Disclaimer: I do not own Negima or any of its characters…
Fang Vice Addiction
Chapter Twenty: Endearing Darkness
By Traingham
"Sorry for the stage repair downtime again, folks!" Kazumi apologized as Negi and Evangeline walked the path toward the stage. "It's the second match 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!" Kazumi cried out, taking a few steps away from the center of the ring. "READY?!"
The audience started to get restless under all the anticipation...
"SET?!"
"This is unreal..." Chao felt herself trembling as she watched Negi and Evangeline stare at each other on the stage below. "Mistress...do you seriously believe that it's a good idea to push Negi through the limit?"
"The darkling isn't nearly as powerful as he will be in my time at the present." Dorothy replied, her eyes burning as she awakened her influence within Negi. "I wish to see how the fledgling will stand up against his master. He just may be able to weaken her for me."
"Excuse me?" Chao was in complete disbelief. "H-how is that even possible? Evangeline outclasses any wizard I've ever read about and she's one of the elder class Mistresses! How could Negi-chan, an unawakened fledgling even compare?!" This was the first time Dorothy had ever seen the scientist lose her cool.
"That is the unsolved mystery..." Dorothy explained. "That is why I am curious about this match."
"FIGHT!" Kazumi finally started the match. The audience was confused when the two challengers were suddenly gone in the blink of an eye! Kaede and Ku-Fei tried hard to get a glimpse of them in the sky to see if they already kicked the fight in to overdrive but there wasn't even a sign of a battle.
"Where they go?" Ku-Fei asked Kaede. "You see them anywhere?"
"I feel them but I don't see them anywhere." Kaede crossed her arms. "I've heard of God-like speed from many legendary masters of the arts. Such a speed is so fast that the fighters tend to become the wind itself; they enter a dimension far beyond the limits of the body." Kaede furrowed her brows. "Eva-san may be capable of such a level of speed but Negi...how far could he have possibly gotten since our trip to Kyoto?"
"Where are the challengers?!" Kazumi cried out in bewilderment. "I've seen bizarre things throughout the duration of this tournament but this has to be the most farfetched thing I've ever seen! Do I start the count out?" The photographer turned to Chachamaru and her partner to get an answer. When they nodded, Kazumi turned back to the ring and started, "ONE...TWO...THREE...FOUR...FIVE..."
"This is unbelievable." Chisame grumbled, watching the empty ring from the stands. She was beside the commentary table with her laptop in hand. "For a semi-final match this is really a let down." Chisame grit her teeth when Kazumi reached "Eight". "What sort of dirty trick is thi-"
Negi whirled his staff in his hand to gain some momentum as he whipped around to face Evangeline and brought it down upon her but she dodged swiftly and tried to catch his chin with a rising slash from her tessen. Surprisingly enough, Negi was able to react just in time and-
BOOM!
The entire audience felt as though a bomb was dropped in the middle of the arena when the stage was completely split in half! It looked as though a thunderbolt had just struck from out of nowhere but the skies were completely clear. Kazumi almost had a coronary from the unexpected explosion and staggered over to a safe distance with Sayo to steady her thoughts.
"Wha-"
Evangeline jumped back when Negi shoved her away with his staff's assistance and lunged forward towards him. He slashed at her again with his staff only to offer her a foot stool since she jumped on to it's tip at a precise moment and used it to run up to his arm before jumping off to land behind him. Negi tried to turn around in time to block another slash from the vampiress, however, he sensed that he wouldn't make it in time so he bent backwards until the tip of his staff made contact with the floor and managed to deflect her attack. Evangeline nodded at his cleverness as he flipped back on to his feet before attempting to stab at her with the end of the staff but the result ended in his attack being stopped when the tip of his staff connected with the side of her steel fan-
BOOM!
The stage was struck by another lightning bolt before Kazumi could even get a word out of her mouth. This time the photographer decided to take her place at ringside where she wouldn't be close to the source of the sudden explosions. "I'm just as startled as you all probably are, folks! I'm not sure if these sudden explosions are being caused by the challengers but it could be possible! We've seen various forms of combat in this tournament today-HUH?!" Kazumi blinked when there was a sudden crash near the corner of the stage. She saw Negi pull himself out of the crater that was caused by his mysterious crash and get in to a defensive position with his staff. "W-We finally see one challenger and judging from the way he looks there may have been some combat after all but where is challenger McDowell?!"
"She's coming!" Kazumi heard Negi growl. Not even a second later, Evangeline suddenly appeared behind Negi performing a spinning kick in mid-air. Negi couldn't turn fast enough, receiving a kick to the back that sent him skidding to the other side of the ring but he pushed off the floor with the end of his staff to flip and landed on his feet. Then he ran to Evangeline, spinning his staff to gain some momentum and slashed at her! Evangeline blocked with her tessen much to Negi's shock and lunged forward with a palm to the face!
"Down already?" Evangeline taunted, standing over Negi. "If you think this is going to get easier by showing weakness then you're dreaming." Evangeline raised her tessen over her head as a demented smile crossed her lips. "It's only gonna get harder!" She brought the steel fan down with frightening force but Negi managed to block with his staff. The result was the floor caving in under the young magi but he managed to phase out of existence in time to avoid the full force of his master's attack. He tried surprising her from behind but she merely caught him in the face with an elbow the very moment he materialized behind her.
Evangeline ducked under a slash from him when he recovered and twirled in the air to land on his left side when he brought his staff crashing down on the spot that she was standing. His head whipped toward her as the floor boards exploded in splinters under the force of his attack and he twirled his staff behind his back to transfer it from his left hand to his right had in time to block her surprise attack. They grappled weapons against each other until their hands were trembling from the force they were challenging one another with.
The vampiress jabbed him in the face, sending him staggering backwards and followed up with a shot to the mid-section but Negi veered her attack to the side with a quick defensive stance from his staff. He countered with a floor sweep, which Evangeline leaped over with cat-like swiftness. She pulled her hand back and sent her fan flying right at the young magi but he rolled under her just before she landed back on the ground in a desperate maneuver and avoided the attack just barely. Evangeline snatched her fan up from the ground, whipping around to block an overhead slash from Negi just after he got back to his feet and back handed him. The force of her attack almost sent him sprawling to the floor.
"Hyaa!" Negi recovered from the blow quickly and slashed at Evangeline only to find his staff completely cut right through her, which could only mean trouble. "A fake?!" Were Negi's last words before he coughed out all the fluids in his mouth! Evangeline kneed him in the back, forcing his body in to the air and teleported over him to take him back down with an axe-kick. She smirked when Negi disappeared before she could finish her chain, however. Negi's next attack came from the side as he attempted to uppercut her with his staff but the attack fell short when Evangeline stopped the staff with her bare hand.
"Don't rely on your father's help!" She grinned before snatching the staff out of his hand.
"What?!" Negi felt naked without his staff as she pulled back her hand and sent the staff plunging in to the water surrounding the stage like a javelin! She then proceeded to grab him by the throat and came down upon the ring with a brutal choke slam. The air was completely taken away from Negi but the young magi blasted her away from him with two quick shots from his hand. Evangeline jumped back to put a little distance between herself and her disciple as he kept up the wave of saggita shots, smacking each one away before getting tired of it and kicking one right back at him. Negi was taken by surprise with the change in tactic, finding himself flying backwards after being struck by his own attack.
"Learn to fight quickly boya!" Evangeline scolded him. "Your opponent will read you easier if you continue using the same attack!" She tossed her tessen to the side and dropped in to a fighting stance. "Get up!"
"Y-yes." Negi coughed, holding his stomach as he got back to his feet. He was forced to defend himself when Evangeline came at him without warning, Negi blocked two jabs from her and ducked under a kick before retaliating with a spinning backhand which Evangeline blocked before taking his feet off the ground with a leg sweep. Negi didn't even reach the floor when the vampiress followed up with a knee to the mid section to keep him air borne. She continued her ruthless attack with a barrage of jabs to the stomach that were completely invisible to the untrained eyes before charging a dark arrow in her hand. Negi's eyes went wide with horror when she unleashed it upon him at point blank, launching him to the wall awaiting him on the other side.
"Ha, ha!" Evangeline cried out menacingly as she kicked forward on one foot to send herself flying after her disciple. Negi saw her coming at him and kicked off on the wall as soon as he made contact with it to send himself coming right back at her! He charged light energy in to both of his hands as he came right at her and unleashed both waves but she did a mid-air shundo and ripped right through the waves of pulsing light to close line him! He ducked in time to avoid being hit and twirled around to blast her as she passed him but apparently she wasn't done with him; grabbing him by the arm to throw him back at the wall again! As soon as he crashed in to the wall she forced him in to a crater by doing a wall-kick, using his body and landing in front of him. "You're lagging boya."
"No...I'm not!" Negi broke free of his stone prison and grabbed his master around her waist before performing a shundo! He went flying like a bullet to the opposite wall and managed to send her crashing in to it! "There..." He grunted in satisfaction as he kicked back on his foot to land in the ring. He doubled up to catch his breath, stealing a glance at Evangeline to see if she would make a move but she stayed lodged in the wall.
"After a grueling battle, challenger Negi is able to retaliate against the ruthless challenger McDowell! Is it over?!"Kazumi announced in a shaky voice. Even she knew that this wasn't over. There was something in the back of her mind telling her that this was simply the calm before the storm or a level five hurricane in Evangeline's case.
Congrats! Negi heard Evangeline's voice in his mind. Now we can have some real fun! I can't tell you how long it's been since I've really let loose! As soon as she was finished, Negi saw her eyes snap open and both of his arms were bound together by some unseen, dark threads. Kazumi watched in horror as the young magi was lifted in to the air by his hands, hanging like some life-sized puppet.
"W-what's going on?!" Negi cried out. This is exactly what happened to Setsuna during her match with Eva! Where are these threads coming from?! Negi grimaced when he master broke free from the wall and floated towards the ring gracefully. She licked her lip since Negi managed to make her bleed and smiled. It wasn't exactly a demented smile nor was it a smile of kindness but it sure did well to make Negi feel shivers.
"Feeling helpless?" Evangeline asked, walking around him. "You know...only one person was ever able to break free of my strings. See, I'm not called the puppet master simply because I'm able to give a "Half-life" to dolls." Evangeline clenched her right hand in to a fist and Negi squeezed his eyes shut at how the invisible threads tightened around his skin. They were threatening to slice into the flesh of his arms. "I'm called that because any living soul can be my play thing if I choose."
"So is...that what this is about?" Negi's consciousness was gradually breaking free from Dorothy's influence. The dark glow in his eyes was slowly beginning to fade. "I'm your play thing?!"
"No." Evangeline smirked. "You're my, Negi." She finally stopped in front of him and stared in to his eyes. "You're my flame in the darkness and I feel that for all you've shown me, I must reward you."
"All I've shown you?" Negi felt confused. "What have I shown you?"
"That I'm not a monster." Evangeline answered him before widening her eyes. Her gaze pierced Negi's souls as he found himself getting lost in pools of emerald green. His body felt lighter and the threads around his arms felt as though they were melting away. The entire arena melted in to the inviting darkness that pulled him in and Evangeline was the only thing he could focus on. "You must feel restricted every time you're around your students and the people around you. Believe me, I know. I see you embracing the gift that I've given you and it fills me with pride to see you grow and develop in to something I can call my own."
"Why...are you saying all these things Eva?" Negi asked as he landed lightly on his feet in the darkness. He could hear the soothing sound of waves rolling along the shore of a beach in the distance.
"Heh...still dense as ever." Evangeline chuckled to herself, however, it sounded more melancholy than amused. "I'll have you understand one day, Negi." She snapped her fingers and the darkness dissipated to reveal her resort. To Negi's surprise it didn't show any signs of the destruction that had taken place when she brought Setsuna there during the match. He felt a strange sensation running through his body and shook his legs when they gradually felt lighter.
"W-what's going on?" Negi asked.
"When the master let's go of all restrictions, the fledgling will come to feel it and be filled with an unexplainable sense of joy." Evangeline crossed her arms and started levitating. "You and I are bonded Negi so when I let go of everything that holds me back you receive some of my power."
"Meaning?" Negi didn't like where this was going.
"Since the curse has no restrictions on me in this dimension I'm able to tap in to my full power." Her hair flowed around her as the sand beneath her started to rise. "As I said before, this is my reward to you! In this realm we are both free so prepare yourself! You will face me at a level that I only allow those I deem worthy to see!"
"Oh...dear..." Negi's went wide in horror as he got in to a fighting stance. Only someone as twisted as Evangeline could consider this a reward! He braced himself when the vampiress unleashed a wave of energy from her body and took on her older form. The devious grin that crossed her lips made her look like some majestic demoness. The sky in the resort darkened until the full moon and stars were their only source of light and a large flock of bats flew to her and materialized in to her vampiric mantle.
"I've always believed in presentation." She giggled in her sultry voice before pointing a finger at him. Negi's mage cloak disappeared and he was surrounded by a flock of bats. He was given a dark mantle as well and he felt his fangs tingling. The band that he kept in his hair unraveled, allowing his hair to fall so that he was an exact mirror of Nagi. "Well then, Negi...shall we duel in the moonlight like true vampires?" She held her hand over her head and gathered energy until she had a pulsing orb of chilling darkness, hundreds of times her size ready to be hurled at the young magi.
"Oh my..."
She hurled it...
"GAWD!" Negi took off without a second thought and picked up as much altitude as he possibly could to avoid being sucked in to the explosion. He looked down to see that the entire area they had been occupying was turned in to a winterland nightmare. Evangeline looked up at him with a chilling smirk and took flight after him! Negi did the first thing that would come to any sensible being's mind and tried to put as much distance as he possibly could between them!
"Flying away?!" Evangeline quipped menacingly as she gathered more chilling darkness in to her hands. "More fun for me!" She let a spell rip in Negi's direction and missed purposely so that it whizzed mere inches away from his face! Negi felt the right side of his head and felt his hairs standing up like the bristles of a broom. He knew she was playing with him because she would have gotten him dead on if she was serious!
"I've got to make a move!" He growled before making a nosedive. Evangeline followed him and shot a few more chilling blasts in his direction. He felt his muscles tighten with each chilling wave of magic that she sent flying past him and tried to pull up before he hit the thick sheet of ice waiting for him below but the result was inevitable. He crashed to the ground and slid until he came to a stop, scrambling quickly to get to his feet. "Where is she going?!" He questioned nervously when the Dark Mistress flew in to the distance.
"Oh no!" He saw her turn to come his way, picking up unbelievable speed and heard the crack of the sound barrier just before she flew right past him! His head felt as though it was being sucked in to an invisible drain and the gravity had completely dropped as the blood from his nose floated upwards in small bubbles before his very eyes. It all seemed like slow motion to him before his entire being was pulled in to the air by the sonic boom that Evangeline caused. Negi would have screamed if his lungs allowed him to. All that came out was a silent scream that only the young magi could hear within his racing mind.
"Why are you allowing yourself to be thrown around?!" Evangeline scolded as she did a summersault maneuver to come back in his direction. Negi's mind finally registered everything that was going on and he managed to turn his head to see Evangeline coming his way even faster than before. He prepared for her to pass over and at the last moment he reached out and grabbed a hold of her mantle as it whizzed by his head. "Hmm?" Evangeline turned her head in boredom to see her underling holding on for dear life. "Well that's one way..." She mumbled before a grin crossed her lovely lips. She twirled a few times in the air and did a summersault-nosedive combination that sent Negi's head spinning!
"Ahh!" Negi lost his grip on her cloak when she pulled up from the ground at the last moment, sending him crashing in to the sand! He used his vampiric reflexes to roll as soon as he made contact with the ground and got on one knee to reorient himself. He felt the bile and vomit threatening to rise up out of his throat but he managed to settle his stomach. "Urgh...she's going to kill me." He muttered miserably before his senses went screaming. He looked up to see her hovering still with her hands crackling with dark energy.
I better run! Negi thought desperately, turning on his heel to make tracks. Evangeline saw her dear disciple making his move and started using him as target practice! Negi felt his legs wobble when one of her shots made impact right behind him! He looked over his shoulder to see another incoming sub-zero blast and performed a shundo to avoid the spell. A few more blasts zeroed down and formed a circle of explosions around him.
"You better run faster than that!" The Dark Mistress laughed gleefully, sending a few spell at a time. Negi threw himself to the ground, allowing one to fly over his head and got back to his feet to perfrom another shundo in time to avoid another shot. He finally grew tired of running and whipped around to retaliate. He saw a blast nearing his position and charged his fist with light energy; unleashing everything he possbily could upon the blast in an attempt to stop it.
"Oh?" Evangeline crossed her arms with a curious smirk when he managed to send the blast in another direction. "Let's see then..." She held both her arms out and gathered a few dark arrows. "Let's see how he fairs against these!" She sent all of them after Negi and to her pleasure the young magi didn't run. "How bold." She purred.
"Come on..." Negi growled as the arrows zeroed in on him. "Eva did it so you can do it too!" He willed himself. But you forget that your power is nothing in compare to her awesome abilities! This is suicide! The sensible part of him screamed bloody murder. Well, you don't know until you try. Negi's daring side told him. It was a shame that the latter voice didn't sound so sure of itself.
"W-whatever." Negi shrugged his shoulders before pulling his right fist back in preparation to start deflecting the barrage. As soon as they were within reach he started smacking each and every arrow to the side until there were no more left. He panted heavily as his fists sizzled from his desperate tactic but he couldn't help but grin with pride. "HA!" He taunted Evangeline, pumping one fist in the air.
"Indeed." Evangeline applauded him. "Now that I see you're up to it..." Evangeline held both of her hands over her head and gathered more energy. "Let's get down to business!" Not a moment later, a blade of darkness materialized and she held the hilt of the blade with both hands. "HYAA!" She came down upon him with her blade poised to strike!
"AHHH!" Negi screamed fearfully. He held both of his hands before him and a barrier of light stopped Evangeline's blade.
"Still using those pathetic light spells, hmm?!" Evangeline grunted, bringing the sword back for another slash. She slammed the blade against Negi's barrier again and the young magi felt it weakening. Her next slash would cut right through it for sure! She pulled back and slashed again but Negi rolled under her attack to close the distance between them and went in for a punch to the gut. He didn't rely upon her cat-like reflexes, however, as she turned her hands so that she could jab him in the face with the hilt of the blade. Negi staggered back, holding his nose in pain but his reflexes kicked in when he saw his master slash at him again. This time he enriched his left hand with energy to block the blade! The pressure started to build as they challenged their strength against each other and the sand beneath them gradually compressed in to a crater.
"We can keep this up forever!" Evangeline grinned, leaning forward. She placed more strength against the young magi and forced him to get down one knee. "Feeling weak? You're seriously beginning to disappoint me Negi." Her last words actually sounded like genuine disappointment indeed. Naturally, Negi couldn't help but feel as though he was committing a crime for not meeting her standards...such is life...
"I only aim to please!" Negi yelled before letting go to roll aside. Her blade sliced in to the sand and Negi used that moment to bring her down, courtesy of a well-timed leg sweep. For once Evangeline found herself caught by surprise! When she was on the ground he stood over her fallen form and raised a powered fist to strike her but before he could hit her she caught his fist in one hand and kicked him away with her foot. He was thrown back a few feet and the mistress kicked her legs over her head before jerking them forward, pushing off on both of her hands to land back on her feet. She performed a shundo to attack Negi but he took off at that very moment to avoid it! The chase was on as Evangeline came up after him again but he did a summersault maneuver to get behind her and began wailing on her with light arrows!
"So now I'm the hunted?" Evangeline mocked before coming back his way with a spinning roundhouse that deflected his arrows. Negi dodged the arrows she sent back and flew away again. He saw one of the resort towers in the distance and flew around to the opposite side to take cover from the vampiress. He leaned against the wall to catch his breath but a moment later the wall against his back exploded and Evangeline slammed right in to him! She grabbed him by the back of his head and threw him in to another tower but Negi stopped her courtesy flight by kicking against the incoming wall of the tower hard to send himself back in her direction. He tried to elbow her but she flew to the side and went in for a kick. Negi caught her leg and swung her away but she stopped herself in mid-air without any assistance and preformed a mid-air shundo to rush him.
"I anticipated that!" Negi cried out, dodging to the side and clutching her cloak with both hands. "Hyaaa!" He swung her around by her cloak in two full rotations before sending her flying in to the large body of water below. He grunted in satisfaction when she slammed right through the water and waited to see if she would come up but there was nothing but silence until he saw a purple glow of light radiate from underwater.
"What's that?" He freaked when a monstrous stalagmite of ice came rushing up in his direction! He dodged the unexpected attack just barely and watched with horror as it crashed through one of the resort towers that were behind him. Suddenly the whole body of water below became completely frozen and countless, piercing stalagmites came after him! He did a nose dive for the frozen lake, maneuvering around the frightening spears of ice that stabbed at him until he miscalculated the distance between him and another stalagmite and found himself in a world of pain as the jagged edge ripped through his side! He was disorientated by the hit and found himself losing control over his flying course. Before long he landed on a stalagmite and slid down to the frozen lake at a frightening speed.
"AH!" Negi flinched when the frozen path behind him ripped open with deadly spikes. He kicked his legs on to the stalagmite to slow down his descent and scrambled to his feet to run the rest of the way down. More deadly stalagmites burst forth from the frozen lake below and zeroed in on him but he slid on his knees and bent back until the back of his head was skidding along the frozen surface of the stalagmite he was on. The rushing pillars of ice passed over his chin by mere inches and the young magi found himself in a tight spot. He shifted his position to slide to the right and waited until he was about toward the edge before kicking on the side of the stalagmite to send him crashing in to another nearby.
"There she is!" When he was near the surface of the lake he charged his energy in to one hand and punched right through the frozen surface! Shards of ice rushed through his face leaving a cut on his forehead and he fell through a series of dark tunnels until he hit a cold floor. His head was still spinning from the unpleasant ride on the way down.
"You made it!" Evangeline said with a smirk. Her eyes gleamed in the darkness as she approached him.
"Ugh..." Negi pushed his palms against the floor to get back to his feet and staggered to the side as he fought to get a grip on what was going on. "Y-you...almost killed me!" He yelled.
"That's the least of your problems right now!" Evangeline cried out before charging at him. Negi tried to side step her but she surprised him with a leg sweep, taking him down to the floor again. Negi was quick to react, kicking his legs back before jerking forward to land back on to his feet and doing a twirl in the air to prepare a tornado kick. He brought both of his legs down upon Evangeline with swiftness but her body dispersed in to a flock of bats before he could land a hit on her and she appeared behind him to send him crashing in to the ceiling with a powerful kick to the back. Negi wall kicked the ceiling on impact to send him flying right back towards Evangeline and took her down to the ground with him.
"Well..." Evangeline grinned as she looked back in to Negi's eyes. Her eyes swiveled over to both of her wrists, which were firmly pinned to the floor by Negi's hands before returning to the young magi's face. "You sure are a wild beast."
"S-stop teasing already..." Negi muttered. His mind was searching for the next move but he found it hard to think while he stared in to his master's brilliant eyes. "Uh...darn..." Something in the back of his mind was keeping him from striking her.
"Why are you hesitating?" Evangeline asked. "Do something!"
"Like what?!"
"Don't ask me!" She scolded him before kicking him off of her. When he landed she went in for a palm shot to the face but Negi dodged to the side and tried to lure her in with a spinning backhand. She ducked under it quickly and grabbed him by the wrist to flip him over on to his back but he took that moment to try and connect an elbow thrust to her side. Negi's eyes went wide with surprise when she twisted his arm, disabling him in the process and countered with an elbow to his side instead. He was already hurting from the stalagmite that grazed his side earlier so the pain was simply unbearable. He staggered away from Evangeline quickly and tried to get in to a fighting stance but his body was finally shutting down.
"Look at you..." Evangeline scowled as she glared at Negi. "Your eyes aren't even in focus."
"T-that's nothing." Negi muttered before shooting a light arrow at her but his was so poor that she merely watched it as it whizzed by her. The young magi blinked as he realized how embarrassing that was and turned away in frustration.
"You're breaking my heart." The vampiress growled. She grabbed him by the shoulder roughly and turned him to face her before delivering a resounding smack to his face. Negi didn't react to her smack since he was already on the verge of losing consciousness. "What am I..." SMACK "To think..." SMACK "When you're facing me this way, huh?!"
"Eva-"
"Don't speak." Evangeline cut him off softly. "If you're near your end then at least go out with style."
"At my end?" Negi's eyes finally regained their focus and he smacked her hand away. "Not now!" He yelled before he swung at her with all his might but he found his desperation at it's end when his fist was blocked by an invisible barrier. The force he channeled through his fist crackled violently against Evangeline's barrier but it did nothing to affect it.
"No fair!" Negi growled as he tried with all his might to penetrate the barrier with his hands but it was no use.
"There you go with your whining!" Evangeline frowned, charging another sub-zero shot in her left hand. "Be a man about it!" She yelled, unleashing the blast upon her underling. Up on the surface it was deathly quiet until Negi's body crashed right through it and continued his ascent in to the sky with Evangeline following not far behind. She summoned a dark web of threads to capture him and the young magi was bound in mid-air like a fly. He let his head fall forward in defeat and closed his eyes.
"You did well." Evangeline praised him. "But you still have a long way to go-huh?" She saw both his eyes snap open without warning and he broke free of the dark threads with a battle cry. "You seriously broke free? I've underestimated you!"
"Take this!" Negi yelled fiercely. His right hand trembled as he gathered magic before he sent a spear-like shot in her direction. Evangeline'e eyes went wide with surprise before she phased out of existence to avoid being hit by the deadly attack. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before...unless...
"Twilight magic?" Evangeline managed to get out before she was forced to dodge another twilight spear! Negi's shirt was completely left in shreds, leaving only his vampiric cloak when his aura began to fluctuate with the energy that was crackling in his hands. He looked up at Evangeline with his left eye burning crimson and slammed both of his plams together before shooting another one of his deadly twilight spears. "You silly boy!" Evangeline cackled. "I don't know how you're able to conjure such a spell but this still is nothing!" She proved her words when she stopped the spear with both hands and veered it to the side. The spear obliterated the top half of a tower behind her leaving it in shambles.
To Shumbolion Diakonoto Moi Hei Krystaline Bashleia Evigenato Taionion Elebos Haionie Krystale Versais Zoice Ton Ison Tanaton Hos Ataksia... Evangeline concentrated as she prepared to end the duel. Negi finally came back to his senses when he felt the ominous power rising within Evangeline.
"Is that what...I think it is?!" Negi thought aloud. A violent storm suddenly kicked up within the resort and Negi's mind started racing. If he was going to dodge this he was going to have to reach his master before she unleashed the spell. All the power that he felt from before was gradually leaving him but he figured he could still make use of it somehow!
"It was a pleasure." Evangeline cooed before unleashing her terrible spell. Negi came at her like a speeding bullet at the very moment the spell took effect and unleashed a twilight spear using his very own body as the attack. The maneuver was unexpected by the vampiress and before anybody could react-
"What is going on?!" Kazumi cried out. A minute passed and both challengers had not made a move. "They're just staring at each othe-" She couldn't finish as both fighters were suddenly engulfed in a titanic explosion that activated the self-defense systems of the arena. The crackling energy that radiated from the mysterious explosion seared against the barriers but it eventually dissipated, leaving the ring in shambles. In the middle of it all Negi and Evangeline stood facing each other until the young magi fell to his knees.
"W-what...a...thrilling conclusion to the...match..." The photographer was scared to enter the limits of what was the ring moments ago. "It is...over...right?" Negi had not exactly fallen to the ground completely to she couldn't start to count down just yet. Evangeline was completely drenched in sweat with a satisfied smile on her face and Negi looked up at her doing the same. Kazumi wasn't sure what had happened but the scene was quite bizarre.
"D-did...I do good?" Negi asked almost on the verge of wheezing his words.
"Oh, you did well alright." Evangeline praised him. "You've become a fine fighter, Negi. You actually managed to fight me to the very end." Evangeline crossed her arms and ordered, "Now get up."
"Wha..." Negi almost fainted. "What?"
"Get up!" Evangeline yelled the second time.
"W-why?!" Negi groaned. "I can't go on!"
"Those aren't the words of a winner..." Evangeline quirked an eyebrow.
"E...excuse me?" Negi blinked, wobbling to his feet. "Me? Me, a winner?"
"That's right." Evangeline nodded.
"I...I don't understand..." Negi's hands began to tremble. "You won! You're not even tired!"
"Shut up, will you?" Evangeline snapped. "Look...Negi, the last thing I need is to be the winner of some tournament. This..." Evangeline gestured to entire arena. "Means nothing to me. The only thing I got out of participating was to see you rise against the odds and I'm satisfied with what I've seen..." She offered him a fanged grin. "...for now." She walked to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Of course, you may have "Won" the match but you and I know what would have really happened if I was serious."
"You mean..." Negi trailed off in a quiver.
"Are you dense?!" Evangeline chuckled. "You wouldn't have lasted a minute if I really intended to kill you!" Evangeline wiped a tear in her right eye and patted his shoulder amusingly. "Such an idiot sometimes. I swear! If you really want to fight me at full strength then keep on training until you reach my level."
"Um...so that means-"
"You and me have a date on the last day." Evangeline finished for him as she let go of his shoulder and walked past him. "And the price for weasling out on me is your life!" She shouted back at him.
"M-McDowell? Where are you going?!" Kazumi asked in puzzlement.
"I'm forfeiting." Evangeline answered casually. " What does it look like?" With that she left the ring and took her leave.
"Oooooookaaaay." Kazumi droned in confusion before turning to look at Negi who looked as though his world had practically ended...which it almost sort of did but no one else knew that but him. "Er, Ch-challenger Negi Springfield is the WINNAH!" The young magi waved weakly at his new fans as they cheered for him. What he didn't know was that his entire situation with his father had been revealed during his match with Evangeline and that was the actual reason he was getting so much love from the crowd. If it was based on performance they would have cheered for Evangeline all the way.
"What you think Kaede-san?" Ku-Fei asked her friend with her arms crossed. "What you think happen between them?"
"Something epic." Kaede answered with a nod. "I only wish this realm was stable enough to handle the level of their actual duel." The ninja looked to Albireo who had been watching from ringside intently the entire time as though he had been in some sort of trance. Something told her that the hooded mage had sensed everything that went on somehow.
"Well then Negi...there is quite a bit to you then you seem to let up. I'm sure your father would be proud." Albireo mused. "Now let us see how you fair against him.."
"Um..." Kazumi turned to the maintenance club member who had been watching the match from ringside. Right now they all looked as though they had been pushed off the edge of sanity by Negi and Evangeline."Ahem...The final match won't start until after repairs are made to the ring!" Kazumi pulled the mic away from her mouth and sighed. "Oh boy..."
"Master..." Negi looked to the way she left and blinked when he spotted one of her red ribbons lying at his feet. "Hmm?" Negi bent over painfully and clutched it in his hand. It felt completely smooth and it was intact despite the explosion. "Did she leave this behind on purpose?"
Dorothy paced around up top on the observation deck as her mind tried to make sense of the situation. After Evangeline bound him with her dark threads she had lost complete control over Negi and to make things even more irritating they simply spent the next minute staring at each other before the entire ring was swallowed up in an explosion that seemingly came out of nowhere. To say that the mistress was furious was an understatement. She stared at Negi's fleeting form as he left the ring with Ku-Fei and Kaede assisting him.
"It's...illogical..." Dorothy reasoned. "What did Evangel do?! Did she send their spirits to another realm?!" The Dark Mistress placed her hands against the observation window and bowed her head. "It mystifies me.."
"It appears that she forfeited too." Chao observed. "Negi will move on to face Albireo Imma."
"The thought of those two meeting in the ring disturbs me." Dorothy spoke, unmoving from her position against the window. "However...this doesn't affect anything. My plans will succeed without fail. As long as I am able to confront "Dark Evangel" while she is cursed she will be no match for me and the darkling will be mine to control."
"Negi will protect her." Chao warned. "And the festival is still going on for another day. The mages on campus will foil your plans if Negi doesn't...and Albireo Imma is a threat to you as long as he is able to sustain his form."
"I..." Dorothy clenched both of her hands in to tight fists. "...Am very irritated."
"Mistress."
"What is it now?" Dorothy practically snarled.
"What is your connection to Negi anyway?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Because...you seem to have some sort of obsession with him." Chao explained. "And despite the fact that you claimed that you did not know him until now, you seem to possess quite a bit of intimate information about him."
"Not much gets by you..." Dorothy finally grinned and stepped away from the window. "But I should expect such cleverness from Xue's daughter." The Dark Mistress turned to face Chao and the Chinese girl felt violent chills. "You see...my fate is intertwined with Negi to an extent that I make it my business to know everything about him. I know all the people he has met and I know of all that he will be capable of. I know what type of impact he can make on the world of magic and the underworld of vampires."
"What do you mean your fate is intertwined with him?"
"Negi Springfield is destined to end my life."
Interlude... (Note: These misadventures take place two years after Chao's plans are foiled. Dorothy is suspiciously nowhere to be seen in the present, which raises questions. That will be answered later, of course. The events that took place in the last chapters are in chronological order so far! I've left each one at a cliffhanger...mainly because I'm still considering whether to do a continuation of the series after FVA is done so they can be considered a teaser. Moving on! Negi departed from Mahora in Feburary and has not returned for nine months. Evangeline ordered that he return by December so that leaves him two months. Alice had him all from September to November. I of course have not and will not reveal Negi's struggle for freedom during October...for future purposes. Enjoy!)
To hentai18ancilla: Heh, heh...another interlude...Please don't beat me with a stick!
F-------------------------------------------V--------------------------------------------------A
Negi looked out at the view from the balcony of his suite and sighed. He had a stunning view of the city with its brilliant lights and it's white sandy beach. He knew he couldn't really savor all of this, however, since he was here on business. He finally managed to contact Evangeline after the two months he spent with Mistress Alice Dalziel and her clan of female vampires. He thought that he settled his chapter with the Dark Mistress when he bested her in a duel but it seemed that she wasn't willing to keep her end of the deal they made. Even after he grasped victory she still pledged to chase him to the ends of the world until he would be her's and that would only make life even more of a hassle then it was already.
As soon as Evangeline heard his voice over the phone she let out all of the "anger" and "frustration" she had been holding deep inside. It did well to blast the young magi's ears to the point of oblivion but when Evangeline finally handed the phone over to Chachamaru the android revealed to him that the vampiress had locked herself in her room for days on end without even having a drink. Negi couldn't help but feel happy that his dark master cared for him that much and yet he recalled a night in the past when she might have made that clear...it was a bit hazy to him now with all the adventure he had.
"She said Takamichi informed her that one of father's partners lived around here." Negi thought aloud. "What a coincidence that they would be holding a ballroom banquet for her tonight." Negi did some investigating around the city until the name, "Alexandra Trepe" came up. Apparently she had taken a position in the City Hall after she had settled down from her travels. The banquet the city was holding was to honor her fine efforts over the years.
"Is Master Negi nervous?" Chachazero asked from her seat on the bed.
"Sort of...she was one of my father's partners...so she must have known him quite intimately." Negi explained. "She should be able to give me information about where he learned the scholasticus curse." Negi's head sunk low before he grumbled, "I hope..."
"Well, the "Thousand Master" had quite a few partners, Master Negi." Chachazero reasoned. "I don't think all of them would know that much about him."
"Y-you're right, Zero-chan." Negi grinned as his left eye twitched. "Do you have to tear down my hopes?!"
"Sorry master." The puppet apologized sheepishly. "Hey...how do you know we haven't been followed here? With Mistress McVicar and Dalziel hot on your tail I wouldn't be surprised if-"
"Zero!" Negi cut her off, throwing his hands in the air.
"...Okay..." She bowed her head. "I'm sorry..." Negi's heart broke when he realized she was just a little concerned for him. He walked to the bed and scooped her up in his arms before pecking her on the forehead.
"No, I'm sorry, Zero-chan." Negi apologized before his eyes lit up. "Hey, wait til you see what I got you to wear for the banquet." He placed the confused puppet back on the bed and walked to the closet before pulling out a black lace dress. "Pretty nice, huh?"
"W-wait..." Chachazero let her mouth hang open for a moment. "D-does that mean you're taking me as...your date?"
"Of course!" Negi answered. "I can't walk in there alone. I'd look suspicious." Negi slipped her pactio card out of his jacket with a grin. "You want to try it on now?"
"Really?!" Chachazero asked with the excitement one would expect from a child.
"Why not?" Negi picked her up from the bed again and walked to the bathroom to set her down on the toilet seat.
"What's wrong?" She asked when he slowly shuffled away from her.
"I'm giving you your privacy." Negi said with a faint blush. "I'll activate your card right now so..." Negi stepped out and closed the door behind him. "...Get ready!" He chanted the activation spell quietly and moments later he felt a rush of energy flow from behind the bathroom door. He blinked a few times when all that followed was silence and asked, "Are you alright in there?"
There was no answer...
"Um...Zero-chan?" Negi placed is ear against the door to see if he could hear her better. "I asked if you were alright."
"...Soft..." Chachazero said with a hint of deep fascination in her voice.
"Huh?" Negi quirked an eyebrow.
"My body...is soft..." He heard her say softly. Her voice had deepened considerably as well. She almost sounded close to Chachamaru. "Whoa...these are soft too." Negi' face went completely red when he heard her say that. His mind could almost make out what she was talking about but-
"Ahh...bad thoughts!" Negi conked himself across the head to get a grip. He walked to the bed to grab her dress and knocked on the door saying, "Alright then! I'm going to give you your dress alright?"
"...O-okay!" She replied, opening the door slightly to hold out an awaiting hand. When he gave it to her she closed the door and he heard some scuffling. Finally she finished and opened the door to allow him to view her. She was blushing up to her ears, squeezing her left arm with her right hand nervously. Her green hair was still similar to how it was when she was in her puppet-like form but she had taken the form of an attractive young woman. Negi found it hard not to stare for a moment. He had her transform once in the past so they could make their escape from Alice but it was in the heat of the moment. Now he actually had the opportunity to admire her appearance.
"W-what do you think, Master Negi?" She asked timidly. The fact that she had called him master with her current form made him fluster. Something about this wouldn't have seemed too innocent to a random person who didn't understand the nature of their relationship.
"U-um, wait a sec..." Negi walked behind her and fixed the black bow before turning her to face him and offering her a warm smile. "You look stunning, Zero-chan."
"R-really?" She was still reeling from being so tall. She was almost Negi's height in his older disguise.
"Yeah." Negi nodded. Both of them looked away from each other after sharing another awkward moment staring at each other. Negi was beginning to feel rather nervous around his familiar. He had to admit that she was a sight to behold. Chachazero on the other hand was slowly beginning to make sense of her current situation. In the past she was much too small to actually express her feelings to the young magi but now...
I'm not just a little puppet anymore...well not at the moment anyway...so... The timid look of innocence on her face gradually began to melt away. Her eyes swiveled over to Negi who still had not decided to break the moment of silence and a mischievous grin crossed her lovely lips. Facial expressions were another thing she wasn't quite used too but for some reason it felt right. I have you all to myself master and there's no Evangeline or Chachamaru to get between us! What do we have here? Her eyes zeroed in on the queen size bed behind Negi. It couldn't possibly get any better than this!
"Master Negi..." She purred deeply, causing Negi to feel shivers. He finally looked at her and tensed up when he saw the libidinous expression gracing her features.
"Y-yes...Zero-chan?" Negi swallowed nervously. He took a step back when she took a step forward. Something about this scene felt a little dangerous to him.
"We've been together for a while haven't we?" She asked as she took another step toward him.
"Yes...we have." Negi nodded.
"And you could say that we've become very close...right?"
"Of course!"
"There's something I've been wanting to tell you for a while now, master."
"Hey, um, let's not call me master right now, hmm?" Negi requested nervously.
"Master." She took another step.
"Zero..." Negi slowly made his way to the other side of the bed.
"Stay still!" She suddenly lunged at him with her arms wide open to embrace him but he threw himself on to the bed and desperately tried to crawl to the other side. "I adore you!" She jumped on to the bed with him and wrapped her arms around his waist as the young magi frantically tried to get away. "Don't refuse me! Love me!" She nuzzled her head against his back feverishly. "Hold me like you usually do!"
"Zero-chan! I-I...this is so sudden!" Negi cried out helplessly. He blushed when he felt her hands trailing up his back to wrap around his chest. "Ah...Z-zero!" He tried to twist around in her firm hold and pry away her hands but the phone suddenly rang. "Huh?!"
"Maaaaaasterrrr!" Chachazero purred, burying her face in his back. Negi pulled with all his might to reach the phone and found his entire upper body hanging off the side of the bed when he managed to grab a hold of it.
"H-hello?!" Negi greeted in distress.
"Negi?" Evangeline's voice rang curiously.
"M-mas- I mean, Eva-chan!" Negi's voice wavered as he tried to wiggle free but his tactics only served to excite the love hungry familiar even more.
"What's going on? Why are you breathing so hard?"
"Oh...me?!" Negi tried to buy himself time to think up an excuse. "Err, I just got back from...EXCERSISING!" Negi cried out his last words when he felt Chachazero begin to tear his shirt open.
"I hear some scuffling, Negi." Evangeline said darkly. "Are you sure you still aren't engaged in some strenuous activity?" The young magi could hear some venomous suspicion behind her words. It almost sounded as though she was getting the wrong ide-
Rrrrrrrriiiiip!
"O-oh no!" Negi whimpered when he found his chest exposed. "U-um, Eva-chan?!"
"What?!"
"What did you want to talk about, hmm?!" Negi started to sweat profusely.
"Your progress. Did you find Alexandra ye-"
"Zero-chan?!" Negi cut her off.
"Zero-chan? I sure hope you aren't talking to Chachazero that way..." Evangeline still couldn't grasp how Negi was able to stand the sadistic puppet. Her train of thought was interrupted when she heard Negi muttering to himself. "Hey! Are you listening?!"
"Erm, I found her..." Negi made one final pull on the covers and he took Chachazero down with him to the floor in a tangled mess. The result was him on the bottom and Chachazero positioned right on top of him. To put it lightly, Chachazero wouldn't possibly have it any other way. "...S-sort of!" Negi finished, placing his hand on his familiar's stomach to keep her back.
"What do you mean, "sort of"?"
"Well...yah!" Negi yelped when Chachazero wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head forward with puckered lips.
"Alright! I'm serious, Negi! What the hell is going on over there?!"
"Massage!"
"What?!"
"I'm being given a massage!" Negi lied. "A-anyway, there's going to be a-umph..." Negi found his lips being blocked by Chachazero's own temptous set for a moment before he pulled away. "A banquet tonight! I'm going to be-urmph!" Negi wriggled for freedom again but Chachazero smacked the phone out of his hand and pressed the off button.
"ZERO!" Negi screamed when he was able to pull back for air. "ARE YOU CRAZY?!"
"You just noticed?" she quipped before smothering him again.
--------------------------------------------------------------
We turn to Evangeline's side of the world...
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"Mistress?" Chachamaru cocked her head to the side when she saw the chibi-vampire standing like a statue in the living room with the phone in her hand. If looks could kill the phone would have spontaneously combusted by now. "What seems to be the matter?"
"Either Negi has forgotten who I am or..." Evangeline's lips curled in to a menacing smirk. "...He's just dying to see me again..." Evangeline set the phone down on it's awaiting base and turned to Chachamaru quickly. "Chachamaru."
"Yes Mistress?"
"We're going to see Negi."
"Um..." Chachamaru blinked. "How exactly will we do that mistress?"
"You remember the Kyoto trip a while back?" The vampiress asked.
"Yes."
"That's how."
F-------------------------------------------------V----------------------------------------------------------A
-----------------------------------------------
Turning back to FVA...
-----------------------------------------------
"It's getting rough over here!" Asuna alerted Setsuna and Mei as she jumped back from a Tanaka droid. The android swung at her with one of it's heavy metallic fist and she ducked under the attack before sending it flying with an upward slash from her tessen. The redhead threw herself against the wall when she heard the piercing sound of a beam getting fired and narrowly avoided being stripped of her clothes. "I'm hating this a little more everytime they do that!"
"Watch out!" Setsuna suddenly alerted her.
"Wha-" Asuna flinched when Setsuna appeared beside her before beheading a Tanak droid with her blade. "Th-thanks."
"Just watch yourself." Setsuna told her. She turned back to a group of Droids that were heading their way and cried out, "ZANGAN-KEN!" The swordsman was a blur moments later and an explosion erupted where the droids formerly stood.
"...Sick..." Asuna said in awe. Her eyes wandered over to Takane who was lying on the ground motionless and she sighed. "Unlike some people!" She rushed over to the blonde magistress and crouched beside her before shaking her awake.
"Huh?" Takane groaned.
"Get up and fight already!" Asuna heard another beam fire and ducked her head just in time to avoid the surprise attack. What followed after that was the sound of explosions which confirmed Setsuna's handy work. "You were so high and mighty in the ring with Negi! How about you use some more of that down here?!"
"N-Negi?!" Takane's eyes darted around for any sign of him. "W-where?!"
"Jeez..." Asuna shook her head. "You're hopeless."
"Onesan!" Mei cried out, sending a wave of light arrows in the direction of some unsuspecting droids. "I need some support here!"
"R-right!" Takane finally got to her feet with Asuna's help. "It's time to get serious!"
"You said that before you fell unconscious moments ago." Asuna quipped.
"Quiet, you!" The blonde magistress shushed her. She faced some Tanaka droids that were terrorizing her underling and got in position with her wand. Asuna watched curiously when Takane dropped her arm at her side for a moment and asked, "Just what are you doing?! Mei is getting her bum handed to her back there!"
"Just a second..." Takane flexed her hands and regarded them oddly. My hands feel like they're on the verge of exploding...just what is going on? She shook her head when a vision of Negi flashed through her mind almost as though it was trying to send a message through to her. The vision felt so commanding towards her will. "Let's see where this gets me!"
"What are you tal-" Asuna trailed off when Takane was off in a blur. The red-head dropped her jaw when the opposing squad of droids that Mei was being distressed by suddenly exploded in a matter of seconds. When the smoke cleared Takane stood in the center of all the wreckage when oil and other substances dripping from her hands. The scene was bizarre and chilling at the same time!
"...Unbelievable." Asuna muttered. "One moment she's losing her mind over being stripped of her clothes and suddenly she's a killing machine." Even Setsuna had to do a double take after hearing all the commotion behind her. The swordsman regarded the blonde magistress before sheathing her blade.
"Why does her aura suddenly seem so familiar?" Setsuna thought in a whisper. "Almost like...no...exactly like Negi's..."
"Well, why is everyone staring at me like that?!" Takane finally cried out after being scrutinized by the rest of the young women.
"For one, you just managed to dispatch an entire squad of Tanaka clones with your bare hands!" Asuna cried out. "Where the heck did that come from, huh?! It's just like that time in the tournament when you suddenly grew wings out of nowhere!"
"It's called natural talent Kagurazaka!" Takane answered haughtily with a grin. She whipped around to point at the dark tunnel ahead of them and ordered, "ONWARDS!"
"...Well, she seems to be back to normal." Mei muttered to Asuna.
"Unfortunately." Asuna quipped.
"Mistress?" Chao called to Dorothy, walking in to the observatory deck. The maintenance club was near completion of the repairs on the ring so the match was going to commence in approximately a half hour or so. The Chinese girl was confused to find no one waiting for her inside. "Mistress Dorothy?" She walked deeper in to the observatory deck where the Dark Mistress usually resided to find a blonde little girl standing in front of a mirror, wearing a sundress and a matching hat that overshadowed her face in an eerie fashion. Chao was faintly reminded of a horror movie she once saw with Hakase.
"What seems to be the matter, Lingshen?" The little girl asked, turning back to Chao with a mischievous grin. Her eyes glowed softly in the dimness of the room as she took a step towards her.. "Are you surprised to see me like this?"
"Mistress?"
"That's right." Dorothy nodded.
"...Why?" Chao inquired curiously.
"Because I feel this is the only way I can be near the young darkling without intimidating him." She replied. "I felt a growing fear in him when I met with him in my true form. In this form it will be much easier to gain his trust and form a close bond." With that exchange she walked past the scientist and headed to take her leave of the observatory deck.
"What do you intend to do?!" The Chinese scientist demanded boldly. The last thing she needed was for the Dark Mistress to go on looking for Evangeline and blow her cover. Gandolfini would call in the entire force if he found out that there were two Dark Mistresses on the school grounds. That was just a recipe for quite a sum of damages.
"Have some fun." Her answer left Chao confused.
"Fun?" Chao echoed the mistress before hearing a faint beep from the device on her wrist. A feral grin crossed her lips as she watched the right light blink on and off. Apparently, Takamichi and the small Setsuna sprite that was accompanying him were able to escape. "All is going as planned. With the information I've fed Takahata-sensei, Gandolfini and the others are bound to start making rash moves against me."
She approached the observation window and her grin gradually became broader with the sight of Gandolfini and his troop moving along the audience in the stands. "Fools...they really think that have me all figured out." Her eyes swiveled over to the door that the Dark Mistress left through and she mused, "..Yet...I can't even figure her out. Does she merely intend to torment Evangeline or is there more to her methods?" She quirked an eyebrow. "And if Negi is destined to kill her then shouldn't she be more focused on staying away from him?" She scratched her chin in deep thought. Or am I just not getting the bigger picture here?
"Hyaku-Retsu Oka-Zan!" Slashed at an incoming tank like robot that stood in their way ferociously. She jumped back quickly when sparks sizzled everywhere from the impact and the monstrous mech countered with an attempt to crush her body under the weight of it's left arm. It was sluggish but it's power was horrific. Asuna saw the swordsman having trouble and dashed at the mech, rolling under one of it's slashing arms to get in close and attack with a powered strike from her tessen artifact but the attack merely contributed a small dent.
"I hate this sort of thing!" Asuna whined before seeing the mech bring down one of its heavy arms upon her. Setsuna reacted quickly, throwing herself in to the red-head to save her frowm the attack! "Setsuna!" Asuna screamed in fear but to her immense relief, the swordsman slashed in a perfect arc over her head to cut the arm in half before it could complete the full swing of it's attack. The large mech tried to make up for error by turning one of it's machine guns in Setsuna's direction but Mei got it's undivided attention when she sent one of her spells crashing against it's armor.
"Whenever you're ready onesan!" Mei called to Takane from the side. The Blonde magistress nodded and concentrated before sending a wave of black fire in the mech's direction. Asuna and Setsuna jumped out the way just as the dark spell ripped in to the haul of the robot and made it erupt in a ball of flames. The red-head regarded Takane oddly as she slowly stepped away from the burning wreckage and asked, "Where is this all coming from?! You weren't so hot a few moments ago when this whole fight first started!"
"I guess I just needed inspiration." Takane said with a wink.
"From w-who?" Asuna dreaded the answer that would come.
"...That's my business." She replied as she averted her eyes but to the rest of the young women whom were with her, it wasn't much of a secret.
"Well that's jus-"
"INCOMING!" Mei cut off Asuna with a scream as she pointed at something behind them.
"I won't make it in time..." Setsuna growled under her clenched as she turned to face the threat. A few Tanaka droids were rushing at them with full force on some of the tank mechs and they were preparing to bombard the girls with their stripping beams. All hope was seemingly lost for a frightening moment when all of a sudden the terror squad was engulfed in a sizzling beam of energy that came from the opposite end of the dark tunnel. Asuna immediately recognized the style of the attack and cried out joyously, "Takahata-sensei!"
"Are you serious?!" Takane asked in confusion. "Aren't we supposed to be doing the saving here?!" Her words didn't reach the red-head though. Her focus was set completely on Takamichi as he casually walked their way with his hands in his pockets. It felt like a vision from a fair tale to Asuna as his white jacket flapped to the side from the wind rushing through the tunnel. She could picture him sweeping her off her feet and taking her to some distan-
"ASUNA!" The red-head snapped out of her day dreaming when Setsuna called her name out loudly.
"Wh-what?!"
"Snap out of it!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Turning our attention to a certain vampiress...
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"Ugh..." Evangeline rubbed her sore ribs as she laid her head back against the wall that her infirmary bed was against. Setsuna left her feeling just a tad bit sore after her fight with the bladesman but Negi turned that in to something simply horrible after forcing her to move so fast with her injuries, not that it would have affected her performance much but she had the right to groan over some things, right? She slowly turned her head to the window to see what was going on outside and groaned at the boring view. "I should've gotten a room with a view of the ring. It's Negi's final match against that..." Evangeline clutched the covers as a vein popped out on her forehead just thinking about Albireo. "...dirty old pervert..." She finally finished in a dark tone of voice.
"I am curious however..." She thought aloud. "...as to why he is here in the tournament. I know he must be here for more than just to give out information." There was a slight twitch with her left eyebrow. "His artifact had some interesting abilities too. It was as though he became an entirely different person when he activated it." Evangeline narrowed her eyes and mumbled suspiciously, "Unless..." Her thoughts were thrown off when the door to her room was opened by someone.
"What is it?" She slowly turned her head to regard her unwelcome visitor. She already threatened the nurse with a scapel. Surely the woman wasn't so foolish as to come alon-wait a second. Evangeline blinked when a girl who looked just about her age; in her disguise anyway faced her. "What's your problem?" She asked rudely. "Get out of here." She emphasized her words with a shooing gesture.
"Does the sight of me repulse you already?" Dorothy asked with a fanged grin. Evangeline's eyes zeroed in on the sight of her abnormally long canines and she threw the covers off of herself quickly just in case she would need to do some moving soon. "Ready for action already, hmm?"
"...Who are you?" Evangeline narrowed her eyes imperceptibly.
"Oh," Dorothy removed her hat from her head. "I wouldn't expect you to find out so quickly. My presence here is an anomaly in itself." A truly demented expression appeared on the girl's face as her eyes burned softly. "After being imprisoned for a few centuries, one would naturally be forgotten."
"...Dorothy..." Evangeline's eyes widened slightly.
"That was quicker than I anticipated. I'm not sure whether to be honored or peeved."
"How could you possibly be standing here before me?" Evangeline slowly shifted toward the edge of the bed.
"It's complicated." Dorothy answered with a slight nod of her head.
"I would sure assume so." Evangeline quipped. "I knew I felt something odd about the air when I was out there with the others but I would have never anticipated this. What is your reason for being here?" The vampiress tightened her left hand in to a fist. "Are you here for vengeance?"
"Not at all." Dorothy told her lightly. "I have far deeper interests in mind. I am not so shallow as to make a move here where I can be overpowered."
"What could possibly catch your interest on this quaint campus?" Evangeline asked with slight smirk. "You must have noticed that there's nothing exceptionally special about this place when compared to the rest of the world."
"Something in your possession I believe."
"..." Evangeline stayed silent for a moment as a terrible feeling gradually built up in the pit of her stomach. From what she was hearing, Dorothy's appearance could be linked to Negi's odd behavior earlier. "You're trying to get your hands on my underling?" Her words came in a deep dark voice that would have left any normal person in a quivering mess. Dorothy, however, was by no means any normal person by any standards, not even by vampiric standards.
"Right now I'm just having a little fun." Dorothy mocked her innocently. "I must say that he sure is something though. I've never seen such a splendid fledgling. For him to be at this level so early is unheard of."
"Don't be a fool Dorothy." Evangeline warned her. "Touch Negi in any way and I'll ensure that you'll feel the agony of your death beyond the nine circles of hell."
"Still sharp with the tongue I see." Dorothy quipped. "Let us see if the wit is just as refined."
"Don't test me."
"Or what?" Dorothy finally dropped the playful act. "You'll kill me?" She placed a hand on her chest with a smirk. "You dare to make a threat when you're still feeling a little weak from your recent matches?" She approached the bed slowly, however, she stopped when she felt Evangeline summon her dark threads. She wasn't about to walk in to such a trap. "In your cursed condition, I'm more than a match for you."
"Prove those words." Evangeline taunted her as she beckoned her with a finger. "Come on."
"I don't think I will." A smile found it's way on her face again. "I have a few things I'd like to do with Negi-chan before I deal with you." She raised an eyebrow when Evangeline stood up from her bed and walked around to her side. Her eyes wandered over to the bandages that were wrapped around her mid-section.
"It wouldn't be in your best interest to do anything with Negi." Evangeline warned her. "It doesn't matter if I'm injured. " Evangeline got in to a stance. "I'll gladly paint the walls with your blood."
"Let me make my point!" Dorothy yelled before she delivered a solid kick to Evangeline's ribs. She was too quick for Evangeline to defend against with her injuries and the pain that rushed through her body almost made her lose what control she had within her limbs.
"Dammit!" Evangeline coughed out a bit of blood and fell against the side of the bed. She breathed hard as she clutched her side painfully and growled, "You've made a big mistake Dorothy...I promise you...I'll kill you..."
"Still baring your fangs at a time like this?" Dorothy taunted, however, Evangeline proved that she wasn't making another threat; closing the distance between them and crushing her head against the wall behind her. Evangeline licked her lips with sadistic pleasure as Dorothy's hands clutched her arm in an attempt to break her hold on her and increased her grip until she felt blood slipping through her fingers.
"What's wrong?" Evangeline mocked her. "You were speaking so confidently moments ago!" She shoved her head even deeper in to the wall but Dorothy kicked against the wall with both of her feet and forced Evangeline back. She managed to place one hand on Evangeline's side in the struggle and dug her fingers in to her mid-section with all her might until blood started to soak the bandages.
"Not...so...fast..." the puppet master growled, wrapping her other hand around the other Dark Mistress's throat but her eyes darted down to find Dorothy's hand around her throat as well when she felt a sudden pressure. "I'll break your throat!"
"I'll just...come...back!" Dorothy spat as she tightened her chokehold around Evangeline's throat.
"And so...will I!" Evangeline countered.
"Just like old times...eh?" Dorothy grinned through the blood dripping all over her face.
"Yeah..."
F---------------------------------------V---------------------------------------------------------A
INTERLUDE...
"You may go in." One of the officers guarding the entrance to the City Hall told Negi and Chachazero. The young magi nodded with a grin as he held Chachazero's hand firmly in his own and they both strolled inside. Negi had to admit that he didn't think it was going to be this easy to get inside. He felt so intimidated by the thought of meeting one of his father's partners that he imagined a few more obstacles getting in the way of his meeting with Alexandra. As they walked through the halls he took note of some signs on the walls that were to direct them to the ballroom.
"This place is huge." Negi said in awe, his eyes wandering about the entire place as he walked hand in hand with Chachazero. "Don't you think so?"
"Yeah..." Chachazero nodded dreamily. "Um...master?"
"Yeah?" Negi turned his head to regard her.
"I'm...sorry for what happened earlier in the morning." She apologized. "You know...ripping your clothes off and stuff."
" For the last time, I said it was alright." Negi assured her with a sigh. He had to admit that is was a frightening experience on his part but he didn't want to make her feel any worse that she already did. The only thing that was bothering him was what Evangeline must have thought when the puppet hung up the phone on her. Surely the vampiress was going to punish somebody. "But I'll be putting a restriction on when we can use your artifact if you try that again." His response made her groan.
"But masterrrr." She whined.
"I told you not to call me master in public!" Negi snapped at her. "It's going to attract some unwanted attention if people hear you."
"Then what should I call you?" Chachazero asked in confusion.
"Just call me Negi, alright?" He answered her as they finally entered the ballroom. He looked away from her when their ears were assaulted by the loud music that was originally soothing to the both of them when they heard it out in the halls. There were people dancing in the middle of the ballroom, dressed elegantly, while others watched from their tables and spoke amongst one another, mingling. Negi spotted some exceptionally well dressed people sitting at a table set up at the very end of the enormous room and his eyes widened in delight when he saw Alexandra Trepe. She was just as pretty as he imagined her. He couldn't possibly expect any less from a woman selected by his father although it made one wonder whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.
"I can't believe I've finally found a real link to my father! Look at her, she's just beautiful!"
"She doesn't look like much to me." Chachazero rolled her eyes. "So what are you going to do? Are you going to go up and talk to her or what?"
"Wait." Negi calmed her down. "I can't just go up there right now. I need to wait until she's alone or it's going to be an awkward meeting."
"So what's the plan until then?"
"We enjoy ourselves." Negi answered. "If we just sit around and do nothing we'll look suspicious." Negi lead his familiar towards the center of the dance floor much to her rising panic. She didn't know what she was supposed to do at a time like this! "What's wrong, Zero-chan?" Negi asked when he saw the uneasy expression gracing her lovely features.
"You want me to dance with you?" She asked fearfully.
"Well...what's wrong with that?" He cocked his head to the side.
"I don't know how to dance!" She averted her eyes bashfully. "I'll just end up making a fool of myself."
"That's nonsense." Negi tried to comfort her.
"No, it's truth. I'm a puppet remember?"
"Oh...yeah." Negi blinked at the logic in her words. "I forgot about that." He surprised her, however, when he linked his right hand with her left and placed his other hand on her back. The shivers she felt from him touching her almost drove her crazy. She always yearned to be touched by him even though it was obvious that he wasn't as willing to go as far as she wanted to.
"Negi..." She spoke his name softly. It wasn't something she was familiar with but for some reason it felt so right. This entire moment she was sharing with him felt so right. There was no way that she would let anything or anyone take this moment of satisfaction away from her. "What are you doing?" She questioned him when he started to move along the dance floor.
"Just let me lead." Negi whispered in her ear as he danced to the beat. He took note of how stiff she was at the beginning but as time passed she gradually allowed herself to be swept up in the melody with his fluid movements. She found herself being pulled in to his entrancing eyes as the endless dance went on until they came to an unexpected halt. Chachazero blinked a few times quizzically, broken out of her wonderful world and asked, "Why did we stop for?"
"The song ended." Negi answered her.
"What?!" She whipped her head around in search of the cause for the sudden intervention in her experience. "Why? How do we get the music going again?!"
"Calm down, Zero-chan." Negi laughed. Even though she was a bit twisted she was still quite innocent in some ways. "Just wait a moment and I'm sure the music will start up again." Almost as if on cue, the music did just that and Chachazero smiled. Her happiness was so infectious that Negi couldn't help but smile back at her. The dance that came on this time was a version of a waltz. Negi lead Chachazero through the three simple beats of the dance and she eventually got the hang of it. "See? It's not so hard."
"I wish they had something faster though."
"I don't think they'll play any fast songs here."
"Where do they play fast songs?"
"At clubs." Negi replied.
"Can you take me to one?" Her eyes took on a child-like gleam.
"...I'll think about it." Negi chuckled nervously. That was the last place he'd ever think of taking her to! He couldn't even fathom what might happen if she ever got her hands on any alcohol in her current condition. He blinked when he noticed that his chin was being eaten by a green mop of hair-" Oh, wait.." Negi realized that Chachazero was resting her head against his chest. "Are you alright?"
"I'm happy that I've come this far with you, Negi."She pressed herself against him a little closer. "I actually have a reason to thank Eva-san, you know?"
"What do you mean?"
"If she never gave me up to you then I would have never experienced any of this." she finally raised her head to look up at him and asked, "Am I a pleasure to be with master?"
"Of course you are." Negi answered her.
"I want the truth."
"I'm serious." Negi assured her. "Sure, it was sort of awkward in the beginning becasue I wasn't really used to your personality but I've enjoyed having you as my familiar...and my friend." Negi slipped his hand away from her back and ruffled her hair as though she was a little girl. "I've come to understand that I'll never be able to release you from your obsession for violence though."
"Heh, heh." She rested her head against his chest again. "I can't wait to brag to Chachamaru. She'll be so jealous."
"Oh..." Negi sweat-dropped at the thought of both of the android meeting Chachazero in her current form. I almost forgot about Chachamaru! Knowing Chachazero, she wont pass up the chance at tormenting her. "Um...don't be like that." He told his familiar.
"Don't be such a bore master."
"But it wouldn't exactly be nice towards, Chacha-chan." He caught a twitch in the puppet's right eye when he addressed Chachamaru so intimately. That was his original title for her before he started addressing her as 'Zero'.
"That's why I'm doing it." Chachazero retorted.
"Oh, it's hopeless." Negi sighed before his vampirric senses started to give him some gentle warnings about something nearby. Chachazero quirked an eyebrow when her master turned away from her and looked around for something.
"What's the matter, Negi?"
"As mcuh as I hate to say it..." Negi narrowed his eyes. "I'm getting a bad feeling."
"You think we're being observed by somebody?"
"...Not just anybody." Negi said cryptically. "More like somebody we know." He pulled Chachazero's hand and started to lead her away from the dance floor with him. "We need to get out of-ahh..." Negi came to a sudden halt when his senses started going wild. Whoever it was that was causing his disturbance, they were quite close. Chachazero started to get concerned when she saw cold sweat beginning to trail down his forehead. The young magi was really distressed.
"She's here." Negi growled.
"Who's here?" Chachazero asked.
"Leaving the dance floor so soon, Lord Springfield?" A chilling voice carried over to Negi's ears from some unknown source. Negi let go of Chachazero's hand and looked around desperately to find the owner of the voice but the other dancers were making it hard for him to focus.
"Show yourself!" He demanded. He caught Chachazero concentrating from his peripheral and placed a hand on her shoulder quickly to stop her, whispering, "Not here, Chachazero. There's too many innocent people around."
"Of course..." Negi heard the melodic voice reply before he saw Lucinda appear before him. She donned a black dress with straps over the shoulders. It had slits along the legs to allow others to admire her shapely figure. Her silver hair was in it's usual fashion, just falling over her shoulders. "It's been a while."
"It should have lasted longer if you asked me." Negi quipped. "How were you able to track me down? Do you have spies?"
"Spies? I wouldn't lower myself to such methods, love." The Dark Mistress approached him, swaying her hips side to side in a flirtatious fashion. "You're quite predictable. I knew you would show up here being that you're the Thousand Master's son and all." She gestured to the table that Alexandra was sitting at. "Does she know that yet?"
"You leave her out of this." Negi said darkly.
"Oh, don't worry Lord Springfield. I've just come here for you." Mistress McVicar looked to Chachazero and a slight frown came upon her lips. "And who would this be?" The malice in her voice was quite clear. The Dark Mistress seemed to be the possessive type like some other vampires Negi knew.
"You know me." Chachazero narrowed her eyes at Lucinda. "This wouldn't be the first time we've met."
"Ah, such boldness. You must be Chachazero! I remember you accompanying Mcdowell in the past." She crossed her arms and teetered chillingly. "My, Springfield has made a woman out of you. I wouldn't' doubt his abilities to achieve such feats, however."
"Lucinda, please give it a rest just this once." Negi pleaded her.
"I don't think so. I'm not leaving until I've gotten what I came for...namely you." She grabbed him by the hand gently and pulled him toward her. Negi wasn't sure what was causing it but being near her was driving him nuts! His skin was tingling under her touch and his mind couldn't decide whether it was agreeable or not. He leaned his head away from her when she leaned in for a kiss. "Still impervious to my charms I see. I must warn you, young one. Resist me and you will put other lives in danger."
"Don't bring others in to this Lucinda!"
"You are leaving me no choice." She offered him a maniacal grin. "You do want to see these innocent humans run along home safely don't you?"
"...You're shameless."
"All I want is a kiss."
"And my servitude." Negi countered.
"I'm sure we can work out something." She grinned before leaning in for a kiss again. This time Negi didn't pull away and her lips almost captured his until-
"May I have this dance?"
Lucinda and Negi were completely shocked to see Evangeline and Chachamaru standing beside them. The vampiress was disguised in her older form, donning an elegant black lace dress that fell just above the knees. Chachamaru wore a dress with frills and a ribbon around her chest. She had a ribbon in her hair as well and the look she was directing at Chachazero showed that she wasn't pleased by this odd turn of events.
"E-Eva-chan?!" Negi was at a loss for words. He could almost feel tears stinging his eyes for reasons he could completely grasp for the life of him. "H-how...I don't get it..."
"Let's not talk about that here, Negi." Evangeline shushed him before setting her sights back on Lucinda. "You haven't changed a bit, Lucinda."
"Neither have you, Evangeline." Lucinda replied. Evangeline's eyes wandered over how close the Dark Mistress was holding her underling and a feral grin crossed her lovely lips.
"You of all people should know how foolish it is to try and take what is mine." Evangeline said menacingly. "Let go of Negi now."
"Don't you dare order me around. I'll embarrass you in front of your precious fledgling right now."
"Try me." Evangeline grinned.
"There are quite a few innocent humans around. You wouldn't want their lives on your conscience now, would you?"
"When has that ever stopped me?"
To Be Continued...
Heh, yet another miraculous update! I know it's been long but like I said before, my schedule is hectic and my mind is as jumbled as ever. I'm finding it to be quite a task when it comes to getting away from real life. Getting away from that, I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations! Yes, I know it's getting a little out of control but what can one expect when we're nearing the end of the tournament arc? Man, am I relieved…
The next chapter ends the tournament arc and then we'll move on to the lighter side of Negi's life…sort of. With Evangeline awaiting her date you can expect things to get a little out of hand and that goes for Ako as well. Dorothy and Evangeline are engaged in a duel within her infirmary room of all places and Negi is about to face off against the Thousand Master himself!
You can expect this to go out with a bang…or a nuclear explosion…take yer pick…
Traingham…
Almost forgot...happy 4th of July!