Disclaimer: I do not own Negima or any of it's characters...

Fang Vice Addiction

Chapter Fifteen: The First Plunge

By Traingham

There was a beautiful moon out at night and it inspired a sense of romance and even dark intent. To be more specific it was a full moon out at night; a very welcoming sight to a certain vampiress as she stared out at the enormous lunar orb in the midst of darkness from a cliff side. She wandered away from her little camp with Nagi to be alone with her thoughts. They spent most of the evening sharing stories and humoring each other in whatever way they could. Nagi managed to send the chibi-vampire into a few giggle fits that she had not experienced in a long time. He actually made her feel accepted. He made her feel what little sense of humanity she kept clutched to her very soul. It was very hard to be convinced of having a simple shred of humanity after finding yourself bathed in the blood of another, however, Nagi made her feel as though she could be cleansed of that blood.

"Nagi Springfield." Evangeline whispered to the moon as the evening breeze caressed her body sweetly. Her hair flowed to the side, a few locks overshadowing her eyes. The very thought of the Thousand Master put her soul at peace and she was tempted to smile at her own growing feelings but she knew that something so precious wasn't meant for her. It wasn't so much that she doubted it but she didn't 'believe' that she could ever find peace and happiness. The very thought was so foreign to her but...could she just convince herself this one time that she could have it in her grasp? She turned away from the moon, regarding the camp site she was staying at with Nagi and willed herself to go back. She found herself getting rather nervous with each step she took towards the nearing camp and she feared that her knees would give out before she could even reach Negi's tent.

This isn't like me! Why do I feel like I'm going to be sick?! Evangeline thought curiously as she felt her stomach doing flips. She gradually started to find it hard to take proper breaths and leaned against a nearby tree to pace herself. She found her face heating up with a rosy hue coloring her cheeks and fought to shake off the sick feeling within her. This was the first time she had ever experienced this feeling! Her nails dug in to the bark of the tree as her fangs started to pulse and she found herself sweating as her breathing started to get even shallower. For the first time she felt as though she was about to cry from the helplessness that was beginning to consume her. "D-damn it!" She growled, pushing away from the tree she was leaning against to advance forward. Before long she found herself standing in front of Nagi's tent and her mind went completely blank. All the determination that she had when she was making her way to the tent had completely left her and all that was left was an awkward feeling.

"...Come on." Evangeline told herself as she narrowed her eyes at the slit of the tent that offered her passage inside. She could feel Nagi's presence behind it and her fangs began to pulse again. "Come one." She willed herself to enter the tent. and stood over her the object of her desire. He slept peacefully in his sleeping bag with his staff resting beside him; his hair feathered over his face. "Thousand Master..." Evangeline said with an odd glimmer in her eyes as her tongue passed over her lips. "You are mine." She lowered herself over his resting form; finding it hard to get nearer with every breath that seemed like sweet perfume upon her face. She almost reached her target when all of a sudden-

"AH!" Evangeline yelped when Nagi's eyes snapped open and he held her securely in his arms. "H-hey! I thought you were asleep!" She struggled to get out of his arms but came to a halt when he started to laugh.

"I was awake actually." Nagi said with a mischievous grin as he looked the chibi-vampire in the eyes. "And I heard everything you said."

"E-everything?!" Evangeline was suddenly as red as the very blood coursing through her veins. "You can't be serious!"

"And why not?" Nagi asked before letting go of her but she didn't make any attempt to move away from him. In fact she simply sunk in to her resting position and made herself comfortable on his stomach as she snuggled her head in to the warmth of his chest. At the very moment she was in pure blissful heaven and she wouldn't trade this moment for anything in the world. Nagi found this very cute but he knew what lied behind the eyes of the tiny vampire and he had an idea of the life she had gone through before she met him. "What's wrong Eva?"

"What do you mean?" Evangeline asked.

"You came to my tent for a reason." Nagi said with warm smile. "Were you getting lonely?" He placed a hand on her head and ruffled her hair playfully, getting a grin from her in response. "You didn't have some sort of nightmare did you?"

"Me have a nightmare?" Evangeline asked, suddenly becoming very serious. She averted her eyes breify as her mind came to a conclusion and said, "I embody nightmares." Her dark words were blown away completely when Nagi chuckled light heartedly.

"Come off of that will ya?" His smile simply dazzled her. His cheerful demeanor seemed to swallow up all of the depression and anger that she held inside. She just couldn't come up with anything to retort with. "Put your past aside instead of treading it. The world is so much better when you look for what is up ahead. Believe me."

If anything I can only hope that you're up ahead waiting for me. Evangeline thought, closing her eyes peacefully; something she hadn't been able to do in a while. As she embraced the warmth that Nagi was giving her she opened one eye and asked, "Are you bothered at all that I'm a vampire?"

"Why should I be bothered?" Nagi asked innocently.

"I could bite you."

"Would you?"

"...I'm tempted to."

"But I'm sure you wouldn't do it against my will would you?"

"I can't promise you anything." Evangeline smirked. "I am the bad guy here just in case it slipped your mind."

"Heh." Nagi held his finger over her face in a teasing gesture and pulled it back quickly when the vampiress tried to nibble at him playfully. "Why don't you get some sleep? It's getting pretty late now."

"Not for me."

"Whatever you say." Nagi started to remove her from him but to his surprise she protested and clutched his waist to keep herself clung to him tightly. Nagi inwardly sweat dropped when he realized he might have just gotten himself in to something very complicated. Perhaps he should have just left her alone after he saved her from falling off the cliff instead of inviting her to camp with him. Needless to say the vampiress had become totally smitten with him and that could cause some complications. "Eva-"

"Can I at least spend the night with you?" She pleaded as her eyes met with his. "I promise I'll be good just this once." She found her spirits failing her when he sighed but she was back in high spirits when he finally answered, "Alright Eva but just this once."

For once a genuine smile broke out on her face...

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Reality...

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"Nagi..." Evangeline mumbled in her sleep as a tear threatened to slip down her cheek. She tightened her hold around the source of warmth that had been beside her and buried her face in to it to take in a delicious scent that made her smile in her sleep despite the tear that rolled down her face. The vampiress could have stayed asleep for another few hours had Negi not been the source of warmth. His eyes snapped opened when he felt someone snuggle up against him and Chachazero did the same before looking to her master's side to see Evangeline. There were so many questions to ask right now like, "Why was she in Negi's futon?", or, "What was she mumbling about?"

Negi of course could not voice any of these questions so they were destined to be left unanswered. A deep fascination and fear consumed him as he turned his head to look at his master's adorable face. HE wasn't sure what to make of his current situation. For one, he wasn't sure how Evangeline managed to slip in to his bed without him noticing or why she was there in the first place but what scared him most was the thought her reaction when she woke up. What would she do to him when she found them so close to each other?!

She has such easy access to my neck in this position! Negi thought in panic as he suddenly became very much aware of the way her breath felt against his neck. He stiffened when she moaned again before snuggling up against him a little more and he starting praying to whatever deity that could hear him that he make it through the day alive. Chachazero told me that she might end up in my room someday but this is totally beyond my expectations! Did she sleepwalk in to my room or something?!

"Master Negi?" Chachazero whispered to him. "Do you want me to wake her up?"

"No, no." His last word ended in a squeak when Evangeline tightened her hold around him. Whatever she was dreaming about; apparently she was mimicking her actions in the real world as well. "God knows what might happen if we wake her up against her will. It looks like she may be dreaming...a good dream to be certain."

"And..." Chachazero asked, expecting more to his explanation.

"Let her enjoy it." Negi finished.

"At your cost?" The puppet asked, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the way the chibi-vampire was holding her master; That and the fact that this picture looked completely foreign to her. The last thing she would ever picture was Evangeline cuddling against Negi of all people! Why would she even think of sneaking in to her master's bed in the first place? "I don't like this at all." Chachazero groaned as she slipped herself out of Negi's arms. The puppet climbed down beside him and rested against him with a sigh.

"G-getting tighter." Negi managed to say when Evangeline's hold on him started to get rather uncomfortable. Luckily for him the door of his room opened at that very moment and Chachamaru stepped in sporting her usual maid uniform. The android stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the scene before her; her eyes wandering over the pair in bed before stopping on Chachazero who waved at her casually. A deep fear stirred in Negi when Chachamaru's eyes changed to a fearsome crimson color for a moment. The only time he ever saw that in a robot was when it was planning to assassinate someone...or perhaps that was just in the movies.

"Negi-kun..." Chachamaru's voice was as cold as liquid nitrogen.

...Maybe movies held some truth...

"Chachamaru-san...please don't look at me like that." Negi's voice wavered as the android took slow steps toward him. His eyes darted to Chachazero who did nothing but stare back at her counterpart and asked, "W-what's going on with her?!"

"...Maybe she's mad?" Chachazero suggested.

"Chachamaru? MAD?!" Negi's muscles all tightened when Chachamaru was close enough to touch him but he relaxed when Evangeline's hold around him relaxed and he heard her yawn. There was a deathly silence as Chachamaru and Negi turned their attention to Evangeline.

"What the..." Evangeline paused as she looked around. This place didn't look like her room. She could have sworn she slept in a bed as well and she clearly was resting in a futon. She also took note of the comforting feeling of warmth that was beside her. "...Boya?!" Evangeline questioned, regarding him curiously.

"Mistress..." Chachamaru's eyes regained their normal color and the android regarded her suspiciously. "You seem to be confused. Were you not aware that you were in Negi's futon?"

"No." Evangeline answered before smirking evilly as her arms slinked around Negi's shoulders. "If I knew I assure you that this futon wouldn't have made in to this morning. I was wondering why I was having such a good dream." She pressed herself against Negi for a moment to inhale the aroma from his neck and sighed. "I guess I'm snacking early today."

"W-what?!" Negi whimpered before feeling her fangs plunge in to his neck.

Chachamaru waited in the kitchen as she thought up of a way to apologize to Negi for almost losing it in his room earlier. She wasn't exactly sure what went on but as soon as she saw Negi in the arms of another person, especially someone so close her systems started to overdrive. The android could only hope that this was not going to affect her relationship with the young magi in any way. Right on cue Negi entered the kitchen with Chachazero perched on his head, rubbing his sore neck and flinched when he came face to face with her.

"Ch-Chachamaru-san!" Negi stammered.

"Please don't fear me!" Chachamaru blurted out unexpectedly as her hands were upon his shoulders before he could even react. "I am sorry for my behavior in your room earlier Negi-kun. I am not sure what came over me but I promise you that I will never allow it to happen again!" This was the first time Negi had ever heard her raise her voice so much. She was changing more than he ever expected her to.

"It's o-okay Chachamaru-san." Negi told her. "You kind of gave me a scare but you didn't do anything wrong. It's Eva who's beginning to unsettle me. Last night she kind of got annoyed with me and stormed up to her room and this morning she doesn't even flinch when she finds herself sleeping in my futon. I-I don't even remember hearing her come in or resting next to me last night!"

"Well she is a powerful vampire. She could appear anywhere without any of us noticing but...she did seem to be in a good mood today." Chachazero said with a hint of mischief laced in her words. "I'm just surprised that she didn't bite you while you were asleep."

"Perhaps the mistress was in a sleeping trance last night?" Chachamaru offered as an explanation. "It would explain how she didn't realize she was in your bed until she woke up."

"Mayb-" Negi went silent when the swinging door to the kitchen opened and Evangeline entered wearing a cute outfit that reminded the young magi of a doll. It was amazing how such an evil person could pull off something so cute. It made Negi wonder why Evangeline favored her choice of clothing in the first place. He expected her to have clothes that better suited her personality, however, now was not the time to play amateur psychiatrist. The chibi-vampire regarded everyone oddly when she noticed the looks they were giving her and asked, "What are you three looking at?"

"N-nothing Eva!" Negi told her as he tried to play it off with Chachamaru by following her to the kitchen counter where they pretended to be preoccupied with something. When Negi felt that his master had taken her eyes off of him he sighed and walked over to the fridge to pull out a blood pack. Inwardly he shook his head at how casually he had done so but shook the feeling away before asking, "Would you like a drink too Eva?"

"Why not?" Evangeline said with a grin as she took a seat at the table. She took note of how much more comfortable her underling was with calling her name so casually. She enjoyed it; it reminded her of the way Nagi used to address her. I'm rarely fortunate enough to relive those wonderful memories in my dreams. It must have been boya's doing last night when he saw fit to distress me in his older form.

She turned her attention towards Negi when he took a seat beside her and placed a wine glass filled with her favorite drink of choice in front of her before popping a straw in to his own drink. The young magi took a sip, looking at her as he did and drew the straw away from his lips saying, "Despite the way we all woke up this morning I...want to apologize for what I did last night." His awkward apology made the vampiress grin as she nodded.

"Don't worry yourself over it boya. The only thing I ask from you is not to share with anyone what transpired before breakfast." She drank from her glass and lowered it from her mouth before adding on 'sweetly', "Do we have and understanding here sensei?"

"Y-yes Eva!" Negi nodded quickly. He saw an odd expression come over the chibi-vampire's face and quirked an eyebrow curiously. "Er, is something the matter Eva?"

"Yeah...I don't like what you're wearing." Evangeline said bluntly before turning an eye upon Chachazero as well, "You too. I have some clothes waiting for you two upstairs for the festival. I'm sure you'll see that it fits my tastes."

"B-but this is my favorite suit!" Negi protested foolishly. He cowered in his seat when Evangeline glared at him.

"Are you disobeying your master?" She asked with a fearsome smirk as she flexed her fingers. Negi knew she only did that whenever she was about to deliver some severe punishment and he definitely didn't want any of that!

"I would never disobey my master!" Negi shot out of his seat quickly and bowed to her before making his way out of the kitchen with Chachazero. The vampiress chuckled in amusedly when she saw the young magi walk out so quickly and rested her chin in one hand. Even though she was going a little easier on him she still wasn't going to allow him to disobey her so freely. She still was his master after all.

"What will you do for the day mistress?" Chachamaru asked Evangeline as she prepared her plate.

"I really don't know yet." Evangeline answered in a bored fashion. "I'll probably just go out to see some of the shows before the tournament preliminaries. Boya is going to be busy most of the day with his hectic schedule so he's out of my hands."

"I see." Chachamaru mused with a slight nod as she approached the table with her mistress's breakfast.

"And you?" Evangeline asked curiously.

"I must accompany Hakase-san before the preliminaries." Chachamaru set Evangeline's breakfast in front of her with a bow and went on, "We are to meet with Chao-san to prepare for the events of the tournament tomorrow."

"I see." The vampiress mused suspiciously. Evangeline wasn't all in the dark about Chao Lingshen's activities. The Chinese girl practically helped her on some occasions with her own plans so she knew what the problem student was capable of. She also knew the sort of relationship Chachamaru had with Hakase and Chao. They were her mothers in a sense so she wouldn't do anything to disobey them. I can tell that these festival days are going to provide me with enough entertainment to make up for my boring years here. It doesn't really concern me anyway so I'll just sit back and watch the show.

"E-Eva!" Negi's voice suddenly rang as he entered the kitchen wearing the clothes that the vampiress had picked out for him. He wore a black button up shirt accompanied by some black pants, which were held up by a black sash. If he had his mage cloak on he would have become a true vision of Nagi. Well...a younger version anyway. "This is nice and all but...how did you know my size in clothing anyway?!"

"I went through you clothing." Evangeline answered rather casually before adding on with a smirk, "It looks good on you."

"Th-thanks." Negi blushed.

"Look at me master Negi!" Chachazero managed to push the kitchen door and come in wearing a black hat and a sailor suit with bat wings sprouting out from her back. Negi inwardly sighed when he saw her sporting her blades at her sides. She looked very cute but the blades turned that image in to something dangerous. He knew, however, that taking her blades away from her would make her somewhat depressed so he didn't say anything about it.

"You look cute Chacha-chan. " Negi said warmly as he patted her on the head. He turned to Chachamaru when he heard her mutter something and asked, "What was that Chachamaru-san?"

"I said nothing Negi-kun." Chachamaru assured him as she prepared his plate of food. She turned to face him with his plate in one hand, gesturing to the table with the other. "Why don't you have a seat and eat the breakfast I've prepared for you?" Had Negi really paid attention to the way she spoke and her body language he would have caught the waver in her usually smooth voice and even the way her hand twitched. "It is your favorite dish."

"Thanks Chachamaru-san!"

"...I would appreciate it if you address me without the honorific, Negi-kun." The android suddenly said immediately after he spoke. "Chachamaru is just fine."

"O-okay."

Yes...these next few days are going to be interesting. Evangeline thought as she took another drink from her glass. Her eyes wandered over to Negi as he took a seat beside her again. She had to admit that she chose a fine outfit for him.

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Mahora Festival: Day One...

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The sun was shining up high in the clear blue skies and the colorful exhaust of smoke that the flight team painted the sky with the simply breath taking! Confetti showered the floor as the students danced around in joy of the first day of the festival and the streets and sidewalks were crowded with excited viewers as the Mahora Campus parade marched along with balloons of large frightening Pumpkin heads and adorable kittens. The technical guilds flaunted their enormous mechs and mechanized monstrosities and the fashion and cosplay club members marched along with the other band members in their costumes or waved at the cheering students on the floats passing floats.

Sorority members all banded together and astonished students with their synchronized dance routines; Members of the Nightmare circus entranced others with their acts and tricks and the drama members all did their parts in their own eye-catching performances. It was everything Negi ever expected and more. He simply didn't know what to do in the midst of all the exciting attractions. He also found it pretty hard to get through the crowds of students as well. He passed by a large crowd of students who were watching a performance by the Maho Rangers and did his best to avoid female students were advertising their attractions with papers in their hands.

"You seem to be at a loss of words master." Chachazero told him from her respective place on his shoulders.

"This is so amazing!" Negi cried out excitedly. "I'd no idea it was going to be this big!" The young teacher flinched when a gloved hand appeared on his shoulder. He turned around to find himself being stalked by the library trio already. Yue was the person whose hand was on his shoulder while Haruna and Nodoka stood side by side with smiles on their faces. They all wore matching black cloaks with bat like head ornaments.

"Hey guys!" Negi greeted them.

"There should be near four hundred thousand these next three days." Yue said around the straw in her mouth as she sipped from a purple carton of juice. "This is after all, the biggest attraction on the largest city scale campus around the entire world. That means we're talking about three days and nights of mass mayhem and rowdiness."

"Costume are okay on campus so it's just fun to watch too!" Haruna added on with a wink before catching an unsuspecting student to advertise the Haunted house. While Nodoka and Haruna were buys pestering some of the passing students Yue went on with Negi.

"This place is so alive now!" Negi remarked in awe.

"What gives this festival most of it's life is the nerdy know how of it's student body." Yue felt the texture of Negi's shirt between her fingers as she kept her hand on his shoulder and blushed for reasons only she knew. "You're looking rather nice today Negi. I've never seen you wear something like this before."

"Thanks Yue-san. You're right in saying that I don't usually wear things like this. Master picked it out for me."

"Master?" Yue asked sounding confused for a second before a look of realization washed over her face. "Oh, you mean Mcdowell. I almost forgot that you moved in with her! So how are you holding out living with her anyway?"

"I'm just fine." Negi lied.

"I'd expect you to be tired all the time. I mean, she does work you through training all the time doesn't she?" Yue asked with a small grin.

"Yeah...you could say that."

"By the way, don't forget about your little appointment with Nodoka." Yue reminded him.

"Heh, how could I ever forget?" Negi told her with a warm smile that made her blush lightly. He turned around to walk away just in time for Haruna to see him about to be crushed by a mechanized Tyrannosaurus.

"WHOA, NEGI!" Haruna reached out and pulled him back by the shirt collar just in time to save him. The young magi could only watch with wide eyes as the foot stomped on by and sighed in relief. "You have to watch out sensei. It's crazy around here."

"T-tell me about it." Negi stammered while Chachazero giggled insanely.

"That was sooooo awesome!" The puppet chirped excitedly.

The Haunted House...

"This place actually looks a little different from the last time I came here." Negi told Chachazero as he walked through the foggy hallway that followed the entrance to the attraction that the class of 3-A set up. Kaede stood at the entrance with a deep hood that made it quite hard to make out her face, however, it was easy to tell when she spoke. The only person that ever said "Nin, Nin" after her sentences was the ninja, after all. When he came to the end of the hall he met Ayaka, Makie and Akira standing beside three different doors with a rating board on each one.

"Welcome to the 3-A horror house." The three girls greeted him in unison. Ayaka wore a long white dress with frills while Makie sported a black kimono and Akira an old style school uniform similar to Sayo's. Ayaka caught Negi's attention with a beckoning wave of her hand as she said in the best chilling voice she could muster, "Over here Negi-sensei. Come here!"

Makie did the same, however, the face she assumed was quite frightful actually looked adorable and quite frankly silly. "Negi-kun! Negi-kun!"

"Er...okay..." Negi mumbled, massaging the back of his neck nervously. Ayaka looked rather fearsome with the odd expression on her face and Makie just disturbed him with the way she stared at him. Chachazero on the other hand wasn't buying any of the silly ways that both girls were trying to lure in her master with. In her opinion Evangeline would have been a perfect choice for this sort of situation for obvious reasons. The chibi-vampire could make any grown man wet himself, given the proper incentive. Akira's door doesn't seem so bad. The young magi thought foolishly as the quiet girl took a different method of luring others in by offering them a face of indifference. Almost as though she really didn't care if anyone picked her door.

"Um, I'll pick this one." Negi said with a nervous chuckle as he pointed at Akira's door. The two other girls nearly face faulted at his choice and did their best to have him reconsider. They knew what lied behind "THAT" door and the last thing they wanted was for their teacher to leave their attraction feeling traumatized.

"W-wait sensei!" Ayaka cried out quickly.

"Y-you're making a mistake!" Makie joined in but Akira had already lead him inside, allowing the door to slam shut behind him.

"This is your fault class rep!" Maki turned upon the blonde girl.

"You're the one who kept on making those disturbing noises!" Ayaka retorted back.

Negi looked around in confusion when they entered a dark hall that looked completely different from the other places he had come across on his way to the three paths. It was almost as though he entered a different building when he passed through the other door. The never dying mist was still rolling through the hall, however, and he could hear some strange giggling coming from the walls.

"This is amazing!" Negi exclaimed in wonder. "Are we really still in the same place? This hall is too wide to be just one of the passages."

"Chao-san says it has something to do with the technology she allowed us to borrow from her." Akira answered in her usual collected voice. "Sensei...your eyes are glowing brilliantly."

"O-oh really?" Negi asked in fear that she may have already suspected something. He was going to have to come up with an excuse quickly. "I, uh...got some cool contacts from...a stand on my way here." Negi answered quickly much to Chachazero's amusement. He decided to change the subject quickly so they wouldn't focus on his eyes any longer. "This place really is amazing though." He remarked but his wonder fizzled away when he foot stepped on something soft. It felt almost as though he stepped on a dead animal or plushy.

"Uh..." Negi's voice died in his throat when he lowered his gaze toward, "The H-Head master?! H-he's d-dead?!" He stumbled to the side in his overwhelming shock and bumped against something fleshy. He whipped around quickly in fear and cried out when he saw Ako and Natsumi slumped against the wall with sickles plunged deep within their heads. He felt some moisture on his back and ran the tip of his fingers over it to feel a sticky substance between them. "AHHH! B-blood!"

"Negi-sensei, calm down. "Akira tried to soothe him as she fought against her sudden urge to hold him close in her arms. The look on his face was too cute for her to bear. Like it or not, however, she was going to have to play her part in the 'haunting'. Negi flinched when she whipped around as though something had startled her.

"What?! What is it?!" Negi asked, ignoring Chachazero's gleeful cries at the horror that surrounded him. He heard her mutter something along the lines of, "This is so life like."

"I fear that we may have disturbed some of the evil spirits lurking these halls!" Akira said in a frightfully sepulchral matter. "If we don't leave quickly there's no telling what horrible curse may befall us!" She grabbed ahold of his hand and lead him on forward but there was a sudden snap and Negi bumped against her when she came to an abrupt halt.

"A-Akira-" She fell to the floor before he could say anymore and her head rolled away from her body. "O-oh my gawd!"

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We turn to Asuna and Konoka...

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"God I hate that darn nosferatu!" Asuna growled as she and Konoka walked away from a chance encounter with Evangeline. They happened to bump in to her as they were on their way to the haunted house. Yue and Haruna informed them that Negi was headed there after pestering them about going. "She's always got something bad to say. I swear she has such an unpleasant personality! I don't know how that squirt is able to put up with her!"

"Calm down Asuna-chan. Evangeline isn't that bad of a person." Konoka said as she placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "She saved us once before, remember?"

"Whatever." Asuna mumbled. "It's amazing that her personality hasn't rubbed off on Negi yet with the time he'd been living with her so far. She's so dark you'd figure it's infectious. It's about time he got away from that girl."

"Someone sounds like they're beginning to miss someone." Konoka teased with a grin.

"W-what do you mean?!" The redhead asked, caught off guard by her friend's words.

"You miss our Negi don't you?"

"M-me? Of course not!" Asuna stammered with a furious blush coloring her face. "That little brat is the last person I'd ever miss."

"You have to admit though." Konoka started off dreamily as she placed a hand on her cheek. "He's so handsome whenever he becomes an older person. I wouldn't have minded being in your place when you two went on that practice date."

"That jerk ditched me when we went on that date." Asuna retorted.

"Huh?" Konoka was side tracked by her choice of words.

"P-Practice date! I meant practice date!" Asuna looked for something to veer the subject away to. She caught sight of the rear entrance of the horror house in front of them and whipped out her finger to point her friend's attention toward it. "Look! We're here already!"

"But that's the back door isn't it?"

"Does it matter?"

"Well...I guess not."

"O-Ojo-sama!" Setsuna called out to Konoka as she caught up with them. Konoka turned her head to regard the swordsman and smiled warmly. Setsuna could feel her own face heating up at the sight of her smiling. There was just something so pure and innocent about that way her ojo-sama smiled.

"Oh, hey Set-chan!" Konoka greeted her. "What's the matter?"

"Oh, nothing! I saw you and Asuna-san walking up here so I figured I'd accompany the both of you." Setsuna replied. "You here to try out the horror house?" She questioned with a bit of trepidation in her voice. Konoka didn't seem like the type to react well towards the manner of things that the girls managed to come up with for their attraction.

"No. Yue and Haruna said that Negi came here so we wanted to meet up with him." Konoka answered causing Setsuna to sweat drop.

Negi-kun...in the Haunted house? Somehow I don't feel very comfortable with him experiencing what the girls have to offer in there. I hope they don't shake him up too much. Setsuna thought worriedly. She knew how powerful her precious teacher could be but she also knew he still had fear. Suddenly she felt a disturbing feeling in the pit of her stomach. "We should hurry on over there." Setsuna told Konoka and Asuna.

"Why?" Asuna asked, cocking her head to the side.

"Just trust me."

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Back to Negi and Chachazero...

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"Hey its Negi-kun!" Misa cried out happily once her and the others bursted forth from the windows...how they would fix it up for the next person would be an unsolved mystery...ahem. The other two girls who accompanied her gasped in joy as well and stepped in his path; their hands twitching in frightening anticipation.

"You're right. It is him!" Chizuru giggled in her usual bubbly tone of voice.

"Strip him girls!" Madoka grinned lecherously.

"You got it!" The two other girls chirped before going along with their work. Negi had no time to react as their hands lashed out at him and grabbed ahold of his shirt and jeans. They pulled playfully in an attempt to unsettle him more than he already was and managed to strip him of his jeans leaving him to a black pair of boxers with chibi-bats illustrated on them. Negi tried to dash away in fear only to find himself running in place when he stumbled across a conveyer belt.

"S-so fast!" Negi cried when Misa and Chizuru ran beside him on the conveyer belt. In a fit of desperation he threw himself forward and surprisingly passed through a hidden curtain that lead him out of the dark hall in to two orbs of flesh; Asuna's chest to be specific.

"N-negi, what're you d-doing?!" The redhead cried out before looking at his state of dress. "And half dressed too!" She rose up a hand to slap him into submission but Konoka snatched him away from her and held him protectively in her arms while Setsuna watched on from beside her with a frown.

"You look terrible Negi-kun." Konoka said soothingly as she stroked his head.

"He's shivering." Setsuna commented with a nod of her head. "I swear, those girls go too far sometimes." The three girls turned their attention to the curtain when those aforementioned girls walked out. Misa held Negi's jeans in one hand followed by Chizuru, Madoka and Akira who looked rather embarrassed.

"Here goes his jeans." Misa held them out to Asuna who snatched them away.

"You really gave Negi the scare, ya know?!" Asuna scolded them much like an older sister would.

"We're sorry." Akira apologized for them. "But he chose this path."

"And he was soooo cute!" Misa squealed in a sickeningly sweet voice. "Oh look at him. Can I hold him?!"

"NO!" Konoka and Setsuna yelled.

The Infirmary...

Konoka observed Negi from the door as the nurse approached his bed to offer him tea and smiled before turning to Setsuna who stood beside her doing the same. "Will you please take care of Negi-kun for us Set-chan?" The girl asked sweetly.

"Of course, Ojo-sama." Setsuna answered quickly with a slight nod of her head. She watched as Konoka bowed back gratefully and followed Asuna out of the infirmary before turning back to regard Negi who was looking up at the ceiling; Chachazero sitting beside him, mirroring his actions. She noticed that he was stroking the watch that Chao gave him in his hand and asked, "So did that watch ever prove to be useful?" She took a tea from the nurse who offered her a cup.

"No, not yet." Negi replied with a bit of a loose tongue. "I..haven't seen Chao...san since-" To Setsuna's amazement Negi simply conked out in a moments notice. He was out like a light, breathing lightly as he slipped away completely.

"Heh, night then." Setsuna said in a whisper as she stroked his forehead. She suddenly found her own eyelids getting heavy and laid back in her seat yawning. "Well, it looks like I could use some...sleep mysel..." Her eyes closed before she could finish and she was out as well.

"Master?" Chachazero called his name in worry. There was something a bit off about what was happening. The puppet turned her head towards the door when she felt something move nearby and turned back to observe Setsuna but before she could piece anything together she felt a stab of pain and her arms drooped lifelessly. "M-master's flow..." Chachazero could feel Negi's aura gradually slipping away from her and seconds later she simply shutdown. The glimmer in hers eyes faded away dully and her head hung.

"Can't have you watching, 'dolly'." Chao chuckled as she entered the room, flexing her gloved hands. They crackled a few times before powering down and the Chinese girl took them off and stashed them in her pocket. She approached the bed Negi was sleeping in and sat beside his resting form, taking his hand in one of her own. She felt a deep warmth from being in the same room with him. It was almost as though her blood was calling out to him in some sort of way she wasn't even able to comprehend. "Well then, Negi. Who would've known that it was going to be this easy to obtain what I desire from you; a vampire destined to be feared by the other clans." She pulled down his collar and a mischievous smirk crossed her lips.

"You look so peaceful and helpless." She ran two of her fingers down his neck and stopped at a point that she could feel his pulse. The excitement she felt at that moment was simply overwhelming. Every hair on her body stood up in anticipation. "Naturally Evangeline would endow me with much more fearsome powers but she isn't so easy to fool. She's much too clever to bring down but her underling is the next best thing and I feel way more comfortable having a drink from you anyway." She bared her fangs, lowering herself over the young magi until she could feel her own breath on Negi's neck.

"Cheers." She bit down and her eyes almost rolled in to the back of her head as Negi's sweet blood streamed in to her mouth in a smooth flow that was overcoming all her rational senses. She was trembling. Her hands; no, her entire body started to tremble. This is what it was like to drink from the very roots of her clan, one of the first in Evangeline's clan. There were stories of how Negi's blood was desired by all the dark mistresses of every clan in her time but this was just too good beyond belief!

"AH!" Chao pulled away with all the will power she had left in her. Negi moaned in his sleep, clearly disturbed by her actions but he was so overtaken by the drug she slipped in his tea that he did nothing else. "I could've sucked him dry if I didn't get a grip on myself." Chao panted, as she made sure to lick the blood trickling from her mouth. She lowered herself over him once more to lap up the blood that was still trickling down his neck before it could stain the pillow and sighed in ecstasy. This truly was a forbidden heaven and she was going to have to get away from it before it would consume her.

"Eva has it too good." Chao mumbled with a lopsided grin. "She has it way too good but it doesn't matter now." She clenched her right hand in to a fist and closed her eyes as she slowly felt a deep change within her body. Her fangs were slowly growing in her mouth along with other physical features on her body. "This is amazing! This is everything I ever expected it to be and it's all thanks to you Negi-chan! Now..." Her eyes spied the Cassiopeia held loosely in Negi's hand. "...it's time to set you up. Your neck should be healed by the time you wake up."

--------------------------------------

A few hours later...

--------------------------------------

"E-EVA DON'T!" Negi suddenly screamed as he awoke from him drug induced slumber. Cold sweat trailed down his face as he tried to pace himself and he was relieved to have awoken from his nightmares but something didn't seem right when he looked around. Either the nurse drew down the curtains as they napped or...

"Why is is so dark in here?!" Negi gasped in fear. He looked at the clock and his eyes widened in utter shock. His mind chose to shut down at the very moment to save itself from self-destruction. Setsuna awoke from her slumber as well and caught on just as fast as Negi did. She, however, made things worse on Negi when she screamed, "It's eight o' clock! We slept through everything!" She slapped her hands against her cheeks and cried out, "We've missed the preliminaries for the Mahora Tournament!"

"NO!" Negi jumped out of the bed, knocking Chachazero down to the floor by mistake and freaked out when he realized what had happened. "Ch-Chacha-chan!" He scooped her up in his arms and stroked her head quickly. "H-hey I'm sorry about that!"

Silence...

"Er...Chachazero?" Negi called to her again but he received no answer. He started to panic and clutched her tightly to his chest in fear. "Oh no! I've missed everything and now I've killed my familiar! Chacha-chan, WHY?!"

"Calm down Negi-kun!" Setsuna ran to him and placed her hands on both his shoulders. "Take a deep breath. Chachazero is not dead!"

"B-but she won't respond!"

"You're just so worked up that you jumping to conclusions! She is not dead!" Setsuna yanked one of his hands in to one of her own and pulled him to the door of the infirmary room. She heard Negi trying to talk to his familiar behind her and sighed. This definitely wasn't the way she wanted to start off from a good nap. "...Ojo-sama...lend me your strength."

Suddenly everything went silent. The beeps from the medical devices in the room stopped and so did the chatter from the nurses gossiping at the front desk. Just as quick as everything had stopped, everything had begun to run backwards! The nurses voices sounded distorted as they started doing everything backwards. The clock in the room started to tick counter-clockwise and before Setsuna and Negi could get a grasp of what was happening the room vanished in a void of inky darkness...

Setsuna opened her eyes and closed them quickly when the light from the sun outside shone directly on her face...wait a second...the sun?! "W-what just..." Setsuna narrowed her eyes as she looked out the window and flinched when a plane whizzed by without warning; One of the same planes that the flying club flew earlier this morning when the fesitval started.

"It's ten o' clock!" Negi exclaimed, his voice filled with the quivers of disbelief. He pulled his hand away from Setsuna's when he felt Chachazero squirm in his arms and hugged the unsuspecting puppet before she could even say anything. "CHACHAZERO!" He cried out happily. "You're alive!"

"M-master, st-stop it! You're going to disassemble me!" The sadistic puppet cried out bashfully. "Oh no, my hat. My hat is going to fall off!" Negi stopped when she cried out a final time and stared back at Setsuna who was still looking quite lost. It was at the expression that lingered on the swordsmen's face that brought him back to the situation at hand.

"L-let's go outside to see what going on!" Negi suggested.

"Good call sensei!"

-------------------------------------------

Turning away from that pair...

-------------------------------------------

"Mei...must you have one?" Takane asked her underling as the redhead mage in training waited for the student to finish preparing her cotton candy for her. The blonde magistress sighed when Mei gave her a nod in response before turning back to the business at hand. "We really should be scouting out for any confessions. Are you sure the sensor hasn't alerted you?"

"I'm positive." Mei assured her as she pulled the sensor out of her pocket to prove it. "Believe me onesan, it's the first day of the festival; not even close to the evening yet. I don't think anyone's about to make a confession yet."

"Alright, alright..." Takane crossed her arms with a huff. "Then get me one to."

"Got ya' covered!" Mei chirped in reply as she turned back to inform the student who turned away for a moment to roll her eyes. As the duo stood beside the cotton candy booth, Evangeline walked by and spotted Takane by her long golden mane of hair and nurse cap. She had almost mistakened Ayaka for her earlier as she passed by the haunted house but she was sure this time. The nurse cap was a dead give away.

"Well, well." Takane flinched when she heard Evangeline's dark silk voice. She turned around slowly to face the vampiress and a scowl came upon her face almost immediately. Of all the times the dark mage could have shown her face it had to be when Gandolfini wasn't anywhere in sight. "I'm just strolling through the festival grounds and I happen to see you slacking off. What sort of example is that for all the other mages on campus?"

"Dark Evangel..." Takane growled before regaining her composure. "Interesting to see you showing your face. I didn't think you would be so careless."

"Careless?" Evangeline asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. I'm sure you're aware of the many mages currently on campus just itching to arrest you." Takane smirked but it faltered slightly when she saw the chibi-vampire grin.

"I'm very much aware of them but you have to ask yourself..." Evangeline crossed her arms. "Do you really want to start something in the middle of all this? I'm capable of wiping out every mundane on the grounds right now just by 'accidentally' allowing one of my spells to miss in the heat of battle."

"You're terrible." Takane shot at her. "It's a wonder how Negi puts up with you." The magistress managed to strike a chord without even realizing it. Had she been paying attention carefully she would have seen the brief pained look that flashed across Evangeline's face. Negi didn't happen to say anything nasty about her during his little meetings with this girl had he? The very thought made Evangeline feel a little...unsettled.

"Now that you mention the boya's name, I've noticed you two have been meeting quite often lately. I can't help but feel a little curious at the very idea of you two together."

"Why do you say that?" Takane asked as her eye twitched ever so slightly.

"You're working under Gandlofini aren't you?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, the very idea of a mage such as yourself associatating themself with the apprentice of an "Evil" mage like boya brings up some questions." Evangeline took a sudden step forward, forcing Takane to take a step back cautiously. Evangeline saw her right hand slip in to her pocket and she smirked. She could tell that she was making Takane very uncomfortable. "It would be a shame if you were using my apprentice as a source against me."

"Hey one...san?" Mei turned to face Takane with both sticks of cotton candy in her hands only to see Evangeline standing there with a devious grin on her face. By the looks of it she could tell that Takane was engaged in a verbal sparring session with the vampiress and the tension was already getting to her. "E-Eva?"

"So this must be Mei." Evangeline mused as she stole a glance at Mei before returning her attention back to Takane. "Negi told me about her. I can tell that he has developed a fondness towards the both of you. He defends you two as though he'd known you all his life." Her words made an impact on Takane and Mei.

"I assure you that I'm not using Negi." Takane retorted.

"You aren't? Somehow I don't believe that."

"You don't, hmm? If anything you're the one, Negi needs to be protected from." This time she caught the brief look on Evangeline's face. "You're a terrible influence on him. The last thing I'd want is for a young man like him to be tainted by your...your monstrous nature."

"Monstrous? Me?" Evangeline clenched her left fist at those words. They were words that reminded her of a dark past she tried hard to put behind her. She didn't let her emotion betray her much else, however, as she tossed her hair to the side and grinned. "I advise you to think before you speak next time girl. There are a few things about me that you don't know about as well as a few things you don't WANT to know about." She turned away and started walking away but not before saying, "If I happen to find out that you've hurt Negi in any way then you'll get a little insight on those certain things."

"...She sure is demented." Mei remarked.

"And she seems to have a deep relation with Negi-sensei for her to worry about him." Takane commented, cupping her chin in one hand thoughtfully. "Nevertheless we must liberate Negi-sensei from her before she manages to pull him in any further."

"Are you serious?"

"I'm serious."

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile we turn to another confrontation...

-------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hoo, hoo, hoo. Having fun here, are we?" Chao butted in as she stepped behind Negi and Setsuna while they were having a warm talk. They both whipped around to face her when she spoke and a smile crossed her lips. Negi massaged the back of his neck with a blush creeping up on his face and laughed nervously.

"O-oh, well...er...I'm going to..." Negi shuffled away from both girls before making a dash for it with Chachazero. "I'll be back!" With Negi out of the way, Chao set her sights on Setsuna and grinned. "So how do you like the past? I thought it best if you experienced it first-hand so I slipped a little something in to the tea that the nurse gave the both of you...Sorry Setsuna-san." To Setsuna her apology lacked it's genuineness.

"There's one thing that's bothering me about you." Setsuna started out as she flopped her bunny ear out of the way. "This time-displacement device that you gave Negi couldn't have been built by any mere human no matter how brilliant."

"Your point?" Chao questioned with a lopsided grin that made her look simply devious.

"Just who are you?" Setsuna demanded to know.

"Are you sure you want to know?" Chao asked, licking her left fang playfully.

"No doubt."

"Well then..." Chao started to walk circles around Setsuna, putting the swordsman on alert. "I'm a mysterious Chinese inventor, a mad scientist and even the owner of the ever popular Chao Boa XI and others but the truth is..."

"Yeah..."

"My true identity is..."

"Stop stalling!"

"A secret!" Chao finished with a grin.

"Give me a break!" Setsuna cried out. The Chinese girl had pushed her towards the edge already. "Coming from a class with a vampire, a robot and even a ninja and a ghost I wouldn't be surprised if you were of a similar nature."

"Hoo, hoo." A truly evil expression washed over Chao's face." I wouldn't throw stones if I were you Setsuna-san." The Chinese girl was very aware of what Setsuna truly was. She already knew quite a bit about the secrets of her past and that made Setsuna take action. She whipped out her artifact before the vampiress declaring, " So now we know why you're really here! If you mean to harm Negi-kun in anyway I guarantee that my blade will not be still!"

"Such words in that get up won't have an effect on me." Chao grinned, gesturing to the bunny suit Setsuna was donning. She could see that the swordsman was already getting rather irritated by her laid back attitude. "Besides, I'm not here to hurt Negi-chan at all. I only gave him the watch so he could enjoy the festival, that's all." She leaned over to Setsuna with another cheerful smile gracing her lips. "Negi-chan happens to be a blood relation alright? There's no way I'd hurt him of all people."

Setsuna looked back at Chao in awe. That was the last thing she ever expected to hear out of her. She was simply in shock but what could she possibly say? The only thing she could do at the moment was taking that answer because unlike before, the girl sounded as though she was telling the truth. The smile on her face held some genuiness and there was an air of honest at that moment.

"...What're you up to?"

"Nothing at all!" Chao grinned before pulling a thick white manual from seemingly out of nowhere. "This is the instruction booklet for the Cassiopiea so make sure Negi gets that. I'm just relieved that it works because the last time it ever was used was about two and a half years ago."

"You're glad that it works? What do you mean?"

"Well, it happened to malfunction there would have been a chance that you and Negi would've been stuck in the ripples of time forever." Just as she finished her sentence Negi came back with Chachazero and took his place beside Setsuna.

"Sorry if I took long!" He apologized.

"Oh, don't be sorry Negi-chan." Chao told him with a smile as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "I just gave your little girlfriend the manual for the watch."

"O-oh! You already discussed it?! I was kind of nervous when it all happened!" Negi stammered.

"Don't worry Negi-chan." She snatched the manual out of Setsuna's hands and slipped it to Negi. "This will walk you through everything. It really depends on you, how much to read."

"Th-thanks!" Negi thanked her gratefully.

"Well, you two kids have fun!" Chao bided them farewell as she turned to walk away. "I have a date to keep so I'll be on my way!"

"Alright." Negi nodded before realizing something. "D-date?! I almost forgot about Nodoka again!" Negi started to make his leave as well. "It's been pretty fun Setsuna-san but I've got to go before I forget again! I'll see you later okay?!" He didn't even wait for an answer as he was already running down the stairs before Setsuna could utter a word. She looked back at Chao's fleeting form as the Chinese girl made her leisure escape and narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

Chao Lingshen...I don't know how it is that you're related to Negi-sensei but...I still don't quite trust you just yet...

Fast-forwarding to the Date...

Nodoka stood by a large fountain in wait for Negi to show up for their date. Of course she wouldn't admit that it was in fact a date but no one was willing to say otherwise anyway. She wore a nice white summer dress with a purse to match. A neckband was wrapped around her neck with a small flower blossoming on the front and she fixed her hair so that it was slightly pulled away from her eyes despite the stubborn bang that hung dab in the middle covering her nose. She pulled out her cellphone when she felt the trepidation of Negi's arrival getting to her and held a number on speed dial.

"Y-Yue? Haruna? You there?" She asked nervously.

-"We're right here kiddo! We'll be backing you up every step of the way, okay?!"- Haruna's voice rang out excitedly. The manga artist could never control her excitement whenever it came to matters like this. She was a fool for love and any other matters that had to deal with romance and passion. -"It's your big chance kid! At least get in a kiss or two!"-

"Y-you can't be serious!" Nodoka cried out with a blush blossoming beautifully on her face.

-"You'll be fine Nodoka. Just do your best and be yourself."- Yue's calm voice spoke to her from the other side. There was a slight hint of reluctance as the blue-haired girl gave her advice but Nodoka was much to nervous to pick up on it. Her heart felt as though it was about to burst from her chest. -"It always helps to visualize the situation."-

"V-visualize?" Nodoka held out her magic book in her other hand where nobody else could view it and found something there she didn't expect to see...well kind of. On the pages before her displayed a sequence involving Negi complementing her beauty before ending the scene with a kiss. Her mind went a step further, however, and the pages warped in to one last scene that turned their simple kiss into one straight out of a hot steamy love novel.

"Not cool! N-not cool!" Nodoka tried rubbing out the images from the pages with her hand but it only caused the page to display-CLAP. She closed the book so hard that her hair was blown back by the impact of both sides of the book slamming against each other.

-"Hey! Are you still there?"- Haruna asked.

"Y-yeah!"

-"You sound pretty flustered. What happened? Did Negi-kun come yet?!"-

"N-no! Everything is just fine!"

-"Great because I seriously want to let you in on something before you go on your date with him. There's this really popular legend about that tree that states it will grant love to anyone. You might not even have to confess your love! Maybe a kiss will work!"-

There was silence...

-"Hey Yue...why are you looking at me like that? HEY...WHOA! Hey Yue, HEY YUE! OH CHRIS-"- The cellphone hung up after that, leaving Nodoka to stare at her phone in confusion. She took that last moment to look back in to her book to see what her heart was desiring now only to have Negi suddenly pop out of nowhere and greet, "Hey Nodoka! Whatcha readin'?"

"N-NOTHING!" The librarian slammed the book closed again, causing it to disappear in a puff of smoke.

"So did I make you wait? I hope I wasn't late!"

"I-I actually just got here myself."

"Really?! That's a nice dress you have on!" Negi complimented her. "It makes you looks cute!"

"I am?! I m-mean, it does?!" Yue stumbled over her words.

-------------F-----------------------------------V--------------------------------------A--------------

"Heh, Heh! Look at those two hit it off Yue!" Haruna grinned as she nudged her companion on the shoulder. The manga artist expected Yue to respond to her words, however, her response came in the form of Asuna's voice which managed to come from out of nowhere.

"You have to admit that they look good together." Asuna said. Yue and Haruna whipped their heads in her direction.

"Wh-when did you get here?!" Haruna cried out in surprise. She bugged out even more when she saw that the red-head wasn't alone. Konoka and Setsuna had accompanied her as well with Chamo and Chachazero along for the ride. Well, Chachazero actually didn't seem all that happy with being present at the moment as much as Chamo was.

"I want my master!" Chachazero cried out. "Take me to him now!"

"Shush, will ya?" Asuna snapped at the puppet.

"Fool! My master and me are inseparable! I advise you take me to him before-" Chachazero stopped in mid-sentence when she realized that something very important to her was missing. Make that two very important things were missing. "M-my blades! Where are my swords?!"

"We made sure to strip you of them." Setsuna answered with a wink.

"First you take me away from my master and then you part me from my swords?! You're all monsters!" Chachazero groaned.

"That doll sure is interactive." Haruna commented suspiciously.

"Er...Whoa! They're making a move!" Konoka changed the subject quickly. Her words were kind of inaccurate though seeing as how Nodoka was doing most of the moving. From the looks of it she must have been heading towards the...

"BATHROOM!" All the girls screamed in frustration.

"That is only for emergencies!" Haruna groaned.

"She just used up one of her breaks." Konoka slipped her hand against her forehead. "Nodoka is so hopeless sometimes." The girls watched Negi stand there for a few minutes and they were convinced that the girl seriously was taking too much time. Then something unbelievably terrible headed right in to the equation. It came in the form of blonde flowing hair, fangs and a cute doll outfit that caught most of the girls off guard for a moment.

"Eva-san!" Setsuna exclaimed in fear. "What is she doing here?!"

"This is going to lose control fast people!" Asuna yelled. "Negi better do something quick!"

"This watch is amazing!" Negi nuzzled the miniature time machine against his cheek. "Chao-san in the best!"

"What was that exactly?" Evangeline popped out behind him.

"AH!" Negi jumped away from the vampiress and hid the watch behind his back in a futile attempt to hide the device from her. "M-mas- I mean Eva! I didn't expect to meet you around here!" He shuffled away from her a bit to put some more distance between them. "So..er...are you enjoying the festival so far?"

"I've gone through it a few times already but I guess it still amuses me somehow." Evangeline replied as she raised an eyebrow. "Boy do you look tense. What are you hiding behind your back boya?"

"Huh, y-you mean this?!" Negi asked, holding the watch out for her from a distance so she wouldn't be able to snatch it from him.

"Yeah, that. I'm feeling some magic vibes from that little doohickey." She held out her hand with a grin. "Hand it over."

"Why?!"

"Don't worry. I won't break it...promise." Evangeline told him.

"Ohhhhhhkaaayyyyeeee..." Evangeline's left eye started to twitch when Negi's voice patterns began to slow down as his eyes darted around for someone. He slowly brought the hand holding that watch towards her but he pulled it away quickly when he saw Nodoka come out of the bathroom. "Whoops, sorry Eva!" He laughed in relief.

"Whaddya mean, sorry?" The vampiress demanded.

"U-um, Nodoka is waiting for me so I better get going!" with that final exchange Negi met up with the timid girl who was walking towards them. The vampiress watched as the young magi spoke to Nodoka and waved at her before taking off toward the festival square. All the while Evangeline twisted one of the bows on her dress with both of her hands as she grit her teeth.

"Why does he keep on avoiding me?!"

"Score one for Negi-kun!" Konoka cheered. Her perkiness was so infectious that the other girls couldn't help but pump their fists in the air. At least until Evangeline suddenly whipped her head in their direction as though she could actually see them which was quite possible due to the fact that she was a vampire so she naturally had enhanced vision. Asuna and the others started to feel that it was best to change positions. Negi and Nodoka had started moving on anyway!

"To the main street!" Haruna declared.

Takane and Mei strolled through the main streets where most of the hustle and bustle was since they believed it would be the best place to pick up on confessions. It happened to be on the way to World Tree Plaza so it was a sure mainstream. As usual the girls had something else on their mind besides patrolling though.

"So, say that we do happen to convince Negi to leave Evangeline." There was a puzzled expression on Mei's face as she tried to express herself. "Er, what next? He's just going to move to another dorm room on campus which means Eva has more than enough time to convince him in to joining her again."

"You have a point there Mei." Takane nodded along with her underlings reasoning before an imaginary light bulb flashed above her head. "So we simply must take him away from her. We could always take him with us away from Mahora campus after the festival is over."

"But he's a teacher!" Mei argued. "The school would never allow it."

"Nonsense! Takahata sensei could always retake the position." Takane assured Mei with flicking gesture of her wrist. "We can train Negi to become part of Gandolfini's personal mage squad. We'll travel all over the world together as a team!" Mei could have sworm she saw an odd gleam in the blonde magistress's eyes as she said that.

"It sound like you've got this all planned." Mei sighed.

"Negi has the potential! I don't see why not."

"I don't have a problem with it at all onesan. I'd be delighted to have Negi come along with us everywhere. I'd even be happy enough to introduce him to my family but things just don't go that smoothly." Mei said with a frown. "How do you think Evangeline would react when she finds out we're the people who convinced Negi to leave her?"

"Well...now that you put it that way..." Takane mumbled.

"W-wait a second!" Mei held out her hand in front of Takane to get her attention as the confession tracker beeped rapidly. "We've got a confession...at that bookstore!" She pointed at the Barnes and Nobles nearby.

"We better hurry!" Takane took the lead immediately. The two girls managed to reach the store just in time to see Nodoka fall on top of Negi beside a stack of books near the very entrance. The position they were in made Mei blush up to her ears.

"Negi-sensei, what are you doing?" Takane asked with a slight edge in her voice. Nodoka got away from Negi quickly and pressed her back against another stack of books that were behind her causing it to fall over as well.

"W-well, you see...we weren't doing anythi-"

"Here we all are on patrol and you're here on a date with a female student!" Takane had a scowl on her face as she continued to berate the young magi. She felt somewhat betrayed that he would simply go out on a date with a different girl a day after they all had dinner together and to make it worse he was putting himself in danger! "The bond isn't as effective today but the first day is eighty percent effective! You need to be careful!"

"Um...what?" Nodoka felt completely lost. "Um, N-Negi-sensei?"

The Confession tracker suddenly went out of control!

"She's right up in the danger zone!" Mei warned Takane. "She could confess at any moment!" She was surprised when Negi got between them and Nodoka.

"I'm sorry but that's just rude Mei!" Negi scolded the girl, causing a hurt expression to grace her face. "M-Mei! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"Negi! Step away from your student! You are in danger!" Takane ordered fiercely, cutting him off. She forced him out of the way and grabbed Nodoka's arm roughly before escorting her. "This way please."

"O-ow!" Nodoka moaned, "N-Negi-sensei." Before anyone else could do a thing Negi suddenly pulled her away from Takane and made a run for it.

"Let's go Nodoka-san!" He cried out, running away with her in tow. Takane and Mei didn't even hesitate to pursue them.

"Is he sick?!" Takane growled. "Has he lost his mind?!"

"Th-they're on the run!" Setsuna alerted Asuna when she saw everything unfold from the bench they were hiding behind. "We need go after them!"

"Lets get to it then!" Asuna yelled.

"Can you fly?"

"Er..what?!"

"N-negi sensei! My feet!" Nodoka cried out. Negi grimaced when he heard her and did the only thing he could think of at the moment. He stole a glance over his shoulder to see Takane and Mei still hot on his tail and pulled in to his arms with surprising strength before kicking of from the ground and flying in to the air. The people on Main Street were suddenly ants to the two as they soared through the sky where Takane and Mei couldn't reach them.

"Wow... Negi." Nodoka was in complete awe of his abilities. "You're so cool." When Negi figured they put enough distance between them and the Main street he spotted a balcony to land on and descended upon it lightly. He let the light girl back on her feet and tried to catch his breath.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that." He apologized.

"But who were they Negi-sensei?"

"My co-workers I guess." Negi replied with a frown. "I'm so sorry! We were having such a nice day and I had to go and ruin it with this mess!"

"You have nothing to apologi-"

"I'll make it up to you Nodoka-san! I promise! Just tell me what you want and I'll do it!" Negi cut the librarian off quickly.

"Make it up to me?" Nodoka asked as the possibilities suddenly became endless.

"Yeah, anything you want!" Negi urged her on.

"Well then..." Nodoka walked over to the rail of the balcony and thought for a moment before looking back at Negi. She found it a little hard to find the words to say but she finally went on, "What I'd like sensei...is for you to kiss me."

"Huh?" Negi found himself confused.

The World Tree flickered...

"Before it wasn't really on purpose and this time I'd like for it to be a little more romantic." Nodoka said with boldness she never knew she had in her. Negi didn't even have time to respond before a circle of light appeared around him and seconds later a white beam of light engulfed him. Nodoka backed away as the light continued to shower him until it finally stopped and Negi slumped over.

"N-Negi-sensei?! Are you alright?!" She asked in fear that he may have been hurt but she backed away when an odd dazed look washed over his face. The life in his eyes had suddenly vanished almost as if he was being hypnotized. Setsuna and Asuna had seen the piercing beam of light when it had struck and were already on their way to check out what was going on. The World tree powered everything that was channeled with the passage of magic and in this case it fueled Negi's vampiric side at an overwhelming level.

"Understood." Negi said in an odd voice.

"What do you mean?" Nodoka asked unaware of what he was answering to.

"You wish to receive a kiss right? I'll give you a kiss right now if you don't mind." He held his hand out to her and her stomach did flips. Was this seriously happening to her of all people? Negi was actually going to give her the kiss that she had been awaiting all this time since their date started. She started to hesitate when she noticed that there was just something so wrong about what was happening. The look in Negi's eyes didn't hold any life in them. It just didn't seem right!

"Negi-kun...I don't think we should do this." She tried to decline the offer but Negi's eyes began to entrance her. He held his hand out to her regardless and she suddenly felt the irresistible urge to approach him. When she was in arms reach he grabbed ahold of her wrist and pulled her towards him. "N-negi-sensei...is that really you?!" Her words fell meaninglessly to his ears as he placed his other hand on the small of her back and pulled her towards him.

"No! Y-you musn't!" She moaned as her heart felt like it was going to burst. Her eyes lingered upon his soft lips as they almost captured hers but at the last moment Asuna came out of nowhere and forced them apart!

"Leave her alone!" the red-head cried out fiercely as she swung at the young magi but he dodged easily as though he was engaged in a dance with her. His movements were so ethereal that it made Asuna shiver. Setsuna joined her with Chachazero and the faced off against Negi.

"Stupid Negi! What's wrong with you!?" Asuna demanded.

"This must be the work of the World Tree!" Chachazero explained before turning on Nodoka. "What did you order master to do?!"

"What do you mean?!" Nodoka asked, finding it hard to keep up with everything.

"This isn't the power of love little girl!" The puppet snapped angrily. "You ordered master to do something and the World Tree is controlling his will!"

"Oh gosh..." She gasped.

"What is it Nodoka-san?!" Setsuna asked when she heard her.

"A kiss! I asked him to kiss me."

"Are you serious?" Asuna and Setsuna asked in perturbation. They never would have taken Nodoka for the bold one. For her to ask for a kiss was something entirely foreign to them! Nevertheless her bold effort was what caused the problem.

"Setsuna-san, please step aside." Negi's calm voice suddenly asked from beside her. She whipped to the side to see Negi standing right beside her and ordered, "Snap out of it!"

"Very well." Negi said with a nod before shifting in to a fighting stance. He lunged forward with a palm shot and Setsuna dodged to the side while Asuna pushed Nodoka out the way. Just as Setsuna got ready to defend he came at her again with an elbow and advance with a spinning backhand when she managed to block his attack as well.

"Such movement...it's unreal!" Setsuna observed grimly as she turned to Asuna and Nodoka. "Asuna! Get Nodoka far away from here! I'll try to snap Negi-kun out of it!"

"But Setsuna-"

"Do it now!" Setsuna cut Asuna off before she could say anymore. She turned back to Negi and grinned when she saw him back in a fighting stance. She had a feeling that this was going to be fun. Although I would be happier sparring you while you weren't under another influence. Don't go and disappoint me Negi! She charged forward and attempted to disable him with a leg sweep but he leaped over her and flipped in the air before coming down with an axe kick. Setsuna anticipated it and rolled to the side before positioning herself on her upper back and jerking her hips to the side to imitate the motion of a top in an attack that resembled a break dance maneuver. Even in his controlled state, Negi seemed to show a brief expression of surprise as he avoided her barrage of kicks.

He opted for a low ground attack as he countered her maneuver with a rising kick that knocked her off balance! Setsuna quickly recovered when she fell to the floor again and charged at Negi again, however, instead of trying to catch him with a straight forward attack she placed her hands on both of his shoulders when she was in reach and jumped over his head before crouching down and kicking him in the back. He staggered forward from the unexpected attack and found himself at Setsuna's mercy when she whipped around and brought him down with a corkscrew kick.

"Come on!" Setsuna taunted, her feet moving at a beat that made her appear to be dancing. She stopped with eyes wide in embarrassment however when Negi's fallen form phased out like a hologram. "A-An after image?! Almost like Kaede'a techniques! How did he manage to do that?!"

"The World Tree seems to be unlocking most of his latent power." Chachazero informed her. "Master isn't going to be an easy opponent, that's for sure."

"Then we better hurry!"

She whipped around to face the direction that Asuna and Nodoka escaped and dashed across balcony to balcony. With the way Negi was behaving Asuna wasn't going to be much help to the librarian at all!

"Asuna-san, I'm so sorry!" Nodoka apologized with a deep bow. "I-I don't understand why this is happening!"

"Don't worry yourself Nodoka-san!" Asuna told her with a grin as she shouldered her steel fan. "This stuff is usually all Negi's fault anyw-" Asuna stopped to turn towards the balcony ledge when she heard someone land hard. To her dismay it wasn't Setsuna...

"Sorry to keep you waiting Nodoka-chan." Negi apologized as he walked to them. The closer he got the faster both girl's heartbeat began to beat. His aura was having an affect on them that they just couldn't understand. They felt the cold embrace of darkness when Negi almost reached them but the feeling was lifted almost immediately when a barrage of light arrow rained upon the vampire. Asuna had to keep herself from crying out when she saw the piercing blades of light crash where Negi was standing but a wave of relief and fear spread over her when Negi stomped the ground, causing a field to deflect the surprise attack.

"I thought this might happen!" Takane said grimly.

"Oh no...what happened to Negi-kun? I've never seen him behave like this!" Mei clutched her broom tightly in worry.

"It's the influence of the tree." Takane turned a fearsome gaze upon Nodoka that made the girl shiver. It didn't look much like the face of a hero. It looked more like Takane was contemplating whether to deal some punishment to her despite their current situation. "Negi's little date must have confessed to him or given him an order of some sort."

"HELLO?!" Asuna waved her arms at them. "Some help would be just fantastic!"

"He disappoints me but it must be done!" Takane said haughtily. "You surprised us before but we won't underestimate you this time Negi!" She declared as she pointed a finger at Negi. She pumped one of her fist in the air and yelled, "Since reserve seemingly means nothing for you I'll just send em' all at once! ATTACK!" She signaled for all of her shadow warrior to attack Negi but nothing happened.

"What's going on? ATTA...!" Takane's scream fizzled out like a dying spark when she realized that Negi was no longer standing where he once was, which may have been the explanation for her warrior's disobedience because he appeared to be standing behind her and Mei. Asuna and Nodoka could only gape in shock when they saw Negi dispatch the entire squad of warriors like they were nothing but animated lampshades. Negi aimed his hand at both female mages and they took that opportunity to scream for the spell he began to chant was "Oh-so-dreadful!"

He's going to strip us of our clothes! Takane inwardly screamed but to her immense relief Setsuna took Negi's place beside them when she took his dropped guard as an opportunity to deliver a solid flying kick to his side. The ending result was Negi crashing in to the many outdoor dinner tables on the balcony below. To all of the girls dread Negi brushed off the kick and collision as though it didn't have any affect on him and advanced on Asuna and Nodoka.

"Oh Jesus!" Asuna grabbed ahold of Nodoka again and made her stand behind her before getting in to a fighting stance with her steel fan. "Come on stupid squirt! What are ya' doing?!" She cried out in frustration. Negi said nothing but decided to kick off and glide towards her with both hands crackling with light energy.

"Come on then!" Asuna yelled. She deflected a punch from him with her fan and whipped around to strike his other hand before he could deliver a solid punch to her. When Negi found that his punches weren't doing much he whipped around with a round house but Asuna was just as quick and easily blocked it with the hilt of her weapon. Asuna's breath caught in her throat when Negi's feet seemingly never touched the ground as he made up for error and tried to deliver a mid-air swan dive upon her. She managed to brace herself yet another time but she gradually found herself getting tired.

That's it! I'm going on the offensive! Asuna slashed at him but he ducked under her fan before it could strike him. She went in for an overhead slash and to her prediction Negi dodged to the right which offered her the chance to catch him with a solid kick to the gut. Negi skidded back from the impact but held his ground and dropped in to another fighting stance. To him the fight was just picking up a notch but Asuna wasn't about to throw down the towel just yet.

Nodoka, seeing that this was going too far finally cried out, "Asuna-san! Just stop already! I'll take the kiss from him if it'll make him stop!" Her words elicited quite a reaction from all the other girls who regarded her with looks that gave the impression that they thought she was crazy.

"NO WAY!" Asuna cried out. "I'm not about to let him get through to you!" She turned her attention back to Negi and a cocky grin crossed her lips. "If you wanna kiss her then you're gonna have to kiss me first! Got it?!"

Negi stayed very quiet for a moment as though he was thinking over her words before finally saying. "Alright then. You first Asuna-san."

And the whole world was like, "WHAT?!"

"Look Ms. Kagurazaka, I don't know how you got your hands on an artifact but I suggest you leave this to those who can handle it!" Takane yelled.

"What the heck are you talking about?!" Asuna snapped back at the blonde magistress.

"Look Negi-kun!" Takane got the young magi's attention. "Forget what those civilians tell you. If you want to pucker up then you're going to have to lay one on me first! You got that?!" What the magistress didn't know was what would have followed.

"Very well." Negi complied as he turned his back on Asuna.

"Hey! Don't you ignore me!? Asuna yelled but Negi no longer concerned himself with her. He set his sights on Takane and Mei and Setsuna got in position to hold him off.

"You're crazy Goodman!" Setsuna hissed.

"Onesan, why did you have to get his attention like that?!" Mei cried out. Both girls had no time to react as Negi glided in their direction at top speed and stopped right in front of them. The ending result was a tremendous sonic boom that sent both Mei, Setsuna. and Takane in the air. Negi, seeing his chance flew in to the air and held Takane in his arms before capturing her lips in a passionate kiss.

"OH MY GOD!"

"ONESAN?!"

"THAT CRAZY WOMAN!"

"MASTER NEGI! NOOOOOOO!"

"N-NEGI-SENSEI?!"

Takane had her eyes wide open as her mind slowly processed what was happening to her. Negi had her in a firm embrace and was giving her a lesson in kissing that she never thought she would learn in a long time. His aura was pulling her in as her body started to give in to the passion and for one horrifying, crucial moment all of her worries and resistance melted away.

Her eyes closed and she was his...

Negi on the other hand had suddenly become very thirst...

To Be Continued...

I seriously think I just disturbed myself...ahem...well you can expect more twists like that to come up in the future so I hope you enjoyed this chapter. What will happen next? Well, I have a few ideas but feel free to comment. Heh...

Traingham...

…Cripes! Am I seriously still on day one?!