Negima and the Curse of the Dreadnoids
Chapter 14: Evil, Thy Name is Yukihiro
With Chisame and Satomi returned to normal, the group decided to take a look at the problems facing England with Kazumi and Sayo. Negi was quite puzzled as to how they could have possibly kidnapped a ghost like Sayo. He even wondered if she was even capable of being infected by their parasite.
"Whatever the case, they need our help too!" Fuka said. Fumika nodded.
"Yeah. Forget the facts. There are two more of our class that probably need our help." Asuna said. Negi turned to Chisame and Satomi.
"We're really sorry professor. We couldn't help it. But we'll help you in any way we can." Satomi said.
"We will?" Chisame said. Satomi looked at her and elbowed her in the side. Chisame groaned and rubbed her side.
"Thank you girls. It's good to hear that." Negi said. Satomi smiled and chuckled.
"Great. Now we've got the other two computer nerds on our side." Kotaro said. Chisame heard him and smacked him in the head.
"Call me that again and you'll have to go chase after your head." Chisame said. Kotaro groaned and rubbed the back of his head.
"WHY do you do that to me?!" Kotaro said "I'm just joking!" Negi and Asuna chuckled. Meanwhile, in England, Ayaka was walking down the roads wearing a dark coat. Under the hood she had an depressed look on her face. The townsfolk hid from her and rushed back into their homes.
"Professor Springfield...Asuna...Konoka...they're all gone." Ayaka said. A tear leaked from her eye. Up ahead of her, she saw a young girl that bared a uncanny resemblance to Asuna but she had ribbons instead of bells in her hair.
"A...Asuna?" Ayaka said. Suddenly, a twitch came to her and she clutched her head. She started groaning in pain and she collapsed to her knees. The girl saw Ayaka and hurried to her.
"Hey. Are you all right?" she said. Ayaka looked at her face and all she could think about was Asuna. With every memory of Asuna passing through her mind, she slowly was changing into something.
"I'm OK. But you should run. Leave me be!" Ayaka said. The girl took her advice and left. Ayaka started crying tears and continued on.
"That's the fifth time today that happened." Ayaka thought. Meanwhile, Nagi was preparing to create a portal when Negi offered to try the spell this time. Nagi chuckled and stepped aside. Negi tried the spell and created a portal.
"Hope you got this right Negi. I don't want to end up in the Pacific Ocean." Asuna said. Negi's group went through it and they winded up just outside the town that Ayaka was in.
"This looks like England to me. Good work son." Nagi said. Negi smiled as Nagi patted his head. Asuna was impressed.
"Hey guys. Do you feel...something looming over you?" Makie said. Her legs were shaking and she felt a cold chill on her shoulder. She looked back and saw a ghost!
"Aah! A GHOST!" Makie screamed. For some odd reason, the ghost screamed as well. Suddenly, from a dark portal in the ground, something leaped out in front of the ghost.
"Freeze you big bully!" she said. The girl was Kazumi! She had pale blue skin, her eyes were replaced by a scanner with a moving lense, her body appeared normal with the exception of a tail. She flashed her lense at Makie and she froze in place! She became a statue!
"Makie!" Asuna shouted. Kazumi turned to Negi.
"You with her?! If you try and hurt my friend, you're gonna...hmm?!" Kazumi said. She looked closer and saw it was Negi.
"P...Professor Negi?" Kazumi said. She looked back at Makie and realized it was Makie that she froze.
"Oops! Sorry Makie." Kazumi said. She snapped her fingers and Makie returned to normal.
"Kazumi? Then...you must be...Sayo?" Kaede said. The ghost was indeed Sayo. However, she was a darker shade of blue than glowing white and she had more of a demon like appearance.
"Hey guys. We thought we never see you again." Kazumi said. Negi and Nagi looked behind Kazumi and saw that Sayo was connected to Kazumi's shadow.
"Did you guys notice you're sharing a shadow?" Yue said. Kazumi looked back and nodded.
"So, what happened to you guys?" Satomi said.
"We got tired of hanging around with that king and we made a break for it. We came here for some peace and quiet. But there are a few people that tried to attack Sayo. And like you saw with Makie, that was their fate." Kazumi said. Makie was flexing her body.
"Yeah. Don't do that again." Makie said. Kazumi chuckled.
"Hey. Hold on a second. If you guys were infected with the bugs, why aren't you trying to kill us? Are you fighting it like Yue did?" Fuka said. Kazumi shook her head.
"For some reason, the bugs had lost their control over us after we escaped. The king doesn't care about anyone at all. As long as he gets what he wants, he'll kill anyone to get it." Kazumi said "He saw us as weak and decided to allow us to leave." Sayo sighed.
"It's true." Sayo said. Negi smiled.
"Don't worry. We were the same way." Sakurako said "But you're with your friends now." Kazumi and Sayo smiled.
"Oh yeah. Guys? There's someone who wanted to see you. We need to go back to where we're staying here." Kazumi said. Kazumi began leading them towards town. As they traveled, Ayaka was passing by with her face hidden. She bumped into Asuna.
"Watch it blondie." Asuna muttered.
"You watch it bells." Ayaka said. When they both heard each other, they froze in place and turned around. Asuna could see Ayaka's blue eyes beneath her hood and gasped.
"A...Ayaka?" Asuna said. Ayaka gasped and thought she was really seeing Asuna. But right when she approached her, she felt the twitch again and clutched her head.
"Ayaka? What's wrong?" Asuna said. Ayaka took one last look at Asuna and began fleeing. Asuna chased after her. However, no one in Negi's group even noticed she was gone.
"It seems pretty quiet around here." Yue said.
"Yeah. What gives?" Fei Ku said. Kazumi looked at them.
"It's because of this werewolf that has been causing chaos around town. It's been scaring the daylights out of the townsfolk." Kazumi said. Kaede chuckled.
"Come on now Kazumi. There's no such things as werewolves." Kaede said.
"Well, they say it looks SOMETHING like a werewolf does." Sayo said. Meanwhile, Ayaka continued to flee from Asuna. By the time Asuna caught her, they were nearing the entrance to the forest.
"Ayaka!" Asuna shouted. She struggled with Ayaka to get her hood off but Ayaka broke free. But during the struggle, Asuna saw she had ripped the hood right off of Ayaka's coat. She looked at Ayaka's face but it was covered by her hair. When Ayaka moved her hair, Asuna saw her face was completely normal.
"Ay...aka." Asuna said. She slowly approached Ayaka with her hand reaching out. She put her hand on Ayaka's shoulder and Ayaka was crying.
"Hey. What's the matter class rep? You miss me THAT badly?" Asuna said. Ayaka squealed and looked away.
"Come on. We're together again. Didn't you miss our little squabbles? I know I did." Asuna said. But in Ayaka's mind, she didn't believe this was the REAL Asuna.
"Look you! I don't know who you are! But STOP imitating my friend! You're NOT Asuna! You don't fool me! She's dead! Asuna Kagurazaka is DEAD!" Ayaka shouted. Asuna gasped and backed away.
"Ayaka? What are you talking about? It's me. Asuna. Who told you I was dead?" Asuna said. Asuna tried to calm Ayaka down but she slapped Asuna's hand away.
"Didn't you hear me? You're NOT Asuna! Now get away from me! Stop playing jokes with me!" Ayaka said. Asuna tried again but Ayaka forced her away.
"Ayaka! What's your deal?! It's really me! Asu..!" Asuna shouted. But before she finished, Ayaka slapped Asuna right in the face. Ayaka panted as Asuna turned her gaze towards Ayaka.
"Get away...from me!" Ayaka said angrily. Suddenly, Ayaka's eyes began changing into the black and red eyes of a infected host. She tore off her coat and Asuna saw Ayaka had a heart shaped hole in her chest!
"No. Ayaka. That's not you talking. That's the bug!" Asuna thought. Ayaka let out a loud howl and she was engulfed in a black flame. When the flame dimmed, she was in her werewolf state. Her entire body was covered in blond hair and her hands grew claws. She growled and snarled.
"Ayaka! What did they do to you?!" Asuna shouted. Ayaka growled and lunged at Asuna. Meanwhile, Negi and the others reached an old building within the town. It was very old and it appeared to be a haunted house from the inside.
"It's not much. But this is what me and Sayo have been calling home since we left the academy." Kazumi said. Negi looked around at the place. He couldn't believe what Kazumi and Sayo were going through.
"It must have been tough. How did you survive?" Nagi said. Kazumi sighed.
"We've been forced to steal from the town." Kazumi said. The others gasped.
"Man. That's just not right. You guys shouldn't be stealing." Chao said. Kazumi and Sayo looked away.
"You two are better than that. You are not thieves." Chachamaru said. Just then, a cloaked figure entered.
"What else are they supposed to do for food then? Eat each other? In case you haven't realized Chachamaru, one of them is a ghost." the figure said. Negi gasped since he recognized that voice.
"Wait a minute. I know who you are." Negi said. The hooded figure took her hood off and revealed Evangeline's face.
"It's been a while. Hasn't it professor?" Evangeline said. Negi started leaking tears. He rushed to Evangeline with his arms open.
"Evangeline! We found you at last!" Negi shouted. He hugged Evangeline tightly and her eyes widened from shock.
"Hey! Take it easy you little brat!" Evangeline said. But just listening to Negi's sniffles of joy, Evangeline smiled and hugged him.
"Yeah. I'm glad to see you too." Evangeline whispered. Nagi watched with a smile just as Evangeline noticed him.
"See you're doing well Evangeline." Nagi said. Evangeline chuckled.
"Konoe's kept me informed of your progress. Things are really going in our favor. And if we keep this up, we'll be able to attack the Dreadnoids at their home base." Evangeline said. Just then, she was getting a weird feeling. In her mind, she pictured what looked like Asuna in her armor fighting a werewolf Ayaka with her sword. And by the looks of things, Asuna was losing!
"Negi! It's Asuna! She's fighting Ayaka by the woods! If you don't get there, she'll die." Evangeline said. The others gasped and looked around. They just noticed that Asuna was gone. Meanwhile, Asuna was struggling against Ayaka by shielding herself with her blade.
"Ayaka! What ARE you?!" Asuna said. Ayaka continued to struggle against Asuna before muttering "A person that's lost everything..." under her breath. The two broke from their struggle and jumped back. Asuna dropped to her knee while clutching her sword.
"What? Are you joking? I'm right here. It's really me! I'm the real Asuna!" Asuna said. But quick as a flash, Ayaka struck Asuna right in her back without a sound. Worn over from their struggle, Asuna collapsed with her sword still planted in the dirt.
"If I have to say it once, I need to say it a thousand times." Ayaka said. She pulled her hand back ready to strike Asuna.
"Stop playing with my mind." Ayaka said. But just as Ayaka was about to deliver the final blow, she heard Negi's group rushing over.
"Ayaka! Asuna! Wait! Stop the fighting!" Negi shouted. Ayaka looked and saw Negi. Negi's group gasped when they saw the state Ayaka was in now.
"P...Professor Springfield?" Ayaka whispered. With a final tear, Ayaka fled deep into the forest leaving a fainted Asuna with her face in the dirt.
"Asuna!" Konoka shouted. Setsuna rolled Asuna onto her back and saw her face was covered by dirt. On Asuna's face were a few bruises and a tear leaking from her left eye. It dripped onto the ground where Ayaka left a footprint.
"Ayaka...no..." Asuna thought.
END OF CHAPTER