Disclaimer: I do not own Negima. That is Ken Akamatsu's brain child. The only thing I own are my ideas, so please don't sue. Likewise, I don't own Connor Gavet as he is the creation of XSerac. And finally, I don't own the song that is used in this fic either. There we go. All bases covered.

Author's Notes: Welcome one and all to Midnight's Workshop! An idea that has been a few months in the making and unlike my Negima: Reset concept actually managed to get off the ground! Anyways, you ever get those ideas for oneshots and leave them in your head? And then you keep getting them? Well, that's the main reason that Midnight's Workshop was born. A place for Midnight's oneshots to have life. Plus I feel like it will give me a chance to experiment with using different characters, genres, and the like. That's where you, the reader come in. Have something that you'd like to see me try? Let me know in an e-mail, review, or whatnot and if the idea interests me, it's a safe bet to say that I'll run with it. Nothing really off limits, so let your imaginations run wild. At the start of each chapter in the Author's Notes, I'll give the info on the chapter, that way you know what exactly the story is about. Case in point, the following story is one that I was going to dolast year, but ran short on time. Being a St. Patrick's Day story, it goes without saying that it was kind of time sensitive, and unfortunately, I ran out of time. But alas, the second time is the charm and here it is, bigger and better than ever. Happy St. Patrick's Day and enjoy the read. Last but definately not least though, I want to offer up a special thanks to my buddy XSerac for Darkside, as the concept I'm doing here with Workshop is admittedly similar. Hope it's not seen as a rip off, but if it is, sorry. Enjoy the show!

Story Statistics:

Main Characters: Negi Springfield, Clyde Metro, Sports Girls

Supporting Characters: Kotaro Inugami, Connor Gavet (Happy early birthday Serac!), Cheerleaders

Story Length: No parameters set.

Genres: Humor/Parody

Extra Additions/Restrictions: None

Midnight's Workshop

Chapter 1-St. Patrick's Day Paranoia

The sun is shining brightly across Mahora City as a clock announces to the school that it is high noon. This means several things of course, but most importantly for the students, it means lunch time. The day being so nice, most of the students are outside enjoying their meals. Nothing out of the ordinary...well, save for the pair of boys sitting down to dine at the all girl academy.

"Ah yeah! The best time of the day, right Negi?" The first boy asks. A teenager with neck long sand blonde hair, sharp blue eyes, and a school uniform consisting of black slacks, suspenders, white shirt, and black tie. He waves and chuckles to a pair of girls who walk by and wink.

"Well, lunch time is always a good time, Clyde...um, do you mind?"

The second chap, our 10 year old protagonist Negi Springfield, watches on in shock as the other boy has started to eat off of his tray.

"Hey, I'm a growing boy too, Negi." Clyde tries to defend himself in between shoveling food in his mouth. "Besides, some people don't receive as big of a stipend from Meldiana as others..."

"Maybe you could get a job?"

The duo looks up from the tray to see a trio of girls with trays sitting down in front of them. A happy looking brown haired girl, a serious looking black haired girl, the seriousness amplified by the sword carried by her side, and the source of the work comment, an orange haired blue/green eyed lass with bell decorations in her twin ponytails.

"Oh! Hello girls!" Negi cheerfully replies to the trio as Konoka hands a meat bun over to the blonde, who quickly devours it.

"Wow! You must be really hungry, Clyde-kun!"

"Oh, you are a saint, Konoka!" Clyde grins and flashes the girl a thumbs up. "I owe you one, that's for sure."

"You're ducking my question." Asuna coolly replies in between bites. "Why don't you get a job to support yourself like some of us have to?"

"Mana was talking about the shrine possibly needing some help." Setsuna chips in as she sips her tea. "Maybe if you tone it down..."

"Tone it down?" A half shocked Clyde nearly falls off the table at the comment. "Aw, now, you guys don't think I could get that job like I am now?"

The older boy scans the table, nervous chuckles and head shaking being the norm. Negi finally speaks up, trying to reach out to the shocked mage.

"Well, you do have a tendency to come out a little...er, uncouth..." Negi chuckles and takes a bite of what's left of his meal. "Er, no offense or anything of course."

"Hah! I could get that job, no problem! I'll show you guys!" Clyde stands up from the table and raises his fist in the air, confidence coming off of him in waves. "I hereby say that I, Clyde Metro, am cool and composed enough to hold down any job!"

Clyde laughs loudly as everyone eating outside stares at him, unsure of what to make of the spectacle. A few tables away, another trio of girls watches on with similar confusion.

"Oh, my...Clyde-kun is certainly high spirited today." Chizuru Naba notes, watching herroommate with a smirk on her face.

"Do you think he's gotten heatstroke maybe?" Natsumi Murakami wonders, a look of mixed confusion and concern etched on her face.

"Either that or sitting next to monkey girl has driven him insane." Ayaka Yukihiro grimaces as she watches the boy march from the dining area. "Oh well, at least him and Negi-sensei have become quick friends."

Back at the small sensei's table, the quartet look at each other, looks of confusion still on all of their faces.

"What a baka. He's doomed." Asuna shakes her head, clearly not expecting the interview process for the boy to go smoothly.

"I tried to help him. I really did." Setsuna resumes eating, a slight regret of bringing the idea up still echoing in the back of her head.

"Maybe it won't be as bad as we think." Negi muses as he finishes what little Clyde left of his lunch before lowering his voice. "He is a fellow mage after all. Surely he could offer some help."

"Yeah! We just need to think positive!" Konoka chips in as she pats Setsuna on the back, making the raven haired girl blush. "Way to help him out, Set-chan."

"No trouble at all, Ojou-sama." Setsuna manages to stammer out. "I just hope that Mana is in a really good mood..."

Negi at this point has finished his lunch and is looking over some paperwork, sighing sadly as he writes a number on top of one of the sheets.

"What's wrong, Negi?" Asuna's concern vanishes as she notices the number on the sheet and the name. "Three? Oh come on! I got most of the words right, so how the hell is a three fair?"

"Well, um, you see Asuna..." Negi chuckles nervously as Asuna grabs the red pen out of his hand.

"Yeah, right here! I missed one word! So why do I get the whole question wrong over one word?"

"Quizzes are a hit and miss! If a bit is wrong it's all wrong, especially in a language class where there isn't really any way to show your work like a math problem. I'm sorry Asuna, I really know you tried, but..."

"Yeah! You're definitely going to be seeing me try something else here in a minute!" The belled girl growls. "And there isn't going to be any "missing," that's for sure!"

"Should've known this would happen sooner or later." Konoka shakes her head as she takes a gulp from her soda can. "It's been a day or so since they last got into it."

"One day, two hours, forty-two minutes, and eight seconds..." Setsuna looks over to Konoka, a mixture of amazement and confusion painted on her face. "When you are in my line of business, you tend to keep a sharp eye on time."

"That is so cool, Set-chan!" Konoka glances away from her childhood friend, now noticing Asuna chasing Negi around their table and chuckling at the spectacle. "They really are like brother and sister, aren't they?"

Negi hums to himself as he grades papers, having migrated from the hustle and bustle of the outdoor cafeteria to the plaza in front of the school. Thanks to some timely interference from the class rep, Negi was able to sneak away from his angry roommate and get some of his grading done in the past couple hours. The young teacher sighs in relief as he takes his red pen to another sheet, still unable to shake the feeling of dread he is feeling towards his frustrated roommate at the time.

"Hopefully, Asuna calms down before I see her again. I didn't mean to make her upset, but she needs to learn..."

Negi looks up as he hears a boy moaning softly. Sure enough, just a few yards away, he notices Clyde staggering towards him holding his forehead in pain. Just as confusing for Negi is the fact that a certain ermine is riding shotgun on the boy's left shoulder. Clyde sits down on the bench next to Negi and sighs loudly, moving his hand to allow Negi to see the large welt in the middle of his forehead.

"So it could have went better, I take it?" Negi asks as Clyde slowly nods his head. "So, um...what exactly happened?"

"...I'd rather not say." Clyde grimaces as Negi puts a dim glowing finger to his forehead, making the welt disappear after a few seconds. "Thanks, buddy."

"I'll tell you what happened!" Chamo hops from Clyde's shoulder onto Negi's before whispering into the young teacher's ear. Negi's eyes grow as large as saucers as Chamo proceeds with his account.

"You asked her THAT?" Negi shakes his head in disappointment as Clyde sweat drops.

"It was supposed to be a joke! And besides, Chamo is the one that told me to use it!"

It is now the ermine's turn to sweat drop as Negi figuratively burns a hole through him with his stern gaze.

"Well, um, I figured that would be a good way to lighten the mood and help Clyde get into a better position for his interview...way to get me busted, Clyde. Appreciate that. You asked me to go along for moral support and everything..."

Clyde mutters under his breath at the last bit. "The position it got me in was shot with a rubber bullet." The look of frustration quickly disappears behind a smile, much to the young wizard's confusion. "Though on the way back, Chamo and I did think up a good way to get some money. You want to help us?"

"Um...this isn't going to be humiliating, is it?" Negi fearfully asks as Chamo and Clyde exchange amused looks.

"Nah! Not at all, Aniki!" Chamo gives the young boy that all-too-familiar smile, the one that is a dead giveaway that the words being spoken may not be the full truth. "What's today?"

"March 17. So?"

"What holiday is celebrated on March 17, particularly in our little corner of the world?"

"St. Patrick's Day...you two aren't going to try to pinch me, are you?" Negi replies with a smirk on his face.

"Nope." Clyde grins broadly as he wraps an arm around Negi's shoulder. "We got something better. A little performance, if you will."

The blonde boy leans in and whispers the idea to Negi. The boy's face runs a full gamut of emotions, from amusement, to shock, to horror, to frustrated refusal.

"Nobody would want to see that!" Negi backs away from the grinning teen. "And not to mention, it's embarrassing! We'd look like fools!"

"No you wouldn't, Aniki!" Chamo pipes in, hoping to keep the plan intact. A plan that the ermine hoped would be profitable or amusing, preferably both. "I think it would go over really well. The girls would just eat it up!"

"I even took the liberty of rounding up some help for us." Clyde beams as he takes the paperwork from Negi's hands, promptly tossing it into the boy's briefcase and slamming it shut. "Grading homework on a Monday...geez, you really do need this just for something to do. That's what you got all week to do! Get you out of your little rut. All work and no play isn't good for your health."

"Yeah, but a song and dance? This particular song and dance?" Negi shakes his head before continuing. "Besides, it isn't even an Irish song! That group is just as English as you and I!"

"Well, yeah...but it sounds Irish." Clyde smiles at his excuse. "You're a teacher, Negi. Think of this as a learning experience for your students, not as a ploy for money or attention. You'd be bringing a whole new culture to Mahora! Hell, you'd be a hero!"

"Maybe you're laying it on a little thick there, Clyde." Chamo protests, the blonde too caught up in his explanations to notice. "Oh well. Maybe it'll work. Negi's a good guy, but he can be a little gullible." The ermine pauses his thought process long enough to let out a snicker while rubbing his paws together. "And that is very good for this little ermine. Very good indeed."

"So come on. You're in, right Negi?"

"Do you even know the meaning of these lyrics?" Negi tries to talk his way out again. "You'll get us both in trouble with this! Plus the band is named after a drug!"

"Settle down, Negi. It's all in fun! Nobody will take the lyrics seriously! Not many people will be able to understand English well enough to know what they mean anyways! Let's do this, buddy."

"I've got to agree with the kid here, Metro. This is stupider than hell."

His face brightening, Clyde turns his attention towards a very sleepy looking youth walking towards them. A few years older than Clyde, his brown hair is mussed and his five o'clock shadow adds to the look on his face that makes it fairly obvious that the boy hasn't had that much sleep. The young man's identity? None other than the self-proclaimed badass of Mahora, Connor Gavet.

"Hey, Connor! Glad to see you made it!"

"For your sake, this had better be good." Connor replies, making Clyde actually gulp a little bit in response. "So what exactly are we doing? And why couldn't it have waited until after I shaved?"

"You're going to need that rugged look, Connor!" Clyde grins, not making the scowl on the older teen's face disappear. "Besides, we're going to be raking in the dough!"

"Yeah, you keep blabbing about money…but what if I don't care?" Connor coolly asks before continuing. "Money isn't exactly an issue to me."

"Aw, it will be fun! Besides, remember the little idea I had? You know, about taking Kazumi bowling with me and the gang tonight? That way you and Ku Fei can do whatever it is you're intending to do?"

"A gang?" Connor scratches his stubble in response. "How a guy like you has any friends is beyond me. But fine. What the hell are we doing?"

"Well, I'm not sure that you're going to like it…" Negi starts off. "Truth be told, I don't really like it either."

"Don't be a spoilsport, Negi!" Clyde laughs as he puts the boy in a loose headlock. "Like I said, it will be profitable…and fun…and profitable!"

Before Negi can reply to his blonde cohort, the boys turn as they hear a cheery voice shout out to them.

"Hi guys! We're here!"

Clyde smiles as he watches the trio of cheerleaders approach them, Sakurako waving a large duffel bag at the boys as they close in.

"We got the stuff you wanted!" Sakurako happily chirps, handing the bag over to Clyde. The boy looks in the bag, the smile on his face growing larger by the second.

"Yeah, this will work nicely. Thanks for tracking her down for me."

"No problem!" Madoka replies. "Natsumi said she didn't have a problem with loaning you three those costumes."

"Costumes?" The look of worry on Negi's face grows, aware of what exactly the costumes probably are. "You can't be serious. You didn't say anything about costumes!"

"I was afraid you'd say something like that." Clyde shakes his head as he strokes his chin. "That's why we have a wardrobe department though. Girls?"

"You can count on us!" Misa grins as she and the other two girls grab Negi and quickly drag him off behind a nearby tree. The older boy chuckles and sits next to Chamo on the bench, eager to see if they could actually pull the look off. Connor for his part alternates his gaze between the chuckling Clyde and the yelps that Negi is letting out as the cheerleaders play dress-up.

"Girls, you really don't need to do this! I can dress myself!"

"Nuh-uh, Negi-kun! You're not weaseling out on us!"

"I like what we have so far. Maybe I should shoot it past my boyfriend?"

"He'd look cute in this Misa, but not as cute as Negi-kun here!"

"So how do you think Clyde-kun will look in this?"

"Geez, he can hear you, Sakurako!"

"What? I'm just curious! Besides, I saw you two drooling over Connor-sensei!"

Connor and Clyde for their parts just look at each other with confused looks, both sweat dropping. Connor thinks of biting the bullet and running in to save Negi, but decides against it, figuring that the cheerleaders would probably turn their attention to him if he interferes.

"All done!"

And as quickly as the boy was pulled behind the tree, he is booted out from behind it. The pair on the bench look over the costume in silence. "Cobbler shoes? Check. Overalls with legs rolled up slightly? Check. Sleeveless shirt? Check. Neckerchief...whoops."

"Ah well. It's close enough." Clyde chuckles as the embarrassed sensei blushes, his face almost as red as the hair on his head. Connor meanwhile just stares on in disbelief, having enough pride to not want to do this…which you probably wouldn't need much pride for in the first place, but that isn't the point.

"No way. You are off your rocker Clyde!" The older teen replies through clinched teeth. "If you think that I'm going to wear that ridiculous wardrobe, you are in for a harsh reality!"

"Yeah, I was kind of thinking that you were going to say that…Sakurako?"

"No problem, Clyde-kun!" The cheerleader beams as she grabs Connor's arm, dragging him behind the same tree to meet the same fate that Negi has. Speaking of Negi, the poor teacher is still in shock over his own wardrobe and is finding it hard to come up with any words to say at the moment. Chamo on the other hand is getting a kick out of the festivities, sitting on Negi's shoulder and smirking at Clyde, causing him to flip a thumbs-up to the ermine before quickly snapping back to reality due to another voice.

"Did you just give Negi-kun's ermine a thumbs up?"

Clyde chuckles as he looks behind the bench, seeing more of the day's helpers. Makie Sasaki, Yuna Akashi, Ako Izumi, and Akira Okochi, all dressed in short white dresses.

"Um...yeah. Kind of..." Clyde chuckles nervously as he wracks his brain for an excuse to offer up for the swimming ace. Fortunately for him, an excuse is unneeded as the girls notice Negi's little outfit.

"Oh my gosh!" Makie gushes, tackling the young boy to the ground in a hug. "You are just so cute, Negi-kun!"

Gasping for air, Negi somehow manages to get up to his feet despite Makie's grip on him, only to be taken down again as Yuna follows suit.

"Aww! That is such a cool outfit on you, Negi-kun! I can't wait for the performance!"

Akira and Ako look at each other for a second before running over to pull their fellow Sports Club friends off of the still-suffocating teacher. Negi gets to his feet and sucks in as much air as his little lungs can allow. After regaining his composure, the young boy looks at the growing number of girls around him.

"Um...thank you, Makie-san, Yuna-san. Er...what are you four up to today?"

"Clyde asked us if we wanted to help out with your cultural display." Ako notes as she checks over Negi for bruises, putting a small band aid on the kid's elbow to cover up a small scrape, being sure to do so before blood can come from the wound. "There we go, Negi-sensei! All better!"

"None of our clubs had any activities today, so we don't mind helping you, Sensei." Akira adds in as she helps Negi back to the bench. "Besides, being a dancer might be fun."

"Dancer?" Negi's eyes nearly shoot out of his head as another thought crosses his mind. "Clyde, just how much "help" did you round up?"

"Well..." The boy puts his index finger to his chin as he ponders. "The cheerleaders are working wardrobe as I'm sure you now know...these four are background dancers. Ku Fei and Misora are working on rounding up an audience for us. Ditto for the twins. You know, I gotta say that Misora is really good at sprinting too. Probably has a bright future ahead of her if she keeps it u..."

"Clyde, who else?"

"Oh, sorry for wandering there, Negi. Lemme see...the two brainiacs got us a karaoke machine and some loudspeakers, that way we don't have to worry about any instruments...Kazumi is doing a favor for me…figured that I would ask the moronic kid…"

"Kotaro?"

"Oh, that's his name? Yeah, whatever. Anyways, when I asked him, he said something about me being an idiot and ran off. Got to say that the kid is good at hiding at least."

"...So about half the people we know?" Negi cuts the older boy off again, sighing in frustration as he does so. "Wonderful."

"Clyde, I'm going to kill you!"

Ears perking up, both Negi and Clyde turn their attention to a pissed off Connor, wearing an outfit identical to Negi's, right down to the same clothes size, making for a very uncomfortable teen.

"You're doing this just to piss me off, aren't you?" Connor growls, taking a couple awkward steps towards Clyde as if to back up his earlier threat. "I swear, if they hadn't glued this thing to make sure I couldn't take it off, you would be a dead man."

"We got to make sure that the outfit will fit you…plus we have to make sure that you don't try to get out of it. You made a deal, after all."

"The hell I did!"

"Sure you did! Bowling, remember?" Clyde flashes a victory sign to Connor and Negi before taking the duffel bag from a smirking Sakurako. "Be right back guys! I gotta get changed myself! Just sit back and relax!"

"Relax? How can I relax like this?" Negi scowls as the thought of his current predicament runs through his head. "This is going to be so embarrassing! And what's worse, if Asuna catches us doing this, she'll never let me live it down! I've got to find some way out of here, but how...?"

"We could kill him." Connor offers up, much to Negi's horror. "I'm taking that as a no?"

"All ready for show time, guys?" Negi feels an arm drape over his shoulder and turns to see a grinning Asakura, waving a camera in front of him before draping that arm around Connor. "This idea is a little silly, but with me as your promotional manager, we're going to make a killing…wow Connor. The small outfit really makes you look cute."

Connor's face turns red soon after the statement, though if it is from blushing at the reporter's comment or from lack of air is anybody's guess. As the badass continues to wheeze, the gears turn in the younger teacher's head.

"Promotional? What are you talking about, Asakura-san?"

Before Negi can get an elaboration, him and Asakura turn their heads as the loud commotion of talking schoolgirls grows larger and larger. Sure enough, Ku Fei, Misora, and the Narutaki twins are leading a large group of students to the plaza. Negi's head hangs at the sight, both sad at the large amount of witnesses and impressed that five people were able to gather such a large time in such a short time. The boy lifts his head as a second arm goes around his shoulder, this time being a smiling Clyde, decked out in the same outfit. Asakura and the�blonde exchange a wink and the paparazzi springs to work, taking a snapshot of the smiling blonde, the confused looking redhead, and the pissed off brown haired teen clutched under Clyde's other arm.

"Perfect!" Asakura gives the trio a thumbs up before running back towards the dorms, much to the confusion of Negi.

"Promotional pictures, guys!" Clyde tightens his grip on the younger boy's neck as he laughs. "She said it would be a perfect way to raise a little extra yen. Said she had to go get copies from the angry girl. Chisame? Yeah. The one that doesn't like me."

"At the expense of our...my dignity? I know it doesn't matter much to you, but to me...is that dirt in your hair?" Negi stops his mini rant as he notices dust falling in front of him.

"Yeah, since I can't exactly grow a beard yet, I figured to get the dirty look, we'd do something else."

Clyde's wrap around his cohorts' necks has at this point evolves into a headlock, leading to him dragging both youths right next to the karaoke machine. After swiping the mike from the machine, Clyde flashes the crowd a victory sign before beginning with his spiel.

"Hello, girls! How are we doing today!" The boy pauses as the girls laugh and cheer. "Glad to hear! On behalf of my sensei, Negi Springfield here, I would like to welcome you to our Irish Cultural Demo, today on St. Patrick's Day! Free-will donations are encouraged...but anyways, we'll be doing a little song and dance for your entertainment, to show you the Irish ways."

Clyde pauses for more cheers, clearly relieved that they all seem to be buying it. Before he speaks again, he notices a blonde working her way through the crowd, eyes set dead ahead on him.

"Um...how we doing, roomie?"

"Don't get chummy with me, Clyde-san! What are you doing with Negi-sensei? Natsumi said something about...a…cultural..."

Ayaka trails off as she notices Negi wrestle out of Clyde's grasp. Where the costume on the older boy had little effect on Ayaka, when she sees Negi in the same costume...well...

"Um...apparently the anticipation for the performance has caused our Class Representative to bleed profusely! Our apologies!" Negi and Clyde quickly tend to the now woozy Ayaka, lying her down on the bench next to the teacher's suitcase. Connor being the compassionate badass he is attempts to go help, but finds moving quite difficult in the three sizes too small outfit he is currently glued in. The other boys scurry back into place, Negi mostly due to being prodded along by the quartet of dancers. "And now, a classic St. Patrick's Day song!" Clyde does his best to not crack up with the last line, while Negi and Connor both roll their eyes, the duo hoping against hope for something to stop the performance.

"A power outage?" Negi wishes.

"An explosion?" Connor hopes.

"Asteroid maybe?" Negi and Connor look at each other. Alas for the poor youths, no such luck, as the karaoke machine starts up, Clyde grinning as he prepares to lip sync.

Poor old Johnny Ray

Sounded sad upon the radio

Moved a million hearts in mono

Our mothers cried

Sang along, who'd blame them

Now you're grown, so grown, now I must say more than ever

Go toora loora toora loo rye aye

And we can sing just like our fathers

Come on Eileen, oh I swear what he means

At this moment, you mean everything

With you in that dress my thoughts I confess

Verge on dirty

Ah come on Eileen

Grinning, Clyde takes time out of his busy schedule of lip syncing and dancing poorly to take a look around at his support. Negi and Connor are dancing just as badly, Connor slightly worse as he is still finding simple things like walking to be a nightmare with the small costume. The sports girls are having a better time…well Makie with her gymnast training and Akira with her quick adaptation anyways. Ako is trying her hardest, but the red face and the rapid breathing are pretty much a dead giveaway that the poor girl is suffering from stage fright. Yuna is clearly trying hard as well, but it is also clear to all watching that running down the basketball court in sneakers doesn't necessarily equal talent in the "dancing in heels" department. Seeing that his little stunt isn't going as well as he'd hoped, Clyde inhales deeply and carries on.

These people round here wear beaten down eyes

Sunk in smoke dried faces

They're so resigned to what their fate is

But not us (no never), no not us (no never)

We are far too young and clever

Remember

Go toora loora toora loo rye aye

Eileen I'll hum this tune forever

As Clyde continues his lip syncing duties, he notices something peculiar, that being an angry Connor hobbling towards him. Paying it no mind for the time being, he continues on.

Come on Eileen oh I swear (what he means)

Ah come on, let's take off everything

That pretty red dress Eileen (tell him yes)

Ah come on let's, Ah come on Eileen

That pretty red dress, Eileen (tell him yes)

Ah come on let's, ah come on Eileen

Please...

By this point, Connor has in fact managed to hobble close enough to Clyde to grab him by the collar, causing him to let out a yelp of shock. Negi, not really wanting to have a brawl on his hands quickly goes to try to diffuse the situation. Unfortunately for him, his smaller stature really doesn't make him that much of a physical obstacle as he finds himself unable to pry Connor from Clyde's neck. Deciding that his own self preservation is worth it, Clyde stomps down hard on Connor's foot, causing the teen to let go of his grip and stagger backwards, right into an unsuspecting Makie, causing the two to do an awkward dance of sorts before their feet get tied up and send both teens crashing to the ground.

"I…can't do it…"

Blinking in confusion, Negi looks over to see that Ako isn't really blossoming under the spotlight. Finally, the girl lets out a gasp and starts staggering back and forth. Negi and Clyde, being the English gentlemen that they are, quickly try to run to the rescue, though Clyde's attempts are cut off rather abruptly as he trips himself on the microphone cord. Negi, being of the microphone-less variety however manages to save the day, diving on the ground just in time to break the now unconscious Ako's fall.

"Stage fright…poor Ako-san." Negi muses as he tries to pull himself out from under the nurse's aid without causing her head to thump on the stage.

"Well, this can't exactly get much worse…" Clyde curses to himself as he gets up from the ground. And as to be expected when somebody says something along the lines of things not getting worse, naturally they do as Yuna still hasn't gotten her dancing legs, causing the poor girl to go careening into Clyde, the top of her head crashing hard into his jaw as she does so. As the blonde lies there going out of consciousness, listening to Yuna crying that she accidentally killed her buddy, a final thought runs through his head.

"You know, in hindsight, this kind of was a crappy idea…"

Several meters away from the makeshift stage, Kotaro Inugami can't help but laugh at the misfortune that Clyde has brought upon Negi and Connor. Sipping a soda as he watches on at the teens on stage stumbling about in a manner that doesn't resemble a dance of any sorts. The hanyo is about ready to leave when suddenly he jumps slightly into the air in pain. Rubbing his backside, Kotaro quickly scans about looking for the source of his slight irritation, his eyes opening wide in shock as he sees just what it is. Well, who it is anyways as he comes face to face with a pair of smiling pink haired girls that are about his height.

"What the hell?" Kotaro blinks in confusion, not quite sure if the two could really be the source of his slight pain. "Um…can I help you two?"

Both of the girls remain silent for a few moments as they seemingly study over the boy. After a short time, they both turn to each other and whisper, so quietly that Kotaro isn't even able to pick it up with his sharp hearing. The boy's look of confusion is replaced by one of slight pain once again as the girls break up their huddle smiling before pinching him again.

"Hey! What gives!"

"You aren't wearing green there, cutie!" Fuka giggles, causing the hanyo to sweat drop in response.

"Should know better on St. Patrick's Day!" Fumika agrees, pinching the boy in his shoulder this time.

"What the hell is St. Patrick's Day anyways?" Kotaro asks, realizing that he probably should have heard Clyde out earlier today. "It's supposed to be about making an idiot of yourself, isn't it?"

"Well, I think so…" Fuka starts.

"…But if you aren't wearing green, you get pinched! That's what Negi-kun told us in class!" Fumika finishes, cracking her knuckles and walking towards a very nervous Kotaro, who understandably decides that fleeing may be in his best interests.

"Aw, come back!" Fuka whines, giving chase to the black haired youth.

"Yeah! Where's your holiday spirit?" Fumika adds, managing to get another shot in at the fleeing boy. Panting as he flees through the crowd, Kotaro can only shake his head in disbelief before another though enters his mind. A thought about having a special conversation with a certain English teacher…

The Stat Line: Started March 2007, Complete 3/15/08, Posted 3/17/08 10:50 p.m.

Musical Motivations: "Come On Eileen" by Dexy's Midnight Runners

The Follow Up: And there it is! Hopefully you got a laugh out of it or a small chuckle at least. I did use OCs for this one, yes, but am not expecting it to be a trend to use them heavilly unless it falls into somebody's request that I like or if I come up with a good idea. Let me know what you think and if you have something you would like to see me try to do, feel free to borrow the little Story Statistics thing I made up top and fill it out. As I said before, I'm pretty much open to anything, so use your imaginations. See you guys later, either with another edition of Midnight's Workshop or my main project of Negima: Fallout. Take care!

-Midnight