Mahou Sensei Negima! Fan Fiction ❯ Miscalculation ❯ Chapter 21

“So, um, is this what you do on a normal day in this club?” asked Natsumi of her two friends. She was currently sitting on soft, green grass in a meadow, a lake before her, and the massive, castle-like stone of what the Wing girls called `Resort hub' towering over her and rising along the waterfalls that cascaded down from ridiculous heights. There is certainly a European taste to this place, thought the girl absently.

 

Yue looked up from her book - which had appeared in place of a card when Yue had said `adeat' - and studied Natsumi. “More or less,” shrugged Baka Ranger Black. “Since we aren't fighters, we don't spar to sharpen our abilities - we gain knowledge instead.”

 

“We also practice with our artifacts, to learn to use them better,” Nodoka added, looking up from her own book. It was a huge, leather-bound, time-worn book that was bigger than the bible in the campus cathedral at Mahora. Natsumi had looked at the words written there, but had no idea what language they might be in. To her eye, the spidery, archaic lines in the book looked more like runes than any sort of modern language.

 

“Oh,” replied Natsumi.

 

“Were you expecting something more…exciting?” asked Yue. “If so, you should go check out the sparring matches, or wait for one of the other live wires to get bored,” she said, a faint smile tugging at her lips. Natsumi blinked. Yue never smiles, she thought. What sort of club is this, really?

 

“Well, I don't really know what to expect, actually,” Natsumi said. Her club was theater, though she rarely did more than help around the edges. She loved to play roles, but kept getting flustered and freezing up, which meant that the other club members rarely gave her any meaningful lines. Of late, though, she had been losing interest in the theater club because her thoughts were focused on more interesting things. Like Kotaro and Negi's cousin, Nagi, whom she had met at the Festival.

 

A ways away from the two who had been appointed her sempais in this strange looking-glass world she found herself in, Chisame was working on a notebook computer, some strange almost-invisible mice hovering near her. A little ways on, and Kazumi was shooting pictures of Sayo as the ghost moved around, apparently as some sort of practice or test the new member didn't understand. “So, um, is Haruna a fighter? I don't see her here,” noted Natsumi.

 

“Haruna is helping the fighters,” replied Yue, not looking up.

 

“Helping them?” wondered Natsumi.

 

“Her artifact makes whatever she draws come to life as a type of mid-range golem construct,” Nodoka began, her eyes also not straying from the book she was reading. “Because of this, she is of use to the fighters while they practice because she can create unimaginable opponents for them.”

 

Silence fell after that, until Natsumi tried again. “And Konoka is with the fighters because she can heal their injuries, right?” Both her classmates nodded. Floundering around for something to say, she asked about the cards the girls had.

 

“We told you a little about them already,” Nodoka said, pulling a largish card from her top and handing it Natsumi. “These are called Pactio cards, and they allow us to serve as partners to Negi,” she said.

 

“It also allows us to share his power,” Yue chimed in, “though some of us can share power back to Negi through the link. Oh, and it allows us to talk with Negi through telepathy,” she thought to add.

 

“He can summon us with them, teleporting us to where he is if we are within range of his spell,” Nodoka added.

 

“Each card is also an artifact, with capabilities based on the partner's own inherent skills. Mine is a magical encyclopedia, while Nodoka got the Darium Ejus, which lets her read people's minds,” Yue continued seamlessly. “Probably because she is the only one who could be trusted with that thing,” she added softly, catching her friend's eyes.

 

“If they are based on someone's abilities and talents, then what do you think mine will be?” asked Natsumi. The two girls turned to stare at the freckled girl.

 

“You want a Pactio with Negi?” asked Nodoka, her tone vaguely suspicious.

 

“Why?” wondered Yue.

 

“Um, well,” blushed Natsumi, “they seem to be part of the club and…”

 

“They aren't door prizes, you know,” came Chisame's voice.

 

“You have to make a contract with Negi to get one,” Kazumi said, walking over, Sayo in tow.

 

“But, didn't all of you…?” Natsumi asked.

 

“Obviously,” said Chisame dryly.

 

“Then, so can I,” reasoned the slightly-built girl. Kazumi leered at her.

 

“Oh, but do you know what is involved in the Pactio process?” teased the curvy paparazzi, leaning down to caress Natsumi's cheek.

 

“N…no,” admitted Natsumi meekly, trying not to feel jealous about the generous view she had of Kazumi's breasts through the front of the stacked girl's shirt. Rooming with Chizuru had given her some resistance to jealousy and self-critical depression about her lack of development, but even so, it was not easy for her to have her nose rubbed in her deficiencies as it were.

 

“You have to kiss Negi,” cooed Kazumi. “A real kiss - none of this cheek stuff,” she added delightedly.

 

“And there has to be a Pactio field drawn as well,” noted Nodoka.

 

“K…kiss Negi?” Natsumi breathed, blushing to her chest. But, if that's true, then all the girls here have…! the shy girl thought dizzily. To kiss Negi…could I do that? she wondered, her heart hammering. Thinking about what she had done the night before, she began to think that maybe a kiss wasn't such a big deal, after all.

 

-

 

“How is it?” asked Eva, without any pre-amble. Chachazero looked up at her mistress.

 

“It's finished,” she reported. “He had to try five times, but he managed to get it all done,” the cursed doll added. Eva looked at the chalk-drawn circle around the entire resort. She also spotted the passed-out stote in the grip of Chachazero. With the Pactio spell etched here, any kiss within the resort can be made a Pactio by means of a simple spell, thought Eva, smiling. A spell I control, she smirked.

 

“Can't have the girls noticing this, though,” she muttered, unlocking her power and casting a spell she had not had cause to use in several centuries. Touching the flickering green flame that formed at the tip of her clawed finger to the chalk circle, she released the spell. The chalk seemed to writhe for a moment before sinking into the floor of her cabin, vanishing so that no trace was left of it. Carefully examining the area, she nodded to herself.

 

“Let's get back before any of them realize we left,” she said, preparing to trigger the transport spell. Though the Resort was set up to use two-day blocks of time, if one had the pass-spell - like Eva did - they could jump in or out of the Resort at will. She hadn't told any of the Wings this, of course. Chachazero grinned, waving her knife around with her other hand.

 

“Can we kill him now?” she asked eagerly, shaking Chamo. Eva glanced at her doll.

 

“Do you really want to?” asked Eva. Chachazero frowned.

 

“I guess,” she said. “He's not too bad, really, but it's been a while since I got to kill anyone,” complained the doll. Eva hummed.

 

“If you want to kill him, you can,” she shrugged. “But remember, if you do kill him, you won't have a drinking and smoking partner,” the mistress told her servant. Chachazero considered that, a pout on her lips.

 

“That sucks,” she muttered, sulking. Eva didn't say anything, choosing to port the pair back to the Resort, where Chachazero would resume her role as jailor to the childhood friend of her Negi. Before porting back, she paused, cocking her head to the side. Eyes narrowing, she moved up the stairs from the basement, a thin smile forming on her lips as she reached the ground floor of her cabin.

 

Melting into a deep shadow, Eva waited patiently. It has been a while since anyone dared to violate my home, she thought happily. And for it to be classmates of mine, no less! the vampiress smirked. Hearing the whispers and footsteps draw closer, she found that she was eager to greet her guests.

 

“Yuna,” came the voice of Ako, “Are you sure you want to do this?” asked the pale-haired girl.

 

“Yeah, Yuna,” agreed Akira, “Eva is not the most social girl, you know?”

 

“It's fine!” Yuna insisted, brandishing her gun. “With this, I can handle anything!” boasted the girl.

 

“Besides, Negi's here somewhere,” Makie chimed in eagerly. Yuna nodded.

 

“Forward!” she ordered, barely keeping her voice below conversation volume.

 

“Um, isn't it kind of strange to see stairs going down in a log cabin?” wondered Akira. Something has felt strange about this from the beginning, but now, it's like déjà vu and something bad is about to happen, fretted the swimmer.

 

“Sure you want to do that, Yuna?” came a darkly-teasing voice. The girls spun, trying to find the source of the voice. “It isn't nice to barge into someone's house without asking,” the voice came again, from just behind Yuna. She spun again, but there was nothing there.

 

“Let's get out of here!” begged Ako, edging toward the door. The front door swung closed and locked without any apparent means.

 

“You can't leave now, my dear Ako-chan,” purred the voice. It sounded like the person speaking was standing in middle of their small group. “The fun is just starting,” whispered the invisible speaker, Ako feeling the breath of the speaker on her ear.

 

“Eek!” she shrieked, grabbing onto Akira. A ghostly giggle filled the room.

 

“S…show yourself!” demanded Yuna, frantically waving the gun around.

 

“You are in no position to make demands, Yuna,” chided the voice, “after barging into my home,” added the unseen speaker darkly.

 

“E…Eva?” breathed Akira, holding the trembling Ako tightly to her chest. She herself was trembling, having a sinking feeling that things were about to go very wrong for her and her friends.

 

“Correct,” the blonde said, stepping out of an impossibly-thin shadow to stand before them. Looking at her, Makie and Yuna began to tremble as badly as Akira and Ako were. Eva's eyes glowed a wicked red in the light of the moon, and that same light glinted off a pair of sharp, sharp fangs as the girl smiled at her four guests.

 

“R..run!” squeaked Yuna. She tried to bolt, but found she couldn't move. Eva clucked her tongue at the basketball girl as she waggled her finger.

 

“That's not very nice,” she said, “running off after breaking into my house. I insist you stay for a snack,” the vampiress smiled, licking her lips. Ah! To have full use of my powers again after so long! she gloated silently. It had been child's play to snare her four guests. Eyeing the four, she found herself looking forward to what was about to happen.

 

Twitching her fingers, she led them down the stairs to her basement, allowing them to look around. While still packed to the gills with dolls of every description, the thing that drew the attention of the three was the glowing domes of the Resort. “I believe this is what you came to see,” she said casually, gesturing to the Resort. “It is the club house of the Ala Alba; and my personal resort,” she said smugly.

 

All the girls eyed the domes, clearly surprised at the details of what they must have thought was a static miniature. “Inside there, Negi and the others are participating in club activities,” Eva went on. Eyeing the girls, she hummed softly to herself. I have had all four of them before, she thought, back when I first fought Negi. Yuna's breasts have grown remarkably since then, but that is all, inventoried the small blonde bloodsucker.

 

That thought sparked another. Studying the girls, she absently nibbled on her lip. “Do you want to see?” she asked them. “Inside the secret club room, I mean,” she explained, smiling at them. “Maybe visit with Negi and the others?” she enticed. Slowly, the girls nodded. “Very well,” Eva agreed happily, triggering her transportation spell. Four more for my new team, Eva thought, maintaining her control over the four as they entered the Resort, landing on the pattern that linked the original with the newer domes.

 

Outside the cabin, the pale blue eyes watched. When the girls didn't return from the cabin after half an hour, the watcher checked the watch on their wrist before turning and making their way back to their dorm room. As they walked, the watcher sent a text report of what had been observed via their cell phone. Stifling a yawn, the watcher found that they were eager for a quick bath and bed. Tomorrow is a school day, after all.

 

-

 

“How are you feeling, Ayaka?” came the mocking voice of a fellow blonde. Forcing her numb mind to focus, Ayaka found herself looking at the source of the voice: Evangeline A.K. McDowell. The chibi vampiress was dressed in a filmy negligee that ended barely an hand span below her crotch, the top precariously hanging from a single shoulder. Even standing in snow up to her knees, Eva showed no signs of discomfort. “Missing Asuna?” taunted the evil mage.

 

Ayaka tried her best to throw an insult back, but her blue lips weren't working right, and all she could manage was a rough soft of broken speech that was unintelligible even to her. The smaller of the blondes smirked. Stepping out of the wind-driven drift at the entrance to the cave Asuna had crafted for her, Eva absently tossed her head, dislodging snow from her buttery locks of thigh-length hair. “Why don't you just ring the bell?” asked Eva casually, picking up the bell that sat within arms reach of the freezing, nearly hypothermic class rep. “You could be out of here and warming up with just a single shake of this,” she said, casually ringing the bell. “Come on,” she whispered, leaning closer to the shivering blonde, “it isn't worth this kind of suffering, is it? Just to join a club you really can't be a true part of? Go back to your normal life,” urged Eva, licking the side of the blonde's neck. “Instead of being the cherry in a group of monsters and freaks, you could be the queen of the social scene, enjoying your family's station and wealth. Besides,” Eva went on, kissing Ayaka's neck and nibbling on the blonde's cool skin, “do you really want to be one of my snacks?”

 

Ayaka hated Eva at that moment. But, because the words of Asuna remained firmly planted in her mind, she forced her desire to ring the bell and return home away. Once more, she tried her damnedest to hurl a curse at the girl before her, who all but straddling her lap, arms loosely around her numb body, face against her neck. “No,” was the best she could summon up, her single word slurred by lips and tongue that felt like they were made of marble due to the cold.

 

“Ring the bell!” snarled Eva, biting the chalk-white skin just hard enough to pierce the tiniest hole in Ayaka's neck.

 

“No,” repeated Ayaka, concentrating everything she had into that word. Eva leaned back, eyes blood red, pupils cat-slit, fangs prominently displayed.

 

“Ring the fucking bell, bitch, or you are mine forever!” screamed the vampiress in her face. Shivering and on the edge of losing consciousness, Ayaka forced her head in the best negative shake she could. A cold, triumphant smile touched Eva's face. “As you wish, then,” she purred, ducking her head, mouth wide open, to sink her fangs into Ayaka's neck. Drinking deeply, she savored the taste of the half-breed.

 

When she raised her head from Ayaka's neck, she saw that the blonde had lost consciousness. Sighing, she easily lifted the larger, heavier girl and flew out of the cave, swiftly reaching the hidden transport gate. Triggering it, she arrived at the central hub, finding the White Wings assembled. “Konoka, heal her,” said Eva, nearly dumping the blonde onto the stone pavers of the terrace.

 

“Mistress, did…?” Negi asked, looking at the limp form of Ayaka.

 

“The foolish girl,” snorted Eva, walking away without another word. The others watched her leave, knowing better than to push her. Turning to watch Konoka work, they tried to puzzle out what Eva had meant. Had Ayaka passed her test or failed? Most nervous about how the blonde had done was a cinnamon-haired girl standing close by Kotaro's side.

 

-

 

“Negi-kun,” came a voice from behind the young teacher as he graded papers. Turning, he found himself looking at his colleague, Professor Akashi.

 

“Akashi-san,” Negi bowed to the older magic-using teacher, “what brings you here?” he wondered. Akashi usually taught college courses and the occasional senior high school class, so his being in the junior high teachers' lounge was a little odd.

 

“Sorry to take up your time, but I was wondering if you had seen my daughter, Yuna, today?” he asked.

 

“Sorry, but she wasn't in class, Akashi-san,” Negi replied. Come to think about it, none of the sports club quad were there. Akira, Makie and Ako were out, too, he thought fleetingly. “I asked a couple of the W…students to see what was going on with her,” he added. “Is something wrong?” he wondered. The older man shook his head.

 

“I doubt it,” he chuckled. “Yuna just didn't call me the other night like she usually does, and when I called her phone, I got her voicemail. Probably either forgot or has a cold or something,” he shrugged. Negi nodded along with him.

 

“Probably,” he offered. The man studied Negi for a moment.

 

“You wouldn't know what it is like now,” he said quietly, “but when you have a kid, you will,” he said, reaching out to pat Negi's head for a moment. “Well, when you see her, tell her I asked about her, hmm?”

 

“I will tell her to call you, sir,” he nodded. He laughed.

 

“Go ahead if you want to, but she won't if you tell her to,” he said, amused. “Girls her age are like that,” he said sagely. “Well, I have some errands to run,” he waved as he moved off. “Oh, and you might want to look up Gandolfini and Kuzunoha. Some things have been going on that you should know about,” he said quietly.

 

“Things?” wondered Negi. Akashi waved a hand in front of his face.

 

“Nothing serious, Negi, but because of your position, you should be aware of them,” assured the older teacher. Negi nodded.

 

“I will, sir,” he repeated himself, bowing. Straightening back up, he sighed. He didn't really want to deal with those two particular teachers if he could avoid it. Even if only he and the girls in the Wings who had lived it with him remembered it, the two teachers he was supposed to speak with had attacked his students; they had attacked his teammates and partners. While he might not blame them, given their circumstances, he still couldn't forget what they had done to his partners.

 

Well, it's just something that I have to do, he thought resolutely, sitting back down and resuming his grading. Gotta find out where those girls are, too, he recalled. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled up the cell phone that Konoka had given him, apparently at the behest of her grandfather. Strangely enough, though, the only numbers in the phone's memory were the girls in the class and the Dean's number. Touching a number, he auto-dialed one of the quick-call numbers. After three rings, an upbeat voice came over the line.

 

“Negi!” cooed the girl. “What can I do for you?” she asked.

 

“I was wondering if you have heard anything about the sports club girls yet,” Negi said.

 

“Just getting into that right now,” the girl replied. “Chisame-chan and I should have something for you in an hour or so at most,” she promised.

 

“Ok,” Negi answered, smiling. “Call me when you have something.”

 

“Of course,” purred the Wings girl. “Anything for my partner.”

 

Ending the call, Negi touched another button and waited. Two rings later, his party picked up. “Negi, what's up?” asked the girl.

 

“Hey, Asuna-chan,” Negi said, “how is Ayaka doing?” he asked. The class rep seemed a little shaken by the incident at the Resort, and he had dispatched Asuna to check up on the blonde. She had been in class, but had been uncharacteristically low-keyed and seemed tired.

 

“She'll be fine,” Asuna promised him. “Eva's little test pushed her to the brink,” he could hear the frown in her voice. “But she didn't break,” the girl almost bragged. “A few extra hours of rest, and she will be good as new,” Asuna promised.

 

“That's good,” Negi replied, relieved. Asuna hesitated for a moment, then went on.

 

“Negi,” she said softly, “I'm going to have Ayaka stay in our room tonight. There are some things she and I need to talk about, and…well, would you mind sleeping with one of the other girls tonight? Maybe Set-chan, or…” Asuna trailed off.

 

“Ok, Asuna,” Negi replied. He liked sleeping with Asuna and Konoka, but he understood the dynamics of the odd relationship between Asuna and Ayaka better than most. “I'll see if any of the girls will let me stay with them for a night.”

 

He frowned, hearing a burst of laughter from the girl. “I think the problem will be deciding which girl gets the prize,” Asuna chortled.

 

“Huh?” wondered Negi. Asuna sighed.

 

“Negi, you will never have to worry about a bed to sleep in with us around,” she said. “Anything else?” asked Asuna. Negi shook his head as he answered.

 

“No,” he replied. Asuna hummed.

 

“Don't hesitate to call if you need anything, Negi,” she said. “That's why we got you the phone, after all,” she muttered.

 

“What?” Negi wondered.

 

“Nothing,” Asuna immediately replied, innocently. “Konoka is going to be sleeping with Set-chan in her room tonight, just so you know,” recalled the girl. “Ayaka and I will be getting supper in town, so either eat with Konoka-chan or ask one of the girls, ok?”

 

“Ok, Asuna,” he replied. “Be careful,” he added, not even thinking.

 

“Of course,” replied Asuna. “You, too.”

 

Negi ended the call, pocketing his phone. Picking up his grading pen, he flinched as he heard a voice from the door to the lounge. “Negi, do you have any plans for supper this evening?” Turning, Negi was surprised to see who was in the doorway.

 

Miles away, Asuna pressed the `end' button, frowning softly. Ayaka was in a changing room in the shop the two were in, looking for some clothes for club activities before the friends headed out for some food in a restaurant chosen by Ayaka. Swiftly pushing buttons, Asuna formed a text message and sent it to one of her group folders. Protecting Negi is one of our jobs, after all, she told herself, fighting not to smile.