No Strings Attached
The Story of the Fallen Puppeteer of Darkness, Mahou Sensei Evangeline?!
By Zenithos
Chapter 3: Oh Joy
Sorry for the long delay. Ugh, writer's block rears its ugly head. I've also been a bit busy working on my new united fandom forum. I wish to invite you all to visit it. The address is http (colon, slash, slash)unlimitedfanworks(dot)spreebb(dot)com.
Thank you for all the supportive reviews. They really helped me get over my writer's block long enough to complete this chapter. Your suggestions, comments, opinions, and even flames are a big help to beginner writers like me, and for that I thank you.
Enjoy! Oh, and Happy New Year!
"We're in the right place, aren't we, brat?" Eva asked, nudging the reddish-auburn haired boy in the ribs.
"Uhh…yeah, I'm sure." Negi nodded, unfolding his map and scratching his head uncertainly.
"I don't think a map would help us out of this stampede." Eva remarked. All around them thousands upon thousands of teenage students poured out of the station and stampeded up the road, utilizing almost every method of transport possible from running, rollerblading, and taking the streetcar to leaping across the rooftops and jet-packing. Needless to say, the two, being 2 feet too short to fit in with the crowd, got bumped and jostled around continually.
"Shall I kill them all, mistress?" Chachazero offered.
"It's punctuality awareness week too…" Eva sighed, ignoring Chachazero. "Akh…how are we supposed to handle this crowd?" She shrieked as the crowd jostled her this way and that. "N-Negi!"
"Eva!" Negi shouted, reaching out for her and grasping her by the hand. "If we follow these students we'd end up at the school anyway. C'mon!" He shouted, pulling her into a run down the European-themed street.
"N-Negi…" Eva murmured, as Negi pulled her forwards, shielding her from the crowd. She felt a slight blush light up her face. Why though? Why?
"Eh? Eh…?" They were suddenly moving at an insanely fast speed. "HEY! Don't use wind magic without warning me!" She shouted as Negi half-dragged her behind him as they whirl-winded through the crowd.
"You're really quick on your feet, Asuna. You can actually keep up with me even when I'm on rollerblades." A raven-haired girl with a youthful face said to her brown twin-tail haired companion.
"Yeah, well excuse me for being athletic, Konoka." The twin-tailed girl, apparently named Asuna, said, easily keeping up with her friend.
"Grrr….it's only morning and I already have to meet these freaks…" A bespectacled pony-tail haired girl grumbled, keeping a distance from the ones named Konoka and Asuna.
A light breeze blew by her, causing her to turn to look. A small boy rushed past her, dragging along a girl about his size, both leaving behind a strong draft that caused the bespectacled girl to shield her face.
"Oh….your physiognomy shows signs of unrequited love." She heard the boy suddenly say to the one named Asuna.
"That was a pretty random thing to say…" The bespectacled girl, Chiisame Hasegawa, said, slightly surprised. What happened after was a lot less surprising. Asuna turned around, bore down on the boy, and screamed, "WHAT DID YOU SAY, YOU LITTLE BRAT?!" causing the boy to stop abruptly. The girl he was dragging behind him continued on flying forwards, screaming "Huweeeeeeeeeee!" Before rolling across the street into a screeching dusty stop.
"Can I kill him mistress?" Chachazero asked for the umpteenth time.
"…After I'm finished with him, Chachazero." Eva growled, picking herself up.
"I…It's just that I overheard the two of you talking about fortune-telling, you see, and…" Negi tried to explain to the enraged Asuna.
"NEGI! Please excuse him, he had a bit too many salted peanuts on the plane and he's also a bit jet-lagged." Eva said, walking back and pulling Negi aside. "You brat, what are you trying to do?!" She hissed, nursing a bump on her head. "And if this leaves a mark, I'll personally see to it that you die a horribly painful death."
"I-I'll kill you, you little brat!" Asuna shouted, advancing on Negi. Eva quickly pulled Negi backwards in an attempt to get him out of harm's way.
"It's…It's nothing, really. It's just that your face shows a big sign of rejection." Negi tried to explain. Eva groaned and slapped a hand to her face.
"Shall I kill them both, mistress?" Chachazero asked.
"…The doll….the doll talks…." Hasegawa stammered as Eva, with a subtle flick of her wrist, smacked Chachazero on the head.
"Indeed." A voice said from beside her. Hasegawa looked around at the source of the voice. It just so happens that the source of the said voice was weirdo number 9 on her list, the ravishingly beautiful dark-skinned daughter of the Tatsumiya Temple, Tatsumiya Mana. "…this will be interesting…" Mana smiled a small smile, before disappearing into the crowd.
Hasegawa, ignoring Mana's cryptic monolog, crept forwards and cautiously reached out for Chachazero. She suddenly found her fingers caught in a number of strings. "Eyaagh!" She cried before she could stop herself. 'Strings…so it wasn't real…' She thought, before she mentally kicked herself. 'Off course it wasn't real, it couldn't have been real.'
"Hey! Four-eyes, can't you keep your hands to yourself?!" Eva shouted, turning around to face Hasegawa, forgetting all about Negi for a few moments. "It's bad enough without us having to deal with nosy pricks like you!"
"…Four-eyes…Nosy prick…" Hasegawa repeated, gritting her teeth. "WHAT DID YOU SAY, YOU LITTLE BRAT?!" She screamed.
"Well, get your hands off my dolls!" Eva shouted, slapping away Hasegawa's hand. Hasegawa's bag, which was slung over the said arm, fell and hit the ground, revealing its contents.
"….Internet Idol Chiu?" Eva murmured, reading out one of the subheadings on the cover of the magazine that had fallen out of the bag. There was something about the girl in the picture that caught her interest, but she can't really place what exactly it was.
"Y…YOU BRAT!" Hasegawa shouted, grabbing Eva's head and squeezing, before pulling her up off her feet.
"Akh…Owwie! Put me down!" Eva shouted, frantically kicking and flailing her arms about. Meanwhile, behind her, Asuna was giving Negi a similar, if not worse treatment.
"Take back what you said…" Asuna growled, shivering with anger, holding Negi by the scalp.
"Ouch…Uwaah…E-Eva…help me…" Negi cried.
"I-I'm in need of a little help myself here…." Eva gritted her teeth, still trying to get free from Hasegawa's insanely strong grasp. She was half tempted to let her dolls go loose to help them out, but she thought better of it. She mentally winced as she imagined the extent of the damage the dolls would cause if they were to be unleashed here and now in the student crowded street.
"How…dare…you…" Hasegawa punctuated each word with a low growl, glaring at Eva.
"Hey! What did I do?!" Eva shouted. "Let me down now or I'll send you on a one way trip to Lala land!" She threatened, but she knew it was nothing more than an empty threat. Physically, this girl was bigger and stronger, and obviously she can't use magic, at least, not here in public.
"Umm…Hasegawa, Asuna, they're both only children. They probably came from elementary school…" Konoka said in an attempt to defuse the situation, noticing that Hasegawa had the boy's companion in a vice grip.
"What are you two doing here, my little friends?" Konoka asked. "This is the all female high school section of Mahora Academy. The elementary school is the stop before this one." She explained.
"That's right, which is why little brats aren't allowed in here, understand?!" Asuna and Hasegawa shouted simultaneously, still holding onto both Eva and Negi.
"Eva…I think my scalp's coming off…" Negi whimpered.
"BRAT! TAKE CARE OF YOUR OWN PROBLEMS!" Eva shouted.
"Oh, long time no see, Eva, Negi." A voice called from above. Both Hasegawa and Asuna simultaneously let go of their victims, letting them both fall roughly onto the ground.
"Ta…Takahata-sensei!" Hasegawa and Asuna cried, looking up at the source of the voice, a tall, bespectacled ash-gray-haired man with a rough stubble and a killer 'Bond, James Bond' air. "Go…Good Morning!" They both cried, nervously.
"It's been a while, Takamichi!" Negi called out.
"You're still alive, old man?" Eva asked, wincing as she nursed her head. Takahata Takamichi was one of the people who had taught her the basics of harnessing her magical powers and helped her get enrolled into the magical academy. A lot of people were against it for some reason but Takamichi and Nekane were adamant that Eva deserved a chance. They had defended her case in the high council of mages until finally, after months of arguing, Eva was granted the chance to take part in the entrance exams….which led to the infamous destruction of half the testing centre in which she cried for days, begging for forgiveness. It was again Takamichi who came to her rescue and argued that the academy would do well by helping her harness her powers rather than allow it to explode freely like that.
As much as she hated to admit it, she owed the somewhat over-confident man a lot.
"You know each other?!" Asuna and Hasegawa gasped in surprise.
"Welcome to Mahora Academy? How do you like it so far, Negi-sensei, Evangeline-sensei?" Takamichi asked, smiling a broad smile.
"…Se…Sensei?" Konoka, Asuna, and Hasegawa couldn't help but ask in disbelief.
"My name is Negi Springfield. I'm the new English teacher." Negi introduced himself, bowing politely. "And she's Evangeline A.K. Mcdowell, the new History and Social Sciences teacher." He added, gesturing at Eva, who had remained silent. Eva wasn't one to forgive people easily, and at that moment she wasn't very keen on making friends with Hasegawa or Asuna, especially Hasegawa.
"Wait just a minute! How can a little punk like you be a teacher?" Asuna shouted incredulously.
"No…It can't be…they can't do this to me…" Hasegawa muttered to herself. "My school life is weird enough as it is without these weirdos…no…" She looked up and found herself staring into the doll's eyes…it was grinning… "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" she screamed.
"And starting today, the two of them will be replacing me as your homeroom teachers." Takamichi added, strolling down to greet Eva and Negi.
"This can't be! A plain looking immature midget like you?! As a teacher?! I hate little brats like you the most!" Asuna screamed, grabbing Negi by the collar.
"Haaa…Haaa…" Negi gasped.
Eva moved aside and placed as much distance as possible between herself and Negi.
"Shouldn't you help them, mistress?" Moe asked quietly, fidgeting nervously.
"Doesn't concern me." Evangeline said, closing her eyes as she turned away from the scene.
"HAAAACHOOOOOO!"
Eva smiled, pocketing a small phial. "Ah, it feels good doing good deeds."
The headmaster's room was a grand western style affair, with mahogany wood paneling, a two story personal library, fully furnished with the most luxurious of study furniture, complete with a solid mahogany desk to match. In fact there was only one thing that looked out of the place – the headmaster himself, a wizened old man who looked like he had spent a lifetime too many in a wind tunnel, dressed in grayish-white traditional Japanese robes, who was looking out the window behind his desk when they came in.
"So…Evangeline and Negi…" The headmaster coughed lightly as he turned around to face them. "So you two were assigned here? I see." He nodded an understanding little nod.
"Excuse me, Headmaster, sir, but what exactly is going on?" Asuna asked, rolling up the sleeves of her gym uniform. Behind her stood Hasegawa, similarly dressed, the result of an incident that she was to hereafter remember (or at least, try to forget) as the 'THE Sneeze'.
"Please calm down, Asuna. I'll explain as we go along." The headmaster said. "First of all, allow me to introduce you two to our guidance counselor, Ms. Shizuna."
At that very moment a voluptuous bespectacled young woman, modestly yet gracefully dressed in a white turtleneck sweater and long skirt, walked in and greeted the two new teachers. "Nice to meet you kids." She smiled.
"Ah, there's only one important thing to address, really." The headmaster said. "In order to be allowed to teach, you must first go through internship starting today, up until March. Negi, Eva, this will be a very difficult assignment. If you fail, you'll be sent back home immediately. There are no second chances. Understood?"
"We understand." Negi nodded. "Please allow us this chance."
Eva sighed. "I understand. I'll do my best." She nodded in a determined manner.
"Very good. Your assigned homeroom will be 2-a." The headmaster announced.
"We're both sharing the same homeroom?" Eva and Negi asked simultaneously.
"Headmaster, sir, we can't have these kids be our homeroom teachers. We can't have them as teachers in the first place anyway." Asuna protested.
"It's decided." The headmaster said. "And it's final. As for lodgings, Eva, Negi, I'm afraid I'll have to have you both stay with someone temporarily as we have no vacant rooms." The headmaster explained. "Hasegawa, can you please allow Eva to stay with you for some time?"
"Wh-WHY ME?!" Hasegawa shouted.
"W…with her?!" Eva protested. It was only the first day and she hasn't even begun teaching but she knew she was going to loathe this assignment.
"Ahem, as for Negi…ah, Asuna, Konoka, can you two allow him to stay in your room temporarily?" The headmaster asked (read: Ordered).
"Why are you giving us all the responsibilities?!" Asuna cried.
"But he's so cute…" Konoka smiled, patting Negi on the head.
"N…no…" Hasegawa was shell-shocked to the core. This can't be happening. Not to her ordinary, ordered, completely normal life.
"Get along now." The headmaster smiled, dismissing them. "Homeroom started 5 minutes ago. Hurry, Eva-sensei, Negi-sensei."
"You got the roster?" Eva asked, in a dead tone, when they were finally alone in the corridor.
"Yep." Negi nodded, showing Eva the black book. "It's got all the info we need. Individual student info, grades, performance, notes, class plans, everything."
"One-stop shopping, huh? Well, I'll let you take care of that." Eva said, shrugging dispassionately. "I can already see that teaching isn't for me…"
"You got one too." Negi said, handing her a copy.
"….Right." Eva sighed, looking down at the black leather cover. It made her think about the book of death mentioned in one of her history classes back in Wales. She flipped through the first few pages. "So now I'm a teacher…of this lot?" She asked, gazing down at the class roster. "Oh joy…"
"Takamichi left some notes in it too, look." Negi pointed out.
"May the Godspeed be with you Negi, Eva. Takahata T. Takamichi." Eva read out. "Can this guy speak English? And how are these notes supposed to help?"
"C'mon, Eva, it'll be fun." Negi smiled encouragingly, patting her on the back. "And remember, it's our path towards becoming magister magi."
"Oh yeah, to become a magister magi. I keep on forgetting that." Eva said, taking heart. "And why must I share a homeroom with you?" She grumbled shaking her head as she took off her cloak and handed it to Suigintou. Moe was meandering off down the corridor, cheerfully curious, while Chachazero was looking around for something to brutally assassinate.
"And what about the dolls?" Negi asked. All three dolls turned around to look at him. "Are you going to leave them somewhere?" The dolls looked up hopefully at their mistress.
"Heck, no." Eva snapped. The three dolls drooped in disappointment. "Who knows what would happen if I leave these three by themselves?"
"But…but…we're bored of staying still…" Moe moaned, tugging on Eva's long gothic dress.
"Yeah, can't we go find some people to kill?" Chachazero asked.
"And you think the mistress will allow you to go after hearing you say that?" Suigintou asked, in a chilly tone.
"…I suppose it would be cruel to have them stay still all the time." Negi said, thoughtfully.
"What? Being cruel or get myself turned into an ermine?" Eva asked. "I think I'll stick with…"
"What are you guys doing? We're waiting for…" Asuna started, walking down the corridor towards them, before stopping dead in her tracks. Konoka and Hasegawa, who were right behind her, stopped dead as well.
Both Negi and Eva froze in shock. Suigintou and Chachazero went stock still.
"Whee….Wheee…." Moe, feeling bored, had taken to twirling around. Eva extended a foot and tripped her onto her face. "Owiees…" She whimpered, before Eva nudged her a warning with her foot.
"….I knew it….the dolls….the dolls are alive…" Hasegawa stammered, pointing a quivering finger at the dolls.
"The dolls…they were moving….I saw them moving…" Asuna whispered.
"…Shall I kill the witnesses, mistress?" Chachazero asked, reaching slowly behind her back. These people were as of now enemies of her mistress.
"If…If mistress wills it…" Moe whispered, tears flooding her eyes as she reached slowly into her heavy cloak. She felt that she had failed her mistress abysmally.
"Give us the word, Mistress." Suigintou whispered, slowly reaching into the small satchel on her side. There was no way she'd let her mistress down.
"Uhh…this…err…that…" Negi stammered in panic.
"Yeah…uh….the dolls…ah…" Eva was sweating buckets. Was this it? Was she going to be shipped home and be turned into an ermine, just like this? Was this where her story ends?
To Be Continued...
I sincerely apologize for the short chapter. The next one will be somewhat longer, I promise. Thank you.