Fang Vice Addiction

by Traingham

After one fateful night, Negi finds himself entangled in the world of Evangeline McDowell. Immerse yourself in a world of untold passion and growing obsession. Bask in the moonlight, and have yourself a bite to drink. The night is young. Are you addicted?

19. Leading to this moment

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

Fang Vice Addiction

Chapter Nineteen: Midian Trials

By Traingham

---

The forest was filled with the ominous roar of a motorcycle accompanied by the occasional report of a gunshot from a heavy caliber gun. Any expert would be able to tell that the type of shells that were being used were of a burst type which would immediately be related to a shotgun. The birds that were nestled in their trees all scattered at the sound of every shot as the roar of the motorcycle corrupted the calm silence of darkness. Negi was getting the brunt of all the commotion, however, as he pumped his legs for all they were worth. His training with Evangeline made him a very fast foe but his opponent was utilizing a well-customized bike that allowed them to catch up. Surely one mistake on such a fast vehicle would mean the end for the person riding it.

"Run all you can scum!" Katherine cried out as she took aim for Negi again with her gun. She took the shot but Negi phased out of existence for a moment to avoid being hit and continued his run. This vampire hunter was quite the strategist. She chased him in to a very dense forest where he wouldn't be able to take off easily. "You won't escape from me!"

"Why are you doing this?!" Negi cried out.

"Because you're a plague to the world! All of you are!" She answered venomously. "The Vatican is just ensuring the safety of their little world but what happens to the other towns and cities when you filthy lot decide to creep in, huh?! That's why there are people like me out here!" She took aim once more and pulled the trigger only to hear a metallic click telling her that it was time to reload. "Scheisse! Hurensohn!" She grinded her teeth angrily, holding on to the steering controls with for her motorcycle with one hand as she reached for some more ammunition with the other.

"I don't know what she said but she stopped shooting!" Negi said in relief.

"I think she needs to reload!" Chachazero informed her master as she held on to his shirt for all she was worth. She found her grip failing her and cried out, "M-master! I'm slippi-" She stopped voicing her distress quickly when Negi suddenly snatched her off his back and held her securely in his arms. If she were able to blush she would have reminded Negi of the drink he craved most. "Thanks..." She mumbled in embarrassment.

"I can't have you disappearing!" Negi winked at her before his playful mood reverted back to all business. "Hold on tight!" He kicked off with his right foot and preformed a shundo! He was sent flying forward at top speed and when he looked back the head light from Katherine's motorcycle was a mere speck. "Alri-"

"Master! Look out for that-"

Crrrack!

"Ow." Negi groaned dully when he collided in to a tree that rudely got in his way. Due to his speed he simply plowed right through it causing it to crack in half before it crashed to the ground, alerting Katherine of hid position. "I hate forests!" He growled before hearing the rev of Katherine's motorcycle again. It seemed that the vampire hunter was locked and loaded again.

"Nosferatu!" She yelled in a thick German accent. "Your demise is near!" Her raven hair rushed behind her head as she picked up more speed and popped a wheelie over the fallen tree. She had Negi in her sights once more, her blue eyes twinkling with the glimmer of a natural hunter but she found something very wrong about the terrain she was traveling now. It almost felt like she was going down a...

"Hill!" She growled. "He's going to escape!" She took aim again and concentrated hard on his fleeting form as the edge of the cliff came near. Then she kicked hard on the brakes so she wouldn't fall off the upcoming edge and took the shot. Negi was so relieved to see his way out that his mind didn't register the report from the shotgun.

"MASTER!" Chachazero screamed when his chest convulsed as the scattered shot hit it's mark. A short spray of blood rushed out of the gunshot wound and Negi's eyes went blank for a moment. This was the first time he ever felt this odd and painful sensation and the intense explosion of fire that coursed through his body from the wound killed all rational senses and movement. He found himself plunging down in to the darkness of the abyss that awaited him below but he couldn't take off to save himself.

"G-gahhh..." Negi choked. "Cha...cha..."

"Master!" Chachazero held on tight when Negi could no longer hold her in his arms as he started to lose all consciousness. His vampiric regeneration abilities weren't kicking in. What did that damned hunter shoot him with?! "Silver bullets!" She cursed before she felt herself fading as well. "Master's flow...is being cut off..." She dug in to the inner pocket of his jacket with everything she had left. "Ne...gi..." What followed next was complete darkness as her eyes dulled from it's lively green to a dead gray.

Katherine got off from her bike when she leaned it against a bush and carefully made her way to the edge of the cliff to make sure that her target wasn't holding on for dear life. She didn't see him take off so the only way for him was down. "...Did I do it?" She saw no trace of a struggle with the branches growing out from the side of the hill. There were some that were cracked most likely from his dead weight but nothing else. She sighed, falling back on to the grass and moss. "Rest in peace...Springfield. If only things were different...if only you weren't one of them..."

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

"We are almost at your estate, Mistress Dalziel." The driver told the vampiress who was sitting in the back seat. Her hair was a reddish blonde and her eyes were as crimson as the blood coursing through her veins. She was dressed in some old-fashioned clothes fit for a huntress with the exception of her vampiric mantle, which was draped over her shoulders. At her side was a sheathed rapier held firmly in one of her gloved hands. Two other female vampires in the back seat of the limousine who were also armed with rapiers accompanied her, however, their blades weren't as elegantly crafted.

"Very well." Alice Dalziel nodded, her voice laced with an Irish accent. "It would be refreshing to see how the others are holding up down there." She chuckled with a demented grin. The limousine drove further along the dark path until Alice flinched when her senses picked up something concealed in the darkness of the night. "Stop driver!" She ordered and not a moment later did the car come to a halt.

"What is the matter Mistress?" One of her comrades asked on alert.

"You don't sense that?" Alice asked, swiveling her eyes toward her.

"I don't understand."

"I'll be back." She opened the door and stepped out in to the road.

"Mistress Dalziel!" Her other comrade called but she ignored the call and walked further in to the blanket of darkness. Her heightened vampiric senses allowed her to see everything as clear as though it had been daylight outside. She approached a brook near the source of the aura she was picking up and narrowed her eyes imperceptibly when she spotted a fallen form.

"A young man?" She leaped across the brook gracefully and landed lightly beside Negi. His jacket was tattered and torn from the fall and his shirt was crusted with blood, chilled by the evening cold. He must have been lying there for a few hours at most. The dark mistress crouched down beside him and inhaled the aroma coming from his wound. "...My, my. That is Shinso blood coursing through his veins and such rich blood!"

"Mistress Dalziel?" Her two comrades caught up with her. "What did you find?"

"One of our own." Alice answered. "And he's been wounded."

"He?"

"Yes, a male and an extraordinarily gifted one too. His aura is unlike anything I've ever felt before and right now it's faint. Imagine him in top form!" Alice licked her lips and lifted Negi up in her arms.

"Mistress, allow me." One of the female vampires offered but Alice shook her head.

"No. I'll do this myself." She told them. "This one is something special." She walked back to the limousine and gently settled him in despite the blood that was all over his clothes. She completely overlooked Chachazero who was still tucked in the large inside pocket of his jacket. When her comrades joined her in the back and closed the door she ordered the driver to precede.

"What was the problem, Mistress?" the driver asked.

"We've picked up a fellow Shinso."

"In the middle of nowhere? That's odd."

"No, it's fate."

---

The Next morning...

Negi stirred in his sleep as he shifted in the bed he was laying in. He was in a large room with some medical equipment around the bed. The drapes were pulled over the windows so the rays from the sun wouldn't pour in to the room and Alice stood by the door with some of her servants. When they saw signs of movement from the young magi they approached the bed and the Mistress leaned over him with a grin. She had to admit that he was quite handsome.

"Wake up." She cooed in to his ear, eliciting a moan from him in response. A moment later he furrowed his brows in what they interpreted as confusion and his eyes slowly took the sight of them in.

"Hmm?" Negi rubbed his eyes as he gradually sat up in bed and he went wide-awake as he patted his bandaged chest. He scrambled backwards when he turned his gaze to come face to face with Alice and hit the back of his head against the bed post. "Who are you?!" Negi asked, startled by the unexpected guests. "W-where am I?" His eyes darted around quickly when he noticed that his familiar was missing as well. "Chacha-chan? Where is she?!"

"Do you mean this doll?" One of the medical servants dangled Chachazero before Negi's eyes by their fingers as though the puppet was offensive to hold.

"Oh!" Negi snatched her away from the female servant quickly and clutched Chachazero to his chest. "Thank god you're safe. "He mumbled to her even though she wasn't even conscious. Alice raised an eyebrow at this odd display of behavior and asked, "Do you remember your name, young man?"

"Huh?" Negi turned back to her as though he just remembered she was in the room with him. "Who are you?"

"Answer my question first." She persisted. "Do you remember your name?"

"My name is, Negi." His answer was short and simple as to not arouse any suspicion. He knew that his father was very well known in the world of magic and that included the underworld of vampires since Dark Mistresses seemed to be fans of the "Thousand Master" as well. It wouldn't be in his best interest to include his last name.

"Your full name." Alice pushed on, placing a hand on her hip. Negi's mind started to work fast. He had to find a way to convince her so she wouldn't stress the issue so much. Finally he placed his hand over his forehead as though he felt a sudden stab of pain and answered, "I...I don't remember."

"Hmm...I see." She didn't sound too convinced but she didn't go any further with that train of thought. She regarded him for a moment before her eyes wandered over to Chachazero who was dangling lifelessly in his arms. She could sense that the puppet had some magical properties despite the fact that Negi's aura was flowing through her at the moment. "And what does that puppet mean to you? You were going erratic before we gave it to you."

"It was a gift from someone very important to me." Negi answered, causing the Mistress to raise an eyebrow skeptically.

"So you do remember something..." She crossed her arms. "Is this important person still alive or dead?" Her voice sounded hopeful when she emphasized the word "Dead". Almost as though she was depending on his answer to be the latter.

"Dead." Negi lied with a straight face. He took a cursory of the room before looking back at Alice. She was a natural beauty but then again, all of the female vampires he'd met so far were very attractive. Even her servants were quite stunning. He felt as though he had stumbled across some sort of amazon clan. "Can you please tell me where I am? How did I get here?"

"I found you left for dead last night on the side of the road." Alice nodded to one of her servants and the female vampire held out a silver piece of the scatter shot that they removed from his wound in a cloth. "Someone must have shot you with a silver bullet and assumed you were finished, however, that was not the case."

Katherine...Negi shook his head for a moment, as he was lost in his thoughts.

"Negi." Alice called his attention. "You are an amazing young man. I can feel your power recovering at an astounding rate even now." Her words made Negi tense. Every time someone complimented his abilities what followed after never was a good thing. "Tell me...are you a natural born or were you turned?"

"Excuse me?" Negi played coy.

"Who welcomed you in to our ranks?" Alice asked.

"I don't remember." Negi lied again. "Now, can you please tell me where I am?"

"You are at my estate."

"...And who...are you?" Negi asked hesitantly.

"I am, Mistress Alice Dalziel." She introduced herself. "I am one of the Dark Mistresses and leader of my Shinso clan."

"Shinso..." Negi felt his throat close up.

"Yes Negi. You are amongst your own kind." Alice smiled warmly. "Do you remember where you're from?"

"I'm sorry but that is a question I cannot answer." Negi apologized.

"You would do well to answer her." one of the mistress' servants warned him but Alice gestured for her to step away.

"No...it's understandable. It's natural not to trust anyone after being put through such an experience. It's natural for anyone to behave this way." Alice reasoned before grinning at the young magi. "Well you must be hungry aren't you?"

"Sort of..." Negi replied awkwardly. Mistress Dalziel was much different from all the other vampires he had come to meet on his travels. Which reminds me...I wonder how Xue is holding up without me. I hope she can get used to being a vampire. W-what am I thinking?! Of course she can take care of herself!

"Very well then." Alice clasped her hands together before turning to the servant beside her. "Get Negi dressed and bring him to my personal dining quarters." She turned back to Negi with the grin never leaving her face. "We'll be able to talk much more privately that way." She snapped her fingers and all the servants with the exception of the one she spoke to left with her. There was a pregnant silence as Negi and the female vampire stared at each other. Her eyes were a cobalt blue and she had short blonde hair. The clothes she had on were elegant despite the fact she was a servant.

"I will be your personal escort Mr. Negi." She told him with a slight bow. "I don't normally bow to a 'male shinso' but Mistress Dalziel favors you so I will respect you." Negi blinked at her words and cocked his head to the side. "I see that you aren't familiar with our shinso clan. Mistress Dalziel's clan ranks higher than other shinso clans in the midian underworld. What sets us apart from others is that fact that this clan is made up solely of female vampires, however, we are feared and respected by all."

"So you all look down upon male vampires." Negi finished her explanation.

"You're quick. Maybe there is something special about you." She mocked. "My name is Eilis."

"And your la-"

"My last name holds no significance." She cut him off before he could speak any further. She held him some odd looking clothes that were draped over her arm. "The Mistress had these clothes made for you while you were resting. Put these on and I'll take you to her dining quarters. You should be honored."

"I'd like to ask one question though." Negi told her.

"Suddenly full of questions are we?" Eilis asked, narrowing her eyes imperceptibly. "It's a shame that you weren't this talkative when the Mistress was here."

"I'm sorry...it's just that since this is a shinso clan..." Negi swallowed hard before he continued. "Do you know anything about, "Dark Evangel"?"

"What kind of question is that?!" She almost sounded offended by his question. "Dark Evangel is the Goddess of all Shinso women! Mistress Dalziel has spent her entire life chasing her shadow to be as respected and powerful as she ever was. "Dark Evangel" was a name that all the other clans feared. She was a goddess of death that could take on a horde of enemies and obliterate them with one blow and yet..." Eilie went silent for a moment, gripping her left arm with her other hand. "One day she simply disappeared without a trace and the shinso nation had suffered a considerable blow itself. They say she fell in love with a powerful wizard and devoted the rest of her entire life pursuing him." Her eyes were intense when she finished her speech and her shoulder rose and fell as she steadied herself. "So yes...we know who "Dark Evangel" is and the last thing we need is for some lost midian to question our knowledge. The nerve..."

She left his clothes on the bed before him and left the room without sparing him another glance. Negi closed his eyes, pulling his legs up against his chest and sighed. "How do I manage to get myself cornered like this all the time?" He stretched his legs out again, holding Chachazero out in front of him and concentrated. After a while The puppet's eyes were filled with life again and she wriggled in his hands. She was about to cry out excitedly but Negi shushed her with a finger against her lips.

"Master, where are we?" She asked in a whisper. "How did we get here?"

"We were found by another Dark Mistress." Negi answered her, his eyes swiveling over to the door every few seconds to make sure that they weren't being spied on.

"Another Mistress?! Are you just some sort of Mistress magnet or something?!" The puppet was bordering on hysterical.

"Calm down..." Negi told his familiar. "Right now we have to find a way to leave this place peacefully. I don't know what Mistress Daliziel wants with me but if she finds out my connection with master...I may never be able to return to Mahora."

---

Maharo Festival: Day Two (Mahora Budokai, SECOND ROUND)

"Um..." Evangeline had her back facing Negi as she gripped the rails that ensured that no one would fall forward from the ringside. The young magi wasn't sure if it was a good time to talk to her but he was just curious. "E-Eva? Are you alright?" He placed a hand on her shoulder but he snatched it back when she flinched at his touch. "S-sorry!"

"Whaddya want?" The annoyance was clear in her words when she questioned him. Ever since the end of Asuna and Setsuna's match, she had been this way. He wasn't exactly sure what was the nature of her conversation with Ku:Nel Sanders during the match but it sure left her kind of fidgety not to mention a little more cranky.

"Uh, er...nothing really." Negi replied nervously.

"Then why get my attention?"

"I was just a little worried about you." Negi admitted.

"Well, don't be!"

"Moving on to Match No. 8! It's the master of 3D Jujitsu, Yamashita Kei'Ichi Vs. Evangeline A.K. Mcdowell of the Mahora Jr. high "GO" club!!"

Evangeline had a demented grin on her face when she heard her name called. This would be the moment she could vent a little frustration on some innocent bystander. "Well, I'm up." She sighed, turning to face her disciple. "Look, I'm sorry for what I said before but right now I'm in the mood to go kill some dreams." Her eyes wandered over to her opponent who was taking his place up on the stage with a smug look on his face. Obviously he had no idea how much of a mistake it was for him to even come this far. "And there goes my dreamer." She said evilly.

"...Um, what did I miss?" Negi asked.

"Well-"

"NOTHING!" Evangeline cut Chachazero off before she could explain Albireo's wager with the chibi-vampire. Negi backed away a little from the threatening finger that Evangeline was pointing at his familiar and said, "You know what? Forget I even asked about the whole thing."

"You better not tell him!" Evangeline growled at Chachazero. "I mean it! One word and I'll have you ready for the chop shop! I'll light you on fire and stomp on your ashes! I'll have you imprisoned in a block of ice while Chachamaru has her way with Negi before your very eyes!" Her last threat almost made Negi do a back flip.

"WH-WHAT?!" Negi's mind imploded. "You'll have Chachamaru do what?!"

"Don't worry about it master Negi!" Chachazero told him quickly. Evangeline's last threat was enough for the sadistic puppet to finally obey. She could care less if she was burned to cinders. She's have the last laugh the entire time the fire consumed her but to have Chachamaru have her fun with her master; HER master was something she would never allow!

"Then we have an understanding?" She asked the puppet.

"Yep." Chachazero replied.

"Good." Evangeline smirked before setting her sights back on Negi. "Now don't blink boya or you'll miss the entire match." With those last cryptic words she turned away and headed for the stage.

"Say what you will folks, but Mcdowell is some kind of ten-year-old doll!" Kazumi commented on Evangeline's appearance much to the adoration of the audience who all still had the image of her and Negi walking to the infirmary together. The vampiress' hands twitched when she heard all the comments about her looking cute from the audience. Now she seriously was in the mood to go hurt somebody! "But what is her combat like?!" The photographer flet herself feeling a little curious as well when Evangeline didn't even bother to get in to a fighting stance. She simply looked up at the sky as though it was of more interest to her than the match itself.

"And now the Eighth match...FIGHT!"

Negi Blinked...

...and the match was over...

"W-what the..." Negi let his jaw drop when Evangeline's opponent was already on the floor, motionless with drool trailing down the side of his mouth. Evangeline turned her head to regard him and he pumped his hand in the air immediately, crying out, "Th-that's my master!"

"Heh...Negi." She chuckled before her expression went completely serious. Albiero's words still echoed in her mind about Nagi. So you're still alive out there...somewhere.

Even so...thought you've sought him all these years the day of your meeting may in fact never come, Evangeline...

But...he's still out there...Evangeline clenched her fists tightly. Nagi...My heart refuses to let go of you. Damn you for leaving me like this! She looked back at Negi again who had a worried look on his face. He must have been worried about her. ...And yet I should thank you for bringing him in to existence.

"Well, done. As ruthless as ever I see..."Dorothy crossed her arms as she watched Evangeline leave the stage below. Her opponent had to be taken off the stage by the medic team from the infirmary. Her eyes widened slightly with delight when she saw the Dark Mistress approach her disciple to be showered by his praise. Apparently Evangeline still got a kick out of being worshipped by someone and in this case it was Negi. "Lingshen..." The mistress called to the young vampire.

"Yes Mistress?" Chao looked up from the photo she was viewing and set it face down on the table.

"I noticed Evangel having a conversation with a hooded figure earlier." Dorothy turned away from the view of the stage when Albireo took his place up on the stage for his match with Kotaro. "Who is he? That man has a power that may pose an obstacle to our plans."

"Tha would be Ku:Nel Sanders." Chao replied. "Otherwise known as Albireo Imma. One of the "Thousand Master's" old comrades from the Crimson Wings."

"He was involved with Nagi?" Dorothy scratched her chin. "...Negi..."

"I wouldn't worry." Chao said. "He won't interfere."

"How do you come to that conclusion?" She turned to face the Chinese girl.

"His condition won't allow him to." Chao replied, sliding the photo across the table until she was able to slip it in to her pocket. The observation deck tremored from an explosion below telling both women that the match had already picked up a notch. "In fact, he is only serving to help us."

"What were you looking at?" Dorothy asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"Excuse me?" Chao questioned.

"The photo." The mistress persisted.

"Nothing reall-" Chao felt the photo slip out of her pocket before she could finish. The picture phased out of existence before appearing in the mistress' hand. A look of recognition washed over Dorothy's face when she examined it. "It's just a photo of mother..." Chao said dejectedly.

"Ah yes...I remember her well. She was a brilliant woman." Dorothy remarked. "It's a shame that the council of magic had her killed. They couldn't allow someone to grow so powerful so they needed her out of the way." The vampiress sent the photo back to Chao and turned back to the window. Those fools never could have predicted what would have arisen when she died. Dorothy looked to Negi who was hanging over the ringside rails, cheering on Kotaro for all he was worth. You became something simply breath taking my darkling. It's my loss that Evangel already sunk her fangs in to you before I did. That will no longer be an obstacle in due time though.

"Negi-chan's next match is coming up." Chao informed the mistress, taking one last look at her mother. "He'll be facing Takane Goodman."

"Ah, you mean that fine young woman who was stripped of her clothing?"

"Yes."

"There is something slightly odd about her." Dorothy commented. "She seems to share some kind of bond with Negi."

"I've sensed it as well." Chao agreed. "I've had my suspicions about her. I think Negi may have turned her."

"...That is unexpected."

"It is." Chao smirked. "However it may work to our advantage."

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

Turning our attention to the match below...

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

Things were beginning to look grim for Kotaro as he lashed out at Ku:Nel Sanders with everything he had in him. He knew from the moment he saw this man that he wasn't going to be an easy opponent but it seemed that he had still underestimated him. All of his melee attacks were bouncing off of the hooded man like mere taps and his "Inu-gami" arts all proved ineffective when faced by Albireo's immense endurance and stamina. Kotaro stared back at his opponent from the other side of the ring trying to steady himself. He couldn't allow himself to get exhausted or this man was going to get the best of him.

Then again I've already given him my best! This guy is seriously hurting my pride! Kotaro spared a moment to steal a glance over at Negi. Negi's tried so hard to come this far so we could fight...I can't fail him now! Him and me made a promise and I'm gonna keep it!

"Shall we give it another try?" Albireo asked politely with a smile. Kotaro growled fiercely at the mage and dropped in to a fighting stance before charging at him with full speed. Just before Kotaro made his strike he preformed a ninja split, becoming seven after images of himself. Then he gathered the essence of his Inu-gami arts in to his hands before unleashing it all upon the older mage. The result was an explosion that engulfed the entire stage, however, in the midst of the smoke; Albireo appeared above Kotaro and slammed him against the ring with an elbow to the back! Kotaro's body skipped off the floor when he made contact and the mage came at him!

"NO!" Kotaro cried out, watching Albireo come at him with his cloak rushing behind him majestically. Before the dog demon could even think up a counter attack he was struck hard with a sudden blast of pressure that sent him flying to the wall on the other side. Some of the beaten challengers who were watching from the far eastern wall threw themselves to the side in order to avoid being collided with the youth that was launched in their direction. Kotaro's body smashed in to the wall, leaving a decent sized crater but he wasn't spent yet.

"You are quite strong yet-"

"NO! NOT YET!" Kotaro seemed to be on the verge of bursting in to tears as he pried himself free from the wall. He landed on his feet and got down on one knee when he fell off balance. "N-Negi beat Takamichi to come this far. I can't give up! NOT HERE AND NOT NOW!"

"Oh?" The mage's eyes went wide with surprise when Kotaro's body convulsed. The young man fell back against the wall panting hard until his chest suddenly puffed out as though he was in pain.

"Kotaro-kun?" Negi felt shivers running down his spine when Kotaro's hair stood completely up and his pupils had suddenly vanished.

Dorothy watched from the observation tower above with a disgusted expression. "Ugh, that young man is changing in to a beast. He's one of those miserable flee-bitten, lycans." She looked to Albireo who watched the process go on and snorted with a fearsome smirk. "That man better stop the boy now or he'll be in for an experience."

"GRRRRRR!" Kotaro growled unnaturally as his hands started their but moments later-

CRACK!

"UGH?!" Kotaro was slammed against the wall again with much more force than before, leaving him lodged against it again unconscious. Albiero sighed, letting his arms fall back to his sides and smiled in satisfaction.

"Lycanthropy...goodness me. If you had managed to transform, you might've done it. Still, theres something to be said about such a straight ahead fellow. Negi-kun is very lucky to have a friend like you."

"What an impact! The entire audience could must've felt the tremor from the stands! Could this really be the end of challenger Murakami?!" Kazumi watched as the Crimson Wing member passed her before looking back at Kotaro who was still unconscious from the stunning blow. She stole a glance back at Negi who was in shock from what he had just seen and shook her head. This was going to be tough. "Challeneger Murakami is out! Challenger Ku:Nel wins!"

"Kotaro!" Negi tried to run to his friend but he felt someone tug him back. He turned around to see Mei with a look of worry on her face. "What are you doing Mei?! I've got to go over there now!"

"Negi..." Mei moaned.

"Negi...she's right." Kaede stepped in for her. "Right now would not be a good time to go over there."

"But we promised!"

"I know, but going over there would only make him feel worse for losing." Kaede nodded to Mei so she could let go of the young magi and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Right now you should get ready for your match. You'll be able to talk with him later when he's settled down." Negi nodded reluctantly at her reason and walked away from them. The young magi caste his eyes to the floor as he walked on until he bumped in to Evangeline who had stepped in his way to stop him.

"Oh, mas-um- Eva!" Negi blinked, looking at her face. "I'm sorry about that."

"Whatever boya." Evangeline said off handedly. "I'm assuming that the mutt's loss is already eating away at you."

His name is Kotaro... Negi thought, looking to the side.

That doesn't matter to me right now and it never did. Evangeline responded to him telepathically. Look, I understand that you two made a promise to each other but don't let your feelings get in the way of your performance.

How did you-

I'm your master boya. I know about your anxieties and your troubles...despite the fact that your mind has been a little hard to read lately. Evangeline placed a hand on his head and ruffled his hair. You're doing well so far, Negi. Don't mess up now and disappoint me.

Eva-chan?

What is it? The vampiress perked up at the way he addressed her.

That...uh...kiss earlier...

You mean in the infirmary? What about it? Evangeline grinned evilly. Have you suddenly fallen head over heels for me?

Well...er...I just want to know why.

Is it wrong for me to express myself around you?

Of course not! I'm not saying that it was wrong or anything.

Let's just say that I've been learning a bit about myself since you moved in with me. Now as for your next match... Evangeline narrowed her eyes imperceptibly as the grin on her face faltered. "You're going to be fighting Gandolfini's little golden girl aren't you?"

"You mean T-takane-san?!" Negi didn't even hear about that!

"You obviously have not been looking at the match ups on the chart, huh?" Evangeline placed a hand on her hip skeptically. "I swear you're so dense sometimes. Wake up boya."

"I'm sorry Eva...it's just that lately I haven't been myself." Negi explained. "My mind feels a little scrambled."

"I know." Evangeline replied before turning her back on him. "Look, I'll be watching your match. Snap out of it boya or you'll have to take it up with me when you lose. Oh..." She smirked again. "And don't forget about our date if you happen to lose anyway."

"Y-yes ma'am." Negi stammered, watching her walk away. "...Great, I think I just wasted my time with Chachamaru. She's going to think that I'm some sort of jerk now." He leaned against the wall with a sigh but the hairs on the back of his neck stood up when someone walked past him. "Ku:Nel..." Negi mumbled, looking up at the hooded man. The older mage turned his head to glance back at Negi and for the briefest of moments the color left Negi's face. "F..father?" Negi choked as the hooded man proceeded to walk on. "F-ather...Father!" Negi reached for him but the man disappeared.

"What was that?!" Negi whipped around to see if the man had appeared behind him but no one was there. "Who are you?! Where are you?!" Negi was finally overcome with frustration and he clenched his left hand in to a tight fist before smashing it against the wall! Cracks trailed up to the very top of the wall but nothing else happened. "I don't understand anymore! Is my mind playing tricks on me?!"

---

"Oh no...that is not good." Gandolfini groaned, around the straw he was drinking his fountain drink from. "This is turning out to spread very quickly!" His eyes read through the posts on some forum that Shizuna was showing him on her pilot. The posts all had something to do with this sudden exposure to magic at the Maharo Budokai. The dark skinned teacher turned to Seruhiko and Professor Akashi who were enjoying themselves to some clips of Negi's match with Takamichi and raised an eyebrow.

"What is that?" He asked, pulling the straw away from his mouth.

"It's some footage of Negi's match with Takahata-sensei!" Professor Akashi replied. "Look at him go!"

"Go Takamichi g-oh?!" Seruhiko did a double take at the screen when Negi suddenly slammed the older mage through the floor. "Whoa! Did Negi really do that? Takamichi seriously must've felt that one!"

"W-wait!" Akashi jammed his hand right in to Seruhiko's face just as Takamichi sent the young magi flying in to the air. "See! Takamichi still has something under his sleeve."

"Will you two grow up?" Gandolfini sighed, shaking his head before both of his eyes went wide with horror as Negi was engulfed in a ray of energy on the laptop screen. "What...just...happened?"

"It looks like...Takamichi just killed him." Seruhiko said with his mouth agape.

"Wait just a moment. Do you really think they would show this footage if Takamichi killed Nagi's boy?!" Akashi pointed at the screen saying, "Wait..."

The screen was still white...

"Wait!" All the professors waited watched intently as the screen finally cleared up and Takamichi held Negi by the collar. "See? I told y-WHOA!" The entire faculty watching the screen flinched when Negi savagely took the other sensei down with a powered strike.

"Who knew Negi-kun had it in him?" Seruhiko laughed nervously.

"Ha, ha...makes me want to fight him myself." Akashi laughed along with the other teacher; beads of sweat threatening to trail down the side of his forehead. "That's Nagi's boy alright...heh...heh..."

"Professor, please be serious." Shizuna intervened on their fun before turning to Gandolfini. His right eye was twitching as though it would suddenly combust at any given moment.

"You sure this is okay, Toko-san?" Gandolfini asked.

"The tournament itself was approved by the headmaster so whatever footage you see there must be okay." The lovely counselor replied, tapping the screen of her pilot with it's stick.

"Still, with Chaos Linghsen sponsoring the tournament..." Akashi trailed off.

"I know." Shizuna nodded with his reasoning.

"I'll put in a word with the headmaster though. Maybe it's time we brought in more observers." The professore pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed a number. He waited a moment and greeted, "Hello, Sister Shakti?"

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

Back at the Tournament grounds...

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"Observe the tournament?" Sister Shakti questioned with a hint of confusion laced in her voice. "But what about the patrolling of the World Tree?" Misora and Kokone watched their superior nod at what they assumed was the answer to her question before she hung up.

"It's off to the Mahora Budokai for us." Shakti announced to them.

"And the confessions?" Misora asked as she hefted Kokone on to her shoulders.

"Another team will step in for us."

"Really?!" The young nun bounced on her feet excitedly. Now she'd have her chance to watch her sensei in action!

"What a relief. You two might actually be useful!" Shakti grinned.

"Blunt as usual, Sister Shakti." Misora bowed her head dejectedly.

---

"Master! It's been so long!" Chachazero reached out for him with her tiny hands as Negi held her up. Setsuna watched with a warm smile at the little reunion. Chachazero was seriously a different person whenever she was around Negi. The same could be said of Chachamaru.

"Have you been behaving?" Negi teased her.

"Of course not!" She cackled mischievously.

"I should of known." Negi chuckled, sweat-dropping.

"So are you ready to beat down that blonde?!" The sadistic puppet asked excitedly.

"Well, I wouldn't use the term beat do-"

"NEGI-SENSEI!" Negi and Setsuna cringed at the sound of Takane's voice. Why did she always have to get excited whenever he was concerned? Negi, Chachzero and Setsuna turned around to see the blonde magistress walking their way quickly with her cloak on. It would appear that she recovered from her little accident earlier with Tanaka.

"T-Takane..." Negi squeaked in fear.

"At last, the time has come for me to see to you personally! I observed your level of skill in your match with Takahata-sensei and your seemingly endless will to fight!" She pointed a finger at him with determination written all over her face and a dash of rosiness from the blush that crept up on her face for no apparent reason. "I, Takane Goodman will allow you no quarter! None at all, do you hear me?!"

"...Okay..." Negi nodded awkwardly. "But, um-"

"No excuses!" Takane cut him off, turning away from him. I'll show you that I can keep up Negi! You'll never leave me behind because I'll always be following you to the end of the world if I have to! With that she walked towards the ring for the match to be announced. Mei ran past her to reach Negi with a look of embarrassment plastered over her face.

"Oh, Negi! I'm so sorry!" Mei apologized. "When onesan makes up her mind about something there's just no changing it!"

"It's okay." Negi assured her. "I'll just have to stop her before she get's too crazy." Negi handed Chachazero to her much to the puppet's displeasure and started off towards the ring. "Take care of her while I'm up, okay?"

"Um..." Mei stared back at Chachazero as the puppet narrowed her eyes at her. "...okay..."

"Challengers please report to the stage!" Kazumi called. When Negi arrived on the stage and took his place across from Takane the photographer took a moment to look at the blonde magistress. Was it just her or was the girl looking just a tad too giddy to be facing off against Negi? "Maybe she's a fan of his?" Kazumi mumbled to no one in particular. "Er, well, no need for introductions! These two talented fighters have taken their stand on the stage before so let us proceed to match No. 11!"

"Hmm?" Evangeline furrowed her brows when she felt something odd coming from Takane. "How is she drawing energy from boya? It's as if she's bonded to him somehow..." The vampiress crossed her arms and clenched her teeth. "Just, what the heck is going on here?"

"FIGHT!"

"Oh Negi, I feel so fired up just being in the same ring with you." Takane purred, clutching her cloak tightly in preparation to pull it off in one swift motion. "Prepare to see the real me Negi!"

"I feel something coming..." Negi growled as he got in to a fighting stance. He felt something ominous approaching indeed and it was coming from Takane in chilling vibes.

"Prepare yourself!" She roared, pulling off the cloak. In that very instant a violent wind blew and Negi had to brace himself to keep from behind swept up by the powerful force. His mage cloak flapped behind him with the violent wind and Negi watched on in shock as Takane was engulfed in a veil of shadows. "Now this is going over the top!" Negi shouted in disbelief. Kazumi did the intelligent thing and backed away to a safe distance as the veil around the blonde magistress twisted and turned like a vortex that suddenly changed to flow of wind so that it started to pull Negi towards it.

"That power is unnatural." Dorothy commented with a smirk as she watched on at the spectacle with Chao. "Now there is no doubt in my mind that Negi turned her. No one else could endow that young woman with such power."

"Hmm..." Chao spotted Evangeline watching from ringside. "I wonder if she realizes it."

"Huh?" Negi blinked when everything was suddenly deathly quiet and the vortex stopped pulling him in. He stepped toward the dark form that had taken the place of the violent vortex and recognized the form of a woman with bat-like wings. "Takane?" His hair was whipped back when Takane opened her wings to reveal her body to him. She had on a black lace costume that looked as though it was out of some gothic anime series. (Ahem...this is real life, you know?)

The crowd went wild at the show that had just ended before them, oblivious to what had actually taken place.

"Unexpected..." Takane offered him a fanged grin. "But it'll do!" She got in to a fighting stance and shadow-like whips came flailing out from her wings like wriggling snakes.

"Whoa!" Negi was speechless.

"Whoa is right! Is this CG or what folks?!" Kazumi cried out.

"Go!" Takane pointed at Negi and the whips lashed at him at top speed! Negi kicked away just in time to avoid being slapped down by the painful whips but they were as quick as angry serpents, lashing after again him without warning! Negi twisted his body in mid-air to perform an elaborate summersault to avoid being struck again, however, just as the whips lashed past him his vampiric senses went screaming!

"I've got you!" Takane cried out delightedly from behind him as she suddenly phased in to existence. She reared back her hand, grinning wildly and slammed Negi down to the ground with a well-placed punch to the back. Negi's body bounced right off the stage floor from the impact and he heard a thunderous flap from the shadow user's wings. He braced himself instinctively for what was to come next and found himself facing some unforgiving wall that started coming for him at an alarming rate or rather he was heading towards the wall at an alarming rate! Setsuna and the others winced painfully as Negi collided with the wall and fell on to his back.

"Uh..." Negi felt his head spinning. If Takane was already giving him this many problems than he just dreaded the moment he stepped in to that ring with his master. He slowly got on to one knee but he cried out when he felt one of Takane's dark whips wrap around his left leg with a loud crack before he was pulled back in to the ring seemingly as quickly as he was launched away. He turned his head slightly to see Mei's horrified face before Takane stepped over him. "T..takane?" He questioned. His mind was still reeling from being thrown around like a rag doll.

"Come now Negi." She cooed sinisterly. "Surely you can do better than this! I'm only fighting you this way because you've proved to be such an amazing fighter! Don't do this to me!" Negi's world went flashing when he was tossed up in to the air by the blonde magistress.

"Oh...man..." Negi muttered miserably when he felt a rough tug on his leg. She was pulling him right back down to the ring wasn't she? "I need to fight back already!" Negi suddenly yelled, grabbing a hold of the whip that was wrapped around his leg. Takane watched from below as the young magi's right hand flashed before burning the whip in his hand to slivers. Then he powered up two shots of energy in both hands before unleashing it upon Takane below but to Negi's dismay she simply used one of her wings to shield herself from the blasts and withdrew it before sending a few more of her whips lashing up toward him. Negi twisted to dodge the first whip that came up for him and grabbed a hold of two other whips before they could bind him but he couldn't stop the last whip from binding his waist. The G-force that rushed through him simply stole the breath from him as Takane pulled him straight back down.

"C-can't...lose..." Negi charged his dark energy in to one fist and waited for Takane to bring him down close enough just for him to unleash the wave of darkness upon her. The floorboards under her erupted in dark flames as the attack made impact and she released him but when he landed on the stage and the smoke cleared out she merely stood over him smirking. "You can't be real..." Negi was in shock.

"In this form such attacks are useless, Negi-sensei." Takane pointed an open palm at him. "My turn." She cooed sweetly before engulfing him in a blaze of darkness. Negi felt the energy licking at his body but he stood up against it regardless, causing Takane to widen her eyes in wonder. "What strength...what determination..." Takane felt herself blushing again. "What pushes you to go on sensei?! Why do you resist me? Why do you oppose it so?!"

"Now's my chance!" Negi cried out, performing a shundo. In the blink of an eye he was right in front of her with a charming grin on his face.

"H-huh?" Takane was caught completely off guard for a moment as she felt her heart skip a beat but she saw through his strategy and dodged to the side before he could lay his hand on her. She crossed her arms together and tried to sweep Negi off his feet with her two wings but he jumped over them and closed the space between them. Negi whipped around when she disappeared just in time to see her try and ambush him with a kick but he ducked under it and caught her leg in one arm and grabbed her by the waist with the other, placing them in an odd pose that looked as though they were dancing. "N-negi!" She broke free and attempted to catch him with a shadow jab to the gut but he caught her hand just in time and jerked her to the side causing her to spin like a ballerina before ending up in his arms again.

"A-Ahh..." She was blushing up to her ears when she found herself gazing back up at Negi's handsome face. She attempted to push herself away from him but to everyone in the audience it seemed more as thought Negi dipped her and brought her back up towards him.

"Now I'm getting pissed off." Evangeline growled, feeling a twinge of jealousy.

"Are they dancing or something?" Asuna asked in bewilderment.

"I don't know." Mei replied, biting her thumb while Chachazero watched from up top her head.

"Master is toying with her." The puppet cackled.

"Negi?" Takane whispered, finding that her wings were slowly closing around the young magi to keep him close. "Wh-what are you doing?" She felt her lips trembling as he leaned closer to her until their noses were practically touching. Was he going to kiss her again?! This time he wasn't under anybody's control so it was official! There was no turning back from this...but then why did he let got of her hand and place in on her stomach?

"Oh no!" Takane cried out in horror when realization smacked her with a vengeance but before she could break free, Negi struck her with a point blank Sagitta Magica! Her wings shattered and disintegrated along with the wind in the air and she felt her consciousness fading. All of her energy was being spent from taking on such a powerful form.

"Whoa! Her wings are disappearing! How did she pull it off?!"

"Takane-san!" Negi held her gently when her head fell back weakly.

"O-oh my gawd!" Chachazero blinked when Mei suddenly went ballistic.

"What's the matter?" Chachazero inquired.

"If onesama loses consciousness..." Mei trailed off when her voice died in her throat.

"If she loses consciousness that wha..." Chachazero realized what the young mage was aiming towards when she saw Takane's clothes slowly dissipate in slivers of black smoke around her nad Negi. "..Ohhhh. I get it." Kazumi's jaw would have crashed through the floor of the ring and reached the core of the Earth by now if it was physically possible. How was it that this young woman could get her clothes off so fast?!

"Uhn..." Takane slowly opened her eyes to look at Negi. "Negi...did I lose the match?" Negi seemed content to simply stare at her face so she blushed and went on with a mellow smile, "Well done Negi-sensei! You're simply amazing, and yet how were you able to aquire such...um...why are you looking at me that way?"

"Um...Negi carefully slipped his right arm out of the sleeve of his mage cloak and wrapped it around her nude body. It was then that she realized that she was-

"AH...AH...EEY...EEK!" Takane latched on to him unexpectedly and the young magi seemed to be on the verg of exploding! "I-I'm naked again!"

"I-I-I know!" Negi cried out woefully, feeling two warm orbs of flesh press against him. "K-Kazumi! PLEASE!" Negi called for help. "T-Takane, please just take my cloak!" He told her but she was so busy going out of her mind that she wouldn't listen. Kazumi rushed over to the pair and tried with all her might to pry the blond magistress free but her grip was surprisingly strong.

"Wh-what is wrong with this girl?!" The photographer screamed.

"She's in a state of shock!" Negi cried out as he pushed against Takane's bare stomach since any other place would just be indecent for description! Before long the girls at ringside rushed in to help and chaos erupted everywhere.

"DAMN SHE'S STRONG!"

"ONESAAAAAAAN! LET GO ALREADY!"

"LET MASTER GO!"

"MS. GOODMAN! THE MATCH IS OVER!"

Evangeline crossed her arms as she watched on from afar and bit her lip by mistake. She licked the puncture in frustration and fumed. "I'm gonna kill him...for sure..." Evangeline felt her own nails digging in to her arm. "After I'm done with Setsuna...he'll be mine."

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

Intermission...

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

"Mistress, you are sick. Now is not the time to stress yourself." Chachamaru leaned over to place her hands on the chibi-vampire but she smacked her offending hands away. The android wisely pulled back, choosing to function for another day over the possibility of being turned to an ice sculpture. It was the time of Evangeline's yearly sickness and it couldn't have possibly struck at a worse time. The Dark Mistress had not received a call from Negi for almost over a month already and it was serving to drive her up the wall! Chachamaru had never seen the undying wizard show as much anger as she was now. It was a wonder that she hadn't decided to go out on a killing spree yet or at least turned the campus of Mahora in to a hell on earth.

"He hasn't called..." Evangeline mumbled dementedly, casting her eyes toward the phone resting on the table near the door every few seconds as she wringed her hands together. "It's been too long already Chachamaru! Why hasn't he called to talk to me yet? Why?!" Evangeline fell victim to a horrible coughing fit, slapping her hands on to her kness to bend over.

"Mistress!" Chachamaru called to her worriedly but the vampiress sent her a deadly glare that stopped her dead in her tracks. Without Chachazero around she was the only target in the residence for the vampire to take her anger and frustration out on. "...Would you at least have a drink of tea?"

"Leave me alone!" Evangeline snarled. "Go to the tea club or something! I'll be waiting here all night if that's what it takes!" Her mind went wild with different reasons as to why Negi hadn't been contacting her. Could Lucinda have possibly gotten her dirty hands on her underling? She was a very powerful vampire so having Negi within her clutches would be a simple task if she managed to corner him. "Or maybe it was Dorothy!" Evangeline's eyes burned fearsomely as she thought about her rival. "Oh...I'll torture her to the last drop of blood if that's what it takes to get even!"

"Mistress..." Chachamaru felt her own hands trembling. "I doubt Negi would allow himself to be seduced or captured by another mistress." The android flinched when Evangeline slowly turned to look back at her.

"You're right..." Evangeline's voice gained an edge. "Negi might be dead instead...that damn idiot must have fought till the very end! The foo-" Evangeline started coughing again until tears stung her eyes.

"Mistress...I didn't mean that either..."

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

Setting our sights on that fool...

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

My name is Negi Sprinfield...well, it was Negi Springfield. Now my name is Negi Dalziel; the last name coming from the Dark Mistress who has taken me under her wing. She found me lying on the side of the road in the middle of the night after my confrontation with Katherine and she had me nursed back to health. Anyway, after my breakfast with her I found out about her title and how she gained it. The Shinso nation claims her to be the next "Dark Evangel" due to her amazing leadership and vampiric strength...ahem...while it might not be up to par with Eva-chan, Dorothy or Lucinda's abilities, she is quite close to matching them.

I've been traveling with her to every one of her estates and she has quite a few. Now that I really think about it, I've been with her for over a month now. I just can't seem to find a chance to escape from her! I've made a few friends amongst her clan though! Eilis and I have become very close since my first day with her and the other girls aren't too bad either. Some of them kind of remind me of my students back at Mahora...gee do I miss them. It does get kind of awkward when I'm around a group of them though, being that I am the only male in Dalziel's clan right now. Chachazero is my only bond to the others right now and she seems to be enjoying herself but I feel so guilty. I haven't spoken to master or Xue in a while...I wonder how they're doing. I wonder how Chachamaru is progressing with her-

Negi closed the journal when Eilis suddenly opened the door to the study. The vampiress grinned playfully as she approached the table he was sitting at and took the seat beside him. Negi took note of her scent. It was so much different from how she usually smelled before. He wondered if she dashed on some perfume. "Hello Eilis." Negi greeted her, placing his hand over the journal protectively so she wouldn't snatch it away and read from it.

"Good morning Negi." Eilis greeted him. "I see you're writing in your journal again. Are you recovering a few of your memories now?"

"Sort of..." Negi lied. "But I figure it's best not to reflect too much on the past anyway." He chuckled. He knew that if he showed some interest in his "forgotten" past, Eilis would inform the Dark Mistress and she would probably keep a sharper eye on him so he won't decide to leave. The Mistress had taken a lighting to him and now it was hard for him to have any time to himself anymore. Chachazero was beginning to grow tired of not being talked to and his neglect toward her was making him feel guilty as well. Alice asked him to stop walking around with his familiar after having seen him walk with her for a week.

"Well, why don't you have breakfast with me and the girls downstairs? The Mistress hasn't awakened yet so we get to have you all to ourselves." Eilis grabbed on to his free arm and tugged on it to get him moving. "C'mon."

"Alright, alright! Just give me a second!" Negi stashed the small journal in his pocket and allowed himself to be lead out of the room. He didn't have any shoes on so he could feel the smoothness of the red carpet under his feet as he and Eilis descended the staircase. He could smell the delicious scent of breakfast even before they reached the kitchen where the rest of the girls were serving breakfast to those who were seated in the dining room. At the estate that they were currently staying at, there were at least two hundred or more female vampires. It unnerved Negi to even think about how many more vampires Alice probably had in her clan.

"Alright, I managed to bring him out of the study!" Eilis announced, shoving him in to the dining room where all of the girls could see him. All of them smiled and waved at him. He was the only male in the clan so he was fresh meat for each and every one of them. While that idea may be appealing to some, Negi definitely didn't want to know what was their idea of fun.

"G' morning, Negi!" They all greeted Negi with winks and catcalls. The young magi could almost imagine their voices being replaced with that of the students from his class. He was seriously feeling home sick but at the same time he had a family amongst the girls here and all the other places that Alice took him to. In fact, Alice was beginning to become a close friend as well and she was developing interests in him that were quite deep. This of course was making his decision to leave all that much harder.

"Good morning." Negi greeted them back as he took his usual seat between Eilis and Nessa. (He knew all their names! Being a teacher could help one do that.) "Whatever that is cooking, it sure smells good!" Negi exclaimed.

"It's like nothing you've ever had before! Believe me!" Eilis grinned at him.

"Yeah. Dana, Isolde, Sorcha, and the others are cooking today!" Rinoa laughed mischievously.

"I thought their turn was two days ago." Negi quirked an eyebrow. "Why would they be doing that today?"

"They bet a whole week of breakfast in a game of, Rummy last night." Nessa answered, playing with her hair. Negi tensed up when her piercing eyes swiveled over to him. She reminded him so much of a certain marksman back at home. "Guess who lost?" She smirked.

"I see." Negi nodded knowingly. Their fun was stopped when one of Alice's personal bath maids tapped Negi on his shoulder. All the girls frowned and sucked their teeth because they knew what that meant. "Yes?" Negi turned his head to regard her.

"The Mistress wants to see you." She told him with a slight bow before leaving. All the girls groaned when Negi stood up from the table and tried to get him to stay but Mistress Alice was someone that couldn't be denied.

"Aw! She's always taking you for herself!" Mary said libidinously. "Don't let her wear you out too much Negi dear!"

"Oh, leave him alone, huh?" Diana shushed her friend. "He already has enough things to deal with Mary. Besides he can't always tend to you!" She teased.

I better get out of here before they start to get rowdy. Negi ran a hand down his face as he left the room. He went through this sort of thing everyday. The girls would try to get him to settle down and eat breakfast with them but Alice would eventually wake up and have one of her bath maids have him meet her in the bathroom. There he would tend to her back and her hair. It was a ritual that he was quite familiar with since he used to do the same with Evangeline. Negi felt a tear run down his face as he ascended the stairs and stopped for a moment to recompose himself.

"I've got to leave this place." Negi said in a whisper so no one could hear him. "I need to get back home and see the girls." Negi looked out the window to see it raining and sighed. "Today I have to tell her it's time for me to go." He proceeded to reach the top of the staircase and made a right to enter the main hall. Negi walked to the door that two servants were standing before and they allowed him to enter. A mist of steam immediately engulfed him when he walked in to the enormous bathroom. It seemed more like a resort spa to the young magi with it's ridiculous size!

"Ah, Negi!" He heard Alice call his name. There she was, relaxing in one of the many steaming spas with her hair falling over her shoulders. She was quite a beauty; there was no doubt about that. She could possibly give Mistress McVicar a run for her money.

"Good morning Mistress Dalziel." Negi greeted her. He took a seat at the ledge of the spa and looked back at her. "I was just having breakfast with the girls downstairs."

"Oh. They always want to keep you for themselves. It's only natural since you're the only male they really respect." Alice grinned as she crossed her legs under the steaming water. "Did you sleep well last night?"

"Well...actually I've been doing a lot of thinking." Negi replied hesitantly. His words made the Mistress quirk a brow in curiosity. This wasn't the type of answer she was expecting. He usually had such a cheerful demeanor whenever she asked him that question.

"What seems to be on your mind?" Alice asked worriedly.

"I feel that I need to leave the clan." Negi answered. What followed after his answer was a deep silence that spoke volumes and that was enough to tell the young magi that Alice was not taking this news very well. In fact the look on her face made him feel as though she was about to burst in to tears at any given moment and that was something far more surprising for him than it probably was for her. She wasn't the type to cry nor was she the type to get emotional. She reminded him a bit of Evangeline in many ways, which was probably the reason he felt comfortable with her for so long.

"Leave the clan?" Alice blinked and snapped her finger for one of her bath maids to bring her a towel. "What would compel you to even contemplate such a thing? Why would your head be filled with such a horrible idea?" She received the towel and wrapped it around her body as she stood up from the spa tub.

"I miss my friends." Negi replied unwisely.

"Friends? We are your friends!" She snapped, narrowing her eyes. "Don't tell me that you want to go chasing some forgotten memories! It's only been a month and you want to leave us already?!" Alice stood in front of him, crossing her arms. "Look, Negi...don't leave me. You're a very important person to me."

"I need to."

"Why?"

"I have another family out there waiting for me to come back."

"We are your family." She placed a hand over his cheek to keep his eyes on her. "We're the only family you need."

"No...that's not true." Negi grabbed her hand and removed it from his face before turning away from her. "I'm sorry but I can't allow myself to be kept around here anymore or anywhere else with you for that matter."

"Negi...Dalziel. Negi Dalziel-"

"Springfield..." Negi corrected her.

"What?" A look of shock washed over her face. "What do you mean?"

"My name is Negi Springfield and that is my only name."

"Nonsense! You are Negi Dalziel and you are mine!" She reached for his shoulder but Negi slapped her hand away.

"I am not yours!" Negi snapped at her. "I already have a master! I'm...I'm sorry..."

"Who is your master?!" Alice screamed. "How could she ever amount to who I am? You tell me that!" Her words caused a deep flow of feelings to well up within Negi. He couldn't have anyone talking that way about Evangeline.

"Because you're just her shadow! That's how!" Negi yelled before he could stop himself.

"What?" Alice stepped forward forcing Negi to take a step back. "Are you serious?" A look of realization slowly crossed her face. She regarded him intensely and her lower lip trembled. "I-It all makes sense now...why you're so gifted..." Alice clutched the towel against her body and advanced on his. "You're Mistress Mcdowell's underling aren't you? I don't know how I could have missed it before! That...that puppet should have been enough proof from the very beginning! I knew it was odd for you to be so lost without it!"

"Not good." Negi turned and started pumping his legs! The Dark Mistress was infuriated by his attempt to escape and cried out, "Don't let Negi escape! Apprehend him!" As soon as she issued the order, all of the bath maids stopped what they were doing and pursued the young magi! He rammed through the bathroom door and scrambled out in to the hall for his room. "I can't leave Chacha-chan here!" He looked over his shoulder and saw a few maids on his tail already. "N-not good!" He spotted his room and preformed a shundo to close the distance in an instant. As soon as he opened the door his familiar already had her eyes on him.

"Master?!" Chachazero called his name excitedly. She saw his face covered with sweat and asked, "Why are you so flustered?"

"We're finally leaving Chacha-chan!" Negi announced much to her pleasure.

"Really?! That's the best news I've heard in a long time!" She allowed herself to be snatched up by her master and held on tight. "So what do we do?!"

"Jump out the window!" Negi answered with a grin just as the door to his room exploded in to bits and splinters.

"Stay where you are Mr. Springfield!" One of the maids ordered. "Don't do anything irrational!"

"I don't think so!" Negi cried out as he tried to jump out through the window but to his surprise he was repelled back to the floor by some unseen force. That could only mean...

"You didn't think I expected this?" Alice's voice rang sweetly as she combed through her maids to reach his door. "I placed a repelling charm on the windows just in case you ever decided to leave without my knowledge." She grinned deviously as she placed both of her hands on her hips. "Now then...give up, Negi. Take your place beside me where you belong."

"I don't belong with you." Negi retorted.

"What sort of talk is that? We're both Shinso! I don't see why not!"

"How does that suddenly make us meant for each other?!"

"I need someone with your power beside me, Negi. It's for the good of the Shinso nation!" Alice walked to him and held her hand out to him for him to take. "Please be mine..."

"...No." Negi answered but her sweet smile suddenly twisted in to an evil grin.

"Very well then...you'll soon see it my way." Alice drew her rapier from her sheath in the blink of an eye and pointed it at Negi's throat. "You're out numbered, Negi." She poked his neck a little harder. "And your home is quite far so please...be sensible..."

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

Back to FVA...

"Wh-What was that?!" Kazumi put some distance between Evangeline, Setsuna and herself when both challengers were suddenly engulfed in an explosion! The audience had to brace themselves as the debris from the stage shot in to the air and came back down.

"Huh?!" Negi and Asuna were forced back to reality from Evangeline's resort, which had become a war zone from the epic duel that had ensued between the Undying Wizard and the white winged Crow demon. They saw Setsuna rush towards Evangeline through the smoke and debris caused from the explosion with her deck brush but before she could lay a hand on the vampiress she whipped out her Tessen and whirled around to smack Setsuna to the ground.

"Set-chan!" Konoka cried out. Before anybody else could even react the healing mage was already running to the ring with total disregard for the count. Evangeline took in a deep breath to steady herself and let it out slowly. Setsuna actually pushed her and she would honor the swordsman in that respect.

"Evangeline!" The vampiress turned her head to see Asuna glaring at her with her hands on her hips. "You're such a bully, you know that?!" With that the red-head joined her friend to tend to the fallen swordsman.

"And you?" Evangeline called to Negi when she saw him simply standing at the edge of the ring. "Are you going to berate your own master for being a "bully" as well?"

"...Of course not." Negi replied as he walked to her. He turned his head briefly to see Asuna and Konoka holding Setsuna up before looking back at Evangeline's lovely face. She was actually sweating for a change. "Are you alright Eva?" His words made Asuna's ears perk up. Why that heck was he so worried about that demon for?

Evangeline chuckled to herself at the irony of the situation and placed a hand on her forehead with a grin. "Dear me...is my disciple actually worried about me?" Evangeline mocked with a cruel laugh. "Oh boya...you manage to get some new reaction out of my all the time. So much like your father...I swear!"

"So you're not hurt at all?" Negi asked skeptically. " I mean, Setsuna really didn't hold back in that fight at all."

"Who do you take me fo-RAHG!?" Tears threatened to come out of Evangeline's eye when Negi gave her a nasty poke in the ribs. Negi jumped back when she doubled up and got down on one knee to soothe her.

"M-master! Are y-you alright?!" This time Negi was genuinely worried.

"O-oh! Now I know I'm rubbing off on you!" Evangeline smirked despite the pain she was in. "Trying to soften me up before the match, eh?!"

"No! No, it's nothing like that!" Negi assured her. "You want me to take you to the infirmary?!"

"And risk, being taken out of the tournament?! No way!" Evangeline threw a hand over his shoulder and closed her eyes. "I did this for you, idiot!"

"What do you mean?" Negi blinked.

"I've grown to respect you, boya. I didn't want to just drop out of the tournament and disrespect you." She offered him a fang grin. "I want to give you a real taste of what I'm capable of."

"U-um...you mean...your match against Setsuna..."

"I was holding back a little." Evangeline grinned. "You're in for a living hell, Negi, with love from yours truly." Her words drained the color from Negi's face. How was it that she could still be so evil and cruel to him yet affectionate at the same time?! He helped his master out of the ring, passing by Ku:Nel Sanders who had been leaning against the wall. Negi felt his hairs stand up again when he passed by the hooded challenger and stole a glance at his face but to his perturbation the man was not his father.

"I...don't understand." Negi muttered.

"You don't understand what?" Evangeline asked, allowing her entire weight to lean against him. Negi's strength was inhuman due to his vampirism so it didn't really do much.

"Just something that has been bothering me, I guess." Negi replied.

---

"Let's see." Hakase grinned as she tapped a few keys on her laptop. When she found what she desired she whistled to Chao and her fellow scientist joined her. "Check it out. The boards are going crazy here!"

"Heh, I knew that Ms. Goodman would be the boost we needed." Chao smiled deviously. "Her little magic show was just what we needed to arouse the interest of those who were having second thoughts about-hmm?" Chao blinked when she saw the forum on the laptop suddenly crash. An error message came up, alerting them that the site was forbidden.

"What is this?" Hakase quirked an eyebrow. "This looks like the work of a hacker to me."

"Someone is trying to shut us down Hakase..." Chao crossed her arms. "But who would want to do that...unless Gandolfini and the others are way craftier that I believed."

"Or it could be the work of one of Negi-sensei's students." Hakase suggested. "Chisame perhaps?"

"That would be surprising but you may not be wrong." Chao nodded in agreement. "Of course that shouldn't pose much of a problem for you."

"Course not!" Hakase winked. "I'll play her game if that's what she wants."

"Very well then..." Chao turned away and headed off to make her leave. "I'm going to go check up on our intruders."

"Intruders?" Hakase raised an eyebrow curiously.

"It turns out that Takamichi was trying to make the first move against us." Chao giggled almost manically. "After his match with Negi-chan he didn't last long against Mana and I though."

---

"This is starting to kill me now!" Negi smiled nervously as he looked out in to the distance. Chachazero swung her legs back and forth on his lap and turned her head to look up at him before asking, "You mean your match with Eva-san?"

"Yeah! Can you believe that she's my next opponent?!" Negi grabbed his hair and bowed his head hopelessly. "And she said she isn't going to hold back! I've tried besting her in training and she practically dances all around me!"

"Well, whatcha gonna do?" Chachazero shrugged her shoulders.

"...Fight for my life..." Negi muttered woefully. "Hmm, I wonder how Takane is doing. She must really be ruffled up after that whole accident."

"That's what she gets for wearing shadow clothing." Chachazero countered. "I mean, who does that?!" The puppet blinked a few times simply to emphasize the confusion she felt when her master looked in to the distance with wide eyes as though he had seen some ghost. She followed the line of his sight to see Ku:Nel Sanders standing before them with his usual polite smile. The only thing Chachazero could think of saying as she saw him was, "Hey! It's the pervert!"

"Ah, Chacha-kun." Albireo greeted the puppet before setting his sights back on Negi. "Hello Negi-kun."

"You..." Negi said softly. "The man who beat Kotaro. Who are you?!" Negi scooped Chachazero in to his arms and stood up quickly.

"My name is Ku:Nel Sanders." He introduced himself. "I'm pleased to meet your acquaintance and I'm also pleased to see how far you've come in the tournament. Quite a feat for a young man like yourself."

"W-wait!" Negi tried to get in a word but the hooded man shushed him.

"Make it even farther to the finals and I promise to have a reward waiting." He placed a hand on Negi's head and leaned over. The young magi's senses twinged when he felt a gradual change in the man before him. "Remember, make it to the finals and..." He lowered his lips beside Negi's ear. "And you may even get to fight me." He let go of Negi and disappeared before the young magi could even open his mouth.

"There it was again! He sounded just like father!" Negi looked around frantically to see if he could get another glimpse of him in the crowd but he completely vanished. His disappointment was short lived, however, as his ears were filled with the melodic cries of his students, Asuna, and Konoka. They came running out from the infirmary with Mei following not far behind.

"Hey Negi-kun!" Konoka called to him. "Set-chan is going to be alright!"

"I'm so relieved. "Negi said warmly.

"How about Eva?" Asuna asked, walking up to him with her arms crossed. "I'm sure she probably suffered a few injuries as well." The sarcasm was dripping from her words.

"Yeah, she did." Negi replied with a grin much to the red-head's surprise.

"W-what? You mean...huh?!"

"A few injured ribs." Negi clarified for her.

"I hear she cried a little!" Chachazero cackled.

"She did?!" Asuna's expression showed some disappointment. "Man, I wish I could've seen her face."

"N-negi!" Mei finally worked up the nerve to call to him from behind Asuna and Konoka. "I've been meaning to talk to you about something concerning the tournament." She stepped beside him and pulled him away from his students.

"What's wrong Mei?" Negi asked.

"Well," Mei leaned over to his ear. "I've just found out that there's been some sort of leak in the net about magic."

"What's wrong wi-"

"People are learning about mages sensei!" Mei cried out in panic, causing Negi to react to the news just as bad.

"R-really?! That's not good! How did this all start happening?!" Negi asked.

"Your match with Takahata-sensei is what really started to set things off." Mei answered, pulling her cellphone out of her pocket. "Check this out…" She went through a few media windows on the screen and directed them to a "Real Player" video feed. Moments later both mages were treated to a clip of Takamichi and Negi dueling each other in a ring that looked more like some war zone.

"They have videos?!"

"And they're working fast too!" Mei nodded her head in woe as she went to the next clip that played Negi's recent match with Takane.

"This is sick!"

"Sorry for the wait folks!" Negi and the others whipped their head in the arena's direction when they heard Kazumi's voice boom from the speakers lined around the grounds. "Match No. 13,Ku:Nel Vs. Nagase, the semi-finals is about to begin! Please take your seats…"

"Oh!" Negi turned away from the clip on Mei's cellphone. "I-I better head to the match!" Negi was about to make tracks but Asuna stood in his way. "Um, Asuna?! Is there something the matter?"

"Huh? Er, everything's fine! Go on!" Asuna stepped out of his way, making Negi cock his head to the side in confusion with Chachazero.

"Alright then…" Negi started off again.

"Wait Negi-sensei! I'll go with you!" Mei called to him.

"Wait Sakura-san!" Setsuna's voice startled the girls. They turned to the entrance to the infirmary to see Setsuna walking out as though her match with Evangeline never happened.

"Set-chan?!" Konoka clasped her hands together delightedly. "You're okay?!"

"Yes, ojo-sama." She answered before switching her gaze over to Mei. "I've heard all about the magic leak, Mei. I have reason to believe that Chao is behind it."

"Really?" Mei did a double take. "When did you find out?!"

"Takamichi sensei alerted me about it before he left with my alter self." Setsuna answered. Her words got Asuna's attention.

"What happened to Takahata-sensei anyway?"

"He left to go investigate Chao's activities." Setsuna turned her head away slightly before she finished, "I haven't heard from him since."

"Do you mean to say-"

"Takamichi may be in trouble." Setsuna finished for her with a nod.

---

"What was the matter?" Dorothy asked Chao as she entered the main observation deck.

"I was just checking on our progress with the magic leak." Chao replied as she took her place beside the Dark Mistress in front of the window. "We've also found some intruders." Chao mentioned. "We've taken care of them though."

"Intruders?" Dorothy mused, brushing a strand from her face. "So that would mean that the mages are now aware of our activities, right?"

"They've been for a while actually."

"I see…" Dorothy drank from her glass of wine. She must have already put two bottles away by herself now. "I suppose it's about time I've stretched these idle fingers. I was beginning to get bored with all the calmness up here." A mischievous gleam appeared in her eyes. "I should have entered the tournament under another alias. It would have been fun to duel with Evangel again. No matter… Negi will have his match with her soon and then the fun will begin."

"It was amazing to see, Ms. Goodman transform though." Chao giggled. "I knew that she would work to our advantage. She pushed our hand forward." Chao looked to Dorothy when she noticed that the mistress had not responded to her words. "What seems to be the matter mistress?"

"That Sanders fellow…" Her eyes followed the hooded mage as he dueled with Kaede in the ring. "I don't like how he's been making contact with the darkling. It's been somewhat harder to make a connection with Negi ever since he decided to make contact with him after the lycan's match."

"So he does seem to be making some sort of impact." Chao shook her head. "He won't do much to disrupt our plans with the media however."

"He still is quite a powerful fellow." Dorothy observed. "His aura seems to fluctuate whenever he's around Negi though. Almost as though he becomes a different person."

"Well, we'll see what he's really up to when Negi faces him." Chao said off-handedly. Personally she didn't really care how Albireo messed with the Dark Mistress' plans. As long as her plot to expose the magic world to the mundanes was a success she could care less about her. All she had to do was get through with this, sit back and allow everything to unfold.

What she didn't know, however, was that Dorothy had the same exact sentiments about her…she was expendable…

---

"High above the stage, they continue their high-speed battle!" Kazumi went on excitedly as the ninja and the mage went at it high above. They were moving so fast that after images were left all around the sky, allowing the audience below to see what they were doing. Kaede' shadow selves pursued Albireo and tried to lay a hand on him but he was seemingly untouchable with mere melee attack. She already captured him in a shadow cross attack but it had no effect on him!

"Nothing is indestructible…" Kaede thought grimly as she kicked off from the roof of the stands with her other shadow selves to follow the Ku:Nel in to the sky. Her graceful flight was stopped when she felt a sudden increase of gravity coming down over her. She looked up just in time to watch the hooded mage conjure up monstrous orbs of gravitational energy! Five of the dark ominous orbs moved around in a circular path over the ring before coming down with frightful speed. The ending result was a tidal wave from the water that surrounded the stage, drenching the audience.

"Hmm?" Albireo quirked a brow when he noticed Kaede waiting for him on the stage below. Apparently his attack didn't subdue the ninja. She was more clever and cunning than he expected. "A mid-air shundo?" He assumed with a polite smile. "Very impressive at your age young woman!" he applauded her. "I'm beginning to take an interest in you!"

"Until I learn what is your true purpose for being at the tournament…" Kaede dropped in to a fighting stance. "Forgive me for hanging on a little longer."

"Very well then…" Albireo floated above her and reached in to his sleeve to pull out a magical artifact. "You've left me no choice."

"A magical artifact?!" Kaede prepared herself for the worst.

"A pactio card?!" Negi gripped the rails tightly. "With whom?!"

"This isn't like me but you've forced my hand." Albireo frowned. "My apologies."

"I can't allow him to go through with this!" Kaede focused her energy and split herself in to as many shadow selves as she possibly could. They all leaped in the air after him but before they could even come close enough, Albireo activated the pactio card and a whirlwind of books surrounded him, turning and turning until the audience was dizzy. They all had names and symbols on their covers but they were moving all too fast for anybody to make out. Kaede and her shadow selves all gathered Ki in their fists and prepared to unleash a barrage on the hooded mage, however, a stunning change had taken place and the ninja felt it.

"What is going on?!" Kaede could only think before the mysterious man managed to knock all of her decoys away with one punch. Then he proceeded to whip a round at the just right moment to grab her by the throat before she could connect a kick with his back. The audience watched in silence, as both fighters remained unmoving in the sky until "Albireo" finally decided to pull the hand he held Kaede with back and come plummeting down towards the ring like a bullet! The impact caused the ring to go out in floorboards and splinters yet again which seemed to be a ritual for all the matches thus far. (The maintenance club must really have their work cut out for them…)

"Do not panic! A combat defense system has been installed for the stands just for this very reason!" Kazumi assured the audience over their panicked screams even though with all the debris falling she didn't feel too secure herself.

"Huh?" Negi couldn't completely fathom what was happening but he could see Kaede's silhouette through the smoke, stumbling through the ring. "S-she survived that?!" Negi's mind went wild as he searched for the mysterious mage that he could have sworn had taken the form of his father mere moments ago. "There's no mistake about it now! I still don't understand…why?!"

"This is amazing! Challenger Nagase still stand despite the death defying move we had just seen! Is she still willing to fight after all that?!" The photographer announced excitedly. "However could this end?!" Kazumi couldn't quite make out what both challengers were talking about but after a long exchange, Kaede wiped her mouth of the blood that had been trickling from her lip and turned away from Albireo.

"I understand now." The ninja reasoned with a nod. "The loss is mine."

"OH! Challenger Nagase throws in the towel! She's had better days, I'd say! Challenger Ku:Nel's advancement to the Finals is a given!" Kazumi finally walked in to the stage. "Next is the match that decides who will be the one to face the finalist!"

"That you Negi." Ku-Fei tapped Negi who had been staring off at Albireo since the match had been declared over. "Negi? You okay?"

---

"Well then. Now the time has finally come!" Dorothy cried out excitedly. "The match between the master and her disciple has finally come!"

"You seem very excited mistress."

"That I am." Dorothy grinned.

---

"Excuse me, Mcdowell?" The vampires turned away from the window in her infirmary room when the nurse called her.

"What?" Evangeline asked.

"Your match is next."

"Oh…" Evangeline smirked. "I see."

---

"It looks bad doesn't it?" Gandolfini looked over Seruhiko and Akashi's shoulder as they accessed the viral marketing mainstream. It appeared that Chao and Hakase were already spreading information through viral data means as well.

"This is Chao's work." Seruhiko declared. 'There is no doubt about that."

"I'll inform the headmaster then." Shizuna alerted them before taking her leave.

"Very well." Gandolfini confirmed with her before turning back to the other professors. "Where is Takamichi?!"

"I haven't been able to get a hold of him." Akashi replied. "You don't think he's in trouble do you?"

"Nah!" Seruhiko waved his hand casually. "I'm sure Takahata-sensei has everything under control!"

"Negi-kun is done with pre-match meditation?" Ku-Fei opened the door to the challenger waiting room.

"Yes…" Negi replied.

"Ring is done with repairs! Match will start now!"

"Yes, Master Ku."

---

Asuna picked up a box of cigarettes that she stumbled across on her travels through the sewers with the other girls. The squad was made up of Setsuna, Mei, Takane, Misora and Kokone. The read-head caught the nuns as they tried to sneak in to the tournament for a glimpse of Negi and Takane somehow managed to follow them without their knowledge. The shadow user seemed to be stable but after being stripped twice at the tournament, Asuna wasn't sure if she was going to be of any help. Mei on the other hand looked up to her superior as though nothing could stop her.

"What is it?" Setsuna asked Asuna when she stopped.

"These are Takamichi's…I know they are." Asuna said, examining the box. "That's it! They have him!"

"I dunno…" Misora sounded unsure. "Plenty of people smoke those type of cigarettes."

"Look Misora!" Asuna growled.

"Misora?!" The nun played stupid. "Who is this Misora you speak of?!"

"Shh!" Setsuna suddenly silenced them. "There's something coming from the darkness." Her right hand twitched for the sword at her waist. "Be alert."

"You sense them too?" Takane whipped out her wand and Mei got in position with her broom.

"Alright, I see em'!" Asuna whipped out her tessen as well.

"Then let's rock!"

---

"Sorry for the stage repair downtime again, folks!" Kazumi apologized as Negi and Evangeline walked the path toward the stage. "It's the second math of the semi-finals and that means we're closer to finding the winner!"

"Hey boya!" Evangeline called to Negi as they walked side by side.

"Y-yes Eva?" Negi asked nervously.

"Don't fall in to pieces yet! The match hasn't even started!"

"Y-yes master."

"And now the super powerful child teacher, Negi Springfield Vs. the doll-like yet dangerous, Evangeline McDowell! The winner of the match will move on that much closer to the finals! The peak of tournaments of all tournaments: The Mahora Budokai!"

"What is matter with Negi-kun? He stiff as a board!" Ku-Fei commented as Evangeline and Negi took their places across from each other on that stage. "He in no condition to fight Eva-san like that!"

"I agree." Kaede nodded, scratching her chin. "He'll surely lose at this rate."

"Let's go master Negi!" Chachazero cheered him on from Ku-Fei's shoulder.

"This is at last, the semi-finals! Ladies and gentleman. I bring you match No. 14!"

"Let's get this duel underway, eh?" Evangeline smirked as she snapped her tessen closed. "I will immerse you in a nightmare beyond your wildest dreams Negi." She narrowed her eyes imperceptibly with her usual evil smirk. "Are you ready for this one dear fledgling?"

"Mea Virga!" Negi chanted, holding his hand up in the air. Ku-Fei and Kaede moved out the way as his staff shot forward to be grasped in his hand. The young magi got in to a fighting stance with his staff and replied, "I'm ready master." He could hear the dark voice from before slowly invading again.

If you want to face your master than you must not hold back! She won't do the same for you!

"MATCH NO. 14!"

Evangeline licked her lips hungrily and Negi's eyes burned darkly…

"READY?!"

The stage was set…

"SET?!"

And not a soul could ever be prepared for the battle the would ensue…

"FIGHT!"

To Be Continued….

---

My fingers are never going to forgive me for writing this match...