Disclaimer: I do not own Negima or any of its characters…

Fang Vice Addiction

Chapter Eighteen: Dark Intent

By Traingham

The class of 3-A had dramatically changed ever since Negi set out for mysterious reasons from Mahora Campus. The only people who truly knew why he had taken his leave were Takamichi, Evangeline, Mana and Chao Lingshen. He offered no explanation to Asuna despite her constant hounding when he started to throw hints of leaving. She couldn't hate the young magi. He told her good-bye before he left but the fact that he left her in the dark made her want to scream to the heavens. Konoka hadn't taken his leave too well either. She held him in regard like a little brother and to lose him was enough to crush her heart to the point that she had not eaten for a few days.

Ku-Fei tried not to show how affected she was by the leave of her disciple but it was quite clear to those who really paid attention to her. The increase of training she put herself through and her weary demeanor during the morning classes made this noticeable. Makie had grown a little mature since Negi's absence and Ayaka had suddenly become rather quiet as opposed to her usual boastful self. Kazumi didn't seem to be affected as much as the others, however, Sayo didn't seem to be herself. Mana and Setsuna had once again become rather distant; Konoka being the only one who seemed to ever get the swordsman's attention. Chisame's gradual social development had come to a standstill and Kaede was beginning to feel rather dull in the mountains where she trained. The class of 3-A still strived to regain their upbeat standards but something just didn't feel right without the young teacher.

"Do you regret allowing him to go on alone?" Shizuna asked Takamichi as they shared a drink at one of the outdoor tables near the Starbooks Cafe, which was running wild with the arrival of new freshman students for the new school year. This was the fourth time that lovely counselor had asked the English teacher this certain question.

"How could I possibly answer that question?" Takamichi replied as he inhaled softly from the cigarette he was smoking. He could still remember the looks of disappointment he was faced with when he returned to becoming the homeroom teacher of class 3-A; the guilt he felt when the girls asked him where Negi Springfield had gone. He had to admit in the back of his mind that he was rather angry at Negi for making the decision so suddenly yet at the same time he couldn't help but feel some excitement that the young magi was actually going out in the world alone.

"I wanted to accompany him but he told me that he wanted to do it alone." Takamichi chuckled as he extinguished the cigarette, smashing the burning ashes in the tray before him. "He said that he wouldn't want Asuna to be angry at him because he took me away from her."

"Always has an excuse for everything doesn't he?" Shizuna asked with a good-natured grin.

"He sure does...he sure does..." Takamichi mused. "It just hasn't been the same without him though. I'm beginning to miss talking with him. I was happy when he took the job as an English teacher. I..." He stopped for a moment. "...I guess I was just trying to keep a part of Nagi safe with me. Is that wrong?"

"It depends." Shizuna answered. "Did you care for him as an individual or did you only care for him because he was the last part of Nagi that was still around?"

"...I...I'm not..."

"Don't answer too quickly. I'm not trying to make you out to be a bad person Takahata-sensei." Shizuna removed her glasses and placed them on the table. "There are a lot of others who feel the same way."

"You mean Evangeline-san?"

"I don't know about her..."

"She has been a little more irritable lately thought hasn't she?"

"So I've heard from the other girls who attend classes with her." Shizuna replied. "What do you think? She is in your homeroom isn't she?"

"She's been absent for a full week and the same could be said of Chachamaru who is usually present in her place." Takamichi replied with a slight shake of his head. "I wonder if she's avoiding me..."

"And why is that?"

"Because Negi left the campus to seek out information about the spell that breaks the Scholasticus curse."

"Is that the reason he left?" Shizuna seemed to be rather hesitant with her next words. "Is that even...safe?"

"What?"

"Releasing Evangeline from the curse?"

"That is the question isn't it?" Takamichi chuckled. "No matter how much the girls try to reform her she never seems to change much. In fact ever since Negi arrived on campus she had become quite a bit more aggressive."

"He kept her busy though." Shizuna laughed.

"He sure did. He was her "kryptonite" in a manner of speaking." Takamichi humored her. "Who knows...maybe by the time Negi comes back we'll have another Crimson Wings on our hands. Oh, what a wonder that would be..."

"Are you reminiscing?"

"I can't help it." Takamichi laughed.

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Somewhere...

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Life had been hard on Negi in the past but this was just starting to get really ridiculous. He figured that with all of his nocturnal powers all this travelling would be a cinch but so far all it's been doing is getting him in trouble with people he didn't even know existed. The magi trudged through the endless woods until he finally worked his way out to an opening. It was a fine change from all of the green he had been seeing for the past few hours. He couldn't fly around in this area since Lucinda was probably on the look out for him and she proved to be an even faster opponent in the air than Evangeline was.

"Hmm?" Negi tapped his foot when he stumbled across a street. He turned his head to the right and he found an intersection with some stoplights to regulate the flow of cars. "You've got to be kidding me..." Negi mumbled much to Chachazero's amusement. The little puppet could already sense her master's frustration as he set his sights to the left. There before his eyes was a town in all of its heavenly glory! There were stores, a few buildings and a some strange structures that looked like something out of some sci fi movie but what caught the magi's attention most of all was the row of pay phones lined across the sidewalk. There were already some people occupying them but luckily for him there were two that weren't in use near the end of the row.

"It looks like we've been near some civilization after all." Chachazero remarked with an evil cackle. "Makes one wonder how you weren't able to sense it."

"Don't rub it in." Negi told her with a grin. "Well..." Negi approached the row of pay phones with a big smile on his face as he dug in to his sleeve pocket to get some change. "...It's time to drop master a line." Negi pictured Evangeline's face when she'd hear about what he had been through for the past thirty-seven hours...yes, he counted. When he reached one of the phones, the young woman next to him stole a glance at him and quirked an eyebrow at his messy appearance; not to mention the large staff that was wrapped securely to his back.

"Let's see...what was that number?" Negi thought aloud as he picked the phone off from it's receiver. "Oh!" A look of excitement flashed across his face when he remembered. Wow...that trip sure has made me kind of parched. I should...Negi's thoughts trailed off as he breifly turned his attention to the young woman beside him who was talking on the phone. She looked at the young magi when she noticed his eyes on her and offered him a friendly grin as a light blush crept up on her cheeks.

N-NO! Negi turned away quickly much to the girl's amusement since she believed he was simply a little shy. What followed after that was her explanation to the person she was talking to as to what she was giggling about. Obviously that person on the other line wasn't happy with her at the moment. I can't think about that sort of stuff right now! Master told me not to let my thirst get the best of me! Anyway, I better make this call...

Evangeline's Residence...

Evangeline took a seat on the couch in the living room as Chachamaru set down a tea platter before her on the coffee table. The android bowed to her after she handed the chibi-vampire a cup and went off to the corner of the to retrieve her violin from it's case with it's bow. Evangeline raised an eyebrow curiously at her servant for a moment as Chachamaru started playing and shrugged her shoulders before taking a generous sip from her teacup. It was actually kind of nice to have a drink with some soothing music to keep her entertained.

"I wonder what compelled her to start playing..." Evangeline mused as she set down her cup. She had to admit that the android was playing pretty well and the passionate expression on her face as she moved the bow across the strings of her violin was quite believable. As if Chachamaru could actually feel passionate about the music she's playing. Evangeline laughed at the very thought. That would be the da-

The sudden ringing from the living room phone pulled her away from her thoughts...

"Negi?"Evangeline stood up from the couch and walked to the phone quickly as Chachamaru stopped playing her violin. The eagerness in the android's eyes as she watched her mistress pick up the phone was unreal. Chachamaru had been waiting for Negi to call again since she started to pick up on some instruments. She wanted to inform him about her progress with them.

"Hello?" Evangeline greeted Negi, placing a hand on her hip.

"Good afternoon Eva!" Came Negi's excited voice.

"So you managed to escape..." Evangeline allowed a relieved expression to wash over her face since her underling wasn't in the room with her. "...That is something I wasn't expecting."

"What do you mean?! Don't you have any faith in me at all?!"

"With McVicar around?" Evangeline chuckled darkly. "I didn't think you'd stand a chance against her temptress charms and if you did I expected her to immobilize you and keep you prisoner until you submitted to her persuasive methods." Evangeline sounded simply evil when she spoke her last words. "It was either that or she probably would have sucked you dry to spite me."

"...Not one to beat around the bush, eh?" Negi asked as he scratched his chin. Now that she told him that, he seriously didn't want to cross paths with Lucinda again. It was disturbing enough for him when the Dark Mistress tried to seduce him in to spending the night with her in her bed and he knew where that would have lead to if she managed to entrance him with her eyes. These "Persuasive Methods" as Evangeline saw fit to call them wasn't something he was looking forward to either.

"I need to be straight forward with you about these things if I expect you to make smart decisions out there in the world without me around." Evangeline stole a glance at Chachamaru who had been standing beside her with her usual dead panned expression. The odd look in the android's eyes contradicted the impassionate look though. "By the way Negi..." The vampiress turned away from her servant. "I want you back here at Mahora by December whether you find anything about the curse or not, is that understood?"

"B-but Eva, that's isn't even enough time for me! I'm having enough trouble as it is making progress with all of these mishaps." Negi whined. The sounds of his deep voice due to his older illusion mixed with his whining made a vein pop out on Evangeline's forehead. Some things still had not changed with her disciple despite his travels and as much as that relieved her it also annoyed the hell out of her too.

"I don't care!" Evangeline yelled as she slammed her free hand against her forehead. "Your bratty student's are getting on my last nerves already! All they do is mope around and ask me about you every time they see me!" Evangeline wouldn't dare let him know that she was sort of moping around herself with his absence. "And don't get me started on Kagarazaka and Konoe. The least you can do is show up on Christmas for them!"

"Y-yes m-master!"

I've still got it. Evangeline thought with a grin when she heard Negi stammer. "What did I say about calling me master anymore?"

"I m-mean, Eva-chan!"

"That's better..." The vampiress purred before looking back at Chachamaru who seemed to be hovering over her now. "I think Chachamaru wants to speak with you."

"She does?"

"Yeah." Evangeline handed the phone over to her servant before walking off with a side-glance. All of this emotional development that Chachamaru had been making was really beginning to disturb her. She wasn't accustomed to seeing the android so giddy about something and she wasn't about to either.

"Good afternoon Negi-kun." Chachamaru greeted the magi.

"That's a voice I haven't heard in a while!" Negi remarked playfully. His words made Chachamaru's face heat up. Just the very sound of his voice was enough to make her react in such a way.

"I have eagerly awaited the day to hear your voice again as well." Evangeline rolled her eyes when she heard the android say that. How is it that she could say something like that to Negi? Evangeline couldn't even help to say something like that. It just wasn't her style. The vampiress listened intently as Chachamaru informed Negi on her progress with the violin and the piano. Then she mentioned some recipes to the young magi and suggested that he tried it out some time on his travels. Apparently the android had been giving him lessons in cooking some time before he departed from Maharo. Why wasn't she aware of this?

"...I'll have my way with him when he comes back." Evangeline smirked mischievously. "I'll rock the world beneath his feet."

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Some time later...

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"Thank you! You are so kind!" Negi almost had tears in his eyes as he accepted a glass of water from a young girl he met standing in front of a house he stopped at as he was wandering the town. The young vampire managed to reach a town a safe distance from where he met a certain female vampire hunter.

"You're welcome mister." The girl said with a smile before the door to the house opened. Her mother stood at the door with her hands on her hips, tapping her foot with a look of annoyance plastered over her face.

"Mellisa, how many times have I told you not to speak with strangers?" She saw the glass in Negi's hand and cleared her throat. "...And not take care of them..."

"But this guy looks really nice!" The girl pouted. "He has a really cute doll with him too!" Her words made Chachazero roll her eyes unnoticeably. She hated it when people kept on calling her that and yet she couldn't say they were wrong.

"A doll?" The older woman shot Negi a disturbed look after her eyes wandered over to Chachazero for a brief moment.

"Oh!" Negi pointed to his familiar. "It was a gift from my younger sister before I left my home. She didn't want me to forget her so she gave it to me as something to remember her by." Inwardly Negi laughed at the thought of how Evangeline would respond to his lie. He would probably never hear the end of it if she heard that one. He finished drinking the water and hesitantly handed it over to the girl. "Thanks again!"

"You're welcome!" She cried out giddily.

"Get back inside Mellisa." The woman ordered her daughter, running a hand down her own face with a sigh. "Go watch your...cartoons or something."

"Alright mommy!" When the girl ran back inside the mother turned back to Negi with a mellow smile.

"I'm sorry about that stranger."

"T-that's alright!" Negi assured her. "Your daughter saved me! I was about to die of thirst." The young magi joked light heartedly.

"It's just you never know what's going to happen to your children these days with all those wacky freaks around now." She placed her left hand against her forehead as she shook her head and asked, "You know what I mean?"

"Yeah." Negi sympathized with her.

"Huh?" She opened one eye. "You have a child?"

"N-no! Of course not!"

"Then how would you understand?"

"...I guess I wouldn't..." Negi found himself feeling a little confused.

"Then don't act like you understand."

"Erm, sorry." He apologized. I wonder what's her issue...

"Heh! I'm just messin' with ya!" The woman suddenly looked younger as a mischievous grin danced across her lovely lips. She extended a friendly hand and introduced herself. "My name is Felecia Kerrigan! Like I said, I'm really sorry about all that."

"That's fine! I mean it."

"And your name is..." She trailed off for him to answer.

"Oh, sorry about that!" Negi apologized, massaging the back of his neck with his free hand. "My name is Negi Springfield! Nice to meet you." He let his hand drop back at his side when she let go of it and she observed his appearance.

"What's up with the weird clothes mister? Are you traveling or something?"

"Yeah." Negi patted his traveling gear for some emphasis. "I'm just, uh, doing some exploring. You know, expanding my horizons."

"Well, that's a refreshing change! These days teenagers are more interested in shopping or clubbing. Say now, you look young enough to be my son." Her words made Negi blink. Surely this woman wasn't that old was she? He'd taken the form of a seventeen year old at most. He was afraid to use his older disguise since Lucinda recognized him well in that form and she could've been anywhere at the moment.

"Um, how old are yo-"

"Hey!" She cut him off. "You should know better than to ask a woman her age."

"Oh, I'm sorry about that!" Negi suddenly didn't feel so comfortable around this woman. He had better find an excuse to make his escape. "I'm seriously starving. Do you know where I can get something to eat?"

"Sure I do." She pointed to a place somewhere behind him. "We have a restaurant in town that's pretty famous for it's Chinese cuisine." She leaned over a bit and lowered her voice to a whisper. "Rumor is, the cook is some mad scientist involved with the mafia or something. Now I don't know about the whole mafia part but the whole mad scientist bit sounds pretty believable. You can always hear something exploding in the middle of the night because of her bizarre projects."

"Her?" Negi asked. This female cook was a scientist as well? Something about what he was hearing was beginning to give him goose bumps.

"It's just the gossip of women!" Felecia waved her hand casually as if to brush aside the very thought. "Most of them are just jealous because the girl is quite pretty. Every guy goes to her restaurant just because they want their chance at her but she's always much more interested in her work than men. Don't get the wrong idea though! Her cooking is phenomenal as well! My daughter always begs me to take her there, heheh!"

As much as I hate to think it...this woman is really talking up a storm! Looks are pretty deceiving, huh?! Negi felt a bead of sweat threatening to slip down the side of his forehead. "Um, what's her name?"

"Well, well...is mister Springfield interested in her already?" She joked.

"...Sure." Anything to get this conversation moving.

"Well...I just know that her last name is Chao. At least that's what the waitresses there address her by."

"C-Chao?!" Negi stammered.

"Yep. Um, do you know her?"

"It's, er, complicated! Where is the restaurant again?"

"Just head down the west street. You can't miss it."

"Thanks!" Negi bided her farewell quickly and made his way to the town square to find the west street. He was walking so fast that Chachazero needed to get a firmer grip on his hair. This was the moment Negi had been dreading yet at the same time his curiosity screamed for him to find the connection. If he was lucky this woman might be his connection to Chao Lingshen and why not? He already tangoed with a Dark Mistress and got pursued by a self-proclaimed vampire hunter to boot. Why couldn't his luck work for his benefit for once...or was this meeting destined to be like all the rest?

Mahora Festival: Day Two (Mahora Budokai, Match Five)

Mana walked the halls of the arena building without even the slightest limp, which would have brought upon quite a shock to those who had seen her match with Ku-Fei earlier. The only thing on her body that truly showed signs of damage was her white long jacket which had been completely annihilated by Ku-Fei's final Ki attack. The lovely marksman had to admit that her blood was running wild with excitement as she fought the chairman. It was only a shame that she wouldn't be able to face Setsuna, Kaede or Negi now that she was eliminated from the match ups.

"Well...it couldn't be helped." Mana chuckled to herself. She ripped off her torn and tattered jacket when she saw a garbage can up ahead and tossed it in before entering the main technical room where Chao had been waiting for her. The only source of light came from the computers that were on and the large screen at the very front that allowed the scientist to view what was going on in the tournament.

"Good job!" Chao praised her associate when she walked in. Mana actually felt a slight chill when she saw the pleased grin on Chao's face. She stole a glance over the scientist's shoulder to see two gleaming gold orbs in the darkness belonging to Mistress Dorothy. The Dark mistress was seated with her legs crossed on one of the chairs on the other side of the room with her hands folded on her lap.

"Just doing as I was told." Mana replied to Chao's praise. She didn't allow her eyes to linger long on the Dark Mistress. There was something about her gaze that she didn't want to get lost in.

"Regardless of that, you made that defeat look quite believable." Chao pulled out a thick packet from her sleeve and held it out to the marksman. "We couldn't have the crowd's sweet heart going down in the first round. Here is your reward."

Mana regarded that thick packet in the Chinese girl's hand for moment before closing her eyes with a light laugh. "No...I think I'd rather not accept it."

"Why not?"

"Because that match was satisfying enough...besides..." Mana looked over her shoulder to look at Ku-Fei and Negi together in the ring with the girls surrounding them. The relieved look on the young magi's face made Mana grin. "...To do such a thing would have truly made me hated by all." And I wouldn't want that from you sensei...ever...

"W-whoa!" Negi supported his master when she almost stumbled to the side. "Watch out Master Ku." Mana really managed to leave Ku-Fei in a battered mess. Her abdomen was screaming for medical attention and her legs were feeling a little flimsy. It would be a miracle if she was even able to recover in time for her next match. Asuna, Setsuna, and Konoka were shooting threatening glares at the young men who were fighting to get a good peek at the chairman since her clothes were practically ripped to shreds.

"I hurt pretty bad now." Ku-Fei said light heartedly despite the pain she was feeling. "You may have to take from her disciple."

"What do you mean? You aren't going to drop out are you?" Negi asked hesitantly.

"I no know." Ku-Fei touched her side for a moment and winced from the soreness she felt. "I want to fight more...but maybe no is good idea." Negi had the urge to roll his eyes when Kotaro squeezed past the other girls to walk beside him. The smirk on the young man's face was all the young magi had to see to understand the nature of the conversation he was about to have with him.

"You get so emotional whenever someone you know is up on the ring!" Kotaro teased mischievously. "I thought you were about to burst out in tears when Ku-nechan was getting herself beat up out there." He inwardly cringed when he saw how Ku-Fei's shoulders kind of slumped at his comment. "O-of course, I was rooting for you all the way!"

"Thank you Kotaro." Ku-Fei said sagely. "I appreciate disciple's concern. Negi is reason I...er..."

"What was that?!" Konoka was suddenly with them with life gleaming brilliantly in her eyes. "What were you about to say Ku-chan?!"

"I...uh...nothing! Nothing at all!" The chairman began to blush crimson. She found herself getting rather uncomfortable when Konoka persisted and leaned over to her a bit closer. "I mean..er...no can lose in front of disciple! That what I mean!" The Chinese girl began to limp a bit faster to get away from Konoka, forcing Negi to increase his speed as well.

"Let's get you to the infirmary." Negi told Ku-Fei. They entered the building and headed toward the medical wing but their walk was interrupted when Chao came out of the elevator and stood before them with her usual grin crossing her lips. Negi felt oddly warm at the very sight of her but he decided to to investigate the feeling. He already had way to many things on his mind to add a little more weight to his problems.

"I figured that I'd meet you here chairman." Chao said with a slight bow. Ku-Fei nodded to Negi so he could let her go and returned the bow. "I really must congratulate you on a good match out there on the ring. I'm sure you had a lot of your faithful followers on the edge of their seats."

"Thank you."

"Will you be able to participate any further?" Chao asked as her eyes wandered over Ku-Fei's arm. "Mana seems to have left you a few injuries."

"Unfortunately my fight ends here." Ku-Fei replied calmly as she placed her good hand on Negi's head. "Disciple will take master's place from here..." She stopped to offer Negi a cocky girn. "Right disciple?"

"Y-yes master Ku!" Negi nodded quickly.

"Ahhh, Negi..." Chao's eyes were filled with a deep mischief as she clasped her hands together. "I've been meaning to meet with you before your match with Takahata sensei." She approached the young magi and placed a hand on his shoulder as she nodded to Ku-Fei. "If you don't mind, I'll be relieving you of your disciple for a moment."

"Don't mind." Ku-Fei replied.

"Excellent." Chao led Negi away from his master much to his discomfort. He really wanted to spend his time before his match with Ku-Fei and right now he didn't really feel all that comfortable with Chao. There was something about her that was seriously beginning to irk him even more so than before. "Are you excited?"

"Me? About that match?" Negi asked.

"Yes."

"More like nervous actually." Negi replied.

"That's natural." Chao nodded, stopping in front of the elevator to press the button. "There are a lot of participants who are nervous about getting in to the ring with Takamichi. He isn't nicknamed "Death Specs" for nothing, you know." Her words got a nervous chuckle out of Negi as his anxieties started to feel a little worse. He already knew what kind of man he was going to face. The last thing he really needed was for anyone to remind him.

"So is there something that you wanted to speak with me about?"

"Quick to get to the point, eh?" Chao asked. "Are you really that eager to end this meeting with me?" She feigned a little sadness as a frown came upon her lips. "That isn't very nice Negi-chan."

"N-no! It's nothing like that!" Negi assured her.

"I'm just messing with you Negi. No need to get so excited. The reason I wanted to meet with you is because I have somebody I'd like for you to meet." Chao placed her hand against his back when the elevator opened to lead him inside with her. She pressed the button for the top floor and turned back to Negi. "You see, she's been awaiting this moment to meet you as well for quite some time."

"She?" Negi cocked his head to the side.

"Yes." The door opened when they reached their destination and the both of them walked out. Negi was about to make a left out of instinct since his nocturnal senses were giving him gentle warnings about what awaited him in the right. Chao, however, placed a hand on his shoulder when she saw him going the wrong way and pulled him back saying, "That's the wrong way Negi-chan. This way!" She gestured the other way with an open hand.

"Oh." Was all Negi could say as he allowed himself to be taken the other way. He didn't understand why but something in the back of his mind was telling him that he was going to meet with the cause of this dreadful feeling that was plaguing him. It started when the elevator started it's ascension and it built up as he walked on with Chao down the left corridor. Chao led him across a short bridge that separated the main arena building from the main observation deck that overshadowed the ring.

"Um, just where exactly is this person that you want me to meet Chao-san?" Negi inquired nervously.

"We're almost there Negi." Chao replied, leading him in to the dim room that Dorothy was awaiting them in. The first thing that came to mind as soon as Negi had entered the room was blood. The young fledgling had no idea why but his thirst had suddenly increased ten fold and his fangs were tingling for a drink. His senses sharpened in the dimness of the room and he felt a powerful presen-

"Back so quickly, Lingshen?" A rich feminine voice asked from the other side of the room. Negi flinched at the unexpected words and turned his attention quickly to the Dark Mistress seated across from them. Her twinkling eyes were focused on him, completely unmoving from his position. It did well to send a wave of violent shivers down Negi's spine. "Oh...this must be Negi Springfield. What a handsome young man."

"Um..." Negi felt rigid. "Hello. H-how do you know my name?" It wasn't a very good question since there were plenty of obvious possibilities of how this mysterious woman could have gotten a hold of such information but Negi was simply compelled to ask. Her appearance was slightly concealed by the darkness overshadowing her side of the room bit Negi made out her golden mane of hair. It almost reminded him of his master.

"Lingshen has informed me about you quite a bit. I had the pleasure of watching you during the preliminaries and I must say that you are a young fighter after my own heart." Her manner of speaking was so proper. It reminded him of some of the old Victorian movies he had seen in the past. "Come now young one, don't be shy. You're hurting my feelings by being so cautious around me..." A devious grin crossed her lovely lips before she teased, "I won't bite."

I've come to grow wary of those words. Negi inwardly joked as Evangeline came to mind from hearing her words. He approached her a little more until he was finally able to make her out through the darkness, which was really odd because his enhanced sense should have allowed him to see her from much farther regardless of how dark it was. The darkness in the room felt more like it was some sort of veil or barrier. Her features were very attractive and she resembled Evangeline in her older form with the exception of the different eye color. While Evangeline's eyes were emerald green this woman's eyes were...

Entrancing...Negi shook his head roughly when that word invaded his mind. What was going on with his head right now? Her piercing gold eyes weren't allowing him to think straight! This intimidating presence before him was no mere woman and he had the feeling that excusing himself from the room wasn't an option he could make of his own free will. He stole a glance over his shoulder at Chao who was still standing beside the door. She had not made a move since they entered.

"May I know your name?" Negi asked.

"Just call me 'friend' for now." Dorothy replied, beckoning him closer with a hand. The young magi felt as though his legs were given a life of their own as he was compelled by some unseen force to submit to her wishes. When he was within arms reach the dark mistress placed a hand on his head and ruffled his hair affectionately. "I'm your biggest fan Mr. Springfield."

"R-really?" Negi massaged the back of his neck with a creeping blush. "I had no idea that I had any fans to begin with..."

"You are much too humble for your own good." Dorothy grinned.

"No..really. I'm not that good of a fighter."

"Nonsense! That is not the sort of attitude I would expect of you!" Negi was startled by her sudden change. Her playful expression turned in to a furious snarl for the breifest of moment before reverting back as quickly as it had changed. "Don't go discouraging me like that Mr. Springfield..." She licked her lips. "Or may I simply call you Negi?"

"I-I guess..." Negi mumbled meekly.

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, you may!" Negi corrected quickly.

"Well then, I'll be rooting for you down there." Dorothy finally stood up from her seat, seemingly towering over him in stature and grace. She was sight to behold indeed. She pulled Negi's head against her chest and stroked his head. "However I would have nothing but high expectations from Evangeline's apprentice. You may go off now!" She held him away from her so she could look in to his eyes before finishing, "And don't disappoint me." Negi found himself lost in her eyes once more when they met before an odd sensation coursed through his body. It felt like he was being free of some weight he had not noticed before; a sense of freedom.

"I won't." Negi replied with a grin that mirrored the grin on Dorothy's lips. She sent him off and Chao lead him away. Her eyes followed he young magi until he left the room and she clasped her hands together delightedly.

"The seeds have been planted..." She picked her cloak off from her chair and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Now to see it all unfold."

Evangeline strolled in to the building with an annoyed expression gracing her features. Just how long was the boya intending to stay with Ku-Fei anyway? She was sure that he would have at least sought her out before his match with Takamichi for some advice. The vampiress scowled at some of the other tournament participants when they murmured amongst themselves at the sight of her walking through the infirmary. She knew that her appearance was deceiving but it wasn't her fault that she was like this! It didn't matter though. In due time she would show those fools why she wasn't one to be taken so lightly.

"Excuse me..." Evangeline got the attention of one of the nurses at the front desk.

"Yes dear?" The nurse asked sweetly, causing the chibi-vampires left eye to twitch in annoyance.

"I would like to know the number of the room that the Chairman is resting in...with her disciple." Those last words had the venom practically dripping off of them. That sweet little embrace that Negi and Ku-Fei were sharing earlier did well to arouse some dark feelings from Evangeline. She kept on clenching and opening her hands as she waited for an answer. It gave rise to the question of whom she was thinking of strangling.

"The second to last door in the west wing dea-"

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't address me that way." Evangeline cut her off before taking her leave. "Thanks anyway..." Negi's damn ways were rubbing off on her. Normally she wouldn't have even bothered to say anything. She would have just been on her way as soon as the nurse had begun with the directions. Her hearing was sharp enough to hear her from a building away anyway and that wasn't even concentrating. That of course served to annoy her anyway. "Well then." Evangeline's lips curled in to something simply demented when she reached the room that Ku-Fei was being tended to in.

"Hey Boy...a?" She blinked when she didn't see any sign of Negi around in the room. The Chinese girls looked back at her curiously before offering her an awkward wave. The male nurse that was tending to her arm paid no attention to the vampire, however. He was much more interested in the smoothness of the chairman's legs...the damn pervert. Evangeline did have to admit that Mana left the chairman in a bad condition though but that wasn't her main concern at the present moment regardless. "Where is my disciple?" She asked flat out.

"You mean my disciple?" Ku-Fei mused with a cat like grin. They had this sort of conversation before.

"...Whatever." Evangeline grumbled.

"Chao-san take disciple up stairs with her." She answered.

Chao Lingshen? What does that girl want with Negi anyway? She of all people should know that the boya has a match coming up soon so why would she want his time fo- Evangeline was pulled out of her inner thoughts when she heard the faint "Ding" of the elevator behind her. "Negi?" She felt his aura coming from the elevator car and it was just astounding. It was a complete difference from how it usually was and quite frankly it didn't sit well with her.

"So that's where you've been." The vampiress placed her hands on her hips and glared at her disciple darkly as he walked out with Chao by his side. Evangeline raised an eyebrow when she noticed how in tune both of them were with each other. That definitely wasn't nomal; not at all. There was a definite change in the Chinese scientist as well.

"Oh, hello there master." Negi greeted Evangeline calmly, which was something that he rarely ever did. This was especially so when she was staring him down with one of her patented "Make Negi Springfield cower in fear" glares.

"Likewise...boya..." Evangeline responded suspiciously, her eyes wandering over Chao for the briefest of moments. She wasn't one to jump to conclusions very quickly but something was telling her that Chao was somehow a link to her disciple's odd change of heart. "...Lingshen..." She addressed Chao with a slight nod.

"How nice to see you again Eva-san. It's so rare for us to meet like this now these days."

"It's for the best." Evangeline replied as she placed a hand on Negi's shoulder. "Now..."She tightened her grip on his shoulder and pulled him away from Chao's side. "...I'll be taking Negi with me. I'm sure that you know he has a match next."

"That I do." Chao replied with a mischievous grin. "I'll be rooting for you Negi-chan!"

"Um, thanks." said Negi as his master lead him away. Chao waited for Evangeline to shift her gaze away from her before getting in to the waiting elevator. She could tell that Evangeline was suspecting something but that was all and nothing more.

"Now is the moment I've been waiting for." Chao giggled.

"What were you doing up there with her?" Evangeline went straight for the point as she walked beside Negi towards the exit. "And why do you suddenly seem so pumped up? Your aura is pulsing from you like crazy."

"Chao just wanted me to meet an acquaintance of hers." Negi replied without hesitation. "As for why I'm like this, I guess I'm just feeling confident."

"Confident? You're going to be up against Takamichi and you're confident?" Evangeline actually felt the unusual urge to scratch her head. First Negi greets her so calmly and now he's looking forward to the match like it's just some other step in his life, which it was but she was expecting something more along the lines of, "I-I'm just a little nervous! I am going to be fighting Takamichi after all," or at least something else similar.

"Well...yeah." Negi replied with a grin that would have made Evangeline proud if this whole scene didn't just seem so wrong.

"And who was this "Acquaintance" as you see fit to so casually call them?"

"Just a fan of mine." Negi replied, making Evangeline blink.

"...A fan?" She echoed him.

"That's right."

"...He has fans?" She mumbled under her breath.

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

Back to the Tournament...

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Sure, she was mad at him. Sure, she would have loved to pummel him within an inch of his life at the moment but she still wanted him to be near! This was her first match and he didn't even have the consideration to be there in her moment of glory! She knew that they had recently gotten in to an argument but she was still his friend and close partner or at least that was what she firmly believed in her mind. They even shared a romantic kiss for crying out loud! So what if he was under the influence of higher power it still had to count somehow.

"Negi..." Takane grumbled under her breath, her eyes cast down upon the floor of the ring. "...Don't you even care about the outcome of this match or do you expect me to fail?" The blonde magistress raised her head to stare back at Tanaka and got in to position to fight. Regardless of whether Negi was watching or not, she was going to be the victor of this fight and when she did meet the young magi in the ring the look of shock on his face would make up for everything. She wasn't about to let herself be defeated by some robot! The smoke all around her from Tanaka's beam cannon started to dissipate and with that Takane struck a pose and pointed at him with a look of determination on her lovely face.

"That's it! Now I'm really mad!" The fact that her jaw was beginning to hurt didn't help much at all...not to mention that she finally realized something horrible about her current state of dress. "Ah..." She simply stood there like a statue as everyone in the audience felt there breaths get caught in their throats. Asuna and the others stared with their mouth gaping and Mei was bordering on losing her sanity.

"O-ONESAN!!!" Mei screamed.

I-I'm naked...Oh...my...gawd...I'm NAKED! Her body finally caught up with her nerve as she covered herself as best she could, which wasn't enough seeing as how her clothes were nothing more than burned shreds. Oddly enough the one thought that had occupied her mind while she was standing there was, I could be grateful that Negi isn't around to see me in such an embarrassing state. I don't know what I'd do if Negi was...

"T-takane?!" Negi's voice suddenly cried out.

"He called me by my first name agai-" Takane's mind shut down when it finally hit her a second later. He decided to show up now of all times?! Why couldn't he have not shown up at all?! "No...Negi's seen me...looking like a fool..." She felt tears stinging her eyes as a look of complete fury twisted her face. She felt something dark welling up inside her and before she could process anything else, Tanaka was launched in to orbit with one of her Shadow punches. "WHY YOU!!!" Takane screamed at the top of her lungs. The whole crowd was quiet for a moment as they waited for Tanaka to come back down but it didn't seem like it was going to happen any time soon so...

"What a hit by Challenger Takane! Here's your winner!" Kazumi grabbed the blonde magistress' hand and raised it in the air, putting her in an uncompromising position.

"L-let go of me!" Takane cried out in shame. She snatched her arm away and wrapped herself tightly before running away in a blur all the while crying out, "Now I'll never be a bride!!!" Moments later Tanaka hit the water causing Kazumi to jump back in surprise.

"Well...that was unexpected but...The crowd in this pavilion seems unduly excited! Now what could be coming up next?!" The photographer teased as the crowd went wild with the disappearance of Takane. "It's the one you've been waiting for! Child teacher Negi Springfield in match No.6!"

"That's you boya." Evangeline told Negi, tapping his shoulder to get his attention since he seemed to be transfixed on the exit that Takane had taken to make her quick leave.

"It looks like I'm up." Negi nodded.

"You seem to be taking this pretty well, unusually enough." She quipped.

"I guess seeing Master Ku fight has given me some confidence."

"Whatever you say..." Evangeline rolled her eyes.

"He'll be facing Takamichi, a.k.a, Death Specs!" The crowd went even wilder, however..."After the maintenace club is done making repairs to the ring!" That made all of their excitement fizzle away. Evangeline, seeing that the repairs would buy her some more time decided to keep Negi around a little longer but she swiveled her eyes to the left when she felt Takamichi's presence. The older magi had his hands in his pockets with the ever-present cigarette hanging from his lips. Asuna, Setsuna, Kotaro and Konoka were behind him. Mei must have gone after Takane when she ran off.

"Morning Negi." Takamichi greeted the young magi.

"Oh, Takamichi." Negi turned to him. His tone of voice sounded seemed as though he was a little unsure of his own words.

"You seem quite different now than from before." Takamichi observed eliciting a knowing nod from Evangeline who felt a change as well. "I'm glad though. Now I'll finally be able to see just how far you've come since that time. Then again..." A mellow grin appeared on his face, "How can I expect any different when Eva-san is your master?" Asuna and Setsuna were surprised to see that Negi had not even flinched in the older magi's presence. He would usually be uptight, being engaged in conversation with him.

"Takamichi..." Negi started, staring him in the eyes unblinkingly. "I intend to go all out today. I want to do my father proud and prove myself."

Evangeline raised an eyebrow with a grin. On the other hand maybe she did like this sudden change in him a little.

"And for that reason," Negi continued. "I don't want you to hold back." His bold choise of words added him another point on Evangeline's side. Kotaro smirked at his words as well.

Now those are the words I want to hear from you. Kotaro offered him a thumbs up from behind Takamichi before tensing up at Asuna's dark glare. The red-head sent a glare at Negi as well for talking to Takamichi that way but it didn't seem to faze him the least bit. Negi? What exactly is your deal? Asuna crossed her arms in perturbation.

"Heh, heh." Takamichi chuckled light heartedly. "You needn't be so serious Negi. You're you and Nagi is Nagi. Besides, I do think I'll hold back just a little. We wouldn't want to give away our true nature now would we?"

"I suppose not..." Negi replied.

"U-Um, Takahata-sensei?" Asuna called his attention with a bow. "You knew the "Thousand Master"?" Her question made Evangeline roll her eyes. Who in the magic world didn't know Nagi? A light blush crept up on her as she thought about his charming smirk before she shook her head to rid herself of such thoughts. Ironically, Nagi didn't even have to be around to get such a rare reaction out of the vampiress.

"Sure I do." Takamichi answered Asuna.

"S-so does that mean that you're...a mage as well?"

"Um..." Takamichi ran one of his hands through his spiked hair. "You're right Asuna. I guess I should've told you earlier but with all that happened with Konoka-kun before it just didn't seem like the right time." Takamichi grinned, "I don't recall but just how long were you aware of magic anyway?"

"Since Negi arrived..." Asuna replied.

"OH?" The older sensei blinked. "Well then...ha,ha..." He reverted back to his serious self. "I figured it might have been early but perhaps we should have a talk later Asuna-kun." He turned his head to the ring where the repair team was almost finished. "Now is not the time."

"I...understand." Asuna said calmly.

"The stage repairs are complete! Challengers, please report to the stage area!" Kazumi's booming voice got both, Negi and Takamichi's attention. Asuna, and Konoka tensed up while Setsuna and Kotaro felt some excitement. This was the fight they had been waiting for since the match ups were announced at the end of the preliminaries. An evil grin made it's way across Evangeline's lips.

"I'll meet you over there Negi." Takamichi told him with a wink as he made his leave from the group.

"Well, here goes the moment you've been dreading." Kotaro teased his friend with a grin. "You better not lose here Negi or we won't be able to face each other."

"Don't worry." Negi replied.

"Don't we seem confident?" Evangeline cooed gently in his ear. "That's something I wouldn't expect from you boya. I wonder what has caused you to change so much...regardless of that, remember whether you lose or not or simply drop out, you still owe me an all day date." Her words managed to break through to Negi for the slightest moment.

"Y-yes master!" His usual attitude suddenly reverted to its normal state making Evangeline cock her head slightly in curiosity.

"So what do you figure are your chances?" Setsuna asked.

"I-I'll do my best!" Negi replied eliciting a puzzled response from the girls. Moments ago he acted as though Takamichi wasn't much of a problem but now it just didn't make any sense to them anymore.

"Okay..." Setsuna's mind paused for a moment so she turned to Asuna. "Well, Asuna?"

"Huh?!" Asuna snapped out of her daze.

"Forget about her." Evangeline veered Negi's attention away from the red-head. "The Gap between his skills and yours is undeniable but go and hit him with everything you've got!"

Indeed... The voice that popped in Negi's head made him blink for a moment but he turned his attention to the vampiress when she leaned over to him.

"And remember that you're representing me out there." Evangeline finished.

"Yes, Eva." Negi nodded.

"Kill em' dead master Negi!" Chachazero encouraged from Setsuna's shoulder.

"Protect your chin!" Kotaro advised.

"Um, sure." Negi turned to leave.

"Good luck!" Konoka cried out.

"Gap or not, land the first blow and you'll read the flow just fine!" Setsuna shouted to him. All of these words of advice were really beginning to irritate him.

Wait...irritate me? Shouldn't I be happy that they want to help me? Negi was beginning to feel disturbed by these odd thoughts that were suddenly corrupting his mind. He shook it off and continued walking before hearing Asuna call his name at the top of her lungs.

"Yes?" Negi turned to face her; her cheeks flushed with a rosy hue.

"Um..." She sounded a bit hesitant but she offered him a thumbs up for good luck. "G-go for it!"

"Kay!" Negi replied with a grin. He finally walked on without any more interruptions and Mei re-entered the ring side with Takane. The blonde magistress was wrapped in her black cloak from earlier with her head still bowed in embarassment.

"O-onesan!" Mei saw Negi walking to the ring and her heart fluttered with excitement. She managed to get Takane's attention just barely. "It's Negi-sensei's turn!"

Takane raised her head slightly to get a glimpse of the young magi before letting it fall again. "J-just leave me be, Mei." She mumbled.

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

Negi Springfield Vs. Takamichi Takahata

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"In this corner!" Kazumi pointed to Takamichi, who walked gracefully on to the ring with the wind blowing his white jacket behind him like a majestic cloak. " The man who inspires fear in the heart of every delinquent who crosses his path, guidance counselor Takamichi Takahata!"

"Ha, Ha. This crowd is larger than before." Takamichi laughed as he stole a glance at Negi. The young magi didn't seem to be focused on anything other than what was in front of him. The crowd was wild for the older sensei but Negi didn't seem to be affected by anything right now. It was as though he slipped in to some other world.

"And in this corner!" Kazumi pointed towards Negi and all of the young women in the audience was easliy overtaken by his cute appearance from afar. "The child teacher who started here last year, the infamous Negi Springfield!"

"Infamous already is he?" Dorothy chuckled, watching the scene unfold from the top observation deck with Chao. The dark Mistresses eyes burned as she worked her charms on the young magi and Negi's eyes flickered for a moment below on the ring. "Allow me to show you what is freedom my precious darkling. This is my first gift to you!"

"Mistress Dorothy?" Chao questioned, her voice wavering only slightly. Even now the Dark Mistress looked terrifying with the devious look in her eyes. she couldn't help but feel a cold shiver run down her spine. "What have you done to Negi-chan?"

"Something that Evangel has yet to do."

"Boya?" Evangeline crossed her arms as she watched from the ringside. She sensed something happening with Negi and it wasn't pleasant. She looked to Takamichi, noticing that he was sensing something as well and yet the slightest of smirks danced across her lips. "...No mercy..."

"FIGHT!"

"Well then Negi..." Takamichi dug his hands in to his pockets and positioned his feet. "...though I sense something more..." The older sensei blinked and to his surprise Negi was no longer standing across from him. He felt as though a dark cloud had enveloped the entire ring. Negi's dark aura was coming from all directions! "Hu-" Takamichi's eyes sharpened when Negi finally appeared right beside him in mid-air. The young magi had his left leg rushing forward with a kick but Takamichi ducked under and sent a quick shot at him. Negi recoiled from the hit and Takamichi went on with a few more shots.

Don't underestimate him...

Evangeline's words to him echoed in his mind for a split second just as Negi fazed out of existence before his punches could reach him. He turned around to see Negi coming from behind him with another kick and did the only thing he felt he could at that very moment. He grabbed a hold of Negi's incoming kick and brought him down to the ground. "Hmph!" This wasn't at all what he expected. To have to actually grab Negi was something he thought he would be able to avoid. He thought he had Negi pinned but the boy disappeared as soon as he hit the floor along with him.

"An after image?!" Was all Takamichi could say before he felt a sharp pain cut through his body. Negi came crashing down on top of him with both legs and jumped off with just as much force, leaving the floorboards under Takamichi in splinters.

"Takahata sensei?!" Asuna gasped.

"Is this really Negi?!" Kotaro was hanging over the safety rails with a look of sheer amazement on his face. "This is unreal!"

"It is hard to believe isn't it?" Setsuna remarked. "This fighting style isn't like him." It's almost like the time he was being possessed by the world tree. His movements are so...ethereal. Her eyes swiveled over to Evangeline. Almost similar to Eva-san.

Takamichi got back to his feet and sent two shots from his fist in to the blur that was coming straight for him. He grunted with satisfaction when Negi slowed down from both shots just enough for him to get a clear shot at him. Takamichi executed a shundo and rushed forward at a blinding speed, using Negi's speed against him by connecting a clean shot to the stomach! Negi was sent spinning from the shot to the abdomen and crashed to the ring hard but he pushed off the floor with his hands and landed back on his feet just as fast before kicking on his feet to send himself flying back towards Takamichi with his elbow reared back for a strike to the cranium.

"Fast." Evangeline quipped just as Negi sent the older sensei crashing to the floor once again. The fledgling jumped back from his opponent's fallen body and prepared an unincanted dark spell but it was negated when a powerful force crashed in to his body. "Gah..." Slivers of saliva flowed out of Negi's mouth as the air was knocked out of him. Takamichi followed up with a combo that sent Negi flying even farther in to the air before slamming both of his hands together with a resounding clap. The floor beneath Negi was shattered even before the ray of energy crashed down upon him in a blinding white light!

"Whoa! What was that?!" Kazumi stepped away from the ring with Sayo hiding behind her back. "Huh?!" The photographer was confused when Takamichi suddenly doubled up as though the air was stolen from him. There was a quick flash of Negi's image bringing down both of his fist upon the older magi's back before Negi was suddenly knocked back in to the air by some invisible force! It was all so confusing for the audience as Takamichi disappeared from his position on the floor before appearing without warning above Negi with his hands in his pockets.

This isn't just Negi I'm up against. Takamichi thought wildly, his eyes glancing up towards the observatory deck for a moment but the tinted glass wouldn't allow him to get a good view of the inside.

"Kyohochu Ken!" Takamichi heard Negi's voice suddenly cry out. It appeared that the vampire had recovered quickly from his attack earlier and prepared an attack of his own while he was preoccupied with the observatory deck. Energy surged from Negi's right arm and seared in to Takamichi, ripping open his dress shirt in the process. The fan girls below cried out in appreciation at the sight of his toned abs...and the boys cried.

"Negi!" Takamichi yelled. "Snap out of it!" When Negi didn't seem to respond to his words he snatched his hands away from his pockets and engaged Negi in a flurry of punches that the young magi blocked and returned with just as much fervor. The mid-air show was ended when Takamichi went in for a desperation move. The sky twinkled with energy as Takamichi gatthered "Chi" in one hand and "Magic" in the other.

"This is a small tip from me Negi." Takamichi grinned. "If you can still hear me in there!"

"He's going to do it!" Evangeline felt a bead of sweat run down the side of her head.

"What?!" Asuna asked. "Who?!" She demanded but Evangeline offered her no response. Up in the air, Negi's eyes widened in horror for a moment as his sub-conscious screamed for him to get out of the way.

"You'll want to avoid this!" Takamichi did a mid-air shundo to get out the way, leaving Negi to stare at the white hot pillar of searing heat that came down in his direction. Once again, Negi's eyes flickered with the color of Dorothy's golden orbs and he sent himself flying in Takamichi direction.

"A mid-air shundo?!" Kotaro cried out in disbelief.

"No." Setsuna observed with her sharp eyes. "That was pure speed and will power right ther-" She was cut off from the explosion that touched down seconds later. When the light cleared there was a large crater in the middle of the ring, however, since it was a concentrated shot the entire stage wasn't in shambles. The audience all cheered at what some believed was simply a well-executed parlor trick.

"They're oblivious." Evangeline mumbled. Her hair was whipped to the side when a sudden rush of wind passed through in front of her. Her sharp eyes caught Takamichi and Negi trading blow for blow as they kept up with each other until Takamichi executed another shundo to send himself meeting Negi at the rails awaiting them on the other side. Negi was sent flying to the ring when Takamichi kicked him back. The young magi managed to get to his feet in a fighting stance but he was sent staggering back again when Takamichi struck him with a few "Iai-Ken" blows from afar.

"Come on." Takamichi called him forward when Negi regained his footing. "I won't underestimate you twice." Just as he was done speaking, Negi charged forward and became nearly invisible with the speed that he picked up. All of Takamichi's blows bounced off of him and he kicked the older sensei in the gut but Takamichi stood his ground and caught Negi with a solid uppercut. Just as Negi was sent upwards he reached out with his right hand to grab Takamichi by his tie and used the momentum from the blow to swing him over his head in an elaborate flip before throwing him in to the unforgiving wall on the other side. Asuna gasped when Takamichi crashed in to the wall and fell to his knees.

"Well done boya." Evangeline grinned.

"What's this about?!" Asuna growled.

"I'm just siding with my disciple." Evangeline retorted. "Mind your business." Both girls didn't go any further with the argument when Negi whizzed by again with both hands crackling in preparation to strike Takamichi before he could recover. Takamichi was quicker, however, kicking forward on his left foot and connecting a kick to Negi's face. The audience gasped at the sound of the older sensei foot connecting with Negi's skull but they were on the edge of their seat when the young magi managed to hit Takamichi in the midsection with an elbow thrust. He dodged a punch from Takamichi and countered with a palm shot that was blocked by the older sensei when he gripped Negi's wrist and veered the attack to the side.

Both fighters were engaged in close combat for a while, as it seemed to twist and turn in to a dance. Takamichi finally decided to hit Negi with a point blank Iai-ken strike but Negi dodged to the side and kicked on his foot to subdue the older sensei with a knee to the body.

"No!" Negi's eyes went wide with surprise when he realized that he had struck an after image. He looked up just in time to see Takamichi unleashing another one of his devastating Super Iai-ken barrages. He threw himself to the side to avoid being smashed by the heavy force of energy only to be crushed by another that was waiting for him as he rolled aside. Negi pulled himself out of the small crater wearily only to feel himself get lifted up by the collar of his shirt.

"Whoa, what a battle this has been so far folks!" Kazumi spoke, using the safety rails to keep herself standing up. Her legs felt like they were about to give out at any moment. "To think that this match would hold more surprises than the match between the Chairman and Tatsumiya! It's unbelievable! The ring seems more like a battlefield than a stage fit for a tournament! Could this really be the end?!"

"Negi..." Takamichi called to the young man, dangling from his hand. "I know that you can hear me. I'm not sure what it is that is influencing your actions now but you have to overcome it! What would your father say if he saw you right now?!" He grinned slightly when Negi furrowed his brows tightly. "There we go. Fight it!"

"What's going on?" Asuna asked, trying to steady her heartbeat. "What is Takahata-sensei doing?"

"Trying to bring the boya to reality." Evangeline replied. "Something has been disturbing him since the beginning of this match." Her eyes swiveled over to the red-head. "I'm sure you must have noticed the slight change in the boya as we were talking to him before the match."

Stop stalling and strike! Negi heard a voice in his head cry out. If you want to face your master then you must not hold back. She won't do the same for you! Negi nodded at the reasoning that the voice held and his suddenly eyes snapped open. Takamichi inwardly scowled when he realized that he might have failed. The influence on Negi was much stronger than he believed it to be. This man before you doesn't see you as an individual! Don't you realize that you are merely a shadow of your father in his eyes! Now fight! Claim your own path and go down as a legend!

"Evangeline..." Takamichi turned to face the vampiress, watching from ringside intensely. "...It's in your hands now."

Evangeline nodded as though she heard his words and Takamichi turned his attention back to Negi just before he felt the young magi's fist explode in his stomach! He let go of Negi and allowed himself to fall backwards but before he could even make contact with the floor, Negi came down on him with another charged strike.

"Well done!" Takamichi cried out before everything went white. There was one final explosion and floorboards from the ring went flying in to the air from the impact. The challengers at ringside with the exception of Evangeline, Kotaro and Setsuna backed away to a safe distance to keep clear of the falling debris.

"Did you see that?! Did challenger Negi's "Hissatsu-waza" ultimate techinique just light up the heavens or what?! He even managed to knock his opponent flat on his back with a powerful blow! What an upset for the fans!" Kazumi finally worked up the nerve to enter the ring again and stood beside Negi and Takamichi's fallen form. The feeling she got from the young magi as he stood with his back facing her was chilling and that fact that he was bleeding didn't make things any better. "Challenger Negi is a mess!" She squinted as she waved at the smoke surrounding the ring to get a better look at Takamichi. "I-is he dead? I-I mean...let's start the count!"

"T-takahata-sensei?!" Asuna suddenly started to feel quite faint. Konoka had to run up behind her and lend her some support. "N-Negi..." She bowed her head and clenched her hands in to trembling fists. "Y-you're terrible!" Her words somehow managed to carry on through to the ring and snap Negi out of his trance.

"H-huh?!" Negi whipped around to face Asuna and the others. "A-asuna-san?"

"I hope you heard me!" Asuna screamed but she flinched when Takamichi started to move. Negi couldn't help but do the same when the older sensei slowly sat up and regarded him.

"T-takamichi...y-you're amazing!" Negi was at a loss for words.

"I'm glad to see...that you're back." Takamichi muttered with a grin. "For a second there I thought I would've lost you forever."

"What do you mean?" Negi asked.

"...I see..." Takamichi said grimly. Negi's subconscious must have been merged with whoever was controlling his thoughts. Naturally it would have felt like a trance for the young magi so he wouldn't have noticed a difference. "This makes things complicated." Takamichi frowned. "Well then, considering I was going all out against someone at least twenty years younger than me I'd say you put up quite fight."

"C-can you still fight then?" Negi asked nervously.

"...Nah." Takamichi grinned before falling on to his back. "You win."

"The child teacher wins!" Kazumi raised his arm in the air and cringed when Negi winced. "You alright Negi-kun?" She whispered away from the mic in her hand.

"Um-" Negi winced again at the sudden pain in his side. "I'll manage."

"The ten- year- old child teacher moves on to the second round!" The crowd went wild at her words despite the out come of the match. This was truly a shock to those who were loyal to the legendary "Death Specs". These included Asuna who was having a very hard problem deciding whether she should pummel Negi in to oblivion for leaving her Takamichi in such a beaten condition or cheer him on for his victory. It was all so confusing for her!

"NEGI!"

"Huh?!" Negi felt a sharp stab of pain when Kotaro punched his shoulder.

"Ha,ha! You really did it man!" Kotaro looked like the happiest man alive despite the pain he was inflicting on his friend with all of his excitement.

"Master Negi!" Chachazero waved at him from Setsuna's shoulder as the swordsman approached him with Konoka and Asuna following behind her. His eyes searched for Evangeline and he saw her waiting for him at ringside with a smirk on her face. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing at the moment but he was going to find out soon. "Master!" Negi turned his attention back to Chachazero when he heard her call him again and took her in to his arms.

"So what did you think Chacha-chan?" Negi winked at her.

"I can't wait for you to fight Eva-san!" the sadistic puppet replied, causing him to go pale for a second. If you want to face your master than you must not hold back! She won't do the same for you!

"Hey Negi! You alright?" Kotaro's words pulled him out of his daze.

"U-um, yeah." Negi replied, shaking his head.

"You looked as though you were in some daze." Setsuna commented.

"It must be from the fight!" Negi assured her quickly. "There's nothing wrong!"

"Disciple!" Negi turned his attention to the source of the voice and saw Ku-Fei walking in to the ring with Kaede. The chairman had a cast over her arm but other than that she seemed to be fine. "Negi-bozu, you do so good!" She finally reached him with a proud smile on her face. Kaede placed a hand on his shoulder and offered him a smile as well.

"It's amazing how far you've made it since then." The ninja praised. "I'm looking forward to training with you in the mountains again."

"Heh...really?!" Negi felt himself blushing as he looked over all of the girls shoulders. The look on Evangeline's face was slowly twisting in to that of impatience and that sure wasn't a good sign. The fact that Ku-Fei was up there congratulating him didn't help matters any but more importantly he feared what Asuna's reaction would be. She seemed pretty quiet behind Setsuna since Takamichi...wait...

"Takamichi?" Negi realized the the older sensei was no longer with them. He must have simply gotten up and took a walk. "...He's so mysterious sometimes..." Negi mumbled. Setsuna nudged Asuna when she saw Negi turn away from them and the red-head suddenly came to life as though she was pulled out of her own little world.

"Well?" Setsuna regarded her expectantly.

"Er..." Asuna blinked a few times. "Negi."

"Um, o-oh, Asuna-san." Negi said her name awkwardly. They stared at each other silently for a while until Asuna raised her hand over her head. "Eh-URGH?!" Negi squeezed his right shoulder painfully when Asuna smacked it hard.

"Stupid!" Asuna grabbed him by the shirt and leaned over fiercely. "Look at the condition you're in, always trying to push yourself! Not to mention you got Takahata sensei all beat up too!" Negi blinked back a few times when spit started to spray out of her mouth. "If this wasn't a tournament I'd never forgive you!" She panted as she tried to catch her breath and sighed. She studied the bruises on his face and her expression softened gently. "N-now...get yourself checked out at the infirmary before you get infected or something."

"Asuna-san." Negi couldn't help but smile a little. Despite what anybody said it felt good to have someone worry...now; Negi looked at Evangeline one last time and cringed when he saw the dead panned look on her face. Maybe he kept her waiting a little too long?

"Hey Negi..." Kazumi managed to get beside him in the crowd of friends. "You mind leaving the ring now?"

"Oh, yeah...sorry about that." Negi chuckled. He left the ring with Asuna and the others following him until Evangeline pulled him to the side with her and had him walk the rest of the way with her. The audience crowded the path to the infirmary as they tried to get Negi's autograph and some of the girls squealed at the sight of Negi and Evangeline together. This did nothing short of causing a vein to pop out on the chibi-vampire's forehead.

"Oh, don't they look so cute together?!"

"Aren't they just adorable?!"

"Hey, chill! Those two are dangerous!"

"They won't last!"

"...Kill the pessimist!"

"Move along already!" Evangeline pulled Negi so that he would keep up with her.

"B-but my arm!" Negi hissed at the pain.

"Stop whining!" Evangeline snapped at him. When they were inside the infirmary she lead him to a bench where they would be alone and sat down. Negi regarded her for a moment as she looked up at him from her seat until she pat the spot beside her. "Are you just going to look at me?"

"Oh, um sorry." Negi took the spot beside her and looked out in to the distance to sort his thoughts.

"So you seem normal again." Evangeline said off handedly.

"Normal?" Negi raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, you didn't know?" Evangeline scratched her chin and crossed her legs. "There's a force at work here. I'm not sure what it is but it's causing another side of you to rise out. Not only that but your vampiric abilities are being unlocked at a startling rate whenever you fight."

"Another side? You know..."

"What's wrong?" Evangeline asked when he paused.

"Um...nothing." Negi didn't go any further. "So did you see how I managed to beat Takamichi?!" Negi was suddenly a giddy as a ten-year-old again.

"You think you beat Takamichi?" Evangeline asked skeptically.

"Well, yeah-"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Evangeline smacked him across the head. "He might has well had placed a bow on his damn head! He allowed you to win that match because he was satisfied with what you showed him, not to mention that it was getting a little out of hand!" Evangeline stood up from her seat and towered over him with her hands on her hips. "Did you see the condition of the ring?!"

"Y-yeah..." Negi cowered a little.

"I'll be honest with you..." Evangeline ran a hand down her face. "I never expected you to fight the way you did earlier. For a moment I actually thought you were trying to put a smile on my face with the way you were just lashing out move after move. You had Takamichi on his toes but believe me, if he wanted to he could have obliterated you." She poked his chest roughly. "Don't get cocky!"

"I-I won't."

"So how did it feel?" She suddenly asked.

"What do you mean?"

"How did it feel to fight with the abilities you have now?"

"I felt..." Negi looked for the right word to use. "...Free."

"Really?" A smile crossed her lips. "That's what I wanna hear. Now let's see if you can even manage to amuse me when we get in the ring together. I'm really looking forward to it."

"E-eva-"

-...Smooch...-

"Um..." Negi placed a hand on his cheek as he watched Evangeline walk away. "What just...happened?"

"Negi seemed to be a little hesitant in his actions down there." Chao frowned, looking down at the stage below as the maintenance team went to work on it. "What seemed to be the problem, Mistress?" she asked, turning her attention to Dorothy who had been nursing a glass of wine since the end of the match.

"Negi was somehow resisting me." Dorothy replied. "It must have had something to do with the man he was fighting."

"You mean Takamichi?"

"Is that his name?"

"Yes."

"Well, no matter." Dorothy took a sip from her glass. "This was simply a little test. Negi will do much better when he faces Evangel." She focused on the wine in the glass until she could swear Evangeline's reflection was staring back at her. "I've already planted the seeds. Now all I must do is watch him rise above his master."

"What are you planning Mistress?" Chao asked suspiciously.

"You will see soon."

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

Interlude...

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There was something about stepping in to a restaurant and being stared at by the occupants that could make a person feel unwelcome. This feeling did not go unnoticed by Negi as what happened to him was just that. He assumed that it was his state of dress that captured the attention of everyone eating. It wasn't everyday that someone walked in to a restaurant with a large staff fastened to their back and an odd looking puppet sitting on their shoulder. The young magi didn't really seem to mind the attention as much, however, when the aroma of the food being cooked in the kitchen reached his nostrils. The wonderful smell had his mouth watering in no time at all.

"Just like Chao..." Negi said softly, comparing the aroma to the one that could usually be scented around Chao's mobile restaurant.

"Um, sir?" the young woman at the reservation desk called his attention.

"Yes?" Negi asked.

"We have a coat check." She approached him, her eyes wandering over the features of his face dreamily. "Would you like us to relieve you of your staff and jacket until you're done eating?"

"Well..." Negi had to think about that. He really had a problem with parting with his staff. It was the last thing he had from his father besides the scar on his cheek. "Is it alright if you just took my jacket? This staff really means a lot to me."

"I guess." The young lady answered. "Oh, what a cute doll. Is it a gift?"

"From my little sister." Negi answered, as he took Chachazero in one arm before pulling from the sleeve of his jacket wit his other hand. When he managed to get his jacket off he handed it to the young woman and she took it to the room behind her desk. Moments later she came out and handed him a ticket before asking, "Are you the only one eating?"

"Yes." Negi replied, sitting Chachazero on his shoulder again. The girl regarded Chachazero for a moment when she noticed how well balanced the sadistic puppet was on his shoulder but her eyes didn't linger too long.

"Follow me." She lead him to a table in the corner near the window and he took a seat. "Can I start you off with something to drink?"

"Iced tea would do me just fine." Negi answered.

"Sweetened or unsweetened?"

"Sweetened please."

"Alright then." She nodded before turning to leave but Negi called her attention again. "Yes sir?"

"What is the name of the owner of this restaurant?" His question made the girl sigh.

How typical! I knew this guy didn't just come here for the food. They never come around here just for the food! She thought with a low growl. She actually thought he was pretty cute. Why did he have to be here for Ms. Chao?! "Her name is Ms. Chao." She answered.

"I meant her first name." Negi specified with a gentle smile to make the girl feel comfortable.

"Xue." She answered dully.

"I-I'm sorry! Did I say something wrong?" Negi asked nervously.

"No." she answered with a sigh. "I'll be back with your drink."

"Thanks." Negi smiled. When the young woman was away he sighed and bowed his head slightly as he leaned against his staff. "I am so nervous right now."

"Why?" Chachazero asked. "You don't think McVicar will track you down here do ya?" She felt her master shiver when she said that name. Apparently he still had not gotten over his meeting with the Dark Mistress. "Sorry bout that." She apologized with a giggle.

"I almost forgot about her." Negi groaned. "Thank you for reminding me." He quipped sarcastically. "What I'm really worried about is Ms. Lingshen."

You and my mother were very close Negi-chan. Everytime she spoke to me about you she always had this dreamy look in her eyes. Kind of like you were her prince charmi-

"That was the most awkward conversation I had with Chao-san." Negi massaged the back of his neck as he pushed the Chinese girl's words in the back of his mind. From what she told him this woman was going to be making a big impact on his life or rather he was going to be making a big impact on "HER" life. "What a second...Chao never specified who she was in my bloodline..."

"What are you getting at, Master Negi? You don't think that she's your-"

"N-no! Of course not!" Negi cut her off causing the children sitting in the table in front of him to glance back at him like he was some crazy person. Negi cracked a grin to make them look away and sighed again. His heart felt as though it was going to burst forth from his chest at the tempo it was beating at. "Maybe I should have informed Eva-chan?"

"Eva-san would never let you hear the end of it if she found out that you were mending bonds while you were away from Maharo, master." Chachazero told him. "Oh, here comes the waitress." The doll allowed herself to flop lifelessly against him again.

"Here you are sir." The young woman said as she set his glass down on the table. "Ms. Linghshen will be with you shortly."

"Um, excuse me?" Negi tensed.

"She's going to be here to take your order personally."

"W-why?"

"I told her that you asked for her."She answered before taking her leave. "Ciao!" Negi's jaw dropped as the waitress walked away. Why did she do this to him?! He didn't ask to meet her! All he wanted to know was her name...but then again, why did he come here in the first place?

"I confuse myself sometimes." Negi muttered.

"Do you think she's cute?" Chachazero teased.

"I don't know...that really isn't important."

"So you go for personalities, huh?"

"Ch-chacha-chan!" Negi blushed.

"I just like to see master flustered." Chachazero chirped playfully. Negi buried his head in to his arms for a moment but the sound of someone clearing their throat got his attention. When he turned his attention to the source of the sound he felt his throat close up. Xue Lingshen stood before him dressed in the same style of clothes that Chao would usually be seen wearing. Her hair was done in buns on the side of her head and her face was simply flawless down to her delicate chin. Her resemblance to Chao was eerily uncanny. He'd never seen a woman so elegant and yet the grin on her face gave her a child like impression. It was no wonder to the young magi why most of the men who ate here came just to get a glimpse of her.

"Hello there." She greeted him cheerfully. "Welcome to my restaurant! One of my waitresses told me that you already know my name so what's yours?"

"N...Negi Springfield." He answered, causing her to blink for a moment.

"Well..." Xue smirked. "That's a very nice name."

"Thank you."

"Do you know the meaning of your name?" She suddenly asked with a twinkle in her eye.

"...Um..."

"I guess not." She smiled. "Well I'm guessing the name "Negi" has a relation to the name "Nagi" which means, safe. As for "Springfield" I know that "Spring" means to burst forth where as there is a relation to name "Shprintza" which is yiddish meaning, hope." After she was done with her explanation she giggled at the expression on Negi's face.

"V-very informative." Negi praised. "That was amazing!" He felt a little unnerved when she related his first name to his father's name but other than that he just learned something today. This woman was seriously Chao's mother. There was no doubt in his mind about that. He stared back in to her eyes for a moment and something in the back of his mind was telling him that she was waiting for him to ask her a question. "So what does your name mean?"

"Snow." She answered, eyeing his staff. "That's an odd looking staff you have there."

"Oh this?" Negi patted it. "Um, I use it to go traveling."

"Interesting." she took a seat across from him on the table causing him to feel very nervous. This was beginning to go a little further than he expected. Perhaps he simply just couldn't avoid fate. "You really stand out from most of the other people that come around here."

"Do I?" Negi felt like there was a bit of Deja Vu going on her.

"Yeah...I can tell that you're very different from everyone else around here. There's something about you that sets you apart." Xue leaned over as she rested her chin on both of her hands. Her eyes were deep pools of hazelnut that were mesmerizing. "And quite frankly that isn't a good thing in your case."

"Um..what?" Negi saw her right hand slip under the table and a moment later he felt something sharp against his leg. "X-xue-san?!"

"Shhhh..." She shushed him. "Keep your voice down Mr. Springfield. Tell me why you're spying on me for."

"What? I don't understand."

"Don't play coy with me!" She smirked. "The magic guild sent you to investigate and spy on me didn't they? I've been having problems with them ever since I started the Cassiopeia zero project..." Her eyes narrowed imperceptibly. "What do you guys want with my invention?"

Cassiopeia?! She invented the time machine?! Negi felt a bead of sweat trail down his forehead. "I-I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Heh...we'll see." Xue chuckled. "Stand up and come with me."

"Where are you taking me?" Negi whimpered.

"You aren't in the position to be asking any questions Mr. Springfield and don't try any of your magic. I've had too many confrontations already so I've set up a nullifications system."

"Huh?" Negi felt a doom feeling.

You and my mother were very close Negi-chan...

"I hope you're right Chao-san." Negi moaned.

To be continued...

It's been a long time...

Whoa...I seriously need to get my head in to the game again! With my abdomen muscle healed I'm back in training so my schedule has been hectic again! I hardly have any time to myself anymore and brainstorming for FVA has become rather difficult...ahem...but I won't let this story die!

...I'll try to get it done...one way or another! Anyway, I'm sorry if this chapter wasn't as filling as the others. Writing scenes for the matches is surprisingly mind draining so I'm thinking of just releasing a chapter for each match to get things running easier. Something like:

Chapter Nineteen: Negi Vs. Takane

and

Chapter Twenty: Negi Vs. Evangeline

...you get the idea. Then again maybe that's not good...er...I'll decided sooner or later. As for these little interludes, most of you are right in assuming that they're glimpses in to the future but I like to leave things a little ambiguous to get the mind working, heh, so sue me. I'll be introducing some characters that will be making an impact on Negi's future. Take Xue Chao for example! She is Negi's connection to Chao Lingshen. Of course since this is FVA it must all start with a bite right? Well, I'm not telling. And what about Dorothy and Lucinda? Their back-stories are twisted and I'll eventually get to them after I introduce the next Dark Mistress...

Until next time,

Traingham...

P.S: So, Evangeline pecked Negi on the cheek...unexpected? Well, don't expect sunshine and roses to suddenly blossom...