Long Shadows Over Mahora

Chapter One: A Dark Afternoon

The falling sun throws long shadows over Mahora's campus, staining windows and clouds alike a fiery orange. It creeps through the campus's southern plaza, where an ancient sundial, taller than all but the tallest of men, stands like a watchtower overlooking the square. The sun's rays strike the gnomon; its shadow lands on the dial plane below, showing the time to be 6:30.

A cool wind sweeps through the plaza, scattering leaves and dried grass. Though it is only nearing the end of August, the day had been unusually cool, and now all the more so with the lowering of the sun and thin bank of clouds in the west. The boughs of the trees shake in the wind, pulling back briefly to reveal the silhouette of a man in their shade. He is tall like a westerner, wearing a long brown trench coat—the sleeves of which come down just short of his wrists—dark brown leather gloves, and a brown fedora, beneath which dark sunglasses hide his eyes.

It is impossible to tell his age, given that his features are so well concealed, but one would guess that he is older, not younger: small wrinkles crinkle the corners of his eyes and mouth, and his close-cropped hair has turned a preternatural grey, but no stoop or weakness of age mars his straight-backed stance. Sighing to himself, he turns and melts into the shadows.

"—gi—" "—hurt bad—" "—die…?" "—know soon—"

Voices. A low gaggle of female voices surrounded him. His head pounded; whether from pain or just his pulse he couldn't fathom. His body ached: A dull throbbing in his abdominal region, a twitching in his arm, and a general, pervasive fire in his bones.

"Negi… Negi…! NEGI!"

"WHAT?!" Negi bolted upright, eyes flying open. At least half-a-dozen girls leapt back in shock; his scream must have startled them. It certainly startled him, and he was the one who had made it! Loud beeps from the heart monitor at his bedside intensified as his pulse raced in shock.

"Oh, thank GOOOOOOOOOOD!" A redheaded figure fairly launched herself on Negi, the bells in her hair jangling. "Negi, you're alive! Thank-God-thank-God-thank-God-thank-God—"

"ASUNA!" came the whip-like crack of another voice. Asuna—bells tinkling—paused for a moment from ruffling Negi's hair to turn to the source of the reproach. Setsuna, standing next to the wall, was burning a hole through the redhead with her stare, eyes narrowed reprovingly. "I know you are worried about him, Asuna-san, as we all are, but he's still an invalid, and you have to be gentle with him!"

Negi looked between Asuna, who still had his head cradled in his arms, to Setsuna. "Um, girls, I don't want you to fight over me. And Asuna-san, you needn't fret over me; I'm quite all right—"

"Pfft!" Asuna chuckled. "Don't give me that, you brat! You're ten; you think you can take care of yourself, but you'd be in big trouble without me or—"

Setsuna slammed her hand down on the bedside table, her face turning pink with fury. "Asuna!" Setsuna hissed, her voice dripping with anger, "That's enough already. Leave him be!"

Asuna's voice caught in her throat, coming out instead as a hiss from her nostrils. Normally quiet and unassuming—except when she was engaged in a heated battle—Setsuna was the model of obedient protector, serving and protecting her mistress Konoka with her life. However, her eyes flashed angrily, and Asuna dared not provoke the Shinmei swordswoman further.

Swallowing whatever reply she might have made, Asuna turned with serious eyes to Negi again. "Setsuna-san is right. I'm sorry, Negi."

Negi blinked slowly, shaking his head slightly as through to clear it. "No need… I'm all right. Really, Asuna-san, you needn't bother about me so much. I'll be all right."

Asuna's eyes fluttered perplexedly. "Are you for real, kid? You sound like you think I don't care what happens to you. What's with your attitude?"

"Ah, I… what? No, Asuna-san, it's just… I don't want to be a bother to you…" Negi sputtered. Asuna shook her head incredulously.

"'Don't want to be a bother?' What the hell?! You've been a bother to me since you first showed up at Mahora, and now you think that you're going to stop? Or that I'm going to stop bothering with you? Where in the world are you getting this nonsense from—?"

"Asuna, I'm not going to tell you again—" Setsuna started.

"Girls, please!" Negi squeaked, his youthful voice cracking slightly in trepidation.. "Would someone please, just… tell me what happened?"

Squinting—his glasses were on the table next to the bed, having miraculously avoided being either crushed or sent to the floor by the force of Setsuna's earlier wrath—he looked into the worried faces that surrounded him, clustered for the most part around his bed. Asuna sat at his bedside. Beside her, Konoka looked on, fretting and worried. Setsuna leaned against the wall next to his bed, her sword Yūnagi propped up beside her. She was standing as casually as she could, but her eyes still smouldered, heavy with anger against Asuna.

On Setsuna's far side was the window, set in the opposite wall. It faced west, as evidenced by the rays of the setting sun flaring through it, turning everything around them to a fiery orange. Negi's eyes watered, and Setsuna—noticing his discomfort—moved to draw the blinds. Another hand beat her to it: Nodoka's. The young librarian dropped the blinds smoothly, then moved away from the window, standing shyly by herself.

"Is that… better, sensei?" Nodoka asked timidly. Normally, Nodoka was extremely shy except around her good friends, and her love of books—as well as the broad knowledge of rare facts that came from reading—earned her the nickname "Bookstore Girl". However, she had slowly begun to develop a relationship with Negi, a friendship based on mutual respect that was blossoming into something more. And as a "British gentleman" (or so he tried to be), while Negi always had a kind word for all of his students, he made an extra effort to be nice to Nodoka, whose timidity was fading away bit by bit under Negi's thoughtful attention.

Which is why it surprised her when he nodded curtly to her and placed a hand to his head, as in pain, a very small acknowledgement if any of the small favour she did him. Her mouth formed a small "O" of surprise, and she hid her eyes behind her bangs, a little hurt that he had brushed her off when normally he would have been pleasantly grateful.

A soft "humph" came from the right side of his bed. Negi felt a small shiver run down his spine, and everyone else in sight tensed ever so slightly. The voice spoke, a soft, sweet, but evil voice.

"'What happened?', you ask? You did something incredibly stupid—again—and equally incredible, you lived to fight another day, bōya. You remind me so much of your father that way…"

Negi turned to face the speaker, the one and only Evangeline A.K. McDowell. Seated in a chair (Probably the only chair in the room and she takes it, thought Negi in spite of himself) on the other side of his bed from Asuna, her body between him and the door, she lounged in the shadows, sounding for the most part bored and annoyed (as usual), only that her voice held something else, something Negi could not immediately identify. It was… fear?

Evangeline smiled crookedly. "Or is it, perhaps, you fight to live another day?"

Setsuna grimaced. "Eva-san, while perhaps poetic, your turn of phrase is out of place here—"

"Silence, you!" Eva barked. "I don't really care if you think my turn of phrase is inappropriate. And even if it is, what are you going to do about it?"

Setsuna, realizing that Eva was not to be trifled with at just this moment, bowed her head slightly and turned to stare at the wall opposite her. Eva sniffed slightly, acknowledging Setsuna's tact.

"Um… Master… Evangeline-san…" Negi began timidly.

"Ugh, what is it, bōya?" Given her tone of voice, Eva sounded for all the world that she would fairly slap the taste out of Negi's mouth if his next question was as naïve or stupid as she suspected it would be. Something along the lines of "What happened?", "Is everyone all right?", "Who attacked us?", or "Why are you here, Master?" would certainly qualify.

Realizing that this was what he was about to do, Negi swallowed again, painfully, choosing to ask a different question. "Um… What… Who saved my life?"

Eva blinked, then smirked, also realizing what Negi's question might have been and amused that he had diverted smoothly. "Oh, you don't believe it was the miracle of modern med'cine, bōya?" she asked mockingly, switching to English briefly just to hear her lilting British accent. She then returned to Japanese. "No, it was Little Miss Konoka over there," she said dismissively, "you can thank her."

"Ah, well… I… I guess I helped…" Konoka stuttered, unusually nervous and subdued, which only caused Negi's confusion to increase. "I mean… I used my pactio, but you were… were…"

Negi turned, squinting, to look at Konoka. Noticing his discomfort, Setsuna picked up the young boy teacher's spectacles and passed them to him discreetly with a soft "Here, sensei". Flicking an annoyed look at Evangeline—who seemed not to notice—Setsuna once again leaned against the wall.

"Thank you, Setsuna-san." Negi slipped them into place on the bridge of his nose. Able to see again, Negi again looked to Konoka.

"Konoka-san, you seem very tense. It's quite unlike you, and I can't imagine why. You've helped us out a great deal with your pactio power, and your skills are to be commended."

Small tears formed at the corners of Konoka's eyes. Negi was flustered; he didn't know what to do. He had never seen Konoka so worked up before.

"Oh, no. Now you've done it, brat Negi!" Asuna wrapped her arms around her friend and tugged her gently, raising her up and leading her out the door. "C'mon, Konoka. Let's get you a glass of water…"

Negi watched them leave, perplexed. "What is wrong with Konoka-san—Makie-san! You were here the whole time, too?!"

Makie Sasaki, the cute but clueless gymnast of 3-A, sat in the only other chair in the room, on the opposite wall across from Evangeline, next to the closet toilet. Hands on her knees, she tried to smile, but far from registering her usual sheepishness, her face showed uncharacteristic guilt, as through she had committed a great crime rather than any simple misdeed.

"Um, hi, Negi-sensei…" she greeted him timidly, shrinking in her seat as though he would inflict some punishment on her.

"Makie-san… How… How did you get involved in… this?"

Setsuna coughed politely. "I think I can answer that, Negi-sensei. Unless Eva-san—"

"What?" Evangeline snapped back, her British accent laced with scorn. "You want me to go to all the trouble of spelling out to the bōya how stupid he was? I have to do it at least thrice daily; he won't listen to me anymore. You do it."

"Very well." Setsuna's eyes narrowed briefly before she made her way to Negi's bedside. Kneeling where Asuna and Konoka had been earlier, Setsuna began. She spoke with clipped efficiency; she might as well be delivering a report to Eishun or Dean Konoe, the powerful heads of the Konoe family and Konoka's father and maternal grandfather, and also her bosses.

"At approximately 4:00p.m. today, as we were returning to the dorms from magical training with you, Negi-sensei, there was an unusual spike in magical energy from within the campus. Considering the strength of the barriers around Mahora, only something of great power would be able to get through the wards." She paused, and Negi—with nothing to ask or add—nodded that she might continue.

"Thinking it prudent to request backup, I requested that Kotarō—who had joined us just as his patrol shift ended—go as quickly as he could to locate other members of the patrols, such as Mana, Kaede, or even Ku Fei, as well as send word to Takahata-sensei or the Dean. Naturally, Kotarō did not wish to leave—"

"Bah!" Evangeline spat. "The mongrel has no sense. His only concern was not looking weak in front of you and the bōya, not about whether it was strategic to alert his allies to the situation. What a foolish mutt…"

Setsuna stirred, frowning. Her hands tightened ever so slightly where they rested on her knees, ruffling her skirt and coat. The slight sound was not lost on Evangeline's sharp hearing, and she smirked. She understood that Setsuna was growing tired of the constant jibes towards Negi and his friends, especially Kotarō, who was a han'yō (half-demon) like Setsuna. One might imagine Eva, who as a vampire and outcast herself, to have at least some sympathy. Not.

Setsuna held her tongue, however. Evangeline was a powerful sorceress and vampire over five centuries older than her, despite having the appearance (and manner of dress) of a ten-year-old Goth-Loli. As earlier, she decided that tact and prudence would avail her better than an angry retort.

She continued, "With Kotarō gone, I felt it would be safe to have Yue and Nodoka return to the dorms. Neither wished to be parted from you,"—here Nodoka turned away, hiding her face in the wall as she blushed a bit—"but I assured them that, if they would not do it for their own safety, then at least they too could try to find other members of the patrol. Nodoka wished to remain regardless—having convinced you that her artefact might come in handy—but Yue decided that her services would be better suited to finding other patrollers, since her own skill in magic is still limited, and she would merely hamper our efforts. This of course was Yue's own line of logic."

"Of course," Negi murmured. That's Yue-san for you, he thought, always taking the most logical route. "What happened after that, Setsuna-san?"

Eva sniffed again, loudly. Simple child, she thought. Has to have everything laid out in front of him…

Setsuna ignored her. "We decided that, due to the unknown nature of our opponent, we could not risk engaging him face-to-face. Rather, we would sneak around our quarry and observe from a distance."

"We found him in the southernmost campus plaza, hiding in the big trees. He was concentrating, casting some kind of magic spell I think, because there was a huge blue magic circle around him. I mean, it must have been at least three metres across, and had a lot of complicated patterns."

"A huge… magic circle?" Negi frowned. "What could he have been doing…? Surely such a big concentration of magical energy would be easily noticed…?"

Setsuna shifted, casting her eyes down. She had wondered the same, and didn't like the possible answers one bit. "Ah, well… Maybe he had just started. Such a complicated spell would have to take time. At any rate, we tried to sneak up on him, but the second we got within fifteen metres of him, he vanished. He has very keen senses."

"Or, more likely, Sakurazaki, he had some sort of barrier surrounding his little magical garden party to warn him of any unwanted guests." Eva sneered across the bed at Setsuna, then waved a hand dismissively. "Whichever you prefer."

Setsuna's eyebrow twitched. She was nearing the limit of her tolerance for Eva's rudeness. When she spoke next, her tone was brittle.

"He may very well have had a barrier; it is quite likely. As with a number of such barriers, they tend to be 'invisible' to all but the most sensitive individuals. At any rate, he disappeared, and the magic circle seemed to sink into the ground, like water soaking into thirsty soil. When he disappeared, he left no trace of himself; we couldn't sense him.

"He reappeared behind us, and we were forced to scatter and regroup. Luckily, Asuna-san grabbed Nodoka-san and called her artefact, and managed to block his strike…

"He said nothing, but he just flicked his fingers as though he was shaking water off his hand, and this… magical rain started to fall. It wasn't wet, but when it hit the ground it sizzled and got sucked up, just like the magic circle from before. I couldn't believe the energy that built up, and so quickly! It was coming off like a heat wave."

Setsuna faced Negi and looked him straight in the eye. "Negi-sensei, if you know the expression 'like a ticking time-bomb', this is exactly how it felt. I think everyone realized that something big was going to happen. At the same time, he engaged us. You and I fought him, but he outmanoeuvred us at every turn. We got pretty beat up. And then Nodoka started crying out…"

Negi turned to Nodoka, who was still blushing, but also looked a bit scared.

"What happened, Nodoka-san?" asked Negi gently. His gaze was calm and level, reassuring; Nodoka didn't look so scared.

"I… I felt the power in the ground… reach a peak. I knew… he was going to blow us up… using the magic power in the ground, from the rain," she said, her voice not much more than a whisper. "I was so scared…"

Setsuna nodded. "It's true. Everyone—even Asuna-san—could feel the energy building, just ready to burst. While I know Asuna-san has the magic-cancel ability, I doubt that could have saved us in that situation. So you decided that I would have to work my barrier, while you tried to hold him off, and Asuna-san would protect me and Nodoka-san while I focused on the spell."

Negi blinked. "I fought him? I don't recall… Forgive me, Setsuna-san, but… I don't remember any of this…"

Setsuna frowned, and Nodoka looked frightened again. Eva snorted. "It's no great bloody mystery why, boy. You took one too many blows to the head; end of story. Duh. That's part of the reason you're in the hospital."

Negi touched the back of his head with his fingers. He did feel a dull ache still, especially in the region of his neck. "Yes… I see. Please continue, Setsuna-san."

Setsuna breathed in and then out softly, somewhere between a sniff and a sigh. "It was… difficult to formulate the barrier. Though I have practiced it and done it many times before, it requires my utmost concentration… Negi-sensei, it was so difficult to watch you face him alone… I know you have faced some powerful adversaries before. Graf Wilhelm, the white-haired boy Fate…" She paused, her voice catching. Making a harrumphing sound in her throat, she resumed.

"You put up a valiant effort, sensei. Unfortunately, you could not keep him away for long. He… He broke through… and attempted to strike us down. He came right for me; I think he knew what I was up to. However, Asuna-san was quick-thinking, and she managed to deflect the enemy's attack. Thwarted, the enemy turned his attention to you again, and… he very nearly…"

Setsuna turned away, unwilling to say more. Startled, Negi turned from Setsuna to Nodoka—who also turned away—to Evangeline, who shook her head in disgust.

Setsuna resumed, looking at the wall. "At that moment, Kaede-san showed up and managed to rescue you. Bless her and her shundō… She use the doppelganger technique to buy just a moment's time, and slipped over to where we were. She told us that she had forbidden Kotarō from rejoining us; hothead that he is, he would have probably gotten hurt. Turns out she was right…

"I completed the Barrier of the Four Gods but a moment before the world erupted. Negi-sensei… I have never felt such power. The whole sky seemed to light up with an eerie blue-white blaze. The earth shook. All around us, flames erupted and spewed forth from the ground, and a column of fire engulfed us. Not only that, but our opponent struck against the barrier with a blazing stream of fire, like some kind of magical flamethrower. It was a devastating blow; I doubt anyone could have survived that if it hit them. There was just so much magical energy, the barrier began to crack. Never have I seen such a thing…"

Evangeline struck the bed railing with her palm, denting it though sheer brute force; Makie jumped up in her seat. "Setsuna, you dolt. You think that, just because the name of your technique is 'Absolute Protect', that it is, indeed, absolute protection? It is chi, harnessed by you and used to block and absorb attacks. It absorbed too much; it reached its breaking point, and it broke. Nothing so illogical about that, now is there?"

Miserable vamp, Setsuna thought unkindly, How would you like to be broken? Keep this up and I'll strike you down where you stand. At least I won't have to raise my arm too high. "No, Evangeline-san, there is not", Setsuna replied in tightly-measured tones, "It was simply outside of my experience to have the barrier break. Obviously, I can expect such a thing in the future… And I suppose you would know just how strong someone would have to be to break the barrier? It would have to be someone else as strong as he."

Setsuna threw in that little jab, her patience with Evangeline expended. The diminutive blonde twitched, recognising the jibe at her expense. Back during the Mahora Budōkai, Setsuna had defeated Evangeline during the quarterfinals within Phantasmagoria, Evangeline's own conjured, illusory world, and had used the barrier ability. Back then, it had held firm in the face of the vampire's attack.

And now, it had failed, with no particularly good reason. Setsuna knew, as did Evangeline, that such a line of reasoning—while perfectly logical—lacked conviction in the face of such power as their opponent had displayed.

Trying to regain her dignity, Evangeline cut in. "So I suppose that, while Sakurazaki drags out the gory details of your battle, you'd like to know just how you managed to survive, and how you ended up here." She scoffed. "Well, bōya, much as I like to see you get a good thrashing now and again, it would be such a bother to have you die when I spent so much time training you and putting up with your little Negi Brigade." She leaned over the bed, leering at Negi, who recoiled. Whispering, she said, "Of course, I may kill you myself some day, so don't go dying on me yet."

Setsuna's fists clenched into balls, face flushed a dark pink. She shook with anger, barely controlling herself. Makie, forgotten again, shrunk further into her chair, then yelped as a calm voice called out from behind her.

"Master, I sense that your words have provoked Sakurazaki-san; reading her body temperature and stress levels, I predict that she is intent on doing harm upon your person. Perhaps such a course of action is unwise at this moment, and you should—for the time being—desist."

Negi's mouth went slack as Chachamaru emerged from the closet toilet. "Cha-Cha-Chachamaru-san—! How long were you in there?!"

"I have been sequestered in the toilet since 1700 hours, Negi-sensei," came Chachamaru's reply, delivered in her typical robotic deadpan. "It was thought that the staff would become too curious about me if I were to roam freely. Therefore, I retreated to reasonable privacy and ran a basic systems diagnostic. Hakase should be pleased that I am keeping up my routine systems checks—"

"Enough, baka-robot!" Eva snapped. "You don't have to tell us your life story."

"I apologize, Master." Chachamaru bowed, adding "Though I calculate that such a narrative would take approximately fifteen days, six hours, eighteen minu—"

"CHACHAMARU! SHUT UP!" Eva bellowed. Chachamaru immediately fell silent, with another deep bow. Eva sat huffing while Negi, Nodoka, and Makie quailed. Setsuna let out a huff and shook her head.

"As Eva-san began to explain, sensei," Setsuna resumed, irritated, "when the barrier had failed and we were to be attacked again, she arrived just in the nick of time and distracted our assailant. It seems that she was still involved at her tea ceremony club along with Chachamaru-san, and she heard of the commotion—"

"Actually, Sakurazaki," cut in Evangeline, "being such a bloody powerful vampire sorceress, you don't suppose that I might have sensed the magic power brewing all by myself—HEY!"

Setsuna snapped to her feet, snatched up her scabbard, and drew Yūnagi from its sheath in one smooth, quick motion faster than the blink of an eye, a nearly impossible movement for any but one of the Shimeiryū. Setsuna stood fuming, her longsword aimed squarely between Evangeline's eyes. Chachamaru was poised to move should something go down; everyone else sat stunned, staring at the drama about to unfold.

"Evangeline!" Setsuna yelled, "I have had enough with your sneers and insults. I can bear them no longer! Negi-sensei very nearly died today, as did the rest of us! It is stressful and draining to go through such a battle for our lives, then have to listen to you brag about how powerful you are and what a saviour you were! Shut the hell up!"

Evangeline sat speechless, staring down the length of the nodachi pointed directly at her nose. Then, daintily but with some disgust, she touched the tip of the blade with her index finger, and directed the lethal weapon away from her to her left. Her reply mustered as much wounded dignity as possible under the circumstances. "Humph, Sakurazaki, really. You needn't yell. I suppose the bōya gets the point, anyway… Hahahaha! 'Gets the point'! Hahahaha! Come, Chachamaru! I'd best leave here while I'm still ahead… and still have my head!"

Chachamaru bowed with a "Yes, Master", and followed Evangeline as she swept out the door. Eva's laughs of "Gets the point" and "Still got my head!" could be heard as she swept down the hall. Setsuna, hand shaking slightly, sheathed her sword, then dropped to kneel again.

"I… I'm so sorry, sensei…" she whispered. "I am ashamed that I lost my temper… Ojōsama would be so disappointed…"

"No, Setsuna-san…" Negi reached out his hand but stopped, helpless. One thing that he had a hard time dealing with was a woman's tears, or any girl in distress, really. "Um… um… you were going to tell me how the battle ended…?"

Setsuna straightened, sighing, once again her own master. "Yes, sensei. As I said, Evangeline—however she found out,"—Setsuna said this with gritted teeth—"she rushed to the battlefield. When she saw you… um… hurt, she shrieked so loud, like a bat… or a banshee."

"Um…" Nodoka piped up timidly. "N-Not that she didn't care… or anything… but I don't think that she was… exactly… worried about Negi-sensei… More like, she recognized whoever was fighting us…"

"Hmm…" Setsuna nodded to herself. "I suppose that's true, Hon'ya-chan. Eva doesn't seem to care about anything but herself. Maybe power… But Nodoka-san is right. She screamed 'You!' and blasted him with Ensis Exsequens. Of course, she pointed it right at us, too; guess she didn't care much if we got vaporized… But he hightailed it out of there when she showed up. I think she was pretty angry that she missed him…

"Anyway, he ran off, and that stupid spell dropped the ambient temperature about forty degrees, so we had snow falling on us… When we realized that he had fled, we tried to figure out what to do about you. Sensei… you were badly hurt. There have been few times that I have witness such injuries as yours… Luckily, Yue returned, and she had both Kotarō and Konoka-ojōsama with her. Ojōsama was nearly in tears when she saw you, but Asuna-san pulled her around, and with the help of her pactio, Konoka-ojōsama was able to patch you up. Though you sustained a number of injuries that were too old for her to heal—her time limit is three minutes, of course."

"Yes…" Negi winced. "So, you brought me here, to the Mahora Hospital?"

"Yes, sensei," Setsuna replied. "The doctors asked what had happened, and I told them that we had been sparring when you tripped and fell down the stairs in the plaza… Actually, Kotarō said that you were sparring with him. I suppose…" Here Setsuna chuckled just a bit in her throat. Negi was confused.

"What's funny, Setsuna-san?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said with quiet laughter, "I suppose it's just Kotarō's way of caring. You know he'd never admit he's worried about you, but maybe he wanted to… um… 'spare you the embarrassment of losing a fight with a girl'?"

Negi blushed. "That's not true at all, Sestuna-san! You're such a strong fighter! I faced you in the Budōkai, remember? You gave it your best, and I'll always appreciate it! Kotarō-kun knows that too!"

Setsuna felt a tiny blush crawl up her neck. "Um… Thank you, sensei…"

Negi looked around. "So, do you now how long I'm supposed to be here?"

Setsuna stood up and faced Negi squarely. "Sensei," she said sternly, though not unkindly. "You're hurt. You're only human, the fact that you're a…" she glanced at Makie, "a wizard notwithstanding. You need rest. The doctors are going to keep you here for a few days for observation. If nothing is out of order, you can return to your duties by next week."

Setsuna stooped down to bend over him. Still stern, but with a hint of motherly love, she said, "However, you must do as they say; they know what is best for you." She smiled at him. "All right, sensei?"

Negi blushed. "Ah, um… y-yes, Sestuna-san. I understand." He blinked as a sudden thought occurred to him. He turned to Makie. "Um, Makie-san…? You, um… You know… about us?"

Makie nodded, still looking guilty. "Um, yes, Negi-kun. I… I was practicing my new floor routine near the plaza, and… I saw what happened to you… I wanted to run away, but Chachamaru-san sensed me, and she caught me. She said that you'd have to fill me in on what happened." She stood up, knocking her chair back, and rushed to Negi's side. "Please, sensei, don't… don't think badly of me! I promise, I won't tell anyone, not even Ayaka! No matter how much they ask, I won't tell them your secret! I promise!"

"Makie-san, please calm down!" Negi yelped. Makie quieted. "Makie-san, you're a good girl, and I appreciate you keeping this a secret. A number of your friends know about me, so if you have anything to ask, you can always go to them. All right?"

"O-Okay…" She sniffed, relieved that she wasn't going to be punished. Negi smiled.

"Makie-san, I'm not going to punish you for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. What you did was hardly a crime. If anything, it will be punishment enough to have to keep my secret, and not tell you friends about this. Can you do that?"

Makie nodded furiously. "Cross my heart, sensei! I'll eat a thousand puffer fish needles if I ever tell them your secret!"

"Oi, runt!" Asuna called as she and Konoka returned to the room. "You feel any better?"

"A little bit, Asuna-san," Negi replied. "I'm sore, but I'll be all right. Setsuna-san said I have to rest, and I think that's best right now."

"O-ho…" Asuna looked slyly at Setsuna. "Well, she's got a point, brat. If we left you to do as you pleased, you'd be up and running around already."

"Mmm… I don't know…" Negi yawned. "I'm tired…"

"Oh!" Setsuna quickly pressed the button at bedside to summon the nurse. "We're not supposed to let him sleep!"

A moment later, a nurse came bustling in. "What's the matter… Oh, he's falling asleep. I'll have to fetch the doctor and see if it's all right… Keep him awake, dear," she directed at Setsuna, heading back out the door.

"I'll do it…" muttered Asuna, stepping forward.

"Ah, no, Asuna-san…" Setsuna stepped to Negi's bed, forestalling Asuna's advance. "Allow me."

Bending down near Negi's ear, Setsuna said in a loud, clear voice: "Negi-sensei! Wake up! You'll be late for Eva's training; do you want her mad at you?"

Negi's eyes jolted open, and he started to sweat a little. "A-wa-wa… Setsuna-san! I'm not late! That wasn't nice!"

Setsuna smiled, bashful. "Sorry, sensei," she whispered, apologetic, "The nurse told us to make sure you didn't fall asleep. They have to check you, in case you have a concussion. Besides, you didn't want Asuna-san to wake you, did you?"

Negi's jaw dropped in fright at the prospect. "Oh, thanks loads, Setsuna-san," Asuna drawled, "Now he'll be awake all night with nightmares for sure." Setsuna chuckled as the nurse returned, followed closely by the doctor.

"Hello, everyone. I'll have to ask you to leave for a moment while I check over Negi-kun."

"Um, doctor?" asked Asuna, "Is it all right if one of us stays the night? I mean, this is a private room, right?"

The doctor nodded. "Certainly. We can have a cot brought in for one of you. Why don't you discuss it outside?"

The nurse showed them out. Asuna, Konoka, Setsuna, Nodoka, and Makie huddled on a bench just down the hall.

"I'll stay with him; he needs someone to look after him…" Asuna muttered.

"But Asuna, don't you have your morning paper route?" Konoka asked.

Asuna shrugged. "Doesn't matter right now; Negi's more important—"

"I disagree, Asuna-san," Setsuna cut in. Everyone looked at her. It was unlike Setsuna to meddle in the personal affairs of others. Asuna's voice took on a hint of impatience.

"Setsuna-san, what I do with myself isn't really your concern…"

"While I agree with you on that point, Asuna-san," Setsuna replied, "you've missed far too many days lately on your route to defend further absences, even if they are justifiable reasons for doing so. You are on a scholarship, and those newspapers supplement your tuition; you can't be missing so many days."

"Well, what do you suggest, then?" Asuna retorted.

"Good evening, ladies," came the voice of an older man. The girls turned to see Negi's good friend and colleague from Mahora, Takamichi T. Takahata-sensei, coming up the hall, waving in their direction.

"Oh, Takahata-sensei!" Asuna beamed. She had a not-at-all-secret crush on their former homeroom teacher, and was always pleased when in his company. Which, unfortunately for her, often involved Negi's company as well. "We were just discussing who would stay with Negi overnight. I was going to, but…"

Setsuna turned to Konoka, and took one knee. "Ojōsama, with your dispensation, I would ask to watch over Negi-sensei for the night."

Again, everyone turned to Setsuna and stared.

"Setchan?" Konoka asked. "Why… do you want to stay with Negi-kun?"

Setsuna bowed her head low. "Ojōsama, I can't help but feel that his current situation is, in part, my fault. I feel that I ought to have stood at his side as he battled his foe. Instead, I kept to the rear, and he came to harm because of it…"

"That's a bunch of B.S.!" Asuna snapped. "You did what you had to do, and if you hadn't, all of us would've probably ended up as bad as Negi, or worse! So don't you go dragging your guilt into it!"

Konoka bent to her knees and dropped down to Setsuna's level. "Setchan… Do you really feel that bad about it?"

"I do, ojōsama," Setsuna replied. "I would see that he… makes it safely through the night, and see that if he should want for anything, I can serve him as well as I have served you."

Konoka took Setuna's hand in her own, and raised her gently to her feet. "Okay, Setchan. I don't mind you staying the night."

Setsuna looked up into Konoka's eyes. "Thank you, ojōsama."

Konoka's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, and her voice took on a hint of impatience. "Oh, Setchan, I've told you: Call me Kono-chan, okay?"

"Er, yes, Kono… chan…" Setsuna was taken aback. Though her face softened when Setsuna called her by her childhood name, Konoka still had something… sad in her eyes when she voiced her displeasure.

Konoka turned to Takahata. "Did you come to see Negi-kun, Takahata-sensei?"

"Mmm, not exactly," he replied. "I heard he was in stable condition, so it doesn't seem necessary to bother him right now. I really came to get all of you. It's getting late, and after the incident, it seemed best that you be escorted back to the dorms. Kotarō-kun and Yue-kun are in the lobby. Kotarō-kun wanted desperately to see Negi, but Yue-kun managed to distract him and calm him down a bit. I think she's good for him, that girl."

They giggled a little at that. Kotarō, straightforward and a fighter to the core, was an odd match to Yue, the pint-sized philosopher who nonetheless hated to study, but they did make a cute couple.

The doctor emerged from the room. "He's fine for now. He should be able to sleep well enough; we gave him a mild sedative and painkillers, so he should be okay tonight. Who's staying?" Setsuna raised her hand. "Okay, they'll have the cot up in about an hour." He strode away.

"Well, girls, I suppose we should be going. Setsuna-kun, do you need anything?" asked Takahata. She shook her head. "All right. I'll come by in the morning to escort you back to classes. Give Negi-kun my regards."

He turned and began walking away, the others following suit. Both Konoka and Asuna turned to look at Setsuna as they left; Konoka still looked a bit hurt, and Asuna's mood was something akin to puzzlement. They decided to leave it be, though. For now, anyway.

Setsuna returned to Negi's room, where he was moaning and turning in his bed; the lights were turned off and the blinds still drawn, leaving the room in semi-darkness. "Sensei," she whispered, approaching his bed, "aren't you feeling well?"

"This one supposes that it is the medicine they gave him; he's probably not used to it, de gozaru."

Setsuna turned swiftly to her right. In the shadows she heard a familiar woman's voice: low, formal, and self-depreciating. The voice soon became the silhouette of a person, one of the stealthiest and most skilled fighters in Mahora.

"Kaede-san!" Setsuna exclaimed in a whisper. "When did you get here?"

"Just a moment ago," replied the ninja-in-training. "This one was greatly worried about Negi-bōzu, and wished to see how he was faring, de gozaru yo. Incidentally…" Kaede reached into her back pocket and withdrew a wooden box, about arm's length, with 桜咲刹那 ("Sakurazaki Setsuna") printed on the lid. "This one found what one assumes to be Setsuna-dono's lost item. Yes?"

"Thank you, Kaede." Setsuna accepted the box gratefully. Opening the lid, she withdrew the item held within.

"Ooh, so Setsuna-dono is learning the piccolo, de gozaru nā?" asked Kaede in mild surprise.

"Yes… It was a gift from Eishun-sama, for my birthday…" She stroked the case wistfully. Kaede's eyes, which were usually slit like a kitsune's, opened just a crack.

"Ah… Eishun-dono is most thoughtful to give you such a beautiful gift, de gozaru ne?"

"He… he does me too great an honour…" Setsuna blushed. "But I've had no time to practice lately. I had only just taken it out for the first time in over a month; I'd been working on a song, but I couldn't think about how to structure the end of the verse… Hahaha, I only have one verse, actually…"

Kaede shrugged. "Well, this one would not wish to linger and disturb Negi-bōzu's rest. Setsuna-dono, perhaps Negi-bōzu would like to hear your song, de gozaru ka?"

Setsuna popped upright. "Eh?!" she exclaimed. "M-Me… sing for Negi-sensei?!"

Kaede chuckled. "Well, this one wouldn't dream of meddling, but it may be just what he needs to calm his restlessness, de gozaru ka shira."

Setsuna looked down on her small teacher, still rustling fretfully in bed. "What he needs to calm his rest…" she said thoughtfully, turning the piccolo over in her hand. Kaede said no more, but slipped out the door and out of sight.

Negi stilled his restless turning. Moaning, he opened his eyes. "Setsuna… san?" he asked. "Are you… staying with me tonight?"

"Yes, sensei," she replied. Negi sat up, wincing. "But… shouldn't you be with Konoka-san…?"

Setsuna swallowed. She did want to be with her ojōsama, her Kono-chan, but… "Well, sensei… We talked it over, and… I asked to stay with you. Kono-chan is… She'll be all right. She's with Asuna-san. Asuna-san will look after Kono-chan, I know she will."

Truth be told, Setsuna wasn't too happy with Asuna right at the moment. But she needn't burden Negi unnecessarily with the thought of his students not getting along.

"Oh… All right then, Setsuna-san. I… I'm glad you're staying," Negi replied. "I… I don't quite know what's wrong with me… I want to sleep, but I can't seem to get comfortable…"

"…Are you frightened, sensei?" Setsuna asked quietly. Negi stiffened, followed by a sound that might have been a sniffle.

"Y-Yes, Setsuna-san… I am. I… I didn't realize just how much danger we were in… We've never, ever fought anyone so powerful. And I can't even remember what happened… I'm… scared, Setsuna-san…"

Setsuna bent over him and drew him into her arms, surprised at how easily it came to her. She rarely engaged in hugging, and when she did, it was usually Konoka who initiated it.

Ojōsama, thought Setsuna, Kono-chan, please: Lend me your loving kindness. I know that I have hurt you by not being at your side tonight, but please, lend me the strength of your friendship, for Negi-sensei…

Distantly, as she was walking back to the dorms with Takahata and the rest of the group, Konoka paused briefly, turning back to the hospital.

"Hey, Konoka. You forget something?" asked Asuna softly.

Konoka shook her head. "No… I just thought… I thought I heard Setchan's voice…"

Asuna also shook her head. "That Setsuna … I don't know why she… Humph… Hey, Konoka, let's get going, okay?

Konoka nodded. "Okay…" She paused a moment longer, then turned to rejoin her friends.

Setsuna ran a gentle hand over Negi's head, smoothing his rumpled hair. "Negi-sensei, if you please, maybe I can sing you a song to help you sleep."

Negi looked up at her. "I didn't know you sang, Setsuna-san. What kind of song?"

She fingered her piccolo. "It's… It's one I wrote myself… I'd been trying to finish it …"

Negi smiled. "That's wonderful, Setsuna-san! I'm glad that you're exploring your musical talent! I'd love to hear you sing."

Setsuna bowed. "Yes, sensei. The way of the warrior was also one of art and music, a cultured class. I hope you like it, Negi-sensei. Please, relax, and imagine yourself as one with nature…"

Drawing the chair to his bedside, she raised the piccolo to her lips. After giving a few short test notes, she began to play. The melody swept through the small, private room, not loud yet strong, rising and sweeping down again.

As she neared the last bar of the first verse, Negi's eyes—which had been half-closed as he listened to the melody—finally drooped shut. He was relaxed as Setsuna began to sing; her voice—usually quite deep when she spoke—was high and strong and clear as the words to her song rang out.

By the time she reached the end of the verse, Negi had fallen asleep. Setuna smiled to herself, thinking that, if Negi's peaceful sleep was the payment for her singing, she could only be grateful for such a reward. She placed the piccolo carefully back in its case, then—treading softly so as not to disturb Negi's sleep—made her way to the opposite side of his bed. She took a zabuton—a cushion used for sitting while meditating—out of her schoolbag and placed it on the floor. Taking Yūnagi in her hand, she leaned back, sitting cross-legged against the wall on her cushion. She closed her eyes, taking in the quiet of her surroundings.

The staff came in some time later and set up a cot for Setsuna. Noticing that the young girl was deep in meditation, they decided not to disturb her. She hummed her song quietly to herself, thinking of new phrases and lyrics, and was soon asleep herself, reassured by Negi's quiet breaths.

Chapter One: End

Setsuna's Song

The wind sweeps o'er the grass

Like the rising tide…

The wind sweeps through the air

Like a falling star…

The stars shine in the night

Like diamonds in the ocean depths…

They shine… they shine so brightly…

And now the daylight fades

Like fire dying into embers…

The smokeless coals the only evidence

That once a mighty blaze had raged

The heartbeat stills to nothing,

The quiet voices in the night arise…

They sing to all the stars above the sky…

They sing to all the stars there in the sky…

They sing their praises to the sky…

Sing all their praises to the sky…

Sing all their praises to… the… sky…