The Children of the Pactio
Chapter Three
It was a field, no more like an ocean.
An ocean of endless grass.
Grass as far as he could see.
Negi didn't know where it began and where it ended.
He saw the world tree in the distance and ran towards it.
When he got there, he saw all of his students around the tree.
Most of them were talking amongst themselves. Some were under the tree resting, reading, eating or playing.
He saw Asuna, Konoka and Setsuna running towards him, "Negi!" They called out.
Negi waved to them, "Negi!" He heard them getting louder.
The sun was in his face and he couldn't see very well.
He felt hands on him. Those hands began to shake him as the world around him began to disappear. He was still being shaken as he felt slight smacking on his face, "Negi, Wake up."
'Wake up?' Negi thought to himself as he open his eyes and saw he was no longer in a field, but in Evangeline's cabin.
"Asuna, he's waking up, stop hitting his face." Konoka said. She sat on her knees next to Negi's side.
"What happened to me?" Negi said groggily, rubbing the side of his face where Asuna was smacking it.
"You hit the floor pretty hard when you fainted." Asuna said as she helped him up off the floor.
Negi still felt a little dizzy, "Why did I faint?" He asked trying to keep his balance.
Asuna, Konoka and Setsuna looked at each other, "Well, because…" Asuna pointed to the couch.
Negi looked at where Asuna was pointed at. He saw the girl that said she was his and Yue's daughter, "I didn't imagine it." He said and fainted again.
"Negi-kun!" Konoka catch him in her arms.
"The boya can teach a class filled with over-active girls, takes on evil mages, fight demons. But when someone says that she is his child, he passes out like a man seeing his child being born." Evangeline says as Asuna tries to wake him for the second time.
"Actually, my mama said he did pass out when I was born. She thought he was used to it by now." Natsuko said giggling a little bit.
Chachamaru brought smelling salt to wake Negi up.
"You really are his daughter?" Setsuna said, still not believing what she is seeing. Natsuko looked just like Yue, but was taller and her forehead was smaller. Was she telling the truth?
"You still don't believe me, do you?" Natsuko reached into her cloak and pulled out a square piece of paper, "Look at this." She said as she gave it to Setsuna and Evangeline.
They looked at what Natsuko had given them as Asuna brought a conscious Negi over to the couch and made him sit down.
"We don't know how long he will stay like this, so speak fast before he is out like a light again." Asuna said to Natsuko.
Negi looked at Natsuko, not saying a word. It was like seeing a copy of Yue in front of him.
Natsuko felt like an animal at the zoo, being gawked at by the visitors.
Negi got up from his seat and walked over to Natsuko. He stopped and stood right in front of her.
Natsuko looked up and stared at him. Her mama was right, he was so cute when he was ten years old.
Negi took her face in his hands and looked at her very closely. She did look just like Yue. She had the same hair color, her face was a mix of his and Yue. But her eyes were the same brown color as his.
Asuna and Konoka saw as Negi examined his 'daughter'. They still couldn't believe it. It had to be some kind of trick or something.
"You are saying the truth, aren't you? This is no spell, you're not a creation by an enemy, right?" Negi said as he let go of her face.
"No, just the creation of Yue and you." Natsuko said with a giggle.
"I'm not buying any of this." Asuna said, her arms folded across her chest, "Just because you say you are the brat's little girl isn't enough proof."
"You want proof, take a look at this." Evangeline said pointing to the paper in Setsuna's hand.
Setsuna's mouth was open, as if she tried to say something, but couldn't get the words out. She passed the paper, which was a photo to Negi. Asuna, Konoka and Chachamaru got around him.
When Negi saw the photo, he couldn't believe what he saw in it.
At first he thought it was his father in the photo, he took a closer look and he knew it wasn't his him.
It was himself, but he was older. He had to be in his thirties, he almost looked just like his father, but the hair and eye color wasn't the same.
He found it more shocking when he saw the second person in the photo. It was Yue, all grown up. Her hair wasn't in two long pony tails, it was straight down and her chest was little more developed. Her head rested on adult Negi's shoulder and he had his arm around her shoulders.
Negi saw on Yue's hand, as well on his a wedding ring. In between the both of them, was a little girl sitting on their laps. They were all smiling in the picture.
Natsuko walked over to Negi, "That's you, mama and me when I was three years old." She said as she pointed to each one of the people in the photo.
Her story was getting more and more real by the second.
"This could be a fake." Asuna said taking the photo from Negi's hands, "How can we prove that this isn't made by computer or something." She didn't want to believe any of this.
"I know how we can find out to see if it's the real deal." Evangeline said taking it from Asuna and giving it to Chachamaru.
"Chachamaru, scan this and tell us if it was edited by computer or any other way."
Chachamaru began to scan the photos with the software programmed into her.
"Analysis complete. Photo is not doctored in any way, digitally or magically." She said handing the photo back to Negi.
"It can't be true." Asuna said.
She look back from Negi and then to Natsuko. They did look alike in some way, but it was impossible for Negi to have a daughter now, that would mean he was older than ten years old.
Konoka took the photo from Negi's hands, "Negi, you look so handsome and Yue is so beautiful." She said passing the back to Natsuko.
"I know, mama was always beautiful." She said. She looked at Negi, who sat back on the couch. "Papa?" Natsuko was worried about him.
When Natsuko called Negi papa, it brought back his attention to the present.
So many things were going around in his mind, but having someone call him papa was something new, something that he wasn't used to. It made him feel uncomfortable.
"Papa, are you alright?" Natsuko asked him. She was concerned for her father that she wants to help him in anyway she can.
"I...I never knew Yue cares about me like that." Negi said looking at Natsuko.
"Mama does care about you. She loves you so much papa. You make her so happy everyday. I can see it in her smile." She said to him.
Everyone heard Evangeline laughing a little, "What so funny Eva-chan?" Konoka asked her.
Evangeline whispered to her, Setsuna, Asuna and Chachamaru, "It's a double entendre." She was still laughing, "Think about what she just said."
They found out what Evangeline meant about what Natsuko said. They started to blush when they knew what Evangeline was laughing about, while Chachamaru was beginning to over-heat.
Negi, having spent time with girls who were always trying to undress him and do who knows what, knew why Evangeline was laughing.
He tried to calm himself before he spoke again.
"Natsuko, for you to be mine and Yue's daughter and for this photo to exist, you would have to be from the..."
"The future." Natsuko finished for him. "I am from the future papa."
Everyone took in this new bit of information. A daughter from the future. This was getting more interesting by the minute.
"But how? It's not possible for for anyone..." Negi was trying to think how a person could time travel without the magic of the world tree.
Natsuko looked at the clock on the wall and noticed the time. "I have to go." She said in a panic as she made her way to the door.
Negi tried to stop her, "Wait, don't go. I have so many questions."
Everyone walked to the front door, "I wish I had more time to answer all of your questions, but if I don't get back in time, I will be in trouble."
Natsuko turned around and got on her knees to make eye contact with her father, "I promise the next time we meet, I will tell you what you want to know." She said giving a smile to Negi.
"The next time we meet?" It sounded like she was planning future meetings.
She got up and took one last look at everyone.She opened the door and went the down the stairs. The sun was already setting and Natsuko walked toward the forest.
"Hey! Can't you do something about the body?" Evangeline asked her. "It's starting to stink."
Eton's burnt, rotting, reeking corpse had started to attract flies. It smelled like sulfur. It was so bad that Natsuko nearly vomited.
She pulled out another vial, this time filled with a dark red liquid. She tossed the vial at Eton's body and when it broke, his body was engulfed in flames.
"The fire will put itself out after it reduced Eton to ashes." Natsuko said.
As she got near the forest, she looked back at the cabin,"Bye papa, I love you." She put back on her hood and disappeared into the forest.
They all saw Natsuko enter the forest and she was gone before their eyes.
The fire on Eton's body was beginning to die out. No one would ever know that he was there, no matter how hard they looked.
Negi and the girls still stood by the door. So many things were going on in each one of their heads.
"She is so pretty, don't you think so Negi-kun?" Konoka asked him.
Negi shook his head, "Yes...she is very pretty."
"Now that it's all over, why don't you all get out of my home and go back to the dormitory." Evangeline said as she was pushing the unwanted guests out the door.
Asuna pushed back, "Wait a minute Evangeline, You can't make us leave now."
"What do you mean I can't?" Evangeline stopped herself from shoving them any further out the door, "This is my house. I can do anything I want here."
"My grandfather said we have to stay the night with you, remember Eva-chan?" Konoka said closing the door so they wouldn't leave.
Evangeline stood her ground, "That was when we were in danger and the boya's kid took care of the problem. So what's the big deal?"
"The problem is, we don't know how many more demons could be waiting for us." Setsuna said to her. "Natsuko-chan didn't even bother to tell us what we're up against."
Asuna agreed with Setsuna, "Besides, it's getting really dark out there."
"What's the matter Kagurazaka? Afraid of the dark?" Evangeline said with a smirk on her face.
"Hey, I'm not afraid, got it." Asuna said to her angrily.
"Evangeline-san, it's too late to go back to our room and everybody needs to rest for their injuries to completely heal."
"Master, Negi-sensei and the others do have a point. I think it's best for them to stay the the night." Chachamaru said.
Evangeline knew she wasn't going to win this argument, "Fine, you can stay."
"Thank you so much Eva-chan." Konoka said with a smile on her face.
"However," Evangeline wasn't going to make their night comfortable, "I want you to straighten up the living room, because that's where you will be sleeping."
"What?" Asuna asked confusingly, "Why do we have to sleep down here?"
"It's either the living room or would you rather like to take your chances outside?" Evangeline left them no room for them to complain.
Negi agreed to Evangeline's terms, "That's alright with us Evangeline-san."
"Good. Now then, Chachamaru," Evangeline started to go up the stairs, "Go to the closet and give the boya and his friends some pillows and blankets." She ordered Chachamaru, "Call me when dinner is ready."
Everyone looked at the top of the stairs where Evangeline was standing before she goes into her room, "She's a wonderful host, isn't she." Asuna said sarcastically.
That Night
Crickets chirping outside, the dripping of the faucet in the kitchen and the ticking of Evangeline's grandfather clock was not what kept Negi awake.
His stomach was full from Chachamaru's excellent cooking, but it didn't put him into a good night's sleep.
The couch he was on wasn't too uncomfortable and he was warm thanks to the blanket Chachamaru had given him.
It had nothing to do with all of that. No, it was the events of today. He replayed them in his head, over and over again.
The near-death encounter with Eton, being rescued by a girl who said she was his daughter from the future and finding out Ayase Yue, his student, who he would have great conversations with; was the mother and his future wife.
"You can't sleep, can you Negi?" Asuna asked him. She was on the couch opposite him.
"Yeah, you too Asuna?" He said to her.
"I can't sleep either Negi-kun." Konoka said to the both of them. She was on the couch by Negi's feet.
Setsuna slept on the couch by Negi's head, "I didn't expect for today to turn out like this." She too was awake.
"What are you all thinking about?" Negi asked them.
"I'm thinking about Natsuko." Asuna answered him, "She really had to leave in a hurry, I wonder why?"
Negi shook his head, "I don't know, but it was as if she was scared of something."
He got on his stomach and looked at Setsuna, "What about you, Setsuna-san?" He asked her.
Setsuna turned her head and faced him, "There are two things on my mind."
"What's the first one?" Asuna asked.
"First, when Natsuko-san showed up, she was wearing a white cloak." Setsuna said to them.
"So what?" Asuna said.
"Don't you remember Evangeline's story? She said she confronted a boy in a similar cloak." She said to Asuna.
Negi knew what she meant, "So there's a chance Natsuko-san didn't come here alone."
Setsuna nodded her head, "Maybe, but I don't know. She didn't tell us."
"She didn't tell us anything." Asuna added, "Just that, she's the daughter of Negi and Yue and she's from the future." Asuna looked back at Setsuna, "What's the second thing?"
"The demon that called himself Eton." Setsuna looked at all three of them, "He really wanted to kill you, Negi-sensei."
"But, why did he want to kill me?" Negi asked to the girls and to himself.
There was an uncomfortable silence in the room before Negi spoke again, "What I can't imagine is that Yue has feelings for me."
The girls looked at Negi as he continued, "I have a great time talking with her, she knows so much about philosophy and she is so focused on her magical studies."
Asuna and Setsuna didn't know what to say. What could they say to him to put his mind at ease.
"Who knew she feels this way towards me." Negi said, his face in a state of disbelief.
The both of them never saw Yue with Negi before and to find out Yue's feelings about him was something completely new.
But Konoka knew all about her, "Actually Negi-kun, I found out about Yue's true feelings a long time ago."
They all sat up quickly on the couch, "What? When? Where?" Negi asked bewilderedly.
"It was on the second day of the festival, when we took the walking tour of library island, remember Negi-kun?" Konoka said.
Negi did remember the tour. It was the day when both Haruna and Yue made a pactio with him. Was that when Yue fell in love with Negi? Because of the pactio kiss?
Konoka continued talking, "Haruna noticed Yue looking at you and Nodoka."
Asuna and Setsuna listened were carefully to Konoka's words, "Haruna took Yue to another room and I followed them."
They got closer to Konoka, they sat on the edges of their couch, "When we got there, she asked Yue if she felt a little jealous when she sees you and Nodoka together."
'Yue was jealous of seeing me and Nodoka together.' Negi thought to himself.
"Of course Yue denied it, but Haruna knew she was lying." Konoka went on, "When Haruna asked her if she was in love with you, she started to cry. She didn't want admit it, but it was true, Yue loves you Negi-kun."
Negi's view of Yue was changing. She was no longer a friend that he could talk with about anything. She was now a girl that was secretly in love with him. Just like Nodoka.
"...Nodoka." Negi had completely forgotten about her.
The first girl to openly confess to him that she was in love with him. He had forgotten about her and her feelings for him.
"Oh yeah, 'Bookstore', she slip my mind." Asuna said getting back to the couch.
From one problem to another, Negi's life was getting more and more complicated. 'Can this get much worse?' He asked himself.
That very same night
Deep in the forest. Deeper than Kaede has ever gone during her training was a cavern. To others, it looks like any normal, plain, dark, dirty cavern. But they would need to look inside to see the difference. That's where they would find Le Oublie.
Into the depths of the cavern were twelve people, all dressed in dark robes, the hoods were up to hide their faces.
They all were bowing in front of another hooded figure, dressed in the same robes.
"Eton has failed me." The figure said in a seductive female voice. She, as well as those in the cavern knew what has occurred, Eton was dead.
She sat on throne made up of the stones of the cavern. She looked down at her followers.
She looked at the person, second from the right, "Takumi, can you explain to me why Eton failed?" She asked him in aggravated tone of voice.
The figure named Takumi shook from fright as he answered her, "Mistress forgive me, I gave him your orders, but I don't know what happened." He dared not look her in the eyes.
"Mistress, allow me to succeed where Eton has failed." Takumi begged his mistress.
"No, I won't allow it." She said to him, "But, because Eton can't be punished, you will be Takumi."
"I understand, my mistress." Takumi wasn't looking forward to his punishment.
"Mistress, then allow me to go." The person at the end on the left spoke up. "My Axe and I are ready and I shall not fail like the big oaf." His voice was harsh, but not as deep as Eton's had been.
The mistress shook her head, "No, it's not your turn Fraomar. I need to find out who killed Eton."
She got up from the throne and walked towards them, "It's impossible for that boy to have killed Eton. He isn't suppose to be this strong, not yet."
She looked at the rest of her followers, they were like statues, not making a sound, waiting to be called upon. Her gaze rests on the person forth from the right, "Nisha, Rise." She said to the hood individual.
The person called Nisha stood up and faced the mistress, "Yes my mistress." Nisha said in a feminine voice. She had such a seductive voice as well.
The mistress placed her hands on Nisha's shoulders "I want you to go the academy, find out who helped the boy and when you do, locate Springfield and kill him and the person that helped him too." The mistress took one of her hands and placed it on Nisha's cheek inside her hood.
The others members heard Nisha's soft moans, as their mistress caressed her cheek.
"Do you understand Nisha?" The mistress asked her, pulling back her hand.
"Yes, I do mistress." Nisha said, recovering from her mistress' touch. "But, I have a plan."
"What is your plan Nisha?" The mistress asked her as she sat back on her throne.
"Instead of finding the professor, I know how to make him and whoever helped him come to me. Heh-heh-heh." Nisha said with an evil giggle.
Author's Note: What could Nisha be planning? How is Negi going to react around Yue? What about Nodoka?
You will notice at time, I will reveal a persons' name in the story. I suggest you keep track. It's going to be a little confusing after a while. If this chapter seems short, I apologize and I promise to have the next chapter up soon.