I know that I have too many stories out to start a new one. However, I couldn't help it. So here it is my third Negima fic! For the first couple chapters it may seem like my Vinculums Ab Fatum fic but believe me it is way different!

Disclaimer: I don not own Negima. Negima belongs to Ken Akamatsu.
Chapter 1: Getting Over You

"That was one long week wasn't it?"

"Y-yeah. I guess that it was a little bit stressful," answered a red haired boy.

"Just a little?"

Negi Springfield stared up at the ceiling of the dorm room that he shared with two of students. Negi was just your average ten year old child. Unless you took into consideration the fact that he was an English teacher in Japan. Oh, and of course there was the whole thing where he was a mage. Other than that one would swear that he was absolutely normal if they had seen him out on the street. Negi had medium-shoulder length red hair that he often pulled back into a messy ponytail. His large chestnut colored eyes were hidden behind small pince-nez glasses. His face was very handsome especially for someone who was only ten years old. A couple of bandages covered the various scratches and burns that adorned his face after tonight's scuffle. As a mage, and the son of one of the most famous magi of all time, Negi often attracted unwanted attention. On a few occasions it even came from his own students. Negi turned to the small creature beside him and gave him a small, obviously fake smile.

"Well, I-I mean it could have been worse. Right Kamo-kun?"

The small creature that lay next to him unfurled itself from its little ball. Kamo was a snow white ermine that had just the very tip of its tail painted black. Kamo was Negi's familiar and pet. Of course he served other purposes than just making a cute pet for the boy mage. He could do some magic as well and helped Negi when he needed to find partners to help him on his quest. Of course Kamo did have a couple flaws of his own. The main one being that he was often very perverse when it came to the girls of Negi's class. Or any girls for that matter. Still, Negi wouldn't have anyone else as his partner.

"How the hell could that have been worse?!" Kamo nearly shouted. He refrained from being to loud for fear of waking up a certain redhead in the room.

Negi put a finger to his chin in thought. "Well. Chao-san could have revealed the existence of mages to the entire world."

Kamo was about to start arguing but realized that Negi was right about that. Chao Lingshen was one of the students from Negi's class and a super genius. Though if you asked her, she was a Martian from the future. Believe it or not Chao had come from the future and just mere days ago had tried to reveal magic to the entire world. Now at first glance that didn't appear to be too bad of an idea. However, it was against the laws of the magical world for magic to be revealed to the world of humans. If Chao had succeeded, Negi and several of the other mage teachers around the school would have been turned into ermines as their punishment. Chao tried everything in her power to keep Negi from stopping her and make her goals come to fruition. Luckily Negi was able to turn the tables on the genius and stop her before she managed to actually complete her mission. Of course he never would have been able to stop her without the help of his friends.

For once during his fight with Chao Negi allowed himself to get cocky in his abilities. He thought, and even Chao agreed, that the victory was well earned. The only problem was that Negi couldn't allow himself to be happy with the win. In fact the win was practically a moot point for. No matter how hard he tried to get Chao to stay with him and the rest of the class she refused. The young Chinese scientist had gone back to her own time. Even though she was an enemy for the time she had been one of Negi's best and brightest students. And in a weird way that didn't make too much sense to him, she was also family. So when she left it was only natural that she would at least leave a small void behind.

"I can't sleep," Kamo said suddenly.

Negi looked over at the ermine and nodded in agreement. "Neither can I," he admitted. "What should we do?"

Kamo scratched his head. "Well Aniki, it is the last day of the festival. Maybe we should go and enjoy the scenery before it all disappears."

A small smile appeared on the child mages face. For once he was in complete agreement with the ermine. "Heh. That sounds like a pretty good idea."

Negi moved around his loft and reached for the drawers that held his clothes. He picked out a pair of navy blue pants and slid them on carefully. Despite some of Konoka's healing he was still extremely for sore from all of the fighting. He pulled a matching blue long sleeved t-shirt from the drawer. Kamo watched as Negi slowly and painfully removed the pajama top that he was wearing. After slipping on the other shirt he pulled on a black zip-up vest. Kamo nodded in appreciation of the boy's style of dress. Since coming to Japan, teaching a class full of girls, and living with two of the said girls he was forced to dress in something other than suits. Finally Negi slipped on his brown shoes and started to climb down the ladder. Kamo leapt onto his head in order to make the trip easier for himself.

"Do you think that we should wake Ane-san?" He asked in a whisper.

Negi reached the bottom of the ladder and looked over towards the sleeping girl. "No. She's had as long of a day as us. Let her sleep."

"I'm already awake," grumbled a sleepy voice.

Negi stiffened and turned around only to find a pair of mismatched eyes staring back at him sleepily. Asuna sat up in her bed, clutching her blanket with one hand. Realizing what was happening, her eyes opened a little bit wider. Negi could faintly see her orange colored hair traveling down over the edge of the top bunk bed. Her eyes, one jade in color and the other sapphire, shimmered slightly in the moonlight. She gave a soft yawn before finally addressing Negi.

"Where do you think you're going?" She asked in a sleepy voice.

Negi scratched the back of his head in a nervous fashion. "W-w-well Kamo-kun and I c-couldn't sleep."

"So we are going to go and enjoy the festival."

"Would you like to come?!" Negi asked quickly. He was hoping that this might save him from a beating if she was mad.

Asuna yawned again and shook her head. "I don't wanna go," she whispered sadly.

Negi felt a little twinge of pain at hearing how upset the redhead was. "A-Asuna-san? Is something wrong?"

"…No. I just don't wanna go with you okay!"

"R-right." Negi and Kamo shared a look before heading to the door. On the way out Negi grabbed his staff and slung it over his shoulder. He quietly shut the door behind him and leaned back against the frame. "I wonder what's bothering Asuna-san?" He asked worriedly.

Kamo waved it off with his paw. "Probably just her time of the month."

Negi chose to ignore that statement and continued walking down the dark dormitory halls. "Something weird is happening Kamo-kun. First Konoka-san doesn't come home and now Asuna-san is all upset."

"They're in middle school Aniki," Kamo replied. "They are bound to do some things that we'll never understand."

"Yeah. I guess."

As they continued down this particular hall Negi found it odd that there was no one else out. Perhaps everyone else really was still down at the festival. Suddenly a chill made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He could sense someone behind him and it wasn't just any normal person either. The air suddenly became denser as if filling with an unseen force. Kamo on the other hand didn't seem to feel it at all; which was odd considering he was always the one to detect a magic signature first. Negi continued to walk but reached back and placed a hand on his staff. He turned sharply; ready to attack whoever or whatever was following him. Nothing. There was nothing but the darkness of the halls to greet him. He could have sworn that there was something there though.

"Aniki! What's the big deal?!" Kamo cried. "You nearly threw me off!"

Negi turned around to look at Kamo. He was breathing hard most likely due to the sudden jolt he had experienced. "Sorry!" Negi said quickly. "I-I thought that I sensed something."

Kamo took a second to concentrate but couldn't lock onto any signature other than Negi's. Kamo patted the mage on the cheek and said, "You really need some fresh air."

"I think you're right." Negi continued to walk down the hall. Never once did his mind stray from the strange signature he had sensed only seconds ago.

Just as they had expected many of the stands and attractions of the festival remained open. Students of all ages from the Mahora campus were bustling here and there. Laughter and the joyous cries from many of them filled the air. Negi could see some of the people just sitting around and enjoying the sights that the festival had to offer. Others were taking a more active approach in enjoying what the festival had to offer. Some were eagerly waiting in line for ice cream, having fun on the rides, or testing their luck and skill at the game booths. Not to mention that the wild costumes everyone wore only served to make the festival more fun. Negi loved the atmosphere that the festival had to offer. Even in his somewhat depressive mood it was able to cheer him up a bit. The only problem now was deciding what he should go and do first.

"What do you think we should go and do first Kamo-kun?"

"I think we should go and get something to eat. I'm starving!" As if to drive the statement home, a loud rumbling came from the ermine's stomach.

"What else is new?" Negi asked jokingly. "I wonder if Yotsuba-san still has a stand open?"

Before he made it three steps he heard someone call out his name. "Yo Negi!"

Negi turned around and saw a boy around his age running towards him. The boy had long black hair that was cut in a very jagged fashion. It fact it was styled a lot like his own hair but without the ponytail. The boy had sharp but handsome facial features for someone of his age. He was dressed in the schools elementary level uniform. A pair of black pants, a black blazer, and a white shirt. The boy's name was Inugami Kotarou. Kotarou was Negi's rival and his best friend as well. See Kotarou also had a secret of his own to hide. He was known as a Hanyo, someone who is part demon and part human. Kotarou's demon side just happened to be that of a dog. This was made obvious by the large ears, pronounced canines, and of course his tail. All of which he didn't have to hide during the festival.

Kotarou rushed up to Negi without thinking. Just as soon as he reached the young mage he skidded to a halt. Negi opened his mouth to say something but snapped it shut very quickly. Things had been a little strained between the two of them since the Mahora Boudakai Tournament. The two of them had made a promise to one another that they would meet each other in the finals. Unfortunately, Kotarou had been faced with an opponent that was far stronger than him and was soundly defeated. Since then he had been a little wary whenever he was around Negi.

The two of them stood there and stared at the ground in a tense silence. It seemed like an eternity before one of them said something. "How's your arm?" Kotarou asked quietly.

Negi looked down at his left arm that had been bandaged from his elbow to his hand. The burns on the arm were a little bit bad. "Not too bad. Still hurts sometimes."

Kotarou nodded. "I guess so."

Kamo's gaze switched from Negi to Kotarou and back. Kotarou was the only male friend that Negi had and he was really hoping that the two of them would be able to get passed this. After all, the two of them needed each other for defense against the female dominant population of the dorms. Not to mention that Kotarou had actually come to like the Inu as both a partner and a companion.

"Listen Negi. About the tournament, I'm sorry that I wasn't good enough to make it to the final round. I made you a promise and I blew it."

Negi shook his head. "I don't care about that." Kotarou blinked but didn't say anything. "You came back when we really needed you. I was happy that you came back to help us with Chao-san."

Kotarou's ears perked up and his confident smirk immediately returned to his face. "Well of course I came back. If I didn't you would have been killed! Then how would I have gotten my rematch?!" He said with a maniacal sort of laugh.

Kamo shook his head at the boy. That was Kotarou's way of saying that he cared about Negi. "So what are you doing out here kid?" Kamo asked curiously.

"Taking in the sights." Was all that Kotarou said. "What about you guys?"

"Couldn't sleep," Negi replied. For now it seemed like any problems that they might have had were solved. "We were going to go get something to eat. Wanna come?"

Kotarou shrugged and then nodded. "I guess I could use a little something to eat."

"Oh thank god. I'm freakin starving!" Kamo cried.


Asuna lay back in her bed wide awake after her little conversation with Negi. Though if she were to be completely honest she had been awake long before then. After all Negi wasn't the only person that was having some problems of his own. The festival had been very stressful on the poor young girl. And it wasn't just the intense battles that had her feeling like this. In fact the fighting only covered a small portion of that. First of all she had to deal with the emotional distress that she suffered after being rejected by her former sensei. She knew that Takamichi hadn't meant to hurt her but she still felt the sting. Then there was Negi. Asuna tried so hard to be there for him and protect him during the battle with Chao and her army. Only to realize that Negi didn't even really need her. Then of course there was that incident at the tournament that still dwelled in her memory. She had lost control of herself and nearly killed Setsuna. To this point she still had no idea what caused her to lose control but she still remembered everything that happened.

Just as Asuna was about to roll over and try to go back to sleep there was a knock at the door. "Oh thank you!" She scrambled down from her bed and ran for the door. She flung the door open to reveal a fully clothed Setsuna.

"Setsuna-san?" She asked in surprise.

Setsuna smiled back at the redhead. Setsuna was a year younger than Asuna and was practically her opposite in every way. Whereas Asuna was tall with long hair; Setsuna was short with short brown hair that she wore up. Her snowy skin contrasted sharply with her dark hair and eyes. Setsuna had a serious inferiority complex that only Asuna and maybe Negi seemed to notice. Because of this she was a rather shy and introverted young girl. Setsuna was dressed in a white sailor shirt and a navy blue skirt that fell down to just below her knees. She was wearing a pair of brown shoes that were standard among the school uniforms. A pair pf fake cat ears adorned the top of her head and she was also wearing a fake black tail. Asuna smiled, she couldn't help but notice how cute Asuna looked.

"Hi. I hope I didn't wake you?" Setsuna asked worriedly.

"Of course not! Please come in!" Asuna slipped aside and motioned for her to come in.

Setsuna smiled gratefully at the older girl and walked inside. "I couldn't sleep so I was hoping that you, Ojou-sama, and Negi-sensei would be up?" She glanced around the room curiously. "Where are they anyways?"

"Huh?" Oh! Right after you left Konoka got real antsy and went out. And Negi and Kamo couldn't sleep so they decided to go out as well."

"Oh…" Setsuna nodded but she also seemed a little disappointed. She took a seat on the couch and ran a hand through her hair. "Negi-sensei can take care of himself but I'm a little worried about Ojou-sama."

Asuna took a seat next to hr and smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry Setsuna-san the fighting is over. Besides the teachers are still around. And I heard Konoka talking to Kazumi-chan and Sayo chan out in the hall. I think that she went with them. She'll be fine." Asuna finished in confidence.

Setsuna nodded slowly. "So why didn't you go with them?"

Asuna blinked and pulled her knees up to her chest. "I just didn't feel like it." Was her weak reply.

"Asuna-san? Is something wrong?"

"No."

"Really what's bothering you?"

"I told you that nothing is wrong."

Unfortunately Setsuna wasn't falling for the fake smile that Asuna was giving her. Asuna had always been there for her when she needed someone. And even though she wasn't the best at giving comfort she was going to try.

"You know I have never been to the festival before?"

"What do you mean?" Asuna mumbled. She lifted her head to look at Setsuna. "You were at the festival this year and all of the years before that."

Setsuna nodded. "What I mean is that I never really got to have a stress free festival. I've always had to work. I've had to patrol, watch over Ojou-sama (Not that I mind that) and just look at this year!"

"You really haven't been before?"

"No." Setsuna stood up and offered a hand to Asuna. "I want to have one free festival day. And I want you to come with me."

Asuna looked at the hand in apprehension. It wasn't fair that Setsuna had never really been to one of the festivals without having to worry about work. She deserved to have a nice time even if it was just one night. "Okay." Asuna accepted the hand and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet. "Let me get dressed first."


"Here you are Negi-sensei." Satsuki placed a bowl of soup in front of her sensei. "And for Kotarou-kun, miso ramen." She gave Kotarou her bowl and smiled brightly. "Finally Kamo-kun." She gave the ermine a plate of dumplings. "Will that be all?" She asked sweetly.

"Thank you very much, Satsuki-san!" Negi replied cheerfully.

Kamo showed his appreciation by digging in. Kotarou nodded and said, "Yeah thanks!" Satsuki smiled happily at them and wandered off to serve more customers. "She has a really cute way of speaking."

Negi agreed wholeheartedly with his friend. Kamo would have to if his face wasn't already stuffed. "She does. You never did answer our question Kotarou-kun."

Kotarou fidgeted while he ate. "I told you to see the sights."

Negi smiled. "You must really like the festival!"

The hanyo's cheeks flushed. He hated it when people said anything that made him sound childish or weak. "Well yeah. I don't like having to keep my tail and ears hidden all of the time." Negi gave him a slightly skeptical look. "Really! Besides I needed to get away from the room."

"I thought that you liked living with Chizuru-san?"

"I know that I would!" Kamo replied. He was now thinking in his dirty old man mode.

"She's fine. It's the scary blond one that I'm having trouble with."

"Ayaka-san? She isn't that bad."

"Of course not she likes you! The other night she threw a pan at my head!"

"Did you call her old again?"

"Well…you know…the words ancient and prehistoric may have come up a couple of times."

"You need to stop calling her old Kotarou-kun."

"Girls don't seem to like it when you call them old," Kamo agreed.

"You should learn that at a young age."

The two boys turned around to see who had suddenly joined in the conversation. Standing in front of them was an older boy with black hair styled in a pompadour. He had a handsome face and dark eyes that shined brightly. The young man was dressed entirely in black. Including a full length trench coat with the words 'May Law Fu Lau' printed on the front in white.

"Gotokuji-san?!" Negi said in surprise. "It's good to see you!"

"What brings you here?" Kotarou asked.

"Just enjoying the scenery," he said waving his hand around. "The festival brings out the kid in me. What about you two?"

"Couldn't sleep," Negi answered. "I heard you finished seventh in the campus game. Congratulations."

"Yeah, I did okay."

"Kaoru-kun! Let's get some ice cream!"

"Didn't do as well as this one though." He pointed at the brunette who had suddenly come from nowhere to latch herself onto his arm.

Negi turned to look at the girl and his face split into a grin. "Yuuna-san?"

Yuuna turned to look at Negi and Kotarou. Her cheeks flushed brightly, bringing out the cat whiskers she was wearing. "Ne-Negi-kun! Wh-what brings you out here?!"

"Couldn't sleep. Are you two on a date?"

Yuuna blushed a dark crimson. "W-w-w-we're just hanging out!" She stammered terribly.

"Heh! Sh'right!" Kotarou scoffed.

"Oh look!" Yuuna cried so suddenly that it startled Negi. "A face painting booth!" Without another word she was off in a flash.

"Is she okay?"

Kaoru waved his hand. "She's fine. By the way guys, you may have fooled everyone else with the game but not me," he said with wink.

Negi, Kotarou, and Kamo turned around with stunned expressions on their faces. "What?!"

Kaoru laughed. "Please. Anyone who thinks what happened during the tournament and the campus game was all due to CGI has no observation skills." The boys tried their best to talk their way out of things but they were too busy panicking. "It was real wasn't it Negi-kun? The things that you did during the tournament. And the fight on the zeppelin? You're a mage aren't you? And you're an inu."

"Y-you know about inu?" Kotarou asked.

Negi stood up and started to wave his hands frantically. "Kaoru-san! You cannot tell anyone about this! If you do we could be in serious trouble!"

Kaoru laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "Relax guys. If I haven't told anyone yet, then I'm not going to."

The boys heaved a sigh of deep relief. "You just made things so much easier for us," Kamo said.

Kaoru jumped back and pointed to Kamo. "Yo man your rat talks!"

"I'm an ermine!" Kamo cried in exaggeration.

"S-sorry. Man you ermine talks!"

Kamo nodded and Negi chuckled a little. "Name's Kamo! Glad to meet you!" Kamo said, sticking out a furry paw.

"…Right," Kaoru replied. He shook hands (?) with Kamo just as Yuuna called out to him again. A smile appeared on his face again. "Well fellas, enjoy your night. The lady calls and I answer!" He said dramatically before running off.

"Thanks again Kaoru-san!" Negi waved. Kaoru turned and gave Negi wave before joining up with Yuuna.

"That was weird," Kamo replied.

Kotarou nodded in agreement with the ermine. "I wonder how many others noticed that it was a fake?"

Negi shook his head. "I hate to think badly about my students. But I think he's the only one."

After Kaoru's little visit the three of them continued to eat their food. When they were finished they started to tour around the festival. They got to do some of the things that they weren't able to do before. Not to mention that they were able to go about it at a nice leisurely pace. After playing some games and going onto to some of the rides the two of them decided to just walk around. Another attraction of the festival was to just walk around and watch the people. Some of them had some very interesting costumes and some of them were just outrageous. The three of them lapsed into conversation so that they didn't even know where they were heading.

It wasn't until they were near the world tree that Kotarou noticed something. He poked Negi on the shoulder and pointed ahead of them. "Isn't that Ku-nee-chan?" He asked.

Negi followed his finger and nodded. "Yeah. I think that it is."

Sitting on the bank of a pond was a young blond haired girl. Her clothes were tattered as if she had been in a fierce battle. And just a few seconds ago that was very true. Ku Fei was one of the people that often fought alongside Negi. That and of course she was his master in martial arts. Negi watched as she pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her head on top of them. If he didn't know any better, from here she looked a little depressed. Ku Fei wasn't the type to sit around on her own and mope. She was normally a very outgoing and friendly girl. So it stood to reason that Negi would worry about her being like this.

"She doesn't look too good," Kotarou replied.

Kamo patted Negi on the shoulder and pointed. "You should go and talk to her Aniki!"

"Wh-what?! I mean I'm worried but should I say?"

"Sorry man. I have no idea what girls are thinking," Kotarou replied.

Kamo leapt onto Kotarou's shoulder. "Neither do I."

"And you think that I do?!" Negi cried frantically.

"Probably!" Kotarou turned and ran off with a quick wave.

Negi groaned in exasperation. It wasn't like he didn't want to help Ku Fei. It was exactly the opposite. Just in situations like this he tended to make things worse. Deciding to try and help he repositioned his staff and walked towards Ku Fei.

Ku Fei dipped her bare feet in the cool water of the pond. Normally she would be out and enjoying the festival but tonight was different. Ku Fei was exhausted both physically and emotionally. During the attack on Chao she had offered to stay behind and fight a new prototype robot that Chao and Hakase had invented. Even with the help of Haruna the fight had been very exhausting. That was nothing compared to what she went through when she watched Negi fight Chao. Two of her best friends had been locked in what appeared at the time to be a battle to the death. During the entire fight she had been cheering for Negi to win but not to hurt Chao. The reason that she wanted Negi to win was because of what Chao's plan entailed. Her whole plan consisted of Negi getting hurt no matter how unintentional. It was something that Ku Fei could never forgive her for. Still she wished Chao hadn't left the way that she did.

The blond martial artist closed her eyes and leaned back on the ground. "Mind if I join you?"

Ku Fei's eyes opened and saw Negi standing over her. She started, a little surprised at seeing Negi out here. "N-Negi-bozu!" She jumped to her feet and scratched the back of her head nervously. "O-of course!"

Negi nodded but noticed her strange behavior. He sat his staff down and took a seat on the ground. Ku Fei took a seat next to him but didn't look at him. Neither of them broke the silence which seemed both tense and comfortable at the same time. Negi lay back on the ground, wincing slightly when his arm came into contact with a rock.

"You okay Negi-bozu?!"

Negi looked up and saw Ku Fei's emerald green eyes swimming in concern. "I'm fine," he said with a smile. "Just a little bit sore." He took in Ku Fei's profile and nodded. "I'm more worried about you." He had noticed that not only was she upset but she had a pretty nasty looking bruise on her left cheek.

Ku Fei laughed nervously and shook her head. "No need to worry about me. I'm just fine!"

Negi may not be the most observant ten year old in the world but he definitely caught that. He spent far too much time around Ku Fei to not be able to tell when she was lying. "Does it have to do with the battle we just had?" He noticed Ku Fei tense up and draw her knees to her chest again. Negi was going to try for a shot in the dark. "It has something to do with Chao-san?"

This time Ku Fei did look at Negi. Her big green eyes took on a sadness that he had never seen before. "Am I bad person Negi-bozu?" She asked so quietly that Negi had to strain to hear it.

"What do you mean?" Negi asked curiously.

"While you fought Chao I was thinking. About how much I hate her."

"…"

"I hated her for trying to hurt Negi-bozu." She swiped at some tears that were building in her eyes. "I still do hate her. But a part of me also wanted you to lose. Because then maybe she would stay. And I would still have my friend." A tear slipped down her cheek and fell to the ground. "I miss her. And now I feel like I betraying Negi-bozu!"

Before she could get any further she felt a weight on the top of her head. When she looked up she saw Negi standing over her. He had his hand planted firmly on her head and was mussing up her hair. It was the same thing that she did to him when he got upset during training.

"Listen to me Ku Fei-san," Negi said. "You are a good person. If you are mad at Chao-san, it's because it shows how much you care about me and the others." He smiled down at her and she returned it. "And I don't blame you for wanting Chao-san to win. She was your best friend. So don't feel like you betrayed me. I never would have gotten to her if you weren't there."

"I still fought against my best friend."

Negi smiled sympathetically at the young girl. He built up some magic in his right hand and reached over to the bruised cheek. The warmth from Negi's magic made her shudder a little. Slowly the bruise on her cheek started to fade. "And I'm sure that she knew why you fought against her. I know she doesn't blame you either. She wasn't the type of person." Finally the bruise had disappeared and Negi lowered his hand.

Ku Fei was trying to think of another reason to justify her current mood. Not being able to find one she dipped her hand in the water. "Why is Negi-bozu so smart?" She asked, splashing him with some of the water.

Negi chuckled. "Because I'm a teacher," he replied, splashing her back.

Ku Fei shielded herself from the water. She was about to retaliate when she noticed something. "Your hand!" She exclaimed.

Negi looked at his right hand and noticed that some blood was seeping out from under the bandage. "Well that's not good."

Ku Fei blinked in confusion. What he had just said was something more along the lines of what that Albireo guy would have said. She ripped off a piece of her already torn sash and moved closer to Negi. She gently took his hand and unwrapped the bloody bandage. Negi watched her undo the bandage with a surprised face. How could someone so strong and forceful at times be so gentle other times? When she had unwrapped the bandages she threw them to the side and gently tied the scarf around his wounded hand. While she tied it off she looked up at Negi and gave him a soft smile. B-Bump! Negi felt his heart speed up for no reason and heat flare in his cheeks.

"Are you okay Negi-bozu?" Ku Fei asked. She motioned towards his hand to make sure that she hadn't tied the makeshift bandage too tightly.

Negi blushed again but nodded. "Are you?"

Ku Fei nodded. "I'm better thanks to you." She slipped her shoes on with a small smile. When she turned back around there was a hand hovering above her.

"Then let's go and enjoy the rest of the festival." Negi smiled brightly. "Something tells me there's still a little magic left." He gave Ku Fei a charming wink that made her blush.

"I would love to." She accepted his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet. Maybe tonight wasn't going to be as bad as she thought.


"You want to go on the Ferris wheel?" Asuna asked.

Setsuna turned to her friend and nodded. "Why not? You can get a good view from up there."

Asuna sighed and nodded. After all she was doing this for Setsuna or so she thought. The two of them walked over and stood in line for the ride. The Ferris wheel was rather large and had blink lights running up and down the spokes. When it was there turn the operator ushered them into one of the empty carriages. Setsuna was enjoying the ride for the most part. She loved the aerial view of the campus that the ride provided. It was much different than when she had been flying overhead with her wings. There was just one problem with the ride. Asuna hadn't been saying much to her while they walked around the festival together. Now all she was doing was sitting and staring blankly out of the carriage. After going around a couple of times the Ferris wheel came to a jolting halt.

"What the hell was that?!" Asuna asked angrily. Not exactly what Setsuna was looking for but it was something.

"I'm sure they are just letting someone else on the ride," Setsuna replied. She looked over the edge and saw the operator frantically pressing buttons. A sweat drop formed on her head and she said, "Of course I've been wrong before."

Asuna grumbled something and leaned back in her seat. There was a long period of silence between the two friends while the technicians tried to figure out what was wrong with the ride. Setsuna looked over and saw Asuna wipe her eyes with the back of her hand. It looked she was trying to hide it. Setsuna shuffled over in her seat so that she was sitting in front of Asuna. If she didn't act now then she may not get another chance.

"Asuna-san what's wrong?" She asked softly.

"Nothing!" Asuna said in a tearful voice. She turned so that most of her back was toward Asuna.

"Come on Asuna-san!" She placed her hand on the girl's shoulder but Asuna shrugged it off. "Please. I'm your friend Asuna-san. Please tell me what's wrong." She knelt down on the floor of the carriage and put her hand on Asuna's knee. "I don't like it when you cry."

Asuna slowly turned around to look at Setsuna. Tears slowly fell from her mismatched eyes. She didn't know what it was but something caused her to break down in that instant. She burst into tears and pulled her knees up to block her face. Setsuna smiled sadly and sat next to her on the seat.

"Come one. Just tell me what's wrong."

"…E-Everything!" Asuna sobbed. "T-Takahata-sensei (sniff) rejected (hic) me! I c-ouldn't (hic) help (hic) Negi!" She dried her tears on her sleeve. "I could-could have really hurt (sniff) you!" The rest of what she was about to say had been drown out by tears.

"No!" Setsuna said quickly. She reached over and began to rub Asuna's back. "Negi-sensei did need your help! He never would have made it as far as he did without you. And besides I-I couldn't deal with Chao-san either!"

"I'm pathetic!" Asuna cut in. "Takahata-sensei rejected me!"

"You-you can't let Takahata-sensei get you so worked up!" She said desperately. " Anyone would be lucky to have you Asuna-san!" Asuna blinked and looked at Setsuna skeptically. "No really! You're fun, nice and p-pretty!" She added, while blushing a light shade of pink.

Asuna was too upset to notice that Setsuna was blushing. "What about you! You must hate me! I coulda' killed you!" There was a pause and then she added, "I'm terrible!"

Setsuna got angry at hearing Asuna talk badly about herself. She grabbed the collar of her shirt and pulled her so that they were face to face. Normally she never would have been so hands on but Asuna was really starting to scare her.

"You are not a bad person!" Seeing Asuna cower back in surprise made her feel bad. She released the other girl and her face softened into an almost teasing smile. "Silly baka!" She scolded and playfully whacked her on the head. "I told you before that it would take more than that to hurt me. Besides if I hated you why would I have invited you to come with me tonight?" She opened one eye and kept it on Asuna.

A small smile crept over Asuna's face. "Y-You don't hate me?" She asked with a sniff. Setsuna shook her head and Asuna smiled. She didn't know what took over her but she launched herself at Setsuna and threw her arms around her. "Thank you Setsuna-chan!"

Setsuna blushed and put her arm around Asuna. "You're welcome. I-I just hate it when someone I care about cries. I'm not very good at giving advice but I can listen. I-if you ever need to talk please come to me."

Asuna nuzzled her shoulder but didn't let go of Setsuna. "I will! I'm glad I came out with you tonight Setsuna-chan."

"So am I." She placed her head on top of Asuna's and held her close so that she couldn't see the blush on her face. Asuna was still crying a little bit so Asuna gently rocked her back and forth.

"Setsuna-chan?" Asuna asked quietly.

"Hm?"

"Can we get some ice cream after this?"

Setsuna chuckled at the quiet childlike question. "Sure."


"Thank you for coming with me Kazumi-chan, Sayo-chan!" Konoka said happily as she skipped down the halls of the dorms.

Kazumi shook her head at the other girl's childishness. It was one of the reasons that Kazumi liked hanging out with Konoka. The brunette was very refreshing to have around. "No problem."

"You two didn't have to walk all of this way with me though! Isn't your room in the other direction?" She asked curiously.

"Well we couldn't let you walk back alone," Kazumi replied. "It's getting late out. We wanted to make sure you were safe. Right Sayo-chan?"

"Ri-right!" The ghost said. She was floating just behind Kazumi and gripping the girls shoulder out of fear of the darkness.

Konoka giggled at how cute she found Sayo to be. "Well thank you! That's sweet of you!"

"I like to think that I have my moments," Kazumi laughed. As the two of them approached Konoka's room Kazumi sped up so that she fell into step with the other girl. "Thanks for coming with us tonight. I can't remember the last time I had so much fun!"

"That's because you work to hard!" Konoka scolded. "You need some time for yourself."

"The story is more important than fun." They reached the door and Konoka fumbled around in her pocket for her key.

"But you're more important than the story. It's not good for you to work yourself to death." Konoka said before turning to unlock the door.

Kazumi blinked in surprise. It had been a long time since anyone told her that she was important. Not even her own father ever told her that. In his eyes she might as well have never even existed. When Konoka opened the door she gasped, drawing Kazumi's attention.

"Wh-what is it?!" Sayo asked in a scared voice. She floated up behind Kazumi and next to Konoka. "Wow."

Negi was sitting in the room along with a lot of other people. Kamo was on his shoulder and was talking animatedly with Kotarou. Yue, who they had run into on the way back, was talking with Negi and Ku Fei. Over on Konoka's bed Setsuna and Asuna were chatting away quite happily. Of course this would have made just about anyone else mad to have all of these people in their room late at night. Konoka on the other hand seemed overjoyed.

"Slumber party!" She cried. "Come on!" Without warning she grabbed Kazumi and pulled her in. When Sayo followed she closed the door. "Hiya everyone! Secchan, Asuna where did everyone come from?!" She asked excitedly.

Negi smiled at Konoka's childish behavior and the current fight that Kotarou was having with Yue. As soon as Kazumi had come into the room Kamo had run off to talk 'business' with her. Negi smiled and leaned back against the couch with his eyes close. He felt someone sit next to him and he opened his eyes. He turned and saw Ku Fei looking at him with sparkling emerald eyes.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

Negi gave her a heartwarming smile and nodded. "Yeah. You?"

Ku Fei looked round the room at all of her friends and smiled. "Yep. I think I am!"

Negi smirked and lapsed into conversation with the blond. Time passed by but Negi didn't move from his spot on the floor. For once in the past three days, he was really happy. Kamo, Yue and Kotarou were all passed out on the couch. Kazumi and Sayo were sharing the loft with Setsuna and Konoka and Asuna had their own beds. Negi and Ku Fei fell asleep against the couch and were using each other as pillows. None of them knew how long the peaceful moment would last but that was okay. All that mattered to them now was that if only for a second, they were happy.

End Chapter
Well that is the first chapter down. Just an introduction but I thought that it was pretty decent. Anyways give me a review and let me know what you think! Hope you enjoyed it! Ciao!