I miss Kael.

[therealkaichan]

Chapter four

The round up



They had spent one and a half day there and Kana was wondering where the hell Mariam had gone off to. She was supposed to be bossing them around, like any decent Sergeant would do if left with a bunch of students on their hands.

It’s worth saying that she didn’t really mind the free time. She had walked around a little, eaten good food, and on top of all, she had an idea. A really good idea, totally worthy of being called an Idea with capital I. It was the end of all the problems, the beginning of something new, whatever. But for that, she needed stupid Hans, and stupid Hans had been almost as invisible as Mariam.
She had checked his room, the kitchens, the library, the High Priest’s office, the classrooms... And the bastard was still nowhere to be seen.
“When I find him I’m going to---”
“Are you looking for someone, miss?” Kana turned to find Giselle. The poor nun looked a little agitated as usual.
“Yeah. I’m looking for Hans. You know, around my height, blond, blue eyes, smiles like he knows something that you don’t?”
“I saw mister Hans in the gardens early today. Maybe he’s still there?”
“Well, I didn’t check there so it’s worth a shot I guess... Thanks!” And before Giselle even had a chance to respond, Kana was already running towards the gardens.
“Please try not to run in the corridors!” She called out, hoping that the visitor would hear. Her hope was in vain as Kana had already left by then. Giselle adored children and visitors, she really did, they lightened up the days and the Priest Attendant always looked really happy about them, but right now she didn’t know what to do with this many strange visitors at the same time.


Kana reached the garden and went out, looking around. She had a quick look the previous day with Darius, but she hadn’t gone too far inside, so the place was still a little now. The gardens looked far larger than one would think they were, but that wasn’t that surprising.
She spent several minutes looking for Hans, until she eventually found him sitting under a tree, with a book on his hands, pretty entertained with his reading.
“You could at least let us know when you are leaving, man.”
“I’m still in the temple’s grounds. Don’t complain too much, Ahlgren.”
“Look, we need to talk.” Kana sat in the ground in front of him without much ceremony (it was more dropping than sitting) and sighed.
“I’m all ears.” Hans closed the book, looking up to see Kana, just to let her know that she had all of his attention.
“Okay, listen. Let’s both concede a little.”
“Tell me more about it.”
“When I was with Evie, she was nice and all, but her mana output was tiny. So I didn’t even think that she would want to do anything. She didn’t like fights that much, so it was my work to take care of her all the time.”
“I understand.”
“So. I’m conceding a little, as long as you concede a little too. It will be more like a deal.”
“Name your terms, then.”
“I will do my best so the mana transfer can be ideal. Your job, then, will be to channel at least twice as much as Evie used to. If I’m not wrong, you should be able to do that, since you are well trained... I remember your scores from the tests, and they were far higher than Evie’s.”
“Yes. Her output was standard, I have trained to maximize my abilities that’s where the scores in the tests come from.”
“If you can do that, then shaping some magic for you using the extra mana won’t be any difficult. You can do a little of fighting too, and that’s different to her too... I think we can manage like that, and it won’t kill my performance.”
“Yes, that makes sense.”
“So. Is that okay?”
“Are you really asking my opinion?” He sounded as close to ‘horribly amused’ as Kana had ever heard him sound.
“Yeah. Unless you’re being an asshole about it. If you are then I’m just kicking your ass seven ways into sunday.”
“Actually, your plan sounds surprisingly reasonable.”
“That sure is a wordy way of saying ‘yes, why not?’.”
“Wordy is my style. Wordy and insulting if possible, you know that Ahlgren.”
“Hm. Kana is okay.”
“Oh?”
“We’re going to be risking our lives, and doing all kinds of stuff together, right? You should use my name, at least.”
“That makes sense too.”
“So much telling me I’m right must be tiring.”
“Actually the tiring part is believing you are being so reasonable.”
“Still an asshole.”
“I do my best, Kana.”
“I know that. So, are we doing this?”
“Yes. Let’s work hard on putting up with each other for the good of our grades.”
“That sounds fine.”

There was a long moment of silence, in which Hans took the chance to open his book once more.

“What are you reading anyway?”
“Evolution of the Medieval Torture Methods.”
“That sounds creepy as hell.”
“You’d be surprised of the kind of ‘creepy books’ our beloved high priest can keep in his personal library, then.”
“That sounds icky enough, thanks.”
“For a man who donates so much money, one would think that he wouldn’t be so much into vivisections.”
“Okay, that’s enough.” Kana didn’t notice it, but that last part may have come out a little too fast.
“You are surprisingly soft, partner.”
“And you are an even worse asshole than five minutes ago.”
“I’m glad to show progress so quickly.”
“Are you up for some training? I want to take the icky out of my mind.”
“I think we can, yes.”


This time the training session was nothing like the previous ones. Maybe at the beginning Kana was a little reluctant to collaborate, but focusing did change things a lot. As the magic started flowing, it became much easier, and with all the excess mana, she could easily shape some things for Hans too.

After that, they spent a while discussing their magic styles. It was really something, she had never imagined that actually sitting and discussing strategy with Hans would be something that could happen, and yet, there he was, being surprisingly reasonable, and giving good ideas to how she could hit things harder by using magic, and how he could easily open strategic positions for her to do so.

Most of Kana’s magic was pretty much boosting herself in order to deliver individual hits. That meant that while she usually could bring down an enemy in one strike, she was limited to how many enemies she could bring down in a certain amount of time.
Hans on the other side, had different ideas and methods, and that meant that Kana would have to dedicate some time to train on her magic shaping skills, in order to shape the kind of spells needed. The training was still surprisingly easy, after all, as much as Kana was terrible for classes and working with others, her capabilities for shaping magic were the thing that had kept her inside the academy instead of brutally expelled.


“It isn’t that bad after a while.”
“It opens several pathways, and I can easily clear out the road for you. Plus, nobody will really be expecting the supporter to be doing part of the work.”
“That’s until we fight a few duels. About that. Are duels okay? Evie was always really squeamish about them.”
“I’m fine with them, on the condition that you let me know with a few hours of anticipation. Also, I’d like to know why we are fighting.”
“No people limits?”
“If they accept, they probably don’t mind being beaten up. If they wanted peace the would’ve refused.”
“I never expected you to be that type of partner.”
“That’s because you had this really stupid image of me. I don’t know where you got it.”
“It’s what you show, okay? I saw it was a facade, but I thought it was there for the wrong reasons. I suck at telling people anyway.”
“That you do.”
“I rely on my instincts all the time.”
“That shows as well. Your instincts are good, but they cannot always point you in the right direction.”
“Yeah, pretty much. But they tell me where not to go.”
“I suppose that is as good as it can be.”
“It is.”

They made a pause, and Kana took a look at the main tower’s clock.

“It’s almost dinnertime.”
“Yes, we spent a while here discussing strategy.”
“I guess we could go back in then. The food here is simply heavenly and I refuse to miss the chance to take another dinner here.”
“Let’s go then.”
“So... Did you do whatever it was that they sent you to do?”
“I didn’t do anything. I think this was probably what we had to do.”
“Hm... It sounds like something Kael would do all right.”
“The Director is good at manipulating his students, isn’t he?”
“He has always been a little weird on his methods. That’s why he could never be a teacher, not even when I was a kid.”
“You two go back a long time, don’t you?”
“Yeah. I’ve known him since I was a little kid. I actually chose to go to the Academy because I wanted to be cool like him.” Kana laughed at that. It had been a silly motivation, but doing the kind of things Kael did, like saving people and stopping mad scientists, was totally her big wish thing, just put into simpler terms.
“That’s as much of a good motivation as any.”
“And you? Why did you get into the Academy?”
“Because my parents hate it.”
“That’s mean.”
“They deserve it. Thanks to this I escaped a far more annoying duty as the family’s next heir.”
“You’re weird.”
“Is that a step up or down from ‘asshole’?”
“I’d say it’s a completely different stair.”
“I’ll take it.”
“Come on, the food is getting cold.”
“No it’s not.”
“Oh shut up. First shower time, then food time.”

They walked inside, and started on the way to the corridor where the rooms were located.
“Hello!” That was the Duke. Hey hadn’t seen him in a while since arriving, but he did say that he wanted to go to the different classes, so he had probably been very busy with that. “Are you two having fun too?”
“I am. Dunno if asshole what’s-his-face here feels the same.”
“I quite enjoy seeing you make up stupid names.”
“Oooh, burn.” Kana chuckled.
“You two sure get along well. Just like my mom and dad.”
“Ew.” Kana’s face said it all.
“I’m already engaged, so I can’t go thinking about other ladies, or things that look like ladies and behave like school bullies.”
“Who would want to be with this bastard after getting to know him in depth anyway?”
“That’s so silly.” The young duke laughed. “But I’ll be on my way. Dinner is almost ready. You should come, since it will be the last dinner we have here together.”
“We will, so don’t worry.”


Dinner went on quietly, and so did the rest of the night.

Mariam returned early in the morning. According to her, the group would depart in the afternoon, leaving the Duke and the two older students behind.

Hans just nodded and returned to his room, to gather whatever belongings he had, and Kana was fine with it, as she could never really get along with those two (not even if she had tried), and the Duke had some strange vibe that she couldn’t really tell what it meant.

As she was returning to her room, she found the High Priest walking on the opposite way. She was expecting him to ignore her, so it was really strange when he didn’t.
“Private Ahlgren.”
“Ah... Just Kana is fine, sir?”
“Kana huh? But that is not your real name, is it?”
“No. It’s Katherine. I don’t like it, it’s too girly.”
“Did your mother choose it for you?”
“I guess.” She scowled a little at that, and the Priest chuckled a little.
“Tell me, girl, what is your goal?”
“Excuse me?”
“Why did you join the Academy, even if it was military grounds.”
“Because I want to be strong.”
“That’s the easy answer, isn’t it?”
“It’s the truth.”
“No it isn’t. I know your type well.”
“That’s strange.”
“Strange is what I do best. Tell me, girl. Nobody but us will know.”
“I want to fix things, okay? I want to stop the small things that hurt the people.”
“And why would one hide a noble goal, when they are so rare?”
“Because what’s the point in saying the truth? Everyone would think that I’m a softie and that would take me nowhere.”
“You prefer infamy to no fame at all, do you?”
“That’s right. Once someone told me that there isn’t such a thing as ‘bad publicity’.”
“That someone sounds like an idiot.”
“That’s just impolite.”
“Impolite is the third thing I do best.”
“And what’s the second?”
“That’s for you to eventually find out.”

And with no further word, the High Priest returned to his way, walking quietly until he got lost in a corner of the corridor.

Kana sighed. Why was everyone so weird anyway? Really!

There was Hans, and then the Nice Priest and the Weird Priest and she really wasn’t ready to handle so many weird people at the same time. Even Mariam who was the less weird one was pretty much weird enough with her ‘disappear for two days and leave the soldiers with no orders’ thing.

Whatever Kael was thinking when he sent her here, it probably was totally wrong.



They left in the afternoon, with nothing really strange happening before or after. Even their trip back was a little uneventful, and that made Kana feel uneasy, as she was quite looking forward to see the fruits of her recent training with Hans.

She was pacing in the train when Mariam approached her.
“Kana?”
“Mariam, hey.”
“You look uncomfortable.”
“I just... Things are really quiet, are all missions like this?”
“Yes, most of the time. It’s really strange to find something different in times of peace.”
“I guess that’s okay... But aren’t there people who need some help then? Actual help and not just people doing their errands?”
“Yes, there are plenty of people like that. But you know, Kana, the people that need help the most aren’t the ones who have problems like that, but the ones that have more complicated problems.”
“Do you mean a spiritual thing?”
“A bit... But you’ll find more and more about those problems the longer you spend outside.”
“That’s weird...”
“But aren’t weird things the most fun?”
“Yeah I guess. Normal things get boring after a while.”
“Then you shouldn’t worry too much.”
“You sound like a fun person to have as a partner, Mariam.”
“I’m like that. I’ve learned to not worry about things that I can’t change. I will worry about making better the ones that I can change.”
“That’s sensible. Not my type of thoughts, but sensible.”
“You are the kind of person who will fight to change the things that cannot be changed, aren’t you?”
“I am. I’m not taking anyone’s word. I’m seeing if it can be changed or not with my own eyes.”
“That sounds nice.”
“Yeah. I’ll do my best to stay true to those words.”
“Please do. I think there may be more great things to come than you think.”
“I’ll wait for them, then. Hopefully I’ll be able to beat a few things up.”
“There will be plenty I’m sure.”
“But they aren’t coming up anytime soon, are they?”
“But if we think about it, it’s better that way.”
“Yeah... At least it means we are still at peace.”
“You are not one for war, are you, Kana?”
“No. I’m okay with beating up a few bad guys and all... But war is about lives being ruined. It’s just not the same.”
“That’s a nice answer...”
“Yeah. It took me some time to understand it and all.”
“But eventually you did, and that’s more than enough.”
“Better late than never, you mean?”
“That’s right.”
“Haha... I guess it’s true. Well, I better get back to our cabin, or Hans will start thinking he has gotten rid of me.”
“I don’t think he would do that.”
“Do you think that highly of him?”
“Not really. I just think he enjoys your company, and he looks like the kind of person that wouldn’t let go of a source of entertainment.”
“I guess that’s pretty much him.”
“So go, annoy him a little for me.”
“Sure will.”


When Kana opened the door of the cabin, Hans was exactly where she had left him about an hour ago. The only real difference was that his book was open at the middle, when it had been at the beginning when she left.
“It looks like a good book.”
“It’s boring as hell.”
“You actually emoted for that. Is it that bad?” Kana grinned, dropping by Hans’ side and trying to peek into the book.
“Yes. I wouldn’t wish this crap on anyone.”
“Not even on that Chloe girl?”
“She would probably enjoy it.”
“Ew. Now I really don’t want to know. So I’m here to save you from your sucky reading.”
“My hero.”
“I know. So! Let’s uh, get to know each other so I can know how to piss you off.”
“Stupid people are what makes me angry.”
“No matter what I answer here, it will suck for me, right?”
“It’s one of those situations, yes.”
“You just love doing that, I’ve noticed.”
“It’s the most fun way of making a person realize that they are stupid.”
“Unless they are in blind love with you. What’s with the fangirls anyway?”
“They are annoying as well.”
“But you still let them hang around you.”
“‘Hanging around’ stupid people is what my life is all about.”
“I guess... You are a high society kind of guy.”
“That is correct.”
“So you must be pretty pissed off all the time. No wonder you couldn’t wait to get out of your house.”
“You understand it now, I see.”
“It sounds complicated. I’m much easier to tell.”
“You hate people who abuse their power on the powerless. And you are okay with people breaking the rules as long as they go trough the proper punishment.”
“Right!”
“You are right, you are easier to tell.”
“Aha. Nothing too complicated.”
“You are also afraid of hurting others without intending to. You find torture and immoral science practices horrifying.”

There was a long, long moment of silence in which neither said a word. Kana could barely find words. Those things... They weren’t that easy to tell. She had done her best to hide them, after all, and so far nobody had ever mentioned them before.
“Stop that.”
“Those were a little more difficult.”
“I said stop that.”
“You’re afraid of admitting that you are much more close to a normal person than you would like. That you are kind and that you want to help. You think that you may lose the people’s fear by that and become more human on the eyes of the people you dislike.”
“You are something big, aren’t you, Hans?”
“I’m just observant. You are an open book most of the time, yet there are some times when there seems to be something else below.”
“Even if we are partners, I’m not discussing that.”
“It’s fine, I do not have any need to hurry your process or even to find out what happened.”
“That’s okay... So, are there any topics that you don’t want me touching?”
“No, I’m fine. I don’t mind you abusing your partner rights to ask any questions you want.”
“Not that you’ll be answering them, huh?”
“Well, you can’t expect that much from someone as horrible as me.”
“At least in that you are right. My expectations for you are at least as horrible as you are, if anything.”
“Then I’m sure we will manage pretty fine.”
“That sounds just okay.”
“It will be fun, at least, won’t it?”
“You have a very very twisted sense of ‘fun’.”
“Maybe in that way you’ll find that I’m much easier to understand than you would believe.”
“I’ll be waiting for that day.”

Hans chuckled, and so did Kana.

They were in for a tough ride, but at least it wouldn’t be a boring one.



The arrival to the Headquarters was as uneventful as most of the trip had been. Kana had already gotten used to the idea of not getting any fighting done until they were back, so at least she wasn’t getting disappointed anymore.
“Hey Hans.” She asked as soon as she set foot on the Academy grounds.
“Tell me.”
“Are you okay with us getting into some trouble?”
“Not that it will stop you.”
“Hey I could get just myself into trouble, but it sounds a lot more fun as a group activity.”
“Then maybe you should consider Ada from the fifth year.”
“Oh, a name! What kind of person is that Ada?”
“I though that you could enjoy getting into trouble with a person who could get you into further trouble.”
“Planning ahead does work.”
“Of course, you just have to make it a good plan.”
“I’ll check on that. I think this could be the beginning of a magical friendship.”
“Or at least an eventful partnership.”
“Eventful. That’s a cool word.”
“There are plenty more in the place where that one comes from.”
“Cool. Keep on.”
“Hey you two!” Mariam, who had been right behind them all along, got closer to the pair. “Instead of plotting on how to beat up some abusive guys, you should be making sure that Kana’s grades are at least half of yours, Hans!”
“I’m sorry Sergeant.” Hans chuckled. “But you know how she is. A force of nature. I’m just along for the ride.”
“You may be able to fool that miss Freeman of yours, but me? I know your type!”
“You are done for, Hans.”
“Oh well.” Hans’ expression was quick to change into a smile. Kana could easily tell that gesture from the times when “I’ll do my best then, Sergeant. Please keep watching over me.”
“Oh you.” Mariam laughed at that, not quite taking him seriously. “I will! So you better drag her to the library even if she screams.”
“I wouldn’t scream, I’d beat him up.”
“Hopefully I’ll get a bonus for risking my life.”
“It’s your work. Don’t forget that her grades will also affect yours.”
“You better get ready for the worst grades in your life, Hans!” Kana grinned.
“Let’s put that to the test. I’ll be looking forward to it.”
“Now, now, you two! You know it’s time to write a nice lengthy report on your awesome weekend. So go, go.”
“At least one of us will be writing something, so can I do some drawings instead?”
“I don’t think the Acting Director will be too crazy about that.”
“He used to put my drawings on the fridge when I was a brat okay.”
“Isn’t that cute.” Hans snickered. “I can barely imagine a cute you.”
“Well you better don’t! Cute isn’t my thing.”
“And as it seems, responsibly working isn’t your thing either, is it?” Said Mariam with a small smile.
“Okay, okay, we are moving!” Kana was ready to walk off when she stopped in her tracks. “Are you leaving soon Mariam?”
“No, I’m staying another week at least. I still have a few things to do here.”
“That’s good then. See you around soon!”
“See you later, you two.”


In the end, both Hans and Kana delivered lengthy informs. Kana’s was a lot more informal but still a good inform (something that would’ve surprised anyone who wasn’t Kael, who quite knew how Kana worked). Hans’ report, on the other side, was full of detail and complicated wording. He was even kind enough to provide full information on the activities of every single member of the church’s main branch.

A good assignment was a good assignment, and surprisingly enough Hans wasn’t the only one who got great scores in it.







---

Notes: I dunno.

At least they are working together now.