Disclaimer: The following story is a fan made work of fiction. Fairy Tail and Mahou Sensei Negima! are owned and written by Hiro Mashima and Ken Akamatsu respectively. Please support their official releases.
Chapter 7
Soft Falling Snow
Evangeline smiled coldly as she gazed upon Natsu's frozen body, hands trembling at her side. The casting of Frozen World was too draining in her current form. It took too much energy, even within the Diorama. Casting the spell had nearly caused more damage than all of the moron's attacks combined.
Yet without risk there could be no gain. Her smile widened as she felt Takamichi's blazing presence teleport to her side. The spell had gained her much indeed.
"That was most enjoyable, my pink-haired fool," she whispered to herself. The trembling in her arms stopped as her unnatural regeneration did its job. Just in time as Takamichi was most assuredly watching her closely. "Most enjoyable indeed."
Takamichi was advancing on her, his aura flaring in a rare display of anger. Meanwhile, Negi and Gray shouted as they ran towards Natsu's icy prison far below her feet.
Her eyes gleamed like rubies as she studied the chaos her victory had wrought. The fear of the two young men and Takamichi's anger was intoxicating... so Evangeline threw her head back and laughed.
Maybe she was not quite so soft as she had worried.
Hours later, Gray paced within the room he shared with Natsu. Night had fallen upon the Resort with the swiftness of a raven's wings, and the dark-haired mage was stuck in his own thoughts. The vampire's complete win dominated his thinking.
The difference in strength between the two could not be more clear. Natsu had flung everything he had at the monster only to come up short. She had taken every punch, every blast of magic in the dragon slayer's arsenal. None of it had left so much as a scratch on her body.
Gray's head gradually filled with fog as he replayed the battle over in his mind. The events of the rest of the day faded away. Only the battle and its immediate aftermath remained. A soft snore bubbled from the Natsu's lips, drawing Gray's eyes to his sleeping friend.
Bandages wrapped the dragon slayer from head to navel. The man looked like a child's idea of first aid gone wrong. Yet each and every one of the bandages was necessary. Without the massive number of bandages upon his body it was possible that a broken rib might not realign properly upon healing. Given Natsu's especially quick healing, it had been a priority to get the bandages in place as fast as possible.
Evangeline had been slightly more moderate in her beating of the idiot than Laxus; but only by a hair. Natsu would be feeling his injuries for over a week.
Gray gave one of the bandages a quick tug to make sure the wrapping was still tight. It was, but a sharp pain in his right hand made Gray wince in pain. The pain caused his mind to replay its cause once again.
XxX
Evangeline's spell filled the Resort's atmosphere, colliding with and overwhelming Natsu's fiery roar. With a rumble that shook the ground beneath Gray's feet, a spear of solid Ice rose skyward. It gleamed an icy blue-white, and within its depths lay Natsu.
Trapped and unmoving, the battle was finished. Evangeline had won.
Gray slammed one fist into a nearby pillar of stone. He then jumped onto the sand as Takamichi vanished without a sound. Gray did not know where the big man had gone and he did not care. He needed to make sure that his friend was safe. If Natsu wasn't, then neither the big man nor the little boy mage flying beside him could save Eva from the wrath of Fairy Tail.
XxX
As the memory replayed in Gray's head, so did his dark conclusions. Nothing in his arsenal could compare to Evangeline's final spell. Every power move he knew was outclassed. Every subtle usage of skillful manipulation fell far short. Every combination, ability or skill he could think of amounted to nothing in the face of her mastery.
The memory pained him, but facts were facts. Denying them would change nothing. Doing so could cause more harm than good. It was a lesson burned into him by Ur's sacrifice.
Gray clenched his hand into a fist. Then he slammed it against a nearby wall.
XxX
A giant spear of ice reached beyond the Resort's distant top. Hoary frost dripped down its sides, forming a chill blanket which covered the surrounding radius. The frigid air caused Negi to pull up in shock, allowing Gray to reach the pillar first. A smile twisted his lips when he passed the shivering boy. Cold held no power over Gray.
He peered into the depths of the giant spear of ice. For all of the similarities, magic was different in this world. It was treated differently, regulated differently, and used in fundamentally different ways. The essence of Evangeline's Ice magic was still the same... but the form and way it was molded almost made it into an entirely different force altogether. To his senses, Evangeline's magic had felt like Lyon's one-handed spells. It was brittle, unbalanced, going against anything Ur had ever taught him. Its supple strength should not have been possible, yet the results had been displayed before his eyes in all its icy glory.
Above, Gray could hear Takamichi speaking with Evangeline in hushed tones and it sounded as though he was less than happy. It seemed as though the big man's vanishing act had just been him moving at an incredibly quick speed. Maybe the big guy could get her to free Natsu. For as Gray slammed his hands flat against the massive pillar of Ice to learn its structure, he was not certain he could unmake the massive spell.
His mind searched through the entire magical structure as he felt Negi move in the air. Gray could feel the weak points in its construction, and given time, Gray was confident that he could break it down. Yet he was not confident that Natsu would live through the attempt.
XxX
Bitter gall rose within Gray's throat as that memory returned. For the second time in under a month he had been confronted with a spell in his chosen element that was beyond his ability to master. It was frustrating beyond belief that he still had so much left to learn. He looked at his wounded hand and clenched it tight. "But if there's one thing I'm proud of, it's that I've never been beaten by the same opponent twice in a row."
Pain flared and Gray welcomed it. Another one of the lessons taught to him by Ur: with no pain there could be no gain. If Gray were to reach Evangeline's level of mastery, he would need to go through a monstrous amount of pain. Doing it would be doubly hard on his journey with Takamichi. Yet he would find a way.
Gray unclenched his fist. The pain had served its purpose and could now be released. It was time to rest. The next day would be important.
With that thought firmly held in mind, he reached to his collar. He would need to remove his clothing before falling asleep.
His had encountered nothing but air. "Dammit, where are my clothes!" Gray ran his hands over his body. No coat and no shirt. No pants either. He had kept only his boxers, boots, and socks.
He swore to himself as he looked around the room. He did not see any of the missing articles of clothing within its confines. "Why am I always half naked! Am I cursed? Did somebody curse me?" He rummaged around under Natsu's bed in a vain attempt to locate the clothing. "Blast it! Those were good threads too."
A fiery fist slammed down on his head. "Dammit Gray, shut up! Stop being so stupid and keep your clothes on!"
Gray's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Rising from the floor, he loomed over Natsu's sleeping form. Even in his sleep the man knew how to piss him off.
A dark scowl came across his face. "That's it, Natsu. It looks like Evangeline didn't beat you hard enough after all. Ice-Make: Hammer!"
Impressively, Natsu's resulting howls did not result in the sleeping man waking up in the slightest.
Happy sneezed as a familiar feeling coursed down his neck. The blue furred cat was sitting by a picturesque pond with a fishing rod held in both paws. It was a little slice of heaven in this strange world he found himself in, separated from his closest friends. But if his sneeze was any indication, his situation may have just changed for the better.
He took one paw off of it to wipe his nose. "Gray and Natsu are fighting again. I can feel it in my fur." He sneezed again as the feeling worsened. "And it's about something really stupid too."
He nodded his small head as the rod twitched in both paws. It looked as though something was biting. "Well, I'm sure that they'll be okay. I'll make sure to bring them plenty of fish when I see them again. Hopefully it doesn't take too long to find them now that they've finally gotten here. But first," he turned to the massive man standing beside him, wielding a fishing pole that could catch a Great White Shark. It was more than a little oversized for the pond. "I don't think that you're using the right pole. It's a little too big."
Silence greeted Happy's words. "Hey, are you listening to me?" The big man still did not reply, so Happy gave him a deadpan look. The man was as frustrating as Natsu. "You know, I don't think that you're very good at fishing."
This time Happy's words were greeted by a hearty chuckle. "Ha! I have no weaknesses. Not in fighting, not in loving, and definitely not in fishing. Watch and learn little cat man."
The man reached down with one giant hand and patted Happy on the head. The hand was probably twice the size of his entire body and rippled with muscles. The Exceed was flung to the ground as the moment it made contact with his body.
He grumbled to himself as the hand continued to slap his back in evident ignorance. "Why did I have to find someone as stupid as Natsu? Why am I cursed this way?"
The Exceed wailed in agony as the pats continued to fall. "Chaaaarle! Where are you?"
Charle sneezed as a shiver coursed down her spine. It curdled her toes in a decidedly unpleasant manner. A manner which could be caused by only one being in all of existence. "The Tom-cat is still alive! That means Wendy and the others must be okay as well!"
"Hey, you in the back, quiet down. Some of us are trying to take notes." The glares of her fellow students reminded Charle of her current location. Even the professor was looking in her direction with a single raised eyebrow.
Her fur rippled as she flushed. She wished that she was beyond this sort of thing, but she had a long way to go before she became a true mage. "Ah, I am sorry everyone. Please pay me no mind. I lost control and my powers activated for a moment."
The professor nodded. "I could sense it. There is no need to be embarrassed by it; your powers of divination are the strongest we've seen in at least two centuries. Your lack of control at this stage of learning is only to be expected."
With the matter settled to his satisfaction, the professor turned his back to her and continued to draw his sketch upon the blackboard. Carla sank into her chair as far as her tiny body allowed. The professor's words washed over her as he returned to his lecture.
"Now class, pay close attention to the structure I am drawing upon the board. Fizban's fifth rule of divination clearly states that there are only three way for mages to receive ordered visions. As you can see by the drawing I have just completed, I have detailed the method known as spirit binding. Open your books to page sixty-seven and read along as I explain its component parts."
Pages ruffled throughout the classroom as students dutifully followed his words. Carla would get the notes from her classmates sometime after class ended. Morning lessons on magical divination could wait. They meant as much to her at that moment as one of the snowflakes drifting outside her classroom's window.
All she could think of was a silly blue cat and the friends she had thought lost forever. Friends she would see again, even if she had to cross the entire world on her own two feet.
In the snow outside, a few brave tendrils of green poked their way towards the sun. Another wave of snow and ice began to bury their desperate icy grip of winter still lay thick upon the land.
Some distance away, three figures made their way across the snow covered land. Nondescript clothes covered their bodies as they trudged along. They wore cloaks of soft white wool, raised to protect their faces from the wind's chill bite.
The three were within the limits of a burned down village. Charred piles of wood marked the edges of an old road which had run through its center. Scorched stone from ancient walls and buildings littered the area. Stone felt the wounds of battle more deeply than anything else of the earth.
One of the figures grunted as their boots crunched in the white snow. This figure fidgeted uneasily as it moved within the deserted village. It had wandered with less purpose than the others, its head moving back forth as though it waged an internal argument. Snarled sounds that no human voice could make came from its shaded hood.
The other two figures conducted a precise search of the area. They would enter destroyed buildings, moving charred pieces of timber aside with the ease of a child playing with sticks. Items were unearthed from rubble and snow. Each was discarded upon inspection.
This pattern continued for nearly half a day. The sun, which had been rising in the sky upon their entrance to the village, was now setting. The darkness of a northern winter was settling on top of the land's snow blanket.
The first figure finally spoke as darkness approached. "Kyouka, you know I hate this stuff. Damn shit is too cold for me. I'm made for blowing things up, not trudging through the snow with you and Silver."
One of the others let out a grunt of amusement at their companion's speech, causing the first figure's head to whip around in the others direction. A flame crackled to life on the ground between the two. A flame that was quickly snuffed out by a gust of snow.
"Ah yes. I can't use my powers openly here, now can I?" The first continued. They raised a hand and pointed it at the figure who had grunted. "Because according to the almighty frozen asshole over there, doing that would be bad. And Silver is always right."
Frustrated, they dropped their hand and tried to kick the lone rock sticking up in the other figure's direction. However, it turned out the small stone was just the tip of a much larger piece of rock. The figure's hood fell down as they hopped in obvious pain. A snarl of agony twisted canine features into a demonic visage as the male figure began to scream in fury.
"Dammit! Everything in this entire goddamn world is trying to piss me off. Why can't I have gone looking for those frickin Fairy bastards or just stayed back at the base with Franmalth? Coming along 'just in case you're needed' is a waste of my time." The strange man ceased his jumping and pulled his hood back up with a jerking motion. "I was going to assassinate the entire magic council before we got dragged into this weird universe. And what do I get as compensation? A big pile of frozen shit and a half built base of operations. Son of a bitch this sucks!"
The third figure, a female by the cut of their cloak, opened her mouth to reply as they drew close to village's edge. The search pattern of the irate figure's companions had taken them out of the village's center and towards its edge.
He cut her off as he continued his rant. "And before you tell me to stop screaming, Kyouka, you know what? You can shut it. This is a complete and fucking waste of time. We should be kicking ass and taking names instead of working like lackey's for that white-haired bastard."
"If you feel that way then you should help us search, Jackal. If you did, we could be back to the other world much faster." the female said. Possessing a cultured voice, she left inhumanly clawed footprints in the snow. "Also, we are not working as lackey's. It is an alliance of convenience and nothing more."
The one named Jackal made a rude hand sign in her direction. "Fuck that." Spotting another item sticking up from the snow, he raised his foot to kick it as well. "Get ready to suck it, fool." A grin grew on his face as he took careful aim at Silver's back.
"Jackal. Hold! Do not move your foot." Kyoka's voice halted Jackal's kick.
A stream of angry words flew out of his mouth as he glared at her. "Shit Kyoka, really?"
"Yes Jackal. Really. Now move out of my way." She pushed him aside and knelt on the ground. Her hands gently removed the snow covering the object's surface. "Silver, come over here. Is this what we were asked to locate?"
The one named Silver stopped his own search. With a crunch of snow he padded over plucked the small blue bottle out of the snow. His hood fell down to reveal a dark-haired man with a strong jaw and weathered face.
Dark stubble moved as he grinned in satisfaction. "Heh. This looks like the thing alright. We're pretty lucky to have found it out here. My contact said it would most likely be located closer to the village's center." He gave a resonant chuckle and held it towards his talkative companion. "It's a good idea we brought you along, Jackal. Your boredom probably saved us a lot of extra searching."
Jackal backed away from the object as though it were made of acid. "Whatever, Silver. Just keep the damn thing away from me, alright? This world has some seriously messed up magic; figuring out how to adapt has been a pain and I don't feel like making it all a waste of my time."
Silver gave a resonant chuckle and tied the bottle to his belt with a leather thong. "And that, Jackal, is just one of the reasons why we can't yet use our magic openly. Magic here is tricky and subtle, just like this little bottle."
He then extended a hand to Kyoka that the lady used to haul herself upright. She brushed some of the snow from her form once she was fully upright. Flashes of a scaled body with claws for hands slipped through the cloak's concealment as she brushed. The reptilian body was at odds with her cultured voice.
"The day is approaching when we can move as we please, but today is not that day." The snow was removed in short order while a spot of dirt was scraped off by a single sharp claw. "Not until we have finished our reconnaissance and discovered a method to free Lord Zeref from his prison in this realm will we use our powers openly. There are too many factions that we still do not understand," a tsk of frustration escaped her mouth, "and despite our best efforts, we know the location of only a single Fairy."
The feminine monster turned a piercing stare upon Jackal, causing the male to scowl in annoyance. He had opened his mouth to respond but shut it with a click. It seemed as though he was subordinate to her authority. "Before you say anything; Jackal, remember this: the others remain unaccounted for and she is too powerful for us to take on without causing a scene. We will not make our move on her and risk antagonizing the powers of this world."
She patted Jackal's shoulder as she moved past the fox like man. "Have patience as we wait. All doors will open to us in time."
Jackal grumbled to himself but kept his voice down. With things settled, the three figures tightened their cloaks and set off the way they had come. All trace of their footprints were wiped away by the soft falling snow.
Next Time in Fairies of Negima: Natsu begins to settle into his new life in Mahora, Gray sets off on his journey, and Negi *gasp* actually teaches!
Pretty short update, I know, but it was somewhat of an experiment. I wanted to try a different style with Gray's flashback perspective... and it turned out to be rather difficult to write. I'm not sure if I'll be doing something like it again for quite a long time.
The stage is nearly set for the meat of my story. Important character relationships are now set among the protagonists, you've received a peek at how I am maneuvering one group of villains behind-the-scenes, and I've given clues as to the locations of quite a few Fairies. Next chapter will see the end of my prelude arc.
Finally, Negi's relationship poll will be closed upon the posting of my next story/chapter. Whichever one comes first.
Thanks per usual go to Raiyoukai for editing this chapter and helping me brainstorm. Things will appear in a Puff of magic later on ;-)
Until Next Time,
Elsil