Negima FanFiction Discussion

[Sin Ansem]

Originally Posted by OverMaster

A new chapter starts!

Spoiler for Spotlight on...:

Four Weeks Ago:

"What do you mean with 'No'?".

Sister Shakti had given her a rather peeved stare after hearing that question.

"What do you think I meant?" the tanned, tall Sister asked, her voice tense and imposing.

Misora's eyes had become huge fully black circles, and she had squeaked out a deflated, "... No?".

"Exactly" Sister Shakti stated, then began to walk away.

"But why?!" the girl had whined, running after her, despite the woman's sudden attempt to leave her behind by quickening her pace as much as she could without breaking into a sprint of her own. "I think I'm worthy by this point! I have studied and practiced for months and months! I have mastered the spells you requested me to learn, and—".

"You have only bothered to learn the most elemmental basics!" her superior cut her off without looking back at her. "That isn't enough for you to earn a Pactio!".

"Come on! Many Ministra have started without a single spell under their arm!" the young girl pleaded, grabbing for one of Shakti's sleeves before she could step out of the otherwise empty church. "Just give me a chance, please! Cocone is willing to become my Magister, and—".

"Kasuga Misora" the woman barely turned her eyes towards her, with a sharp warning glare. "Unhand me, please".

The use of her full name snapped Misora into an abrupt jolt of fear, making her to quickly release the sleeve as if it was coated in poison. "S-Sorry! I guess I got carried away!".

"Yes, you did. That is the problem with you" the woman now faced her, looking down at her with a stern glare that could break rocks. "You lack selfcontrol, both over your emotions and over your abilities. You still are taking this all as a game. You don't even start to see the true meaning of our mission. You only think of the accolades, failing to see our lives are intended to be full of sacrifices and hard work".

"I already work very hard, Sister!" Misora protested. "Every day I scrub the floors after getting back from school, and—".

"Misora, I am not talking about a janitor's work!".

"Sorry, sorry!" she laughed it off nervously. "It's just, um, I really think I'll have more to work with once I have a Pactio! Then I'll be able to actually pull my weight around! Yeah, then I won't be afraid of anything!". She smirked, clenching a fist up and pumping it in a way you definitely shouldn't expect from a nun, even one in training. "Just give me a Pactio and I'll be besting everyone, I'm sure of it!".

Sister Shakti gave her another critical stare. "Young lady, courage isn't something earned from power. A coward with power will be nothing but a coward hiding behind that power. True fighters, true mages, will not ever rely only upon their magic; it is their hearts that make them great. You still lack that, plus the discipline and the responsability, needed for us to grant you a Pactio. I'm sorry" she stated categorically.

"Are you telling me I am... a coward?" Misora squeeked out, her eyes becoming funny abstractions once again.

"You have failed at every test we have given you, even when facing minor threats" Shakti reminded her.

"Give me a break! That goblin could have killed me!".

"It barely was bigger than a bunny!".

"But it had those huge teeth, no doubt poisonous!".

"No, they weren't".

"I had no way to know that!".

"You would have, if you had studied you grimoire of beasts properly!" the woman retorted.

Misora was giving her the best puppy face she could make now. "Sister Shakti... Do you hate me so much?".

The older nun's face twitched. "What?".

"For years, I have looked up at you!" the teenager sobbed theatrically. "I took my votes at this Order hoping to fight alongside you, to some day be as great as you! Because I always admired you more than anyone else!".

"Are you trying to trick me with adulations?" Shakti asked retorically.

"But now, your cold rejection hurts my heart to its core!" Misora all but bawled. "You have called me lazy and cowardly, a failure at life, a shame to our organization!".

"Wait a moment, I have not gone that far".

"Then you will give me another chance?" she asked hopefully.

"As long as you don't become a diligent, brave and responsible apprentice... no" her superior replied without a shadow of a doubt. "You only wish to reap the results without earning them. Child, what will you do once you have a Pactio? You won't be able to use it to fight for those you hold dear until your heart has matured. Power without the moral strenght to wield it is a completely useless thing".

Misora groaned, looking aside.

"Look at me" Sister Shakti commanded, grabbing her by the cheeks and forcing her face to turn towards her own. The woman smiled, for once. Misora didn't remember watching her smiling ever since... huh... never, really. Maybe when she had introduced Cocone to her. "Child, it is my hope that, someday, you will find the thing you need to realize your true potential. Your heart needs that spark to ignite your soul, to give you the wings you need to fly. Until then, don't give up. Try to find your own path, not walking behind us, but striving to walk alongside us. Don't ever be satisfied with picking the results of others' hard work. Do that hard work yourself, and in the end, your reward will be that much greater. Have you understood that?".

Misora just nodded silently, simply hoping for her to release her already.

Shakti's usual expression returned. "Good. In the meanwhile, the windows still need cleaning".

"Y-Yes, Sister!".

Now:

Misora yawned and stretched lazily on her bed before sitting up, scratching herself on the ribs. Her gaze wandered slowly across her room, finding Cocone's bed to be empty. The warm smell of onigiri coming from the kitchen told her of her roommate's current situation, plus making her mouth to water up.

The young girl with the short and messy hair smiled to herself. She was feeling ready to eat a whole horse if needed! She would need the energy for the day's challenges!

From now on, she had decided, she wouldn't be a loser anymore! She would teach Sister Shakti one thing or two! 'Make your own path', huh? Well, she would use her own words against her!

The girl jumped down from the bed, grinning while looking through the window and towards the school. The events from the day before yesterday had changed the whole situation in a very interesting way!

If Sister Shakti didn't want to allow her a Pactio, she would get her Pactio elsewhere, then impress everyone so much with her mastery over it, even the Sister herself would be clapping.

Hopefully, it would be something useful enough to oneshot everyone before she had to fight, too. Eh, it was worth a try anyway.

By now, she knew a mage when she saw one in action. That stunt with the eraser could have fooled her classmates, but not her! A young plump chicken had just arrived the farm, ready for the plucking! The only thing she had to do was to get him before someone else could, but that was no problem, right? As if anyone had both the knowledge *and* the interest needed for it. Iincho was as clueless about the magic world as they came, and the rest of the class wasn't much better.

Kasuga Misora looked into her mirror, giving her image a smirk and a wink.

She was able to make sacrifices for her goals, too.

Some minor spelling mistakes and punctuation, but otherwise not bad. Misora's cowardice and trolling always appealed to me. I need to check out the fanfic in general (less sung characters = amusing reads), but Misora caught my attention.

Wow, I wonder where the sudden interest in Misora is coming from, and well, I guess I'm getting swept up in it, too. I've been wondering what an AU focused on Misora would be like--a focus on her church, her buddies, as well as how she'd see 3-A. I'd switch some roles around (Misora's specialty is speed, not massive magical power, though Cocone might have that for herself).

[deathcurse]

Originally Posted by Merctrin

*pops head out*

I finally managed to write a new chapter of 'Taken Day by Day'. Happy day.

Prequel
Prologue
Day 1
Day 2
Day 6
Day 7
Day 11
Day 12

Uh... fair warning? I suck at writing action. Just.... really.

Spoiler for Day -17:

Tsukuyomi spun Fate’s head around on her finger.



She liked Fate-han. Really, she did. As far as employers went, he was the most agreeable one she’d had the pleasure of serving. She considered most of his plans far too complicated, but since her only concern was keeping the opposition from sabotaging his grand ideas, that was just fine. And the large scale meant that they had quite a bit of opposition.



If only he didn’t insist on keeping her restrained, this job would be a dream come true.



He did, though. More overly complicated reasoning she didn’t care for. As adorable as his little infatuation with dear Negi-kun was, it was probably a good thing he was only now starting to act truly human. Otherwise he would have been irresistible to her, and in general she disapproved of fighting with one’s employer.



In general. When one’s employer was insisting on ignoring his own humanity, the only proper thing to do was to chop some sense into him.



And hadn’t that worked so delightfully? Her hair might take a while to grow back, but at least now Fate-han couldn’t deny that he had a heart, and that heart was longing for Negi-kun’s blood.



Still…



This is boring.



Tsukuyomi tossed Fate’s head up in the air, catching it on the tip of her sword. She could feel the blood shooting through her veins, the adrenaline from her earlier skirmish buzzing under her skin. She did not want to be sitting at the bottom of some tower. She wanted to be outside spreading as much carnage as possible.



Unfortunately, that course of action had been ruled a poor use of her time. Instead, Fate wanted her to wait for their friends to show up. Because they would. That was how good little heroes were supposed to behave, wasn’t it? And of course, their opponents were nothing if not good.



Right now, that was an annoying trait. It guaranteed their presence here soon.



Fate-han was pleased with that. It allowed him to set things up to his liking.



Tsukuyomi was… not good at being patient. Following Setsuna—and the princess of course—for weeks without being able to touch her was by far the hardest thing she had ever done. Waiting in an empty chamber for her victims to arrive was not something she took any pleasure in.



But she did have some self-control. She could force herself to wait if that was what Fate asked of her. She was nothing if not a good, loyal employee. And unlike last time, she wasn’t being told to keep from touching the prize right in front of her eyes. This wasn’t nearly as difficult.



She flipped Fate’s head up in the air a few more times, doing a very good job of ignoring the quiet energy building up in her head and hands. She could feel herself wanting. She wanted to leave the quiet tower and find Negi and his companions. Negi-kun was off limits, but the others… their absence from the field of battle would only make Fate’s partners feel less important. That was hardly a concern.



She could kill them. Their delicate little bodies would fall the second she penetrated their smooth, unmarred flesh. They were all so weak—it would be so simple to run her blades over their bodies, stripping them of flesh and letting their blood run free.



It could even be counted as helping Fate-han; Negi-kun would react beautifully when he saw—



Only she was ignoring that. Because even though she undoubtedly knew how to handle Fate’s infatuation with Negi better than he did, he cared quite a bit about doing things in the most complicated way possible. It wouldn’t be very nice to keep him from dealing with Negi the way he wanted to.



After all, if someone tried to interfere with her relationship with her senpai, she wouldn’t be very happy at all. There were some things that simply weren’t done.



Oh, and Fate had problems with her killing real people. She couldn’t imagine why, but that probably meant that disobeying orders to go slaughter a bunch of silly teenage girls would not be met with much gratitude.



Leaving her stuck here.



Tsukuyomi moved Fate’s head down to her foot and kicked it a few times. Their guests were taking forever to arrive. This wasn’t any fun.



Then the front door exploded.



Ah! That’s more like it!

------

Setsuna thought she was prepared to meet their opponents in combat. Training had improved her skills enough that the odds of anything like her last disgraceful match happening were close to zero. She was strong, and more than willing to give it her all against Fate’s group. If anything, she was a little too willing.



Earlier, she had wondered a little if she should ask Negi to let her fight Tsukuyomi. He had his own grudge to settle with Fate, didn’t he? He should be able to understand how badly she wanted to have a proper duel with the girl. And… someone would have to fight Tsukuyomi. Putting in a request beforehand wasn’t such a big deal, right?



Only it was. She had to remember her place.



No matter how badly she wanted revenge (or just wanted to hurt the insufferable girl), she was first and foremost Konoka’s partner and a loyal member of the Ala Alba. All she should care about was getting everyone home safely. Next to that, fighting Tsukuyomi was supposed to be a low priority. It was only as important as defeating the rest of Fate’s group.



She could feel all that logic slipping away when they charged into the tower and saw Tsukuyomi waiting for them.



The girl had lost a lot of her hair since their last meeting. Setsuna wasn’t entirely sure how intentional that was—she saw scorch marks, but for all she knew, Tsukuyomi liked cutting her hair in the most dangerous way possible.



And—she looked excited. Her eyes were bright and happy as she took in the collection of fighters she was probably already considering her victims. A chaotic grin decorated her face, and the whites of her eyes were already going dark.



Then her gaze fell on Setsuna. The change in expression was small, but she still saw it. Tsukuyomi’s grin widened to one of true pleasure instead of just excitement, and Setsuna was sure the bloodlust wasn’t the only thing responsible for her darkening eyes anymore.



Setsuna felt every single reason she had against fighting Tsukuyomi alone fall to pieces in her mind. This was her enemy. Hers.



And more than anything, she wanted to fight her.

------

It wasn’t just Setsuna standing there; she knew that. She caught sight of the rest briefly. The rest of the fighters—and Konoka too, if her peripheral vision wasn’t failing her—were there, though they were currently frozen for some mysterious reason.



But Tsukuyomi’s eyes immediately found Setsuna’s. Her Senpai’s.



And then she simply couldn’t look away. She found her desire to rip Negi’s other companions to shred fading quickly into the back of her mind.



This was her. This was the one.



As long as she had this opponent, she didn’t care what anyone else did. Setsuna was the only one she wanted. And oh how she wanted her. Right now, she couldn’t even find it in her to care about her role in Fate’s plan.



Someone had fixed her Setsuna-senpai.



There was nothing of the hesitance Tsukuyomi had half-expected to have to slice out of Setsuna. There was only hardened determination and a hot rage that left Tsukuyomi breathless.



That clarity—that delicious expression of emotion—wasn’t something Setsuna would allow herself to feel unless someone went out of their way to fix her. Her senpai was so cautious—even when they first met, she was so controlled… But now…



Tsukuyomi felt a little lightheaded.



Of course, then someone just had to ruin the moment and remind her that they weren’t alone.

------

“Fate-sama!”



Setsuna jerked her head to look at Shiori, who was supposed to still be acting like Asuna. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tsukuyomi react the same way. And Negi—Negi looked horrified.



For a second she didn’t know what the problem was. Then she caught the movement around Tsukuyomi’s foot and realized that Negi and Shiori had a very good reason to be upset.

------

“What did you do to Fate-sama?!”



Tsukuyomi blinked at the enraged girl. It seemed that the only thing keeping her from doing something foolish was the grip an annoyed-looking gunslinger had on her shoulders.



“Luna-chan, you’re not doing a very good job of keeping yourself a secret.” Not that anyone seemed especially surprised by her outburst, but that probably just meant that she did a really, really bad job of keeping herself a secret.



The girl shook her head, clearly wanting to say something, but Negi beat her to it.



“Tsukuyomi-san,” he said shakily, “I was under the impression that you and Fate were on the same side. Why—why did you—”



Tsukuyomi rolled her eyes and threw Fate’s head into the air, bisecting it on its way down. Shiori cried out and Negi’s face paled even further. Konoka also looked vaguely disturbed, but thankfully the ninja, gunslinger, and her senpai were reacting more sensibly.



In fact, Setsuna had the most interesting expression on her face.



“You don’t have to worry, Negi-kun. I only removed his arm, and that should be reattached by now. You two will get to have your fun.”



“Then—what exactly—”



“Negi-sensei.”

------

So that really was all there was to it. She just enjoyed fighting that much. There was no deeper meaning behind it; that was just the way she was.



If that was the case… Setsuna was almost relieved. No matter how disgusting her motives were, this really was the best place for her. This was where she could help her friends the most. The last thing they needed was a powerful, crazed swordswoman with no clear allegiance running around. Setsuna didn’t want to think about the trouble the other girl could cause if she decided things weren’t interesting enough for her here.



And… she wouldn’t use the Code of the Lifemaker this way. It wouldn’t be sporting.



“You need to be going to fight Fate and rescue Asuna-san now, Negi-sensei. You can’t afford to waste time here. I’ll take care of her.”



Negi turned abruptly to stare at Setsuna. “Are you sure, Setsuna-san?” he asked quietly, eyes drifting back to the perversely cheerful girl. “She’s—there’s something not right about her.” He sounded almost guilty saying it.



Setsuna smiled tightly. “It’s fine, Sensei. I’m the best match for her, so right now, I can help you most if I stay here and fight her. And besides…” She looked up at her enemy. Yes, Tsukuyomi’s eyes were glowing with anticipation. “She won’t cause any trouble as long as she has me here to satisfy her, isn’t that right Tsukuyomi?”

------

Tsukuyomi laughed—she couldn’t help it.



How wonderful.



Setsuna understood.



She brought her kodachi up to her mouth and ran her tongue over the edge. She could all but taste Setsuna’s blood on it. How delicious it would be. The raw heat that would come from that… “Of course, Setsuna-senpai. Since you’ve gotten over that adorable bout of childishness, you’re definitely the only one I want.”



How cute, Konoka seemed to react very poorly to that comment. And Setsuna wasn’t happy about it either. Her pactio card was already in her hand. Yūnagi had been out to begin with.



The fun gunslinger girl chuckled and tightened her arm around a very disgruntled Luna. “Well then, we should be moving on, shouldn’t we Sensei?”



With one last look at Setsuna, Negi nodded. Good. He wasn’t going to be unreasonable about things. Tsukuyomi would have hated to have to injure him before Fate had his way with the boy.



Now… now she could really have her fun. No one was going to interrupt them this time.



“Konoka-dono, you’re not coming?”

------

Konoka smiled back at Kaede and moved so that she was standing in front of Setsuna. “I think I should stay with Set-chan.”



Mana shook her head, shifting her gaze between Shiori and Tsukuyomi. “You sure about that, Konoe?”



Konoka nodded happily. “I’m here because all of you could get hurt, but I can’t help if I’m left defenseless. All of the people we’ll be fighting are a lot stronger than I am. Set-chan’s the only one who’s used to fighting and protecting me at the same time, and Negi-kun can summon me when I’m needed.”



Setsuna tore her eyes away from Tsukuyomi, cold, miserable dread building up in her stomach.



“Ojou-sama, no. It’s dangerous.”



If she’d had her way, Konoka would have stayed with their other companions; not entirely safe, but a great deal safer than she was now. Setsuna wasn’t about to put her in more danger by keeping her anywhere near Tsukuyomi. The girl was too dangerous for anyone to be safe around her. And Tsukuyomi already had too many reasons to pay Konoka extra attention.



Konoka smiled at her. “No it’s not. You promised to protect me, didn’t you?”



“Yes, but—”



“And besides that,” Konoka continued, “you aren’t just my bodyguard, Set-chan. You’re my partner. I should be with you when you’re in danger.”

------

Tsukuyomi thought she might be able to appreciate Fate’s problems a little more right now. His horribly complicated plans depended on a million different things going right, and could come undone if just one thing went wrong.



Meanwhile, her plans were simple little things—that could still go very, very wrong if the wrong thing happened at the wrong time.



And… and…



Partners? When did that happen?



Suddenly the world wasn’t so happy and bright. Konoka’s little revelation was accompanied by the painfully obvious melting of Setsuna’s resolve and—that just wasn’t fair. The stage was set, the pieces were in place, and then that girl just waltzed in and corrupted it all.



Did she even realize the magnitude of what she just destroyed?



Tsukuyomi could feel the little self-control she’d managed starting to die.



She thought she might like to murder the Konoe girl.

------

Setsuna barely managed to get in front of Konoka before Tsukuyomi attempted to slice off her partner’s head.



The blonde’s blades clashed against Yūnagi, pushing Setsuna several feet back and practically knocking Konoka over. Setsuna’s arms shook under the force Tsukuyomi put behind her swing.



Tsukuyomi wasn’t playing this time. She would have killed Konoka. Worse, it seemed like she wanted to.



Setsuna hadn’t had a chance to see Tsukuyomi angry before. And—she wasn’t—it wasn’t really anger. But there was something wrong with her expression. That level of irritation just didn’t fit on Tsukuyomi’s face.



This was bad.



“Ojou-sama,” Setsuna said softly, not daring to look away from Tsukuyomi, “stay if you have to.” She pretty much did, at this point. Their friends had already left, and Setsuna wasn’t about to let Konoka wander the tower alone. “But don’t interfere. I need you to promise that no matter what happens, you’ll let this be between me and her. You need to stay out of the way.”



“Set-chan—”



“Kono-chan, please.” Tsukuyomi’s sword was starting to slide down Yūnagi—if Setsuna had to stay here much longer, she’d lose a hand. She needed to be able to move.



“Okay,” Konoka whispered. Setsuna barely kept herself from letting her muscles slack in relief. Now, time to make Tsukuyomi remember that this duel only involved them.



She released Yūnagi from the hold Tsukuyomi’s blades had created and stepped to the side, ducking around the sudden flurry of steel aiming to remove one of her limbs and slipping her pactio card into her hand.



“Adeat! Takemikazuchi!”

------

It would have been nice to laugh at Setsuna’s chosen outfit. The second that glorious sword came into her hands, fabric Tsukuyomi recognized from her years at the Shinmeiryuu dojo materialized in place of Setsuna’s usual clothes.



She was so attached to that school. If Tsukuyomi had enjoyed her time at the place more, she might have appreciated it a little. It was cute that her senpai had such a sense of belonging to an organization that officially considered her a traitor. Or maybe if Setsuna just wasn’t using a card representing her—



No.



I don’t think I care to think about that anymore.



It was bad enough that she hadn’t held back her desire to murder Konoka at the start of the duel.



It isn’t going to ruin my fun. Not when Setsuna-senpai is so eager to play with me. Tsukuyomi glanced over at where Konoka had chosen to move for a second. Then she looked back at Setsuna, full of fire and already trying to land a decisive blow.



Yes… Definitely. She could manage it. It wasn’t even a matter of holding back; Setsuna was the only one she wanted. Next to her, murdering a slight annoyance was meaningless. Murder was such a distasteful pastime after all. …And Tsukuyomi couldn’t deny her senpai when she was making her intent so clear.



Besides, if she won, she could do whatever she wanted to the innocent Konoe heir.



Yes, that will do nicely. And until then—Tsukuyomi dodged the pretty new sword’s blade to avoid losing an ear and slashed her sword low, aiming for Setsuna’s legs—Until then, I will have Setsuna-senpai. All of her, if I care to.



Setsuna easily evaded the low swipe and matched it by bringing down Yūnagi hard against Tsukuyomi’s sword, driving the point into the stone floor. For a fraction of a second, it stayed stuck there. The slight halt in the flow of Tsukuyomi’s movements created a small opportunity for Setsuna to slice her artifact upward, aiming to slash through Tsukuyomi’s abdomen.



Simple simple simple—but she’s trying to kill me now. Good.



Takemikazuchi slammed into her kodachi.



But I wonder why



Something doesn’t feel quite right.



Is it not the same expression?



Yes… that hesitance is back.



She followed the quick flicker in Setsuna’s eyes and sighed in disappointment as she dodged the slow swipe meant to slash across her face.



Then she thought about it a little and grinned.



Motivation was not murder.

------

This fight felt so much different than their last one.



Just like before, Tsukuyomi was matching every strike she made, but the force behind the blows was so different. It was one thing to know that the blonde wasn’t playing around this time, but it was quite another to feel it. Tsukuyomi was aiming to kill this time.



Setsuna felt her eyes drift subconsciously over to where Konoka was before she dragged her attention back to the fight.



This wasn’t good. With Konoka here—



She’s safest here. She’s safest with me. But right now, I’m not safe with her.



The thought almost distracted her badly enough that she didn’t hear Tsukuyomi start to talk.



“I have to say, I’m happy that you got yourself fixed since last time.”



Setsuna gritted her teeth against the gentle teasing in Tsukuyomi’s tone. So maybe there was still some playfulness that it was impossible for the psychopath to control. She couldn’t say it was surprising, but if the girl could get any stronger—



“But still…” Tsukuyomi attempted to spin around so that she had a clear shot at Setsuna’s back, but Setsuna ducked and mimicked the spin so they were still facing each other properly. She didn’t like the carnal grin that lit up those eyes.



Tsukuyomi jerked forward, thrusting with her sword and moving to slash her kodachi across Setsuna’s legs. Setsuna blocked with some difficulty, but she still managed to keep from Tsukuyomi getting anywhere close to spilling her blood.



“It’s just not the same. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you didn’t want to fight me. That’s not the right attitude at all, Senpai. “



“I’m not like you, Tsukuyomi. Fighting like this isn’t something I enjoy.” It was something she wanted with a fervor that wasn’t anything approaching proper or healthy, but that didn’t mean she was enjoying it.



A small, happy smile spread across Tsukuyomi’s face and she spun around again, this time trying to shred through Setsuna’s torso with all the subtlety of a wrecking ball instead of attempting to get behind her.



“…Right,” she whispered. She didn’t let up on her attack for even an instant. “You just want to protect her. You’d fight until your last breath to protect her, wouldn’t you?”



“Of course!” That was never even a question.



“So. Protect her from me!”



Suddenly, Tsukuyomi wasn’t there anymore. Setsuna’s eyes widened and she automatically looked over at Konoka. Her body started moving before she even realized that Tsukuyomi was speeding towards her partner.



No!



“Zanmaken Ni no Tachi!”

------

Maybe it was a little unfair, using that technique. It pretty much guaranteed a hit of some sort. No matter what, Setsuna’s precious Ojou-sama would end up a bloody mess in one way or another. Setsuna could keep the girl alive if she really pushed herself, but not unharmed.



Tsukuyomi thought that she might not really mind if Setsuna didn’t manage to rescue the other girl, but she carefully didn’t dwell on that too much. The point here was to motivate Setsuna, not to kill the girl.



There just might be happy side effects that didn’t involve Setsuna abandoning her hesitance. That was all.



She slashed down with her sword, looking forward to the anguished cries that would exit Konoka’s delectable throat as her blood was scattered to the winds—but mostly awaiting how Setsuna’s fury would show itself. She would not enjoy seeing her precious partner wounded.



Tsukuyomi grinned, thinking only of the pleasure that awaited her—



When her blade hit flesh unexpectedly soon and the hottest, tastiest blood she had ever felt splashed across her face.



And…



Feathers?



Setsuna was standing before her, only inches in front of Konoka.



Tsukuyomi stared, nearly losing her grip on her sword.



Her sword that was gouged a good couple of inches into her Senpai’s left shoulder. The arm was hanging on by a thread.



But the blood—the blood—



Feathers were drifting slowly to the stone floor.



Setsuna’s left wing was sliced almost completely through.



How—that isn’t supposed to be possible. Blocking the Zanmaken Ni no Tachi…



Tsukuyomi felt dizzy. The heat of the blood—of Setsuna—was enveloping her.



Setsuna was looking straight at her, a good deal of blood splattered on her cheek. And—



That’s the expression.



That’s the Senpai I want.



Still… how?



“You said… as long as I’m human, I can’t beat you, right?” Setsuna was breathing evenly; it was almost like she hadn’t felt the sword cutting into her wing and flesh. “Well. I’m not. So even if it kills me, I will beat you.”



She’s not… is… could it really work like that?



Shivers of euphoria went up Tsukuyomi’s spine. The whites of Setsuna’s eyes were now pitch-black, and her irises were the deepest shade of gold Tsukuyomi had ever seen.



“And anyone who dares to harm my partner… I slice!”

------

She couldn’t feel her arm. Or her wing. Both were completely numb. Takemikazuchi felt soft in her hand.



With a violent jerk she moved the entire left side of her body so that her artifact crashed into Tsukuyomi’s kodachi, shattering it and the girl’s attempt at blocking in one blow. Her blood splashed across the stone floor.



Tsukuyomi was laughing. The damn girl was laughing.



“There we go. Now Senpai… Setsuna-senpai… shall you satisfy me properly?”



Setsuna felt her breathing get heavier. She put away her artifact—she could feel her wing a little now. She would lose too much blood if she kept on fighting with her left arm. And if she had to pick only one weapon, against Tsukuyomi, she needed to use the one she was most familiar with. She retracted her wings, barely noticing the shooting pain that went through her back.



“Set-chan! Are you—!?”



“I’m fine, Kono-chan.” Setsuna spared a second to look back at her partner. She tried to smile, but her facial muscles weren’t working properly. “Don’t worry. No matter what, I’ll protect you.”



She was sure Konoka said something in response to that, but she couldn’t hear it. In her eyes, her opponent was all that was visible. Tsukuyomi and the pure, focused rage she inspired were the only things Setsuna could be aware of.



It was starting up again. Tsukuyomi’s casual, vicious rhythm. Faster this time.



Something was boiling in her blood.



This girl used Shinmeiryuu techniques without a second thought. She never once stopped to consider that she might not have the right to use them. Someone like her…



Setsuna didn’t think much of herself. She was Eishun’s servant—Konoka’s bodyguard and partner. Only the last one implied any true worth.



But.



Without a doubt, she was better than Tsukuyomi.



“Shinmeiryuu Ougi: Zanmaken Ni no Tachi!”

------

Tsukuyomi felt the most delightful, burning agony tearing across her stomach, splitting her open.



Pain.



It had been too long since she’d felt it. Too many battles against opponents who didn’t know what they were doing. And in Fate’s case, he preferred not to harm his subordinates.



Blood—her somewhat chilly blood—was spread all across her abdomen.



I wonder if this was her first time doing that.



Tsukuyomi wanted, very badly, to laugh again, but if she did that, the wound would split open so badly that their fight would end prematurely.



This was definitely it.



This glorious rush that only Setsuna could truly inspire in her. She could feel heat all around her—begging for Setsuna’s speedy movements to hurry up and try to slice into her again.



I want her.



I’ll have every inch of her covered in blood before the end of this.



I will take all of her.



Setsuna’s sword met hers again and again, each time clashing hard enough to send sparks hopping across the floor.



More and more blood was spilling down Setsuna’s arm. Trails of it went all the way down to her fingertips, dripping on the floor.



Tsukuyomi’s eyes were starting to glaze over. Her head was going foggy with pleasure.



She was definitely going to win this.



She was going to win against her Senpai when Setsuna was at her best.



She would bathe in that hot blood.



Where next, where next?



Stomach’s good—keeping it even is good.



Setsuna was still thinking properly too. She still looked like she was ready to kill.



Excellent.



Tsukuyomi stepped forward—smiling, and ready to feel her Setsuna-senpai’s blood splashing over her once again.



Of course, for them, nothing could ever be that blissfully simple.

------

Setsuna really couldn’t say what happened. One second she was aiming to slice through Tsukuyomi’s chest, and the next she was collapsed on the cool floor, blood seeping into the cracks. And light was spilling into the chamber. Where did the light come from?



Her ears were ringing.



I can’t… feel… anything.



Were those… demons?

------

Tsukuyomi heard a very loud crack as her head smashed into the wall.



Who blew up the room?



She shook her head a few times and tried to stand up. Honestly. What idiot decided that it would be okay to interfere with her duel with Setsuna? She pressed a hand against the wall and pushed herself up.



An interruption.



Again.



She collapsed on the floor.



Tsukuyomi blinked and looked at her hand.



Blood.



Hers or Setsuna’s?



She blinked again. Her hand was moving around very oddly along with the room.



And it was cold. Odd. She was pretty sure she could feel blood dripping down her side and stomach. She shouldn’t be feeling any cold at all.



She tried to stand up again, but for some reason none of her muscles were working properly.



The room was still spinning, too.



She thought she heard someone shouting outside—oh dear. Was that Kurt? That was no good.



Oh… and her vision was starting to go black.



It was over then?



How was that fair?



Moving her head carefully to look around the swimming room, she looked for Setsuna.



Her senpai was trying to push herself off the floor. Her sweet blood was dripping down her forehead and chest. And her arm was still a mess.



Huh. So she got her hit in after all. Not anywhere close to where she was aiming, but a solid shot. Where did her sword go? It would have that delicious blood on it.



Wait… she got her hit in. So did that mean—?



Tsukuyomi looked down.



Yes, she was most definitely hurt. Besides the stomach wound, there seemed to be a very deep cut running from her shoulder down to her leg.



And Setsuna was standing up now. Still bleeding profusely (how lovely was that?), but standing. Alive and relatively well.



Well, that settled that.



I lose.



Some strange peaceful feeling was settling in her chest, but she ignored it. More black spots were showing up in her vision. And unless she was imagining things, things were exploding at the top of the tower now too.



Fate-han…



Konoka was running over to Setsuna now. Tsukuyomi pulled herself up unsteadily.



I think I might owe Fate-han. And Konoka-sama has interfered more than enough.

------

“Set-chan! It’s okay, I’ll heal you! You’ll be okay!”



Konoka ran over to Setsuna and caught her just before she fell over again. Setsuna blinked blearily at her partner, smiling as much as she could. Somehow the world seemed a lot lighter and cloudier. And just plain better since Tsukuyomi was crushed against a wall.



Though the ringing in her ears didn’t seem to be leaving. Her entire vision was red. Too much blood was running down her face. The only thing keeping her standing was probably Konoka.



Am I… dying?



And…



Explosions. She could hear explosions at the top of the tower.



I’m dead and people are still fighting. Negi-sensei… is stronger than I am. So…



Setsuna took a deep breath and pulled herself as far away from Konoka as her beaten body would allow. “Ojou-sama, don’t! I’m fine—you don’t need to waste your magic on me.”



Konoka’s eyes flashed dangerously. “Set-chan, you’re bleeding too much! I need to heal you before—”



“Kono-chan, please!” She didn’t have the energy to argue about this. “Negi-sensei is the one who needs you right now, not me, so—Tsukuyomi what the hell do you think you’re doing?”



Tsukuyomi had somehow managed to get behind Konoka and jab the hilt of her sword into Konoka’s neck. The healer’s eyes widened for an instant before she fell into Setsuna’s arms, unconscious.



Setsuna’s entire body came close to breaking down at the extra weight. As if she really needed another reason to want to kill Tsukuyomi. She glared up at the girl, dearly wishing that her sword was back in her hands. Tsukuyomi was swaying too badly to cause any serious damage, but…



She still hurt Kono-chan.



And I can’t do anything about it. There was no way. Her body was a wreck. Tsukuyomi enjoyed this type of thing—even if she was worse off than Setsuna, she was still better prepared for a fight. Damn it!

------

Tsukuyomi stuck out her tongue.



“Losing… I don’t think it was… part of my contract.” Actually, she didn’t have a contract. Fate had determined the terms of her service verbally. Huh. Too bad she was dying. She would have liked to ask Fate about that. But she was pretty sure he would have preferred her victory. “Even with Kurt-kun… I think I was supposed to win. So… I owe Fate-han. A… healed Negi-kun… since Fate-han… wants to fight him so badly… that would make us even.”



An apology of sorts. He deserved to have a chance to indulge his infatuation.



Setsuna’s glare lost some of its edge. “You didn’t have to be so rough.”



Tsukuyomi laughed, coughing up a great deal of blood. “It… won’t… even bruise.” Well it might. Maybe. She didn’t think she’d be around for Setsuna-senpai to yell at later, so it didn’t really matter.



Troublesome. She almost wished she could stay alive just so she could get her revenge on Kurt for not being a little more subtle about his own fights.



But… this wasn’t a bad ending.



She knelt down on the floor, too tired to keep standing. She looked up at her precious Senpai. A happy peacefulness washed over her.



“Senpai? Try… not to die. You’re… cuter… alive.”



She stayed conscious just long enough to see Setsuna’s eyes widen. Then she let herself fall fully onto the floor.



Yes. This certainly wasn’t a bad death.

------

Get her to Negi-sensei. Get her to Negi-sensei. Get her to Negi-sensei. I need to get her to Negi-sensei.



Setsuna ran up the tower with Konoka in her arms. Her breathing was uneven and she could feel the blood spilling out of her wounds. She’d tried to bandage them as best she could, but the slashes Tsukuyomi had torn into her body were too deep. She was only delaying the inevitable.



And the running—was not—helping.



Setsuna looked down at Konoka. Her eyes weren’t focusing properly, but she could still see her partner’s face.



Kono-chan… I’m sorry.

------

“Setsuna-kun!”



Setsuna felt someone wrap their arms around her, keeping her from breaking against the ground. She’d only had enough—only enough to hand Konoka off to Mana.



She was right—Negi was hurt. She’d made the right call. Konoka might be upset about it, but if Negi lost, they would all die. Setsuna wasn’t about to let her friends suffer just because she was too weak to handle Tsukuyomi without getting herself killed.



Tsukuyomi… huh.



She was probably close to death right about now.



That—that was—the point, wasn’t it?



Setsuna could still feel it. That all-consuming anger that wanted Tsukuyomi dead.



Was that really appropriate right now?



If Konoka hadn’t been knocked out, she definitely would have healed—



And now she’s bleeding to death at the bottom of a collapsing tower.



Setsuna opened her eyes and tried to focus on the face swimming above her.



It hurts. Lying on the floor and watching your blood fill the cracks…



“Setsuna-kun, you’re going to be all right, I promise.”



Eishun-sama? How is he here?



“I’ve got you, it’s okay.”



“Eishun-sama…” She shouldn’t be asking for favors from her boss. Especially something like this. But…



That girl… damn it.



“There’s a girl… a blonde girl with glasses… at the bottom of the tower… she needs healing… please help her. Please, Eishun-sama… Don’t let her die.”



She didn’t like it. It was different somehow. She didn’t mind killing the girl. But letting her bleed to death all alone… that was wrong.



She didn’t want Tsukuyomi to die like that.

Spoiler for Notes:

So Setsuna's current mess is all her fault, in case that wasn't clear already.

Sorry for how long this took. I've been sick. And like I said, I fail epically at action scenes. Unfortunately, this bit was somewhat necessary. Ah, and in case there was any confusion, this day is numbered minus 17. So... flashback without blocks of italics.

I'd also like to point out that this is Setsuna and Tsukuyomi's story. That being said, certain details of what other characters were doing were glossed over. Partly because my brain would explode if I had to deal with them, but mostly because while this story is AU in ways that don't deal with the two main characters, that isn't even close to being the focus. ...Yeah.

Ugh, this entire chapter is just full of things I'm not very good at. Sorry.

Thanks for reading.

Nice, nice!

The fight was great, enough thoughts and movement and tension to keep me riveted.

Though I thought that Zanmaken Ni-no-Tachi couldn't slice into humans, just demons? Makes sense for it to carve up Setsuna, but if Tsukuyomi had hit Konoka nothing would have happened, right?

I liked how Setsuna thought that she would have killed Tsukuyomi, but letting her bleed out wasn't right. It's an interesting fine line that shows a lot about Setsuna's character.

I'm totally fine with how it was just Setsuna and Tsukuyomi's fight that was written out in detail, since like you said, this story is just about them. Great new chapter!

[Kurush]

It's not the Lawful Good way. Period.

As for the rest: Oh, that's it! I'm whipping out some good stuff now!

Spoiler for Day 2, morning:

“Where in the Nine Hells are they!?” The commander of the Bloodgeld shouted, watching the scanners go bonkers and scrambling, visualizing instead a massive ant-war between the white ants and the black ants. “We had them on sight just last solar cycle and now the scanners are as much reliable as a backstabbing rogue!”

“Scanners are being jammed, due to unidentified interference on the planet's surface.” Shadrac reported to her. “Recommended course of action is reconnaissance and generally asking around the public.”

“That's too fucking soon!” She shouted at the computer. “We have zero readings regarding the planetary defenses and local security forces. I don't want to rush into a trap or something as stupid as a zealot charging in the van against a siege tank. Is that clear?”

“Aww, is the little organic scared of some pathetic defenses, hmmm?” Starscream inquired, having a grin to himself.

“Says the Transformer who ran away when the tough got real tough.” She snapped at him. “Just because these locals don't have a space fleet or anything, it doesn't mean that they are primitive. Remember that Kroot job we pulled? Those plasma rifles just looked like ordinary pointy blades on a stick, and they melted right through our armor!”

“So, you're worried that a bunch of humans is gonna be the better of you?”

“Better safe than sorry, as they always say in the merc business.”

“So what then, you gonna send a little scout down to see where he is?” Starscream asked, having a smirk to himself. When she saw that he was questioning her ability to hold this bunch of misfits of the galaxy together, she gave a smirk back.

“Oh, I'm sending a scout alright.” She replied. “A special scout, indeed...”

Down in Marbella

The princess woke up first, due to the sunlight hitting her face. Much to her own surprise after some looking around, both she and Negi had come together during the night while they were asleep. The little teenager was hugging her, as if not wanting to let go of her.

Theo smiled. He was pretty much the same as a kid. Konoka had mentioned that he had the habit of sneaking off into people's beds, seeking the warmth of his elder cousin. Here though, she was the cousin. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

Come to think of it, I haven't slept like this for a long time... She thought to herself, stretching her arms out. Okay, let's see what we could do today. I'm sure there's something we could-

She stopped right there. Something underneath her hand didn't feel very soft. In fact, 'twas a bit hard. Small, but hard. Oh no. Don't tell me... Daring to take a look down her hand, the royal girl saw that whatever it was under the sheets, it belonged to Negi. The princess immediately bolted out of the bed in shock, before taking some deep breaths. Okay, okay, calm down, Theo. Calm down, it can't be it. He's just a kid. It doesn't happen to boys his age... does it? She took a look at her sleeping husband in the bed, clinging on to the fading warmth from her side of the bed. From the way he's curled up, it could be... his... big toe. Yes! That's it! His big toe! Must have been.

But then again, how could she be so sure? How would she know that it was a big toe and not... what was that term, again? Damnit, should have listened more to slang terms regarding boys' little thingies down there.

Should I get Maru-chan? Oh, no, no, no, can't do that. Hakase-san would scorn me for letting her have a look. Wait, why am I getting overreacted over a little kid? Wait, that's it. I shouldn't be worried about something like this. It's probably not even for real. She was growing mighty confident, approaching the bed again. Negi's too young to think of girls and sex! No way it's his little thingy! She decided to have a peek, confident that it was his big toe. Seriously, he can be such a-

'Twas not his big toe at all. Moments later, Chachamaru was assaulted from behind by a princess running up and hugging her tightly, making the robot girl stumble about. “Maru-chan, help me!"

Spoiler for Notes:

- I planned that scene for some time, so I couldn't leave it out. The hard part was writing it down good enough. I hope that was enough.

-For the record: I set up a poll regarding this honeymoon, whether or not Negi and Theo should have sex. Simple really, yes or no, single choice. It's a blind poll to avoid ruling it out. I just want people's opinion on the matter.

Thoughts?

[OverMaster]

Originally Posted by Sin Ansem

Some minor spelling mistakes and punctuation, but otherwise not bad. Misora's cowardice and trolling always appealed to me. I need to check out the fanfic in general (less sung characters = amusing reads), but Misora caught my attention.

The whole thing so far (Work In progress...) can be found here:

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6228161/..._and_Emotional

Here's a set of short pieces I wrote before it for the TV Tropes Forum. Very possibly naughty content:

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6260479/...ame_Threesomes

Thoughts?

It's hard to say. It's a hot topic of consideration for myself regarding my story, too (although it wouldn't happen until at least the Mundus Magicus arc anyway. But you could see some Yuri stuff before that).

Ultimately, it's up to you to decide if it fits the frame of the character development you intend to portray or not.

[Sian]

hail the king of crack

[Kurush]

Originally Posted by OverMaster

It's hard to say. It's a hot topic of consideration for myself regarding my story, too (although it wouldn't happen until at least the Mundus Magicus arc anyway. But you could see some Yuri stuff before that).

Ultimately, it's up to you to decide if it fits the frame of the character development you intend to portray or not.

It should fit, but here's the thing: I can't really decide on the matter for myself. Personally I want them to, but my friends on Skype says otherwise. So I opened the poll to be fair about it. Since I got "permission" from Glorious Burden, an author specializing in lemon to write this, you could see where I want to go with this, but with the readers' support as well.

[OverMaster]

Originally Posted by Kurush

It should fit, but here's the thing: I can't really decide on the matter for myself. Personally I want them to, but my friends on Skype says otherwise. So I opened the poll to be fair about it. Since I got "permission" from Glorious Burden, an author specializing in lemon to write this, you could see where I want to go with this, but with the readers' support as well.

Hum. In that case, I'd suggest making the scenes skippable. So you can still post them elsewhere, but anyone reading the version not including them wouldn't be missing anything plot-relevant.

Unless their problem is with Negi having sex at all even if it's offscreen. In that case, all I think I can suggest is: stick to your vision and don't let anyone to deviate you from it.

[OverMaster]

End of a Chapter...

Spoiler for Already posted at FF.Net::

The medicine seemed to actually have made quite a good effect on Negi, Chisame silently observed as she watched the boy happily talking with Misora at the other end of the table. He hadn't attempted to sneeze in almost a full hour by now, and even Chisame herself was feeling somewhat better after drinking some of Ako's remedies as well. Between them and the secret virtual idol, Hakase was absorbed into her own world like always, fixing some sort of remote control.

"I didn't know a nun in training had so much to do, Kasuga-san" the young teacher was commenting, mildly awed by Misora's no doubt somewhat exaggerated tales.

"Oh, and you don't even know the half of it yet, Sensei!" the tomboyish looking girl said in a joking tone. If only they had known how honest that last statement was...

"I'd love to visit your Church this weekend" he asked. "Can I go even if I'm not a Catholic?".

"Of course you can!" Kasuga laughed it off. "So, what's your religion, Sensei?".

"I, um..." he seemed to hesitate now, "... I suppose you could say I'm... Anglican".

"I see" Misora grinned with a knowing glint in her eyes. "How about you, Chisame-chan?".

"Shintoist" the longer haired girl replied automatically, out of habit despite not visiting a shrine ever since New Year. "And don't call me 'Chisame-chan'".

"You need to revel more in the divine love we all should share, Chisame-chan" the prankster commented, then tilted her head towards the third female. "And you, Professor?".

None of them expected Satomi to actually be aware of what they were talking about, but much to their surprise, the mad genius answered without missing a beat. "Atheist".

Misora blinked. "Atheist??".

Negi was impacted as well. It was almost unheard of to meet some familiar with the existence of magic, and yet unwilling to believe in some sort of deity.

"I believe every aspect of existence, even those we could consider to be 'supernatural', to be perfectly explainable through sheer scientific reasoning" Hakase answered, as calmed as ever. "There is no need to believe in higher powers of an otherwordly origin behind the fabric of the universe".

Misora made a face. "I should have expected that from you, but somehow, I wanted to think better".

"There is no shame on it" Hakase almost shrugged her shoulders casually.

Chisame glanced at the wall clock. "I think it's getting late. Don't you have any kind of curfew at your convent?".

"Nah, it's alright" Misora waved a hand. "I only work there part-time. The rest of the time, I share a normal room with my friend Cocone-chan. I guess it IS getting late, though". She stood up, pulling the veil back on her head. "I should get going".

Negi stood up as well. "Do you want company on your way there? It's very dark outside, and—".

"No, I'll be fine! You, on the other hand..." Kasuga interrupted him, "Well, it IS very cool out there, too, and I don't want you to catch another cold. Well, we'll continue talking tomorrow, okay?".

She winked an eye playfully at him.

"Sure! See you then!" he smiled with glee at her.

The novice skipped gracefully towards the front door, waving her goodbyes to the other two girls. "Bye bye, Chisame-chan, Professor!".

"Bye" Hakase nodded absently, still working on her remote.

"Don't call me 'Chisame-chan'" Chisame repeated herself while seeing her going away. "Honestly. What a troublesome person".

"Ah? I thought she was very kind and charming" Negi looked up at her.

"Well, I suppose there's no account for taste" Hasegawa muttered, looking aside and guiding him in. "Come on, you'd better go to bed early tonight, if you really want to be in any shape to work tomorrow".

"I am!" he nodded, full with vitality again. "Thanks to Kasuga-san's medicines!".

"I wouldn't be shocked if ALL of them came from Izumi" Chisame announced. "Kasuga loves to take the credit for others' work. You don't know her like I do".

"You didn't even know she was a nun" Satomi quietly pointed out.

"Did you?" Chisame shot back at her.

The black haired girl made a pause before saying, "Point duly noted".

Negi smiled before looking through the window and into the direction Kasuga had taken in her way out. Truly, he was noticing, his students seemed to be all wonderful in their own different ways.

He was so lucky.

Misora gladly walked her way through the Mahora Campus boulevards, at a fast yet relaxed pace.

It had been a great recognition mission. She had learned a lot about her target. He was easy to impress, easy to influence, overly eager to please those around him, especially young ladies. No doubt, she could get a Pactio from him before too long.

And yet, now she almost felt bad over using him, as well. He had seemed so sad when mentioning his father...

What would be the big deal with him?, Misora wondered. She was having second thoughts on not asking in depth about him. Springfield... hadn't she ever heard about some mage named Springfield before? There were some stories, she tried to remember, frowning to herself.

Ah, yes. Sister Shakti had once said the actual name of the Thousand Master was Springfield, hadn't she? The thought brought a child upon Misora's spine.

The Thousand Master. The rumors said he had been the one to defeat the scourge of Misora's childhood nightmares. The one her parents had mentioned so often in their attempts to scare her straight. The Vampire Witch, with her long and sharp bloody fangs, always thirsty for the vital fluids of young maidens...

The Dark Evangel.

The long repressed memory made Misora to clatter her teeth and quicken her pace. There was something chillier into the wind now, she decided, with her heart beating faster. She almost could feel an ill omen dancing in the icy breeze, and it was nearly as if she was being watched fom some point at the shadows.

Misora broke into a real sprint now, making her way across the deserted nocturnal campus, hoping to reach the safety of her dorm soon. She was sure it was only her imagination, but even so, it felt too vivid and real for her liking.

Finally, the dorm was at sight in the distance, and she breathed easier, slowing down again. She had covered a lot of distance in a very short (even if her tension had made it to seem eternal) time, but that was expected from a track and field team member.

Misora chuckled to herself about her own pathetic fears. She only was glad Sister Shakti and Cocone couldn't see her now. Cocone surely was asleep by now, wouldn't she? A good night of sleep sounded just right now, Misora decided. But first a hot bath, and—

Then something dark and small, wrapped in a huge cape as black as the night, jumped down from the cherry trees and into her way, blocking her path.

Misora only had time to step back and shriek in panic.

Then those inhuman sharp eyes glinted in the darkness, and a petite hand quickly reached out to forcefully grab her by the chest and slam her back against a tree's trunk.

Then everything went pitch black.

And the start of another:

Spoiler for Not posted yet at FF.Net::

The earliest sunlight beams fell through the window and into Chisame's face, making her to sit up rubbing her eyes and mumbling to herself. Then, caught by a sudden ill feeling, she quickly looked at her side, only to breathe easier at seeing no one there.

Good, maybe the brat was starting to get a clue and know his place after all. Chisame smiled at her accomplishment; in only two nights, she had managed to cure him from that bad habit of slipping into her bed.

Pleased at such a well done job, the girl climbed back down the stairs to take a look into Satomi's bunk... and then to make a wild take.

Hakase was lying on her back, head slightly tilted aside, drooling a bit out of a corner of her lips, arms and legs open wide. And Negi was sleeping at her side, curled up into a small ball, his hands clutching her body in a tight hug, his head resting under one of her armpits.

Chisame's head sunk down in frustration.

"Please, Chisame, like I have had to remind you several times before, he is still just a child!" the scientist was still declaring as they approached Class 2-A's door. "I truly still fail to see why you and the rest raise such a ruckus over it".

The taller girl still scowled as she quickly walked next to a sheepish looking Negi. "Good manners must be taught from the cradle! You may understand a lot about machines, but next to nothing about people!".

Satomi rolled her eyes around. What was the big deal everyone was making about the child? She just couldn't wrap her head around it. To her, it barely was different from picking a puppy up and raising it. While it taught you English. So what if he decided to share some occasional sleeping space with her? "That is fully inconsequential" she mused aloud. "He already seems rather polite in the areas that truly do matter. Sensei, can you understand the root of the problem better than I do?".

"Eh, maybe it's better not to talk about it for now" he sweated under Hasegawa's stern glare. "I promise to try and stay quiet tonight, okay?".

Chisame only mumbled a vague reply before stopping right before the door. "Is there something wrong?" her teacher asked.

"I have a vague feeling more than half of them will be trying to stab me in the back as soon as I walk in" she confided reluctantly.

"Oh, come on!" Negi laughed. "Why would they do that?".

"You don't know enough about the way most jealous teenagers behave yet, do you?" Chisame drew in as much breath as she could before taking the plunge and walking in.

Much to her surprise, however, she found most of the class gathered in a semi circle around Ayaka, debating about something and sporting concerned expressions. As soon as she saw Negi, however, the Class Rep left her spot to race to his encounter, wrapping him into a tight hug.

"Oh my God, Negi-sensei! Thanks all Heavens you are okay! We were about to go looking for you!" she exclaimed joyfully.

"What? Why?" he blinked helplessly. "Has something bad happened?".

"Haven't they told you yet?" Makie asked. "It was horrible!".

"Kasuga-san was apparently attacked after leaving your dorm last night" Nodoka whispered, keeping her gaze low.

"What?!" the boy gasped in terror, while behind him, Chisame stiffened up in place and Hakase blinked without a clue. "How?! Is she okay?! Who did it?!".

"They found her early this morning, unconscious under a cherry tree near her dorm" Natsumi informed. "As soon as she heard about it, Asakura-san ran outside to investigate".

"Shizuna-sensei said she wasn't seriously injured or anything, though" Asuna gave him a glare. "Maybe YOU just contagied her with something and she fainted".

"She seemed completely healthy when she left" Hakase pondered thoughtfully. "The way I see it, it'd have taken her at least a few hours of viral incubation to actually manifest serious symptoms".

"Where is Kasuga-san now?" Negi asked, struggling free from Ayaka's grip.

"At the medical wing with Shizuna-sensei and Ako" Chizuru answered. "I can guide you there if you—".

"I'll find my way, thanks!" Negi bowed to her before quickly writing a few indications on the chalkboard. "I'll come back as soon as I can! In the meanwhile, read the text from pages 35 to 38, and if you have any doubts, just ask, um—".

"Chao" the class chorused pointing at their top student.

"Yes, her!" Negi nodded very fast. "I'll be back as soon as I can!". He excused himself before running outside as fast as his short legs could carry him.

"... He's going in the opposite direction" Mana delivered dryly.

"Let him" Asuna groaned indifferently.

"Maybe we should go with him" Konoka was worried.

"You heard Shizuna" Yuuna said. "We aren't allowed to get in there. I wonder why so much secrecy about it".

"It must be the vampire!" Misa pointed out.

"Vampire?" Satomi asked.

Misa sighed. "Oh, you are always the last one to learn those things, aren't you? Don't you remember the scandal a few weeks ago? About the vampire who attacked one of 3-A's students right after she settled back from vacations and into her room?".

"You mean Miyamoto-san, the politician's daughter?" Akira asked.

"Yeah, her" Misa nodded. "Takagi-san from 2-B is a friend of hers, and she told me she had been bitten in the neck after being knocked out".

"EEEEEKKKK!!!" Fuuka and Fumika shuddered.

Misa loomed over them, opening her mouth and letting her tongue to hang out, all the while grinning in a perverse way. "The only thing Miyamoto-san could see was someone wearing a wide black cape, like Dracula... Then she was feeling weak and ill for days afterwards. Who knows? Maybe the vampire stole her soul besides her blood...".

"AHHHHHHH!!!!" the twins hugged each other.

"Misa!" Asuna scolded her. "How can you believe something as stupid as that?".

"Ah, yes? Then what do you think it was?" the lead cheerleader retorted.

"I dunno. Maybe a wild dog or something".

"What kind of wild dog attack goes like that?!".

"Heh, heh, heh..." Haruna chuckled, leaning back on her chair with her arms crossed. "You just don't know anything, do you? Saying a vampire can exist is just as ridiculous as saying a dog could catch up to Misora, then suck her blood off. The responsible of this only can be a creature whose existence has been proved by science. A hideous being who has stalked several parts of the world for years now, maybe after coming from outer space...".

"What the heck are you talking about?" Asuna asked her.

"Why, I mean—" Haruna stood up and proclaimed, "THE CHUPACABRAS! Scourge of the lonely South American jungles! Killer of cattle and small children! A vicious animal hellbent on sucking the blood out of any victim that crosses its path!".

"NOOOOO!!!!" the twins began to cry out.

"That's even dumber!!" Asuna protested. "What kind of idiot could believe such a thing?! Even if that critter existed, what would it be doing at Japan?!".

"That's our sacred mission to uphold" Haruna stated rather grimly, walking up to draw something at the chalkboard. "Indeed, to stop this lunacy before more of us perish—".

"NO ONE HAS PERISHED YET!!" Asuna and Ayaka yelled at once.

"—We must find and capture the beast! Hopefully earning fame and fortune as secondary, but very welcomed, side benefits!" Haruna finished drawing what seemed to be a cross between an overgrown potato and Godzilla. "This is, according to most reports, what a Chupacabras would look like—".

Ayaka forcefully shoved an eraser into the mangaka's hands. "Erase it. Now" she commanded.

"But we must identify the enemy if we want to neutralize it!" Haruna said.

"The only thing you want to neutralize are Sensei's study orders!" Ayaka told her.

"And besides, it's absolutely pointless to believe there is a Chupacabras around here" Yue said.

"Then what else could it be?" Haruna questioned.

Zazie, for once, seemed to look at the others for a moment then. That, on itself, made them to look back at her in turn, suddenly silenced by the lazy stare of those strange golden eyes. Their shock only grew when the dark skinned girl opened her mouth and spoke a single, softly pronounced word.

"Batman".

"Ah, it's true!" Sakurako chirped. "That explains the black cape!".

"Batman doesn't exist, though, does he?" Madoka looked doubtfully at Misa.

"I think it's only an American urban legend" Misa answered.

"Listen to yourselves, will you?!" Asuna despaired. "Next you'll be saying Superman did it!".

Chisame muttered angrily at their antics, while attempting her best to remain distant and focus into her laptop.

Satomi, meanwhile, was busy taking Chachamaru's routine report while noticing the absence of an important factor.

"Chachamaru?".

"Yes?" the gynoid softly asked.

"Where's Eva-san today?".

"She was having a... stomach ache this morning. She said she would be taking the day off" the robot reported.

"As expected from Eva" Asuna shook her head. "It's unfair she gets that favoritism. Man, if we only dared to skip half the classes she misses—".

"Mmmmm" Satomi made a thoughtful sound briefly, before just nodding and taking her latest lectures of her creation's mechanical body.

Chao watched them silently, wondering what turn would the events take that time.

[Kurush]

So you're saying I should let Negi and Theo have sex at the end of the fic, regardless of what my friends say, just to get good reviews?

[OverMaster]

Well, like I said, it's all up to you.

Fanfiction, ultimately, shouldn't be all about getting good reviews, but about getting to tell the story you want to tell. Stick to your guns, whatever they are, as long as you are sure it's the story YOU wish to tell.

If it bothers you so much, leave it vague, for the readers and the other characters to interpret. Since Negi is too much of a Gentleman to talk about it, and Theo will probably prefer to leave it vague if anyone dares to ask, it shouldn't be hard to portray it that way.

[Kurush]

Right then, it's settled. I've decided what to do with this.

[Finalage]

I'm moving snail like for this week, I've had lots to do, work wise... but I think I finally have sometime to write for my own stories. Crack is not a new idea for me, but it certainly is a new one to write for...Kurush, do what you wish, of course. It's your story.

Just don't end up like me, ehh? I take the unpopular route a bit too much for my own good, neh?

I swear, one of these days, the way I go on, I'll be typing eighty words a minute and still calling myself slow.

[OverMaster]

Continuation:

Spoiler for After the Attack:

The room was completely still and quiet when Negi walked in, leaving both Sister Shakti and Shizuna behind.

Sister Shakti had seemed polite and formal enough to him, but she still seemed to be somewhat uneasy and forced in his presence. Negi was naive to some degree, but it had been clear enough for even him to notice it. Then again, of course, he had pretended not even realizing it.

A small girl with long dark hair and deeply tanned skin sat on a chair next to Misora's bed, holding her right hand. Her eyes were huge, deep and sad, but the rest of her face conveyed no expression at all.

Misora herself looked pale and haunted, a far cry from last night's happy go lucky girl. And yet, she smiled at him when she saw him again.

"Sensei" she spoke softly. "Ah, you came early. I'm glad".

"Don't force yourself too much". With a hand, he gestured for her to stay down. "Are you feeling better now?".

"Yeah" she nodded, then nudged her head towards the smaller girl, who now was looking at Negi with the same enigmatic, melancholic stare. "Hey, you two haven't met yet, have you? Sensei, she's my roommate, Cocone Fatima Rosa. Cocone-chan, he's Negi Springfield, my new homeroom teacher".

"Ah, it's a pleasure to meet you, Cocone-san!" Negi bowed to the little girl.

"Yes" the tiny female said with a barely audible, diminutive voice, in words that were as brief as they could. "Same here".

"She isn't big on conversations, but she's a huge help with everything else" Misora chuckled, running a hand fondly though Cocone's hair.

"I'll leave you alone now" Cocone whispered, standing up and going for the door. Before going out, she gave Misora another stare and the briefest hint of a possible smile, then closed the door shut behind her.

Negi stared into her direction even then.

"I asked her for it in case you came" Misora shared, keeping her voice low.

Negi gave her a concerned look. "Is there anything you need to tell me in private?".

"Yes" Misora nodded. "It's about last night".

The boy sat on the chair Cocone had used before. "Did you get to see who did it?".

"Barely" Misora shuddered, suddenly gripped by fear. "She was dark, with evil eyes, and long fangs...".

"She?" Negi blinked.

"Yes. I'm sure it was the Vampire Witch, the Messenger of Darkness, the Mistress of Puppets" Kasuga bit her lower lip. "It had to be her. The legends tell of her unending thirst for blood, spreading terror at her wake. The Dark Evangel...".

The boy tensed up. "H-how do you know about those legends?".

She gave him a more personal stare, lowering her voice even more as she held his right hand in hers. "It's because I'm a mage, too" she said. "I knew you were a wizard from the moment I met you. Don't panic; your secret is safe with me as long as mine is safe with you... Heck, actually, there isn't a reason for it to be a secret between the two of us, anyway!".

"I-I-I guess there isn't!" he stammered, before realizing maybe he had just admitted too much. "Oh, um, I mean—".

"I'm not tricking you" she insisted, lifting an index finger to show him the suddenly summoned tiny flame dancing on the top of it. "I'm still a beginner, okay, but I know pretty much all the basics of the trade. My parents told me everything there is to know about it since before I learned how to read".

Negi paused and gulped. Hakase-san, Kasuga-san, probably Lingshen-san as well...

"Exactly how many others at the class already know about magic?" he whispered back.

"As far as I know... no one but me. Why?".

He laughed uneasily. "Huh, it's nothing! I just felt I had to ask—".

"Forget the other students!" Misora urged him. She shook the finger and the flame died down. "One of the things my parents always warned me about was the thing that attacked me last night. Fifteen years ago, a legendary sorcerer supposedly defeated her, but now, I'm convinced she's back". She gave him a deeper look. "Sensei, be very careful. If she has chosen to appear at this exact time, it might be because she's gunning for you".

"Ehhh?!" he recoiled. "Why me?".

Misora attempted to read his confused face. Didn't he know exactly who had beaten the Dark Evangel? Then again, judging from the way Sister Shakti handled it as such a secret, maybe it was better not to tell him yet. The last thing she wanted on the wake of being bitten by a vampire was being massacred by her superiors.

Instead, she bared her neck to Negi. "Look here. Sister Shakti used a healing spell on the bite marks, but they still should be there. They have started to vanish, but they are going away very slowly...".

"EHHH!" he gasped. "Sister Shakti is a mage too?!".

She hastily covered his mouth with a hand. "Not! So! Loud!" she cringed, giving a fearful brief glimpse at the door before sighing and releasing his mouth. "I'm not sure she wants you to know, since she's very stuck up about the rules, so don't tell her I told you, okay?".

"Okay" he nodded.

She grabbed him by the shoulders and smiled. "Good boy".

"But, about my other question—".

Misora hushed him with a finger over his lips and a wink of an eye. "I'll tell you more later" she teased. "For now, however, go back with the others. The Sister will soon walk in if she thinks you're taking too long with me".

"Right" he nodded, bowing to her again as he stood up. "Get better soon, please. I have many things I want to ask you about".

"So do I" she smirked. "So do I, Sensei".

She watched him walking out, and then she breathed deeper. Thinking more about it, she wasn't sure it was so much of a good idea, to make a Pactio with him if the vampire was after him in the long run.

And yet, she thought, looking at her right hand, which still felt so warm, almost as if she still was touching his soft skin, another part of her, for some reason she couldn't understand, now wanted it even more than before.

[OverMaster]

Continuation:

Spoiler for The haunting of Mahora!:

It was already getting more or less dark when Negi left the school for the day with Chisame, Hakase being gone to her club activities once more. However, that particular afternoon, they were stopped by the sudden appearance on their way of a tall spiky haired redhead.

"Ah!" the boy blinked, quickly remembering her name. "Asakura Kazumi-san, student number three, right?".

"That's right!" the big breasted girl nodded with a wide smile. "Hoo-hoo, it's so nice to see you caught on my name so quickly, Sensei!".

"He has memorized the whole class' list by now" Chisame replied dryly, just to make her feel somewhat less special. "Listen, if this is another attempt to pry into our private lives—".

"Hey, there's no need to get that stingy, Chisame-chan!" Kazumi said. "We all know there has to be something juicy beyond your thick wall of secrets, especially now you're living with a young man..." she chuckled in a rather unnerving way, making both of the others to blush crimson, "But even that can wait for now! All other news have paled in comparison to the dreaded Vampire of Mahora!".

"Are you believing those idiotic crazy theories of Saotome and Kakizaki, too?" Chisame huffed.

"Well, I'm not saying they are true yet, but a good reporter can't discard any option until they have been proved fake" the taller girl defended herself. "Did you know I write for the school newspaper, Sensei?".

"Yes, I did" he quickly nodded. As a matter of fact, one of the first things Takahata had told him about the class was she was the one he should be the most wary about learning his secret.

"Good, then you know I'm obliged to show the truth about any mystery that can happen at this school" the young paparazzi stated. "Especially when it can be a threat to everyone's safety, don't you agree?".

"And that excused you to skip classes today, naturally" Chisame said with a lot of calm.

"Naturally" Kazumi agreed. "I went to investigate at the place where they found Misora. There were no signs of struggle, nor any footprints or traces anywhere. It's almost as if the attacker just flew in, then flew out. Really weird, I tell you. And it's far from being the first weird thing I have seen here".

"Other than the robot, the childlike teenagers, the suicidal teacher, the girl carrying a sword to classes, and Rainyday, you mean?" Hasegawa asked quite ironically.

"I mean 'weird' like in 'supernatural'", Kazumi seemed a bit annoyed now. "I'm being serious now! Sensei, if I tell you something that has bugged me for a few years now, do you promise you won't laugh at me?".

"I wouldn't ever laugh at a student's troubles!" Negi solemnly promised, in a tone that would have been inspiring if it hadn't come in a child's voice.

"I make no promises" Chisame flatly added.

"Oh, as if you ever could laugh" Kazumi snipped, then told Negi, "As you may know by now, we have used the same classroom for years, grade after grade, even as some students come and go. But through all that time, the seat next to mine has always been empty. Always. No matter what".

"I think it must be a humanitary mission. Not to allow anyone to sit next to you, ever. I'd bet it has saved many people a lot of grief" Chisame's deadpan delivery became unusually sharp.

Kazumi shot her an angry stare, but continued focusing her own words on Negi. "The weird part is, often, I can feel there is someone sitting there. Do you ever get that feeling you are being watched? I get it all the time. And sometimes, when I walk very close to that seat, I can feel an icy snap running up my spine...".

"Oh, dear" Negi blinked.

"It must be your imagination" Chisame suggested. "I have walked next to it, and I've never felt anything. Neither has Hakase".

"Yuuna has felt it, though" Kazumi confided them. "She sits behind that seat, and she has had some strange sensations at times, too, although not as often as me. I don't say it has to be something supernatural, mind you, but there must be some explanation behind it".

"And do you think it could have some connection to the recent attacks?" the teacher asked.

"Maybe" Asakura shrugged. "It's what I want to discover now. All I know is Seat Number One used to belong to someone named 'Aisaka Sayo', but I've found no files or information on her. Even Bookstore-chan and her pals haven't found anything in their libraries".

"Bookstore-chan?" Negi blinked.

"Miyazaki Nodoka" Chisame supplied.

"Oh".

"Maybe you can learn something I cannot with your connections to the other teachers, though" Kazumi told him. "Please, Sensei, could you do that for me?".

"Yes, I'll do some research on my own side" he promised. "If I learn something, I'll let you know about it!".

"What a dearie!" Kazumi chuckled coyly, ruffling his hair.

"Hey, respect me, please! I'm your teacher!".

"Ha ha ha!" the redhead laughed. "Don't be so stiff, Teach! Thanks for the help, anyway. I'll also inform you when I get to learn anything else! Bye!" she ran out with a wink of an eye.

After Asakura was out of sight, Negi took another glance at his class roster booklet. The first student of the list, unlike all others, had only a blurry black and white photo over her name, a date, and a warning.

'Student Number One: Aisaka Sayo'.

'1940'.

'Don't change or move her seat'.

Chisame took a peek over his shoulder. Vaguely, she also noticed the 'DESERVING HAPPINESS' written below her own image, but, despite his cringing in fear about it, she took it in stride, even cracking a very brief smile before asking, "So, do you think it may be something magical after all?".

"I'm not sure" he doubted. "I can't say I have felt anything near that seat, but I'm still a novice, and two days ago, I thought I saw a girl who looked like this running across the campus. The odd thing was she seemed to vanish at some point... like a ghost".

The pock-marked girl scowled, concerned. "Great. That last thing we needed; a murderous ghost on the loose".

"Well, we don't know anything for sure yet. I asked Minamoto-sensei about this girl in my first day here, but she only told me these were direct indications from the Headmaster, and he had refused to tell her the reasons behind it".

"Well, if he didn't want to tell her, you'll get nothing from him either" his roommate pointed out. "There's nothing to do about it. Just forget it and let the authorities to handle it".

He shook his head. "No. I think there is something I might be able to do, after all".

Chisame groaned in annoyance. The only odd feeling she was having now was the one of being about to be dragged into something very bad.

[OverMaster]

It goes on...

Spoiler for With more of the special guest star:

The night was starting to fall across the Mahora grounds, wrapping the landscape with a chilly blanket of shadows.

The small blonde knew he was there long before he was announced. That was the biggest problem with his power by far; he never bothered to hide it, partially because the curse made it nearly impossible, but mostly because he never wanted to. Like a pig rolling into the dirt, the man had developed some kind of massochistic obsession with his own despair. It was so bad even the mundanes could feel his aura at times.

So naturally, she had no problem at all being ready for his arrival before Chachamaru appeared at the dinning room's door, in her full maid regalia, humbly bowing her head to her.

"Mistress" the gynoid announced in a silky, nearly whispered tone. "Itoshiki-sensei wishes to have a few words with you. I told him you were unavailable, but he insists...".

"It's okay, Chachamaru" the tiny temptress smiled widely, crossing her thin legs and sipping from her glass of wine. "I was expecting he'd come, actually. Bring him to me".

"Yes" Chachamaru nodded only once before retreating, only to return seconds later with the tall and lanky man in a hakama. "If you need something, just ring the bell" she said, then slinked back away without a single sound.

"Ah, Sensei" the girl with the long golden hair purred like a spoiled kitty, leaning forward in her chair, just to show the slightest glimpse of flat cleavage, her slinky black dress subtly shfting with her movement. "And this was being such a nice evening, too. To what do I owe the displeasure of this visit?".

"I had been informed you were feeling ill" the pale man eyed the bottle of wine over the large table with languid disinterest. "Under those circumstances, I fail to see why would you have your dinner with liquor".

She shrugged nonchalantly. "Some of us prefer to drown our woes down instead of drowning ourselves into our own woes. Would you like to have a seat? Perhaps you should drink yourself silly. It still would be an improvement over your current self".

"I highly doubt anything can ever improve upon me" Itoshiki Nozomu lamented. "Losing myself into the drink would only drag me further down. No, thanks. I will be brief. I have no need to sit down".

"Be brief, then" the hostess narrowed her green eyes. "As much as you can".

"Mc Dowell-san" Itoshiki began, sternly. "The Headmaster has sent me here with a fair warning. Stop your attacks on the student body. Don't involve any innocents in any personal vendetta you might have, up to and including the boy himself. We have offered you a place to belong to, and a pardon from your prior crimes; don't betray our trust on you once again".

The petite girl hissed, raising up from her seat. "You have a lot of nerve, Despair. Coming to MY home to make demands of ME? You? When have you ever started to compare to me, much less to try and dare to put conditions on me?!".

Itoshiki remained calm, unfazed, for once. "The conditions were put on place long, long ago, Mc Dowell-san. You agreed to them then. I believed you were a woman of your word".

"I was forced to accept conditions I never intended to!". She slammed both hands down at the table, looking at him with killer eyes. "Don't even try to mock me implying it happened otherwise!".

"Regardless, you still are forbidden from doing this" he flatly insisted. "Our students are untouchable, and so is our staff. Whatever you are scheming now the child is here, stop it at once, please".

She clenched her perfectly white, barely sharp and pointy, teeth down. "I can't believe your idiocy".

He sighed sadly. "Yes. I do hear that a lot".

"With excellent reasons" she spat the words out, with despise. "Look at yourself. Nothing but the old man's lapdog, running an errand to insult me at my home only because he isn't man enough to do it himself. What, were all the other lackeys too afraid to come? So they had to send the only one pathetic enough to be that eager to perish?".

"I offered myself, actually" he stated. "And not even you could kill me, so please do stop teasing me. There is nothing fuller of cruelty than a woman's unfulfilled promises".

She grinned perversely. "I could teach you a million things far worse than death".

He slumped his shoulders down. "For me, every thing I've ever lived through already has been worse than death".

"Don't understimate me. I have learned things you couldn't ever begin to imagine" she threatened, then turned around. "Your message has been received, so leave. You have spoiled my appetite".

"I should hope so" Nozomu said.

"Don't get me wrong" she replied. "I cannot claim any knowledge or responsibility on the recent attacks, if that's what actually brought you here".

"There is no need to pretend. We all know it could be no one else. Especially not now that he is here".

"That gnat? I couldn't care less".

"You targeted Shakti's apprentice after she left his quarters. You sent a message both to him and to the Church- that no one is safe. Didn't you?".

For a moment, Evangeline's right hand crackled and sparked as a small whirlwind of black energy swirled around it, but it turned itself off as she shook her head. "No. I wouldn't ever give you the pleasure. Just leave. Your mere presence disgusts me".

"Mc Dowell-san" he still attempted to appeal to her. "Don't do this to yourself".

"What?" she laughed bitterly. "Do you think I'm afraid of forcing your weak hands?".

"No. But you should be afraid of losing yourself to your own darkness, again".

She snarled angrily. "Don't compare me to yourself, buffoon. I am the master of my own darkness. You are a slave of yours".

Itoshiki exhaled a heartfelt breathing. "How despairing".

He turned around to walk for the door, but he stopped right before leaving, looking back at her over his left shoulder. "I wouldn't have expected it happening so soon, in any case. Usually, you prefer to stage your schemes with more finesse, as I understand".

Evangeline Mc Dowell scoffed. "I have no idea what do you mean, But if I ever had to rush a plan out, it would be because some loudmouth loser told something he shouldn't have to someone who shouldn't have listened".

Itoshiki froze right there.

Evangeline smirked coldly at him. "I have eyes and ears everywhere, Despair".

He attempted to regain his own aloofness. "Always an unfitting trait from a lady".

Evangeline laughed, now mockingly. "You shouldn't try to protect him. Protecting anyone is beyond your paltry skills. That's why his father never gave you a place at his side".

Itoshiki turned his gaze away. "My place... is not at anyone's side. I have grown to accept that ever since then. But he had better hopes for you. If you ever appreciated him, you shouldn't betray that, either. Good night".

His steps echoed through the cabin until they finally were extinguished by the distance. Only then did Evangeline groan, lifting her head up to look at the moon through the closest window.

"Why shouldn't I betray he who betrayed me first?" she quietly mused to herself.

[Finalage]

Finally, some work done, but it disapoints me.

Resistance Hertz, Chapter Three.

It took too long and has next to nothing funny in it. Bah! Still, it's a build up I suppose.

[Kurush]

Done with chapter 40 now.

This might bring me back into the loop.

Spoiler for Warning:

Warhammer 40 000 and Dungeons & Dragons knowledge required to fully understand some situations.

[OverMaster]

Continuation.

Spoiler for Negi and Misora:

A few days had passed since then. Uneventful, even relatively normal days, as somehow they began to get used to their new living arrangements. And just like that, the boy's first weekend at Mahora had just arrived.

"I still don't see the need for you to go" Chisame said as she finished combing his hair as best as she could. "But if you really want to—".

"I have to" he seriously declared. "Kasuga-san may be recovering nicely, but I still feel guilty over what happened to her. If only I had been there with her—".

"You idiot" she blandly scolded him. "You barely can take any care of yourself; what makes you think you can fight something like a vampire, if that's what attacked Kasuga?".

She followed him to the door, looking down at him with a stiff, yet slightly concerned expression. Hakase had set up a mini workshop at the living room again, where she was working on a spare arm for Chachamaru. Even after all that time, it still unnerved Hasegawa to see how those things' fingers moved as the genius manipulated the dettached member, so she prefered to focus her attention on the child before her.

"Sensei" Chisame stopped him, grabbing him by a shoulder. "Before you go, let's make a few things clear, okay? You, indeed, are going to visit Kasuga, aren't you?".

"Indeed" he quickly nodded his head.

"You aren't going to embark yourself in any sort of insane vampire hunt, are you?".

He laughed it off. "I couldn't find a vampire at mid-morning even if I wanted to!".

"I just want to be sure" the cosplayer replied, undaunted. "But above it all, I want you to swear something to me right now. Promise you aren't going to drag anyone else into this, no matter what. You know you can't reveal that stupid crazy secret of yours to anyone".

He straightened his body up even more, his voice growing deadly serious again. "I swear, on my honor as an English gentleman, I'm not going to pull any student who doesn't know anything about magic on this!".

But inside, he congratulated himself about not including any student already familiar with magic into that promise. Loopholes were, sometimes, a good thing!

"Glad to hear that" Chisame seemed satisfied enough at his words, although she didn't smile. "Just remember, be back here before lunch. We're going to take you for your first meal at Lingshen's place".

"Of course!" he happily nodded. He already had heard enough good things about that restaurant to be looking forward to it. "I'll only take a few hours! See you later, Hasegawa-san, Hakase-san!".

"Goodbye" Satomi waved a hand to him, then turned her head to her roommate as soon as he was out and the front door was closed. "Are you really going to allow him to go alone?".

"It's still early. The only dangers he may run into are Iincho or Saotome".

"Shouldn't those be considered enough of a menace to his moral integrity?" Hakase wondered in the middle of calibrating a wrist.

"It'll help him to build character" the taller girl said while heading back towards the bedroom. "Plus, it should give me a couple of hours for another update. I haven't been able to add anything big ever since that day".

"Huh? Why not?".

Chisame growled. "Did you expect me to dress up while that little perv's looking?".

Satomi ws even more confused now. "Wasn't that the whole point of your hobby? To make young males to find you visually appealing?".

Chisame stared straight into her round eyes. "Sometimes I think you say those things on purpose".

"Is it because he's a foreigner?" Hakase asked again.

"Forget it".

"No, I'm genuinely curious" Satomi pondered. "Is it because of the age difference, then? In that case, it's even more puzzling. On one side, you say we should find nothing compromising or exciting about cohabitating with him, and I agree on that. But then you also profess finding proximity with him compromising after all. I believe you should stick to a single approach to this dilemma" she thoughtfully offered.

Chisame grumbled while undressing to try on the day's first costume. "I can't take a single approach to this dilemma" she said, then giving Hakase a pointful glare. "It's a dual problem".

Satomi didn't understand it.

Meanwhile, Negi took advantage of the campus being mostly lonely at a free day to cover most of his path flying on his staff. That allowed him to reach the rendezvous point behind the Academy, near a small and currently empty soccer field, in only a few minutes. Misora already was waiting there, against his expectations; she had sounded reluctant when he secretely contacted him over the phone with his idea, and by now he knew she was far from being usually responsible and punctual in pretty much any case.

But she was there, clad in a habit and holding a cross against her chest. She seemed very nervous and afraid, always looking in all directions, but she still was there, in time and bringing everything Negi had told her to bring.

"Good morning" he approached her with a smile he hoped was comforting enough. "Are you feeling better now, Kasuga-san?".

"Ah, good morning" she greeted back, forcing herself to look like her usual self despite her fear. "Yes, I'm like new now! Cocone's covering me for the morning, and I'm fully sure she won't rat me out, but the Sister will have lunch with us in a few hours, so let's do this fast, okay?".

"Right" he nodded, putting on his serious face and leading her towards the main building. "But if you don't want to do this—".

"No, I want to do it now" she shook her head. "I think. Let's just do it before I change my mind, fine?".

He looked back at her, making another smile. "Don't worry. I'll never allow anything bad to happen to you again".

Misora took her head slightly back. "D-Don't say such things. They don't sound right coming from a child".

"Don't think of me like a child!" he protested, in a tone that somehow was too much like a childish whine. "Think of me as your teacher, forever and ever!".

Misora actually found herself chuckling again despite herself. "Yeah. Right. Of course!".

Negi pouted, yet he said nothing as he stopped before one of the back doors and pulled a set of keys out of one of his pockets.

"Wow, they really gave you a full set of keys?" Misora's eyes widened.

"Like I said, I'm a teacher, with everything that implies!" Negi proudly stated.

Misora grinned, her eyes sparkling. Oh, if only she could get her hands on some copies of those keys! The possibilities for new pranks had grown to galactic proportions!

"Sensei..." she purred as she slid to his side, grabbing his right arm just as he opened the door. "I'm sorry if I offended you. You really are very mature and responsible for your age...".

"Maybe not so much, since I'm entering this building when I shouldn't be actually here" he admitted with an apologetic embarrassed laugh, "But if we need to do it to solve this mystery, then so be it".

Misora nodded as they walked inside, closing and locking the door behind themselves. There was nothing but lonely halls everywhere at sight. It was so quiet and still it was somewhat scary, even under the sunlight entering through the windows.

She tightened her grip on his arm a bit more.

"2-A is that way" she began to guide him towards the classroom after gulping some saliva down.

"Yes" he had to choice but following her hesitant steps. "Um, Kasuga-san, may I ask you something?".

"What is it, Sensei?".

"Why are you wearing your habit right now?".

""For secrecy purposes. From afar, I'll be harder to identify by any of the girls or the other teachers if I'm wearing this".

"I see. That makes sense".

"Can I ask you something in turn?".

"How is it, to live with Chisame and the Prof? Iincho says it must be hell, and I don't doubt it. One of them is mad, and the other is always angry and avoiding any human touch...".

"No, they both are actually very nice people" he countered. "Hakase-san is kind and pleasant, and she even lets me to sleep with her. And Hasegawa-san cares a lot about us. She does her best at it, too; she reminds me a bit of my sister...".

Misora gave him a bewildered look. "You sleep with the Prof, too?!".

"Heh, heh heh... Sorry about that. Sometimes I roll into people's beds while I'm asleep. It's a bad habit I took while living at Wales...".

"Europeans" Misora sighed as they reached 2-A's door. There, she stopped as if she had been frozen into place, clattering her teeth in horror.

"Like I said, if you don't want to do this—" he started again.

"NO! It's not that! I do want it! But I'd like you to do something for me in turn!" she blabbered, trying to gather enough courage both to enter and to ask him for the big deal.

"I'd do anything for any of you. What is it?" Negi asked.

She gasped, blushed, and drew in a very deep and slow breath before spitting the words out, "Let's make a Pactio!".

Negi's eyes became tiny black spots. "... Ahhh?".

"It's-It's just fair for me to ask this, isn't it?!" she said. "If I'm going to help you with this exorcism, I need something to make me a stronger mage!".

Negi had gone ghostly pale. "Do you want me to be your Minister?!".

Misora blinked. "... Would you be willing to be the Minister?".

He blinked back, stunned. "... Did you want me to be the Magister?".

She blushed again, looking aside. "Yes, I mean, no! I mean, I hadn't thought about being the Magistra, since I'm a weak mage, but if you want it, it's okay! After all, I'm older than you, so you should be the follower... Yes, I like the sound of that. You can be my Minister!".

"Kasuga-san, you do know what does it take to make a Pactio, don't you?" he eeped out.

"Yeah, yeah, big deal" she laughed shakily, trying to hide her own flushed face. "So what's an innocent kiss between friends, right? Because we can be friends, can't we?".

"O-Of course we can! But that isn't the point! You can't take on a partner just like that! It's a very important decision! One that demands a lot of previous thinking and debating! And besides, I— I— I—".

"What?" Misora asked.

"I don't know how to draw a Pactio circle yet" he lamely finished.

She made a long, shocked pause. "... Neither do I" she finally added in the same tone.

Then they both laughed uneasily.

"Weeeeeell, so much for that idea, then!" Misora said, still ashamed.

"Yeah, thank God!" he nodded.

She gave him a sudden stare intense enough to be worthy of Chisame. "Are you implying I'm that hideous?".

He gulped. "Why, I'd never—". He avoided the matter by walking into the classroom. "Well, I guess we can't take any longer! We'll just have to do the exorcism like we had planned, then go back home!".

"Wait, maybe we should—" Misora tried to protest, only to be reminded she still was grabbing him, meaning she had just been pulled into the classroom with him.

[OverMaster]

There we go again.

Spoiler for Negi, Misora and Sayo:

"Stand there, at the other side of the desk, please" Negi gently asked while moving himself right before Seat Number One, motioning for Misora to place herself behind it. After some hesitation, the young nun obeyed with a frown.

"Now what?" she asked.

The young Mr. Springfield pulled a carefully prepared piece of paper from one of his pockets and checked it again. "This is a basic summoning spell I practiced a couple of times at my Magic Academy, although we never had that many chances to research on spiritual invocations. Most ghosts from my homeland were banished long ago, back when every old castle had at least one troublesome poltergeist".

"Interesting" the female hummed while pulling the candles from her handbag and lighting them up, then to carefully place them around Aisaka's desk. "And it always NEEDED two mages for it to work?" she asked, still hoping he might let her go to pull it off by himself.

"At least two, yes" Negi rolled his sleeves up, breathing deeply. "Both times I practiced it, I did it with my friend Anya. A Magister Magi like my father could do it without any help, of course, but we still are beginners, so it might not even work even if we do it together... then again, Aisaka-san should be a low category spirit, so I figure we should be able to manage it".

Misora truly hoped they would fail now, but something still told her to avoid voicing that.

Instead, she secured the crucifix over her chest and looked at his eyes. "Alrighty then. What's next?".

He extended his hands over at her after strapping his bandaged staff over his torso. "Take my hands and repeat the spell after me. Put your whole heart and mind into it. Try to touch Aisaka-san's soul with your own".

"Fine" she agreed, foolishly, no doubt, as she grabbed his small, warm hands, squeezing them tightly to stop her own trembling. And again, his touch felt comforting and soft, ensuring and calming, at least enough to keep her in place after all, repeating his words even though doing so made her feel like a suicidal moron.

"Rastel Maskir Magister!" he began.

"Rastel Maskir Magister!" she followed, guessing it had to be his activation keyword. Idly, she wondered if she shouldn't have said her own instead, but she supposed, for a conjoint spell, it'd be better to use a single starter sentence.

"Spirit of the deceased, shadow from beyond the grave! Heed our words, show yourself to us, those who invoke your presence!".

After gulping very loudly, she blurted the words as quick as she could. "Spirit of the deceased, shadow from beyond the grave! Heed our words, show yourself to us, those who invoke your presence!".

"We call you by your name, Aisaka Sayo!" Negi shouted. "Unrestful soul, listen to our voices, acting as one to recall you!!".

"We call you by your name, Aisaka Sayo!" again, she followed him. "Unrestful soul, listen to our voices, acting as one to recall you!!".

"Grant us your audience, you, who still keep your links to the mortal world! Allow us to grant you our humble help in trade! Come forth, here and now!!".

"Grant us your audience, you, who still keep your links to the mortal world! Allow us to grant you our humble help in trade! Come forth, here and now!!" the girl managed to shriek, even as she felt her hair standing up in point.

The whole air of the classroom seemed to have changed, as a matter of fact, almost as if it was charged with electricity. It was invisible, but still, a powerful force could be felt all around them, making the floor tiles to tremble right beneath their feet.

"S-S-Sensei!!" Kasuga's eyes grew wide as plates, and really, if she hadn't been still grabbing his hands, she would have escaped away in that precise moment. "Is this supposed to happen now?!".

He smiled widely. "Yes, it is! We are managing it! We are doing it!".

Then a faint figure, unclear and difuse, started to show itself in midair over the desk. Misora squealed in shock as she found herself staring at the vague outline of a small face without eyes or nose, except because now it seemed to be gaining eyes and a nose at a rather fast pace. Around the face, a long white and flowing cascade of hair was materializing as well, and below, an old fashioned school uniform, complete with long skirt and sleeves, sewed itself over the ghostly shape. However, no legs ever appeared; from under the skirt, only a thick column of vapor peeked out, even when the summoning was seemingly complete and the ghost appeared in full form between them, opening her huge reddish eyes... which were full of overflowing tears.

Adding to Misora's panic, the spectre took her head back and wailed, in an ear piercing shrill tone.

"THAT WAS PAAAAAAAINFUUUUUUL!!!!!".

"KYAAAA!".

That had been the drop that spilled the glass; letting Negi's hands go, Misora backed all the way against a wall, aiming her cross at the ghost. "Ruh-ruh-retreat, evil spirit! Begone to the pit, devourer of lives! St-Stop haunting these holy grounds!".

"KYAAAAAA!!!!" the ghost yelled in turn, backing away as well, passing straight through Negi's head. "NO, YOU'RE MISTAKEN! I'M NOT EVIL! PLEASE DON'T KILL ME, I BEG YOU!!".

Negi looked at her, awed and unsure on what to say now. Funny, he had it all planned, and yet, he seemed to have forgotten it all now, with the chaos and all. "AHH— Aisaka Sayo-san?" he meekly asked. "Student Number One, am I right? I'm pleased to meet you; I'm Negi Springfield, your new teacher—".

The ghost trembled wildly, shrinking under his gaze. "What have I done to you? You have hurted me! And now you want to send me away! Please have mercy! I—I—" she started to cry, "I have nowhere to go!!".

Misora still trembled as well, maneuvering into a distant corner. "D-Don't listen to her, Sensei! It has to be a bloodsucking Banshee trick!".

"We only want to help you, Aisaka-san" Negi calmly offered, giving a tentative first step towards Sayo. "I'm sorry if our summoning caused you any pain; it honestly wan't our intent. Please listen to us. We want to be your friends...".

"F-Friends?" the ghost stammered, quaking like a terrified deer. "N-No, I heard you talking with Asakura-san the other day... You think I'm attacking those girls every night! You want to put me away to some horrible dark place! Please, leave me alone!".

And with that, she bolted for the door, flying through it and out into the halls with the greatest ease.

"AISAKA-SAN!" he called out. "Please, don't go! Listen to us!". Negi turned towards Misora, urging her. "We must go after her!".

"Wh-What?!" Misora babbled. "We managed to exorcize her, didn't we? She already left the classroom! The mission was a success, I'll see you tomorrow!". She tried to sneak away in the opposite direction.

"Kasuga-san, she might go on a panicked rampage through the whole school!" Negi claimed.

"That's too unfortunate. But accidents do happen" Misora replied.

"Many people could be scared away, or worse!" he pressed on.

"Oh, she ain't THAT scary..." the young nun chuckled trying to control her own terror.

"She's alone and afraid herself!" Negi insisted.

"B-But my vows included caring after the living, not after anyone who already bought the farm!" the young girl tried to protest.

"And if Sister Shakti ever learns of this, she'll be angry!" he pointed out.

"Yes... she would" Misora gulped even more now. "O-O-Okay then, let's go after her".

Negi smiled as he ran outside. "Kasuga-san, I see Sister Shakti is more fearsome than any undead, isn't she?".

She grumbled, running after him. "I still haven't discarded her being one of them, you know".

[OverMaster]

And again...

Spoiler for Negi, Misora and Sayo-Part 2:

"So, how do you expect to find her?" Misora asked while following him through the deserted halls. "I figure she must have a pretty good lead on us by now".

"Pay attention" Negi put a hand next to his right ear. "I can hear a sobbing coming from that direction. It's her voice".

Kasuga listened carefully and made a face. "She isn't much of a ghost, is she?".

"She is a young girl... who was alone for years, maybe more than sixty, surrounded by people she never could reach, and now we forced her to manifest herself in a way that must have hurted her. It's no wonder she's shocked and afraid".

"I thought you had previous experience with those summonings".

"I did" he was puzzled. "It never caused the spirits any pain before. I wonder why did Aisaka-san experiment such pain...”

"Maybe it was because of me" Misora grumbled, looking aside. "Maybe I'm not as good a spell partner as your Anya friend. I always mess everything up".

"Don't ever say that. The fact we pulled the summoning at all in our first try shows you do have the talent" he said. "You need to have more trust on yourself".

She looked at him again. "You're... too kind".

"Quiet, please" he whispered, stopping before a large steel door. The sobs seemed to come from the inside, loud and nonstop. "She's in there. What is this place?".

"The basketball indoors gym" Misora whispered back. "Yuuna uses to practice there, but never on Sundays, so it's okay".

"Roger" he briefly nodded. "You cover my back just in case, please".

Misora let out a choked sound. "M-Me?". Finally, she nodded holding herself down. "Right. I can do that. Yeah". She nervously clutched the cross between her hands.

Negi looked for the right key for a few moments, then used it and warily walked into the gym, with Misora shadowing his steps.

Then a basketball flew straight into each one of their faces.

"I-I-I told you to leave me alone!" the pale figure of Sayo whimpered crouched against a far distant corner, with several basketballs and even a few chairs floating all around her. "Please! I don't want to hurt anyone, I just... I just want to enjoy life peacefully...".

Misora rubbed her aching face, now too annoyed to be truly scared. "YOU AREN'T ALIVE TO BEGIN WITH!".

Sayo sulked down. "You shouldn't bring that up. It's a sensitive matter for me. You're so mean... I have seen you playing so many pranks on people, how do I know you don't just want to get rid of a witness?".

"Give me a break, it's all in the name of good clean fun!" the living girl snapped.

"Now, now, please" Negi attempted to mediate. "Aisaka-san, I promise we won't force you to do anything you don't want to. If you only let us to--".

Another basketball went flying passing mere inches next to his head. "D-Don't come any closer!" the ghost threatened with a quivering voice. "I really don't want to resort to violence!". She cringed as one of the chairs fell down and through herself, clanking against the floor. "Wahh! And I can't keep them floating for long! I'm a failure at life-- I mean, at death--".

Negi still kept on walking towards her. "Don't cry, please. It's all okay. You don't have to be alone anymore. No one's going to send you anywhere if you don't want to go".

The spirit still shuddered, looking up at him with pleading eyes. "P-Please don't mock me. Why wouldn't you? Everyone is afraid of ghosts. Even I am, and I never have seen one...".

"You have never met anyone like you?" Misora asked, still standing at the door.

Aisaka shook her head. "I don't remember anything from the time when I was alive. My earliest memories are waking up at your classroom years ago... I don't even remember exactly when. All I know is I have watched class after class to pass before my eyes, no one ever noticing me until Asakura-san and now you. For some reason, she seems to be aware I'm there, even if she can't see me. But no, I haven't ever been able to talk to anyone else, human or ghost".

Misora's lips curved themselves down. "That's... gotta suck".

Sayo nodded sadly. "Not even Evangeline-san can see me. At least I don't think she can, despite being there for fifteen years...".

Both humans' eyes went wide. "Fifteen?!" they said at the same time.

"Fifteen?" Sayo repeated, blinking, before carefully counting using her fingers, then nodding. "Yes. Fifteen. I can say she feels lonely, too, so I feel sorry for her".

"Being lonely is the least weird thing about that" Misora said. "Eva-chin may be a bad student, but fifteen years repeating the same grades is too much! What kind of person is her?".

Negi mulled over Itoshiki-sensei's warning silently, then mused with hesitation. "It's strange; I've never felt anything supernatural around her... But we'll look into that later. Aisaka-san, what matters now is, I'm glad to see you are a good person after all. I'm sorry for doubting you before getting to meet you".

He extended a hand to her. "I'll look after you as much as I'd do with any other student. If you ever have any problems, just ask me or Kasuga-san for help. And I promise we'll help you to remember your past, too".

Sayo turned her gaze away. "I'm... not sure I want to remember it".

He crouched down before her and passed a hand through her hair, or rather, the air where her hair could be seen. "Then we'll help you to make your future".

She looked at his eyes, and for a moment Misora could swear her translucid face could be seen flushed with a brief, yet intense blush.

"I... would like that" the ghost nodded weakly, finally smiling at both of them.

Thirty minutes later, Negi and Misora walked out of the school building. As the young teacher closed the back door with lock and key, the nun in training hummed thoughtfully to herself.

"That didn't take us too far, did it?" she asked.

"It allowed us to help a student. That's more than enough for me" he stated.

"Yeah, it's great and all, but still... not what we went to look for".

His expression hardened just a bit. "It may have set me on the right direction".

"Do you mean the bit about Eva-chin?" Misora uncomfortably said. "I dunno, Sayo seems rather unable to measure time properly. It just isn't possible for her to--".

"Or is that what you want to convince yourself about?" he asked. "That Evangeline-san can't be the Dark Evangel?".

Misora's face distorted itself into a terrified grimace. "Y-You said it yourself, we haven't sensed any power coming from her! Surely, if she were such a fearsome creature-- The name must be a coincidence-- I mean--".

He breathed in and out, and then he regained his smile, looking at her again. "Yes, you must be right. Sorry. A teacher shouldn't doubt his students, like today's incident proved. Thanks for all the help, Kasuga-san. It's good to see you are so reliable!".

"Reliable? Me??" she blinked several times. But then, slowly, she smiled back at him. "Ah, Negi-kun. You're so naive. But I think that's as weird as lovely in a man".

And then, much to his shock, she lowered her head and gave him a brief and soft kiss on his forehead.

Negi backed away as if a snake had just pierced him with its fangs. "GAH! Kasuga-san! That's unfitting from both a student and a nun!!".

"Bwa-ha-ha!" she laughed. "You overthink things too much! Like I said before, an innocent kiss between friends is nothing! Nothing!".

Mischievously, she turned around and winked an eye at him. "It was fun to hang around with you! Let's do it again some time!".

And without waiting for his reply, she ran away back to her dorm, laughing her head off all the way.

"A-And don't call me 'Negi-kun'!! The right term is 'Negi-sensei'!!" he still shouted at her quickly out of sight form. He still was flustered and blushing like crazy.

Now that had been far scarier than any ghost he ever had met.

At least, he hoped that was fear he was feeling. He liked that explanation better than the other possible reason for his heart beating so fast now.