Love is a song played on the fragile strings of the heart. You sweat, you shake, you stutter. Your heart beats harder, faster. You shake. You are almost there. You can do this. Your mouth opens and you close your eyes.
"I-I love you!"
Their face goes blank. You lose hope. Then, something sparks. Their eyes light up.
"I love you too."
"You are happy beyond belief. You are dreaming. It is heaven. You are not alone.
The shadows flee. You no longer see darkness everywhere you look. You belong. You have a place.
They take your hand and kiss you so gently.
You are not alone.
You love.
A song played on heart's fragile strings. If one breaks, the song is incomplete.
Keep the strings tuned. Practice the song always.
Never let go.
Keep playing.
Keep singing.
Don't let the strings break.
You are love.
You are complete.
Fragile Strings of the Heart
The 31 girls of Mahora Academy's Junior High Class A sat in silence as they stared shocked at the little boy in front of the room. He was short, only around 4 feet tall, with red hair and small spectacles balancing precariously on his nose. He was blushing furiously out of nervousness and embarrassment, so that his face matched his hair.
"W-well, hello girls," he greeted, bowing deeply and barely missing the desk with his forehead. He spoke with a cracking British accent.
"Y-you're our new teacher?" Asuna Kagurazaka asked, student number 8 of class A.
Well… Yes, I am." the boy confirmed, "My name is Negi Springfield, and I will be your new homeroom teacher, as well as your English teacher. I hope that I can teach you everything you need to know." he bowed again, and was suddenly smothered by the girls that surrounded him.
"Aw! He's so cute!" said Makie Sasaki, number 16.
"Hey, I call dibs on him!" retorted Ayaka Yukihiro, student 29 and Class Representative.
"Girls! Please, PLEASE! I hope to spend equal time with you all! Now if you'd just let me breathe!"
And so the strange relationship between thirty-one female junior high students and their ten-year-old teacher began.
Negi was rooming with two girls due to a lack of free space in the faculty department. His roommates were Asuna and Konoka Konoe, who was student number 13.
"You can sleep in the bottom bunk Negi-sensei," Konoka said as she showed him the room, her chocolate-brown hair swishing as she walked, "But Asuna sleeps up there," she gestured absently to the upper bed.
"Oh, but, where will you sleep?" Negi wondered, "I don't want to put you out…"
"It's all right!" Konoka replied brightly, her dark brown eyes shining, "I can just sleep on the couch. I'll be fine!"
"I-if you say so Konoe-san, but really, if you want the bed-"
"Just call me Konoka, and shush, I want you to have the bed."
Negi blushed and bowed in thanks.
Konoka… she's so nice, even though she hardly knows me…
"What's doin' folks?" Asuna called loudly as she kicked the door open and entered the room. Her long red hair was held in two ponytails by bells, and her blue eyes looked around curiously.
"Well, not much Asuna. I was going to go shopping." Konoka answered.
"This late?" Negi asked worriedly, "Aren't you afraid?"
"I'll be okay, and besides, we need milk badly."
"Yeah twerp, and not everyone is afraid of the dark like you." Asuna stuck out her tongue.
"Oh Asuna, don't be so mean. He is your teacher after all." Konoka defended the boy, "I'll be back soon. You two behave and get along." With that, she left.
"So squirt," Asuna muttered, sitting at the low table in the middle of the room, "What should we do?"
"Well, I have some paperwork to do if you don't mind excusing me. Um, can I use this desk up here?" Negi pointed to a loft with a desk that appeared to be greatly unused.
"Yeah sure, whatever…" Asuna sighed, "Guess I'll go watch TV then…"
Negi climbed the ladder to the loft and sat in the chair. He opened the manila folder he held under his arm and spread several sheaves of paper across the desk. The sound of the room's TV came from behind him. Asuna seemed to have the volume courteously low. Negi smiled to himself.
She may act tough, but she really is nice.
He pulled out his pen and set to work.
Konoka walked home quickly; she didn't want the milk to spoil. She was almost back to the dorms when she heard a woman's voice with a British accent.
"Hello young girl. You certainly smell… delicious…"
Konoka shivered in fright and doubt. She looked around once and saw a shadow on the ground. She flicked her head up and gasped as a dark figure came towards her. As a set of sharp fangs sank into her neck, she screamed.
In one of the dorm rooms, a black haired girl looked up from sharpening a sword, her grey eyes hard.
"Miss Konoka," she muttered before jumping to her feet and heading for the window. Her feet hit the ground with barely any noise, and she dashed in the direction of Konoka's scream. In the light under a streetlamp, the girl's fair skin was revealed. Her dark hair was drawn up in a ponytail on the left side of her head, and she crouched over Konoka's body and drew the unconscious girl into her lap.
"Miss Konoka?" she asked, gently shaking her, "Miss Konoka! Wake up, please!"
"Oh, she'll wake up eventually."
"Setsuna Sakurazaki, student 15 and wielder of the sword, whipped her head up to see a dark figure standing on top of a lamp post across the street.
"You. You did this to Miss Konoka, I shall not forgive you!" Setsuna drew her long Nodachi sword and held it with both hands in front of her.
"Maybe I did," the figure replied, "What're you going to do about it?"
"I will kill you, as is required of me by my duty to the Konoe family. Prepare to die, monster!"
Setsuna charged the shadow with her sword, and it leapt into the air, avoiding her first strike and leaving something behind; another girl's unconscious body. Setsuna briefly registered the girl and recognized her as Nodoka Miyazaki, before returning to her target.
And so Mahora Academy's hectic new life began.
Hello again everyone. My fifth story now, fourth for Negima. This is my own take on the Negima! series starting from the very first episode, the vampire attacks. Events will play out differently, and expect a good spin on things, including the magical world and the darkness. Hope you enjoy and will follow me all the way to the end! This is HayabusaOkami. Iku ze!