The Children Of The Pactio
Chapter Six
The birds chirped, the wind blow a gentle breeze, the flowers were in bloom and Asakura Kazumi took pictures of it all, "This is probably the most boring thing to photograph." Her spirit however, wasn't in it.
"Oh I don't know Kazumi, I think it is rather pretty." Aisaka Sayo, the ghost girl said to her. She was floating right behind Kazumi.
"You know what I would like to photograph right now Sayo?" Kazumi asked her.
"What would that be Kazumi?" Sayo asked out of curiosity.
"Negi-kun; head-to-head against demons, monsters, evil mages and all the malevolence forces out there trying to destroy the world." Kazumi said with such passion, her hand balled up into a fist. She looked back to the flowers, "But instead, I have flowers."
Sayo had a nervous smile on her face, "Well, I guess after seeing things that you only read about in fantasy books, the normal world seems dull."
Kazumi agreed with her ghost friend, "That's true. I don't understand how Chisame can find the normal world so fascinating." Sayo nodded her head.
As Kazumi continued to take photos, she saw an elderly woman through her camera. She was out on the grass field on her knees, "Do you think she's alright?" Kazumi asked Sayo.
"She seems to be picking flowers Kazumi." Sayo answered her.
Kazumi wasn't so sure, "I don't know. She could be having a health problem." She calls out to the old woman, "Excuse me ma'am, are you alright?"
The old woman looks up and sees Kazumi, "Oh, why yes I am. Thank you for asking dear." She responded in a grandmother-type of voice. She got up from the grass field and walked over to her.
Sayo saw several flowers in the old woman's hand, 'So I was right, she was picking flowers.' Sayo wasn't afraid of being seen by the elderly woman. She knew only those of class 2-A or those who can use magic would be able to see her.
The elderly woman made her way from the grass field and now stood in front of Kazumi, "I saw you were taking some pictures of the flowers here and I noticed you overlooked these." She held a bouquet of flowers up to Kazumi's face.
Kazumi put her camera on the grass and took the flowers from the old woman, "I have never seen this type of flowers before, what are they?" She asked the old woman.
The old woman smiled at her, "I created them by cross-breeding Lilies and Tulips. I call them Lilips. Do you like them?" She asked Kazumi.
Kazumi inhaled the the flowers' scent, "They smell very beautiful." Kazumi told the old lady. She saw Sayo out of the corner of her eye, floating between her and the old woman, "I don't know about the smell, but they look beautiful."
"Do you really think they smell beautiful?" the elderly woman asked Kazumi.
She nodded her head and the elderly woman smiled bigger, "Well then, why don't a take another whiff?"
Kazumi inhaled the scent again, "Ma'am, I hav-" Kazumi felt a slight headache starting up.
"Kazumi, are you alright?" Sayo whispered to her friend. She saw Kazumi grab the side of her forehead.
Kazumi felt her headache getting stronger. She couldn't keep her balance and everything was getting fuzzy, "...Hey, w-what's wrong w-with...m-m-me?"
The elderly woman kept a smile on her face as Kazumi dropped the flowers and fell to the grass, unconscious.
"Kazumi? Kazumi? Kazumi?" Sayo didn't know what happened to her friend. One minute she was smelling the flowers and the next she fell to the ground. Sayo hoped she wasn't dead.
"You shouldn't worry about Asakura." Sayo looked up and saw the old woman was looking at her. "You should be worrying about yourself."
Sayo couldn't believe it, "Y-you can see me?" She asked the elderly woman.
The old woman still had her smile on her face,"Yes I can...Aisaka Sayo."
The old woman held a small yellow bottle in her other hand. She removed the small cork from the top of the bottle and pointed it to Sayo, "LAGENA SIGNATORIA." The bottle began to suck-in Sayo.
"W-what's happening?" Sayo asked as she was being pulled into the bottle.
The outside world disappeared and Sayo was seal away to obscurity of the bottle.
The old woman placed the cork on the bottle again close Sayo inside. She bend down and with incredible strength, pick up Kazumi and flung the reporter girl over her right shoulder.
"Ten to go." The elderly woman said to herself as she carried Kazumi and the bottle with Sayo inside towards the world tree.
'What an idiot.' Chisamethought to herself as she sat at her computer, uploading some new photos, 'What was he thinking when he fell on Yue?'
She had taken photos with her dressed up in a skimpy little red riding hood outfit, with the skirt way too above her knees, 'Enlarge the breasts, remove the acne...' Chisame went over in her head.
'Still, I must admit, I do feel sorry for Yue. If it was me...' Chisame pictured the same position Negi was in, only this time it was herself instead of Yue.
Negi's hand on her chest and in-between her legs. She even pictured herself in the red riding hood outfit instead of her school outfit.
Chisame shook her head to get rid of the image, 'What am I thinking? He's just a kid.'
She heard small rustling coming from inside her closet, but ignored it, 'I got to stay focused at the task at hand.' She said in her head.
As she was putting the final touches on her new photos, she received an e-mail, 'Beep.' 'Huh? I haven't posted the new pictures yet, but someone already sends me a message.' Chisame couldn't believe her fans, 'It would be rude of me if I don't answer it.'
She looked at the e-mail and saw under the subject bar, 'To Chiu, A.K.A: Hasegawa Chisame.'
"What?!" She couldn't believe it. Someone knows the truth about her, 'How? How did they find out about me? Other than the brat, no one else knows.'
She looked to see who sent her the e-mail, but saw no address, 'How can this be possible?' She heard more small rustling from her closet again.
"I got to find out who this is." Chisame moved her mouse over the e-mail icon and clicked on it, 'Click.'
The moment she opened the e-mail the whole screen shines an intense, bright, white light, "What the-" Chisame is engulfed by the white light.
When the light began to fade, Chisame's body was on the floor, unconscious, the chair turned over and everything on the computer desk on the floor.
The rustlings from the closet grew louder. The doors of the closet open from the inside and a person in black robes emgered and looked down upon Chisame's body, "Nine to go." The robed person said as Chisame was picked up from the floor and taken from her room.
'1, 2 and...3.' Nagase Kaede threw three shurikens and hit the center of the three bulls-eyes she had placed on a tree. She needed to practice on her aim, just in case Negi needed some extra muscle on one of his many missions.
Kaede went into the forest after class was over to train on her ninja skills. Fuka and Fumika wanted to join her, but she incited going alone and tell them to go back to the dorms, apparently Ku Fei didn't hear her. She joined Kaede after school and went into the forest to work on her moves
"You do good." Kaede looked behind her and saw Ku Fei. "I think you much better than before." Fei said with a smile on her face.
Kaede shook her head, "I don't think so." She went over to the tree and collected the shurikens, "Each shuriken hits the bulls-eye one after another. I need them to hit all the bulls-eyes at the same time." She went back to the spot where she was standing and lined up her shot.
"What about you Fei? Are you working on a new routine for Negi-Bouzu?" Kaede asked the Kung-fu girl.
"I is. Negi-Bouzu and me no practice in long time." Fei's smile was replaced with a small frown, "I wonder if he sick?"
Kaede was thinking the same thing, "He was acting strange all through out class today."
"Maybe when he fell on Yue it make him more nervous than ever." Ku Fei said.
"I don't think so," Kaede wasn't so sure, "Being in an intimate position with one of his students while in front of his entire class maybe one of the reason he acted so strangely, but there has to be more than that."
"What you think other reasons are?"Fei wanted to know the other reason why Negi acted so odd.
"Only Negi-Bouzu knows, he will tell us when he wants to. Or if he wants to." Kaede told her and went back to target practice and Ku Fei to her move routines.
As the Kung-Fu girl and the ninja-girl went about with the practices, an odorless, colorless gas filled the air where they are training.
It took a couple of minutes before the gas had an effect. Both girls started to feel woozy and had trouble keeping their balance.
Ku Fei began to move sluggishly. She couldn't move her arms fast enough and couldn't even move her legs, "I no feel good." She said to Kaede.
Ku Fei turn to see Kaede, "You okay Kaede?"
Kaede look at Fei, "No...I'm not." Kaede was losing her focus on the targets. The first shuriken hit the outer rings of the bulls-eye instead of the middle. The second shuriken hit the tree, right between the first and second bulls-eyes.
'THUD'
She was about to throw the last one, when she heard a sound coming from behind her. She turned around and saw Ku Fei on the ground, possibly unconscious.
Kaede dropped to her knees, the shuriken fell out of her hand. She had a hard time staying awake. She laid her body on the grass, everything was going dark. The last thing she saw before she lost consciousness was a person dressed in black robes materializing out of thin air.
Kaede realized what happened, this was an attack. A sneak-attack by an unknown foe. She should have been better aware, after all, she is a ninja for God's sake.
She could at least take solace in the one right thing she did before she lost consciousness, the twins weren't with her.
The robed person looked at Kaede and then to Fei Ku, "Seven to go."
"Today's a slow day, right Nodoka?" Haruna asked the bookworm who was sitting to her left. The both of them sat behind the front desk of the library, on library island.
"Nodoka?" Haruna waved her hand in front Nodoka's face. She was trying to get her attention.
Nodoka finally paid attention, "I'm sorry Haruna, what did you say?"
Haruna repeated what she said, "I said it is kind of slow today."
Nodoka looked around and notice that not a single student or teacher was in the library, "You're right Haruna. Where is everybody?"
Haruna shook her head, "I don't know. Usually this place has people in line to check out books, but today it's a ghost town in here."
Nodoka nodded her head and went back sorting the books' catalog cards.
Haruna looked to her right and saw Yue coming up the steps. She was carrying three cans in her arms. She walked up to the front desk and handed one of the cans to Haruna, "Here Haruna, I got you your lemonade."
Haurna took the lemonade from Yue, "Thanks alot Yue." "What did you get for yourself Yue?" Haruna asked her.
"I got a new flavor, cherry-carrot. Would you like to try it Haruna?" Yue asked her.
Haruna had an uncomfortable look on her face, "Ughh...no, that's okay, but thanks anyway." She told Yue as she opened her can and drank her lemonade.
Yue had one can left, "Here-you-go-Nodoka." She said fast as she walked over to her quickly, placed the can in front of Nodoka, walked back and took a seat on the other side of Haruna.
"Thank you Yue." Nodoka said meekly.
'When are they going to stop acting like this?' Haruna asked herself in her mind.
The two best friends had still not spoken since class was over. Haruna was in the middle (literally) of Yue and Nodoka. She tried so many different ways to get them to start talking again.
She tried asking simple questions like, "Nice weather we're having, right?" to "Did either of you two understand Negi-kun's lesson today? I'm having a hard time." They only responded with a nod or a shrug of the shoulders.
'Why are they like...' Haruna didn't have to finish the question, she knew why they were acting like this, 'Negi-kun.' She couldn't believe they still were thinking about the incident that happened.
All of a sudden Haruna got an idea, 'If Negi-kun is the cause of this problem, then maybe he can be the solution.' Her idea might get them talking to each other than.
"You know, I decided to ask out Negi-kun out on a date." Haruna told her friends with much confidence in her voice.
"WHAT?!" Yue and Nodoka said loud enough that it hurt both of Haruna's ears.
"Oww...I think me and Negi-kun will go see a movie this Saturday. Maybe a comedy or a romance." She told the two of them.
Yue and Nodoka couldn't believe what Haruna was saying.
"I know, we'll go see a horror movie and everytime he gets scared he will jump into my arms." Haruna said to them fixing her glasses.
"B-b-b-but you can't Haruna...Negi-sensei...I..." Nodoka didn't know what to say to her.
"What Nodoka is trying to say is he is our professor and five years younger than us Paru." Yue helped Nodoka.
Haruna looked at both of her friends, "That doesn't matter. Love knows neither age or rank." She said placing her hands over her heart.
Both Yue and Nodoka shot out of their seats, "You love Negi-kun?!"
Haruna smiled at them, "I see that you two are talking again, my plan worked."
Yue and Nodoka looked at each other and then to Haruna, "You were tricking us to get us talking to each other."
Haruna smiled back, "It worked didn't it."
Yue had to admit it, even if Haruna's plan was cruel, it had broken the tension between herself and Nodoka, "Nodoka?"
Nodoka looked at Yue, "Y-yes Yue?"
"I w-want to ap-apologize about the incident concerning N-negi-sensei..." Yue couldn't look Nodoka in her eyes.
Nodoka looked away as Yue tried to apologize, "No that's okay Yue. It was your fault..."
"Of course it wasn't." Yue and Nodoka looked up at Haruna, "You don't have to apologize Yue." She said to them.
"What do you mean Paru?" Yue asked her.
Haruna decided to make everything clear once and for all, "It wasn't your fault Yue. How were you to know that Negi-kun would land on you?"
Yue knew Haruna was right. But still, she wondered how Nodoka feels.
"Nodoka knows you didn't have any control over what happened and that you feel terrible about it." It was if Haruna had read Yue's mind.
Haruna then turned to Nodoka, "Nodoka, you must understand how Yue feels. To have Negi-kun on top of her in an intimate position and in front of the whole class, how do you think she feels?"
Nodoka knew Yue felt awful about what happened and if she was in Yue's shoes when that happened, she would have died of embarrassment. "I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything Nodoka." Haruna said to her, "Nodoka, you know Yue didn't mean for this to happen." She then look at Yue, "Yue, Nodoka knows you're sorry."
Nodoka and Yue looked at each other again and a small smile crept on their face.
Haruna looked at both of her friends, "Good, now that that's out of the way, let's get back to organizing this books." She placed her hand on a pile of books. Yue and Nodoka nodded their heads.
"This is the last thing I will say girls." Yue and Nodoka looked back to Haruna, "Count yourselves lucky it was one of you two that Negi-kun landed on and not some other girl." She looked at them both, "You know how most of the girls feel about Negi-kun and something like this might push them to admit how they feel about him."
"Even if they admit how they feel, Negi-sensei doesn't know anything about being in love." Yue countered.
"That doesn't matter, if one of the girls say how the truly feel about him, Negi-kun will see the lucky girl in a whole new light and he will keep his options open when the time comes and we graduate."
"I told Negi-sensei how I feel about him, but he still acts the same around me." Nodoka said.
"Doesn't Negi-kun talk to you more than he used to? Doesn't he call on you so you can read in class more? Don't you find it a little more easier to talk to him?" Haruna asked her.
Nodoka thought back to how Negi treats her now after she admitted her love for him, "Well, yes I have."
"You see Yue, if you spent a little more time with Negi-kun, he might treat you the same as Nodoka." Haruna pointed out to her.
"But-" Yue was about to say, before Haruna interrupted her.
"Enough with the buts." Haruna said to her, "The two of you are fighting for his affection whether you know it are not.I know the two of you won't try nothing underhanded to each other and you will each other a fair chance to get Negi to love you."
Nodoka and Yue silently nodded. They both knew it was true and they both will give one another a shot at Negi's heart.
Haruna grabbed her lemonade from off the counter and held it up in the air, "Girls, I propose a toast."
Nodoka and Yue grabbed their drinks and held it up next to Haruna's.
"Here's to the two of you. One of you might be Negi's future girlfriend and possibly, the next Mrs. Springfield, cheers." Yue and Nodoka let out a small giggle at the mention of being Negi's wife one day, but maybe, just maybe...
The three friends finished their drinks and threw the empty cans into the recycling bin, "Okay, now let's try to finish-" Haruna stopped when she felt as if the floor was unbalanced, "That feels weird, do you two-" Haruna looked back to her friends and saw Yue and Nodoka, both on the floor on their hands and knees, breathing heavily.
"Paru." Nodoka was only able to say that last word as she and Yue gently laid on the floor, unconscious.
"Nodoka? Yue?" Both of her friends were out like a light. 'How did this happened?' Haruna asked herself as she was getting light-headed and losing her balance.
She tried to find out how this happened whenshe came upon the recycling bin, 'Could it have been our drinks?' Haruna lost all focus and fell onto the counter.
From above the roof, a dark robed figure phased out of the roof and stood upside down, "Finally, I thought they would never shut up and drink their juice." The figure said in a woman's voice.
The robed woman jump down from the roof, turn right side up and like a feather, landed softly on the floor, "Four down."
Leaving right after class, Konoe Konoka and Sakurazaki Setsuna were still in their uniforms. They decided to not return to the dorms yet, they wanted to do some shopping while there was some time left in the day.
Both girls haven't said a word to each other since they left school. Setuna wanted to say something, but with what happened earlier today in the hallway, nothing came to mind.
Konoka looked over at Setsuna as they walked, "Umm..Se-chan?"
Setsuna returned to attention, "Uh, y-yes Ojou-sama?"
"I'm hungry." Konoka told her, "How about you?"
"I'm not Ojou-sama, but if you are, we can find something to eat right away." Setsuna looked for a place where Konoka could eat.
"Yeah, let's find somewhere to eat. I can't shop on an empty stomach." She told her. Setsuna could only smile, Konoka was so much like a child at times.
"Se-chan, about what happened..."
Setsuna couldn't believe that Konoka was bringing up the incident between the two of them, "W-we don't have to talk about it Ojou-sama." She had to stop her from talking about the 'kiss'.
But Konoka wasn't listening, "But Se-chan, we do have to talk about this."
Setsuna shook her head, "No, that's okay Ojou-sama. Let's act like it never happened, okay?"
"Se-chan..."
"Please Ojou-sama." Setsuna begged her.
Konoka could see that Setsuna really didn't want to talk about it, "Okay Se-chan, I won't say anything." She said to her.
Setsuna was so relieved, that she didn't notice the sad look on Konoka's face.
As they turned the corner, they came upon a Yatai (Food stall). Setsuna figured this would have to do for now, "Ojou-sama, would you like to eat here?"
Konoka wasn't paying attention.
"Ojou-sama?"
Konoka looked at Setsuna, "I'm sorry Se-chan what did you say?"
"Would you like to eat here?" Setsuna repeated her question.
Konoka looked up and saw the Yatai, "This looks like a good place to eat."
They both entered and sat down in front of a counter on the provided stools in the Yatai, Setsuna placed her nodachi (Large Sword) upon the counter.
A young woman, about 20 or 21 come up to the counter with an order pad in her hands, "What can I get you girls?"
Konoka looked at the scrolls on the wall to choose her order, "Hmm, everything sounds good. I don't know what to order."
"Ojou-sama, I don't mean to rush you, but if you wish to go shopping you must choose something now." Setsuna told Konoka.
"I'm sorry Se-chan, But I just don't know what to order." Konoka looked at the waitress who has been watching the conversation between the two, "Miss, what do you recommend?"
The waitress looked at Konoka, "Well, I like the North Country Noodles myself. I guess you might like it too."
Konoka nodded, "Okay then, one order of North Country Noodles please."
The waitress wrote down the order, "One North Country Noodles, coming right up." Then she looked at Setsuna, "What would you like Miss?"
Setsuna shook her head, "Nothing for me thank you, just her order."
The waitress looked at Setsuna with a look of perplexity, "Are you sure?" Setsuna nodded her head. After the waitress made sure she had the order written, she went into the kitchen and began on Konoka's order.
As the waitress worked in the kitchen, Setsuna looked around and noticed no one else was passing by. For a busy street, it seemed too empty. There was no one around the Yatai, 'This feels too peculiar.' Setsuna thought to herself. She looked over To Konoka.
Konoka however had her mind on something else.
She went over what Setsuna had said, 'Let's act like it never happened.' Even if the 'kiss' was an accident, that was probably the closest she was ever going to get with Setsuna and with her saying to forget about it, it was as if Setsuna denied Konoka her happiness.
She looked at Setsuna and saw her looking back, "Se-chan?"
Setsuna looked right into her eyes, "Yes Ojou-sama?"
Konoka moved closer to her, "Se-chan, I-"
"One order of North Country Noodles, enjoy." The waitress placed the bowl on the counter in front of Konoka.
Konoka looked at the noodles she order. A blue bowl filled with noodles, chopped vegetables and a huge crab in the middle. She grabbed a pair of chopsticks from the cup holding a bunch of them.
"Itadakimasu." Konoka said as she broke the chopsticks down the middle and began to eat her meal.
The waitress looked at Konoka, "Well, what do you think? Is it good?"
Konoka finished her first bite, "Good?, It's delicious. It's the best thing I have ever had." She said with a smile on her face.
"I'm glad to hear that." The waitress said. She walked over to Setsuna, "Are you really sure you are not going to have something to eat. The food is really quite good."
"I'm not really that hungry." Setsuna told the young lady.
Setsuna saw Konoka as she continued eating. She looked around the Yatai and still saw no one around, "It's must be a slow day for you."
"What do you mean?" The waitress didn't know what Setsuna meant by that.
"I mean there are no other customers than ourselves." Setsuna told her.
The waitress understood better now, "I just opened two days ago, that's why I'm not getting many customers."
"Oh." Setsuna said, 'But that doesn't explain why there isn't a single person on the streets.'
"Yummy." Setsuna looked back to Konoka and saw break off a leg from the crab and ate the meat inside. Setsuna could see the smile on her face.
"Your friend must be really hungry." The waitress said to Setsuna.
Setsuna nodded, her eyes still on Konoka, "Yeah, she really is." She saw Konoka break off another crabs' leg.
"If she keeps eating like that, she might eat the bowl as well." The waitress said jokingly.
Setsuna laugh a bit, "Your chef must be an excellent cook." She said to the waitress
"Actually, I cooked it myself." She corrected Setsuna.
"You cooked it?" Setsuna asked her, not believing her.
The waitress nodded her head, "I did. I don't have the money to hire a professional chef, so until I do I have to do everything around here."
"Well, I wish you do find some good help." Setsuna said to her.
The waitress smiled, "Thank you so much for the kind words."
'THUD'
Setsuna and the waitress looked over to where Konoka was sitting. She had fallen on top of the counter, Most of the food in the bowl was all over the floor, the bowl itself was smashed.
Setsuna moved quickly to her, "Ojou-sama!, Are you alright?" She asked her, but got no response.
'Is she...' Setsuna thought the worst, but when she saw Konoka still breathing she was a little relieved, 'She's just unconscious, Thank God.'
She looked at the waitress, "What was in the noodles?"
The waitress shook her head, "Nothing, just crab, noodles, vegetables and the broth."
Setsuna shook Konoka, "Ojou-sama, please wake up." Setsuna couldn't wake up Konoka.
"Sakurazaki Setsuna."
Setsuna stopped shaking. Did she her the waitress correctly? She wanted to ask how did she know her, but when she looked up from Konoka to the waitress, she only saw a fist coming right towards her face.
'BLAM'
The punch sent Setsuna through the wall of the Yatai.
'SLAM'
She landed hard on the middle of the empty street, unconscious with blood running from her nose and a black eye forming on her face.
Back inside the Yatai, the waitress looked at the hole she made by punching Setsuna into the wall, "If you had just ordered the noodles, I wouldn't have needed to hurt you." She looked the fist she used to punch Setsuna with and noticed some of Setsuna's blood on it. She brought her fist to her mouth and licked off the blood, "Mmm, Tasty."
The image of the young waitress disappeared and a dark robed figure took its place.
The robed figure walked over to where Setsuna was sitting before and took her nodachi. The figure looked to its right and a second robed figure appeared out of thin air. The second figure wore the same robes as the first one.
"Go and get Sakurazaki off of the street." The first figure said to the second in a female voice.
"No problem." The second figure responded in a female voice as well. The second woman turned around and walked right through the counter and went outside for Setsuna.
The first woman walked over to Konoka. She gently brushed away the hair on her face, "Just two more."
It was just Evangeline and Chachamaru in the Tea Ceremony club today, the other girls in the club had other plans.
Evangeline sat on the floor, her legs folded back. She didn't say a word as she watched Chachamaru prepare the tea. Ever since yesterday and early this morning, she had too much on her mind to even talk to Chachamaru. She only talked when she wanted to make a snappy remark, give Chachamaru an order or just to insult Negi and the other girls. But other than that she was quiet.
'Why? Why does this affect me so much?' She thought to herself.
At first, she went over how the big demon Eton had tricked her into attacking him. She never felt so stupid in all of her life, she hated herself for feeling weak.
She went from hating herself to hating Eton. She hated how he mocked her. She didn't think others beside Chachamaru, the Dean, Negi and the others knew of the curse keeping her on the school grounds, but to know others now knew of it too, it was like a bacteria spreading over a cut. She had to ask herself, if Eton knew about the curse, how many of his friends knew as well?
After finishing hating herself and Eton, she started to remember how she felt when she saw Eton attempt to kill Negi. She didn't know why, but when she saw Eton's sword coming down on Negi, it was as if the air in her lungs was stuck. It was fear that she felt.
For a moment, she imaged a world without Negi and she didn't like it one little bit. She wanted to scream out, but some part of her was holding it back.
'Why? Why does this affect me so much?' She asked herself.
"Master?" Chachamaru got Evangeline's attention, "Huh?"
"Would you like some more tea?" The female robot asked the little vampire.
"Uhh...yeah." Evangeline answered her, 'I have to keep my mind off of the brat.'
While Evangeline might have been questioning what is wrong with her, Chachamaru was having a few of her own problems.
To others she might appear nothing was wrong if her, but taking a closer look anybody can see that she was unwell. She couldn't explain it and Hakase couldn't figure it out as well. Chachamaru was functioning perfectly, but she was making mistakes any chance she had.
Chachamaru knew she had no malfunctions, but she sensed there was something different with herself. Chachamaru accessed her memory banks to when she first started to feel different.
When the mysterious savior revealed herself to be Negi's future daughter, she was surprised, for lack of a better word. But her so-called emotions changed from surprised to depression when it was discovered that Natsuko was the daughter of Negi and Yue. Chachamaru didn't know why she was depressed but maybe it was thinking of Negi together with Yue that made her feel that way.
Her depression soon changed to jealousy. She was jealous that Yue is in love with Negi and will be together with him in the future. It could be years from today or in a couple of months, but whenever it was the gears that make her heart will break and she will lose Negi to another.
But right now, Chachamaru was feeling a brand new emotion as she was mixing Evangeline's tea, envy. She wasn't just envious of Negi's future with Yue, she was envious of what Yue is: human.
'How could Negi-sensei love a machine like me?' Chachamaru thought to herself. She has always wondered if Negi and she fall in love with each other, how could they have a relationship? They wouldn't be able to do all the things that normal couples do. If Negi kissed her, he would feel her cold, metal lips. They wouldn't be able to do one of the most intense, passionate experiences that couples get to share. 'I never had a chance with him.'
"Chachamaru, what's taking so long?" Evangeline asked her.
Chachamaru completely forgot what was she doing, "I'm sorry master, here you go master." She said as she pass the tea cup to her.
Evangeline took the cup from Chachamaru, "Thank you." She was about to take a sip from the up, when she sensed something. Whatever it is, it's very, very close. She turned her head towards the door, "You can come out now."
The door slided open and in walked a a mysterious person wearing a dark robe, "So you knew I was here, huh?" The person said in a female voice as she stood by the door way.
Evangeline kept sitting down and drinking her tea, "I sensed your magical energy outside so it was pretty easy for me." Chachamaru placed down the tea equipment and stood up, ready for anything.
The mystery woman gave a small laugh, "I must admit, that's pretty impressive...for an old hag."
Evangeline cracked the cup in her hand, "Watch what you say to me...little girl." She placed the cup down, "Anyway, seeing from the dark robe, I can assume that you worked with the demon named Eton."
The mystery woman nodded her head. "Well, I'm glad to say that he's dead." Evangeline said to her.
The mystery woman shrugged her shoulders, "That's no big deal. Where he failed, I will succeed with my plan to get to Negi Springfield."
"Exactly what are you planning to do?" Evangeline asked her.
"I plan to knock you out along with your little toy there," The robed woman pointed to Chachamaru, "take your unconscious bodies to the the world tree and wait for your precious Negi to come rescue you."
"Two questions," Evangeline held up two fingers, "One, What makes you think he's precious to me? Two, How exactly do plan to knock me and Chachamaru out?"
The mystery woman folded her arms, "Well to answer your first question: You don't need to know. As for the second question: As we speak all of Negi Springfield's other partners are being taken and the tea you drank was laced with a powerful sleeping agent."
Evangeline was in total shock. She looked down at the tea cup, 'It's not possible.' She stood up in an instance, but felt weird.
"You feel it, don't you old hag." The robed woman said to her, "You are starting to feel light-headed, your knees can't support your weight and everything is starting to get blurry and soon it goes dark." The woman waved, "Nighty-night, old hag."
Chachamaru rushed to Evangeline and caught her before she hit the floor, "Master?" She shook Evangeline trying to wake her up. Chachamaru looked up to see the robed mystery woman, but before she could say anything, she felt someone approach from behind.
An arm went around her neck and held on tight. The mysterious assailant held Chachamaru close with her arm and with her other hand had the key used to recharge Chachamaru. She put it in place in her head and turned it counter-clockwise, shutting her down.
The assailant turned out to be another dark robed person, "That's all of them." She said to the first robed woman.
"Good, now take them to the tree and chain them up. I have to make a phone call." The woman said as she was about to leave the tea room.
"No problem, but answer me this, Why did we use the same sleeping agent on all of the girls? It seems kind of lazy to do the same thing on everyone."
The mystery woman looked at her helper, ".......Just.......just take those two to the tree, alright?"
"Alright." Her helper answered her back as she carried Evangeline and Chachamaru towards the World Tree.
'Now about that phone call....' The mystery woman thought to herself as she left the tea room.
All of Negi's partners were being kidnapped...at the same time.
Negi and Natsuko made it to the dorm room he shares with Konoka and Asuna. They had to extra careful that none of the girls from class saw Natsuko, especially Yue. Negi entered the key to his door and unlocked it, "Come on in Natsuko."
Natsuko followed her father in the room and saw where he lived, "It has that cozy feeling to it, doesn't papa?" Natsuko asked as she took a seat on the couch.
"You know, I never noticed it before but yeah, I guess it does." Negi said to her as he looked around the room.
Negi showed her where he slept, "It's very cute. It's like where a doll would sleep." Natsuko thought everything of her father's past was too adorable for words.
Negi looked from his loft to Asuna's bed and saw she wasn't there, "Asuna isn't here." Negi didn't like what he was thinking.
Natsuko saw the worried look on her father's face, "Well....maybe she's in the bathroom."
Negi got off of his loft and walked to the bathroom, 'Knock, knock, knock' "Asuna, are you there?" Negi asked through the bathroom door, but he didn't get a response.
'Knock, knock, knock' Negi knocked on the door again, "Asuna?" No one answered back. He decided it would be better to see if she was inside. He slowly opened the door and stuck his head in, "She isn't in there either." Negi said in a paniced tone.
Natsuko and Negi couldn't believe it, "Calm down Papa, I'm sure she has to be somewhere." Natsuko tried to assure her father.
"But where could she be?" Negi was really starting to get worried.
Negi and Natsuko were thinking of places where Asuna might be when the phone rang. Negi went to answer it hoping it was Asuna, "Hello?"
At first there was no answer, but soon he heard the other voice on the phone, "........Negi Springfield?" A woman's voice came over the phone.
"Yes?" Negi answered, his hopes of it being Asuna on the phone are dashed.
Negi heard a small laugh come over the phone, "He, He, He, Good. I hate to ask but, are you looking for Kagurazaka Asuna?"
Negi couldn't believe what he just heard, "What? You know where Asuna is? Where? How she is?" Natsuko wasn't sure who her father was talking to on the phone or what was going on, but she was getting a weird feeling.
Negi waited for a reply, "She's with me and as for being okay, that's a matter of opinion." The woman on the phone said to him. "Besides, Asuna isn't the only you should be worrying about."
Negi was getting confused by what the woman is saying, "What do you mean? Who is this? Is Asuna alright or isn't she?" He wanted answers and he wanted them. Natsuko was getting scared by the minute as her father sounded more worried then before.
He wanted for a response, but instead he heard the cries of girls, "Help us Negi-Kun." "Negi-Sensei." "Negi-bouzu." He couldn't believe it, this woman has kidnapped some of his students, "What are you doing with them?!?" He yelled over the phone.
"If you don't want all of your precious pactio partners hurt, I suggest you come to the World Tree at four o'clock and bring along the person that killed Eton yesterday too or they die either way." 'Click.' Negi heard the phone hang up, 'This isn't happening.' He thought to himself as he hung up the phone and sat down next to Natsuko.
"Papa, what's wrong? Who was that on the phone?" Natsuko didn't like how that phone conversation went over.
Negi shook his head, "I don't know......but whoever she was, she knew I am wizard and she has the girls I ever made a pactio with."
"What? Are you serious? A woman has Mama and my aunts hostage?" Natsuko didn't want to believe it, but the look in her papa's eyes told her he was telling the truth. "How are we going to save them?"
Negi looked at the clock hanging on the wall, '15 minutes left.' He got off the couch, "The woman on the phone said to meet her at the World Tree at four o'clock." He told his daughter as he made his way to the door with his staff in his hand.
Natsuko got up off the couch, "I'm coming too papa and don't try to stop me." She was going to help despite his objections.
But this time, Negi wasn't going to argue, "You have to come. The woman said to bring the person who killed Eton or the girls get hurt or worse."
Natsuko couldn't believe it. She was asked to be at the World Tree. But who was the woman on the phone and what connection did she have to Eton?, 'It could be one of his associates, but the question is which one?' She asked herself as she and her father left the dorm room with their staffs in their hands, ready to fight if they have to.
Back at the campsite, the last two of the brothers sat around the campfire wearing their white robes with their hoods up and watching the sunset. The youngest of the two looked over to his much older brother out of all of them, "Where are the other two today Onii-Sama?"
The oldest brother looked at his little brother, "I don't know.....but, I hope they aren't doing stupid that will get them noticed." He said to him as he leaned back against a tree. The young brother looked from his brother to the campfire. He poked the flames around with a stick, trying to make them bigger.
As they were minding their own businesses, they sensed magical energy approaching them fast. They got up from were they were sitting, not knowing who or what the energy belong to they got into fighting positions just to be sure. The energy signature was getting closer and as it did, the brothers started to recognize who it was, the middle brother.
Their other brother managed to reach the campsite, he was out of breath and panting, he leaned against a tree for support. Both of his brothers walked over to him, "Onii-san? What's wrong? Are you okay?" His little brother asked him wanting to know why he is out of breath.
"N-N-Natsuko......Natsuko......she......" He tried to talk, but was having a hard time breathing.
The older brother stood right in front of him, "Take deep a breath and tell us what has happen to Natsuko?"
He did as his brother told him and took a couple of deep breaths. After he had his breathing steady, he was able to tell his brothers what has happened, "Natsuko.....she made contact with dad."
"SHE DID WHAT?!?" The oldest of the brothers yelled loud enough that it could be heard across the forest.
"Are you serious? She has talked to baba? How about mama and the others?" His little brother hoped he is joking, Natsuko-nee-chan would never break a rule.
The third brother shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know, but I'm afraid she did and that's not the worst of it."
The other two brothers couldn't imagine how things could be worse, "Natsuko broke one of my rules and that's not the worst that could happen. Then what is?"
He looked at his older brother, "I sensed Nisha."
His other brothers couldn't have begin to imagine the dangers they left their parents to face, "You're positive it's Nisha?" The older brother asked.
The middle brother nodded his head, "Yes and I think she going after dad, the moms and Natsuko."
"Our family is going to be in serious trouble if we don't something." The little brother told his two big brothers.
The oldest of the three knew they can't make themselves be seen, even if they had their hoods up. But he also knew that their survival depended on his parents safety. He loked at both of his younger brothers, "If we came across them, keep your hoods up and don't talk to any of them, got it?"
They both nodded their heads, "Got it. Let's go." They left their campsite in hopes of stopping Nisha before she does anything that could endangers lives.
Author's Note: The pieces are all in place, all that's left are the players.
I know I promised that in this chapter you would find out who Natsuko's brothers are, but this chapter became too long so I had to cut it in half. I am already writing the next chapter so you don't have to get angry with me. You only have to wait.
Merry Christmas!
P.S.: I'M BACK!!!!!