Ah! Megami-Sama was created by Fujishima Kosuke, and while I might wish I owned the series, I don’t.

I wouldn’t mind owning Negima, either, but I don’t. It belongs to Akamitsu Ken.

Exchange Student

Lesson Five: Home Room

The air over the massive bath flared and shimmered, and three girls popped into existence over it. Skuld descended until her toes touched the water, and hovered there.

Yue and Nodoka were not quite so lucky.

Yue pursed her lips as she waded over to the edge of the bath. "You know, according to Christian mythology, Jesus could cause another person to be able to walk on water with him. Why couldn’t you do that?"

"Because I don’t have proper control over my magic," said Skuld crossly. "That’s why I’m here, remember?"

"Perhaps it’s not wise to anger a Goddess," said Nodoka. She was already regretting wearing her light sundress; it was soaked through, and pretty much transparent.

"By now, you two have angered me enough," said Skuld.

"We didn’t mean to!" said Nodoka hurriedly.

Skuld looked down at her thumb, at the small ring that now lived there. "I know that. That’s why I haven’t done anything to you. In fact, you made things better...I think."

"You think?"

"He made me a promise," said Skuld wistfully. "He knows what a promise means to a Goddess. And I accepted it...and that makes it binding."

"You don’t seem angry about that," noted Yue. "So it can’t be as bad as all that."

"Maybe not." She smiled gently. "Maybe not bad at all. Time will tell."

"You’re the Goddess who governs the future," said Nodoka. "Can’t you see how it’s going to turn out?"

"It doesn’t work that way," said Skuld. She was about to continue, but was distracted by a knock on the door.

"Anyone in there?"

"We’re decent, Negi-sensei," said Yue. Nodoka squawked, and dashed for the opposite door. "Well," continued Yue, "some of us are decent, but in damp clothing."

Negi walked in, followed by a tall, willowy redheaded girl. Both were dressed in bathing suits, and Negi carried a bucket of bath supplies. "Hello, Skuld-chan. Yue-chan. Asuna, this is the new girl, who’ll be taking Chao’s place in class."

The redhead - Asuna, apparently - eyed the trainee Goddess. "She’s walking on water."

"Well, yes. She’s going to be learning magic as well."

Asuna glanced down at Negi. "And I assume that you’ve therefore formed a provisional contract with her?"

"No!" The yell came from both Skuld and Negi. It was Negi who continued, however. "I don’t think it’d be wise for me to do so."

"Besides," said Yue, "she’s already got a Pactio."

Negi blinked. "She does?"

"No card, because it’s not the sort of Pactio you’re used to, Negi-sensei. But trust me, she does."

Skuld smiled down at her friend. "Thank you." She glanced back to Negi. "But since it is a different sort of Pactio, and since you are creating temporary Pactios, instead of permanent ones, then if you think it would be beneficial to my studies--"

"No, I think we’d best just stick as we are," said Negi. "But I’d like to meet your partner - are you the Magister, or the Ministra?"

"We are co-equal," said Skuld. "And if you wish to meet her...no time like the present. Come forth, Noble Scarlet!"

The Angel burst into being over her, and Asuna yelped, staggering back a step.

- - - - -

Most Angels did not have the capacity to appear cross. At least, not convincingly. Noble Scarlet was an exception. And right now, the glare she was giving Asuna was enough to melt tool steel.

"I’m really sorry, Scarlet. The way you popped up like that, I thought you were a golem, or something. I panicked, and reacted by instinct."

It was perhaps the seventh time that Asuna had apologized. The third time that she had used precisely the same words. It still wasn’t working.

"I take it," said Skuld, "that that harisen is your Artifact?"

"Yes," said Asuna miserably. "It disrupts magical energy."

"That’s why she’s still angry with you," said Skuld. "I thought it was odd; Noble Scarlet normally doesn’t hold grudges. Even against me."

Asuna blinked, and Skuld noted for the first time that the girl’s eyes were two different colours. "Why would she hold a grudge against you?"

"Long story, for another day," said Skuld. "Listen, have you got any ice cream?"

"I’ve got a Dillo bar," said Asuna.

"Anything better?"

"No, it’s the only kind I can afford, and it’s my last one," said Asuna crossly. "Do you think I’m made of money?"

"How should I know?" asked Skuld. "Point is, Noble Scarlet can draw extra energy from ice cream. Same as I can. So if you want to get back in her good books--"

"Sacrifice some ice cream. Got it." Asuna stood up and walked over to the kitchenette.

"Ice cream?" said Negi. "Why ice cream?"

"I don’t know. Urd recharges on sake, and Sis on sleep. And quality counts; Urd recharges better on the higher-grade sake. I don’t know what might qualify as higher-grade sleep."

"I can guess," said Yue. "In fact, without you to run interference, she might be getting higher-grade sleep tonight."

"What? You think that she and Keiichi--"

"Will share a futon?" Yue nodded. "I do."

"That’s perverted!"

"Dunno what you were thinking of," said Yue, "but I was thinking simply of sleep." She paused to take a sip of her juice box. "Unless you think she can recharge off of sex?"

Skuld was temporarily gobsmacked. Asuna took the opportunity to offer Noble Scarlet the ice cream bar.

"I’m really sorry about hitting you, Noble Scarlet, and I hope this makes up for it."

Scarlet took the ice cream bar, and smiled at Asuna.

Skuld gave her head a shake. "Yue, for the rest of my stay here, can we agree to not discuss the idea of my sister having sex?"

"Fair enough," said Yue.

"Good," said Skuld. "Now that we’ve agreed, it’s a contract, and a protection program is in place over both of us."

"I don’t see what the fuss is about," said Asuna. "I assume that she and this Keiichi fellow are in love?"

"I just said we weren’t going to--" Skuld cut off in mid-sentence. "Great. It’s already affecting me."

"So I can talk about it, and you can’t?" Asuna grinned. "Oh, I could have such fun with this..." She trailed off as she realized that Noble Scarlet was scowling again. "But I won’t, because that’d be mean," she hastened to amend.

"Good," said Skuld.

- - - - -

"Can I ask a question, Sensei?"

"Sure," said Negi.

"Are all the girls here as perverted as those three?"

Negi considered this for a moment, then said, "Before I answer that, let me point out that I’m only ten. And while I’m not as innocent as I was when I came here six months ago, I’m still really just a kid."

"So you might not be the best judge?"

"Yes." Negi paused, then said, "Nodoka and Yue are probably the least perverted, as you put it, of the girls here."

"Uh?"

"And aside from having an interest in a man old enough to be her father, Asuna isn’t that bad, either."

Skuld shook her head. "That’s a really disturbing idea."

"No, not really," said Negi. "I had a long chat with your sister about it, and she helped me understand the goings-on around here a bit more."

Skuld snickered. "Urd probably wants to dive in and check out all the action herself."

"Actually, it was Belldandy that I was speaking to." Negi took advantage of Skuld’s momentary loss of the power of speech. "Here’s the room I’ve assigned you to. You’ll have a roommate, but you probably won’t see her outside of class."

"Oh?"

"She tends to spend her time down in the robotics lab."

"Robotics lab? You’ve got a robotics lab here?"

"Yes," said Negi.

"You might not see me outside of class, then."

"I certainly hope I will," said Negi. "Magic is not taught in the regular class."

"Oh."

"And here comes one of Hakase’s creations now."

Skuld turned, and gaped. The android - well, gynoid would be a better term, since it appeared female - had obviously robotic components, but for all that, its movement was human-fluid, and its face well articulated.

"Negi-sensei." Her voice was a calm contralto. "Master Eva has requested the presence of yourself and your new student at the resort at your earliest convenience."

"Normally, with Eva, that means right now," mused Negi. "But I need to get Skuld settled into the school, give her a quick tour...kindly tell Master Eva that we will be along in one hour."

"Very well," said the gynoid, and turned.

"Chachamaru--"

She turned back. "Yes?"

"This is your new classmate, Skuld. She’ll be joining our class."

"I assumed that she was a new classmate, as we have an opening, and I am unfamiliar with her. And you have already given me her name."

"Cheeky machine, aren’t you?" muttered Skuld.

"I apologize if I offer offense," said Chachamaru.

"Whoever programmed your vocal system went for literalness, didn’t she?"

"Yes," admitted Chachamaru. "I am still learning human interaction."

"So you have a learning AI?"

"Yes."

"That requires a lot of computing hardware," said Skuld. She walked around the robot, inspecting her. "Plus, you obviously have free will, or something approximating it. I can also see hatches, for what are probably concealed weapons."

Chachamaru seemed taken aback. "Why would you assume that the hatches cover weapons?"

"It’s what I would have done." Skuld stepped back. "You’re an exceptionally well-designed piece of equipment. I’m impressed. What’s your primary function?"

"Companion to Master Eva," said Chachamaru.

"That explains the software selection."

Negi butted in at this point. "You’re treating her like she’s just a mechanism."

"Isn’t she?" Skuld glanced over her shoulder.

"She’s striving to be more," said Negi.

"The final proof that her designer was a genius," said Skuld. She turned back to Chachamaru. "Before I offer offense to you, however, I’d like to mention that I have two robots of my own. Aside from being my creations, they’re also my good friends."

"Perhaps we can also be friends, if it is permitted," said Chachamaru.

- - - - -

"So your master lives in this little cottage, eh?" Skuld looked over the grounds. "I like it."

"It is quite nice," agreed Negi. "However, training takes place within the Resort."

"The what?"

"Easier to show you than to explain," said Negi. He pulled open the cellar door and led the young Goddess into the chamber of the Resort.

The Resort stood on a golden pillar, encased in a glass globe. Skuld peered into it, and grinned.

"Wow. Looks kinda Grecian. But--" She paused. "Something is moving around in there."

"Yes," said Negi. "Within the Resort, there are at least ten zones, some with buildings and some that are wilderness. Also, time travels slowly within the Resort; one hour passes outside for every day you spend within. Finally," he said, "the teleportation gate only works once per hour from this side; when we go in, we will be inside for twenty-four hours, our time."

"This sounds very neat. So let’s go."

Negi raised a hand. "Before we go in, you need to know something about Evangeline. She’s a vampire."

"Vampire?" Skuld got a sudden giddy image of a dark, gothic seductress - one who looked remarkably like Urd. "Aren’t they very bad people?"

"Many are, some are not. Evangeline is not so bad."

"Well, as long as she doesn’t try to take my blood, that’s fine."

"Okay. Put your hand on the globe."

Skuld touched the globe, and there was a sudden flash of light. A falling sensation, completely different from Gate travel...and she found herself standing on a disc, suspended on a platform, high above a lake.

"Wow."

She took in her surroundings. High mountain walls ringed the lake, and trees grew atop the cliffs. A long bridge connected the disc to a massive structure. Standing on the bridge was a girl.

She was blonde, her long hair falling straight to the back of her knees. She was quite young, perhaps ten or eleven, though the smirk on her face belonged to someone much older. She wore a simple white sundress, sandals and gloves.

"Hi there!" Skuld bounded forward. "I’m Skuld. Who are you?"

The girl’s smirk widened. "So you’re Negi’s new student, come to meet his Master, eh?"

"Yes." Skuld glanced around. "I don’t see her anywhere..."

"People often overlook the Dark Evangel," said the girl.

"Do you work for her? Or are you a relative? I don’t even know if vampires have relatives..."

The girl rolled her eyes, and turned to Negi. "Is this the best you can find, boy?"

"She’s not wise in the ways of the world," said Negi.

"Hey!" Skuld scowled at the two of them. "That’s not very nice."

"Happens to be true, though, isn’t it, girl?" The child turned back to her. "Though I can sense you’ve got great magical potential..." She paused and sniffed. "Yes, and a touch of something else...something I don’t recognize. But you’ve got to get rid of that innocence before I choke on it."

"So...are you a Mage?"

The girl sighed. "I dabble here and there."

"So are you also being trained by Evangeline?"

The girl smacked her face into the palm of her hand, then turned to Negi. "Boy, I can’t train her. She’s too goddamn stupid."

Skuld’s jaw dropped. "You--"

"Ah, here it comes."

"You’re Evangeline!"

"And we have recognition." Evangeline turned back to face Skuld. "I just about had to spell it out for you. If you can’t figure out something simple like the fact that you’re standing in the presence of a High Daylight Walker, then how can I possibly teach you anything worthwhile?"

"Actually, Master, I had intended to train her myself," said Negi. "Her sister entrusted her training to me, and I doubt she’d thank me for turning her over to you."

"I’ve been practicing magic for over eight hundred years," snapped Evangeline. "How many for you, boy? Five?"

Negi sighed. "That’s rather beside the point."

"Wrong," said Evangeline. "Here’s the point: I forbid you to train this girl, unless I have a hand in it as well."

"You didn’t put any such restriction on my teaching Nodoka or Yue," objected Negi.

"Of course not. They come here to train, so I have a hand in it already."

"But--"

"So if you want to use the resort to train her, then I will be taking part, whether you like it or not." Evangeline grinned cruelly. "And I will forbid you to train her, Nodoka, and Yue, unless it is done within these grounds."

Negi shook his head. "I’m sorry, Master, but I can’t allow that."

"If you choose to defy me with this, we are done," said Evangeline. "No further training from me. Is that a step that you are willing to take?"

Negi hesitated, and Skuld jumped in.

"Negi, if I agree to be trained by Evangeline, will that be okay?"

"Your sister--"

"Sis sent me to this school to learn magic," said Skuld. "I objected, but now that I’m here, I intend to do this right. No more half-measures or shortcuts for me. You can tell Sis that I insisted."

Negi sighed. "Very well. If you have your heart set on this, I can’t stop you."

"I don’t know if my heart is set on it, but I’m willing to go the distance." Skuld turned to Evangeline. "For my own part, I accept your conditions, Evangeline."

"Oh, my." Evangeline chuckled. "Has Negi-boy filled you in on the conditions?"

"Oh...uh..."

"As I feared. No brains at all." Evangeline smirked again. "You do realize that I am a vampire. He did tell you that, right?"

"Yes."

"Very well. The conditions for my accepting you as a pupil are twofold. First, you will accept my word as law. Are we clear on that?"

"There are certain things that I may not do," said Skuld. "Aside from those--"

"Such as what?" Evangeline held up her hand. "Before we make any kind of agreement, I want to hear all the terms."

"I may not leave the Northern Hemisphere except in case of extreme emergency," said Skuld. "I may not tell a lie. And I cannot do anything that may disrupt the future time stream."

"I can accept those limitations," said Evangeline. "And the second condition: I want your blood."

"Eh?" Skuld blinked.

"Blood is the source of all magical energy," said Evangeline. "That is why vampires can survive on a diet of nothing but blood. And you have great wellsprings of magical power. Almost as much as Negi-boy. Once per week, I shall take a small amount of blood. This is the price of my training you. Are you willing to pay it?"

Skuld hesitated, then nodded. "Yes, I am."