Alright well… this is my shot at a Konoka x Setsuna fic. I've always thought that these two were sooooo adorable together so I decided to write a quick fic about them that popped into my mind after I recently watched Episode 24 of Mahou Sensei Negima. This fic is described through Setsuna's point of view and starts off talking about her past, then about how she came to guard Konoka, how they both came to Mahora Academy, the Pactio they exchanged, and then the train scene. I've always wanted their relationship to expand a bit more… :3

As usual, this fic turned out much longer than I intended it to… haha ^^

By the way, if anyone knows the author of the first quote that I mention under this authors note, please let me know.

Hope you enjoy!

"Promise only what you can deliver. Then deliver more than you promise." ~Author Unknown

"If you are cold at night, let the promise of my love cover you like a warm blanket." ~Matthew White

I Promise

The moment of my birth I was viewed as a failure. The boundary of humans and demons was never supposed to be crossed, but that very tragedy happened. My pitiful mother unfortunately encountered my father, and instead of ending life, they started it. Started me. Started the heart of the daughter who was unworthy in every way.

I was born with cursed DNA. I was a hanyō, in other words, a half-demon. Neither a demon nor a human, but an unacceptable breed that was caught in between. I belonged to neither side as I was not truly of their kind.

The other members of my then crow tribe soon murdered my mother, feasting hungrily and mercilessly upon her flesh and blood. I, however, felt no sadness come of this. Only a sickening feeling in my stomach. I knew right from the start that I did not want to become a tool for destruction.

The demons of my tribe surprisingly never killed me for being what I was; their scarlet eyes only gazed at me with uncertainty. I had smooth, pale skin only fit for a potentially beautiful woman in the human race. My milk chocolate orbs wanted to view peace, not bloodshed. In my heart, I knew I wanted to protect, not kill.

Then they saw my wings. My horrible, disgusting wings that truly proved I was unworthy in this world. Crows' wings were meant to be blacker than the night, but mine stood out as a pearl white. I really could not be called a demon or a human, seeing as how different I was. I was nothing but a bad omen.

When you are different, the world fears you and shoves you aside. Even when living with a pack of unruly demons, I awaited the same fate.

And soon enough, it came. My father looked upon me with shame as he told me I was exiled from the crow tribe. If I was ever to return, they would kill me on sight. His words, even after all these years, still ring like a taunting bell in my ears. So, with no words escaping my mouth, I spread my wings and flew away, journeying to nowhere, fresh, silent tears stinging my cheeks, even though I knew crying was pointless. Cruel Destiny wanted this pain to happen to me. I shouldn't be surprised.

I was exhausted, hungry, tired, and on the verge of a meaningless demise when he found me, a man known as Eishun Konoe. At this time, my God-awful wings were exposed and dark blood coated by body. I expected him to be revolted and run away like all the others.

But this man was different. For the very first time, someone gazed at me in kindness, his smile warm and inviting. He picked me up and gently held me in his strong arms, and I could feel the warmth of his heart seeping into me. From looking into his eyes, I knew he understood what I was, yet, despite this, he held no fear or disgust.

He told me not to be afraid, and with a gentle kiss atop my forehead, he took me to his home in Kyoto, Japan. He nursed me, bathed me, and homed me, swearing on his life that he would never tell anyone about my secret. From that day on, I never let my wings show, in the fear of being rejected once again.

Eishun took me to meet his daughter, Konoka, a few days later. I was such a shy child, hiding behind his leg as he introduced me to her. She stared at me for awhile in a curious interest, and it took a lot of courage for me to simply adjust my gaze to meet her eyes.

The moment I saw the undeniable warmth in her brown orbs, her gentle smile, that cute blush upon her soft cheeks, I was mesmerized. She immediately had this effect on me. My heart started beating faster; there was this pleasant, unfamiliar feeling in my stomach; I could feel blood rush to my face. I couldn't help but smile back.

I now understand that I was in love with her from the moment I saw her. I was just too young and innocent to understand it at the time.

We were each others first friends. We played together everyday. I was overwhelmingly happy just by being near that girl. Plus her father was my savior… everyone else in the household was so kind, too. I was loved, and truly felt as if I was part of the family. The happiness and warmth I felt was surreal.

I made a vow to myself that day, a vow to always protect Konoka Konoe, my Ojou-sama. I knew I was unworthy to even be in her presence, but I was willing to do my very best to make sure she was safe. I knew in my heart, despite being part demon, that I wanted to protect, not destroy, and Ojou-sama was the very essence of what I wanted to protect. She told me that my choice wasn't necessary, but I disagreed with her until she finally accepted my decision of being her guardian.

She held my hand and asked me if I would always stay by her side, and I told her, "I promise."

I didn't realize how shamefully weak and useless I truly was until it came the day when I was unable to save her. She fell into a rapidly flowing river, and, in a panic, without thinking things through, I dove in after her. I held her and tried to get her to dry land, but the water was flowing too harshly against my body for me to gain control. We both almost drowned, but the adults saved us shortly after.

Thin towels wrapped tightly around our small, drenched bodies, and I couldn't stop the steady streams that were trailing down my face. Konoka tried to comfort me, a warm smile on her face despite her body shivering from being wet, sincerity in her eyes and voice when she told me it was alright and that it wasn't my fault. She didn't blame me, and no one else did either.

I buried my face in my legs, weeping uncontrollably. I was punishing myself even though Ojou-sama was forgiving my failure. I, however, could not forgive my weakness. I felt more unworthy then ever. I knew I had to get stronger. I could never allow such a mistake to occur again.

Even though I knew that this was hurting Ojou-sama mentally, I distanced myself from her, only speaking with her when absolutely necessary, and when doing so, doing so in a manner of impersonality. This way I could concentrate wholly on improving my skills. I began to act with the thoughts of my mind instead of my heart, and my mind told me that it was better if she was mentally hurting than physically. I couldn't protect her from mental wounds.

Eventually, Eishun sent Ojou-sama off to Mahora Academy for reasons he refused to explain to me at the time. Being the intelligent child that I was, I quickly found out that it was because of her great, and dangerous, hidden magic potential that even Ojou-sama herself did not know of. I still pretended to act shocked when Eishun told me.

She embraced me for the longest time before she departed, and the whole time it felt like I couldn't breathe. Not because she was squeezing too hard—it was the most gentle hug I had ever received—but from the fact that she was leaving. Although avoiding her, my unconditional feelings for her had not diminished. They were stronger than ever.

Adrenaline pumped blood through my veins after my dear Ojou-sama had left for school. The rush of strength flowing through my body was the only thing that kept me attached to the world. I had to keep getting stronger, so that I would always be able to protect her.

Several years later, Eishun sent me to Mahora Academy as well to guard his daughter. I humbly accepted this request. Even when living as a cursed hanyō, I have been given a good goal in life, and until the day I die, I swore that this goal would always be my first priority.

It wasn't a coincidence that we both ended up in the 2-A class of Mahora Academy; I made it this way. This was the easiest way to guard her. It was probably best that she shared a dorm room with Asuna Kagurazaka instead of myself, as she would try to communicate with me if this was true. Ojou-sama still tried to retie our old relationship string, but I still made sure to avoid her all I could. The guilt of being unable to save her all those years ago still clenches tightly around my heart, making it cold as steel.

Seeing how close Ojou-sama was to Asuna neither angered nor depressed me. I'm glad that she has found a reliable person to share her problems and feelings with, things that I shouldn't bother myself with if I wanted to protect her.

Yet, at the same time, somewhere deep in my heart, I wish that Ojou-sama was embracing me, and sharing her feelings with me, instead of that idiot. After all, I knew her first, right? She was my childhood friend, right?

My heart's shell hardened even more after my childish thoughts and feelings that night. I gave up the sensation of being close to Ojou-sama long ago. Now, I lived only to protect her; nothing more.

A despicable, unworthy, half-demon like me doesn't deserve to have friends, anyway.

Things proceeded like this for awhile, until the dreaded day when the school trip led Ojou-sama and I back to Kyoto. I did not want things to progress backwards. I did not want to relive the past. Everything was just happening too quickly.

Soon enough, the bad feeling I had in my gut for awhile now made itself into a reality of confusion and destruction. All I really understood from the whole predicament was that I let my guard down for one moment and allowed the safety of my Ojou-sama to slip through my fingers once again. The enemy was holding her captive, painfully making usage of her dormant magical power, and my anger controlled me when I charged straight in to save her.

In the end, just like before with the river, I was unable to save her and just got myself hurt and got her worried. My mind was extremely hazy and my world was black. I couldn't see anything and my body was numb with pain. I don't even think I was conscious. It felt as if I was on the brink of death, but at the same time, in the back of my mind, I could understand what was going on in the real world.

Shaking, fragile arms held me so gently, as if they were afraid I would shatter to pieces if they held any tighter. I could feel tears splashing onto my cheeks that weren't mine, each droplet feeling like a knife carving deep scars on my mildly beating heart. Those tears… they were… they were…

"Secchan, you've guarded me all this time, right? Thanks… I've really, really got a lot to talk to you about."

I heard Ojou-sama's voice and it broke my heart to hear her so scared and desperate. Those really were her tears. But… why was she crying? I only did what I vowed to her I would do; protect her until the day that I died. Even if that day was today…

"So… got it? Wake… up."

I could feel her breath and her warm, gentle lips descend upon mine, something that I've secretly desired for so many years now. It was truly a magical experience. I could feel a massive amount of magical life force flowing into my body from the kiss. My injuries were fading away and my soul was regaining its strength. When I was able to somewhat move again, I absentmindedly began kissing her back, letting her know I was alright.

I learned shortly after that from Ojou-sama… kissing me, we had formed something known as a Pactio, meaning I was now her partner. I told her I was already her partner, but she replied that now, she was glad that she'd be able to fight alongside me in battle. Obviously, I didn't want her to uselessly stain her hands with power, but I wasn't able to convince her otherwise. She kept saying things like:

"But you're always protecting me, Secchan! I wanna protect you, too!"

She eventually saw my shameful white wings as well. I hate to admit how terrified I was. I never wanted her to discover my hanyō properties in the fear of being rejected by the one I vowed to protect. The only one that ever mattered to me.

Instead, she stared at my chalky feathers in joy, petting them, stroking them, making me blush lightly at the very sensation. I never realized how good it would feel to have my hateful features treated so gently before.

"Such pretty wings… you look like an angel…"

I wasn't ashamed for shedding tears that day. After all, Ojou-sama, the one I harnessed feelings for, not only accepted me for what I was, but believed what I thought to be horrid as beautiful. What I was exiled for only made her like me more. Honestly, a pathetic half-demon like me being called an angel? It was almost too good to be true.

After those recent events, I stopped distancing myself from Ojou-sama. When I told her I should get back to guarding her properly, she said cheerfully, "Then stay near me. It's easier to guard that way, right?" I couldn't find the will to deny her request anymore.

I couldn't deny my heart that wanted to forever be close to her, either.

I truly believed the peace was going to last this time. Unfortunately, the god of tragedy and misfortune seemed to enjoy ruining my life.

After a mysterious accident that no one but our sensei witnessed, the soul of Ojou-sama's best friend, Asuna Kagurazaka, passed away on the very morning of her 14th birthday, even after our class threw such an enthusiastic party for her, too.

The birthday party morphed into a funeral. Depressing, right?

I was never very close to Asuna, however, she had helped me save Ojou-sama twice now, plus she had always been a great friend to her, so I can't help but feel down about her death. The other members of 2-A were taking this much harder than I was. Students were crying, sobbing… no one was themselves that day. Even the Class Rep was crying in her seat.

It surprised everyone to see how pleasant and cheerful Negi-sensei looked when he walked in the room, a smile upon his face. But I could tell it was forced. Truthfully, he was just as devastated about Asuna's death as the rest of us, but he knew, as our sensei, he couldn't show it. He had to be strong for his students.

I sadly observed throughout the day as Ojou-sama faked her smile, too.

Currently, it was the afternoon after that depressed class. The sky was shaded a beautiful light blue and there were peaceful white clouds forming a variety of shapes in the air. Birds flew by, singing their songs, as small animals scurried their way across the ground. The Sun was still high in the sky, its buttery sunlight warming all of Japan.

To the naked eye, this was as perfect as a day could be. But to me, the thickness in the atmosphere was impossible to thin.

I was vaguely aware of the fact that I was alone with Ojou-sama on the subway train; I was just too depressed about today to think about anything else. Come to think of it, Ojou-sama barely even spoke two words to me today. I shouldn't be surprised, though. Asuna was her best friend. Of course Ojou-sama was going to be taking this harder than everyone else.

We sat close together, legs practically touching, sharing the same saddened, blank expression while staring at the floor. The silence felt suffocating for awhile, the only sound being the soft bump as the train continued to roll along its tracks.

She eventually broke the silence, though, "Secchan…" It was barely a ghost of a whisper. I strained my ears simply to hear it.

"Yes?" I replied lightly. We weren't looking at each other.

"Move to my room," She requested gently, staring at her hands in her lap.

"Sure… no problem," I responded. I could never deny what Ojou-sama asks. Not that I would want to in this situation. It was still my duty to protect her.

Her body suddenly tensed more. Her hands curled somewhat into fists, shaking slightly. "I… don't want to be in that room all by myself."

My eyes widened in an abrupt understanding, slowly turning to gaze upon her saddened beauty. Her gorgeous chestnut eyes were hidden by her long, brunette bangs.

"Chamo-kun disappears every morning," She told me suddenly, "and Negi-kun never returns home." I watched as her head began to gradually lower, and the shaking of her hands spread throughout her whole form. She allowed her hands in her lap to tightly grab hold of one another, looking for comfort to stop the upcoming tears.

"It's painful to think about it," She admitted. Her voice was quivering now, too. Care and concern folded over me as I watched her head fall even lower in shame.

"Ojou-sama…" I spoke without even realizing it.

"It's all my fault," She murmured. "I was too happy to be friends with Secchan again… and never realized what was happening to Asuna. If I had realized it earlier… I could have made it to the hospital on time."

My head started slowly shaking back and forth, unconsciously.

Ojou-sama continued, "If I was with her, at least I could have taken care of her."

My eyes were suddenly filled with sadness, sadness for the one I loved. I couldn't bear to see her like this; it was breaking my heart. "Ojou-sama…"

"I am the worst…" She started weakly. I still couldn't see her eyes. "… I even said I was Asuna's best friend, yet the time she needed me most, I ignored her…"

"Ojou-sama…" I reached out to comfort her, but she dove into my arms before I could do anything. I noticed as her outward tears formed crystal trails down her heavily flushed cheeks. They were soaking my school uniform, but I honestly didn't care. Her arms were wound so tightly around my body, clutching at folds of auburn fabric, almost as if she was afraid that if she let go, the only thing that still mattered to her would vanish without a trace. Each fresh sob from her lips was like a new poison drenched weapon peeling at my heart.

I closed my eyes, comfortingly wrapping one arm around her violently trembling shoulders and rested the other one on the back of her head, pulling her gently close into my chest.

"Ojou-sama…" My voice was soft and consoling. I was afraid that if I spoke any rougher, the gorgeous girl in my unworthy arms would break into pieces beyond repair. "It's not that you're no good." I began to pet her head lovingly, mixing my slender fingers within her tresses of silky hair. "It's not your fault, either." Her cries were clawing at my ears. I just wanted this pain to stop. If not my pain, then at least hers. Ojou-sama has done nothing to deserve this depression.

"Secchan, you need to stay with me forever," She buried her face much deeper into my chest, more tears heavily shredding out of the corners of her eyes. Her cries suddenly became an octave higher. "Please don't leave me all alone!"

"Ojou-sama…" Her name was the only thing my brain was able to make my vocal chords speak as my chocolate eyes shone with worry for my goddess. I pulled her impossibly closer against me, and placed a ghost of a kiss on her head as I rested my cheek atop her head, blindly staring out the window of the train as my own tears began to form behind my eyes.

The silence between us stretched on for a long while. Neither of us really knew what to do or say; we were dulled with distress. My ears no longer bothered to listen to the sounds of the train; they only heard Ojou-sama's pained sobs that seemed to echo in a space of forever.

Who knew that the death of one person could have this much effect on people? It was making a normally cheerful, optimistic girl be overwhelmed with negative tears. It was making a mostly emotionless person feel more emotion that she ever had in her life. The concept of death in the human mind—or in a hanyō's mind, for that matter—really was an unexplainable thing.

"I-It's just… not fair!" My eyes half-opened from hearing Ojou-sama's voice, my arms constricting even tighter around her body. Right now, my heart needed to feel her warmth. "Asuna did nothing wrong! She… didn't deserve to die!"

"Ojou-sama…" I muttered sadly. I began to curse my manner of speech. Was reciting her name really the only thing I could so in this situation? It didn't sound very helpful in my opinion.

"I-It just… happened so suddenly! If I knew what was going on, then maybe… maybe I could have stopped this! How can Fate be so cruel as to make a young girl die on her birthday?" She continued to sob.

At that moment, I knew that I could do nothing to calm her down. I merely waited until she was too exhausted to talk.

"A part of me wishes there was someone to blame… someone to take this out on… but the only person that comes to my mind is me." She forced her eyes to open, each orb holding a look of bitterness within them.

"No, Ojou-sama, you shouldn't blame—!"

"—Yes, I should, Secchan, because this is my fault." I could feel a piece of my heart break apart when she slowly pushed herself away from me, her head still hung shamefully low. A shame so seemingly large that only a half-breed such as I should have to be forced to bear it. A fragile human should never be punished with its effects.

"Asuna and I were very close—sisters practically," Ojou-sama explained to me. "We did everything together—just as we used to do, Secchan. We shopped together, played together, and told each other everything. We talked about the things we liked, the people we liked," I could feel my heart accelerate, "… We soon understood that we could not live without each other. We truly were best friends."

Her shoulders started to shake more, a hesitant, bittersweet smile on her expression. "I really am disgusted at myself. I mean, what kind of person…" She looked away, "… leaves their best friend alone to die?"

My eyes widened. "No… Ojou-sama…" My throat felt dry. My hand unconsciously reached out for her, my tongue struggling to form words. "None of this is your fault."

"Of course it is," She spoke uncharacteristically dryly, shrugging my hand off her shoulder and turning away from me. "Just look at me… I'm taking out my anger and sadness on you, Secchan. Even when you've done nothing to deserve my anger."

"From the moment I was born, I knew anger was all that was going to be bestowed upon me," I said calmly. "You know what I am, Ojou-sama."

"I-I know…" She hiccupped lightly. She didn't shrug off my hand this time. "But that doesn't matter, because Secchan is a good person!"

"So is Ojou-sama."

"No, I'm not. I'm really not—"

"—Yes you are!" I cried at her, seizing her shoulders suddenly, forcing her to look at me directly.

"S-… Secchan…" She muttered lightly in surprise at my outburst, her eyes widening.

"Ojou-sama is a very good person! I chose to protect Ojou-sama because I knew from the moment I saw you, the kindness in your smile… the warmth in your eyes… I could immediately tell that you were a very good person. The greatest and most important person in the world to me," I explained, blushing slightly. "Ojou-sama has always been so nice to me, even when I don't deserve it… even when I believe that I should be punished for being unworthy, you just brush my mistakes off as if they were nothing. Even if my mistakes put you in danger. You just forgive me and smile and tell me that you would never blame me or think badly of me… only a good person would react like that!"

I pulled her a little closer. "You are a wonderful person who has given a cursed half-breed like me a meaning in life. You have given me something worth protecting. You're beautiful, kind, caring, understanding… the list could go on for days, but my point is that everyone knows you are a good person and respects you for it. Including me. I respect you more than anyone, Ojou-sama. Your body, your heart, your soul—I want to protect all of you. Everything about you. Because you mean absolutely everything to me."

"Secchan…"

"Everyone gets sad and angry sometimes, Ojou-sama. I don't assume what you're doing to be 'taking out your anger and sadness' on me. I think of it as sharing your feelings with me, which is a good thing. I want you to now. I know I rejected you so many times before—I can never apologize enough for my rudeness—but I want to hear about your troubles now. Every single one of them, no matter how small. Because I want to help Ojou-sama through all of the problems in her life. Being your guardian, I'm here to protect you… but you can talk to me as well. I promise I'll always be here for you."

"S-Secchan…" More tears spilled out of her eyes now. I could feel her heartbeat get faster. Anxiety made me shiver for an instant. She placed her shaking hands over mine.

"I'm sure Asuna agrees with me," Her eyes widened dramatically when I mentioned her name. "I'm sure that Asuna is watching you from Heaven right now and wants nothing more than for you to stop crying. I'm sure she hates seeing her best friend shed tears. If you guys truly are best friends, then that bond cannot be separated by anything—not even Death is powerful enough to break it. Asuna will smile when you smile. She's happy when her best friend is happy. I'm sure that she can find peace, just from knowing that she got the honor of being Ojou-sama's best friend.

"Plus, who knows," I continued, "Now that we both understand the amount of unexplainable magical energy in the world… perhaps we can find a way to bring Asuna back to life."

"You really think it's possible!" She abruptly shouted at me, making me wince before chuckling. That's the most life I've seen in her all day, and I'm very glad that she has that special shine back in her eyes. I've missed it.

"Well, Negi-sensei is a wizard after all. If we tell him about the idea, I'm sure he'd be ecstatic to try and help us."

"So that means… there's hope then?" Even though her lips were quivering, the warm smile on her face healed my aching heart. Her tears weren't just of sadness anymore.

"Anything's possible," I replied gently, wiping away the last of her tears while blinking away my own. "And until Asuna returns, I promise I'll always be here for you to talk to."

She playfully pouted at me, the expression so cute that it made me blush just from observing it, but it also took me aback. She usually only made that face when she disapproved with something I said or did.

"Uhh…" Wow, that was intelligent. Did I really just make that noise? I felt so frozen. I couldn't get my jaw to close.

"You're so silly, Secchan," She replied with a giggle, her face so much brighter than it was just moments before. She loosely wrapped her arms around my neck, the display of affection making my shoulders tense unwillingly. "Whether Asuna-chan is here or not, I'll always want to talk to you, Secchan. I just got you back; I can't lose you again."

I looked into her caring eyes, suddenly very nervous about the close proximity between us. I looked away sharply, seemingly finding something very interesting on the other side of the train.

"What's wrong, Secchan?" She asked cutely, lightly poking her finger against my flushed cheeks. "Your face is all red; do you have a fever?"

I gasped lightly when she pressed her forehead gently against mine, pretending to check my temperature, our lips dangerously close. I shuddered just from glancing at them. I think she noticed, too. This wasn't good. What in the world is happening?

I noticed her smile in the corner of my eye. "Do you really promise to always stay by my side, Secchan?" She whispered hotly against my lips.

I found it hard to breathe. My hands were clenching onto her shoulders so tightly but I don't even think she noticed. I eventually found the courage to look her in the eyes again and forced my tongue to form words, "Y-Yes. Ojou-sama, I, Setsuna Sakurazaki, promise to always protect you—mmph?"

My vow was cut short when I felt something moist pressing against my lips. I glanced down to see that Ojou-sama had closed the distance between us. My cheeks flared with a blush when my brain finally understood that Ojou-sama's lips, the softest pair in the world, were pressing gently against mine. Ojou-sama was kissing me!

I was frozen in shock; unable to move, unable to kiss back. Was this really happening? There was no way this could be happening. I know she has kissed me before—when she formed the Pactio with me—but that was because it was the only way to save my life. That's the only reason she performed the action, right? … Right?

But the sensation of her lips upon mine… it felt so good. So right. Butterflies were roaming around in my stomach so rapidly that I'm surprised it hasn't burst yet. My hands clenched tightly onto her shoulders as I could feel my body start shaking.

No… no. I could not let this continue. I was unworthy of this treatment. Ojou-sama should never be tainted with my sin.

She deserves so much better than me, anyway.

She pulled away, only slightly, our faces still merely inches away. She gazed at me curiously, a nervous blush upon her cheeks that made my heart flutter.

But no. I could not allow this to happen. I have to ignore the feelings inside of me and put a stop to this madness. This wasn't appropriate for someone of her status.

"P-Please… O-Ojou-sama…" I murmured, feeling uncharacteristically weak under her gaze. "This… this can't happen. It isn't right. I'm just a lowly half-demon. Ojou-sama can do so much better. I'm not worthy of—?"

She cut me off again with a kiss, but something was different about it this time. It was stronger, fiercer, more demanding. Not in a lustful way, though. She caught me by surprise by gently sliding her tongue inside my mouth, making my face burn red, but I could tell it wasn't sexual attention she was after.

She was sharing her feelings with me. Her pain, her sorrow, her happiness, her care… every little thing. She searched for my tongue because she wanted to be dominated, wanted to be comforted. Her heart was aching and I knew she wanted me, and only me, to help her.

And I could never go against Ojou-sama's wishes. Especially since I've yearned for this moment for so long.

Finally finding the boldness deep inside of my soul, I snaked my arms around her waist and pulled her body flush against mine. I felt her shiver beneath me in pleasure when my tongue stroked hers. She moaned a low sob down my throat when I began to rub her back comfortingly, our tongues dancing together in passion.

I pulled my face back when my lungs began to beg for air, both of us taking a deep breath. I nervously stared into her eyes, hoping that that kiss showed my feelings for her, because I still didn't have the courage to voice them out loud.

She gave me a smile that warmed my heart as she said, "Thank you, Secchan, for always being there. And what have a told you… about calling me 'Ojou-sama'?"

I blinked innocently at her.

"You don't need to be so formal with me, Secchan! We're friends right? So call me Konoka."

My lips formed words slowly, a loving shine in my eyes. "Kono...-chan."

She pressed her lips right beneath my jaw, muttering, "Thank you… Secchan."

I bit my lip roughly to stop a sob of fulfillment from releasing out of my mouth, understanding that Ojou-sama really loved me. I pulled her against me, hugging her tightly, never wanting to let go. I smiled as she snuggled up against me. I still tasted her tongue as I spoke to her:

"Always."

As Ojou-sama requested, I moved the few belongings that I owned into her room. It must be very hard for her, knowing that her best friend used to live together with her and then she just suddenly disappears under unexplainable circumstances. She must feel very lonely, seeing as her other roommates seem to never return home anymore, either. I could feel her sadness just from looking at her face.

Is this how she felt… when I ignored her all those years ago? Did I just increase her suffering? That's the last thing I ever wanted to do. I just wanted to protect her.

Ojou-sama asked me to sleep next to her and I did nothing to protest. I laid right next to her, the warm blanket wrapped gently over our bodies. Despite how comfortable I was, I didn't get much sleep that night. The comfort was probably what was causing it.

I haven't felt this good since I first met with Ojou-sama. All the warmth from before had just flooded me like a tidal wave of remembrance, only this time I wouldn't be such a fool as to give up the best thing that's ever happened to me. The most important person in my life.

Even though I knew it wasn't the best time to be happy, I couldn't help but celebrate a little inside.

My chocolate eyes bore into her back, staring unconsciously at her beautiful form. Her hair was in tangles and I watched as her shoulders gently raised and lowered with her even breathing, a sign she was fast asleep. No surprise there. Today was a very rough day for her and she probably didn't get any sleep at all last night. Maybe I should ask Negi-sensei if Ojou-sama could sleep in instead of going to class the next morning. She really needed to rejuvenate herself.

I gazed in curiosity as her body stopped moving. I didn't hear the soft sounds of her breathing anymore. I waited for a few moments to see what she was doing, but she never moved. Almost as if she was waiting for something, or…

… was she not breathing?

In a mild panic, I gently placed my hand on her shoulder, and the moment I did, her whole body seemed to breathe out a sigh of relief. She flipped onto her opposite side so that she was facing me, her brown eyes boring into mine before she snuggled up close to me, wrapping a tight arm around my waist.

"I opened my eyes…" She told me, "… and you weren't there, Secchan. I was afraid. It felt like I couldn't breathe. I was even more afraid to turn around because if you weren't there, I don't think my heart would've been able to take it."

I placed a gentle kiss atop her head, petting her silky tresses. "I am here."

She sighed hotly into the column of my throat, making me shiver lightly. "Do you promise to always be with me when I wake up?" She asked me.

I placed my arm over her waist, pulling her even closer, leaving no space between us. I could feel her warmth surrounding my soul. "I promise, Ojou-sama." Out of protective instinct, my large, hanyō wings extended from my back and gently wrapped around her form. She giggled lightly as my horrible white feathers that she adored brushed against her skin.

"Hmm?" She mumbled, looking up at me with a playful look in her eyes.

"… Kono-chan."

She smiled, a true smile, before placing a feather-light kiss upon my awaiting lips.

Asuna Kagurazaka, if you can hear me, I just want to let you know that I am with Kono-chan now and I always will be. I'll be here to protect her and look after her, so you don't have to worry. You can relax now.

But don't get too comfortable, because as long as you're up there, tears will continue to shed from Kono-chan's eyes, and I refuse to allow her suffering to continue.

Just know that none of us have forgotten you and we plan on saving you. Me, Kono-chan, Negi-sensei… everyone. We will rescue you.

So don't shed tears for Kono-chan anymore. I promise to always stay by her side.

~END~

Mmmk… well that was fun XD Hope y'all enjoyed this, I sure as Hell had fun writing it even though it took me longer than I planned to do so… cause I kept getting distracted with watching Bleach and planning out a long story that I plan to write soon.

Anyways, please review! It would be appreciated! ^^