Period 13: Vampire

"Good morning class!" Negi said to class 3-A. Congratulations on becoming third years. I am now your official teacher. I will be teaching here until March of next year. Let's all do our best together!"

"Yes Negi-sensei!" Most of his students replied eagerly. "Please take care of us this year too!" Mero sighed. If Negi Springfeild was really going teach here all year that would only make things more complicated for her. Maybe it would have been better to just let him get fired after all.

"Oh yes," Negi said. "Shizuna-sensei said that the physical exams were today. So um, please get ready."

"Get ready?" Mero asked. "How exactly does one prepare for a physical examination?" Negi turned bright red.

"Uh, well, that is to say. . ." He stammered.

"Out with it Sensei."

"G-Get naked!"

"Kya, Negi-kun's ecchi!" The other girls teased.

"J-Just get ready!" He said as he ran out of the room.

"This is completely unnecessary." Mero said as she started to undress. I just had my bust measured a few days ago."

"Don't say that Mero-chi," Yuna said. "You never know maybe you gained an extra millimeter or two."

"Impossible." She answered.

"Why don't we find out?" Haruna snickered, as she snuck up behind her and slid her hands under Mero's bra."

"Kya!" She shrieked in surprise.

"What's with that incredibly sweet-sounding moan, Mero-chi?" Haruna said giving her breasts a good squeeze.

"Mnth!" Mero grunted and a moment later Haruna's back slammed into the ground.

"Ha, ha! You're always so sensitive Mero-chi!" Haruna just laughed it off and climbed back to her feet. "Hey, where's Makie-chan?" She said looking around the room.

"Heh, heh, maybe she wanted to skip the physical because she's so flat chested." Fuuka snickered.

"Or maybe the vampire got her." Everyone turned to Kakizaki.

"Vampire?" Asuna asked. "What are you talking about Kakizaki?" The cheerleader dropped her voice and made sinister gestures with her hands.

"According to the rumors, when the moon is full in the dead of night on sakura lane, it appears. . . a blood sucking vampire!"

"Yaaaa!" Nodoka and the Narutaki twins shuddered in fear.

"Come on," Asuna sighed. "Don't tell me you actually believe that."

"No, it's true." Kakizaki insisted. "A friend of mine from class B was actually attacked by that vampire."

"That's obviously a lie."Asuna said. "How could something like that exist in Japan?"

"Asuna-san is right." Mero said. "It is astronomically unlikely that she was attacked by a vampire."

"Thank you. At least someone is talking sense."

"There aren't any vampires in Japan."

"Eh?"

"Strigoi, or vampires as they are commonly known in the modern day, very rarely visit the human world, and almost all reports have come from western Europe in the eighteenth century. The most notable cases from eastern Europe come from Greece, Romani, and Albania. There have been virtually no confirmed vampire sightings in Japan."

". . ." All her classmates were staring at her with blank looks on their faces.

"What?"

"Did you get that from a fantasy novel or something Mero-chan?" Yuna asked.

"Fantasy? Everything I said is true."

"Yeah, yeah, of course!" Yuna smiled and patted her on the head.

"Mrk! Stop that." She growled.

"Ha, ha, are you an expert on vampires now, Mero Averruncus?" The question came from a little girl in the corner of the room.

"E-Eva-chan?" Asuna gasped.

"But Eva never talks to anyone." Sakurako said.

"Hmpth!" Mero confidently strode over her. "I know enough, Evangeline McDowell."

"Oh, I'm sure you do." Evangeline chuckled. "I'm only concerned for your safety. After all smart aleck little brats like you are the ones vampires love most."

"No they aren't." Mero rolled her eyes. Vampires don't feed based on personality type."

"D-Does she not care that she just got called a brat?" Asuna whispered.

"No, I don't think she noticed." Yuna whispered back. Evangeline and Mero continued their argument.

"I'm only concerned for my classmate."

"Your concern is unnecessary." Mero scoffed. "I'm not afraid of vampires. After all I'm- "She paused when she noticed everyone listening to their conversation. "Never mind. It has nothing to do with you."

"No," Evangeline insisted. "What were you going to say? What are you Mero Averruncus?"

". . ."

Just then Ako burst into the room.

"Everyone, come quick!" She cried. "It's Makie."

X

In a few moments, the girls had all gathered in the infirmary, where Makie lay unconscious on the bed.

"So she just collapsed from anemia?" Ako asked.

"It seems so." Shizuna sensei said. "She was found sleeping in sakura lane."

"Yesterday was really hot, so she probably just got a heat stroke or something." Konoka suggested.

No Mero thought. This is something else She pushed past her classmates and knelt down over Makie. It's very weak, but I can definitely feel magic energy. How is this possible? Is there another mage hiding in this school besides me? If that's true, I can't let them do as they please.

"Mero-chan?" Konoka asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Not at all." She replied. "Konoka-san, can I ask you something'

"Sure. What's up?"

"Where is sakura lane?"

X

That night Nodoka was on her way back to her dorm after her shift at library island. It was a cold night and most students had already gone home for the day, so the streets were deserted.

"Come to think of it," She said out loud, "Isn't this were Makie collapsed?" She looked around. "There's no way what Misa said is true right? About the v-vampire?" A cold wind rustled through the trees, and dark shadows danced around the street lights. She shallowed hard.

"M-Maybe I should go a little faster. J-Just in case."

"Miyazaki Nodoka."

"Kyaah!" She shrieked. Standing on a lamppost looking down at her was a shadowy figure in long dark robes and a tall pointy witch's hat.

"Sorry," The figure said, "But I'll be taking some of that blood of yours."

"Iyaaaaah!" She immediately turned to run, but the witch waved her hand.

"I can't have you running away. Aer et aqua, facti nebula illis somnum brevem." [Air and water, create a fog to make them sleep for a short while.] A thick mist rolled in around Nodoka "Nebula hypnotica." [Mist of sleep]

As Nodoka inhaled the vapor, her muscles relaxed and her eyelids grew heavy. She fell to the ground unconscious, and her attacker descended on her. She peeled back her lips, revealing a pair of needle-like fangs.

"Such sweet-smelling blood." She pulled down Nodoka's collar exposing her bare neck. She was about to sink her fangs into her when they were interrupted by a shout.

"Emittam, vinctus aquarious!" [release, binder of water!]

"Heh, guess I was a bit too late." She said right before a torrent of water blasted toward them, and wrapped around the vampire like a tight cord, binding her arms and legs. Mero came barreling down the road, stopping in front of her captive.

"I never would have believed a vampire would appear at this school, but sure enough here you are."

"Very well done, Mero Averruncus." She said. Her hat fell to the ground, revealing the smirking face of Evangeline.

"Evangeline Mcdowell, so you're the vampire?"

"And what about you?" She chuckled. "You seem to hiding a substantial amount of magic ability yourself."

"That is none of your concern, but I have some questions for you." Mero said. "First why are you attacking the students here?"

"Oh, and I thought you knew about vampires. Surely you know what happens when we take blood from humans."

Of course. Vampires can use the blood they've ingested to increase their magical power. Moreover, there was a full moon out tonight, vampires are creatures of the night, so the moonlight would boost her power even more.

"You're gathering power here." She concluded. "Are you planning to attack the Kanto magic association? What is your goal?"

"Ha, ha, ha!" Evangeline threw back her head and laughed heartily. "Attack the magic association? Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't have any grand ambitions like that. I just want to escape this god forsaken school."

"Escape?" Come to think of it the school's magic barrier should repel any malevolent spirit or demon. She shouldn't even be able to enter the school grounds. Maybe that same barrier was keeping her trapped here? "Whatever your plans are, I can't have you attacking the students. If I detected you, the teachers will too. If they increase surveillance it'll be a problem for me."

"Is that so? Sounds like you have some pretty grand plans for this school." Evangeline snickered. "So what will you do with me?"

"That will depend on my master."

"So you have a master? That is interesting." She smiled.

"What is so funny?

"Well, I've thought this ever since I've first laid eyes on you, but you're not at all human are you?"

"Mrk." Mero shrunk back. How did she know? Her cover should have been perfect. If she could guess her true nature at a glance than this girl was more dangerous than she gave her credit for. "I'll have you sleep for a while. Just be patient while I prepare the sealing spell."

"Sorry I don't feel like getting sealed tonight." Evangeline twisted against her bonds, producing a small glass container from her cloak, filled with a dark purple liquid, and flung it into the air. "Frigirans exarmatio!" [Freezing disarmament] The bottle exploded in a torrent of cold air and ice shards.

"A catalyst potion?" Mero raised her arm to defend herself as the ice shredded her sleeve. The rope of water around Evangeline froze and shattered. "How did you break out so easily?"

"Don't feel bad." Evangeline shrugged. "That was a pretty good spell. But it had far too little magic to hold me for any length of time."

She was right. Without her full abilities, facing a vampire who had been storing up blood, under a full moon, the odds were not in her favor.

"Emittam!" [release] seventeen spheres of water appeared floating in the air around her. Evangeline pulled out three more vials of potion, and held them between her fingers.

"That's the spirit, Mero Averruncus! Show me what you can do!"