note: a pactio between Nodoka and Yue would make an interesting battle partnership, wouldn't they? they sorta compliment each other very well. . .

. . .oh, and i don't own "Mahou Sensei Negima" or any of it's characters. . .

Hmmm...these spells are very difficult but powerful. It's probably a good idea if I memorize them. Yue thought as she sat cross-legged sipping a juice box in a secluded library room in Evangeline's villa. I should be prepared for anything, just in case.

She had been studying her artifact book for the past two hours determined to become stronger. Everyone else was training so hard order to help Negi-sensei in some way, even her shy best friend, Nodoka was pushing herself.

She smiled to herself when she thought of Nodoka.

She was proud of her best friend. Nodoka had been training with magic day in and day out all just to impress Negi-sensei.

Unfortunately, Nodoka wasn't so good with magic.

It broke her heart to see her friend struggling long hours training in magic just to keep from falling behind while everyone else was leveling up.

And while she had a natural talent in magic, the was nothing she could do to improve Nodoka's magical ability.

Sighing, Yue chewed on the straw of her juice box, and went back to studying her book. Ah, a really strong fire spell. It could come in handy but the chant is really long. Is the vulnerability worth the brute force? This spell could pose a risk if I was left unprotected in a battlefield. . .

"Uhh, Yue?"

Her head shot up in surprise with the straw between her teeth and the force of her swing giving her neck a minor whip-lash. She had a chance to see that it was Nodoka before her brain registered the pain.

"Owww," Yue grabbed her neck as she spat out her straw. "Hey, Nodoka, what brings you around here?" She said with a painful smile.

"Yue! I didn't mean to surprise you! I'm so sorry! I should have knocked first." Nodoka ran to her side to see her neck. "Are you alright! Yue is your neck badly injured?" Nodoka's face was flushed with worry as she studied Yue's small hand massage her injury. "Maybe we should take you to Konoka-chan- -"

"No, no, it's all good, Nodoka. I'll manage." She watched Nodoka sit down on her legs near her.

"Okay, Yue, if you say so. But I really am sorry that I caused you trouble." Nodoka glanced down and turned slightly pink. "I was actually looking for you, Yue Yue. I want to ask you something." She nervously played with her fingers.

"Sure Nodoka, what is it?" Yue looked at Nodoka and realized that she was not alone. "Oh, hello Chamo-san. I didn't see you there."

"Oy, shorty nee-san." Chamo popped out from behind Nodoka's head and sat on the floor near the two girls. "That's no problemo. But. . ." the ermine pointed to Nodoka. "the main thing is, honya-chan has something to tell you!"

There was a gleam in Chamo's eye that gave Yue an unpleasant. She glanced at Nodoka who was looking at her but had quickly turned away when she caught her eye."Nodoka, what is it?" She was starting to get worried that something was wrong.

Chamo coughed and Nodoka nodded her head as if agreeing to an unstated agreement. She slowly turned face Yue yet her eyes were still refusing to focus on her face.

"Yue, I was thinking..." Nodoka started off quietly, "I was thinking that, you and I are very good friends and I care for you very much." She began to draw invisible circles on the brown carpet with her finger. "I've been hearing Konoka-chan talking about a pactio with Setsuna-san and I thought..." She trailed off, not being able to finish her sentence.

Yue stared at Nodoka's face, which had gone from light pink to tomato red.

Was Nodoka really asking her this? Was she really thinking that? She could feel her face slowly starting to get warm."Nodoka are you asking me to-"

"Wait! Before you say no, please let me explain!" She saw that Nodoka's eyes had begun to tear up and her chest tigthened with hurt knowing that she was the cause of Nodoka's sadness."I remember Negi-sensei talking about how the bond between a magister magi and a minstra is one of complete trust. Each person trusts the other with their life. Yue," Nodoka's purple-blue eyes glistened as she stared into Yue's eyes, "I trust you with my life and I want to be able to share this bond with you." She paused, thinking hard about her words. "I don't want to be the person who is always protected! I want to be the one who protects!"

Although, Yue was stunned into silence, her mind was racing. Why was Nodoka asking her this all of a sudden? What about the pactio with Negi-sensei? Had she lost all hope for a relationship with him?

Yue tried to catch Nodoka's now evasive gaze, but she couldn't. "Nodoka, why a pactio with me? What about Negi-sensei? Have you given up on becoming his special someone?"

When Nodoka finally looked into Yue's eyes, she was surprised by how determined her gaze was despite being on the verge of crying.

"About Negi-sensei, I haven't stopped loving him," Nodoka said gently, "I have just started to understand that it's impossible for me to protect him with my strength alone. And even if I might not be able to protect sensei. . ." she smiled at Yue, "I could still protect you, Yue."

"Nodoka..." Yue couldn't find the words to describe what she felt as Nodoka's words sank in. She really does care about me that much.

"I want to stay friends with you forever, Yue. Even if everyone ends up going their different ways, even if Negi-sensei also leaves, I want to take the same path as you, Yue Yue." She closed her eyes tightly and balled her fists on her knees. "Yue, I want you to be my magistra magi and I want to be your minstra!"

Yue was speechless. To her it sounded so much like a confession of love, but she knew Nodoka better than that. She would never lie about something as important as this.

It must have been hard for Nodoka to muster up the courage to tell her all this.

Eternal friendship? Could a successful pactio be built on this type of foundation? Negi had always described pactios to being something similar to a lovers' bond. What if our pactio was not a lovers' bond but a friendship bond? Would that, could that be enough for a pactio?

Yue looked at Nodoka. She was avoiding her gaze but Yue could tell that Nodoka was eagerly awaiting an answer. Then she saw Chamo. That little rat had even started drawing the pactio circle already. The nerve he had! But that didn't matter, she had already made up her mind and her decision was. . .

"Yes, Nodoka, I will make a pactio with you." Yue felt her face burning with heat. She had never been this flustered before! Not even in her first kiss with Negi. "I feel the same way about you, Nodoka. I also trust you with my life, and I am happy that you trust me with yours." Yue smiled softly at Nodoka. "I can't possibly explain how I feel right now." She couldn't and that was the honest truth.

Nodoka began to let the tears drop from her eyes. At first, they were few, then more came and suddenly she was down right sobbing. "Oh, Yue! I thought that you would have said no to me! Oh, Yue! Oh, oh! I want to stay this way always!" Nodoka threw herself, crying, at Yue and gave her a bear hug. "Oh, Yue!"

"Ah! Nodoka, you're hurting me!" Even with the painful bear hug that Nodoka was giving her, Yue could feel the complete and utter happiness that came from knowing that someone was willing to go to such lengths for another. She gently put her arms around Nodoka and said in a quiet, barely audible whisper, "I'll be your friend for all of eternity. . . Nodoka."

A few minutes later, both girls were sitting cross-legged in front of each other on the pactio circle drawn into the dark carpet by Chamo. Yue could see that the perverted ermine was excited and perhaps turned on by what was to happen. She took note of this with little interest. What she was focused on was the kiss she was about to have with her best friend. Besides, the rat could dream up of whatever he wanted, didn't mean his wildest dreams would come true.

"Ready, Yue Yue?" Nodoka was red with embarrassment but not as red as Yue would have thought she'd be.

"Yes." Yue said with a quick nod. Then she suddenly thought of a question. Just as Nodoka had started to lean towards her, she half-shouted, "WAIT!"

This made Nodoka jump as if a jolt of electricity zapped through her body. Yue saw Nodoka pull back rapidly, her eyes diverted to the floor and her trembling lower lip betraying her intentions of crying again.

Yue quickly amended the misunderstanding. "No, no, I didn't mean in that way, Nodoka! I still want a pactio with you! I just wanted to know why you wanted me to be the magistra instead of the minstra."

"Oh." Nodoka wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "Okay." She smiled at Yue. "That's very simple, Yue. Your magical power is stronger than mine. The chances of getting an artifact would be higher if you were the magistra." She looked down at the carpet, with a mixture of shyness and humility. "I know if I was the magistra, you wouldn't get any kind of artifact, the power boost wouldn't last long as well either."

"Nodoka!" This time Yue hugged was the one to initiate a hug. "You're strong and courageous in your own way. Don't let anyone tell you differently." She felt Nodoka hugging her back. "It must have taken a lot of courage to ask me for this pactio, more courage than I could ever have."

"Thank you, Yue Yue."

They were both startled by a loud, annoyed cough. "Any day now, ladies. Preferably one that we are still young in," Chamo said, notably irritated.

"Okay!" Both girls said at the same time.

"Ready, Nodoka?" Yue said blushing deeply.

"Yep," Nodoka replied with a wide smile and tears still visible on her cheeks.

"Okaayyyy. . ." Yue hesitated for a long second.

And that's when Chamo lost it.

"Jesus Christ! You guys are worse than Asuna at stalling this thing!" The ermine closed his eyes and puckered his lips. "Just don't think about it and go chu~!"

Yue nodded at Chamo. I have to be brave. Nodoka was brave, so I would have to be as well. Just don't think about it. She closed her eyes and grabbed Nodoka's shoulders, pulling her closer and quickly placed her lips on Nodoka's.

"Finally!" She heard Chamo say. "Pactio~!"

She felt the warm magic in her, swirling around like sweet honey. It made her feel like she was drinking hot chocolate by a toasty fireplace after spending all her time outside on a cold, winter day. She separated her lips from Nodoka's after three gentle seconds and opened her eyes.

They were enveloped in bright light.

It felt just like the pactio with Negi, maybe even softer. It felt so beautiful that she didn't want it to end. Yue saw Nodoka's expression of utter bliss. She smiled at Yue and, Yue in return, smiled back.

After a few moments of that wonderful filling, a card appeared in front of Yue. She reached out for it and took the card out of the air. She saw that it had a picture of Nodoka with the name of the magistra being Yue Ayase.

When the magic was gone, Nodoka saw that Yue was frowning at the pactio card. "Yue? What's wrong? Why are you frowning?"

"It has no artifact." Her voice lacked emotion yet there was pain in her eyes as they began to mist.

"What?" Yue handed the card to Nodoka. "How? I thought. . . I was sure. . ." Nodoka's eyes were quickly filled with tears. "I knew it wouldn't work because of me! I'm always so weak, that I can never do anything right!"

"No, Nodoka, you aren't at fault here. If anyone's to blame, it would be me. The power of a pactio depends on the magister. It didn't give us an artifact because I am not strong enough." She finished and said nothing more.

"Yue. . ." Nodoka hugged Yue tightly. "It doesn't matter if I get an artifact or not! All that does is that we have an unbreakable bond. I don't need some pactio spirits to tell me that you are a strong mage. I already know that." She cried into Yue's shoulder.

Yue finally began to allow her tears stream down her face. "Nodoka!" Yue returned Nodoka's hug. They stayed in that position until a sharp hiss from Chamo broke the sweet moment.

"Geeze, women and drama. It's like the two go hand in hand." The ermine had lit a cigar and was puffing it. "You girls need to look closer at the card." Chamo said as he lifted the pactio card. "It's unbelievable how much you two cry. It's unbelievable and kinda annoying. . ." he muttered. Yue shot him a death glare which made him look nervously away.

She saw Nodoka eagerly snatch the card out of the ermine's paw. She got close to Yue so that the both of them could see it."What, Chamo-san? I don't see anything," she said as her hope noticeably deflated.

Chamo let out a sigh. "On your neck, look here." On the pactio card, he pointed to a thin, elegant silver band barely visible around Nodoka's neck. "For people who look at books all day, you gals aren't that sharp."

"Oh my!" Nodoka gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. "Yue!"

"Nodoka!" Was all Yue could say as she stared at the picture of Nodoka and the silver chain hanging on her neck.

"Diutinus Pugnaculum. I wonder what that means." Nodoka said as she studied the card. "It doesn't look like a fighting weapon. It doesn't even look like a strong artifact." She frowned but it was quickly replaced by a soft smile. "Ah, it doesn't matter what it does, I have an artifact pactio with my best friend until the end of time!" She smiled happily to Yue as she held the card to her lips. Then she looked at Chamo. "Hey Chamo-san?"

He took in a deep inhale of the cigar and slowly let the smoke puff out dramatically through his mouth before he answered. "Yeah?"

With sparkling, joyful eyes, Nodoka asked:

"How do I make a permanent pactio with Yue, Chamo-san?"