Disclaimer: Negima! Is created by the great Akamatsu Ken. In no way I claim any of the chacters he have created.
A/N: Epilogue for the 7 sins series. Enjoy!
"No sin goes unpunished"
It was for the best. Overcast skies hung overhead, promising a downpour. Sakurazaki Setsuna trudged forward on a cobbled road towards a mansion in the distance.
She had flown for a length of time westward, over mountains, forests and a wide body of water until she found land again. Exhaustion and unfamiliar territory had disorientated her, and every step seemed heavier than the last. It was not so much the physical weight of the precious little bundle in her arms but the heaviness in her heart that weighed her down. The spot beside her was uncomfortably empty without her love, the father of her child.
But this was her choice and she will have to live with it.
The days that she spent with him were blissful as they lived in an enchanted villa away for a few months (only a few days in the real world). They had fallen into drunkenness of their love, giving in to their original sin even as their child grew in her. Nonetheless, they still found time to prepare for the arrival of their child by picking up domestic skills and talked about the name for their child and the best way to raise them.
The only thing they had never talked about was what they would do once they left the comfort and protection of the enchanted villa. Perhaps it was because it was something they were not looking forward to but which was always at the back of their minds. There were more than a few times when she found him looking pensively into the space in front of him in a quiet corner of the villa. When questioned, he would smile and dismiss her concern, saying that he could not believe that he could be happier to hear the love of his life bearing his child.
Love: the word that he said to her to express his feelings and part of a three word declaration that he whispered into her ear every night before the rise and fall of their breathing fell in sync with each other's as they slipped into slumber with their bodies intertwined. The days leading up to the birth of their child saw a far more intense expression of affection as he would hold her as if there was no tomorrow, promising that he would always love her. It was assuring yet curious at the same time.
Pregnancy had not been easy for her. She felt bloated and heavy, unused to the additional weight on her usually lithe body and her hands were itching for the familiar weight of her sword. There were times when she had her bouts of worry of their friends; their future; of their child's future; if their child would inherit her...peculiar condition. If so, would their child be shunned by society like her? Would she be blamed for their child's condition? Would her love leave her because of that? So many things could go wrong and it was too overwhelming to think of them. But even as she worried, his presence was always there to reassure her, to kiss her tears away and put her at ease.
Time passed and their child finally arrived in the world: a healthy girl with a fair, radiant complexion and a budding tuft of reddish brown hair. It was an easy birth assisted by the maids of the villa. He stayed by her side the whole time, her hand in his. It was a simple gesture but it meant so much more to her. Pride and happiness shone in his eyes as he tried to hold back the tears in his eyes, holding their child for the first time. But little did she know that the tears fell for other reasons.
Almost immediately after the birth, Evangeline, the owner of the villa and an immortal vampire cursed with eternal youth, stepped into the room in a leisurely manner. The vampire's smirk at that moment still echoed in her mind as she made her way to their side. She stood next to them, considering the baby, excitement evident in her eyes... a little too excited, perhaps. She wordlessly reached out with her hands, waiting for the child to be placed in them. The request was hesitantly obliged.
The child was well behaved, staying silent as the vampire cooed to her. "She has your eyes," she said looking at the father when the child lazily opened her eyes, yawning as she gazed up at the person holding her. The exchange between the vampire and him was not easy to overlook. The moment passed and the vampire returned the child. Her gaze lingered at the mother and child.
"Honya-chan's is placed under care now," she began, "although, I don't think anyone can help her; she's too far gone." She shook her head in pity. "Your Ojou-sama had been missing you, Sakurazaki, but seems like she snapped out of her thoughts and started blaming you for her current state, saying that she would never again want to see you." Evangeline seem to take pleasure as Setsuna paled despite her fair complexion. "I have even more delicious news: seems like Princess Kagurazaka is in a spot of trouble with the law. Of course, one does not easy get away from murder."
"How did that happen?" Negi hurriedly asked once the shock passed.
"Asakura was stabbed: struck right into her heart. She died quickly but Miss Kagurazaka seemed to think it fitting to mutilate the body. Removing fingers and strangling her neck. Someone spotted her though as she was removing the eyes." Evangline tsked, licking her lips wistfully, "What a waste of so much blood."
Setsuna was horrified by what she was hearing. Had she caused this? Destroying so many lives with their acts? What would happen next? They could never return to what things were before now that innocent blood had been spilled. With the scorn of her mistress she could not stand to stay on Mahora anymore. Could things get any worse?
Negi had turned green, as if sick. As if reading their minds, Evangeline was surprisingly consoling, "They brought this upon themselves. They chose to walk on that path of self destruction. Now come on, we still have one last thing to do before we get out of here."
Sitting on her bed with the child in her arms, Setsuna watched in confusion as the vampire walked up to a crestfallen Negi. Before she could react, Evangeline took his head in her hands and tilted his head and sank her sharp teeth into the neck, keenly drawing blood from him.
Setsuna was too stunned to move. A scream caught in her throat. She never expected to see the blood ritual from this close. The child, as if sensing danger, began to squirm in her blanket.
Negi felt the sharp canine teeth punctured his skin followed by the light headed sensation as his blood pressure fell. He felt his heart speed up to accommodate the loss in blood pressure. It felt like his limbs were growing unbearably heavy and spots appeared in his vision. Slowly but steadily, he slipped away into oblivion.
Evangeline sucked till it became too difficult to draw out anymore. She released her jaws, supporting his limp body with hers as she bit into her own wrist and slapped it against his lips. For a few beats, nothing happened as he leaned heavily against the vampire. Then, as though tasting something foreign, an uncertain tongue slipped out to lick the source of the blood. Suddenly, invigorated, he straightened up and grabbed her arm, hungry for more and resisting Evangeline's light effort to withdraw her arm. It was only after the flow had ebbed and the wound had regenerated by her abilities that he stopped.
The ritual was complete and vampire Negi was born.
"The promised is fulfilled. You may go now." Evangeline coldly shot at Setsuna, dismissing her.
Setsuna's mind was spinning. She had barely learnt of the horrific happenings in the real world and just when it seemed that things could not get any worse, the man she loved had been brutally taken away from her, cursed with un-living longevity. Tears began to well in her eyes. How had her life spun out of control so crazily?
"I've wanted a companion after all these years alone. He was given a choice of the child or his life. He chose his and what better way to have him while he's still at my age?" Evangeline toothily grinned, exposing blood stained teeth. "From now on, I'm his future. He has no memory of his past which includes you, Sakurazaki." She leaned down to the mother, her breath rusty and pungent, "I advise you to stay away from Mahora, away from him. There is nothing left here for you. If I ever see you again, I won't be so generous with your life and I will take the child too.
"I will now take my young fledging and begin his life with me," Evangeline helped a disorientated Negi to his feet and walked to the doors, paused and looked back to the anguished mother on the bed, "I expect you to be gone when I return." Those were the last words and the last time Setsuna saw either of them.
Setsuna was lost. Her mind was a whirlpool of thoughts and fears. What could she do? Staying in Mahora was no longer an option for her or her child. Her love was so suddenly taken away from her. Or had he known all along? It would explain his desperate and intense expression of love in the past few weeks leading to her birth. Was it his pride that prevented him to speak of this to her? She would have insisted that they leave the enchanted villa, leave Mahora together and start afresh where they could live in anonymity. Now it was too late. Never again could she feel his sweet caresses and soft breath against her skin.
After crying out her anguish with her child clutched in her arms, she began thinking of her next move. There were too many memories in Mahora, too many complications. She would have to start anew. She would have to strong for both her child and herself. Whatever happened, she could not stay here any longer. The child seemed to understand the situation and gave no sign of protest as her mother packed their necessities in preparation to leave the villa.
She took to the skies, heading west, never looking back.
Exhaustion finally caught up with her as she made it to the final steps to the huge doors of the mansion. It was an ornate heavy double door of a Chinese design: a sign of an influential, albeit traditional home. She glanced up and a wave of realisation washed over her: she now understood how the future came to be. With the last of her strength, she pounded on the door, loud enough to be heard over the low rumble of thunder in the distance. This is a safe house to be in, she thought as she closed her eyes, drifting to an easy sleep at the doorstep of the House of Chao.
A/N: Thank you for all who supported this series. Perhaps we could reflect on ourselves on some of the things we do and how they may affect others.
Hope to hear your reviews!
An additional author's notes and thoughts will be appene in the nex chapter, entertaining questions of some reviewers
* * Special mention to Cas for helping to proof-read, Thanks! * *