had shown her, but if she had let Kyo start the conversation they’d be finished dessert before they got past the pleasantries.
Kyo brightened, immediately looking far more at ease and excited. “Yes, I do! Although I must complete my studies in computers and economics, I like to read about magic in any spare moment I can find. Do you enjoy reading about magic as well, Konoka-san?”
“I do, but most of what I’ve learned about magic were taught to me by my teacher,” Konoka said, delighted that they were actually talking about something interesting. The first course came right then, but neither of them noticed as they began sharing their favourite texts with each other.
**O**
“Kyo?” Konoka jerked out of her doze, hastily trying to look more awake. “Oh, do you have some time now?”
“Always, if you need something from me,” he offered, coming over to sit beside her. She smiled at him; even though half the time he responded the classic way that he had learned to as a gentleman rather than what he might really be thinking, Konoka still appreciated it the other half of the time.
“I was hoping you could help me search up some schematics of Multi-unit Looping spells?” She yawned, covering her mouth with one hand while waving the library computer to start the sleeping browser.
“Sure,” Kyo agreed, angling the keyboard and tapping away in a flurry of keys. “It’ll be just a few minutes.”
Konoka nodded sleepily, and leaned back into her chair. “It’s a good thing we got such comfortable chairs for the library, huh?”
He chuckled. “Yeah…but I spend half my time getting lost in books right after I pull them off the shelves, so I don’t use them much.”
“You always did that,” Konoka smiled, resting her head on the chair arm. But Konoka hadn’t minded…she always had someone to keep her company, after all.
**O**
October 5, 2009
“Where are you going, Kono-chan?”
Konoka slipped her arm through her jacket sleeve, feeling Setsuna grab the collar and pull slightly to help her ease into her jacket without too much thrashing. “Thanks!” She captured Setsuna’s hand, threading their fingers together, giggling as her friend blushed automatically. “I’m going out shopping with Kyo-kun.”
“Wallward-san?” Setsuna asked, her brown eyes chilling just a fraction.
“Jealous?” Konoka teased, glomping Setsuna’s arm. When she didn’t feel Setsuna tense at her motion she beamed and snuggled indecently close.
“Jealous?!” Setsuna stuttered, her face exploding red and her best friend stumbled back as if trying to nervously flee, but not really. Konoka moved with her, giggling. She waited to see if Setsuna was going to protest more, but Setsuna seemed to still be overwhelmed.
“You’re welcome to come along,” she said innocently, but when Setsuna’s expression remained miserable, Konoka relented and leaned in to kiss her cheek. “Don’t worry Set-chan, you are coming along—how can I hold your hand if you’re not there?”
“Hold my…hand?” stammered her adorable guardian.
“Kyo-kun and I are book-shopping,” Konoka told her, smiling. She kissed Setsuna’s cheek again, right at the corner of her mouth and letting her lips linger. When she pulled back she was delighted to see Setsuna blushing again, but with a warm light in her eyes this time. “He has a new grimoire that he wants to buy, but we’re going to browse the bookstores while we’re at it. We’re just friends.”
Setsuna mumbled something, and Konoka tilted her head. “What did you say?”
Setsuna’s hand squeezed Konoka’s for a second, and daringly, Setsuna repeated in a thrillingly possessive tone, “Good.”
**O**
“Are you cold?” Kyo asked, noticing Konoka’s shiver but mis-interpreting why.
She flushed. “No, it’s alright.”
“Oh, okay.” He continued scrolling through the search results. “Sorry it’s taking a while, I think Uncle Alden updated the search engine since the last time I used it.”
“It’s fine.” Konoka closed her eyes.
She was tired, but she’d rather spend as long as she could in the library rather than go to bed. In the twilight hours as she was falling asleep or just waking up, her mind would play tricks on her. They would start out like a dream, but once she remembered she would wake to a nightmare.
And to think…just one night could change everything.
Just one ill-fated Halloween.
Konoka felt tears seep under her eyelids.
**O**
November 7, 2009
“Um…something wrong, Konoka-san?”
Oh god, she must be looking entirely devastated if the sweet but clueless Kyo had noticed that her mood was off. Konoka tried to smile but failed, and she covered it up by taking a drink of her tea.
I pushed my best friend and true love too far too fast, and now she’s regressed back to her self-deprecating, distant and depressed middle-school state.
But she couldn’t say that, so she picked something else. “Family business trouble. It’s a secret, but…the Koyane Wards have a problem.”
“The Koyane Wards?” Kyo’s eyes widened, and he tugged at his hair convulsively. “My god, really? Your family are the Wards’ keepers, aren’t you?”
“Yes, something that I found out just a week ago,” Konoka scowled, staring morosely into her teacup. “And it’s apparently my
responsibility to fix them—but how can I? I don’t know anything
about the Koyane Wards! What’s wrong with them, how they were made, how I can fix them, what on Earth is going on—”
“Hey!” Kyo grabbed her hand soothingly. “You don’t have to do it alone.”
“Huh?”
“You’ve got tons of friends, right? Like the Thousand Master’s son, and your father and grandfather, and all your old classmates, right?” He adjusted his tie, smiling with a hint of familial pride. “And I’ll help! My family spent the last decade compiling magical texts from public and private collections, and archived 90% of all the grimoires and artworks related to magic in Europe and Japan. If you need to find anything, I’m your man!”
**O**
“Are you ready to field test your spells yet?”
“I…” Konoka paused and thought harder. After spending her whole life with Setsuna, she was well aware of how spread thin the Wallward guards were. Setsuna and Mana were even worse—if Asuna didn’t occasionally provide them an unofficial relief, Konoka doubted that her Set-chan would even bother with the four hours of sleep she got a day. And that was if Setsuna actually got restful sleep during those hours.
There must be trouble at the Wards…or the researchers wanted some protection, and wanted Konoka to be there, so that she could bring Setsuna and Mana with her. Konoka didn’t blame them—she’d want Setsuna and Mana watching over her in a place like that too.
Another thought occurred to her…if she was at the Wards, then Setsuna would close in the perimeter guard, to add to her security. There’d be no way Setsuna could stay hidden out of sight and still provide the safety needed.
“Sure. Can we go tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow?” Kyo looked surprised. “I suppose…maybe give Ethan a half-day to sort out all our supplies? Tents and food and such…”
“I’ll organize it,” Konoka said quickly. If Ethan did it, then he’d be double-checking with her all day anyways—she might as well do it herself, and leave him to collect the items. “Can you pack the books? I only need the four on that shelf there, and my notes are all in the drawer.”
“Alright.” Kyo squinted, then pulled up some images, scanning through them. “Ah, I got an interesting report from my father just now.”
“What was it about?”
“He found evidence to support the idea that maybe the odd fluctuations in the Wards are due to an outside influence—” Kyo froze mid-sentence.
“What?” Konoka blinked.
“Outside source…” Shoving his glasses up, Kyo quickly spun to look at Konoka directly. “What if it’s not
influencing it, but
providing the fluctuations?”
“…pardon?” Konoka was confused but his excitement was infectious. She leaned in and grabbed his arm. “What’s your idea?”
**O**
November 13, 2009
“Hey Kyo-kun! Did you find the Fujiwara Scroll of—”
“Konoka-san!” She stopped mid-sentence, surprised at his interjection. Kyo bowed, inclining deeply in the Japanese fashion of apology. “My deepest apologies.”
“Kyo-kun?”
Without straightening, he continued in a formal tone, “I regret that I have to renege on my promise of aid to you and your family. Unfortunately, I had pledged the usage of property that belonged to my honoured family, namely the Wallward Head of family, my honoured grandmother. That property is not mine to use lightly. I have been tasked to offer the use of our database technology to the Konoe family, after appropriate negotiations with your head of family, the honoured Konoe Konoemon.”
All the “honoured” and “family” junk made Konoka’s head spin, and it took her a few seconds to work out what Kyo was saying. “So we can’t use your family’s database? They have to work out some kind of deal with Grandpa? But aren’t we friends?”
The formal, heir-of-the-family mask fell from Kyo’s face then, and he straightened, looking firm but ashamed. “We are. But my grandmother said that she will only discuss permission to use our family legacy with your grandfather. I’m sorry.”
“Well, that’s alright then,” Konoka said, trying to be cheerful. “I’m sure Grandpa can sort it all out.”
But her heart plummeted.
She wasn’t a naïve fourteen-year old anymore.
Ever since Ala Alba’s adventures in the Magical World, Konoka knew something about manipulation and deals. Fate had taught her that people are powerful resources—and that some would treat them as nothing more than objects to be used…or traded.
**O**
“Okay…” Kyo tried to calm down enough to explain the leaps his brain had jumped so that Konoka could be on the same page. “Theoretically, it’s possible to cast a spell but have the source of its power come from a different location than the caster or the object in which the spell was imbued, right?”
“I guess…but the source would have to be able to continuously create its own magic,” Konoka said slowly.
“Ah, right,” Kyo acknowledged. “So in this case, while the exterior of the Wards may fluctuate in stability a little, the magical levels don’t match up all the time, right?”
“Yes, that’s something that has puzzled your researchers,” responded Konoka patiently.
“If the original mages who created the Koyane Wards laid their spells on the stones, but to ensure that the spell would continue past their deaths, linked the casting-spell to
something else—that could possibly explain the patterns we’ve observed! The magical levels depend on that second magical source!”
“But we’re still at the same problems,” Konoka pointed out tiredly. “One problem: the physically weak Ward-stones. Second problem: the broken Wards could crash and release god-like
oni at any moment.”
Kyo deflated a little. “The problems are the same, yes…but for the second problem, if we can find whatever is providing the mana for the Ward spell, we could either fix it or add to its strength, and maybe that could fix the Sealing spell once and for all.”
“That’s just a theory though,” Konoka countered, although she pondered the implications. “We can’t know for sure…maybe we could try tracing the magical circuits in the Wards?” Her mood dropped further. “The magical levels are close to dangerously low now…we might not even be able to find enough to trace.”
“One problem at a time,” Kyo said suddenly, taking her hand and squeezing. “Finish your spell, and protect the Ward-stones. Who knows, maybe we could be lucky—maybe once you fix the stones themselves, the Koyane Wards would be back to normal.”
“Wishful thinking,” she smiled weakly.
“Always keep on hoping, yes?”
**O**
February 10, 2010
“Marry him!?”
“That’s…” Konoemon sighed, tossing out all the cleverly worded talk and going straight to the bone. “Yes. They’re offering to pool all their resources with ours, including the use of their Magical Text Database and their research teams and devices.”
“And they want me,” Konoka said quietly, “in exchange.” Marry heir to heir, and unite the two families through her and Kyo. She knew that the Wallwards weren’t offering lightly, nor was her grandfather considering their request on a whim. In the last three months Konoka and her family had gotten nowhere in their research and attempts to divine the extent of the damage to the Koyane Wards, as the Kansai and Kanto Magical Associations had their own myriad of troubles to deal with. There just weren’t enough people resources they could trust to help Konoka, and the Wards were so complicated that isolating which components of it were failing and which were still working just wasn’t possible with the technology and mages that they had.
Konoka’s family and friends were mostly warrior mages.
The Wallwards dealt with wards and barriers and research as their specialty. It was the only way their weak family mages managed to make a name for themselves in the magical society.
And Konoka had a deadline, one that was ticking down day by day.
“You’re really considering it!” She couldn’t help accusing, her words coming out far more tearful than she had wanted.
“Konoka,” her grandfather said, his eyes sympathetic and imploring. “If you answer my one question—if it is true—then I swear to you, I’ll do anything I can to make a different offer to the Wallwards. I promise.”
Konoka stiffened, her fingers clenching tightly around the armrests of her chair.
Konoemon paused, then asked, “Are you and Setsuna-kun lovers?”
She had never lied to her grandfather before. And she couldn’t now.
“…No,” she whispered, feeling her last bit of hope leave with that single word.
**O**
“Sure,” she said softly, biting her lip and closing her eyes, slumped into her chair.
“Here, your schematics.” The buzzing sound of the printer made Konoka look up, and Kyo handed her the warm, just printed sheets.
“Wow, when did you—even while we were talking?” Konoka marvelled, letting her admiration wash out her troubled thoughts.
“Multi-tasking,” Kyo smiled, helping Konoka tuck the papers into her binder before lifting her to her feet. She stumbled, off-balance from exhaustion, and nearly took Kyo down with her. They looked at each other, and started laughing.
“I’m completely beat, you?” Konoka grinned.
“Ready to drop an hour ago,” Kyo replied, taking her hand. “Let’s go get some sleep.”
The whole way to their room, Konoka couldn’t help look around into the dark shadows, hoping for just one glimpse. But nothing.
That’s alright…tomorrow, I’ll see Set-chan again.
She couldn’t ask Setsuna to come, but then Konoka was just going to have to slyly go towards
her instead.
2010-05-28, 02:14
.
!
! And "wife", eh? 
Author
I know why Konoka does what she does, but I'm not digging her way of doing it by concealing something that Setsuna already suspects (thereby possibly making the fallout much worse when push comes to shove), and Setsuna's choice of the sword and pushing away her friends has my fingers itching to wrap around her neck so I can give her a good, hard shake.
)
. Yeah, I found Konoka's misery really hard to write, since in canon she's normally a cheerful character, so trying to realistically give her problems and angst was really difficult 
