Arc 3: Chapter 11
Yue sighed as she fell back on the lower bunk of her dorm’s bunk-beds, dressed in her pajamas. The smallest of smiles graced her face as she relaxed. Honya was doing some late studying at the school, and Nichibotsu was out doing who-knows-what at Library Island. It was a rare hour where Yue had nothing pressing to do and the room to herself. She slowly rolled over, reaching under her pillow. She shot a quick glance at the door, making sure it was locked, before starting to pull out her guilty pleasure. If Haruna ever found out about this, I’d never hear the end of it, she thought, opening the small paperback and settling in to continue where she’d left off.
The lock clicked open.
“We’re fine, Konoka,” Sunset said as she led Nodoka into the room. “Really, fine. Go get some sleep. I’m sure Asuna and the kid will be back soon.” She closed the door and locked it again, leaning back against it with a sigh. “That girl. I love her to bits, but she can be a mother hen sometimes.”
“I-it’s not really her fault,” Nodoka said, shivering slightly. “She has every reason to worry after- oh.” She waved for Sunset to be quiet, looking over at Yue’s bunk. The girl was lying beneath the covers, blankets pulled almost over her head and her back to the door. “It looks like Yue-chan turned in early,” she whispered.
“Just as well,” Sunset muttered, flicking the lights off. “It’ll be hard enough to explain all of this magic stuff to you without the Stoic staring me down.”
Yue, meanwhile, was trying desperately to calm her rapidly beating heart. Thank goodness, she thought, slowly sliding the paperback under her pillow. Nichi-chan discovering this would be almost as bad as Haruna. Just got to lay still until they… wait. Magic stuff?
“M-magic?” Nodoka echoed Yue’s thoughts. “Th-that was magic back there?”
“No,” said Sunset rolling her eyes and slipping her wand out of her pocket. “That was ridiculously advanced CGI.”
“Oh! Really?”
Sunset sighed, tapping the door a couple of times with her wand. “I keep forgetting that you don’t really use sarcasm in Japan.” She turned around and leaned back on the door, looking out the window. “Yes, Nodoka. It was magic. The arrows and lances of fire. The ice barrier. All of it. Evangeline, Negi, and I are all mages.”
“M-m-mages?” Nodoka’s legs trembled for a moment before giving out entirely. She collapsed to her knees, staring down at the floor in shock. “This… this is…”
“Overwhelming?” Sunset nodded. “That’s why I didn’t tell you and Yue.” She sighed, scratching her head. “I was planning on telling the two of you soon, but I didn’t think it’d be like this.” She walked over and sat down next to Nodoka. “I thought I’d have time to plan it out. Time to figure out how to soften the blow.” She chuckled. “Time for the kid to seriously mess up and expose magic to the entire class.”
“...caught me…”
“Hm?” Sunset turned her head to look at Nodoka. “What was that?”
Nodoka started, not having realized that she’d spoken aloud. “Oh! Um, I was just thinking. When I fell and Negi-sensei caught me, that was magic, wasn’t it?”
Sunset nodded. “I saw it myself. He conjured a strong wind below you that kept you aloft just long enough for him to catch you. That’s when Asuna discovered it, too.” Sunset leaned back, supporting herself with her hands as she listed off. “That afternoon when the class was chasing Negi? Love potion gone wrong. His surprising incompetence in Library Island? He’d sealed his magic for a few days. The golem, the hidden library, and the Book of Melchizedek? Heck, I’ll bet my left arm that the entire Library was built by mages.” Her eyes narrowed into an unamused stare. “Every time the kid’s sneezed and summoned a wind or stripped someone? Magic. Kid really needs to learn some freaking controle.”
“Is, is he the one who taught you magic, then?” Nodoka asked.
Sunset hesitated. “...yes, and no. He gave me some spellbooks, books on magical law and theory, and the necessary materials, but I mostly taught myself. That’s why I was always holed up in my old room in Library Island. It’s also why I needed to learn Latin. You may not have noticed in all the chaos, but incantations are usually spoken in Latin. Not sure why.”
“That’s amazing,” Nodoka said, her face filled with awe. “You learned all by yourself? And you’re already strong enough to stand up to…” She shivered at the memory of Evangeline’s attack.
Sunset shook her head. “I got lucky against Evangeline. Her specialty is ice while mine is fire, and most of her magic seems to be sealed away. And with Negi coming in to back me up, she thought she was in a losing fight.” Sunset glowered across the room. “She was wrong. Magic as dark as hers tends to make up for a lack of brute strength with primal ferocity. I may have a lot of experience, but my overall power is still pretty low. I’m going to need to work on that.”
“Experience?”
Sunset stiffened, going over her last couple of sentences in her head. Crap!
“But, Negi-sensei hasn’t been here that long,” Nodoka said, confused. “And you didn’t use any magic in Library Island when we went after the Book of Melchizedek. When would you…” She trailed off as her eyes widened in realization. “...your past.”
Sunset sighed and nodded. “I… never had amnesia,” she admitted. “My past is… complicated. Suffice it to say that I don’t come from Japan. I was once a powerful mage, studying under the most powerful sorceress ever to exist.” She smiled nostalgically. “Heh, you should have seen me back then. I fought monsters, warlocks, even vampires, and I always came out on top. It was a cinch.” She frowned. “But magic is different here. I still feel my wellspring inside my chest, but I can’t access it for some reason. Meanwhile, since I’m so new to this world’s magic, I can’t channel very much of it at once. I’ve been working on endurance, maintaining a physical enhancement spell throughout the day, but my magical muscle still needs serious work before I catch up to Negi. As for Evangeline...” she winced. “Even the old me at full power would have struggled against her full strength. I really hope that whatever seal keeps her powers under control doesn’t break anytime soon. Or at all.”
“...wow.” Nodoka looked down, shaking her head. “This is all so… so…”
“Much?” Sunset asked. She chuckled at Nodoka’s embarrassed nod. “Yeah, I guess it is. Tell you what, let’s leave it here for tonight. Sleep on it, give it some time, and if you still want to know more, I’ll tell you when you feel that you’re ready.”
Nodoka nodded, standing up on slightly unsteady legs. They both changed into their pyjamas, Nodoka climbing into bed while Sunset busied herself with a few things. She listened intently as she tidied up the room, waiting for Nodoka’s exhaustion to overcome her spinning mind. It wasn’t long until she head Nodoka’s breaths even out into the familiar rhythm of sleep. She sighed and walked over to the bunk-bed, leaning down close to Yue’s head.
“The same goes for you,” she whispered. “Take however long you need to digest. And by the way, magical girl manga is hardly the most embarrassing guilty pleasure, but you may still want to find a better place to hide it than under your pillow.”
“...noted.”
*****
Sunset set off early the next morning, before Yue and Nodoka had awoken. She wanted to give both of them time to think about what they’d heard the previous night, especially Yue since she hadn’t seen the demonstration of Evangeline’s attack. Another, more serious purpose drove her out into the early morning as well, and she swiftly made her way to a certain dojo near the dorms. Sure enough, she found exactly who she’d hoped to see inside.
Setsuna was alone in the dojo, dressed in a traditional gi and sitting on the floor, a bamboo sword resting across her crossed legs. Her eyes were closed, her head slightly bowed in meditation. Nevertheless, she looked up as Sunset approached. “Nichibotsu-san?” she asked, confused. “What are you doing here?”
“Information gathering.” Sunset removed her shoes and stepped inside, sitting down in front of Setsuna. “How much do you know about vampires?”
Setsuna’s eyes narrowed. “Coming from anyone else, I’d say you’ve been listening to too many rumors. Sakura Lane?”
Sunset nodded. “I was there last night. The vampire tried to attack Nodoka. Negi and I were able to fend her off, and the kid chased after her. I’m not sure what happened after that.”
“Hm.” Setsuna closed her eyes again, pondering on this revelation. “Did you happen to see the vampire’s face?”
“Yeah, and get this.” Sunswet smirked. “The Sakura Lane Vampire is none other than our very own Evangeline A K MacDowell.”
Setsuna’s eyes shot open. “Evangeline-san? You’re certain.”
Sunset nodded. “She certainly didn’t make any effort to hide it.” Her brow furrowed and she looked off to the side. “It’s weird, though. I’ve been sitting next to her since I joined the class, but I only yesterday sensed her magic. What’s more… it’s incredibly dark.”
Setsuna cocked her head to the side. “Dark? What do you mean?”
“That’s the thing; I’m not sure.” Sunset stood and began pacing. “Vampires and other such creatures have darker magic by nature, but hers? You don’t get magic that dark without killing. A lot. The aura of her magic would suggest that she’s killed hundreds - if not thousands - of people.” She shook her head. “But that doesn’t make sense. I mean, just look at her! Normal skin-tone. Purple eyes instead of red. And I swear she hasn’t had fangs the whole time I’ve been sitting next to her. If the physical tells aren’t there, then that means she’s really young. How does a young vampire get magic that dark?”
“I’m still confused by what you mean by ‘dark,’” Setsuna said, “but I do have an answer to your confusion.” Sunset stopped pacing and glanced over. “What you’re describing is characteristic of only a few breeds of lesser vampires. More powerful vampires retain the form that they possessed in life, with few - if any - physical changes. However,” Setsuna’s expression grew grim. Worried. “Even powerful vampires still have weaknesses, including sunlight. If she’s able to walk around in the open without problem, then she must have overcome those weaknesses, something that usually takes centuries.”
Sunset groaned, massaging her temples. “Great. Your vampires are different. That throws just about everything I know about them out the window. I really hope one of those books Negi gave me is a bestiary.” She sighed, turning her gaze back to Setsuna. “So, what about her magic? I haven’t been able to feel it before, so why now? Is her seal weakening? Breaking? Is there something special about Sakura Lane or about these last two nights that lets her magic loose?”
“There’s only one way to be sure,” Setsuna replied, standing. “We need to confront her ourselves. Get an explanation from the source.”
Sunset hesitated for a moment before nodding. “I… guess that’s our only real option. I usually prefer to research my enemy before confronting them, but I guess she’s weak enough for us to handle.”
“Definitely,” Setsuna agreed, carrying her sword over to one wall of the dojo and hanging it up. “Fighting such creatures is my specialty, and it sounds like you know what you’re doing as well. Although,” she turned, affixing Sunset with a piercing stare, “I find it rather strange that you would have a way that you ‘usually prefer’ to operate, considering your condition.”
Sunset chuckled, rolling her eyes. “As if my comment about ‘the passage back to where I come from’ wasn’t enough of a tip. But I think we have more important things to worry about than my conveniently inconsistent amnesia.”
Setsuna stared her down for a moment more before nodding. “Very well.” She turned and started for a nearby door. “Go on ahead to school. I’ll meet you there.”
*****
Sunset arrived early to class once again, the better to keep an eye out for Evangeline or Negi. However, her attention was caught by another person altogether as Makie walked into the room, accompanied by Ako and Yuna. “Oh! Nichi-chan! Good morning!”
“Um, yeah,” Sunset replied, surprised by both the girl’s presence and enthusiasm. “Morning.” She nodded to Yuna and Ako. “You too, I guess.”
Yuna grinned back, causing Sunset to inwardly groan. She knew that grin. It was the grin she saw in the mirror the morning of an exam or a duel. A competitive grin. “Good morning, Nichi-chan!” she called, walking over. “Hey hey, did you see?” She reached over and pulled Makie into a side-hug. “Makie’s all better now!”
Sunset rolled her eyes. “Yes, I got that from the way she was standing up and walking around.” She turned her attention to the girl in question. “Good to see you up and about, I guess. Do you know what happened to you the other day?”
Makie hummed to herself, scratching at the side of her neck. “Not a thing. I remember walking home, and getting onto Sakura Lane, but everything after that is blank until I woke up in the infirmary.”
Sunset’s eyes darted to Makie’s hand, a slight frown crossing her features which she played off as her usual dour face. Huh. Maybe I am a little grumpier all the time than I should be. “Well, glad to see you’re okay, at least. Actually, I kind of wanted to ask you some-”
“So what do you know about my mom?” Yuna asked, pushing Makie aside to stand right in front of Sunset.
Dang, those things are big for her age! Sunset drew her gaze up to Yuna’s face, an eyebrow raising. “What?”
“I was thinking about what you said that day at the World Tree Plaza,” Yuna explained, placing her hands on her hips and leaning forward. “You said you’d seen pictures of my mom, and I thought that was weird. How do you know about her?”
Sunset leaned back in her chair, doing her best not to be obvious about enjoying the view she was getting. Sweet Celestia, you are oblivious about those things. “Your dad showed me a few pictures,” she explained. “You’re Professor Akashi’s daughter, right? I got to know a lot of the teachers here before I joined the class.”
“Eh? Really?” Yuna sighed, standing upright. “Aw, and here I thought you had some mysterious, cool connection with her or something.”
Sunset snorted, a smirk slipping onto her face. “‘Mysterious, cool connection?’ Seriously? What sort of connection could I have to her? I can’t even remember anything from before about a year ago.”
“Wh-what?” Ako leaned forward, her face full of shock. “Really?”
“Um, yeah,” Sunset replied, looking from one surprised face to another. “You… didn’t know that?”
The three girls shared glances and shook their heads as the classroom started to fill up. “We had no idea,” Ako said.
“I think I heard something about you being a foreigner,” Yuna said, tapping her chin in thought. “I know I heard something about you learning Japanese really quickly.”
“Oh yeah,” Makie said, nodding along. “It was the Library Exploration girls. They taught her back when she was living in Library Island!” She slapped her forehead. “I remember now! You told us that you’d just woken up in that room without any memories.”
“Eh?” Ako leaned forward to look around Yuna at Makie. “How do you forget something like that?”
“Leave it to Baka Pink to forget who has a mysterious, amnesiac past,” Yuna said, nudging Makie in the side.
Sunset sighed as the girls bantered back and forth, inventing crazier and crazier theories pertaining to her origins. She couldn’t help a small smile from creeping onto her face. Dang it, it’s hard to be annoyed with them when they’re like this naturally. What’s changed? Sunset thought back to the Week of Torturous Annoyance, running through those days when she’d been dragged away from her studies. Is that really it? she thought. Are they actually not as annoying as I thought?
“Hey look!” Sunset was pulled from her musings, distracted by Yuna’s finger pointed right at her face. The busty basketballer wore a triumphant grin. “She’s smiling! The annoyed-at-everyone girl is having fun talking with us!”
Oh I am NOT letting you take that! Sunset reapplied her smirk, pushing Yuna’s finger out of her face. “What can I say?” she asked. “Sometimes I like to listen to little birds pointlessly tweeting.”
Yuna leaned back and laughed, her grin never leaving her face. Makie’s smile of innocence was persistent as ever, and even Ako’s lips were nervously tilted upwards. “You know what,” Yuna said, recovering from her laughter, “Makie was right. You’re not so bad after all.”
Sunset shook her head, standing up as she saw Setsuna enter, once again clad in her school swimsuit. “If you say so. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got something to attend to.”
Setsuna noted her approach and gestured towards the hallway. Sunset followed her out, leaning against the wall and casually looking around to make sure that no-one was listening in. “So, what’s with the outfit? Did you find yesterday that you have an exhibitionist side?”
Setsuna’s eyes narrowed, but she shrugged it off. “The bet lasts all week,” she said. “More importantly, I was able to gather some information from Takahata-sensei.”
“From Takamichi?” Sunset asked, surprised. “He knows about Evangeline?”
Setsuna nodded. “He is one of several mages stationed at this school. Moreover, he knows the full circumstance behind Evangeline-san’s imprisonment here.”
Sunset’s eyes narrowed. “Go on.”
“Apparently,” Setsuna explained, “Evangeline-san was a powerful vampire who wrought terror throughout Europe for about a century. From there she moved from place to place and eventually began to stalk Negi-sensei’s father, the Thousand Master.”
Sunset cocked her head to the side. “From the sound of that title, I’m guessing he was a big deal?”
Setsuna nodded. “The Thousand Master. The Master of a Thousand Spells. His abilities and accomplishments are legendary amongst mages. He apparently placed a curse upon Evangeline-san, tying her to this school and sealing her power. The seal weakens slightly during the full moon, but she still can’t do much, even if she were to suck blood from a few victims every night. At all other times, all she has is some natural barrier magic.”
Sunset sighed in relief. “Well that’s good, I guess. So we don’t have to worry about her again until the next full moon?”
“We don’t have to worry about her at all,” Setsuna corrected. “Takahata-sensei said he would keep an eye on her for the next few full moons to make sure that nothing happens. Our part in this is done.”
Sunset blinked a few times, surprised. “Huh. That was… surprisingly easy. I wonder if Negi knows-”
“Asuna! No! I don’t want her to suck my blood!”
Sunset sighed again, this time in exasperation. “Well, that answers that question.”
“You should probably tell him that he has nothing to fear,” Setsuna said, turning and walking back into the classroom.
“Heh, maybe tomorrow,” Sunset replied, following her. “I’d rather get what entertainment I can out of this.” She headed back to her seat, glad to see that the area around it was empty. A lot of the class had gathered around Makie in her seat, asking about what had happened that night she’d collapsed. Sunset sat down and leaned back, happy to observe from afar. She began to ponder her conversation with Yuna, Makie, and Ako, recalling Kaede’s words about the latter. I should probably try to find time to talk with her, see if I can’t do something about that self-esteem. Celestia knows Kaede will just sneak up on me again if I don’t.
“Sheesh. What’s his problem?”
Sunset glanced over at Chisame before turning her attention to the front of the room where Negi was resisting Asuna’s efforts to drag him into the classroom. “Eh, he got scared of the vampire rumors and is convinced that one of the girls in here is the creature,” she said, chuckling at her little half-truth.
“Ugh, that idiot,” Chisame muttered. “How can an immature kid like that be a teacher?”
“Who knows?” Sunset answered. Her eyes narrowed as Chachamaru walked into the room. Or rather, at Negi’s frightened reaction to Chachamaru. Hm. Curious.
The day passed slowly for 3-A. Negi was obviously stressed and distracted, going off on random tangents or staring off into space as the students read passages from their textbooks. It was after Ako had finished one such reading and Negi failed to react that the rest of the class seemed to take notice.
“D-don’t you think Sensei looks a bit off?” Fuka whispered to her sister.
“H-he’s just staring into space in our direction,” Ako muttered nervously.
“All he’s doing is sighing,” Fumika added.
“Tch, how unprofessional can you get?” Chisame muttered, drumming her fingers on the table. “What, did someone kick his dog this morning, or something?”
“Eh, he’s been through a lot lately,” Sunset quietly defended. Sheesh, kid. I was hoping you’d be a nervous wreck, not a melancholic one. The first one would be funny, at least. This is just pathetic.
“Hey, maybe for the past few days…”
“They said he was looking for a partner....”
Sunset groaned as the rumors started flying again. “They’re seriously back onto this?”
“Didn’t you already read them the riot act about this one?” Chisame asked curiously as whispers of “partners” and “princes” started flying. “Guess idiots never learn.”
“S-sensei!” Ako spoke up, the whispers immediately dying down. “I finished reading.”
“Eh?” Negi snapped out of his daze, blinking blearily. “Y-yes, good work Izumi-san.” He hesitated a moment. “Um… I know it’s a bit abrupt, but I have a question for you. If Izumi-san were to choose a p-partner…”
Sunset sat up ramrod straight, ignoring Chisame’s inquisitive stare. Oh kid, don’t do it. Please be smart enough not to-
“You would turn down a 10-year-old boy, right?”
“EEEEEH!!!”
*SLAM*
The class ignored the sound of Sunset’s head repeatedly hitting her desk as several of them started blushing and stammering. “T-that- Sensei!” Ako stuttered. “This is so sudden! That’d be really, um, hard. Because I’m still only a third-year, so…” Her face flushed, and she began waving her arm erratically. “B-b-but I don’t have any particular boy at the moment, so…”
“Ha,” Negi sighed, oblivious to the cause of her reaction. He turned to Nodoka. “How about you, Miyazaki-san.”
*CRACK*
Sunset groaned, ceasing her assault on the table and rubbing her head, hoping that it had been the wood cracking and not her skull. “Please don’t freak out, Nodoka,” she muttered. “Don’t freak out don’t freak out don’t freak out-”
“NEGI-SENSEI!” Ayaka shouted, causing Sunset to sigh in relief. “IT WOULD BE SUPER OKAY WITH ME!!!”
“Negi-sensei,” Kazumi interrupted, pushing the class rep aside, “I have some welcome news for you. Because our class is so spaced out, I’d say about four fifths of them don’t have boyfriends. So,” a cheshire grin crept onto her face, “if you’re looking for a girlfriend, you have over twenty onee-chans to choose from.”
“Oy! Paparazzi!” Sunset shouted, happy to add to the chaos if it got attention away from Nodoka. Or if it just looked fun. “I hope you aren’t including normal people like me and Chisame in that number!”
“N-N-N-N-N-NO!!!” Negi stammered. “THAT’S NOT IT!!! THAT’S NOT WHAT I-” The bell cut him off, and he seemed extremely relieved to have an excuse to leave. “Haha, I’m sorry,” Negi chuckled, attempting to play it off. “The question had nothing to do with the lesson. Please forget about it; it doesn’t mean anything!” He quickly gathered his papers and made for the door. “Well then, we’ll leave it here for today-”
His face impacted with the door, Negi having neglected to open it all the way in his distracted state. “Haha.” He forced out another laugh. “Really! I’m all right!” He turned back towards the door, letting out a final depressed sigh as he exited.
“Wait up, Negi!” Asuna shouted racing after him.
“Asuna-san” Ayaka called out before she could leave. “Do you know anything about this?”
Sunset groaned, leaning back in her chair. “Stupid response incoming.”
“Um, I think he’s troubled because he can’t find a partner or something,” Asuna said. “It seems that not being able to find one is really bad.” She turned and fled the room, going after Negi.
Sunset closed her eyes and began the countdown. “Three… Two… One…”
“THE RUMORS WERE TRUE AFTER ALL!!!”
“THE DILEMMA OF A PRINCE!!!”
“That’s it,” Sunset said, standing up and gathering her books as the class dissolved into speculation over who would get to be “Prince Negi’s” partner. “I’m getting out of here. I need a loooooong soak after all of this stupidity.”
“I’ll tag along,” Chisame said, standing as well. “Any excuse not to get dragged into their inane machinations.”
The two girls left the room just as the girls started debating whether Negi’s feelings on who his future partner would be mattered or not.
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I remember know! You told us that you’d just woken up
1. Now.
Aaaand... The actual winner just walked out. Even if it's her natural reaction at this point, I still find it extremely funny.
9015625
Well, someone's read UQ Holder.
I half expected Chao here to think "Aw (Great)Grandma, don't be so rude."
9386800
Chisame would not appreciate that at this (or any) stage.
9386800
Ah yes, those idiots.
The claim that Sunset would have been able to tackle Evangeline when she was at full power is kind of ridiculous for me. In Negima sequel, UQ Holder, we see how insanely powerful Eva is at the height of her power. Sunset likely isn't able to really find feel the depth of Eva power. On top of that, there is Magia Ereba that can be used for a giant boost.
9966133
Freaking love UQ Holder! So much backstory on Evangeline.
Recall that 1) we don't know exactly how powerful Sunset was back in Equestria and 2) I'm not exactly using cannon Sunset anyway. I've modified her backstory significantly. But you're correct that she she isn't taking Magica Erebea into account, since she doesn't know about it.
also, is sunset Bi or Lesbian ? or she just like looking at beautiful girls ?
10809695
Bi, with a preference for the fairer sex.
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Once again, only mistakes I've found. Everything else is aces!