Disclaimer: See Prologue

Sorry this took so long but finding a new job is more important than writing unfortunately. And I had an absolutely vicious case of writers block. I don't even think this chapter is up to the standards of the rest of the story but I've kept you guys waiting long enough. So my updates won't come as quick as they used to because I did most of my writing at my old job. But they won't take nearly as long as this one did. Sorry guys I know I have a lot of people who patiently wait for the updates I hope you guys aren't too pissed.

Also I'd like to apologize in advance. My home computer doesn't have word so I downloaded the free open office. But as it turns out it doesn't have grammar check. So there will be a lot of stupid mistakes like missing suffixes or misuse of tense. I'm sorry guys when I have a chance I will revise it. Other than that I would like to mention a few of my reviews to give them some answers. Mostly the anonymous reviews but I can't remember who I already answered so I'll respond to anything I think needs it.

Dragon Cloud, Lonewolf and Animefan – You guys are awesome, I really appreciate all your reviews and you all brought up good points.

LW – I would like to give Kotaro a Harem but there simply isn't enough room in the story for them both to get one. And you're not too far off with the girls. Lets just say it will be one of my running jokes.

AF – What you mentioned about Kaede is exactly the rationality I had when the idea came to me

DC – You are a man dedicated to finding plot holes, and I respect that. Also if you keep guessing so close to the truth I'm gonna have to start deleting your reviews so you don't give anything away lol. j/k but the next time you think you know what's going to happen down the line please send it to me privately lol.

Random Reviewer – You hit the nail on the head. Yes there is most certainly a secret. And it will remain a secret for most of the story. Sorry.

Chaos – I like the way you think and Yuna's pact items are almost exactly like you said. I definitely like your ideas but I already have everyones powers/ pactio items set already. I haven't wrote them into the story yet but the entire idea for this story was born out of a list I made with all the girls and there pact items. (not that garbage they showed in the anime, all original) Don't worry you won't be disappointed. And the RPG class thing is a good parallel, they only think though is the artifacts usually aren't straight forward and technically don't even need to be offensive.

Chaotic Symbolism – Thankyou, finally another discworld reader. If you haven't yet you need to read Wee Free Men. The first book in a new serious of discworld. Also the more people find out the more interesting things will get I can promise you that.

Lee – I hate to say it like this, but honestly I'm glad the mystery girl is bothering you. That was the desired effect and I am sorry to say that I cannot hint at that one, it's too vital to the rest of the story.

Chapter 11

The Queen of the Damned

The trip to Ostia took two days. Though for most of the party it took considerably longer than that. Being in the resort had the downfall of drawing out the suspense. For Asuna it was about two months of training before they reached Ostia, and with how hard she'd been working it seemed to be almost double that. But it had been paying off. She could now get 3 other people inside her bubble. It was draining as hell, after only about ten seconds of holding it she would collapse, completely spent of energy. Which meant she was their greatest asset until she did her thing, then she was their greatest liability. They would have to fight while protecting her, something that might prove to be the downfall of this plan.

Eva, Negi, Kotaro, and a few others had also had a much longer trip. Everyone was trying to make sure they were ready for whatever they were about to get themselves into. Kotaro had come so far with his training, he wasn't even the same person anymore. After the years in captivity his thresholds for pain and fatigue were beyond measure. He fought all of the strongest of the group over and over again. At one point he fought for two days straight literally, take turns fighting, Negi, Kaede, Ku Fei, Setsuna, and basically anyone else who was willing.

Over the coarse of the fight he had broken 7 ribs, his left arm in three places, most of the little bones in his right hand and foot, suffered two concussions, was bleeding from more wounds then he could count and he'd never felt better. After it was all said and done, he finally let Konoka heal him, which despite countless pleas from all around he'd refused to do before then. He'd said quite firmly, "Would I have a chance to be healed on the battle field? No, so quit your bitchin' and let's do this." and by firmly I mean shouting while rushing whoever was next.

So the group was working hard and they were all anxious by the time they reached the borders of the abandoned nation. The ruins of the once flying islands poked through the natural mist that laid within the mountainous borders that surrounded the area they didn't want to land too close to where they were suppose to go so they picked one of the further ruins and landed within the cover of the mist. They used a piece of the ruins as a landing pad and with a little magical redecoration they made themselves a livable camp.

Mana, Kaede, Setsuna and Ku Fei all went in different directions to scout out the area and make sure they were alone. Asakura had also sent her camera's out to form a basic perimeter so they were all starting to relax a little. Most of the group were around setting things up and getting settled but there were a few exceptions. Kotaro never left the resort, strategy and recon really wasn't his forte so he saw no point in leaving. After helping with the initial forming of the camp Eva decided her job was done and went to take a shower back on the ship. And last but not least Negi was coordinating the searching girls using the telepathic link of the pactio, as well as drawing out a rough map of the area based on their input and Asakura's cameras. All in all, they were a busy little bunch.

Despite the general calm there was an underlying nervousness in the air. Everyone was being polite to each other, and in a group like this that was more unnerving then if they were having an all out war. The unfamiliar territory and lack of visibility was anything but settling, but what was really disconcerting was the utter lack of any noise. No birds, no bugs, obviously no human related sounds, but not even naturally made sounds like the wind through the trees or water on a shore. It was like something in the fog was sucking away the ambient noise of the world into it's nothingness. Creepy didn't even begin to cover it.

But everyone was working together and before long they were 'settled' into their new camp. No one really knew what to do. It was like being dressed for a party days in advance. Over the next few days their would be a lot of the proverbial hurry up and waiting. Thanks to the resort most of them would have a lot longer than a few days to think about it.

But once everyone had a chance to get together the mood was fairly light. Even in a place like this no one felt unsafe when they were all together. Most of the group (a.k.a. The ones that don't worry about enemies.) decided it would be a good time to visit the resort. Even though they'd already secured the area the others weren't about to let their guard down now. Among the group that remained outside was all the regulars, Kaede, Ku Fei, Mana, Negi, and Setsuna. They were also joined by Kotaro, who decided he needed to spend just a little time in the real world, and that it probably wouldn't hurt to get familiar with the area and it's smells. They decided to explore a bit further into the fog this time leaving the camp in the capable hands of Evangeline and Chachamaru.

It had been a few hours since they'd left and if it wasn't for the tracking beacon Mana had left back at the camp they'd be completely lost. Once they were more than a few hundred feet from the camp it had disappeared into the fog. After wandering for a little bit it was very easy to lose your sense of direction, with no sun or stars being able to pierce the thick cloud. Not a problem for someone like Kotaro who can smell scent trails like we would see paint diffusing off of a brush being washed. He could simply follow their paths back.

But right now he wasn't thinking about going back, he was far more concerned with the new smells he'd just picked up. They were definitely human and definitely had been moving all around this place. The part that was bothering him was that it smelled familiar or at least one of the trails smelled familiar. He couldn't place it but he definitely knew the scent, someone from the past. The other part and what was really putting him on edge was the fact that all the smells with mixed with death. Old death, not fresh like someone has been killed recently, the kind of smell that hangs around in graveyards. Kotaro had never smelt anything like it.

He'd told the others and now they were following the trail. They were getting further and further from the camp but that just meant that if something did happen, the others wouldn't get involved. But it wasn't an easy trail to follow despite how strong the scent was. It crisscrossed around the entire area and it didn't seem to lead a set location or even direction. And there were places were it seemed to disappear into the ground itself. But after a few hours the group finally made a discovery.

"It looks like the entrance to a cave." Said Setsuna examining the area. A small opening, just big enough to let a person through was cut into the base of one of the fallen pieces of Ostia. It was barely noticeable to the naked eye but they'd got lucky and seen someone walking in just as they arrived. Now they were perched behind some cover a few hundred feet away.

Yeah but there are more than a few scent trails coming in and out of it. I'd guess at no less than 50. But it's really hard to count when they all mix together like that." Kotaro was still trying to figure out what that familiar scent was.

Negi looked at the area and made a quick plan. "Mana find good spot a little bit above here and cover that entrance. Setsuna you stay here and if we need to make an escape as soon as we are clear of that opening you collapse it in on itself. Mana will take care of anyone who makes it out. Hopefully I'm just being paranoid here, but better safe than sorry. The rest of us are going in."

Setsuna had shot Negi a quick glance that went unnoticed. She didn't know why but suddenly she didn't like the idea of him going in without her.

"Nice, finally I'll get some action." Kotaro was a bit excited. He began stretching and throwing punches at the air.

(Most people think going into an unknown situation where you might have to fight for your very life isn't a very pleasant experience. Kotaro on the other hand would think that having to miss such an opportunity would be worse.)

Negi was quick to make things clear, "We're not here to start a fight. If anything we're here to try and make friends. These people obviously live here, and that being the case they might know useful information about the area and maybe even about who it is we are going up against. So play nice."

Kotaro crossed his arms, "You never let me have any fun."

The girls shared a look and a smile, but then Mana quickly left ending the moment. After giving her a minute to get in position the group headed towards the opening, leaving Setsuna behind to watch their backs. As they entered the clearing leading up to the entrance Negi sensed something strange in the air. A mist came up and the clearing seemed to get bigger before they knew it they could no longer see the entrance nor the rocks they'd just come from.

It was definitely magic but not like anything he'd ever felt before, and that wasn't all. With it came the immediate knowledge that they were surrounded, in the mist dozens of shapes appeared moving slowly around them. Negi remained upright but he was the only one everyone had formed a defensive circle with their backs facing each other and got ready for a fight. However, everyone waited on Negi's word to actually move, this was a tight knit group, for years before most of the others became as strong as they are now this small group took on most of the serious threats alone. They were all virtually walking armies, combined they were a force of nature, and after years of learning how to fight as one they were practically a cataclysmic event waiting to happen.

(In fact they were rated number 2 on the list of clans who ain't nothing to fuck wit. Behind the long time honorary leaders, The Wu Tang Clan.)

Negi had expected some kind of reaction, so he just waited for them to make the next move and before long, a man stepped out of the mist. He was tall and thin, and his skin took on a somewhat grayish tone like he'd never seen sunlight before. Also his clothes were fairly old and worn but he was wearing a suit and top hat. It looked strange to see nice clothes in such a state. He looked over the group with what appeared to be an intense disinterest, but Negi noticed the quick glances the man had made over each of them. He was trying to size them up without them knowing. Negi was going to play along but he was quickly running out of patience for games.

He spoke to the man breaking the eerie silence "We're powerful enough that this little parlor trick of yours won't stop us, but nice enough to not enter uninvited. Does that answer you questions? So how about you drop the fog and we introduce ourselves like normal people."

The stranger examined Negi closely for a moment and then did indeed drop the fog. Though now in hindsight Negi wished he'd have just left it up. All around them were the shadows they seen in the mist, revealed for what they really were, Zombies. More appropriately, they were reanimated corpses. Like dolls with no strings that sat there motionless and without any light in their eyes.

The girls in the group despite being hardened veterans of battle couldn't help but let a small "eww" leak out. Negi looked around, filled more with shock then anything else. He knew what was going on here but he just didn't know that it was still being practiced. Kotaro had it the worst, while their looks nor what they were, held and fear or disgust as far as he was concerned, he would have that smell in his nose for the next week. Anything in the world smells better than decomposition.

The man was still focused on them like someone waiting for the other shoe to drop. "You said you'd introduce yourselves." he said in a drab monotonic voice. Obviously he wasn't going to be a pleasant person to deal with, but he was what they had so...

"I'm Negi Springfield and we are the Ala Alba, The White Wing. These are my friends and Ministra Magica. And you are a Necromancer." The man seemed to get real nervous when he said it. Necromancy is a forbidden magic and if found and tried he'd be given life in the worst magical prison they could find. "Don't worry your secret is safe. We mean you no harm, actually we were wondering if maybe you could help us out. We're not exactly familiar with the area, and we were hoping you could maybe share some information with us, about the geography, who else lives out here, anything would be helpful really." He walked forward and offered a hand for the man to shake.

The man regarded him with little interest and didn't even react to Negi's gesture. Rather he seemed as if his mind was trying to grasp something from long ago that was just beyond reach. "That is not for me to decided, I just keep the gates. You will have to speak to the princess if you'd like our help. She will decided whether or not we should help you. Follow me." Setsuna and Mana caught a small hand gesture from Negi telling them to stay put while the others went inside. They were lead into the small opening of the cave that after just a few narrow turns turned into a huge antechamber.

It was huge, it stretched off both above and below them. It was obvious that this was the center of, the for lack of a better word, hive. This was the inside of the ruins and you could tell. They'd pretty much just cut their way though the ruins and moved what they'd needed to out of the way. The writing on the walls was upside down and all the chamber doors were on a weird angle. The place seemed like it was inhabited by people who didn't have much concern for decor.

The people they saw walking around further added to that school of thought. Like the man who'd met them outside, most of them were wearing highly formal clothes that were tattered worn or just plain dirty. And they didn't even seem to notice.

There were walks ways that wrapped around the outside and they were all lined with chambers that were cut out into the rock where people were busy with all the daily chores of life. Their were probably a hundred of them and despite the vast number of people that occupied them their was very little noise in the huge chamber. Which became even less when people began noticing them, suddenly they were the main attraction.

Negi leaned over and whispered to Kotaro, "50 people huh? You need to learn how to count?"

"I said no less than 50, I told you that it got rough when so many trails were in one spot." He snapped back trying to stay calm.

Negi teasingly scoffed, "I'd say no less than 500, and I didn't think the Great Kotaro would let a silly thing like that stop him. Next time I'll know any" They came each others eyes and Negi smiled as Kotaro wished looks really could kill.

Ku Fei spoke out breaking the moment, "You know, it's funny normally when a huge group of people is staring at us there's a lot more smiling." She always said things in a simple way but she always hit the nail on the head.

Negi took a long look around and studied the faces, it was shock. "I don't think they have many visitors."

Kotaro shivered, "Well it's creeping me out, if they are going to attack, they should get it over with and if their not, they should keep it movin'." Kotaro could survive 5 years of torture no problem, and probably take on hundreds of opponents. But don't ask him to be the center of attention.

Kaede smiled over at him and laughed, "You arein their home. I believe you also watch anything that comes into your territory, it's no different."

He folded his arms, "Sure it is..." he added stubbornly.

Ku Fei smirked "Oh yeah, how?"

"Easy, I would've attacked a long time ago." He said proudly with a definitive nod.

"How honorable of you Kotaro-dono." Kaede said with an overly innocent smile.

Large tunnels lead away, heading deeper into the ruins, but one stood out above the rest. It was decorated and actually built into a real hallway. No lopsided doors or rubble walkways, this had been built long after the ruins had crashed and it was the only part of the whole place that seemed to give a shit what other people thought. It was pretty obvious that the princess would be down that hall. Sure enough that was where they were being led.

Negi had attempted a few times unsuccessfully to engage their host in conversation, but quickly realized that idle conversation wasn't something people practiced here. So instead he took in as much about his surroundings as possible. The people they were looking for were probably living in something like this, a piece of the ruins. Though admittedly, if he was living in a place like this it would look a lot... different, on the inside. So he wasn't sure if it would be a good idea to assume this is what their enemies place would be like. Instead he decided to study the inhabitants.

(Different meaning more like a real shelter and less like a shaped cave. He was seriously starting to wonder if there was a real bathroom anywhere or if they just squatted in the corner.)

As they got closer and closer to the door, Negi noticed something about the people. They all had small markings on their faces. They were either very well done make-up or tattoos, and everyone had them, but they were all slightly different. It was almost like a the small marks mimes and fools put on their face to identify themselves. Negi remembered someone who had marking just like them, but dismissed the thought as quickly as it came up. There's no way she could be some place like this.

Also, they seemed like a defeated people. It was as if they were slaves to something, but Negi couldn't see any guards or whips. They walked around looking at the floor or staring into the distance. Negi hadn't seen a single smile since they entered, and it was obvious that he'd probably not see one in here at all. It was like everyone had taken a sedative. Negi didn't know exactly what the deal was with this place, but he was going to keep his eyes open.

They reached the hall and after a short walk were lead into another chamber. Not quite as big as the first but with a lot more care and effort put into it. This was the "throne room" of sorts. Well, it was certainly royal by this places standards, their were tapestries and everything, but they saw no princess. The throne itself was quite a distance from where they were now.

Their guide looked around the chamber, apparently as confused as they were about the princess's absence. Then he hung his head even further, then turned walking over to the wall. His hand came to rest on a stone that looked like every other one and a small door opened. "One moment, I must retrieve the princess." Then he disappeared into the opening.

Left to their own devices the group fanned out a little. Kotaro couldn't help himself, "So, not exactly the Ritz, but if you ask me a few touches here and there and this place could shape up." The group looked at him like he was crazy. "Hey give me a break, I did live in a room where the walls were literally torturing me. Here all you have to worry about is a little dirt."

"Yeah, that and cave ins." Ku Fei added.

There conversation was cut short when their guide came back into the room. He was followed by a veiled female in extravagant clothing, presumably the princess. The clothes were beautiful, a big puffy dress with way too many sequins on it, nothing more royal than that. Yet, there was something off about them. it looked like they'd just been thrown on. And while she certainly walked like a princess, if you looked closely it was more of a trained walk, than the natural pompous glide of royalty.

Negi was starting to suspect something was up here. Either this wasn't really the princess, so for whatever reason they were being slighted. Or their idea of royalty was as shaky as their definition of shelter. Negi wasn't sure which it was but that wasn't all that worried him, for some reason the princess seemed familiar. He was quite sure he'd never been anywhere like this before so he was just starting to think himself crazy, when Kotaro leaned in and whispered to him.

"I know that scent. I can't place it right now, but I've definitely met the princess before." They shared a glance and a confirming nod and then went back to watching their hosts come to the throne. It was all done very carefully and properly, until the princess got to the throne and instead of just sitting in it she did a cartwheel off of the arm of the chair and landed in it. Her attendant quickly whispered in her ear quite vehemently and even through the veil covering her face you could tell that she was laughing at him.

Ah so that's it... Negi thought to himself. It wasn't them, it was her. She was the one, a princess that didn't take royalty very seriously, Negi liked her already. As his mind worked on the attendant finally finished his pointless berating and turned to them. "The princess will see you now." He said in a loud voice, covering the distance between them as he motioned them forward.

"It is my great honor it introduce the Princess of the Necromancers and the Keeper of the Gate..." He paused dramatically both for affect and to give the princess a chance to pull back her veil and as she did the reactions couldn't have been more varied.

Negi couldn't believe his eyes. "What is she doing here?" The shock dispelling any rational thoughts he was attempting to gather.

Ku Fei was also surprised, but even more ecstatic. "Oh my god, I can't believe it's you." Her grin and shining eyes said it all.

Kaede oddly enough, just gave a knowing smile. "It's been a long time. I'm glad to see you are well."

However, it was Kotaro who reacted the most. It was like he'd been hypnotized, his eyes going vacant as he stared at her. She was intensely beautiful, she had a slender, well toned body but was well curved in the right places. Her skin was a dark olive, her hair was silvery white and her eyes shined golden. The combination gave her a sense of unearthly beauty. His mouth dropped open and other parts of his body also began to feel reactions. He was so enamored that it didn't occur to him who it was until the attendant finished his announcement.

"The ruler of our people... Princess Zazie of the Rainyday Royal Family." He bowed out of the way and A big smile could be seen on Zazie's face.

Ku Fei smiled and as always the simplest mind voices the perfect question, "Wait, what? How did that happen?"

End Chapter

A/N: So like I said sorry about the horrible lack of editing and if the writing wasn't up to my normal level. This will almost certainly be the only chapter that seems so forced. I could just be being over critical, but writers block really fucks up one's flow.

Also how did you guys like the return of Zazie? I bet no one saw that one coming. And I know her eyes aren't actually golden yellow. The only example I had was the color picture of the whole class that was at the beginning of the first manga. (The animes don't count to me) I mean not even Wikipedia had anything about her eye color. Also I always thought she was too interesting of a character design to have no story. And she is really weird so Necromancy just seemed like a good path. Besides now I have SSOOOOO many ideas for necromancer abilities it would be a waste not to use them.

to be continued... I promise 6/22/10