Mahou Sensei Negima! Fan Fiction ❯ Miscalculation ❯ Chapter 10

“Uh, Natsumi, wouldn't it be better to have Chizu-nee do this with you than me?” asked Kotaro, a little nervously.

 

“No,” said Natsumi, resolutely keeping her face turned away from him. “I need a man's opinion, and Chizu-nee isn't a man,” she explained. Kotaro wasn't convinced, but the argument had a certain amount of reason in it, and he wasn't sure how to argue the point.

 

“I guess,” he said reluctantly. His ears caught the salesgirls whispering about him, and the looks from the other shoppers were irritating him. His tail twitched, the only physical sign of his irritation; if one disregarded the occasional surly glances he gave the staff and other customers. Being the only male in a store is uncomfortable, he thought sourly. “But, why me, Natsumi?” he pressed. “Negi would have been a better choice,” he shamelessly threw his friend under the bus, hoping that he could distract Natsumi long enough to escape. And if it means that Negi is trapped in this hell, well…I can live with that, he grinned evilly at the thought.

 

“You…don't want to be around me?” asked Natsumi quietly. Kotaro, his thoughts of escaping by sacrificing Negi disrupted, focused on the girl.

 

“Uh, no, I didn't say that,” he replied carefully. “I just said…” he tried again. Natsumi turned to look at him, her eyes shiny with tears and her chin quivering.

 

“You said I should have asked Negi,” she said, “which means you don't want to help me!”

 

Behind his back, he could hear the whispering again from the salesgirls, and the looks from the nearest shoppers were stiffly disapproving. Gritting his teeth, Kotaro bit back the sharp words he wanted to yell at the staff and shoppers. “It's not like that, Natsumi-chan,” he said, keeping his voice level and reasonable. “I am always willing to help you out,” he said, pitching it to reach the salesgirls' ears. That should shut those gossipy harpies up, he thought vindictively. “So, what exactly am I supposed to do again?” he asked her.

 

“I need you to help me pick out some outfits,” said the girl, her arms already loaded down with articles. “This should be a good start,” she thought out loud. Blinking, Kotaro found himself being led back toward the changing room. A `good start'? he thought, stunned. She's got half the store in her arms! It wasn't that big of an exaggeration; lingerie wasn't bulky by nature, and Natsumi had a full armload.

 

-

 

After an hour of waiting, the White Wings had decided to go ahead and move to the resort. It wasn't that big of a deal if Kotaro missed a practice match; one or another of the group had missed a visit to the resort at one time or another for various reasons. Inside the resort, the group had split up to practice. With Kotaro out, Asuna had found herself sparring with Kaede, while Setsuna had been set to practice with some of Haruna's artifact-summoned flying creations.

 

The non-fighters in the group were once more buried in books, and Eva had paired up Ku Fei and Negi. Taking the two to a small node off the main hub, Eva showed them an open-sided, wood-decked dojo in the middle of a grassy field, trees around the edges of the grassy field, and a small, clear stream curving along the side of the area. Eyeing the dojo, Ku Fei smiled. “We'll break this in no time,” she predicted.

 

“Perhaps,” shrugged Eva. “However, you and Negi are restricted to physical combat only. No chi, Ku, and no magic, Negi,” said the small blood-sucker. “There will likely be times that you will be unable to use your normal abilities, and in those cases, you will have to rely on your unenhanced bodies.”

 

“Oh! I see!” Negi grasped the concept. It's true, he mused, I do rely heavily on my magic and Ku Fei uses her chi almost without thought, but if we were unable to use those enhanced abilities, what would we do? he wondered.

 

“But, chi is always there,” Ku Fei said, frowning. Eva smiled a scary smile.

 

“Oh?” she challenged, stepping closer to Ku Fei, who edged back a little. “We'll just have to fix that, my dear Ku-chan,” purred the blonde. A purple aura gathered around her upraised hand, shot through with black and silver spots. Eva incanted under her breath for a moment, then released the spell, the energy seizing Ku Fei, who gave off a shriek.

 

“Mistress!” protested Negi. Eva glanced at him, her eyes red and cat-slit.

 

“Oh, stop worrying!” Eva growled. “It won't hurt her,” she said. “It just inhibits her use of chi for a while,” said the high-born daylight walker. The energy faded, leaving behind black patterns on Fu Kei's skin. “It is fundamentally no different than when you sealed your own powers for three days,” Eva continued.

 

“I see,” said Negi, relieved. Looking at the marking on Ku's skin, he had the strange feeling that they were somewhat similar to something he had seen before. The patterns formed were unfamiliar, but the overall effect seemed to be just outside his ability to recall where he had seen something similar. “Ku-chan, are you ok?” he asked her, seeing her waver on her feet.

 

“I…I'm fine,” she said, straightening herself. “This feels…strange,” she added, frowning at her hands.

 

“Your use of chi has become unconscious, but with that flow temporarily restrained, you will find that you are more profoundly affected than you had thought,” Eva said. Much as I found myself more restricted than I had imagined after Nagi cast that curse on me! she recalled sourly. “Negi, hand me your ring,” she add, turning to her apprentice. Negi did as instructed, Eva moving over to sit on the floor in a corner to watch the two. “Ok,” she said with eager glee, “let's see how you two do without use of your advanced skills,” ordered the sponsor of the White Wings.

 

“I won't go easy on you, Negi,” warned Ku Fei, falling easily into her familiar fighting stance. Negi took his own stance.

 

“I wouldn't want you to, master,” Negi smiled in response. Ku Fei smiled back. As his primary instructor in unarmed combat, he was well versed in her particular style; and he knew that even without her power-enhancing chi flow, Ku Fei was not an easy target. Sitting in the corner, Eva smiled as she looked at the spell marks on Ku's skin.

 

-

 

“Ah!” shrieked Asuna as she flew back. Twisting hard in the air, she struggled to keep her grip on her fighting paper fan at the same time that she sought to land in some form of defensible position. “Ugh!” she grunted harshly, managing to get a foot and a hand down as she skidded down on the stones. A shoulder roll, a push of the hand, and another twist of her torso, and she landed on her feet, fan up, feet spread.

 

“Nicely done,” came the casual voice of Kaede from just behind her. Asuna didn't waste time on even looking. Using her version of `instant movement', she sought to get out of Kaede's range before she got another free flight. If not for her kanka use, she would have been a bloodied, torn mess by now. As it was, she was feeling the pressure and her body was beginning to throb from the constant kanka use and extreme exertion needed to have any sort of defense against Kaede.

 

She's good, thought Asuna, trying to keep from hyperventilating, really, really good! The fact that Kaede was using doubles and decoys was not helping her any. Kotaro's might be purely defensive, but Kaede's doubles can actually hurt me, she thought, doing her best to keep all six Kaedes in view. As hard as I try, I can't find a means to determine which one is the real Kaede, either! the girl thought, frustrated. Unconsciously, she swung her fan up and around, blocking an attack from one of the Kaedes surrounding her. Kicking at the girl accomplished nothing more than clearing her defensive perimeter.

 

“You need to stop worrying about which of us is the real Kaede,” said one of the six.

 

“And just concentrate on defeating us,” a second picked up the thought.

 

“If you get bogged down trying to figure out who is who,” a third continued the lecture.

 

“Then you will be easy prey for us,” a fourth this time.

 

“Since you are not keeping your mind on fighting us,” finished a fifth.

 

Asuna instant movement attacked the sixth Kaede, the one in the center of the loose formation of Kaedes. Instead of engaging the two closest to her, she dodged past them, her fan transforming to her sword in the middle of the move. Planting her lead foot, Asuna swung the sword as fast as she could, low-angle, toward the Kaede, who - slight smile never wavering - skipped back almost teasingly. Without any pause, Asuna relaxed her lead ankle, turned her hip and elbows, and let the momentum of the huge blade bring her around, her support foot transition to the lead as she pivoted on the ball of her lead foot. The blade whistled around at full speed, the advance doubling the reach of her sword strike.

 

“Oh! Nice!” giggled Kaede as the sword bit into her side, crunching into the chainmail that she wore under her ninja clothes before shearing through it and exiting the other side of her chest. Asuna didn't have time to worry that she might just have killed her fellow White Wing before a giggle came from the bisected Kaede, the two parts wavering for a moment before they landed on the stone stage, hollow wooden clatters coming from the halved log.

 

“Damn it!” hissed Asuna. A palm touched her back.

 

“That was still a nice move,” whispered Kaede in her ear as she released the Ki attack, sending Asuna lofting through the air once more. “You are showing rapid progress, Asuna,” she said as the girl once again managed a solid landing, her sword up to block any follow-up attack. “Kotaro-kun said you were improving, but I had not thought you would be improving this fast, Baka Red,” grinned her fellow Baka Ranger.

 

“Still not enough,” puffed Asuna, seeing the other Kaedes vanish like a mirage. “I can't keep up with you yet; or Eva,” she recalled. Not two weeks before, she had gotten a shot at the chibi blonde; and learned how far ahead of the rest of them the dark magi was. Even without Chachamaru partnering with her, she is tough! Asuna recalled.

 

“Hmm,” hummed Kaede, moving toward the pitcher of ice water sitting to the side of their large battle area, Asuna following her unspoken suggestion. “You would likely not have a chance against Mana, either, but you have already far outstripped any not in the White Wings. Should you fight in another tournament, you would find yourself having to hold back,” Kaede said.

 

“Unless it is one of you,” Asuna said, finding Kaede offering her the cup first. “Or that Albireo Imma guy,” she amended the thought.

 

“Don't you mean `Colonel Sanders'?” smiled Kaede. Asuna snickered.

 

“He is attached to that stupid moniker, isn't he?” recalled the bells-wearing girl. Who does he think he is fooling with that name, anyway? she wondered, not for the first time. Still, he really likes baiting Eva, and is probably one of the few who can do it and survive, too, so I guess it's fine, she dismissed the former comrade of Nagi's.

 

Thoughts of Negi's father caused the smile to slip from her lips. Kaede noticed as she refilled the cup for herself. “You shouldn't expect immediate mastery, Asuna,” said the ninja. “Given how late you started this, you are progressing at an unbelievable rate. No matter how slow you seem to be gaining skill and experience, you are in fact a prodigy.”

 

“But, I'm nowhere near as good as I need to be,” Asuna said softly. “So many times, Negi needed me, and I wasn't able to protect him,” she began. Kaede waved the rest off.

 

“That is one of the reasons that the White Wings were formed, isn't it? If Negi wants to go dangerous places and do dangerous things, the only real choice is to make sure we go with him,” said the Ninja. Asuna considered that.

 

“I…guess,” she said, absently closing her artifact. A breeze blew across the wide, open-air stone stage the two had been fighting on, welcomed by the two sweating girls. Asuna felt her sweat-soaked shirt cooling on her skin, and grimaced. Pulling off the garment, she saw the tears and cuts and rips from the three-hour sparring match. Casually dropping the ruined shirt, she stretched her back. Her sports bra was damp as well, and after a moment of thought, she peeled that off as well. “Better,” she mumbled, feeling the wind on her bare skin.

 

Kaede slipped off her gi-like top, revealing the black chainmail she wore, as well as several small pouches, sheaths, straps, clips and retainers, all of them occupied by strange tools, vials, implements, blades, chains and tricks. The black mail, Asuna saw, was a fine mesh, but not so fine that she couldn't see the chest bindings that Kaede wore. She frowned, noticing something. “Hey, Kaede,” she said, sitting next to the ninja, “what's up with your chest bindings?”

 

“You expected them to be like Setsuna's, then?” Kaede asked. Asuna nodded. “Setsuna is a swordswoman, who uses a lot of upper-body work. I don't use so much upper-body work,” shrugged the woman.

 

“Are you sure it isn't because your tits are bigger?” asked Asuna, a little suspiciously.

 

“That does have something to do with it,” admitted Kaede, the same easy smile on her lips, “but also there is the fact that Setsuna has to be able to use her wings, while I can't fly.”

 

“If that's all there is to it, then why do you wrap yours so that your cleavage is exposed?” challenged Asuna. “And how do you get into that mail thing?” she wondered.

 

“When fighting an opponent, distraction is a powerful tool,” Kaede revealed. “And males can't seem to resist looking at cleavage - even when they know you have a weapon in your hand,” smiled the tall girl. “And it opens like this,” she added, touching the mail near her shoulders, the links opening to allow the mail to slide silently down to her waist, where the cloth belt of her fighting uniform was securely tied. Looking at the carefully-arranged bindings, Asuna spotted Kaede's Pactio card tucked under the bindings, against the ninja's breast. Seems like all of us prefer that method of carrying our Pactio cards, she reflected.

 

“Asuna? Kaede?” came a voice from the far edge of the stage, where the transport circle was. Looking up, the two smiled.

 

“Over here, Negi,” called Asuna, waving. Negi hurried over to the two. “Done fighting with Ku already?” wondered his primary partner, noting the signs of combat on him.

 

“Yeah,” he said. “Mistress made us fight without magic or Chi! It was a lot harder than I had thought it would be,” Negi said. “Even so, Ku is amazing!” he gushed.

 

“Ku should not be underestimated,” agreed Kaede. “So,” smiled the ninja, “who won?” Negi glanced away.

 

“Ku,” he admitted reluctantly. Asuna patted Negi's back.

 

“She's been doing this a lot longer, Negi,” Asuna said, “so of course she won! But you keep practicing, and one day, you will win,” she promised him.

 

“Exactly what I told you, as well,” Kaede said softly, peeking at Asuna. The girl flushed. “In any event, that sounds like a good idea,” she said, her voice back to normal volume.

 

“What does?” wondered Asuna.

 

“Let's try a round without artifacts or tricks, and see how it goes,” suggested Kaede, standing. In barely a moment, she was removing her chain mail. Asuna saw that it was like a leotard on her, and had a lot more things attached to it than she had thought. Asuna handed Negi her Pactio card as Kaede did the same.

 

“What about your Chi, Kaede? Or kanka, Asuna?” wondered Negi.

 

“We just won't use them,” shrugged Asuna.

 

“But, without the kanka to protect you…!” began Negi. Asuna smiled at him, patting his head.

 

“Trust us, will you?” she said softly.

 

-

 

Eva smiled at the slumbering form of Ku Fei, laid out on the wood floor of the dojo. She had sent Negi on ahead after the two had finished their fifth bout and Ku had challenged Eva. She could understand the girl's motives for doing so, but being who she was, she had cheated, and Ku Fei had been soundly beaten. Looking at the girl now, she smiled. “Without my abilities, I am not sure that I could defend myself against you,” she admitted to the unconscious girl.

 

Ku was naked, her clothes having been destroyed by the spell-craft of Eva used to render her unconscious. On the girl's dusky skin, she could see the black marks of her chi-inhibiting spell still on the girl, though they were fading. Hmm, looks like she is somewhat resistant to the spell, noted Eva. Pity, really, but I doubt that the spell would work on Asuna anyway, she dismissed the spell. Licking her lips, she sedately settled next to the Yellow Baka Ranger, picking up the girl's shoulders and moving her neck into comfortable biting position. A low, intermitted moan came from the Chinese girl as she was moved. “Hush, Ku,” Eva said, “it's nothing to worry about,” smiled the vampire, her sharp teeth revealed by the smile. “I just want a little of your blood,” she promised, delicately - almost fussily - selecting her bite spot on the girl's neck.

 

Humming in pleasure, she pierced Ku's neck, nearly instantly tasting the sweet, iron-rich taste of the girl's blood. Wrapping her arms around Ku's chest, just under her breasts, she squeezed the girl, almost like Yue squeezed her drink boxes. Sucking steadily, Eva drank as much as she dared before releasing the girl. Laying her back down, the blonde stood and moved out of the dojo to the grass. After several calming breaths, she began to incant.

 

-

 

“What did you two get into?” wondered Konoka, activating her artifact and healing Asuna and Kaede. Not far from the two girls, Negi was giving the pair a disapproving look.

 

“Nothing much, really,” Asuna hastily assured her roommate. Konoka hummed, Asuna's impressive selection of cuts and scrapes healing without a mark under the girl's healing magic. Konoka immediately turned to Kaede, who was a bit better off than Asuna, but not that much more so.

 

“We were just sparring without any assistance,” Kaede said, smiling. Konoka sighed.

 

“First Negi, then Ku, and now you two,” she lectured, “I wonder why you are so careless?” she asked herself, absently touching Kaede's side where a nasty bit of road rash had marred her short ribs.

 

“Because we have you to heal us up,” grinned Asuna, wrapping an arm around Konoka and squeezing.

 

“Asuna!” squealed Konoka, wincing a little at her friend's strength.

 

“Come on!” came Asakura's voice from the archway to the dining room, “foods getting cold!” the pineapple head waved her arm for emphasis.

 

“You said Ku was in need of healing?” wondered Kaede, falling in beside Negi, the two of them just behind Asuna and Konoka. “I didn't think Negi was that rough with her,” smiled the ninja.

 

“I…I wasn't!” insisted Negi. “Not that I didn't try my best, but…!” he stopped, seeing Asuna turn her head to look at him.

 

“We know you wouldn't, Negi,” she calmed him. “Kaede's just playing with you,” she assured him. “So, what happened to Ku?” she asked Konoka.

 

“She wasn't beat up that much, but she was so weak she could hardly stand,” Konoka said. “Eva told me that she had been fighting without use of her chi, so she was just tired. I used my healing on her, and she perked up, but fell asleep at the table almost before she could finish her meal,” Konoka said.

 

“Ku not finishing a meal? Unbelievable,” scoffed Kazumi as the group reached her.

 

“Unbelievable or not, it happened,” said Konoka. “Set-chan put her to bed already,” the girl added. Looking at the table, the five saw the remaining White Wings already eating the large meal that Chachamaru and her `sisters' had prepared.

 

“Negi,” said the gynoid, bowing her head to her instructor and offering him a small smile. This immediately caused awing and giggling from the library trio.

 

“Looks like Chachamaru-chan still has a thing for Negi,” teased Haruna. Before she could even draw breath to continue, her plate was sliced in half by a laser beam. “Ok! Ok!” she raised her hands in surrender. “I was just kidding, Chachamaru!”

 

“Tea,” said the girl robot, pouring green tea into Haruna's cup. Asuna and Kaede finished loaded their plates with food and settled in to eat, Konoka helping herself to a more reasonable amount of the food once she had filled Negi's plate with food. The dark-haired girl had managed to find herself next to Negi, with Set-chan on her other side. Asuna was on Negi's other side, with Kaede beyond her. It was a tradition that the girls competed for the seats on either side of the teacher, and it worked pretty good, with the girls all getting turns by Negi.

 

“Where is Eva?” wondered Yue.

 

“Mistress is resting,” said Chachamaru smoothly.

 

“Oh. Guess Ku was a tougher opponent than she had anticipated,” Negi mused between bites. “I wonder how Kotaro is doing?” he thought to wonder.

 

“Oh, he's fine!” dismissed Chisame. “Missing a session won't make that big a difference to him, you know,” she pointed out.

 

“I guess,” Negi shrugged. Due to the way that the resort worked, if he didn't join them within the first hour top side, he couldn't join them at all, due to the forty eight hour usage lock on the inner space of the resort complex. Wonder what he is doing with the two hour relative time? he thought, biting into the broth-basted chicken breast.

 

-

 

Kotaro hurried toward the cabin. He had barely escaped the clutches of Natsumi, and he hoped that maybe he could get to the cabin in time to join his teammates in the resort. He had had an interesting experience shopping with his supposed `sister'. For some reason, the girl had been insistent on shopping for lingerie and bathing suits. And what she modeled was a hell of a far cry from her normal stuff, too, he mused.

 

Ahead of him, he spotted some girls doing a terrible job of hiding near the cabin. Silently moving into the shadows, Kotaro studied the girls. Looks like Yuna and the sports club clique, he noticed. Why are they here? he wondered. His hears picked up footsteps coming from behind him, along the path that lead to the secluded cabin. Remaining still, his nose identified the approaching party before he could see them. Class Rep and her fancy perfume, he thought, annoyed.

 

The blonde sailed past him, not even seeing the wolf-boy in his narrow but deep shadow hide-out. Watching the rich girl meet up with the group, he perked up his ears, listening to the cross-chatter from the group. So, they are interested in where we go, noted Kotaro. I don't think that Negi would want them sticking their nose into Eva's house, so I better do something about that, he decided. Grinning, he carefully built a replica of his fully-transformed self, and sent it on its way.

 

Moments later, screams and shrieks split the quiet night near Eva's cabin. Watching his clone chase the girls back toward the lights of Mahora Academy, he grinned. “Might have gone a bit overboard,” he admitted to himself, noticing the nearly cartoonish menacing the clone was giving the five girls. Still, a slavering, snarling were-wolf should keep them away from here for a while, he smirked to himself.

 

Hurrying out of the shadow he had hidden in, he scanned the area once more before dashing to the cabin and entering. Hurrying down to the resort, he checked the clock. After a moment of decision making, he grimaced before turning back for the dorm. “Stupid class rep and her little clowns,” he muttered truculently. Well, missing a visit won't kill me, and there is that paper I'm supposed to have for class, he mused. Natsumi said that she would give me some help, so might as well let her, he decided.

 

Exiting the cabin, he glanced around before heading back to the dorm. A full three minutes after he had left, the door to Eva's cabin opened, though no one appeared to be there. A moment later, it closed. Inside the cabin, a shimmer appeared, and a moment later, a dark form stood in Eva's house. Brushing back the hood of a cloak, the person looked around.

 

This therm-optic camouflage is incredible, the person thought, opening the front of the cloak. I'm glad that I kept this. Chao was truly incredible. The person silently moved upstairs, one hand on one of the large pistols strapped to the thighs of the intruder. Two minutes later, the figure ghosted back down the stairs and began to systematically move through the rooms. Eventually, the intruder found the stairs that led to the basement. Slowly, cautiously, the uninvited guest descended the steps. Who puts a basement in a log cabin? wondered the intruder.

 

-

 

Negi sat up, rubbing his eyes. It was in the small hours of the night, and he found he had to pee. Carefully escaping from Chisame's arms, he made his way toward the bathroom. Looking at the stars overhead, he frowned. Were they always like that? he wondered. Maybe I just never really looked at them, he dismissed the oddities. It had looked - for just a moment - like the fake stars Eva had put in her resort had shifted so they vaguely resembled a casting circle of some strange sort.

 

Entering the bathroom, he nearly bumped into someone. Blinking in the faint light that came from a half-dozen semi-recessed candle alcoves that lit the bathroom during the night, he saw that he had run into Konoka. The long-haired granddaughter of the Dean smiled at him. “Well, Negi,” she chirped, “imagine running into you here,” she giggled.

 

“Hey, Kono-chan,” he replied, half asleep. The girl stepped aside so he could make his way to the toilet, but didn't leave. Yawning, Negi lifted the lid and freed his dick from his boxers. Other than the cotton boxers, he was naked. Konoka was wearing a pair of thin, small panties, but was otherwise naked, since the weather in the Resort was nice. Konoka waited by the end of the sink as Negi finished up and washed his hands.

 

Slightly more awake as he dried his hands on a hand towel, he saw Konoka waiting for him. “Something wrong, Konoka?” he asked her. She shook her head.

 

“No, not at all,” she denied, smiling. “I want to show you something, Negi,” said the girl, catching his hand.

 

“Um, sure,” he agreed. Konoka led he out of the bathroom, past the sleeping room, and toward the transport circle. “Are we going somewhere?” he asked her. She just giggled softly. “Maybe we should grab some clothes?” he suggested. Konoka smiled.

 

“We won't need them,” she dismissed the suggestion. Negi wondered what she was planning.

 

“I should get the Pactio cards,” he thought out loud.

 

“We aren't leaving the resort, Negi,” Konoka assured him, “so it will be fine! Who were you with tonight? Asuna? Kaede?” she guessed.

 

“Chisame,” he said. Konoka shrugged.

 

“It's fine,” she said. “Chisame-chan will keep an eye on the cards; and Asuna is only two futons away from Chisame's futon, right? Easy reach for her,” dismissed Konoka.

 

“I guess,” Negi conceded. Konoka stepped onto the transport circle, hugging Negi to her as the eldritch light flared up before fading away. Negi wondered where Konoka was taking him, though honestly, he wasn't that concerned. Feeling her warm skin against his, and inhaling her scent both exited and relaxed him. Kono-chan smells good! he thought happily.

 

The light faded and Negi found himself looking at the original resort's pattern. Smiling, Konoka tugged on his hand, leading him toward the spiral steps that led down to the beach far below. “I wish Eva would put in an elevator,” mused Konoka, “or at least make a smooth strip of stone so I could ride down on my `blades,” she amended the first thought. Though far from being lazy or un-athletic, Konoka preferred to take it easy when possible, preferring to use her rollerblades to running. Negi hit upon an idea.

 

“Hey! Want to try something, Konoka?” he asked her eagerly. She glanced at him.

 

“Sure, Negi,” she agreed easily. Negi inhaled deeply, then incanted under his breath. Konoka felt a tingly sensation as he released the spell. Turning to her, Negi scooped her up in his arms and jumped off the stairs.

 

“Eek!” Konoka screamed in exhilaration as the two plummeted toward the sand and sea far below. She wasn't scared at all, but did enjoy the adrenalin rush. Negi was watching the sand rush up to meet them, and moments before impact, he released a second spell, a whirlwind slowing them to a near standstill just above the sand. With hardly a bump, Negi stepped onto the sand, Konoka in his arms.

 

“Not quite as nice as Set-chan's wings, I know,” he smiled at Konoka, “but the only choice I have since I don't have wings.”

 

“It's fine,” Konoka assured him, absently kissing him. “Almost like a rollercoaster ride,” she smiled happily.

 

“Um, so what did you want to show me?” wondered Negi.

 

Konoka slipped out of his arms, catching his hand and pulling him toward the open-sided pavilion that was set back slightly from the beach. Reaching it, Konoka pointed to a small bundle. “Help me with this,” she said, taking one end. Negi took the other. Together, the two moved it out onto the sand. Setting it down, Konoka unrolled the bundle, which turned out to be a thin futon with a tarp beneath it.

 

“This is what you wanted to show me?” wondered Negi, confused. Konoka giggled.

 

“No! This is just to make us more comfortable,” she husked, pulling him to her for a deep, hot kiss. “Remember, you promised I was next, Negi,” she reminded him as she pulled him down onto the futon.

 

“R-right!” he said. I still can't recall saying that…he thought fleetingly. Konoka made a good case for disregarding that fact, though, her lips soft and warm on his. Negi wrapped his arms around her waist, loving how soft and supple her skin was. “Mm,” he moaned into the kiss.

 

Konoka gave a short titter of laughter. “I'm glad you like it, Negi,” she whispered. “It's my first time, so I'm not that good at it,” she went on. “You'll be gentle with me?” she asked him.

 

“Of course!” he replied immediately.

 

“Good,” cooed Konoka. “Set-chan really liked it, so I hope you can make my first time just as good,” she teased him fondly. Negi felt warm skin touch his hard dick, and looking down, he saw that kissing Konoka had caused him to harden, his tip poking out from the fly of his boxers. Konoka noticed it too, her hand delicately gripping it. “This feels nice,” she sighed.

 

Gulping, Negi focused on what he had learned from his time with Asuna and Setsuna. Moving down slightly, he saw that Konoka's nipples were already hard atop her compact, but shapely breasts. Catching one in his mouth, he carefully sucked on it, licking the hard nub with his tongue between sucks. Konoka gasped, her body trembling. Reassured that Konoka was enjoying it, Negi moved on, his hand trailing down her slim belly to cup her sex through her thin panties. Feeling how wet her panties were, he dipped his fingers under the waistband to touch her directly.

 

“Negi!” squealed the girl, her legs parting to give him better access. Her hand never left his dick as he rubbed her erect clit for a moment before moving lower to carefully push a finger into her sex. Negi remembered that his other lovers had reacted better when he had been careful with them, so his finger barely moved as it penetrated Konoka's sex.

 

Konoka's incredibly tight, Negi thought, feeling how difficult it was to work his finger into her passage. Asuna had been tight, so had Setsuna, but he was pretty sure that Konoka was even tighter. I don't think I could get it in with her like this tight, he worried. When his finger reached a barrier in her passage, he stopped. After a moment's debate, he eased his finger back and brought a second next to it before slowly worming them into her tight, slick passage.

 

Konoka was panting as she felt Negi working two fingers into her. She had only ever masturbated by rubbing her clit and playing with her nipples, so his touch was the first time something living had been inside her pussy. His fingers feel so big! How will his dick feel? she wondered. Her hand sped up a little on his hard length. Feels pretty good to me, she thought, smiling a little. If Set-chan and Asuna didn't have any trouble with it, neither should I, she reasoned; perhaps faultily.

 

Negi was finally able to touch the strange barrier in Konoka's pussy with both fingertips. Should I try now? Maybe I should try three fingers? Or would it be better to let her recover a little? he tried to decide.

 

“Negi?” came Konoka's voice.

 

“Y-yes?” he answered immediately. Konoka was smiling at him.

 

“I'm ready to try it,” she said, almost as if she was reading his mind.

 

“Ok,” he breathed, carefully withdrawing his fingers. Konoka felt him take her panties in hand and pull them off her. Deciding that turn-around was fair play, she gleefully worked his boxers off him, tossing them after her panties. Negi looked at her once more before moving between Konoka's spread legs. Settling in like he had with Setsuna, he felt her take his dick in her hand once more.

 

“Right here,” she murmured, more to herself than to Negi as she settled his tip at her entrance. It feels too big to fit in, but... she dismissed that thought. Once more smiling at Negi, she raised her knees a little. “Whenever you're ready, Negi,” she invited him.

 

Taking a deep breath, Negi pushed forward, feeling her soaked outer lips part. Though the outer lips parted, he was still unable to penetrate her inner passage. Easing back, he tried again. It might have been his imagination, but he thought he made a little progress. Slow and steady, he told himself, pushing forward again. This time, he was sure he had made some sort of progress.

 

Konoka bit her lip, feeling herself stretch almost to the point of tearing as Negi pushed into her passage. If I tear, will my magic heal me? she wondered. Well, if not, I am sure that it won't be fatal, she told herself. It hurts, but it also feels kind of good. I wonder if this is how Set-chan felt? Her thoughts distracted, she relaxed enough to allow Negi's fat tip into her passage. Konoka hissed in pain.

 

“Sorry!” Negi blurted out. He held still, remembering how it had calmed down Asuna and Setsuna. Sure enough, just like with the other two girls, Konoka seemed to adjust after a minute or so. Satisfied that she was ready, he pushed forward again, quickly meeting the barrier he had felt inside her. Asuna wanted me to slam through it, and Set-chan was pretty much the same way, so maybe that is the best way, he reasoned, getting a solid grip on Konoka's hips. “Uh, this might hurt a little,” he warned the girl just before jerking his hips hard to tear the barrier.

 

Konoka screeched in pain, clutching his shoulders, her nails piercing his skin as her body went rigid. Negi grunted, holding still. Gradually, Konoka relaxed. “Are you ok, Kono-chan?” asked Negi softly, using one hand to brush her cheek.

 

“I…yeah, I'll be ok,” she said tightly. “It just hurt,” she added unnecessarily.

 

“I'm sorry, Kono-chan,” Negi said, starting to shift, “maybe we better…” Konoka grabbed him.

 

“We're not stopping,” she said firmly. “It's already feeling better, so let's keep going,” she said. Seeing him open his mouth, she pre-empted him. “I'm sure, Negi,” she said, kissing him softly. “It always hurts the first time for girls,” she soothed him. “Just go easy and let's continue,” ordered the girl.

 

Obeying her, Negi slowly began to move in her. Konoka began to breath heavy as her hips pushed up to meet his thrusts. Breathing a silent sigh of relief as he recognized the signs, he picked up the pace. Before long, he was stabbing her in the cervix with the blunt tip of his dick. “Kono,” he rasped, “gonna cum!”

 

“Keep going!” came the breathless reply from the girl. Negi was happy to obey her once more. What felt like an eternal instant later, he arched his back, Konoka mirroring him as he blew his load into the girl. “Negi!” shrilled Konoka happily.

 

Minutes later, the two managed to separate, settling side by side on their backs. Looking up at the stars overhead, hearing the soft waves crashing on the beach not far from them, the two found their joining. After they caught their breath, the two rested peacefully. “Kono-chan?” ventured Negi.

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Does it still hurt?” he wondered.

 

“No, not really,” shrugged the girl. “Tomorrow, I will see if my artifact allows me to heal myself as well as I can heal others,” she added, sounding excited at the prospect.

 

“Heal?!” gasped Negi, sitting up. “You mean you're injured?!”

 

“Figure of speech, Negi,” giggled Konoka. Mostly, anyway; losing my virginity hurt! she thought. She was fairly sure that she was bleeding a little, but since both Asuna and Setsuna had bled, too, she wasn't that worried. The orgasm was a bit smaller than I had thought, but so much different from what I made for myself, mused the girl. And since the high school girls all say that it gets better, I think I will enjoy being with Negi, smiled the girl. At that thought, she felt her pussy twitch. I can feel his cum inside me, thought the girl happily.

 

Snuggling closer to Negi, Konoka rested her head on his shoulder. “Negi,” she said, “do you want a big wedding, or a small wedding?”

 

“W-wedding?!” sputtered Negi.

 

“Of course,” she said, hiding her smile. “After you took my virginity, you have to marry me, silly!” she said.

 

“Bu…but...!” he tried to protest.

 

“We really can't wait too long,” she went on, fighting hard to control her mirth. “I'll send Grandpa a text message tomorrow morning, letting him know the good news. We can be married by the end of the week,”

 

“But..!” protested Negi once more.

 

“You will do the right thing, won't you Negi?” she pressed him. “After taking something so precious, you have to marry. If you don't marry me, I will never be able to be married! You wouldn't do that to me, would you?” she begged.

 

“I…I…okay, Konoka,” came the dazed reply from the young man. Hearing this, Konoka couldn't contain her laughter any more.

 

“I was kidding, Negi,” she giggled. Negi wilted in relief. “I can wait a bit before we're married,” she added, seeing him stiffen back up. Laughing, she hugged him to her. “You are too easy, Negi,” she snickered.

 

“Konoka,” he protested, though he made no move to pull away from her hug. Minutes passed. Feeling Negi start to drift off to sleep, Konoka nudged him. “Huh?” he wondered, blinking.

 

“We should get back to the others,” she said, carefully standing. As she did so, she hid a wince. And I'm going to see if my artifact works on me tonight, rather than tomorrow, she promised herself. “Leave the futon,” she said, seeing Negi start to bend over to grab it. “I'll come here later and clean up,” she assured him.

 

“Ok,” Negi said, the two moving toward the steps that led up to the transport circle. As they walked, Negi shyly took Konoka's hand. Giving him a smile, Konoka intertwined her fingers with his as they climbed the stairs.

 

Back at the beach, a shimmer flickered near a pillar of the open pavilion, and a moment later, a figure pushed back the hood of their therm-optic camouflage. Looking at the futon, the figure considered what they had witnessed not long before. First I find myself here through some sort of weird gate, then I find I can't leave. Negi and Konoka show up on the pattern, come down here, have sex, and are about to leave. But they said `to the others', so they aren't going back to Mahora, are they? And why didn't the pattern work? Wrong spell? Turning to look at the spiral stairs, the figure made their choice. “Better catch them before they get too far ahead. They're my ticket out of here,” murmured the figure.

 

“Actually,” came a dangerously-eager voice, “there is no way out of here; for you, at least,” came the amused voice.

 

Before the first word was spoken, the figure had spun toward the voice, a gun in each hand, but found only shadow and darkness. A ghostly laugh came from thin air, the figure once more spinning around, trying to find the source. “Is that you, Eva?” asked the figure of the seemingly-empty air.

 

“Of course it is, Mana Tatsumiya,” whispered the voice in her ear, Mana feeling the breath on her skin. Spinning once more, she found nothing. “You broke into my house, Mana,” came the whisper. This time, it was from right in front of her, though she couldn't see the blonde. “I would have thought that a girl of your skill would know better than to break into a vampire's house,” whispered Eva. “Especially an evil magic-using vampire like me,” giggled the chibi terror.

 

“What are you doing with the White Wings, Eva?” asked Mana.

 

“Did you come to see what we were doing?” snickered Eva.

 

“Perhaps,” Mana allowed, “but why don't you show yourself?” asked the dark-haired half-breed.

 

“I'm standing right behind you,” whispered Eva. Mana spun to confront the shorter magi, but found she couldn't move. Turning her head slightly, she saw fine, silvery lines bound her. Mana grimaced.

 

“Mana, Mana,” clucked Eva, stepping into her field of view. “For someone who saw me fight in the Tournament, you should have known better than to challenge me,” she gloated.

 

“And you should have paid attention to me, Eva,” Mana said, a flash of starlight glinting briefly as a hail of bullet-like projectiles flashed from Mana's hands. Just like Ku Fei, thought the Miko girl, smiling slightly.

 

“I was paying attention,” came the bored voice of Eva. Mana's eyes widened slightly, seeing that none of her coin projectiles had touched the vampire. In the light of the fake stars, she saw Eva's eyes were black with red, vertically-slitted pupils. A dark aura of energy surrounded the diminutive form.

 

“What…?” wondered the taller girl, struggling against her bindings. Eva moved closet to her, smiling. Mana noticed the sharp fangs displayed by the smile. “What are you planning to do, Eva?” wondered the dark-skinned girl.

 

“Oh, probably what you think,” purred Eva, moving closer. “I see you are making use of what Chao left you,” she noted casually, eyeing the cloak.

 

“I'll scream, and Negi and Konoka will come to find out who's screaming,” Mana replied tightly. Eva gave her a nasty laugh.

 

“Go right ahead, if it will make you feel better,” the blonde laughed. Mana considered her situation carefully. “That's what I thought,” said Eva, watching Mana. Moving closer to the girl, she pushed the cloak back enough to bare one of Mana's shoulders. “This won't hurt, Mana,” said the girl, licking her lips.

 

“If you are hurting Negi or the other girls, I will find a way to destroy you,” said Mana evenly. Eva hummed, leaning in for her meal.

 

“You would try, you mean,” she said before sinking her teeth into Mana's shoulder, right at the base of her neck. Mana began to tremble as Eva fed, the last thing she saw before it all went black was Chachamaru watching from the entrance to the pavilion.