Authors Rant: First of all I'd like to thank everyone who read 'Vinculums Ab Fatum'. Even thought I think it was only one person! Oh well! Anyways I better stop talking before I go on a tangent. Here's the second chapter. Enjoy!

"Talking"

'Thinking'

Disclaimer: Negima was created and written by Ken Akamatsu. Please don't sue me. All I have is a pair of pants and a bag of mini marshmallows. Ok….half a bag.

CHAPTER 2: Because I want It More!

"Aniki, are you okay?"

Negi slowly opened one eye then the other. Kamo sat on his chest, staring back at him in concern. The mage smiled at his 'little brother.' The returned his gaze to the ceiling.

"I'm alright Kamo-kun. I'm just thinking about how nice it's going to be to go to the party at masters."

"So everything is fine with Ku-teacher then?"

"Good! I was worried about her for a minute!"

"You mean you were worried about losing her firepower?"

Kamo pulled a face of mock indignation. "Aniki…I'm a little insulted."

"Riiighhhtt. Don't worry, she decided to stay to."

"Did you really want her to leave?" No answer came from the young mage. "Like I thought. Anyways, about the party."

"Hm? What about it?"

"Providing Evangeline doesn't kill us for this," he shivered, "I think it would be a good idea for you to change."

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Negi asked innocently.

"Nothing. It's just that you always wear a suit. Some casual clothes would be a nice change."

Negi shrugged. "If you say so."

"Yes. I think it would be a good idea. Come on, you need to protect your image in front of the ladies!"

"What kind of image do you think I have with girls?" He asked in amusement.

"He's right Negi!" When did Asuna, Konoka, and Setsuna come back? "For a ten year old brat, you sure have a lot of girls following you." Asuna smirked.

Konoka giggled. "And Asuna is one of them."

"I AM NOT!"

"I think Konoka-Ojou-sama means as a big sister."

"Secchan, don't call me Ojou-sama!" Konoka whined.

"Sorry, force of habit."

Negi looked at the girls, his eyes lighting up with little stars. He had never seen them look so cute. Asuna was wearing a white blouse with a blue floral print, a white knee length skirt, and a pair of sandals. Konoka chose a sleeveless white shirt, a pair of drawstring capris, and her usual sneakers. Negi thought that Setsuna looked particularly cute in her light blue babydoll-style jumper, with a white blouse underneath. She still wore her nekomimi. Negi was sure that was Konoka's doing. Maybe changing wasn't such a bad idea.

"Is this good enough Kamo-kun?"

They were making their way through the forest to Evangeline's cottage. Negi had changed into a reddish orange long sleeved shirt, a pair of black pants and his loafer style shoes. A black vest and his beret style hat completed the outfit.

"Yes! Looking good Aniki! The girls won't be able to keep their hands off of you!"

"That's what I'm afraid of." He groaned.

"Negi-kun, hurry up!"

"Yeah, stop lagging behind!"

Negi turned his head to look at the girls. They were already walking inside the cabin. He jogged after them, finally catching up with them on the stairs. The basement was as dark and creepy as ever. Dolls of all shapes and sizes loomed from the shadows. Negi always found the dolls to be a little creepy. Then again he thought it was cute that his master collected them.

"Ah! I found it!"

Asuna smiled happily at the glass container on the table. Inside the container was what appeared to be a model of a small villa? Negi placed his hand on the glass dome. The others followed his example. A minute later they were engulfed by a bright white light. It made a humming sound; not unlike the sound of static energy. It felt as though they were floating in a vast expanse of nothingness. After what seemed like minutes, it was only a few minutes, they touched down on solid grounds.

Negi opened his eyes and took a deep breath. As he expected, it was warm in the alternate dimension. He loved it here though. He could smell the salty air of the surrounding ocean, feel the cool breeze, and hear…the sound of death threats from up ahead.

"I think Evangeline found out about the party." Setsuna smiled.

"I knew this was bad idea!" Negi groaned. He took off over the narrow bridge hoping to stop the bloodshed.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?! I'LL KILL YOU ALL!" Evangeline shouted.

Who did these bakas think they are? Coming into her villa without her permission. And to have a party no less! Hell, the only reason they survived this long was because Chachamaru kept her from killing them. She rubbed her temples in frustration. Why her? She opened her eyes and smiled.

"Bouya!" The petite Shinso strode up to him, giving her best death glare. "What is the meaning of this? Get these bakas out of my villa! NOW!"

Negi rubbed the back of his head nervously, definitely a bad idea. "Ma-master! Sorry! They just kind of took it upon themselves." He laughed nervously.

"Master, just let me kill them!" Came a tiny but excited voice. Chachazero held a blade twice her size in one hand and a scythe in the other. "It'll be easy. Like killing a fish!"

Evangeline smiled at the sadistic puppet. "Maybe later Chachazero."

"Awwwwwwwwwwww!"

"So bouya, are you going to make them leave. Or do I have to." She asked baring her fangs.

Before Negi could answer Haruna walked up and placed an arm around Evangeline. "Eva-san can we talk?"

"Don't touch me." Evangeline did follow the artist to the side.

Negi didn't know what they were talking about, but when they came back Evangeline was blushing. She glared at everyone for a second

"You all can stay if you want," she grumbled.

"Ah! Thank you Eva-chan!" Konoka squealed.

'Humph!' Evangeline stalked off. He black evening dress swaying slightly. "Just don't mess the place up!" She called over her shoulder.

"What did you say to her Paru-nee-san?" Kamo asked. He was impressed with her now.

"Oh, no need to worry about that," Haruna said mysteriously. She winked at Negi before returning to Nodoka and Yue.

"I wonder what that was about." Negi wondered aloud.

"Don't worry about it Negi. C'mon, the others are probably in the courtyard." Asuna ran ahead of him her skirt flailing. "I'm really hungry!"

"There's food in the courtyard?"

Setsuna smiled. "We talked Chachamaru-san into making food for the party."

Negi followed after them wondering how they managed to accomplish that. He was greeted enthusiastically by Nodoka. She immediately engaged him in a conversation. Negi tried to keep his mind on the conversation, but his thoughts were somewhere else. It was only when Yue joined in the conversation that he snapped out of his reverie.

Walking into the courtyard he immediately noticed a change in the scenery. Torches lined the entire circular court, giving it a feeling of intimacy. Tall ivory pillars cast their shadows out over the torch lit grounds. In the middle of the courtyard sat two, long rectangular tables. Eloquent roses were carved into the beautifully polished wood and ivy seemed to decorate the entire area. Situated atop the tables were various fancy looking foods on silver platters. Candles had been placed into empty wine bottles and placed on the tables. It didn't look like the kind of party the girls would plan.

"Wow, everyone's here."

Evangeline sat at one the tables, taking dainty sips from a glass of red liquid. Negi had a sneaking suspicion that the red liquid wasn't wine. Over at one of the pillars, Hakase was chatting with Chachamaru and her maniacal puppet counterpart. The people he least expected to see at the party were Takane and Mei. The two of them stood at the opposite end of the courtyard. Seeing as how they didn't know anyone, they looked a little uncomfortable. Asakura and Sayo stood with them, trying to get them to talk. He spotted Ku Fei and Kaede on the right side of the courtyard. Mana was with them, leaning against a pillar, preferring to keep to herself. Ku Fei caught his eye and waved to him energetically.

Negi smiled and waved back. He was glad that she was feeling better. He turned around to ask Asuna something but she was gone. All of them had left to go and mingle. Negi sighed in a defeated manner.

"Well it's not so bad," Kamo soothed. "At least we know Evangeline isn't going to try and kill us."

"Heh heh. I guess that's true. Hey Kamo-kun, is that Chisame-san?" Negi said, pointing to the second table.

"That is her. I thought Chisame-nee-san didn't want to have anything to do with us?"

"So did I. Lets go talk to her?"

"Nah. You go ahead. I want to go find Chachazero. I'll see you later."

"Um, okay." Kamo hopped off of his shoulder and bounced towards Chachazero. "I wonder why he gets along with her so well. Chisame-san?!" He waved to her. Chisame glanced his way and shuddered. "I didn't expect to see you here!"

"Pfft! The only reason I'm here is because they forced me to come." She jerked her thumb in the direction of the Library Club.

"Oh," he replied, a little crestfallen. "S-so, are you ugh, working on your website."

"Trying to." Chisame glared at her notebook. "I can't get a damn connection in here!"

"We can help with that."

Negi and Chisame turned around. Hakase hadn't changed out of her school uniform and Chachamaru was dressed in her maids outfit.

"Good evening Hakase-san, Chachamaru-san."

"Hello Negi-sensei."

"Good evening Negi-sensei." Chachamaru bowed in her polite manner.

"Chachamaru-san, did you really make all of this food. It looks delicious!"

"Th-thank you Negi-sensei." She replied sheepishly. Hakase smiled at her 'daughter's' reaction. "It was hard to keep this a secret from master though."

"That's all well and good, but how in the hell can you help me?!"

Hakase turned an excited eye onto Chisame. "Chachamaru has a wireless internet connection, not to mention various USB ports. If you hook your PC up to her, you should be able to get a signal." She said proudly.

"Well I'll leave you guys to it then. Just have fun!"

"Yeah right. Alright, let's see what you got robot-girl."

Negi sighed. He had hoped Chisame would show up, but he wanted her in a better mood. Next up was Mei and Takane. He spent most of the festival fighting against them. He never got the chance to thank them for helping.

"Negi-sensei!" Sayo waved cheerfully.

Asakura turned her head and smiled. "Hey Negi-kun! Listen, I wanted to apologize. I never should have helped Chao. Sorry!"

Negi shook his hand at her. "Don't worry about it. I'm not mad."

"Arigatou Negi-kun! Does this mean we can still be your managing team?"

"I wouldn't want anyone else."

"YAY!" Sayo squealed happily.

"Come on Sayo-chan! Let's go tell Kamo-chi!"

Negi watched the happy girls retreat with a smile. "OH! Takane-san! Mei-san!"

"Yes, Negi-sensei?" Mei asked. She always seemed so polite.

"I wanted to thank you for helping me at the festival. I didn't really get the chance before."

Takane smiled at him, the first time from her. "Don't worry about it. It was our job after all. Besides we were impressed by your battle skills."

"Oh, well I didn't…"

"NEGI!"

"AH!" Negi leapt forward grabbing onto Takane.

"HEY, WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GRABBING!"

"Huh? WAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Realizing exactly where his hands were, Negi jumped back. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He cried.

"Wow Negi. I didn't think you were that forward with girls."

Negi turned around, tears flowing from his eyes in a comic fashion. "K-K-Kotarou-kun that was mean!" He whined.

"Yeah, but it was funny!" Kotarou grinned wolfishly and flashed him a thumbs up. "Hey nee-sans"

"Oh! You're the boy that I fought during the tournament!" Mei exclaimed. "Thanks for going easy one me!"

"No problem. I have a 'No Hitting Girls Policy!'

"Ooooh! I see now."

Kotarou talked to Mei while Negi tried to apologize to Takane. I wasn't going well. Tonight was going to be a long night after all.

"So that's how it was!"

Negi laughed. The party had been going on for only a couple of hours now. He hadn't seen Kamo, since the little ermine ran off, but that was okay. He was having fun just hanging out with his students and friends. He had found himself in an odd little group. Kotarou was telling stupid jokes to make Mei and the other laugh. He himself had lapsed into conversation with them and Evangeline. He was glad that even Evangeline seemed to enjoy herself.

"So bouya, how exactly did you beat Lingshen."

Negi lowered his cup and stared at her. "I-I don't understand. Weren't you watching the fight?"

"Un!" She nodded. "But I want to know exactly how you did it."

"Well, she pushed herself too far. Her body was covered in magic seals."

"Magic seals? So that's how she did it."

"Yep. Anyways she overdid it and one of the symbols on her forehead burst. I guess I just got lucky." He finished sheepishly.

"Her magic was still stronger than yours. For you to hold out as long as you did was mildly impressive."

Negi smiled. Compliments, no matter how small, came far and few between fro his master. "Arigatou master!"

"Oi, Eva-chan!"

"What do you want now Kagurazaka?" Evangeline asked in exasperation.

"Weeellllll, we were wondering if you could put on some music." Asuna asked in her best pouting tone.

Evangeline opened up one eye to look at Asuna, Konoka and Ku Fei. "Sorry no."

"Why not?-Aru?" Ku Fei whined.

"I don't have the kind of music that you girls would like. I'm not into the techno music crap."

"What kind of music do you have?" Konoka asked.

"On, hand? Classical."

"Well then play it," Asuna ordered. Evangeline glared daggers at the redhead. "Er, uh, I mean please. We need some kind of music."

Evangeline sighed. "If it will get you away from me." Faint strands of energy swirled around her small hand. With a simple wave it started.

The sound of gentle strings filled the entire resort. The soft melody was soon followed by a piano and the sound of light bass instruments.

"It really was on hand!" Konoka giggled.

"It's a pretty song.-Aru. What is it?"

"Beyond someone of your limited brain capacity."

The girls glared back at Evangeline. Negi took this chance to diffuse the hazardous situation. "It's Pachabel's Canon. In D minor, right."

"Impressive bouya. You have an ear for music."

"Is there anything you don't know?" Ku Fei asked.

"Now that you mention it…no." He responded brightly.

Mana stared out at the moonlit waters of the ocean. For an artificial environment this was a nice place. The cool breeze caressed her warm skin, calming her mind. She remembered that she used to do this a long time ago. When she was partnered to her mage he would often take her for walks on the beach. She would never admit just how much she missed him. He was the only person that ever really cared about her. And even though he was a few years older than her, she loved him. She never was sure if he loved her in return but it didn't matter. It was the nights like these that she could see his face so clearly.

"If you want a rematch, you'll have to wait for a month." Her words sounded faint against the oceans waves.

"Not everything in life is about fighting."

"No, the other half is about money."

"How about a drink?"

Mana looked at the cup of sake. Then down at her feet. "I'm not a big drinker."

"It's only half sake."

Mana cautiously took the drink and nodded in thanks. "So why are you here? Shouldn't you be at the party with the others?"

"Well, I turned around and you were gone. I thought maybe you blew us off."

"…Might as well. I hate parties." Mana sipped her drink.

"So then all you like is fighting and money?"

"…."

"Sounds lonely."

"What would you know about?" Mana growled angrily. Normally her self-control was perfect. But she started to get annoyed with her companion. "What if that's all I have?" She asked in her monotone.

"What about friends?"

"I don't need them," she answered coldly. She gulped down the rest of her drink and set the glass down in the sand. "From the day were born we start dieing. There's nothing we can do about it. Life is painful and you only have yourself. Until you see that…you're just drifting aimlessly."

Mana turned her back and walked away down the beach.

"Maybe you'll change your mind one day.-De Gozaru." The ninja stared up at the starlit sky. Loneliness is a tragedy that no one should face.

"Thank you again master!" Negi said, bowing down. "I know it was a burden."

"Well I got paid. So it wasn't a total loss." Evangeline stared hungrily at the arm she had already bitten into.

"Y-Yeah. Thanks for not taking too much."

The party had lasted for several hours, only ending because everyone had gotten tired. Now he was in Evangeline's room to give her payment. They planned to stay at the villa and get some sleep before going back. Evangeline even had extra futons set up for them, though they would still have to share. In her words, "She didn't want to deal with any moron, drop-ins." But Negi wondered if she was trying to be nice.

"Yawwwwwwwwwwnnnnnnn."

Negi looked at Evangeline sprawled asleep on her bed. "Good night master." He smiled and drew the covers over her.

"I'll suck him…dry," she mumbled in her sleep.

Negi sweat dropped and hurried from the room. She was even scary in her dreams. He walked for awhile, wishing Chachamaru's various Onee-sans a goodnight. Finally he reached the room where he and the girls were staying. It was the same high ceiling room that they always stayed in. The only difference now was that several futons lined the room. The futons were blue in color and could fit at least two people.

The girls were already in the room getting ready for bed. Mana, Takane and Mei all left after the party was over. Kotarou followed suit, saying that he couldn't allow girls to walk home alone in the dark. He also didn't want to worry Chizuru or Natsumi. So if they shared there should be enough for everyone.

"Hey, where's Sayo-san and Asakura-san?"

"They said something about exploring," Yue informed him. "But I think they went looking for a news story."

"Ha Ha Ha! That wouldn't surprise me. Alright everyone, we have class tomorrow, so let's get to sleep."

"Yeah, I'm dead tired." Ku Fei yawned. She plopped down on one of the beds and fell asleep almost instantly.

"She better not kick in her sleep," Haruna muttered. She lay down warily and pulled the blanket over herself.

"That party really took a lot out of everyone," Setsuna chuckled. The Shinmeiryuu dropped down on one of the beds and laid Yuunagi next to it.

Konoka yawned tiredly. "I'm pretty tired to." She lay down next to Setsuna and nuzzled her head against her shoulder.

This caused Setsuna to blush and Kamo to smirk. Yue and Nodoka chose the bed just opposite of Setsuna. Neither of them was brave enough to share a bed with Negi. Negi lay down in the bed diagonally from theirs. A second later Kaede lay down next to him, making him blush. But he had shared a tent with her and this wasn't much different, so he calmed down quickly. Chisame laid down on one of the last remaining beds. She carefully placed her laptop down and slammed her head on the pillow with a 'pouf.'

Asuna was the only one still out of bed. She was staring at a rather curious looking book she had found on the shelves. The text was in Latin and there was a strange glyph on the cover. She didn't know why the book looked so familiar to her. She didn't even know any Latin. There was just something about it.

"Asuna? Are you going to sleep?"

Asuna quickly shoved the book back and turned around. "Yeah Konoka! I just got a bit distracted!"

The redhead looked around for an empty futon. Negi was sharing with Kaede and Konoka was with Setsuna. When were those two going to realize how cute they looked together? There were two open spots left. One empty bed and Chisame's bed. She didn't want to get woken up by Asakura so she chose Chisame. Asuna traipsed over to the bed and smiled at the girl.

"Looks like were sharing." She said halfheartedly.

Chisame glared back at her and sniffed. "Don't sound too excited," she said sarcastically.

Asuna frowned. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm just used to sleeping with Negi or Konoka." She explained hastily.

Chisame didn't say anything and just turned her back on Asuna. Asuna sighed and lay down, not bothering to get under the blankets. This was going to be a long night.

Once everyone settled Negi used his magic to douse the candelabras that lit the room. He nuzzled against Kaede and closed his eyes.

Setsuna stared around the room. Her gaze came full circle to rest on Konoka. The festival as hard on everyone. She felt lucky to have been able to protect both Negi and Konoka.

Konoka's eyes fluttered open to see Setsuna staring at her. "Secchan, what's wrong?" She mumbled sleepily.

Setsuna blushed at getting caught. "Nothing. Go back to sleep Ojou-sama," she soothed.

"Kono-chan."

"Kono-chan," she whispered to the half asleep girl.

Setsuna placed her head down next to Konoka and drifted off to sleep.

Chisame glared up at the dark ceiling. She had been happy with her normal boring life. Then he came along and turned her life upside down. She used to be a normal girl, now she was drawn into this world of magic. A world she didn't belong in. What was she to do now?

She glanced at the redhead beside her and frowned bitterly. She hadn't shared a bed with anyone since Chika. Her eyes began to tear at the mere thought of her little sister. She took off her glasses and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. Now she would never sleep.

Asuna felt something shaking just as she was falling asleep. She turned over and was shocked to see Chisame crying silently. The sobbing sounds were heartbreaking.

"Chisame-chan, are you okay?" She whispered.

Chisame tensed and turned away from Asuna. "I (sniff) I'm fine." She sniffled.

"But…"

"…You should get some sleep. H-here, you –you don't want to freeze." She offered some of the blanket to Asuna.

Asuna accepted the blanket without question. It was going to be a long night.

Negi turned, unable to fall asleep. Something was still bothering him. He just didn't know what. Careful, so as not to wake Kaede, he slipped from the bed and walked over to the window. He flung the shutters open and hopped up onto the ledge. Since he wasn't getting any sleep he might as well enjoy the night.

"Negi-bozu?"

Negi jumped, almost falling out of the window. "Ku-master…you startled me."

"Sorry." She rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "What is Negi-bozu still doing up?"

"Nothing important. You should go back to sleep."

Ku Fei stared at him with curious green eyes. She sat down on the ledge next to him. She could tell something was bothering him. "I know Negi-bozu better than that. What's wrong?"

'She may be one of the Baka Rangers, but she's not dumb at all.' Negi sighed. "I'm just a little confused. I always wanted to be a mage. I still do; I'm just not sure if I can make it anymore."

Ku Fei shook her head. "You're a great mage already and an excellent person. You just need a little more confidence. Besides, where would we be without you?"

Negi stared at the ground guiltily. "That's the other thing. I got everyone involved in my problems. I don't know if I can protect you all."

His hair was suddenly ruffled playfully by the small girl. "That not true.-Aru. Everyone knew the dangers when they chose to get involved. We all believe in you. If we didn't then we wouldn't have gone through everything we have."

"Still…"

"No, Negi-bozu. I know you're scared. But a little courage means a lot. Remember, power doesn't come from magic alone. It comes from your heart to."

Negi never expected such a touching speech from her. "Do you really mean that?"

"Yep! I never would have won my match with Mana if it wasn't for you. Now, do you want to become a mage?"

Negi nodded. "I want it more than anything."

"Then I'll help in any way I can."

Negi wiped the tears from his eyes and smiled at Ku Fei. "Th-thank you again, Master Ku."

"Always glad to help my apprentice. And only call me master when were training."

"Thanks again! I really needed that!" He hugged Ku Fei, making her blush. He was never that forward.

Ku Fei returned the hug and smiled. "No problem. We should get back to sleep though."

"Right. We still have class tomorrow." He smiled brightly at her. "Goodnight Ku Fei-chan!"

He may have not noticed the change in honorifics, but she did. She blushed again, bidding him a hasty good night. The girl crawled back into the futon with Haruna. She drifted off to sleep; no longer worried about what tomorrow may bring

END CHAPTER

That's the end of Chapter 2! Next chapter is going to be the first fight! If there's anyone still reading this thing; do me a favor and hit The Review button. If I don't get reviews they'll beat me.

Me: Huh! NO MANA! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! (Squeals Like Little Girl)