Sunset awoke early the next day and immediately set out for Library Island. She knew that the Library Exploration Club didn’t usually arrive until the early afternoon, and she planned to get as much practice in as possible. She made her way quickly to the back-door and slipped down into the depths of the library.
“Now, where to practice?” she asked herself. Taking only a moment to admire the fantastic splendor of the library’s basement levels, Sunset set off down the path she and the Baka Rangers had taken a few weeks before. She swiftly made her way to the chamber that had once housed the Book of Melchizedek, relieved to find that the golems were no longer there.
“Now,” Sunset set down a small backpack of provisions and supplies and pulled out her card. She returned the card’s confident grin and read the title below her name. “Ignis Eryx. Let’s see what you can do. Adeat!”
The card vanished in a flash of light. In its place, Sunset found herself clad in the jacket, boots, and gauntlets that the card depicted. The jacket fit her perfectly, and the bronze armaments felt no heavier than regular shoes and gloves. Sunset took up a boxing stance, jabbing at the air a few times to get a feel for them.
“Not bad,” she muttered, a small smile working its way onto her face. “Not bad at all. Doesn’t feel like they’re slowing me down even a little. I wonder…” She turned to look at the stone pillars that supported the room. Walking over to one, she gave it a light punch. Sunset was surprised and delighted to find that she hadn’t felt even a twinge of pain from the blow. “Let’s try it a little harder,” she said, pulling her arm back. She threw another punch, harder but still not all-out, causing a dull thud to echo around the room. Sunset moved to shake her hand out, but was surprised to find that she didn’t need to; she still hadn’t felt a thing. She eyed the wall, and frowned when she saw that it was unmarred. “Okay then,” she muttered, cocking her fist back all the way. “Full power then!” She sent her fist flying forward.
*c-crack*
Sunset pulled back her fist, noting that she had once again not felt a thing. She looked closely at the stone, gritting her teeth as she saw only a tiny crack. “What the heck!” she shouted, standing upright and glaring at the column. “I’m barely stronger than before!” She clenched her fist again, swinging wildly. “DAMN IT!”
*FWOOSH*
Sunset blinked in shock. She looked from her fist from the scorch-marks on the stone around it. She stepped back a bit and frowned at her fist, trying to focus on what she’d just felt. A couple of seconds later, her fist burst into flames. Sunset’s jaw dropped. She stared in wonder at her fist for a moment before she noticed flickering out the corner of her eye. She glanced down to her side at where her other hand was resting against her hip, also on fire. She jerked her hand away and panicked for a moment before she realized that the fire hadn’t burned her pants. Her hip didn’t even feel warm!
“Okay,” Sunset said, a small grin alighting on her face. “That’s pretty cool.” She turned to look at a far wall, cocking her fist back and throwing a punch. A bolt of fire launched from the end of her fist, streaking across the room and exploding across the stone, scorching a ten-foot circle.
“Okay, that’s freaking awesome!” She threw a few more punches, ending with an improvised kick that, while it sent out another bolt of fire, also sent her falling on her butt.
Okay, Sunset thought, getting back to her feet. Maybe I should stick to punches until I learn how to really kick. Wonder if Kaede could teach me? Sunset placed her hands on her hips, grinning proudly around the room. The grin began to fade as she looked over the damage again, this time giving it a closer analysis. Wait a minute. “Abeat.” The artifact vanished, replaced once again by her card. She pulled out her wand and pointed it at one of the walls, aiming just to the side of one of her scorch-marks. “Equis Equis Alicornus. Sagita magica, series ignis!”
A single bolt of fire shot from her want, striking the wall right on target. The fire soon dispersed to reveal a scorch-mark only slightly smaller than the one her gauntlet had created.
“What the hell?!” Sunset stomped over to her backpack and pulled out one of her books, flipping open to the section on pactio artifacts. “This thing is supposed to be a major power boost! Why is it only…” She trailed off as a particular passage caught her eye, a passage that she had previously brushed off as sentimental drivel, a habit she’d picked up while under Celestia’s tutelage.
“Though the raw powers of the magister and the magistra are important,” she read, her brow furrowed, “more important is the bond shared between them. Stronger feelings of endearment and camaraderie will strengthen the effectiveness of the contract…” Sunset groaned and shut the book. “Seriously? That was real? Ugh, Tenko would never let me live this down if she found out.” Maybe she was onto something after all… Sunset shook off the unwanted thought and tossed the book back into her backpack. Whatever. Guess I’ve got no choice but to try to, ugh, bond with the kid. She sighed, slinging the bag onto her back and making her way for the trapdoor that led out. That ermine better tone down his antics while I’m around, or I’ll be making myself a new pair of mittens.
*****
Sunset spent most of the rest of the day and the first half of the next at the middle-school gymnasium, taking advantage of a holiday to spar with the other members of the boxing club. Sunset had been happy to discover that she had a certain talent for the sport, though she was still no match for her upperclassmen or her more experienced peers.
“You okay, Nichi?” asked Hinata Watanabe, a girl from class 3-F. She reached down towards where Sunset lay on the floor of the ring.
Sunset groaned as she took the girl’s hand, hoisting herself up and rubbing her jaw. “Yeah, I’m fine. Your left hook is savage, though.”
“You’re no slouch yourself,” Hinata offered. “You don’t look like you’ve tired at all since yesterday, and you’re already showing marked improvement. I’ve never seen anyone improve as quickly as you do. Wish I had your raw talent.”
Sunset shrugged, climbing out of the ring to make room for the next pair of fighters. “What can I say? I’ve got good motivation.”
Sunset made her way to a nearby bench and sat down, grabbing her water bottle and taking a long swig. She pondered over the strangeness of her camaraderie with her fellow boxers; despite the fact that they were just another bunch of kids, Sunset found herself respecting them. Their drive. Their determination. The way they barely flinched when their noses were broken. Sunset chuckled a bit as she saw one guy climb out of the ring, muttering under his breath as blood poured out of his nostrils. “Never would have thought I would get along with a bunch of brawlers.”
“Yeah, but you never thought you’d get along with us either, did you?”
Sunset jumped a bit and looked over her shoulder. Makie was standing right behind her, giving her usual innocent grin as she absently twirled a ribbon. “Have you ever considered wearing a bell?” Sunset groused, though she couldn’t summon the will to put any heat into it.
Makie simply giggled before frowning slightly. “By the way, have you seen Negi-kun, Nichi-chan?”
“The kid?” Sunset shook her head. “Not for the last two days. I skipped yesterday to do some studying in Library Island.”
Makie let her ribbon drop. She crossed her arms, pouting at Sunset. “Studying again? Nodoka-chan said you were sick. You really shouldn’t just skip class, Nichi-chan.”
Sunset rolled her eyes. “Please, I could stay home every day and still ace that class. So why are you looking for the kid? Something you didn’t get from yesterday?”
Makie shook her head. “No, it’s not that.” Seeing Sunset’s raised eyebrow, Makie chuckled nervously. “W-well, not only that. According to Asuna-chan, he ran off about an hour ago. No-one’s seen him since.”
“Ran off?” Sunset thought for a moment. Evangeline? No, she shouldn’t be active until the full moon. Sunset sighed, standing up and stretching. “All right, let me get showered and changed. I’ll join the search.” If nothing else, she thought, making her way for the locker room, it’ll be a chance to talk to him about the pactio.
*****
“Now, if I were a runaway mage kid who took himself too seriously, where would I be?”
A quick search around the dorms had revealed no clues, and no-one there had seen Negi since the previous day. Sunset stood behind the dorms, her wand in her hand as she made sure that no-one was around. “Time to cheat,” she muttered. “Spiritus venti, dux mihi socius meus. Punctum me. Negi Springfield.” A glowing blue arrow soon appeared at the tip of her wand, pointing northward back towards the school. Sunset rolled her eyes. “Of course.” Pouring magic into her body, Sunset sprinted northward.
But if he were at the school, Sunset thought as she ran, surely someone would have found him by now. He could be in the surrounding town, but somehow I doubt it. Library Island maybe? She was about to turn her course slightly westward when she noticed the tracking arrow shift. She skidded to a stop, staring in curiosity at the arrow which now pointed to the west. She stepped back a few feet, watching the arrow as it suddenly shifted back to the north. Sunset turned to look directly northwest and smirked, pocketing her wand. Gotcha.
Sunset raced through the streets of Mahora, continuing her northwesterly pursuit until she came to the lake which surrounded Library Island. She scoffed, turning to make her way around the lake. Times like this I miss my teleportation spell. I’m going to have to see if this world has a version of it. She quickly made her way around and continued her northwest sprint, soon finding herself in the thick of the woods. She took out her wand and cast the spell again, watching as it continued to fluctuate between north and west.
I wonder what he’s doing out here, though, Sunset thought, dodging around trees and leaping over bushes. Is he hiding from Evangeline? It doesn’t make much sense for him to- that’s a cabin. Sunset came to an abrupt halt, her eyes going wide as she observed the large, well-built log cabin sitting in a clearing of the woods. Her curiosity overcoming her limited sense of urgency, Sunset made her way to the front. She snuck over to a window, peeking inside to find an ornate interior. Dolls and doll parts of every sort covered every piece of furniture, from the table to the couches. “What sort of weird fetishist lives here?”
“This would be Master’s home.” Sunset leapt and spun around, coming face to face with the robot girl Chachamaru. “She is currently resting inside from the beginnings of a flu.”
Sunset took a deep breath to calm her nerves. “I swear, everyone in the class.” She crossed her arms and glared at Chachamaru. “Your master, huh? I didn’t think ‘cabin in the woods’ was Hakase’s style.”
“You are mistaken,” Chachamaru replied, turning and making her way for the front door. “My master is Evangeline A. K. MacDowell.”
A shiver ran down Sunset’s spine, but she refused to allow her expression to shift. “Is that so? I wasn’t aware that she had a partner.”
Chachamaru nodded, opening the door before turning back to Sunset. “I was created to aid Master. Did you wish to speak with her?”
Sunset shook her head. “Not at all. I was just passing through looking for the kid.”
“Negi-sensei is missing?”
Sunset raised an eyebrow at the robot. That almost sounded like… concern? “He ran off today.” Sunset’s eyes narrowed. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”
Chachamaru stood silently for a moment before looking to the side. “I… would not know anything about that. Excuse me.” She walked inside without another word, closing the door behind her.
Sunset glared at the cabin for a moment before shrugging and turning back northwest. Guess I know what’s wrong now, she thought as she continued her treck. And I guess I see why the weasel wanted Negi to form a contract. Still a stupid idea to choose Nodoka, but desperate times and all that. Is that why he ran? Does he think he doesn’t stand a chance against Evangeline and Chachamaru together? She scoffed, rolling her eyes. Well of course he doesn’t! One, he’s a kid. Two, he’s probably been told his whole life that he needs a partner to keep him safe. And three, he’s a freaking kid! And like a kid, he just ran away. Ugh, why am I even bothering to look for-
“Nichibotsu?”
Sunset slowed once more to a halt, turning to see a bedraggled Asuna panting for breath as she tried to untangle herself from a large bush that had caught her shirt. “Asuna?” she asked, surprised. “What are you doing out here.”
“Same as you, I’d suspect.” Sunset looked down to find Chamo at her feet, smiling up at her. “We’re going after Aniki! I can smell that he came this way a few hours ago.”
Sunset nodded, holding up her wand. “I can tell. I’ve got a tracking spell on him saying he’s directly northwest of here. By the way…” Her hand lashed out, grabbing Chamo by his neck and pulling him up to her glaring face. “WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING, TRYING TO DRAG HONYA INTO THIS MESS?!”
“N-Nichi-chan!” Asuna shouted.
“Urgh,” Chamo wheezed out, struggling to breath as he answered. “I-I-I can explain! I-I-I needed to help Aniki form a contract to-”
“Help him fight Evangeline and Chachamaru,” Sunset interrupted. “I know. But why, out of our whole class, did you choose the quiet bookworm! Our class is full of athletes, energetic idiots, and even a freaking ninja! Heck, asking ME for help would have made more sense!”
“W-w-w-well, you see Ane-san,” Chamo stuttered nervously, “the emotional b-bond between magister and ministra is-”
“Ugh!” Sunset reared back and threw Chamo deeper into the woods. She massaged the bridge of her nose, fighting the urge to scream. “Is that your only freaking criteria?” she muttered. “Half the class would work for that. Heck, the class rep would probably get the most powerful artifact in history if that was all it took. I’m sure there are plenty of girls in the class that like the kid who would be better suited for the ‘knight in shining armor’ stereotype.” She looked up at Asuna. “Come to think of it, why don’t you just do it?”
Asuna instantly flushed, crossing her arms and turning away from Sunset. “W-why should I?! I don’t see why I have to keep getting dragged into this! I’m only out here in the first place because the rest of the class is worried.”
Sunset snorted and rolled her eyes. “Right. And I’m a magical pony princess from another dimension. Face it, Asuna, you care about the kid at least as much as Honya does.”
“Wh-wh-wh-WHAT?!” Asuna rounded on Sunset, her face glowing red with a mix of embarrassment and rage. “I do NOT! What in the world makes you think I’m in l-love with a brat like him?!”
Sunset shook her head, an amused smirk on her face. “Who ever said anything about being in love?”
Asuna’s blush lessened, confusion beginning to mix in with the anger. “Wh-what?”
“There’s more than one kind of love,” Sunset said, rolling her eyes again. “Romantic love. Parental love. The love between friends.” Ugh, I can’t believe I’m going on about this. Stupid Cadenza used this rant so much around me that I’ve memorized it. “Nodoka may have a crush on him, but that’s not the only kind of love that exists.” Sunset stepped forward, placing a hand on Asuna’s shoulder. “Congratulations, Asuna; you’ve got a little brother.”
Asuna stared blankly at Sunset for a few moments, the blush finally leaving her face. “Eh?”
“He’s annoying,” Sunset said, looking Asuna in the eye. “He’s immature. He always rushes head-first into things, and he can be a bit of a crybaby. Despite all of that, you can’t help but feel protective of him. You want him to succeed. You want to help him out, even if you don’t want others to realize it because really, helping out a little kid like that is just embarrassing.” Sunset gave Asuna’s shoulder one more pat before turning to follow her spell. “So come on, let’s go find your stupid little brother.”
Asuna stared after Sunset in shock for a moment before moving after her, deep in thought about what she’d just said. Sunset, meanwhile, was lost in her own thoughts as well.
I hope Sunshine is doing alright.