Pani Poni Dash! Fan Fiction / Mai-HiME Fan Fiction / Mahou Sensei Negima! Fan Fiction ❯ Vegrandis Magister Ferociter ❯ 03 - Consequences ( Chapter 3 )

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

She woke up to the constant sound of water hitting the floor. Reluctantly, she opened her weary eyes to take in the surroundings.

The curtains might have blocked off most of the sunlight but some still managed to sneak in. These errant rays of light cast brightness onto Rebecca. A new day had dawned since the night's events.

Unwilling to move, Rebecca surveyed the room from her position. The face of a young bespectacled boy snoring gently before her…. The noise of Igarashi's singing out of tune wafting from the showers…. The feel of the soft blanket over her….

She closed her eyes tightly. She could feel the creeping effect of a splitting headache. As much as she tried, she could not recall what happened after she drank that foul-tasting `Fruit Punch Delight'.

Pain and exhaustion hit her. She moaned painfully and mentally swore never to touch one of those drinks ever again. And there she lay, trying to return to the comfort of sleep when a nagging thought reminded her that something was not quite right.

Rebecca opened her eyes, then closed it again.

`This is a nightmare,' she thought frantically, `this must be a nightmare. If I wake up, he will be gone.'

“Okay… I'm awake now…” She reassured herself, then she opened her eyes once more.

He was still there, that Negi. Sleeping before her without a care in the world.

She jolted to a sitting position and felt her body to check for any problems. She realized to her horror that her dress zipper at her back was undone.

`He did it again… He violated a sleeping maiden…' Rebecca retreated from the sleeping figure, clutching to the blanket that covered her.

She considered screaming when she realized that the blanket around her was in fact a robe, the robe that Negi wore the previous night.

At that moment, Igarashi stepped out of the showers.

“Oh, you have awakened. Good morning, Miyamoto-chan,” Igarashi greeted as she walked to the wardrobe and took off the bathrobe.

“He… he….” Rebecca tried to say as she pointed at the sleeping boy. But words would not come out,

“The boy? I found him asleep outside with the doorknob on the floor. He must be quite strong to be able to break that knob. He was such a forlorn sight that I brought him in,” Igarashi started to change to casual wear.

Rebecca looked to the door and noticed a gapping hole at where a knob should be.

“Don't worry about it. I have already called the local management to repair it. Prince Charming here must have stayed outside to protect our room and you from any outsiders, too bad he fell asleep.”

Rebecca was slowly piecing the bits of the puzzle in her mind. She must have become drunk and fell asleep last night after that drink. And judging from what Igarashi said, this Negi Springfield must have brought her back, broke the knob to gain entry and stayed behind to protect the place.

She hugged the robe closer to her as she gazed at the sleeping boy. She could feel blood rushing up to her face as she wondered about what could have happened between her getting drunk and now. She tried to shake off those wild thoughts and unknown emotions raging in her mind.

Then, Negi woke up. Rebecca found herself retreating some more to the edge of the bed.

“Good morning, Miyamoto-sama,” Negi said in a dreamy state as he noticed the look Rebecca was giving him.

He looked around at the surrounding for a while before he realized that he had been sleeping on Rebecca's bed.

“Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!” he immediately started to apologize, “I did not do anything, I swear.”

“Ah… Prince Charming is awake,” Igarashi had finished changing, “Don't worry, I was the one who brought you in.”

“You could have put me in the other bed,” Negi whined unhappily.

“What? And deny myself a bed to sleep?” Igarashi replied, then she placed a hand on both Negi's and Rebecca's head and rubbed furiously.

“I'm leaving to explore town for now. Both of you, enjoy…” and in a mock whisper to Negi, “All the best, Prince Charming.”

Giving Negi a mischievous wink and a thumbs-up, she left the room, closing the door silently behind.

Negi and Rebecca stared at each other in silence.

“Miyamoto-sama, I swear I did not do anything to you… except breaking your knob…” Negi tried to break the silence by reassuring the doubts in Rebecca's mind.

“Did… I… say anything weird… yesterday?” Rebecca asked, hoping that she had not said anything too embarrassing, like her days in M.I.T. or the fact that she had been somewhat interested in Negi.

In fact, she felt a curious mix of embarrassment and horror as she realized that deep in her heart, despite all those talks of revenge, she was still interested in him.

“Ah…” Negi tried to say as he blushed, like he was remembering something.

`That's it,' she thought, `It must be something very embarrassing.'

“You said that you missed your students… and I replied that I miss my students too…” Negi said slowly and carefully, as if he was judging his words.

Rebecca looked at him suspiciously. He seemed to be hiding something.

“Nothing else?” she asked, hoping that that was the end.

“Well… Miyamoto-sama, I had to stop you from taking off your dress,” Negi answered.

Rebecca felt another wave of embarrassment hit her. She knew there was probably other things that happened but decided not to press on before it got too embarrassing to her.

“What else do you want me to do, Miyamoto-sama.” Negi asked.

“Springfield-san…” Rebecca felt somewhat uncomfortable calling him anything other than `that boy' or `slave', but after what he had did to help her, it felt more right to call him by his name.

“Call me Becky.” She had felt most at home with the nickname that her students had given her.

Negi had a look of surprise on his face, “O..kay… Becky-sama…”

“Becky will do.”

Negi smiled happily. “Well then, Becky-chan, can you call me Negi?”

Rebecca hesitated for a while.

“Ne..gi..-kun,” she tried.

“Yes, Becky-chan?”

“Nothing, Negi-kun.”

Then they look at each other and laughed for a while. A wall seemed to have broken between them.

Rebecca stopped to think. They were not that close, were they? She was supposed to be smarting from the cruise incident… she still had a reputation to keep.

“But you are still my slave,” she quickly added, partly to reassure herself.

Negi looked disappointed. There was silence as both of them thought about what to say next.

“Err… Negi-kun, are you… interested in attending the tour of Fuuka Academy together?” Rebecca finally asked Negi shyly. Seeing the surprised look on Negi's face, she quickly added, “It's okay if you think that it is too boring for you… but it would be nice to have someone of the same age range accompany me..,” She looked at Negi with anticipation in her eyes.

Negi gave her a wide, cheerful smile and answered brightly, “I will be glad to.”

Soon afterwards, Negi left for his hostel as they promised to meet up at nine thirty at the flower garden.

Once Negi left, Rebecca just sat on the bed as the impact of what she said slowly hit home. Did she just ask Negi for a date? Did she like him that much? A tour of the school was not very interesting, was it? Whatever it was, there was no denying that she had acquired an interest for this little gentleman.

The local management came and gone, replacing the knob with a new one. With the agreed time approaching, Rebecca took a quick shower and changed to a new set of clothing to get ready for the tour.

After a while, Rebecca had reached the pavilion in the flower garden. Some other participants of the convention had also arrived but there was no sign of Negi.

She took a look at her watch; it seemed that she had arrived early. With a sign, she leaned herself onto one of the pillars and returned the stares she was receiving from others with a deadly glare. No matter she went, everyone seems to find her interesting, some even try to buy her sweets. While she had been used to the stares and the pointing of fingers, she still did not enjoy being in the center of attention.

Back in her M.I.T. days, she was able to scare off everyone with her coldness, but as she entered the adult world prematurely, it got harder and harder as it went. Negi had been the first to see her as anything other than a cute child trying to act adult, did not make fun of her or try to look impressed, maybe it was because they were so similar in fate and age.

Negi finally came, dressed in casual T-shirt and jeans.

“You're late. It is nine-forty,” Rebecca scowled at him.

“I'm sorry. I got held up by your colleague,” Negi replied breathlessly. He had been running all the way here.

“Saotome?” she asked, “Why?”

“He was worried about you,” Negi answered, “Look, the hosts have arrived.”

Sure enough, some students have arrived. Rebecca could recognize Natsuki and Tate from the Evening Ceremony and Aoi, her guide for the first day. This time, they had another student with them. A girl with glasses and short, black hair talking to Aoi.

“Alright,” Natsuki announced through a loudspeaker, “Esteemed guests of Fuuka Academy. Please gather around me.” Once the participants had gathered and stopped talking, she continued, “We would like to thank you all for coming for this tour of Fuuka Academy. My friends here,” she refered to Aoi and her friend, “will lead you around Fuuka and the surrounding areas.”

“We wish all of you an enjoyable tour and thank you,” With that, Natsuki signaled the rest to leave with her, leaving Aoi and her friend with the group.

“My name is Aoi, as some of you would have known, and my friend here is Chie. We will be your guides for the tour of Fuuka Academy. Please follow me,” she waved a little flag in her hands as she led the group to the main building.

The guides brought the group to the many interesting places of Fuuka. The cafeteria; the state-of-the-arts gym and exercise facilities; the library with the giant clock in the middle.

One of the stops was to a classroom where a class was in progress. A lady teacher with red hair tied in a ponytail was teaching the class history. On seeing the group peering into the class, she stopped the lesson and greeted the group.

“Good morning, fellow teachers. My name is Midori and I am seventeen,” she said brightly.

As the group moved on to other places, Rebecca noticed Chie approached Midori and talked to her ears. Midori nodded and continued with her lessons in the class.

Finally, they reached a little church just at the fringe of Fuuka's boundaries, far away from the academy.

“This church has been here for as long as any of us can remember. We had our own Sister Yukariko who runs the church but since she is currently expecting her second child, the church is run by our own student volunteers for now,” Chie explained.

They led the group into the church where a lone, solitary red-haired girl, dressed in a habit was sending some message through her handphone. On seeing the arrival of the group, she sprang to attention.

“Welcome to the Covent of God,” she said grandly, “I am Sister Nao and I would be most willing to entertain any confessions any of you would like to make.”

“Five hundred yen per confession,” she added.

Before she could continue to introduce the different services from God (all with a price), Chie asked her, “Sister Nao, where is Alyssa-chan? We are hoping she would sing a song or two for the teachers.”

“Oh…” Sister Nao became bored when she realized the group was not interested in any of the services, “That would cost too, but Alyssa went with Miyu to investigate the excavation site nearby.”

Then, she shooed all of them out, “Do not disturb the peace of God when thou does not seek his help.”

Rebecca looked at Negi as they left the church. So far, he had seemed to be enjoying the trip. She, herself had found the trip quite boring but did not wish to show it.

Occasionally, he would turn and gave her that warm, friendly smile, or simply asked her if she was enjoying herself. And to her chagrin, she would feel the rushing blood and those blasted butterflies in her stomach when that happened.

Just then, Negi raised a hand and asked, “Can we visit the excavation site?” There were murmurs of agreement from the rest. The excavation site with the archaeological discovery had featured greatly in the news and everyone was interested in it.

“Sure,” Chie answered smoothly, “This way, please.”

The two student guides brought the group along the pathway until at one point, the guides turned into a beaten forest path.

After some time, the group found themselves in front of a cave. There was a tent with scientists studying some diagrams in it. Equipments and vehicles lied around the entrance as workman relaxed under the trees for some shade before carrying on their work.

Chie approached a more official-looking workman and talked to him. The workman gave a nod in agreement and then Chie came back to the group.

“The foreman has given his permission to enter the excavation site. Please remember not to touch anything and do not move out of the group unless permission is given otherwise,” she said.

Then taking a lamp from the ground, she and Aoi walked into the dark cave and signaled for the rest to move on.

There were lamps hanging inside the cave so it was not total darkness. But with the occasional presence of light, came the ever presence of shadows and strange sounds. Rebecca found herself subconsciously clinging on to Negi as they continued their trek into the cave.

Finally, the group reached a large cavern. There was no one in sight save for two figures examining the carving on the wall. The walls of the cavern were filled with carvings of an ancient words and pictures. The floor itself had a circle with elaborate patterns on it. Rebecca could not help but notice that the circle was glowing faintly blue. And that the glow became brighter, more prominent as Chie led them into the circle.

“This is the excavation site of Fuuka that you have been reading about. Currently is the workers' lunch break thus there is no one around. Please do not touch anything around you. The archaeologists are still trying to translate their scriptures and these scriptures are very prone to erosion,” Chie said. No one seemed to have noticed the glow at their feet.

The figures though, had noticed the arrival of the group and came forward. One of them was a nun with pale-blue hair while the other one was much smaller in size. A golden-haired girl who looked around the same age as Rebecca and Negi.

“Good afternoon, Sister Miyu and Alyssa-chan. Please to see you,” Aoi greeted them. Then she turned to the group and addressed them, “Alyssa-chan here, is the best singer in Fuuka Academy. Nicknamed the Golden Canary, her single `It's only the fairy tale' is available at all leading music stores.” She turned to Alyssa, “Would you like to sing them a song?”

Alyssa was staring at Negi with interest in her eyes. She then signaled to Negi to come with her. Negi looked surprised but then followed Alyssa to the wall where they talked for a while.

Aoi was visibly disappointed as she told the anticipating group, “Looks like Alyssa is not interested for the moment. Don't be disappointed for this highly acclaimed single is available for affordable prices at the music stores near you. All proceedings go to the Fuuka Academy Funds.”

Rebecca felt a moment of annoyance as she stared daggers at the back of that Alyssa. Then she realized to her own annoyance that she actually felt annoyed. There was no reason for her to be jealous, was there? Negi was free to choose who he want to speak to.

As the group got ready to leave, she got impatient and decided to take matters into her own hands. She marched towards Negi and Alyssa, making sure every footstep could be heard to emphasize her unhappiness.

As she approaches them, she could hear parts of the conversation. “….after us sooner or later…” Alyssa was saying. “How sure are you?” Negi replied.

Rebecca took hold of Negi's arm and gave a little pull. “Come on, Negi-kun. The group is leaving. We are leaving,” she said with frustration in her voice.

“Ahh… Becky-chan…” Negi looked at her.

Alyssa turned her attention to Rebecca. Rebecca returned the look with a glare. After an intense staring competition, Alyssa said, “Pardon my ignorance. My name is Alyssa Searrs. And you are?”

“Rebecca Miyamoto, Maths teacher of Momotsuki Academy, M.I.T. graduate,” Rebecca shot back, fully intent on besting her.

“I had not noticed you just now since your aura is weaker than his,” Alyssa said calmly, “Can you see the glow of the circle?”

“Aura? What aur… “ Rebecca ranted, then she asked in astonishment, “You see it too?”

Alyssa nodded sagely. Negi also nodded.

Rebecca looked back at the group. They were looking with interest at the markings on the wall but none of them were looking at the floor. Chie was conducting a conversation with Aoi. Sister Miyu was keeping watch of Alyssa from a distance.

“No one in this room, save for the three of us, can see the glowing circle,” Alyssa explained, “or the fact that it has glowed brighter since your group came in…”

Before she could finish, Negi grabbed Rebecca's hand.

Rebecca gave a gasp of surprise. She hate to admit it but it was a pleasant surprise.

“The group will be gone soon. Let's go, Becky-chan,” Negi quickly said and left Alyssa, pulling Rebecca along.

“It's okay. Remember to keep a look out,” Alyssa said to them and turned back to the wall, as if she was continuing her interrupted readings.

Rebecca would have liked to finish listening to Alyssa's explanation but being pulled by Negi, was not such a bad thing either. Plus she also felt better, now that Negi was away from Alyssa.

The group left the cave and the guides then led the group back to the school compounds to a place where there was a circular barricade in the middle of an opening.

“This is the Crystal Arena,” Aoi explained, “This is perhaps one of the most popular meeting points in the school and the center of focus during the Tamayura Festival.”

“The Tamayura Festival commemorates the struggles of the twelve maiden warriors in Fuuka's local legends,” Chie continued with the explanation, “It is said that before the maidens went to fight, they tied the names of their loved ones on the barricade. Till now, such a tradition exists.”

She pointed to the few ribbons that were tied to the barricade.

“The practice here is that by tying a ribbon with the names of your loved one, the two of you will be together forever. Thus giving a ribbon with your name on it to the one you are interested in is considered as good as a confession here at Fuuka,” Aoi said.

“While people tend to do it all year round, it is said to be most effective during the Tamayura Festival itself, which is,” Chie paused for a while to think, “a couple of days from now.” Murmurs of delight could be heard.

Rebecca could not help but listened with interest, a bud of a plan forming in her mind. She looked at Negi who seemed not to be paying any attention; he seemed to be thinking about something else. She frowned at the thought that he might be thinking about Alyssa.

The tour soon ended as the tour guides left the group to their own. It was about mid-afternoon.

Negi walked Rebecca back to the hostel.

“See you later, Becky-chan,” Negi said with seriousness in his tone when they reached her room, “Watch out for danger. I will come to get you. If you sense anything wrong, do not open the door to anyone, even for me.”

“Okay, okay… Bye, Negi-kun” Rebecca answered quickly and closed the door to the room. She could not be bothered that much with his warning.

Rummaging the wardrobe, she dug out a long, white piece of ribbon. Then, she wrote her full name carefully on it. Done, she lifted it up to admire her handiwork.

Rebecca found herself blushing. It had sounded so good at first but on second thought… What was she thinking of? It was not like she liked him or anything.

She hastily put the ribbon aside. It was too much for a young child like her to give this to someone else.

But she found herself looking at the forlorn looking ribbon.

`It's only a gift,' she assured herself, `for helping me back at the club. Not like I am forgiving him for the cruise incident'

She picked up the ribbon and then tied the ribbon to her hair. No point carrying it in her hands the whole time. She would give it to him later, maybe during this Tamayura Festival the guides mentioned.

As evening came, Rebecca was occupied with her inner struggles of her feelings when she heard some knocks on the door.

She leapt to her feet, maybe Igarashi was back. Or maybe, she secretly hoped, it was Negi.

Then without hesitation, she opened the door.

~ End Chapter Two Point Five ~

Negi woke up from his slumber to see Miyamoto staring at him on the bed.

“Good morning, Miyamoto-sama,” he greeted her dreamily as he tried to blink out the sleep from his eyes. He looked around at the surrounding for a while, the bed, Miyamoto hugging a pillow with a pink blush on her cheeks, staring at him from a far corner of the bed….

Realization hit him. Somehow his old habit must have occurred. He must have made his way into her bed in his sleep. `The misunderstanding just got worse,' he thought unhappily as he mentally cursed his sleeping habits.

“Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!” he apologized to the un-reactive Miyamoto, “I did not do anything, I swear.”

“Ah… Prince Charming is awake,” an older woman stood before them, probably Miyamoto's colleague, “Don't worry, I was the one who brought you in.”

“You could have put me in the other bed,” Negi whined unhappily.

“What? And deny myself a bed to sleep?” The woman replied, then she placed a hand on both Negi's and Rebecca's head and rubbed furiously.

“I'm leaving to explore town for now. Both of you, enjoy…” she said and in a mock whisper to Negi, “All the best, Prince Charming.”

Giving Negi a mischievous wink and a thumbs-up, the woman left the room, closing the door silently behind.

Negi and Miyamoto stared at each other in silence.

“Miyamoto-sama, I swear I did not do anything to you… except breaking your knob…” Negi tried to break the silence by reassuring the doubts in Miyamoto's mind. At least he hoped that was all that happened.

“Did… I… say anything weird… yesterday?” Miyamoto asked.

“Ah…” Negi tried to say as he blushed. He recalled the drunken state she was at the previous night and what she had said about him.

He looked at Miyamoto. She was clearly embarrassed with the previous night's incident. It would be best not to tell her too much.

“You said that you missed your students… and I replied that I miss my students too…” Negi said slowly, choosing his words carefully to avoid giving too much away.

Miyamoto looked at him suspiciously. “Nothing else?” she asked.

“Well… Miyamoto-sama, I had to stop you from taking off your dress,” Negi answered truthfully.

Miyamoto was fidgeting uncomfortably at that revelation.

“What else do you want me to do, Miyamoto-sama.” Negi asked, hoping to console her.

“Springfield-san…” Miyamoto said softly.

“Call me Becky.” She said.

Negi was surprised. He was glad that Miyamoto had stopped calling him `Slave' but to call her by a nickname felt surprisingly close. “O..kay… Becky-sama…”

“Becky will do.”

Negi felt happy. It seemed that she had accepted him. It would be nicer if she was also in first names term with him. He decided to try his luck.

“Well then, Becky-chan, can you call me Negi?”

Becky hesitated for a while. Then slowly, she tried.

“Ne..gi..-kun”

“Yes, Becky-chan?” Negi answered happily.

“Nothing, Negi-kun.”

Then they look at each other and laughed for a while. A wall seemed to have broken between them.

“But you are still my slave,” Becky was quick to add.

Negi's happiness was cut short. So she had not totally forgiven him yet. There was silence as both of them thought about what to say next.

“Err… Negi-kun, are you… interested in attending the tour of Fuuka Academy together?” Becky asked Negi shyly.

Negi was quite surprised by the invitation. Deep in him, he was very, very happy.

His look of surprise must be evident since Becky quickly added, “It's okay if you think that it is too boring for you… but it would be nice to have someone of the same age range accompany me..,” She looked at Negi with anticipation in her eyes.

`She could have ordered me…' he thought, maybe there was still a chance. Maybe he could still get closer to her, get to know her better.

Negi gave her a wide, cheerful smile and answered brightly, “I will be glad to.”

Soon afterwards, Negi left for his hostel as they promised to meet up at nine thirty at the flower garden.

Negi hummed happily as he walked back. This may not be a first date for him, he had dates with his students before like Nodoka, but this time was different. It felt different. Not so much an obligation.

Actually, technically, he had the obligation but he was more than happy to do so.

In fact if Becky had not asked, Negi would have asked her instead.

As he opened the door to his hostel room, he was greeted by a hostile looking teacher.

Saotome was glaring angrily at Negi, holding a bokuto threateningly in his hand. Takahata was trying to calm him down over tea. Chamo was asleep in the bed while Mesousa was nowhere to be seen.

“What did you do with Miyamoto?” Saotome questioned Negi angrily.

“Calm down, Saotome-san. I'm sure Negi-kun did no harm to your colleague,” Takahata tried to calm Saotome and then turning his attention to Negi, he asked, “What did you do last night?”

The older woman must have called and informed Saotome about finding Negi at Becky's door.

Negi signed and started to tell what happened last time to the two male teachers, leaving out the parts about the cruise incident and magic of course.

“Miyamoto asking you to sneak into the bar with her and ending up drunk?” Saotome pondered, “That sounded like just what she might do…”

He still looked somewhat skeptical but he seemed to have taken the story.

Takahata gave Negi a knowing smile and told Saotome, “I told you that Negi would not do anything to this Miyamoto. Would you?” He looked to Negi. Negi knew that Takahata knew that he was hiding parts of the story.

Negi shook his head furiously.

“Becky had invited me to go with her to the school tour. We are to meet up at nine-thirty,” he said, hoping that Saotome would let it go.

Saotome seemed to have deflated as he sat down onto the chair. He gave a sign of relief and looked at Negi.

“Treat her well,” he finally said with a smile of acceptance, “She may act like an evil genius at times, but deep down inside is a little crybaby with little real experience.”

As he left to return to his room, he turned back and added, “I'll be back to find out what you two did during the tour, don't you dare make her cry.” He gave the bokuto a wave to show he meant business and closed his door.

With the departure of Saotome, Negi got changed and quickly ran to the flower garden to meet Becky. Becky dressed in a blouse with shorts was already waiting impatiently, giving those present a deadly glare.

“You're late. It is nine-forty,” Becky scowled at him when she noticed his arrival.

“I'm sorry. I got held up by your colleague,” Negi replied breathlessly.

“Saotome?” she asked, “Why?”

“He was worried about you,” Negi answered, “Look, the hosts have arrived.”

Sure enough, some students have arrived. Negi could recognize Natsuki and Tate from the Evening Ceremony and Aoi, her guide for the first day. This time, they had another student with them. A girl with glasses and short, black hair talking to Aoi.

“We wish all of you an enjoyable tour and thank you,” With that, Natsuki signaled the rest to leave with her, leaving Aoi and her friend with the group.

The guides brought the group to the many interesting places of Fuuka. The cafeteria; the state-of-the-arts gym and exercise facilities; the library with the giant clock in the middle, classrooms and even a small local church.

Negi was enjoying the tour, finding out more about this school. Occasionally, he would turn and smile to her, or ask her if she was enjoying herself. He would not like it if he was the only one enjoying it.

Somehow, she would always looked flustered and turn away hurriedly. Negi wondered if he did anything that offended her.

A comment by the nun at the church had reminded Negi about the recent excavation within the school. He decided to ask the guides about it.

He raised a hand and asked, “Can we visit the excavation site?” There were murmurs of agreement from the rest. The excavation site with the archaeological discovery had featured greatly in the news and everyone was interested in it.

“Sure,” Chie answered smoothly, “This way, please.”

The two student guides brought the group along the pathway until at one point, the guides turned into a beaten forest path.

Chie approached a more official-looking workman and talked to him. The workman gave a nod in agreement and then Chie came back to the group.

“The foreman has given his permission to enter the excavation site. Please remember not to touch anything and do not move out of the group unless permission is given otherwise,” she said.

Then taking a lamp from the ground, she and Aoi walked into the dark cave and signaled for the rest to move on.

There were lamps hanging inside the cave so it was not total darkness. Negi felt Becky clung on to his during the trek into the cave. He found her little display of child-like behavior quite cute, an interesting contrast to the much more cynical Becky he was more used to.

The glowing circle surprised Negi. He could tell that the circle was actually a magical symbol. The dull glow emitting from it was proof that the symbol still worked. He wondered what the significance of the magic circle was.

The figures already present had noticed the arrival of the group and came forward. One of them was a nun with pale-blue hair while the other one was much smaller in size. A golden-haired girl who looked around the same age as Becky and himself.

Alyssa was staring at Negi with interest in her eyes. She then signaled to Negi to come with her.

Negi was surprised but decided to go to her out of politeness.

They went to a corner of the cavern, further away from the group.

Alyssa said, “I am Alyssa Searrs. I can sense the magical aura around you. Did you by chance own a rabbit and an ermine?”

“I am Negi Springfield. You must be referring to Mesousa and Chamo, what did they do this time…” Negi said before something that Alyssa said caught his attention, “You can sense my magic?”

Alyssa pointed to the magic circle and said factually, “You can see the magic circle on the floor.”

Negi nodded as an answer. “What does that mean?” he asked, “Everyone can also see it.”

He looked back at the group. He noticed Becky sulking unhappily. But everyone else was oblivious to the magic circle glowing dully at their feet.

“What do you know?” he asked Alyssa.

Alyssa pointed to the scrawling scriptures that covered the walls of the cavern. “These tell of a legend,” she said.

“Yes, I know,” Negi recalled what Aoi first said on the first day he arrived at Fuuka. “Some old prophecy about seven beings and something like that.”

“Seven would descend; Seven would bless; Seven will bring forth new light; And; Mankind will learn,” Alyssa recited the ancient verses that was supposed to on the walls, “but there was more to what was said on the walls.” She said.

Negi looked at the words on the wall with confusion. The words had belonged to an ancient language, long forgotten by most people; he could not read any of it.

“It mentioned the glowing circle,” Alyssa said helpfully to Negi, “The circle that only the chosen ones could see.”

Negi looked at Alyssa, somewhat unconvinced.

“Both of us are two of the seven chosen ones,” Alyssa said.

Looking at Negi's doubting eyes, Alyssa gave a sign, “You are not convinced.”

“I accept that you can identify me as a mage but to tell me that I am the chosen one just like that, seemed too fantastic even for me to take,” Negi replied.

“Regardless,” Alyssa said, “There are people who seek us for our power. They are already gathering around Fuuka now. They would come after us sooner or later.”

“How sure are you?” Negi replied. He had learned in the past, never to ignore warnings no matter how impossible. You would never know what could go wrong next.

Loud, furious footsteps could be heard approaching them. There was a tug at his arm. It was Becky.

“Come on, Negi-kun. The group is leaving. We are leaving,” she said with frustration in her voice.

“Ahh… Becky-chan…” Negi looked to her.

Alyssa turned her attention to Becky. Becky returned the look with a glare. After an intense staring competition, Alyssa said, “Pardon my ignorance. My name is Alyssa Searrs. And you are?”

“Rebecca Miyamoto, Maths teacher of Momotsuki Academy, M.I.T. graduate,” Becky shot back, fully intent on besting her.

Negi felt the temperature went down a couple of degree. He shivered as he sensed trouble brewing.

“I had not noticed you just now since your aura is weaker than his,” Alyssa said calmly, “Can you see the glow of the circle?”

“Aura? What aur… “ Becky ranted, then she asked in astonishment, “You see it too?”

Alyssa nodded sagely. Negi also nodded. Becky looked back for a while.

“No one in this room, save for the three of us, can see the glowing circle,” Alyssa explained, “or the fact that it has glowed brighter since your group came in…”

The fact that Becky, a non-magical being could see the magic circle worried Negi somewhat. Judging from what Alyssa was saying, he suspected that she was going to tell the same thing to Becky, that she was a chosen one. Be it true or not, Negi could not be sure but he knew he did not want Becky involved in magic. It could be too dangerous for a young, untrained girl such as her.

Plus, she should not learn about the presence of magic.

Thinking fast, Negi grabbed Becky's hand, surprising her. Then he pulled her back to the group.

“The group will be gone soon. Let's go, Becky-chan”

“It's okay. Remember to keep a look out,” Alyssa said to them and turned back to the wall, as if she was continuing her interrupted readings.

The group soon left the cave and the guides then led the group back to the school compounds to a place where there was a circular barricade in the middle of an opening.

Negi did not paid attention to what the guides had said regarding the place, his mind was occupied by what Alyssa had told him.

To be told that he was some chosen one to bless mankind was too fantastic, too sudden. While magic certainly exist, he was living proof of that, there were things that even the magical community found impossible.

Prophecies for one thing. Prophecies were regarded as too random and too improbable to be actually useful. Most prophecies were proven untrue but those that actually did come true were considered legends by itself. A prophecy that involved himself was too much for Negi to believe.

Despite that, what Alyssa said about the circle was true, in the entire cavern, only the three of them noticed it. While Negi still had doubts about her words, Alyssa was serious enough to get her points through. What she said might be the truth.

What truly worries Negi was her warning that people after them was gathering around Fuuka. No warnings should be taken lightly. If that was true, everyone in the school would be in danger because of their presence.

If the forces were after them, that would meant that they would also be after Becky, who would have been told by Alyssa that she was a chosen one if not for Negi's intervention.

He had best consult his students back at Mahora regarding this. They might be able to find out something about this prophecy from the Hidden Library. Plus if there was an attack on either of them, the ability to summon his students via the Pactio would be an asset for them to fight back.

The tour soon ended as the tour guides left the group to their own. It was about mid-afternoon.

As Negi walked Becky back to the hostel, he was deep in thought on what to do.

“Okay, okay… Bye, Negi-kun” Becky answered quickly and closed the door to her room.

Negi walked back to his room, thinking deeply about prophecies and destinies.

On entering the room, Saotome was already present, talking animatedly to Takahata about something. Chamo was sitting on Takahata's shoulder. Mesousa was still no where to be seen.

“How did it go?” Takahata asked Negi when he noticed Negi's entrance.

“Did you do anything to Miyamoto?” Saotome switched to his fierce mode and questioned Negi like how a police would question a suspect.

Negi did not answer; still lost in reviewing his thoughts on the last few days.

Between his interest and concern for Becky and the prophecy that Alyssa claimed that he was part of, his life just became a lot more confusing.

“He is hesitating! He is hesitating!” Saotome said in mock hysterical, “Seriously, Springfield-san, what did you two do?”

“We saw the different facilities of the school and …” Negi said, trying to recall where they went after the excavation site.

Saotome was acting like a strict father of Becky. He would want to impose a curfew on her next. He did not say anything. He merely looked at Negi with suspicion in his eyes. Then he bided his farewells to Takahata.

Negi suspected that Saotome might be going to check on Becky's well being.

Negi went to his luggage and took out a small set of cards with pictures of his students on it. He took the one at the top, the one that featured a girl holding a huge sword and put it to his forehead.

`Telepathia' he said, then he continued, `Asuna-san, Asuna-san, can you hear me?' He concentrated mentally on the image of his student and elder sister figure.

There was no answer.

Negi took another card, this time of a girl holding a book before her. Doing the same thing, he tried to call for Nodoka.

There was still no answer.

He tried all the cards but there was no answer for any of them.

“Strange,” Negi said to himself, “It was not possible that all of them would ignore me. The telepathy connection through the cards did not seem to be working.”

Takahata who was looking at Negi's actions asked, “Trying to contact the students?”

“Yes,” Negi replied, still trying the cards, “But these Pactio Cards did not seem to be working.”

“Try the phone, Boss.” Chamo said from Takahata's shoulder.

Negi picked up the telephone in the hostel as dialed the number for Asuna's mobile.

There was no dial tone.

Something was wrong. Somehow all the communications to the outside, through magic or technology had been blocked. This only served to elevate Negi's worry about the possibility of Alyssa's warning.

Seeing Negi's worried look, Takahata asked, “What's wrong?”

Negi told Takahata and Chamo about Alyssa's warning that Fuuka might come under attack soon.

“We could not deny the possibility,” Takahata mused, “Some of Japan's best educationists have gathered here, a strike here would cripple Japan's education system a lot.”

Negi looked at the clock, night has fallen. Something suspicious was going on and he did not like it.

“I`m going over to Becky's. Something is going on, it would be safer for her if I was by her side,” Negi excused himself as he concentrated on his magical staff.

A long wooden staff flew from his luggage to his open palms.

“Enjoy, I would stay alert here,” Takahata waved his goodbyes as he took another cigarette from his pocket.

“I'm going too, Boss!” Chamo said as he leapt down from Takahata.

“No!” Negi stopped Chamo, “You will probably remind her of the cruise incident. You should stay here.”

“Whatever you say, Boss,” Chamo signed, “Good luck!”

Negi put on his robe, took a couple of alchemic potions and left the hostel.

Once outside, seeing that there was no one around, Negi sat on his staff and flew off in the direction of the female hostel.

On reaching his destination, he slung the staff onto his back and walked to Becky's room.

He knocked on the door and waited.

To his horror, the door swung open. It was not locked.

He entered the room carefully. There was no one in there.

The realization slowly came to him. His worst fear had occurred.

Becky was missing.

~ End Chapter Three ~

It was evening. Mesousa was in hiding again.

For him, he had been less than happy with the reunion with Chamo. Within the first day, they had already gotten into trouble with the nuns in the church, the girls in the changing room, the teacher in the classroom, the boarders in the hostel, who knows how much trouble Chamo got him into?

This time, Mesousa decided to hide from Chamo. Of course, not all the way, he did not want to be left alone on unknown grounds. Just long enough to avoid Chamo's natural ability to attract trouble to him for the day.

He had picked the most isolated room in the area he could find. The setting sun shone its evening glow into the empty classroom. There was little here, just a single laptop on the front desk. Mesousa figured that no one should come in for now.

Sitting down at a corner, he remembered the slightly-happier times he had with Rebecca in Momotsuki.

“Ichigo-san will be seated there,' he visualized the eccentric girl seated at one of the seats in the middle, “and Momose-san will be with me in the rabbit hutch….” Mesousa tried to fight back his tears of loneliness. The only company he had now was that troublemaker Chamo.

Then the door slammed open. Mesousa's hard earned peace was shattered as a girl with long dark hair and a fierce glare entered the room.

She strode to the laptop, murmuring unheard curses to someone. Mesousa tried to make himself look as small and as harmless as possible.

Then the girl paused. She had noticed Mesousa. Mesousa trembled with fear as he took a peek at the girl.

A look of annoyance slowly vanished, replaced with a look of bliss. “Bunny…” she said slowly with a foolish smile.

Mesousa tried to say something.

Then, she quickly shook off that smile. “Get out as soon as you can,” she just said gruffly.

At least, Mesousa could stay for now. The girl did not seem intent on doing anything to him.

Soon other students streamed steadily into the room. A young man with spiky, orange hair; A busty girl with short, orange hair clinging on to him; A quiet-looking, bespectacled girl with an arm-band that say `Executive Director' and a laptop in her hands; A young boy with brown hair.

“Natsuki-chan, there's no need to walk so fast ahead,” the busty girl whined to the original girl.

“Because judging from the warnings that Miyu had given, we will be having a crisis in our hands soon. Time is of the essence. And since, you, Mai is not of the committee, can you leave?” Natsuki replied frustrated.

“I am just here to accompany Tate,” Mai referred to the young man who was looking at the ceiling to avoid the glares, “I can also help too, like how Tate helped the committee in the past,” she said.

“Onee-san…” the other boy tried to say.

“Takumi, that's not how you treat your sister,” Mai chided the boy with mock seriousness.

“President…” the girl with glasses asked, “What is the rabbit doing here?”

All eyes looked to Mesousa again. He tried to look cute, maybe it might work again.

“Nevermind, Yukino. Leave him alone,” Natsuki said, “Everyone, please get to your seats so we can start proper.”

The door opened again, this time a teacher with long, red hair entered the room.

“Chie told me that you are looking for me,” she asked Natsuki.

“Nice to see you can make it, Midori,” Natsuki answered, “Take a seat. You should know about what is happening.”

“Miyu had warned that SEARRS communications have increased significantly recently,” Natsuki started once everyone was seated. “We believe that they might try to attack Fuuka again, and with the teachers from the convention still around, it could lead to a high amount of damage control and problems.”

“President?” The small voice of Yukino can be heard, “I think you spoke too late. You better see this.”

The committee crowded around the small computer screen of Yukino's laptop. Mesousa approached the group and took a peek. There was a live video playing on the screen.

A couple of armored vehicles had rolled into a garden full of flowers, leaving tracks of crushed petals in their path. Personnel in black military suits were exiting from the vehicles in large numbers, quietly making their way to the school compound.

The group stared at the screen for a while as if they expected someone to appear on screen to kick the vehicles. After a while, the annoyed voice of Tate sounded out, “Must they do that all the time? It took an entire year to re-grow that entire garden the last time they did that.”

“At least it seemed a lot smaller in scale compared to the last time. They might be trying the quiet approach this time,” Natsuki studied the men walking around in the screen, “Luckily, we had live surveillance.”

“Mai! Go and gather the members of the Kendo Club, Archery Club and all the martial arts-related clubs! These men did not seem armed; we might be able to scare them away before the teachers found out!” Natsuki gave the order.

“Yes, madam!” Mai quickly answered and ran to the door.

As soon as she opened the door, she fainted to the floor with a `Thud'.

The committee turned to the door. An old bearded man in a trench coat stood at the entrance.

“Good evening, my ladies,” he broke into a smile and said in a heavy German accent, “Please do not bother to contact the outside for help. We have cut all communication links, magical or technological already. I would appreciate it if you stay where you are and answer a few questions.”

Mesousa recognized the voice as the voice in the boiler room on the cruise. He started to shake in fear with the memory. What was his name back then?

He took out three photographs from his pocket and showed them to the stunned committee.

Mesousa could recognize the faces on them. Rebecca, Chamo's master and the girl who spared his life in the church. He could also sense the dark, demonic aura that the old man was exempting.

He feared for the worst. `I'm going to die,' was all he could think.

Apparently the others could also recognize the faces as their faces revealed.

“What did you do to my sister?” Takumi asked with anger.

“She merely took a little sleep. No permanent harm has been dealt to her,” the old man said.

Takumi had raised a fist at the old man, ready to punch him. The old man shot a dark look at him.

Mesousa looked with horror as Takumi just slumped down onto the floor. He knew it was a fainting spell that the old man had cast on him.

“Now that the brat is quiet, may I know where in this school are these children?” the old man asked politely.

The rest that were still standing looked at each other. Their eyes seem to be agreeing on an unspoken plan. Mesousa could see Tate closely inching towards a shinai that was leaning against the wall. Natsuki's hand was moving towards a desk drawer.

Then without a warning, Midori made a run for the open door.

The old man turned back to try and stop her.

But he was hit by a single kendo strike at the cheek. The old man staggered back a couple of steps. His concentration was broken just long enough for Midori to escape.

Mesousa felt himself lifted up by his ears.

The old man turned back, a single stream of blood flowed from his nose. He was faced by Tate holding a shinai in a kendo stance and Natsuki holding Mesousa like a grenade and a single air pistol aimed at the man.

“You will have to get through us first,” she said fiercely. Tate nodded in agreement.

A rose appeared in the old man's hand as he smiled brightly. “I do like my woman fiery,” he said as light seem to reflect on his teeth to produce a sparkle.

Natsuki shot the old man at the head, the old man staggered back in pain again but the smile was still on his face.

She then flung Mesousa at the old man. The old man side-stepped and dodged the flying rabbit.

Mesousa heard Natsuki shouted, “Bunny! Go with Midori and escape!”

He landed outside the room with a crash. He then quickly picked himself up.

Midori was already halfway down the empty corridor. Somehow she managed to have gotten herself a long scrubber to defend herself. Mesousa quickly ran after her as fast as his little rabbit legs could go.

Behind him, he heard the sound of two bodies falling on the floor, followed by a resounding scream from the room.

Mesousa ran even faster.

~ End Chapter Three Point One ~

~ To be continued ~