Disclaimer: The following story is a fan made work of fiction. Fairy Tail and Mahou Sensei Negima! are owned and written by Hiro Mashima and Ken Akamatsu respectively. Please support their official releases.
Chapter 6
Dragons, Vampires, and Scientists! Oh, My!
Fire raged within the stone amphitheater as the hiss of melting ice echoed within its walls. A puddle began to form around Natsu's feet. The icy wetness seeped into the unfamiliar shoes he had been given.
It did not bother him. His entire being was focused on the small figure in front of his eyes and the impending conflict between them.
The woman's eyes had shifted from their usual emerald to crimson. He could make the tips of fangs elongating beneath her lips, and her scent had changed from anger to unadulterated fury. A slight tightening of the skin around his neck began to cut off his breathing.
He fought off the spell and stood unflinching. No amount of force, great or subtle, would ever make him bow his head to an opponent on its own.
A growl rumbled its way from deep within his chest as she stood unmoving. If she wasn't willing to make the first move, well, he would be more than happy to get the party started.
Natsu took a deep breath and gathered magic within his body. "Fire Dragon's Roar!"
"Sagitta Magica: 313 arrows of Darkness and Ice!"
A giant cloud of black lines burst from her right hand and sped toward his molten torrent. The two streams of magic impacted with an ear shattering roar, tearing up pieces of stone and sending them flying through the air. Natsu blinked his eyes from the resulting cloud of dust before quickly reopening them.
He looked around but couldn't find her form. "Come on, Eva," he taunted. "We're just getting warmed up here. That sure wasn't enough to put me down for the count." Natsu cracked the knuckles of both hands. "But if ya can't take the heat, you shouldn't have poked me awake."
A chuckle reached his ears through the air. Yet something about it was not right. The laugh sounded as though she was right next to him, but he could also hear her voice coming from another part of the resort.
"So the lost child thinks himself a sleeping dragon of fire? A creature of such might and power that even a vampire must tread lightly in its presence." Her echoing laugh redoubled in intensity. "How pathetically adorable of you."
The cloud of dust and smoke had cleared but Natsu still couldn't see her. That laugh was beginning to get on his nerves. He gave a growl of irritation as he tried to focus on the fainter echo. It was coming from much further away. If he could keep her talking then he could pinpoint her location and beat her face to a pulp.
"Keep running yer mouth, scaredy cat. I don't see ya anywhere nearby." Natsu let a cocky note enter his voice as he sniffed the air. "Did I scare yer old bones a little too much when I roared? I'll try to pull my punches a little so I don't break you in our fight." When he did not hear a quick reply, Natsu pumped a fist in victory. First blood went to him. Served the scaredy cat right for running away.
"You truly are an idiot, aren't you?" Eva's voice grated. "Do you really think that I would fight you in my own home after seeing your style? You, a moron who has no care or respect for what he breaks? Ha! Unlikely."
Natsu listened to the echo intently and began to move towards one of the amphitheater's blank walls. The amphitheater was making this more difficult, but he was close to pinpointing her location.
"I'm more than ready to fight you, but I've chosen a different setting for our little duel."
Dammit! Why did his opponents always place conditions on fights? Zero and his ego. Erigor and his train station of hostages. Jellal and his end of the world nonsense. Erza and her 'first you must prove yourself' crap.
"You can find me on the beach, my little fire breather." Eva's voice whispered. "I hope you aren't scared of getting a little bit of sand in your eyes. Ta ta for now."
Natsu scowled as the echoes of her voice faded. His flames raged in an inferno of fire, and he was vaguely aware of the other men flinching away from their heat.
Natsu Dragneel, Igneel's son and the dragon slayer of fire, scared by a little girl who ran away from him? "Oh, it's on now." He sniffed the air once more and finally picked up her scent. It was coming from the same direction as the echoes. "You picked a fight with the wrong guy, scaredy cat. And I ain't gonna take it easy on ya either."
A blast of fire created a hole in the wall of the amphitheater. He stepped through it as fire played over his body. The hole was a start, but Natsu would not be satisfied until he had pounded her smug little face with his fiery fists.
Asuna tapped her finger against her bed while Konoka bustled about their kitchen. Hours had passed since they had parted with Natsu and Negi and the twin-tailed girl was beginning to think. The two sure were taking their sweet time.
She glanced at the clock on their wall and sighed. Leave it to a kid to make his caretakers worry. "Konoka," she called from her spot on the bed, "how long was the meeting with your grandfather supposed to last again? Didn't Negi say he would be back with the pink pervert in tow by now?"
"Um, I think that it was supposed to be over some time ago." Then Konoka paused in her bustle to give a quick 'eep' of dismay. "Oh shoot! I forgot to mention that Grandfather called while you were busy fighting with Iincho in the hallway. He mentioned that Negi had some sort of assignment near Eva's place and would probably be back late."
"Pink-haired pervert? Did Aniki get his hands on a new girl I haven't heard about?" Chamo's tiny voice chirped from his drawer of underwear. The ermine's furry face practically shone with perverseness. "What's her age? Are her measurements any good? Is she perky in all the right places? Come on, tell me all the details and don't leave anything out. This is important stuff here y'know?"
Leave it to the peanut gallery to make her even more annoyed. Asuna shot him a look that could have curdled milk. "No, you flippin idiot, it's not a girl. It's Natsu, remember? The naked bastard who flashed half the girls in our class?"
The rodent let out an admiring grunt and began rummaging through the contents of its drawer. "Ah, yes, truly a man after my own little heart. He showed great initiative with that; I give him a 7 out of 10, with points deducted for poor follow-up. If only I could get Aniki to be half so daring."
Well, the ermine's priorities had not changed, much to Asuna's displeasure. His furry head disappeared only to reappear moments later, his beady little eyes peeking out from beneath some girl's striped panty. "Can you imagine what it would be like if Negi was as open with his male charm? I mean, come on! With the girls in your class I'd be rolling in Pactios by sunset!"
Up on her bed, Asuna redoubled her venomous stare. There was no was that she would ever allow something like that to occur so long as she drew breath. She pictured strangling the furry menace to society with her own two hands and smiled. She could get away with it. The only two people who would object to it would be Konoka and Negi, and getting them out of the picture as Asuna did the deed would be easy.
"Too bad it would be murder," she groused softly. "Otherwise I'd only have to deal with those maniacs from PETA. And what they didn't know about wouldn't hurt them."
Her eyes followed Chamo as he began to clean himself with reckless abandon atop his stockpile of pilfered undergarments. On second thought, even PETA would probably award her some sort of medal for removing the ermine. Chamo gave animals everywhere a bad rap.
With a harrumph of disdain Asuna tried to put the perverted rodent out of her mind. Unless some kind of kinky situation or turn of phrase came up he would stay quiet in his little corner. It was one of the few good qualities he possessed. She gave a second harrumph. It was probably the rodent's only good quality.
Meanwhile Konoka had continued to move about the room with a cheery hum. She was in the midst of pulling some pan out of the oven by the time Asuna turned her attention back to the dark-haired girl. The sight of Konoka cooking something made Asuna's stomach grumble; her roommate's food was a greater temptation than the apples of Atalanta. It was so good as to be nearly sinful.
A fragrant smell of cinnamon and baked dough made its way to Asuna's nose and she began to salivate. "Ooh, that smells delicious, Konoka-chan. Can I have some before Negi and the idiot get back?"
She jumped off of her bed and moved to where she could try to grab one of the freshly baked items from the tray. Her hand snaked out to snatch one of the tempting morsels.
Konoka gave it a sharp slap with a wooden spoon. "Sorry, Asuna, but these aren't for you or Negi-sensei." Konoka gave a giggle as she rescued the plate from Asuna's grasp. "They're special."
The dark-haired girl then began wrapping up the baked goods in thick paper, carefully shielding them from sight with her body. Asuna tried to get close, but Konoka boxed her out more effectively than an NFL receiver stranded on Revis Island. The girl had moves when it came to protecting her cooking from thieves.
"Awww, c'mon Konoka. Can't I have even one?" Asuna could feel the saliva almost dripping out of her mouth as she gave up on trying to obtain one by force. It was cruel and inhumane for Konoka to keep whatever she had made from her roommate. They were close friends – nay, they were more than friends, they were comrades-in-arms in the struggle to raise and educate their ten year old teacher in the ways of life and morality. Surely Asuna was entitled to a few bites of Konoka's divine cooking; raising Negi and protecting him from the grasp of her classmates was tough!
Yet Asuna's continued pleas were to no avail. Konoka just shook off her protestations and pleas with her customary cheerfulness and bustled about their dormitory, cleaning everything in sight. She even refused to let Asuna lick the pan and whacked her with it when Asuna tried to do so anyway!
Whomever the baked goods were for was officially on her shit list. The only possible exception to that was if they were for Takamichi, but Asuna doubted that was the case. Konoka didn't feel that way towards guys and the wrapping on that paper definitely indicated it was of a romantic nature.
Soon enough, the items were packed away and every item used to make them cleaned or watered down within their sink. Asuna stared at the neat package with a longing look in her eyes.
Then a knock sounded from the door and Asuna walked towards it with a grumble. "Coming!"
The sound of Asuna's grumbling stomach as she moved caused her anger to rise. As Asuna turned the handle to open the door, she got ready to give the person a piece of her mind. "I don't know who you are or what you're doing at someone's doorway this late in the –" Asuna's voice cutoff as she got a good look at the person who stood at the doorway with their hand still raised. "Ah, Setsuna! I didn't know you were coming over."
Asuna's grimace disappeared as she smiled at the swordswoman. It was good to see the other girl in a less stressful situation than the battles in Kyoto. Setsuna's uniform was neat and tidy, while a soft smell of soap drifted on the air. Definitely an improvement over the battle-worn attire they had worn in the forest. "It's good to see you. By the way, did you happen to see Negi on your way here? The damn kid's late for dinner."
Setsuna bowed her head in greeting and placed her shoes next to Asuna and Konoka's by the room's entrance. "It is good to see you as well, Asuna-san. Yet I must apologize, for I did not see Negi-sensei on my way over." The girl placed her wrapped sword by her shoes. "Ojou-sama asked me to stop by on my way back from the dojo. She said that she wanted to speak with me about something."
The black haired girl turned her head to peer into the kitchen area. "Is that baked cinnamon buns I smell, Asuna-san? Those are my favorite – how did you know?"
A light bulb went off in Asuna's head. Konoka's super cheerful demeanor of the past few hours while Asuna sulked and waited. The neatly wrapped baked goods forbidden to Asuna. Negi's late meeting and Setsuna's appearance at Konoka's request. They all added up to one inescapable conclusion.
Looking behind her, Asuna noticed that Konoka had yet to notice Setsuna's appearance. Dangit, the things I do for my friends, Asuna thought to herself. She patted herself down and noted that she was still decent to go outside. It was a good thing she had yet to change out of her uniform.
She patted her pocket again to make sure her spare set of keys were there before calling out. "Konoka, I'm going out to find Negi-sensei. I'll be back with the brat in a while and we'll probably eat out, so please don't wait up for me."
Setsuna's eyes widened as Asuna paused and looked at her with a grin. Setsuna could see Asuna's next move coming, and Asuna delivered her next statement with perverse glee. "Oh, and Setsuna is here to see you, Konoka. She said that she'll keep you company while I'm out looking for Negi and the moron."
"Se-chan's here?" A loud crash sounded from the kitchen and Konoka's head and upper body soon appeared, covered in some white powdery substance. "You came! You're actually here! Se-chaaaaan!"
Asuna evaded the flour covered missile that was her roommate and grabbed her shoes before the two could fall on top of them. An impish smile graced her lips as Setsuna spluttered and tried to push a squealing Konoka away. It would serve as ample revenge for the baked goods while making Konoka happy.
"Take care of Konoka while I'm gone, Setsuna," Asuna said. "I'll see you two in a bit."
She plucked an apple from a nearby bowl and slipped her shoes onto her feet. Carefully stepping around the two girls, Asuna opened the door and stepped outside. It had just gotten dark out, so she would have to hurry if she wanted to pick Negi up and make it back in any reasonable amount of time.
It seemed as though luck was with Asuna as there was nearly no one on the backstreets of Mahora. Most of the shops and buildings along her route were closed and Asuna moved past their darkened windows at a brisk pace. It would have been a different matter if she had taken the downtown route like many of her classmates, but only Negi would be dumb enough to do that during a holiday season. Maybe Ku Fei or Yuna or Makie and the cheerleaders too, but they were special cases and did not count.
She quickly came to where the city met the forest and tossed her devoured apple into a trash receptacle. It was enough to quiet her growling stomach down, and it would only take half an hour of walking before she reached her destination. She passed by a crowded restaurant stand, only to quickly look back at its sign.
It was her classmate's restaurant, the Chao Bao Zi. However, it was open far earlier than usual. Could Negi have stopped by the restaurant before going to Eva's cottage? It was possible. Asuna scratched her head and thought about it as she stared at the sign. Yeah, the kid spoke to his students whenever he spotted one. It was definitely worth investigating.
Asuna walked over to where her classmates manned the stand's counter among a crowd of people. It seemed as though everyone had already placed their orders and were just milling around until their food was ready. She saw someone try to speak with Chao, only to get completely blown off by the odd girl. That was unusual.
Asuna was able to reach the counter with ease and wasted no time. "Hiya Chao, Satsuki. Mind if I ask you a few questions real fast?"
Satsuki shook her head and kept her attention on the restaurant's stove. That was fair. She was the chef after all and was busy with all of the orders. "Okay, I gotcha. How about you Chao? Got a moment?"
The exotic girl did not respond and Asuna frowned. She did not like being ignored, and it was unusual for Chao to zone out. Satomi was supposed the absent minded scientist, but Chao was apparently attempting to give the other scientist's identity a go as she stared intently into a blank wall.
"Hey, Earth to Chao," Asuna said as she snapped her fingers. The other girl really was out of it, worse than Asuna had ever seen. "Come in, roger."
Chao's head whipped around from where she had been trying to burn a hole in a wall with her stare. A look of surprise was on her face and she gave a start. "Oh, it's just Asuna." The Chinese girl patted her hair buns and gave her usual strange grin. "How can I help you, ne?"
Asuna stared at her classmate and shook her head. Class 3-A was full of people with eccentricities, but she hoped that Chao was not absorbing Satomi's anti-social behavior. That would change the balance between the vocal weirdos and the silent weirdos in the class.
"Have you seen Negi-sensei tonight?" Asuna asked. "He was supposed to be showing his cousin around and the two are really late in coming back for dinner."
She felt her stomach give a growl as the smell of Satsuki's cooking came to her nose. Maybe the apple was not enough after all. "If he doesn't have a good reason for being so late, I swear that I'll punch the little brat right out of his diapers and into puberty. Snot-nosed little runt!"
Chao laughed a little from her place at the counter. "As much as I would like to see that happen, ne, I don't believe that such a thing is possible even for you, Asuna. Besides, there's really no need to be so violent. You're right behind them."
Asuna's attention focused on Chao with laser-like intensity as the girl continued. "Negi-bouzu and Natsu have already been here, ne. They picked up their food with Takahata-sensei about forty-five minutes ago and walked into the forest."
"What?" Asuna screamed. She clenched her hands into fists and pounded the stand's wooden counter top. "You mean that little kid is eating food as I'm looking for him? And he's with Takahata-senseitoo?"
The other girl nodded, still smiling her strange grin. "That is what I said, ne."
How dare he, Asuna thought in outraged horror. Tears ran down her face as Asuna wept from frustration. This unexpected development cut her deeply, and Chao's continuing chuckles did nothing to ease her comfort at the kid's brazen betrayal. Not only was the boy late, but he was eating with Takahata-sensei in Mahora's scenic woodlands. Without even telling her that the older man was on campus and taking Natsu along with him to boot!
The only possible response was to make the boy pay for his vile misdeeds. For the crimes of eating and spending time with Takahata-sensei without telling her, Asuna would hunt him down without mercy. His screams would strike fear into the hearts of ten year-old boys everywhere. Not even the immortal loli could protect him from her wrath.
Yet before she could set out on her path of righteous vengeance, Chao lightly touched Asuna's arm and spoke. "Before you visit your wrath upon poor little Negi-bouzu, I have a question of my own for you, ne. Would you mind answering it before you leave?"
Chao's light tone snapped Asuna out of her funk. She was in Chao's debt for the information. A question or two answered in return was a small price to pay. "Sure thing Chao," Asuna answered. "What can I do for you?"
The girl leaned away from the counter before speaking hesitantly. "I'm curious about the man who came with Negi-bouzu today, the one who was on the train back from Kyoto with us." She opened a paper fan with a quick snap of her wrist and hid her face behind its edges. "What can you tell me about Negi's cousin, Natsu?"
Asuna blinked as her mind blanked. Well, as far as questions went, this was definitely a tricky one to answer. What was their cover story with Natsu again? It had something to do with travel, but Asuna could not remember the specifics.
"Um, well, you see..." Was he supposed to be a traveling businessman? No, that wasn't it. His personality would put the lie to that suggestion in a heartbeat. Especially if someone like Chao were to spend half a minute in his presence. Was he a fellow teacher come to help his little cousin out on the job?
She barely stopped a snort from popping out as Chao continued to stare from behind her fan. Like hell Natsu would ever do something like that. He was way too active and impatient for something like studying or teaching. He was just some strong lunkhead whose only talent was physical education.
That was it! Now Asuna remembered the cover story. Natsu was an athlete who had come to Mahora in order to further his training. She did not remember exactly which sport he was supposed to be involved in, but Negi could handle the specifics.
Asuna gave a malicious grin; she could have some fun with thr story, and it would serve the pervert right for his initial greeting. The two men could handle any problems that came up as a result of her edited story on their own.
"Well, he's a moron, but that's only to be expected," she began. "From what Negi told me the guy is training to become a world class athlete and supposedly heard that we had some great facilities and terrain out here. He's a runner of some sort, and while he's definitely got some talent, he doesn't seem to be all that smart. I'm not sure which side of the family he's from but he's nothing like Negi."
She leaned in close so only Chao would hear the next bit. "Unlike sensei Natsu's also a total perv. He was naked when he met me and Sakurazaki in a forest by Konoka's house. He's got a body but is completely shameless. He also totally tried to grope Mana before she chased him off with Ku Fei's help. The guy is an enemy of women everywhere."
The Chinese girl twirled the fan in her hands. "Really?" She said hesitantly. "Natsu seemed like quite the gentleman when he came by earlier, ne. We really seemed to make a connection with one another. He was so firm and strong when he took me." A pout came to her lips and her eyes began to glisten with unshed tears. "I don't know if I could take my innocent heart being played with."
Asuna vigorously nodded her head. Chao needed this talk for her own good. "It's the truth, Chao. I saw it with my own eyes. If you value your self-worth as a woman, you'll stay far away from him. If you get too close he'll try to do horrible things to you, I just know it."
So what if Asuna was taking it slightly out of context? Chao seemed to be paying rapt attention, giving Asuna a feeling of confidence in her piece of fiction she had never felt in her life. It was usually Misa or Misora coming up with these things as Asuna watched from the sidelines.
Besides, the man was keeping her from dinner, had joined Negi in keeping her away from Takahata-sensei, and actually did everything she was saying in one form or another. A little shading of the truth was an act of justice to save her fellow classmate from his dirty paws.
Then the full meaning of Chao's words made their way through Asuna's self-righteous haze and slammed home. "Wait, what did you say? Did he do something to you too?" She grabbed Chao by the shoulders and shook the slim girl. "Chao, what did he do to you? Are you okay? Did he do something perverted?" Chao's head bobbled violently as Asuna continually shook the girl's body, but she was somehow able to nod her head in assent.
"Damn that man moves fast!" She yelled. "I knew I shouldn't have let him out my sight! Argh!" Asuna had only been trying to get the older boy in hot water with her story, but was the man actually a true enemy of women? Could he have actually fooled Asuna into thinking that he was just a simple moron? Between Chamo and Negi Asuna was already at her limit. If Natsu truly was a pervert and was already trying to assault her classmates, Asuna might have to change her focus to the pink-haired moron and leave Chamo on his own. The furry monstrosity was bad, but he could only do so much damage.
Chao's next sniffed words ended any thoughts Asuna had about making the switch in focus. "I merely engaged him and Negi-bouzou in conversation-ne," Chao was pouting as she spoke. Chao never pouted – ever. "But... after we exchanged pleasantries and spoke for a time, the man took me by the waist... and claimed my maiden's kiss."
The small girl gave a shudder. "It was so shocking that I couldn't move, ne. He was just so strong and powerful that I melted into his arms."
Asuna's hands dropped from Chao's shoulders as her mind grappled with the shock of what she had just heard. Her classmate regained her balance and moved back to her original position while Asuna wrestled with the revelation of Natsu's deed.
"That animal! That beast!" She growled. He had fooled her completely and hurt one of Asuna's classmates. Forget about Negi. That grudge could wait until later. This new development took priority.
"When I find the two of them and Takahata-sensei, I am going to give him a beating that he will never forget. I promise you Chao, I shall avenge your first kiss." Asuna slammed a clenched fist into an open palm. "I swear it!"
Chao nodded her head solemnly as she moved the fan to cover her face once more. Her soft voice easily carried to Asuna's ears from behind the beautiful tool. "Thank you, Asuna. I may not have known that Natsu was such a terrible person without you until was too late." She then gave Asuna a forlorn smile. "I know that I can count on you to take care of things."
Asuna scowled as she nodded her head. "Hell yeah!" She turned to run into the forest, only to pause for a moment. She looked back at her classmate. Some things needed to be said before the moment passed.
"Chao, even if we don't talk much, I'm here if you ever need me. 3-A sticks together." She gave Chao a bright grin. "See you in class!"
Chao watched Asuna jog into the forest. Once the other girl was safely out of sight, she turned to Satsuki and whispered that it was time to close the shop. Satsuki gave a questioning look but did not dispute her classmate. She merely nodded, finished the order she was on and began to put things away. The girl's ability to sense the mood was one of the things Chao truly loved about her. Chao placed a 'closed' sign on the counter top and stepped out. They would get together to analyze the results of the soft opening before the Festival.
Chao had more important things with which to deal and thought of them as she headed home. Her conversation with Asuna had been highly informative. While she had obviously exaggerated certain portions of the story, there were nuggets contained within the falsehoods that Chao could use to gain further information. Most importantly, Asuna had confirmed Chao's suspicion that Natsu was no ordinary man. She doubted that he was related to her great ancestor, but at the very least he was a mage of some sort. Meanwhile, it had been child's play to twist the girl's own tale against her. Chao giggled to herself as she pictured the probable results, drawing stares from nearby people in the street.
From their brief interaction, Natsu had seemed like a capable man. No one who was not could have caught her by surprise as he most definitely did. Yet even so, both he and Negi-sensei should find their hands full in dealing with a vengeful Asuna. The orange-haired girl could be surprisingly inventive when it came to punishing those who had done wrong; the title of baka ranger truly suited her in more ways than one.
Chao reached her dormitory and slipped her key into the lock, twisted and opened the door. She passed through the living area and soon entered her private room, sitting down in a chair located close to her bed. Once she was certain that she was alone and unmonitored, Chao engaged the room's security protocols, took out her custom made phone and punched in Mana's number. The other woman picked up quickly, and after a quick exchange of professional pleasantries got down to business.
A quick promise of payment and everything Mana knew about Natsu was passed along. His sudden appearance in a battle fought against demons; the power of his flames that caused the suddenly berserk creatures to screech in pain; his evasion of Mana and Ku Fei in the woods; and his abnormally high resistance to Mana's magic infused bullets.
Each by itself was an astounding feat; contained within one individual and it seemed as though the man would need to be dealt with – soon. A wrench thrown into her plan at this stage could ruin everything; she had come too far to let such an occurrence happen.
Then Mana dropped the bombshell of Natsu's origins and Chao felt her mind come to a momentary halt. Natsu was a trans-dimensional traveler? She tried to flatly deny the possibility, but the mercenary merely laughed and said that even Evangeline had accepted it as fact.
After a full minute of science passed as the genius thought to herself, Mana stated that she expected to be paid in full within twenty-four hours and ended the call with a click. Chao was left alone in the darkened room with her troubled thoughts. Mana had given her necessary information but none of it boded well for her plan.
The possibilities of trans-dimensional travel and all that it entailed were exploding within Chao's mind. She raced through the theoretical possibilities and tried to draw practical conclusions from their examination. Such travel was indeed possible, but it would take an immense amount of energy in order to achieve... and the precision necessary to pull it off was beyond the intricacies of her time travel calculations. Meanwhile, the probability of something like that happening by accident was closer to zero than it was to one. Such an event would require even more power than a planned one and require an incredible will to survive it unshielded.
Chao placed a raised a hand and began to knead her aching head. Natsu was no mere wrench in her plans. He was a raging volcano that had just gone off under her feet, and she was at a complete loss on how to deal with it. A powerful mage she had not anticipated joining her Honored Ancestor was terrible on its own, but it was his place of origin that was the true problem.
Accidental trans-dimensional travel was fraught with repercussions. For all she knew Natsu was only one of many individuals from his world and there could be multiple powerful mages about to enter the picture. Combined with the knowledge that traditional methods of investigation were useless on someone from another universe and everything about the man represented an unparalleled threat to her goals.
Such a threat could not remain unknown. He was present and would need to be dealt with... there was only one guaranteed route to gaining accurate information. For better or worse, Chao would need to deal with Natsu herself.
Her course of action chosen, Chao quickly dialed another number and lifted the phone to her ear. Thinking about something could only take you so far. It was time to bring her other partner up to speed and modify the plan.
After a few rings, the genius girl's call was answered with a perfunctory hello. "Hakase, we've got a major snag in the plan, ne. A new player has entered the board on the side of magic... as the result of accidental inter-dimensional travel."
Chao yanked the phone away from her ear as her co-conspirator's voice exploded in shock. She held it there for several seconds with a scowl as she waited for the clamor died down. Sometimes there were drawbacks to announcing the existence of previously theoretical phenomena to scientists. "Ne, ne, Hakase. I understand the implausibility, and yes, we can go over the specifics of it soon." She sighed as Hakase responded sharply. "I promise. It interests me too, ne."
Mollified for the moment, Hakase's voice quieted and gave Chao the opportunity to address the true point of her call. "He seems to have joined forces with Negi-bouzu, and there may additional people that I have yet to encounter. In order to deal with the situation, I am asking that you take the lead in finishing the robotic army. Our best bet in learning more about this unusual occurrence lies with the man connected to it, Negi's supposed cousin... Natsu."
She touched her lips with a finger and smiled softly. It was quite enjoyable to mix business with pleasure for once. "I'll be undertaking direct observation of the subject myself, ne."
Chao's smile grew wider as she began to plan the next series of moves with her fellow scientist. She really would have to thank Asuna properly for their little discussion at some later date. It would prove most useful in her pursuit.
Gray kept his eyes on Natsu's back as they moved through the resort. The fire mage was leaking fire like a broken sieve but he was keeping it together for the most part. The boiling heat had died down and the display was now mostly for show. Which was rather incredible given his fiery temperament. Usually, he would be screaming at the top of his lungs and blowing up everything in sight as he searched for his opponent.
Then the guy blew a larger than necessary hole in a nearby wall and began to scream at the top of his lungs. Gray plugged his ears with both hands and grimaced as one of Natsu's usual tirades washed over him.
"Kya! When you accept my challenge, you're supposed to stay there and fight me, not disappear and tell me to follow you!" Another hole was blasted in a second wall as Natsu violently demolished anything between him and the beach. "Dammit! First Erza, then Jellal, and now this chick." Another wall and another massive hole blown in it. "People just need to stay and fight me. Argh!"
Maybe the guy was not keeping it together all that well after all. If he had reverted to form, Gray couldn't really blame him. Evangeline's disappearance and taunts had ticked the ice mage off as well. They had lodged within the growing portfolio of things he disliked about the woman.
Several broken walls, a pillar reduced to molten slag, one blown up Gazebo later and Natsu appeared to have calmed down enough for Gray to speak with the other man. "Alright, Natsu, quick recap," Gray said as they walked through the corridors. "You've just picked a fight with a pissed off, older-than-dust, holier than thou, miniature dark mage... who just so happens to be a goddamn vampire."
Natsu gave a grunt in response but Gray kept pouring it on. If he let up for even an instant the other man would ignore him in his rage. "A vampire that not only specializes in ice magic, but can hurl blasts of ice the size of a small mountain faster than it takes Laxus to sneeze. And to make things even worse, she just so happens to already be pissed at you for wrecking her house, assaulting her servant, and setting her body on fire... twice."
His guild-mate gave no reply at all to Gray's words. If anything, Gray's words had only made him more angry. The ice mage cursed to himself.
He needed to pierce that wall of anger so Natsu could better direct it. The man needed to be calm and rational before he fought the icy bitch, not pissed off and blind like he usually was against a first time opponent. She needed to lose, and if Natsu was the only one with a clear shot at the bitch, then Gray would help him do it if Gray had to pound it into the man's head with a literal hammer.
Gray gave Natsu's shoulder a shake to make sure he was paying attention. They had arrived at a descending staircase which wrapped around the resort, leaving him precious little time to accomplish his goal. "Sound about right, Flamebrain?"
"Yeah, ya got it so far, Gray," Natsu growled as he shook off his friends hand and tensed his legs to jump. "And you get twelve points for being right, too. But then you lose eighteen for being a stripping pervert and get stuck below zero, right where you belong."
The dragon slayer pushed off the stone staircase with a powerful thrust of his hips, falling to the ground far below. Gray's right eyebrow twitched at Natsu's jibe, but he only archived its annoyance for a later date. He slammed his hands together and created a slide of ice that he used to follow the impetuous fire mage. Gray's body was strong, but he was not a monster like Natsu.
Negi and Takamichi hovered in the air and descended slowly, pacing Gray as the ice mage kept his eyes locked onto his friend. Down below, Natsu's feet flared with a blast of fire to slow himself down. The three men caught up to the fire mage as he stood in a crater of melted sand and stone, sniffing the air intently. His posture changed as the three men neared, and he began marching towards a point on the opposite shoreline.
"Of course I'm right, you complete and utter buffoon." Gray said upon catching up to Natsu. "But more importantly, if you get all that then pay attention to this piece of advice: If you don't take her seriously from the get-go you won't be around to see the finish line. She wasn't messing around with us back in the amphitheater, and if you hesitate or pull your punches, she's going to bury you beneath this sandy little beach before you can so much as say 'ow'."
The pink-haired man waved a hand. "Yeah, yeah. I got it Gray. Eva is mad and powerful and she wants to beat the shit out o' me for ticking her off. Just stop talking already so we can move faster and I can pound her into the ground." Smoke darted out of his nostrils. "She's a tough opponent that's hurt you, insulted our guild and called me out. No way am I going to delay this fight."
A growl ripped from Gray's throat as they began walking through an area without walls. If that was how Natsu wanted to play things then fine, Gray could play that way as well. If Natsu refused to take his words seriously then maybe Gray's next move would pound some sense into him.
In one quick motion, Gray stepped to Natsu's side slammed him against a nearby pillar and held him pressed against it. Natsu's eyes flashed angrily at Gray's actions, but the ice mage refused to give him a chance to react. "I don't think you do, Natsu." Negi gave out a startled 'eep' of surprise somewhere behind Gray's back, but Gray did not care. He just gave another growl and shoved his free forearm into Natsu's chest.
"This is important, Natsu, so listen to me for one goddamn moment." Gray was shouting at this point. He was not given to long speeches or words without cause and Natsu had better remember it before things got ugly. Gray had a lot riding on this fight and it was time that Natsu understood everything he was taking onto his shoulders.
Gray pressed Natsu against the stone pillar with as much force as he could muster. "Fighting her before nearly killed me, and that was when she thought I was just an insect to be squashed. You've managed to piss her off more than I did, and unless I've gone and morphed into a pile of Erza's shit, she's going to be aiming for your head from the moment you step onto the sand. She could give frickin Gildarts a run for his money in sheer power, but that's only the surface of her abilities."
Gray leaned in close as Natsu continued to stare unblinking and unmoving in his grasp. "Her real power is her mind. She hid and watched me fight for three days straight, Natsu. Three. Entire. Days. She's a sadist, and she'll be willing to wait until you're in no position to fight before she lands her final blow. You can bet that she'll do her best to get into your head before she starts anything. And when she does, she'll tear you apart faster than you can blink."
He released Natsu and stepped back, turning his head to the side. Just talking about those awful three days took it out of him. But Natsu had to know what he was facing.
"You're still reacting to the pain from getting separated from Happy and the others. Our little scrap last night and whatever you've done since coming to this place haven't solved the issue. But use this chance to take out all of the pain we both feel on her, alright?"
Gray felt tired. Putting it out in the open, the problem they were both dealing with, hurt. "It's there, in both of our hearts, Natsu. The loss we feel from our missing comrades. The pain of knowing that we may never be able to go home." He turned his head back around and held out a clenched fist. "So get it out of our systems with this fight before we do something even crazier. 'Cause if you don't, I swear that I'll destroy whatever she leaves behind."
Natsu stared at Gray's outstretched fist. With a nod, he formed his own fist and bumped it against Gray's. The two men held the gesture and smiled grimly at one another.
"I've got it, Gray. I guess we're just the sort of guys who need a good smackdown before they can move on from the past." He grinned and pushed Gray's fist back with his own. "It just wouldn't be the Fairy Tail way otherwise, would it?"
Gray nodded his head in return and dropped his fist. "You know it man." He and Natsu looked at one another for a long moment, then silently dropped the stare and continued their walk. Soon enough they came to a veranda overlooking the water. Gray could see Eva in the distance, arms crossed over her chest and black dress rippling in the wind. He gave a jaunty wave and watched as Natsu stepped hopped onto the sand. It was all up to the dragon slayer.
Evangeline waited impatiently as the pink-haired fool as he stepped onto the sand. The others stayed at their post on her veranda where they would be out of the way. She put them out of her mind. The pink-haired fool was coming to give her a down payment on what he owed, and she was more than happy to collect.
She had to give him credit for being brave. The man strode towards her, never breaking eye contact. Perhaps he could back up his bark with a little bit of bite. It would make his eventual defeat all the more enjoyable.
The man stayed silent as he walked towards her location. She watched him closely. Every movement he made, the sway of his hips, the posture of his back and the positioning of his arms. Everything hinted at a deep familiarity with battle that was rare in someone so young. A smile twitched at the corners of her mouth. Oh, the coming fight would be enjoyable after all.
Enjoyable enough that the anticipation made her want to prolong it. Battles were waged on more than just the physical and magical levels, and despite his potential the Springfield boy had been such a bore when it came to their own duel.
"So the lost little boy wants to play with me after all," she purred. He gave no reaction to her words, but that was no deterrent. She would keep speaking until her words drew blood. "What would drive a spoiled little child such as yourself to fight someone so far above them? It's not just a strain of masochism – oh no, that would be far too simple."
His movements indicated that he would be a close quarters combatant. Judging by the impact she had felt upon his landing he also possessed incredible strength. She would have to keep her distance or strike him where he least expected it.
"Did I make you mad when I placed you in timeout? Or is it that you wish to avenge your friend's three days of suffering in this very place?" She peered around and pointed towards a nearby rock. "I believe that he almost died over there. One of the Chachas ambushed him from the water as he tried to hide."
Not a muscle twitched out of place the man's body. His breathing remained even and his gait stayed smooth. It seemed as though he would be a tough nut to crack. "Neither of those? Hm, then I wonder what it could ever be," she mused. She would have to delve deeper.
"If it's not the present, then it has to be the past. Something great enough to fray your nerves and drive you to recklessness. Something that would wound you to your core and affect your mind beyond your ability to consciously control." The section of last night's talk about his friends came to mind and she drew a conclusion. "Something... like abandonment."
His left eyelid twitched and Eva knew that she was on to something. It was time to go for the throat.
Her eyes glittered as she spoke. "You not only feel the pain of being separated from them, but feel as though you have abandoned them. And guess what, little boy?" Her eyes glittered as she spoke more. "You did. And you may never see them again."
His roaring attack was telegraphed all over his features. "Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!"
How dull of him, she thought to herself. A quick shundou placed her behind his wide open back. When he did not immediately respond in kind, Eva felt another pang of disappointment. "Too easy," she muttered as his head swiveled from side to side in puzzlement.
Her disappointment did not stay her hand. "Ensis Exsequens!" A blade of energy formed around her hand that she brought down with a slashing blow.
Asuna gasped as she stepped over the broken door and entered Evangeline's cabin. The place looked as though rival gangs of Yakuza had broken into the place and tried to settle their differences on the spot. Bits of furniture lay scattered about the house and the smell of burned wood made the girl wrinkle her nose.
"Eva? Chachamaru? Is anyone home?" Asuna called out into the still air. No one answered her as she moved deeper within the torn up dwelling. "Takahata-sensei? Negi? Natsu?" Still no one answered her.
She moved from room to room, trying to find some sign of their presence. The living room and entranceway were the worst hit by far. It looked as though most of the items within them were beyond salvaging, and Asuna could only imagine what the dark mage's reaction would be upon seeing them. Giving her penchant for the dramatic, she might actually rip their still beating hearts from their chests.
The bedroom was the least torn up and appeared as though no one had spent any time in it anytime recently. Actually, it felt as though no one had been in the room for days. This bothered Asuna as there had been plenty of time from their return for the diminutive vampire to return to her cabin and relax in the comfort of her own home.
Asuna's search ended in front of the only fully intact door on the cabin's ground floor. She could feel a slight tingle from beyond its wooden frame. Curious as to why the tingling door was still standing, she opened the door and peered inside. There was a steep wooden staircase going into some kind of basement. With zero lighting to guide her steps.
"Of course the only remaining area to search in a vampire's home is a staircase descending into absolute darkness," the girl muttered to herself as she placed one hand on the nearby wooden rail. "I swear, if something pops out and attacks me down there I am going to kick Negi's ass so hard that even his great, great, great grand kids will feel it." After a moment's pause, wherein she chewed her bottom lip intensely, Asuna took the plunge and descended.
A collision of magic shook the Resort's air as two elemental forces clashed.
"Nivus Casus!"
"Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!"
Natsu gritted his teeth as the explosion's concussive force from the two blasts ripped through his body. That attack had been strong to bust through any of Gray's creations but had only been able to nullify her own icy attack. Her ice wasn't anywhere close to being as powerful pound for pound, but she could summon up more of it in an instant than Gray could in an entire year; and if he gave her any room, she came up with big spells like that one. The stuff was starting to get on his nerves.
He peered through the resulting smoke of his own attack to try to locate her. Their fight had taken them from the amphitheater to the seaside portion of her resort, and it gave her little room to hide. The only downside was the salty breeze interfered with his sense of smell, making him waste critical moments as he determined her proximity through the strength of her scent.
A flash of movement to his right focused Natsu's attention to that area. It was just enough to save his hide as Eva was on him, stabbing at his chest with an energy sword shooting out of her hand. Gray's got to be sitting up there watching in jealousy, Natsu thought as he read her incoming attack. His ice blades have nothing on that thing.
He dodged the first two swipes with a sway of his body and counterattacked with an exploding left fist, only to grunt in pain as the third and fourth blows nicked his chest. The woman grinned as her sword bit home and he growled in discomfort. His counterattack hadn't left him open; she had just been too fast, and it had taken every ounce of speed and flexibility he had just to reduce the depth of her cuts. He had no time to linger on the pain as she continued to rain blows upon him.
She moved like no one he had ever seen, using some trick to move faster than his eyes could follow. A sudden displacement of air behind his neck caused him to throw his body to the ground and roll to his right. He continued the roll as the woman's scent filled his nostrils and the faint hum of her sword stabbing sand came from where he had first dropped. This was the third time she had used that particular move, and the bloody gash down his back reminded him just how painful the sword's bite could be when coupled with that damn technique.
He completed his roll and hoisted his body up on both arms to deliver a flaming, spinning kick that caused her to back off and buy him some time away from that damn sword. He flipped himself upright and gathered flames in his left arm. "Fire Dragon's Flame Elbow!"
"Sagitta Magica: 101 Arrows of Ice!"
The two spells collided, sending a cloud of steam into the open air. As Natsu looked at his opponent through the hazy cloud, he tried to take stock of his options. The only reason he had managed to avoid being turned into a diced ice sculpture was thanks to his many fights with Erza and his battle against Jellal in the Tower of Heaven, but it couldn't go on forever. He hadn't been able to land more than a glancing blow against her, and every time he thought he had her she let loose a blast of those magic arrows to counter whatever he threw.
Her big spells seemed to take longer to cast, but the damn arrows sure packed a punch when she put enough of them together. Natsu flicked off a bead of blood going down his chest from one of the open cuts her sword had made in his flesh. For a moment, he saw her eyes track the streak of crimson before snapping back to his face.
It was time to change things up. "Alright, enough with the warm-ups," he called out at the steam cleared up. "I've got a handle on that disappearing trick of yours, and that frickin sword won't be able to save your tiny ass for long." Natsu clenched his fists and slammed them together in a shower of sparks. "So let's get this party rockin already."
She moved her sword into a mid-range guard and motioned him forward. Her teeth gleamed in the resort's light as she bared them in his direction. It was an invitation if he had ever seen one.
He threw himself at her in an all-out attack. The energy sword gave Eva an extended reach over his fists, and combined with her ability to disappear at will, limited his options. He led off with a blast of fire from his right fist and followed up with a fiery spinning kick that placed her on the defensive for the first time.
A laugh bubbled from her lips as he closed in. "So the pup has a bite after all. Impressive." She flung a small number of dark arrows at his head without chanting, forcing him to twist violently in order to avoid their sting. "But not impressive enough. Show me more of what you can do."
He ducked a slash from her sword and took a blast of snow and ice to his face instead. He continued to close in, using his other senses to predict her movements as he directed his fire to melt the frozen water she had flung onto his face. Sensing his temporary weakness, her movements became even faster, forcing him to dodge each blow by a hairsbreadth.
Natsu blinked his eyes open just in time to see her disappear. He grinned to himself and flung an arm out to his left, catching Eva by surprise as she reappeared. He grabbed the petite vampire by her wrist and twisted it until the energy sword couldn't be used against him.
A grunt escaped her mouth as he gave it an extra twist. "No disappearing this time, little scaredie cat." He clenched his free hand into a fist and buried it in her stomach. A whoosh of air escaped her lungs and he cocked his arm back for another blow. "It's time to pay for insulting my friends and beating my guild-mate within an inch of his life."
He slammed his fist into her stomach and heard her cough. The sound of something wet hitting the sand reached his ears. "When you did that, you managed to piss off a member of the worst guild there is to anger. You've got a debt to be paid – and it can only be paid through force. Feel a dragon's wrath."
Fire gathered in his hand as Natsu once again drew his fist back for another punch. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
The point blank attack picked Eva's body up and flung her out of his grasp. He could feel his blazing knuckles tear through her clothing and impact the soft flesh beneath, probably leaving scorch marks with their passing. Flames covered her body as they fed off her clothing. A dragon's wrath was not intended to be pleasant. A dragon's wrath was intended to maim and kill. He lost sight of his opponent when her body disappeared into the sea with an enormous splash.
For a time, Natsu just stood and watched the area where her body had hit. He swiveled his eyes along the beach as well. There was absolutely no sign of her, and for the first time since the fight had begun Natsu wondered if he had gone a little too far. She might be a prick and an immortal vampire, but she still had the body of a little girl. It probably couldn't take as much damage as a normal body, and Negi had mentioned that she was under some kind of curse as well.
Then Natsu felt his knees buckle as a tiny hand knifed into the side of his neck. "That's enough out of you for the moment," he heard Eva hiss through the cloud of pain in his head. "We won't be repeating that again anytime soon."
He clutched at his neck with one hand and stumbled to face her.
"Fire Dragon's -"
She never gave him a chance to complete his attack. A hit to the side of his skull caused stars to appear in front of his eyes and a wave of vertigo to sweep through his stomach. His legs gave out completely and he fell to his hands and knees with the wet sand beneath him.
"I don't know who or what you are but that hurt dammit!" Eva's voice sounded furious, almost enough to make Natsu laugh through the pain. Almost.
"Most dragons have weaker flames than the stuff you just hit me with, and trust me brat, that's no mean feat." He finally did manage to force out a chuckle at that. Then her next words made Natsu feel a tingle of fear for the first time since the fight began. "But no more trying to draw things out. Now it's time for you to learn your place like the insect you are."
She had been taking it easy on him? Then a blow crashed into his side, followed by a second to his stomach and a third to his face. She piled the blows on faster than he thought possible, with each one containing the force of a hammer. Any thought of her taking it easy on him flew out of his head as Natsu felt his body flying through the air from the force of her attacks.
His body flipped and gyrated through the sky as she used him in place of a punching bag. He could feel his body move one way, then suddenly her fist or foot or some other part of her body was there to meet it and send it flying in another direction. No one he knew in Fiore could do something like this, not even Jellal and for all of his many faults the man was powerful.
Natsu lost track of the blows after the fifth combo. He could see darkness creeping in at the edges of his vision as the world continually moved from the rain of hits leveled against his body. Each one threatened to send him over the edge and he could feel his teeth rattling in his head anytime one of her slim fists connected to his upper body. Tears formed in his eyes from the one time she aimed a blow at his lower body.
The thunderous hits began to reach a crescendo and he forced himself to stay aware. He would not let her beat him into unconsciousness, not when he had yet to play his trump card.
With a final volley of blows, Eva finally allowed his body to fall limply to the sand. His back lay against its warm softness, and he shut his eyes for a moment to marshal his strength. He could hear her breathing steadily nearby, lightly winded from her exertion. But lightly winded was far better than how his body felt after being swatted around like a volleyball for the past minute.
Now was probably a good time to use his final ability before she hit him with anything else. She had let him rest long enough. "Nap time's over," he muttered.
Natsu opened his eyes and slowly climbed to his feet. Every inch of his torso felt as though it were on fire, and he would probably be feeling the pain for well over a week. The shirt given to him by Negi and the girls was in absolute tatters, allowing him to see dozens of areas where the imprints of tiny knuckles had left reddened marks on his thick skin.
The only indication he gave of the pain he felt was a single crack of his neck. Then he settled into his basic stance and summoned his final technique.
"Lightning Flame Dragon Mode."
Asuna stood before some type of weird diorama, in a room located deep under Eva's cabin. "Definitely magical," she muttered. "No way in hell is that glow made from technology, not unless Chao or Hakase are involved, and I'd like to see either of them in Eva's basement."
A strand of hair strayed onto her face as she moved closer. She blew it out of her eye as she continued speaking to herself. "Fat chance of that ever happening. The two of them probably don't even believe in magic. And if they did, they'd probably write the whole thing off as some kind of weird natural thingie, or something more science-y sounding."
She placed her hands on top of the thing and placed an eye against it. Every now and then she thought she saw signs of something moving within it, but the things were gone the moment she concentrated her attention on them. "They probably barely know that she's in our classroom, let alone that she's one of the most powerful magic users alive. I sure didn't, and I'm more involved with our whacked out group than either one of those two."
As she continued to mumble to herself about her crazy classmates and the beating she was going to give their teacher, she eventually noticed a spot on the floor that seemed to glow. It was some kind of inscribed circle, with geometric shapes and lines running through it. She squatted down so she could get a better look at it.
Upon closer inspection it looked like the same circle that Negi had used to summon her and Setsuna to his location during the battle to save Konoka. Sure she couldn't remember what it looked like exactly, but it seemed close enough. She placed a foot on it and closed her eyes as a flash of light surrounded her body.
When she opened them once more, she was standing on a mist-shrouded platform at the end of a narrow bridge. "Wha-Wha-What the hell?" She gasped. This was unreal. "What just happened? Where am I?" Her head swiveled around like an owl's, and she gave a small cry of pain as it twisted too far. In her sudden panic, she ran to the platform's edge without looking. She stopped just short of throwing herself over the edge. "Holy crap there's no barrier! There's really no barrier!"
She fell onto her behind and scrambled away. "Seriously, there aren't any handrails? Anywhere? Didn't the frickin architect ever hear of user safety? Or death by falling from a very steep height?" Asuna winced as she rubbed her backside. "Damn magic, and damn fantasy architects everywhere!"
More cautious after nearly falling over the edge, Asuna approached it once again until she was able to peer down into the mist. She could make out some stone buildings located on a sandy piece of ground surrounded by water, and little flashes of light. She was also able to hear an occasional rumble, as though some colossal force had been angered down below.
"The damn circle brought me into the thing," she said as realization dawned upon her. Then a series of other realizations hit. "Great! Now how on Earth do I get out, and where are Takahata-sensei and the idiot companions?"
More rumbles came from below drew her attention back to her surroundings. She could see two little shapes flitting around in the air far below, with one seemingly following the other wherever it went. Every time they met one another, a heavy boom reached her ears as the very air seemed to vibrate. Something about them made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end, and she backed away from the platform's edge. Then the booming stopped and the air was filled with a tense silence that prickled her skin.
Asuna blinked as a flash of golden-red light pulsed from below. A column of energy blasted upwards in a giant beacon of light, reaching clear to her position. "Either that was magic, or someone just turned on the lava lamp to end all lava lamps."
Then the booming came back. Only this time the entire structure began to shudder with them. Asuna's instincts began going off like an alarm bell as she felt her body slide toward the edge.
"Dammit moron, why won't you die already? Sagitta Magica: 503 Arrows of Darkness and Ice!"
"Lightning Flame Dragon's Fist!"
Eva swore aloud as she barely got an arm up in time to block Natsu's strike. His blow had torn through her arrows as if though they did not even exist, with the few that made it through bouncing off from his skin. The man's power and speed had shot through the roof and it was taking every bit of her vast experience to stay in one piece. Screw that idiotic Thousand Master and his damned curse! The tables had been turned as soon as he went into his transformation and Eva was scrambling to find a way to deal with it.
A painful explosion blasted into her arm as his fiery punch connected. As she reeled backwards, a zap of lightning magic connected to the same spot as Natsu's fiery fist. The shock numbed her entire arm and the limb dropped uselessly to her side. His attacks treated her barriers like they were made from paper cloth, with her barriers deflecting and absorbing only a fraction of the damage they should have been handling.
Eva ground her teeth together as she pushed through the pain. Natsu was coming in for another attack and she was out of position. Not good. She tried to twist her body around in order to shift her other arm into position but was unable to move fast enough. Natsu was upon her so quickly that Eva couldn't react even with a shundou. She could only watch as Natsu's blazing forearm impacted her chest. Why was it that idiots were gifted with so much power?
"Lightning Flame Dragon's Firing Hammer!"
Negi saw the explosion racing towards him. Entranced by its majesty, he could only stare at it. Then a figure interposed itself between him and the oncoming attack.
"Ice Make: Shield!"
A giant wall of shimmering-blue ice sprang into being in front of Negi. The fiery blast of magic impacted it with the sound of a hammer striking a frozen lake in winter. It made the young man flinch, snapping him out of his trance.
Cracks spread through Gray's ice and Negi could feel the air sizzle from the flame's heat. Whatever Natsu's magic was, it was far stronger than any fire magic the young teacher had ever seen. In comparison, it made Anya's magic look like fireworks. But Gray's shield held firm and the attack soon dissipated.
The shield of ice then cracked and fell apart, its magic spent. The young mage saw Gray's shoulders heave as he drew in deep breaths. Then the man began to mutter to himself as though Negi and Takamichi were not even two meters away.
"Frickin Natsu, always going overboard. The moron never considers the surrounding environment when he uses his attacks. And what's the deal with those overpowered attacks? Even Natsu's not that strong." Gray's eyes tracked Natsu's position as the other man jumped into the air to pursue his opponent. He grabbed hold of the smaller mage and threw her into the ground, landing on top of her with a fiery kick, where he proceeded to lay into her with a barrage of blows. "It has to be the weird magic in this air. The idiot's probably tapping into it somehow even though I couldn't."
Negi blinked as he considered the man's words. Tapping strange magic? Now that Gray mentioned it, Negi could feel that the air around them was somehow different. It felt more full, as though magic was flowing in a raging river rather than a small creek. His sense felt sharper and more intense than usual, and if he were to use magic the result would probably be quite interesting. Negi filed that little nugget of information away and bowed his head to the older boy in thanks.
"Thank you, Gray-san. That was marvelous magic you used." It truly was, even if it had only been able to hold against the attack's very edges. The sand where Eva had been standing had been turned to blackened glass, stretching to the area where Gray's shield had stood. While Negi felt certain that Takamichi could have handeled the attack, the young boy was not so sure that he could have done so himself.
The thought caused his tiny fists to momentarily clench. If he was unable to block something of this level, as amazing as it was, there was no way Negi was even close to his father. It was untenable.
Meanwhile, the older boy nodded his head and switched his gaze to Negi. Natsu had just thrown Eva into the air once more and was readying himself for another jump. "Anytime kid. Trust me, if we hang out with one another for very long, you'll probably return the favor someday for myself or my friends." Then the man gave a grunt and took off his jacket.
It joined his shoes and socks, which Negi saw had also been removed. Gray then gave him a grin and turned to look at Natsu. Perplexed, Negi looked at an equally confused Takamichi before moving his attention back to the fight as well. The Ice Mage was powerful but weird.
Eva had regained control of her body after being flung into the air and had begun chanting a spell. Straining his ears, Negi was just able to make the words out. "Lic lac la lac lilac: Veniant Spiritus Glaciales Obscurantes! Cum Obscuratione Flet Tempestas Nivalis."
Negi's eyes widened in shock; he recognized that spell! It was the chant for Snowstorm of Darkness, a High spell of Darkness and Ice. Eva had used it against him in their previous duel, but judging by the magic that Eva was gathering, it was a far more powerful version.
Eva's chanting reached its peak. She extended one hand to channel the spells power. "Nivus Tempestas Obscurans!" Then she moved her other hand forward and seemed to smirk at her opponent. "Sagitta Magica: 313 Arrows of Darkness and Ice."
Negi let out a gasp. Simultaneous casting of two powerful spells? There was no way that Natsu would be able to overcome them both at once.
Yet the man did not seem to panic as he flew through the air towards Eva's magic. The aura around his body flared ever more brightly and he opened his mouth wide.
"Lightning Flame Dragon's Roar!"
A stream of fire and lightning far greater than any before flowed out in a torrent of power. It impacted Eva's magic and blasted through it, smashing into the vampire's tiny form and hiding it from view. The spell drilled into the side of the enormous building where it exploded in a cloud of fire and lightning. Dust flew into the air and stones began to fall from the point of impact.
Then the actual sound of the explosion hit Negi. Crackling staccato from the spell's lightning component stabbed into his brain while the roaring of a jet airliner provided a constant backdrop. He could it hear it even through both hands covering his ears. It pounded into him mercilessly for several second as Natsu let the blast continue, pouring a steady stream into the area where Eva had disappeared.
Yet just as Natsu ended the attack and Negi took his hands from his ears, a high-pitched scream caught his attention. He quickly located its source and felt panic grip his heart. The young teacher placed his father's staff below his feet and hoped it was not too late to intervene.
Asuna was falling. Her instincts had been screaming at her to get away from the platform without rails, but she had hesitated a few seconds too long. Just as she had made it halfway across the bridge a tremor had torn through the stone beneath her feet. The next thing she knew the bridge was no longer beneath her and the distant water was getting closer..
Damn you Negi, this is all your fault!
Natsu plummeted back to earth and landed in a huge plume of sand. It obscured him from view, but it didn't really matter. Natsu could feel that his power was spent. He had thrown everything he had into that final blast and had nothing left in the tank. His eyes tracked her to the hole his spell had torn into the giant building.
He could see a single foot that seemed to twitch as rubble continued to fall. No other part of her body appeared. Natsu closed his eyes and concentrated on his hearing. She wasn't chanting anything, and he could just barely make out the sound of uneven breathing. His eyelids twitched as worry set in. He had only wanted to beat her black and blue. Maybe he really had overdone it this time.
Then Natsu heard the girl's terrified screams and looked to the right of the hole. Asuna was twisting back and forth as she fell and did not seem to be slowing her descent or preparing herself for impact with the water she was rushing to meet. The girl was falling too fast. Natsu cursed and began to run, only to trip and barely catch himself.
"I've got you Asuna-san!" Negi's cry reached Natsu's ears as clear as a tolling bell.
The young mage had hopped onto his oversized staff and was flying to meet the falling girl. He was moving nearly as fast as Natsu could, but thanks to the advantages of flight he was able to maintain the speed over the water's surface. His staff skimmed the water's surface as he neared the spot where Asuna would land. The girl's screams reached a fever pitch as the boy's staff reached the point and then shot upwards like a javelin into the sky.
Natsu watched as his body sank into the sand. Using the Lightning Flame Dragon mode for so long had taken its toll on his body and he couldn't make it to the girl in time. It was all on the kid.
Reaching an arm out, Negi caught the falling girl from the air and placed her onto his staff. Her screams died down as she clutched the thick piece of wood' and although Natsu could feel his ears begin to burn from the curses she rained down the boys head, it seemed that she would be safe. The staff moved gently across the sky and made its way back to land. Natsu grinned as Gray and the older guy, Takamichi, met the two. Then he punched his fist into the sand.
Natsu had rarely felt annoyed with his own power. Igneel had raised him to be proud of the fire within and Natsu had taken his words to heart. But at that moment, Natsu could feel anger and annoyance at the source of his strength bubbling up from within.
The lightning power he had gained from Laxus was different. Unlike the fire which came from his soul, the lightning had come from without. Using it gave him a boost in power but depleted his magic and left him weakened. Even now Natsu could feel a faint tightening spread through his body as it reacted to the lightning. If Natsu and Eva had been the only ones in the area, using the Lightning Flame Dragon Mode would have gotten Asuna killed.
He punched the ground once again. After making sure that Eva and Asuna were okay, Natsu would take the choice of staying or leaving Mahora out of Gray's hands. Natsu needed to master this power before it turned into a liability. Otherwise it could be Happy, Lucy, or Wendy in need of saving with no one other than a weakened Natsu to save them.
Then a familiar scent made its way to his nose. Natsu jerked his head up and raised his hands just in time to shield his face.
"Crystallitatio Tellustris."
The ground surrounding Natsu turned to ice. Pillars jutted forth and surrounded the fire mage, trapping him in a frozen cage. To make matters worse, Natsu could not move his arms or legs. Her spell had frozen his arms and lower half completely and were already beginning to grow numb. He shot a look at Eva as she floated just out of his reach.
"Dammit, what does it take to put you down?" Her clothes were gone as if she had never worn any in the first place. Natsu could see every portion of her alabaster skin as she floated in the air above his trapped form. Yet despite her lack of clothing, there was not a single sign of a burn or scratch on any part of her naked body. "Even Gildarts would've been hurt by that!"
She returned his look with a venomous glare of her own. "I am Nosferatu, little hatchling." She bared her teeth at him as her green eyes began to glow red. "And not even the wrath of a true dragon can compare to my own."
Natsu summoned the dregs of his power as she moved away from him. Weak flames flared into being and slowly melted the ice around his body. Above, she began to chant. The words were nonsense to his ears even with Negi's charm but still managed to raise the hair on the back of his neck.
"Lic lac la lac lilac: Τὸ συμβόλαιον διακονῆτω μοί, ἡ κρυστάλλινη βασίλεια! Ἐπιγενηθήτω, ταἰώνιον ἔρεβος, αἱώνιε κρύσταλλε!"
He stopped trying to free his body. The very air tingled from the power Eva was gathering to herself. It was all or nothing. He drew in a deep breath and gathered the fire within his stomach as she unleashed the spell.
"Πάσαις ζωαῖς τὸν ἴσον θάνατον, ὃς ἀταραξία!Κοσμικη Κρυσταλλοπηγια!"
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
The dragon slayer's flame rushed out to meet the vampire's ice magic. The two opposing elements touched, and for the first time since the fight began, Natsu saw one of his attacks be completely overwhelmed. The frozen stream of ice overpowered his dragon's breath and came into contact with his body.
After a brief flash of pain he knew no more.
Next Time in Fairies of Negima: The aftermath of the fight is assessed, plans are set in motion and one faction of villains make their first appearance.
A/N: There you have it. Natsu put up a damn good fight but got destroyed in the end. The gang from FT are powerful, probably Middle and Upper-Middle Tier (except for Lucy and the Exceed) as Negima ranks things, but they have a long way to go before they reach the levels of Eva, Nagi and Rakan. Meanwhile, my next chapter should be out pretty fast. I split off a good portion of this one and just need to flesh it out. Keep it hanging in the meantime. That cliff I stranded you on will soon be gone.
On a tangent, I will probably read through and edit all of my chapters once I hit chapter 10 or 15. By that time I should have a solid grasp on how I write characters that I did not possess when I first started this fic and there are a couple of sections in prior chapters which bug me. I'll keep up my usual work and will include any updates within future A/N's. Additionally, the poll for Negi's group is still up. I'd recommend voting... or only 8 people out of over 2,000 unique visitors will have a say in Negi's romance.
Proofread by the one and only Raiyoukai, Savior of Theodora. For all you Theodora lovers out there, thank him profusely; she was on the distant chopping block before he intervened.
Until Next Time,
Elsil