WolfGear Presents: Negima? The mage and the Gunslinger
Pairings: Negi X ku-Fei Kaede X OC
Chapter twenty: Festival part 10-bukokai tournament: Phantoms' of the future
I don't own Negima!
Quote
"A risk is never too great if it's for your love one's," By Jakku
After Jack had been declared the winner, he carried Rubi bridal style to the aid station, were Konoka worked daintily to heal the mercenary. Well there were some serious injuries, none of them were life threatening. Making Sayo breathe a sigh of relief knowing her new mother was going to be fine. Jack ushered the others out of the room, so the two could have some privacy. It wasn't that he didn't care about his aunt's condition; it's just the fact that he's seen Rubi come home in worse condition numerous times before.
When the door shut, Rubi opens a single eye making sure they were gone than looks up at Sayo. "They gone," she asks the former ghost. She receives a nod. "Good now we can get to work." Throwing of the covers, reveals that most of Rubi's injuries were nothing more than bruises now thanks to Konoka's excellent healing abilities.
"You know what to go right?" The mercenary asks the former ghost as she pulls on her mission clothes, a pair of cameo Jeans, with her favorite leather Jacket and trusty pistols by her side, along with her sword which hung on her back. "Good, you take care of the upper levels well I take care of the underground."
Sayo nods in understanding and phases into the wall disappearing from site. She had found out earlier that she retained all of her abilities as a ghost and after overhearing about the Dean's request to the her adoptive mother, she begged her to let her help knowing her abilities would be very useful for gathering information.
Rubi had reluctantly agreed to let the girl help her, but caved after looking into those big amber eyes. But she had made Sayo promise that she wouldn't do anything dangerous just go in, listen in on the targets plans than get out. In the mean time she would be investigating the underground passages.
As the two went on their mission, Negi and the group stood of to the side to watch the workers clear away the remains of the arena. It was so badly damaged that they had no choice but to fly in a replacement.
"Really, Jack did you have to completely destroy it." Negi said dryly. Really, was it some much to ask for a little restraint? It's like Jack's very existence is to cause mayhem. Looking over to see Jack holding Kaede in a loving embrace made him rephrase his earlier statement. He did after all cause his fair share of property damage too. Ku-Fei steps into his peripherals, since there was still plenty of time before the arena was finished, so he might as well enjoy the break with his girlfriend.
Chao works silently as she rearranges the wiring in Jakku's arm. It appeared that the circuitry had been fried by a strong jolt of electricity causing the arm to malfunction and eventually shut down. As she worked though she began to wonder how the stranger lost his arm in the first place. From his aura he was by no means weak, so whatever had down this to him had to be especially dangerous.
"Dragons' nest," Jakku said snapping the scientist back to reality. "You're wondering how I lost my arm. I can tell but the look on your face. You always get it when you want to ask a question."
"You make it sound like we know each other," Chao replied well she uses a small wielding torch to replace the metal rods in the forearm. It would be a few more minute before she finished, so she might as well try to figure out what the man's true identity is. She did feel a small bit of familiarity with the man but was unable to pinpoint it.
"Well…you could say we've met on a few times in the past…or future."
This causes the Martian to pause and stare at the older man, racking her brain for any time in the future when she had seen him, but came up blank.
"Don't stain yourself with remembering. You were pretty young when we first met, probably only about three or four years old, so it's understandable that you don't remember me." He said. "Coarse maybe the trauma of that day made you forget it completely."
"Trauma?" she questioned. Thinking back she tried to remember anything from her childhood, but it felt like there was a wall there blocking her memories. Her head stared to ache as she tried to dig deeper but the pain was too much and she dropped the tools in her hands and held her head with her hands was the pain become greater and greater.
"Here let me help you with that." Jakku said. Placing his index finger to the distressed girl's forehead, the pain in her head faded away as quickly as it came. It felt like a fog had lifted as new memories flashed through Chao's mind. Images of her standing behind her grandmother's leg as a she greeted a stranger at the door, the man was the same one that sat before her now, only he was unscarred and still had his left arm.
Chao's memories
"What a pleasant surprise," Chao's grandmother said greeting the man at the door as a four year old Chao hid behind her leg, too shy to greet the stranger despite how many time her grandparent's told her it was rude not to say hello. "So, what are you calling yourself now hmmm? Honesty I don't know why you feel the need to hide you identity Ja…"
"Jakku," The man said tipping his hat. He sees the little form hiding behind his old friend's leg. "I take it this is the one, Fei?" He asked kneeing down to get a closer look at the child. He tries to pat her head but hesitates looking to Fei for help. The woman just nods her head encouraging the man to proceed.
Chao feels the gloved hand ruffle through her hair and pull away leaving the once straight hair in a mess of tangles. Fei laughs at her old friend's actions knowing the man always felt a little strange around kids but she wanted her granddaughter to get to know him even if it was just a little.
"Chao dear, how about you go play outside with Jakku-san for a while." Fei suggested as she pushed the young girl towards the black clad man, "And don't worry, he may look grumpy but he's just a big softy."
Jakku frowned at the term Fei used to describe him, "big softy" was not what most would associate him as coarse he did have a soft spot for kids. If his own were still little tikes, he would have spent the whole day with them, but they were all grown up now; living their own lives and too busy to visit their father. Then one day Fei calls him and tells him to come and visit her saying he should meet her grandchild. He knew that when she was "asking" him to visit, it really meant, come over or I'll skin you. So here he was walking through the forests of the magic world with a four year old girl that he was supposed to watch for who knows how long.
Chao and Jakku had taken a break on a flat platform looking over a large rocky area were dragon's where known to nest. But that didn't worry him as most dragon only attack if provoked and he could easily handle one or two dragons by himself.
After the two had eaten the lunch Fei had made for them, Jakku made found a comfortable place to sit against a nearby tree and watched Chao chase around a butterfly making sure she kept away for the edge. He signed as he relaxed his body, he was about sixty now and age was really starting to catch up with him, thought thanks to his magic he looked and felt only about fifty. He let his eye's flutter shut for a moment then open them to see that Chao was gone! Franticly he rushed to the last place he saw her. A hole was there one of the many that connected to the various caves below.
"Dammit!" He yelled jumping down the hole, his heart pounding in his chest. All caves around here belong to dragons and it was the hibernation period for them, but they would wake to the slightest of sounds, such as the sound of a screaming child.
Chao picked herself up of the hard stone ground, it was dark, and there were weird noses that echoed all around her. She started to sob, crying out for anybody to help her. Instead to was met with the vicious glare of a full grown dragon! Quickly she covered her mouth to quiet her screams but it was too late as the dragon awoke from its slumber. Angry at being awaken it roared making its kin wake as well! Slowly one by one the dragon woke till she could count at least twenty of them!
Now Chao was sobbing loudly as the scaled beast approached her with their fangs posed to rip her to bits. She held her hands in front of her and shut her eyes and waited for death. But it never came as she opened her eyes she saw the man that was watching her standing in front of her with his left arm in the dragons mouth.
"Sorry, beastie but this one isn't for sacking!" He growled as flames exploded from the dragon's body turning it to ash. The other dragons angry about the death of their kin attack the man with streams of red hot flames, but they did nothing as Jakku placed a barrier in front of him stopping the flames cold.
"Don't worry little one. I'll have you home soon, so just wait a bit longer." Jakku said between harsh breaths. His left arm was gone from the elbow down but his right arm would be enough.
She didn't know when it happened but she fell asleep and when she woke up she was being carried by Jakku who had her cradled in the crook of his remaining arm. She took notice that of the long stream of blood that tickled down the left side of his face and the sleeve of his jacket that flapped in the wind.
"Go back to sleep, we're almost there." And she did, the next time she woke up she was lying in her bed safe and sound with her grandmother watching over her; she never saw Jakku after that day again.
End of Chao's memories
"I'm the reason you lost your arm and eye!" Chao exclaims. She was truly surprised. She wondered what happened to the man after that, but now that she thought about she saw faint images of him throughout her life always watching over her and when her grandparents died, she always felt like someone was watching over her.
"Yes, but it really was more of my own foolishness and pride. If I was being reasonable I would have teleported us out of there, but no, I had to try and prove I wasn't as old as I thought I was." He grumbles. "You about done, fixing my arm?"
"Yeah, just a few more adjustments," she chirps as she finished the last wield, and then replaces the metal skin over the exposed parts. "There that should do it." Jakku flexes his mechanic limb, testing each motion to make sure everything was in proper order.
"Good, very good, I guess I own you a thank you." He said. "I think I'll leave you with a little bit of information for you troubles." He motions Chao closer so he can whisper into her ear. "Don't worry about the future. It may not seem like it but things have already started to change for better or for worse." With that he disappears as mysteriously as he appeared leaving behind an old leather bond book. Chao picks it up and reads the title: Your new family tree.
Jack walks aimlessly around the festival grounds that surround the tournament grounds with Kaede and the twins in tow. They had announced that it would take at least an hour to replace the arena so he decides to go enjoy the festival with his love ones, figuring they could use a break from all the fighting. Behind him the twin's munch happy on the cotton candy well he and Kaede held each other's hands enjoying the moment.
"Hey look at that!" Fuuka points to a couples dance competition, "Hey why don't you two enter it not like you have to fight right away again Jack." Fumika states as Fuuka nods in agreement.
"That's true but we would be missing Negi-sensei's match and possibility Setsuna-Chan's as well." Kaede said. It wasn't that she didn't want to dance with Jack, it just didn't seem right to skip out on their friends matches like that.
"Well, I doubt Negi or Setsuna would care, and even if we do miss their matches we can always use the watch you know." Jack said pulling Kaede with him towards the sign up booth, surprisingly they also saw Negi and Ku-Fei there as well, who had the same idea as them.
"Watch," Jack says.
"Watch," Negi replies.
It only took five minutes to get to the front of the line. The dance contest was located away from most of the festival, so there weren't that many contests or maybe not enough couples with the courage to dance in front of a crowd. Which one it was neither Jack nor Negi knew.
The contestants stood in line in front of the gathered crowd, the announcer stood, microphone in hand he announces their names to the crowds. "Our first couple is Setsu and Kono these two have just recently gotten together. Let's see if their love blooms tonight under the spot light!" Hearing the names Jack, Kaede, Negi and Ku-Fei look over to see a very slim blue haired person bearing very similar characteristics to Setsuna and a Brown haired girl that was obsessively Konoka in disguise. Everybody quickly came to the conclusion that it was indeed Setsuna and Konoka. More than likely Konoka saw them enter and then begged Setsuna to be her partner, leading to where they were now.
"Next we have a bit of an age difference between the two but they make it work. I present Kataro and Natsumi!" Once again they look over to see it is indeed their Natsumi and Kataro and they are, Kataro nervously held Natsumi's hand, well the girl in question is surprisingly calm most likely thanks to her time in the drama club. "Now we have a bit older couple and happy married, Jakku and Kae!"
Jakku held his wife's hand as the crowd cheers from them. He was glad his wife had traveled back with him, now that his job was over they could enjoy some time together once again. To him Kae was still the most beautiful woman live even with her hair faded gray and her skin wasn't as youthful as it once was she was still very fit for a sixty year old grandma, coarse thanks their bond she only looks about in her forties still. Both husband and wife looks over to a certain cowboy and ninja, ha what great thing to be young.
As the announcer introduce them to the crowd Kaede, takes a closer look to the older couple, there was familiar feeling about them. Kae turns her head so the two are looking eye to eye or closed eye to eye as both kept their halfway shut.
"Hello dear, I hope you're not embarrassed to be dancing with us old folks." Kae said to the ninja with a big simile motherly simile. Kaede for some unknown reason blushed in embarrassment though she wasn't sure what she was embarrassed about. There was no time to think as the announcer finished introducing them and the music started to play.
The first song was a fast yet slow song. The dancers twilled and spun their way around the dance floor moving with grace and dexterity or at least some did. Due to Kataro's shorter height he found himself doing the moves normally reserved for the females and the fact greatly embarrassed him, so much that it causes him to lose his footing and trip disqualifying them. Natsumi just chucks and help him off the floor thanking him for trying.
The Second song was much a much faster tempo version of a waltz. Making the dancers move at such a pace that one wrong step would have them on the floor in no time. Most expect the older couple to be the ones eliminated this round but to the crowds surprise the older folks had no trouble keeping the pace in fact they wished it would move faster, in the end though it was Setsu and Kono ended up being eliminated on account of too much twirling, making both dancers too dizzy to even stand.
The third round was much more difficult than the first two. This time the mix changed in the middle of the song from fast to slow, from classical to rock. It was a stressful yet fun event. But alas all things come to an end as Negi tripped over his own feet was the song when from slow to fast to slow then fast eventually he was unable to keep up and fell, but luckily Ku-Fei caught him in time before he hit the floor, though they were eliminated.
The fourth round the most gurgling round yet as the dancers change dance style, speed, and positions instantaneously; it was like Dance Dance revolution times ten! Jack spun Kaede under his arm, then trots across the floor preforming very spins and side steps. It was the first time they had dance and they were doing pretty damn good. He looks over to see their opponents doing some very complex and very up class moves. Both Kaede and Jack stopped in the middle of the dance to see what he old folks were doing. Jakku had launched Kae into the air, the old woman did a series of flips and twist that many didn't think someone her age could do, and then Jakku caught his wife and held her on his shoulder. The crowd went wild at the display. Jack and Kaede clap along with them, even though they could do that and more they decide to give the older couple the victory.
The announcer hands the trophy to the couple; the winners bow to the crowd and shake hands with their opponents. Discretely the older pair wink at the young couple and tell them they'll be late to their friends match if they don't hurry. The two run off dragging the twins with them as they hurried back to the arena.