Man, it's been a long time, hasn't it? Let's see if I can keep up that once per month schedule a bit better this time around.
Disclaimer: The author does not make any claims of ownership over Negima or Naruto. They are the property of their respective owners.
xXx
Once upon a time, there was no moon.
Somehow, people forgot that and dismissed the truth as a legend. People tend to do that quite easily. Have you ever wondered why, Naruto-kun?
It is because their minds cannot allow that which is beyond them.
-From the Journal of REDACTED-
xXx
Night and Day
xXx
Night had fallen. Electricity was down all throughout the city. Moonlight shone over the empty streets.
A fitting stage for a vampire.
The only problem was…
"Nothing is happening!"
"Wait for it," said a certain blond ninja.
"We have been waiting for an hour already!"
Misa was angry. She had been expecting an amazing magical showdown the likes of which movies wished they could produce. All the elements were there.
Evangeline A.K. McDowell. The Undying Mage.
Negi Springfield. Son of the Thousand Master.
Vampire vs Mage. A duel for the ages.
At least, that was how it should have gone. Instead, she had been stuck waiting atop of a school building for over an hour.
Needless to say, her patience had long worn thin.
Maybe, this whole thing hadn't been such a good idea. It was late and there were no signs of anything remotely magical happening. The more she stayed here the more likely it was for her roommates to find out she had snuck out. At this rate, she was going to face an avalanche of questions from them when she got back.
Misa was just about to voice her thoughts to Naruto when the sound of shattering glass broke through the night.
"Told you," Naruto said, an overly pleased smile on his face.
Misa saw Negi's small body fall out of the window chased by arrows of ice. Panic flared in her heart as the child teacher was about to hit the ground, but Negi did not crash.
He flew.
The wooden staff he carried with him played the part of a witch's broom as he took to the skies.
Evangeline came out after him, utterly ignoring gravity, and dressed in something Misa was reasonably certain was not legal for such a young-looking girl to wear. Chachamaru came right behind her much to Misa's surprise. She had not known vampires and robots could work together.
Chachamaru was also wearing a maid outfit.
Under other circumstances, Misa would have been surprised at how well it suited her.
She was soon distracted from her thoughts when her classmates appeared and attacked Negi.
"Probably mind-controlled," Naruto said, interpreting her shock accurately. "Don't worry. I will talk to the headmaster later. He will have them back to normal soon."
Misa said nothing, too stunned to even talk. She could only watch as Negi easily took care of her classmates before taking off for the sky with Evangeline and Chachamaru in pursuit.
Misa yelped when Naruto picked her in his arms and jumped off the building.
"What are you doing?" She shouted.
"You wanted to see the fight," he replied. "Now be quiet or they will notice us."
Although Naruto did not fly, he easily kept pace with the mages.
"They are heading for the bridge. That kind of brings back memories. I remember when I had my first final showdown on a bridge," Naruto said.
"You can have more than one final showdown?"
"In this line of work? Of course! You can have several in a row even. Oh, here's a nice spot!" Naruto said as he landed on a rooftop close to the bridge.
"This is too far. We won't be able to see a thing," Misa complained.
"Trust me," Naruto said, smiling. "When the fight starts, you'll definitely see it. Magic is flashy, and that means a lot coming from me."
"Besides, this is a good spot to spy," Naruto added, not looking at Misa. "It is just the right distance for them not to see us and if anything bad happens I am close enough to interfere. You are probably thinking something like that, right?"
Misa blinked, unsure of who Naruto was talking to. She would soon have the answer to that question.
"You managed to detect my presence. Sensei is certainly quite skilled," said a female as she stepped out of the shadows.
"Mana!"
Misa's eyes grew wide at her sudden appearance. The dark-skinned student was not dressed in her school uniform. Instead, Mana had opted for a form-fitting leotard covered by a white jacket and pants.
And Guns. Very real-looking, very menacing guns.
"Meh, it is nothing," Naruto said, waving the compliment away. "You have been spying on me for some time now. I had to notice it at some point."
Although she didn't show it, Mana was impressed. She had not caught a hint of him realizing she was there.
"It appears my initial assessment of you was wrong," she finally said. "You are far better than I thought you would be."
The predatory grin on her face made it unclear whether the reevaluation was a good thing or not.
Naruto grinned.
"Don't feel bad about it. You aren't the first one to underestimate me. It happens," he said. It actually happened way too often for his tastes. Was it anything he did?
It wasn't like he went out of his way to be underestimated. He was a badass ninja.
Hell, he was the badass ninja.
Surely some of that showed no matter what he did?
"Wait! Hold it!" Misa said, holding out her hands and saving Naruto from potentially damaging introspection. "You are also in on this? Are those real guns?"
Mana acted as if she had not heard her. "You do realize it is a breach of the rules to let her know about this world."
"Relax," Naruto said. "If something happens I will take responsibility. Besides, I don't like erasing memories."
It wasn't like he could in the first place. Memory manipulation was more of a Yamanaka thing.
Mana considered his words. She did not care for the rules all that much. Plus, Misa was part of 3-A. Mana would be really surprised if the entire class did not find out about Magic before the end of the year.
"Very well then."
"Hello! Is no one hearing me?"
"Calm down," Naruto said.
"Calm down? I just found out another one of my classmates is involved in this and is a gun-wielding…" she trailed off as she looked at Mana's attire.
"Mercenary," Mana supplied helpfully.
"Mercenary," Misa continued, before stopping again. "Does that mean you are here to kill us?"
"Nah, there is no killing intent coming from her," Naruto said. "Really, you worry too much."
"She has guns! Real guns! That shoot people!"
"You have nothing to worry about. I am here, remember?" Naruto said.
He put his hands on Misa's shoulders and looked into her eyes. Staring at those clear blue pools was enough to silence Misa for a moment.
"I told you before. I'll protect you. As long as you are next to me, you are in the safest place in the whole world. So trust me," he said with a gentle voice. "I won't let anything bad happen to you. I promise."
Even in the darkness, Misa's blush was plain to see. She was used to cheesy lines, but the sheer heartfelt honesty in Naruto's voice threw her off balance. She could only manage to nod dumbly.
"It is as Naruto-sensei says," Mana added for Misa's benefit. "I was hired by Evangeline to stop Naruto-sensei from interfering with her plans tonight. As long as he does not become involved there is no reason to fight."
Naruto nodded. "I figured it was something like that. Nice to know Eva is not planning on killing Negi."
The sniper turned her gold eyes to him.
"I am curious as to how you came to that conclusion?" Mana asked.
Naruto cocked his head to the side. "You are not the type to work for someone who would kill a kid. Sure, you may look cold and distant, but your aura is warm and kind."
He said it in such a matter-of-fact way that Mana lost her cool look for a moment.
"Now you are flirting with her?"
Misa was not jealous. Not at all.
Thankfully for all on the rooftop, they were saved from any further talk by a large explosion coming from the bridge.
"It appears they have started," Mana noted.
"About time!" shouted Naruto.
"It is those arrows again! They are so cool!" Misa said as she saw the dark forms of Negi and Evangeline become illuminated by the clash of magic.
"Elemental arrows are one of the most basic combat spells as well as some of the most useful," Mana said for Misa's benefit.
Naruto pouted. "Ninja can use elemental attacks too."
"Heh, Sensei is cute when he is- wait, is that Asuna? What is she doing there?"
"She seems to have formed a provisional contract with Negi-sensei to fight Evangeline," Mana deduced.
"Oh, is that what mages do to share their powers with non-magic users?" Naruto asked. He was not really familiar with all the mechanics.
"That's one way of putting it," Mana said with an unreadable look on her face.
"You mean Mages can give others magical powers?" Misa asked. That was a very interesting piece of information.
Just then another explosion rang through the area.
"Way to go, sensei! Kick her ass!"
"She's just playing around. If she really wanted to win, she could have done it at any moment," Naruto commented.
Konoemon had been too worried it seemed. The same went for him. Sure, the power was the real deal, but Evangeline was completely lacking in killing intent. As far as the blond could tell, it looked like she was having fun.
"That seems to be the case. It is understandable. This is the first time in years she has been able to access her true powers," Mana said without taking her eyes off the battle. "Regardless, it seems this won't last much longer."
All three watched as magic gathered around the two combatants.
Thunder and lightning against darkness and ice. Magic against magic. With one last burst of strength, the young mage poured everything he had into the spell hoping it was enough.
It was.
Light overwhelmed darkness, swallowing it whole and engulfing the vampire in its power.
No one spoke as the smoke cleared, revealing the vampire's form. Despite taking all that power only her clothes were ruined.
Electricity returned to the campus and another surge of power assaulted the vampire's body, this one far more effective than the last. The magic that had kept her tied to the campus for years took hold of her once more, stripping her of her power.
Leaving her to the mercy of gravity.
"She is going to fall!" cried out Misa. Without her powers, Evangeline would surely die from a fall like that.
But such a thing would not happen tonight.
A teacher did not let any harm fall upon his students.
Negi flew at breakneck speeds towards Evangeline. The child turned all of his remaining magic power into speed. With experience born from days of constant practice, he safely caught her falling body.
"Cool…" muttered Misa as she stared at the child teacher.
"Awesome little guy, isn't he?" Naruto had an approving smile as he looked at Negi from the rooftop.
"He is certainly impressive for his age," Mana agreed.
The battle was over.
xXx
Evangeline smiled as she leaned back into her comfy chair with a glass of blood in her hand.
Last night had not gone well for her. She had wasted time and been defeated by a mere ten-year-old mage.
She even had to be saved by him!
Evangeline was a sore loser and normally that combination of events would have been enough to put her in a foul mood for days.
Instead, a wide grin was spread across her face.
The information she had received from the brat this morning made all the humiliation meaningless and unimportant.
Nagi Springfield was alive.
The Thousand Master was alive!
Nothing could possibly ruin this moment.
"Hey, tutorial boss!"
Crack!
The glass in her hand was not the only thing that shattered.
"I apologize, Master," said Chachamaru as she stepped into the room. "Naruto-sensei insisted on seeing you."
"You!" the chibi vampire roared.
"Yeah, me," Naruto said, waving as he sat down in front of her. "I figured I should come to visit you."
"For what purpose? No. Don't bother answering the question. You are about to leave anyway. Chachamaru will show you the way out," Evangeline said.
The way she said it made it clear it was an order for both of them. The blond was to leave the house through violence if necessary.
Far from looking worried, Naruto just leaned back against his chair. "You don't want to do that. Whether Chachamaru forces me out or not, your house wouldn't survive it."
That gave Eva a pause. She did not care much for her house. She had both better and worse throughout her long life.
However, without a place to stay she would be forced to sleep… in the girl dorms.
She shuddered at the thought.
Konoemon would not pass up a chance like that up, especially not after her little stunt the other night. She would be forced to put up with her hyperactive classmates 24/7 until her house was rebuilt.
The sly smile on Naruto's face told her he was also aware of the fact.
She glared at him. "Fine! Say what you want. Laugh at me and be done with it!"
Naruto pouted. "You have a really low opinion of me, don't you? You think I'm the type to make fun of someone who lost to a ten-year-old because she spent so much time playing around? Uzumaki Naruto would never make fun of someone stupid enough to waste her one chance of gaining freedom after a decade!"
"You are doing it! You are doing it right now! You're insulting me, you bastard," Evangeline yelled at him. She would have tackled him had Chachamaru not moved in to restrain her. As it was, her hands futilely tried to reach for his throat.
Chachamaru was a concerned robot.
It wouldn't look good on her master's permanent record if she attacked a teacher.
Well, another one.
"Master, please," Chachamaru said. Then she turned to Naruto, "Sensei, please do not tease master like that."
"Fine, I will stop," Naruto said, raising his arms in surrender.
Evangeline struggled for a few more moments, trying to get out of Chachamaru's grip before giving up. Sensing her master would not try anything for now, the gynoid let her go. With an indignant 'humph' Evangeline leaned back into her chair with a magnificent scowl on her face.
"Is there really any need to look at me like that?" Naruto asked.
Eva's scowl grew darker.
"Fine, be that way. I just came to ask you what you thought about Negi."
"There is no need to ask that of me. You were watching the fight last night with Tatsumiya."
Mentioning the sniper made her angrier. She had hired Mana to fight Naruto. Instead, the woman had merely chatted with him while they watched the fight. Worse, Mana had fulfilled what was written in her contract. Naruto had not interfered in her fight with Negi which meant she had to pay the woman for doing nothing at all!
The mercenary woman was so going to get it once she was free.
"Yeah, but you were the one who fought him. That puts you in a better position to judge."
She huffed. "If it will get you out of here, then fine. His magical skill is above the norm for his age. Some of the spells he used would take years for an ordinary mage to learn. In addition, his magical capacity is abnormally high."
"Wow, that's a surprisingly good report. I expected you to say something like, 'A brat like him is nothing more than cannon fodder,'" Naruto said, doing a poor imitation of her voice. "You know, that sort of stuff." .
"I wasn't finished," the vampire said. "Those were just his good points. While the boy has power, he is too green. He has little awareness of the battlefield. He leaves himself vulnerable while chanting spells. He has no fighting skill to speak of."
Naruto sighed. "Yeah, I figured as much. Thanks for confirming it, though."
Negi had power. That much was clear, but his inexperience did not allow him to take full advantage of that power.
That sounded annoyingly familiar.
"Worried about your charge?" Evangeline mocked.
"Something like that," the blond admitted much to Eva's surprise. "As long as I'm here, no harm will come to him, but if I start to intervene…."
"If you intervene, you worry he will not grow properly from future challenges" Evangeline guessed.
"Kind of," Naruto admitted.
Evangeline scoffed.
"You are too soft. If the kid is so weak, he can't win no matter what then let him get beat up. If he can't grow from that experience, then that's as far as he goes. It means that from the beginning he wasn't much," the vampire said coldly.
Naruto nodded. He had more or less come to the same conclusion. Only his version sounded way nicer.
Of course, that didn't mean he couldn't give the kid a slight push every now and then.
"Well, I guess I better get going. I still have to pack for the trip to Kyoto," he said as he stood up. "Thanks for the advice."
Evangeline huffed. "It is not like I had any intention of helping you."
"Even so, you give good advice… for a starter boss. Bye, Chachamaru!"
With those words, the blond disappeared from the room.
Leaving one pissed off vampire.
"Master?" Chachamaru asked as she saw the vampire's trembling form.
Trembling with rage, that is.
"…maim him… one day…get his…," the vampire muttered under her breath.
Chamamaru filed the events in her database.
It was not often her master made a friend.
xXx
It was early in the afternoon. Misa and Naruto walked through the streets of Harajuku, the latter carrying a large amount of bags.
"Why am I doing this again?" Naruto asked.
"I told you. The school trip is the day after tomorrow. We are buying clothes," the girl explained.
"And I am paying why?"
"Isn't it obvious the boyfriend should be the one to pay?"
Naruto had to give her credit; she almost looked like she believed what she said.
"That's a nice delusion you have there."
"If it is a delusion, why are you the one paying for everything?" she asked smugly.
Naruto blinked, then looked at the bags. "That's horrible logic. But seriously, why am I paying again? I still have no idea how you convinced me to do this."
"Because sensei is my boyfriend," she said proudly, "at least until I switch to Negi."
"I am getting dumped already!"
"Don't take it the wrong way. I have been thinking about it since the fight the other night. Negi-sensei is impressive, and it is easy to see he will be handsome when he grows up. If I take a chance now, I can make a strong impression on him, train him just right."
"… you are planning to brainwash a ten-year-old."
"Train. I plan to train a ten-year-old. I will call it the Reverse Hikaru Genji plan," Misa declared proudly, hands on her hips.
"You are a terrible woman."
"My role model is Fujiko Mine so I will take that as a compliment," Misa replied.
Naruto sighed and glanced at her chest. "You a bit lacking to follow those footsteps."
Rather than getting angry, Misa threw her shoulders back to accentuate her chest. She wasn't Chizuru but she was far from flat-chested. Indeed, the action drew more than a few stares.
"I am confident in my figure," she said but was somewhat disappointed there was not even a small blush on her teacher's face. "Besides, I am still growing."
"Putting your questionable role models and vicious plans aside," Naruto said. "We are being followed."
"What?" The girl instantly latched on to one of Naruto's arms for safety.
From an outsider's point of view, they looked like an ordinary couple.
"Who is it? Tatsumiya? Evangeline? The mages from the school found out I know and want to erase my memories?"
"Nothing so serious," he said, waving her concerns away. "They seem to be-"
"I knew it! I knew something was wrong when you said you didn't want to go shopping! You never not want to go shopping. You really are dating a teacher!"
"Misa, I wish I could say this comes as a surprise, but I always knew it was just a matter of time before you did something like this."
Two voices, one accusing and the other resigned made themselves known to the duo as their owners jumped out of their hiding places. One was a brown-eyed, shorthaired brunette and the other was blue-eyed blonde with her hair tied up in twin tails.
"Madoka! Sakurako! This is not what it lo- what do you mean you aren't surprised! Just how low is your opinion of me?" Misa asked with a twitch in her eyebrow.
"Come on, it is obvious. The time you have been spending together outside classes is abnormal," Sakurako said, choosing to ignore Misa's comment.
"During the past weeks, you two have been going on dates in secret," Madoka added.
"Those were not dates," Naruto said. "Why does everyone get the wrong idea? We only…"
Went shopping together. Walked around the campus together. Ate together. Secretly met up at night.
Naruto snapped his mouth shut.
"Sensei is right. We are not dating," Misa said. "I have just been talking with him to… learn more about the subject! Yes, that's it."
"He teaches P.E." Madoka countered. "There is nothing to be learned about it by talking!"
"Ugh!" Misa… ugh-ed.
"Hey, I resent that," Naruto said. He would have raised a finger if he weren't carrying so many bags. "My subject can create very deep discussions!"
"Besides, if this isn't a date, then why is sensei paying for your clothes?" Madoka asked.
"Yes, everyone knows it is serious when a man takes a woman shopping like that. In Harajuku, no less," Sakurako said, nodding like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Hold it," Naruto exclaimed, raising his arms into the air. "Does everyone know that but me?"
"Yes," answered all three girls at the same time.
Naruto's right eyebrow twitched dangerously. "Okay, that's enough. Buying clothes for one of my students doesn't mean I am dating her, and yes, I'm just now realizing how that sounds like but still! You two will drop the subject right now and never mention it ever again. Understood?"
"But-"
"She-"
"I can make you both run extra laps," Naruto interrupted. The threat was clear in his voice.
In an instant, the two cheerleaders snapped into a perfect military salute.
"Understood. We saw nothing. Nothing happened today. Nothing at all," they said in perfect synch.
Misa licked her lips. Naruto was hot when he was commanding.
"Glad we got this cleared up," Naruto said. "Now… isn't that Negi?"
The three girls turned to where he was pointing. Sure enough, it was their ten-year-old teacher and with him was...
"Konoka!" the three gasped simultaneously.
"Shopping together in Harajuku," Misa pointed out.
"Is sensei buying?" Sakurako asked.
"Don't be ridiculous. He is a kid. Konoka wouldn't make him buy her clothes!" Madoka said.
"Wait, so is she buying then? Does it count if the girl buys?"
"Not again," muttered Naruto while rubbing his temples. "A guy and a girl shopping for clothes together does not mean they are dating."
The three girls looked at him with expressions of pity, akin to the way a teacher looks at the student she knows is never going to graduate.
"Sensei, you can't deny there is a certain mood around them," said Madoka.
As if on cue, a soft wind carried the words of the couple all the way to them.
"No, I am happy… to think that you'd be worried about me," Konoka said with a smile and a soft blush on her cheeks.
"Konoka-san," the child said with grateful eyes that stared at nothing but the girl in front of him.
Naruto sweatdropped.
"See!" Sakurako said. "You can even see the flowery background behind them!"
"Come on! He is ten. They are not dating," Naruto said, although not as certain as before.
"You are taking this too lightly, sensei. It is our moral duty to watch these two," Misa declared. "This could be just a misunderstanding but can we really take the chance? Konoka and Negi have been living together for quite some time now. It is not absurd to think something could have happened between the two. It is our moral duty as fellow students, nay as human beings, to find out if this is what it seems and put an end to it if they are truly dating."
It was a passionate speech.
Naruto answered the speech with a look that plainly said, 'Moral duty? You are just worried Konoka will ruin your Genji plan.'
The look Misa gave him in return said, 'It is 'Reverse Hikaru Genji' plan, and that is most definitely not the reason I am doing this.'
"Liar," Naruto said.
"They can already talk by trading looks," Madoka muttered.
"I am so jealous right now," Sakurako muttered back to her.
"You two stop muttering those things," Naruto said. He suddenly had a moment of extreme empathy for Iruka. Dealing with students was way more tiring that he thought it would be.
Meanwhile, Misa took the opportunity to call Asuna.
"Hey, Asuna," Misa said as the girl answered her call. "You will never believe what we just saw…"
Naruto sighed as he watched the events unfold. Somehow, it seemed that at least one deity out there liked Misa. Not only was Asuna there but Yukihiro Ayaka as well.
Naruto only knew two things about the girl. One, she was the class representative of class 3-A. Two, she was crazy about Negi. In short, she was the perfect person to help Misa. With a few threa... words, she convinced Sakurako and Madoka to help out Misa in "preserving Negi-sensei's virtue."
With the situation escalating, Naruto settled for following the trio.
To keep things from getting worse, of course.
And maybe, just maybe, for the amusement factor.
What followed next were the most blatant attempts to interrupt a date Naruto had ever seen. Not that he had seen many, but he was surprised the two of them hadn't caught on yet.
Negi was way too clueless about some things.
"Guess that's another thing we need to work on," he muttered.
Madoka turned to look at him. "Did you say something, Naruto-sensei?"
"Nothing you should worry about," he said with his best smile.
"Shh, stop talking you two. They could hear us," whispered Sakurako.
"I really don't think whispering is necessary. Negi is asleep and Konoka-san is busy paying attention to him," Naruto said.
"Don't say that," snapped Misa. "Having a younger guy resting on your lap…. I am so jealous of her right now. Class rep, where are you?"
"If you are so worried why don't you interrupt them?" Naruto asked.
"If I do that, it will seem like I am the jealous type!" Misa said. "That would make a horrible impression."
Luckily for Misa, she didn't have to do anything. One minute and one mock attempt at a kiss later, Yukihiro Ayaka arrived.
"Hold it, you two! As class representative I cannot allow this to happen," the girl yelled as she made her presence known to the "couple."
For his part, Naruto just watched as the scene unfolded. He chuckled when Konoka and Negi revealed they had actually been buying a birthday gift for Asuna.
Right after that, the cheerleaders also showered Asuna with the gifts they had taken from the dating duo.
Even Naruto had joined in on the gift-giving.
"Dumbbells? Really? You want me to work out even outside your class?" the birthday girl had asked.
Despite the words, Naruto could tell the girl was grateful.
Smiling, Naruto looked over his shoulder. Ayaka was in front of the now cowering cheerleaders. The class representative was not happy about the misunderstanding, it seemed.
"We are sorry!"
"We thought it was a date!
"Anyone would have made the same mistake!"
"No excuses!" Ayaka shouted, making the cheerleaders cower even more.
"Come on, class rep. Don't be like that," Naruto said.
"Punishing students is not a class rep's job," he said, making hope bloom in the hearts of the cheerleaders.
"It is a teacher's job."
Hope was run over by a truck and set on fire.
Ayaka considered this for a moment. The only contact she had with Naruto-sensei was during classes. Said classes consisted of grueling, dangerous physical exercise that she was sure had to be illegal. Worse, he made them do all of it with a smile on his face.
Perfect.
Besides, letting him take care of it meant spending more time with Negi-sensei.
"You are absolutely right, sensei," she said with a truly beatific smile. "I will let you take care of these three now. If you will excuse me, I have other matters to attend to right now… Negi-sensei! Wait for me!"
"Have a good time, Yukihiro-san," the blond shouted at her retreating form. He turned to the trio. They flinched. "Now what to do with you…"
"Please have pity on us!" The three begged, kneeling in front of him.
Naruto said nothing. He just stared at them. His cold blue eyes peered into their very souls.
Then he stopped and walked away.
"…Oh well, I will think of something later," he said uncaringly.
The cheerleaders almost facefaulted, but being part of Class 3-A had given them greater endurance to that sort of thing.
"You three are off the hook for now," he said. The smile on his face along with the way he closed his eyes made them think of a fox for some reason.
The teenaged-teacher walked away, leaving a group of relieved students behind. As fun as punishing them would have been, he also needed to get ready for the trip. Konoemon had filled him in on some of the details. It seemed like there was a high chance of something happening.
The Kyoto trip sounded like a good opportunity to help Negi out a bit.
He was going to have fun!
xXx
Extra Scene: Probability Masters
xXx
Inside a crowded train, an epic battle was going on.
This fight did not involve a certain red-headed teacher. It also did not involve frogs summoned to create chaos.
This was a battle between teacher and student.
The combatants faced each other without fear. Their eyes gave away nothing. They could not risk revealing anything to their opponent. In their hands, they held the cards to victory.
This was not a battle of power. It was not about skill.
As one the two slammed their cards on the table, revealing them for all to see.
"Four of a kind," they shouted.
This was a battle of luck.
"Another tie," muttered Madoka in amazement.
"Are they even supposed to shout out their hands?" Misa asked.
"Who cares? It is more exciting this way!" Haruna said.
At her side, the twins, Fuka and Fumika, nodded. "Yeah, I never thought there could be anyone as lucky as Sakurako," one of them said.
This unique poker game had quickly caught the attention of the class. About half of it was crammed around the two players to see the game.
"Never mind that, how many times does this make?" asked Yuuna.
"One hundred thirty-seven times by my count," said Satomi Hakase, Class 3-A's resident robotics expert and all-around genius. "The probability of it is less than-"
"Hey! Don't bring math into this," Haruna interrupted. "You'll take away the awesome!"
"Shut it, you are breaking the mood," Yuuna shh-ed them.
Finally, one of the two players decided to speak. "Wow, you're really good at this Sakurako! This is the first time I meet someone who can keep up with my luck!"
The girl, in turn, offered him a sunny smile. "Please sensei, you are making me blush! I never imagined sensei would have such strong luck!"
"You know you two may say that stuff," began Misa.
"But those smiles are obviously fake," continued Yuuna.
"And you have these really evil auras around you. Like, you are one step away from killing each other. I think I can even see lightning cracking in between you two," finished Haruna.
"Don't be silly. I would never harm a student," Naruto said with a big, fake smile.
"That's right, Haruna. Naruto-sensei and I are just having a friendly game," Sakurako said. The smile on her face was at odds with the dark aura surrounding her.
The schoolgirls felt the urge to flee. Getting in between these two was dangerous.
"Exactly," Naruto agreed, nodding. "Now, Nodoka-san, please shuffle the cards again."
"A…actually…," the shy girl said, "I was… wondering if someone could take my place."
"Now what are you saying, Honya?" Sakurako said while placing a hand on her shoulder. "There is no one more trustworthy than you to do this."
"Yes, don't be silly. We need someone impartial to shuffle. It is an important duty only you can do," Naruto said, imitating Sakurako's gesture.
On the surface, they were reassuring hands giving her support. In reality, they were steel shackles locking her in place.
The shy girl looked pleadingly at her classmates, but they refused to meet her gaze. Hanging her head in defeat, the poor girl prepared to shuffle again.
Fortunately, she was saved from her duty.
Unfortunately, it was by frogs deciding to flood the train.
The match between the two luck magnets would have to wait for another time.
xXx
Chapter End
xXx
AN: I am kind of annoyed by this chapter.
I don't really enjoy doing a rehash of canon, yet I kind of trapped myself in the Negi/Konoka 'date.'
Well, at least the Kyoto arc has started. Things will really start to heat up from this point on.
And it only took over 10,000 words.
Yay.
Okay, that kind of sucks. I admit it. I thank the readers for their patience. Naruto will start to have a more prominent role in this arc (in the sense that he is going to be involved with the events of the manga) as opposed to being in the background.
Anyway, if you like this story, check out my other fanfics. If you like that, check out my books. All information is available in my profile.
And, of course, don't forget to review.