Ministra Magi Device Reinforce
A Negima! Magister Negi Magi x Magicial Girl Lyrical Nanoha Crossover
Chapter 1 – Rebirth
'I'm sorry, Mistress Hayate…'
Christmas, one would think that it's usually a time of celebration, but now, it was more a time for mourning, since Reinforce, the Unison Device that was part of the Tome of the Night Sky, chose to be sealed willingly to protect her mistress Hayate from the corrupt Defense Program inside her. Hayate had pleaded and begged her to reconsider, practically in tears, but in the end, Reinforce closed her eyes and vanished, her sealing complete.
Everyone that knows the Nanoha storyline knows what happens after; Hayate and the Wolkenritter live peacefully and become friends with Nanoha and the others. They join the TSAB soon after and Reinforce Zwei was created from remains of Reinforce's data. However, what if something happened to Reinforce after she was sealed, due to the small regret in her heart the moment that she was sealed?
'…I wish that there was another way…'
"Hmm, this one looks like she's calling out for something…"
'…What? Who is that…?'
"Oh well, might as well get started on the operation…"
'Operation?-! What's going on?-!'
"…Let's see here, this thing really is attached to her. No matter, it must be removed!"
'Removed? What does that-argh?-!'
Reinforce suddenly felt like electricity was flowing through her, and she couldn't hear anything for awhile, until it came back to her in what felt like hours later. "Let's see, that disgusting part has been removed, her Unison abilities have been fixed. All that's left is to wake her up…"
'Wake up?' Reinforce tried moving her hands, and to her surprise, she could feel them twitch. She tried opening her eyes, but closed them shut as she was blinded by light and instinctively pulled her arm over to shield her eyes.
"Eh? So you're already awake Miss Reinforce? Now that's a surprise!"
Her eyes starting to adjust to the light, Reinforce blinked as her vision came back into focus. To her surprise, she found herself in a white, round chamber on top of what she thought was an operating table. With her senses coming back to her, Reinforce went on guard when she saw a figure in black near the operating table. From what she could tell, Reinforce couldn't see the person's face, since it was shrouded in a shadow under a black hood, through from the figure, she assumed that the person was a male. The being crossed his arms into the sleeves of his robes and greeted in a male voice, "It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Reinforce. You're definitely more beautiful in person."
Suppressing a blush, Reinforce continued to study the person in front of her as she asked in a soft voice, "Who are you, and where am I?"
The being looked amused, and just shrugged his shoulders. "Who am I isn't really important, and as for where you are…let's just say that you're in a pocket dimension not bound to the regular plane of existence."
Reinforce couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that rather…odd and vague explanation. "Then this must be a dream due to my sealing…"
"Oh that? I took your…soul out of the sealing, and…sorta reconstructed you."
For a moment, there was silence before Reinforce looked at the being incredulously. "What do you mean by that? If I'm unsealed, then the corrupt Protection Program…!"
The being moved to the side, and on top of a pedestal that was behind him, was the corrupt protection program. The form it took is indescribable at the moment, but Reinforce nearly retched at the sight, as she could tell it had tentacles and it was currently restrained. The being waved his had at it casually. "I took it out after I brought you here. Apparently it was attached to you like a lamprey so I had a bit of trouble removing it, but as you can see, it's been removed."
Looking at the Protection Program with disgust, Reinforce finally noticed that she felt different now with the Protection Program gone from her being. Simply put, it felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders when the being kept his hand held out the Protection Program. "So, what do you want to do with this?"
"Destroy it." Reinforce's response was quick and hard as she continued to eye it with disgust.
The being let the Protection Program float there in the middle as he stepped back to watch. A Belkan Triangle appeared underneath Reinforce as another one appeared in front of her. A purple ball of energy formed and as the being watched, Reinforce cried out, "Diabolic Emission!"
The corrupt program was absorbed by the energy orb and exploded outwards, causing a light shockwave that blew both Reinforce's hair and the being's robes around before things settled. When the program was no more, Reinforce looked at the being, who was busy clapping at the sight. "What happens now?"
"Oh, I don't know, I haven't thought that far into the plan, to be honest." The being's response left Reinforce a bit dumbfounded. From the vibes she was getting, she thought the person standing before him was a god-like being, and what he said was the last thing she expected. She started to get hopeful until the being said, "Ah, that's right, the reason I brought you here was that I wanted to try something."
The being nodded to himself and Reinforce just stood there quietly as he went on, "First off, I know that you want to get back to your Mistress, Hayate Yagami, now that the Protection Program has been removed, and normally, I would send you back. But then I figured that would be too boring, and you're still new to the world, being free and all. So here's the deal; I'm going to send you to a different Earth where magic exists, but in secret from the regular folk. You're gonna partner up with a certain mage that I personally find a bit interesting, if naïve. You take care of the boy right; I'll send you back to your mistress no problem when he's done training."
Absorbing the information, Reinforce found those terms acceptable as she nodded, and the being continued on, explaining how the world she was going to be sent to works. The person that she was going to be partnered with was Negi Springfield, a Magister Magi-in-training. He generally explained how magic in that world works, and a few other general things that she would need to know, so she wouldn't look like she was completely lost. Somewhere along the line, a couple of chairs were conjured up in place of the operating table that vanished somewhere along the conversation, so the two could sit while the being continued on with his explanation.
"…So eventually you'll only be with him for a year or so, depending how long his official training starts. Is everything acceptable?"
Reinforce closed her eyes as she processed the information. Essentially, she was being offered a start at a new life for a while, and after helping this Negi complete his training, she'll be reunited with Hayate and the others. Soon she nodded and looked right at the being seriously. "Yes, I accept those terms."
"Good, good…well, here you go," With a snap of his fingers, the being summoned two things: a portal and a suitcase. "Some more clothes for you. I'm sure that you don't want that black outfit you're wearing right now to be your only outfit."
"…Thank you." Reinforce went over to pick it up, and just as she was about to walk through the portal, the being gave a cough to catch her attention.
"Good luck to you, and I hope everything turns out well…though I wonder, will you want to go back to Hayate after being with Negi?"
Reinforce gave him a very odd look and the being just waved her off. "Ah, don't worry, I was just thinking to myself."
A blank stare was all that came from Reinforce before she walked through the portal. The being snapped his fingers again, and with the portal vanishing, he gave a sigh, "Haa…yup, definitely more interesting this way, since just sending Miss Reinforce back to Miss Yagami would be too boring…it's been done before."
In Wales, a black portal opened and Reinforce walked through, finding herself on a hillside at night, and the first thing she noticed was smoke, and lots of it. She turned to the source and instantly saw a flaming village a short distance from her. In an instant, she dropped the suitcase and shifted to her battle mode, her armor and wings materializing.
As she flew towards the burning village, a sudden thought crossed her mind as she took a look at the landscape. 'Strange, the being never mentioned anything like this…'
When Reinforce reached the village, she was treated to a sight that she found hauntingly familiar. A burning village, demons roaming around, and worst of all, petrified people who Reinforce figured were the village's mages, considering the staffs in their hands. A few demons were still roaming around, and when they caught sight of Reinforce, they instantly went on the attack, and she took care of them with a swift Blutiger Dolch (Bloody Dagger) spell.
The presence of demons put Reinforce on high alert as she looked around the village for survivors. From the looks of things, the attack was already over, and there were only a few straggler demons lurking around, which she quickly took care off. That was when she heard with her heightened hearing a boy shouting, "Father!"
Coming from the hills that were on the other side of the village, Reinforce quickly waved through the burning buildings, looking for the one who cried out. When she reached the other side of the village, all she found was a young boy next to an unconscious young woman who was partially petrified from the ankles down, but was treated just in time. The boy was crying and Reinforce quickly went over to his side as she dismissed her wings, as not to cause panic. She did a quick check on both his and the woman's condition while asking in English, "Are you alright?"
The boy, who we all know as Negi Springfield, jumped in surprise at Reinforce's voice, and turned to look at her. Reinforce could see that Negi had a tiny wand in his hand, along with a long, wooden staff, and his eyes were in tears. She felt a pang of pain in her chest at the sight of Negi and asked, "What is your name?"
"N-Negi S-Springfield…" Negi sniffed as he wiped away the tears from his eyes as he took a better look at Reinforce.
Reinforce was surprised to find the person she was supposed to be partnered with to be the small boy in front of her. In the back of her mind, she couldn't help but feel that something was off from what the being told him earlier. However, the current situation pushed the thought to the back of her mind as she asked again, "Are you alright?"
"Y-yes, I'm fine, thanks to father…"
Hearing that, Reinforce looked around for another person, but saw no one else around. "And where is he?"
"He's…he left…after he took care of the demons…" Negi managed to choke out, threatening to cry again.
Suddenly, Reinforce pulled him into a hug to comfort him. "It's alright; everything's going to be okay." At first she was at a loss at what to do for him, but thinking about Hayate gave her an idea which led to the hug.
Calming down, the two parted Negi looked at the unconscious woman, and Reinforce followed his gaze. "Someone important to you?"
"Yes, my cousin Nekane…" Negi informed her, and she nodded in understanding. She may have had only a very short time with Hayate as Reinforce, but she still remembered the times she spent with Hayate as the Book of Darkness, and family was one thing that left an impression on her.
"Let's go somewhere safe. There might be some more demons lurking around."
That's when both heard the sounds of a few low-level demons approaching and Negi instinctively hid behind Reinforce as she turned to face them. They looked like they were about to attack when Reinforce held out her hand and a Mid-Childan circle appeared beneath her.
"Photon Lancer."
The energy orbs formed in front of Reinforce before she shot them off in the direction of the demons. A few missed, but the rest managed to pierce the demons approaching them before they could react, and they fell to the ground dead. Negi looked at Reinforce in awe as she turned to him with a small smile. "Come on, I'll take you and your cousin to someplace safer."
Negi nodded and Reinforce went over to pick up Nekane, and after that was done, Reinforce looked for an area that was secure with Negi right at her side. As they waited for rescuers to arrive, from what Negi had told her, Reinforce thought to herself, 'Something is definitely off here… I wouldn't put it past that being that he sent me through time to the wrong place…'
"Oops, looks like I made a mistake…" The being sweat dropped as he looked through the scrying glass that was in front of him, watching the scene unfold. "Oh well, the extra years will be good for her. Bonding and whatnot, right?"
The being nodded as if to reassure his mind, but swore he saw Reinforce give him a dirty look the moment he looked back into the scrying glass. He put the glass away and walked into the shadows muttering, "…Might as well check out that Idolmaster series, I hear that they have quite a lovely batch of fine ladies, fufufu…"
Four years later…
Reinforce was currently with Nekane as the two watched Negi walk up to the Magus to receive his diploma for graduation. She smiled along with Nekane as Negi accepted the scroll and clapped when it was time. Negi turned to them and smiled as well, looking very happy with himself.
The past four years were like a blur to Reinforce, though she enjoyed every minute of it. The fact that Reinforce wasn't human, but a Unison Device had gotten out to Negi, Nekane, and Anya, but they kept it a secret from the rest of the magi community. Her story of being from a different dimension, along with Mid-Childa and Belka shocked the Springfields, but they accepted it over time. She even told them about her story as the Book of Darkness, though reluctantly and only in bits and pieces, but both Negi and Nekane understood her circumstances, and accepted her nonetheless. At that point, Reinforce felt that she was back with Hayate and the others, seeing their acceptance, and found herself enjoying life with both of them and Anya.
The Belkan and Mid-Childan styles of magic interested Negi, though he stuck with the Latin magic that he was being taught, since Reinforce promised him that she would teach him some spells only after he graduated. Reinforce was busy learning the Latin magic too, and already added a number of spells to her arsenal. She was interested in Earth's style of magic, mainly because it was really different from both Belkan and Mid-Childan, especially since anyone could learn it with enough instruction and training.
Anyway, after the ceremony, Negi and Anya went up to Reinforce and Nekane with Reinforce greeting them, "Negi, Anya, congratulations on graduating."
"Ah, thank you Reinforce." Negi nodded with a smile. Anya nodded thankfully too, but Reinforce didn't miss the eyeing that Anya gave her. She knew that the young girl had a case of breast envy, though that didn't stop her from becoming friends with Reinforce.
Now the four of them were walking down the hallway as Anya found out that she was going to be trained as a fortune teller in London. Reinforce found that interesting, but turned to Negi when it was his turn to show them what he would be doing after Anya asked. The four looked at the paper as it spelled out, 'A Teacher in Japan'.
Nekane and Anya shouted in surprise, while Reinforce found her memories of Hayate and the Wolkenritter going through her mind when she read Japan on the paper. She was a bit lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice Nekane and Anya running off to the Magus for an explanation. Negi was about to after them when he noticed that Reinforce was still in her trance, so he tugged at the sleeve of her clothes to get her attention. "Reinforce, are you okay?"
"Eh?" Snapping out of her reminiscing, Reinforce looked around and found only Negi looking up at her in concern. "Oh, it's nothing Negi, just some memories. Where are Nekane and Anya?"
"They went that way." Negi pointed down the hall and the two went after them to catch up.
When Negi and Reinforce finally caught up to Nekane and Anya, they were already bothering the Magus about Negi's assignment, and as they approached, they managed to hear the Magus say, "If it was written on the diploma, then that is the end of the matter," The elderly man turned to Negi and went on, "You must train hard, in order to become a great mage!"
Nekane took that as the matter being closed for good and fainted from the shock, and it was only a quick intervention by Reinforce that prevented her from hitting the floor. The Magus eyed Negi and said, "Don't worry, the dean of the school that you will be assigned to is a friend of mine, and I'm sure that your partner will be of great help to you, isn't that right Miss Yagami?"
Reinforce looked up at being addressed and nodded. "Of course sir."
The Unison Device took up Hayate's last name as part of the way to blend in with the mage community, and as a way to feel connected to Hayate. She was sure that the Wolkenritter inherited Hayate's family name too when it was needed, so she didn't feel too awkward to using it. Still, the fact that she didn't look remotely Japanese did puzzle some…
As to being referred as Negi's partner, it was something that Reinforce accidentally slipped during one of her visits to the Academy. Soon it spread that everyone assumed that Reinforce was going to be Negi's Ministra Magi the moment he graduated. Since Reinforce knew what being a Ministra Magi was about, she never said a word more about it, though she never denied it either, causing the rumors to balloon up a little, much to Negi's and Anya's chagrin. Thanks to that, soon everyone assumed that Reinforce was Negi's Pactio partner, which isn't really far from the truth.
Anya looked a bit miffed at Reinforce being referred to as Negi's partner, but she really didn't hold it against the Unison Device since she knew what Reinforce was. Instead she commented, "Well, it's good that Rein's going with Negi, since he can be so hopeless at times.
"Anya!" Negi looked embarrassed at that as both Reinforce and the Magus laughed at that, the former laughing softly.
The old man turned back to Negi and finished, "Just do your best, alright?"
"Yes sir, understood!" Negi replied with enthusiasm. Reinforce watched Negi and all she did was smile as she tried waking Nekane up from her fainting spell.
Around the start of January 2003 in Japan…
On a train heading towards Mahora Academy, Negi and Reinforce were busy taking in all the sights. While Negi wasn't really hiding his excitement, Reinforce managed to keep a calm face as she looked out at the passing scenery. She was just as interested, since she hadn't seen much of Japan when she was the Book of Darkness. The only Japanese experience she had was Uminari City, and as she spent most of her time as a book, it was quite limited.
"Wow, Japan sure is crowded, and there are so many women!" Negi observed.
"This train is heading towards an all-girls portion of Mahora Academy, Negi. Most of them are students." Reinforce told him.
"That's true…" Negi said sheepishly as he scratched his head. Suddenly the train rocked a bit, getting Negi off balance and sending him crashing into Reinforce, headfirst against her chest, with a student crashing against his backside.
The student apologized for the sudden push, while Reinforce gently pushed Negi off of her. "Everything alright?"
"Y-yes, just surprised that's all." Negi stood up straight, a bit pink in the face from embarrassment. The two didn't pay attention to the girls talking about the two and Negi only partially noticed the smiles some of the girls were giving him.
Reinforce raised an eyebrow at the looks the girls were giving Negi as a few went over and started asking him a few questions. Negi was flustered at the sudden attention that he accidentally tickled his nose, starting a sneezing reaction. Noticing the first sign, Reinforce quickly moved to pinch Negi's nose, just as he was about to sneeze.
Muttering a quiet spell to stop Negi from sneezing, the girls were puzzled by Reinforce's sudden gesture as she removed her hand. Negi sniffed and his nose twitched a bit. "Thanks Reinforce."
"No problem Negi." The Unison Device was glad that she stopped what she dubbed Negi's 'Stripping Sneeze'. The first time she experienced it, she was stripped naked along with Nekane and Anya, and it was Reinforce's first real experience with embarrassment. After that, she swore to herself to stop Negi from sneezing until he managed to gain control over that aspect of his magic. She shook her head as the girls wondered what Reinforce's connection to Negi is, blushing at some of the suggestions that she was his mother, despite the two not looking alike at all.
That's when the train reached its destination, and the girls started pouring out, much to Negi's and Reinforce's surprise. The two managed to get out of the station, only to be greeted to a sight of what one would describe as a human equivalent to rush hour. As Negi looked at all the people, Reinforce frowned as she had this weird sensation going through her and she knew what it was; magic, though it was faint.
"Wah, we'll be late too!" Negi's voice snapped Reinforce back to reality as she looked at him. "We can't be late on the first day! Let's go Reinforce!"
Using his magic to start running, Negi got a head start, making Reinforce use some of her own magic to catch up. As she ran to catch up to Negi, she tried again to get a grasp of the magic sense she felt earlier, and almost had it when she caught up to Negi, and saw that he was running alongside two students, who we know as Asuna Kagurazaka and Konoka Konoe. That's when she heard him say to Asuna, "Excuse me, your love will be unrequited."
Reinforce would've slapped her forehead if she wasn't running. She couldn't help but wonder why Negi would say something like that to a total stranger, even if she was a student.
The four eventually stopped in the middle of the rush, near the entrance to the main building, with Reinforce staying the background to observe. Neither Asuna nor Konoka even noticed her presence yet as Asuna shouted out, "What did you say, you brat?-!"
From the conversation, Reinforce heard that Negi thought that the two were talking about fortunes, with Asuna saying that she didn't want one in the first place. Konoka commented that he was cute and Asuna shouted that she hated kids, making Reinforce muse, 'Weird, that's the last thing I expect a teen to say…'
When Asuna was about to grab Negi's head, that's when Reinforce acted, and she grabbed Asuna's wrist from behind as she said, "Please don't harm him miss."
Both Asuna and Konoka jumped a bit in surprise, finally noticing Reinforce standing with them. Negi sighed a breath or relief seeing Reinforce come to his rescue. "Ah, thank you Reinforce."
Nodding, Reinforce let go of Asuna as she and Konoka looked at the Unison Device. Her silver hair and red eyes were definitely an eye catcher and that made them wonder about her, but a particular thought of Asuna's was, 'Reinforce? What kind of name is that?'
That's when a voice called out, "Hey Negi-kun, Rein-kun, long time no see!"
"Hmm?" Everyone turned to see Takamichi Takahata at the entrance, walking down the steps with a wave.
Asuna got all flustered seeing her crush as she and Konoka gave a morning greeting, while Reinforce just smiled and waved back. Negi however was more enthusiastic in his greeting. "Ah, long time, no see Takamichi!"
Asuna was obviously surprised at how Negi acted towards Takamichi as the older man walked towards them. "Welcome to Mahora Academy you two! Nice place, right Negi-sensei, Rein-kun?"
"Eh? Sensei?" Konoka looked surprised to hear Negi being addressed that way as the boy mage turned to Takamichi. "It's not just me, Reinforce is going to be helping me too."
Takamichi nodded, as if he just remembered that little fact as Negi turned to Asuna and Konoka for an introduction. "My name is Negi Springfield, and I will be teaching English at this school," Then he held a hand out to Reinforce. "And this is Reinforce Yagami; she will be assisting me during classes."
As Reinforce bowed too, Asuna looked shocked as she pointed a finger to Negi (she would've grabbed Negi, but remembered Reinforce's presence). "W-wait a minute here, you're a teacher?-! Her I would understand," Her finger shifted towards Reinforce for a second before turning back to Negi. "But a brat like you?-!"
"Don't worry about that, Negi's actually quite smart," Takamichi informed Asuna, "And Rein-kun is just as good. Anyway, from today onwards, these two will be taking Class A instead of me."
Konoka had a mildly surprised look on her face, while Asuna, she just plain overreacted. Reinforce couldn't help but find Asuna's reactions to be amusing, though she couldn't help but frown when Asuna shouted again that she hated kids and called Negi a little flea, 'Her temper reminds me of Iron Knight Vita…'
Busy in her thoughts, Reinforce noticed too late that Negi was about to sneeze, and a stripping sneeze later, Asuna was in her underwear, her clothes surrounding her. Everyone looked away in embarrassment as Reinforce face-palmed. 'First thing to do, find a way to remove the magic from Negi's sneezes…'
In the Dean's office, Konoemon Konoe greeted Negi, Reinforce, Asuna, and Konoka, with Takamichi leaving after escorting them. "Ah, Negi-kun, Reinforce-san, welcome to Mahora Academy."
"Thank you very much." Both Negi and Reinforce bowed in return to Konoemon, though Reinforce did notice the old man 'eyeing' her for a moment.
Rolling her eyes inwardly, Reinforce tried not to think about it as Asuna, who was in a gym uniform by the way, went up and demanded, "Dean, what's going on here?-! Is this kid really going to be a teacher?-!"
"Ah, if it isn't Asuna-chan." Konoemon looked between her and Konoka before he went on, "I see that you already heard the news. Yes, it's true, he's one of our new teachers, along with Rei-, ahem, Yagami-sensei."
Asuna and Konoka looked at the two in question and while Asuna can understand Reinforce being a teacher, having Negi as a teacher too was just too ridiculous to fathom. Meanwhile, Negi just bowed formally while Reinforce wondered what Asuna's deal was.
"Now Negi-kun, I'm sure that Reinforce-san will help you as much as you can, but this job will probably be very difficult," Konoemon addressed Negi, "If it's too hard for you, both you and Reinforce-san will have to return home, and there are no second chances. Are you prepared to accept that?"
"Y-yes! I'll do it!" Negi nodded with confidence while bowing politely. Reinforce just gave a nod in agreement, though a part of her worried about the job to come.
Konoemon smiled at Negi's enthusiasm when he suddenly said, "By the way Negi-kun, do you have a girlfriend yet? What do you think of Konoka? She's my granddaughter."
Before either Negi or Reinforce knew it, Konoka was right beside Konoemon and bopped him on the head with a mallet while saying with a sheepish grin, "Oh Grandpa!"
'Where on earth did that mallet come from?' Reinforce raised an eyebrow at the scene, shaking her head.
A cough later, Konoemon went back to business, and introduced the guidance councilor, Shizuna Minamoto. After greeting Negi, she turned to Reinforce and held her hand out, "And it's a pleasure to meet you too, Reinforce Yagami."
"Thank you very much Minamoto-sensei." Reinforce shook Shizuna's hand, and felt a familiarity with Shizuna that Reinforce couldn't quite place yet.
"Please, call me Shizuna."
"Then you can call me Reinforce, or Rein if you want to."
That's when Konoemon suddenly spoke up, "By the way Konoka, Asuna-chan, can Negi-kun and Reinforce-san stay in your room for a while? We haven't decided where the two are going to stay yet, and the teacher's dorms are all full."
There was a moment of silence, though Reinforce saw that Konoka agreed to it in an instant, flashing a smile at Reinforce. For some reason, Konoka reminded her of Hayate for some reason, though she couldn't figure out why. The silence was broken when Asuna demanded, "What?-! For how long Dean Konoe?-!"
Before Konoemon could reply, Konoka put her hand on Negi's shoulder and managed to get between him and Reinforce. "Come on, don't you feel sorry for these two Asuna?"
"I told you, I hate kids!" Asuna shouted, though she then grumbled, "Yagami-sensei I can deal with, but the brat…"
Watching the whole deal, Reinforce couldn't help but sigh while thinking, 'I have a feeling this isn't the end of things…'
On their way to class, Reinforce, Konoka, and Shizuna looked at the tension that seemed to be in between Negi and Asuna, though it was coming more from Asuna's side. It soon snapped when Asuna told Negi to sleep outside or something before running off with Konoka. That comment made Reinforce narrow her eyes as Negi asked, "What's wrong with her?"
"Uhuhu…that girl is always rowdy, but she's a really nice person." Shizuna replied.
Hearing hat made Reinforce raise an eyebrow as she turned to Shizuna. "That's a bit hard to believe…"
Negi couldn't help but agree with her mentally as Shizuna gave Negi the class roster. "Will you two be okay as teacher and assistant?"
"Ah…uh, I-I'm a bit nervous…" Negi looked up to Reinforce, who gave him a reassuring hug around the shoulders. "Don't worry Negi, I feel a bit nervous too."
That seemed to calm Negi down as the three stopped in front of 2-A's classroom door with Shizuna informing them, "Here we are, this is your homeroom class you two."
The two took a peak inside to see 2-A alive with activity. Reinforce gently took the roster from Negi and opened it up to see the class list. Lowering it so Negi could take a look, he couldn't help but comment, "Ah, t-there's so many…"
There was a note in the corner, which read, 'Good luck to you both Negi, Reinforce. Takahata T. Takamichi'. Reinforce smiled at it as Shizuna said, "Try to remember everyone's name and face quickly, okay you two?"
Negi's nervousness came back as Reinforce started studying each of the names and faces. Seeing Negi start to shake, Reinforce tapped Negi on the shoulder, and when he looked at her, she gave him a warm, confident smile that quickly gave the boy confidence.
Opening the door, Negi walked through, and Reinforce quickly acted to catch the brush that feel down from the top. She sighed again as Negi nodded to her in thanks as he walked in. However, Reinforce noticed the trip wire on the ground and tired to warn Negi, "Wait Ne-!"
It happened so fast that Reinforce was actually shocked at the whole thing, her mouth a bit open in shock. Shizuna winced as some of the students laughed, pleased to see that the trap was sprung, until they took a good look at Negi, which changed their attitudes in a flash.
A number of students rushed forward, concerned about Negi when Reinforce managed to get over her shock and went over to the boy in a concerned manner. Seeing the older woman running over, the students quickly backed away a bit as Reinforce pulled off the arrows and bucket while helping him up. "Negi, are you okay?"
Dusting himself off, Negi coughed once before saying, "I'm alright."
The girls were busy looking at Reinforce, her silvery hair and red eyes already attracting attention from everyone, not to mention that they assumed that she was their new teacher. Shizuna clapped her hands to get their attention and said, "Okay, everyone get to your seats, so the introductions can start!"
As the girls quickly went back to their seats, Shizuna turned to Negi and whispered, "Go ahead Negi-kun."
Getting a bit nervous, all Negi could do was nod as he took his place at the podium as he introduced himself, "Um…M-my name is Negi Springfield. From today onwards, I'll be teaching ma-, uh, I mean, English at this school. I'll only be here for four terms, but it's nice to meet you all."
There was a moment of silence, since the class was surprised that Negi was going to be their teacher, and not Reinforce. Speaking of the Unison Device, she gave a light cough which Negi noticed and he hastily went on, "Oh right, and the person-."
"Kyaa! He's so cute!"
Negi and Reinforce were taken aback by the sudden shout and before either of them knew it, over half the class had gotten out of their seats to take a closer look at the boy mage. Reinforce turned to Shizuna with a look on her face. "Does this happen often?"
"Not really…" Shizuna's response was vague to Reinforce, and it only made her more confused as Chisame Hasegawa went up to them to ask Shizuna if Negi's appointment was for real.
After about a minute of fawning over Negi, Shizuna clapped her hands again to catch everyone's attention. "Okay everyone, I know that you're excited about Negi-kun being your new homeroom teacher, but the introductions are not over yet!"
When Shizuna put a hand on Reinforce's shoulder, everyone's attention was suddenly focused on her, and it made her feel a bit embarrassed, but she pressed on nonetheless. "U-um… My name is Reinforce Yagami, and I will be here as Negi's teacher assistant. I-it's a pleasure to meet you all."
Again, there was a moment of silence which made Reinforce suddenly feel more conscious as they looked at her. True, some of them found her name a bit weird, but that didn't matter as the class surrounded her too, one of them placing Negi right beside her. The questions they bombarded her with actually overwhelmed her until Shizuna broke everything up so class could get started.
When class did start, things started well enough, Negi had the sense to let Reinforce handle all the chalkboard writing while he handled the lectures. There were no interruptions, though Asuna kept looking at Negi with a stare like she was trying to burn a hole in him.
"Um, Kagurazaka-san, right? Is there something wrong? You keep staring at me…" Negi couldn't help but voice his anxiety, and Asuna quickly looked away as a result.
"Don't mind her sensei," Ayaka Yukihiro, the class rep, suddenly spoke up, "It's best not to get too close to that girl…"
Both Negi and Reinforce looked at Ayaka oddly and she couldn't help but go on, "That girl is an idiot, but she's ridiculously strong and violent. She's a bit of a problem child, plus she's a bit of a slut…"
Hearing all of that, Reinforce couldn't help but be reminded of Vita, hearing Ayaka's description of Asuna, minus the idiot and slut comments. Somehow Ayaka and Asuna got into a fight when the bell rang, signaling the end of class. Negi for one couldn't help but feel relieved that it was over for now, while Reinforce just shook her head; this wasn't what she was expecting as a teacher.
At the end of the day, Negi and Reinforce separated, with Negi going on ahead, while Reinforce stayed behind in the staff room to check their admission files, among other things. Looking back on the first day, she felt that it went well, though 2-A had left quite an impression on her due to their enthusiastic greeting. The other classes had their excitement, but none of them rushed them like 2-A did.
'That class is quite different…' Reinforce couldn't help but think as she went through the paperwork in front of her.
"Here by yourself? Where's Negi-kun?"
"I told him to take a walk; he needs a breather after today."
Reinforce looked up to see Takamichi standing above her with a smile on her face, the two being the only ones in the staff room. As she put away the papers, Takamichi commented, "You know, I still have a hard time believing that you're not human, from what you and Negi-kun told me."
Takamichi was told the truth by Negi back in the day, when Reinforce accidentally used Belkan spells against him in a spar by accident, something that he's never seen before. He had a bit of a hard time believing it, and it left him shocked when he witnessed Reinforce Unison with Negi. After that, Takamichi was sworn to keep it a secret, which he willingly went along with.
"Is that so? I know for a fact that my hair color isn't a natural one, and it does make me stand out."
"Well, I'm sure you and Negi-kun are going to be the center of attention for a while here at Mahora. It always happens with the new and especially cute ones."
A light blush appeared on Reinforce's cheeks at Takamichi's words. "I'm sure that Negi's going to be much more of a gossip subject than I am, considering this is an all-girls school."
"Perhaps," Takamichi gave a shrug before going on, "Anyway, care for a short walk? I want to hear what you think of today, and how Negi-kun handled himself."
"…Sure. Just let me clean this up and we'll go." Reinforce quickly sorted the papers before getting up. Takamichi just nodded before the two walked out of the staff room, with Reinforce giving her first impressions about teaching.
"Is 2-A always like that?" Reinforce asked as she and Takamichi walked down the steps in front of the school entrance.
"As far as I can remember," Takamichi replied, "Class A's one of the…more active classes."
"I've noticed." As Takamichi and Reinforce kept on walking, Reinforce suddenly felt a spike in magical energy for just a moment. She looked for the source as she slightly frowned. "Did you feel that?"
"I didn't feel anything," Takamichi was looking over at a clump of trees and bushes off to the side. "But I thought I saw the trees over there rustle for a moment, and there's no wind."
The two went off to investigate, but what they did find had Takamichi blushing in embarrassment, while Reinforce gave a frown at what she was looking at: Asuna wearing nothing but her jacket and Negi on the ground with his staff out. Reinforce had a slight idea what had happened, taking into account Negi's staff, but her thoughts didn't go that far as Asuna's embarrassed scream went out, and Takamichi hastily excused himself with him whispering, "Please take care of this."
All Reinforce did was nod before turning to Negi. "Negi, what happened here?"
As Negi quickly explained the situation, Reinforce managed to get Asuna dressed in a spare uniform Asuna was carrying around. She couldn't help but sigh when Negi mentioned the memory spell, "You know that you haven't been able to cast that spell properly ever since you learned it Negi. Please don't try it again anytime soon."
"W-what? Y-you know about this magic business?-!" Asuna cried out, looking like she was in a bit of a panic.
"B-but I tried to erase Kagurazaka-san's memory, but instead I erased her clothes…" Negi looked sheepish as he scratched his head. "I'm still inexperienced Reinforce…"
"I'd rather have my memory erased!" Asuna moaned, "If you're a mage, brat, I demand that you turn back time right now!"
"That's impossible with current magics Kagurazaka-san." Reinforce simply stated, though Asuna apparently wasn't listening as she cried about what had happened, with Negi trying to apologize.
Reinforce was trying to figure out a way to resolve the situation when Negi suddenly spoke up. "Wait, can you do the memory erasure spell Reinforce? You're much better at magic then I am."
Asuna suddenly looked up as Reinforce thought about it for a moment. "Hmm, I guess I could do it…"
Turning to Asuna, Reinforce looked like she was ready to cast when Asuna asked, "W-wait, I'm not going to get my clothes torn apart again, am I?"
"No Kagurazaka-san, I have better control than Negi here when it comes to casting spells, so I doubt what happened with Negi will happen again, though it's not like you have much to lose this time…" Reinforce closed her eyes and started casting as she held a hand out, and Asuna covered her eyes as she didn't want to look.
A beam of light shot out of Reinforce's hand and shot towards Asuna's head, and Negi had relief written all over his face, thinking that the nightmare he was in was finally over. Too bad for them, the spell was nullified before it could touch Asuna's head, dissipating into nothingness.
There was a moment of silence before Negi asked, "W-what just happened?"
"…For some reason, it didn't work Negi," Reinforce frowned at what just happened, staring at the spot on Asuna's head. "I don't know why either, but it looked like the spell just…dissipated before it could touch Kagurazaka-san."
Asuna opened her eyes when she heard that and couldn't help but sigh, "Great, just when I hoped I would forget this day…" Looking up at the two, she had a miserable look on her face as she asked, "So, the two of you are mages huh? Why the heck are you people all the way out here for, and as teachers no less?"
Negi looked at Reinforce before telling Asuna his story of how he was training to be a mage and whatnot. Meanwhile, Reinforce was trying to figure out why her spell didn't work on Asuna. 'Hmm, if what I'm thinking is correct, it's like she has a natural AMF around her, but how is that even possible?'
When Reinforce looked up, she found Asuna pinning Negi to a tree and she caught their attention. "What are you doing Kagurazaka-san?"
Turning to Reinforce, Asuna was about to say something when she saw the look Reinforce was giving her. It actually scared the girl for a moment before she let go of Negi. "Um, nothing Yagami-sensei, just, uh, getting him to help me fix the misunderstanding with Takahata-sensei, that's all!"
Raising an eyebrow, Reinforce looked at Negi and all he did was nod furiously before Asuna said, "C'mon, I need to head back to class for a moment."
Negi nodded and was about to follow when Reinforce spoke up, "I need to head back to the staff room to pick up my things. I'll meet you later, okay Negi?"
"O-okay Reinforce." Negi was about to leave when Reinforce sent him a telepathic message. 'We'll talk when we're alone okay?'
With Negi leaving after Asuna, Reinforce made her way back to the staff room to pick up her things. 'Whew, this day just keeps getting weirder and weirder, even by magical standards…'
After Reinforce got her things from the staff room, she wondered where to go next when she ran into Shizuna and Takamichi down the hallway. The two of them noticed her first with Takamichi greeting her first, "Hey Rein-kun. Are you heading over to the party also?"
"Party?" Reinforce wondered what Takamichi was talking about. "I haven't heard anything about a party."
"Hmm, they did say that it was a surprise party," Shizuna mused, "Well, 2-A decided to throw a surprise welcoming party for you and Negi-sensei, but I wonder why one of them hasn't tried to find you yet…"
"Maybe it's because they find Rein-kun intimidating?" Takamichi had a grin on his face as he looked at Reinforce, his voice a bit teasing.
Reinforce looked puzzled at that as she looked at Shizuna. "I'm not that intimidating, am I?"
"To be honest," Shizuna started, "One of my first impressions of you was that you had an intimidating look on your face for a second. It kind of worried me for a second…"
Blinking in surprise, Reinforce looked at Shizuna with a raised eyebrow. "I was intimidating?"
"Only for a second," Shizuna assured her, "Maybe it was because you were concerned for Negi-sensei?"
"Ah, that would explain it," Takamichi added in, "Rein-kun here is very protective of Negi-kun. She's been that way for as long as I can remember after I first met them."
Reinforce just blushed lightly as she walked with Shizuna and Takamichi. She couldn't help but be reminded of Shamal when she talked with Shizuna; the two did have a few similarities to each other after all, like that nurse-ish aura both of them had. As for Takamichi, the Unison Device wondered if Takamichi like teasing her from time to time. She wasn't sure how to make of it though, since she doesn't have much experience in these types of things.
Anyway, the three made it to 2-A's classroom, and already the party was hitting off. Takamichi opened the door and most of the girls looked up to see who it was. The moment the girls saw Reinforce, most of them shouted, "Welcome, Reinforce Yagami-sensei!"
Negi, who was already there with Asuna, who was fighting with Ayaka, surrounded by some of the girls, looked and watched as Reinforce was being brought in by the more energetic students, sporting a blush on her face. Even living with the Springfields for four years, suddenly being mobbed by excited schoolgirls was one of those first time experiences for her. He should know; he experienced it when he introduced himself and figured he'd never get used to it.
Reinforce managed to find her way to Negi following Shizuna and Takamichi, passing by a bronze bust of the boy, something that pretty much weirded her out as she looked at it with a glance. 'Where the heck did that come from?'
"Aah Negi-kun, you must be tired from your first day teaching," Takamichi greeted, "Shizuna-sensei and I had to drag Rein-kun here; she would've missed this party waiting for you."
"Eh, really?" Negi looked at Reinforce, who shook her head at what Takamichi said. That's when Asuna suddenly bumped into Negi and dragged him away, which got Reinforce suspicious as she raised an eyebrow.
Suddenly, Asuna started looking between Negi and Reinforce like she was comparing them, and before Reinforce knew it, Asuna grabbed her by the hand and dragged her over to where Negi was. Looking at the boy mage, Negi explained to Reinforce in a whisper, "Sorry, but I told Kagurazaka-san that you were better at it than I am…"
"Better at what?" Reinforce looked between Negi and Asuna with a slight frown. "What's going on?"
"I need the brat here to do a little mind reading," Asuna explained, "But he said that you were better at it than he was, and quite frankly, I think I can trust you more to pull it off."
Negi was giving Reinforce a pleading look, and seeing that made her give in rather quickly. "Alright, what is it?"
"I need you to ask Takahata-sensei what he thinks about me, and use mind reading to see what he thinks," Asuna explained in a whisper, "Oh, and please be discreet about it too."
"Is that it?" Reinforce wondered what the whole deal was, but Negi continued to give her the pleading look and she just nodded. "Okay, I'll see what I can do then."
Asuna and Negi watched as Reinforce went over to where Takamichi and Shizuna were sitting. Asuna couldn't help but mutter, "Hope this works…"
"Don't worry, Reinforce is really good when it comes to this sort of thing." Negi assured her.
All Asuna did was glare at Negi, who just cringed and look away. Meanwhile, Reinforce walked up to Takamichi and he greeted her, "Hey Rein-kun, you enjoying yourself?"
"Yes, everyone's quite enthusiastic at this party," Reinforce nodded as she stopped right by the table. Mentally, she started chanting the spell so she'll be able to read the surface of Takamichi's thoughts. "By the way, I've noticed that Kagurazaka-san acts friendly towards you. Are you two related?"
"No, it's just that I've known her for quite awhile. I was the one who brought her here to the Academy actually. She's an orphan you see."
"I understand," By that time the spell was cast and Reinforce went on to her next question. "So what's your opinion of her, if you know her for so long?"
"Hmm, let's see…she works hard at her part-time job every morning, she's always alert, and she's bright and cheerful. All together, I think she's a nice girl."
Reinforce nodded, though the surface of Takamichi's thoughts told her a different story. That's when he asked, "Why do you ask?"
Back to Negi and Asuna, they stood there watching Takamichi and Reinforce talk, when Negi commented, "Reinforce is really skilled; I still need to make direct contact for my mind reading."
Hearing that made Asuna twitch, while she mentally sighed a breath of relief. 'Thank goodness I sent Yagami-sensei instead of this brat…who knows what would've happened…'
Soon after, Reinforce ended the conversation and went back to Negi and Asuna. As she walked up to them, Asuna looked eager for information. "So, what have you found out?"
"What do you want to know first, what he said or what he thought?" Reinforce asked her as she folded her arms.
"Um…" Asuna thought about it for a bit before she answered, "Give me what he thought first."
Reinforce looked hesitant at that, but eventually she gave her answer. "How do I put this…he was still thinking about what had happened in the bushes earlier…"
Asuna couldn't help but sag hearing that, and Reinforce tried to cheer her up with what Takamichi said about her. "But, he did say that you're a nice girl. I'm sure that that's the truth."
Saying those words didn't help as Asuna ran out of the classroom in disappointment, leading to Negi running after her. All Reinforce did was watch until a certain reporter jumped in front of her. "Hello, my name's Kazumi Asakura, and I just want to ask you a few questions Yagami-sensei!"
"Uh…what?" Taken completely off guard by Kazumi's presence, Reinforce was left speechless, staring at Kazumi.
"Don't worry sensei; this will take only a minute," Kazumi assured her as she held a tape recorder between her and Reinforce. "Now, to start things off, where are you from sensei?"
"Um, I'm from Wales, like Negi is."
"I see. Next, how old are you?"
"…I'm 21 years old…"
"Really? Ahem, next one, is that your natural hair color?"
"…Yes, it is…"
After a five minute interview that felt like hours to Reinforce, Kazumi stopped her tape and nodded in approval. "Thank you very much Yagami-sensei. Once I get one from Negi-sensei, I'll be all set for my next article!"
Watching Kazumi walk away, Reinforce realized that some of the students were missing, and wondered where they went. Only a loud ruckus later, did she find out what had happened, and she couldn't help but shake her head. 'This day is just full of surprises, isn't it?'
After the party, Negi, Reinforce, Asuna, and Konoka were walking together as Reinforce went over the day in her head again. She wasn't listening to Negi and Asuna talk, and she only snapped out of it when Konoka called out to her. "Yagami-sensei? Are you alright?"
"Eh? Ah, yes I'm fine," Reinforce assured her, "I'm just thinking about what happened today."
"Don't worry about the class Yagami-sensei, most of them tend to get excited when something new or exciting pops around the corner. Our class's like that."
"Is that so…?" Reinforce looked at Konoka, and for a moment, felt something from the girl. She blinked and tried to sense what she felt again, but nothing turned up.
"What are you doing? Let's go!" Asuna's shout made both Reinforce and Konoka look around, only to see Negi running up to catch up to them. Unfortunately, he was about to sneeze, and Reinforce wouldn't make it in time so she just braced for the worst. Thankfully for her, she was wearing a long skirt like what Shizuna wears, so it wasn't much of a problem. As for Asuna and Konoka…
"ACHOO!"
"Kyaa!"
"Kyaa! You did it again?-!"
"I-I'm sorry!"
'One of these days Negi, one of these days…'
Notes: Wow, another story idea that pops out of my head. To be honest, this idea started floating around my head around the time Shadow Crystal Mage's Overlords and Overkill story came out, and it buzzed around for a while. Also this will be an attempt to not use any OCs in this story, apart from the mysterious being, who won't even be mentioned for like, 98% of the story. Canon characters from other series however, are possible, so a number of them can pop up in the storyline.
Another thing, is putting a question mark and an exclamation mark together with a dash the only way to properly show it on this site? 'Cause I'm pretty sure this wasn't a problem a while ago.
FATE + WODAN/SANGER = BADASS (sorry, been watching SRW vids on youtube, and I remember one called Mahou Zankantou, with Fate having a Sanger voiceover)
A/N Edit (25/06/2011): Just some minor grammar and structure corrections. Hope it made reading this chapter a bit easier.