Author's Note:Hey guys! I'm here with my second fanfic ever made and I'll admit I'm a LITTE nervous about it. But I'll take a chance and let the reviews tell me if I'm doing something right with this one. I'll give everyone a heads up and say that the content is a lot more relaxed and less detailed than my other story, 'The Rain That Draws Us'. However, it should still be mostly grammatically correct and easy to read. I hope to get your honest opinion on this and please don't hold back on your criticism; it will help me in the long run! :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Negima or any of its characters.

Now please, enjoy the story! XD

Chapter 1

Tokyo, Japan was famous worldwide for its fun attractions, exotic food, Anime, even just for the Japanese women. But there's one thing in particular that most people believe that Japan lacks. Americans never see any of this on television, tourists don't ever find locations in Japan that provide this kind of satisfying performance, and not too many Japanese people in general favor this kind of entertainment…That is, until that one, fateful Saturday night; when a girl from the shadows bravely stands on the stage and held that microphone with new found pride. Let's read about the story of this girl's discovered talent from the beginning of the week, shall we?

'Ugh! That was just hell!' A very tired and worn out Setsuna thought as she entered her dorm room and crashed onto the nearest furniture. Luckily for her, that would be the couch. The swordswoman just returned from a daily training session at Evangeline's villa. That vampire started to get a little greedy with her 'pay' lately and it was finally starting to catch up with the Hanyou.

Setsuna couldn't put all the blame on her though; she's the one who asked for the training in order to sharpen her skills and protect the Konoe heiress better; but that doesn't mean she wasn't going to be a little sour about it. 'Man, Evangeline-San's gonna suck me dry. I don't think I even have a pint of blood left!' Setsuna thought in horror.

Suddenly, without the swordswoman's intention, she visualized herself with her wings spread and literally all of her blood sucked dry so that she looked slightly emaciated. 'Kami, I would look like an ostrich on crack!' Setsuna was about to grin widely at that thought but caught herself, 'Kami, I really need to stop with these childish thoughts' Setsuna scolded herself. She didn't like to think about such stupid things, it seemed unfit for a serious bodyguard of her caliber. Besides, people would think she's weird and a bit out there with the random comments that would just pop into Setsuna's head. Setsuna sighed and then stared at the ceiling in silence while trying to regain some of her energy.

"I really am weird, aren't I?" Setsuna asked no one in particular. She closed her eyes and decided now would be a good time as ever to have her daily dose of 'mental cleansing'. Setsuna has been doing this in secret ever since these thoughts appeared; in other words, for nearly a year now.

The Hanyou's 'mental cleansing' time is when she takes thirty to forty-five minutes of alone time and lets loose of all her 'weirdness'; as the girl would call it. This way, she won't feel as tempted to say or think anything unnecessary around anyone.

"…Pffft, an ostrich on crack! Polly wants a crack pipe?" Setsuna clasped a hand over her mouth and giggled at the pun. 'Yep, it's gonna be a long mental cleansing' the laughing girl thought…

"Hey Konoka-San" Asuna called out as she sat up from her bean bag and looked over into the kitchen. Konoka was currently in the process of cooking dinner for today. Without turning around from her work she responded.

"Yeah?"

"You know how Kazumi-San's throwing a party this Saturday?"

"Mhm" Konoka simply replied, too absorbed into her cooking to really pay any more than half attention to what Asuna was saying. It didn't matter since the red-head didn't seem to notice anyways.

"It might have to be cancelled." Asuna said, disheartened at the possibility of spending her Saturday doing nothing. This time Konoka actually turned to face Asuna with a disappointed pout.

"Awww, how come? I was really hoping to go, especially since I convinced Secchan to come too."

"She said that they don't have a form of entertainment for the party. Makie-San was supposed to do some gymnastic tricks but she ended up spraining her ankle yesterday."

"What about Ako-San? Isn't she in a band? Maybe they can play something at the party." Konoka suggested, but Asuna sadly shook her head at this.

"Nope, that won't work. Kazumi-San said that she wanted something different since we always use the band. Plus, the band hasn't even come up with any new songs lately; it'll be boring if they play the same songs over and over." Konoka nodded in understanding. Asuna was right; she didn't want to be rude or anything, but she's heard those songs so many times that she's already memorized all the words.

"We even tried asking Zazie-San." Asuna continued.

"But it turns out her schedule is booked this Saturday at the Nightmare Carnival, so she can't make it either." Asuna sighed and then fell back into her bean bag. Konoka sighed in defeat as well as she leaned against the kitchen counter.

"…Well…I'll make sure to keep on a lookout for anyone who can perform for the party. It's Monday, so we still have five days to find someone." Konoka said, trying to perk up the red-head's mood. Asuna lazily rolled her head in Konoka's direction.

"Yeah, I guess." Asuna retorted tiredly…

'Twenty more minutes' Setsuna thought as she stared at the clock on her wall. She ran a hand through her currently untied hair; it's 'mental cleansing' time, so she might as well relax as much as she can.

This was starting to worry Setsuna; she was over half way done with her 'mental cleansing' but she still felt a lot of giddiness flowing through her. This was starting to happen more frequently too, but most of the time she just passed it off as the fatigue just getting to her.

She looked over at her dresser and saw her distant reflection in the mirror. She smirked and then examined her features in admiration. At any other time Setsuna wouldn't have bothered looking in a mirror, but now she felt a slightly cocky pride well up in her as she watched her reflection.

"Whoa, can I get a ka-kaw?" Setsuna joked as she imitated the sound of a crow and raised an eyebrow. That's when a really stupid question came to her mind.

"I wonder if that's the sound a crow would make during sex…ka-kAHHHH…." Setsuna attempted to make the sound out loud as if it was the most normal thing in the world to do. She then stared up at the ceiling in deep thought.

"Nahhh, it doesn't sound right. It's lacking something…more passion maybe?" Setsuna's gaze drifted back over to the clock and then realized her 'mental cleansing' ended five minutes ago. If Konoka was there right at that moment, she would have melted from the cute pout Setsuna was making.

"Awww, my time's up already?" Setsuna sighed and then picked up her hairband from the coffee table. She wrapped her hair up into her original side pony tail and then straightened up her clothes to look neater. That's when a sudden realization donned on her; she just returned from training with Evangeline, so she's probably sweaty and needed to take a shower.

Setsuna quickly shifted her gaze around the room as if she was checking to make sure no one was looking, which was unneeded since she was alone, and then quickly stole a whiff from the inside of her collar. She smelled a little musky…

Tuesday morning came around and Setsuna was currently getting herself dressed in her school uniform. After making sure everything was in place and she had her Yuunagi on the side of her waist, the currently stoic bodyguard made her usual route to her Ojou-Sama's dorm.

As she was walking through the halls, she could easily notice that passing students would suddenly tense up as they walked past her and never looked in her direction. Of course, Setsuna didn't blame them. She's a bodyguard and had to keep up that image, so it was only natural that she would give off an intimidating and unfriendly aura.

Setsuna always did wonder from time to time though; what it would be like if she acted the opposite, like her weird self around others? 'Would it be better than this? But…then I won't be taken seriously as a bodyguard…and I might start slacking off with protecting Konocha-I mean Ojou-Sama…damn, I'm slipping up already!' Setsuna thought. She knew it would be a risky thing to do, practically a million possibilities ran through her mind; and most of them didn't turn out too well. 'What if everyone thinks I'm a weirdo? What if…Konoka Ojou-Sama thinks I'm a weirdo?' The troubled swordswoman felt devastated by that thought. She couldn't imagine handling the idea of Konoka ridiculing her for her odd and bizarre hidden personality.

Setsuna shoved those thoughts away when she saw a particular dorm room number within her sight. Before politely knocking on the door like she always does, Setsuna took a second to herself to make one hundred percent sure that her unusual behavior was stored away within her subconscious. After waiting thirty seconds for a stupid pun to pop up in her head but thought of none, Setsuna decided it was finally safe to knock.

However…the door swung open before Setsuna's knuckles met the hard surface; and what was on the other side wasn't much of an unusual sight for the protector.

It was Setsuna's fellow classmate and good friend, Asuna with a flailing little red-head boy thrown over her shoulder.

"Asuna-Saaaannnnn! We don't have time for a bath; class will be starting in less than thirty minutes!" Negi whined in protest as he tried to wiggle free of the girl's grasp.

"I don't want to hear it! We can take a quick bath and then run to class; you forgot to bathe last night and you smell musky! Now be a good brat and-oh hey Setsuna-San!" Asuna's mood immediately switched gears when she saw the said girl standing merely a foot away from her with her fist still raised. Setsuna blinked in half amusement and half confusion at the red-head's 'motherly' tendencies and then quickly dropped her hand back to her side.

"H-hello, Asuna-San, is Ojou-Sama ready?" Setsuna asked in a serious, yet fake, tone. Asuna smirked knowingly at the bodyguard, causing Setsuna to unconsciously blush from the attention.

"W-what?" The swordswoman stuttered.

"Oh, nothing~ .I was just thinking that…" Asuna wrapped an arm around the flustered girl's shoulders.

"You always seem ready to walk Konoka-San to class…every, single, time. And you're always exactly on time…that's some determination there~." Asuna teased as her grin grew wider at Setsuna's blush that was turning even redder.

"W-what are y-you trying to say Asuna-s-san?" Setsuna cursed inwardly for stuttering so much, for showing emotional weakness is not very bodyguard like.

"What I'm saying is that you always seem…eager to be by Konoka-San's side, and not just because it's your job either~." Asuna cooed as she tightened her arm around Setsuna and began to chuckle teasingly. The amount of blood rushing to Setsuna's cheeks nearly doubled as the red-head came dangerously close to hitting the flustered girl right where it hurts.

"I don't know what you mean." Setsuna blurted, praying to the gods that Asuna wouldn't pry any further. 'Please Kami-Sama, help me out! I'll pray every night before I go to bed, I'll donate money to end world hunger, I'll even massage your spiritual feet with golden skin cream!' Setsuna grimaced inwardly with that last declaration, 'okay, maybe not golden skin cream, I can only afford the regular kind' Setsuna quickly added. Unfortunately, Kami-Sama wasn't swayed by the temptation.

"You know what I mean Setsuna-San~. When are you gonna hurry up and just tell princess that you love her already?" Asuna asked eagerly; not exactly eager to hear Setsuna's answer since she knew she wouldn't get one, she was eager to see the flustered guardian's reaction. Asuna wasn't left disappointed either. Setsuna's face exploded into scarlet red as she frantically waved her arms around.

"I-I-I-I-I d-don't, I-I mean i-it's inappropriate for s-someone a-as lowly as I!" Setsuna stuttered; right now, even Porky Pig had nothing on the babbling guardian.

"Ummmm, guys?" Negi interrupted, still hopelessly hanging over Asuna's shoulder.

"Ah, that's right; we gotta hurry before class starts!" Asuna shouted before adjusting her grip on the poor child teacher.

"Y-yes, we should hurry before-"

"Right after you take a quick bath!"

"Nooooo!" Negi shouted in despair as Asuna ran towards the showers in her inhuman athletic speed. Setsuna stared at the trail of smoke the speedy red-head left behind and then whispered to herself.

"Meep, meep…" Setsuna would never admit that she used to watch Looney Tunes in her spare time as a child. She swiftly shook her head, 'no! I can't think about stupid things right now!' After strengthening her resolve, Setsuna walked into the dorm room to find Konoka fully dressed and waiting for her protector. Setsuna was about to politely greet the chocolate haired girl but soon found her body falling backwards with Konoka's arms wrapped around her neck; she was falling.

"Secchan!"

THUMP!

"O-o-o-o-o-ojou, Ojou-sa-sa-sa-sama!" Setsuna stuttered as Konoka continued to cuddle her flustered swordswoman. The excited princess sat up from her hug and then propped herself up on her elbows. She stared in amusement at Setsuna trying to fidget and escape from under her.

"Awww, what's wrong Secchan? You don't like my hugs anymore~?" Konoka cooed as she leaned back down and wrapped her arms back around Setsuna's neck; their bodies pressed together. Now it was really becoming too much for the blushing girl, Setsuna was reaching her limit.

"K-k-k-k-ka-ka-ka" Setsuna choked out, her mouth and mind competing against each other. Her mind is screaming, pleading, that her mouth would at least sputter something a little bit coherent. But her tongue was failing her, 'please Kami, show mercy, please Kami, show mercy, please Kami, show mercy!' Konoka raised an eyebrow in amusement and a bit in happy anticipation; it almost sounded like her guardian was trying to say her nickname Konochan.

"Ka-kaw!" Setsuna blurted and then immediately clasped her hand over her mouth in shock.

"…" Konoka stared at the embarrassed girl in silence; her facial expression unreadable and boring into Setsuna's eyes.

"…Secchan…why did you say ka-kaw?"

"…"

"…Secchan?"

"…We should get to class Ojou-Sama…before we're late."

"O-okay…?" Konoka stuttered; not exactly sure what just happened…

'Damn, damn, damn!' Setsuna shouted in her head. The devastated bodyguard was sitting at her desk and resting her head in her arms, not even reacting to the rowdy girls of 3-A; who were causing the usual fiascos around her. How could she though? She just embarrassed herself in front of someone, and even worse than that, in front of Konoka, 'screw you Kami, you can forget the foot rub now!' Setsuna thought spitefully but then immediately regretted it; it was childish to blame someone else for her slip up and that even includes Kami. Setsuna sighed loudly but was muffled since her face was still buried in her arms. 'Kami, I just know Konoc-I mean…Ojou-Sama…thinks I'm some weirdo now!'

Cautiously, Setsuna sat up in her seat and looked over her shoulder to steal a glance of her chocolate haired princess; she immediately snapped her head back around. Setsuna's eyes were wide with confirmed fear and glued to the wall a few meters ahead of her. Turns out Konoka was staring intensely at her swordswoman; feeling suspicious about that 'ka-kaw' incident from earlier.

She didn't try to be discrete about it either; which made Asuna notice the odd tension going on between the two best friends. Asuna leaned over her desk and then whispered down to her roommate.

"Psst! Hey, Konoka-San, why're you staring down Setsuna-San…and why is she acting all tense? Did you guys get in a fight or something?"

"…" Konoka was so focused on the back of Setsuna's head that Asuna's voice hadn't even fully registered in her brain yet. Asuna rolled her eyes and tried again.

"Oi, Konoka-San."

"…" Still nothing. Soon, a vein began to pulsate on the red-head's forehead.

"Konoka-San!" Asuna shouted nearly centimeters away from the distracted princess's ear.

"…" Still nothing. Asuna's heterochromatic eyes narrowed as she huffed and leaned back into her seat. It took a lot of effort and spirit, but the red-head decided to do the unthinkable…think.

Asuna forced the little gears in her head to turn as she sat in her seat; arms crossed and eyes squinting in deep focus. She then started to grind her teeth as the process turned out to be harder than she thought. 'Kami! I know I'm a Baka Ranger and everything…but this is just ridiculous!' The red-head thought heatedly. A few more moments of Asuna valiantly fighting her stubborn brain passed by and she was now starting to suggest giving up.

Then, as if a generous deity from above showed pity upon the girl, an idea finally came to Asuna. 'Shopping! Konoka-San shops like a middle-aged mother does extreme couponing!' Asuna gave herself an imaginary pat on the back with a prideful grin spread across her face.

"Hey Konoka-San have you been to that mall that's…."

Then she looked down to see a pair of curious brown eyes staring back at her; Konoka's eyes. But if someone started grinding their teeth and mumbling angrily under their breath behind you, then even Konoka was bound to turn around and face the source of noise questioningly.

"…How long..." Asuna whispered gravely; her left eye twitching in preparation for what she was sure was about to come next. The Konoe princess blinked innocently at Asuna's tense attitude and then said.

"The teeth grinding"

WHAM!

Asuna's face met her desk in a split second, 'I risked my life here and this is what I get?!' Maybe that deity wasn't so generous after all. Konoka sweat dropped as tears began to fall from Asuna's eyes like waterfalls, 'was it something I said?' Konoka wondered.

"Ummm, Asuna-San…are you okay?" The chocolate haired girl asked worriedly. Asuna hiccupped a few times before raising her teary eyes to Konoka; Konoka cringed inwardly and then conveniently pulled a handkerchief out of nowhere.

"Eh?" Asuna muttered as she eyed the offered handkerchief. Konoka smiled warmly.

"You've got a runny nose Asuna-San." That was all the red head needed to know before gladly accepting the hankie and blowing her nose clean; her cheeks flustered all the while.

"I-I'll clean it and return it to you later." Asuna said embarrassingly as she slipped the dirtied hankie into her skirt pocket.

"It's okay Asuna-San. I've got plenty more with me anyways." Konoka reassured casually. Asuna eyed the bubbly princess suspiciously, 'where did she pull that hankie from anyway?' The red head decided it'd be best not to question the illogical.

"Why were you staring so hard at Setsuna-San? Did you guys argue about something?"

"Oh…well…" Konoka trailed off reluctantly. She wasn't sure if she wanted to really tell anyone about what happened between her and Setsuna this morning. Asuna was a really good friend and everything, but Konoka knows that Setsuna wouldn't hear the end of it from the teasing red head if she spilled the news to her. The Konoe heiress didn't want to put Setsuna through that; at least not until she confronted the swordswoman about it first.

"Err…Secchan wouldn't stop calling me Ojou-Sama. But we've got it taken care of, so there's no need to worry about it Asuna-San." Konoka lied. The chocolate haired girl felt a pang of guilt in her gut from lying to her roommate, but it had to be done.

"Eh? That's it? I would've figured it'd be over something bigger than that." Asuna said skeptically as she eyed a now fidgeting Konoka. The princess already lied one time; she didn't want to do it twice in the same hour or to the same person for that matter. So, instead of lying, Konoka tried to swiftly change the subject.

"You know, I was planning on baking a cake today-"

"What kind?" Asuna immediately interrupted as she leaned towards the smiling mage princess, 'got her.'

"A chocolate fudge cake with…"

"With…" Asuna urged eagerly, 'please say strawberries, please say strawberries, please say strawberries!'

"…Strawberries."

"Yatta!" Asuna shouted in celebration to the heavens with her arms thrown up in almighty praise. Konoka stared up in awe as a white light pleasantly beamed down on her roommate and encompassed her with glittering sparkles.

"…Wow…"

Setsuna, including everyone else in the classroom, gawked at the scene in still silence. 'What the hell… just happened?' The Hanyou pondered numbly…

The bell for the end of fourth block chimed loudly, automatically signaling Setsuna to swiftly put away her school supplies. The swordswoman was usually one of the last students to leave, but considering the awkward moment that she and Konoka shared this morning, Setsuna wasn't going to take any chances. To simply put it, the samurai was high tailing her ass out of there.

A specific mage princess was just about to approach Setsuna too, only to realize with disappointment that she had already left. Konoka stared thoughtfully at her best friend's empty seat and then at the classroom door, 'Something's off here… and Secchan's been acting really weird lately.' The Konoe heir pensively placed a finger to her lips; continuing to stand next to Setsuna's desk and ignoring her passing classmates' quizzical glances.

"You're spacing out again."

"Kyah!" Konoka unconsciously delivered a swift, sideways chop to the individual's abdomen.

"Gah! S-son of a biscuit!" Asuna wailed in stunned pain as she doubled over and cradled her assaulted stomach in her arms. Upon realizing her mistake, Konoka gasped softly before rubbing her roommate's back frantically.

"G-gomen Asuna-San! Are you okay?" Abruptly standing straight and inhaling massive gulps of air, which indirectly surprised the Konoe heiress, Asuna turned a baffled stare to Konoka.

"When the hell-(gasp)-did you learn to use-(gasp)-a Bruce Lee karate chop?!"

"Secchan taught me some self-defense." Konoka answered with a warm smile as she shortly reminisced on the training sessions; Setsuna instructing the mage princess's movements with charming determination and gentleness. She remembered those days clearly; the way Setsuna's casual exercise attire teasingly revealed skin, the way her thin yet strong shoulders tempted Konoka's fingertips to brush against them, the way her flat abs rippled subtly under the cotton fabric, the way her freed bangs would sway handsomely across her eyebrows, the way her intense onyx orbs would gleam with tenderness towards the chocolate haired princess, the way her rarely coy and sexy smirk graced those kissable lips-

"Bird brain taught you that?!" Asuna guffawed in disbelief. Konoka blinked rapidly; attempting to comprehend what dirty road her thoughts seemed to have been traveling down.

"What's she trying to do, turn you into a cheerful killing machine?!" Without replying, Konoka immediately began to pace for the exit, intent on hiding her flushed cheeks from Asuna. The red-head in question quirked an eyebrow while following the suddenly silent princess.

"Hey, why're you all quiet all of a sudden? Was it something I said?" Asuna's features slowly softened with friendly concern, genuinely worried that she may have unintentionally hurt her friend's feelings. Konoka, now sure that her blush had subsided, took notice of the small guilt infecting the red-head's features. The Konoe heiress sighed before retaining her signature broad smile once again.

"N-no, I was just, uh, distracted." Although Konoka was hoping to reassure the red head in a nonchalant tone, her voice evidently shook with sheepish anxiety. Sheepishness and anxiety was a killer combo in Asuna's 'Big Book of Teasing'. With the triggering combination detected, words that many Mortal Kombat fans would know echoed mischievously in Asuna's mind: 'Finish her!'

"Oh-ho~ Distracted, huh? I wonder by whom…" Asuna's leer widened upon witnessing Konoka's shoulders tense ever so subtly.

"I-It isn't that big of a deal Asuna-San-"

"Now who could possibly be running through our little princess's fantasies, hmmmmm?" As Asuna dragged along her humming, she repeatedly nudged her right shoulder against Konoka's own without breaking either girl's walking stride. The mage princess bravely relented against Asuna's prodding however.

"N-no one, Asuna-San."

"No one huh?"

"Yep, no one."

"No one?"

"That's right."

"Seriously, no one?"

"Correct."

"Setsuna-San?"

"Yep."

"Really? Setsuna-San?"

"I couldn't be more sure."

"One hundred percent sure?"

"One hundred and fifty percent sure!"

"Oh…okay." Asuna finished contently as the two calmly continued to stroll together.

A beat of silence.

Konoka choked mercilessly on air as her entire face burned light burgundy.

"N-no wait I take it back!" Asuna scoffed before triumphantly pointing an accusatory finger at her panicking roommate.

"No take backs!" Konoka's jaw must've held a nasty grudge against Mahora Academy's floor-work, because it had hit the marbled surface in under a second. Stuttering, babbling, stammering, fumbled mumbling, and everything in between were the only sounds escaping the defeated mage princess. Appointing the flamboyant aura of a haughty lumberjack, Asuna placed her fists on her hips and threw her head back; laughing loudly in all her mocking glory.

"Hahahah! I knew it! Don't screw with the quick wits of a Baka Ranger!" Konoka's cheeks bulged into a heavy pout before promptly strutting away; her fists swinging briskly at her sides. Asuna cooed teasingly at the sight as she skipped behind the Konoe heiress. If Asuna Kagurazake was performing the frilly acts of skipping, then she was indeed enjoying herself to a significant extent.

"Awww, don't be so upset Konoka-San! I'm only joking-"

"A Baka Ranger's quick wits, huh?" Konoka suddenly interjected as a sly and disturbingly dark grin crept across her feminine features. Defying the laws and logics of science, Asuna halted in mid-skip with her form momentarily frozen in air, before gently dropping to her feet and paling at the creepily unusual sight.

"U-uh, I mean, i-it was a joke ya know? S-since a Baka Ranger is a b-baka and then…th-then the uh…q-quick wits-"

"I know that I said I was going to make a chocolate fudge cake with strawberries earlier," Konoka started casually as she stared to the ceiling and tapped her chin contemplatively.

Asuna's breath caught in her throat, 'Konoka-San…you wouldn't…'

"But…now that I'm actually starting to think about it, my arm has been a bit sore lately." The mage princess feigned an aching expression as she rolled her arm.

Asuna's heartbeat quickened with panic, 'No…No, she wouldn't stoop that low! Only a monster would!'

With a content and bubbly smile, the Konoe heiress turned to face her suddenly feeble-looking friend and declared effortlessly.

"I just won't make it after all! All that baking would stress out my poor arm…Good thing I used my common sense and quick wits to make such a wise decision; right, Asuna-San?" With an expectant eye, Konoka awaited the twin-tailed girl's response; her smile never faltering all the while.

"…"

Asuna, unlike how Konoka had predicted, did not crumble into a sobbing heap over the tragic loss of her most cherished dessert. Her body remained rigid and stared lifelessly ahead of her with dull green and blue eyes. The only sign of emotion Asuna gave was a single, bitter tear comically rolling down her suddenly boney cheeks. All in all, the red haired sweets lover had metaphorically died inside.

Konoka sweat dropped. 'W-whoa…I didn't think it would affect her so much.' Inconspicuously retrieving yet another clean handkerchief from Kami-knows-where, the mage princess wiped away the tear with a playful smile plastered across her face. Just as Konoka's lips parted to speak, Asuna robotically turned her gaze to the left and adorned a forlorn countenance.

"I just want to let you know…that before I die, to tell Negi-San something for me…" Greatly confused by the red head's words, Konoka simply nodded for her to continue. Heavily plopping a hand on the heiress's shoulder, Asuna muttered in an extremely grave tone.

"Tell Negi-San…not to touch the left over cake I've got stashed in the back of the fridge, it has my name on it."

A beat of silence.

Another beat of silence.

A groan of defeat.

"Alright, I'll make the cake! Just enough with the death jokes…it's creepy!" Konoka pleaded with a shudder. Right fist skyrocketing to the sky and smile widening beyond belief, Asuna exclaimed jubilantly.

"Yatta!" A beam of white light and glimmering sparkles engulfed the twin-tailed student; instantly provoking a sense of déjà vu for Konoka, who couldn't help but mutter.

"Again…wow." After descending the victorious, imaginary steps of baka glory, Asuna regained a neutral expression; pretending as if the decease and revival of her soul had never even transpired.

"Welp, let's go." Konoka sweat dropped once more with a crooked smile, but made no attempt to complain about it and began walking again. The atmosphere between the two friends seemed almost completely replenished too…How unfortunate that Asuna felt the need to voice her musings yet again.

"But seriously, you are going to make that cake, right?"

"Of course I am." Konoka replied automatically; having a feeling of where this conversation was going.

"Are you sure?" Konoka knew it.

"Yep"

"Really?"

"You bet"

"You're not joking?"

"I'm not"

"You're one hundred percent sure?"

"Two hundred percent sure" At times, their interactions were elegantly idiotic in its own, friendly right…

There once lived three little pigs. One lived in a hut built out of straw, the second lived in a hut built out of sticks, and the third lived in a sensible brick house. However, the Big Bad Wolf blew down the first two little pigs' houses because he was unfortunately having a bad day. The wolf's day became even sourer however as he failed to destroy the third little pig's brick house. Soon after admitting defeat, the wolf huffed to himself in disappointment, thoroughly convinced that his life was wholly unfair. As soon as he inwardly declared this with a grunting nod; Setsuna appeared out of thin air, glared at the wolf, and slapped him silly before rambling angrily: "You think you have problems?! I just made myself look like an idiot in front of my best friend and now she's got her eyes glued on me like beef on curry! So you didn't get your daily dose of protein; big deal! Man up wolf!"

'…I don't think the mental cleansing is working anymore.' Setsuna realized dryly as she pulled out of her subconscious-not to mention screwy-imagination without breaking her hasty retreat down the dorm halls. It seems that her bubbling frustration was finally starting to manifest itself in the form of fairy tale parodies…Perfect, just perfect. Too absorbed with her panic to realize; Setsuna quickly paced by fellow school guardian, Mana Tatsumiya.

Instead of adorning the traditional Mahora uniform, Mana was dressed casually in a deep auburn leather jacket; clearly worn to handle the slightly gusty weather. Underneath the jacket was a simple, dark crimson shirt with a v-neck; succeeding to compliment the gunslinger's black skinny jeans and sneakers effortlessly. Cocking her head subtly to the right with a faintly curious expression, Mana asked amusingly.

"What's the hurry, Setsuna-San?" At first, the shrine maiden had figured Setsuna didn't hear her at all, but began to have second thoughts as the Hanyou halted with her back facing Mana. An awkward moment of silence-although Mana was sure Setsuna was the only individual feeling awkward-until it was shattered by the bodyguard's deep sigh. Pivoting sharply on her heel, Setsuna turned to face Mana and finally registered her friend's casual outfit.

"Are you planning to go out somewhere, Mana-San?" Even though she expressed no signs of it, Mana was somewhat irked that Setsuna had answered her question with another. She saw no harm in being the first to throw out an appropriate reply though.

"Yeah, I'm about to head over to Bust a Gut and see if anyone who's actually funny shows up." Her previous worries momentarily blown to oblivion, Setsuna gazed upon Mana as if the woman had grown a second head.

"…What in the hell is Bust a Gut?" Attempting to-or perhaps effortlessly-ignore Setsuna's bafflement, Mana placed her hands in the pockets of her leather jacket before stating nonchalantly.

"You know, a comedy house for stand-up comedians to perform and tell jokes-"

"You like jokes?!" Setsuna interjected in flabbergasted disbelief. Mana rolled her eyes in exasperation; she had a feeling that the Hanyou-scratch that-everyone would assume such a thing about her.

"Yes, like most human beings I do enjoy a good laugh every now and again."

"W-well I mean-it's just that you don't exactly…laugh…much." The more Setsuna began to listen to the words stumbling out of her mouth, the more she wished she didn't have the ability to speak. The conversation just seemed to keep rolling downhill.

Mana directed a deadpanned visage at Setsuna.

"Oh, well maybe that's because it takes a lot to amuse me?" The sarcasm oozing from the gunslinger's tone was so palpable, that Setsuna could practically grip it in her bare hands. The Hanyou cleared her throat nervously.

"S-so…guess I shouldn't hold you up any longer then-"

"Want to come? Entry is free today." Mana suddenly offered monotonously. Setsuna's eyebrows flew up.

"You're inviting me?" It was at that moment that the Hanyou finally detected some form of positive emotion ebbing into her friend's tan features: impishness.

"I figured you'd need to do something to relax your senses a little…I mean, after the way Konoka-San had been staring at you the entire class period today-" Setsuna flinched.

"And after seeing how you ran out the room like it was doomsday, it's safe to say that you need to take a mental breather." The swordswoman's posture deflated with mock shame while muttering with a chuckle.

"Am I that readable?"

"Like a big red stop sign. So are you coming or not?" Before she even finished the question, Mana had already proceeded down the halls for the building exit. Setsuna shifted her indecisive gaze between the shrine maiden's retreating back and her distant room door. 'Well…I did run out of there for a reason…and there's no way in hell that I could deal with explaining that 'ka-kaw' thing to Konoka Oujo-Sama right now!' With that terrifyingly true conclusion sealed, Setsuna began jogging after the gunslinger.

"O-Oi, Mana-San; wait up!"…

Alrighty! That's all for now! I'll admit that I did have a lot of fun writing this chapter! X3

But anyways, it would be really great if I got your honest opinions in the reviews as I really am trying out something that I don't see a lot of in Negima fics. So I thought I'd be brave and try it out myself. What exactly is it that I'm bravely trying out, you ask? I'm not telling. You'll just have to find out in later chapters.

That is another thing I must bring up. The chapters for this story will not be updated that quickly, as I'm also focusing on my other story. But I WILL finish this, no matter what. Okay, I believe I've rambled enough.

So I ask of you...please. CLICK THE REVIEW BUTTON -.-