For most of Negi's short life, he had thought: "If I'm in trouble, Father will come and save me!"
Now, however, with truly inevitable pointy-toothed death staring him in the face, he was reconsidering if it wasn't better to let his father come back at his own convenience. Negi ran as he had never run before, knowing the demon was right on his heels, knowing that it was only toying with its food. He had seen the village in flames, knew that Nekane-neechan, and probably even grouchy old Stan were more than likely already dead. All because he wanted to be in trouble, so his father would come to rescue him.
Negi let out a wordless cry of sorrow, of loss due to his foolishness. He tripped, fell past the ground and into inky blackness.
~~~
Stan cursed, trying to rally his small, untrained, impromptu militia against the invading demons, watching as more and more were turned to stone. A yell of shock went up to his left, and he spared a glance to see a horde of tiny black creatures with glowing eyes overwhelm the enemy line from behind. The enemy was panicking, and as he turned his gaze back to the demon before him, it too was overtaken by the small shadowy creatures.
The battlefield paused, silent, as the creatures assimilated their prey, the mages not knowing if this new force was friend or foe. Then the shadows struck, and mages began vanishing much like the demons had a moment ago. Stan cursed again, his strongest spell barely fazing one the closest of them. For once, he really hoped that Nagi was alive, and that he'd get his keester over here to help!
~~~
The demon started at its prey, wondering why it hadn't gotten up. It had been having fun chasing the boy; it nudged Negi with its foot, hoping it would get back up. He didn't. The demon shrugged and reached down to pick up its unconscious light snack.
It only had time to notice Negi's hands clench before it wondered why everything below its nostrils was in front of its face and upside down. The demon floated away as ashes a moment later.
A slow clap brought Negi out of the minor battle-high, and he turned to see a cloaked figure with a staff. Negi checked his grip on the giant glittering key in his hands, in case this were another enemy.
"I came to save you, but it looks like you can take care of yourself." The cloaked figure remarked, leaning on his staff, "Anyhow, the other thing I came for... catch!"
Negi, puzzled, let loose of the key with one hand, but the staff never landed; there was a small flash of light as it passed through the air between them, and a tiny wooden ornament on a chain landed in his hand. The cloaked figure turned to leave, but Negi found his voice before it could vanish.
"Could you... Do you have to..." Negi paused, as did the mysterious figure, "When will I see you again?" He finally asked.
"All in good time, Negi." He replied, and then vanished, leaving Negi alone.
~~~
Stan blinked, shocked momentarily when one of his weakest spells tore through the shadow-creature before him like tissue paper. The other eight remaining mages, battle-hardened all, didn't hesitate to take advantage of their renewed effectiveness, and began to turn the tide of battle. However, nine mages against an army now hundreds strong was still long odds.
Stan spotted it first: the creatures at the edge of the army all turned outward before several of them burst into blackness and vanished. He yelled to his allies, moving them toward whoever it was that was even now carving a path through the enemy force toward them. In Stan's mind it could be no one but Nagi, finally showing his lazy not-dead ass up.
"Practi Bigi Nari!" a voice incanted, leaving Stan wondering for a moment just who intended to do what with a beginners spell, only to be shocked as several of the creatures in front of him vanished in a conflagration of flame. The tiny form of Negi dashed out of the smoke, a giant key made of gnarled wood gripped in his hand.
"Stan-san! Is Nekane-neechan alright!?" Negi yelled, spinning to slice into the beasts filling in behind him, his seemingly wooden weapon cleaving them easily in twain.
"Nekane is fine! She caught the edge of a spell, but the healers are working on her." Stan replied quickly, never one to lose his head in a crisis despite being completely outclassed by a five-year-old without any explanation.
"Thank goodness..." Negi said before laying into the enemy with a vengeance.
~~~
"Maybe you can tell me what happened, Stan. Please?" Nekane pleaded quietly over the sleeping Negi, who had tried to explain, but only ended up confusing her further, incoherent both before and after the adrenaline drained off.
"I really don't know, Nekane. We were fighting demons, and then those little black creatures showed up. We couldn't even hurt them when the fight started, then, all of a sudden we could. Next thing I know, there's somebody... Negi... carving a path through them like they're just tall grass. He cast a Practi Bigi Nari just as he got to me, and it was more like a medium-grade explosion spell." Stan sighed, rubbing his old eyes, "Whatever happened, it has something to do with that." Stan pointed at the great wooden key standing next to the bed where Negi had left it, "I've never seen anything like the way that boy fought." Stan said, picking up the key, "This thing's sharp too." Only to startle as it vanished in a flash of light, reappearing in Negi's hand without waking him up.
"A Mystic Weapon of some sort?" Nekane asked, examining it, "I hope this doesn't mean trouble."
"Oh, I'm pretty sure it does." Stan grouched, wiping off the hand that had touched the weapon, "And a blade in the shape of a key... a Keyblade... probably symbolizes something. The boy's got some destiny on him, and that's always troublesome."
"Oh!" Nekane gasped, "Look at this!" she said in a loud whisper, pointing at the keychain... identical to Nagi's old staff.
"I wonder what it means... maybe the fool really is still alive." Stan says as he peers at the keychain, "In any case, the nine of us that are left have all agreed to take turns tutoring him. Least we can do for someone that saved our lives."
"In fighting?" Nekane asked, with a scolding tone, then sighed, "I really wish it wasn't necessary."
"But it probably is." Stan finished, with a resigned tone.
~~~
Excuse any canonical errors: it's been too long since I read that chapter. If I think I can adjust for something, I will. If not... it's already AU, no harm in making it more so.
Now, however, with truly inevitable pointy-toothed death staring him in the face, he was reconsidering if it wasn't better to let his father come back at his own convenience. Negi ran as he had never run before, knowing the demon was right on his heels, knowing that it was only toying with its food. He had seen the village in flames, knew that Nekane-neechan, and probably even grouchy old Stan were more than likely already dead. All because he wanted to be in trouble, so his father would come to rescue him.
Negi let out a wordless cry of sorrow, of loss due to his foolishness. He tripped, fell past the ground and into inky blackness.
~~~
Stan cursed, trying to rally his small, untrained, impromptu militia against the invading demons, watching as more and more were turned to stone. A yell of shock went up to his left, and he spared a glance to see a horde of tiny black creatures with glowing eyes overwhelm the enemy line from behind. The enemy was panicking, and as he turned his gaze back to the demon before him, it too was overtaken by the small shadowy creatures.
The battlefield paused, silent, as the creatures assimilated their prey, the mages not knowing if this new force was friend or foe. Then the shadows struck, and mages began vanishing much like the demons had a moment ago. Stan cursed again, his strongest spell barely fazing one the closest of them. For once, he really hoped that Nagi was alive, and that he'd get his keester over here to help!
~~~
The demon started at its prey, wondering why it hadn't gotten up. It had been having fun chasing the boy; it nudged Negi with its foot, hoping it would get back up. He didn't. The demon shrugged and reached down to pick up its unconscious light snack.
It only had time to notice Negi's hands clench before it wondered why everything below its nostrils was in front of its face and upside down. The demon floated away as ashes a moment later.
A slow clap brought Negi out of the minor battle-high, and he turned to see a cloaked figure with a staff. Negi checked his grip on the giant glittering key in his hands, in case this were another enemy.
"I came to save you, but it looks like you can take care of yourself." The cloaked figure remarked, leaning on his staff, "Anyhow, the other thing I came for... catch!"
Negi, puzzled, let loose of the key with one hand, but the staff never landed; there was a small flash of light as it passed through the air between them, and a tiny wooden ornament on a chain landed in his hand. The cloaked figure turned to leave, but Negi found his voice before it could vanish.
"Could you... Do you have to..." Negi paused, as did the mysterious figure, "When will I see you again?" He finally asked.
"All in good time, Negi." He replied, and then vanished, leaving Negi alone.
~~~
Stan blinked, shocked momentarily when one of his weakest spells tore through the shadow-creature before him like tissue paper. The other eight remaining mages, battle-hardened all, didn't hesitate to take advantage of their renewed effectiveness, and began to turn the tide of battle. However, nine mages against an army now hundreds strong was still long odds.
Stan spotted it first: the creatures at the edge of the army all turned outward before several of them burst into blackness and vanished. He yelled to his allies, moving them toward whoever it was that was even now carving a path through the enemy force toward them. In Stan's mind it could be no one but Nagi, finally showing his lazy not-dead ass up.
"Practi Bigi Nari!" a voice incanted, leaving Stan wondering for a moment just who intended to do what with a beginners spell, only to be shocked as several of the creatures in front of him vanished in a conflagration of flame. The tiny form of Negi dashed out of the smoke, a giant key made of gnarled wood gripped in his hand.
"Stan-san! Is Nekane-neechan alright!?" Negi yelled, spinning to slice into the beasts filling in behind him, his seemingly wooden weapon cleaving them easily in twain.
"Nekane is fine! She caught the edge of a spell, but the healers are working on her." Stan replied quickly, never one to lose his head in a crisis despite being completely outclassed by a five-year-old without any explanation.
"Thank goodness..." Negi said before laying into the enemy with a vengeance.
~~~
"Maybe you can tell me what happened, Stan. Please?" Nekane pleaded quietly over the sleeping Negi, who had tried to explain, but only ended up confusing her further, incoherent both before and after the adrenaline drained off.
"I really don't know, Nekane. We were fighting demons, and then those little black creatures showed up. We couldn't even hurt them when the fight started, then, all of a sudden we could. Next thing I know, there's somebody... Negi... carving a path through them like they're just tall grass. He cast a Practi Bigi Nari just as he got to me, and it was more like a medium-grade explosion spell." Stan sighed, rubbing his old eyes, "Whatever happened, it has something to do with that." Stan pointed at the great wooden key standing next to the bed where Negi had left it, "I've never seen anything like the way that boy fought." Stan said, picking up the key, "This thing's sharp too." Only to startle as it vanished in a flash of light, reappearing in Negi's hand without waking him up.
"A Mystic Weapon of some sort?" Nekane asked, examining it, "I hope this doesn't mean trouble."
"Oh, I'm pretty sure it does." Stan grouched, wiping off the hand that had touched the weapon, "And a blade in the shape of a key... a Keyblade... probably symbolizes something. The boy's got some destiny on him, and that's always troublesome."
"Oh!" Nekane gasped, "Look at this!" she said in a loud whisper, pointing at the keychain... identical to Nagi's old staff.
"I wonder what it means... maybe the fool really is still alive." Stan says as he peers at the keychain, "In any case, the nine of us that are left have all agreed to take turns tutoring him. Least we can do for someone that saved our lives."
"In fighting?" Nekane asked, with a scolding tone, then sighed, "I really wish it wasn't necessary."
"But it probably is." Stan finished, with a resigned tone.
~~~
Excuse any canonical errors: it's been too long since I read that chapter. If I think I can adjust for something, I will. If not... it's already AU, no harm in making it more so.