Disclaimer: I do not own Negima or any of its wonderful characters…
Fang Vice Addiction
Chapter -01-: The Holiday Saga, II
By Traingham
To Evangeline McDowell, sleep was one of the most wonderful things in her un-life because it was one of the very few activities that did not require her to deal with life in general. Second to that was video games, however, that was part of a more personal side of her everyday routine. Sleep whisked her away into a deep, dark void, devoid of all thought and emotions. There the half wits and annoying brats couldn't reach her with their petty, little problems or pointless games. In her opinion, it offered her everything that she ever wanted out of the cruel game of existence that she was unable to release herself from. Then again, that might have been pushing it just a little bit. It didn't provide her with everything that she desired even though that was something that she would ever admit. In fact, it provided her with certain things that she would much rather go on without...nightmares. Surprised? Well, even the fearsome 'Dark Evangel' could be tormented by such dreaded visions despite the fact that many who knew her considered her to be the embodiment of the very essence of nightmares. She hated them so much. In actuality, they weren't so much nightmares as they were flashbacks into the life she lived before she decided to leave the world of darkness and broaden her horizons.
So...damn annoying. The chibi vampire knit her brow as she brought the covers up to her chin in an attempt to keep herself from waking up. Being the Shinso that she was, opening her eyes would ensure that sleep wouldn't come to her for another day or so. It was like trying to force oneself to sleep after having four cups of espresso, it just didn't work. Unfortunately her heightened senses picked up some approaching foot steps at the door of her room. They certainly didn't belong to Chachamaru...
"Hm?" The girl groaned, opening one eye by mistake. Oh, that did it...
Her door opened to reveal Negi Springfield, wearing some black, jean shorts and and a matching muscle shirt. He didn't have any sandals or sneakers on so it would have seemed as though he had made himself comfortable in her home, something he had lacked the boldness to do ever since he moved out. His hair wasn't exactly done in the usual style either, left down instead of the small ponytail that he sported all the time. Evangeline rubbed her eyes with a frown on her face before she directed them to the breakfast platter that the young vampire was holding. Now what was this, breakfast in bed? Now put yourself in her shoes if you would. (As if some of you had not done it before...) Your incompetent disciple -At least you tell him he is- has decided to greet you in the morning with breakfast in bed. That would, of course, be the same disciple who would flinch at your every sudden movement, appearing to be walking on egg shells whenever he happened to be in your presence. This sort of move wasn't exactly...normal? Nah, that word does the feeling no justice, but whatever.
"Good morning, Evangeline." Evangeline had to wonder why hearing him say her name so naturally had such an effect on her. The moment it left his lips, she had completely snapped out of her morning daze. "I wanted to make today a little special for you, so I cooked you breakfast." She originally expected for him to come to her side of the bed and place the tray on her lap carefully, but he set the tray down on her night table and climbed into bed with her instead, rightly drawing her suspicion. Her small hands gripped the mattress uncomfortably as her skin tingled with his warmth. If Albireo was playing one of his stupid tricks on her again she was going to go to that library right now and slap him around until his face was too swollen for him to smile.
"You cooked me breakfast?" Evangeline questioned disbelievingly as she stared into his brilliant orbs. There was a strangely subtle smile on his lips as he just sort of leaned over in her direction ever so slightly. She caught herself admiring the definition in his muscles as he did. All of that training she was putting him through was sure beginning to show. Now, if only he could be a little more confident in himself. "This isn't something I'd expect from you."
"Adds to the surprise, doesn't it?" The young magi asked her casually, reaching a hand over her shoulder without her notice. The vampiress was caught off guard when he gripped it gently, and pulled her toward him. She even surprised herself when she offered him no resistance. She allowed him to lean her against him without a word. Sure, her expression didn't change much, one eyebrow still quirked in confusion as she tried to make something of what was happening to her. Did Negi grow a spine over night or something? Did he have a sudden epiphany as he was lying in bed last night, finally realizing her for the brilliant woman that she was? Did the little wuss finally catch on to all of the signs she practically smacked him with on a daily basis?
No way. Evangeline was not the hopeful type if you hadn't noticed.
"Now," He lifted her up for a moment to seat her between his legs, "Here you go." He placed the platter on her lap before going to work on her shoulders. To say that Evangeline was experiencing bliss may have been a direct hit. The vampiress felt her cheeks heat up as she lifted the fork and knife from both sides of her breakfast dish and dug in. Oddly enough the expression on her face had yet to shift at all, even as she munched on a triangular slice of toast. Sure, the fact that his sweet scent was practically enveloping her was beginning to register in the back of her mind, as was the creeping sense of warmth and security that permeated in her from being seated with him in such an intimate position, but it was all going a little too well. Why was her day moving along so nicely?
"What's the matter, Eva?" Negi asked her warmly as he continued to rub her back. "You're much quieter than usual. It makes me wonder if I'm doing something wrong by all this."
"I'm just having a little trouble figuring something out." Evangeline answered him, setting down her fork and knife.
"Can I help?" Negi offered her innocently.
Evangeline nodded, turning her head slightly so she could regard him with one eye suspiciously. "Why are you doing this, boya?"
"Because you're my master." Negi told her with just that right hint of affection in his voice to get a rise out of her. "I wanna take care of you today." He halted his ministrations to her so that he could wrap his arms around her waist. He rested his head on her shoulder and nuzzled the side of her cheek lightly with his own. It was almost enough to have a girl melt in his hands, but Evangeline was no simple girl. She was far from it. "You deserve some appreciation every now and then."
"Appreciation...for what?" Evangeline found her voice getting a little sweeter on her than she intended.
"For being my mistress." Negi answered her smoothly. "I wouldn't be the person I am without you."
"That's a stupid reason." Evangeline grumbled, doing her best not to lean her head against his, no matter how tempting it felt to her. "Can't you think of a better reason to do something like this?"
Negi didn't respond immediately, seemingly taking a moment to think that one over before he replied, "Unfortunately not. It doesn't take much from you to make me happy."
"Feh." Evangeline made him lift his head of her shoulder. Keep teasing me like this, Negi, and I'll make you sorry. "Don't think that you can sweet talk me, idiot. I wasn't born yesterday."
"Alright, then." Negi pulled back from her, sending a little twinge of disappointment through her chest at the feeling of his warm arms slipping away from her waist. She had to stop herself from moaning in protest. "If you want to know my real reason that much, I'll tell you."
I should have known that there was more to this. He's easier to see through than glass...
"Promise you won't get mad at me, though." He told her with a chuckle.
"I don't make promises."
"If you say so." Negi told her before he wrapped an arm around her waist again to have her turn to the side a bit. He did the same so that their eyes could meet. "I was hoping that I could catch you off guard so I could get a glimpse of that beautiful smile again. You know..." He leaned forward a little, giving her the impression that he might have been trying to steal a kiss from her. "...the one that you gave me that night on the festival so long ago?"
"...Er..." Evangeline said nothing more, continuing to stare at him like a cat mesmerized by two diamond orbs.
"Can't say that you're being fair, though." Negi said, feigning a sigh. "You made me give myself away. Can't be helped now." He carefully slipped his legs away from her sides and shuffled away to sit on the side of the bed with his back to her. Evangeline could only stare at him, having lost interest in the breakfast he cooked for her. It wasn't until he looked over his shoulder to regard her that she picked up her fork to make it seem like she was still eating. "Don't spend too much time eating, master. When you're ready to take a shower I'll meet you in the bathroom to assist you." With that he stood up and made his exit through the door.
Evangeline's thoughts were more on...well, "What the hell has gotten into him?" This was clearly abnormal behavior for him. Try as she might to convince herself that this was a possible change, it was far too dramatic for it to just occur overnight. Maybe he was possessed? How could she be sure, and if that was the case, for what? It clearly wasn't to kill her since he had so many opportunities with the amount of time that she had her back to him. Hmm, she was going to have to stop doing that. She had not realized it until now, but she really did let her guard down around Negi. If any of her enemies ever wanted to get to her their best bets would have been placed on somehow taking control of the young magister to carry out the job for them. Then again, Evangeline questioned whether she was even susceptible to silver anymore. She would have to somehow look into that later when she had the chance.
On the other hand, should I really put a stop to this? Evangeline blinked a few times. Of course, in the end it all came down to one answer.
Hell no. I'm going to let him keep on pushing this until he cracks. If he wants to do the teasing for once, he is more than welcome. The dark mistress thought with a fanged grin as she regained her appetite with a stronger hint of hunger than before. This may have been just the sort of thing she needed to work off her boredom. Besides, why put a stop to such a good thing? I'm liking this...
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...He's done this plenty of times before...so why now? Was all the little vampire could think to herself as Negi ran the sponge up and down her back with a smooth motion that had her arching her back rather sensuously. She could only be thankful that he decided to come to the bathroom in his normal form. If he had come to join her in his usual disguise, she would probably be having a much harder time. On the other hand this actually may have been a little risky after all. She found herself debating whether she should force him onto his back and act on the sinister temptations that were flying through her mind. Even without her powers it would be hard for him to resist her easily. That aside, Negi had either become a damn good natural with all of the time she'd forced him to massage her, or he just knew exactly what he was doing to her. He was rubbing and pressing all the right spots with the proper pressure and firmness. She could swear that she was on the verge of popping out...of somewhere...that was still something she was trying to figure out.
"Lean over a bit, master." For some reason this was all such a fresh experience for Evangeline. Never before had the young man called her by her title with such a sexy tone of voice. It didn't sound so innocent. She could almost feel a smirk on his lips with the way he addressed her even though a quick glance over her shoulder told her that this was not so. His expression was more on concentration than anything else. Doing as he requested of her, she felt the sponge glide down her back, coming to a stop just above her bare bottom. Why hadn't she realized this before? Had Negi been staring at her butt every time she had him do this sort of thing for her? It had never become as apparent to her as it had now that the boy may have been drooling over her behind her back. Well, technically he was already at that age...dammit, now she was feeling a little self conscious.
Ok. Ok. This is stupid. The chibi-vampire shook her head roughly to rid herself of such embarrassing thoughts. I've never cared before. This isn't anything compared to the things I've forced him to do before. I've stood stark naked before him without so much as feeling a thing. Jeez, grow up girl! You are not going to let some young darkling get the best of you. He hasn't even drunk directly from the vein yet! He's a virgin in every sense of the word!
"You can sit up straight now." She heard Negi tell her.
"Hm?" Evangeline realized that she was practically jabbing his stomach with her bare ass. It appeared that in her attempt to remind herself that she was the one in control of the situation, she had subconsciously been trying to prove what a tough person she was to him by hitting him through any means necessary, and since her hands and legs were a little preoccupied- Well, thank the high deities above that the kid had on swimming trunks. She was going to have to play that off somehow, "Right, whatever." She sat up straight again before her ears picked up the pop of a shampoo bottle tab. He was going to wash her hair next! The very thought had her giddy with anticipation, though with the stoic look that graced her lovely features at the moment one would find it hard to notice. Feeling his hands run through her hair, and the tingling sensation in her scalp after he massaged it sent a rush through her that could probably only be rivaled by a spur of the moment, headlong rush into wild, unrestricted, hip slapping-
SCREEEeeeech! Just in case you were wondering, that was the sound of Evangeline's mind coming to an emergency stop. Any further and she was sure to venture into territory that would have been deemed far too unhealthy for her target's future prospects as a male. He would likely lose the feeling in his legs for weeks after she was done entertaining her fantasies.
"That's it..." Evangeline thought out loud as Negi's fingers worked through her hair in a fashion fit for goddess worship. He resembled a harp player, running his fingers along strings to give life to wonderful melodies out of a fairy tale. The vampiress looked down at her lap to find her legs trembling. She was almost reaching the point of no return. If he kept this up, she wouldn't be responsible for her own actions. Dammit...he better be doing this on purpose because if he isn't even trying- Evangeline looked over her shoulder to gaze at him with a lovely dash of pink blossomed upon her face.
"Something the matter, Eva-chan?" Negi asked with a bit of worry, and genuine I might add, which really pissed Evangeline off because that could only mean that he had absolutely no idea what he was doing to her. Geez, why the hell did he have to be so inhumanely dense when it came to these matters? Even that mutt understood the chemistry that went on between the opposite sexes, so why did her disciple have to be so ridiculously clueless? Why put her through this torture?
Evangeline gripped her right arm with her left hand as she finally came to a decision. Holding herself back this long couldn't be healthy for her mind or body. It would only be a matter of time before she just acted out of impulse. Besides, they were going to be together for all eternity (She wasn't giving him a choice) so this was bound to happen sooner or later, right? It was time to make a man out of him. "Hey boya," Evangeline started off the sexiest voice she could manage in her cursed form, which coming out of a computer speaker, would not have been considered work safe, "I thibllrblblbrllbrb..." The dark girl could only blink furiously after the load of water passed through her. Apparently Negi had gotten done washing her hair, and it couldn't have happened at a worse time either. That seriously messed with her momentum. Nonetheless-
...I'm not one for talk anyway! With that in mind, Evangeline stood up from her stool and whipped around quickly to face Negi. She inwardly expected him to jump back in fright and start to blubber out questions of just what she was trying to pull, however, he met her with a calm expression. "Did I hurt you?" He asked, his eyebrows drooping somewhat.
"Hurt me?" Evangeline echoed him with a giggle. "No, not at all, though it's rather sweet of you to ask." She kicked the stool to the side with such force that it exploded into little bits upon contact with the wall of the shower chamber. Negi looked to the splinters of plastic on the floor before looking back at her. Evangeline expected him to run away, but he stood rooted to the floor. That didn't last too long, though, since she walked over to him and pinned him against the wall. He naturally winced at how roughly she pushed him, but there was no fear in his eyes as she stared into them and it was beginning to turn her on in ways that she only believed his father was capable of.
"Such brave eyes, boya. Aren't you scared at all?" Evangeline slipped a hand against his neck as she brought her face closer to his. "Or could it be that you were expecting this to happen all along?"
"I'd be lying if I said otherwise." Negi answered her boldly.
"Oh, is that so?" Evangeline's gaze softened as she turned his head to the side slightly so that she could press her cheek against his. "And what would posses you to try something so dangerous? Do you have some kind of death wish?"
"I suppose love is that dangerous sometimes."
"As if you would know..." Evangeline responded, taking a moment to bury her nose in the warmth of his neck with a light sniff. She tensed when she felt one of his hands on top of her head and raised it to meet his eyes. "So what are you telling me?"
Negi pecked her on the forehead. "Is it really that hard to figure out?"
Evangeline pressed harder against him. "No riddles, Negi. If you want me to acknowledge it, then tell me what you're feeling. Otherwise, don't waste my time or you'll get burned." She felt his other hand grip her waist and he embraced her in an almost possessive fashion. Evangeline would have to admit that she found this side of the young magister quite enjoyable. She would not have minded if he was this bold all the time.
"Why ask for words when I can tell you through my actions?" Their lips brushed against each other lightly.
"If you're too spineless to say it, what could I possibly expect from you beyond that?"
"Very well." Negi fixed her with a passionate fire that would have possibly consumed her had she not been so held strong on hearing the words she'd been aching to hear for most of her life. "Evangeline McDowell..."
Evangeline swallowed hard.
"I..." Negi held her closer.
She would not blink.
"...Love..."
Her nails nearly dug into his shoulder from anticipation.
"Mistress?"
The fuck? Evangeline let go of the breath she was holding when Chachamaru's voice escaped from his lips. She pushed away from him, bringing a look of hurt upon his face before she held a hand out and summoned her blade with intents on cutting him down. "DAMMIT!" She plunged her sword through the floor tiles and gripped the side of her head with her free hand. "It was just too good for me, right?" She regarded her dark prince furiously. "You were just too...good to be true."
"Wake up, mistress." Chachamaru called to her master as she placed a hand on her shoulder to wake her. The chibi-mistress was gripping the pillow in her sleep, mumbling to herself, so the gynoid naturally thought she was having another one of her nightmares. Unfortunately, she might have been responsible for that in the first place.
"Hm?" Evangeline stirred in her sleep and the gynoid pulled her hand back. The vampiress rolled over on to her back slowly, and sat up straight after staring at the ceiling in complete silence for a little longer than Chachamaru was comfortable with. She wasn't sure what might have happened as her mistress was asleep, but it might have been serious for her not to demand a fresh pot of tea after waking up. She put her hunches aside when her mistress spoke to her. "What time is it anyway?" Evangeline touched the back of her head in a peculiar manner as though something might have been missing.
"Eleven: nineteen." Chachamaru answered her.
"And what day is it?"
"The twelfth of February." The gynoid answered her again. "Might you have something in mind, mistress? It's not like you to ask the date." Evangeline stopped caring for the track of days so long ago. What did she have to keep record of them for? There were no important events to look out for like birthdays, or particular occasions. Days were just days to the mistress, another page in a twisted book that just wouldn't end no matter how many times you flipped through it.
"No. Forget about it." Evangeline answered her. "Ready a fresh pot of tea, would ya?"
"As you wish, mistress." Chachamaru replied with a respective bow before taking her leave. When she was gone Evangeline fell onto her back again to fix her eyes upon the ceiling. It would be a while before she'd close her eyes again. What a shame; she would have liked to keep them that way for a little while longer.
...Still-sleep could never grant her everything she ever wanted...
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[ Departing from that scene... ]
-T.G 1/2: Good Afternoon, master. We haven't spoken in a while.
-Zero's-MaN: Takane, how many times am I going to have 2 tell u not to call me that?
-T.G 1/2: Lol. It just fits with u so naturally. You did bite me, after all. By the way, wat is up wit ur screen name?
-Zero's-MaN: I lost a bet with Zero-chan, so... (You can't type things like that so casually, you know?)
-T.G 1/2: Figures. I still don't see how you tolerate that demonic, antique doll.
-Zero's-MaN: She's with me right now.
-T.G 1/2: As if that information would affect my opinion of her...
"Screw you, too." Chachazero told the computer screen nonchalantly from the top of Negi' head. "Like I'd care about the opinion of some blonde psycho." This of course would be ironic coming from her mouth, but Zero-chan's standards of crazy was levels above the scale we would classify it by.
-Zero's-MaN: So how is Mei doing?
-T.G 1/2: She's doing pretty well as usual. She's a little miffed with Gandolfini for keeping us on duty for the Christmas season.
-Zero's-MaN: I was wondering why you two didn't show up. That's too bad.
-T.G 1/2:Oh, did I worry you? (0.~)
-Zero's-MaN: I just thought it was a little unusual.
-T.G 1/2: It pains me to say it, but I won't be able to make it this Saturday either.
-Zero's-MaN: ...What happens this Saturday?
-T.G 1/2: Honestly? It's going to be Valentine's Day.
-Zero's-MaN: Valentine's Day? Wow, almost forgot!
-T.G 1/2:Did you now? So are you going to make plans?
-Zero's-MaN: ...No.
-T.G 1/2:Wise answer, master, but its obvious that your students will force you to participate somehow. I'd hope that you wouldn't allow them to take advantage of you too much.
-Zero's-MaN: Give me more credit.
-T.G 1/2: I think I give you too much.
Negi blinked at her reply a few times. "That wasn't very nice."
"Well," Chachazero perked up once her master finally spoke out loud. "I suppose that is something I can agree with her on."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Negi quirked a brow inquisitively.
"Your students are practically the center of your life. You'll do whatever they say as long as they give you those pleading eyes."
Negi scowled, "That's not true at a-"
"Hey!" Asuna's voice suddenly rang from behind the young magi, having him jump in his seat. When the young man swiveled around to face her on the computer chair, she crossed her arms in an authoritative manner. She wanted to check something on the computer, but he'd been hogging it for about an hour and an half already chatting with people. If her guesses were right he was either talking to Ako, or Chachamaru. In the worst case it could have been that Goodman chick. Hm...just to make sure...
It IS her. Asuna rolled her eyes briefly after glancing at the user names on the screen. What the hell did that girl's screen name even mean? And Negi's screen name...well, Chachazero must have gotten him to do that somehow. Anyway-
"How long are you going to be hogging our internet service?" The red-head tapped her fingers along her bicep as she did the same to the floor with her right foot. It was a clear sign of her telling him to get off or she was going to resort to hovering over him until he surrendered the keyboard over.
"Um, give me a sec." Negi typed his farewell to his underling before exiting from the messenger just as the blonde magistress was about to protest. She would be pretty heated when she saw the notice on her laptop in the U.S that her master had pretty much blown her off. All work and no play made Takane Goodman a very dull girl...well maybe, not really. Negi inwardly cringed at what might have been going through her mind at that moment.
She'll probably tell me when we talk again anyway. He inwardly sighed, standing up from the computer chair. Asuna offered him an appreciative grin and told him "Thanks" before she took over, double clicking the internet browser icon. "Now, let's see..." She mused softly.
"So what're you looking for?" Negi asked, resting his chin on her head to get a view of the computer screen.
"None of your business." Asuna answered him, forcing him off of her head. They both heard some light steps enter the room and looked over their shoulders to see Konoka approaching them with her usual care free aura emanating from her youthful body like ultra violet rays from the sun. If there were flowers in the room, they would have all blossomed beautifully in her presence. Disney would have a field day.
"Negi-kuuuun." The bubbly girl sang his name before she latched on to him from behind, nuzzling the side of his cheek. "Asuna forced you off, huh? Figures..."
"Why?" Negi asked, unable to see how Asuna started to flail her arms nervously as he gave his attention to Konoka.
"Isn't it obvious?" Konoka grinned like a scheming little girl.
"DON'T SAY A WOR-"
"To look for a present for-"
"AAAAAAARGH!"
"-Takamichi-sensei, of course!" Konoka answered Negi over Asuna's attempts to drown out her words.
Negi seemed to be lost in deep thought for a while before he pounded a fist over an open hand. "Oh, that's right! For Valentine's day, right?" He asked Asuna the obvious with an innocent smile. The red-head's skin gradually started to blend in with her hair as she bowed her head slightly.
"Oh, duh, captain obvious." Asuna replied with a scowl. "I'd ask no one else to be my valentine."
"Makes sense." Negi and Konoka both nodded with her words.
"So, um, who are you going to ask to be your valentine, Konoka?" Negi asked, placing his hands on the delicate arms hanging around his neck.
The Konosetsu shippers glare at the author expectantly.
"I don't know..." Konoka answered him, unsure of herself. After thinking it over for a moment, she smiled at him. "I guess I'll just have to take you, then!"
They sharpen their knives.
Konoka's smile grew when another person came to mind, "Or Se-chan! Maybe I'll just take you both for myself!"
They heave a sigh of relief.
"Don't be greedy, Konoka." Asuna told her sarcastically as she scrolled down the web page she was on with the mouse. She found something she was interested in and clicked on the item that caught her eye. "You know Makie, Ku-Fei, and Ayaka are probably planning on taking him for themselves anyway." She inwardly added, Just like the last valentine's day. She rolled her eyes. And the one before that. Brrr...I don't wanna know what sort of tactic that perverted class president will resort to this time.
"No fair." Konoka pouted. "They'll just have to share him, then."
"I'm sure they would." Again, sarcasm. Asuna stopped her search and swiveled around in her chair when a thought came to mind. "Actually, whatcha going to do about Evangeline?"
"Master?" Negi was caught off guard by his friend's comment. "W-Well..." He reached back to scratch the back of his head, mistakenly scratching Konoka's instead, which she made no attempt to complain about. How did he know she had an itch there? "...what CAN I do about her? I don't think she's really into that sort of thing. I tried getting her to participate with us for the Christmas party that we had planned, and she pretty much shot me down even after I gave her a full body massage."
Asuna narrowed her eyes at him.
Negi picked up quickly. "Not as bad as it sounds." He looked to the side, scratching the tip of his nose with one finger, sheepishly. "Besides...she'll probably just brush me off when I tell her about it anyway. It's no use, really."
"You're so dull, Negs." Konoka suddenly told him, pinching him on the chest painfully. "Get her a gift!"
"A gift?" Negi blurted out.
"Yes, you frickin' parrot!" Asuna even agreed with the healer. Even she deserves one on Valentine's say...idiot...
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[ To the Tatsumiya Shrine! ]
Mana Tatsumiya's eyes swiveled between checking the seconds on her stop watch and monitoring Negi as he went through the process of reassembling a caliber .45 pistol. He had just slipped the slide stop in place before she suddenly drew out her own pistol and let off a shot into the sky. Negi flinched at the unexpected action and turned his head to regard the lovely marksman with an expression that spoke of a possible few years being shaved off his immortal life. God, he could never get used to that.
"Congratulations." Mana told him without so much as a smirk gracing her lips. "You've been assigned your final mission." With that said, she slipped her gun back in its holster before crossing her arms. "You have to be much more precise than that, Negi. You're guaranteed to get killed before you even fire your first shot with that speed."
What are the chances of me needing one of these anyway? I'm already well off with my spells. Negi took a moment to think that over again. Then again, you just utilize guns and still manage to make everyone else shake in their boots. Urgh, I'm never going to figure you out.
Negi sweat dropped. "T-Take it apart, then?"
"Yes." Mana replied with a nod. "We'll start all over again."
"Fine." The young magi nodded, going through the process in reverse much to his chagrin. He looked up from the pistol she supplied him with to regard her sheepishly, asking, "But, uh, could you stop shooting whenever I miss the mark? It's a little unnerving."
"You'll get used to it, eventually." Mana told him with a killer smirk. She looked down, raising her right wrist to check the time and sighed with a hint of disappointment. "Forget about it. I think that's enough for today."
"Thank you..." Negi said to no in particular.
"That doesn't necessarily mean you're done." Mana stole away the relief that washed over the young man. "You'll clean it before you leave." The way she told him implied that this was something he couldn't weasel out of. He was going to have to do as she said, or something might happen. Now, he wasn't exactly sure what that could have been, however, considering who it was giving the implications it wasn't worth risking one's neck.
She fixed him with her piercing eyes for a moment as if to pass along a silent message to him before adjusting the collar of her shrine outfit and entering the shrine house, closing the door behind her. She was likely going to change into some casual clothes. That meant it was finally time for him to relax.
Negi looked down at the disassembled parts on the porch deck, and sighed before swiveling his eyes to the cleaning kit beside him.
Might as well get this out of the way...
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"Calm." Mana mumbled, looking up at the darkening sky above as she lay on the wooden boards of the shrine porch with her hands folded behind her head. Negi did the same, though his head was lying on top of her flat stomach, rising up and down with her breathing. This wasn't as unusual to the two as many might believe. This contact was just to prove that they were comfortable with each other despite their dramatic differences. It was the close bond of a professional shooter and a heroic vampire. Of course, the other girls would see it much differently, like...um...betrayal.
"What about it?" Negi asked, one eye closed.
"I haven't been assigned anything in a while." Mana replied. "Its been that way for two months now."
"That bothers you?"
"I don't want to lose my edge." Mana explained, placing a hand on top of his head casually. "Peace will do that to a mercenary."
"I'd take peace over keeping an 'edge' any day." Negi quoted with his fingers, a bored expression gracing his features as he did.
Mana's eyes swiveled in the direction of his head, though it was hard to see him due to their position. "Peace, Springfield?" Her use of his last name sent shivers through his skin. He didn't quite remember the last time she addressed him that way. In fact, he didn't think she ever did. "You can try your hand at embracing 'peace' all you want, however, you should know that it just doesn't suit you."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Negi asked, disturbed by her words. I'm not suited for peace? I don't get it...
"There are those in this world who talk, and then there are those who act. For all of your speeches and willingness to talk things through, your inevitable place is to act. It's an inescapable part of your life, and fighting this logic will only lead to your untimely end." Her words left her lips cryptically as one of her fingers stroked the young magi's forehead. "You'd better take those words to heart, sensei."
"...Um, sure." Negi nodded hesitantly. And here I wanted to talk about a lighter subject. It's kind of hard to do that around you...
Mana smirked when a pregnant silence followed. "Did I bother you?"
"Well, sort of." Negi admitted. "It kind of threw me off from what I originally wanted to speak with you about."
"What's that?"
"Valentine's day is in two days." Negi told her.
Silence...
"Is that so?" Mana mused, her eyes darting in his direction again. "Why bring it up?"
"I'm having a bit of trouble." Negi said with a bit of hesitation before he felt Mana pull her hand away from its perch on his forehead.
"Trouble with women again, sensei?" Mana let out a smooth chuckle. "I remember telling you once not to worry yourself with girls so much. It's just bound to stress you out."
"I know, but...I'd feel guilty if I didn't do something." Negi replied, closing his eyes in frustration. "I mean...what should I give someone on valentine's day to begin with? A close someone that is..."
"If you feel that you're close to that someone, would it really matter what you gave them?" Mana answered his question with one of her own in a rare instance of casual advice giving. The lovely woman was usually one to dodge these sort of questions. Either that or she would just speak in another riddle. "As long as its something you honestly felt would please them it should work."
"Heh, heh." Negi chuckled.
"What?" Mana asked, seemingly unfazed by his reaction to her words.
"That was nice, Mana."
"You mean, it made sense." Mana corrected him as she placed her hand back on his forehead. "Why make life so complicated when the answers are so simple? People who understand that live easier."
"Mmm." Negi hummed pleasantly before a question came to mind. "So Mana..." He trailed off.
"What?"
"Are you making plans for that day?"
"That sort of thing just doesn't interest me. It's too troublesome." Mana answered him, eyes to the sky again as the dying light from the setting sun finally got swallowed up in the twilight. (No, no, no. That was not a reference to the book...seriously.)
[ The Next Day, at Satsuki's... ]
Kotaro watched Negi with mild interest as the young magi sitting beside him at the bar opened his mouth to allow his Chachazero to pop in another delicious serving of the omelet he ordered. The way Chachamaru openly spied at the two as she made her rounds at the outdoor tables that the other customers were sitting at made the dog demon wonder if she was plotting some kind of fatal accident for her smaller counterpart. Of course, that was assuming that the gynoid was too afraid to simply commit the act out in the open.
"Do you enjoy that?" Kotaro finally voiced his disturbances to his friend. "Being fed by a serial killer, that is."
Negi swallowed the food in his mouth and simply grinned at his friend. "Come on. Are you still uncomfortable with Zero-chan?"
"I personally think he gets off on insulting me, master Negi." Chachazero told her master innocently. "Sicko."
"You dysfunctional-grrr!" Kotaro threw his hands up in frustration when he couldn't come up with a witty come back. "M-Maybe if you didn't keep threatening to kill me, I'd think of you differently!"
"Calm down, Kotaro." Negi motioned for him to lay down his hands. "Can't we just have a friendly breakfast?"
"Yeah." Chachazero followed up, much to her master's dismay. "Quit yappin' or I'll kick ya." Of course, she said this while cocking an invisible shotgun out of Negi's line of sight. Kotaro was just about to talk back, but a looming shadow got both young men to break away from their conversation and check to see who might have been providing the shade. Who else but the library trio..er...two of the three anyway.
"What do you two want?" Kotaro asked a little rudely for Nodoka and Yue's tastes. "We're eating here."
"Nothing from you." Yue naturally shot back while Nodoka kind of just brought a hand up to her mouth in her usual defensive mechanism. Admittedly, the dog demon actually wanted to take back his words when he saw the lavender haired girl do that. It caught him off guard to the point that he didn't respond to the short librarian's words to him.
"Good morning, Negi-chan." Yue greeted her favorite person in the world, soon to be her favorite boyfriend and so on if she managed to successfully make him her property. She once tried to get him drunk enough so that she could tattoo her name on his arm, but the vampire appeared to be impervious to alcohol somehow. That story, however, held no relevance to the topic of this particular chapter...or did it?
"Hey, you two." Negi greeted both of them. "Came here to eat?" He asked, sitting a little straighter in his seat. He had to set a good example for his students, after all.
"N-Not really." Nodoka answered him, holding her hands behind her back. "Just wanted to see you."
"Actually, that omelet does smell good." Yue remarked, purposely leaning over her teacher. The usual stoic expression on her face kept the young man from suspecting any foul play though. She methodically switched her attention from his breakfast to his face and casually asked, "Can I try a bite?"
"Go ahead." Negi nodded.
"Thank you." Yue told him gratefully, managing to reach his fork before Chachazero could intercept the grab. Now, Nodoka may have been a little dense when it came to these sort of situations, but she was able to pick up immediately on why her friend wanted a bite of that omelet, and that could only come down to the fact that seconds ago, that fork was in their teacher's mouth.
W-W-what is that? Nodoka panicked as Yue brought a bite of the omelet to her mouth ever so slowly as if to savor the guilty pleasure she was about to partake in. Is that like an indirect, deep kiss? The timid librarian's eyes narrowed slightly. I can't let it reach its destination! And with that in mind, she 'mistakenly' pushed her friend with her hip, causing the fork to click against her bottom, front teeth painfully.
"Unmm..." Yue moaned in pain.
"A-Are you okay?" Negi placed a hand under the girl's chin worriedly, bringing a tint of pink to her cheeks. In other words, Nodoka's intervention ultimately back fired on her. Oh, how unfair the world could be sometimes, but at least some people manage to benefit from it...and now you think I'm a bad person.
"I'm...fine." Yue told him after he checked for any bleeding, and no, his reason was not to look for a quick snack. The short librarian stole a glance at her 'friend' for a moment before turning her attention back to their teacher again. "We actually came here to ask for you to accompany us to the class."
"Homeroom doesn't start for another half hour." Negi said, checking his watch.
"It's for a special meeting. That's all." Nodoka explained.
"A meeting for what?"
"A small attraction for Valentine's day." Yue answered. "All of the classes are doing something to raise some money that day."
"I see." Negi nodded. He leaned over to the side to look at Kotaro and asked, "You wanna come?"
"Me?" The dog demon asked, seemingly more interested in his food. "Nah. I got better things to do."
"Alright."
[ And that is why Chizuru worries about you, Kotaro... ]
Ayaka tapped her thin stack of papers on the surface of her desk to straighten them out before pushing back on her seat to stand up and walk to the front of the class to get the attention of the rest of the girls that were present. Evangeline decided not to be present for the class meeting, which was expected from the get go. She had expressed her unwillingness to participate in their class activities numerous times before, so it would have been a waste of time to bother her. Ako wasn't present either. Most likely she was either too busy trying to get ready for her beloved Nagi on Valentine's day, or possibly sitting in front of her computer in wait of a reply to the e-mail invitation she sent him. Asuna was...well...we never do really pay attention to what she does most of the time, do we?
"Alright! Settle down!" Ayaka cried out over the morning gossip that the girls were passing back and forth. When she was sure that she had their undivided attention her eyes scrolled the list that she asked for all of them to write before clearing her throat loudly. "As you all know, Valentine's day is this Saturday-" She was interrupted by a collective response of cheers and forced whoops before she could continue. "-so the student council decided that all of the classes would hold some sort of fundraiser for the trip at the end of the year. That being said, we have a few ideas jotted down."
"I hope we're not doing a cafe." Natsumi whined audibly. "We always do that..."
"It wouldn't be a normal series without one." Misora said off offhandedly, resting her cheek in one hand.
"What are you talking about?" Madoka asked the nun curiously.
Misora blinked. "Oh, um, just thinking out loud."
"Well, don't make a habit of it!" Misa joked with a grin...did they get it?
No reaction...
I give them gold, and I get nothin'. The rock star inwardly grumbled, shrinking in her seat.
"Right then..." Ayaka clicked her pen. "So is that a "NO" on the cafe, everyone?"
"I'm all for the cafe!" Haruna stood up quickly, outraged that no one else would accept it. She stared at Chisame expectantly to find the net idol looking away from her. "Chisame! CHISAME! Don't leave me hanging like this, girl!"
Akira heaved a sigh of relief when there was no one else to back up the cafe plan. For a moment I feared they would dress me up as a maid again...
"A "NO", then." Ayaka crossed it out. "Next, we have the noodle shop idea."
"Oh!" Sayo clasped her hands together. "Like 'Love Noodles'?"
"I think that's what everyone was going for, Sayo." Kazumi told her ghastly partner with a grin. Her friend's innocence was just too irresistible sometimes.
"Satsuki and Chachamaru can handle that..." Makie suggested, tapping her chin with one finger thoughtfully.
"I will try, too." Ku-Fei volunteered with one hand raised. "I have exper-AH-some experience." She corrected herself.
Chizuru snapped out of her daze, smiling for no apparent reason. "But will it be enough to handle so many orders?"
"Well, if it proves to be a problem, Negi-chan cooks wonderfully." Kaede suggested with her usual grin. "I know from personal experience." That managed to get Setsuna's attention. The swordsman blinked, cocking her head to the side.
"Personal experience?" Setsuna questioned, somewhat disturbed by this revelation. "And when has Negi-kun cooked for you? You've never mentioned this to me or Ku-Fei before."
Kaede widened one eye with a teasing smile. "I never did, did I?" Her words came out mockingly as she folded her hands behind her head. "I'm just not one to kiss and tell."
Ayaka appeared to be on the verge of snapping her pen in half with this new found information, and if it wasn't for the fact that the door to the classroom opened to reveal Negi Springfield and his two librarian companions, she probably would have somehow succeeded. The young vampire entered the room and made his way to his desk, followed by every pair of eyes in the classroom with the class president holding the title for 'most intense gaze'. Perhaps gaze rape would have been more like it.
"Um..." Negi found himself sweating under the accusing looks that were directed at him. Not even twelve seconds in the room and he already felt like he was at the scene of a crime. His best bet was to clear the atmosphere before he got crushed by the pressure. "Good morning everyone?"
"...Good morning..." Their response somehow lacked the cheer that it was usually filled with when they all greeted him in unison.
"So," He clasped both of "his hands together quickly, rocking back and forth out of building fear. "I heard from Yue and Nodoka that we were having a meeting here?"
"...Yes."
"Cool...cool." Negi repeated himself, clearing his throat after the first time. "So what have we got, as far as ideas go?"
Ayaka was the first to attack, "Why haven't you ever cooked for me?"
Negi blinked, caught off guard by her unexpected response to his question. A slightly dazed look washed over his handsome features making him look quite comical. "Uh...I-I don't understand. Where did that come from?
"We happened to be discussing plans for holding a noodle shop attraction for Valentine's day, and your cooking abilities happened to get leaked." Kazumi explained to him with a mischievous grin. "I think you have some explaining to do, Negi-sensei."
"Haah?" Negi looked completely clueless. This naturally worked on Setsuna's nerves.
"Have you, or have you not cooked for Kaede?" Setsuna decided to go for a direct approach.
"I told you that this would bite you in the ass someday." Chachazero whispered in her master's ear.
Negi sweat dropped, forcing his best convincing grin. "Ooooh." The young man went for the oldest escape route in the book: The, 'C'mon! You mean that little thing?', escape tactic. "You meant THAT!" He brought a hand to his forehead and forced a laid back chuckle before clearing his throat. "Yeah...I cooked for her."
Setsuna's mouth remained open as she kept an accusing finger pointed at him. Had she kept it up any longer she would have resembled one of those mannequins that were seen posing behind the display window of the school uniform store. "...And me?" She finally asked.
Negi swallowed hard. "You, erm...never asked." And the best part about it is that I'm not lying to her!
"I don't recall asking you to cook for me, sensei." Mana suddenly decided to join the conversation.
The entire class regarded him suspiciously.
"Tatsumiya-san..." Ayaka called the attention of the lovely marksman, who was her opposite in almost every way with the exception of being an equally attractive woman, if not more. That case could have an argument, but it certainly wouldn't be explored here. "Are you implying that he has cooked for you in the past?"
"He isn't exceptionally skilled, but it was appreciated nonetheless."
Is Mana trying to get me killed? Negi nearly jumped back when she replied. I didn't think she would answer that at all! Did I get her angry somehow? The young magi quickly searched the back row to check for his master's expression. If she was bothering to listen to the conversation at all, she would probably demand to know why he never offered to cook for her. She was his mistress after all, and it was his sworn duty to cater to her in every way she so desired. Luckily for him she was nowhere to be found...of course, that naturally brought up another concern to mind, like-
"Why is Eva-chan absent to begin with?"
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-
[ Onwards, to Evangeline's Residence! ]
Negi stepped into the house when Chachamaru motioned for him to enter. Perhaps it was the fact that Evangeline and him were bonded on a level so deep that their emotions tended to meld with one, but he could swear that he felt a sudden weight fill his chest, more in an emotional sense than physical. Not only that, but he could swear that it was getting a little darker in the room as he got closer to the couch that faced the coffee table. Hmm...what was this taste in his mouth? He didn't remember drinking any blood earlier...
"Hey...um, Chachamaru?" Negi called to the gynoid curiously.
"Yes, Negi-kun?" Chachamaru asked, reaching behind her head to loosen the black lace that she used to hold her hair in a pony tail. The way she shook her head from side to side to loosen her artificial locks was something out of a love scene. "What is troubling you?" Besides that offending lump of blood lust sitting on your head?
"I'm not exactly sure." Negi rolled his tongue around his mouth a few times before smacking his lips to taste more blood that he was sure he had not consumed before. "Something weird is going on. So, Evangeline is here, right?"
"That is correct." Chachamaru nodded. "In her room."
"Oh." Negi glanced at the stairway before facing Chachamaru again. "Do you think she'll mind if I go visit her?"
"I'm not sure." Chachamaru replied, causing the young man to quirk a brow. Whenever he asked her a question she would at least usually have a 'Yes' or 'No' answer. The way she answered him now was so weird. If he listened carefully he would have been able to pick up a hint of defiance in her voice. The type of hint that said, 'Why her and not me?', or, 'I'm standing here, so why are you going over there?', or possibly, 'I loved you first, idiot.'
...They varried...
"I guess there's no way to find out unless I go up." The young man said bravely before lifting Chachazero off of her perch on his head and setting her down on the coffee table. The puppet held on to his right hand in an attempt to keep him from leaving her behind, but he managed to snatch away from her grip rather quickly. "Just wait here, Zero-chan. I'll be right back."
"Why does she get a private visit?" Chachazero protested. "What do you have to hide from me?"
"Nothing." Negi assured her with a grin as he proceeded to the stairs. He stopped when he placed his foot on the first step and went on, "I just don't want you to get her mad. Kami knows, she might already be."
"Whatever." The sadistic puppet crossed her arms, and turned her head to the side to give him the message that their conversation was over. "Just get going before I change my mind and come after you."
"Um, thanks." Negi told her as he ascended the steps, but before he made it to the top he could swear that he felt an icy sensation grip his legs in the most bone chilling way. He looked down to find an expression on Chachamaru's face that nearly gave him a coronary. Her eyes were narrowed, and he could swear that was a frown on her face. It was the kind of expression that a man saw just before the person holding the gun pulled the trigger. "Ch-Ch-Chacha-chan? Are you alright?"
"...Fine." Chachamaru answered him darkly, crossing her arms. At her response Negi made himself as scarce to her view as possible. Having a staring contest with her to find out the truth about her mood seemed like the most unwise choice to make at that moment. Still...she was getting rather expressive lately...in a negative way.
-{Entering the lair of 'Her Deep Darkness' }-
Negi walked through the hallway leading to Evangeline's room uneasily. The dark pulse that pumped from behind her door was a tad bit more noticeable than usual, and it was giving the young magi the creeps. On another note, he knew that she was a vampire and all, and that darkness was obviously the last factor that would possibly cause her a major inconvenience, but when the hell was she going to install lights in this hallway? Sure, she wasn't the type to expect guests to her room in the first place, but for the sake of presentation, come on.
Ugh. What an after taste... Negi brought a hand to his throat when he felt an odd build up of stickiness. To make matters worse the taste of blood that had been plaguing him since he entered the house earlier was so strong that he just couldn't ignore it anymore, as was the weight in his chest. He reached for the door knob to open Evangeline's door and as soon as his hand made contact time seemed to go still. The air went stagnant, and the light breeze that was flowing through the hall pulled away. The muscles in his legs and arms went completely rigid to the point of paralysis, and his breathing came to a stand still, all for about six seconds, at which point everything returned to normal...if you called that dark pulse emanating from the room normal in the first place...
"Ahem." The young magi cleared his throat before turning the knob. He opened the door slowly, poking his head in as he did, to find Evangeline McDowell laying in bed with her eyes directed to the ceiling. "Um...master?" Negi called to her nervously, taking note of how much harder it was to walk now that he made it to his destination. When Evangeline made no indication of ever hearing his call, he made a louder attempt. "Eva-chan?"
"Uugh." Evangeline finally sat up, holding her head with one hand as she blinked a few times. She did a cursory of her room, passing him twice with her eyes before she perked up and directed her attention to him as though he just appeared before her very eyes at that instant. "Who the-" She narrowed her eyes. "Oh...it's you."
"Um...yeah." Negi nodded, a little hurt by the way she received him. "You were absent for class so I figured that I come see you."
Evangeline smirked at him cynically. "My, aren't you the responsible teacher?"
"I'm serious about this, master." Negi approached her bed expecting to be halted by her, but she said nothing. She merely kept her eyes trained on him until he came to a stop at her bed side. "Why didn't you come to class today?"
Evangeline glared at him childishly. "I didn't want to."
Negi blinked in silence. "Er, what for?"
"No particular reason." The chibi-vampire replied, wiggling her toes under the covers.
"You've got to have a reason, Eva-chan." The young teacher sighed, resting a hand on his knee while the other ran through his red mane. "This isn't like yo...erm, well, at least it hasn't been like you for the past few months. Are you sick?" He reached out a hand and placed it on her forehead. Evangeline's eyes never left his hand until he drew it back and stroked his chin. "Well, it doesn't seem too bad, unless this is something new."
"I'm not sick, stupid." She told him as she crossed her arms.
"Then what's bothering you?"
"Nothing is bothering me."
"Then why didn't you come to class?"
"I just didn't want to."
Silence...
"...Riiiight. Something is bothering you."
"There is NOTHING bothering me!" Evangeline shook her tiny fists angrily.
"Then why does it feel like it?" Negi asked her, placing a hand against his own heart. He closed his eyes and frowned, "This weight within your heart...is must be from something."
Evangeline blushed, clutching her chest. "How the hell did you-" Her eyes widened with horror. "You're reading me?"
"Well...not exactly." Negi told her with a thoughtful expression. "I just feel you, that's all. I can tell you've been on a drinking binge too."
The vampiress, hearing his accurate assessment, slumped over. "...Great..."
"So-"
"There's nothing wrong with me, boya!" Evangeline cut him off quickly as she pounded one hand against her chest. "And even if there was, why the hell would I need to explain myself to you? Last time I checked, you were the underling and I was the master-Not the other way around!"
"I remember being close friends, too." Negi countered tactfully.
"Ugh." A disgusted look washed over the tiny vampire's face. "Don't play that card with me, Negi."
Negi took a seat on the bed with her and leaned in her direction. "So you won't say anything?"
"Who dropped you?" She growled at him.
"I think you just want attention." Negi mumbled, knowing full well that she would be able to hear it. He smiled out of her sight when he heard her ask, "What did you just say about me?"
Negi turned back to face her. "I said that you're just doing this for attention. Admit it, Eva-chan, you knew that I would come to visit if you didn't show up for class."
"Don't be so full of yourself." Evangeline retorted before quirking an eyebrow at the small smirk that appeared on his lips. It almost disturbed her just how similar he was to the dream-like version of him that her mind conjured the day before. "What is that look for?"
"I don't exactly mind, Eva-chan." He kicked off his shoes and joined her at the center of the bed. "If you're lonely, you know?"
Evangeline tensed when he crawled to her and leaned over so that their noses almost touched. She cupped his chin in one hand and softly growled, "Don't make me punch you."
"You want me to leave?"
"Yes." Evangeline answered without any hesitation in her voice.
"Alright, but I just need to hear one thing from you first."
"I'm not making any trades, stupid." Evangeline said, frustratedly. "Get out of my room!"
Negi placed both of his hands at her sides much to her intrigue. What the heck was he about to do?
"Not..." He raised them up to her arm pits causing her to blink in an adorable fashion that he wished he could have caught on tape.
"What are you doing?" Evangeline was genuinely curious.
"...until you tell me the truth!" With that declaration Negi started moving his fingers as quickly as he could. The unforeseen action caused a squeal to escape the lips of the Undying wizard. Seconds later that squeal was joined by a stifled laugh, and a chuckle, and a giggle until her face burst out into an unwilling grin as she did her best to tighten into a small ball, however, since she was powerless under the curse placed upon her, Negi had the upper hand! He was relentless in his attack, tickling her even as she scrambled from side to side in an attempt to break out of his ticklish grips. Before long she couldn't hold it in anymore, laughing...maniacally? Well, Negi was hoping for something a little more angelic, but it appeared that even when she was forced to laugh it came out evil and twisted.
He shrugged his shoulders. At least I'm having a little fun.
"ST-AHAHA I SHAID-AEIIIIHEEHEEHEE-HEY STUPIDS! I TOLJOO DO STOB!" Evangeline ordered him helplessly.
"Are you having fun?" Negi demanded.
"N-NGO! JU-STAP IT!"
"Admit it already!"
"GAHAHAHA! IMA-HAHA-N-NOD ENJAJAJOYINJ DIS!"
"I'm not stopping until you tell me the truth!"
Chachamaru and Chachazero watched with interest as Negi descended the steps from the second floor to meet them. His dress shirt had been popped open, his jacket was torn, a shoe was missing, and he honestly just looked like a mess. Then there was the bite mark on his lip...
"What happened to you, master Negi?" Chachazero asked excitedly because that didn't sound a bit like concern.
"We heard a bit of commotion coming from up there earlier." Chachamaru infromed him, non too happy.
"Well..." Negi began, massaging the back of his neck with an awkward look upon his face. "Master isn't too happy right now."
Evangeline buttoned her pajama shirt, the scowl never leaving her face even after she ran her hand through her messy hair.
"Are you having fun? Are you having fun?" The vampiress mocked Negi with a look of annoyance. She straightened out her sleeves and grumbled, "Stupid."
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-
[ Reaching VALENTINE'S DAY... ]
Today was the day in which couples frolicked the streets and halls with hands held proudly in a universal message that spoke volumes to those who found that their own hands were, unlike those that were mentioned, free from the grips of a lover. It was the holiday in which wads of money were spent on short lasting, chocolates and roses in hopes that a long lasting relationship would flourish from the cold emptiness of a malnourished wallet. It was a day in which the manliest of men would swallow up said manliness in order to please their sweet hearts by joining them in the simple pleasure of watching a chick flick, but most of all it was the day in which beds would be destroyed and temporarily fixed with that dependable screw driver before round two came about and destroyed them again. (And shame on you, sir. Get your ass to Ikea!) Well, as much as a fun thrill as the illusion appeared to offer, there were those few who felt that it was nothing more than a waste of time. There were those few who felt bitter about it. Hell, there were those few who could not help but feel that the day should have never existed in the first place.
Chisame Hasegawa was one of the few in question, also known as Chiu the net idol depending on the circumstances of your first meeting. This particular quirk in her life made it a little conflicting, for Chiu was a strong encourager of love and everything that stood for it while Chisame was...well...not so passionate about the subject. That being the case, Chiu's picture gallery tended to update ten fold on Valentine's Day and for those of you who did not realize how tragic that line was, read it again, please. On this particular Valentine's Day, however, Chisame was now faced with a decision that she had been in dread about for a few days now.
"...Cripes." The net idol grumbled, sitting on the carpeted floor of her dark dorm room. Her head turned to the direction of her faithful companion, the PC sitting on the desk across from her, customized with the hardware necessary for keep, Chiu the net idol, alive in the eyes of her countless fans. It was always there for her whenever she needed to vent her emotions, or simply when she was in need of a rush. It defined the vision she had of herself being that one special girl that everyone desired and wished to be with. It provided her with all the fame and attention that she ever wanted, and yet, for the past year something else had been there for her to offer more than she ever thought possible.
That brought her attention to the box of chocolates and the bento box on her bed, illuminated by the light coming from her computer screen. She didn't fair too well with anything other than onigiri when it came to her own home cooking so she hoped it would suffice. The chocolates were more to cover for what the rice balls lacked than as the traditional gift for the holiday. It put her mind at ease to thik that he would at least be pleased with something that he gave her, and yet at the same time it also kind of disturbed her that she would actually go out of her way to please someone. Many saw her as the introverted individual. She was the person that did her best to make herself scarce in a crowd. She wasn't the type to attempt to make small talk with another person whenever she was in the waiting room to be called as the next patient. She wasn't the gossiper that Haruna and Misa were, and she wasn't the selfless soul that Konoka was known to be. What she did as Chiu was for her own self satisfaction more than anything else so even that did not count. Despite all that, she made no effort to change her ways, but spending time with him filled her with the desire to make an effort. She wanted to talk to him, laugh with him and do things to make him smile even though she wouldn't outwardly admit such things.
So today was her chance to show a little appreciation. It was her chance to take a step further in their platonic relationship. It was-
"STUPID!" Chisame cried out with a furious blush on her face, flailing her arms at unseen forces around her. "This is so, so stupid! Why the hell did I even think about doing this? He's just going to look at me like I'm some kind of idiot!" She stood up from her seat on the floor and walked over to her bed with plans of throwing away both boxes, but as her hands came close to touching them, they trembled. She didn't really want to do this, did she? She worked pretty hard last night getting this together, but the real question was how she would manage to pull it off.
"The rest of those groupies are probably already on the move." The spectacled girl muttered, light reflecting off her lenses. "Then there's the fact that..." She looked down at her chest and patted it a bit. Sure, her body was going somewhere but...it was moving too slow, while the other girls in the class appeared to have some sort of special diet that was giving them just the "UMPH" she needed.
Except the twins...heheh. I'll always have one over those two. The net idol thought with a chuckle before another dreadful thought came to mind. Dammit...but twins are hot. Every guy drools over the idea of having twin girlfriends.
"But he's different." Chisame thought, crossing her arms. "He's always been different from all the rest."
His comments prove it. The net idol thought back to the picture comments that he always sent her. "And...and he accepts me for who I am." Chisame thought out loud. "He doesn't make fun of my hobbies." He never showed any sort of indication of being uncomfortable whenever she invited him to accompany her to the cosplay conventions she happily attended. He even wore the choices she made for him. Er...but there was just one thing about it that felt a little wrong. It was-
"Negi Springfield." Chisame said her teacher's name with a slight hint of admiration as she touched the side of her neck. That fateful night that they spent together felt so wrong...and yet it felt sooo good! It went against everything she believed in...and yet she was able to make an exception since it was him. Her master, Negi Springfield...
-{Coming out on the War Gr-...er...-Campus Grounds }-
Chisame took her first step out of her Dorm hall, crinkled plastic bag hanging from one hand with her special gifts since she couldn't find anymore of the nice Valentine bags that they sold at the convenience stores. She looked down at it was a frown for a moment before adjusting her glasses and proceeding forward into the mass of walking students. Some of the young woman that were walking on her way to the school were holding red laces in their hands connected to heart shaped balloons, and the guys were practically dropping their heart shaped boxes and bouqet of roses everytime a passing girl greeted them. It made the net idol roll her eyes to see just how the young men walked so stiffly in the presence of the passing cliques of chattering girls.
Relax guys. We're not going to kill you. She thought before a vision of her classmates came to mind. Well, not all of us try to.
"Hey, Chisame!" A voice called out to her excitedly making the girl cringe somewhat.
"Oh, geez." The net idol looked over her shoulder to see Natsumi waving at her from behind. I was hoping this would be a quiet walk. She glanced at her bag again and bit her lip by mistake causing a bit of blood to trickle down her chin. She wiped it quickly with a finger, tempted to suck it clean, but the cheer leader had caught up with her.
"Hey." Natsumi waved when she was beside her. "This is the first time I've seen you out so early. You usually come to class around the time that homeroom is about to begin."
"I decided to do something different." Chisame answered her plainly. Hopefully if she was pretty direct the girl would get bored with her, and leave before she could pick up on the-
"-bag?" Was what Chisame heard from Natsumi's mouth when she was free from her thoughts.
"What?" She asked turning her head slightly.
"What have you got in the bag?" Natsumi smirked mischievously. She caught on quickly.
"Some...stuff for lunch." Chisame lied with her poker face on.
"Interesting color for a bento. I can see it through the plastic, you know?" The cheerleader teased, walking closer to her.
"It was the only one I could find at the time."
"Oh, I got ya'." Natsumi nodded casually as she kept a steady pace with the net idol.
Silence...
"So who is it for?"
"Would you mind your own..." Chisame's eyes widened when she realized that she slipped, and the look on Natsumi's face when she turned to check if she caught it told her just that. She knew this would have happened if she stayed around too long.
"Wow!" Natusmi placed a hand on her chest with a surprised expression. "That's great! Really, who is it?"
"Shouldn't you be with the others right now? You know...talking and stuff?"
"...I...uh...didn't feel like it."
Hm? What was that? Chisame quirked a brow at the down beat response. "Did something get under your skin?"
"Huh?" Natsumi perked up. "Um, what did you say?"
"What's up with you?"
The cheerleader nearly jumped back at her question, placing a hand behind her head with a sheepish grin. "Nothing! Why do you ask?"
"Because something is obviously bothering you?" Chisame asked in an 'Isn't it obvious?' sort of matter.
"Well...you know...um..." Natsumi started wringing her hands as she looked up at the sky for a moment. "I...just..." She stopped abruptly to look at her watch and giggled nervously, "Oh, man! Lookit that!" And with that Natsumi made tracks that would have started a war between the theatre club and the track team because her talent was obviously going to waste. Now, it could be that her problem would have a lot to do with the fact that Chizuru had been teasing Kotaro about being his Valentine back at their dorm (*Hint-Hint* Smell a future plot device?) and it may have caused a few feelings to bubble up within the young lady, but let us not assume such things because a young maiden's heart is truly harder to figure out than that...or not. That woman better quit leaving me rude messages because it's beginning to...oh...and back to the show.
"Talk about greedy..." Chisame grumbled as she watched Natsumi's fleeting form. You want me to share my secrets, but I ask one little thing and suddenly you have a place to get to. Well, good riddens...
To her good fortune she enountered no one else from her class on the way to the school facility. She'd seen some of the attractions that the other students had planned for the day. She could count on one finger how many 'Love Fortune' stands she had seen on the way, although that one with the delinquent surrounded by animals really stuck out. There were a few love cafe's set up with maids standing in front of the doors. One welcoming group consisted of a short girl with purple hair with the emotinal capacity of a rock, and a girl in a bunny suit with short, brown hair that was struggling with another rather well endowed girl who wore a similar suit in red. The latter was crying out for help from two young men who were leaning against a wall in the distance. One had a neutral expression, though his left eye seemed to be twitching while the other young man had a cheerful expression, leaning a little closer to the other than he was apparently comfortable with.
Where did they come from? Chisame wondered, staring at them briefly before resuming her walk. She passed a well constructed love tunnel that had a slim looking woman with long, black hair that fell to the ground, wearing a dress as dark as night with a strange, white rabbit-like creature sitting on her shoulder. A bespectacled young man dressed in an equally dark suit stood beside her with his hands held behind his back. They sure looked out of place. Oh, there were those five gundam pilots that were sitting on a bench she passed, too. Well, didn't try too hard to slip in that one, did I?
"That took longer than usual." The net idol stopped in front of school building when she saw three familiar face approaching in the distance. It was the usual trio that consisted of the healer, the fan wielder, and the young magi. Setsuna accompanied them, looking slightly uncomfortable beside Konoka as the bubbly girl latched on to her arm. Asuna was holding a small, red gift bag in one hand, seemingly uncomfortable with the fact that Setsuna had one arm linked with Negi's. Negi, too, seemed just a little uncomfortable as well, but Chisame already knew well, why. He was obviously looking out for the inevitable coming of Makie, Ku-Fei, and the others who usually came after him on Valentine's day. She was a little surprised that Ayaka didn't drop down in front of them from her private helicopter like last time...until she heard one nearby.
"Huh?" And judging by the way Negi suddenly flinched and looked up at the sky in horror, he was too. The young magi acted quickly, pulling free from Setsuna's grip, which was a little firmer than he anticipated since he almost dragged the swordsman with him, and making a dash for the school entrance.
"OHOHOHOHO!" The class president laughed haughtily as she hung from the side of the pink helicopter. "You won't escape from me this time, sensei!" She cried out confidently before she jumped down from a suspended cable and landed lightly on the ground in front of Chisame. She then proceeded to follow her beloved teacher into the school building accompanied by three of her butlers and maids, each whom had some kind of box of chocolates and bouqet of roses in their arms. This was going to be tough...
"IT'S NOT THAT SERIOUS!" Asuna cried out at her long time friend.
"Mind your own business!" Ayaka yelled back at the red-head. "Why don't you just go and stalk Takahata-sensei already?"
Asuna burned crimson as smoke poured out of her ears. "I-I-I am not stalking him!" Was what she wanted to yell back, but Kaede rushed past her with a rose held between her teeth, chased by Ku-Fei who was carrying a basket of food, sputtering threats at the kunoichi.
"You talk to sensei and I break back!" The chairman cried out viciously, seemingly too focused on catching up to Kaede to realize that she was slipping back into her old way of speaking again.
"Not if he breaks mine first!" The Kunoichi shouted back suggestively, flustering the Chinese beauty.
"I call him first!" Ku-Fei argued.
"Doesn't matter!" Kaede taunted her before she gracefully jumped into one of the open windows. Ku-Fei gripped her basket to her chest protectively and did the same.
I can't believe this crap! Chisame clenched her teeth before picking up the pace as well.
Konoka saw the net idol run by and gasped excitedly, turning to speak to her captive. "You think she's after Negi-chan, too?"
"Unlikely." Setsuna replied before a group of Ursula Campus students rushed by with gifts in their hands as well. "...I concede defeat..." The crow demon sighed, slumping like a bested warrior.
"What do you mean, Setsuna?" Asuna asked her friend after hearing the words leave her mouth. The red-head blinked a few times before she finally realized what the swordsman was talking about. "Y-You mean y-you were after Negi, too?"
"I figured I would try it." The crow demon grinned sheepishly, closing her eyes with a casual shrug. At that moment Konoka locked eyes with Asuna for a few seconds before she pulled Setsuna closer to herself and declared, "I have dibs on her, then."
"Nobody is fighting you on that, Konoka." Asuna said flatly at her childishness.
"H-HEY!" Asuna jumped when she heard the sudden call come from behind her. She whipped around to find Nodoka panting exhaustedly, hands on her knees with a red book gripped in one sweaty hand. Why wasn't Yue with her?
"Nodoka? Are you alright?" Asuna tried to help the girl straighten up, but the librarian held up a tremblig hand to stop her.
"Just...huff...tell me...puff...AM I TOO LATE?"
The three girls glanced at each other nervously...
-{ Getting a look at Negi's situation }-
"Hey, master Negi!" Chachazero cried out her master's name from her comfy place in his shirt as he rushed down the hall like a bat out of hell. He dodged every passing student with relative ease, ducking and jumping over some of the props that were crafted for the attractions they had set up. With the untrained eye all one could see was a blur accompanied by a strong breeze.
"What is it?" Negi asked, gripping a pipe to swing himself into the corner. He could feel Kaede and Ku-Fei's presence closing in on him at a frightening rate. The annoyed cries and yells from the students behind him for people to watch where they were going alerted him of Ayaka and her terror squad as well.
"This happens to us often," The puppet reached into her jacket to pull out a small slip of paper with scribble on it, "so I wrote an escape theme for us just for the hell of it! Wanna hear it?"
"Zero-chan!" Negi groaned as two balloons got tangled with his arms, bopping a few students. "This really isn't the time!"
"Well, duh! We're escaping aren't we?" The puppet replied.
...Makes sense... Negi nodded to himself after giving it some thought. "A-Alright! Go ahead, then."
"Awesome!" Chachazero exclaimed bored clearing her throat. "YO, IT'S THE NIGH UNSTOPPA-
"Whoa!" Negi made an unexpected dodge when Makie suddenly jumped out of the room in front of him. He dipped into a power slide, bending his upper body back as low as he could in order to make a clean escape under her legs before jerking forward to perform a shoulder, tuck in roll and ending with a kick off from his left foot to get him sprinting again. In the scuffle the slip of papar that Chachazero had in her hand got whisked away much to her rage.
"It wasn't easy writing that! We have to go back for it!" She demanded hysterically.
"Sorry!" Negi apologized to her. "Can't do it now!"
"I'm not writing any more than that!" Chachazero informed him angrily, crossing her arms.
"And that's tragic, but-"
"Why are you running anyway?"
"...History dictates that I do." Negi replied after a moment of silence.
"Mmm-kay." The puppet asked no more questions. "Carry on, then."
"Right-o." Negi responded as he pushed through a stairway exit and grinded the rail down to the lower floor to continue his escape. He rushed down the hallway and turned the corner to find an open classroom and a hand beckoning him to enter. Unlike the frightening auras that he was met with on the floor above, this one seemed much more peaceful. He might just be able to trust this person. With that in mind, he took his pace down to a power jog and entered the classroom, hearing the door slam shut behind him.
"Hm? My homeroom?" Negi mused, looking around to find that he did, indeed, lead himself back to his own homeroom somehow. What were the odds of that happening?
"Yes...your homeroom." An annoyed voice answered from behind him.
"Oh." Remembering that someone was with him, Negi turned around to find Chisame leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. "Chisame-chan?" Negi untucked Chachazero from his shirt and placed her on his head again. "You came early today."
"Yeah." The girl replied nonchalantly as she adjusted her glasses. Her school uniform was a little wrinkled, most likely from all the running she had to do just to get to the class. "It was the only way I could make sure to get to you before the rest of them did."
"Why?" Negi gave her a strange look, placing his hands on his hips.
"Get your head screwed on straight." The girl growled agitatedly. "Why else would I approach you alone today?"
Negi was almost stunned."Y-You want to be my Valen-"
"To say thanks." Chisame cut him off as she held out the plastic bag she had to him. "I know it isn't easy dealing with me. I know I can be pretty cold sometimes and a little hard to talk to...so I just want to say thanks for accepting me."
"Th..." Negi cleared his throat. "That's not true at all. It's never hard to be around you."
"That's a lie, sensei." The net idol scoffed. "Don't try that on me because I'm pretty sure that I know myself well enough to...to..." Chisame stopped in her tracks when Negi close the distance between them and placed his hands on her hips. She did her best not to shiver under his familiar touch. "What?"
"All you need to do is open up a bit to everyone else," He smiled at her warmly, "Just like you did for me."
"It's...not that simple."
"Of course it is." The young magi assured her. "You just make life that much more difficult by denying how simple it is."
Chisame smirked. "You got that from someone else."
"Yes I did." Negi answered her quickly.
"Well, then..." Chisame placed her hands on his chest and pushed him away lightly. "...let's start this over again."
"Sure." Negi nodded, taking a step back.
Chisame cleared her throat and set her bag down to take out the box of chocolates she had prepared. She looked at the heart shaped box for a moment before returning her attention back to her teacher and swallowed. No matter how much she tried to look at it any other way this was a little weird for her. The young man before her was, after all, the same person she promised herself that she wouldn't get in too deep with in fear that she would be infected just like the other girls that got close to him. He was the same person she couldn't stand because of the mystery that surrounded him. He was the enigma that she couldn't understand, and yet now she felt that she was getting closer to figuring him out. It might not been tomorrow or even years from now, but sooner or later she was going to understand just why people couldn't resist him, just why a simple look from him could lighten her mood or fluster her effortlessly, just why he could give her the courage to change...
...or why she just couldn't deny that she loved him...
"Would you be my valentine, master?"
"It would my greatest honor, Chisame Hasegawa."
...until then, she just wouldn't tell him.
After all, she couldn't stand him.
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*._[F]_[V]_[A]_.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*
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[ Returning to Evangeline's Residence later that night... ]
It was ten o' clock at night and Evangeline McDowell still lay in bed, looking at her ceiling as she basked in the moonlight that poured in through the window of her room. Quite honestly there was nothing else that she wanted to be doing at the moment. All she would have to do was tough it out for a few more hours and the damned day would be over. Nothing else could have reminded her more of just what she couldn't grasp within her hands other than that accursed dream she had two days ago, and the fact that it was Valentine's Day sprinkled salt on a wound that had never come to heal since the day Nagi rejected her. Her loneliness would be eternal...
"This is depressing." The vampiress said boredly as she sat up in bed. She pulled the covers to the side to get both of her feet on the floor and fixed her hair a bit before heading out of her room. Walking through the hall that lead to the stairs, she found it odd that the lights in the living room was off. Usually Chachamaru would still be active, cleaning with her sisters but apparently that was not the case tonight. Well, if they thought that they were going to get away with slacking off just because she was going through a sulking period, they were sorely mistaken. She marched down the stairsteps intent on heading for the kitchen to look for Chachamaru but her ears picked up something coming from outside. It sounded a lot like a violin playing.
Is that Chachamaru out there? The vampiress thought curiously before turning on her heel to head out to the courtyard instead. What she found caught her off guard. There was a table set at the center of the courtyard with specially prepared dishes, and candles to set the romantic mood. Standing beside the table was Negi Springfield, dressed in a white tuxedo with a red rose held gently in one hand and his other hand held out to her as if to invite her over. Chachamaru was already seated at the table adorned in a strapless, black dress with a black ribbon tied in her hair, and Chachazero was seated on her head with a tuxedo that resembled Negi's, strangely enough. Behind them were four of her maids playing the violin with their eyes closed since they weren't very good at emulating emotions, and having their eyes open with such listless expressions would have been just a little unnerving.
"What...is this?" Evangeline found herself slightly at a loss for words as Negi approached her.
He got down on one knee and offered her the rose with smirk. "We've been waiting for you, Eva-chan."
"What are you doing here?" Evangeline asked him with an annoyed expression on her lovely face. "I thought I told you that I didn't want to look at your face."
"I'm sorry, Evangeline, but I just couldn't do that." The way he spoke her name so naturally had her cheeks heating up for reasons only she knew.
"You would disobey me?" The dark girl asked darkly, crossing her arms.
"I would disobey an order that would keep us from each other." Negi answered her with a nod.
Evangeline's frown gradually twitched upward into a small smile. "And why is that, boya?" She asked before she parted her lips slightly to accept his rose.
"Haven't you figured it out yet, master?" Negi asked her gently as he slipped his rose between her teeth. "There just wouldn't be a me without you."
To Be Continued...
Think of this as a badly written love letter from me to you.
You have my deepest apologies for being a stranger for the past two months, but I've had my reasons, and I can't promise you that I'll be able to return to updating at my usual
pace any longer. I can promise you, however, that this series will never die, as will my appreciation for all of you for reading.
After all, there is no me without you. Heh, heh...
Happy Valentines Day,
Traingham...