Chapter 2.
Hesitantly, Negi picked up the card and turned it over in his hands. He tried to calm himself and stop his trembling hands before gingerly lifting the card to his head.
Haruna-san, are you there? Negi thought, casting his thoughts outward trying to reach his ministra.
SENSEI! WHERE ARE YOU?!! Haruna's frantic mind boomed into his thoughts causing him a headache. DON"T COME TO LIBRARY ISLAND! IT'S A TRAP! DON'T TRUST NODOKA!
Bit late I'm afraid. As if I'd ever abandon you girls. Negi thought bitterly. Please Haruna-san, calm yourself and control your thoughts you're giving me a migraine here.
I'm sorry sensei, is this better? Haruna replied more calmly.
Infinitely, now where are you? Negi broadcast to his ministra.
I'm guessing I'm still in Library Island somewhere, but I have no way of knowing. Demetrius could have sent me anywhere, from the looks of this place. Haruna thought back.
Well if I can reach you with telepathy, you're within range of your card. I'm going to try to summon you. Negi warned his student.
"Awesome." Haruna said in surprise as she appeared in front of Negi. "Never done that before."
"It's a useful ability of the cards. Here's yours back by the way." The young mage said giving the pactio back to his partner.
"Mine? Where's yours?" Haruna asked.
"They're in my room, along with my staff, I didn't think I'd need them for a boring staff meeting." Negi replied bitterly.
"Then how did you..." Haruna started before looking around. The girl suddenly froze, her eye falling on the bloodied stick lying where Negi had dropped it. The young artist sank to her knees with tears coming to her eyes. "I am so sorry sensei."
"Just tell me what all happened." Negi commanded gently.
"It was all my fault. We didn't know that the book was a prison for this mage named Demetrius. When we came to Library Island he burst out of the book, along with... Nodoka." Haruna explained sadly.
"Wasn't Nodoka with you?" Negi quietly asked.
"It wasn't the real Nodoka." Haruna confessed. "I had my artifact out and it was in my book bag where I put the book that Demetrius had been imprisoned in. He... he has the power to bring things to life from the pages of the books he's near, or to send someone into a book. He found a picture of Evil Nodoka that I had made for fun in my sketchbook and brought her to life. He said he couldn't send his creations far from Library Island, but using my pactio card he could send... he could send the copy of Nodoka out to capture you. She was supposed to lure you back the library where he could imprison you like he did me. He trapped me in a book, but I don't know what he did with the real Nodoka, Yue, or Konoka."
"It worked." Negi admitted appreciatively. He hated to admit it, but he'd been totally taken in. He turned to see Haruna staring at the stick again. "What's wrong?"
"Demetrius was using my artifact to power his copy of Nodoka. Without the power of the library she wouldn't have been able to go get you. Sensei, how did you get my artifact back from..."
Negi softly pulled Haruna's chin to face him. "When I didn't act the way she wanted me to the copy of Nodoka tried to kill me. It was a bit of a struggle since my powers don't seem to be working in side here. Haruna, I've known you girls long enough to figure out when the person I'm talking to isn't real. I could never hurt one of you, and even knowing it was a fake made defeating her harder than anything I've ever had to do." I didn't know it wasn't her though when I hit her though. Negi thought bitterly.
Haruna smiled and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him closely then. "I'm sorry sensei."
"It's not your fault. I should have stayed and waited for the book." Negi moaned.
"That wasn't what I meant." Haruna almost pouted. "I was sorry of what I had put you through for making that stupid drawing of Nodoka. I'll try to use my powers more responsibly from now on. Please don't try to start bearing all the burdens like you normally do. We only want to help Negi."
Negi smiled at the honest nature of his girls. He'd chosen very well in who he had for ministra. "Don't worry, I won't. That is as long as you don't kick yourself for what happened with the fake Nodoka. I think Evangeline said it best when she said 'it beats watching pick pockets around the campus'."
The two of them laughed together and then Negi looked around. " I think it's time we got out of here and found the other girls."
Negi quickly drew a magic circle in the dirt and started reciting the magic spell. In a flash he and his ministra found themselves standing in the rows of books scattered throughout the massive library. Looking down, Negi found what apparently had been the book he'd been trapped in, a romance novel for teenage girls.
"I think I'm going to take this home and read it. I'd like to find out if Daisuke gets his butt kicked." Negi said slipping the book into a pocket.
"Hold it." Haruna commanded stiffly, holding out her hand.
Negi pulled the book back out in confusion and handed it to his ministra. Haruna quickly pulled a stamp out of her pocket and pressed it to a card on the inside cover which she then placed in her pocket. "Due back Tuesday. Now how are we going to find Yue?"
Negi rolled his eyes as he put the book back in his pocket. "We don't. I'm going to go look for Yue. I need her artifact, if she has it on her, to find out more about this Demetrius character. I don't like confronting enemies blindly."
"But sensei..."
"No 'buts' Haruna-san, I have something important I need you to do. First, close off the library, I don't want any more hostages coming into this place than are already here. Then, go let the headmaster know what's going on here. Evangeline was just outside when I came in so see if she's still there. She sounded like she knew something about this book too. Finally, see if you can get my pactio cards and get the rest of the girls. This mage sounds like he's going to be powerful and I'll probably need their help. Can you handle all that?"
"Got it!" Haruna affirmed emphatically. The older girl jumped to her feet heading for the front entrance watching about carefully for any enemies as she pulled out her cell phone.
Negi nodded and then turned back to his problem at hand. How was he going to find Yue trapped somewhere in this huge library of books? Looking back the way Haruna had disappeared, Negi slapped his forehead and then reached into his pocket and pulled out his own cell phone.
Selecting his contact on his speed dial Negi held up the phone. It was worth a shot. The telephone rang for several seconds before finally a young woman's voice came on the line. "Umm, hello?"
"Yue-san, thank goodness, are you alright?" Negi said with relief.
"Yeah, sensei, I'm fine but I don't really know how I'm getting service." Yue said quickly. "They didn't have cell phones back in this time period."
It sounded like Yue might have been in the history section so Negi started off in that direction. "You never left the library Yue-san. Demetrius imprisoned you in a book somewhere. I'm trying to get to you now. Can you describe your surroundings?"
"Well, I'm at the Battle of Ishibashiyama in 1180." Yue reported confidently.
Negi stopped and looked at his cell phone dubiously. "Not that I doubt you, but are you certain? You're grades in history aren't really the best in the world. How can you tell?"
"Because I am currently standing here talking to Oba Kagechika surrounded by his samurai guards, and they'd really like to know where the heck that dragon came from." Yue replied flatly. "And for the record I passed that particular quiz."
"Oh, sorry about that." Negi apologized. "I'll move a little faster."
"That would be appreciated."
"Umm, Yue-san, I'm not really familiar with Japanese history..." Negi again apologized.
"Genpei War; Second floor, aisle sixteen." Yue directed.
"On my way there now. Now here's what I want you to do..."
Yue really hoped this worked, being stuck in medieval Japan for the rest of her life wasn't something she intended on getting mixed up with. Now she just had to get out of here before the half demon, perverted monk, and demon hunter showed up to complete the picture.
"So these spirits are helping you draw the circle?" The samurai asked as Yue held the phone to her ear and tried to recreate the ritual. She really wished that Demetrius hadn't taken her card away.
"Yes, my sensei is telling me what to draw, now please step back I wouldn't want you to get crushed when the dragon in summoned." Yue lied to the 'guardian' Kagechika had sent to 'protect' her.
"And you will be able to control this dragon for my master?" The samurai continued to ask.
"Only one way to find out." Yue remarked looking at her handiwork. "If I can't it'll probably eat me."
"Was that why it was chasing you?" The samurai asked suspiciously. "And where did it go?"
"It can only be summoned for a limited amount of time, like I said I'm still studying magic." Yue pressed as she stepped into the circle. Finally, with a few last instructions from Negi she closed her cell phone and put it back in her pocket. "Here goes, you better be prepared in case this goes wrong."
The samurai stepped away and Yue recited the spell Negi had dictated to her. There was a swift flash and a jerking sensation and she found herself back at the library... several feet above the floor. Yue looked down just in time to see Negi's shocked face as she fell on him.
Yue slowly opened her eyes and found herself laying on top of Negi. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked down into his beautiful face hovering just inches below her lips. Yue jumped up to her hands and knees still covering her teacher as he came around. Struggling for something nonchalant to say she blurted the first thing that came to mind.
"How was it?" Yue asked wincing at the double entendre.
"I've seen better, but under the circumstances I'd say you'd have passed the quiz." Negi said rubbing the back of his head as he sat up. "It's pretty tough drawing a magic circle from memory, much less one that's described to you over the phone."
Yue hoped Negi didn't notice the blush on her face as she stood and helped him to stand. "I don't think Nodoka has her cell phone, so that might make it a little harder to find her."
"First we need to find out more about Demetrius. Do you have your pactio card?" Negi asked.
"No sensei, Demetrius took our cards away from us when he trapped us." Yue reported sadly.
"That's going to definitely make finding out more about the Book of Phalerum more difficult." Negi said sighing.
Yue looked down as something stirred in the back of her mind. Where had she heard that from? "Wait, maybe we don't need my artifact."
Negi looked at her like she was mad as Yue took his hand and led him toward a section on western history. "I remember reading something about a man named 'Demetrius of Phalerum'."
"You've heard of him?"
Yue stopped at the bookshelves and looked around until she found the book she wanted and then stopped. She was still holding Negi's hand. Suddenly feeling very hot, Yue demurely let go of his hand with an uncomfortable glance at his cute face. "Here it is."
Yue opened the book flipping back to the reference she found for the man she'd only ever read about.
"Why would a mage be listed in a non-magical library?" Negi wondered.
Yue's hands were shaking as she read the entry. It was impossible, but if being with Negi had taught her anything it was that sometimes unlikely circumstances could also often be true. "He's a librarian."
"What?"
"Demetrius of Phalerum, otherwise known as Demetrius Phalereus. He was a philosopher, that was how I remembered his name. He was a student of Aristotle who ruled over Athens. When he was deposed he fled Athens and eventually ended up in Alexandria, Egypt where he created the ancient library at Alexandria. One of the seven wonders of the ancient world." Yue paraphrased as she skimmed over the passage.
"So what you're saying is, that if these two men are the same person we're dealing with a mage who's over two thousand years old?!" Negi said in panic. "Let's hope it isn't the same man then. We need to know more about this book he was in."
"I'm sorry sensei, I'm not much use without my artifact." Yue apologized.
"Don't be, I have an idea for getting your artifact back." Negi said suddenly.
"How?" The young philosopher asked in shock.
"It's simple. We'll just make you another pactio card. From time to time minstras do occasionally lose their pactio cards or they are destroyed so there is a ritual for creating a new one." The mage teacher explained.
Yue suddenly started feeling very queasy. "Negi-sensei..."
"Here, I'll redraw the circle." Negi offered as he started magically creating the circle that would reaffirm their pactio. Yue watched mesmerized as the magic circle formed and began to ignite around her and her crush.
"Umm, sensei..." Yue stuttered.
"Is having to kiss me again so unpleasant?" Negi asked jovially. Then his expression became very serious as he reached out to cup her cheek in his palm. "Or is it because you've never been able to confess your feelings for me?"
Yue's breathing stopped as Negi looked deeply into her eyes. She couldn't speak, but could only stand there looking at him. Finally she managed the conjure the will to murmur. "How?"
"The dragon that appeared in the book you were banished to was conjured by Nodoka's evil clone. It was sent there to kill you because she believed that you had come between me and her." Negi told her as he drew closer.
Yue whimpered as her secret was laid bare for the only man she loved. She might as well have been standing there naked in front of him letting him look at every inch of her body. It would have felt exactly the same as much as she felt exposed at that moment. "It's because I betrayed her. When we spoke at the festival instead of encouraging your relationship with her I told you to not give her an answer until after graduation. I did it because I loved you too. I should have told you..."
Yue cried as Negi put his finger to her lips to silence her as she berated herself. He tenderly wiped the tears from her cheek and as Negi gathered her into his arms she couldn't argue, and she couldn't resist. She WANTED him to know, she WANTED to kiss him, it was simply too much for her to admit on her own to his face. As Negi's face neared her lips, Yue closed her eyes and hoped that the real Nodoka didn't hate her as much as her clone.
Negi's lips found hers gently, and as Yue melted into his embrace she felt tension leaving her body that she didn't even realize was there. As the power raced through her body, she lowered her guard enough to return his embrace, wrapping her arms around his back holding him as he loved her.
It occurred to her that the power had long faded and the newly created card had fallen to the ground while the two of them kissed. When finally Negi retreated from her lips she was ready to pass out from the need to breathe. Negi softly rested his forehead against hers and looked into her eyes. "You betrayed nothing. Yue, I know that you and Nodoka love me. Even if you've never said a word I can feel it from you when I'm near you. Right now you and Nodoka are in the exact same situation. Until you have graduated and I'm no longer your teacher, I won't be able to give either of you an answer or fully return your feelings. You are both dear to me, and I promise I will give you both an answer."
Yue nodded silently as she gazed into Negi's eyes. "We'll both be waiting."
Negi smiled and released Yue from her embrace and bent down to get her card. "Now, you better start reading. We've got to find Nodoka and Konoka and get out of here."
"Right." Yue said with conviction. She felt like a great weight had been lifted from her heart and right now she could fly higher than ever before. "Let's go find Demetrius."
"I don't think that will be altogether necessary." Demetrius said as he looked at them from the end of the row of books they were between. "It seems I've already found you."