Negi had just sat down in his new room as the sun started to set; the view was amazing from where he was. From his couch he could see the world tree off in the distance and the sun slowly setting behind it. Since the beginning of his day he didn't feel more at ease then that moment. Between being changed into a teenager and having to move he didn't think there would be anything else left that would surprise him.

"Professor Negi?" A gentle voice said.

Negi turned to the door way, "Mana…," seeing his student there he jumped to his feet, "What are you doing in my room?"

Mana held up her key, "Um…I live here." Her face reddened as she took in the now grownup Mage's body.

Negi's eyes widened just enough to notice the stack of luggage in the hall behind her, she was not kidding. The professor scratched his head, at a loss for words he began to panic. "If you want I can find some other place to-,"

"There is no other," she blushed interrupting, "and Zazie blew up my old room."

Negi thought that it wasn't that hard to believe concerning his students backgrounds, what surprised him was that it didn't happen sooner. Still he had to deal with the matter at hand, seeing that Tatsumiya was without a place to stay, "Then…do you mind us rooming together?" he asked and somehow the question surprised him.

"Not if you don't," she smiled.

"Look's like were roommates then," Negi welcomed her in by helping her with her baggage, and while brushing pass he couldn't help but take in her sweet scent. The lofting aroma of Cherry Chap Stick with a slight hint of gun powder was intoxicating. Just then Negi blushed as he realized he was checking out his student, quickly he thought of something. "So which bunk would you like?" he asked, feeling the heat from his face radiate off of him. "Are you hungry, I can cook us something?"

The question almost passed her up, as Negi walked by lugging her gear Mana couldn't resist eyeing his physique, quickly she shook back to reality to reply, "I didn't know you can cook," while casually eyeing his back side.

"My sister taught me," Negi hurried into the kitchen, "I haven't cooked for a while since I lived with Asuna, though now that I think about it I should've, it would've saved us a few burns." He quickly opened up the freezer door hoping that it could cool him off, after a few seconds he found Mana walking into the kitchen behind him.

She picked up a new cook book from over the counter and held it over her heart. Unintentionally she cooed, "How about we cook dinner together." The look in her eyes was too hard to deny.

Negi gave in, "All right then, what would you feel like?"

The wizard couldn't explain it, just in that little time he was already living with someone and he didn't feel so out of the place as when he first lived with Asuna, could it be Mana? They talked why preparing Dinner, Negi was surprised, it was the longest conversation he'd ever have with the tanned beauty. What surprised him more is that he couldn't take his eyes off of her, Besides Mana's newly found personality, she looked different in his eyes, "has she always been this radiant?" he thought as they set the table.

Negi wasn't the only one to have such thoughts, anytime he'd passed, Mana felt herself looking back at her teachers features, "I can't believe how much he's changed," she thought to herself, "he's not a fidgety as before and-," she paused as she eyed Negi's back side as he bent over to get something in the cabinet's, "-why am I having such thoughts?" she blushed.

Exiting the kitchen Negi looked over to see Mana already sitting at the table, she was trying her hardest not to look over in his direction afraid that she might get more unusual thoughts, but that didn't keep her teacher from noticing her. She was sitting with her long legs crossed her foot gently swaying side to side as she waited for him to sit. Her face had a subtle red tint in her cheeks, nervously she smiled as she turned to see him standing there with the same expression on his own face. Instead of either of them trying to come up with some sort of explanation, they both laughed it off.

After an enjoyable meal they continued to sit across each other exchanging small talk and tales from their adventures, it was if they were old friends who hadn't seen the other in such a long time and who were catching up. "I have to say, it's nice to have a roommate that talk's back," Mana commented, whatever anger she had suppressed from that day had long since vanished.

"It's just nice to hear you talk," Negi replied jokingly. He saw Mana coyly divert her eyes, quickly he changed the subject, "Do you need help unpacking?" he hurried over to her bunk and picked up her duffle causing the contents to spill out on her bed, "I'm so sorry," he apologized trying to gather everything.

As he reached for one of her discarded books he was stopped by her hand over his, "It's okay," she said tenderly, "nothings broken." They picked up the book together, hands still touching. Out of the corner of their eye they saw a white card facing the two of them. It was her Pactio card.

Negi watched as her gaze softened, he remembered the story she told him, who it was that made the contract with her and how important he was to her. He knew deep down that she would always harbor deeper feelings for him. "It's hard to let go, isn't," Negi asked massaging the back of her fingers with his thumb.

She nodded, "It is, but I strive to go on."

"By yourself?" He asked, a little disappointed.

Mana looked at the concern in his eyes, "Is that so wrong?"

"No it's just-," Negi hesitated, her stare pulling him in"-it's so sad, to be alone for the rest of your life." He grinned bashfully, "I don't know why it's been hanging over my head lately but I know that I'd at least like to be with someone down the road, and share my life with them. It's kinda sappy but one day I hope to have a family of my own."

"I don't think it's sappy," Mana blushed, "I kinda wondered…what it would be like to be in love."

Negi's heart skipped a beat, "Wh-what about you and the captain of your biathlon club?" He remembered her mentioning him before and thought she had lingering feelings for him.

"He tried to confess that he liked me," Mana calmly stated.

A slight jealous sensation overcame Negi as he asked, "And what did you do?"

"I shot him."

"What?!" Negi yelped, eyes bulging.

Seeing the priceless expression on his face, Mana couldn't help but laugh, "It was just a rubber bullet," she said calming down. She saw that he staring at her, face all flushed and with an endearing smile. "What is it?" She asked, questioning his sudden expression.

"It's rare to see you smile, let alone laugh, you have a beautiful laugh." Negi arched his brow, teasingly he asked, "You won't shoot me for saying that, will you?"

Teasing him back she held patted her holster playfully grinning, "Let's talk desert, then we'll see where it goes from there."Negi didn't need to be asked twice, but as he got up to go into the kitchen he stopped.

"Negi, do you feel that?" Mana asked clutching her pistol.

Negi held out his hand summoning his staff, "Would you like to do the honors?"

Mana bolted for the window and leapt out into the night with Negi following closely behind. They landed with ease before sprinting towards the forests, Negi marveled at Mana's speed. The two sprung into a clearing when an ominous shadow brought them to a stop.

A large black figure slithered through the trees charging the teens, as it burst into the clearing Negi and Mana jumped dodging its fangs. "A snake demon?" Negi exclaimed. The Cobra like behemoth turned around letting out a loud hiss, "watch out!" Negi tackled Mana out of the way of a stream of acid venom.

"Thank's," Mana panted, "I don't have the weapon to take this thing down," she fired six shots into the eye's of the massive snake, "but he can't catch what he can't see." Negi and her smirked as both of them sprung up delivering a kick to the reptiles chin sending it flying on its back.

"Mana, get back!" Negi shouted, he held out his staff in front of him, "Unus Fulgor Concidens," he chanted, "Noctem, in Mea Manu Ens Inimicum Edat! Fulguratio Albicans!" Negi flew his head back just as dozens of lightning bolts came down on the serpent annihilating it.

When the smoke clear Mana and Negi stood speechless, "That was-," Mana breathed.

"-I haven't used that one for a while…I guess I don't know my own strength." Negi said shakily, what he did was just short of over kill.

They approached the crater where the snake once was, amazed Mana looked down into the hole, "It's gone now, but what was it doing here?"

"We'll tell the Dean the morning, until then we should just go back to the room," Negi waved his staff closing the hole, "We make too much noise then we'll wake everyone, and Asuna isn't fun to deal with in the mornings." Mana didn't complain, together they walked home neither of them feeling a set of eyes watching them from the darkness of the woods.

"So, the boy killed my pet," the same shadow girl stepped onto the battlefield and into the moon light, her black dress flowing gracefully in the breeze, long silver like hair reaching down pass her back. She sneered, "I'll need to send him a little warning."

Out of the shrubbery a group of other worldly spiders climbed up her tanned leg, she held out her arm bringing one of them to her face. "What did you bring me my servant?" The bug held a strand of Black hair in its pinchers. The girl waved it under her nose taking it the scent, "The Scent of Demon Folk… but it's week." She turned up her nose in disgust, "A half blood, an abomination!" In a fit of anger she snatched the spider up in her hand and squashed it, "If there is one thing I can't stand, it's one that mixes with such filth! My other pets will deal with the boy, the honor of cleansing this world of that disgrace will be mine."

Her yellow eye gleamed in the moonlight, a despicable grin growing as a plan came into thought. "But why do I have to kill her right now, I should have a little fun with her first." She held up her hand cleaning her palm of the insect guts, "I will tear her apart from the inside out, beginning with her heart, more precisely her feelings, her love of that boy!"

The shadows began to dance until they silhouettes of the trees converged over her, melting down into the darkness she laughed, "first I will shatter her hear and then I'll shatter her spine!" Her laughter echoed out as she vanished into the dark, disappearing to only she knows where.