What's up, my readers! Happy to hear that you all liked my last chapter. Thank you for the reviews! I guess I should say that I'm sorry about the cliffhanger…I should say that, but I'm not going to. To me, cliffhangers are a good way to tell just how interested you all actually are in this story. Considering the complaints I got about ending the chapter right before the fight scene, I'd have to say you all like this story very much. I mean, I am super critical about my own work, and I was laughing my ass off while writing this story. Setsuna's rant against Mana alone had me laughing for 5 minutes straight while writing chapter 2, so I know this is good. Not bragging, just stating fact, folks.

Moving on, a short update on me. I seem to be on an injury kick lately. I have a tendon injury in my right hand, causing severe pain in my middle finger. At work, I have to keep my two longest fingers taped together, so I can't wear a protective glove or liner on it, so I keep scraping it on all the metal. It sucks! Plus, something else. My mother, stepfather, and I were working on getting our last jetski into the water. But before we can put it in, we have to clean it. The first step is putting acid on the underside to get all the dirt and dust that built up in winter to loosen. I had rubber gloves on, but was wearing a t-shirt and some acid dripped onto my right forearm. It started to itch and burn a little, but the hose I would normally use to clean it off was hooked up to the pressure washer. My stepdad said it was set on delicate, and the washer wasn't even turned on yet, so I thought that I could have him wash my arm off, because the washer would spray out a light stream of water. Well…I was wrong. When he turned it on, it took the skin clean off and now I'm sporting a nice 2 inch long gash, which is now infected. And to top it all off, my migraines have been on the rampage because work has been incredibly stressful this last month. I was blamed for a mistake that was made about dates that didn't print on a product, and if I make one more mistake, I will be fired. The damn thing wasn't even mostly my fault, but it's hard to argue with management, especially if your boss is an idiot. So now I have to look for another job, just in case I get fired from my current one. I hate my life right now, but you guys and your encouraging reviews help me feel better, so thank you for that.

Remember to REVIEW!

And now, it's the chapter you've all been waiting for…The big fight scene between the asshole prince Nagi, and the super sexy mouse girl, Setsuna! For the record, I don't own Negima?! So without further ado…

Chapter 7

Setsuna watched the prince disappear back through the doors to the ballroom, making sure he wouldn't come back to bother them. Once she was sure he was gone, she turned back to Konoka, who had an adoring smile on her face. She gazed at her savior lovingly, walking up to her and grasping both her hands.

"Oh, Setsuna. Thank you so much for saving me. Um…" She looked away hesitantly, then turned back. "Did you…did you mean it? I mean what you said…about loving me? Because…I did. I've always loved you. Of course, at first it was how someone loves a pet, but as soon as you changed into a human I-I just couldn't take my eyes off you. So, did you mean what you said?" She looked at Setsuna, hope filling her eyes. Setsuna turned beet red, suddenly overcome with a bout of shyness. When she had confessed, she had been caught up in the moment, too furious to let her inhibitions get in the way. But now that it was over…Her lack of answer caused the look in Konoka's eyes to fade. Her grip on Setsuna's hands loosened, and her heart began to break. Setsuna noticed the change immediately, and could no longer afford to stay silent.

"Y-yes…I did." She said it so quietly, Konoka wasn't even sure she'd heard right. "I love you, Konoka, and I want to be with you, always." Konoka's eyes filled with tears of happiness as she embraced her warrior. She began to lean in for a kiss, when-

"Hold it right there, Romeo! You haven't won her yet. Either stand and fight, or run scared like the little girl you are." Nagi came back just in time to ruin the romantic moment. Setsuna sighed, and gulped. What Chizuru said about the weapon's powers came to the forefront of her mind.

This sword better work, or I'm a dead mouse.

Duel Scene

Two bitter enemies stood staring each other down across the symmetrically trimmed lawn of the courtyard. One gazed arrogantly toward his opponent, blatantly advertising his lack of respect towards her. The other carefully observed him, looking for any weaknesses he might have, while praying silently in her mind that there was a way out of this, and if there wasn't that she was at least holding her sword right. The prince's butler stood off to the side, looking intently at his pocket watch. Konoka stood near him, looking on with increased worry for her knight in shining black tuxedo. And the others stood behind some shrubs, excited for the coming battle. CRUNCH! A loud crunch nearly made them jump out of their skins. They all turned to look behind them only to find Makie, munching on some popcorn.

"Where did you get that?" Kaede asked.

"Well you got your wishes, so I asked Chizuru to grant mine. I was so hungry after that long carriage ride, so I asked for something yummy to munch on. Then this appeared." CRUNCH! "Mmm…want some?" Makie pointed the bag towards their unofficial leader.

"You shouldn't be eating that right now. You're gonna blow our cover. Put it away!" Kaede said. She started to turn back towards the fight, then quickly looked back and grabbed a handful of buttery goodness. Crunch! "Mm…Now *Smack* Put it away."

Suddenly, the butler snapped his watch closed. The battle had begun. But neither moved. Nagi was shocked that this overreaching little upstart hadn't gone barreling straight at him. Instead, she made a move only experts did…nothing. She raked her eyes up and down his body, slowly; calculating. Searching for that one tell in their fatal game of poker that she could use to send him crashing down. But he wouldn't give it to her; would not reveal his weakness. What neither of them knew was that the clock in the ballroom was just about to strike twelve. Nagi couldn't take it anymore and charged, his sword connecting with Setsuna's in a flash of sparks. Again and again they clashed. Parry, thrust, dodge and repeat. It was almost like a dance. That is until Nagi broke rhythm and used his free hand to punch an unsuspecting Setsuna in the face. Her head snapped back, neck cracking painfully, before she brought her head back upright. A bruise could be seen forming under her left eye. As she came forward he swung in an attempt to behead her, although with the rapier it would only have slit her throat. Setsuna's balance was still compromised; she couldn't escape. The sharp tip came rushing toward her…BONG! BONG! BONG! The clock in the ballroom announced the midnight hour.

The now familiar to all, but Nagi, flash of brilliant white light surrounded Setsuna and Nagi. The trees, and the world grew very big and Setsuna grew very small. Her clothes, now much too large, enveloped her like a blanket. Nagi let out a gasp of surprise. His opponent had vanished! All that was left were her clothes. He swiftly sheathed his weapon, convinced that he had achieved victory and that the little she-devil had run off, and turned to collect his prize, only to gasp in shock once more. What stood before him was no longer the sexy slut he'd wished to bed that night, but instead a lowly scullery maid, one that bore a striking resemblance to the girl from before. She was dirty, and disheveled from housework, and had none of the appeal from earlier.

"You there, maid. Find that slut girl and bring her to my chambers. Then get back to work, filthy peasant!" He snarled. He started to go back to the festivities when he yelped as a sudden sharp pain stabbed his foot. "Ouch! What the hell?" He yelped again as the one stab turned into two, three, four, five and more. Something small and furry ran up his pant leg, the stabs of pain following suit. Nagi attempted to slap the pain away, jerking and jittering up and down, desperate to be rid of whatever pest had infested him. A loud squeak was heard when one slap found its target. "Ha! Got ya that time, you little-Huh?" As he cheered, the lump he'd hit scurried further upward, until it popped out of his shirt collar. It was a white mouse, brandishing a miniature sword that looked exactly like the one that girl had had. And it was squeaking rather animatedly.

"What the bloody hell is going on?!" Shouted Nagi. "Where did a mouse get a sword? Why is there a scullery maid in place of a hottie? Am I going mad?"

"No, my lord. You're not going crazy. That mouse is the girl you were fighting before. And I am the beauty you saw earlier. This is just how I normally am, that's all. We had spells cast on us so that I could go to the ball tonight." Konoka explained.

"Wait, are you saying you're some kind of witch?" Nagi asked, hand going for his sword instinctively. Konoka smiled and shook her head.

"No, no, no. I'm not a witch. It was a fairy who enchanted us." At this Setsuna added something, but it was lost in translation, or lack thereof.

"What is it saying?" Nagi asked, wary of the mouse's tail that was still holding the sword. Konoka looked puzzled.

"I don't know…" she said sadly.

"I think this is where we're supposed to come in." There was a rustling in some of the taller bushes and seven more girls came out. Their leader, a tall, fox-faced girl stepped forward to address the prince. She listened intently to her smaller compatriot and then spoke.

"She says, 'The stupid, geeky lookin' fairy is gone. Her boss came and kicked her off the case. Now I am stuck like this, but I refuse to give up the duel.'" Setsuna swung her sword as menacingly as a mouse can, though it still looked adorable. Then she began to squeak again. "Ok, this time she says, 'Have at thee, varlet! Give me Konoka, or give me death!' Oh, this will not end well." With that translated Setsuna dove back into the prince's suit, resuming her attack. The prince didn't take that lying down, twitching and shuffling his way toward a nearby tree. Konoka, realizing what was about to happen, stepped forward to intervene, only to be stopped by Kaede and friends.

"What are you doing? She's gonna be crushed!" Konoka protested. Kaede looked at her sadly.

"We know that, Miss Konoka. However, any interference on our part would render the duel null and void. In which case the prince would get the deciding vote since he is royalty. Setsuna would lose, and you'd be forced to marry the prince."

"But-"

"Just have faith in her. She may not exactly know what she's doing, but her love for you is stronger than any I've ever seen, or heard of. Although my experience with it is rather limited because of the whole 'life in a cage' thing. But I have learned that love is powerful, and in the end that's all that matters." All Konoka could do was nod as she watched, and waited. Meanwhile Nagi was desperately slamming into the tree, trying to rid himself of his smaller-than-pint-sized tormentor, but Setsuna was too fast for him. However, she was faced with a problem of her own. No matter where she pricked him, he just would not surrender. She continued to annoy him as she began to think.

'Geez, what does it take to get this guy to surrender? Wait a minute…Guy…That's it!' Diving down deeper into the tux, she made her way into his pants and placed her sword against the one appendage no man ever wants to get injured. Taking a deep breath, she squeaked as loud as she could, hoping to be overheard by her translator.

"Getting a message here. 'Attention, asshole! If you don't surrender right squeakin' now, I'm gonna change you from tenor to soprano, and from Christian to Jew, ya got me?'" Instantly, all body movement stopped, save for the rapid heaving of a terrified prince's chest.

"Now," His voice squeaked, "let's not be hasty. We can work this out, can't we?" A sharp jab was his answer. "Okay, okay! I surrender! She's all yours. I swear on my family's name, just don't hurt me!" Nagi bawled like a baby, tears streaming down his face. Slowly, the tiny blade was removed and his furry nemesis crawled down his pant leg and out onto the grass. Now free, Nagi took this opportunity to escape, running back into the ballroom screaming and crying for his mommy. Takahata followed at a more dignified pace. Konoka ran to her hero, picking her up and kissing her furry head. Were she human, Setsuna would've been blushing cherry red. Instead she hid her head in her paws from embarrassment.

"Oh, thank you for saving me…But what do we do now? You've changed back, so I can't kiss you. The carriage changed back, so we're stuck here and can't go home. Not that we can go home. I mean, there's no way I can bring seven humans and a mouse with me…Hey, how are you guys human? For that matter, who are you?" This last was addressed to our four former white horses. Kaede provided introductions, as well as explaining how they came to be human.

"…But Chizuru's gone now, so I'm not quite sure how she intends to allow you to be together."

"Um…I think that's my cue." Poof! That oh-so-familiar puff of smoke appeared, and so did Natsumi, Chizuru's fairy secretary. "Hello, I'm Natsumi. It's nice to meet you Miss Konoka. I am here because Chizuru told me to grant Setsuna one wish after her duel was over. So, Setsuna, what is your wish?" The fairy smiled knowingly at her.

"Well, since all of you have decided to be human, and I don't want to be the odd mouse out, I think I have the perfect wish. I wish to be made human, so that I can be with the one I love, and we can live happily ever after." When she was done squeaking, Konoka set her on the ground. Natsumi took out her wand and waved it in rhythm to her words.

"O great magic, let this transpire, grant this mouse's one desire." She gave the wand the ol' swish and flick, white light surrounded Setsuna, and she changed back into the handsome girl she was before, and the tux poofed back onto her body. Konoka held out a hand to help her up. Setsuna accepted and rose to her feet. Chocolate brown eyes met charcoal black before closing as their lips met in a sweet kiss. From the direction of the ballroom a loud collective 'aww' was heard, startling the lovers. Looking over, the entire party had gathered to witness the spectacle, curious as to why prince Nagi had run inside crying. Konoka just smiled happily at everyone, whereas Setsuna was about to faint as a new shade of red invented itself on her face. Suddenly, another brilliant flash lit up the night. This one was a firework, set off by the royal pyrotechnist at the behest of the queen, who wished to celebrate the new beginning of two of her subjects' happy lives. The display continued, and Setsuna and Konoka were about to get lost in the moment, leaning in for another kiss when-

"Cinder-Konoka?! What are you doing here? And, are you kissing a girl?! Stop right now and get home this instant!" The crowd either parted, or was tossed aside by Asuna to make way for Nekane, who was red for a very different reason than Setsuna. Konoka, being used to following orders began to obey her stepmother's commands. Setsuna, however, had just gained the loving relationship she'd sought since, well, ever. And she'd be damned if she was gonna let any step-people stand in her way.

"Now just hold on one squeakin' minute. Who are you to be giving her orders anyway, ya old hag?" Nekane and Ayaka gasped at the horrendous insult, Asuna becoming boiling mad. Before she could do anything though, Nekane had recovered and stepped forward.

"I am her mother, head of the household, and sole beneficiary of her late father's vast fortune. And as long as she lives under my roof she'll do as I say!" The conversation was about to get very heated, until an unknown woman dared to step between them.

"Please, cease this terrible bickering. I am certain all this can be solved peacefully." While the woman spoke, Mana tried to get Setsuna's attention, only to be hushed by Kaede. Nekane couldn't believe the gall this woman had, butting into their affair.

"And just who are you to tell us what to do? Go back to your party, you brown nosing busybody!" The rest of the guests gasped. The woman showed no reaction aside from lifting one elegant eyebrow.

"I am Queen Arika Anarchia Entheofushia, and I simply do not wish for my subjects to fight. This is a party; meant to be an occasion of joy. Anger has no place here." As soon as her words registered in Nekane's ears her whole demeanor changed and she hit the deck, bowing as low as her horrible taste in gowns would allow.

"Ahh, uh…a thousand pardons, your majesty. I did not realize who you were."

"That is obvious." The queen retorted. While this was going on Mana again tried to get Setsuna's attention, reaching to pull her sleeve, only for her hand to be slapped lightly be her girlfriend, causing her to pout cutely.

"Your majesty you need not concern yourself with this. It's a simple matter of a young girl rebelling after her mother forbade her from coming to the ball." Nekane attempted to downplay.

"Why should she not be allowed to come to the ball? All eligible young women were invited." At this, Nekane's eyes darted around, as if searching for a visual answer. Her eyes quickly locked onto a champagne glass. "She got very drunk the night before and went for a joyride in our carriage. I had to punish her somehow. Most girls would get a beating, but I took pity on her. Poor girl, no father. She hasn't been the same since he died and-"

"Don't listen to her! These are all lies! I've never drank alcohol in my life and our driver will tell you the horses never left the stable. Ask him!" Konoka defended herself.

"Well," the queen exclaimed, "I seem to be receiving two different opinions. But how to decide who's telling the truth?" Mana knew it was now, or never. Instead of getting around Kaede to speak to Setsuna, she went directly to the queen herself and whispered in her ear. The queen acknowledged her information with a nod and Mana went back to her place by Kaede, giving her a victorious smirk.

"It seems that there was some misinformation given earlier. However, it cannot be confirmed without an investigation. Therefore my guards and I must travel to your estate posthaste. Is that acceptable to both parties?" Nekane's face tightened.

"Of course, you majesty." She said through gritted teeth. Konoka agreed as well and some servants were sent to get both Nekane and the queen's carriages ready. Kaede looked at Mana in shock.

"What the hell did you say to her Mana?" Mana just smirked.

And that's a wrap, folks! Now how was that for a decisive victory? Just remember girls, if you want a man to leave you alone, always go for his pride and never hesitate to fight dirty. And I'm going to leave you with yet another cliffhanger. Just what was it that Mana said to the queen? Will Konoka and Setsuna get their happy ending? This story's coming down to the wire, and I hope you will enjoy the last chapters, which will be coming soon to read on a laptop, or other internet device near you! Peace out, readers!