Disclaimer: Negima! is not owned by anyone on unless said person is Ken Akamatsu in disguise… which translates to mean ownership is not mine. But… all OCs created by my words, taken from my ideas, and put onto paper are mine.
Notes: First of all, I would like to thank all my readers for waiting patiently. I was in Hong Kong for a moment without much motivation to write and when I came back, I found myself in a bit of a writer's block. Now, it is all cleared up though so please enjoy this new chapter. And ah, it seems the poll, for all intents and purposes, failed. Oh well, back to the norm it is for me then.
"Speech."
'Thoughts.'
"Spells."
Termination of Spirit: Contract's Initiation
Chapter Nine: The Night's Revelations
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"Oho, you're back, boya. It seems you caught our little idol in record time."
"I wouldn't say caught…" Negi began but Chisame cut him off.
"Better alive than dead," she glared at Eva as her classmates welcomed her to the den of evil.
Negi chuckled uncomfortably. "Now, now…" he interrupted, ever the peacemaker.
His efforts proved to be of no avail when, with a negligent wave of her hand, the master of the house ignored her teacher and said, "Dead vermin are no better than those alive." The condescending tilt of her head only added to the sagely tone of the speech.
"Eva-san…" Negi sighed, shaking his head.
But to the vampire's disgust, instead of replying to the insult, Chisame shrugged off the challenge and cut straight to the point. "So what's so important that you have to send the brat here to drag us all together?"
"He didn't drag all of us together," Haruna whispered with a giggle. Chisame's eye twitched.
Sighing dramatically, the vampire glanced over her audience with half-lidded eyes. "About these dreams," she began almost sleepily. "I would like to know if any side effects occur."
As her gaze swept over them, a shivering sensation pierced each person as Eva's sharp blue eyes stabbed through them, one by one, before finally coming to rest on…
"Why are you looking at me?" Asuna growled uncomfortably under the scrutinizing stare.
"Well," Eva smirked, "you're the only one that is dead… at least, in the dream."
"And that's where you're wrong!" Asuna countered in a heartbeat, crossing her arms. "You see," she told them sagely, "I didn't die. You didn't see me die, right?"
"Assuming no one else was around…" Eva ventured but she trailed off soundlessly when Asuna shot up off the ground and exclaimed, "Assumptions shouldn't be trusted!"
Only the soft chimes of the redhead's bells filled the emptiness of the silence that followed. Finally realizaing the fact that all eyes were upon her, Asuna blushed and quickly took her seat, staring down at the floor, completely aware of the confused glances sent her way.
Elbow on the armchair, head resting against her palm, the nosferatu studied the girl appraisingly before she let her eyes drift close. "Lower your voice, there's no need for such a big reaction. It was only a dream," she said softly.
"Only a dream where I die," the girl responded just as quietly, softly, but almost half-heartedly. Her eyes were wide when she added in a whisper, "I don't want to die…"
"But you're still alive, Asuna-san," Setsuna hesitantly pointed out, looking at her with more than just slight concern. Setsuna put a comforting hand on Asuna's shoulder but it slipped off when Asuna edged away from the touch. In worry, the swordsman looked to Negi for help.
Understanding the silent plea, the boy ventured, "Are you all right, Asuna-san?" At the quick nod that followed, he shrugged at Setsuna. Unconvinced, he tried again meeting the same wordless response.
"She's probably just afraid the dream will come true, scared of what might be and completely ignorant of how the future works," Konoka remarked disparagingly.
"Konoka-san!" Nodoka gasped. "How could you say that? No one knows how the future works!"
"But she's right," Yue interjected. "'Because no one knows how the future works, you can't be sure what you think will happen actually will. There are an infinite number of possibilities that can be derived from a single action. In fact, what I'm saying now has probably fractured the possible future of just a moment ago into a million tiny pieces.' It was something my grandfather used to say…"
"But what if it does come true?" Asuna demanded. "What if it does come true? What then?"
"You simple-minded idiot!" Eva snapped. "I said there was a chance that these are predicting dreams. I didn't say it was a high chance!"
Completely lapsing out of her depressed silence, Asuna shouted, "But you said the chances had increased!"
"Children, children, what did we learn yesterday?" Eva shook her head in disappointment. "What do the words semi-prescient mean to you, good-for-nothing fool?"
Hesitation didn't take more than a few seconds before Asuna repeated, "You said the chances had increased!"
As if Asuna was a twig before Eva, the vampire crushed her with a yell, "The only change is from a one in a billion chance to a one in a million chance!" She glared, threatening the girl to reply. Asuna looked down.
In the accompanying silence, Negi whispered, "That's actually a big difference."
Balefully, Eva turned her eyes on him. "You're not helping."
To the rest of her silent audience, Eva said, "But that's not the main thing I wanted to address today. This might be quite a leap of subjects for your slow wits, but have you all heard of the mysterious happenings on campus?"
"You mean, the ghost sightings, mysterious sounds, disappearing people (though I heard they've all been found), and the fire in the abandoned school building?" Yue piped up.
"Thank you for the vivid description," Eva muttered, narrowed eyes glaring at Yue.
"And the journalists who snuck into the school are prowling around campus, right?" Haruna added.
Eva shook her head. "Right and wrong, Ms. Gossip-Master," she corrected condescendingly. "It seems that that nuisance has been taken care of already."
"What do you mean?" Negi asked though he knew what came next wouldn't make them happy at all.
"The journalists who snuck in have been found… a little worse for wear you might say."
Negi groaned.
Asuna took that chance to ask, "What happened to them?"
"And misfortune brings her out of her shell," Eva commented cynically before she answered the question. "Some went insane, a few are possessed by unending hallucinations, the rest are frozen in terror, and all need therapy."
As Negi smacked his head with the palm of a hand, the vampire intertwined her hands, put them on her lap, and stared venomously at the youths sitting in her living room. "So, has anything strange happened recently?" she asked with an innocent smile that no one trusted for a second. It was obvious she was not interested in their lives any more than she was interested in garlic and onion soup.
Negi squirmed in his seat, making him the perfect target for Eva's merciless stare. As expected, he soon gave in.
"Well, when Chisame-san and I were coming back…" Negi started.
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"Hurry up, Chiu-san!"
"Stop calling me that! What if someone hears you?"
"Don't worry, Chiu-san! This far into the woods, there's no one around, and even if somebody did see you, they wouldn't be able to see the similarities anyways!"
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Chisame growled dangerously. "Are you saying that I don't look like myself at all?"
"Ah, Captain Tatsumiya!" Negi pointed to the right.
Chisame ran after him, yelling, "Don't change the subject!"
"Negi-sensei?"
"Good evening, Captain Tatsumiya," Negi greeted.
Chisame stood dumbfounded behind him. "Hmmph, he wasn't lying after all," she muttered. "This kid and luck…"
Mana gave him a blank stare. "How many times have I told you that just plain Mana is fine?"
"Ehehehe," Negi chuckled, rubbing his head sheepishly.
"Don't bother with his stubbornness," Chisame growled, stepping out of the forest. Without any hesitation, she reached up and whacking the back of Negi's head with the palm of her hand.
Negi's eyes filled with unshed tears as he cried, "That hurt, Chiu-"
Before he could finish the sentence, Chisame had already covered his mouth with a hand, effectively silencing him as she deftly changed the subject. "So, ehe… what brings you to the wilderness?" she asked Mana.
The shrine maiden arched an eyebrow but decided not to question further. Instead, she plainly stated, "An intruder."
"An intruder?" Negi inquired, struggling free from Chisame's grasp.
"Oh great…" Chisame frowned, "More strangeness."
"That's an interesting opinion, coming from one of Negi-sensei's partners."
"No one said I enjoyed it," Chisame snarled, jabbing Negi's face with a finger.
Speaking around the pain, Negi interrupted, saying, "About the intruder…?"
"A cloaked child with an affinity for dark magic attacked me after I failed to hit him with a tranquilizer dart. I overpowered him but he got away before I could capture him." Negi blinked at the Mana's sudden torrent of words. If he was not mistaken, her words sounded rather like a report.
"Dark magic you said?" Negi pondered. "Not many people use dark magic these days, much less a child. Did you spot anything strange about the, uh… Were there any distinguishing traits you caught that might help locate this person?"
Mana shook her head. "None that I could see," she told him. "The cloak covered his face and body. For all we know, he could be female, but let's stick with 'he' for conversation purposes," she smirked.
"I see…" Negi sighed. "Do you know where the intruder is?"
Mana simply shook her head once again.
"Why does it matter where this person went?" Chisame interjected, waving her hand as she added, "It's not that big of a deal, right? If he shows up again, you'll just beat him down with those crazy magic spells or whatever you call them."
"'Magic spells' seems to be a good summary," Negi grinned. "But catching a mage isn't as simple as you make it sound."
"You caught three at once, didn't you? Won't one just be a walk in the park?"
"I appreciate your belief in my skills, but those three were just novices. To have been able to get away from Captain Tatsumiya, this person must be on par, if not stronger than me."
"So you're saying you don't think you could get away from me in a fight?" Mana asked with an amused grin. "You need to work on increasing your self-esteem, Negi-sensei."
"Or to stop hiding behind humility," Chisame agreed.
Negi rubbed his head and looked, down a light blush heating up his cheeks. "Nothing's wrong with humility or my self-esteem," he murmured.
The shrine maiden shared a grin with Chisame before saying, "Well, watch your back out there, Negi-sensei, Chiu-san." And with a wink, she was gone.
"You've got it all wrong!" Chisame screamed after her shadow, aghast.
Her mood didn't get any brighter when Negi nudged her shoulder slyly, "There's nothing wrong with one more person in on the secret, Chiu-san!"
"You shut up! Take some responsibility!"
"Ah, someone help! Chiu-san's gone mad!"
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"I still have the bruise," Negi finished, rubbing his shoulder.
"You didn't have to add in all those details!" Chisame groaned, hiding her face.
"Embarrassed, Chiu-san?" Haruna jabbed with a sly grin.
"This doesn't concern you," Chisame growled from behind her hand.
"Now, now children, mind the mood," Eva sighed. "The fact that our resident bounty hunter couldn't win outright suggests that this… child of ours isn't quite as helpless as it may seem. We might have a second prodigy on campus," she joked. When no one laughed, she shrugged and said, "It seems things have gotten a bit more serious."
"Master?"
With the smile of a withheld secret, Eva deftly ignored him, saying, "Anyone else with tales to share? We have all night and I for one don't need to sleep."
"Well…" Nodoka and Yue spoke up in unison, both hiding sheepish yawns.
"Looks like we have story number two," Eva grinned.
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"Nodoka," Yue nudged her fellow librarian. Yue narrowed her eyes when the bibliomaniac tottered on her feet and tipped over. Still, Nodoka's gaze never left the book in her hand as she steadied herself with the other, gripping the edge of the desk. Enraptured by the book, she continued to ignore her friend until the book snapped shut on her fingers.
"Ahh!" Yue!" she exclaimed in a mixture of pain, surprise, and outrage, turning to meet another of Yue's trademark deadpans. Though Yue showed no expression as she calmly sipped a carton of juice, Nodoka could have sworn that Yue's right eye twitched. Subdued by that single warning, Nodoka laughed weakly and said, "I was doing it again, right?"
Yue nodded and then flicked Nodoka's forehead with her free hand.
"Ouch! What was that for?" the bookworm exclaimed, sulkily nursing both her head and her fingers.
"Retribution," Yue answered vaguely, setting aside the stack of books she had been putting away. With a stretch, she said, "I'm going to get another book to read. I'll be back soon."
"Down in the dungeons?" Nodoka asked warily, rubbing her head.
"Of course, that's where the magical books are," Yue replied matter-of-factly. "The real ones, at least," she amended before she left her desk and walked away.
"The second elevator is stuck down on level fifty-six!" Nodoka called after her. "Careful of the monsters!" she added after Yue's wave of acknowledgement.
"Don't worry so much, Nodoka. I'll be alright as long as I have this," Yue said, holding up her wand. Then, she stepped into the iron box and disappeared from sight.
-
It was dark down on level eighty-seven section B. Already prepared for the tranquil darkness, Yue turned on the head lamp of the Library Exploration Club's trademark hardhat. The beam of light that pierced the black veil revealed a twisted labyrinth made of row after row of immense bookcases. Huge, tall, and carrying a vast and diverse amount of knowledge, Yue was well aware as she set out into the maze that the tomes were jealously guarded by various traps of increasingly devious nature.
Stopping at the edge of one such trap – a large, circular chasm – Yue unhooked a length of rope from her pack and rappelled down a bookcase with the grace and ease that even a well-established mountain climber would envy. As she plummeted into increasingly ominous darkness, Yue remained wary of anything that might prove to be a threat.
But though her eyes were vigorously scanning the various book titles that she passed in her descent, most of her attention was focused on listening for anything that might serve as warning of the various dangers that existed this far underground. Furthermore, her free hand was tucked into the pocket that held her wand, mind ready to yell out an incantation at any moment.
Suddenly, she stopped her descent. Something had stirred in the almost tangible darkness underneath her. Yue hissed softly when she heard it again; something was down there with her, and there was no one around to help.
Cautiously, she pulled out her wand and held it pointed downwards. As if sensing her movement, whatever was under her came closer. With ears perked, Yue peered down into the darkness.
Just as an outline became visible to Yue's eyes, she finally realized what the sound was… with a barely concealed growl. Screeching filled the air, echoing as it ricocheted off the curved chasm walls. A pair of large wings blasted out of the concealing darkness, propelling what appeared to be winged arrow on a collision course with Yue.
It was clear to Yue what would happen if she hit it head on, so at the last second, she pushed herself to the right. The mess of feathers crashed into the bookcase as Yue swung around behind it.
"Sagitta Magica, Una Lucis!"
The arrow of light struck the creature dead center, throwing it further into the rubble it had made in its crash. Yue didn't wait for the monster to recover, pressing the switch that would pull her straight up to the safety of the elevator.
As she rose, she plucked a random book out of the numerous tomes lining the shelves and held it close until she reached the top. Then, she threw caution to the winds and raced towards the safety of the elevator.
Yue was breathing heavily by the time she stepped into the iron box, but just as the door closed, she spotted something watching her from the darkness. A pair of eyes…
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Yue shuddered in the silence. There seemed to be a lot of wordless pauses that day, Negi observed in the contemplative silence that followed.
"There's trouble brewing, that's for sure," said the only one unaffected by the solemnity of the situation
"Oh lighten up!" Asuna scolded the vampire. "Why do you have to be so concerned?"
"Only the foolish stay stuck in the present," Eva replied her loftily. "Though you were stuck in the future just a few minutes ago," she corrected herself.
"What do you mean by that?" Asuna growled, getting to her feet.
"Do you really have to ask?" Konoka shook her head condescendingly. "The meaning is clear isn't it?"
Asuna immediately wheeled to face the innocently grinning girl. "That's it! You're sleeping outside tonight!"
"And who gave you the right to throw me out?" Konoka demanded, rising to her feet as well to stare Asuna straight in the face. Negi felt the tension catch fire as the friction rubbed it raw.
"If you haven't noticed, I'm the only one who actually works and pays for my rent. I don't freeload off my family's mountain of treasure."
"I…" Konoka started in response, but Asuna continued right over her.
"And if you haven't noticed this as well, I was one of those who actually had to fight that demented boy, Fay, or whatever his name was, when you were tied to the altar!"
"And how many times has my magic saved you from…"
"How many times has my blade saved us from danger?" Asuna cut her off.
"Asuna! Just what is your problem?" Konoka cried out in frustration
"What's my problem? You're the one who started it!"
And then, they were at each other's necks and throats.
"Ojou-sama!" Setsuna exclaimed keeping one hand steady on Konoka's shoulder as her other pinned the girl's wrists together. "Forgive me, but you're acting rashly!"
It took the combined effort of Negi, Haruna, Nodoka, and half-hearted help from Chisame and Yue to hold Konoka's raging opponent back. Asuna's face gleamed red with rage as she shouted, "Let me go! Mage or not, heir to the throne or not, I'm going to teach you a lesson!"
"Master…?" Chachamaru inquired tentatively.
"Let them be," Eva reassured the robot. "This is interesting."
Her fun was not to last, however, as once the makeshift crew managed to get the girls to opposite sides of the room, Asuna and Konoka were able to calm down and give mumbled apologies, much to Eva's distaste.
Before they could start another argument over the sincerity of their apologies however, Negi quickly intervened, stepping between the redhead and the brunet. "It's dark already," he pointed out as he headed for the door. "We'd better get going."
"Hold it!" The imperious order instantly froze Negi, who turned, with a sigh, to face Eva.
"Yes, master?"
"You don't leave until I dismiss you, bumbling idiots, and you are not dismissed yet."
"What do you want?" Chisame snapped tiredly. "I want to go to bed. It's already nearing midnight."
"But wouldn't the dreams just wake us up again?"
Negi turned to Nodoka, unsure whether he had heard her right. She was looking down at the ground however, so his unspoken question remained unanswered.
"There's one more thing I need to do," Eva smirked, slowly getting up from her chair.
"And what would that be…?" Asuna inquired nervously. By the apprehensive glances the others shot around, it was clear they were also convinced that no one was going to be happy with the answer.
"Why are you all so scared?" Eva taunted incredulously. "I'll be gentle trust me. Now if you would take…"
"Off our clothes?" Haruna whistled. "Wow, I didn't know you had it in you, Eva-chan."
"Wh-What?" the vampire spluttered, completely taken aback. "I meant your pactio cards you stupid harlot, take out your cards!"
"Aww, that's mean Eva-chan. I thought you said you'd be gentle with us!" Haruna pouted, sending the Dark Evangel into a fit of unintelligible rage.
With the last of her control, Eva ordered darkly, "Take out your cards, now!"
Negi could only shudder; her bloodlust had become a tangible thing. His partners' responses weren't all that much of a surprise.
"Thank you all for being so considerate," the vampire sneered, collecting the seven cards with a single swipe, meeting resistance that couldn't even stop a baby. Then, without warning, she threw them edge first at their owners, but even before they could cry out in surprise, the cards completely stopped, quivering in the air before their eyes, near enough to make them flinch.
"Wha?" was all someone could choke out before Eva ordered with a lazy grin, "Take a good look at your cards, children and look to your partner for the source of your misfortune."
"Source of our misfortune?" Setsuna repeated uncomfortably. She undoubtedly didn't like the sound of that, and neither did Negi.
"There's nothing different about it…" Nodoka sighed, peering at her picture.
As the others joined her in searching, Asuna spotted Konoka rubbing her card with the edge of a sleeve. Curiosity overwhelmed her irrational distaste for her best friend, so she asked, "What are you doing, Konoka?"
"The card is dirty and the black spots won't come off," Konoka replied absentmindedly, dutifully scrubbing at her card with a petulant pout.
"Black spots?" Asuna muttered, just loud enough for Haruna overhear.
"Black spots? Oh, mine has some too," the artist told them.
"Now that you mention it…"
As his partners found more and more of the strange blemishes on their cards, Negi asked his master, "Do all of them have those black spots?"
"Oh yes," Eva answered simply. Then, looking out the window, she added, "Misfortune haunts those who have power. Don't forget that, Negi."
"Master?"
Eva clapped suddenly, drawing the others' attentions and neatly thrusting his question aside. "Now, you're probably wondering why your lovely white cards now have drops of dried blood on them right?"
"Dried blood?" Nodoka gasped in horror, looking as if she might drop her card at any moment.
"Give the simple-minded a joke and they take it as a curse," Eva shook her head sadly. In a louder voice, she said, "No, dimwit, it is not blood! It's a taint!"
Chisame crossed her arms. "A taint? I don't like the sound of that, but what does it mean? What is it?"
With a slightly blank stare, Eva turned slightly to face Negi, her eyes locking the boy's in place, holding them rigidly still as she said, "It's the taint that has spread from the source of omens, spreading its tendrils in an outward wave of perishing darkness…" Her voice was so mesmerizing that Negi found he could not shift his gaze away. But as he stared into the vampire's liquid blue orbs, he realized for the first time how deep and bottomless they were. He was spell bound; he could not look away.
"Eva-san, are you all right?" Negi finally managed to say, though his voice came out in a choked whisper.
"Master?" Chachamaru also spoke up, but said nothing more, retaining her silence once again.
Finally breaking off her hypnotic stare, Eva folded her arms. "Hmm? Is something the matter?" she said. Though the spell was broken and her eyes had returned to their original quality – as normal as it could be for a creature of the night – Negi found his gaze trailing hers, unconsciously following the path of her sight as she sent another series of chills around the room. Negi shook his head violently, hoping to dispel the remnants of the hypnotic spell that had been put on him… but strangely, it didn't seem to help.
"Now then, as there's no unfinished business left, why don't we call it a day? Boya, you better tell the time traveler to take those stones off your hand soon or there might not be much left of you in a couple of weeks."
"Not much left of me…?" Negi gulped.
"You're joking right?" Asuna growled over him. "Or you're lying. You don't tell the truth, offense intended."
Eva hid a little smirk behind spread fingers as she said, "Oh, a little truth can't hurt me."
Quickly, Negi denied, "But Chao-san said it was…"
"Safe?" finished Eva, so easily that Negi couldn't help but wonder if she had known what he would say before he could even think the words. She rose, though the disappointment etched on her face belied the gracefulness of her motion. "When will you learn that trust has to be earned?" she asked.
"But Eva-san!"
"That's master for the last time, apprentice!" Eva snapped, and the threat in her tone was as obvious as the light of day.
Negi caved in immediately. "Yes, master," he sighed in resignation. "I'll talk to Chao-san tomorrow morning…"
"Good," Eva hissed slowly. Then, sitting back down, she added, "Now, it's already quite late and your master wants some peace and quiet."
Throwing up her hands, Asuna yelled, "Then go to sleep! It's past your bedtime anyways!"
"That's it. Chachamaru, throw them out! It's an order," she hissed.
"Yes, master," the android complied without as much as a single word. Instead, the words she had not deigned to say came, predictably, from her classmates. But before they could get well into their complaints, Negi stood up.
"Don't bother yourself Chachamaru-san, I know a dismissal when I hear one," he said, ending the clamor almost at once. "We'll let ourselves out. See you tomorrow afternoon, Eva-san."
"Hmmph," Eva replied noncommittally as Negi headed for the door. Following his lead, the others reluctantly got up and trailed after him, and Konoka was by his side.
With a cheerful grin, she said, in a conspiratorial tone, "It's already so late; we better get back as quick as we can. Lucky you, Negi-chan, you can skip the bath tonight."
Now, the boy wasn't entirely sure if her sudden appearance next to him was coincidence or not, but he did know that she had completely caught him off guard. "W-What? Really?" he stammered.
"Why are you so surprised?" Konoka grinned. "There's no time for it, after all," she told him matter-of-factly, but when Negi started fidgeting with his fingers, she gave him a suspicious glance.
Eloquently shrugging, Negi quickened his pace but the girl instantly caught up with him. "There's a time for everything," he replied vaguely when he realized there was no escaping her sleuthing. Somewhat sheepishly, he added, "There's no rush… but it's not like I want a bath."
Before Konoka could inquire further, someone else had already taken her question. "What do you mean by 'there's no rush?'" Setsuna asked, completely unabashed by her eavesdropping.
"Heck, you're the teacher and you don't even know why students need to go to sleep early to be able wake up early?" her fellow eavesdropper demanded.
Negi sighed. "Yes Asuna-san, I do know, but…"
Not to be outdone by her friends, Konoka broke in with an observation. "You said, 'see you in the afternoon' to Evangeline-san. What did you mean by that?"
To their confusion, Negi blinked in surprise and asked, "Didn't you know?" When they looked at each other and came up with a blank, he said, "There's no class tomorrow morning."
"What?" the trio exclaimed in unison. "Why?"
"As much as I enjoy the suspense and mystery involved in all this, will you get out of my living room, shut the door behind you, and be quiet for one second of your lives?" Eva shouted. To herself, she muttered, "I swear! If I hadn't met the Crimson Wing you people would be at the top of my list of the most talkative bunch I'd ever met in my life!"
"Is that a complement?" Haruna asked cheekily.
"No."
Finding that everyone else was now also listening in and that all faces were turned towards him, Negi continued. "Well, the Dean has a meeting tomorrow morning to discuss with the officials how to go about bringing an end to the strangeness that's been plaguing the campus."
When they continued to stare at him, he added, "Uh… that's all?"
"Is there something on my face?" he thought, unconsciously, he lifted a hand.
Slowly, understanding dawned on their faces. "Then that means…" Nodoka started.
"We can go party tonight!" Asuna shouted in glee, completely breaking the tension that had plagued them all night long.
Catching the mood, Haruna joined in, adding, "Until the sun is high in the sky!"
"With no sleep!" Asuna slapped her fellow enthusiast's back.
In unison, the two turned to check their fellow friends' reactions.
Negi chuckled weakly.
Chisame groaned.
Eva sighed.
Yue sipped her juice.
Nodoka forced back a smile.
Konoka gave a slightly energetic cheer.
Setsuna adamantly kept her mouth shut.
Chachamaru took it all in and said nothing.
As if they hadn't just proved their lack of interest in the upcoming adventure, Asuna asked, "So, how does Karaoke sound?" But she didn't just ask, she asked energetically!
A little frightened by the energy that radiated off her friend, Yue excused herself deftly. "No thanks," she told her, "I'll go back to the dorms and read a book."
"Yeah… I'm not good at staying up so late," Nodoka agreed with a nod.
Unfortunately, the co-leader of the expedition wasn't going to let them off that easily. "What are you talking about? Don't you want some quality time with a certain someone?" Haruna slapped their backs heartily, much to Negi's chagrin.
Despite the heat building in her cheeks, Yue monotonously answered, "Spending the night out with such a large group is anything but quality time, Paru."
Negi made a cutting motion at Haruna but she either didn't take the hint or just plain ignored him. So she said, "Well, time is time, different only in how you use it, but you never know what will happen tomorrow!"
"I'd debate that point but I'd rather not waste my time with stubborn fools like you lot," Eva smirked from her chair. The lazy grin on she flashed him gave Negi the impression that she would endure their presence a little longer if only because they entertained her, however slightly.
When Yue didn't answer and Nodoka adamantly hid her blush, she shook them both, wheedling, "Come on! Don't be like this you two!" Their twin sighs brought a smile to Haruna's face; she had won again.
Half-heartedly tossing her finished carton of juice at Haruna's face, she said, "All right, all right, Paru, I'll go…"
"If Yue is going, then I'm going too," Nodoka announced.
"Two have been converted to the cause!" the artist cheered. Her gaze immediately shifted away, searching for her next victim.
"Yeah, well count me out!" Chisame growled, shrugging off Haruna's intent stare as if it was mist as she headed for the door.
"What are you talking about, Chiu-sama?"
Negi winced to himself as Chisame stopped in her tracks, frozen stock still. She spun immediately around and glared heatedly at her captor.
"What's the matter, Chiu-sama? Afraid your secret will be leaked?" Haruna smiled. Her wicked grin closely resembled that of a spider which had just caught her meal in its web.
"Grr, this is blackmail!"
"Well said! Now let's go!" Haruna urged with a childish pout.
"There's no stopping Haruna-san, is there?" Setsuna smiled as the stare that could control anyone it landed on focused itself on her. The swordsman got up smoothly, swinging her wrapped blade over her back as she said, "Even if you weren't going to force me to go, I would have gone anyways. Where Ojou-sama goes, I go."
"That's so sweet," Eva silkily said. "Now could you refer me to a dentist that operates on vampires?"
"Call me any time; I'd give you my card if I had one," Setsuna answered with a smirk, turning her back to the mage as she followed her princess out the door.
"Onward march!" Asuna exclaimed heroically as she took the front-most position of what could never be called a formation.
Her leadership was not to be, as Konoka skipped past the self-appointed leader of their foray into the city. "Let's go, A-su-na!" she sang, emphasizing each syllable of the redhead's name.
"Why does that sound disturbing coming from you?" Asuna barked as the princess twirled around in the moonlight.
"I don't know? You're a very disturbed person?" Konoka shot back with a high, trilling laugh.
"Oh? If you want a fight then you're on!"
Negi shook his head. Asuna and Konoka were fighting again, but he was quite sure this break in their friendship would be repaired soon enough. Apparently, so did Setsuna, who stood beside him watching as the two girls chased each other around the trees like fairies playing under enchanted moonlight.
"Come on, let's go!" Haruna urged as she watched Yue and Nodoka put on their shoes. "Eva-san!" she pouted when her friends wouldn't hurry up.
"Yeah, yeah, have fun little kids," Eva dismissed her, leaning back in her chair casually. "I'm not a very good motivator in case you didn't notice; I kill and torture more than I persuade."
"That's not what I meant!" Haruna said, striding back into the living room. "You're coming with us!"
"What?" Eva jumped up immediately as Haruna's hand tightened around her wrist. "Chachamaru!" she shouted as she was dragged bodily towards the night. "Deal with the infidel!"
"Yes master," the android acknowledged. "Put on your shoes, and here is your cloak. You need to keep warm in order not to catch a cold."
It took a few seconds before Eva could mourn and wail, "Oh betrayal! My own servant is betraying me! What has this world come to?"
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"What has this world come to that you'd be doing such a thing?" she asked, leaning against the large trunk of a tree, arms crossed.
"A little bit of music can't hurt me, Seri…" he sighed, lying on a thick branch, completely balanced as he twirled a black object in his fingers.
"But you'll draw attention to yourself!" the girl pointed out.
In the shadows, the boy's grin was hidden as he nonchalantly told her, "No worries; I've never let her see me once."
"What? You let someone see you? How foolish can you be?" she exclaimed, mockingly, jestingly, but with an edge that showed she meant what she said.
"Relax, she's only a little girl," he shook his head, sending a few leaves drifting down to the grass floor. "Besides, didn't I say she's never been able to see me? All she does it sit on that stump over there and listen to my flute. I've never said a word and I always make sure she's gone before I am. There's no harm in it and I rather like how she thanks me for playing."
"She must think you're a spirit or something," she said with a sigh.
Flipping onto his stomach, the boy peered down and asked, "Is that a smile I see, Seri-chan?"
Even in the dark shadows, he could see her blush as she turned her face away from the moonlight and said, "Shut up, I don't appreciate your teasing."
"But the moon is just so bright tonight and the air is so fresh!" he announced to the world, rolling back onto his back. "I don't know how An-chan can stay locked up in the dark for so long!"
"Don't change the subject, brother…" the girl scolded.
"Yes, yes, I know," he answered without a hint of resignation. "I'll be more careful, but hardly anyone comes when I play. She's the only one who takes this route at that time of day."
Once again, she sighed. "I really wish you would just wait till midnight to take your evening strolls but I know you'll ignore me anyways and An is so unreliable when he's stuck in one of his books that it's sickening. How I wish I could just go home."
"It'll be soon, Seri, it'll be soon…"
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- To be Continued…
Author's Note: Actually, I decided NOT to clear up Asuna's and Konoka's disagreement for each other. The mystery is what makes it fun, right? And the plot demands it too! Thank you for waiting so patiently for my update.
Reviews are welcome, suggestions considered, flames ignored, and unreasonable demands for anything above my rating... hated and scorned, tossed into the fire to burn, and that would still be too good for it.
