Disclaimer: The following story is a fan made work of fiction. Fairy Tail and Mahou Sensei Negima! are owned and written by Hiro Mashima and Ken Akamatsu respectively. Please support their official releases.
Chapter 10
A Woman, a Lover, a Friend
Asuna tapped her finger against her bed while Konoka bustled about their kitchen. Hours had passed since they had parted with Natsu and Negi and the twin-tailed girl was beginning to worry. The two were certainly taking their sweet time.
She glanced at the clock on their wall and sighed. Leave it to a kid to make his caretakers worry. "Konoka," she called from her spot on the bed, "how long was the meeting with your grandfather supposed to last again? Didn't Negi say he would be back with the pink-haired pervert in tow by now?"
"Um, I think that it was supposed to be over some time ago." Then Konoka paused in her bustle to give a quick 'eep' of dismay. "Oh! I forgot to mention that Grandfather called while you were busy fighting with Iincho in the hallway earlier. He mentioned that Negi had some sort of assignment near Eva's place and would probably be back late this evening."
For a moment Asuna stood there with her mouth open. Then she began to fume.
The little loser! How dare he go off on some sort of mission and leave her behind. Without so much as a by your leave too! Weren't they supposed to be partners?
"Wait, hold on there. Let's go back in the conversation for a minute. What is this about some pink-haired pervert? Did my Aniki get his hands on a new girl I haven't heard about?" Chamo's tiny voice chirped from his drawer of underwear, interrupting Asuna's conversation with Konoka. The ermine's furry face practically shone with perverseness as his tiny eyes bulged out of his face. "What's her age? Are her measurements any good? Is she perky in all the right places? Come on, tell me all the details and don't leave anything out. This is important stuff here y'know?"
Leave it to the peanut gallery to make her even more annoyed. Asuna shot the creature a look that could have curdled milk. "No, you flippin idiot, it is not a girl. It's Natsu, remember? The naked bastard who flashed half the girls in our class?"
The rodent let out an admiring grunt and withdrew its head. From the sound of it, the tiny miscreant had begun to rummage through the contents of its drawer. "Ah, yes, truly a man after my own little heart. He showed great initiative with those actions. I give him a 7 out of 10, with points deducted for poor follow-up. If only I could get Aniki to be half so daring."
Well, it was clear that the ermine's priorities had not changed, much to Asuna's displeasure. His furry head reappeared moments later, his beady little eyes peeking out from beneath some girl's striped panty. "Can you imagine what it would be like if Negi were even half as open with his male charm? I mean come on! With the type of girls in your class I'd be rolling in Pactios by sunset!"
"And that is why I am forever glad that the kid is at least intelligent enough to avoid your advice ninety percent of the time."
"Psh. You're just jealous. And don't you try to deny it either, 'cause an Ermine knows."
Up on her bed, Asuna redoubled her venomous stare at the rodent's abode. A picture of herself strangling the furry menace to society with her own two hands ran through her mind and brought a smile to her face. Asuna could get away with it. She knew that she could. The only two people who would object to it would be Konoka and Negi, and getting them out of the picture as Asuna did the deed would be easy.
"Too bad it would be murder," she groused softly. "Otherwise I'd only have to deal with those maniacs from PETA. And what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them."
Her eyes followed Chamo as, with their conversation ended, the little rodent began to clean himself with reckless abandon atop his stockpile of pilfered undergarments. She averted her eyes as quickly as possible. And on second thought even PETA would probably award her some sort of medal for removing the perverted ermine. Chamo gave animals everywhere a bad rap.
With a harrumph of disdain Asuna tried to put the perverted rodent out of her mind. Unless some kind of kinky situation or turn of phrase came up he would stay quiet in his little corner. It was one of the few good qualities he possessed. She gave a second harrumph. It was probably the rodent's only good quality.
Meanwhile Konoka had continued to move about the room with a cheery hum. She was in the midst of pulling some pan out of the oven by the time Asuna turned her attention back to the dark-haired girl. The sight of Konoka cooking something made Asuna's stomach grumble as it shut down the higher processing functions of her brain. Her roommate's food was a greater temptation than the apples of Atalanta. It was so good as to be nearly sinful.
What had they been talking about again?
The thought was removed from her head as a fragrant smell of cinnamon and baked dough made its way to Asuna's nose. The orange-haired girl began to salivate. "Ooh, that smells delicious, Konoka-chan. Can I have some before Negi and the idiot get back?"
She jumped off of her bed as she spoke, moving to where she could try to grab one of the freshly baked items from the tray. Her hand snaked out to snatch one of the tempting morsels.
Konoka gave it a sharp slap with a wooden spoon. "Sorry, Asuna, but these aren't for you or Negi-sensei." The beautiful Japanese girl gave a giggle as she rescued the plate from Asuna's grasp. "They're special."
The dark-haired girl then began wrapping up the baked goods in thick sheets of paper, carefully shielding them from sight with her body. Asuna tried to get close, but Konoka boxed her out more effectively than a mother hen protecting her clutch of eggs.
The girl had moves when it came to protecting her cooking from thieves. And that wooden spoon of hers smarted!
"Awww, c'mon Konoka. Can't I have even one?" Asuna could feel the saliva almost dripping out of her mouth as she gave up on trying to obtain one by force. It was cruel and inhumane for Konoka to keep whatever she had made from her poor, suffering roommate. They were close friends – nay, they were more than friends, they were comrades-in-arms in the struggle to raise and educate their ten year old teacher in the ways of life and morality. Surely Asuna was entitled to a few bites of Konoka's divine cooking. After all, raising Negi and protecting him from the grasp of her classmates was tough! Asuna needed all the energy she could get.
Yet her continued pleas were to no avail. Konoka just shook off her protestations and pleas with her customary cheerfulness and bustled about their dormitory, cleaning everything in sight. She even refused to let Asuna lick the pan and whacked her with the spoon yet again when Asuna tried to do so anyway.
Whomever the baked goods were for was officially on Asuna's shit list. The only possible exception to that was if they were for Takamichi, but Asuna doubted that was the case. Konoka didn't feel that way towards guys. And judging from the wrapping on the paper, those things were definitely earmarked for something of a romantic nature.
Soon enough the items were packed away and every tool used to make them was cleaned or watered down within their small kitchen sink. Asuna stared at the neat package with a longing look in her eyes. Whoever they were for had better appreciate them.
A knock sounded from the door. Asuna walked towards it with a grumble, only somewhat thankful for a reason to stop longingly staring at the wrapped morsels that lay beyond her reach. "Coming!"
The sound of Asuna's grumbling stomach as she moved caused her anger to rise. As Asuna turned the handle to open the door, she readied herself to give the person a piece of her mind.
"I don't know who you are or what you're doing at someone's doorway this late in the –" Asuna's voice cutoff as she got a good look at the person who stood at the doorway with their hand still raised. "Setsuna! I didn't know you were coming over. Come in, come in. It's good to see you!"
Asuna's grimace disappeared as she smiled at the young swordswoman. It was good to see the other girl in a less stressful situation than the battles in Kyoto. She was looking better too. Her uniform was neat and tidy, while a soft smell of soap drifted in the air.
Definitely an improvement over the battle-worn attire they had worn in the forest. "By the way, did you happen to see Negi on your way here?" Asuna questioned with a hint of her previous ire. "The damn kid's late for dinner."
Setsuna bowed her head in greeting and placed her shoes next to Asuna and Konoka's by the room's entrance. "It is good to see you as well, Asuna-san. Yet I must apologize, for I did not see Negi-sensei on my way over." The wrapped sword soon joined her shoes against the wall. "Ojou-sama asked me to stop by this evening on my way back from the dojo. She said that she wished to speak with me about something."
The black-haired girl then shifted her head to peer into the kitchen area. "Is that freshly baked cinnamon buns that I smell Asuna-san? I love them. How did the two of you know that they are my favorite?"
At those words a light bulb went off in Asuna's head. Konoka's super cheerful demeanor of the past few hours while Asuna sulked and waited for Negi to return. The neatly wrapped baked goods forbidden to Asuna. Negi's late meeting and Setsuna's evening appearance at Konoka's request.
They all added up to one inescapable conclusion.
Looking behind her, Asuna saw that Konoka had yet to notice Setsuna's appearance. Dangit. The things I do for my friends. She patted herself down and noted that she was still decent to go outside. It was a good thing she had yet to change out of her uniform. She patted her pocket to make sure her spare set of keys were there before calling out. "Konoka, I'm going out to find Negi-sensei. I'll be back with the brat in a while. We'll probably eat out too, so please don't wait up for us."
Setsuna's eyes widened as Asuna paused and looked at her with a grin. The girl could see Asuna's next move coming, and Asuna delivered her next statement with a perverse glee. "Oh, and Setsuna is here to see you Konoka. She said that she'll keep you company while I'm out looking for Negi and the moron."
"SE-CHAN'S HERE?" A loud crash sounded from the kitchen. Konoka's head and upper body soon appeared, covered in some white powdery substance. "You came! You're actually here SE-CHAAAN!"
Asuna evaded the flour covered missile that was her roommate and grabbed her shoes before the two suddenly entangled girls toppled over in the middle of the entranceway. An impish smile graced her lips as Setsuna spluttered and tried to push a squealing Konoka off of herself. It would serve as ample revenge for the baked goods while also making Konoka happy.
"Be sure to treat Konoka like a princess while I'm gone, Setsuna," Asuna said with a smirk. "I'll see you two in a bit."
She plucked an apple from a nearby bowl and slipped her shoes onto her feet in practiced motions. Carefully stepping around the two girls still tangled up on the floor, Asuna stepped outside the still open door and closed it behind her. It shut with a gentle click. Then she looked at the sky to gauge her next move.
The sky had just gotten dark, so she would have to hurry if she wanted to pick Negi up, grab some food and make it back in any reasonable amount of time. While Asuna would be a good sport and give the two girls some alone time, she drew the line for when it was time for bed. She would be back and ready for a bed time of eleven, regardless of any objections from her amorous roommate.
Thankfully, she was able to make good time. It seemed as though luck was with Asuna as nearly no one was walking the backstreets of Mahora that night. She devoured the juicy apple in her hand as she walked. The tiny bit of food would have to suffice until she was able to find something more substantive to eat.
Most of the shops and buildings along her route were closed and Asuna moved past their darkened windows at a brisk pace. It would have been a different matter if she had taken the downtown route like many of her classmates – that section would be packed at this time – but only Negi would be dumb enough to do that during a holiday season.
Asuna quickly came to where the city met the forest and tossed her devoured apple into a trash receptacle. It had been enough to quiet her growling stomach down. Only half an hour more of walking and she would reach her destination.
She passed by a crowded side road restaurant stand, noting its presence as a possible source of food on the way back. Then she did a double take when she saw the letters that marked its name.
It was the restaurant of her two classmates, the Chao Bao Zi! However, it was open far earlier than usual. An intense desire to go into it and order up a plate of delicious food warred with her burning need to find the brat and chew him out for ditching her without asking. She stood in the road, looking towards it as she tried to make up her mind.
Then a thought occurred to her. Could Negi have stopped by the restaurant before going to Eva's cottage? It was possible. If so, then maybe Chao or Satsuki had seen or spoken with him. Asuna scratched her head and thought about it as she stared at the sign. Yeah, the kid spoke to his students whenever he spotted one. It was definitely worth investigating.
Asuna walked over to where her two classmates manned their stand's counter among a crowd of people. It seemed as though everyone had already placed their orders and were just milling around until their food was ready. Mostly comprised of adults who had just finished their shifts, there were only a few people around Asuna's age in the area.
One of the few people their age, a blonde girl who looked to be of high school age, tried to engage Chao in conversation. Only to get completely blown off. Asuna frowned at the sight as the blonde went away in a huff. The Chinese braniac had never done that to someone as far back as Asuna could remember. The fun loving Chinese girl would always engage the people around her. Often in a way that, on a good day, would be called teasing. On a bad day it was more akin to the way a cat would play with a mouse.
With a frown still on her face Asuna made her way to the counter. With her classmate in an off mood she wasted no time on small chat and got right into their faces. "Hiya Chao. Hey there Satsuki. Mind if I ask you a few questions real fast?"
From her place at the restaurant's stove, the cherubic Satsuki shook her cloth covered head and kept her attention on the food cooking on the stove's surface. Asuna nodded at her reaction.
That was fair. The kindhearted girl was the chef after all and was busy making all of the orders. "Okay, I gotcha. Thanks anyway Satsuki." Asuna turned her attention to her other classmate. "How about you Chao? Got a moment?"
The exotic girl still did not respond. That annoyed Asuna. She did not like being ignored, and it was unusual for Chao to zone out. It was their other brilliant classmate, Satomi Hakase, who was supposed the absent minded scientist. Apparently the two girls had switched roles for the night, because Chao was currently giving the other scientist's typical identity a real go as she stared intently into the distance.
"Hey there, Earth to Chao," Asuna said as she snapped her fingers in front the other girl's eyes. No reaction. The other girl really was out of it. Asuna raised her hands up and brought them together in a clap next to her left ear as she tried yelling this time. "Come in there, roger, wilco, hello, hello."
Chao's head whipped around so fast that she must have gotten whiplash. A look of surprise was on the dark-haired girl's face. She looked around herself and gave a start. "Oh. My apologies there. I seem to have let my mind wander for a bit. Thankfully it is just you Asuna."
The Chinese girl patted her hair buns. After she visibly collected herself the girl gave her usual strange grin. "How can I help you, ne?"
Asuna stared at her and then shook her head in wonder. Mahora Middle School Class 3-A was full of people with eccentricities, but she really hoped that Chao was not absorbing Satomi's anti-social behavior. That would upset the balance between the vocal weirdos and the silent weirdos in their class. Maybe she could figure out what had caused the change in her behavior before the class erupted in chaos due to the change.
"Have you seen Negi-sensei tonight?" Asuna asked. "He was supposed to be showing his cousin Natsu around. You know, that older guy with pink hair that rode the train back with us from Kyoto. The two are really late in coming back for dinner, so I thought that I'd get the two of them before grabbing a bite to eat."
That may have been the wrong thing to say, for Asuna felt her stomach give a growl as soon as the words were out of her mouth. The smell of Satsuki's cooking was just as maddening as that of Konoka's. Both girls were incredible cooks, a skill that Asuna did not share in the slightest.
Maybe the apple she had consumed while walking was not enough after all. Her stomach gave a second growl as if to punctuate the thought. Asuna powered through it and went back to questioning her genius classmate.
"And if the brat teacher doesn't have a good reason for being so late," Asuna growled as she slammed a closed fist into an open hand, "I swear that I'll punch the little brat right out of his diapers and into puberty. He's not considering my stomach at all right now, the snot-nosed little runt!"
Chao laughed a little at the comment. "As much as I would like to see that happen-ne I don't believe that such a thing is possible even for you, Asuna. Besides, there's really no need to be so violent. You only missed them by two hours. Negi-bouzu and Natsu have already been here-ne. They picked up their food, bought some for Takahata-sensei as well, and then walked into the forest."
"What?" Asuna screamed in rage. She clenched her hands into fists and pounded the stand's wooden counter top."You mean that little kid is eating food as I'm looking for him? And he's with Takahata-senseitoo?"
The other girl nodded, still smiling her strange grin. "That is what I said, ne."
How dare he! Asuna screamed inside her head. Tears nearly ran down her face as she felt her eyes turn watery from the frustration. This unexpected development had cut her deeply, and Chao's chuckles at Asuna's apparent expense did nothing to ease her comfort at the kid's brazen betrayal. Not only was the boy late, but he was eating with Takahata-sensei in Mahora's scenic woodlands. Without even telling her that the older man was on campus!
She would have her vengeance. For the crimes of eating and spending time with Takahata-sensei without telling her, Asuna would hunt him down without mercy. His screams would strike fear into the hearts of ten year-old boys everywhere. Not even the immortal loli herself would be able to protect the doomed child from Asuna's righteous wrath.
But before she could set out on her path of righteous vengeance, or even get far in planning how she would punish the tiny teacher, Chao lightly touched Asuna's arm. "Before you leave to visit your wrath upon poor little Negi-bouzu, Asuna, I have a question of my own for you-ne. Would you mind answering it before you leave?"
The other girl's light tone snapped Asuna out of her funk. She was in Chao's debt for the information. A question or two answered in return was a small price to pay. "Sure thing Chao," Asuna answered grimly. "What can I do for you?"
The girl leaned away from the counter before speaking hesitantly. "I'm curious about the man who came with Negi-bouzu today, the one you mentioned just now." She pulled a paper fan from one of her sleeves and opened it with a quick snap of her wrist.
Raising it, Chao hid the lower half of her face behind it. Only her eyes were visible as she asked her question. "What can you tell me about Negi's cousin, Natsu?"
Asuna blinked as her mind went blank. Of all the questions to ask, why had the girl picked that one? Because as far as questions went that was definitely a tricky one to answer. What was their cover story with Natsu again? It had something to do with travel, but Asuna could not remember the specifics.
"Um, well, you see..." Was he supposed to be a traveling businessman? No, that was definitely not right. The idiot's personality would put the lie to that suggestion in a heartbeat. Especially if someone like Chao were to spend half a minute in his presence.
Was he a fellow teacher come to help his little cousin out on the job? She had heard a bunch of girls in their class mentioning that on the train ride over. But nope, Asuna barely stopped a snort from popping out of her as Chao continued to stare from behind her fan.
Like hell Natsu would ever do something like that. The guy was way too active and impatient for something like studying or teaching. He seemed like the type of guy who was just some strong lunkhead that liked fighting and training.
Aha! That was it. Now Asuna remembered the cover story they had come up with for the pink-haired moron. Natsu was an athlete who had come to Mahora in order to further his training for some kind of multiple sport event. She did not remember exactly which sport he was supposed to be involved in, but that was not a big deal. If Chao asked then Asuna would kick it to Negi and say that he would be able to answer any questions about specifics.
She gave a malicious grin to herself and she did not care if Chao could see it too. Asuna had just figured out a way to have some fun with the cover story. Changing it up would serve the pink-haired pervert right.
"Well, he's definitely a moron, but that's only to be expected," Asuna began. "From what Negi told me the guy is training to become a world class athlete and supposedly heard that we had some great facilities and terrain out here from the kid. Natsu's a runner of some sort – or maybe it was martial artist or something, I'm a little fuzzy on the specifics – and while he's definitely got some talent he doesn't seem to be all that smart. I'm not sure which side of the family he's from but he's nothing like Negi."
She then leaned in close so only Chao would hear the next bit. "And unlike sensei, Natsu's also a total perv. What you haven't heard is that he was naked when he met me and Sakurazaki in a forest by Konoka's house. I'm talking about naked as the day he was born, with only that white scarf of his hanging around his neck. And although he took off running he still hasn't apologized to either of us for it.
Asuna grunted sourly at that – she would wring out an apology from the man for doing that – before finishing her story. "The guy's got a hot body for sure but he is completely shameless. I heard that after Setsuna and I saw him he totally tried to grope Mana before she chased him off with Ku Fei's help. I'm telling you Chao, the guy is an enemy of women everywhere! You'll need to keep your guard up around him if you ever see him again, just to be on the safe side of things.."
The Chinese girl twirled the fan in her hands. She closed it in a snap with a flick of her wrist. "Is that so? Hm. Natsu seemed like quite the gentleman when he came by earlier-ne. We really seemed to make a connection with one another. I mean, he was just so firm and strong when he took me here." A pout came to her lips and her eyes began to glisten with unshed tears. "I just don't know if I could take my innocent heart being played with if things are like you said."
Asuna vigorously nodded her head. Chao needed this talk for her own good. "It's the truth, Chao. I saw it with my own eyes. If you value your self-worth as a woman, you'll stay far away from him. If you get too close he'll try to do horrible things to you, I just know it."
So what if Asuna was taking it slightly out of context? Chao seemed to be paying rapt attention, giving Asuna a feeling of confidence in her piece of fiction she had never felt in her life. It was usually Misa or Misora coming up with these things as Asuna watched from the sidelines.
Besides, the man was keeping her from dinner, had joined Negi in keeping her away from Takahata-sensei, and actually did everything she was saying in one form or another. A little shading of the truth was an act of justice to save her fellow classmate from his dirty paws.
Then the full meaning of Chao's words made their way through Asuna's self-righteous haze and slammed home with the force of a thousand elephants. "Wait. What did you say just now? Did he do something to you too?"
She grabbed Chao by the shoulders and unconsciously shook the slim girl. "Chao, what did he do to you? Did he force you to do something that you didn't want to? Did he do something perverted? Are you okay?" Chao's head bobbled violently as Asuna forcefully shook the girl's body. Somehow the genius was able to nod her head in assent at some point in the rapid fire questioning.
Asuna swore out loud and let go of the girl. "Damn that man! He moves fast," Asuna yelled to herself. "I knew that I shouldn't have let him out my sight. I just knew it! And what's worse is that he's with Negi, possibly infecting the innocent little idiot with his perversion just by being nearby. Argh!"
At first Asuna had only been trying to get the older boy in hot water with her story. It had been a little harmless fun, and it was all true from a certain point of view. But Chao's words painted everything in a different light.
Could the story that Asuna have been weaving in jest be true? Was the man actually a true enemy of women, one who had actually fooled Asuna into thinking that he was just a simple moron? Between Chamo's unrelenting perversion and Negi's innocent, yet unending, flirting Asuna was already at her limit.
If Natsu truly was a pervert who was already trying to assault her classmates, then Asuna might have to change her focus. Chamo would have to take a back seat for once. The furry monstrosity was bad, but he could only do so much damage.
Chao's next sniffed words ended any thoughts Asuna had about making the switch in focus. "I merely engaged him and Negi-bouzou in conversation-ne," Chao was pouting as she spoke. Chao never pouted – ever. "But... after we exchanged pleasantries and spoke for a time, the man took me by the waist… and then… he claimed my maiden's kiss." The small girl gave a shudder. "It was so shocking that I couldn't move, ne. He was just so strong and powerful that I melted into his arms."
"That animal! That beast!" Asuna growled. He had fooled her completely and hurt one of Asuna's classmates. Forget about Negi. Forget about even Chamo. Those issues could wait until later as this new development took priority. Asuna's dropped her hands from Chao's shoulders as her mind grappled with the shock of what she had just heard. Her classmate regained her balance and moved back to her original position while Asuna wrestled with the revelation of Natsu's deed.
"When I find the two of them and Takahata-sensei, I am going to give Natsu a beating that he will never forget. I promise you, Chao, that I shall avenge your first kiss," Asuna muttered as she once again pounded a fist into an open palm. "I swear on my eternal love for Takahata-sensei the pink-haired pervert will rue the day he dared to assault one of my dear classmates."
Chao nodded her head solemnly as she moved the fan to cover her face once more. Her soft voice easily carried to Asuna's ears from behind the beautiful crafted tool. "Thank you, Asuna. I will be in your debt. Were it not for you I may not have known that Natsu was such a terrible person until was too late." The genuis then gave Asuna a forlorn smile as she fiddled with her fan. "I know that I can count on you to take care of things."
"Hell yeah!" Asuna promised. She turned and started to run into the forest, her mission clear. Only to halt her steps. She looked back at her classmate.
"Chao, even if we don't talk much, I'm here if you ever need me. 3-A sticks together forever." Asuna gave the other girl a bright grin. "See you in class! I'll let you know how everything goes next time we talk."
Page Break
Chao watched Asuna jog into the forest. For all her faults, one could not say that a lack of athleticism was among them. The twin-tailed girl with heterochromia eyes moved fast for someone not aided by the use of magic.
Once the other girl was safely out of sight, Chao turned to Satsuki and whispered that it was time to close the shop. Satsuki gave a questioning look but did not dispute Chao's words. The girl merely nodded, finished the orders she was working on, and began to pack up for the evening.
The girl's ability to sense the mood and instinctively know how to respond was one of the things Chao truly loved about her. This joint business venture between them had been a pleasant surprise for Chao. One that she had not anticipated when she first came back in time. It had proven to be a boon to her plans, though, and she had no regrets about spending her time on it.
Letting Satsuki handle things inside the stall, Chao placed a 'closed' sign on the counter top and stepped away. The two girls would get together to analyze the results of the soft opening before the Festival and make any necessary arrangements at that time. Meanwhile, Satsuki would be able to handle the rest of the take down without any further assistance. The girl was incredibly competent in such matters.
This night had given Chao more important things with which to deal. Events and issues which now weighted heavily upon her brilliant mind. Chao pondered them as she made her way back to the dormitory assigned to her.
Meeting a new mage, one who was completely unmentioned within the future, was not exactly a surprise. Chao had discovered several such mages in her time at Mahora, and she had adjusted her plan to compensate for each one. It had not been much of an issue for the genius as the unknown mages had all been rather uninspiring individuals. History had failed to mention them for a reason.
But Natsu was different. Chao could feel it in her bones, and it was a feeling that had not just come from the man's decisive action in kissing her. No, it was a feeling that seemed to radiate from the young man's powerful frame. Even for one as lacking in magical talent as herself, the man's aura had been clear as day. Anyone who was like that was not to be trifled with or underestimated. He had the potential to disrupt her great plan. Something Chao found to be incredibly vexing.
Unbeknownst to her energetic classmate, the conversation with Asuna had been highly informative. While the girl had obviously exaggerated certain portions of the story where it concerned Natsu, it was not a waste of time. There had been useful nuggets contained within her words that Chao would enable Chao to learn more information. And learn it fast.
Most importantly, Asuna had confirmed Chao's suspicion that Natsu was no ordinary man. She doubted that he was related to her great ancestor – someone like that had never shown up in her family's registry even as a footnote – but at the very least he was a mage of some sort. One that seemed to focus on the physical aspects of things if his cover story meant anything.
It had been enjoyable to play with the other girl's head. Twisting the girl's own tale against her had been child's play. It had even enabled her to play the role of a crying damsel in distress, something that Chao had never thought she would have the opportunity to perform. She giggled to herself as she pictured the probable results of her actions while ignoring the stares from nearby people in the street.
Besides, her ancestor's erstwhile 'cousin' had seemed like a capable man. It took a certain something to catch Chao by surprise, something that he had accomplished that night in spades. Yet even so, both he and Negi-sensei should find their hands full when dealing with a vengeful Asuna. The orange-haired girl could be surprisingly inventive when it came to punishing those who, in her mind, had done wrong. The title of baka ranger truly suited her in more ways than one.
Chao reached her dormitory and slipped her key into the lock. It opened with a quick twist and push. The black-haired girl passed through the living area and soon entered her private room, where she sat down on a chair located close to her bed.
Once she was certain that she was alone and most likely safe from prying eyes, Chao pressed a secret button located on a nearby lampshade. The room's security protocols sprang to life with a soft hum as they swept the room for bugs. A soft ding signaled to let Chao know that the coast was clear and that the room had been secured from outside surveillance.
A sigh of relief left her lips. It was good that no other complications had arisen. She needed to obtain more information on this new addition to the playing board. Information that would be clear of bias and given in exhaustive detail.
She took out her custom made phone and punched in a number. The phone, something she and Hakase had come up with, was a marvel of technology. It was currently routing her call through more than a dozen carriers in multiple countries. All while simultaneously masking any suspicious metadata caused by the call as it forcibly encrypted it on both ends.
The other woman picked up quickly, and after a quick exchange of professional pleasantries got down to business. One promise of payment later and everything Mana knew about Natsu was passed along.
The mercenary girl was a goldmine of information. She had described his sudden appearance in a battle fought against demons. How the power of his flames that caused even berserk creatures to screech in pain. How he had managed to evade both Mana and Ku Fei in the woods, and of his abnormally high resistance to Mana's magic infused bullets when she had finally been able to track him down.
Each feat by itself was rather troubling and only confirmed her thoughts that he was not some no name mage. Combined, and it seemed as though the man would need to be dealt with before any complications could arise. Things were currently at a delicate juncture. A wrench thrown into her plan at this stage could ruin everything the time traveling genius had worked so hard to accomplish.
Then, almost as an afterthought, Mana dropped the bombshell of Natsu's origins with a quiet laugh. Chao felt her mind come to a momentary halt as it tried to process the information. Natsu was a trans-dimensional traveler? That was impossible. Or at the very least it was highly improbable. Chao had immediately expressed her doubts, but the mercenary on the other side of the phone merely laughed and said that even Evangeline herself had accepted it as fact.
That was the kicker. If Evangeline had accepted it then it was highly likely to be true. As highly improbable as it was to have both a time traveler and an inter-dimensional traveler pop up in the same place at the same time, that was the reality in which Chao lived. An annoyed 'tsk' had left her lips. Maybe she would need to look into the existence of some higher being, because with this event it felt like the universe was throwing a curve ball straight at her head.
The call came to a swift end after that tidbit of information had been revealed. Mana stated that she had no further information and that she expected to be paid in full within twenty-four hours. Chao had assented and thanked the girl for her cooperation. The call ended with a click, leaving Chao alone in the darkened room with nothing but her troubled thoughts.
Mana had given her necessary information but none of it boded well for her plan. The ramifications of trans-dimensional travel and all that it entailed exploded within Chao's mind. She raced through the theoretical possibilities and tried to draw practical conclusions from the examination. After a period of pondering the mathematical probabilities, she could only shake her head. Sometimes being a genius was a curse, as it did not allow her to merely say that something was truly impossible.
According to the rather rudimentary calculations she had just come up with, such travel was indeed possible. But it would take an immense amount of energy in order to achieve while requiring incredible precise calculations to pull off. The requisite calculations would most likely be on par with the intricacies of her own time travel calculations.
Meanwhile, the probability of something like that happening by accident was closer to zero than it was to one. Such an event would require even more power than a planned event, and she had no idea how one would survive it unshielded. And how would one know to shield themselves if they were not even planning on doing it in the first place?
Chao began to knead her aching head. The whole idea of Natsu's situation was maddening. From the theoretical improbability of his very existence to the existential yet highly probably threat he posed to her machinations.
And her own complicated feelings towards him were also mucking up the waters. Chao had not expected to receive her first kiss that night. Nor had she expected it to be as incredible an experience as it had turned out to be.
She had heard other girls talk about their first kiss. Some had been received in childish innocence. Others had been taken by accident, or been given by partner just as inexperienced as themselves. Most generally agreed that the moment was far more memorable than the actual kiss itself, which was almost universally panned as being terrible for one reason or another.
Not for Chao. The kiss Natsu had laid upon her lips had shot every form of higher thinking out of her mind into low orbit. The heat of his lips as they met her own. The way his strong arms had encircled her slim waist. The feeling of pressing herself into his chest as her arms snaked their way around his neck of their own accord. Each and every aspect of the kiss had utterly blown her mind and left her reeling for the next two hours.
Added to the other issues surround the man, and what it all meant was that he was no mere wrench in her plans. Oh no. Natsu was a raging volcano that had just gone off under Chao's feet and she was at a complete loss on how to deal with it. An unknown and powerful mage joining her Honored Ancestor was terrible in its own right, but it was worse than that.
Accidental trans-dimensional travel was fraught with repercussions. For all she knew Natsu was only one of many individuals to come from his world. There could be multiple powerful mages, in possession of unknown skills and abilities, all about to enter the picture at some unknown time and juncture. With their motivations, weaknesses, and possible means of neutralization all a mystery that her usual methods of investigating would be useless to pursue. They would have no internet footprint to uncover. Nor would her knowledge of the future help her in this case.
Everything about the man represented an unparalleled threat to Chao's goals. She would need to resolve it, and it would need to be done fast. Such a threat could not be allowed to remain unknown. The man was present and would be dealt with one way or another. And in order to accomplish this new task in the limited time remaining, there was only one possible option available to the time traveling genius. Chao would need to deal with Natsu herself.
Her course of action chosen, Chao quickly dialed another number and lifted the phone to her ear. If she were to be taking a hands on approach to the issue that was Natsu, she would also need to delegate some of her other responsibilities. It was time to bring her other partner up to speed so that they might begin to modify their plan.
After a few rings the genius girl's call was answered with a perfunctory hello. Chao ignored it and got straight to the point. "Hakase, we've got a major snag in the plan. A new player has entered the board on the side of magic. And they did it as the result of accidental inter-dimensional travel."
She then had to yank the phone away from her ear as her co-conspirator's voice exploded in shock. She held it there for several seconds with an exasperated frown as Hakase's voice blasted through the speaker in an overjoyed squeal.
Regardless of their intelligence, sometimes there were drawbacks to announcing the existence of previously theoretical phenomena to a teenage scientist. "Ne, ne, Hakase. Calm down and focus. Yes, yes. I understand the implausibility of it – I went over the theoretical calculations before calling you – and I understand your excitement. We can go over the specifics of it soon."
She sighed as Hakase gave a sharp response. "Yes, I promise that we will. And no, I'm not just saying so to move the conversation along. The subject matter interests me too."
Apparently mollified for the moment, the other girl's voice quieted and gave Chao the opportunity to move back to the true point of her call. "The subject in question seems to have joined forces with Negi-bouzu. I did not view anyone else who I did not recognize but I cannot rule out their existence. There may additional people that I have yet to encounter who are also of unknown power and temperament. In order to deal with the situation I am asking that you take the lead in finishing our robot army. All of the major coding is done, and Chachamaru should be able to help you finish what remains prior to manufacturing them. I will be otherwise occupied as I will be undertaking direct observation of the subject myself. How does that sound to you?"
So began a long night of planning and theorizing. Chao's smile grew wider as she began to consider her next series of moves. The introduction of Natsu into the equation had the potential to be a game breaker. But the question remained as to whether he too would need to be neutralized, or if it was possible that he could be persuaded to stack the deck in her favor.
One could never have too many aces in the hole.
Unbeknownst to Chao, one of her hands reached up and began tracing the edge of her lips as she thought of the young man. She then started to hum softly to herself as she remembered the taste of his lips upon her own. A light blush dusted her cheeks once she realized what she was doing. Mixing pleasure with business was going to be a new, and interesting, experience for her.
Page Break
Fire raged within the stone amphitheater as the hiss of melting ice echoed within its walls. A puddle began to form around Natsu's feet as he let his magic grow. The icy wetness seeped into the unfamiliar shoes he had been given back in Kyoto. It did not bother him. His entire being was focused on the small figure in front of his eyes and the impending conflict between them.
The woman's eyes had shifted from their usual emerald to a light crimson. The dragon-slayer could make out the tips of fangs elongating beneath her lips, and her scent had changed from anger to unadulterated fury. Her strange smell burned in his nose, making his body start to itch. There was something odd about it, but investigating it would need to wait until later.
A slight tightening of the skin around his neck was the only warning he had before he was unable to breath. The woman had cast some sort of spell without him noticing and it had even managed to pierce his body's natural layer of magic resistance. Natsu threw it off with a quick flex of his own magic and stood unflinching.
No amount of force, great or subtle, would ever make him bow his head to an opponent on its own. He would need to be dead or unconscious before that ever happened. A growl rumbled its way from deep within his chest as she stayed still.
Well. If she was not willing to make the first move, then he would be more than happy to get the party started.
Natsu took a deep breath and gathered magic within his body. "Fire Dragon's Roar!"
"Sagitta Magica: 313 arrows of Darkness and Ice!"
A giant cloud of black lines burst from her right hand and sped toward his molten torrent. The two streams of magic impacted with an ear shattering roar, tearing up pieces of stone and sending them flying through the air. Natsu blinked his eyes from the resulting cloud of dust before quickly reopening them.
He looked around but couldn't find her form. "Come on Eva," he taunted. "We're just getting warmed up here. That sure wasn't enough to put me down for the count." Natsu cracked the knuckles of both hands. "Besides, if ya can't take the heat then ya shouldn't have poked the dragon."
A chuckle reached his ears through the air. The laugh sounded as though she was right next to him but it did not sound right. He could also hear her voice coming from another part of the resort that was much further away from his position.
"So the lost child thinks himself a sleeping dragon of fire? My, how grand you are in your delusions. To think yourself a creature of such might and power that even I must tread lightly in its presence." Her echoing laugh redoubled in intensity. "How pathetically adorable of you."
The cloud of dust and smoke had cleared but Natsu still couldn't see her. That laugh was beginning to get on his nerves. He gave a growl of irritation as he tried to focus on the fainter echo. It was coming from much further away. If he could keep her talking then he could pinpoint her location and beat her face to a pulp.
"Keep running yer mouth scaredy cat. I don't see ya anywhere nearby." Natsu let a cocky note enter his voice as he sniffed the air. "Did I scare yer old bones a little too much when I roared? I'll try to pull my punches a little so I don't break you in our fight."
When he did not hear a quick reply to his taunt Natsu pumped a fist in victory. First blood went to him. Served the scaredy cat right for running away.
"You truly are an idiot, aren't you?" Eva's voice grated in his ears when she finally responded to him. Yeah, he had definitely managed to get under her skin. "Do you really think that I would fight you in the middle of my own home after seeing your fighting style? You, a moron who has no care or respect for what he breaks? Ha! I think not."
Natsu listened to the echo intently and began to move towards one of the amphitheater's blank walls. The amphitheater was making it more difficult but he was close to pinpointing her location. Luckily for him the woman seemed to enjoy the sound of her own voice.
"I am more than ready to fight you, baby dragon, but I've chosen a different setting for our little duel."
Dammit! Why did his opponents always place conditions on fights? Zero and his ego. Erigor and his train station of hostages. Jellal and his end of the world nonsense. Erza and her 'first you must prove yourself' crap. It was like there was some giant conspiracy to try and cheat him out of a good fight, and now it seemed like that conspiracy managed to cross worlds.
"You can find me on the beach," Eva's voice purred. "As long as you aren't frightened of getting a little bit of sand in your eyes. I promise to have a box of tissues nearby should you start crying."
The echoes of her voice faded as Natsu's scowl grew deeper. His flames raged in an inferno of fire that surrounded him, and he was vaguely aware of the others flinching away from the sheer heat roiling off of his body in waves.
Natsu Dragneel, Igneel's son and the dragon-slayer of fire, scared by a little girl who had just run away from him? Who had thought that freezing his entire head in a block of ice just an hour ago was a good idea? Oh, it was on now. He was going to pulverize the demented girl. Then he was going to make her apologize to Gray for attacking him and ingrain in her why it was never a good idea to anger a mage of Fairy Tail.
He sniffed the air once more and finally picked up her scent. It was coming from the same direction as the echoes. A feral grin settled onto his features. "You picked a fight with the wrong guy, scaredy cat. And I ain't gonna take it easy on ya either."
A blast of fire created a hole in the wall of the amphitheater. He stepped through it as fire played over his body.
END
A/N: Yep. That's right. I've now teased the fight between Eva and Natsu for a second chapter in a row. But it was done for a purpose. Back in the original version of this fic, this chapter was combined with the fight chapter. However, upon review, I feel like it's better this way. That way the focus on the chapter is on Asuna and Chao, two characters who will each have large roles to play in the story. That then let me split off the big fight so that it can have your undivided attention.
As a minor aside, I usually spend a good amount of effort on choosing a chapter's title. It often involves a simple theme (like chapter 1), and can sometimes be a double play on meaning with an allusion to something else thrown in (like chapter 6). There is a lot going on with this chapter's title. Kudos to anyone who can figure it all out.
To the comment section!
Konoka Konoe: I don't have much to say about Konoka. She suffered from critical lack of development in Negima canon. As a result she always felt rather two dimensional to me in contrast to her romance interest, Setsuna, who was fleshed out beautifully. Which is odd, since Konoka was one of the very first characters introduced to us and had all sorts of special abilities/heritage (magical heritage, super high magic potential, ridiculous healing ability, etc…). Just one of the many oddities and missed opportunities that was present in Negima canon.
However, this will be one oddity that I will not be fixing in my story. While I do have plans for her, I have no need for two young girl healers sharing the spotlight in my plot. And I happen to like Wendy far more than I do Konoka, so Wendy will be the one who is placed front and center.
Asuna Kagurazaka: I like Asuna. She's a fun, kind young woman who is riddled with insecurities. These insecurities affected how she saw the world in canon (her crush on Takamichi, her overly tsundere nature, her desire to help Negi – and other close friends – come hell or high water) and are wonderful to have from a writer's perspective. Just expect her to mature faster than she did in canon and to change in new ways too.
Setsuna Sakurazaki: Here is another Negima girl that I really enjoy to write and read about. Setsuna is just fun. She's so serious and somber that you can't help but poke fun at her. While her attitude does make sense – a naturally serious disposition + fear of rejection from her friends and peers due to her half-breed heritage + her repressed feelings for Konoka and the possible rejection of society/shame they might bring upon Konoka were she to embrace them – there is just something about the character that makes me enjoy her. Setsuna is not stupidly angsty like Sasuke Uchiha, nor is she creepily obsessed with the object of her affections like Nina from Code Geass (the scene where Nunally walks in on her in the dark still creeps me out all these years later), in spite of traits or events which could have lead Setsuna to go down either one of those other paths.
I respect Setsuna as a character more than almost any other in Negima canon and really wish that we had gotten more resolution on her. I have two big plans in mind for the girl. One might cause you readers to cheer me on. The other… might bring out the uglier side of the flamers just like my first chapter did. But I'll still do it anyway.
Natsu's Cover Story: Please tell me that none of you expected me to make him into a teacher or teacher's assistant. Natsu is a great guy, a hero even, but he is not someone who should be put in charge of educating anyone. Ever! Even if said class is literally filled with all types of odd beings, from ghosts and ancient vampires to high demons and time travelers.
Saying that he is an athlete who has come to Mahora gives him plausible excuses for a) why he is always training and getting hurt, b) why he looks ripped, and c) why he doesn't know as much as his 'smart cousin' Negi. Natsu's focus is on the physical side of things whereas Negi's is on the mental.
Recommended Reading: This time I would like to recommend Hermione Granger is Stupid by Ruinus. Contrary to what the name might suggest it is absolutely not a bashing fic. It is a HermionexHarry story set in an AU year 6. In it, Hermione realizes that she is in love with Harry early on in the year and proceeds to go about winning – and keeping – her love. It's a wonderful and complete story that is quite long. Highly recommended for those who want to read something relatively light on action but high on character interaction. It is also told from Hermione's perspective, which is a nice change of pace from the Harry-centric viewpoints common within fan fiction.
Until Next Time,
Elsil