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Decadent Habits	By : OverMaster Category: +M to R > Mahou Sensei Negima/Magister Negi Magi Views: 8829 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I don't own Negima. No profit at all is made out of this story.

Chapter List
- 27
- 28
- 29
It's Darkenning!

Standard issue disclaimer: Akamatsu Ken created and owns Negima. I am not him. This is a parody, protected speech. Thanks to my cowriters and the reviewers.

Special disclaimer: The opinions expressed by characters in this story should not be mistaken for those of the author.

Decadent Habits

Chapter 28: Misa

Ako smiled as the whole soccer team - the eleven regulars and three subs - tromped into the showers to find her waiting for them in her track suit. "Hey, Ako-chan!" said the team captain as he spotted her there. "How was your summer vacation?" Oddly unasked was the obvious question, what are you doing in the boys' showers?

"Oh, it was great, taichou," she said, eyes bright. "I learned a lot this summer. Actually, that's why I'm here - I want to show the team a great morale booster that I learned over the summer break!"

"Wow! As expected of our cute little manager!" the captain said. "Okay, lemme have it!"

"Funny," Ako said, letting a bit of sultriness into her tone as she slid down the zipper of the track suit's jacket to reveal that she wore neither shirt nor bra beneath it. "That's my line to all of you," she continued, pushing the pants down over her hips to show that she wore no panties either. "Lemme have it, boys!"

Moments later she was firmly mounted on one of them, who was lying on his back on one of the benches as her hips rocked up and down on his hardness, with her bent forward to put her head at the right level to take the dick of one of the other boy's in her mouth and down into her throat, all the while jacking one more off in each hand. She pulled back from the one in her mouth, gasping for breath before shouting, "Come on guys, I got another hole open! Someone come drill my -"

Abruptly, someone did, prompting her to break off her words and hiss in obscene pleasure as she enjoyed her first double penetration. She knew at once that it definitely wasn't going to be her last; if nothing else, she would have to use all of her holes to satisfy the whole team in the brief time available to her. And then she was going to take the coach and -

Ako woke up.

Reality - that she was alone and in her own bed, not naked but wearing her pyjamas - struck her like a wave of icy water. Refreshing but nonetheless somewhat painful. She did spare a bit of gratitude that she hadn't sat bolt up in bed, screaming; that would have surely awakened Makie, who'd have asked ... well, knowing Makie, she'd have asked all the wrong questions and drawn the completely wrong conclusions, but even thinking about that imaginary conversation was embarassing.

The dreams had been getting worse. Dreaming about sex with dozens of clones of oneself was kind of disturbing, but Ako could at least take comfort in the fact that it could never really happen. Dreaming about an orgy involving every single girl in the class was really disturbing, even though it was really unlikely. (There had to be a few girls in 3-A who didn't go both ways, right?) But this one, dreaming about getting busy with the entire soccer team ... it was disturbingly possible, even though the boys had always been very polite and even gentlemanly towards her.

Her breath just wouldn't stready itself.

Checking the clock revealed that it was just a little after five in the morning. Going out in the hallway was risky; the dorm mother didn't patrol at fixed times, instead doihg her sweeps of the halls at irregular intervals that kept the students on their toes. If she got caught, she'd be in a lot of trouble.

But she couldn't stand the thought of being alone right now, and even if she could wake Makie up, it wouldn't really help matters. Makie's innocence, endearing as it was, would also keep her from even approaching an understanding of what Ako was going through right now. So there was really only one thing to do, even if it was risky.

She got up, put on her slippers, opened the door just wide enough to peek out and see that no one was coming down the hallway, then darted out, swiftly and silently making her way to Akira and Yuna's room. As quietly as she could, Ako lifted her hand and rapped her knuckles on the door.

Immediately as she did so, she realized what an idiot she was being. She should have called ahead before coming. Akira might be sound asleep, so that she couldn't hear the knock at the door. Or what if she was over in Madoka's room, or even with Sakurako? (Okay, that one didn't seem very likely, but lots of things that happened to or around Sakurako didn't seem too likely.) Or what if she just didn't want -

The door swung open and an exhausted looking Yuna looked out at her. "It's five in the damn morning," she informed Ako in the manner of one who suspected that her subject could not possibly be aware of this fact. "What do you want?"

Ako gaped for a moment before she found her voice. "Yuna? When did you get back from Amsterdam?" she asked.

"Yesterday," Yuna eventually answered with grave dignity. "Was that it? Please tell me that's it."

"Uh, no, no, um, I wanted to talk to Akira," Ako explained.

"I'm here, I'm here," Akira said as she came up to the door from behind Yuna. "Ako, what's -"

"Fine," Yuna interrupted. "You're here, you handle it, I'm going back to bed, try not to make a lot of noise or I will probably shoot the both of you." She held up her pactio card to prove that this was not an idle theat, then slumped down the short distance back into the bedroom area.

"She's back," Ako said. It seemed the right thing to say.

"Yes," Akira agreed softly. "She, well, she hasn't said anything, but I think something really bad happened while she was away. Ako, I know you probably want to be with me right now, but I think that's not a good idea -"

"It's not about wanting," Ako said pleadingly. "I need to be with you. Okay, I just need to be with someone, but I want it to be you. When I'm alone, the nightmares start up, and they're getting really, really bad, Akira. Please? We don't have to do anything, I just want to be with you right now. Please?"

Akira sighed, then reached down to hug Ako close. "Yes, okay, you can stay the rest of the night and into the morning. Come on in."

They walked in together, and as Ako got settled in on Akira's bottom bunk, Akira herself popped up to explain the situation to Yuna. "Um, listen, Yuna, before you get back to sleep -"

"- which I almost had," Yuna muttered from where she lay curled up and facing the wall.

"Sorry. But, um, Ako's going to be staying here for a little while. I guess, well, she got used to staying over while you were away, and now she's -"

Yuna rolled over to look at Akira levelly. "If you're going to be having sex, just say so," she said disgustedly.

"Sex?" Akira said, panicking completely. You'd never have known it to look at her though. "What are you talking about? What would make you think that we're doing that sort of -"

"Akira, don't bullshit a bullshit artist, all right?" Yuna said disgustedly. "You two have been screaming S-type couple for ages now, and with all the crap that's been going around, it's freaking inevitable that you'd try it on. I don't care, Akira. Sex ... just isn't all that interesting to me anymore."

Akira stared at her. "What happened?" she asked, appalled.

Yuna rolled back to her original, wall-gazing posture. "I don't wanna talk about it."

Akira kept staring at Yuna's back for a moment, before she finally stepped down and climbed back into bed beside Ako, who promptly curled up against her. But the smaller girl fell asleep before she could make any romantic overtures, leaving Akira awake, and gazing up at the bottom of the bunk on which Akira was lying.

Five in the morning. And it was still going to be a long night.

About five hours later, Ako finally felt rested enough to give serious thought to breakfast. With encouragement from Akira, she decided to experiment with the idea of French toast. Of course, all the noise from the kitchenette, not to mention the smoke from the first few attempts at cooking the toast, woke Yuna up as well.

Initially, the other girl stayed right where she was, responding to Akira's good morning with a polysyllabic grunt. But by the time the toasted bread was done, with marmalade spread atop it to cover up the worst of the burnt taste, Yuna had been drawn at least partway out of her shell, joining the two of them to eat, at least. But the very first words out of her mouth, once she swallowed down the first few bites of toast and a bit of apple juice to make it go down easier, were, "I still don't wanna talk about it."

"That's okay," Akira assured her. "When you do want to talk about it, though, we're ready to listen."

"I'm never gonna want to, so don't hold your breath."

"So, how was Amsterdam?" Ako asked, in what she thought was a clever attempt to change the subject.

Yuna set down the toast and started rubbing her head. "Welcome to section two of 'I don't wanna talk about it'," she said.

"Oh, come on!" Ako protested, raising her voice a little. "There's got to be some safe topic of conversation!"

Yuna considered. "I think the Hanshin Tigers might actually break the Curse of the Colonel this year," she offered up after a few moments thought.

"Baseball?" Akira asked. "You want to talk about baseball?"

"I don't think either of you know about basketball."

"Yuna," the taller girl said. "We're worried about you. Neither of us like seeing you like this. We -"

Whatever else Akira might have said was broken off when Yuna started pounding her forehead rhythmically against the table.

"What, what are you doing?" Ako gasped.

"That was how the whole mess got started," Yuna said as she paused from her headbanging. "Me saying those exact same words to freaking Asuna! What goes around really does come around, doesn't it? Aw man ..."

Before she could resume slamming her head against the table, Akira came around to that side and pulled her back from it. "Okay, stop doing that," she said. "What is the point of -"

"Because it'll feel so good when I stop," Yuna moaned.

"Well, then, feel good and talk to us," Akira said, unable to keep a little bit of the anxiety she was feeling out of her tone. "What happened, Yuna?"

And so she talked. She described how she'd found Asuna crying alone in the rain, brought her to her father's apartment and left her there to go get some dry clothes ... and then described what she'd found when she came back. Akira and Ako's jaws dropped when they heard about Asuna having sex with Yuna's father, but, incredibly, dropped further when they heard what Yuna had done in response.

"You had sex with your father?" Ako asked incredulously.

"That's who you were having sex with when we overheard you at your dad's place?" Akira said, looking completely stunned.

"Seemed like a good idea at the time," Yuna replied.

"What? No! What time could possibly make that seem like a good idea?" Ako demanded. "I'm a slut and I think that's a terrible idea!"

"You're a slut?" Yuna asked curiously.

"You're not a slut!" Akira said forcefully. To Yuna, she added, "She's not a slut."

"Okay," Yuna said agreeably, tilting her head. "Why do you think you're a slut?"

"She's not a -"

"Just questioning perceptions, not facts," Yuna interrupted. "Your turn, Ako."

"My -" Ako started to ask.

"You got me to confess my sins, time for some reciprocity. Come on. Let's hear your misdeeds."

And so she talked, confessing her affair with Tosaka, her continuing crush on Negi, and then her encounters with Akira (which made Akira blush faintly) and Madoka and Sakurako. Yuna listened with fascination and asked some probing questions about the mechanics of their group experience, which made Akira blush even more brightly when Ako answered them.

"Well," Yuna said at last. "I've got some good news, Ako. You're kind of easy, but you're not a slut."

"But I am!" Ako protested.

"YOu had sex with a family member?" Yuna asked.

"My family are -"

"You had sex with someone who was getting paid for it?" This time she didn't pause long enough for Ako to get a word in edgewise. "How about with someone you just met? Someones, rather? Whose names you never bothered to learn? In a public place?"

Ako just stared agape.

"Yeah, you've got a ways to go to be a slut, kiddo," Yuna informed her breezily. "Wanna hear about more of my Amsterdam adventures?"

"No," said Ako at length. "Not particularly, no."

"You're, you're not a, a slut either, Yuna," Akira told her, trying to sound convincing but not really succeeding.

"Nice try," Yuna replied kindly. She finished off the last of her toast, swallowed her apple juice and got to her feet. "Gouchisosama," she added. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to bed. I think I've earned at least a day off from the mating game before I start looking for a new boy- or girl-friend, and I'm going to spend it in bed. Alone."

"Huh?" asked Ako.

"Ah. That was the last part of my untold adventures. I got dumped, on top of everything else. Daddy decided to be daddy instead of my sex-buddy. So I'm back on the market. Isn't that nice?" she added with a sad smile.

"No," said Akira, her eyes narrowing. "It's not nice that he waited until after all of this to be a responsible adult. He should have done that at the very start!"

"Oh, give me a break, Akira, it's not like I gave him any real choice in the matter," Yuna said, sounding annoyed.

"You're the child, he's supposedly an adult," Akira snapped.

"I stopped being a child a while back, as you well know!" Yuna retorted. "Look, from the sound of things, neither of us is in any position to be giving the other relationship advice. So unless you've suddenly got out of a love polygon with Ako, Madoka and Sakurako, quit hassling me, all right?" And with that, she turned and climbed up into her bunk, facing away from them once more.

Akira looked like she wanted to say something more, but she held it in. Eventually, she turned to Ako, who was looking at her nervously.

"She's right about at least one thing," Akira said. "We need to resolve that situation before it goes on much longer."

Ako swallowed. "I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings," she said.

"I don't think you can avoid that by not doing anything," Akira said. "All you can do, that way, is make it last longer and make it hurt more when it finally does end. It's like me not telling you about 'Nagi' that way."

"... okay," Ako finally said, looking away. "Let's go talk to Kugimii and Saku, then."

As they rose up from the floor, a strange expression crossed Ako's face, and she pulled out her pactio card and held it to her head. "Yes, sensei? All right, I'll come, are you going to - oh. All right ... uh, Yuna's back home, so you should be able to contact her. Yes, I'll come with her if she's coming."

"Trouble?" asked Akira when Ako lowered the card.

"I think so. That conversation is going to have to -"

"Hey, Negi-kun," Yuna said from her bunk, loud enough for both of them to hear. "Yeah, I'm great. Sure, just lemme get dressed and I'll be right there." She rolled out of bed and dropped to the floor before she started pulling off her pyjamas. "This is a better distraction anyway," she noted to her two companions.

Akira nodded. "I'm coming with you," she said.

"Um ... I think this is Ala Alba stuff, Akira," Ako pointed out uneasily.

"Then I guess it's time that I joined," Akira said, in an unyielding tone. "I'm done being on the sidelines."

They assembled in Negi, Asuna and Konoka's room. Given how many of them there were, it got crowded pretty quickly. In addition to the Ala Alba members who'd gathered just a few days ago to pursue Nodoka, the subject of their pursuit was there with Yue, as well as Mana and, strangely, Hakase. So were Natsumi and Kotaro, both sitting pretty closely together. The only member of the regular group to be absent was Chachamaru - and Ako had quickly brought Yuna up to speed on why that might be, about everything that she'd missed, while they were on the way over.

Once they all crowded in, Negi cleared his throat. "Thank you all for coming. Thanks to Iinchou and Nodoka-san, we are now aware of a serious threat to the safety of the school, and have a unique opportunity to do something about it. Iinchou, the floor is yours."

Ayaka stood up beside him. "Earlier this morning, while I was escorting my grandfather - the person I believed to be my grandfather, at least - on a tour of the campus and town, we happened to meet up with Arika-sama and Asuna-san. Arika-sama was able to recognize that the person I was escorting was in fact her own father, the architect of the destruction of her homeland. He admitted to this, and claimed that he had murdered my grandfather many years ago and assumed his place. He then proclaimed that he was planning to take vengeance on Arika-sama, before departing rather expeditiously.

"However, due to certain things he didn't know, we were able to obtain more intelligence than he would have wanted to give us. He didn't know that the two girls we passed before we met up with Arika and Asuna were also members of our class and allies, albeit somewhat estranged at that particular moment. He didn't know that one of them possessed an artifact that can display the thoughts of someone whose name is known to its user. He didn't know that I was wearing my own artifact, which allows me to communicate telepathically. And he didn't know that I contacted my classmates and had them double back in time for them to hear him say his name aloud ... facilitating the use of the Diarum Ejus on him."

"You threw that whole plan together in just a minute or so?" Chisame asked, sounding as if she didn't believe it.

"More or less. I seem to have discovered a talent for improvisation," Ayaka noted with a cool smile.

Chisame looked like she was about to start making choking noises, but instead, she returned the smile with one of her own. Weird, thought Yuna. She never smiles like that.

"Question," said Asakura, raising her hand a little. "If your artifact lets you do telepathy stuff, then why'd you have to call in Honya to read this bloke's mind?"

Ayaka acknowledged the question with a nod before answering. "One of the ways that Nodoka-san's artifact is better than mine is that it allows her to read minds with clarity; the subject's thoughts show up as, literally, words on a printed page. In contrast, when I read a mind that isn't trying to communicate with me, it's like considering a piece of abstract art and trying to suss out the meaning of what I see."

"Whose mind did you try to read to figure that out?" Kotaro asked, brow narrowing suspiciously.

"No one present," Ayaka growled. "Shall we move forward? Nodoka-san?"

Nodoka stepped up and, after swallowing, began to speak. "I was able to discover a great deal about the plans and goals of the person calling himself Alladia. His intentions are pretty simple and straightforward - he wants revenge on Arika-sama for bringing about his dethronement ... and he also wants to cause as much death and destruction as he possibly can, simply for the sheer joy of causing it." Nodoka swalllowed again; when she spoke, it was in a very distant voice. "He's the most awful person I've ever encountered ..."

"What sort of resources does this person have access to?" Haruna asked, glancing at Arika, who met the artist's glance evenly.

"He has a large supply of magical and mundane weaponry, as well as a group of men he's hired from private military contractors to use it," Nodoka started to explain.

"Private military contractors?" Ako asked, blinking at the unfamiliar term.

"Mercenaries," Yuna explained.

"In addition, he has several rather disturbing-sounding monsters under his control. He has at least one shapeshifter working for him who took the form of Konoe Eishun-san when that person was kidnapped by his allies."

Konoka had already been informed of this before the meeting began, so she didn't react to the news, nor to the sympathetic looks she was given by her teammates. Her hands clenched more tightly around Setsuna's hand, though.

"And last but not least, he has Tsukuyomi working for him," Nodoka concluded.

"I thought you said she was working for Godel-san," Haruna interjected.

"No, what I said was that I thought he was the one who arranged her escape, because she is actually his daughter," Nodoka corrected. "I could be wrong about that, but I'm certain that she's working for Alladia-san now; his thoughts included a detailed description about how she brought about the death of Katagiri-sensei."

None of them had ever had classes with the mysterious beard-and-glasses sensei, but they'd all seen him around campus. The thought that he'd been murdered didn't sit well with any of them, though their precise reactions varied from anger to fear.

"If I may?" said Arika, standing up after a moment of examining their faces. "Until now, for the most part, you have faced opponents who didn't want to kill you. While the minions of the Lifemaker employed methods that were nearly as final as death, you were all able to be restored in the end. That will not be the case this time. Considering this, no one would fault you if you chose not to pursue this further."

It was Akira who gave voice to what they were all thinking. "But Negi-sensei has to pursue it, doesn't he?"

"Yes, I do," Negi answered the question before Arika could.

"Then so do we," Akira said.

"So say you all?" Arika asked. And received a collection of nods and other affirmative responses. She drew in a breath. "Very well. Then will you do me the honor of permitting me to join you in this quest?"

"What can you tell us about your, I mean, Alladia-san's capabilities?" Yue asked after everyone else gave their assent.

"You can call him my father if you wish," Arika replied to the near-mistep first. "He is one of the most dangerous opponents I have ever faced. Not only does he possess the Royal Magic, greatly augmenting his physical capabilities, but he is also a trained traditional battle mage. In contrast, I know only a few cantrips. The one good side to this is that he is a traditional mage, and will prefer to engage opponents from a distance, while his partner - I presume that this Tsukuyomi is filling the role - prevents them from coming to grips with him."

"In light of that, no one should try to confront him alone," Negi said. "Now, I've worked out some general ideas for a plan of action that should allow us some advantages in this conflict."

"General ideas, he says," Asuna muttered, rolling her eyes.

Negi affected to have not heard her. "Our first strike will be virtual. Chisame, I don't know what sort of computer systems they're going to have down there, but I would appreciate it if you could -"

"Hack them?" Chisame guessed.

"Hack them, slash them, crash them, burn them," Negi agreed. "Whatever you can do."

"Should be interesting," Chisame said, smiling grimly.

"While you're doing that, Asakura, if you would please use your Oculus Corvinus to scout out the areas of the Mahora underground that they're using as a headquarters. Sayo-san, please don't accompany them, there's a good chance that our enemies have access to anti-ghost weaponry. When we actually head in in force, you can come with us then.

"Before we do so, we're going to establish a base camp as a rally point; if anything happens, fall back to that point so we can make an organized escape. Konoka-san, you and Ako-san will be staying there to act as a hospital force. Ako-san, I would ask that you please serve as the triage officer, deciding who gets regular first aid and who gets the benefit of Konoka-san's healing. Makie-san, if you and Satomi could coordinate medevac efforts -"

"Medevac?" asked Makie. Before Negi could respond, she blinked. "Oh! You mean like an ambulance. Okay, sure ... um, but why is Hakase -"

"Adeat," said Satomi, holding up a card that glowed and turned into a backpack-like device with a set of four heavy-looking remote manipulator arms extending from it above her shoulders and hips.

"Oh!" said Makie. "Cool!"

"Our main assault force will be split up into groups of two. Keep your partner in line of sight at all times. Kotaro-kun, I have a special assignment for you and Natsumi-san, that I'll explain in just a little bit. Um ... I guess that's everyone ... oh. Akira-san, will you help Ako-san in -"

"Actually, sensei, I -" Akira broke off, visibly steeled herself, then blurted out, "I've decided that I want to make a pactio with you."

Dead silence fell.

"Good idea," said Satomi after a moment. "He's a very good kisser."

"That's not why," Akira said, blushing brightly. "I, I want to be a help. And not have to stand back and watch."

"Akira-san, you don't have to -" Negi started to say.

"We accept your generous offer," interrupted Arika.

"Yes, welcome to the Ala Alba," Asuna agreed, then clapped her hands. "Okay, everyone, out of the room, let's give them some space." It took a few minutes, but eventually everyone except for Negi, Akira and Arika were out of the room, and Arika only stayed long enough to finish drawing the circle, and favor Akira with a smile before departing.

"Your mother's very nice," Akira said, more to fill in the silence than anything else.

"Yes, she is, but she does have a few odd ways," Negi replied apologetically. "Akira-san, you really don't have to do this. You've been a lot of help without a pactio, and there's no reason for you to -"

"Negi-sensei," Akira interrupted gently. "I want to do this. I've seen what Ako, and Makie, and Yuna have become because they made a pactio with you. They've become more of what they always were. I want to stand beside my friends, and beside you, too, sensei. I want to be able to do more to help."

"... okay," Negi said at last. If you could, well, kneel down, then I'll, um." Incredibly, he was blushing.

Akira took a deep breath, then knelt down before him, closed her eyes and puckered her lips. A moment later, she felt a pair of lips resting gently on her own. They didn't feel anything like the lips of the girls she'd been kissing. Even though sensei was still too young to have any facial hair, his lips were somehow distinctly male ... or maybe that was the odor that came up through her nose from the closeness of him.

Her mouth opened just a bit, and she was startled to feel his tongue push forward past their locked lips, to rub against her own tongue. Well. This too was part of kissing, after all, and she supposed that it made sense that the deeper and more passionate the kiss, the more potent the pactio produced by it. That made sense. Right?

How long were they supposed to keep this up, anyway? No one had told her anything. What if she broke off before things were done? What if -

And then Negi was the one to pull back, and glance to one side. He froze.

"Where is it?" he asked.

"Eh?" said Akira, just a little bit dazed by the effects of the kiss.

"The card," Negi explained. "It should have appeared right beside the circle. But, but it didn't." He turned to look at the other side of the circle, in hope that it had simply shown up over there instead, but this proved an empty hope as well. The card was nowhere to be seen.

"Did, did I do something wrong? Should I have used my tongue -" Akira started to ask.

"No! No, no, I'm sure that's not it," Negi rapidly reassured her. "Um ... maybe, maybe mother doesn't really know how to do the circles all that well, and she messed up this time." Which didn't explain why there hadn't been any problems with Ayaka or Satomi's pactios. "Let's get her in here, and maybe she can explain."

A moment later, Arika came back in and examined the circle, as well as peering closely at Akira, who felt a little uncomfortable with the stress of her regard.

Finally, the former queen sighed. "I wasn't sure whether this would happen, but I suppose that it was to be expected. Negi, the fact is, you're stretched too thin already. It's rare for a mage to have more than a couple of probationary pactios at any one time. The number you have is almost unheard of. Even your father didn't have as many. Akira-san, I'm very sorry, but he just doesn't have the energy to support you."

"No, no, please don't apologize," Akira stammered. "It's my own fault, really. If I was going to do this, I should have done it a while ago. Well, um, I guess that I'll follow your idea of helping out Ako, then," she added, awkwardly, before heading out into the hall.

"I've really got too many pactios?" Negi asked.

"Don't be absurd, son," Arika said gently. "That was a lie to save face. I'm afraid that the reason you can't make a pactio with Akira-san is simpler than that. She doesn't have a soul."

Negi stared at his mother. "What?" he asked.

"She doesn't have a soul," Arika repeated. "I think she is probably not human. Considering what you've told me about her, it seems likely that she's an undine, an elemental spirit of water. Very human in appearance, but lacking a soul."

"No," said Negi. "No, that's not ... she's nice, mother! She's kind, and brave and -"

"None of these things require a soul, Negi."

"But, but I made a pactio with Chachamaru-san, and she didn't have a soul either, and -"

"Yes, you told me about that. Negi, I admit that I have no idea how you were able to do that, but I would ask you to not keep pushing the limits in that way. Eventually, you'll break yourself or shatter the world around you, and I don't want either of those things to happen."

"She doesn't have a soul," Negi repeated. "I can't believe it, mother."

"My father has a soul, Negi. It is a vile thing, probably, but it is a soul. One can be a monster with one, and a kind, decent person without one. All right?"

Negi nodded, but looked desperately unhappy nonetheless.

And so they assembled at the rally point even as Asakura's remotes began to move through the labyrinths beneath Mahora. The rally point happened to be one of the great caves that opened up on the subterranean lake, specifically that one that had been used to store the large number of robot warriors employed by Chao during the festival.

"Makes sense," Arika observed to her chosen partner. "Even though the academy's administration have been alerted to these blind spots in their surveillance, what with one thing and another, there hasn't been time enough to cover those spots."

Haruna could only nod. Just as when Arika had casually volunteered to partner with her for this operation, she had no idea what she was supposed to say. It wasn't a situation she enjoyed. Here she was, waiting for the signal to go in and begin assaulting a group of mercenaries out to destroy her home, and all she could do was wonder. "Why me?" she finally murmured.

Curse Arika's keen ears. "I chose you for a number of reasons," the former queen replied calmly. "First of all, your abilities supplement my weaknesses. As I said, I can cast only a few minor magics, certainly not the battle spells that my son favors. Your abilities as a summoner, then, will be greatly useful for any confrontation in which we find ourselves. Secondly, I judge that you are just as brave in your way as your brother in his."

Haruna jerked. "You know my brother?" she asked.

"I met him some thirteen years ago, during his European journeys. Under the circumstances, I can well imagine why he wouldn't have talked about it. But he impressed me quite a bit. In many ways." She smiled fondly at the memories, then grew serious once more. "And you have impressed me as having much of the same steel in your character."

Of all people, Haruna was the least deaf to subtext, and the implications of that statement were fairly obvious to her. Now was not the time to be addressing them, however. "I see. Thank you," she said, still a bit tense.

"And finally, should it happen that you were seriously injured in this affray, you might be moved to unburden yourself of certain of your secrets to your companion," Arika continued. "So it would be well for all concerned if that companion was already acquainted with those secrets. And also motivated to see that you were ... taken care of, shall we say," she added after a moment to consider.

Haruna, again, was not deaf to subtext. And the knives that Arika called up by her pact were sheathed at the woman's hips.

There was something faintly absurd about this, Asuna decided as she trailed along behind Kotaro and Natsumi through the subterranean passageways, holding hands like grade-school kids on a class outing. Of course, the facts that she had a huge sword strapped to her back, that the boy whose hand she was holding looked like he was about sixteen, and that the girl who was leading them was holding an opera mask over her face, all tended to take away from the 'grade-school" vibe.

"Asuna-san," Natsumi said, her voice tight with tension. "There's something I should probably tell you, in case I don't get a chance to do so again."

"Okay, go ahead," Asuna agreed absently. Coming up on an intersection, do we turn or go straight, she sent to Negi telepathically.

Straight, Negi replied.

"I think you're an awful person," Natsumi said.

"Excuse me?" Asuna said, and also sent.

I said straight.

"I know about you and Iinchou," Natsumi said. "And I think that what you are doing is very, very wrong. Do we turn or -"

"Straight," Asuna answered. "What, what do you mean, it's wrong? Do you have a problem with -"

"Yes, because I am deeply involved with the homophobic insitution of the theatre," Natsumi snapped.

"What's homophobic mean?" Kotaro asked, who'd been basically turning back and forth like someone watching a pingpong match during this conversation.

"I'll tell you when you're older for real," Natsumi said quietly.

"Okay, then what is your problem?" Asuna asked.

"My problem is that you're hurting someone I care about."

"This is about Chizuru-san?" Asuna said, almost gaping. "That's, are you ... that is not my fault! Blame Ayaka if you want to blame someone -"

"I do. But you played a role in all this." Natsumi paused, turned back to look at her. Despite the opera mask, her face looked grim and serious. "You didn't have to go along with her."

Asuna struggled to find a way to respond to that. Before she succeeded, Negi's voice intruded in her mind. Asuna, you're almost there. The drone found him in a cell just off the passage you're walking through now, and if you've been walking at a normal pace, you should be -

"There," Asuna said aloud, sighting the drone hovering just beneath the roof of the tunnel. "Natsumi-chan, now is really not the time to be discussing this," she added.

"If not now, when?" Natsumi asked as she led the hand-linked trio up to the door.

"Some other time! Kotaro-kun, on three?" Asuna asked as she focused her energy.

"One, two," the wolf-boy counted off.

"Three," they chorused as they simultaneously kicked the door, sending it flying into the room beyond it.

Negi, we are go.

"Chisame, we are go," Negi said.

"Right. Let's do this thing," the hacker told her mice spirits.

"Yes, Chisame-sama!" they chorused excitedly. "We are honored to die in your service!"

"Let's focus on living instead, okay?" she said, swallowing, as she sent them out to do her bidding.

Throughout the catacombs, there were computers; they were a necessity of any modern operation. All at once, those computers were besieged by a wave of data that corrupted their functions. Communications went down, groups of mercenaries monitoring surveillance feeds were shown nothing but static. The likelihood that some tech guru among them would be able to improvise a response was pretty good, but the physical attack that began immediately after the first virtual salvo would slow that response.

And it also meant that no one saw what went down in one particular set of tunnels.

Hands no longer held, Asuna was the first through the now open doorway. Please don't have been behind the door, please don't have been behind the door, she thought for a terrifying few seconds before she saw Eishun lying on the cell's floor, far away from the door's flight path. The man was looking up at her in shock.

"Asuna," he croaked.

"Eishun-san!" she cried, dropping down to kneel beside him. "Are you all right? Did they hurt you?" Surreptitiously, she reached out to touch his shoulder, deliberately calling on the Cancel to dispel any magic currently affecting him. Nothing happened, and his form stayed the same; this was the real Eishun, then, not his doppelganger.

Eishun's eyes went distant for a moment.

He is firmly bound, crucifixion-style, to a table. He has been testing the strength of the bonds for several minutes now, without success in overcoming them. He hears a door open, and believes he knows what is coming next. He is wrong.

Tsukuyomi leans into view above him, smiling broadly, wearing her glasses ... and nothing else. "Hi, there," she says cheerfully. "Introductions are kind of superfluous, wouldn't you say? You know who I am, and I know that you're my sempai's Ojousama's father." Then her voice grows soft and confidential. "But you know what I didn't know until just a little while ago? That you're also my sempai's father! And that you've enjoyed intimacy with her, too.

"That really bothers me," she added, much more loudly. "So I think I'm going to have to do something about that. You violated my sempai." He feels her hand wrap around his manhood. "Nobody gets to do that but me." And then her face is moving out of sight down his chest, and he feels a hot wetness engulf what was just now firmly held.

"No," he hears himself say. "Please, don't do this -" He breaks off as he realizes the absurdity of such pleas for mercy.

She pulls back. "Aw, keep begging! I love it when they beg!" She resumes.

He has always been vulnerable to such tactics. Moments later, his body has betrayed him. And then she pulls back, rolls her hips over his, and slams down on him, bringing her face up to his again.

"Isn't it good, daddy?" she asks, eyes sparkling. "Is that what you had them say? When you were stuffing your big daddy dick into them and they were crying like you're crying right now? Isn't it good daddy? Fuck me daddy! That's what you like to hear isn't it? I understand a father's love you see. Yes daddy just like that just like that!"

Eventually, his betrayal is complete. She rolls off him, and not until he hears a faint dripping noise does she speak again. "Next session I'm going to bring in some of the stuff I'm planning to use on sempai. One of them is a thing bigger than your thing. But you know all about that, right?"

The next session was two hours ago.

"Yes," he said at last. "They did. But I can walk," he concluded, getting up slowly, but without help from anyone.

"Okay," Asuna agreed, turning to Kotaro and Natsumi, who'd followed her into the room. "Follow the plan, get him out of here. I'm going to find Negi." Focusing her attention on Natsumi, she continued. "Negi is my first priority. That's how it is, that's how it will always be. If anyone doesn't understand that, that's their problem."

Before Natsumi could say anything in response, Asuna was out the door, running as fast as she could.

The butt of her staff extended out towards the jaw of the one Mana had identified as the commander of these men. As it slammed home and she whirled around the staff like a dancer around a pole, to drive a firm kick into the upper torso of one of the other men, Ku Fei took a moment to consider the worth of learning a bit about tactics and military protocol from the mercenary girl. No, probably a bad idea, she decided. After all, I'd never be able to resist showing off, and what would become of my obfuscating stupidity then?

Meanwhile, Mana took out the other six mercenaries with a volley from her pistols. The encounter was over in less than fifteen seconds.

As the bodies hit the floor, Ku Fei swallowed. "Those are tranquilizer rounds you're using aru yo?" she asked hesitantly.

"Of course they are," Mana replied, clicking her pistols' safety back on before she holstered the cooling guns.

"I just ask because they look like they're bleeding."

"High caliber tranq rounds. Besides, dead people don't bleed."

"Oh. Well, I guess that makes sense aru."

"Your name is Brian Jorgenssen, and you're from Oslo. You have a wife and two children," Nodoka said, pointing an accusatory finger at the mercenary standing before her. "If you leave right now, there's a good chance you'll be able to see them again."

"And if I don't?" the man croaked in execrable Japanese.

"Then my partner, who's standing behind you, will probably draw her kunai across your throat," Nodoka explained evenly.

After a moment, Jorgensen clicked the safety on his rifle and held it out to the side for Kaede to take, which she did. With a shove, she sent him running for the exit.

"You've grown very accustomed to violence, Nodoka-dono," Kaede said a moment later.

"Very true," Nodoka agreed, already searching for their next target.

"One is not sure it suits you," Kaede added, but Nodoka was no longer heeding her words.

Ah well. Can't save everyone, Kaede reasoned.

Musashi wrote that when swords crossed, the gun became useless. However, Musashi had only ever had to deal with flintlocks. Setsuna, having fought at Mana's side on several occasions, knew just how effective modern firearms could be, even to one whose blade was true. So she simply had to hope that the men she was fighting would be so startled by the sight of a petite woman darting among them and smashing them with the flat of her sword that they'd be completely overpowered.

And then the fine hairs on the back of her neck told her that at least one of them hadn't been, and she pushed herself to move faster, to swing the sword up into a guard position where she could deflect the bullets, but there wasn't going to be enough time and -

Abruptly a huge yellow spider leapt out of nowhere to land on the face of the mercenary who was drawing a bead on Setsuna, and with a shriek he went down on the ground, clawing helplessly at the apparently intangible creature that did nothing but skitter around in front of his eyes. Setsuna took a moment to dart a look of gratitude at Ayaka, who nodded in response as she kept the psychic attack going.

But there were still more opponents to face, and no time for words to be exchanged.

"Oh yeah, you want some, come get some!" Yuna howled as she sent bolt after bolt of blazing light towards her current enemies. After all the drama of the last few days, making like she was in a shoot-em-up video game came as sheer relief.

Yue had never been so completely terrified as she was right now. There had been more frightening moments than this, but she had always been busy during them, too busy to really think about what she was doing. Her focus on dealing out damage left Yue free to think tactically, and that was what terrified her.

They were seriously, seriously outnumbered, and even the advantages of surprise and the disruption of enemy communications wouldn't last forever. Even though they seemed to be winning - for what Yuna shot with her artifact pistols didn't move again - eventually, the monsters and war machinery would be unleashed.

Eventually, they were going to get hurt.

"Cum on feel the noize!" Yuna sang as she kicked open a door to start blazing away at a new group of enemies.

Yue wished she had half that courage. Of course, half that courage would probably take up most of the space her brain used for her sense. So rather than making silly wishes, she kept her shields up and maintained the ones she'd put up around Yuna as well, not to mention scanning ahead for ambushes. No matter how scared she was, she could do that.

Eventually, they were going to get hurt.

But it wouldn't be because an Ariadne Knight didn't do her job.

"I'm very grateful you're here with me, Sayo-san," Negi said as he fired off another unincanted Sagitta Magica burst. It was crucial to save his energies for the conflict with Alladia that was sure to come, so he was still in his normal mode, using nothing more than basic spells.

"Really?" said Sayo, rather dubiously. "I don't think I'm being very much help, even in watching your back, sensei."

"You're doing fine," he assured her.

"Wouldn't you rather have Asuna-san here?"

"I would rather she was as far away from here as she could possibly be," he told her straightforwardly.

Sayo hesitated, then admitted, "I feel the same way about Asakura."

"I'm not surprised. I'm glad that you have someone who keeps you from loneliness," he told her, smiling warmly.

Oh wow, Sayo thought. Oh, I wish I had a body right now. Oh, I bet Satsuki wouldn't mind if I borrowed her for this. Ohhhhhh. She imitated the action of swallowing. "So, why are you grateful that I'm here, sensei?" she asked faintly.

He promptly directed a pair of spells right through her at the mercenaries who were creeping up from concealed locations.

"Oh," she said, having had her question answered in a way that didn't really make her very happy.

Anticipation was the enemy, Akira decided as she waited with the others at the rally point. Waiting for something bad to happen, not having any method of preventing it from doing so ... agony greater than any injury could be. Of course, Akira also realized that she'd never really been hurt before, so maybe she was self-dramatizing a little.

"Ack!" said Asakura, flinching visibly as she sat surrounded by materialized screens.

"What? What happened?" Chisame asked, not turning away from her own displays.

"One of these bastards finally figured out what my remotes are, and took a shot at one of them. I just barely got it out of the way in - shit, we've got incoming wounded, Hakase, Makie-chan!"

"Yes ma'am!" Makie snapped as she dashed off with Hakase following along behind her. The idea was that she'd act as escort while Hakase was transporting the injured. How well this was going to work was still not clear, since they'd had no opportunity to practice, but -

"Who is it?" Konoka asked, dread clear in her voice. "Is it Set-"

"No, it's not her, but I'm not too clear, it looks like it's Ku Fei and Mana heading in, so it's probably -"

Before she could say anything further, Mana came into sight supported between Ku Fei and Makie, with a compress pressed to her jacket's left sleeve, which was still stained with blood. Satomi walked a bit behind them, acting as the escort this time.

"- Ku Fei," Asakura said quietly.

"Yes? What?" Ku Fei snapped as she helped Mana over to one of the blankets they'd set up as work stations.

"Sorry to disappoint," Mana said. "It's just a flesh wound, though, so Ako can probably handle it."

"Let me be the judge of what I can and can't handle," Ako replied as she pulled back the compress to examine the wound. "Okay, this doesn't look too bad, Konoka, please pass me that disinfectant."

"I just can't believe it was Mana that got hurt and -" Asakura started to stammer.

"I'm sorry, I forgot to wear my shirt with a big red S on it," Mana growled. "I've got news for you, Kazumi. This is an actual, genuine battle, and it doesn't matter how skilled or how tough you are, you can get hurt if the other guy gets a little lucky. Hurt or killed."

"Uh-huh, save the warrior philosophy lecture for later," Ako interjected as she sprayed the disinfectant over the wound track.

Satomi looked around a little oddly. "How geologically stable is this cavern system? I just felt a little tremor."

"It's probably just an aftershock from that quake yesterday," Makie supplied. "It knocked me off my feet while I was walking by the dorms."

"There was an earthquake yesterday?" Ako asked as she watched Mana improbably start blushing. Was she having some sort of delayed reaction to her injury?

Asuna dashed through the tunnels, not really sure where she was going. From the sounds of it, she was coming up on a battle, but who knew whether it was Negi's battle? If only she could reactivate the telepathic link without risking his safety! But that was a pipe dream, so -

"Asuna-kun!" she heard from behind her.

She whirled, blade up and ready. Then blinked. "Takahata-sen-" She broke off the honorific as she remembered what had just recently happened.

The former teacher had come out of one of the side tunnels, hands in his pockets in classic "Death-Specs" stance. His face was unreadable.

She didn't lower her sword. "What did you say to me before you kissed me for the last time?"

He nodded. "I said you'll be just as happy living in the dorms as you would be here."

Now she could relax. The doppleganger couldn't possibly know that.

"I take it that Arika-sama decided to act on my warning after all," he murmured, listening to the distant sounds of battle.

"Warning?" Asuna asked, then shook her head. "Well, when we found out who's behind it all, we kind of had to."

He looked at her sharply. "Who is it, then?"

She opened her mouth, then closed it. How much did he know about her past? Did he know it all, and was that why he'd ... well. Regardless, he needed an answer. "It's her father. Apparently he survived all that crap eighteen years ago. And now he wants revenge."

"Her father," Takahata said, looking at her steadily. "Who is also -"

So he does know. "Yes," she said. "Anyway, we've gotten the real Eishun-san freed, and, y'know, you could ask him to tell the headmaster it was all a big misunderstanding and -"

"I won't ask him to lie for me," Takahata replied, shaking his head. "Especially not about this."

So it was true. "Okay, then," Asuna said, feeling her heart break just a little bit. "If you want to help, feel free. We can use -"

"Asuna, I'm sorry."

"Yes you are," she agreed. I won't cry. Not about this. I have Negi. I never really wanted Takahata-sensei. It was just a silly crush. "Is this why you said you couldn't answer my feelings?" she demanded. "Because of what happened with Konoka?"

"Yes," he answered. "That was what finally convinced me that I couldn't possibly be worthy of them."

"Excuse me?"

"Asuna, you deserve far, far better than a man like me," he said, infinitely weary. "I am, frankly, a disgusting pervert, even without being drunk as I was when that happened. You are a wonderful, beautiful young woman with enormous potential. You shouldn't have your purity sullied by my touch. So whatever you do, you GHURK."

He broke off when she punched him in the stomach. Full-force.

"Purity?" she said, voice unsteady. "Purity? I was born in filth! I routinely have sex with my brother and my mother! Not to mention a few other people any time we get the chance! And you want to talk about my purity! I am not some innocent virgin princess, dammit! I am a real girl who screws up most of the time! Stop talking about what I deserve! You have no right to make those decisions for me! You have no right!"

And then, quite suddenly, they were kissing.

For just a moment. And then Asuna pulled away, face ashen. "Negi," she said, and turned and ran, leaving Takahata behind to stare at her retreating form.

Arika checked the door, determined it was locked through those weird extra-senses of hers, and nodded before stepping back. Haruna filled out the sketch she'd made based on a battering ram she'd seen in a movie a year or so ago, and then let it expand off the page until it smashed the door off its hinges. Then it slid back to allow them to charge in.

On the other side was a command centre much like the one Satomi had described when telling them about Chao's set-up. Standing in front of the monitors, glowering and bored-looking respectively, were the person that Arika had described to them as her father and the girl Haruna had seen a few times - Tsukuyomi.

"You!" Alladia hissed, making the word a curse.

"Me," Arika agreed, bounding over the desks to approach them. Fulfilling their expectations, Tsukuyomi stepped forward to stand between Arika and her master, drawing her sword.

"Kill them. Kill them both!" the man snapped.

Tsukuyomi tilted her head. "Nah," she said, then reversed her sword and drove it backwards towards Alladia's chest. She was close enough to him that it managed to go right through his torso and protrude through his back just a bit.

Alladia stared down at the sword sticking out of him, opened his mouth to say something only to be interrupted by a fountain of blood, and then slumped forward, his weight prompting Tsukuyomi to lower her blade and let him slide off.

She did this without even a glance. Her eyes were only on Arika. "Mommy," she said in tones of adoration. "At last, we meet."

This time, Akira felt the tremor too, and so did everyone else. "Asakura, is Negi using some sort of high-powered blasting spell or something?" Chisame asked.

"Not according to the eyes I've got on him right now. Cripes, could this be something the big bad is -" Asakura started to ask.

And then the floor shattered as the monster surged up from the hole it had burrowed, snarling as its four tentacles waved through the air. To Makie, it resembled nothing so much as one of the weirder monsters in one of her older brother's older video games, the ones he'd been playing when she was just a tiny little thing - a reaper, she remembered. But unlike that computerized creature, it didn't appear to be rooted in any one spot.

It swung just one of its tentacles like a whip towards Akira and Ku, smacking into them with the force of a car crash. They went flying back towards the subterranean lake; Ku hit the water at just the right angle to skip across the surface twice before she smacked into one of the pillars, then slid down into the water, stunned for the moment. Akira landed a bit more awkwardly, dropping into the lake at once.

Ignoring the pain in her ribs, she swam up to the surface to see that the monster had grabbed ahold of Mana with one of its other tentacles, then yanked her up into the air. Mana's guns, set down on the blanket where she'd been resting, were out of reach to her; she slid a smaller caliber gun out of her jacket sleeve and began firing without effect, save for forcing Satomi to step back from her own attempts to pummel it with her artifact's manipulators.

Another tentacle was used to pull it along the ground. That still left one to start reaching towards the other girls present.

That left one to start reaching towards Ako.

Towards Ako.

With a howl of purest frustrated fury, Akira leapt out of the water and threw herself at the monster, throwing everything she had into a single punch. Apparently, that didn't settle the creature's hash, so she punched it again. And again. By now she had a good rhythm going, so she kept right on punching. Even when she dimly realized that she was punching dead flesh, she kept on punching. After all, who was to say that such creatures couldn't come back from the dead?

Only when she felt Ako wrapping her arms around her and softly, quietly whispering in her ear, words that she couldn't quite make out but which told her that she was safe, did she stop punching ... and slowly drop down to her knees.

Chisame, standing a safe distance away, looked from where the shattered remnants of the creature rested to the water from which Akira had leapt, and from which Konoka was presently trying to extract Ku Fei's injured form. She judged the distance to be about eight metres or so.

"Some of us," she said aloud, "have been spending far too much time with Negi ..."

"I'm not sure why you're calling me that," Arika said, slowly and carefully. "Because I'm fairly sure that I'm not your mother."

Tsukuyomi giggled. "Oh, don't be silly, mommy. I know that you're not the woman who gave birth to me. I killed that stupid bitch. But you're the mommy I was supposed to have, you see."

"Really," Arika said non-comittally.

"Oh, yes. Daddy told me all about you. It was so obvious that he was utterly in love with you, and so I decided he shouldn't have to settle for anything less. He was so mad about what I did though. I can't understand it, really. But anyway, I ran away to look for you, and then I got a little distracted with this and that, you know how it is, but here we are at last!"

"Yes. Here we are."

"Now I just have to kill a few more people and you can come back home to live with me and Daddy and everything will be wonderful again! You will do that, right?" Despite her persistently genial tone, there was a strong edge in that final question.

Arika sighed. "Unfortunately, young lady, you haven't learned one of the most important lessons of battle. You should never turn your back on an opponent that you're not sure is dead."

Tsukuyomi blinked and whirled to look at Alladia's corpse. "What do you mean?" she asked puzzledly. "He's dead."

"Yes," said Arika, and in a flash she was behind the girl and broke her neck with a single twist. "That's not who I was talking about," she added as the girl's body dropped to the floor, head turning as it hit the ground, so as to look up at her with an expression of utter betrayal. Arika met that gaze easily until the girl's eyes went dead.

"If you have a comment, please make it," Arika said, after a moment of silence.

"I'm a bit concerned that if I say the wrong thing, you'll kill me too," Haruna replied tersely.

"You have a valid concern."

Haruna swallowed, then continued. "I get why you did that. I'm not stupid; she said that she had to kill a few more people, so obviously she was talking about your kids. And I get that you'll do anything to protect them. It'd be heroic if it wasn't kind of disgusting."

"So noted," Arika said, examining the advanced decomposition of Alladia's body with a displeased expression. "Anything else?"

"Why the heck is he rotting like that?" Haruna asked, having come over to get a look for herself.

"Homonculous. Much as with certain of your world's dictators and their body doubles, or kagemusha to use the Japanese term, my father was prone to creating alchemical doubles of himself. As far as I knew, they had all been destroyed when Ostia was ..."

"But wouldn't a duplicate know he was -"

"Not necessarily." She didn't elaborate.

"So what now?" Haruna asked after another lull in the conversation.

"Now I go find the others and tell them that it's over, for the moment," Arika said, sounding very weary.

"Are you going to tell them everything?"

"I will tell them that she gave me no other choice. You would agree that is the case, would you not?"

Haruna stared at her, then nodded. "Yeah. Given the givens ... yeah."

And Arika smiled. "Good. Not only are you just as brave as your brother, you're just as flexible, too. I wonder whether you're also -"

"Don't even think about it," Haruna snarled as she turned to march away.

Of course, that just meant that Arika could do little else.

There are parts of the tale of heroic deeds that the stories generally leave out. One of them is the fact that when you beat a monster to death with your bare hands, you get fairly messy. Almost as soon as the report came in that the villain behind the scheme no longer troubled the world with his presence, and that his employees were surrendering in droves, Ako promptly dragged an unprotesting Akira off towards the gymnasium's showers.

Unprotesting might not be the term; unresponsive came closer. Akira seemed almost catatonic as Ako got her into the changing area, stripped off her ichor-stained clothes - unhesitatingly throwing them in the garbage once they were off - and then led her into the shower stall after undressing herself. Only when the shower started raining warm water down on them did the taller girl's eyes grow focused once more.

"Ftaghn," she said.

"Are you okay?" Ako asked, pausing in her scrubbing.

"I guess," Akira replied faintly. "I've never done anything like that before. I don't know what's okay after something like that."

"You saved my life. You probably saved all of us who were there, Akira," Ako reminded her.

"Yes, that's true," she agreed. "But I guess it's a good thing I couldn't make a pactio with sensei. I probably would have ended up getting some kind of axe, running around chopping people's heads off, talking only in declarative statements -"

"Akira, stop it," Ako pleaded, even though it came out sounding like a whine. "You're a good person. You're my, one of my favorite people." To cover up the mild mistep, Ako went up on tip-toes to press a kiss against Akira's lips. This was just a bit dangerous to do on a wet floor, and Ako slipped as soon as she did so, falling forward to be caught in Akira's tight embrace, lifted up so that their lips could touch again, and so that one of Akira's hands could slide down past Ako's buttocks to the treasure between her legs.

Just as they were about to lose all sense of the outside world, a delicate cough intruded. "Uh ... not that I mind personally, of course, but this isn't really the most private place," Yuna observed from just outside the stall, wearing a towel wrapped around her and knotted at her breasts.

"Is anyone else -" Ako asked faintly.

"Uh, no. Just me. But, y'know, anyone could walk in and get an eyefull. Like I'm getting. Right now." Yuna wasn't sure why she added that last remark.

Nor was Akira entirely sure why she was moved to ask, "Do you just want to watch?"

Yuna blinked, opened her mouth, closed it, then opened her mouth again, raising a finger, and paused, closing her mouth to tap her cheek thoughtfully. With a sigh, she undid the knot at her breasts, letting the towel drop to the floor, before walking into the stall. "This is probably a bad idea," she said, and kissed Akira forcefully.

So strange, Akira thought. She would swear that she'd never even thought about doing this sort of thing with Yuna, outside of that one naughty dream, but something about this felt so familiar, so right. She kissed her back, raising up a hand to gently caress one of her friend's breasts.

This was unfamiliar territory for Ako. During their wild revelry with Madoka and Sakurako, she'd usually had the sense that all the attention was on her, that she was being made love to by all of them, or being shared by them if you wanted to be more crass. With this, she was aware that Yuna's attention was definitely on Akira, with her presence as almost an afterthought.

She didn't really like that. But on the other hand, wasn't this how Akira must have felt when watching her with the others? Thought about that way, this was almost karma. So she decided to endure it without complaint. She joined Yuna in making their mutual love feel good, taking Akira's right nipple into her mouth as Yuna took the left, pushing Akira back against the stall wall and reaching down in unison to caress the treasure between her legs, and -

"What the heck?"

As one, they turned to see a fully dressed Makie staring at them from outside the stall. Her eyes almost looked like white circles.

"Uh," said Akira.

Ako found herself nearly inclined to gigglingly declare that it wasn't what it looked like. Why not? Why not indulge in cliche?

"I brought some clothes from your place, Akira-chan, since yours were kind of messed up by ... all that," Makie said after a moment. "Um, I-I'll just leave them on the bench, and then I'll be going. Yeah." She started to back away.

"Makie, you don't have to -" Akira started to say.

"Yeah, yeah, I think I do," Makie said, nodding. "Um ... if this is the kind of stuff you're planning on doing, then, well, uh, d-don't bother inviting me along. See ya. Or whatever." And then she turned and ran away.

After a moment of silent consideration, Yuna spoke up. "Well, great. We've lost a friend through sluttiness."

"I'm a wicked woman, and I'm making all of you wicked too," Ako groaned.

"Okay," said Akira, firmly. "We need to go talk to Madoka and Sakurako and get this thing worked out. Then we can explain to Makie that she doesn't have to worry about any of us making her do anything she doesn't want to do or seducing her or anything like that. Right?" she added, glaring just a little.

"Right," said Ako, nodding vigorously.

"Right," muttered Yuna, not quite able to meet Akira's gaze.

"Right," said Akira, deciding to take this as a victory.

Lying on her bed, carefully examining the latest Victoria's Secret catalogue for her next strategic purchase, Kakizaki Misa was abruptly aroused from her studies by the sound of a knock on the door. She idly entertained the notion of not answering it. It wasn't like it was a boy, after all. Any would-be gentleman callers would be stopped at the dormitory's entrance, and those with whom she was already acquainted would know her cell number and know how to call and arrange a meeting.

That meant that whoever was knocking on her door was probably one of her classmates. And the allure of a quiet evening at home, freed of the drama into which Madoka and Sakurako had recently descended, was great indeed. In contrast, opening the door to whatever drama was waiting for her on the other side was not nearly such a pleasant thought.

But then there was another knock, and Misa realized, regretfully, that whoever it was would not be dissuaded by her attempts to create the illusion that no one was home. So she closed her catalogue, filed it away in the nightstand drawer with the others, and got up and headed to the door.

"Hey, Ako," Misa said, trying to be as polite as possible to a nominal friend. "Akira-san. Yuna-san. What brings you here this evening?"

"We need to talk to Kugimii and Saku," Ako answered for the group. "Are they here?"

"Nope," Misa answered, not bothering to keep the complete lack of regret out of her voice. "I think they're on a date, with each other, if you can believe that ... buuut then again, I suppose some of you wouldn't find that all that surprising," she added after a moment's consideration.

Ako looked crestfallen. "On a date?"

"It's, it's probably just a friendly meal between friends," Akira tried to reassure her.

"Well, there's definitely going to be some eating out," Misa said bluntly. "They've been doing it pretty much constantly. It's very distracting. A little funny, like when that earthquake happened yesterday, and Saku's all happy and saying, 'It really does happen!'" she explained, delivering the last phrase in a frighteningly good imitation of Sakurako's voice.

Yuna glared. "Y'know, it occurs to me that maybe we shouldn't be having conversations like this out in the hallway where anyone can overhear them?"

Misa shrugged. "C'mon in, then." She stood back to let them walk past her into the room, then closed the door. "Should I take it from your presence that you're now involved in this polygon they've got going?" she asked Yuna once that was done.

"Yeah," Yuna replied. "Should I take it from your comments that you're not?"

"Oh yeah," Misa said firmly. "I mean, really, whatever makes you happy, but the only way I'm doing anything with a girl is if some guy is giving me a realllly good present."

Ako and Akira flinched as they sat down beside each other on the same bed they'd been in earlier. For her part, Yuna just glared. "Does the commodification of your sexuality not bother you at all?" she asked.

"Nope," she answered bluntly, inwardly marveling at Yuna's unexpected sophistication. Maybe having a teacher for a dad did do her a few favors. "Does being expected to receive only transient emotional gratification for the use of your sexuality not bother you at all?"

"Okay, what are you talking about?" Akira interjected.

"I'm talking about how queen enjo kosai here is basically just prostituting herself," Yuna said scornfully.

"Hey!" Ako said, frowning. "Don't say mean things like that!"

"Ako, relax. I don't get bothered by the term," Misa said. "Don't you think it's a little funny that her attitude can basically be summarized as, 'It's wrong for a woman to receive payment for services rendered, when those services are sexual in nature?' Can you think of another area where anyone, male or female, is not only expected to do something for no pay but is actually criminalized for accepting it?"

"But ... sex is something you're supposed to do with someone you love," Akira pointed out.

"That's what I mean by transient emotional gratification," Misa said patiently. "Think about it. Suppose you're 'in love' and then you get dumped and fall 'out of love'. What do you have to show for the weeks you spent 'in love'? Bittersweet memories, at best. In contrast, if you make sure to get presents every time you have sex, when the relationship is over, you still have the presents." She pointed at her earrings. "I haven't seen the guy who gave me these in months. Aren't they nice?"

"This is pointless," Yuna said as she headed for the door. "Whatever we were hoping to find here, this bullshit isn't it. I'm going back to bed."

"You wouldn't expect someone with such an obvious crush on their daddy to be such a prude, would you?" Misa asked her two remaining guests as she sat down on her own bed facing them. "Okay. Let me guess. You two came to try and resolve this thing you've got going with Madoka and Sakurako, right?"

"Well, yes," Ako said as Akira nodded.

"Why?" Misa asked bluntly. "I mean, Saku's okay with things. And Madoka ... well, let's not kid ourselves, she's never going to be happy no matter what happens, so why do you think making a change in this thing will help her?"

"It's not really -" Akira started to explain.

"I don't want to lead people on!" Ako burst out.

"Then don't," Misa said.

"But, but I'm having all these dreams about things I might end up doing, and -"

"Then don't do them."

"But what if I can't stop myself?"

"Then give yourself permission to screw up!" Misa said, sounding very frustrated. "Cripes, Ako. You're not perfect - join the club! You're going to get hurt and you're probably going to hurt other people. Make mistakes, then get over them. Just be careful about birth control if you're doing stuff with guys, and the treacherous world of adult pleasures can be pretty cool."

Ako hesitantly looked up at Akira. "Are you okay with all of this?" she asked. "With me ... bouncing around between you and everyone else?"

"I-I want you to be happy," Akira replied, just as hesitantly. "I'd be happier if you were happy with just me ... but then, we're not the only people on this planet, are we."

"And, y'know, you're fifteen and a little young to be thinking about permanent relationships," Misa noted. "Just saying."

Yuna stalked away from the cheerleaders' room in a very bad mood. Nice going, she told herself. Not only have I probably driven away Makie forever, I've probably pissed off Ako and Akira too. Dad doesn't want me, I've blown off all my friends. I'm a big damn hero and nobody knows or cares. If this keeps up, I'm going to have to start dressing all in black, wearing shades, and drinking espresso.

It abruptly came to her that there were, in fact, those who knew and cared, and who had shown that caring somewhat directly. But would they really welcome her?

Yuna paused outside the door to Asuna and Konoka's room. Hesitantly, she raised a hand, and, after a moment of delay, knocked.

It opened a minute later, revealing Arika in a loosely belted housecoat and slippers. The former queen smiled broadly at her. "Yuna-chan," she said, almost purring. "I was hoping you would join us this evening."

Yuna swallowed. "Then ... we're having a party?" She could faintly hear moans and sighs from the room behind Arika.

"Of course," Arika said, looking surprised at the question. "We have had a victory, after all, and such things should be celebrated. Come in, my dear. Much is waiting for you."

With a sigh of relief, Yuna entered the room, and closed the door behind her.

Almost as soon as hostilities had ended, Mana had called the situation in to Konoemon, both to arrange for someone to take their prisoners into custody and to make sure that he knew to release the money he now owed her. (Retainers were nice, but bonuses were better.) Mahora's magic teachers had swarmed the tunnels, and great vows had been made to make sure that no one could ever use these passages for ill-purpose ever again.

A cynic might say that had been said before. In fact, a cynic named Hasegawa did say just that. But no one paid her any attention.

The body of the woman called Tsukuyomi, as well as the few remains of the homonculous who'd commanded the intruders, were gathered up and taken to the local morgue. Unless someone claimed them, they would be cremated within the next few days. Only the stains left on the floor of the room where they'd died remained to mark their passing.

Later that night, however, one came to observe those marks. "That went well," he said.

"I'm pleased that you're pleased, sir," his companion replied nervously.

"I'm unhappy that you didn't warn me about the Yukihiro girl's telepathy, mind, but everything else happened more or less as I predicted, based on your intelligence about their capabilities. I have their measure, now, I think."

"Yes, sir." Chamo had never been this terrified, not even when Eva had growled at him. But flight was not an option.

Alladia drew in a sigh as he examined where the homonculous had died. "Foolish daughter," he mused cheerfully. "You should know not to believe things you read in books. Even books that read minds - for memory can be altered so easily.

"Tomorrow, by the living god, we'll try the game again." And he laughed.

Much later, after the party had settled down to sleep for a while, Negi found himself squeezed between his sister on one side and his sister on the other.

"I'm a little worried about what we didn't find in those tunnels," Chisame mused as she rubbed Negi's cheek gently. "There was that one robot that I shut down, but that thing that attacked the base camp was the only monster ... and the intelligence Honya got out of the bad guy was talking about robots and monsters."

"It's probably just delusions of grandeur on his part," Asuna opined. For her part, she was thinking about what had passed between her and Takahata. She'd thought she was over him, but then why had she ended up kissing him. It didn't make sense. Negi was the one that she cared about. Negi was her everything.

"I can't help but think that I've forgotten something," Negi mused wearily, just on the verge of falling asleep. "Something kind of important."

They waited to hear whether he remembered it, but all that came from him after a moment were the soft sounds of sleep. Slowly he curled up against Chisame's breasts. This made her look a little smugly in Asuna's direction.

"Oh, shut up," Asuna growled.

"Didn't say anything," Chisame said softly but brightly.

At Heathrow airport, around that time, a woman walked up to the flight counter and handed a reservation slip to one of the attendants.

"Name please," he said in a bored tone.

"Nekane Springfield," she replied. "I'm going to visit my little brother."

NEXT: Fate.
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Decadent Habits