Christmas Shopping
A (first) Mahou Sensei Negima oneshot
By Dystant
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Konnichiwa Mina San! Daijobu desu ka?
Ok so this is my first Negima oneshot, and it comes from a weird little idea I had as I was doing my Christmas shopping the other day (online on Amazon) and just couldn't get out of my head. So I decided to put 'Mirror for the Soul' on hold for a week or so (again!) and do some Christmas writing!
Enjoy!
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Disclaimer Sketch
Dystant: Ah! So many Kawaii Junior High School students to write about! Thank you Akamatsu sensei!
Nodoka: Yuuuue! This creepy guy's going to be writing about us. I'm scared.
Yue: Don't worry Nodoka, he's not too bad.
Paru: Yeah, he'll probably only make you deep kiss with Negi sensei… But you want that right?
Nodoka: Deep… Dee… (faints)
Dystant: … um Chachamaru chan? Can you give the disclaimer? I've got a librarian to wake up. C'mon Honya chan! Where's Ako when you need her…
Chachamaru: I'm sorry Dystant sensei. I only take orders from Master.
Dystant: Sheesh! The titans were so much easier to work with! Anyhoo, Akamatsu sensei owns Negima, so please don't sue me!
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"C'mon, 'fess up! We'll dive in together! The maelstrom of love and hate – the tortured triangle of forbidden romance!!"
Albert Chamomile, Negima Volume 10
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And so it begins, as all things must. This story started during the last English lesson before the Christmas break. Asuna has been picked on to read in front of the class again, and again she's showing her wonderful ability at languages. Of course Iincho san is trying to correct her every mistake. And Negi sensei is only just managing to keep the classroom for developing into an impromptu battlefield…
Just like every other lesson then…
Or is it?
There's a girl in the class who's not paying attention to the words being said. Ok so there's more than one girl not paying attention to the words being said, but this girl in particular is, despite her lack of attention to the words being said, is paying attention to the teacher.
'Negi sensei,' she thinks, causing her cheeks to flush a cute shade of pink for a brief moment.
Picking up a pencil, the girl begins to doodle. It's no Paru masterpiece, but what appears is obviously filled with the thoughts and feelings she can't seem to reconcile in her head, or remove from her heart. The thoughts and feelings that make her feel giddy and light headed, whilst and the same time tight chested and lead footed.
You see, this girl has a friend. A best friend. A best friend who's kissed Negi sensei. A best friend that she herself has attempted to set up with Negi sensei. A best friend who she's wished, in the girl's weakest moments, she could replace as a genuine contender for Negi sensei's affections.
'I'm a terrible friend.'
She looked down at the drawing a sighed. There was a drawing that looked like something from a book she knew. It was of two people sharing an intimate kiss. It was a picture of her and Negi sensei sharing an intimate kiss. Oh how she wished for that kiss.
Placing her head in her hands, she was too absorbed in her thoughts to notice the bell indicate the end of the lesson. She also never noticed the girl standing in front, glancing down at her desk.
"Hey Yue, what's this drawing?"
Yue's head shot up faster than sound. In front of her stood the person she would have least wanted to see the picture; Haruna Saotome, aka Paru, the resident Manga artist, and the ultimate curious meddlesome schoolgirl!
"Hey Asuna, does this look like Negi sensei to you?" asked Haruna, snatching up the drawing and turning to face her classmate.
"Hmmm, kinda, but what he doing?" Asuna pondered whilst leaning in for a closer look, "Wait a second, did you draw this Yue? Don't tell me you've got a crush on the brat as well?"
Asuna's voice echoed across the classroom. Suddenly the desk was surrounded by Yue's classmates, all asking questions, all lightly teasing, however Yue hardly noticed. She was more worried about the girl who hadn't joined the circle, standing by her own desk with a shocked expression on her face, her book bag dropped at her feet. Suddenly she stooped down, plucked up her book bag and ran for the door.
"Nodoka!" Yue screamed out, before grabbing her own book bag, forcing her way out the circle and running after her best friend.
'I'm sorry Nodoka,' she mentally apologised as she thundered down the corridors.
'At least I know where she's going to be,' she thought, as she stopped outside the library.
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Yue dejectedly trudged back to the room she shared with Nodoka and Haruna. She had been looking for Nodoka for most of the afternoon, with zero success. She wasn't in any of library's she would usually frequent, nor was she at any of the one person accessible sections of Library Island. She hadn't been at either of the two parfait shops she enjoyed either. In the end she'd given up on places and started with people, visiting various other members of class 3A who she knew to be good friends with Nodoka. She knew her most of Nodoka's friends were, because they were usually her friends too. They usually went everywhere together.
So Yue had been everywhere she could possibly think of looking, asking people to text her if they saw Nodoka, and checking back to their regularly to their room in case she returned. However this was going to be the last time. Now she was just going to wait. It was dark, and coming up to curfew, so Yue was sure she had the best chance here.
'She has to come back to the room at some point, right?' she thought, as she got a carton of Peach juice and Coconut milk from a vending machine in the foyer of the girls' dorm.
Walking into her room, she spotted Haruna hunched over her drawing board, working on her latest manga. Reacting to the sound, Haruna turned around and gave an apologetic 'Hi' accompanied by a weak wave. Haruna had been trying to apologise all afternoon, but Yue wouldn't have any of it.
"Nodoka would have found out eventually," said would say when either Haruna or Asuna (who also felt rather bad about the afternoon) tried to say sorry.
"So I guess you didn't find her then?" asked Haruna whilst scratching the back of her head in the classic embarrassed pose.
"No. I'm worried," replied Yue, walking over to the window and looking out across the Mahora campus. She sighed deeply, earning a concerned look from her usually peppy roommate.
'Oh Nodoka, where have you got to. I just wish you'd let me talk to you?'
The sound of the door opening shook Yue from her thoughts, and caused her too whip round.
"Nodoka!" she shouted, "Nodoka where have you been, I've looked everywhere for you?!"
Nodoka nervously entered only a few steps into the room, never looking directly at either of her two roommates, her heavy blush indicating her embarrassment over something.
"Um… Yue… could I speak to you… in private?" Nodoka asked timidly, whilst giving a small glance in the direction of Haruna. Yue looked over at Haruna who just shrugged off being excluded from the conversation. She might have been overly curious, but she knew when to draw the line. Most of the time anyway. Yue turned back to Nodoka and nodded her acceptance, before following her friend out of the room.
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Nodoka led Yue back to the junior high school library, never turning around, and never uttering a word. Yue always knew Nodoka to be quiet, but this was simply unnerving. Soon Yue found herself outside the large wooden door of the library, which was hastily unlocked by Nodoka, using her personal set of keys. To anyone else the library would have seemed very imposing in the dark, but to two members of the library investigation department, the junior high library would have seemed average at any time of day. What Yue found imposing was the front Nodoka was managing to maintain. Usually she could read her friend easier than any book, but right now she found it impossible to guess what the small librarian was thinking.
"Yue, I was really shocked when I heard what Asuna said this afternoon," Nodoka began, pulling up a chair and straddling it backwards, "and when I saw your face, I knew it was true."
Yue had to give her that. She was never very good at bluffing.
"So I went and walked around the college area of campus to think, because I knew you wouldn't think of looking for me there."
Yue was again impressed at the intellect of her friend, though was slightly worried by it. Usually Nodoka wouldn't even consider going to the college area of campus alone, as she found the college students very intimidating. The fact that she did showed how much the incident affected her.
"For a while I just felt angry, I though 'How could Yue do this? How could she fall in love with Negi sensei when she knows I love Negi sensei?' but then after a while I realised that this was unfair. I never intended to fall in love with Negi sensei, it just happened. I guessed it would probably be the same for you Yue?"
Yue just nodded her head to indicate this was the case, and allowed Nodoka to continue her monologue.
"Then I started to think how you've always supported me, helping me to confess my feelings to Negi sensei, fighting to win me my first kiss, giving me the courage to ask him to go round the mahora festival with me, and I realised how hard it must have been for you to do all this."
Yue could see that this was probably leading to Nodoka beating herself up over being selfish so quickly interrupted.
"You know Nodoka; it's only really been since the first day of the festival that I found I loved Negi sensei. We went around the festival for a while on the first day, with the help of Chao san's time machine watch, and it just suddenly struck me. I couldn't deny the feelings any longer. The feelings of love for Negi and the feelings of betrayal of my best friend."
Yue stopped for a second and wiped away the tears developing in her eyes. She sensed Nodoka coming closer, and continued.
"It was after this that I decided I had to keep my feelings hidden. That I had to keep my feelings inside. That I couldn't betray my best friend any further. It's just, I couldn't just forget. I'd blush whenever Negi sensei looked my way. I'd find myself writing poems, making Negi sensei shaped cookies in home economics lessons, and drawing pictures which if anyone found would blow the whole thing wide open."
Yue had to stop again to control the emotion pouring out of her soul. She then realised that she was wrapped in fierce hug.
"What are we going to do Yue?" questioned Nodoka lightly from next to Yue's ear, "I love Negi sensei, but I also love you Yue. You've been my best friend since I came to Mahora. I couldn't imagine a life without you in it!"
Yue looked back and noticed the tears in Nodoka's eyes, her face a mirror image of the emotions she felt.
"I love you too Nodoka, and I'll always be cheering you on! You mustn't give up on Negi sensei because of my selfishness!"
"But I don't want Negi sensei if it hurts my best friend. I'd feel awful!" declared Nodoka tears beginning to roll down her cheeks.
"I can't allow you to through away your happiness because of me!" Yue stated back, turning around to look Nodoka in the eyes.
"Well then, I suppose there's only one thing we can do," said Nodoka, before leaning forward…
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'Knock Knock'
"It's unlocked!" shouted Konoka from the kitchen.
"Please pardon the intrusion!" called out Yue and Nodoka as they made their way into the room of Konoka, Asuna, and Negi.
"Konoka san, is Negi sensei here?" asked Yue.
"Hai! He's just making a list of what he needs to buy when he goes Christmas shopping today."
"Ah! That's good because we were just about to ask if Negi sensei would like to go Christmas shopping with us today."
"That sounds great!" called out Negi from his private area above the girls' closet, "I was planning to buy books for the whole class, to help with their vocabulary, and of course Nodoka san and Yue san would know all the best book shops."
"Uhuh! Just leave it to us Negi sensei!" called out Yue.
"Oh! But I wanted to take Negi Christmas shopping," stated Konoka, emerging from the kitchen carrying a pot of tea, a disappointed look spread across her face.
"Ah b-but Konoka san, we just saw Setsuna san, a-and she said she wanted to take you Christmas shopping today," relayed Nodoka, conveniently forgetting to mention the fact that it had been herself and Yue that had given the idea to Setsuna in the first place.
"Secchan said she wanted to take me out? Really?" questioned Konoka, her eyes lighting up, to which Nodoka replied with a curt nod.
"Oh! I better get ready!" Konoka exclaimed excitedly, running to the closet and rummaging through her clothes to find the perfect outfit whilst grinning from ear to ear.
Negi sensei hopped down from above, landing neatly in front of Yue and Nodoka.
"Yue san, Nodoka san, I'm ready if you are?"
"W-We're ready Negi sensei!"
"Let's go shopping."
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"Wow, Yue san, I never knew there were so many bookshops!" said a rather weighted down Negi. After buying about two thirds of the class a book, he'd had to fly all the way back to the dorm to drop of his bags because he was in danger of falling over. However, he had now finished shopping for the last third of the class, and even though he was heavily weighted down, he was managing ok, though that was with a little help from his magic.
Nodoka joined Negi and Yue outside the last bookshop. They'd been waiting because Nodoka had spotted something for both of them inside and didn't wish for them to see what it was. She'd even got the shop assistant to wrap the books up for her.
"Hey, Nodoka san, Yue san, how about I treat you both to something as a thank you for helping me today?" asked Negi.
Yue cut off Nodoka's automatic polite refusal with, "a parfait would be really nice about now," and a wink at Nodoka, which caused her to blush. Negi noted the strange behaviour but made nothing of it.
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"Two strawberry parfaits," said the waitress, placing them in front of the two girls. Negi watched them dig in with a smile on his face.
"You know, it's nice to see you both in a good mood today," he said, "I mean, Nodoka looked upset when she ran out of class yesterday, and Yue looked upset whilst she was searching for you all afternoon, but today you both seem in such good spirits."
"About that N-Negi sensei," began Nodoka, before glancing at Yue.
"You see Negi sensei, what would you do if you fell in love with someone your best friend was already in love with?" asked Yue.
"Eh?"
"Well, you know that I-I love you sensei," stated Nodoka.
"W-Well yes," confirmed Negi.
"I love you too Negi sensei," declared Yue.
"EEEEEHHH!!" shouted Negi, drawing looks from the rest of the Parfait shop's clientele.
"And yesterday I kind of found out about it," said Nodoka.
"But we talked it through and came to a solution," finished Yue, to which Nodoka nodded her concurrence.
"A solution?" questioned Negi, wondering why he'd let Chamo kun go off with Chachazero san today…
"B-Because we both love you Negi sensei," Nodoka affirmed.
"And we both love each other," said Yue, reaching for Nodoka's hand across the table
Both girls leaned in towards Negi's face and…
'Kiss!'
"So we're both going to start fighting for Negi sensei together!" they declared in unison, to a blushing Negi.
"D-Don't worry Negi sensei, it's not like we want to force an answer from you, but your going to have to start looking at us together, because neither of us want to lose you, and neither of us wants to lose each other," explained Nodoka.
"But in a couple of years time, you'll realise this is quite the Christmas present!" said Yue, bringing a confused expression to Negi's face and a giggle from Nodoka.
"Merry Christmas Negi sensei, I hope we can have just as much fun together next year as we did this!" said Nodoka wrapping Negi in a hug which was joined by Yue.
"Merry Christmas Nodoka san, Yue san," said a thoroughly confused Negi.
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Later that evening…
"They said what!" shouted Albert Chamomile as Negi recounted his day. The small ermine then pulled out a cigarette from his seemingly magic stash and pondered.
"Oh, this is going to make next year veeeery interesting."
Dirty old man mode – FULL THROTTLE!
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Dystant: So that's my first Negima fanfiction, what did you think of it?
Nodoka: Me a-a-a-and Y-Yue! In th-that kind of relationship with Negi sensei! Oh my!
Konoka: Oh! I wanted to hear about mine and Secchan's date!
Setsuna: B-But Ojousama!
Konaka: Ah! What did I say Secchan!
Setsuna: I mean Kono chan! It's just Christmas shopping! I-it's hardly a d-date!
Konoka: If you say so, Secchan! (winks)
Dystant: (Ahem), if you guys have finished flirting… maybe you can finish off together!
Setsuna + Konoka: Please send Dystant your reviews! Then perhaps next time he can write a konosetsu fic!
…
Setsuna: Hey! Wait a minute!
(End)