The Ties That Bind
Disclaimer - I do NOT own Mahou Sensei Negima. If I did, I'd probably not be writing this story, would I now?
To start, this is pretty much my first foray into both fanfiction, and fanfiction pertaining to any degree of romance. However, I am quite familiar with the Negima! series (both the ongoing manga and its animé adaptations), so you needn't worry about me making any gross inaccuracies in regards to characters, events, etc.
Still, if anything does happen to go askew, or I do make a mess of something here or there, please feel free to let me know. After all, it wouldn't make for a good story if the important details were all wrong, would it now?
Anyway, this little Konoka x Setsuna story of mine takes place a short while after the Ala Alba's first trip to the magic world. Events up until that point will stay as they have in canon. Anything which takes place after that in this story can be considered AU, if you will. This story will also make some assumptions as to how some of the current events in the manga play out.
So, without further ado, let's get this show on the road, shall we?
"blahblahblah" - speech
"blahblahblah" - thoughts
Chapter 1: Laying the Foundations
Konoe Konoemon, Dean of Mahora Academy and Head of the Kantō Magic Association had seen, heard and experienced much in his long, adventurous life. Practically a walking vault of wisdom and knowledge in his old age, the Konoe clan elder felt that his past lessons experiences had shown him nearly everything that life had to offer, or could possibly throw at him.
But as the saying goes, "you learn something new everyday".
And while he may be old, the venerable mage was neither blind, nor oblivious. Far from it, in fact. It was the small things in life, which most people would simply glaze over or miss entirely, that to the elder Dean would - and often did - seem as clear and obvious as the bright blue summer sky currently hanging over the backdrop of Mahora.
And it had been but a mere three days ago that one such small detail - or several, for that matter - had caught the Dean's attention.
It had been on a gentle sunset evening that, shortly after leaving his office, Konoemon had spotted both his granddaughter, Konoka Konoe, and her close friend and protector, Setsuna Sakurazaki, sitting side-by-side on a wooden bench under the shade of a nearby sakura tree. At first, the Dean simply dismissed it as the two hanging out after their classes had finished for the day.
However, upon closer examination, something truly unexpected - and in some ways, fortuitous - had revealed itself to him.
From what he could tell, his granddaughter had just lain down across the bench, with her head resting gently in Setsuna's lap. Normally, this would have resulted in a stuttering display of embarrassment from the Sakurazaki girl. This time, however, Setsuna simply let out a brief chuckle before a warm smile spread across her face, her hand idly stroking the top of Konoka's head, her cheeks taking on a light rosy tint. The mage-in-training noticed this and looked up, a faint blush creeping across her own facial features as she smiled up at her guardian, her face practically beaming with happiness.
To the Dean's ever-vigilant eyes, such displays of affection, along with the shy glances and fleeting smiles shared between the two when they were alone were as obvious as the long, white beard on his chin. Ever since that fateful school trip to Kyoto the two appeared to have grown closer as friends, as if a spark of some kind had been lit within them. Setsuna had become a little more relaxed and open with those around her, while Konoka had become even more cheerful and energetic, if that were even possible.
Konoe Konoemon, Dean of Mahora Academy and Head of the Kantō Magic Association, didn't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out why.
His granddaughter may have developed an almost unreadable smile, but even she couldn't hide the emotion in her eyes whenever the young swordswoman was involved, be it through conversation or actually being there alongside her. Likewise, and despite her best attempts and outwardly stoic demeanour, Setsuna couldn't mask the genuine happiness she exuded by simply being in the company of her young charge.
As such, it was for that very reason that the Dean found himself in his shaded office contemplating what this could mean, and what might come about as a result of what he suspected to be the case. If his suspicions were correct, then it would mean a few of his constant problems would be solved for him. First, he would no longer need to arrange any further omiais for Konoka. After all, the whole purpose of the omiais was to find a suitable fiancée for his granddaughter, given that she was the future heir to the Konoe clan. As such, the matter of finding a fiancée Konoka would approve of would also be resolved, as she would no doubt approve of a marriage proposed between herself and her childhood friend.
There would, of course, be some opposition to such an arrangement from the more traditionalist members of the Konoe clan. However, these were modern times, and while adhering to tradition was still important, it would be both foolish and ignorant to remain entirely stuck in the old ways. There would also, no doubt, be the argument of how two same-sex partners could possibly bring about a future heir to continue to clan bloodline. Again, however, the Dean dismissed such concerns - they lived in a world of magic, after all, so there was sure to be some method or other that would allow them to safely bypass that particular obstacle.
And if not, there was always adoption to consider. Besides, the Dean was confident that he could quell such dissent amongst the ranks, should it even arise in the first place.
However, there was another important detail that Konoemon had discovered through his observations, and it was that while there was indeed a bond greater than just friendship between Konoka and Setsuna, the signs were there that perhaps neither girl was aware of the other one's intentions, or was even afraid of the potential fallout of such a revelation. There was also the matter of trying to figure out just how far this bond extended for both his granddaughter and her protector, and whether it was merely a passing phase, or indeed something more permanent.
Finally, there was the niggling concern in the back of the Dean's mind that, if handled the wrong way, the situation could in fact damage the close friendship the two girls had; and while Dean Konoemon wanted the best for his beloved Konoka, he would never even think of doing anything that would cause her any sort of harm, physically or emotionally.
In any case, the old sage found himself at a crossroad of sorts - should he simply sit on the sidelines, and wait to see if anything would eventually come about by itself, or should he take the initiative and act upon the situation that appeared to be presenting itself before him.
It was a vexing question; either choice had potentially good or bad outcomes - should he simply watch and wait, then it would allow the girls to develop their friendship even further, and perhaps figure out their own feelings in regards to each other. Then again, there was the chance that, should too much time pass before any such resolution came about, then it would make the job of finding a suitable partner for Konoka that much harder. Plus, any number of things could happen between now and then that could result in the two drifting apart.
On the other hand, taking active intervention could show each girl just how the other felt about them, and bring a prompt resolution to the apparent situation lying before them. On the other hand, his assumptions of their feelings towards one another could in fact be exaggerated, resulting in lord only knows what kind of damage and embarrassment for all parties involved.
However, just as he resigned himself to spending the next few weeks or even months figuring out a solution, he noticed the blank sheet of paper lying on his desk, next to which sat an envelope address to Eishun Konoe, his son and Head of the Kansai Magic Association. It was then that the weathered cogs began to turn within the elder Konoe's mind, and a plan began to take shape. Yes, it would rely on some outlying assumptions, but if he planned his moves accordingly, it might just work.
Besides, it would allow him to have a little fun to, if at the minor expense of both his granddaughter and her protector.
With that, the Dean took a seat at his desk and began writing down his speculations in regards to Konoka and Setsuna, as well as the plan he had come up with. He would send the letter off to his son as soon as he was finished, and then decide on his next move.
In the end, it took him longer than anticipated to finish his letter, but when he was done, he used a quick teleportation spell to send it directly to Eishun, confident in the knowledge that his son would approve of both the situation and his father's handling of it. Then, as elder Konoe rose from his desk, he realised that it was almost early evening, the sun's dying rays filtering through the blinds of his office windows.
It was at that moment the Dean decided it would be the best time to go for a short stroll.
It had been another long day of school, and Setsuna was glad to finally be able to sit back and relax momentarily before her usual duties would require her attention.
The young swordswoman found herself leaning against one of the walls of the main school building, a gentle breeze flowing through Mahora Academy's central plaza, her forearms tingling slightly as the cool evening air came into contact with her skin. The reason for her being there was that she was waiting for Konoka to meet up with her, the two agreeing to hang out for a little while before Setsuna was needed for evening patrol duty.
For the moment, the young half-human, half-crow demon hybrid was mulling over her experiences in the past couple of years, from that fateful school field trip to Kyoto and the eventful Mahora Festival, to their journey to and subsequent adventure in Mundus Magicus, along with the battles against both the Megalosembrian army and Cosmo Entelecheia, and the resulting aftermath.
Indeed, the past couple of years had been some of the most wild and unpredictable in her life, with their fair shares of ups and downs; but truth be told, Setsuna was for the most part happy with her life up to the present moment. After all, she could only begin to fathom what her life would be like, had anything turned out even slightly differently.
Regardless, her musings were cut short, as the sound of approaching footsteps alerted the young warrior to the arrival of the very girl she had been waiting on.
Konoka strode briskly toward the plaza, the smile on her face practically oozing with joy as she caught sight of the young half-demon waiting patiently for her. No matter how often they saw each other, there was just something about Setsuna that made Konoka feel safe and more at ease with the world around her. Simply talking with the girl, or even just being with her, always seemed to brighten the healer's mood, no matter what she was dealing with, or what was on her mind.
And truthfully, Konoka knew exactly why her childhood friend made her feel the way she did, though she would never admit it to anyone, especially the girl herself, her cheeks taking on a light tinge as she walked up to her waiting friend. Honestly, Konoka would love nothing more than to be able to tell Setsuna just how she felt about her, but the fear of being turned down or even outright rejected by her protector was the one thing that prevented her from doing so.
Her friends, her teachers, her family - hell, even society itself; Konoka, plain and simple, couldn't give a damn what any of them would think of her, for better or worse, for the way she loved Setsuna; but the mere thought of the girl herself disapproving of her feelings, or god forbid, hating her for them, was a pain Konoka couldn't bear to imagine.
In any case, the mage-in-training dismissed her train of thought, being more than content to just hang around with the girl she secretly longed for.
Little did she know, it wasn't as one-sided as she feared.
At the sound of approaching footsteps, Setsuna looked up just as the young healer arrived, a light blush quickly spreading as she took in the sight of the girl drawing towards her. Even in something as simple as her school uniform, Setsuna couldn't help but admire just how beautiful Konoka looked. The outfit just seemed to fit her in a way that no-else could hope to match.
Then again, the girl could be wearing a black bin liner and she would still be as beautiful as the morning sun, for all that Setsuna cared. To her, there was nothing in the world as beautiful to her, or as precious, as Konoka Konoe. She loved Konoka more than life itself, and there wasn't a thing in the world she wouldn't do for the girl, simple as that.
Yet the one thing she just couldn't bring herself to do was to tell Konoka exactly how she felt. You see, unlike the Konoe girl, Setsuna was in fact quite concerned about how those around her would view her, were she ever to admit her feelings for the young heiress. It would be bad enough, should her class mates and teachers take a dim view of such a relationship; and lord knows how bad it would be if the Dean or Konoka's father disapproved of said feelings.
"But if Konoka herself were to find out..."
Setsuna subconsciously gulped.
She could picture Konoka's reaction in her mind almost perfectly. At first, there was a look of shock, followed by a disappointed gaze and a shake of the head, which then quickly turned to an expression of barely-concealed disgust by the Konoe heiress as Setsuna stood before her, confessing her feelings. What would follow next would be weeks of being pushed away, quietly avoided, or even being outright ordered to back off as Konoka sought to distance herself as much as possible from the half-demon and her messed-up emotions.
Setsuna could feel the familiar sting of tears lightly pricking at the back of her eyes, along with a sudden clenching of her heart. Truly, if simply imagining Konoka's reaction could almost bring her to tears, then she couldn't even begin to fathom how she would manage, should her fears ever become a reality.
Such thoughts were cut abruptly short, however, as the girl in question walked right up to the young swordswoman and quickly hooked her left arm around Setsuna's right, causing the half-demon to colour momentarily before relaxing into the slight embrace. Konoka then looked up at her friend, and with an almost trademark smile, said "shall we?".
Regaining her composure, Setsuna nodded in agreement. "Of course, Ojousa-".
However, the young swordswoman stopped short, the object of her secret affections now pouting at her in an almost unbearably cute manner...and the half-demon knew exactly why.
"O-Of course, K-Kona-chan," Setsuna stuttered as she cleared her throat, her cheeks flaring up as she quickly corrected her 'mistake'. The result, of course, was worth it, Konoka's demeanour brightening visibly as her mock-pout instantly transforming into a cheery grin.
The two girls then spent the next 20-odd minutes simply walking along, idly chatting about anything and everything that came to mind...well, minus a few certain topics. To be honest, neither of them had a particular destination in mind, simply content to simply stroll around the academy grounds, enjoying each others presence. Every so often, Konoka would gently pull closer to Setsuna, the young swordswoman allowing herself to secretly enjoy the close contact.
Sadly, this was only really possible for Setsuna when she knew they were alone, as it was the only time she would allow herself to truly relax around her charge. Konoka, on the other hand, was behaving as she usually did, occasionally teasing her sworn protector with displays of affection here and there, much to the raven haired girl's embarrassment.
Just then, the healer stopped in her tracks, an oddly thoughtful expression crossing her face as she cast a quick, unseen glance at her protector. Setsuna turned to her close friend, curious as to what might be bothering her.
What next passed from Konoka's lips was something she hadn't been expecting.
"Do you ever think about the future, Secchan?"
To say Setsuna was taken aback by the question would be a gross understatement. Mentally, the young woman was sweating bullets, given the proverbial minefield that was rapidly forming in her mind's eye. All it would take was one wrong step, just one slip of the tongue, for disaster to strike. However, the swordswoman wasn't about to let herself be caught out that easily.
"Y-you mean, like, will we ever meet an alien species, o-or travel other planets?" the half-demon stuttered anxiously, mentally praying that her somewhat improvised answer would be enough to satisfy Konoka's rather spontaneous curiosity. Unfortunately, Setsuna was in no such luck.
"No, no, no," Konoka huffed with an exasperated sigh, the young healer slowly shaking her head before looking her friend in the eye. "I mean your future, Secchan; like, where do you see yourself 2, 5, or even 10 years from now? Where do you want to be? Who do you want to be? What kind of person do you want to be with? Do you even want to be with someone when you're older, or..."
The rest of Konoka's sudden ranting never really registered with the young half-demon, as the combined questioning of "Do you think ever about your future?", and "Who do you want to be with when you're older?" had effectively sent Setsuna's mind into panic mode. She was straying perilously close to the danger area, i.e. her secret affections for the girl before her. As such, she could only really stammer incoherently in response, as Konoka's unintentional offensive had her completely on the back foot.
And just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, however, another familiar voice succeeded in turning the entire situation on its head.
"Hmm, that's a very good question, no?"
At that moment, both girl's spun round to be greeted by the sight of none other than Dean Konoemon standing behind them, a thoughtful look in his eyes as he casually stroked his lengthy white beard. The Konoe clan elder seemed to consider his granddaughter's initial questions for a few moments, before levelling his gaze on both girls.
"Dean Konoemon, sir?" Setsuna blinked, both surprised and confused - and even a little thankful - for the Headmaster's sudden appearance. "W-what are you doing out here?"
The elder mage appeared to consider the girl for a moment, raising an eyebrow at the girl's genuinely innocent question,. "What ever do you mean, Setsuna-kun? Can't an old man go for a stroll around the very Academy he spends most of his days running, without attracting questions from his own students?"
Almost immediately, Setsuna went turned beet-red and began sweating profusely at her self-imagined implications of questioning the Dean's actions, as she quickly bowed forward apologetically. "M-my apologies, sir, I-I meant no disrespect! Please, forgive my impertinence!"
However, the Dean simply let out a hearty chuckle as he waved a hand at the girl. "I was only joking, Setsuna-kun. Really, though, you need to relax a little more. It's not good for one as young as yourself to be so formal all the time."
"I-I'll work on it, sir," the swordswoman nodded slightly in response, feeling somewhat embarrassed that she had failed to pick up on the Dean's now obvious gesture of humour.
"Still, what does the future hold in store for each of us?" Konoemon then began, surprising both girls at with the sudden change in the topic of their conversation. "Truthfully, can any of us even begin to predict where our lives will take us in the years to come? Should we try and to prepare for whatever the world may throw at us, or should we simply take it all in stride, living for the moment?"
The Dean seemed to pause, his face an almost unreadable mask, both Konoka and Setsuna waiting curiously before him, wondering where the elder mage was going with this line of thought. Unbeknownst to them, the elderly mage took this moment to study both girls, looking for any hidden tells that would help him to better understand the situation between them.
"For one such as I, there is perhaps little need to consider what the future may bring me. An elderly man like myself has lived his life, seen and done all that he could have hoped for, and enjoyed many a wondrous experience," Konoemon continued as slowly pacing back and forth along the stone path.
"But," he then turned sharply towards both girls, startling them with a stern look and an index finger pointed their way. "For young ones such as yourselves, it is a question worth considering. You are both young, with most of your lives still ahead of you; and while I'm not saying you should go out and being planning for each and every eventuality, it does no harm to think about about where you might be a few years down the line."
The two girls slowly nodded, taking in the wisdom behind the headmaster's words. The Dean then began to stroke his beard again, and Setsuna could have sworn she saw the faintest hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth when he then turned back to his granddaughter.
"And speaking of the future, it's been sometime since your last omiai, hasn't it Konoka-chan?" Konoemon then asked, eliciting an irate groan from the young healer as she brought a hand up to her face. "And as it just so happens, I have a few interested parties lined up."
"Do I really have to go on another, gramps?" Konoka pleaded, despite knowning that it was pretty much pointless to argue against her Grandfather's wishes. "Can't you delay it for now, even just for a little while?".
Once again, the elder Konoe stroke his beard, appearing as if deep in thought as he mused on his granddaughter's request. In all honesty, Konoka believed that he did that on purpose now and again, intentionally drawing out whatever answer he had already decided upon, getting some kind of weird amusement from making people wait on his every word.
In reality, she wasn't that far off the mark - at least not in this case. Again, Konoemon used his brief pause as another chance to study the two girls for any subtle tells; and indeed, he couldn't fail to notice the briefest glimmer of emotion in Setsuna's eyes. A curious mixture of disappointment and hope flickered ever-so-slightly across the half-demon's eyes. The same look could also be seen momentarily on his granddaughter, though more obviously than it had been with her guardian.
"Well, I suppose I could hold off on arranging another omiai for a little while," Dean Konoemon then replied, much to Setsuna's and Konoka's joint surprise. After all, he had never given in to Konoka's pleading when arranging any of her previous omiai's, so why start now all of a sudden? "But, on one condition, Konoka-chan; when I do get around to arranging your next omiai, I expect you to go along and behave yourself without causing a commotion this time. Agreed?"
The healer nodded eagerly in return, a relieved smile worn across her face. With their conversation concluded, the Dead bid the girls a good day and began making his way back to his office. However, he had only moved a few feet when he stopped once more.
"Before I forget," he said as turned back to the two girls. "Don't worry about patrol duty tonight, Setsuna-kun. I've already spoken to Negi-kun and Asuna-kun, and they've agreed to cover for you."
"Th-That's very generous of your, sir" the Shinmeiryuu student bowed in thanks, her face taking on a slight red tint. "B-But really, you shouldn't trouble yourself on my account."
"Oh pish-posh," the Dean chuckled as he waved off the girl's protests. "You've been working diligently as of late - and not just academically, either. So, consider this a little reward for your troubles."
"At any rate, I must be going; all that paper work in my office isn't going to do itself, you know," Konoemon said as he stroked his beard once more. Just then, with the faintest traces of mischief in his eyes, the Konoe clan elder jabbed a finger towards the girls in front of him. "You two play nice, now."
For a moment, Setsuna swore her heart had stopped, a icy chill racing up her spine as panicked thoughts began flooding her mind. Konoka, too, had found herself rooted to the ground, her mind still trying to process what her grandfather had just said. However, the sound of hearty laughter snapped both girls out of their trance-like state, the two turning to find the Dean walking off in the direction he had apparently come from. Blinking in surprise, the half-demon and healer looked at each other for a few seconds, before succumbing to a fit off the giggles themselves.
"So, Secchan," Konoka then said, again hooking her right arm around Setsuna's left. "Where do you wanna to go?"
"I'm not bother, Kono-chan," the swordswoman shrugged her shoulders, simply happy with her new found free time.
"Okay then, your place it is," Konoka beamed, before a blush crept across her cheeks as she gave her guardian a shy glance. "T-That is, if it's no trouble."
Setsuna had to really restrain herself from turning beet-root red at the unbearably cute look her charge was giving her, along with the rather risque thoughts threatening to flood her mind at Konoka's request. Instead, the swordswoman simply shook her head to regain her composure before replying. "N-N-No, o-of course not, Kono-chan."
With their destination agreed, the two friends set off arm-in-arm back to the school dormitories, chatting happily as then went.
Once the two girls were out of sight, Dean Konoemon allowed himself a cheeky pat on the back. Indeed, such a simple act had provided him with plenty of evidence to support his suspicious about both girls and the bond between. However, it was still to early to act; there were still other preparations that needed taken care of.
So, with a quick nod to himself, the Dean of Mahora Academy set off for the residence of a certain high daylight walker, confident that the person in question would be more than happy to help him, once they knew the nature of his plan.
Indeed, the next few weeks would certainly be interesting, if nothing else.
Alright, so we're finally done out first chapter. I hope that was alright for you guys - as I said, this is pretty much my first shot at something like this.
Also - I just want to state right now that updates to this story won't be frequent, or set to any kind of schedule. I'll pretty much only be working on this story during whatever free time I might have between work, and getting ready to go back to university. So don't be surprised if this story goes for a while without any updates. Nevertheless, I'm not gonna let my first foray into fanfiction simply fall into the background...or at least, I'll do my damn hardest not to let that happen.
So, it seems that things are afoot at Mahora. Whatever could the Dean have planned, and what does it have to do with Konoka and Setsuna; and where could Konoka's father and " a certain high daylight walker" fit into all of this?
Find out in the next instalment of "The Ties That Bind" - out whenever it's done.
See you all next chapter. =P