Disclaimer: I do not own Negima or any of its vibrant characters…
Fang Vice Addiction
Chapter Twenty-three: Treading Wildfire
By Traingham
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Mid 1800's, Somewhere in Northern Europe...
The rough winds pierced the skin of the couples that walked together hand in hand on the snow covered sidewalks of the dreary city. The cobblestone that made up the glistening streets could still be seen under the clattering hooves of the horses that pulled the carriages of counts and barons alike, beats that the young children in their snug coats and scarves played to. Pale mothers clutched the hands of their defiant children with one hand as they carried all of their goods in woven baskets with their other, and ripe young men flirted and fraternized with timid young women who merely giggled and tested their patience. All was well with the humans, going along with their lives, oblivious to the activities of the unseen forces that blended along with them, wearing top hats, gentlemen suits, dresses, corsets; everything that would fool them into believing that "they" were human.
The ripe young men were blind to the dark desires of the 'timid' young women that they hounded and spoiled. The young women who tested the patience of the many young men that whispered sweet nothings to them were unaware of the fangs that tingled for a taste of their warm blood. All knew of the mysterious disappearances of young women but they stayed oblivious. The bodies of young men that were found lying dead, drained of blood were wisely ignored. All of this was part of an unnatural balance that the humans were afraid to tip. When they showed signs of retaliation, the body count increased.
Up in one of the high towers that overshadowed the streets, two young women met near the balcony, looking down upon the activities of the city. One of them had hair the color of the very snow that fell from the skies. Her eyes were storm blue, and she had a beautifully shaped face, down to her delicate chin. She was average in height, slightly shorter than her companion and she wore a suit jacket accompanied with pants of a similar fashion. It was an attire that men were more familiar with.
The other young woman had golden, blonde hair that fell to her hips elegantly. Her eyes were an emerald green and she was just as beautiful as the former. Her pale face holding a mischievous quality. She wore a black long jacket that concealed what she wore underneath, however, it was clear that she was not wearing pants like her companion. "So I see that I've come passing at a special time." Said Evangeline to Seraphina as she leaned back against the balcony rails. "I'm not one to pry but I'm a bit curious as to what is going on." Both mistresses regarded each other quietly for a short period of time before Seraphina finally shook her head and turned away from Evangeline with a sigh.
"I'm sure that you're beginning to realize a slight tip in the balance of how the world works." The snow haired beauty stated, getting a slight nod from, Evangeline. "The humans are slowly but surely developing a firmer grasp of the arts of magic, the mundanes are finding more elaborate ways to do away with our kind, the lycan have begun spreading themselves across the lands at a frightening rate..." Seraphine turned to face Evangeline again to finish, "And finally there is the dispute amongst our own ranks."
"I'm not blind to these developments." Evangeline said with her usual grin. "This territorial dispute amongst the clans are becoming more noticable as the years pass. I've heard of Lucifera's gradual expansion over, Rome. It shouldn't be much longer before she decides to go further beyond the capital city." Evangeline crossed her arms and cocked her head to the side slightly. "Is that what this is about?"
"You aren't very far." Seraphina admitted. "We've agreed upon a biannual meeting." Her words made the undying wizard raise an eyebrow in surprise.
"All of us?" Evangeline asked, dropping her grin. "That's a shock."
"Naturally, Lucifera and Morrigan declined an appearance." Seraphina said with a shrug. "Those two won't allow the other to breathe while occupying the same room. The venom that runs between those two are deep to the roots." She studied the look on Evangeline's face and inwardly frowned. Evangeline wasn't the type to come to meetings either. She just didn't see any point in doing so and Seraphina was well aware of this. This along with the way the blonde mistress tapped her fingers upon her bicep was enough to convey a negative message. Evangeline wasn't about to stay around and see this through. "Evangeline..."
"Don't waste your breath, Seraphina." Evangeline cut her off before her fellow mistress could utter another word. "What makes you believe that I'll stand on the behalf of the, Shinso?" Evangeline brushed aside a strand from her face and went on, "I'm not that involved with the nation. I could care less how they are holding up in these quaint political manners."
"Surely you don't mean that." Seraphina said with a slight hint of agitation laced within her voice. "You're so well respected amongst your own nature."
"I don't need their respect." Evangeline retorted. "My life wasn't destined for this. Had I not taken my stay at that accursed castle so long ago, I would be just another one of those humans." Her smirk returned, however, it held nothing of amusement. "What then? I'd be just another body in one of the dark alleys of your city?" She whipped a hand at the view of the streets below and spat, "Another harlot perhaps? Some unfortunate young woman in the world, wedlock to a baron?" She scowled at Seraphina for a fleeting moment. "I'm not about to represent those I could care less about."
"Oh well, I can't force you." She submitted to Evangeline's wishes. "There are others among your nation that could stand on their behalf...but you would be the first that they'd raise up to such a responsibility." Seraphina walked past Evangeline and beckoned her back into the room with a quick flick of her wrist. Evangeline, seeing that there would be no more discussion on the subject, nodded and walked in, closing the balcony doors behind her with a light click. They descended the tower and entered a courtyard filled with blue and white cornflowers and a large fountain at the very center displaying a well crafted sculptors of two nude winged women tilting pots of water over their shoulders. There they met a young woman with blonde waist length hair and gold eyes sitting upon one of the many benches that went along the courtyard path. She had on a gray overcoat that fell down below her knees and some gloves.
"Who is this?" Evangeline asked Seraphina as they approached the young woman.
"I believe that is, Dorothy Summers." Seraphina answered her.
"My first time hearing about her."
"Oh, I'm sure." Seraphina nodded. "You're far to busy with your own matters to bring yourself up to date with happenings of our world." Evangeline was quick to pick up her subtle message. "She's new blood to the council."
"Is that so?" Evangeline mused. "Well, good luck to her." The undying wizard grinned mischievously. When they were near the waiting mistress, she rose up from her seat on the bench and greeted, "Good afternoon, Mistress Elman." she offered the elder mistress a polite bow that seemed more mechanic than anything else. It seemed almost as though her bow was forced rather than done willingly. Evangeline picked it up but said nothing of it. She didn't want to get involved with anything right now.
"Good afternoon to you, Mistress Summers." Seraphina did not return the bow due to obvious reasons. She was simply "New Blood". It would be long before, Dorothy earned such pleasantries from her. The other mistress didn't show any displeasure towards her superior though she inwardly clenched her teeth. This was quickly pushed aside, however, when the young mistress set her sights upon Evangeline. Unlike Seraphina, she didn't seem to expect anything from her. Seraphina held an unspoken demand of respect within her strong demeanor while, Evangeline on the other hand held a sense of indifference as though she could care less if anyone even acknowledged her presence.
"Um, good afternoon, Mistress McDowell!" Dorothy was quick to bow. Unlike her greeting towards Seraphina, this one was quite genuine. Dorothy's eyes were alight with a sense of fascination and admiration. Evangeline was different from all the rest of the Dark Mistresses. She was much like a lone wolf without a need for others by her side. This is what she respected most about her aside from the awe inspiring powers at her command. She waited eagerly to receive a response from the other mistress, her hands beginning to sweat from being in her presence.
Evangeline sensed her excitement and a smirk crossed her lips. "Likewise, Summers." Her words made Seraphina grin for a brief moment before returning to a dispassionate mask.
"It's an honor to be in your presence." Dorothy said with an uneasy smile. She felt as though she would crash into pieces at any moment under Evangeline's intense emerald orbs. "I've heard many stories about you."
"Really?" Evangeline crossed her arms.
"Well then," Seraphina chuckled, "I will leave you two to yourselves. The meeting will begin in the private chamber within an hour. I expect you to be there ten minutes earlier, Summers."
"Understood." Dorothy replied, a little relieved from the other mistress's short intervention. What she didn't expect, however, was for Evangeline to proceed walking away from her. "W-wait!" Dorothy called to her, making Evangeline come to a stop. She didn't turn to regard her but she had her attention regardless.
"What is it?" Evangeline asked.
"...I really admire you."
"Why is that?"
"Excuse me?" Dorothy recoiled as though she was struck by some intangible force. "Are you ignorant of your own status? Are you not one of the Elder class mistresses?" Dorothy went on without awaiting an answer from Evangeline, although it went without saying that she would not have offered a response anyway. "I've heard of your triumph over Lord Melchiah; the duels in Ireland with the fearsome, Mistress McVicar; your slaying of a human crusade that attempted to best you near the scorching cities." Dorothy grinned widely, "I have knowledge of them all."
"Impressive." Evangeline quipped with a bit of sarcasm. "Your point?"
"I am willing to devote myself for that type of power."
"And why would you wish for that?" Evangeline finally turned to face Dorothy, placing a hand upon her hip. She took a few steps toward her, causing Dorothy to shrink slightly. The way she spoke didn't sound pleased in the slightest. Dorothy wasn't sure what she had done wrong. She was praising her, wasn't she? "In this world we are all trying to keep the peace amongst the clans. We don't want to destroy ourselves with pointless wars just as the humans do." Evangeline gestured to the outer walls as she spoke. "Why would you want such power? Is it to make yourself seem superior to the others? Are you so eager to rise above for nothing more than a title?"
"But you-"
"Me?" Evangeline placed a hand on her chest with a sneer. "You think I had a choice in becoming what I have? This curse was forced upon me and for that I go so far as to damn everything that stands for it. I did not choose to fight..." Evangeline leaned towards her and went on, "I was forced to fight. The only reason I stand before you here is because I refuse to fall."
Dorothy almost cowered was Evangeline towered before her. Her mouth open and closed like some dying fish, unable to get a word out. Evangeline, seeing that the young mistress was silenced turned away and began to take her leave. Dorothy, however, managed to work up the nerve to speak once more, asking, "So you will not teach me your ways?"
"Ways?" Evangeline questioned the cold air as if it were an afterthought. "You're nothing more than a child with dreams destined to bring doom to those around you." Evangeline looked over her shoulder and smirked cruelly. "Besides, why would I even take an interest in someone such as yourself? There's no potential."
"What?" Dorothy's lower lip quivered. Who was she to say such things? Who was she to pass judgment upon her ambitions and her very being? Dorothy clenched both of her hands into tremblings fists as she narrowed her eyes. She would show her. She would show Evangeline what potential she had."I'll show you, daywalker." Almost immediately after the words left her mouth, Dorothy began charging at Evangeline's back with one hand flexing to call upon her lethal claws. A demented smile crossed Dorothy's lips when Evangeline was in reach with her back still towards her, either unable to sense her or too confident to even acknowledge her. No matter, she would soon know the errors of her wa-
Evangeline suddenly turned to face her at the last moment.
Dorothy felt a deep pounding in her chest when she realized that, Evangeline was quite aware of what she was trying to do. She felt the strength in her arms wavering but she shook her head quickly crushing the fear that had it's momentary grip over her racing mind. There was no turning back now. Dorothy straightened out her fingers so that her claws extended out in a fashion that would have surely impaled Evangeline, however, this was not to be as the elder mistress simply caught her by the wrist with one fluid motion that escaped Dorothy's eyes. What followed was an extremely painful sensation that wrecked Dorothy's nerves mercilessly.
Ergh! A tear threatened to slip from her eye once Evangeline slowly twisted her wrist. The undying wizard looked down at her with a dispassionate gaze and held Dorothy's arm a little higher as she twisted harder. The painful adjustment made, Dorothy bend her knees slightly. Before long she would be on her knees if Evangeline went on further with her punishment. She was only grateful that there were no other mistresses present on the courtyard grounds to watch her humiliation.
"Let...go!" Dorothy growled at Evangeline, trying her best to be defiant though her mind screamed with protest against her stubborness. Something told her that her wrist wasn't going to last much longer as Evangeline twisted it to the side a little more. There was a light crack and Dorothy's eyes widened slightly before narrowing at the pain.
"I don't understand how you were able to reach the council." Evangeline told her without any signs of emotion crossing her features. "You're nothing more than a child."
"I am no-AH!" Dorothy cried out when Evangeline pushed down on her arm causing it to gradually bend the opposite way. Sweat started to trickle down her forehead and her eyes darted right and left for any sign of help but they were all alone in the courtyard without anyone to stop the punishment. "I...loathe...you." She managed to growl through her teeth though her harsh word held no effect on the Undying wizard.
"Say it." Evangeline commanded her. "Admit that you're nothing more than a child and I'll let you go free."
"N-never!"
Evangeline asserted more pressure upon Dorothy's arm...
A smirk finally crossed Evangeline's lips when a soft whimper escaped the other mistress's lips. "I wish you could see yourself right now. Willing to lose your arm in order to satisfy your own pride. Now-" Evangeline put even more pressure on Dorothy's arm and there was a squelch. "Let us say that your entire clan was in danger, and your only way of saving them was to surrender." Evangeline'e eyes took on a mischievous twinkle. "Would you fight against a foe that holds their lives in the balance? Would you risk it all?"
Dorothy offered her no response...
"Very well." Evangeline grinned. "Let me make my message a little clearer, child."
Snap!
"DEAR GOD!" Dorothy screamed in agony.
"You still have a chance to save your arm. I'm sure someone of your strength can heal it given some time." Evangeline raised an eyebrow. "But can you put yourself back together after it's been ripped from your very body? I wonder..." She trailed off cryptically. "Say the words and perhaps you won't have to find out." There was a deathly silence after Evangeline's words left her mouth and Dorothy bowed her head upon the stone bricks on the ground. She finally allowed the held back tears to stream out forming a small puddle under her face.
"Alright..." Dorothy moaned.
"Excuse me?" Evangeline tilted her head to the side in a mocking fashion. "What was that?"
"I'm...a child..."
"I'm afraid that I can't hear you."
"I'm a child." Dorothy's voice was still strained as though the very words crushed her soul.
"Apparently this arm holds no value." Evangeline quipped as she got in position to wrench it off. "Oh well."
"I"M A CHILD!" Dorothy cried out. "I AM A CHILD! NOTHING MORE!" She felt her arm go limp when Evangeline let go of it and remained motionless in her bowed position.
"Good girl." Evangeline said before she took her leave again. "And if you dare attack me from behind again, I won't think twice about killing you. Consider this your last warning." She didn't even wait for a response. She simply kept on walking until she passed into the green tunnel that led away from the courtyard. Her senses picked up another presence and she turned back to see Seraphina standing there with her arms crossed.
"Trying to break her already, I see." The white haired mistress said with a grim expression. "I take it that you don't know much about her."
"Dorothy?" Evangeline asked in a tone of voice that held little interest. "I could care less about her origins. She attempted to strike me in the back and I dealt the punishment she rightfully deserved." Evangeline placed both hands on her hips and regarded her fellow mistress sternly. "How was she even accepted into the council? Your expectations have surely hit rock bottom for her to be selected."
"She was the only one left to represent her clan." Seraphina explained. "The former leader of the clan south of here passed."
"Leslie died?"
"That she did." Seraphina nodded.
"Of what causes?" Evangeline asked quickly, the suspicion clear in her voice.
"Causes of death unknown." Seraphina replied.
"That's a lie." Evangeline narrowed her eyes. "That child murdered her. I'm sure of it."
"There's no proof."
"Don't give me that rubbish!"
"I have no idea what you're getting at." Seraphina played coy. At this response, Evangeline immediately understood the nature of Dorothy's position. There would be no other possible reason for her to be given the position of "Dark Mistress" so easily. She was nothing more than a puppet to the council; their little doll to pull the strings that Leslie Gainsborough originally had control over. With the once feared mistress out of the way the council couldn't be opposed the slightest.
"I've overstayed my visit." Evangeline suddenly announced. "I'll be taking my leave now."
"Very well." Seraphina nodded. "Have a safe trip."
"Are you trying to tell me something?" Evangeline whipped around quickly to face the other mistress. They stared back at each other silently until she chuckled faintly.
"Not at all." Seraphina replied. "Simply parting words to a friend is all."
"Good."
"However, I must tell you..." Seraphina began.
"What?"
"That girl does not forget easily. She was brutally beaten within an inch of death by the very villagers that raised her once they found out about her vampirism. For that she despises humans." A chilling smirk crossed Seraphina's lips that rivaled Evangeline's. It held a silent message that the Undying wizard understood well. "She practically worshiped you for your power. She wanted nothing more than to be your disciple so that she would one day have the power to be feared by humans all around the known world. Now that she can't even have that within her grasps she will undoubtedly try to overpower you."
"Then I have a message for her...and the rest of you." Evangeline said with a smirk.
"And what would that be?"
"Whenever you believe that you're ready. Come face me."
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Mahora Festival: Day Two (Date Segment)
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It had been fours hours since the conclusion of the Mahora Budokai. The stands that were once filled with fans cheering their hearts out for the fighters they favored most were now empty. The ring was repaired leaving no trace of the destruction that had left it in shambles not long ago. The tournament was over, however, despite all that, a new showdown had just begun. A sudden crash pierced the cold evening air as one of the columns from the top level of the arena exploded into bits crashing into the water surrounding the ring below. Another column followed and another until Chao jumped down to the stands below. She made a perfect landing and proceeded to jump to one of the lower levels before a black pillar of darkness crashed into the spot she had been occupying seconds ago.
"She's agile." Chao muttered under her breath darkly as she did a summersault to avoid being crushed by another pillar of darkness. She landed on the ring at the center of the arena and went on full alert as she tried to predict where the mistress might attack from next. Even with her teleportation Dorothy still seemed to be more than able to keep up. If the mistress managed to injure her in any way, the scales would most likely tip over in her favor. That was something Chao simply could not allow. The Chinese scientist whipped around when she heard someone land on the floorboards of the ring lightly. While most would flinch at a sudden crash, her light landing had the same effect and for obvious reasons.
"It would appear that your little suit isn't all talk." Dorothy began with a grin that concealed the frustration that was running through her. How was it that this little whelp was able to keep such a distance from her? Dorothy crossed her arms and regarded, Chao dispassionately. She was looking for an opening to strike, however, many scenarios ran through her mind that usually ended up as a failure. While Dorothy had the power and experience, Chao balanced it out with speed and wise decision making. She had yet to retaliate so Dorothy was still unsure of how the young vampiress faired in head to head combat. Although now that she managed to get the girl still she was inwardly hoping to find out.
"Tell me little girl..." Dorothy finally spoke again after an intense staring session. "How is it that you expect to protect dear Negi when all you can do is run?"
"I have a way of going about my problems, thank you." Chao countered. Observe, calculate, and execute. No matter what the problem may be, this method is most effective in finding a solution. Chao thought using this hiatus of the fight to study Dorothy's bodily behavior. The mistress had not relaxed too much meaning she was ready to get back in gear at any time. Dorothy had taken off her vampiric mantle for easier maneuverability in close quarters combat and she had a whirlwind of darkness circling her feet in a steady motion. Chao had already deducted that the whirlwind was the source of most of, Dorothy's long range attacks. As of now, however, she wasn't exactly sure of it's range or if it even had a limited range for that matter.
"This entire fight is going to be a gamble of my life if I don't make the right choices. I cannot allow any mistakes..." Chao's muscles tightened unnoticably. She may have gotten this far by avoiding the mistress's attacks but she was going to have to clash with her eventually. How was she supposed to protect anyone if she couldn't even defend against the threat?
"You're stalling." Dorothy suddenly spoke in an amused tone of voice. "It doesn't matter how long you wait, child. The result will always stay the same." The Dark mistress let out a chuckle and raised an eyebrow questionably, placing a hand upon her hip. "Just who do you think I am? Truly, you are a fool to face me like this!" She left no more room for words, lashing out her other hand at, Chao causing the floorboards under the girl's feet to split open with a crack before exploding. Chao was momentarily caught off guard once she was thrown up by the unexpected explosion. She looked down at what used to be the ring beneath her and widened her eyes at the sight of Dorothy's wriggling dark tentacles. she had been burrowing them underground the entire time they had been talking.
"Die!" Dorothy growled, clenching her hands into fist. The tentacles responded, lashing upwards to crush the Chinese scientist between them but before they could bind her, Chao had vanished. She reappeared directly above Dorothy a second later coming down upon her with a drop kick but the mistress quickly sank into a void beneath her, avoiding the attack.
"Damn." Chao hissed quietly as she landed. Dorothy was somehow cloaking her own aura so Chao couldn't track down her presence anywhere. It went without saying that this posed a problem, however, Chao had no time to reflect upon her misfortune, rolling to the side in order to avoid being slammed to death by the dark tentacles that her adversary had left behind. She powered up her fist with electricity before the tentacles could recover from their attack and reduced them to slivers of dark smoke with a swift strike. It wasn't long after they were completely gone that Dorothy decided to make herself know again coming from behind with a forward thrust of her hand that would have surely impaled Chao had she not teleported to a safe distance in time.
"That suit," Dorothy started, letting her hand drop slowly, "Is beginning to become a nuisance. I will have to do my best to dispose of it, won't I?"
"Give it your best shot." Chao grinned despite her current situation.
"No need to offer." Dorothy retorted before disappearing. She reappeared beside, Chao with clawed hand pulled back to deliver a lethal slash, saying, "I shall!" She whipped around with a roundhouse when she found herself swiping at the could air and countered a kick from, Chao. Both dueling vampires dropped their feet back to the ground to follow up with another attack and Dorothy sent a swift punch to Chao's face, which she sidestepped before grabbing Dorothy's outstretched arm with one hand and delivering an elbow strike to her open side. When the mistress staggered back from the impact, Chao attempted to take her down with a leg sweep, successfully sweeping her off her feet, however, instead of falling to the floor a void opened beneath her and she fell in. Chao looked up when another void opened above her, shooting down tentacles toward her! She did a flip causing the tentacles to crash right through the floor but Dorothy anticipated this coming from behind from seemingly out of nowhere and striking her with a kick to the head.
"GAH!" Chao almost bit her tongue after feeling the soles of the mistress's shoe connect with the back of her head. She fell forward rolling on the ground to get back to her feet when she came in contact with it and growled when she felt some wetness slowly drip down through her hair. She ran her hand over it quickly and scowled at the sight of blood. You sneaky- Chao did not allow her mind to go any further with that line of thought, rushing forward towards Dorothy with intents of inflicting some major damage. She tapped into her vampiric abilities, launching herself forward so fast that she left after images of herself trailing behind. Dorothy never saw it coming when, Chao slammed one crackling hand directly into her face, however, instead of flying backwards from the amount of force as Chao intended, the mistress stood her ground with her face turned to the side from the punch. Seconds later the water around the ring rippled violently as though the force of Chao's punch didn't register in time.
"So..." Dorothy turned her head against Chao's fist to regard her with eyes filled with madness. Blood trickled from her mouth but a vicious smirk graced her lips regardless. "The girl has some bite to her, eh?" Dorothy countered with a headbutt that sent Chao sprawling backwards. "Good! For a moment there I thought this wouldn't be as satisfying as I hoped!" Dorothy's muscles tensed and the whirlwind of darkness that circled her feet went from calm to violent. She let out a shriek as her long blonde hair whipped upwards from the whirlwind and the entire stage went up in dark flames. the intensity if the flames had, Chao sweating as she did her best to reorient herself.
"Prepare yourself!" Dorothy cried out before the whirlwind around her shot towards Chao in a slipstream of dark fire. The vicious flames engulfed Chao and kept going, leaving nothing in it's path, but the Chinese scientist had reappeared before Dorothy with her right hand pulled back, showing no signs of ever being consumed by the flames. She went in for a strike, too caught up in the heat of combat to consider the suspicious grin on the mistress's face and blinked when her fist was met by a dense wall of darkness. She jumped back quickly leaving an imprint of her fist in the dark barrier before Dorothy let it down.
She's using her powers to go on the defensive now and it's pretty effective. Even with the power of this suit...my punch wasn't able to get through. Chao observed grimly. "Looks like the real challenge has just begun." She muttered to herself before reason came into the equation. A sly grin crossed her lips as the gears began cranking. I wonder though...can she attack and defend at the same time? Chao got back in position to attack. I'll soon find out. Not a moment later after her train of thought had left her did Dorothy decided to stop being idle. The mistress kicked off with her left foot and sent herself flying directly towards Chao. She seemed to be planning on striking her head on, but just as she was before Chao, Dorothy swiped at the air and a large, grotesque hand shot out from the darkness surrounding her to hit her.
"Ah!" Chao rolled under the hand and severed it from the arm with a supercharged uppercut. When that was done, she turned her attention back to Dorothy whom was still coming at her to do the job that her other hand had failed to accomplish. The Chinese scientist pulled no punches, pulling back her right hand quickly to deliver a crippling blow to the other vampire, however, just as Dorothy was in reach a whirlwind of darkness swallowed her up.
"Cripes!" Chao knew what was going to follow as she instinctively whipped around in time to see, Dorothy rushing forward before the air was completely knocked out of her. She reflexively doubled up in pain, trying desperately to regain that which had been stolen from her only to recieve another kick to the face. N-not good! This isn't good...at all! Her eyes widened in horror when Dorothy gathered darkness in one hand and unleashed it upon her sending her crashing into the floorboards of the ring. Splinters and chunks of concrete flew everywhere.
"Is this all you have to offer me after that declaration of setting things right?" Dorothy taunted the girl, walking toward the crater she was lodged in. She stood over her taking in the sight of her battered form and crouched down to grab a fist full of her hair. When she lifted her up Chao winced at the painful feeling in her scalp. "I wonder..." Dorothy's eyes wandered over to Chao's neck and a cruel twinkle briefly lit her gold eyes. "If your blood is nearly as good as your father's." The mistress paused for a moment as if in deep thought before shaking her head. "Probably not, being mixed with your mother's own life essence, however, it should do well for my dry throat regardless."
"Get away!" Chao snarled, kneeing Dorothy's stomach. It did the job, seeing as how the dark mistress let go of her hair to stagger away.
"Little slut." Dorothy growled menacingly. "I'll make sure to savor your death."
"Not if I kill you first!" Chao rushed forward with a kick only to have her attack halted by, Dorothy's dark barrier. I almost forgot about that. Chao inwardly cursed pulling back her leg. But no one is untouchable! She can't be so well protected! With that in mind, Chao disappeared and reappeared behind Dorothy to deliver another kick, narrowing her eyes in frustration when another barrier managed to halt her attack. "Come on!" Chao teleported again, striking the barrier harder when it halted her attack yet again. Before long she was hastening herself, appearing and disappearing, kicking and punching at the seemingly indestructible field of darkness at a speed that even Dorothy had a hard time keeping track of.
"You annoying little little insect!" Dorothy spat. "Give up alrea-" Her voice died in her throat when to her surprise, Chao's fist punched right through the barrier opening a hole big enough for her arm to slip through. Her surprise allowed, Chao to violate the limits of the barrier, forcing through it before connecting a punch with, Dorothy's jaw. The mistress's eyes went wide with shock, not so much at the force of the punch but rather at the fact that this weak darkling was able to strike her.
Can't stop now! Chao's mind pushed her desperately. If she was going to inflict any real damage it was going to have to be now while, Dorothy was caught off guard. Her gloves exploded with electricity and she punched Dorothy in the stomach following up with another punch and another and another until Dorothy had finally doubled over from the brutal force of her attacks. She kneed the mistress in the chin causing her head to fly back and followed with a palm to the chest. Dorothy staggered back, almost losing her balance but she managed to regain her ground. "Hyaa!" Chao's fury was fueled even further at Dorothy's refusal to fall, kicking the mistress across the face and leading up with an elbow assault to the ribs.
"You..." Chao growled furiously.
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"Momma? Momma, where are you?"
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"It was all your doing..."
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"No...I didn't want...you to see me this way, treasure..."
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Chao grabbed Dorothy by the back of the neck and pulled her forward into another incoming knee. By this time the mistress wasn't showing any resistance to her onslaught of attacks.
"You took mother away..."
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"W-what's wrong momma?!"
"Hide, Chao-chan! She might still be here! Wait until your father comes!"
"Fa...ther?"
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"You took away my father..."
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"XUE?! Xue, dear god! What went on here?!"
"Negi..Negi, listen to me! Take, Chao away... from here."
"But Xue-"
"Please, just do it! It's too late...for me..."
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"I lost everything I loved because of you..."
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"Daddy?! What about momm-"
"She's going to be alright."
"But-"
"Chao, listen to me. No more questions please!"
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"And even as I hurt you," Chao delivered another punch to Dorothy's bruised face,"I still feel cheated, because I know that what pain I inflict on you will never be equal to the pain you've dealt to me!"
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"Who is this child, Negi?"
"Evangeline...I need to ask you a favor."
"What is it?"
"I need you to look after Chao."
"What? Where did this come from? Tell me what's going on."
"Please master..."
"...What are you planning, Negi? What are you going to do?"
"I can't tell you. It's something I don't want anybody else getting involved in."
-------------------------------------------------------------
"Just leave this world!" Chao screamed, sending one final punch to Dorothy with intents of finishing her off, but to her surprise the mistress caught her crackling fist with one hand. The impact of her fist coming in contact with Dorothy's palm was so strong that the stands behind her was crushed by the force. Both of their arms trembled as Chao tried with all of her might to break free of Dorothy's grip but the mistress proved to be much stronger than she was, cracking her knuckles as she tightened her grip considerably.
"Are you done?" Dorothy mocked her, a chilling smile crossing her blood stained face. "I would sure hope so because that was your last chance at letting go of everything." At her words Chao attempted to catch her with her other fist but Dorothy's reflexes were inhumanely swift, catching her fist with her other hand. "You know," Dorothy increased her grip on both of Chao's hands and gradually forced the scientist down upon her knees, "I must admit, you are much stronger than I would have ever guessed. Through out this entire duel I have not seen you so much as shed a tear once. Most individuals would be broken at hearing such a revelation about their loved ones murder."
"...Ras Tel My...Mag...ic Scir Magi...ster..."
"So before I kill you..." Dorothy grinned wildly. "I want to see you cry." She forced Chao down even harder until the girl was bending backwards. "I want to see you cry as you finally come to realize that all you've done was for my benefit. You've lost everything and now you will die here in vain, alone without "father" to come save you."
"To sumbolaion diakonētō moi, o turanne phlogos...Epigenēthētō..." Chao slowly chanted in a whisper.
"Excuse me?" Dorothy turned her head. "What was that?"
"...phlox katharseōs, rhomphaia phloginē. Rheusantōn pur kai theion, ha epephlegon Sodoma..." Chao's chanting had gradually become faster and strained as the pain slowly began to set within her body.
"What are you saying girl? Speak up! I can't hear you!" Dorothy blinked when she noticed a symbol on Chao's forehead glowing dimly. "Wait...what are you doing brat?"
"... hamartōlous, eis choun thanatou! Ourania Phlogōsis!" Chao cried out her last words as her body started convulsing when the pain from channeling her spell had finally become too much for her to bear. Dorothy felt the temperature spike and looked up when the ground took on a red glow. The sky opened up as though it was welcoming something from high above and before anyone could react a firestorm zeroed down on their position. The blaze was so intense that, Dorothy felt her own skin bubbling before the inferno even engulfed them.
...Nothing was left in it's wake...
-------------------------------F---------------------------------------V---------------------------------------------A------------------------------------
A few hours prior to the showdown...
--------------------------------------------------------------
We turn to Negi Springfield's troublesome life...
--------------------------------------------------------------
Life would always have a tendency to throw a curve ball; unexpected and usually unwanted, however, in the case of Negi Springfield, such a curve ball would be of a rather extreme nature. The young magi's life seemed to always be at the mercy of some cruel deity, shoving him into awkward situations and having a ball watching him try his hardest to get out of it(...cough...) and at this moment that had not failed to plague him. His intentions were pure and innocent. He simply wanted to pay a visit to his student who also happened to invite him to a concert that she was going to be preforming at. Naturally this meant that she would br practicing at the concert sight so that was his first selection in seeking her out. He asked a few questions of her where abouts with, Kotaro and the others along for the ride and that brought him to aforementioned student's changing room. Now, usually when a person was occupying a room with no desire of being seen or spoken to, they would lock the door so when Negi felt the door knob twist to it's full extent he believed that all was well with him walking in.
Unfortunately this was not to be so being that as soon as he opened the door he was welcomed by the sight of Ako leaning toward her mirror with nothing keeping wandering eyes from taking in the view of her bare upper body. Her natural response was to scream at her unexpected audience and for Negi in turn to look away in utter embarassment and burn shades of crimson that would put a rose to shame. Kotaro flinched at the sight as well and looked away in horror while Chachamaru, Chisame, and Chachazero could only shake their heads at the scene that began to unfold before their very eyes. Why did this sort of thing always manage to befall their hapless teacher or in the puppet's case, her master; they would never know.
"Nagi?! Look, hurry and bond with me!" The Dark Ako in the mirror tried to get Ako's attention but the girl was much too shocked at Negi's sudden appearance that all she could do was bury her face in her hands. "Look little girl! I am your only chance at winning this man! Bond with me now or he will slip through her hands!"
"Oh gawd..." Ako moaned in shame.
"Hey!" Chisame hissed at Negi through her teeth. "Get away from here now!"
"I didn't know she would be na-"
"Hey! What's going on?!" Madoka's voice drowned out Negi's attempt to justify his position in the situation. She saw Negi and Kotaro standing within the light pouring out from the doorway of Ako's changing room and almost immediately, her mind formed a scenario that wasn't very pleasant. She pushed past Kotaro and looked into the room to see Ako with her face still buried in her hands and her nose and eyes flared furiously.
What did these bastards do to- Apparently Madoka's hands were much faster than her thoughts being that she had already pulled back her hand and slapped Negi before she even completed her train of thought. Kotaro saw her whip her head in his direction to deal a painful slap to his face as well, but as soon as she pulled her hand back he was ready for her, blocking her hand before she could touch him.
"Grrr..." Madoka fumed in embarrassment at her failed attempt, however, she made up for it with a quick punch to the young man's face.
"That hurt..." Kotaro said, sounding bored more than anything else.
"Shut up!" Madoka shoved her hand in his face to shut him up and turned to Negi, demanding, "What the hell are you guys doing here?!"
"I'm sorry, it was my fault-"
"Damn right, it was your fault you dumb jerks! Listen, "She advanced upon Negi threateningly, "Ako-" The infuriated young woman was cut short when she suddenly felt a tug on her arm. Her first instinct was to try and defend herself, however, when she saw who it was she stopped herself.
"Kugimiya!" Ako cried out. "Stop it! It wasn't their fault!" Ako gripped her friend's arm tightly to keep her from making any sudden movements. "I didn't lock the door. It was my fault!"
"Ako..." Madoka felt her temper failing when she saw the tears beginning to well up in Ako's red eyes. Instead of helping the situation she was only making it worse than it already had been. Oh no... The raven haired student bowed her head slightly. Ako turned to Negi, still gripping Madoka's arm more for her own sake than Negi's and apologized, "N-Nagi-san," Ako cleared her throat when she already felt her nerve failing her, "I'm sorry. You came by to visit me and now...everything...is...is..."
"What are you doing? You sound like a dying fish."
"I'm the one who should be sorry, Ako. I just wanted to-" Negi stopped in mid-sentence when Ako had finally crumbled under all of the embarrassment. She shoved past him before he could say anything else and dashed for the exit. Negi and Madoka both panicked at her reaction while Kotaro merely blinked in confusion at all that had transpired. "What happened?" The dog demon asked obliviously, his eyes lingering on the exit the young lady had taken to escape. "What's her problem?" Those words were all that was needed to fuel Madoka's temper again, ripping off her tie and slapping Kotaro with it using as much force as she could possibly muster. She wanted so badly to do more but her worry for her friend overcame anything else that came to mind. With that she took off in a mad dash as well to look for the run away.
"AKO!" Her voice echoed through the halls as she made her exit.
"Geez..." Kotaro rubbed his nose to soothe the sting from Madoka's tie slap."What is the deal with them? This is why I don't like girls. They're such a pain."
"Fool." Chisame got both young men's attention, walking up towards them. "You saw it, didn't you?" The little girl asked Negi as she placed her hands upon her hips. "The scar on her back...you had a glimpse of it, right?" Negi nodded in response at her question and Chisame shook her head slowly, continuing, "Well, she's very self conscious about it and the fact that you'd seen it was probably enough to crush her confidence around you...maybe more than that. It probably just crushed her entirely."
"...I see." Negi said softly.
--------------------------F-----------------------------V----------------------------------A--------------------------
There was no specific destination in mind. There was no intention of turning back either. The only thing Ako knew was that she wanted to run as far away from Negi as possible and never show her face to him again. He'd seen it. He'd seen the feature upon her common form that cursed her with ugliness and self-doubt. What would he want to do with her now? Why would he even want to associate his self with such a flawed character; a "background" character no less with no sense of importance. She ran through the gradual shift of night slowly being overcome with the darkness that was clawing it's way out within her very being.
This is terrible! This isn't how our second meeting was supposed to be like! Ako covered her face in shame with her hand never breaking her pace. He's seen my scar! He must be repulsed by me now!
Get ahold of yourself girl. Who ever said that this was over?
Ako shook her head desperately when she heard the deep, sultry voice invade her thought once again. She shouldn't be listening to something so dangerous. What she experienced within her changing room was nothing more than an illusion created by her own self doubt. She was simply so overcome with doubt that her mind, in it's attempt to lift her confidence forced a momentary state of introspective rebellion. Yeah, that's the ticket! That all really didn't happe-
Stop trying to shut me out...
"Oh gawd. I'm finally losing my mind!" Ako moaned in despair. Her whole world was crashing down around her and all she had now was some inner tormentor that refused to release it's hold upon her mind. "Leave me alo-oooooh!" The young woman tripped and fell to the floor before she could finish her sentence. She picked herself off the ground after lying motionlessly for a moment and finally took in her surroundings to come to the realization that she had run a rather long distance and judging by the darkness of evening, a rather long period of time. Her shoulders rose and fell raggedly as the toll of her run caught up with her body and her hands were trembling. Her eyes spied a clock that was posted near the fountain she was standing before and they drooped when she saw the hands of the clock point to six o' clock. It wouldn't be long before the concert started.
"What am I doing here?" She questioned herself. The concert is going to start. I really should be getting back...I can't let down my bandmates. Yet despite the weight of her words the weight of self-doubt that was upon her wouldn't allow her legs to budge. She turned away from the clock and threw herself upon the ledge of the fountain. "But I can't do it! I just can't do it while Nagi is there watching me!"
But if you don't show up to the concert, you'd be bailing out on your friends! That would make you look like loser! A voice cried out in her head though this one held a different quality from the dark one that had been speaking to her before. She leaned over towards the water in the fountain to stare a her own reflection to see her dark alter ego staring back at her. "What the-this can't be real..." Ako's eyes gradually widened as her reflection grinned back at her. She saw blood trickle down her forehead and before she knew it the world around her started to spin. She was losing consciousness and there was no pulling back this time...
Scars?
...Don't allow yourself to be bothered by something so small...
...When we claim, Negi-chan for ourselves, he will be there to lick our wounds...
...To tend to our desires...
...To quench our insatiable thirsts...
...Our passion will be one...
...And our loneliness shan't plague us anymore...
Ako opened her eyes to take in the sight of the evening sky and almost immediately, she felt a heavy feeling spread through out her chest, a feeling she knew all too well. Her eyes darted to the clock quickly and sure enough...fate had dealt her yet another blow. The concert had long passed and she let her friends down. Misa, Madoka, and Sakurako probably hated her right now and worst of all Nagi must have been disappointed in her. This was the story of her life: one let down after another and she was usually the root of it all.
"Why?" Tears began building up in her eyes as she questioned her misfortune. "Why am I such a loser?!" She raised her fist over her head as the tears dripped down from her chin and she punched the ground as hard as she possibly could. "Nothing ever goes right!" Her voice built up some intensity as an indescribable feeling slowly grew deep within her. "Nothi-"
"Ako-san?" Negi's voice came from behind her softly. She sucked in her tear quickly at the sound of his voice yet dared not turn to face him. "I finally found you." His voice sent shivers of pleasure through her body. She simply could not get enough of his soothing voice. It filled her with such comfort and yet at the same time she could feel her every muscle tense. She wanted to do so many things with him; so many things to him.
W-where did that come from?! Ako blushed furiously at the thoughts that had suddenly struck her. At the same time she felt a slight tingling from her canines as though they were trying to send her some sort of message. Luckily for Negi, she wasn't able to fully comprehend why. One would wonder, however, if the young woman's inner darkness was the source of it all. Ako felt a deep need to investigate these odd feelings but she was pulled out her her thoughts when Negi spoke again, asking, "So...ready to go ak to the concert?" Ako regarded him to see the mellow smile on his face and couldn't help but feel an odd lift within. At the same time, however, she knew that it was too late for her anyway.
"Its too late." Ako told him, bowing her head.
"That's ok." His words perplexed her. What could possibly make any of this ok? She let down her friends! She was tempted to snap at him but she was caught off guard when he offered her a bow causing his long jacket to flutter in the air elegantly. He looked like one of those suave agents from the movies she had seen with Misa and the others. What was it about this young man or anybody who was related to Negi that made them so special?
"Allow me to cast a spell for you." He looked so dreamy to Ako right now. She could practically hear her heart thumping in her ears, and she felt herself become even more flustered when, Negi leaned towards her and placed his hands on her shoulders. It was at that moment that Ako would inwardly declare that life had it's sweet points and if death decided to take her now she would take it's hands with a content smile. How was any of this happening to her? She practically went from the pits to cloud nine in no time at all!
"Uh...Nagi-san..."Ako could have sworn that her tongue was beginning to swell. It was getting rather hard to make out words so she opted for, "W-whoa..."
"Ako-san, will you close your eyes for me." His words made her face explode with heat.
Oh...m-my...why is he asking me to close my eyes for?! Her eyes immediately went for his soft, tempting lips. Were those going to be her's?! Was he going to kiss her? "Wha?" Ako's mind was in the process of shutting down. "B-but..." Something in the back of her mind was trying to find a way out of this before it could go any further, but it's influence didn't last too long seeing as how it's voice was drowned out by all the other voices rising in her mind telling her to go for it.
"Trust me." Negi told her in a warm tone of voice. "Close them."
"O-okay..." How could she say no? It was quiet for a moment making her sweat in anticipation, but the sweet silence was broken when she heard Negi begin to chant in another language. Her initial reaction was to blush because she was under the impression that he was whispering sweet nothings to her. (Heh, I couldn't help it...) Of course, being that this was, Negi we're referring to, that most certainly was not the case...
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Turning back time...
---------------------------------------------------------------------
"Ako..."
Hmmm?
"AKO!"
"YES?!" Ako raised her head quickly from it's resting place upon her arms, a sliver of drool threatening to form a hanging string of saliva from her chin. She blinked a few times when the rays of sunlight bathed her face and the sounds of cheerful students gong along their business fill her ears. There was definitely something wrong about this picture. Last she remembered it was dark outside and she wasn't sitting in the middle of the World Tree plaza. "H-huh? W-what?" Where was her, Nagi? "A dream? Another...dream?" Her eyes scrolled around for some sort of indication of the time and she found a clock near the stair steps leading up to the World Tree. It was one o' clock. What a relief...
"WHEW!" Ako sighed, immensely pleased with the unexpected turn in events. "It was a dream!" She ran her hands through her hair, leaning back in her seat to take in the lovely sight of the clear blue sky before she slumped over and hit the table. There was indeed a god! "What a nightmare! Nagi sees my scar, and I miss the live show...I just could've died!" Her thoughts took a different course when something else came to mind. She had to admit that the nightmare had it's perks. "The very end though..."
"Allow me to cast a spell for you."
"It was super romantic." Ako said dreamily, a smile crossing her lips. He was like a night in shining armor, appearing before me like that. She giggled softly and caressed her cheeks, flushing crimson. "A-and he said he was going to cast a spell for me. Talk about wishful thinki-"
"Good morning!" Negi's voice cut her connection to any line of thought almost instantly.
"Oh, gawd...what is he doing here?!" Ako hissed to herself with a blush. Perhaps this was just another dream. That had to be the only explanation for his sudden appearance. There he was leaning over the side of the tale in her direction. He had a care free smile upon his lips that simply whisked her away and his manner of dress put all other male students around him to shame. He looked so mature, so irresistably desirable within her eyes.
ARGH! What's going on with me today?! Ako wanted to bash her head against a nearby wall to rid herself of these dangerous thoughts. For some reason it just wouldn't fail. Anything that crossed her mind regarding Nagi always followed a bold path. It was almost as if there was something other than herself that was influencing her thoughts...then again...That weird dream from earlier kept on facing me with some creepy version of myself that wouldn't stop bothering me with this sort of stuff. She shook her head wildy, brushing the thought aside. Get a grip on yourself! It was just a dream, nothing more!
"Sleeping outdoors?" Negi asked her, taking a seat at the table with her much to her growing nervousness. "You could catch a cold that way, you know?" He chuckled to her lightly. When he realized that she wasn't about to respond to his words he decided to go on regardless. "So your concert is tonight isn't it?"
"Um, y-yeah." Ako replied, finally gathering her nerve.
"Shall we go on a date until then?"
While this conversation took it's course, Chachamaru and the others watched on in the distance to ensure that everything went well. Well, in truth they all had their seperate reasons. Chachazero for one wasn't too discreet about her reasons despite the fact that she really wouldn't have had any choice in the matter anyway. Chachamaru felt a slight anomaly in her gears simply watching Negi converse with Ako. Something told her that she was supposed to be sitting where Ako currently reside, however, being who she was, she wasn't abut to let others know that.
Chisame on the other hand simply tagged along for the chance to see just how her teacher would fair in this sort of situation. It would really help her find out just why so many young women were attracted to him. Sheer looks alone couldn't possibly earn him the attention that he received from the female populace everyday although she herself had to admit that he was rather adorable in his younger form. Not that she was really complaining about his current form. As for Kotaro's reason for hanging around...he really had nothing else to do and he learned the hard way how an argument with any of Negi's students would end up, Chachazero being no exception if not even more terrifying.
"From the looks of it, Negi-sensei will be doing most of the talking on this date." Chisame commented from her spot between Chachamaru and Kotaro. "Ako-san is far too shy to even make any sudden movements around him."
"Master Negi..." Chachazero whined softly from her perch upon Chachamaru's head. "Why does he always leave me whenever he does this sort of stuff?"
"Perhaps because carrying around a puppet would be rather bizarre in his current state." Chachamaru offered.
"I don't remember asking you anything." The puppet snapped at her before turning her attention back to her master and the "unworthy" girl that was in his presence. Sometimes she just didn't understand why her master wasted his time with such characters when he had other things on his hands. Take his frightful experience on the Mahora bridge earlier for example. Wasn't he going to investigate that? Asking, Evangeline of her business with this "Dorothy" woman wouldn't have been much of a bad idea either. "Look at her..." Chachazero narrowed her eyes at Ako imperceptibly as if she was trying her best to acquire heat vision. "...Something about her just bothers me."
"She does look a little different." Kotaro suddenly commented out of the blue getting the attention of all three girls. Their quick reaction caught him off guard for a moment.
"Explain." Chachamaru nodded him on.
"Well, for one, her posture is slightly different from before. It's almost as thought she's standing a little prouder not to mention the odd little vibes I've been feeling coming off of her." Kotaro went on, gesturing a bit with his hands.
"Very observative." Chisame mused, a little confused by his explanation. What did he mean vibes? Could he sense souls? This whole supernatural magic business was really beginning to give her a monster headache. As if the whole incident regarding the aging pill wasn't enough. "I will agree with you on her posture though. Ako usually doesn't stand so tall." She watched Ako nod after Negi finished speaking with her and gestured to the others when the pair started to make their move. "It looks like Negi-sensei actually managed to pull Ako out of her shell."
"Of course he did." Chachazero said, almost sounding offended. Who could possibly resist master Negi in that form? They'd have to have no attraction to men, period... Had the puppet been capable she may have started blushing from the images that began filling her dangerous mind.
"Then this should prove to be interesting." Chisame smirked.
Chachamaru rolled her eyes...
------------------------------------------------
On with the date!
------------------------------------------------
Ako looked up at the ceiling of her changing room as she pressed her shirt against her exposed chest. This had to be a dream, it just had to be. There was no way that she was actually going to be going on a date with Nagi of all people, and without any mishaps as of yet to boot. She looked into the mirror that she was standing in front of and to her relief there was no sign of her dreaded alter ego. Is she didn't make an appearance than this had to be reality. She knew that talking to herself in the mirror wasn't possible. There simply wasn't any logic to it. "Alright, alright, pace yourself , Ako." The shy rocker spoke to herself looking directly into the mirror. "It's just a date...there's nothing to be afraid of."
"Nothing indeed..."
Ako looked around the room for the source of the unexpected agreement...
"And that was all in my head..." Ako tried to tell herself. "That's right. Nothing more than a figment of my wild imagination."
"And after all we've talked about you still keep on denying me...No matter." After the voice was done speaking Ako felt an odd sensation run through her entire body. Her hair felt as though it was standing on end, her hands went stiff as electricity seemed to spark at the ends of her fingertips, her scar felt as though it was on fire yet she could not scream, and her vision started going red. Her whole body began to pulse wildly as though something from within was trying desperately to break out of her very being and before she knew it...the feeling vanished in an instant. Cold sweat ran down her face as she hunched over to catch her breath. "O-oh gawd...what was that?"
"Ako-san?" Negi's voice rang from outside the door. "Are you alright?"
"Um, yeah!" Ako replied quickly. She pulled on her clothes as fast as she possibly could without wrinkling them too much and looked at herself in the mirror, nodding in satisfaction at her appearance. It was an odd feeling that she felt at that moment. Was it confidence? She wasn't sure but it felt good. "Alright," She opened the door after pulling the strap of her pocketbook over her shoulder and opened the door to allow Negi to see her. "I'm ready Nagi-san."
Negi smiled when he saw what she had on and complimented, "You look great, Ako! What an adorable outfit!"
"You think so?" Ako asked with a blush as she looked down at herself.
"Really! You look great!" Negi assured her."It's sporty and cute...it's perfect."
"Th-thank you." Ako told him, walking a little closer towards him though Negi took no notice of it. It wasn't until he felt her grab his hand that he almost flinched. This definitely wasn't something he'd expect from her. The look of longing that graced her features sent shivers down his spine. He'd been on a "date" with Takane and Mei before and he handled it pretty well. Hell, he'd gone on a date with Asuna and Nodoka before and he never felt this way. Now that he really thought about it there was something a bit off about Ako.
"...It feels eerily familiar." Negi mumbled to his self.
"Excuse me?" Ako asked.
"Oh, nothing." Negi lied.
"So should we go?"
"Sure." Negi nodded.
"Whoa, personality change?" Kotaro grinned obliviously as he watched the scene unfold. " And here I thought Negi was in control. She just grabbed on to him like he was a piece of candy hanging in front of her." The look on his face did well to annoy Chachazero and Chachamaru who weren't exactly comfortable with the way Ako had begun handling their young magi. Chisame could only look on in wonder. If the others were here to see it they would never believe it.
"Whaddya know?" The little girl quipped. "This date might not be so one sided after all."
"It will be when I'm done with her..." Chachazero growled darkly.
"Calm yourself." Chachamaru whispered to her.
"Um..." The puppet eyed Chachamaru's twitching hand. "Follow your own advice, eh?"
"Onesan?" Mei looked to her elder magistress as they walked the festival areas to scout out for any confessions. Lately, Takane had been looking rather lively not to mention just a tad bit excited. The cause of this upbeat behavior was a mystery to Mei. Well, actually she did have a hunch. It could have a direct connection to their last meeting with a certain young man who was in a word, "handsome." After his last conversation with Takane, or exchange would be a better word for it since it didn't last too long, Negi seemed to have more things on his mind than staying around to hear the young woman's suspicions and rants. Every time they would meet up that was all she had to say to him. Was it merely out of jealousy? With the way Takane had been acting as of late, Mei wouldn't have put it past that. It was as though the blonde magistress had developed some sort of obsession for him.
"What's troubling you, Mei?" Takane asked, turning her head to regard her underling. Oddly enough her beauty seemed to have been enhanced somehow. Her gold hair bounced when she turned her head and her eyes had taken on an intense glow. Her movements had become much more fluid as well. It was enough to disturb, Mei to a degree.
"Nothing really." Mei replied with a sheepish grin. "I was, uh, just wondering...why you're so happy lately. It's a complete change from earlier when we were at that tea ceremony." She averted her eyes in slight embarrassment for asking the question. It wasn't that, Takane being happy was something out of the ordinary; no it wasn't that at all...really. It's just that Takane, humming tunes to herself with a little pep in her step was completely foreign to Mei. In fact the red-head would pick Takane and her wacky suspicions any day over what she was witnessing now.
"You ask as though here's something wrong with my mood." Takane said, sounding somewhat offended. She ended her sentence with a grin that sent chills down, Mei's spine. Her eyes lingered over the blonde vixen's sparkling white teeth before stopping upon her left canine. Now it wasn't that Mei was just a bit creeped out to the point that her mind was forming illusions, but she could swear that a person's canines weren't usually that long...or lethally sharp for that matter. In fact-
Takane stopped grinning when she noticed Mei scrutinizing her...
-hold that thought...
"Why are you looking at me that way Mei?" Takane inquired curiously, leaning over to her underling.
"N-no reason." Mei lied, feeling very uncomfortable with the way her superior was looking at her. It was at that moment when she averted her eyes that she realized that the both of them had stumbled into the amusement area of the festival grounds, which was really odd because they were supposed to be scouting the area's near the World Tree and this was definitely nowhere near the specified areas that were given to them. Did onesan purposely lead us here? This just isn't like her...
"Are you alright?" Takane persisted with her questions. "You've been behaving quite oddly since we got back from the tournament."
Oh, you're really one to talk. Mei rolled her eyes.
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!!
Mei and Takane flinched when the roller coaster car that was grinding the stomach curdling, steel structure around them jetted directly over their heads, the screams from the people strapped on the red and orange bullet assaulting their ears. Mei stood stiff as a board, her heart pumping with shock inspired adrenaline while Takane had other things on her mind like, why did one of those screams within the multitude of other screams sound so familiar? Of course she didn't take the time to question why she was capable of distinguishing that one scream out of all the others.
"That sounded like-"
"NAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" Ako cried out the rest of Takane's words as she gripped the braces that kept her body from being flung off the coaster car. She managed to turn her head to regard Negi whom was sitting beside her, his red hair whipping along with the wind rushing through them. Her heart was simply racing not just because of what she was riding, but because of whom she was riding with.
Oh jeez! This isn't a dream! This isn't a dream! I'm actually spending my day with Nagi! The roller coaster took on a loop that followed into a relentless drop and she closed her eyes. This is what she had been missing for so long and she was never going to let this feeling go. "Nagi!" She cried out his name even though she knew he wouldn't be able to hear it with all the screams coming from the people riding with them. "I never want this to end!"
"What?!" Negi screamed.
"Nohing!" She screamed back.
Mei finally regained her composure and looked to Takane. The blonde magistress was looking in every direction frantically as though she'd lost something very dear. "Onesan! Are you alright?!"
"Quite down for a second. will you?" Takane hissed at her underling with complete disregard for all the other noises that practically dwarfed Mei's question in the first place.
"You're beginning to act weird agai-"
"MEI!"
"Don't hurt me!"
-----------------------------------------------------
To the restaurant...
-----------------------------------------------------
"Good afternoon sir!" A waitress standing beside the reservation desk greeted Negi as he walked in to the restaurant with Ako by his side. They stopped at a nice place located somewhere near the amusement area. From the looks of it the settlement seemed to be an organized attraction by one of the culinary clubs in Mahora campus although it probably didn't compare to Chao's restaurant. Satsuki's cooking would put even the most talented culinary student to shame. The waitress's eyes roamed all over Negi to take in his looks much to Ako's discomfort. It was as though the waitress didn't even see her come in with him. "A party of one sir?" She asked hopefully, plans to steal his heart cranking in her mind like a crack induced hamster running on it's wheel
"For two, actually." Ako answered in Negi's place taking the waitress by surprise. Even Ako surprised herself with that sudden answer. It almost felt as though her mouth moved on it's own.
"Very well." The waitress said, gripping the menus in her hand. The smile on her face started to seem rather strained as opposed to the genuine smile she greeted Negi with. She gestured for the couple to follow her, saying, "This way please."
"Thanks." Negi offered her a polite smile that made her fluster. At this reaction Ako's hand found itself gripping Negi's arm rather possessively to the point that her fingers were digging into the sleeve of his jacket.
"Um, are you okay, Ako-san?"
"I'm just fine, Nagi." Ako replied with a smirk, dropping the honorific this time.
"...Okay..." Negi sounded unsure of his own response.
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Kotaro held Chisame up so she could peek into the window of the restaurant in time to see, Ako grip Negi's arm. The look on the shy rocker's face when she pressed herself against his arm was very unusual for her. It almost looked...evil...
"Can I ask a question?" Kotaro asked Chisame.
"Technically you didn't give her much of a choice stupid." Chachazero snapped at him.
"Shaddup ya' waste of wood!" Kotaro countered.
"Wanna say that in my face mutt?!"
"I'll do more than that pinnocchio!" Kotaro growled before feeling a small foot smack him on he side of his head. "Gah..."
"Stay still, huh?" Chisame ordered. " Now what was it that you wanted to ask?" The little girl asked, ignoring the evil cackle that left the sadistic puppet's mouth.
"Why are we following Negi around anyway?"
"To make sure that the brat plays the part of a gentleman." Chisame answered, narrowing her eyes.
"However, there seems to be no need for that." Chachamaru decided to speak from behind. "Negi-kun has not done anything that would suggest otherwise. In fact, Izumi seems to be the aggressive partner in this engagement. Her behavior seems highly questionable. My studies of our classmates have shown that her actions are a dramatic change from how she would usually go about such situations."
"Not to mention that odd aura is still floating around her like a fog." Kotaro added. "It's pretty hard to read her."
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"Here is," The waitress set Ako's drink near her fork and knife, " your lemonade." She said before turning to Negi with his drink, a mischievous grin playing upon her lips as she winked at him. "And this," She grabbed Negi's drink from the circular tray in her hand and set it down before him as well,"is your iced tea. You didn't specify before whether you wanted it sweetened or unsweetened so I went ahead and made it sweetened. Is that alright with you, hun?" Her words dripped with honey that, Ako quite frankly felt was irritating. What the hell did this floozy think she was doing with her, Nagi? Another streak of annoyance went through her when Negi had the nerve to pay her some mind.
"Thank you." He told the waitress, nodding his head slightly.
"You're welcome." She smiled warmly at him. "You know, I haven't seen you around here before." She started off a conversation with him. "Although you do seem kind of familiar."
"Do I?" His response caused a vein to bulge on Chisame's forehead as she eavesdropped from the window while a frightening expression slowly washed over Ako's lovely features.
"Oh!" The waitress tapped the side of her cheek as she recalled something. "You wouldn't happen to be related to Negi Springfield, would you?" Her question gt a nervous chuckle out of the magi.
"H-how did you know?" Negi asked.
"Oh, you look so much alike!" She said giddily. "If you ask me, that boy is really something. There are so many girls trying to be transferred over to his class. He's probably the most popular male teacher on campus second to Takamichi-sensei."
"Is that so?" Negi was surprised to hear her words.
"Then there's the fact that he's super cool!" At his point the young waitress seemed to be a fan girl of the young magi. He could practically see stars exploding within her chocolate colored eyes. "I," she placed a hand on her chest as she rested her tray in front of Ako, "had the honor of watching him fight in the Mahora Budokai. He really is amazing, I tell ya and if he's ever as lucky to look as handsome as you are he'll never be able to get anytime to his self."
"She's a crafty little fox, isn't she?" The voice of Ako's alter ego invaded her mind with a hint of irritation laced within her words. "She is seriously trying to snatch our dear Nagi from before our very eyes."
I'll admit that she really is beginning to get on my nerves.
"Then shouldn't we do something to silence her? Surely you aren't simply going to let her walk away after the disrespect she is showing you..."
Silence her? W-what do you mean?
"Don't play coy. Punish her, strike her down, ensure that she will never look his way ever again!"
Leave...me...alone...
"Excuse me?"
Hmm?
"Excuse me." The waitress called Ako's attention a little louder, snapping the young woman out of her thoughts.
"U-uh, yes?" Ako asked uneasily.
"Are you ready to order yet?" She asked.
"Er..." Ako quickly picked up her menu and scrolled for the first dish that piqued her interest. "I-I'll have the stuffed clams."
"...Alright." the waitress jotted down her order and turned away to leave, but not before sparing her one last glance. The look on her face did well to catch Ako off guard. It was almost as though she was sending her some sort of unspoken challenge.
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"Wow, you girls are really competitive, huh?" Kotaro asked with a chuckle.
"You've no idea." Chisame replied, rolling her eyes.
"If I were there with Master Negi, I'd set that flirtatious little weasel straight." Chachazero looked down at her counterpart and asked, "How 'bout you?"
"I will not answer that question..." Chachamaru replied coldly.
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"So are you enjoying yourself so far, Ako-san?" Negi asked the young woman after he was done taking a sip from his drink.
"Yes." Ako nodded with a blush. "Um, I would appreciate it if you just called me, Ako."
"Oh." Negi blinked. "Sure!" He grinned at her before going on, "So do you know where you want to go next? We sill have plenty of time before you go on to preform at your concert." His mention of the concert she had ahead of her made her stomach to flips. She was having so much fun that she had completely forgotten about that!
That's right! I forgot about that! Once again her mind started racing at all the bad things that could befall her upon preforming. She was having such a wonderful day with Nagi. She didn't want to go on and destroy it by making a fool of herself in front of him. This wasn't good. This definitely wasn't good.
"Get a grip will you? I thought we completely got over that already!"
B-but-
"Just calm down already!"
"Um, Ako." Negi cocked his head to the side when the girl started looking into the distance. "Hello?"
"Y-yes?" Ako asked quickly.
"It looked like you were zoning out for a second there. Are you alright?"
"I'm just a little nervous, is all." Ako admitted.
"About the concert?"
"Yes..."
"Don't be." Negi told her with a reassuring smile. "I'm sure you'll blow everyone away! I'm very eager to hear you play."
"A-are you now?" Ako stammered. "W-well I'll try my best."
"Oh my gawd, he is so awesome..."
What?
"Huh? Hey, pay attention before you start phasing out again!"
"I'm glad to hear that." Negi said warmly. The next few minutes between them were spent in silence as Negi drank from his cup and Ako bowed her head slightly taking in the designs that were elaborately done on the table cloth. She glanced up at Negi for a moment feeling a little intimidated before asking, "Um...Nagi?"
"Yes?" Negi turned his attention back to her, setting his glass down upon the table. Almost as though their waitress had been waiting for that very moment she popped out of nowhere and set a new glass of iced tea for the magi.
"Here you are." She smiled at him sweetly.
"T-thanks." Negi sweat-dropped. He wasn't completely oblivious to what was happening surprisingly enough. "Um, what is your name?" Of course he was still oblivious to somethings like how much discomfort their waitress was putting on Ako, and the fact that he bothered to know her name didn't help things much at all.
"Rosetta." She answered with a brilliant smile. She thought he'd never ask.
"Ahem..." Ako cleared her throat.
"Yes, Ako?" Negi asked innocently before seeing her gesture to the waitress with her eyes. He caught on and dismissed the young much to the shy rocker's pleasure. When the waitress was out of sight he leaned over slightly and asked, "You wanted to ask me something didn't you?"
"That's right." Ako replied sheepishly.
"What's on your mind?"
"Well...do you recall a time in the past when we met at Mahora city?" When she saw Negi thinking hard about it she decided to be little clearer. "I was with Yuna and the others shopping for some clothes." Negi nodded along with his words, but he still didn't seem to be following too well. She took a deep breath when she understood what she would have to include for him to remember and went on, "A blonde girl was with you at the time..." At those words, Negi's face lit up with realization.
She's referring to the time Takane invited me for dinner with Mei accompanying us. What would she want to ask me about regarding that time? Negi pushed his thoughts aside and nodded, saying, "Yes, I remember now."
"Um, I just wanted to know because it's been sorta bothering me for a while." Ako grabbed her napkin and held it under the table where Negi wouldn't be able to see her twisting it. The look of curiosity that was on his handsome face was seriously making her nervous. "What is she to you?"
"Excuse me?"
"The blonde girl...how close are you two?" The look in Ako's eyes had suddenly become intense. "Is she your girlfriend by any chance?"
"T-Takane-san, my girlfriend?!" Negi almost fell out of his seat. "No, no...she isn't my girlfriend." Negi answered her.
"I'm glad to hear that." Ako's mouth spoke ahead of her mind much to her embarrassment.
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"Takane-san?" Chisame quirked an eyebrow. "Who's Takane-san? I've never heard of her before?"
"Oh, her? She's some chick that was stalking Negi for a while." Kotaro replied bluntly.
"A stalker?" Chisame asked, sounding slightly disturbed.
"Yep." Chachazero nodded. "Never liked the bitch."
"Huh?" Chachamaru swerved her eyeballs upwards to regard her counterpart.
"I'll say what I want, alright?"
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Negi set his fork and knife down on the side of his plate after he was done eating and sighed. Ako on the other hand was having some trouble finishing her dish. She never expected it to be so filling. She had one more clam left and it seemed to be taunting her with it's intimidating size. There was no way she was going to be able to finish it by herself so she almost gave up on it, however, something came to mind. Looking over to Negi before looking back down at her plate she scooped up the contents of the clam into her fork and called Negi's attention.
"Yes Ako?" Negi asked.
"You want a bite?" She blushed to herself after she asked the question. "It's delicious."
Perhaps not as delicious as you would taste however... Ako blinked when that daring thought came to mind and yet the more her thoughts went along that path the less she went against it. Her eyes lingered upon Negi's face trailing down towards his neck. What she wouldn't hesitate to give for a bite at that tempting prize. She could only imagine his light moans as she sucked away, taking in the deliciousness that his blood offered. Then an even better idea came to mind. She wouldn't have minded if he took her into his arms and held her close, whispering sweet nothings into her ears before bringing her into a world of pleasure beyond her wildest dreams. For now, however, she would have to take it slowly as not to scare him away or disgust him. All good things came in time. She just had to make sure that no one would be around to claim him before she had the chance to sink her fangs into him.
Whoa...I didn't even think I was capable of thinking such things... Ako placed her free hand upon her cheek and felt it burning with heat. Her eyes swiveled back to Negi as he looked back at her looking a little unsure of the situation. If she was going to make something happen she was going to have to take things into her own hands. She did just that, leaning over slightly with one hand under the fork to make sure that nothing fell onto the table. Negi had to fight the urge to lean back when the fork was close enough to graze his lips. "Have a bite, Nagi." she persisted. She held her breath as she waited for an answer and it came quite nicely when Negi submitted to her wishes, taking her fork into his mouth before pulling away ever so slowly or at least that's how Ako saw it. Her eyes took in every detail to the point the fork left his lips. (...I do scare myself sometimes...)
"That was delicious." Negi said softly.
"You think so?" Ako asked, never pulling back. Both teenagers stared into each other's eyes seemingly in a trance. All Ako had to do was lean in a little closer an she could claim his soft lips for herself.
"Come now...don't pull back when he's right in the palm of your hand."
Negi sweat dropped as Ako stared directly into his eyes, her face coming towards his at a painfully slow rate. He wasn't really sure what to do at this point.
"...Ako..." Negi said her name nervously when she let out a soft sigh.
"Nagi..." She whispered softly.
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"H-h-hold it!"Chisame nearly fell off of Kotaro's shoulders. "What the heck is this?!"
"What's going on, huh?" Kotaro asked in panic. "Did something go wrong?!"
"Er..."
"Tell me already!" Kotaro demanded. "What's going on?"
"It's like the world tree all over again..." Chachazero seethed.
"Are they actually going to go through with it?" Chachamaru's hands trembled slightly, though one would wonder if it was from fear or from holding herself back.
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"I'll assume that you're done now..." Rosetta intervened on the staring session which would have or would not have ended in a hot, steamy kiss. It really depended on how the person reading wanted it to end because the writer sure wasn't about to give them satisfaction. (Bwahahaha...ahem...what? Kind of lost myself there...) At her sudden appearance Ako snapped back in place and Negi looked the other way, scratching his head to play it off. He wasn't sure how, but Ako had been pulling him towards her with her eyes during the intense moment they had been sharing seconds ago. It was a relief that the flirtatious waitress decided to show up when she did because any longer and he might have done something questionable.
"Oh, this time the girl has gone too far. We must do something about her!" Ako's dark voice entered her mind in a fit of rage, much like a little child would when their favorite piece of candy was suddenly snatched away from them without warning.
I can't do anything that you have in mind!
"And why not?!"
Because I'm not like you!
"We're one! Don't try and deny it!"
Just shut up!
"So, do you want any desserts?"The waitress asked.
"No, I'm fine." Negi replied.
"And you?" The waitress turned to Ako.
"...No." Ako replied rather darkly.
"Very well. I will get you the bill." Rosetta said with a nod to Negi before walking away. This left both teenagers at the table in a rather awkward position since there really was no excuse for what might have happened moments ago. Negi leaned back and forth on his chair lightly to work off the embarrassment while Ako coughed and looked the other way, her fingers tapping along the surface of the sturdy, circular table with a little beat. When it seemed safe to speak up they both turned to each other, blushed, and looked away again for the next available opportunity to present itself to them. This definitely wasn't a good trend to follow. One of them was going to have to talk to the other eventually. It was a good thing that Rosetta decided to come in again with the check in one hand, however, the presence of a suspiciously folded napkin in the other hand did nothing but dread for Ako.
"What is the little tramp trying now?"
Settle down please!
"Here you go sir." Rosetta handed the bill to Negi before slipping the napkin into the front pocket of his jacket. Negi blinked a few times confused by what had just happened and looked to the waitress to receive a libidinous grin accompanied by a wink and a flying kiss. This did nothing short of push Ako over the edge to the point that her eyes started to look a little like a bonfire was burning within them. When Rosetta had gone away to pump her fist in the air at her success Negi pulled out the napkin and looked into it to find a number; Rosetta's number most likely.
"Er..." Negi crumpled the napkin and went on, "Are you sure you don't want anything before we go?"
"I'd actually like to use the bathroom before we go." Ako told him, standing up.
"Alright then. I'll pay the bill and wait for you at the entrance."
"Okay." with that, Ako walked off.
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"Where is she going?" Chisame questioned no one in particular as she followed the rocker with her eyes. If she didn't know any better she could swear that Ako entered the same door that the waitress had gone in. "It's obviously not the bathroom..."
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Rosetta sighed as she pulled off her apron and tossed it onto the chair. She really hated being a waitress, but she wanted to contribute to the festival somehow and she definitely wasn't about to go stand outside in a suit like all the other unfortunate students who refused to participate did. Then there was the bonus that she might have actually scored a hottie. That guy was seriously out of the girls league. She practically sat there and let her have the guy to herself.
"Heh, her loss." Rosetta laughed to herself, remembering the look on Ako's face. That was until she heard the door to the room creak open. "Huh?" She turned around slowly to see Ako standing at the door looking rather disturbing. She had her head bowed slightly with both fists gripped tightly. "What are you doing here, huh?"
"You owe me an apology." Ako said darkly, never raising her head to look up at Rosetta.
"Pfft." the waitress stifled a laugh. "Keep dreaming."
"Have it your way then." Ako finally raised her head to look at Rosetta, eyes burning alight with fury as she grinned revealing her fangs. At this the young waitress wisely began to back away because the only word to describe the way Ako stalked towards her could have been nothing other than madness.
"Uh...s-stay back." Rosetta's voice began to quiver. This was definitely unnatural...
"I don't think so..." Ako grabbed a hold of a chair that was in her way and toppled it over to the side so she could continue advancing upon the scared young woman. "You were trying to take my boyfriend." Ako stopped when she cornered Rosetta and flexed her fingers. "You brought this upon yourself."
"Now it's time to face the consequences."
To Be Continued...
Hi everybody...it's been a while huh? Well, as much as I could go on apologizing for the long wait, it would be rather pointless because I'm sure I've made it clear in the other chapters I've written. (Kicks at a stone upon the ground.) So as you can see, a little bit of Evangeline's past with Dorothy was revealed even though what happened there is nothing in comparison with what happens between them when they meet again. Dorothy does not forget...and she's quite the vengeful person. Then there's the story regarding the other Dark Mistresses even though I'm trying my best not to reveal them all before the sequel...(If I can work out the story pretty well. It's going along smoothly so far. I even have a nice part for Kotaro in it since I've been neglecting him in this season.)
Let's see...oh yeah, as you can tell, I'm really going to go a little further with this Ako dating thing and in the next chapter, Takane finally awakens and the results are shocking. You'll be able to see way more of Evangeline since I'm throwing her date into the mix (Yes, I know...finally) and then theres that lingering irritation about the climax of Chao and Dorothy's conflict. Is it really then end for them? Most likely not, but hey, I'm not telling...
Until next time,
Traingham...
P.S: I've finally gotten my hands on a decent laptop! Expect the next chapter to come a bit faster than this one...