A/N: Well, after several months planning, moaning, and otherwise being an ass, I finally got around to starting this. I'll try to keep my update intervals smaller, but I suppose that depends on feedback. And seeing as the Train Station rarely reviews…
Disclaimer: I do not own Negima, nor its assorted ensemble of cast and plot. Neither do I own (deep breath now) The Dreamer and its associated characters and plot (XSerac), Pactum Factum and its associated characters and plot (Tsutomu Teruko), Bard Moon Rising and its associated characters and plot (Dark Dragon Dave), Scheme!? and its associated characters and plot (Ansem Man), Fallout and its associated characters and plot (Midnight Sleeper), Who Could Love A Puppet and its associated character (l33tmansaysw00t), Student Number 32 and its associated characters and plot (TzuiAssassian), Hiro's Lament and its associated characters and plot (KafkasDragon), Markham Chronicles and its associated characters and plot (KafkasDragon), Screwed Up and its associated characters and plot (Master Masa Random). Ok, breathe! And yes, I did get permission. Except the Negima one. Because we don't need it for fanfics. (I think that's the longest disclaimer yet)
Chapter One
A Saga Begins
"Magic is commonly classified by the users. Black mages use bad, and white mages use good. My magic isn't exactly... 'good'. I'm more of the 'use whatever's convenient at the time' kind of guy, so I'm more grey than I am black or white. Then again, it all depends on your perspective, so go figure."
Connor Gavet
Negi sighed in frustration and closed the book. He rubbed his temples furiously, emitting a low groan. The midnight study sessions were starting to catch up with him. He stood up and yawned widely, opening his window. Fresh air billowed in, replacing the stuffy air in the room. The ten year old glanced about his room, his place of solitude for the past three years. Today, it came to an end. Today he left for Japan, to a place called Mahora, to be a teacher. Negi flopped down onto his bed, sighing heavily. He would do his best. He had to. Nothing less could be expected of the son of the legendary Thousand Master.
The sun was still rising, the rays of light just breaking through the clouds obscuring the horizon. It would be time to go soon. He had been told that he'd have to make it to Mahora using more mundane forms of transportation. So he had a long journey ahead of him. First he'd have to reach London, then board a plane for Tokyo, then find a train to Mahora. Luckily, the Magus had provided much assistance, and ensured that Negi would not be travelling alone. His safety was a serious consideration after all. His father had made a lot of enemies in his time.
The trip to Heathrow would be overseen by Connor, one of the senior students. Negi knew him as best as anyone else in Meridana did. Which is to say, barely. Still, he was friendly in his own warped little way, so Negi felt no qualms about going with him. The plane already had mage personnel on board, so no worries there. And once in Japan, he'd be under the jurisdiction of the Dean of Mahora. Few would threaten him then. All his belongings had already been packed and transferred, only he and a few choice items remained. Negi was eager to be off, but some things couldn't be rushed he supposed. Like his studies. Like his search for the Thousand Master.
"Where is she?" queried the black clad youth, hefting his attacker up by his cloak, glaring at the man's eyes behind the sad theatre mask.
"Fool. I would never betray the Mother!" hissed the man, dangling in the teenager's iron grip.
"Suit yourself," shrugged the brown haired boy, flinging his captive away. The cloaked adult slammed into the tree, gasping in pain and looking up in time to see a single-bladed sword embed itself in his chest. The dark eyes widened slightly before the light in them faded away.
"Damn persistent bastards," swore the youth, wrenching his blade out of the warm corpse. He casually wiped the blood off the blade on the man's clothing before sheathing it. No need to worry about the remains, the animals would have picked those clean by the time the sun set. The tall teen smirked as he turned around and began making his way out of the forest. A cool breeze whistled between the trees, tugging at his grey bandana. This was starting to become routine. Every night he would go out for a training session in the woods, and every night he would get attacked. And every night he'd beat the crap out of his attackers, and every night he asked them the same thing.
Where is she?
And every bloody night he received the same answer. It was getting infuriating. He walked on in silence through the forest, uncaring of the dangers. Heck, he was the most dangerous thing in there! Soon, he could make out the towers and walls making up the academy, his home. Of sorts. At least he no longer had to take lessons, ever since that time with the portal and all the havoc that ended up causing. Of course, that didn't exempt him from other, more tedious, aspects of student life. Like sticking to a schedule or having to hand in theory papers. Connor Gavet shook his head. Of all the things to be worrying about, homework was the least important. After all, he could always get Masayoshi to do it for him.
The room was sparsely lit, only a small desk lamp providing any light whatsoever. Other items cluttering up the desk were; a beaker of blue liquid, several phials, a rack full of test tubes, bottles filled with dubious substances, a rose, and a propped up book regarding catalyst creation.
Squinting furiously at the instructions outlined in the "borrowed" book, the room's sole occupant wiped away several beads of sweat. What he was trying to do wasn't dangerous. Of course not. Such practices were frowned upon by the academy. Which is why, officially, he was still asleep. Carefully, he tilted the bottle in his right hand, bubbling with a yellowish-brown liquid, letting several droplets fall into the vial in his left hand, which was trembling slightly. Clyde Metro licked his dry lips as he watched, waiting for some sort of reaction.
Connor was almost at the front entrance when one of the windows on the south tower exploded. Glancing at it, he quickly calculated from which room had been affected. Then he just shook his head with a smirk, and entered the dusty old academy of magic. Explosions form that room were a regular occurrence. After a while, one learned to blot them out.
Clyde coughed slightly, rubbing his eyes clear. Him, and the entire room were completely black from the soot. The blast had been rather…surprising. Looks like that combination of dragon's blood and weirdroot juice wasn't the best of his ideas. Unperturbed, he pulled out a notebook from deep within his robes and flipped several pages before jotting down the result of his latest experiment. Satisfied, the boy tucked his precious book away and stood up from where he had been thrown against the wall, picking up his feathered hat which had fallen next to him. Idly dusting off the soot, he reached out and undid a latch, opening the only window which hadn't been shattered by the blast. Immediately, the smog drifting lazily around his lair was sucked out, leaving behind no trace of its existence. One less thing to explain should anyone choose to investigate what happened.
Yeah, right, like THAT is going to happen...he thought, rolling his eyes as he collapsed back onto his bed. Everyone at Meridana had grown accustomed to the regular explosions happening in his room. Well, it was hardly the strangest thing happening here anyways. Clyde pondered this for a second. How many strange things were regular occurrences here? There were the explosions in his room, those strange noises in the dungeons, the regular demon attacks and so on. The list went on. He just shrugged and yawned. Another night of work, and now another day of lessons. He wished for the weekend to arrive already, so that he could get some sleep this week.
There was a high pitched chime, and the sprinklers in his ceiling activated, spraying water everywhere. Clyde closed his eyes and sighed.
Well, at least that took care of his shower…
The halls were beginning to become crowded, as students of all ages began pouring from their rooms and making their way to breakfast, some rubbing at bleary eyes, others with all the enthusiasm only children could achieve. Bustling and jostling with the crowd, Negi tried to look as inconspicuous as was possible. Last thing he needed was a repeat of his run-in with Egare several weeks ago. Both boys had kept quiet about it, Negi out of fear of expulsion, and the older boy out of embarrassment. The child prodigy shook his head clear. Reminiscing would do no good for him now; he was scheduled to meet Connor at the school entrance in ten minutes.
One of the doors lining the hallway opened, and released a drenched, tired, and crestfallen mage. Clyde. Negi stifled a laugh at his friend's sorry state. The green feathered hat that was Metro's trademark was soaked, and the green cloak he always wore was severely burnt in several places. He closed the door behind him with a sigh. Then, he turned around and began banging his head on the old oak in frustration.
"Tough night?" asked Negi, stopping next to the older boy.
"Negi, don't. Just. Don't," breathed Clyde under his breath, closing his eyes.
"Perhaps you should take a break. All this late night work must be hard on your health."
"I'm young. I'll survive," grumbled the mage-in-training, turning around again and heading down the corridor towards the cafeteria. Negi rushed after him.
"So what have you been up to all those nights anyway?" he asked, genuinely interested.
The taller boy pondered this momentarily before answering. "Well, I could tell you, but promise not to breathe a word of it to anyone else, ok?"
Negi nodded with a smile. Clyde couldn't help but smile as well. Negi's good humour was far too infectious for his liking, but hey, it always brightened up the day.
"I've been experimenting with some new catalysts," began Clyde in a conspirational tone as they walked down the bustling corridor, weaving their way through the occasional clumps of students blocking the passage. "The current stuff we're allowed to use simply lacks the punch I expect. So I've been trying to combine the adaptability of wierdroot with the sheer magical power of dragon's blood to-"
"Where did you get dragon blood from?" asked Negi incredulously, faltering in his step.
Clyde, still smiling, simply raised a finger to his lips and whispered "It's a secret!" before patting the younger mage's head.
Negi brushed him off, laughing good-naturedly. "Alright then, keep your secrets! Something tells me I don't want to know anyway."
"And what about your secrets Negi?" countered Clyde, tilting his hat rakishly. "What's all this regarding your assignment? The whole school's been buzzing about it. A teacher in Japan, eh? Any idea where you'll be teaching then?"
Negi paused momentarily as if thinking it over before turning around and grinning at his friend. "It's a secret," he answered simply.
"Touché Springfield," replied Clyde in a smart manner, straightening his crumpled robe, glancing at the scorch marks. "Now come on, we'll be late for breakfast, and I still don't have a plausible explanation for these burns…"
He turned to continue walking, bumping into someone. "Oh, sorry…" he began, his voice dying out as he realised exactly who he had run into. Negi watched curiously as Clyde's face drained of all colour as he squeaked out, "C-c-c-connor!?"
"Careful, Feather-head," smirked Connor, suppressing a grin as he watched the younger mage back away rapidly. "Count yourself lucky I'm in a good mood. Now run on to the hall, I have business with Negi."
Clyde cast a look of interest at Negi before Connor prompted him with a glare, eliciting a yelp as the green-clad boy scurried away as fast as possible. As soon as he left their sight, the swordsman laughed. "Damn, that was too funny!"
"Connor! You shouldn't scare the other students like that!" cried Negi, glancing to where Clyde had disappeared.
"Well, a man needs to have his fun," shrugged the older youth. "Anyway, ready to go?"
"Oh, are we leaving now?" asked Negi, blinking in surprise.
"The sooner the better. You can bid goodbye to Nekane and the others in a minute. All your stuff has already been transported to the place you'll be teaching at, so no need to worry about that," said Connor, heading back down the corridor towards the stairs.
"So how are we getting to Heathrow? Staffs? Brooms?" queried Negi, running to catch up after Connor. He snorted in response.
"Nothing so old-fashioned. We'll be taking a more mundane way of getting there. It'll draw less attention. Oh, by the way, you'll need these," he continued, flinging a small tube over his shoulder.
Negi caught it just before it cracked on the cold stone floor. He inspected it momentarily before looking at Connor confused. "Age deceiving pills? Why?"
"Firstly, they'll be needed for the journey, and secondly, you'll need those where you're going."
"Wait, why would I need to look older at Mahora?"
Connor smiled slightly. "Oh, you'll find out soon enough Negi."
Negi glanced at the container in his hand, puzzled. Connor had never offered any bad advice, but still…ageing pills were illegal. "And does the Magus know we'll be using ageing pills?"
"Got permission from the Council itself, so stop worrying. Just take one and we'll be on our way," said the black clad youth, walking down the winding steps leading to the main entrance.
The boy nodded and popped one of the small candies in his mouth. One puff later, a sixteen year old Negi was ready for his trip. "Alright, now why do I have to look like this?"
"Because ten-year olds aren't allowed to ride motorbikes," Connor replied curtly.
"Oh, ok."
Then it hit him.
"Wait, what?!" he asked, following Connor outside.
The black clad youth smirked as he walked over to his vehicle. "You heard me. It's the fastest mundane way to get you to the airport."
"But it's in England, and we're in Wales! Do you know how long it will take us to get there?!" cried Negi frantically.
"Approximately fifteen minutes, including portal time," answered Connor, walking towards the garage. "Now go and make your farewells. We're going as soon as Masayoshi gets that damn portal working."
"Masayoshi? He's in charge of the portal?"
"...yes. Look, I'm not wild about the idea either, but he's learned his lesson. We won't be hurled into some parallel dimension or something."
"Was that what happened to you?" asked Negi before he could stop himself.
Connor froze. Negi stopped behind him, realizing he had touched upon a nerve.
"I'm sorry Connor. That was impertinent of me."
Connor made no gesture to signify he accepted the comment, but simply resumed walking. Negi watched him fade into the darkness of the garage entrance before a huff shook him from his reverie. He turned around, slightly nervous, as there was no mistaking that huff.
"Hello Anya," he greeted sheepishly, looking down at his friend. The shorter mage glared at him.
"What's with the get-up, eh?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips.
"Ehehehe, Connor said it's for the best. Something about a motorbike..."
"A motorbike? Sounds exciting," said Nekane with a smile.
The child prodigy couldn't help but smile with his cousin. "I suppose you're right."
Connor squinted slightly as he scanned for bay 36215 which housed his bike. Not that it was hard to find, with the place being rather empty at the best of times. But the academy stocked several mundane vehicles in case of emergencies. And of course some of them were slightly questionable, owned by several of the more eccentric students. He shook his head in disgust. Why own something if you were never going to use it? Life had enough luxuries as it was. He went deeper into the darkened building before stopping abruptly.
"So this is where you were coming from..." he sighed tiredly as he unsheathed his blade.
"The Mother desires your end, heathen," hissed a black-cloaked shape as it fell from the ceiling. A happy theatre mask glinted in the sparse light.
"Yeah, well she wants a lot of things," retorted Connor as more figures materialised around him.
"You will not leave here alive," hissed one of the warriors to his left. "By the will of the Mother, you shall perish!"
"Like hell I will!" snorted Connor, charging forwards.
"That's all you got to say?" hissed Anya, glaring at him. "Even if you look older, you're still a ten-year old brat! And you're going to Japan. No matter how mature you try to act, we all know you'll want to come home after a day! I'm certain you won't even be able to get to Heathrow without screwing something up!"
Negi shrugged. "Well, I'll be with Connor most of the way, so we should be ok."
Just then there was a roar of an engine. The trio looked towards the garage entrance, watching Connor fly out on his prized Yamaha XJ600S as the space behind him exploded. Negi, Nekane and Anya gaped as he landed and hit the brakes, skidding to a halt just in front of them.
"Put this on and get on," he said, hurling a helmet at the older Negi.
"What happened?! Are you alright?" exclaimed the boy mage, donning the helmet and glancing at the smoking ruins of the garage.
"I'm fine, and it was nothing important. By the way, Nekane, you may want to tell the Magus that someone didn't do their job properly and left an open portal in parking bay 5!"
"Oh dear," said Nekane, glancing at the parking lot worriedly. "Is it all ok now?"
There was another explosion, followed by a loud crash as the ancient building that was the entrance to the car park collapsed in on itself in a cloud of smoke.
There was a moment of silence before Connor spoke. "Well, the portal's closed now if that's what you mean..." He trailed off as the dust cloud began to settle. Something hit Negi's leg. He glanced down only to be confronted by a classic sad theatre mask.
It was at this moment that the magically enhanced voice of the magus roared throughout the school. "CONNOR!!"
"Time to go," said the black-clad swordsman, grabbing Negi and hurling him behind himself before gunning the engine.
"Stay in touch!" Nekane managed to say before they shot of towards the portal that would transport them to the airport. She watched them go, smiling softly. Negi was taking his first steps into a new world. He was growing up. She was still smiling as she turned around and re-entered the academy. She would see him again, of that she was sure.
"Damn that hot-head," growled the Magus, glaring out the window at the dust trail kicked up by Connor's noisome machine. Why he had allowed him to keep that thing was beyond him. But it still had its uses...
"Sir, shouldn't we be more worried about the fact that yet another school facility has been destroyed?" queried a boy from the corner of the room, idly flicking through the pages of a black, leather-bound book. "As for Connor, you can punish him when he gets back."
"Remember who you are speaking to boy. You may be the great Hellfire but in my eyes you're still a child," retorted the magus, turning away from the window to look at his current visitor.
Masayoshi sighed as he snapped his book shut, shaking his head to clear it, causing his pony tail to wave slightly. "I apologize sir. It's been a long night after all, preparing that portal."
The elderly mage narrowed his eyes. "Indeed it must have been, and yet you are not resting. Why?"
The black haired youth stood up and stretched his arms out. "Had to make sure the son of the legendary Thousand Master was on his way safely. And now I take my leave of you sir. I should've been asleep hours ago."
"Very well. You may leave. I have arranged for you to have the day off to fully recuperate."
"Thank you sir," replied the younger mage, smiling tiredly. He turned to leave the headmaster of the school alone with his thoughts.
"Oh, before you take your rest, find Clyde Metro for me," added the Magus as an afterthought.
Masayoshi froze mid-step, and took a deep breath before turning around and nodding. His rest would obviously have to wait for a while.
A/N: Well...the cat's outta the bag...let's see how far it can get before being stuffed back in, shall we?