WolfGear Presents: Negima? The mage and the Gunslinger
Pairings: Negi X ku-Fei Kaede X OC
Chapter 35: Festival arc-Present vs. future round 3-Marshals
I don't own Negima!
"I gotta say I'm diggin' the new threats Kaede." Jack said sensing the ninja's approach or was cowgirl now? He didn't know but man he was digging seeing her in those boots.
"You're terrible you know that, right?" She told him. "But you know being in jail does give you much more appeal."
Wrapping in each other's embrace they leaned their faces closer till they were only centimeters apart.
"Really, then I guess know is a good time to tell you I've been in jail before." Jack whispered before attacking Kaede's lips with his own. Things were getting pretty hot and heavy till a loud "uhm" interrupted them.
"Um could you please save this for later? We are kind of on a tight schedule." Negi said sighing at the lovers antics. Did they really have to do this now of all times? The light of the world tree wasn't going to be there forever and waiting 22 years for the next power surge wasn't really flexible.
Following the underground path way beneath the world tree the gang stared in awe as they entered the ruins, but they didn't get to enjoy the view for long as a mighty roar echoed above them.
"Dragon!" They all screamed in unison, pushing their legs to move faster as the red lizard closed in teeth bared.
"Kaede give me a hand! Negi you get that watch ready!" Jack ordered, while firing his pistol at the dragon, Kaede joined in as well, both fired and ran at the same time; their bullets deflecting harmlessly off the dragon's scales.
"Negi," Jack yells.
"I know! It's just a bit further!"
It seemed as if time slowed down, Negi and the others reached the center of the world tree's roots and quickly grabbed hands as the watch powered up. Not far behind Kaede and Jack ran towards them with the dragon hot on their heels. And just as it was about to release a breath of scorching fire they joined hands with Fuuka and Fumika and Negi activated the watch launching them through time just as the flames reached to where they stood.
Inside the time tunnel was a mixture of colors, faded pictures of events that happened in the week after magic was relieved, all bundled up and mixing into unrecognizable blobs. Then they were floating in mid-air.
"Holy Crap," Jack exclaimed as they descended towards they ground. The others were screaming bloody murder and Negi was barely conscious because of the power he used up charging the watch. This means he had to do something! "Um ok something to slow our fall. Hmm not sure I got something that can do that without heavy damage."
"Jack!"
"Ok, don't get your panties in a twist. Flare Bomb!" Jack yelled placing his hands forward summoning flames that acted like rockets slowing their descent. "Everyone grab on!" he ordered and they complied dog piling on Jack's back, till they reached the ground, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Alright we made it!" the girls celebrated till two "Thumps" gained their attention. On the ground lay Jack and Negi completely exhausted.
"Negi, Jack," Ku and Kaede rushed to their lover's side. Quickly they gathered them up and carried them to a more secluded area.
In the library the two mages slept peacefully on the coach as the girls held a consul to decide what to do next. And taking center stage was Kaede.
"Ok guys, we need to proceed with Negi-Bozou's plan. Setsuna and Konoka you go talk to the Dean. Tell him the situation and see to it that he offers his full support. Fuuka and Fumika you two will stay here and watch over Jack and Negi while they recover make sure no one interrupts them. In the meantime I and Ku will be preceding with the battle preparations. Everyone understand?" A collection of hai's responded. "Good, now everyone move out and remember the time watch is broken, so we'll only have one chance to fix things. Failure is not an option!"
"HAI!"
In the dean's office Konoka explained the situation. The Dean was surprised to say the least; he would have never expected such a thing to happen, at least during his time, but he was Dean of the school and a member of the elder consul. He could handle this, though how was another question.
"Thank you for telling me girls. Leave everything to us, now."
"Uh, not to be rude grandfather, but history already proved that you guys aren't enough. Besides Negi and Jack have a plan. They just need a little favor from you."
"Oh and what would that be?"
Setsuna stepped forward with a map of the world. "Jack wants you to open a portal here." She pointed at a small dot by the Mexican American border.
"That's…"
"Blackwater, Texas home to over 300 gun mages and thousands upon thousands of magical weaponry that even normal humans can use." The swordswoman grinned, she was amazed by Jack's cunning using the weaponry from the gun mages will be much better than going to the wizard home land. Plus they would get some extra support as well. "So are you in?"
"Yes, we'll have the portal ready in thirty minutes have Jack over to the abandon church by then. Good luck girls." The Dean encouraged, officially handing the reins over them. He believed now was a perfect time for the youngster to show what they got.
The two girls bowed, "thank you grandfather. We promise we won't let you down."
"I know, now I suggest you get moving the clock is ticking if you know what I mean." With that the girls left the Dean and Tōko to themselves.
"Are you sure it's wise to leave something this important to them, sir? I mean no disrespect, but this is a problem for the whole wizard world and we're leaving it the hand of children." Tōko said anxiously. She was a trained Shinmei sword master, yet she felt that it should her out there fighting Chao. Not some foreign wizard and his gun happy friend. Even if the two mention were the sons of two the most powerful beings ever recorded in history.
"Now, now Tōko-Chan. You need to have more faith in these youngsters. You may find yourself surprised by what you see." The Dean said didactically. "Enough of this small talk, we still have our own rolls to play remember."
Meanwhile a certain Ninja and martial artist made their way towards classes 3-A saloon café on a very important mission. Convince Ayaka to move the main event forward and change up the theme a little. Now the two girls had very different thoughts running through their head. Kaede was trying to think of a way to convince Ayaka go along with their plan. Other than a few occasions of a talk here and there, her and the blonde, weren't really close friends, so convincing her was going to be a challenge. Ku-Fei on the other hand was have completely different thoughts, a dummy she maybe, but even she knew the class rep had an unnatural affection for their ten year old teacher. An affection that she did not appreciate because the said ten year old was her boyfriend!
"So, Ku-Chan any ideas on how we convince the class rep to go along with this?" Kaede asked the blonde. When she looked over she swore she saw black thunder clouds floating around her as she gave Kaede and absolutely evil look.
"We could knock her out tie her up and throw her in a closest." Ku said malevolently.
"I don't see how that would help us." Kaede said nervously. She had never before seen this side of Ku. Normally the Chinese girl was always, so happy and didn't seem capable of such thoughts.
"Nothing, but It would make me feel better." Ku answered as she open the door.
Inside the classroom was madness as always, everybody was busy running around, and in the center of this chaos was the one and only second daughter of the Yukihiro group Ayaka Yukihiro, barking orders left and right, Her gaze focused at the two new comers with tense frustration that comes with being in charge.
"Were have you two been? We needed you guys here hours ago! Now hurry up and get to work!" She ordered, then turned away expecting them to comply like usual. But they were on a mission and would not be detoured, so when Ayaka felt the strong grip of Ku-Fei on her shoulder she quickly lost her usual attitude.
"Liston here Incho, we need you to do a little favor for us." Ku whispered to the heiress's ear. She still didn't like the fact that she was giving one of Negi's admirers leverage over him in the future, but figured that Incho was, so stupidly obsessed with him that she would never ask for anything in return. But so help her if she uses this to try and get a date with Negi they will never find the body.
"Negi-Sensei wants me to move the main event forward! If that is what my beloved desires then I shall use all my power to have it done! I'm off to make the arrangements now!" Ayaka declared flamboyantly before running off with speeds that could rival a cheetah.
"I very proud of you Ku-Chan for handling that with such maturity. I know it was hard." Kaede praised patting the martial artist on the back.
"Kaede I think that girl over there has a picture of Jack in the baths."
"What! I'll the little bitch!" Kaede raved tackling Yuna who just happen to actually have the said picture, which she acquired from Kazumi a few months back.
"Glad to see how mature you are when it comes to your boyfriend." Ku grin mischievously. After a few minutes she collected the still raging ninja, normally she would have let the fight go on, but they had schedule to keep.
At the abandon church, Jack after regaining his strength stood in the center of a large magic circle located in the basement. Beside him were Negi, Kaede, Ku-Fei, and the twins. (The latter two had stumbled across them on their way there, and wanted in on the action.) The Dean explained how the portal worked and told them that they only had 30 minutes before it closes.
"Good luck on you mission. We'll continue to do our part here." The dean said encouragingly.
"Don't worry old man. We'll be there and back just in time for dinner. Better have a few hundred extra plates though." Jack joked as the runes began to glow, then in a flash they were gone.
United States Blackwater, Texas
On the wide open pains of Texas long ranges of wild grass stretch across the land making an ocean of green. There wasn't an ounce of civilization around for miles just wild untamed land that thanks to certain group have been kept this way for over 100 years.
"Well we're here!" Jack yelled enthusiastically, it's good to be home. It's been a years since he last been back, not including the time travel thing.
The others however were just plain confused. All they saw was wide open country, not the supposed legendary town of the gun mage's.
"So, this is where you live Jack? There's nothing here." Fuuka stated pessimistically. Fumika agreed alongside her, they wondered if they end up in the wrong place.
Negi step forward, if he remembered right the entrance should be…here! "Don't always count on what you see girls, especially with wizards." He said whimsically, touching what seemed like open air but then water like ripples appeared and he leading them by the hand he dragged them through the barrier. "Here we are girls, welcome to Blackwater."
They were amazed. It was like stepping back in time. The town its self was made of brick and a combination of compel stone and gravel streets. The building that made up main street were made of red brick and wood at the end of the street in the square was the bank a two story building made of brick and painted white, parallel to that was the sheriff's office three stories tall and made of red brick like most of the town, and in-between the two was the town hall made of white marble with a dome roof and pillars. In the center was a gazebo surrounded by a small park.
At a first glance Blackwater looked like a nice place to live. That was until you saw the locals. Harden killers, living everyday by the grit of their teeth and the sweat on their backs, and distrustful of outsiders.
They weren't even a foot into town when every gun in the vicinity was pointed at them, locked and loaded. Every held their hands up in surrender, well everyone except Jack, who strode towards the crowd. Pulling the flap of his duster back to reveal his guns, then drew them with inestimable speeds.
"All right that's enough of that you pieces of shit! If you don't want some extra lead in your diet I would suggest you holster you iron." He ordered the townsfolk. Seriously you would think that they would at least remember him, and if they didn't they could be reminded by his bullet piecing their skull.
But the townsfolk still kept their sights trained on the cowboy. They could tell from his clothes that he was a Gunslinger, but that doesn't mean they're willing to trust him just because of that. Anyone could get some guns and a Duster coat anywhere in today's world.
"All of you settle down, I don't want to clean up your blood stains this early in the day." A voice called out. A man around 40 years of age, wearing a white ranch shirt with a brown vest and pants, and a silver star pinned to his chest walked out into the street. Instantly the townsfolk holster their guns, there was no way they were tangling with the marshal over some strangers.
The marshal stepped towards the group, lighting a cigar as he inspected them with a keen eye then nodded. "I gotta say Jack you got quite the collection of girls here. Your father would be proud."
"Shut it marshal. I didn't come here to be patronized by you." Jack retorted angry. He was starting to wonder why he thought it was a good idea to seek help from this basterds, doing the greater good sucks sometimes.
The marshal laughed, it was good to have the kid back, "So what do you want here Jack? I'm serious now; I don't want any trouble here." The marshal said lead them down street, now that the marshal had them in his care the others simply ignored them, and went about their business.
"Nothing much," Jack said. "Just here to pick up some weapons and maybe some men for a little battle that's about to take place."
"Sounds interesting, how many you need?"
"Enough to hold off 2500 robots for a bit, you nothing big," Jack said off handedly. The marshal however didn't think the same.
"2500! What fucken kind of small problem is that! That's more then all our members in the country! And you want to fight them head on! Who do you think you are George Custard?" The marshal yelled distressed, he was really getting to old to keep up with these youngsters and their crazy ideas.
Knowing the Marshal like he did, Jack decided to cut the man a break. "At least give us the weapons. The rest is volunteering, they don't have to come if they don't want to, but I think after hearing what I say everybody will be gun ho."
"That's what I'm afraid of." The marshal sighed, but none the less gave orders to his deputes, who were nearby to start getting the weapons ready as well as gather everybody in the center of town. "I just hope that this doesn't blow up in our face."
"Trust me; this is one time changing event that even you will want in on." Jack smirked.
In the center of town all the residence of Blackwater gathered together at least in body as most of them were already drunk even those it still a few hours before noon. And standing on the stares of the court house was Jack, ready to motivate into doing whatever he wanted. It was just like Rubi told him before. Blackwater loves freedom and isolation, they to take one away and you got your self an army of angry gunslingers.
"People of Blackwater shut the fuck up and listen, my name is Jack McCoy, and I got some news to tell ya. Over in Japan there's a girl by the name of Chao Lingshin and she wants to expose magic to the world." A buss of conversation broke out from the crowd, Jack wait a minute before raising his hand for silence. "I know some of you are thinking what does this have to do with us, right? Well let me lay it out for you. If magic is exposed then those higher class wizards will demand that we open our doors them. Eventually every wizard not wanting to deal with the morals will be coming to our towns and with that they will start to change things to their benefits and someday some idiot will lead the humans here and that will be the end of our culture, our history, of everything that our fathers and fore fathers fought and died for and it's all because some girl thought it would help some people in a long distant future live better lives! Now I'm not saying that's bad, but what about the live here is it right to destroy the live of today for those of tomorrow? For people who don't even exist yet? I say no! What do you say?"
"No…" The people whispered
"What was that?" He asked holding a hand to his ear.
"NO!" They replied with more vigor.
"Well what are you going to do about it?" He asked.
"Fight!"
"That's right! We will show here that you don't mess people freedom. Send the word we ride for Mahora!"
"Yeah!"
In the back of the crowd the marshal gave a nod to the telegraph operator. The thin man went to work tapping the small device sending word out to the rest of the Gunslinger towns.
Deadwood, South Dakota
"Marshal, Marshal Hickok! You have a message!" A boy yelled as he ran through the street towards a long haired man with a thick handle bar mustache sitting on the porch of the jail with a keg of whisky beside him.
James Hickok Marshal of Deadwood, age 39, peered out from under his hat and addressed the boy, "What is it?" he demanded gruffly. "Can't you see I'm busy?"
"Yes, sir, I'm sorry," the boy shuttered. "But the message arrived from Blackwater via telegraph and it's…"
"Blackwater," James questioned cutting the boy off. What did they want? "Read it boy, and leave the 'stop crap' out of it."
"Yes sir!"
Message
From Marshal Wesley Harden
Hickok trouble is brewing in a place called Mahora academy in Japan. You know the one with old Konoe running the show. Anyway that McCoy Kid came by and told me that a girl named Chao Lingshin is planning to expose magic. You and I know that will be nothing but trouble, so if you're in gather up as many men as you can and be ready for a war.
End of message
Taking a swig of whisky James glared down at the boy. "Well what are you waitin' for boy? Spread the word. We're going to Japan!"
"Yes, sir!"
Dodge City, Kanas
Marshal Stapp Earp, age 33, sat lazy in his office chair, polishing his guns, when his brother Walter Earp, age 30, entered the room waving a piece of paper in the air.
"Hey, brother those guys from Blackwater are calling for a posse to head to Konoe's place in Japan." He said cheerfully. Things have been a little boring as of late and the younger Earp brother was itching for a fight.
Stapp just held his hand up, signaling for Walter to hand over the paper, he did so eagerly. After read the message, Stapp crumbled it up and through it in the trash, then stood and walked over to the gun rack.
"So we going or not," Walter asked just as his brother through a rifle into his hands.
"What do you think?" He smirked.
Fort summers, New Mexico
Marshal Henry "The kid" McCarty, age 21, awoke from his sleep on the prison bed, after a night of drinking and sexual flocking with the local prostitutes, (They were still sleeping next to him)he heard the angry yells of Kitty Stables, the beautiful half Mexican telegraph lady.
"Henry wake up and do your job!" She yelled angry still pounding at the door. Still have a sleep Henry pulled on his pants and gun belt and answered the door.
"What do you want it still early?" He complained, rubbing the sleep from his blue eyes, his brown hair had a nasty crow's nest in the back.
"It's a quarter to 10'" She told him, looking digested.
"So?"
Kitty sighed, and handed over the letter. It wasn't worth the effort. "Whatever. A message arrived from Blackwater. They want you to gather up as many men as you can and be ready to ride."
"I see that, sounds like a fun time! Now how about you and I get some breakfast while the boys get ready?" He suggested, wrapping his arm around hers and leading her towards the restaurant, still shirtless. He could tell the boys to get ready along the way, he reasoned, after he got rid of his hangover and the little tent between his legs. He was sure kitty could help with that last one.
Glenwood Springs, Colorado
Marshal/Doctor Wyatt "Doc" Holliday, age 36, was busy patching up a bullet wound on a patient, when his 15 year old nurse Rachael Long, arrived at the office with a letter.
"Marshal…"
"It's Doctor at this moment Rachael, please continue." He interrupted, while remaining focus on bandaging the wound.
"Yes of coarse Doctor. A letter from Mr. Hardin came for you via telegraph. They say it is urgent!" She exclaimed. Having read the letter herself she knew it was very important, but she also knew better then to try and pull the Doctor away from a patient.
"Yes, and so is this. I'll get to it in a minute." He said calmly, finishing wrapping the bandage. "Alright let's see." Wyatt said reading the letter.
"Hmm this is very urgent in deed. Rachael please fetch my gun and badge for me, oh and get someone to gather up some fighting men. I'll be leaving for Blackwater in twenty minutes, so please have everything ready by then."
"Yes, Doctor."
"It's Marshal now, Rachael."
Back in Blackwater things were really moving as everybody locked and loaded. Crate loads of weapons were being hauled out into the open terrain as they waited for the arrival of the others.
"Get ready guys, you're about to see something that hasn't happen in over a 100 years."
"What's that Jack?" The twins asked curiously, but it was the marshal who answered.
"The gathering of the Greatest Gunslingers the world as ever seen," he said, just as multiple circles of light appeared and dropped of hundreds of men and woman dress as cowboys. In the front of each group were four men with silver stars pinned to their shirts. Engraved on the stars was one word.
"Marshal."