Mahou Sensei Negima! Fan Fiction ❯ Life In A Bottle ❯ A Night Designed By Fate Pt. 2 ( Chapter 7 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

-----Author’s note: Serac’s in here, and he’s as frustratingly omnipotent as ever. Sorry Nodoka has to deal with his crap, but it’s to change her life.....and there will eventually be a payoff. Please forgive the stereotypes that will be mentioned. I do not own Negima!, but any other characters (Save for Masayoshi) and ideas are my own. Enjoy.....-----


“Ok, remember, no matter what he looks like, he’s actually a devious mastermind. He’ll stop at nothing to get what he wants, no matter who he has to trample on to get it. He’ll use you, your family, your friends, and then throw you away like an old paper cup.....or some other disposable thing,” Masayoshi muttered behind himself to his newfound ally, looking around as though he were expecting lasers to pop up from the street and start shooting at them.

“Sounds like your everyday politician, to me,” Connor replied nonchalantly.

“Now’s not exactly the time to be joking.....”

“I wasn’t joking. We set them on fire if they get out of line, where I come from,” The man in black replied casually, following after Masayoshi as he was led to the house of his enemy.

“Where the heck are you from?”

Connor was cursing himself inside for letting that slip. Now he had to lie, “I-I.....am from a place.....Ah, dammit, it starts with an ‘ah’ sound.....”

“America?”

“No.....th ey only execute prisoners, there.....Oh! Africa! That’s where I’m from, yeah.....Africa. We burn politicians there,” He wiped his brow as he remembered an actual place.

“I thought Africans were black?”

“.....Really? I-I mean, I AM black.....part black.....mostly white, but there’s black in there. I’m a kind of.....mix.....you know, like the chocolate vanilla swirl.”

The two stopped walking to stare at each other for several seconds, making Connor feel as though he needed to keep talking, which was probably not a good idea.

“R-Really, it’s pretty cool. I have the best of both worlds. On one side of it, I made it to six foot, I look good in a bandanna, and ladies are drawn to me like moths to a flame. On the other side, I’ll never have a problem getting a desk job, women assume I HAVE a desk job, and women think I’ll make for a good provider.”

Masayoshi had yet to look away from Connor, or even blink, so the man in black felt compelled to speak even more.

“Th-There’s bad stuff that goes with it, too, though. For example.....uh.....I’d be able to blend in at a trailer park.....and.....my ancestors were.....used unjustly. Uh, b-but then there’s the stuff that’s kind of in-between. Like, my jumping ability is only average, and.....I’m not a great dancer, I just sort of get by.....”

Masayoshi was still staring at him, his expression unchanged.

“Yeah,” He finally decided to just shut his mouth.

“That’s incredible! You’re so lucky,” The teen smacked Connor on the arm, flashing him an oblivious smile. The two resumed walking, Masayoshi taking his place as leader, again.

‘God, I’ve been in Mahora too long,’ Connor thought, grinding his teeth a little, ‘All of this bonding and friendship building is making me soft. I seem to remember a time when I would have just told him to shut the hell up and take me to this guy’s place.....I need to find somewhere where I can be alone, and just brood about life for awhile.....’

The two figures stopped, veiled beneath the inky night sky, and stood before a building that they knew they would soon be marching into. A nearby streetlight buzzed softly as it flickered on and off, the bugs around it vanishing and reappearing under its inconsistent glow. A dull wind picked up just enough to ease a ponytail and bandanna along with it.

“.....We done, yet?”

Connor sighed, raising his hand to his forehead, which he massaged a little, “Why did you have to say anything? When the wind dies back down, then we’re done!”

“Sorry, I don’t get the whole ‘posing’ thing.....” Masayoshi admitted through a grin, rubbing the back of his neck.

“It intimidates the foe!”

“No one’s watching.”

“It helps to build up some confidence, too.....”

“I was more confident before we stopped to wait for a breeze.....”

“We’ve been out here for, like, ten seconds! Are you that impatient?” The breeze died down, “See? Eight seconds longer, you just couldn’t be patient.....” Connor groaned, sticking his hands in his pockets as he started down the walkway up to the short house.

“If you say so. But remember, we’re here for a very serious reason.....” Masayoshi stated in a solemn tone that was quite unbefitting him.

“Are you kidding me? Based on what you told me, this whole thing is just a huge joke. I can’t believe someone hired you to do this.....”

“Blackmailed, not hired.”

“Yeah, whatever. I wonder what Freckles would say if she knew all of this was going down.....” Connor knocked on the door a few times.

“What would I say about what?” A cute little voice came from behind the two, causing both to spin around at the same time, looking a little surprised. Not in the good way, either.

“N-N-Natsumi-chan! What are you d-doing here?” The teen laughed nervously, his eyes shooting from her to the taller girl beside her.

“Fully-developed girl, too. How’s it going?” Connor asked, shooting a grin and wink in her direction.

Chizuru chuckled a little, returning the attention by blowing a little kiss. Connor-sensei was a funny one, at least.

“We’re heading back to the dorms from the Astronomy Club,” The shorter girl replied, “We saw you two standing out on the sidewalk for a few seconds before you walked up to the house.”

“You both looked very cool, before you started talking,” Chizuru stated, clapping her hands together and closing her eyes.

“Thank you!” Connor spoke loudly, sending a dirty look Masayoshi’s way.

“It was like something out of one of the shows Kotaro-kun likes to watch.....”

Masayoshi was still staring at Natsumi, and she had taken notice, turning a little red. ‘Oh, wait.....’ Connor thought, ‘Isn’t this bad? She shouldn’t be here to find out-’

The door opened up from behind him, and he wheeled around to come face to face with a rather large boy, about fifteen in age, though he looked to weigh three times what your average teenager weighed. He was wearing a tight shirt which bore a spaceship on the front, and baggy denim shorts. The teen looked at the four people, one at a time, his eyes finally landing squarely on Masayoshi. They narrowed as he spoke in a mucous coated voice, “So it’s come to this.....fine! We will settle this like real men, once and for all!”

Connor reached into his jacket to pull out his gun, but Masayoshi reached over and grabbed his arm, shaking his head, “W-We have to play on his terms.....or else I’m in BIG trouble,” He whispered to his friend.

Natsumi and Chizuru looked at what was unfolding before them, both confused and intrigued, “Can we watch?” They asked, their eyes turning wobbly and pleading.

The three guys looked at them, all realizing one thing. They couldn’t say no.

-

“Skank.”

“Ho.”

“Bitch.”

“I believe an accurate term for this type of girl is ‘floozy’.”

Chamo looked at each girl in surprise, though he knew it would be happening. He turned his attention back to Negi and Keiko, who were making their way from her beautiful house down to the stretch limo Negi had managed to get. He and Asuna, Chachamaru, Yue, and Haruna were watching the two from the safety of across the street, behind a few trash cans. All four girls were ready to run across the street and tear the other girl’s hair out, but for the sake of not embarrassing Negi, fought off the urges.

“Dammit all to hell, she’s hot! Bimbo hot!” Haruna fumed, wringing Chamo out between her tight grip.

“N-Negi-sensei isn’t attracted to that kind of girl! He likes smart girls, the best.....and looking at her, it’s easy to tell she’s one of those air heads,” Yue tried to console herself, wishing she was a bit more.....filled out, just to be safe.

“Ha! Yeah, that’s why he sleeps with ME almost every night!” Asuna laughed, folding her arms and looking away indignantly, her pigtails smacking the short philosopher in the face.

“Negi-sensei has been sleeping with me more than you as of late, Asuna-san,” Chachamaru stated bluntly, watching as the two entered the limo.

“You mean you’ve been sleeping with him! You keep crawling into his bed at night!”

“Because he holds me and whispers sweet things to me,” The robot replied, “He is safe when he sleeps with me, whereas you always strike him upon waking.”

Haruna purred a little, stretching her whip out as she began to think, “I’d like to strike him.....”

“Again with the whip?” Yue asked, shying away from the slightly frightening manga artist.

“They’re leaving!” Asuna pointed after the limo as it began to drive away, “Come on!”

-

Negi felt a drop of sweat slide down the side of his face as he tried to look at anything other than the girl in front of him. He was terrified that she was just going to drop the idea of dinner altogether and just lunge at him for dessert, right now. The mischievous glint in her eyes suggested that she was considering this course of action. The small curve of her lips into a hungry smirk told him that he was in trouble, and not the fun 3-A kind of trouble, but REAL girl trouble. What was really tripping him up, however, was the fact that he was.....if he put it gentlemanly, he was reciprocating the feelings he was actually afraid of.

His eyes traced her long legs back up to her body, which was shown off through her form fitting dress. But it wasn’t just any dress, it was a special kind of dress that many men (and Negi, it seemed) loved. The little black dress. It was strange.....the longer he stared at it, the more intrigued and fascinated with it he became. It was almost as if.....as if the black dress were enchanted by some sort of attraction magic! That must be it! The power of the little black dress was reeling him in! But he wouldn’t let it.....he would resist the temptation he was feeling that he couldn’t fully explain, oh he would resist it like a real man.

“Masa-kun.....” Keiko purred softly, leaning forward to give Negi a snapshot down her dress, “Would you like to.....turn around and go back to my house? My parents are out at a party, right now, so we could have some time alone.....”

The boy in disguise was too busy gawking at the view before him to form any sort of intelligible thought, so he simply sat there in silence. The power of the dress was formidable, indeed.

“.....Masa-kun? Is that a yes?”

Negi nodded a little, but caught himself and quickly shook his head no, “U-Um, we sh-should go to the restaurant.....Th-The reservation cost me.....an arm and a.....pair of incredibly sexy legs t-to get, so we should e-enjoy it.....” He stammered, not quite sure of everything he had just said.

Keiko grinned, patting her lap for him to come over and sit. As if in a trance, Negi did as he was told. The power of the little black dress was too much for him to handle, after all. Even the magical pheromones that he had heard of couldn’t compare.....

-

With the help of Chachamaru’s boosters and Asuna’s raw strength utilized in the form of a piggyback, the group of four managed to keep the limo in their sights as they barreled through the city, attracting confused and, often, frightened looks as they went.

“That way!” Yue shouted from atop Asuna’s shoulders, thrusting a finger after the limo as it turned a corner.

“I see it, I see it!” Baka red assured her friend, shoving an unfortunate pedestrian aside and into the street as she raced by. A car veered onto the sidewalk and into the side of a building as it dodged the man in the street. The driver of the car stumbled out, getting a running start away from the vehicle as he feared the worst. He dove forward, covering his head with his hands as the car exploded, sending shrapnel every which way.

One of the mentioned pieces of shrapnel sliced through an oncoming Dodge Viper’s front left tire, causing it to lose control and kick up into a roll. The rolling car slammed into a street post, nearly uprooting it from the ground.

Haruna cheered as the limo came screeching to a stop, the driver jumping out to see if everyone was alright, “Alright, screw it! Let’s just go take him back!” She jumped off of Chachamaru’s shoulders, whip in hand as she dashed for the now motionless limo. Well, almost motionless, it was rocking around a bit.

Takamichi groaned a little as he crawled out from his ruined car, rubbing his head a little as he spotted the culprits of the accident, making a rush for a stretch limo. He could sense some sort of strong magical aura resonating from the limo, and it was making the girls act crazier than usual. He’d have to fix this mess, it looked.

Chachamaru grabbed onto the door that sat between her and her Negi, and ripped it clean off of the vehicle. When she did, the three people next to her all reacted rather differently. Haruna, whip ready to go, dove into the car to become a part of whatever Negi and Keiko had been up to a second ago. Yue made a sort of sneezing sound, which covered a nice portion of the once white limo in a fresh coat of blood. She fell back, eyes swirling around as she started to babble to herself. Asuna’s eyes rolled up in the back of her head as she began to foam at the mouth just seconds before collapsing.

Takamichi couldn’t help but groan again as his car exploded from behind him, damaging the wiring below ground. The lights for the entire block and a fair distance around it dimmed and went out. He raised his hand, his ring glinting a little as he dispelled the aura that was encircling the people around the limo, “I’ll take it you’re responsible for this?” He asked the ermine, who was gawking at whatever was going on in the limo.

“I never thought that things would turn out exactly like this, though,” The ermine replied, looking around at the destruction.

“You know I could throw you in jail for all of this,” The teacher stated seriously, scooping up Asuna and Yue before tackling the confused mess of three inside the vehicle.

“Yes. Yes you could.”

-

Nodoka followed after Serac as the train came to a stop, its doors opening up. It was drizzling a little but, despite this, the night air was pleasant enough. Without a word, the Wanderer made his way slowly out from beneath the shelter of the station, and out into the dripping elements. The shy librarian moved to trail after him, but paused at the edge of the station to look up at the sky, and the water falling from it. Well, looked like she was going to have to deal with getting rained on, today. She swung her foot forward to step into the rain, but tripped and fell down onto the wet sidewalk.

“Ow.....” She groaned, pushing herself up and looking down at her now moist clothes. A car sped by in front of her all while kicking up water on her as she stood up, turning to find that what she had tripped on had been an umbrella, ironically enough. After looking around a moment to see if anyone was missing one, which they weren’t, she picked it up, opened it, and hurried after the man who had brought her here.

He had already gotten across the street and halfway down a city block before she had caught up to him, “I see you found an umbrella. How fortunate for you,” The man stated blandly, not bothering to stop, or even to turn and look at her as he spoke.

“Y-Yeah, it was just there on the ground, s-so I grabbed it. Sh-Should I take it back?” The girl asked shyly, afraid she might have done something to upset the cloaked man.

“No. I left it there so you could use it.”

“B-But I tripped on it and fell! Why didn’t you just give it to me?” Nodoka asked, frowning a little bit.

“Because you were meant to trip and fall.”

“Th-That’s a mean thing to say.....”

“If you had not taken the little bit of time to fall down, the car that passed by in front of you would have struck and killed you. In a sense, I saved your life,” Serac turned and walked across the street, but Nodoka was a little slower to follow, this time. She stopped and looked for any cars before crossing the street.

It took her a few minutes to gather the courage to speak, but she eventually did, “Where are you t-taking me?”

“To where you are supposed to go,” Serac mumbled, barely audible over the sound of the falling rain. Which, as it passed through him, froze and clinked noisily to the ground.

His vague and unhelpful answer frustrated Nodoka a little bit, but what was she going to say? She was starting to believe that he really did have something important to show her, and if it somehow involved ‘the boy’, whom she assumed was Negi, then she was definitely going to stick it out to find out.

She followed him through the dark streets for what felt like an eternity, though it only lasted fifteen minutes or so. Serac turned down an alley, motioning for the hesitant girl to follow him.

He stopped in front of a mound of trash bags, lowering himself to a crouching position. Nodoka took her spot behind him, beginning to worry about what was about to happen.

“There is no need to worry, as you are in no danger. However.....” Serac grabbed one of the bags, pulling it off of the pile to reveal an arm, “You should be braced for an unpleasant sight.”

Nodoka screamed, backing away to the opposite wall of the alley, staring at the limb jutting out of the mound of trash. She pointed at it, dropping her umbrella, “Wh-Wh.....”

Serac grabbed the arm, lifting it and its owner up from the garbage. He set the dead woman down gingerly to the ground, letting the light rain rinse some of the blood and garbage from her. He turned an unfeeling gaze to the terror-stricken Nodoka, “Her name was Kaya Aemi. She ran away from home when she was fifteen, coming to Osaka, where she had a friend who offered to take her in. That was two years ago. Seven months ago, her friend left to study abroad. He was set to come back home in a little more than two weeks.”

“Wh.....Why are you telling m-me this? I-I don’t want to see this!” Nodoka stammered loudly. She wanted to look at anything other than what she was seeing, right now, but she couldn’t look away. She was transfixed on the dead girl before her, her glassy eyes staring right back into Nodoka’s fearful ones. The girl’s wrists were bruised a dark blue, and it looked like one of her legs had been broken. Her mouth was concealed under a wrap of duct tape, a grotesque lump in her throat hinting that she had suffocated on something that had been too big for her to swallow.

“There is a reason,” Serac reached back into the pile, pulling out a purse. He emptied it out onto the ground, picking out a ring of keys before rising back to his feet, “Come,” He started to leave the alley, “We still have an important person for you to meet.”

“W-W-We c-can’t just leave her here!” Nodoka exclaimed, trying her best to keep her queasy stomach from flipping around any more than it already was, “We h-have to call s-somebody!”

“No. She will be discovered in the morning.”

“Y-You just want to leave her here in the rain?”

“Though you can agree that it is better than in a pile of garbage,” Serac exited the alley, leaving Nodoka’s line of sight as he turned the corner.

The librarian moved to follow him, but was at the same time flipping open her cell phone to call for help. She was upset to hear a computerized voice on the other end saying that she was out of her service area.

“What would you tell them?” A bored voice came from behind her, scaring her half to death. Serac was now behind her, though she had no idea how he had gotten back there without her noticing, “No one will believe why you are out in Osaka, when you should be back in Mahora. Well, Connor would, but he would not be of any help to you. You will only be placing yourself in a difficult position by making such a call. Now come. There is the meeting to think of.”

As the two resumed their walk, Serac continued to speak so that Nodoka didn’t get the chance to, “The girl was part of an occultist group known as the Angels. The matriarch of this band of revolutionists was recently silenced, and the cult disbanded. Most people who had been a part of the group returned to their lives, while others refused to let go of what they believe could have been. Those who have left the path of the Angels have been branded traitors. Kaya was killed by two such fanatics for her transgressions against the mother, though it is better that you do not ponder over what transpired shortly before her final breath. It is rather unpleasant, by your own standards.”

Shivering a little at the thought of cult killings, Nodoka choked down anything she had wanted to say, just then.

“You wonder what she was doing out past eleven by herself. She needed to pick something up from the store at the corner. That is all.”

“What did she need at eleven at night?” Nodoka asked, rubbing the water out of her eyes. She didn’t know this person, but seeing anyone dead was traumatic.

Serac led her to an apartment complex, up a few flights of stairs, and to a door. The noise coming from the other side of the closed and locked door caused Nodoka’s heart to jump up into her throat, and her stomach to sink lower than she thought possible.

He reached up to the scrap of paper stuck to the green wooden door, grabbing the seal with a tight hand. He ripped it off, a brief shimmer resonating through the door and nearby walls as he did, destroying the ward that had been set up. Serac stuck the key into the lock, opening the door to reveal the sound for what it really was. Over the sound of the infant’s crying, the Wanderer stated bluntly, “She needed baby formula.”


-----Author’s other note: Serac is so much fun.....

And, lest I forget to say; Masayoshi is Master Masa Random’s OC! Read his writing, it’s good. And if I think it’s good, well, it MUST be. Not that I think too highly of my own opinions.....

Thanks for reading.....-----