"I believe that's all we need!" Negi had finished packing his bags in preperation for the Magical World "trip".
Spring break just rolled around, of which everyone was hoping to have a peaceful vacation. No such luck.
Matt picked up his bag, zipping it shut.
"You're finally ready? Took you an hour. Not including those small breaks you had."
"I had to make sure everything was in there!" Negi was grabbing for the bag, which Matt put over his head.
"Let the twerp have his bag back!"
Matt turned around, to see Evangeline standing there.
"Yes, master." He returned the bag, and Negi stuck out his tongue at him.
Childish little...
Walking outside of Negi's apartment, and heading to the train station, noticed the rest of Negi's new group.
"The New Ala Alba!" Asuna was jumping with excitement.
Alongside her were Kotarou, Setsuna, and Chisame. They, too, were packed and ready to go.
"Is this everyone?" Kotarou massaged his shoulders, finally able to rid the fact that he had been taking those age pills for nearly half a year.
"Yes, I believe so." Fate was right next to him!
"Uhm, Fate-sama..."
"Yes?"
"I don't believe you were invited to go on this-" Fate stopped Negi.
"My assistance is, indeed, required on this 'field trip.' I'm one of your strongest forces."
"That's debatable..." Kotarou turned away from Fate, who gave him a punch in the back of the head.
"Will it really be okay leaving Ojou-sama behind?" Setsuna was pondering whether or not to bring her along.
"She's not involved in this, is she?" Chisame pondered too. "Then she has no reason to come with us."
"Right. We even had to reject Nodoka and Yue. They have no purpose for this trip." Setsuna picked up her sword, and went to talk with Matt.
"... Why am I here, again?" Chisame began drawing on the floor with her right foot.
"Chisame!" Negi was running towards her.
Right. That's why, Chisame thought.
"Are you ready?" Chisame gave the brat a look, and after scrubbing his hair, messing it to and fro, she started walking towards the group.
"Of course, sensei."
"Master," Matt started, "How are you able to leave school grounds? I thought there was that curse put on you by Nagi..."
"Why, correct, boyo. Surprised you know such a thing. See, the dean is constantly signing papers as we speak, allowing me off school grounds for... a 'field trip.'"
Matt felt bad for the old man. He was reaching his olden days, and still had to do tough work.
"Matt!" Matt turned around, seeing Setsuna. His heart filled instantaneously.
"Y-yeah?" She ran up to him, giving him a hug.
"You guys took too long!"
"Sorry. Negi had to pack some important things for the trip." He turned his head, devil-like, at Negi. He was chatting with Chisame, but knew immediately that Matt was staring. He felt the tension in his stare, and after shuddering for a split second, went back to talking with Chisame.
"He's really psyched about this trip. Who knows, maybe Nogi won't follow us, after all. It'll be like a real vacation with all of my friends!"
"Yeah..." Setsuna remembered the trip she once went to with Konoka. Memories filled of the awkward, yet relaxing situations they were both put in. She filled with steam.
After a very long train ride, and an even longer plane ride, they finally ended up in Wales! Although Anya and Nekane were suspicious about why Negi was returning to the Magical World, they happily let Negi do what he pleased.
They made it to the portal leading to the Magical World, which Matt was very interested about. It was the first time in a while that he saw something truly magnificent, much like Evangeline's training area.
Entering, Negi and friends found it astonishing that nothing much had changed. People were still living, of course. Civilization was still thriving, and they all seemed to be at peace.
"Whew!" Kotarou took a breath out. "We finally made it!"
"It feels weird to be back... I wonder how our friends here are doing?" Chisame turned to Negi, who looked how he looked when he first arrived; amazed.
"This..." Matt felt the ground. "I miss this." He stood up, and after looking around, turned to Setsuna. Her skin shined in the sunlight, which made her look beautiful. Matt was flustered. When she turned her head to look at him, he immediately filled with embarassment and looked away.
"I wonder if 'he' is here." Fate scanned the area carefully. He sensed nothing.
"Doubt it! I mean, look at this place!" Asuna put her arms out, breathing in the fresh air.
"It looks so peaceful here! There's no way he could be here!"
Fate's eyes rolled and set on Asuna's expressful face.
"I suppose so."
"Negi!" Matt walked up to him. "What's our first order of business?"
"Well," Negi started, "our first task is to find out if anyone else knows about this 'Nogi' figure."
"Yes, sensei!" All of Negi's young, energetic students went off to ask the locals about Nogi.
"He's about this tall, looks like this boy?" Asuna held up a photo of Negi, in his pajamas sleeping. Negi snatched the photo away from her hands and hit her with his staff.
"You little!-"
"Long-ish hair, sort of a dark aura around him?" Matt had no luck. Setsuna was behind him the whole time, following in his footsteps and often accidentally asking the people who Matt had already asked.
"I know you're there." Setsuna jumped and went another direction.
Finally, after hours of asking, they all met up to gather their info together.
"Did you guys find anything?" Matt sat back on the ground, and Kotarou followed. Negi wanted to, but kept his posture.
"No..." Asuna put her head down.
"Not a tiny bit." Chisame turned her head away.
"They don't know of his existence." Fate sat down next to Matt.
"Everyone kept running away from me!" Evangeline said, pouting. "They kept calling me the 'Lord of the Darkness' or whatever. Bunch of idiots, if you ask me."
"Not a single hint?" Negi looked disappointed. He was expecting something to happen.
"Maybe we should ask Jack Rakan if he knows anything!" Setsuna snapped, and Negi beamed with approval.
"Okay wait. Who the hell is this Jack Rakan?!" Matt was still frustrated, trying to find out who this man in particular was.
In a blink of an eye, time stopped.
The people were no longer walking, no longer talking. The trees no longer flowed with the breeze. In fact, there wasn't even a breeze.
"What the?!-"
"So, you thought it'd be smart to just waltz into this world and find out who I am?"
"Where's that voice coming from?!" Matt readied his magic, and so did Negi. Setsuna unsheathed her sword.
"You really are just a bunch of fools."
Suddenly, dark magic crystals fly from everywhere! They seem to be flying through the civilians and trees that are trapped in limbo.
Matt shot each crystal, changing its course. However, one finally got through his magic and hit his leg! Another hit him in the lower sternum, making Matt cough out blood.
"Matt!" Setsuna jumped to his aid, blocking the crystals with her sword.
"You aren't fighting all of us, Nogi." Evangeline started. "Why pick on the American when you can fight the strongest, truest dark magic user in the universe?"
"Because, I want to make him suffer first."
The crystals expand in size, creating a huge hole in Matt's leg and sternum. Although Matt felt himself dying from the inside out, he dashed towards the nearest area where he heard his voice.
"Too slow." Nogi hits Matt, square in the face, blowing him back to the ground.
"Lumos!" Negi shined light in the air, pushing back Nogi slightly.
"Ahh, you brought him too. Perfect."
"Defeating us won't be this easy! Kotarou, Setsuna, you need to treat Matt's wounds. We'll hold him off!" Negi turned around, readying a spell. Evangeline stood by him, chanting the same words.
"Fate!" Asuna turned to Fate, who was taking on clones of Nogi by himself.
"You idiot! We fight as a team!" She ran towards him, taking out a few clones before saving Chisame from one.
"Thanks..."
"No problem!" Asuna's hair "twitched".
"It's her."
Suddenly, Asuna was frozen in time as well!
"We'll just put this on you." Clones of Nogi swarmed over Asuna, seeming to sew something into her, like a patch on a part of clothing.
"Let go of her!" Chisame pounded on the backs of one of the clones, who immediately pushed her away. Fate caught her as she was falling.
"Thanks..."
"All you say is thanks." Fate said. "Try something else."
Standing, Chisame had an idea.
"Fate! Blast them away with your magic!"
"That will only make more of them."
"Only to get them off Asuna! We have to escape with her while we still can!"
Fate looked over at Negi and Evangeline, who were fighting with other Nogi clones.
"Which one is the real one?!" Negi tried to focus his magic on creating splash damage, but there were too many clones to focus.
Suddenly, a clone hits Negi in the leg with a crystal!
"Boyo!" Evangeline takes a deep breath, and blows out heavily, creating a sort of protection field around them.
"This won't last long! Get up!"
"Matt!" Kotarou was trying to wake him up. In the short four minutes, Matt was bleeding heavily and was unconcious.
"Matt! Don't you die on me now!" He tried pulling out the crystals, which seemed to make the wound even worse. Setsuna was trying her best to keep off the clones.
"Kotarou! We have to escape!"
"How?! We can't leave Matt here!"
Slicing a clone, Setsuna gave Kotarou a bottle.
"What's this?"
"Just take one, and pick him up!"
They were age-decieving pills.
Negi and Evangeline stood as the clones were overwhelming the force field. Defeating them only created more.
Finally, Negi was able to see out of the it, and saw what he couldn't believe.
Matt was being carried by a 17 year old Kotarou, and Setsuna was following close behind him.
"Negi!" Kotarou tried to call to him.
"We'll catch up later!" They disappeared into the western part of the woods, and Negi could do nothing but look on in horror.
He then turned his head, to the other group.
Asuna had recovered, just barely. However, the clones were able to hit her without their magical bodies disappearing. Fate took them out and turned to Negi. He could see his eyes, but his eyes only.
Everything was too loud now to hear, but Negi managed to make out Fate's sentence.
"We are retreating. Try to stay in the city. We will all meet up again."
Then, without looking back, Fate, Asuna, and Chisame escaped into the eastern part of the woods.
Negi then sank down to the floor, as Evangeline tried her best to keep the field up.
"Boyo! Find us a way out of here!"
Negi blocked out any voices from the outside, and focused intensely.
Suddenly, Negi activated his Magia Erebea.
The hour of the battle was finally over, and Negi looked on in the mess. There was none.
Nogi had disappeared. Everything was moving again. The battle grounds had already been recovered. And although Negi felt at peace, he knew Nogi was still around.
"Master," Negi started, "we have to hide in the city."
"I don't think we have any other choice." Evangeline looked around, and found a nearby clothing store.
Coming outside, Negi and Evangeline had completely changed appearance, taking age-decieving pills to cover their young complexions.
Negi said nothing, although Evangeline knew exactly what he was thinking.
We're scattered, all of us. Nogi could be anywhere. So we can't go anywhere.
After a long draw of silence, Evangeline spoke up.
"What do we do now?" Negi tried to start, but couldn't come up with a valid answer.
"I don't know..."
Hey everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Things really got heated, huh?
I'll be completely honest, I don't know much about the magical spells in Negima!, so I'm just sort of winging it and making my own spells. I hope you all don't mind...
Anyways! Favorite and Review! If you want, that is. I suggest it.
Next Time! :Matt and his group, scattered from their other friends, find themselves at the doorstep of
"The Man Who Cannot Die"!
Separated