Disclaimer: I do not own Negima or any of it's characters...
Fang Vice Addiction
Chapter Sixteen: Loving You a Little More
By Traingham
It was the most unbelievably indescribable sensation Takane had ever experienced in her entire life and she was receiving it from the most unlikely person ever. Her toes curled as Negi slipped in something rather unexpected and she found her hands slipping over his back to keep him close. They were still in the air for reasons she couldn't really care to comprehend at the moment and her hair was flowing freely around them. Asuna and the others could only watch with gaping mouths as they watched the passionate scene unfold before them and they couldn't help but see something completely bizarre about it because the blonde magistress didn't seem to show any signs of resistance.
Asuna couldn't even do her part and separate them because she was just so mesmerized by the way Negi was attending to the young woman in his arms. Had he been in his older form at the given moment she probably would have been filled with the venomous stab of jealousy. In fact she actually felt rather disturbed that Takane had managed to have her lips claimed when she was the one who was willing to sacrifice herself for the cause in the first place. Setsuna was busy going over the scenario of what would have happened if she decided to give herself in at the last moment and Mei was simply fuming.
"Takane.." Negi whispered in to her ear when he broke the kiss gently. The young magi could feel her shiver from the way his sweet breath tingled her ear. "...I hope I've fulfilled what you expected of me." He bared his fangs as his eyes practically danced over the elegance of her neck with a spark of feeling that was previously unseen in his dull eyes. "Now allow me to take you further."
"...Further?" Takane moaned in confusion as her mind slowly regained a little grip on reality but before she could say anything else she felt a sudden sensation in her neck. Her eyes closed when the slight pain was suddenly changed in to a wonderful feeling that threatened to overwhelm all of her senses; it killed all rational sense of thought. Instead of trying to investigate the cause of her sudden pleasure she just gave in to his welcoming embrace and held him tighter as though he would disappear if she let go. Negi subconsciously found something very different about the way it tasted from sucking blood from the very source as opposed to sipping it through a straw.
"They've kept it up too long!" Mei suddenly cried out when the jealousy finally struck a cord. "Why hasn't anybody tried to break them up yet?!" The red-head blinked in confusion when she noticed the dreamy looks on all the girl's faces. Surprisingly enough Setsuna and Chachazero were at no exception to the group. "HEY!"
"W-what?!" Asuna snapped out of her daze and shook her head before focusing back on the scene before them. "O-oh yeah..um, right! NEGI!" Asuna ran to the ledge of the balcony and kicked off to reach the two who were still gliding in the air but she found that she didn't quite kick off hard enough since she started falling down before she could even get a grip on Negi's leg. She screamed when she found herself falling fast and Negi finally snapped out of his hypnosis only to find himself with a rather shapely body pressed against him.
"MMM?!" Negi moaned with his eyes wide in horror. He pulled back from Takane's neck quickly and tried to suppress a scream at the sight of blood trickling from the punctures in her neck. He licked the blood that was smothered over his lips and looked down when he finally realized that it was Asuna's scream that awoke him. "A-ASUNA!" He completely disregarded everything else and made a nosedive with the blonde magistress still in his arms.
"NEGI!" Setsuna cried out when she saw him pass down in a blur. She closed her eyes in fear of what may have followed but to her confusion there was no sickening splatter of flesh or a crash. In fact, Asuna stopped screaming. "Huh?" She looked down from the ledge and sighed when she found Negi setting Asuna down on the floor gently but what surprised her was that Negi was flying without a broom. When did he learn how to do that?
Negi, Negi, Negi...you seriously are surprising me everyday. Setsuna thought with a slight grin as she watched Asuna bite Negi's head off below. She saw Negi flinch as he leaned away from the red-head with Takane held securely in his arms and Asuna yelling at him with wild hand gestures. This incident wasn't just going to blow away, that was for sure. The swordsman bit her thumb at the thought of Takane regaining consciousness. "This really is going to complicate things now that Negi assaulted one of Gandolfini's personal mages."
"But it really wasn't Master's fault!" Chachazero argued, hopping off of her shoulder. "That woman knows that it was the doing of the World Tree!"
"However she also knows that Asuna has an artifact in her possession." Setsuna countered before looking over her shoulder to look at Nodoka who still seemed to be at a loss for words. "Then there's the fact that Nodoka has also seen everything. Ms. Goodman will eventually uncover the secret of her knowledge as well."
"Don't worry about it." Mei waved her off as she walked up beside Setsuna. "I don't think onesan would be able to think straight enough at the moment to even recall all of that. When she wakes up Negi-kun is going to be her first target for sure." Her hands around her broom tightened unnoticeably. "She brought this upon herself anyway."
"So are you saying that Asuna would have been the better sacrifice?" Chachazero asked curiously.
"NO!" Mei yelled making Setsuna and Chachazero blink.
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The Infirmary...
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Negi paced back and forth in front of Asuna and the others as they waited for the nurse to come out of Takane's room. Asuna caught Negi mumbling to himself as he paced, licking his lips unconsciously and shook her head with a grin. She assumed it was just nervous habit since Negi managed to lick all the blood off of his mouth before he caught her and she didn't get to see Takane's neck because he wouldn't even allow Mei to get close enough to examine the blonde magistress. The last thing Negi wanted was for any of the girls to find out about his little secret. He just didn't want to think of how they would react if they ever found out but then again, the World Tree practically screwed him over ten fold anyway.
Takane of all people! I just had to bite Takane-san! Negi ran his hand down his mouth and looked at if as though he was expecting it to be covered with blood. When he saw nothing on his hand he held it behind his back and resumed his pacing. Now I've really messed up! Takane is going to kill me! Heck, she just might suck all of my blood to punish me for doing this to her! He didn't know if he initiated a pactio with the girl just like Evangeline did to him but he couldn't deny that fact that he bit her. Her blood was all over his mouth!
"Stop pacing around, will ya?!" Asuna suddenly cried out when the tension got to her. The first few times were okay but now Negi was just making her nervous! "Just have a seat beside me alright?" She patted the vacant seat on her left and Negi was almost tempted to sit beside her but a voice in the back of his mind wouldn't allow him to forget what happened that caused Takane to be here in the first place.
"Everybody's attention please." The nurse finally announced as she poked her head out of Takane's room. They all turned their attention to her with their breaths held and sighed when she said, "Ms. Goodman is alright. She's just feeling a little dazed and weak."
"Whew!" Mei felt all of her worries slip off her shoulders. "I was getting scared for a moment. See Negi?! You don't have anything to worry about!" Mei placed a hand on the young magi's shoulder with a grin.
"Oh!" The nurse gasped when Mei was done speaking to him. "So you're Negi!"
"Um, y-yeah." Negi answered nervously even though it didn't sound like she said it in the form of a question.
"Ms. Goodman wanted me to tell you to come in."
"Seriously?" Negi found his heart pumping fast.
"Yes." The Nurse beckoned him with a hand.
"Are you sure she didn't say anything about a Mei as well?" Mei asked, putting a hand in front of Negi to stop him from going any further. Surely her "onesan" would want to see her as well, right? She was much closer to her than Negi Springfield was! She watched the Nurse look back at where she assumed Takane was resting before mumbling something only to turn back and reply, "She just wants Negi to come in. I'm sorry sweety."
"What?" Mei let her hand drop to her side in shock. "What's going on here?!"
"It's really none of my business." The nurse said as she allowed Negi to walk in before shutting the door behind him. "It's my break." And with that the woman in white left to attend to her own business.
"What does that woman want with my master?!" Chachazero struggled to break away from Setsuna's grip but the swordsman had a very firm hold.
"Who knows." Setsuna said suspiciously. "It does raise some questions though if she chose Negi-sensei over her own underling."
"You don't think she just fell in love him with him...do you?" Asuna muttered hesitantly before shaking off the very thought. "N-never mind! That's a stupid thing to say! Heh, a young woman like her falling in love with a little brat like him?! Hilarious!"
"...Unless she has one of those sick pedo complexes." Chachazero suggested. The hall was suddenly very quiet as the girls took some time to think that one over. As much as they didn't want to think so, Takane did seem to enjoy that kiss that Negi gave her earlier.
Could Negi-sensei have possibly pulled off something so well with a kiss? Setsuna thought, unconsciously placing a finger against her lips as she stroked them.
No, No, NO! The last thing I need is for another 'Class President' to be wandering around on campus. That girl couldn't have possibly fallen in love with Negi! Th-the little squirt seriously couldn't have known what he was doing when he kissed her! Despite Asuna's thoughts, the more she thought about it the more her sights were set on the infirmary door; The more she could picture something going on in that room between the two. For all they knew Takane could have just invited him in to have him kiss her again!
Onesan just wouldn't do something so wrong! She isn't that type of person! Besides... Mei began to twiddle her fingers behind her back. ...She knows that I have a thing for Negi-sensei. She wouldn't just try to take him away from me like that...would she? Mei's eyes went for the door just as the others girls did and they all squeezed in by the door to listen in on what Negi and Takane were saying to each other. Of course they only did it just in case Negi needed some help if that blonde magistress decided to do something irrational.
Negi approached Takane's bed slowly as he held one of his arms behind his back with the other. It was his fault that she was in this condition and to make matters worse he may have just cursed her with being a nocturnal the rest of her life. From the looks of it she must have went back to resting as the nurse invited him in because her eyes were closed. For once Negi noticed how much of a beauty the blonde magistress was and to think that moments ago he had her in his arms. He had no recollection of what happened before he awoke from his trance to find himself sucking her blood.
What would master say if she found out about this? Would she be pleased that I finally drank blood or would she be mad at me? B-but I was under the control of another influence so is it really my fault?! Negi found his head hurting from thinking about how he would go about the situation and he finally relaxed his mind. Right now he just had to focus on how his co-worker was doing; no, how his friend was doing because she wanted to be more than mere co-workers. He took a seat in the chair beside her bed and observed her peaceful face.
"I'm sorry Takane-san." He whispered before flinching when Takane's eyes snapped open to regard him intensely. There was an awkward moment shared between the two as Negi didn't say a word and she seemed content to simply stare back at him. After a while Negi offered her a quick wave and a smirk came upon her face telling him that she was still herself. That was sort of a good sign.
"Hi Takane." Negi greeted her.
"Likewise Negi-kun." She sat up in her bed, rubbing the side of her neck where Negi's fangs sought entry with a moan.
"A-are you okay?!" the young magi asked nervously but he calmed down when she motioned for him to settle with her hand.
"I'm alright. My neck is just a little sore I guess." Takane replied with another groan. "I guess I must've rested in a bad position." Her eyes regarded him with mischief again when she moved her hand away from her neck and she started out, "Well, look where we've ended up Mr. sensei."
"Heh, I never thought I'd be visiting you in the infirmary. I sure hope I didn't hurt you too much." Negi said sheepishly. "I...uh...heard the story from Asuna-san and Setsuna-san when we settled you in to this room." He saw the look of surprise on her face and massaged the back of his neck. "Er, yeah...I know. I don't remember what happened past the time I stood on the balcony with Nodoka-san after we ditched you and Mei-san."
"I see..." Takane said sounding rather disappointed. She placed her left hand over her right arm as she lowered her eyes towards the wrinkles in her sheets and sighed. "Maybe it's better that way I guess. I wouldn't want to think that it was really you who was up against us anyway. You caused us quite a bit of trouble, you know? You took out an entire squad of my shadow puppets in the blink of an eye like they were rag dolls and you stood your ground against Setsuna and Kagarazaka."
"D-did I?" Negi mused. "It's funny...I wouldn't think of myself as being that powerful. I'm surprised that I even managed to stand up against Setsuna-san."
"So I guess the rumor is true." Takane suddenly said.
"What rumor?"
"About your students." Takane said with a smirk. "Kagarazaka had a magical artifact with her. She wielded it against you on the balcony rather well, which means this, isn't recent. She's had some time to train herself I would assume."
"Uh..."
"You can get in real trouble for that sensei." Her voice suddenly became stern but only for a brief moment since the smirk reappeared on her face a moment later. "But...you're secret safe with me. If Gandolfini and the others happen to find out, however, I won't be able to help you."
"Thank you." Negi said as he forced a smile.
"No problem." Takane offered him a smile of her own before it twisted in to a libidinous grin. "You really wore me out though. You have more in you than I ever expected but believe me, next time I'll be ready for you." Negi assumed that she was talking about his fight with her on the balcony because the girls decided to leave out the part about him kissing her. They told him that he knocked Takane off when he was under his trance but he unexpectedly jumped to save her before coming down for Asuna as well and that was only because he asked why she was in her arms. Had he not asked they would have left that part off entirely.
"So I guess you're done with patrolling for tonight." Negi assumed.
"Maybe...maybe not. I don't really feel that tired anymore to tell you the truth. It's almost as though talking with you washed away all of my fatigue." Takane seemed genuinely surprised as she tried to get out of bed but Negi approached her quickly to settle her down and placed his hands on both of her shoulders. A blush blossomed on her face as she noticed how close they were and she asked, "What's the matter?"
"Just stay in bed Takane-san. You've done quite enough." Negi told her with a smile.
"So I assume that you'll fill in for me then?" She asked playfully.
"Of course!" Negi lied. He had to go back in to the past to get through the tournament preliminaries so he couldn't promise her anything. He stepped away from her when he was sure that she wouldn't get out of bed and gradually made his way to the door without turning. "If you're still here by the time I'm done I'll come and visit."
"I doubt I will but you can always visit me at the dorm that me and Mei are staying in. It's room two o' four in Dorm Hall West." Negi shivered at how welcoming the young woman had suddenly become. He expected her to be angry or disappointed with him but instead she treated him like he was her best friend.
"Alright. Will do." Negi reached for the knob behind him when he reached the door and pulled it open. Setsuna, Asuna and Mei quickly got away from the door to resume their previous positions when he came out and acted as though they didn't hear a thing.
"So how is onesan?" Mei asked mockingly.
"Er, she's fine." Negi replied as he walked to Setsuna to take Chachazero who was extending her arms out to him impatiently. He regarded his familiar cheerfully with an affectionate pat on the head and the girls were surprised to see the sadistic puppet nuzzle his cheek in return. It was a complete transformation from how evil and demented she was when they were forcing her away from the young magi. Asuna couldn't help but shiver every time Chachazero threatened them with something horrible. She just couldn't understand how Negi of all people could put up with Evangeline or his familiar. Chachamaru was another story since she mostly kept to herself but even then, the android was know to do some questionable things under the vampiress's command.
"I'm going in." Mei said as she opened the door to enter. When the door was shut behind her Negi leaned over to Setsuna and whispered, "Well, it's time to go back again. We need to participate in the preliminaries if we want to enter the tournament."
"There's no need to whisper Negi-kun." Setsuna told him with a small smile.
"What do you mean?"
"I've informed Asuna-san and the Ojo-sama." She replied with a slight nod.
"You told Asuna?" He turned to look at Asuna who nodded with her arms crossed over her chest before looking back at Setsuna quizzically. "You also mentioned Konoka as well. Is she-"
"Hey, who wants some skittles?!" Konoka's voice sang out, holding up an opened pack of the fruity snacks as she came in from the vending machine area. She kept an innocent smile on her face as Negi stared back at her, startled by her sudden appearance and asked, "What?"
Mahora Festival: Day One (Third Time around)
Alright...Take a deep breath and concentrate. There we go; nice and easy. There are quite a few of them but if you concentrate this will all go by very smoothly. Love is not something to be taken lightly and it sure isn't something you depend on a myth for...
K-CHICK...
There we go, a young man and an upperclassman from Ursula Campus. That is a very bold choice there. Those Ursula girls are pretty snobby and all so I'll be doing him a favor by sparing him the humiliation. On to work then...take aim...and...
BLAM!
Mana exhaled softly when she saw the young man take the rubber bullet to the head. That was sure going to leave a mark but it would go away with time. She was surprised to see the Ursula student run over to his fallen form and hold him close in a loving gesture of worry but she pushed aside the thought quickly before she would second guess anything. "Well, that makes seven." She snatched up her white jacket from the balcony rail and started to pack away her sniper rifle but a sudden flash of light caught her attention from the peripheral of her eye. She turned her head quickly to regard the source and hesitated in stashing away her rifle until the light cleared away to reveal Negi and the others.
"Negi-sensei?" Mana whipped her jacket over her shoulder after she placed her rifle in her deceiving guitar case and observed the scene until she saw the girls part from the young magi. When she saw that he was all alone she picked up her guitar case and went down to meet him. It was about time she got to know more about the young magi by now.
"Master Negi looks troubled." Chachazero commented as Negi leaned against the safety rail to look down at the bustling students below. "Are you still hung up on what happened earlier?"
"I was careless Chacha-chan." Negi sighed. "I really messed up with the world tree back there, I mean I really did. When I broke out of my trance the first thing I realized was my fangs plunged in Takane-san's neck." He felt Chachazero recoil on his shoulder from his words.
"Th-that's not good! If Eva finds out that there is another vampire on campus besides you she'll freak!" Chachazero stammered for the first time. Obviously she knew more things about Evangeline's behavior than Negi did. Not only that but a vampire on the other side could mean trouble. The blame would immediately fall on Evangeline unless Negi decided to reveal his secret to everyone.
"I didn't do it on purpose though! I don't even think I did it properly!" Negi argued. "When Eva did it there was this whole whirlwind and this red light surrounding us the entire time. Seeing as how the girls didn't mention anything about that, I think we're in the clear."
"That's because you're still an underling master! You can't initiate that sort of turning unless you become a full-fledged vam-" The puppet suddenly stopped in mid-sentence, confusing Negi. He turned to regard her and saw her gesturing towards something with her eyes. Before Negi could find out what she was trying to warn him about, Mana decided to alert him of her presence.
"From the looks of it I'd think you were having girl problems." Mana chuckled as she approached him from behind. "I've seen that distant look on a person before."
"T-Tatsumiya?!" Negi was startled at her sudden appearance. He wasn't able to sense her at all despite his heightened senses. He saw the young woman close one eye at the way her addressed her and shivered. Her eyes were unlike the other girls in his class. They lacked the innocence and the inviting warmth that the other girls held. Instead. Mana's eyes were very cold and intense; unsettling whenever she allowed that beautiful smile to grace her lips. It just felt so unnatural for a girl her age.
"What a welcoming greeting." Mana said sarcastically. "If it's not too much to ask sensei, I would appreciate it if you didn't look at me as though I was some sort of stranger. I may not show it but I do have feelings."
"I-I'm so sorry! I-I just... er..."
"Start by calling me Mana." She cut him off with a chilling smirk. "So you're on World Tree patrol as well sensei?"
"Um, y-yeah! I am." Negi replied sheepishly. He decided to try and mend things between them as quickly as he possibly could. There was something about the way she was looking at him that unnerved him very much. Her eyes held an enigmatic property that her just couldn't stand and it held a sense of danger. "You know, I never thanked you for the time you helped in the past. I just wan-"
"Don't worry about it sensei. I'm happy to assist as long as the pay is good." Mana left her jacket on the rail and set down her guitar case. "You could say that I'm a gun for hire. Still..." She grinned at him. "I don't envy you sensei. I must say though that you've changed from the last time we met on the trip. In many ways in fact."
"Have I?" Negi massaged the back of his neck with a nervous laugh. You don't know the half of it Mana-san...although with the way you're looking at me I can't say that I'm sure of myself either.
Their conversation was interrupted when Mana's confession tracker suddenly went on alert. The young woman pulled it out to see what was the problem before snatching up her guitar case quickly. She reverted from her laid back nature to all business within the blink of an eye but for some reason Negi was much more comfortable with the way she was now than when she was conversing with him. His opinion of her, however, was about to take a drastic change when he saw, first-hand how she went about her manner of taking care of business.
"Come on!" Mana kicked off from the rail and sent herself flying towards a nearby bell tower that overshadowed most of the plaza. Negi grabbed her jacket and wasted no time in doing the same, meeting her inside the keep of the bell tower just in time to see her open her guitar case and pull out her rifle. His eyes widened with fear when he saw her attach the scope and crouch near the ledge to take aim.
"H-hey Mana-san! What are you doing?!" He cried out but she ignored him. He tried to follow her line of sight only to find that he already missed two shots. He heard two quick shots and a male student and a mascot were down. The girls they were about to confess to screamed in horror and called for some help. There was a stir amongst the crowd below and all Mana did in response to her own actions was to sigh in relief and say, "I got them." She noticed the horrified look on Negi's face and raised an eyebrow before asking. "What?"
"That's a fine way if you ask me." Chachazero praised the marksmen. "Perhaps you can give master some lessons?" She said hopefully despite Negi's opposition towards it.
"What?! Did you just ask me "What?!" Negi started to flail his arms. "You just shot two innocent people and you ask me, what?!"
"It's not like I killed anybody." Mana opened one of the pouches attached to her guitar case and picked out a rubber bullet for him to see. "See, rubber bullets. From this distance the most they will do is knock a target out cold. Perhaps there will be a bruise but there is no danger of a concussion or head trauma should I go in for a headshot or two."
"O-or two?!"
"Some of those mascot suits are hard to take down." Mana simply answered. "Now, in some cases I just use tranq darts. These are just as harmless, however, they are laced with a paralysis agent just to put them out long enough for the festival to end."
"It's still not right!" Negi flinched when she glared at him.
"I'm just doing my job. It's my duty to make sure there are no confessions of love in this area. If I intend to serve my client the best I can my concerns are of no issue to me. Now, if you feel that you have a better solution then make my life easier, huh?" Mana set her rifle back in the guitar case and snapped in just before placing her hands on her hips expectantly. She waited for Negi to say something but the young magi was so paralyzed with fear that he could only utter a squeak.
"Well sensei? Will you teach me your ways?" She persisted.
"U-uh..." Negi found it hard to say anything under her gaze but he finally pushed aside his fear. "Of course I will Mana-san! Just come with me!" Without warning he took her hand in to his own. The action was so unexpected that for once in her life Mana didn't know how to react. Nobody ever dared to touch her in such a way and for Negi to do it was simply...unimaginable.
You can only be two things at this very moment sensei: Daring or simply oblivious... Mana bowed her head slightly when she felt her cheeks burning. For me to even be feeling this way...for another person to make me feel this way after all this time. You seriously don't want me to grow attached to you sensei. It may not be good for your health at all. Mana considered slipping her hand out of his politely but Negi jumped down from the bell tower and took her with him before she could do anything. As they descended to the plaza below, Mana could almost picture herself as a young girl again. She felt memories from the past welling in her mind, however, the feeling of the floor under her feet again made her snap out of it.
"Sensei..." Mana started as she pulled her hand away from him. "Next time I'm sure I can do it myself." Her words came out rather coldly and Negi immediately apologized.
"Oh! I'm so sorry Mana-san!" Negi bowed to her but the confession tracker interrupted them yet again. Mana realized that she left her guitar case in the tower keep and sighed, "There are two more sensei. Now's your chance to show me the way it's done."
"Alright then! Just lead the way!" Negi perked up quickly.
"Will do." Mana took off running with Negi following behind steadily and they took cover behind a bush near a young couple standing beside a large white staircase. It was a boy wearing a polar bear costume and a girl wearing a cute sailor outfit with a ribbon hat to match. They started off with some simple exchanges until the both of them fell silent. They simply stared at each other for a while and Mana nudged Negi in the arm.
"Better act now sensei." She pushed him.
"Alright. Just watch." Negi pointed at the girl much like Mana would with her rifle and chanted, "Flans Exarmatio!" A moment later an unexpected breeze kicked up and the girl's hat was blown off her head. Mana watched without a word as the girl asked the boy to assist her and they were off chasing her hat in to a safe distance. "See?" Negi gestured to the young couple as they finally caught up with the hat when it caught on to a bush. The girl thanked the boy and they were at it again with the awkward silence until the boy finally worked up the courage to confess.
"Huh..." was Mana's only reply to his words but the sensor went on alert again. She grinned when she found yet another chance to test Negi's skills. "Lets go sensei. Let's see you work some more of your magic, hmm?" To her surprise the young magi didn't even hesitate to proceed; grabbing ahold of her hand yet again. She wasn't sure if he was aware that he was doing it or not but for some odd reason a pleasant feeling managed to settle within her. They stopped when they spotted the couple, donning neko-jin suits for the festival. She watched, as Negi was able to divert their attention with his magic to send them away and chuckled to herself.
"I have to admit that I'm impressed sensei." The young woman said with a nod. "I can now see why Kaede and Setsuna speak so highly of you. For once I just wanted to experience it for myself." She ruffled his hair as they both stood up from the cover of the bushes and added, "And perhaps you will show me even more during the tournament."
"Oh, yeah...I almost forgot about that." Negi massaged the back of his neck nervously. He was still recovering from the unexpected contact from Mana. He couldn't believe that they were actually having this much time together. She was usually so distant before but now that he had her attention he wanted to know more about her. "Mana-san-"
"Drop the honorific sensei. It isn't necessary." The marksmen cut him off with a casual wave of her hand.
"Um...alright. Well, I just wanted to know how you know so much about the magic world." Negi took a seat with her on a fountain side before going on. "I mean...you don't seem to be a magic user so why take on jobs from wizards?"
"So you want to know more about me sensei? Is that what your asking?" Mana asked, not one to dawdle from the point. Her words made Negi blush in embarrassment as he nodded to confirm that it was his motive.
"You're a skilled shooter with a sniper rifle and a handgun. Besides that you attend clubs in Mahora instead of the selections they offer at your own school."
"...So you really are curious, huh?" Negi caught a somewhat dejected tone in her voice and raised an eyebrow. Was this subject really that uncomfortable for her? He didn't want to force her in to something she wanted nothing to do with so he attempted to stop her but she raised her hand up to calm him.
"In the past I was the partner of a magister myself." Mana started off. She saw the surprised look on Negi's face and grinned. "Does that surprise you?"
"Y-yeah, it does!"
"He and I were under a non-governmental organization that helped various parts of the world whenever it was in dire need. I've traveled to many places by his side." Mana started to get lost in her own world as she continued. She closed her eyes as she spoke and suddenly she was so passionate with her words that Negi almost got lost in her memories himself. "It was one battlefield after another but the more I was with him the more I had grown to love it."
"So where is this wizard these days?" Negi asked curiously.
Mana had a blank expression on her face for a moment as her hand reached up to the locket hanging from the necklace around her neck. She held it to Negi and opened it to reveal a picture of a man with grey messy hair and a scar over his right eyebrow. Mana's eye were identical to his in their mysterious and piercing quality. He didn't expect her answer to his question to be, "He died two years ago."
"O-oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to pry tha-" Negi died out in mid-sentence when Mana began to giggle lightly. She placed a hand on his head again before ruffling his hair again and said, "I was just kidding! This is just a picture of the Biathlon team captain." Her words managed to calm the young magi.
"Yet...that would mean you have a thing for him, right?" Chachazero suddenly decided not to be so idle anymore.
"Don't tell me you joined the team just because he was captain..."Negi said with a grin.
"Not much gets by you, huh?" Mana lied with a grin of her own. She ruffled Negi's hair yet again, convincing him that she may well indeed be enjoying doing that. By now his hair may have been a mess. Negi opened his mouth to say something but the confession scouter went on alert, putting a stop to their conversation again. He watched as Mana's eye widened with shock, telling him that this wasn't going to be an easy intervention.
"Um w-what's up?" Negi asked nervously.
"It would seem that we have a special case this time." Mana said grimly as she pointed forward. Negi followed where she was directing his sight and saw a group of male students coming their way with flowers and other items to win the marksman over. "I'm the target this time."
"Oh...what do we do?!" Negi cried out in horror.
"Well, I left my things in the bell tower so I can't so much." Mana replied with a smirk. "I leave my fate all in your dependable hands sensei."
"Are you s-serious?!"
"Are you getting weak on me?"
"O-of course not!" Negi looked around for something to distract the men with but there was nothing in sight. He was going to have to take a much more different approach this time and since Mana was already quite familiar with magic then it would be alright to go on with it. He grabbed Mana's hand, causing the young woman to raise an eyebrow being that it was becoming sort of a habit for the boy, and lead her away from the group of male students coming their way. The young men saw the young magi leading her away and felt the need to express their displeasure.
"HEY! WAIT UP!"
"WHO's THE LITTLE GUY ANYWAY!"
"HEY! TATSUMIYA IS MINE!"
...There was an awkward silence as all the young men turned their attention to the bold member of the group who uttered those words. Needless to say a dispute broke out, giving Negi all the time that he needed. It was turning out to be some sort of death match as all the young men battled for supremacy over the chance at pouring their heart out to the lovely marksman. The fight ended, however, when Mana appeared before them again. What posed a problem for them was the appearance of another young man with red hair.
"Who are these guys Mana-chan?" Negi asked her with a grin that threatened to crack under her piercing gaze. He figured this would be the best way to discourage any of her admirers but it was kind of hard to play it along with Mana when she stared at him so intensely.
"I have no idea." Mana's cold words shattered all of their hopes and dreams. She linked her arm with Negi's and led him away from the depressing scene all the while resting her head on his shoulder, which sent all of the other young men in an even deeper pit of rejection. The magi was almost turning crimson at the way Mana decided to proceed with the plan. They both agreed that it would be quick and simple but she was taking it to the next step.
"Um...Mana-san?" Negi whispered to her so the glaring young men wouldn't hear the change in addressing her.
"I told you to just address me as Mana." She told him.
"Oh yeah...er...sorry about that. I think it's okay to stop playing along now."
"Who's playing along anymore?" Mana asked in a deep husky voice that sent shivers down his spine. She noticed the type of reaction she got out of him and laughed. "I'm just kidding sensei. Whichever girl it is that's got you so worked up if it's being a magister that you're aiming for then you have no time for love." She pulled her head back from his shoulder and continued walking with him arm in arm. "This is a nice look for you though."
"Th-thanks." Negi blushed again. It looks like she does have a sense of humor after all...but I'd appreciate if she'd stop teasing me so much! She's going to give me a heart attack! His stroll with the marksman came to an end when Kotaro came out of one of the shops they were passing by on the plaza. The boy saw the 'couple' passing and did a double take before crying out, "Hey!"
Negi realized that he had been found out and waved the dog demon away with a panicked expression. This was not the place for him to be exposed. There were too many people around for that to happen and what would happen if any of his students were around? Kotaro didn't seem to get the message though as he ran to the two of them and asked, "What's this? What are you two doing walking together like this?"
"Patrolling business." Mana simply answered before looking at her watch. She finally pulled her arms away from Negi when she saw the time and said, "Looks like you've ended your shift. My second shift has just started."
"Great...that took more out of me than I thought." Negi said with a sigh. His words managed to get a smile out of Mana.
Heh, I have to admit that I'm becoming rather fond of you sensei. I better be careful not to become too attached or it may interfere with my work.
"You're alright in my book sensei." She ruffled his hair in total disregard for the adult form he had taken on. "Well. I've got to go back to work then. I enjoyed having your company..." She turned to walk away but she stopped again before turning back to regard Negi. "Try not to let girls hurt you so much alright? You'll start to lose your edge and it'll hurt your work. Consider than a warning." With those final words she was off.
Kotaro who was still confused as to how their 'arm-in-arm' tactic had anything to do with patrolling business blurted out, "What the heck went on between you two anyway?! That girl is just creepy."
"Even now...I have no idea." Negi replied blankly, unconsciously running his hand through his hair.
"And what's this stuff about girl's that she was yammerin' about?" Kotaro asked, putting his hands on his hips with a suspicious look gracing his face.
"E-er nothing!" Negi assured him despite the images of Nodoka and Takane that ran through his mind when Mana warned him. He still had to settle the whole complication with Takane and he was desperate to see how Nodoka was doing. He found himself in deep thought, leaving his friend to fume at being ignored yet again.
"HEY! Snap out of it already!" Kotaro snapped his fingers but Negi still didn't seem to pay much mind to him. He flinched when the young magi turned to him without warning and cried out, "I have to see Eva!" With those words he was off as well.
"Er...why would he want to see that demon?"
They were all so happy and full of life. They all laughed and messed around with each other in their little cliques and why not? It was the Mahora festival so they had a right to have so much fun but it didn't stop it all from annoying a certain vampiress. So many years she had been bound to the campus grounds and she had to go through the same thing every year but with the World Tree Legend on the loose it just got a bit worse. First she kind of liked the festival. It was a decent change from all her tireless traveling around the world but now...
"It's just so boring." Evangeline muttered with a sigh from her seat on a bench facing some amusement stands. She saw a couple arguing when the young man's gaze lingered on one of the passing cosplay members and sighed again. "I'm gonna kill Negi for leaving me like thi-"
"Hey master!" Negi's voice broke the chibi-vampire out of her own world. She turned to the source of the voice to find the young magi running to her with Chachazero on his shoulders and raised an eyebrow intriguingly. This had to be one of those rare times that her disciple actually came looking for her as opposed to the other way around. Unfortunately he only did that whenever he had a problem or if he wanted something from her.
...She feared for him if it was the latter because she was in need of venting some frustration.
"Calling me master again?" Evangeline questioned maliciously.
""I-I mean Eva!" Negi said, taking a seat beside her. "I'm so glad that I found you!" He blinked when Evangeline turned her head away from him. She was exhibiting some odd behavior right now and it was worrying him in more ways than one. "Er...are you alright Eva?"
"What kinda stupid question is that?"
"Um...I don't understan-" His voice squeaked when she turned her gaze upon him.
"You don't remember?" Evangeline trailed her hand on to his shoulder and flicked him across the side of his head before going on, "You ditched me earlier just in case you've forgotten."
"Oooooh, that!" Negi slammed his closed right hand over his left as the memory washed over in his mind. Unfortunately the thought of Nodoka made him remember his unfortunate encounter with a certain blonde magistress before everything went black. "I-I'm sorry about that!"
"You're voice wavered...why?" A look of suspicion flashed across her face.
"Um...n-no reason."
"There it goes again."
"Erm...i-it's just because...I'm n-nervous!" Which wasn't exactly a lie if you think about it...
"Nervous about what?"
"The tournament!" Negi managed to pull out another lie.
"I see." Evangeline smirked. "Which reminds me. Preliminaries are near."
"That they are."
Silence...
"So..." Evangeline gestured to him with her hand to get him to say something but nothing came out so she decided to push on herself. "Why are you so glad that you found me anyway? That's pretty unusual."
"Now why would you say that?" Negi chuckled nervously.
"Because it is."
"Why can't I just be glad to see you?" Negi asked in genuine curiosity. "I mean...we are kind of like friends now, aren't we?" His words caught Evangeline by surprise and she had to turn away to hide the light blush that blossomed on her face. She thought the young magi was too afraid to even think of her as a friend.
"Friends?" Evangeline asked. "You think we're friends?"
"Well...I guess I could be wrong..." Negi started to sound rather unsure.
"No, you're not wrong." Evangeline turned back to him with a small smile. "I guess I could accept that for now."
"For now?" Negi didn't understand what she meant by that.
"Don't think to hard about it." Evangeline told him with a casual wave of her hand. "Just so you know, even though we're spending time together right now it doesn't change the fact that you have to spend an ENTIRE day with me if you don't best me in the tournament."
"Th-thats fine with me." Negi said with a quick nod. He looked down at the ground as the tension began to rise in him. He was going to have to take a whack at it sooner or later. Hopefully she wouldn't get too suspicious over his questions. "Eva?"
"What?"
"I-I just want to talk about this whole...biting thing." Negi willed himself to say as he closed his eyes in fear.
"I understand that it'll take you some time to actually bite someone." Evangeline said, rolling her eyes as she rested her chin in one hand. "We've gone over this numerous times already boya."
"No, no. Not that." Negi told her. He saw her eyes glimmer with some hope and feared that she was starting to get the wrong idea from his selection of words. "I-I just wanted to ask how the whole process is done." Again, she got the wrong idea as that oh so familiar, "Are you stupid?", expression came over her face.
"It isn't really that hard." Evangeline said slowly as she pointed to her left fang. "You just bite down and suck."
"No, no!" Negi found himself getting frustrated. "I mean about turning someone in to a vampire."
"Oh...that." the vampiress regarded him suspiciously for a moment. "...Why would you want to know for? You didn't already bite someone did you?"
"ME?!" Negi placed a hand on his chest with an innocent expression. "Come on..." Negi scoffed with a shooing gesture. "You already know how I feel about that."
"Yeah...I do." Evangeline said, not sounding quite convinced. "Which is why I'm rather intrigued by your question." She countered.
"It's just...that...you remember our last confrontation?"
"On Mahora bridge? Yeah, I remember."
"Well, you remember biting Makie and the others so they could slow me down, right?"
"Yes. Get to your point."
"Why aren't they vampires anymore?" Negi asked. It was something that was on his mind for quite while now and he figured the answer to that question would settle him down about his current situation...somehow. "I haven't noticed them craving anything and their aura's are pretty normal."
"Oh, they're still half vampires." Evangeline said with a grin. "That side of them will only awaken if I call upon them. Until then, their vampirism is sealed away like a sickness that won't show symptoms until a virus invades the body." Evangeline winked at him mischievously and quipped, "Got it?"
"...Sort of..." Negi got chills from the way she explained the entire thing. "I have one other question though."
"Sure..."
"Um, what would happen if I bit someone." Negi asked despite the voice in the back of his mind that pleaded him not to. "You know...since I'm still an underling."
"Well that person will be infected by the vampire gene but..." Evangeline paused as her suspicion arose again and asked, "Where are we going here?"
"Nowhere!" Negi assured her.
"Are you hiding something from me?"
"Never!"
"You mean just like that doohickey from earlier? That sort of nothing?" Evangeline started to advance on him from her seat on the bench. Negi shuffled away from her every time she got closer until she had him against the hand rest keeping him from falling on the other side. Sometimes he wondered why he even bothered with these sort of things sometimes. Luckily for him, Chachazero had something prepared just for this situation.
"Hey master Negi, isn't it almost time for the preliminaries? We better hurry before we get eliminated before we even get started!" The puppet blurted out to the point that some passing students glanced at them. Fortunately for the two vampires the announcement regarding the tournament overwhelmed the students so much that they rushed off to get a seat before it was too late.
Oh, Chacha-chan...where would I be without you? Negi thought in relief as Evangeline eased off of him but he yelped when she grabbed his hand and pulled him off the bench. "W-what's wrong Eva?!"
"You heard the puppet! Lets get going boya!" She commanded before rushing off with Negi in tow.
----------------------------------------------
The Mahora Tournament Preliminaries...
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"Where the heck is he?" Asuna tapped her foot impatiently as she awaited the arrival of the young magi with Setsuna, Ku-Fei, and Kotaro. Even now the crowd of fighters was growing because of the sudden increase of money for the reward to the winner fo the tournament. Kotaro was beginning to lose his cool as well and Setsuna was starting to worry. Ku-Fei on the other hand kept a confident smile on her face as she stared down at the stair steps leading up to the tournament grounds in wait for her disciple.
"Not worrying about disciple." She chirped excitedly. "He never let down before. I not expecting disappointment any time soon."
"If only we could be as sure." Kotaro said sarcastically.
"You aren't helping the mood much." Asuna quipped making Kotaro whip around to face her saying, "Well whaddya want me to do?! Get down on my knees and say a prayer?"
"That'll do just fine squirt!"
"Why I oughta-" He stopped dead in his tracks when Setsuna stepped between him and Asuna.
"Why don't the both of you save that energy for the ring?" The swordsman joined Ku-Fei in front of the steps and sighed to relax her muscles. "Negi-kun is going to be here soon. He has alot on his hands, mind you so be patient." Her words held true when moments later Evangeline appeared with Negi and glided up the steps before stopping in front of the two young women.
"Disciple!" The Chinese girl exclaimed as she reached for the unconscious boy but Evangeline immediately yanked him out of reach and growled, "Whoa! He's my disciple!"
"He my disciple first!"
"He lives with me." Evangeline retorted much to Asuna's displeasure.
"Temporarily!" Asuna jumped in. "As soon as this tournament is all good and done, he's moving back in with me and Konoka!" The red-head managed to yank the unconscious Negi away from both masters and had Setsuna help her stand him up. It seemed that he may have passed out during the frightful trip to the tournament grounds. Evangeline followed whatever means possible to get there on time after all...and that's saying a lot. The two girl turned away from tending to the young magi when Kazumi's voice rang out from within the arena.
"It's started!" Chachazero exclaimed from up top Evangeline's head.
-"Welcome Mahora students! Welcome all to the Mahora budokai!"- The photographer's words echoed throughout the entire tournament grounds. Negi stirred at the sound of her booming voice from the speakers outside and opened his eyes. "W-we're here?" He asked shakily as he prayed the answer would be yes.
"You're here Negi-kun." Setsuna assured him.
"Oh, thank gawd..."
"But since when is Kazumi and emcee?" Asuna questioned. "She never even told me that she was going to participate in any of the festival events." She turned her attention to Kotaro when the boy gasped and asked, "What's the matter?"
"Look at who's running the whole thing!" He pointed out to the large banner hanging in front of the arena entrance and everyone almost face faulted.
"C-Chao-san?!" Negi gasped in confusion as he got back to his feet.
-"And now I give you the owner of the Chao Bao Zi and sponsor of this tournament, Chao Lingshen!"-
"It would appear that our problem student is behind this." Setsuna observed with a nod. She still didn't like the vibes she was getting from the Chinese girl and her words about being related to Negi still lingered in her mind as a rotten memory. She was already in so much trouble with Gandolfini and the others so what was going on? Why would the magis even allow her to go this far with the festival?
"Let's move in and check it out!" Asuna declared, heading further in to the crowd of fighters. They saw Chao appear at the top floor of the arena with Kazumi by her side dressed in an elegant dress with deep sleeves. Evangeline saw that the usual innocent look that graced the Chinese girl's face was replaced with an unsettling smirk and crossed her arms with a grin of her own. She could already tell that this was going to be very interesting.
"Heh, looks like things have already gotten interesting while I was out." Mana's voice rang from behind. Negi and the others turned to regard the marksman and saw that Kaede and the twins accompanied her. At the sight of Kotaro the twins left the ninja's side and started to mess around with his dog-ears at his expense. "With the increase of the prize money I think the tournament might just get a tad bit more interesting."
"It would seem so. Nin, nin." Kaede grinned with her fox-like eyes. "I hope to see your best out there on the ring Negi-sensei."
"I won't disappoint Kaede-san!"
"And you Evangeline?" Mana inquired at the sight of the vampiress. "You intend to participate?"
"Why not?" Evangeline asked with a grin. "Some exercise would do me some good. It's about time I got to flex my fists." The grin on the chibi-vampires face fell when she felt a strong magi aura approaching them from the midst of the crowd. It was familiar to say the least so it was no surprise that she heard Takamichi's mellow voice.
"Negi-sensei, what a pleasure to see you here." The mage greeted with a smirk.
"Takamichi-sensei! Have you come here to watch?!" Negi asked excitedly. He really wanted Takamichi to see how much he had grown since the Kyoto trip. What the young magi didn't expect was for the mage's answer to be of a rather different nature.
"Actually-"
"H-hey! Why don't you just head out, huh?" Evangeline intervened nervously. The last thing she needed was for him to butt in on her plans. If anything, Takamichi wasn't going to allow Negi to face him without bringing out the beast. Her talks with him in the past had shown that he was eager to test out the young magi's skill. "Why would you be interested in this sort of thing anyway?"
"Well, I actually only meant to observe before but I promised Negi when he was younger that we would match our strengths against each other once he'd grown." Takamichi grinned around his cigarette and gestured to Negi's height. "So why not now?"
"I hate you." The vampiress growled.
"I know." Takamichi chirped.
This was sure going to make life a little harder for Negi. He already had to deal with his master and he already had doubts about besting her in a match. All her training in the past made that quite clear but now that Takamichi was in the tournament just got that much harder. Kotaro already looked bummed with the older teacher's decision and leaned over to Negi.
"Aw crap. First it's the demon girl and now you're damn hero just go in to it!" He hissed angrily. "We're never gonna get our hands on that money! Hell, it'll be a miracle if we even put a scratch on their bodies!"
"W-what are we going to do?"
"I-I don't know!" Kotaro's eyes wandered over to Evangeline for a moment. "Well her magic is sealed away right? S-so she's nothing but a ten-year-old girl! We can handle he-" Negi saw Kotaro shiver and turned to Evangeline. The evil look on her face said it all.
"For you to determine a person's skill solely on appearance is very foolish." She said darkly. "If you want me to prepare you for the butcher shop then give me the word." Chachazero couldn't help but nod her head a few times in pleasure at such words.
"Yep...she's still got it." The puppet cackled.
"Er...you know what..." Negi placed his hand on his stomach. "I suddenly don't feel too confident."
"LIAR!" Kotaro grabbed his friend by the shirt collar and rattled him a few times. "Don't wuss out on me now! We're going to fight whether we live or die!"
"W-what?!"
"I mean win or lose! WIN OR LOSE!" The two were so caught up in the madness that they hardly heard anything that Chao was saying to the audience. That was until Negi's ears perked up to something that got his full attention. Takamichi saw the young magi's eyes widen with surprise when the Chinese girl spoke her next words and grinned.
-"Before this tournament started to go downhill, the last great winner of this tournament was a child from a foreign land who just showed up at the academy one day."- Chao eyes wandered over the crowd until she got sight of Negi. She was expecting great things from him and she was sure that her next words would ensure that he wouldn't disappoint. -"His name was Nagi Springfield and at the time he was just ten years old."-
With that said and done the Chinese girl figured it was about time she took her leave and headed off to tend to her matters. She nodded to Kazumi, giving the young woman the message of taking it from there and entered the arena tower. Hakase and Chachamaru were awaiting her inside.
"May I assist in anything?" Chachamaru asked with a slight bow of her head.
"For now just monitor all the matches." Chao replied.
"Very well." The android complied as she turned to leave. Chao turned to her fellow scientist and smirked. "So far everything is going as planned. Mana will make sure that those other mages on watch won't interfere. As for our star player...he'll push some of our participants to the limit."
"Then I'll tend to the media mainstream." Hakase said before leaving the room. Chao nodded to herself with a grin as everything ran by smoothly. The tournament looked very promising and with Evangeline and Takamichi participating something was sure to go well. She turned to the shadows when she realized that she wasn't the only occupant in the room and chirped, "So you actually decided to come. I'm honored."
"How could I refuse when the great 'Evangel' is involved? I never would have suspected her to take on an underling." The feminine voice said with a chuckle from the darkness. "I also sense a dramatic change in you Ms. Lingshen. Care to share?"
"I just mended a few blood ties." Chao replied with a smirk. She stole a glance at the door leading out when she heard Kazumi announce the beginning of the preliminaries. It would have appeared that the match "Lottery" had already taken place. Inwardly she wanted to see Negi in action despite the weak opponents he would go up against so early in the tournament but she couldn't show any disrespect to her current guest. It was too dangerous. "So I assume that you're here to watch?"
"Why of course. I can't do much else since there are so many mages around." The shrouded woman chuckled. "As much as I would like to crush Evangel in my hands it would be much too risky. As for her underling...what was his name?"
"Negi Springfield."
"Ah...why does that name sound so familiar?"
"Perhaps because you are familiar with the Thousand Master, Nagi Springfield." Chao clarified for her before narrowing her eyes mischievously. "His father."
"Evangel managed to get her hands on Nagi's son? I heard stories about her being love struck by a very powerful mage, however, I hear that it was an unrequited fate. It would only be natural that she would simply chase after the son if she couldn't win over the father." The woman stepped out of the shadows, revealing gold eyes and long blonde hair. She had a striking figure and her midnight dress accentuated her curves rather well. She also sported a vampiric cloak that fell to the floor like an elegant carpet that trailed behind her. "That darkling's blood must be heavenly. I can't wait for the day that I get a taste of him."
"Don't worry. You will." Chao assured her.
-----------------------------------------
Turning to the participants...
-----------------------------------------
"Well then Negi..." Kotaro started off as he tossed his aging pill in the air before catching it in his hand. "...Time to change." He tossed the drop in the air again and allowed it to fall toward his mouth but Negi suddenly said, "There isn't an age limit anymore so I'm going as I am."
"YER CERLD ER TERLD ME EARLIER!" The dog demon growled through his gritted teeth as he kept the aging pill from falling in to his mouth.
"My father entered the tournament as a ten year old so I want to do the same!"
"Alright but as adults we have a longer reach and..." Kotaro shoved the pill back in to his pocket when he decided it was more of a challenge this way. "...Oh, what the heck. We might as well!"
"Come on master Negi! Let's get in there!" Chachazero cried out excitedly from the top of his head.
"Hey...do you think they'll let you bring her in there?"
"It's the preliminaries. I don't think they'll mind." Negi grinned innocently.
"Alright...I guess." Kotaro said hesitantly.
-Will Preliminary group "B" please report to the ring?! I repeat, Will Preliminary group "B" please report to the ring?!-
"Hey, that's us Negi!" Kotaro sounded fired up already.
"Let's go then!" Negi lead the way to the ring and the audience started to murmur and laugh at the sight of the two boys approaching the ring. Compared to the size of most of all the other competitors they gave the illusion of small fry. Negi was quite oblivious to all of it as his mind gradually started to stress over the fact that Evangeline and Takamichi were participating. Kotaro, however, saw this as his chance to get the jump on all the others. That was until...
"Well, if it isn't Kotaro." Kaede greeted him in her usual laid back fashion.
Kotaro swallowed hard when he saw the ninja. Alright...now I'm feeling a bit nervous. He entered the ring with Negi and a rather large man with bulging muscles looked the both of them down upon. He had an anchor tattoo on his shoulder and the smug look on his face was something that Kotaro was itching to wipe off.
"Heh, heh. Look at em'." The large man laughed. "I'll just pick you two off before ya get hurt."
-"Group "B"...FIGHT!"-
The entire crowd up on the stands went wild when Negi's first move was to eliminate the man that opposed him and Kotaro. Even the dog demon couldn't help but do a double take when Negi punched the man with such force that he was launched out of the ring. Both boys watched as the muscled brute smacked the ground near the stands, leaving a path of shambled floor tiles.
"...Maybe I went a little too far." Negi laughed nervously.
"Ya think?!" Kotaro glared at his friend.
-"This is unbelievable people! The young English teacher of Mahora just sent that huge man sailing out of the ring with a swift technique that was hardly seen by the naked eye!"- Announced Kazumi excitedly as the audience cheered. -"It is believable! We've just been informed that Negi is the first disciple of challenger Ku-Fei!"- Evangeline's ears perked up at that information and her left eye twitched in irritation.
"Negi is my disciple too!" the chibi-vampire growled jealously. She eyed a fighter who tried to sneak up from behind her and took him down with a leg sweep before kicking his fallen form out of the ring like a rag doll. Takamichi saw the sudden change in her attitude and grinned. It looked as though the photographer's words were really having some sort of effect on her. He played it off as though he wasn't looking at her when she whipped her head in his direction and took down another challenger with one of his quick punches.
"How are we doing over there Eva-san?" Takamichi asked as he heard some screams coming from behind his back.
"How do you think?!" Evangeline snapped after she smacked another fighter with her fan. "These preliminary participants are pathetic."
"OH YEAH?!" A spikey haired young man yelled as he tried to ambush the vampiress but she whipped around before he could reach her and delivered a palm shot to the stomach.
"Fool." she quipped but yet another fighter laid their hand upon her shoulder with a chuckle. She was beginning to hate the way people were judging her. Her eyes pierced the man's soul when she turned to face him and she grabbed his wrist tightly. "Remove your hand or I'll do it myself."
"AHHHHHHH!" The fighter could only scream as she practically swung him in an arc over her head and pinned him face done to the ground with one finger plunged deep in to a pressure point on his back. All feeling left his arms and legs, leaving him completely immobilized. He looked up at Evangeline's fearsome smirk and his bladder almost relieved itself.
"Best not to move." She cooed softly.
"I don't...think it's possi-"
-"AND IT'S OVAH FOLKS!"- Kazumi's voice drowned out the grunts and yells from the remaining sixteen fighters. -"Some believed it wasn't possible but the child teacher of Mahora moves on to the final rounds! Well done everyone! With this our sixteen finalist have been selected!"-
"That was nothing." Kotaro said cockily as he joined Negi by his side with a grin. "What do you think Negi?"
"Well that last guy actually hit me with some sort of fireball..." Negi said, rubbing the cheek that got struck.
"...So?"
"...I was just saying." Negi said dejectedly. He didn't care what anybody said; the fireball really stung. Wow...look at me. The fireball stung...man that must sound pathetic. Negi massaged the back of his neck with a awkward chuckle before looking over the finalist to see his master standing beside Takamichi. He waved at her to tell her that he passed on even though Kazumi made it rather clear and he was delighted to see her grin in response.
"She looks pleased." Negi smiled to himself before a doom feeling swallowed up all his happiness. Winning meant that he would have to face her sooner or later. Well...if he got past Takamichi anyway. "Oh...well of course she would be happy. She probably wants to sweep the floor with me later anyway." His eyes darted over to Takamichi and his stomach did flips. "I hope I don't go against-"
-"The match ups have been decided at random by the tournament committe! Please turn your attention to the listings!"- Kazumi announced loudly, gesturing to the holo-board at the side of the ring. Negi's eyes shrunk to mere specks when he saw whom he was up against. He could swear that some deity in the heavens was laughing at him because his first opponent was none other than-
"Hey Negi! HEY, are you alright!" Kotaro freaked out when he friend fainted.
--------------------------------------
Starbooks Cafe...
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Everyone danced and mingled with each other happily as the entire class of 3-A celebrated the ending of the first festival day at the cafe. The girls were excited at the fact that Negi and their classmates moved on to the final rounds. Negi on the other hand couldn't possibly feel any worse due to all the stress that was on his mind. He knew that he wasn't going to have it easy during the festival but this was just ridiculous! First he had the situation with Takane and now he was about to face some of the most intimidating mages he ever met and possibly Mana to boot.
"Why the long face, huh?" Evangeline asked as she joined Negi at the lone cafe table near the corner. The young magi had his chin resting in one hand with an untouched drink at his side. Chachazero was sitting at the edge of the table writing in some sort of journal and the vampiress spied some illustrations of Negi and another person that suspiciously resembled the puppet.
She decided not to inquire about the contents...
"You should be happy that you got through the preliminaries." Evangeline told the magi.
"...It's not that." Negi sighed
"Then what is it?"
"I've just got a lot on my mind." was his only reply.
"Well, do you want to talk about it?" Her words caught Negi by surprise. She was actually willing to help him through his anxieties? If only the situation was different, he'd be more than happy to tell her but for now he could only shake his head.
Eva seems to be getting a bit nicer towards me. He observed with a small smile.
"What are you smiling about?" Evangeline asked, blinking a few times.
"N-nothing."
"I've been getting that answer way too many times from you today." She said sounding a bit miffed. "It looks like you don't trust me with anything."
"No, no! You've got it all wrong!" Negi assured her as he placed his hand over her own to keep her from leaving. It took him a moment to realize that he was actually touching her and he snatched his hand away quickly in fear that she might take it the wrong way. "I-I'm sorry about that."
"You didn't do anything wrong boya." Evangeline told him with a grin. "I'm actually kind of pleased that you're starting to loosen up around me. Um..." She averted her eyes for a moment as she chose her words carefully. "...Do you wanna go someplace else?"
"What do you mean?" Negi asked curiously.
"I mean do you want to leave the cafe and join me somewhere else. All of this noise is starting to irritate me." Negi had to think about it for a while. He still had a few things to attend to in the past and he really started to feel the fatigue getting to him. On the other hand this was a rare chance to actually spend some time with his master that didn't seem to involve training or trouble for the matter. Besides, he could always turn back time after he was done with her.
"Sure." Negi answered much to his master's delight.
"Lets blow this place then." Evangeline said as she got up. Negi followed her after Chachazero settled down on is shoulder and they headed toward the exit. All the girls watched curiously as the two vampires passed them and some of them were actually willing to stop Negi from leaving but someone else managed to do the job for them.
"...NO..." Negi choked when he saw Takane and Mei walk in to the cafe. The blonde magistress saw him and Evangeline together and a scowl came over her lovely face. This isn't good! This isn't good at all! He stole a glance over at Evangeline to see her reaction and to his horror there was an evil grin on crossing her lips.
"I guess your friends must have heard." Evangeline said to him.
"Heh, heh...looks like it." Negi laughed nervously.
"Good evening Negi." Takane greeted him as she and Mei approached them. "We heard about the preliminaries. I had no idea that you decided to participate." A look of suspicion washed over her face. "It's vexes me that you had so much time between that little date and your hospital visit."
"Hospital visit?" Evangeline asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Um yeah...you see...Takane got hurt." Negi explained.
"Really?" She mused. "How?" She flinched when Negi suddenly held her hand.
"You know what?! That's not really important!" Negi lead her past Takane and Mei much to the two girl's displeasure and they left the cafe.
"What's going on here?!" Evangeline demanded when they were outside.
"I-I'll explain everything when we're somewhere private!" He missed the light blush on her face when he said that.
"...Alright boya."
Takane and Mei watched their fleeting forms through the glass doors of the cafe and the blonde magistress fumed.
"How dare he..." Takane growled.
"Hey onesan I'm sure he was just trying to protect us." Mei patted her on the back. "Evangeline looked like she was up to somethi-WHOA!" Mei jumped away from her superior when one of the glass doors of the cafe shattered in to tiny shards. "H-hey! Are you alright?!" She asked but Takane had a distant look on her face as her mind processed what just happened. She rubbed the side of her face when she felt an odd sensation from both sides of her upper jaw and gasped, "W-was that me?!"
The cafe owner looked at her oddly and she perked up quickly.
"I-I m-mean...what was that?!"
To Be continued...
I'm so sorry for the delay! That took me longer than I ever expected it to! I've been getting this annoying case of Writer's block for the past week and I feel completely blank of ideas. I've tried writing chapters for my other fics and I get the same feeling...I guess I need some inspiration. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter...even though I sense something missing from it...oh well! I promise the next chapter will be much stronger in those missing elements!
Till next time,
Traingham...