Crimson Chiu

Inspired by characters and places original imagined by and belonging to Ken Akamatsu and found in the various Negima versions on the market.

Hello everyone—doing well? Still having fun during summer break? Welcome to Chiu's travel blog #25. (*^o^*) As you know—between bugs, monsters, monster bugs, terrorist attacks, strange looking people and being lost—Chiu's summer vacation has be fraught with adventure and danger. Still, Chiu has seen some really amazing places and has met some really interesting people in her travels. Poor Chiu even had to deal with the biggest perv she has ever met and had to nurse her friend back to health, getting really badly hurt while doing something kinda stupid. To all my fans, I just want to let you know that Chiu has not forgotten you and has taken a lot of pretty pictures. I can't wait to share them with you but I hope Chiu's server doesn't crash from the illogic of some of the images. All and all though, Chiu's trip has reached a high point: Today, Chiu and her friend got invited to a fancy dress ball! Still, Chiu has to admit she is looking forward to getting back to her peaceful life and is looking forwards to spending more time with her fans. Honestly, in the end, I guess my first impression of travel is still my best: Stick to what you know!

Hasegawa Chisame reread her post and feeling that it really said all she wanted it to she clicked 'save'.

404 Error: File not found.

"Yeah, Yeah . . . I know, I know." She muttered and pushed her glasses back to the bridge of her nose. "At least this backward fantasy land has electricity."

She stared a little longer at the 404 message. It still aggravated her but what's an E-Girl to do when dropped into a country that was a page torn from a children's story. She mentally sighed. The others may be fine with this but this girl intends to forget everything that has happened, as soon as she gets back to her normal—non-fantasy—high school life! She thought and then mentally chuckled for a second. Like, as if that will be possible I'm in too deep now and can't turn back. As if fate itself had conspired to tease her, further, the screen on her laptop went inexplicably dark.

"Figures!" she said, angrily, as she stared at the black screen, as if betrayed by her only friend, and then the keys began typing on their own.

CHIBICHIUCHAN…CHIBICHIUCHAN…CHIBICHIUCHAN…CHIBICHIUCHAN…CHIBICHIUCHAN…CHIBICHIUCHAN…CHIBICHIUCHAN…CHIBICHIUCHAN…

"Sprites!" She called to the empty room.

Summoned by her words the seven sprites of Spiritus Electronicus, her artefact, appeared out of nowhere.

"Yes Chiu-sama." One said.

"Lovely Chiu-sama." Said another.

Even after all this time, Chisame was unable to fully identify one from another but she had gotten good at saying 'hey you' reasonably politely when she spoke to them.

"Are you guys doing this?" She said, pointing at her computer.

"We'd never Chiu-sama." A third sprite said.

"How could Chiu-sama be so cruel," chimed a fourth.

"Then who?" Chisame demanded.

"We'll check Chiu-sama." Two others answered in unison.

"Our lives are but to serve Chiu-sama." A seventh intoned almost reverently.

An overwhelming sense of love came from the sprites and they drew close to Chisame. As if electrons around an atom; the sprites circled the bespectacled girl and continued to quietly heap compliments on her.

At least they're good for a girl's ego, she thought absently, but sometimes it's a bit much.

"Chiu-sama?" One of the sprites spoke but sounded confused.

"Yeah?" Chisame said.

"We're so sorry Chiu-sama, we are worthless." Another spoke.

"Please forgive us Chiu-sama" pleaded another.

"Lovely Chiu-sama." A fourth said.

"Well," Chisame said, "what is it?"

"We don't know where it's coming from, we're sorry." A fourth said in humble apology as the sprites circled around her like the electrons of an atom.

"Hee hee hee." Ominous laugher echoed about the chamber as if coming from everywhere.

"Wh . . . Who . . . Who's there?" Chisame stuttered as she tried to peer to the dark corners of her chamber.

"Chibi Chiu-chan." A familiar voice spoke in mocking irony. "Number one net idol—adored by hackers everywhere; I just laugh my ancient butt off when you're around. You're a joke you know and he doesn't need you, not anymore: he has much more useful and powerful servants at his command but he's an English gentleman," the tone mockingly emphasizing 'English gentleman', "so he won't say anything. Why did you bother, anyway? Why didn't you keep to your normal boring everyday teen girl life that you keep harping about? Are you like bookstore, or Yue, or Makie or heaven forbid Ako? Do you love our bōya too?"

"Who . . . who are you?" Chisame stammered.

"Ha ha ha" The mocking laughter echoed around the room, once more, and two glowing red eyes appeared on her laptop screen.

"You!" She exclaimed as the eyes shrank, as if zooming out to show an image of the naked loli-like body of Evangeline McDowell sitting cross-legged on the dark screen.

Chisame stared, not sure what to do or think other than: a fearsome and powerful monster shouldn't look this cute.

"You're staring at me Chisame-chan; do you like what you see?" The image said, provocatively. "I know you enjoy your loli form, have you ever wanted to experience it the way you do in your favourite dōjins? Are you curious? At least Paru is honest with herself; she's not afraid to play with her artefact in a manner befitting an Otaku. She has lots of fun with hers."

"What . . . what do you mean?" She stammered angrily.

"Do you want a girl, who looks like me, to speak of such matters, have you no shame?"

"What does your appearance have to do with it?" Chisame asked, "Aren't you just an inferior copy? That's what Rakan-san said you were."

"That fool, Rakan!" Evangeline said as if spitting venom. "What does he know? He's even dumber than Nagi and Nagi was well nigh the dumbest mage I've ever dealt with in my long life."

"But Negi-sensei's dad beat you, well the real you anyway," Chisame said.

"What has that got to do with anything?" Evangeline said angrily. "I tell you he was dumb, dumb, dumb!"

"Still, if he was able to beat the real you, then I'm sure Negi wouldn't have trouble with just an inferior copy like you." She said and cringed, why am I provoking her, am I stupid? Inferior copy or not I'm only bug to her. Baka! Baka! Baka!

"Inferior copy! I'll show you inferior." Evangeline's tone was not forgiving.

The image on Chisame's screen leapt from the computer and seemingly dove into the girl's forehead. As if struck by a physical force, she flailed backwards and crashed to the floor and, as the world faded, Chisame heard her sprites calling in worry.

"Let's talk about that Chisame-chan." Evangeline's voice purred as Chisame opened her eyes.

"Where . . . Where am I?" She asked as she tried to place what she was seeing: it looked very familiar.

"Don't you recognize this place?" Evangeline asked. "You should, you made it."

Chisame looked around. Sunlight sparkled and flickered in dancing streams that scared timid fish, which swam in aimless schools. She looked up and the sun shimmered above the pane, that was the ocean's surface, its rays drawn into shining ribbons, stretching to the depths. She felt sand between her toes and looked down. I was here during the Mahora Festival with Ayaka and Makie, she realized. But, why am I here now?

"So you finally clue in Chibi Chiu-chan." Evangeline mocked. "Now I ask you again: why did you come with bōya? Of all who followed him here, to Mundus Magicus, the only person less prepared for this place was Murakami Natsume and she is actually coping reasonably well, all things considered. She loves the dog and doesn't have to worry about her roommates."

"Dog?" Chisame said to herself.

"How did you become the number one net idol when you can't follow simple logic, chibi Chiu-chan?" Evangeline sardonically asked. "The dog is that half breed Kotaro, bōya's best buddy who did you think I meant, dummy?"

"Oh," Chisame said and felt a little dumb for it.

"Anyway, while you were puttering about for internet glory, and patting yourself on your back, the others were learning how to use their artefacts and practicing their gifts: they were learning how to survive. Where are you on this list, Chibi Chiu-chan?"

Suddenly floating above their heads, in the cyber-water, a list appeared. Chisame looked at it.

famulusnosferatu Akashi

famulusnosferatu Izumi

famulusnosferatu Ōkōchi

famulus nosferatu Sasaki

****

Magister Magia Erebea EVANGELINE McDOWELL

****

disciple (Magia Erebea) Magister Springfield

forward—ministra magi Princess Kagurazaka

ministra magi Sakurazaki

ministra magi Nagase

ministra magi Fei

ministra magi Karakuri

rear—ministra magi Princess Konoe

ministra magi Ayase

ministra magi Saotome

ministra magi Miyazaki

intelligence—ministra magi Asakura/Aisake

Princess Konoe

ministra magi Sakurazoki

Inugami

Cocolova

ministra magi Hasegawa (disciple magia umbra?)

"Fam . . . famulus nosferatu?" Chisame said, puzzled. "Why is Akasi-san, Izumi-san, Ōkōchi-san and Sasaki-san listed as your familiars?"

"I sent them along, well my Potissimus Exempler did—not that they knew it—in case bōya needed extra help." Evangeline answered, "And since they were once my thralls they're naturally attuned to magic, especially to Magia Erebea."

"Thralls?"

"You do remember those incidents on Sakura Lane at the beginning of third year, don't you?" Evangeline said.

"Vaguely, I don't listen to school gossip," answered Chisame. "Look where I am now because I nosed into business that was not my own; this is my penance for not sticking to what I know.

"Still trying to remain stubbornly aloof chibi Chiu-chan?" Evangeline enquired, "You're in way to deep for that now so you best get used to it. Well since you didn't spend any time with me—well my Potissimus Exempler, anyway—I've decided to take an interest in."

"What are you?" Chisame said, looking for a way to escape from this place and this monster.

"Rakan called me an inferior copy out of ignorance but it was a pretty fair guess for one so dumb." Evangeline said, "Actually, I am a Soulshard. I was left behind when Evangeline scribed and endowed the Magia Erbea Scroll because that is what it costs to imbue an item with magic: a piece of your soul. I first noticed you when you were nursing bōya while his mind was trapped in my Phantasmagoria. I have since taken a personal interest in you and your training."

"Do you think I want you interest or your training?" Chisame said.

Evangeline laughed.

"I don't think you have a choice," she said, "you're stuck here until I decide to let you go; besides, I've decided I like you and deserve my undivided attention. We're a lot alike, you and I; we both tend to stick to ourselves and don't really care what happens to others in general. Besides, I'm bored."

"What! You want to train me because you're bored!" Chisame exclaimed, "What type of stupid reason is that? I can't believe you're doing it only for that reason besides I don't have any special magical abilities other than what I get from my artefact."

"I've never met someone with no magical ability," Evangeline said, "only people who are unable to access it. Magical ability is like a switch. Mundanes are only mundane because it hasn't been tuned on. For most it's never switched on but for others it's on when they are born, bōya for example, your switch is half on."

"Half on?" Chisame

"Did you think all you got was a cool artefact and extended cosplay abilities?" Evangeline continued. "Wrong, fool, when you kissed bōya you got kicked into the magical realm; you're no more a normal teenage girl than I am, now. Get used to it, no matter how much you want to deny it you're stuck with it and stuck with it for life."

"That's insane," Chisame said weakly.

"That's reality," Evangeline corrected. "May as well go all the way and embrace it. Besides, this may be the only way you'll ever survive until you get back to being a 'normal' high school girl."

"I can't," Chisame said and then exclaimed, "I won't believe it, I refuse to accept fantasy as reality! Just try to do something that will drag me deeper into this crap and I'll knock you on you loli ass."

"Fu Fu Fu" Evangeline laughed, "Your anger helps so go ahead and try to knock me on my loli ass; I won't even use magic to stop you. I know, let's make a deal."

"What sort of deal?" Chisame asked warily.

"Much like what I made with Bōya or the princess Chibi Chiu-chan." Evangeline answered, "They wanted me to teach them but you're the opposite and want to be left alone."

"What do I have to do?" Still weary but curious, Chisame looked at the vampire.

"It's very easy and I'm sure a simple minded idiot like you will get it, eh, chibi Chiu-chan?" Evangeline cruelly teased.

"STOP CALLING ME CHIBI CHIU-CHAN!"

Evangeline laughed evilly.

"IF THIS MEANS I CAN GET BACK TO BEING NORMAL BRING IT ON LOLIGELINE!"

"Loligeline, I like it." Evangeline said, her smile evil, "I didn't think your little mind could put together words like that. So, you want to hear the terms?"

"BRING IT ON BITCH; WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO TO BE RID OF YOU AND THIS FANTASY NIGHTMARE I'M STUCK IN?!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Evangeline began, "what a way to talk to someone who's willing to help you. Very well then, all you have to do is touch me once with a punch or a slap. What the hell, even a finger in my eye or pulling my hair will do."

Chisame was furious, she had never been bated like this and in her rage, and she forgot whom she was dealing with. She dove at the loli-vampire and Evangeline merely stepped aside. Chisame unbalanced and flailing wildly hit the sea floor of her phantasmagoria and Eva laughed.

"Come on chibi Chiu-chan." Evangeline taunted, "That's it? Is that all you got?"

The bluish light, filtering from the surface of the cybersea, was changing to a light purple. The ribbons and streamers of light were shimmering violently as the surface above their heads rolled and tumbled violently. The pretty fish that had been swimming around were gone as if sensing Chisame's anger. Evangeline looked towards the stormy surface and smiled.

"WHY ARE YOU SMILING CHIBI EVA-yōgisha?!" Chisame screamed as she lunged at Evangeline. Evangeline gracefully leapt over the angry girl.

"fu fu fu . . .you're going to be stuck her if you don't do better than that chibi Chiu-chan," Evangeline's ridicule fed Chisame's anger. "Is that it: 'yōgisha', wouldn't 'jukeisha' be better: I am a vampire after all."

"STAND STILL!"

"Why would I want to do that, Chisame?" Evangeline sneered and left out the honorific. "But if you truly want to strike me you're going to have to find another way to do it. You're slow and clumsy. If you think you can touch me physically then you're dreaming."

Evangeline contemptuously began laughing and the sound echoed not only through the phantasmagoria but also in Chisame's head. It goaded and provoked her and under it all, insulting whispers seemed to be prying out her most embarrassing moments. Around her, the light in the cyberwater was crimson, as if responding to her anger. There was power here, she could feel it teasing and enticing her to embrace. I'll have the little loli bitch if I use it and I won't have to listen to her irritatingly scornful and venomous words anymore. She thought as she charged at the vampire.

Good, good, Evangeline thought, Chisame's fury is growing by the second. Evangeline glowed in the blood red light, which was streaming from the surface; she revelled in it as she was bathing in blood. She dodged another one of Chisame's futile attacks and, as the young woman went by, she gave her a push. Chisame hit the seafloor and skidded across the sand. Time to start spoon-feeding her, Evangeline thought as Chisame's angry mind became easier to invade and manipulate, let's give her something to play with if she wakes up.

Anger, rage, wrath or fury, any would describe Chisame's state but what was bothering her most was an overwhelming sense of helplessness. I can't hit her, I can't even touch her, she thought as tears of frustration filled her eyes. I won't give up, I refuse to give up. There must be a way, all of Negi's other partners overcame difficulties so they could stand with him, am I so weak? She thought and felt something tugging at her soul and before her, a grey glowing ball of energy faded into view. It hovered, looking like it was slowly spinning and Chisame knew that she could hit Evangeline with it if she threw it at the vampire. Chisame reached for the ball; it felt like fire. She ignored the pain and clutched the ball tightly with both hands. It seared her palms and burned into her hands and then her body until she felt it burn into her mind like acid. The burning raged through her body, to become part of her, and then faded to a candle like flame flickering in her soul. She embraced the candle and it merged into her soul and the way she felt the world around her changed.

"NIVIS CASUS!" Chisame yelled without know the meaning of the words.

Near Evangeline, there was a sudden explosion of ice and wind. It buffeted her but the shards of ice were merely deflected by her vampire shield. Evangeline's smile grew. Come on Chisame-chan, let go and let me see what you got now. Evangeline thought and began feeding more words into the young woman's mind.

"Quinque spiritus glaciates, eoeuntes inimcum concidant: sagitta magica, series glacialis!" Chisame bellowed and suddenly she saw things rushing at Evangeline.

What's with the weird words coming out of my mouth? Chisame thought with a part of her mind that had somehow retained a modicum of control. The five things, which seemed to have come from her words, missed Evangeline. Damn, she thought but she was beginning to feel better about her test. I might do it yet.

Hmm . . . she could pull off five. Not a big threat but it's a start. Evangeline thought. How about this . . .

"veniant spiritus aerials fulguriento, cum fulgurationi flet tempestas austrina: jovis tempestas fulguriens!" Chisame roared.

Surprised, Evangeline was caught off guard by how near the spell had manifested. She jumped forward but didn't think about where she would land and suddenly she felt a hand grab her hair. With a mental shove, Evangeline tossed the owner of the hand at least three metres from where she was standing and began laughing. Chisame, feeling utterly confused, stood up and rubbed her behind; it had hurt where she had hit the ground, and stared at the vampire in disbelief: she was laughing in the middle of their fight.

"I touched you!" Chisame yelled, "that's all I had to do you said so now you have to leave me alone!"

"Very well, I'll hold up my end of the bargain." Evangeline said but there was something in her smile that worried Chisame.

The world around her began to fade away and the she felt something hard against her back. She opened her eyes and found herself lying on her back; the naked Evangeline was sitting on her chest. The vampire's face was so close that Chisame could have kissed her.

"Get off me perv!" She yelled and pulled herself to a sitting position. Evangeline gracefully leapt to her feet.

"What did you do to me?" Chisame demanded.

"fu fu fu . . ." Evangeline laughed, "I turned you on."

"WHAT!?" She was certain her eyes had bugged out and through the lenses of her glasses; like some character in a manga or anime.

"The wrong words, perhaps?" Evangeline chuckled, "would you prefer switched on?"

"I . . . I don't get it." Chisame said as a sense of calm returned.

"I told you that you had been switched half on with the pactio with bōya." She replied without derision. "I like you Chisame-chan, I would like you to get out of this mess alive but things are spiralling so far out of everyone's control that Mundus Magicus is on the verge of erupting into full scale armed combat; there is no Thousand Master around this time to save it. Such is the way with mortals."

"Armed combat?"

"Yes," Evangeline replied, "it seems that the arrival of bōya was a catalyst and fanned old grievances and distrust amongst the people of magical world. He is, after all, the Prince of Calamity."

"Prince of Calamity?"

"Yes, his mother was the queen of Ostia at the end of the war twenty years ago," Evangeline said, "and it was under her reign that it was ruined. Don't ask why right now it would take too much time to explain without knowing a lot more about the history of Mundus Magicus. You and all your friends are about to be swept into the swirling current of conflict. Without what I've given you, it is unlikely that you will survive."

"What have you given me?"

"I've given you Magia Umbra," Evangeline said.

"Like Negi-sensei?"

"No," Evangeline answered, "Magia Erebea would tear you apart like it has done to everyone who as ever thought they could master me."

"Does that mean . . ."

"It depends of bōya and bōya's will." Evangeline began, "If he is strong enough he will command it but if he weakens he will be consumed. He should be thankful that he was under the tutorage of my Potissimus Exempler and he's been the only one who has ever managed to extend mastery over me."

"What does this Magia Umbra mean to me?" Chisame asked.

"Hold out your hand and say, 'ignus glaciales aeris'." The vampire said.

Chisame held out her hand and chanted, "Ignus glaciales aeris."

Awed, she looked at her hand a small ball of blue flame seemed to be hovering above it. She could feel that is was cold instead of hot and caused the moister in the air to condense into a shrouding light mist.

"This is my gift to you so that you may live." Evangeline said, "Practice what I've taught you."

Evangeline began to fade away.

"Wait," Chisame said. "Why are you really doing this?"

The now ghostlike image replied, "Like I said, I like you. Besides I need a vessel so I can get back to my Potissimus Exempler, I'm tired of being a Soulshard and want to rejoin the spirit I was torn from. When you finally can go back I'll hitch a ride."

"You can't do that!" Chisame shouted.

"Sure I can chibi Chiu-chan. Take care now, I may drop back from time to time to see how you're doing."

Evangeline's figure completed faded away with leaving her laughing voice as an echo of presence. Chisame sat on the floor of her room and looked at her computer.

404 Error: File not found.