Disclaimer: I do not own Negima or any of it's characters...

Fang Vice Addiction

Chapter Eight: An addiction for Boya?

By Traingham


"Hey Asuna." Negi whispered to his roommate as he nudged her. He was practically hanging from the side of the top bunk with his legs dangling in mid-air. Had Konoka been awake she probably would have been tempted to tickle the young magister in to submission. Seeing that his first little nudge didn't wake up the red-head he did it again while whispering, "Come on Asuna. Wake up for a second." A small smile crossed his lips when Asuna pouted cutely in her sleep...before pushing him off the side of the bunk and sending him falling to the unforgiving floor that awaited him below.

"Ouch!" Negi hissed as he rubbed the back of his head to soothe the pain. "A-Asuna! Why did you have to do that?!" He heard Asuna shift in the top bunk, startled from the sudden thud and she poked her head out from above with a shocked look gracing her face.

"Negi? What the heck were you doing?"

"Trying to wake you up!" Negi answered back. "You pushed me off the bunk in your sleep! Ow..." Negi rubbed his sore bottom from the impact. Surprisingly enough, Konoka was still asleep despite their loud exchange of words.

"Couldn't you just nudge me or something?" Asuna asked skeptically.

"I did."

"Well I'm sorry, alright?" Asuna noticed his state of dress and already felt that this conversation was going to be short. A mage cloak, muscle shirt and baggy sweat pants didn't look like the clothes of someone who was intending to stay home. "Where are you headed for anyway?"

"Well, that's why I wanted to wake you up." Negi stood up and stretched before continuing. "I'm heading to Evangeline resort to train with her for the upcoming tournament." He turned away from Asuna for a second when he felt the usual tug on his pants from Chachazero to pick her up and prop her on his head. When he submitted to the puppets wishes he turned back to Asuna and said, "I'll catch you later okay?"

"Didn't you just get back from training with her last night?" Asuna asked in irritation. "Don't you ever rest from training anymore?"

"Well, we weren't exactly traini..." Negi stopped in mid sentence when he realized that he almost let that one slip but Asuna had some sharp ears unfortunately.

"You two weren't training?" Asuna asked quickly, furrowing her brows. "Then what were you two doing?" The teenager almost got out of her bunk when Negi started walking towards the door where his staff rested.

"Um, what?" Negi asked stupidly as he wrapped his hands around his staff with his left hand and held his other hand behind his back to grab ahold of the doorknob.

"You heard me!" Asuna yelled but Negi turned the doorknob and slipped out before she could hop off from the top bunk. When she finally managed to get her legs untangled from the covers, he had shut the door behind him already and was making his escape from the dorm hall. Asuna ran to the door and opened it to see if he was still in sight but the double door leading outside at the very end of the hall was just about slamming shut.

"Just what is going on here?!"

"That was close!" Negi said with a sigh as he soared through the air with his staff clutched tightly in his hand. He could see some of the early bird female students jogging in their groups on the campus below and some of the students working feverishly on their amusement stands for the upcoming festival that was just less than a week away. The fact that he wasn't using his staff to fly anymore kind of bothered him but the feeling was brushed away easily. He saw Evangeline's house below and made a nose dive for the porch below. When he was near the ground he landed sloppily and almost stumbled over the stair steps.

"I still have to work on that landing of mine." Negi mumbled uneasily.

"I agree with master Negi." Chachazero agreed with a nod of her head. "Master is getting better at taking off though." The puppet added with praise.

"Thanks Chachazero." Negi thanked her warmly. He was making some very good progress with the puppet so far. Now with a few years he could possibly mellow her down on that violent personality she's cursed with. He made it up to the final stair step and walked to the door before knocking on it. He heard Chachamaru's footsteps approaching the door and the android opened it for him with her usual bow.

"Good morning sensei." Chachamaru greeted him politely.

"Can you just call me Negi from now on Chachamaru-san? We are closer than acquaintances now, aren't we?" Negi asked her with a smile.

"...I-if that is your wish...Negi-kun." Chachamaru replied hesitantly. She gestured for him to enter the residence and closed the door behind him with her back against the door. She raised her eyes to the ceiling as he took his usual seat on the couch and whispered, "Negi-kun." For some reason she felt a lift inside of her when she said it like that. "Sensei", however, was a title she really started to become attached with addressing him.

"Chachamaru?" Negi snapped the android out of her daze when he saw her looking in to the distance. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. I'm sorry." Chachamaru apologized much to Negi's confusion. "Do you wish for me to get the mistress for you?"

"Er, no. I wouldn't want to wake her so early." Negi replied sheepishly.

"Very well. I will be in the kitchen if you need me." Chachamaru said before heading away to do her chores. Negi nodded and sat on the couch quietly, shifting every few minutes as the boredom slowly started to seep in to his thoughts and drive him in to a gradual state of madness. It was then that he figured he would just accompany Chachamaru in the kitchen since there really wasn't anything else to do. He stood up and headed to the kitchen to find the android mopping the floor. It looked like someone made a mess.

"Chachamaru?" Negi called to her. Chachamaru raised her head and turned her attention to him before asking, "Yes N-Negi-kun." It would seem that she still was stumbling over addressing him so casually.

"What happened here? It looks like someone splattered something on the floor."

"The mistress." Chachamaru answered.

"What?"

"...After her outing with you late last night she returned..." Chachamaru paused as if to look for the right words to say next. "...a little intoxicated."

"Intoxicated? With what?" Negi asked curiously.

"I would assume that it was from drinking your blood."

"My blood?!" Negi asked in surprise.

"Yes. If I recall correctly the mistress said that your blood's richness would develop to an astounding level due to your turning. I'd assume that it developed to such a level that it would send one of the nocturnal class in to a "drunken" state." Chachamaru replied. Her explanation would explain why the tiny vampire wasn't up to put him through his morning training yet.

"That's unexpected." Negi thought aloud. He unconsciously rubbed the spot on his neck where Evangeline's fang entered and chuckled awkwardly. So now my blood is the equivalent of some addictive substance? I'm not sure if that's as good a thing for me as it is for master.

"I think Eva-san will be a little more eager about drinking your blood now master Negi! You're a walking drug!" Chachazero joked with an evil giggle. Just then the kitchen door opened and both occupants turned their attention to the door to see Evangeline walk in wearing her pajamas. She came to a halt when she saw Negi and rubbed her eyes to clarify that he was actually standing there before her. Almost immediately the vampiress felt her fangs pulsating to quench her sudden thirst as her tongue passed over her lips in a gesture of desire.

"Hey there boya." Evangeline purred darkly.

"G-good morning master!" Negi greeted her nervously. He did not feel comfortable with the look she was regarding him with and the way she started to slink towards him only made him feel worse; Chachamaru, seeing how unsettled Negi was opened the fridge quickly and pulled out a blood pack before rushing between the transfixed vampiress and her disciple.

"Here you are mistress." the android said quickly as she held the blood pack out in front of Evangeline's eyes. The vampiress blinked a few times as she was pulled out of her trance and slowly accepted the pack before poking a straw inside and sipping from it generously.

"Thanks." Evangeline said in what Negi interpreted as relief. "...I almost lost myself there."

"So...master?" Negi called to her uneasily.

"What is it boya?" Evangeline asked, her lips never leaving the straw.

"Are we going to start my training for the morning yet?"

"...Sure. Just allow me to get dressed." With that exchange the vampiress turned away from Chachamaru and Negi to head to her room. The android and Negi sighed at the same time. Why Chachamaru could sigh isn't relevant at the moment, however, it was clear that the both of them were very much relieved by the absence of her "Deep darkness."

"That was kind of scary." Negi finally said. "I hope she won't be like this all the time."

"...One can only hope." Chachamaru added warily.

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Turning to the training at Evangeline's resort...

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Since the training was now being taken to the next level due to Negi's increase of power the vampiress decided to move their session in to the resort dimension. It was there where the curse had no reach over Evangeline and it was the safest place to start off with Negi's first lessons in the dark arts. It also served as a great place to relax when the young magister's training was over since time was much slower in this realm, and he was going to need all the time possible to walk off the strain of this level of work.

"Alright then." Evangeline started off from her seat at the table. Chachamaru and Negi stood facing each other near the beach shore. The android wore her maid dress shirt with some shorts that allowed her enough flexibility to move freely and Negi left his cloak on one of the nearby beach chairs so it wouldn't weigh him down. "First we'll see how much your agility has increased. When your magic aura is exhausted the only thing you can really rely on when faced with another combat mage is pure speed and technique."

"Yes master." Negi replied.

"This means that I'm restricting you from casting any protective spells over yourself! Got that boya?" Evangeline snapped quickly. "No speed enhancements or strength boosts!"

"Y-yes master!" Negi squeaked. He saw Chachamaru get in to a fighting stance before turning to her mistress and asking, "Shall we proceed with the match then mistress?"

Evangeline glared at Negi to get him in to his own stance and turned back to Chachamaru to say, "Begin with the first round then." The vampiress looked to Chachazero who sat on the table with a stopwatch set down in front of her. "Start the time Chachazero."

"Yes Eva-san." the puppet said with a nod before clicking the top button to get the watch timing.

"Go!"

Negi became alert when Chachamaru kicked off from her spot and sent herself skidding in his direction. His first instinct was to cross his arms in front of him and brace himself much to Evangeline's agitation. All he could hear was the vampiress bark out an angry command before Chachamaru rushed in to him and sent him crashing to the sand. Negi pushed his palms against the sand and launched himself in to the air before landing back on his feet. Not a moment later, Chachamaru was already running towards him with her left hand reared back to deliver a punch to the gut.

Forgive me sensei. Chachamaru inwardly asked for forgiveness as she went in to strike but Negi caught her incoming hand and brought his other elbow down upon her joint to bring her down to the ground with him. When they hit the sand he turned his hips to the side and jerked to send himself spinning with Chachamaru so that he ended up on top of her.

"Nice..." Evangeline said with a nod of satisfaction before yelling, "Don't linger like that too long boya!" Negi got the message a little too late, however, as Chachamaru kicked his back and forced him off of her before getting back to her feet in a swift motion. Negi regained his ground as well and ducked under a kick from Chachamaru before countering with a leg sweep that the android gracefully flipped over.

"Whoa!" Negi cried out when Chachamaru came down to the ground with a crescent swan kick. She brought her leg over her head before allowing it to drop down over Negi's own, but the young magister brought both arms over his head to block the attack causing the sand under him to burst from the sudden jolt of pressure when Chachamaru's foot came in contact with his bracing arms. Negi forced her off of him, causing her to become airborne again for a moment and locked a hand around one of her open ankles to swing her in to the water. She skidded on the surface of the water like a leaping rock before finally crashing with a splash.

"I did it!" Negi said cheerfully, offering Evangeline the victory sign much to her annoyance. He raised an eyebrow in confusion when she grinned and said, "Now I'm sure that you know better than that."

"What do you mea-" Negi's question was cut short when the shore behind him suddenly exploded making water spray everywhere and Chachamaru charged at him through the mist to take him down to the ground with an elbow to the back. She stood over his motionless body, awaiting Negi's next motion and clenched her left fist. When Negi raised his head slowly to look up at her she poked out two of her fingers and tapped him on the forehead. Negi lost consciousness instantly.

"I believe this match is over." Chachamaru announced to Evangeline.

"I never expected it to last this long though." said Evangeline as she stood from her chair. She turned to Chachazero who stopped the clock and asked her, "So what was the time?"

"Five minutes and forty-two seconds." Chachazero replied. "He managed to land some hits on Chachamaru."

"That he did." Evangeline said with a nod as she approached her disciple's motionless form. She grabbed a hand full of his shirt and lifted his face off the ground to examine him. He coughed a few times and opened his eyes slowly to look at her.

"I think that's enough for this morning. We'll go further tonight." She dropped him back on the floor and started heading to her Spell Keep tower. "Get up and follow me boya!"

"Agrwight." Negi mumbled almost incoherently from under the sand. Chachamaru picked him up and held him in her arms steadily to allow him to reorient. After he got a good look at her face she asked, "Did I injure you badly...Negi-kun?"

"Surprisingly...you didn't." Negi managed to say. He pulled away from her with a grin and praised, "Really good match though!" He gave her a thumbs up and turned to start walking but he had the feeling that he was forgetting something.

"Master!" Chachazero called to him before he could head on to follow Evangeline.

"Oh, sorry!" Negi rushed over to the table that she stood on with her hands reaching out to him childishly and perched her on his shoulder. "Lets get going before master gets-"

"Hurry up already!" Evangeline's yell interrupted him.

"Yes master!" Negi replied as he rushed to her side. Chachamaru brushed herself to get the moist sand off of her and raised an eyebrow when she saw Evangeline and Negi walking together side by side. It was as though he brushed off the ache his body felt as if it was nothing to him at all.

"How odd." the android mused.


"I've never been in here before." said Negi as he followed Evangeline in to the tower. When they entered the young magister was speechless. There were countless floors in the tower and each floor had a bookshelf that lined the walls of the tower in a circular fashion. There were scrolls, books, artifacts, and other magical items that he'd never seen before. Her collection made his meager one look like a grain of sand in compare. Evangeline smirked when she saw how amazed her disciple was and giggled.

"This is my pride and joy boya. You're the first to enter this tower other than Chachamaru and me. The headmaster doesn't even have any knowledge of this place." Evangeline snapped her fingers and pair of glasses materialized in her hand. Negi inwardly snickered at how cute she looked with them on but when she raised an eyebrow he stopped his train of thought. He almost forgot that they were both telepathically bonded.

"H-how were you able to collect so many of them?!" Negi asked in awe. "Where did you find them?" Negi was tempted to take a book from the shelf on the first floor but his better instincts told him that it would probably be a fatal mistake.

"I've been around for a long time boya, and I've traveled almost everywhere." Evangeline was tempted to place her hands on her hips haughtily but she kept herself from being consumed by her own pride. "Lets go." She kicked off from the floor and flew up. Negi did the same and followed her up to the very top floor where she kept her darkest spell books. They both landed on the top floor and Evangeline immediately started searching for a book.

"What are we doing here anyway, master?" Negi asked nervously, trying hard not to look down from the safety rails.

"Starting you off with your first book." Evangeline shook her head when she pulled out a book to find that she found the wrong one and shoved it back in to it's slot. "If you want to understand magic from the bad side of town then you need to at least get yourself familiar with it first."

"How am I supposed to conjure dark magic anyway? Light magic was a hard task from the start."

"If there is one thing every dark arts mage knows, it's that the dark arts are fueled by your inner passion. Give in to passion and you will understand the darkness that I posses." Evangeline finally found the book and pulled it out. She turned to Negi and adjusted her glasses. "Light magic is powered by "Clarity" of the mind. This is why you are instructed to clear your mind whenever you manipulate light forces." Evangeline held out the dark black book to Negi and he accepted it hesitantly.

"...Kind of morbid." Negi said with a shiver when he saw the sown illustration of a black dragon swallowing a gold feather on the spine of the heavy book.

"Are you afraid Negi?" Evangeline asked with a mischievous smirk. "The thought of enriching yourself with dark arts scares you?"

"...To be honest, it kind of does."

"I'll have you know that some of the legendary mages of the past practiced at least some art dealing with the dark arts." Evangeline said. "Your father had some knowledge as well."

"R-really?!" Negi asked excitedly.

"Of course." Evangeline replied. "He could have become "Twilight" combat mage if he wished, however, such an art is forbidden."

"Twilight?"

"Yeah, the Twilight art. It's a form of magic born from the light and dark arts."

"Why is it forbidden?" Negi asked.

"Most mages who have achieved such a level of magic have lost their mind. To force your soul in to the realm of "Passion" and "Clarity" is risky."

"But don't those two realms clash? How can they ever be tapped in to at once?"

"That's the question isn't it?" Evangeline mused with a grin.

"So why would you say that my father could have become a Twilight mage?" The young magister was beginning to get lost.

"Because..." Evangeline stopped and turned away from him before caressing her own cheek with her right hand. "...He was something extraordinary."

"Er..." Negi wasn't sure why he felt a twinge of jealousy when he heard her speak so dreamily about his father. Didn't she hate his old man anyway? He snapped out of his thoughts when Evangeline turned around without warning and pinned a finger against his chest roughly.

"Now, I want to make something clear." She grabbed ahold of the hand he held the book in and raised it in between their faces. "I'm allowing you to hold this book because you're my disciple. Is that understood?"

"Y-yes m-m-master!" Negi stammered.

"If you lose this book..." She allowed him to rest his arm at his side again and leaned over so close that their noses touched. "...the consequences will be of such a violent nature that you'll wish I killed you instead."

"Ye-" Negi's voice died in his throat for a moment. "-es master."

"Good." Evangeline said as she pulled away from him quickly. "You can go now boya. I'll see you later."

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We fast forward outside of Evangeline's residence...

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Negi descended the stairs of Evangeline's porch and reached for the Dark Arts book that was tucked under his arm. The illustration on the spine was enough to send chills running down his spine. The more he thought about himself manipulating the darkness the more his wondered how it would affect him or how others would view him. What would Takamichi think when he found out that he was allowing one of the most feared wizards in the magic world to teach him such dangerous spells? Negi was pulled out of his thoughts when he felt a light knock on his head.

"Are you alright master Negi?" Chachazero asked from up top his head. "We've been standing here for quite a while."

"Yeah. I'm alright." Negi tucked the book inside his magister cloak and sighed. "I was just...thinking."

"Don't worry about what Eva-san told you master. I'll protect you if she tries to hurt you."

"Heh, heh. Thanks Chachazero." Negi thanked her as he reached up to pat her head. "Well, lets head over to the library. I'll be able to read this over there without worrying about any interruptions." When he was sure that Chachazero had a good grip he tightened the strap holding his staff firmly against his back and kicked off from the stair step he was standing on, taking off in to the sky. Some time had passed so there were more students out on the campus grounds than before.

"There we go." Negi said with a smile when he spotted a clear landing behind on of the festival stands. When he reached solid ground he took his hood off his head and walked out on to the busy sidewalk. In the distance he saw the bridge separating the main campus grounds from library island and headed in it's direction. As he made his way over to the library he was lucky enough not to encounter any of his students; most of all, not the twins. If anyone caught him they would probably inquire about the book and want to take a look at it and the last thing he needed was for the book to travel hand to hand until he couldn't find it at all!

I don't even want to think about how master would punish me if she found out that I lost it! Negi thought to himself with an uneasy grin, and to think that he thought they were getting closer to each other. Negi finally reached the bridge separating the main grounds from the library and started to cross it; unaware of a certain magistress who was leaning over the rails in wait. Just as he passed Takane he heard her call his name.

"Negi Springfield?" Takane called without turning to him. Negi stopped in his tracks and turned to face her back. Since she wasn't looking at him he wasn't exactly sure if she was the one calling for his attention.

"Um, excuse me but did you call me?" Negi asked.

"That I did, Negi-sensei." Takane replied, turning to face him. He recognized her face and found her very pretty since he was able to get a better look at her this time.

"W-wow. You're the person I bumped in to before aren't you?!"

"Yes. We did cross paths before some time ago." Takane replied with a professional smile. She extended a hand to shake his and he accepted the greeting gesture. "Takamichi has told me all about you Mr. sensei."

"O-oh, has he?" Negi mused awkwardly. Here this girl was speaking to him like she'd known him for quite some time already and he still didn't even know her name. "Excuse me but may I know your name?"

"The name is Takane Goodman." Takane replied. "You and I will be working together as partners during the festival to keep the students from abusing the powers of the World Tree."

"So you're a mage?!"

"Of course I am. Didn't you sense my aura at all?"

"...Sorry but I didn't." Negi replied with a laugh making Takane's left eye twitch ever so slightly. She wasn't so weak was she?!

"Well, I sensed yours when we first bumped in to each other."

"So...what art do you study, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Shadow arts." Takane answered proudly.

"Whoa. You're the first shadow user I've ever met!" Negi said excitedly. His excitement caused the golden haired magistress to blush.

"So what do you study?" Takane asked, her eyes wandering over to the book sticking out of his pocket.

"Well, I'm mainly a Light and Wind conjurer." Negi replied.

"That's all?"

"Well...what do you mean?"

"Your aura is telling me otherwise. I'm sensing something distinctly different from Light." Takane raised an eyebrow. "You wouldn't be hiding anything from me, would you?" Her suspicion got stronger when Negi took a step back.

"Of course not! I don't see any reason to lie to you."

"Best that you stop prying in to master's business!" Chachazero hissed at Takane, much to the magistress's surprise.

"What do we have here?" Takane studied Chachazero intensely. "A talking puppet. That is some rather complex magic there Negi-sensei. Tell me how you do it, huh?" A smirk crossed her face as she felt herself drawing near to some important information. She had Negi in the palm of her hands!

"A friend gave her to me." Negi replied.

"And just who is this friend?" Takane lead him on.

"Evangeline-san." Negi replied.

"A-ha! What is your connection with her?" Takane asked excitedly, causing Negi to back away a little further.

"She's my student." Negi replied.

"Nothing more?"

"No." Negi replied.

"Is that so?"

"...That's all."

"...Very well then." Takane finally said with a grin. "I enjoyed this little conversation, Negi-sensei. I hope to meet with you again later."

Don't think that this is the end of our talk Negi Springfield! I'll lure out information about your true relation with that dark witch somehow, but for now I'll humor you.

"Alright. It was great meeting you!" Negi replied with a warm smile that made Takane blush again. There was something about the way he looked at her that made her heart beat a little faster. Little did she know that this was due to the fact that Negi was unconsciously pulling her in with his vampiric aura. Negi watched as she walked away, looking back at him every few steps and shrugged. There was something odd about that "Takane" girl.

"That was weird." Negi mumbled as he proceeded to walk to the library.

"I don't like her." commented Chachazero. "She seems false to me."

"She doesn't seem so bad."

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Entering the Library...

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Life sure was moving slowly in the library. Not a person doing anything interesting at all; just reading to their hearts content. There was hardly any noise at all but while some would see this setting as dull and uninviting, Yue enjoyed the calm and quietness. Her world was at peace whenever she was at the library and she honestly preferred it over hanging around her crazy classmates. Ninjas, ghosts and vampires were things she seriously didn't want to get herself involved with. She did however take an interest in the world of magic and this was especially so when she simply had to kiss Negi to have it in her grasp.

Negi-sensei...you're the only one that makes this life a little more interesting. Yue sipped on the juice she had clutched in her hand and rested her chin on the counter. Of course, the girl would never admit to actually liking Negi because of Nodoka's crush on him. Her friendship with the shy girl posed a real problem for her own interests in the young magister and lately she noticed that Negi and Evangeline had become somewhat closer.

"So far, so good." Yue muttered as she pulled out her wand and tapped the blank sheet of paper in front of her. She started to use her wand in the manner of a pencil as she drew a little picture of her and Ne-

"Hmmm?" Yue raised an eyebrow when the double doors at the very end of the room opened and Negi walked in. In a blur the girl stashed away her wand and crumpled the sheet of paper before tossing it over her shoulder. She felt her heartbeat accelerate as Negi waved at her from a distance and took a seat at one of the vacant tables available. The blue ranger was inwardly disappointed that he wasn't here to visit her...

Bad Yue! I meant Nodoka! He would have been here for Nodoka! The quiet girl had the sudden urge to bash her head in to a nearby wall. She watched as Negi opened a black book he took out of his cloak and set it down in front of him before opening it hesitantly. Almost as if he was contemplating whether it was a good idea to even read the book. The curiosity finally got the best of Yue and she poked her head in to the reference chamber to see if Nodoka was around before leaving her post and walking to Negi's table.

"Hello sensei." Yue greeted Negi in a whisper as she took a seat across from him. Negi reflexively closed the book much to Yue's rising confusion and greeted her back.

"H-hi there Yue-san." The young magister greeted with a sweat drop. His eyes darted around nervously and he asked, "Erm, Nodoka-san isn't around?"

"No. She's busy doing...something." Yue replied, feeling a pull at her chest from hearing that question. She decided to change the subject as her eyes roamed over the black book Negi's hand laid upon protectively. "What's that you're reading?"

"...I haven't really gotten around to reading it yet." Negi replied.

"Well, I've never seen that book around here before." Yue leaned over to examine it a little more. "This one looks older than most of the other books."

"Evangeline-san let me borrow it."

Yue blinked...

"So that means...that it's a magic book?"

Negi nodded.

"Can I see it?" Yue asked, a hint of excitement laced in her words. Negi could have sworn he saw an emotion flash through the girl's usual stoic mask.

"S-sure." Negi patted the chair beside him. "You can look on if you want." He wasn't sure why Yue blushed when he offered but he had no time to think about it it since she rised up from her seat quickly and took her place by his side. He placed the book between them and opened the book carefully. It would be so like Evangeline to let him borrow something dangerous.

"What style of magic is this sensei?" Yue asked leaning over near him.

"Dark arts."

"D-dark arts?!" Yue suddenly exclaimed causing some of the other students occupying the other table to look in their direction.

"Shhhhh! Not so loud." Negi shushed her and for the slightest of moments Yue found something abnormally off about Negi's canines. Why were they so long? Negi noticed how intent Yue was on his mouth and started to fall victim to a creeping blush. "Er...Yue?"

"Wh-what?" the girl asked, snapping out of her daze.

"Are you okay?"

"Just fine." Yue replied oddly. She turned her attention back to the matter at hand and asked, "Why would Mcdowell allow you to borrow a book for the dark arts? I wouldn't take her for the type to reveal some of her own secrets."

"Well...me and her have gotten a little closer." Negi replied awkwardly.

"Closer?"

"In a master to disciple sort of way!" Negi added on quickly.

"Oh. But wouldn't studying this magic make you an evil mage?"

"W-well it really depends on how you use it." Negi closed the book after figuring that reading it around Yue wouldn't be a good idea. The girl was usually something he wouldn't differentiate from wallpaper due to her stoic personality but when it came to magic she was a totally different person. She revealed another side of herself that showed and immense hunger for knowledge. "Um, don't tell anyone about this book okay?"

"What book?" Nodoka's voice suddenly rang out from behind them.

"Holy-"

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Turning to Evangeline...

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"God, I'm bored." Evangeline sighed, looking out at the view of the campus from the top of her house roof. Normally she would entertain herself at the "Go" club and cripple anyone who challenged her at a match but something was irking her. Right now she felt that something was missing and it was keeping her from finding any other source of satisfaction. She felt her fangs tingle and inwardly began to pout. "Why am I suddenly feeling so thirsty? I'm usually able to suppress this feeling until the full moon."

She looked at the pile of blood packs that were accumulating beside her and her right eye twitched. This definitely wasn't going to work out for her. "Boya must have done this to me. I need to get a drink of his blood before my thirst consumes me!"

"Excuse me mistress!" Chachamaru called out to her from the porch below. The vampiress looked down at the android and asked, "What is it Chachamaru?"

"Do you wish for another blood pack?"

"No!" Evangeline replied as she kicked off from the house roof to take off in to the sky...however...

"Mistress! You can't fly right no-" Chachamaru winced when Evangeline got captured in a mass of tree branches from a nearby tree.

"I can't think clearly anymore!" Evangeline cried out in distress. "I need to find Negi quick!"

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Back to Negi...

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"NEGI-SENSEI!" Ayaka cried out in glee when she saw the young magister walk in to the Haunted house with Yue and Nodoka. She walked to the three quickly and almost shoved the two girls out of the way to hold Negi's hand in her own. "Thank the spirits that you're alright. I almost thought that violent brute got you for sure!"

"Violent brute?" Negi questioned.

"I'm referring to Asuna, of course!" The class president replied bluntly. "Anyway, lets not talk about her, hmm?" Ayaka linked their arms together and led him deeper in to the haunted house where he saw more of the girls working tirelessly. Kaede and Ku-Fei were working side by side on the walls as they put up some large glass like pads on the surfaces. The twins were holding the pads for them with Sayo hovering over their shoulders in watch.

"As you can see, we're making quite some progress here." Ayaka started as she pointed to all of the working stations. Chisame, Misora, and Ako were laying down some odd looking floorboards that resembled the pads Kaede and Ku-Fei were putting up. Chizuru, Makie, and Asuna were putting the same boards on the ceiling as well. Seeing all of these odd things perplexed Negi to say the least. He wondered where they were getting them. Just as Ayaka and Negi were passing Chisame and the others the wall beside them opened up and Setsuna and Zazie stumbled out dragging what resembled the body bags at a morgue.

"Hi Negi-kun." Setsuna greeted him as she went on along with her business. Zazie simply nodded to him as she followed Setsuna's example.

"You girls have been pretty busy, huh?" Negi asked.

"That's right! And wait till you see the costumes Haruna and Kazumi have designed!" Ayaka replied excitedly as she lead him even deeper in to the haunted house. When they entered a larger chamber filled with sounds of hammering and chatter, Negi saw some of the other girls putting up barriers to divide it in to three large separate corridors.

"What's happening here?"

"We've decided to divide this large room in to three different levels for the Haunted house. They will all be designed for different ages." Ayaka nuzzled her cheek against Negi's and sighed. "I'm going to be helping out especially for the section I've designed just for you!"

"Um, th-thanks." Negi stammered, feeling a little uncomfortable. "B-by the way Ayaka-san, where did you girls get those weird pads and boards from?"

"Pads and boards?"

"The ones back there." Negi clarified as he jabbed a thumb in the direction they came from.

"Those were from us of course." a familiar voice answered in Ayaka's place much to the class president's annoyance. Negi turned away from Ayaka to see Chao, Hakase and Mana standing near the exit way of the chamber. Mana was wearing a large concealing black cloak that stopped just above her feet, and Chao was adorned in her usual Chinese garments while Hakase was wearing her school uniform.

"Chao-san?" Negi said her name in a questioning tone. He was sure he heard something about her being pursued somewhere but seeing her standing before him kept him from being sure of that. The Chinese girl approached him and literally pulled him away from Ayaka as she linked their arms together instead.

"It's great to see you Negi-chan." Chao said cheerfully. "I haven't seen much of you lately at all."

"I've been busy." Negi replied with a forced chuckle, "You've been absent from class though so I guess that would explain it." He finished.

"I'm sorry about that but I guess you can say that I've been busy myself." Negi found himself being lead out of the Haunted house by Chao and tensed up when Mana and Hakase followed not far behind. This walk started to remind him of some of the mafia movies he had seen before with Chamo. Chao noticed Chachazero perched on Negi's head and asked, "And where did you get that?"

"Evangeline-san gave me Chachazero." Negi replied, feeling a disturbance in his familiar when Chao regarded her as "That".

"Evangeline Mcdowell gave you this puppet? How odd that she would give you anything." Chao said with a mischievous grin. "I've heard that she is quite the lone wolf on this campus. The only student that hangs around her is Chachamaru."

"But it seems that Negi-sensei and Eva-san have gotten closer." Mana commented from behind them. "I once spotted them walking with each other around the festival grounds. It was an odd spectacle to say the least."

"Chachamaru seems to enjoy his company too." Hakase said with a giggle. "She asked him to accompany her to a recent check-up."

"Interesting." Chao mused before turning her head to sniff Negi's neck. The young magister almost turned crimson from the unexpected action and the feeling of her nose on his neck drove him mad. He could feel his nocturnal senses running wild as his fangs tingled. When she pulled back away from his neck she smirked and said, "You smell nice Negi-chan."

"I-I'm n-not wearing any sort of cologne." Negi stammered.

"How cute. You're blushing."

"I can't help it I guess." Negi mumbled as he bowed his head.

"So are you excited for the festival?" Chao asked.

"Yeah. I'm sure it will be fun."

"I'm glad to hear that, but my question is really directed at the tournament."

"What about it?"

"Are you participating?" Chao had them stop beside a fountain so they could all take a seat. She sat beside him and grinned. "Well, are you?"

"Yes."

"That's wonderful!" Chao exclaimed with a smile that looked oddly wrong to Negi but he couldn't quite place it. It seemed Chao knew what he was directing his attention at because she stopped smiling and twisted her lips in to a grin instead. "I'll be rooting for you Negi-chan.

"And I'll be looking forward to it." Mana added with a killer smirk.

"Y-you're participating Mana-san?" Negi asked nervously.

"That I am." Mana replied.

"Anyway." Chao stood up from her seat, making Mana and Hakase do the same and took both of Negi's hands in to her own. "I'm sure everyone would like to see you back at the Haunted house so I won't keep you all to myself. I would like to see you soon though, Negi-chan so why don't you come by my food stand later and I'll treat you to dinner?"

"O-ok." Negi accepted before receiving a kiss on the cheek from the Chinese girl. With that final exchange Chao and the other two walked away. He followed their fleeting forms until they were obscured by the busy students walking around and raised a hand to the cheek Chao kissed him. Something about her was seriously "different". He could still feel her nose on his neck as if she was still there beside him.

"That's the second strangest meeting we've had today master." Chachazero said with a slight edge in her voice. "I don't like Chao or that Takane girl from earlier."

"I'll agree with you on them both being odd Chachazero but I don't see a reason to dislike them." Negi told his familiar, standing up from his seat on the fountain. He took one last look in the direction that Chao and the other walked away and started heading back to the Haunted house. For some reason he couldn't get Chao out of his mind as he made his way back but something else was about to occupy his mind.

"Hey Boya!" Evangeline called to Negi from the exit way of the haunted house. Negi saw her standing there with her arms crossed over her chest while Chachamaru stood behind her adorned in her school uniform. For his master to go out of her way to look for him placed some panic in Negi but he knew it wouldn't be in his best interests to walk the other way.

"Hello master." Negi greeted her back, stopping in front of her.

"Yeah, whatever." Evangeline said quickly as her eye roamed all over his neck. "Give me your hand boya." She ordered making Negi feel a doom feeling.

"What for?"

"No questions! Just do it!" The vampiress scolded before going ahead and grabbing his hand impatiently.

"M-master!" Negi cried out in horror. Evangeline suddenly jammed his thumb in to her mouth and she bit on it lightly before sucking on the blood that streamed out. Negi was blushing up to his ears from the ticklish sensation to say the least. He had no idea why Evangeline decided to do all of this in the open but she was looking pretty desperate. After a while the tiny vampire finally stopped sucking on his thumb and pulled it out with a sigh. Negi wiped his thumb on his pants to get her saliva off before regarding the wrinkled phalange.

That was completely unexpected...

"Why did this just happen?" Negi asked feeling quite perturbed. He looked back at Evangeline who seemed to be basking in an aura of complete pleasure and had the sudden urge to run away. "Eva-san-"

"Listen to me boya." Evangeline cut him off as she slumped on Chachamaru. "What just happened is to be shared by no one! Is that understood?"

"O-of course!" Negi replied quickly. "B-but I'm still a little confused."

"The mistress seems to be suffering from a minor craving." Chachamaru explained. "As I told you earlier this morning, your blood has reached a level of richness that is addicting. The mistress is simply going through the usual symptoms of an addict."

"O-oh...I see."

"SO that would make Eva-san some sort of drug addict right?" Chachazero asked out of the blue much to Evangeline's displeasure.

"Unfortunately, you are not so far from the truth."

"Like a crack addiction?" Chachazero went on.

"Er...I guess." Negi answered her. He could already tell from the look on his master's face that him and his familiar were treading on thin ice. "I...suddenly don't feel so safe standing around here." Negi thought aloud.

"Oh really? And why is that boya?" Evangeline asked with a smirk.

"Well...you know."

"Oh, don't worry about it boya I do." Evangeline purred...disturbingly enough. The vampiress's odd change in attitude filled Negi with fear.

"Well, then..." Negi paused and there was a silence as he searched for the best words to end this meeting. "...I'll see you later!" Negi turned around and started heading off but Evangeline called his name and he dared not to make a move.

"You wouldn't be planning on weaseling out of our training tonight would you boy?" The vampiress asked.

"O-of course not." Negi replied, feeling shivers run down his spine at the feral look on her face.

"Good because from this point on there will be no good-byes."

"What do you mean master?"

"You'll be living with me until the end of the festival got it?" Evangeline got off of Chachamaru and walked to him. "This way you'll be more than prepared for the festival tournament, and we'll have more than enough time to develop your new abilities." Evangeline placed a hand on his shoulder and Negi felt the darkness pulling in.

"But I'm fine living with Asuna-san!"

"Are you disobeying me?"

"...No."

"Then welcome to my world boya." Evangeline said with an evil smirk. "It'll be amusing to have another vampire under the same roof."

Negi paled….

…And your own personal blood supply?!

To be continued...

I just had to revise this chapter after reading some of your reviews. As for that "Shinji" mistake I assume that my mind was focused on my other fic for a moment there.

Heh...anyway for those who are probably bothered by the way Chao was behaving towards Negi, don't worry about her getting a little too affectionate. I'm aware of their relation but I'm sure some of you might have already gotten the idea of why she's behaving oddly.

...and if you didn't then I guess there's more fun for the future...

Aside from those notes I'd like to thank those who have taken an interest in the fic and those who are helping me with those minor corrections. My mind does get jumbled sometimes so I appreciate your help!

Till next time...

Traingham...