…I'm not dead.

"What?"

I'm not dead!

"He says he's not dead!"

"Yes he is"

I'm not dead! I'm getting better!

Yeah, sorry about the humongous absence. First I undertook a huge self-appointed task to translate all the Japanese writing in my considerable collection of animé pictures, and then I discovered A Game of Gods on TV-Tropes (I play Kimimaro and Kisame). And then I discovered Puella Magi Madoka Magica, which is to magical girl shows what Evangelion is to super-robot shows. Anyhow…

On Pokémon White: I've beat the main story (Ghetsis was such an utter bastard, wasn't he?). I've explored every city. I've captured the "Musketeer Trio". I've beat the Elite Four again and gotten into the Hall of Fame. I've captured Kyūrem. I've beat Cynthia in Undella Town. All that's left is Thundurus. As such, I will never complete White. In Pokémon, I am HORRIBLE at tracking down the Runners/Roamers, much less catching them. I never even got Latias & Latios, Mesprit, or Cresselia, and only got Raikō & Entei through Pokémon Colosseum. I can use my Master Ball to catch Thundurus if/when I find him; anyone have advice on how to catch up to the bastard in the first place?

And for something in this chapter: no, I haven't played Assassin's Creed yet, though I do plan on renting the game, playing through it a bit, and if I like it I'll buy a copy, beat it, and then get AC2.

RANDOM JOKE (my old stand-by; who gets it?): A guy walks into a bar and says "ow".

-CHAPTER START-

Mahora Academy – Library Island

June 21st, 2011

"Yue… you love Negi-sensei too, haven't you?"

Haruna's proclamation sent Yue reeling; Konoka and Marie were a little shocked, but had the presence of mind to not make any sound, not wanting to potentially make things go bad.

"I… you… I-I… No… no, I…"

"It's okay, Yue."

"How is it okay?-!" the normally-stoic girl shouted tearfully, catching Haruna a bit off-guard. "I promised myself that I'd help Nodoka end up with Negi! To fall for him… I've betrayed her! How can I still call myself her friend if I'm in love with the boy she loves?-!"

"The human heart cannot truly be controlled or guided, Yue" Haruna replied. "Our hearts do whatever they want, no matter what our minds may try to tell them to do. We can't help who we fall in love with. Your heart just happens to be disagreeing with you right now."

Yue couldn't think of a response, so she instead curled up on herself, sitting on the floor.

"What… what am I gonna do?"

"Well… you could maybe share him?"

"What?-!"

"Hear me out. It's rare that such things work out, but certainly not unheard of. Look at those three college students that we ran into earlier today. Or at the records in Teana's Device's datatracks regarding her instructors Takamachi & Testarossa with that Scrya guy – they're perfectly happy together. All it takes is for all people involved in the group to understand and respect each other and whatnot, and for the main focus person to have room in their heart for everyone. And if I know anything, it's that you & Nodoka understand each other better than anyone else, care for each other way too deeply to let anything tear you apart, and that Negi-kun most definitely has a big enough heart to love both of you… and probably several other girls in addition, for that matter."

"But… but what if she… she would never be willing to…"

"Yes, I would."

Yue's eyes shot open as Nodoka's voice made itself known, the quiet violet-haired girl walking up to join the group. Haruna was smiling – not her usual mischievous/perverted Cheshire Cat Grin, but a soft, warm smile rarely seen from her. Marie and Konoka silently looked to each other before returning their attention to the unfolding events.

"I've thought about it," Nodoka said as she walked up next to Yue, who stiffened as she put a hand on her shoulder, "and I… am willing to share Negi-sensei… especially if it's with you, Yue. I know that… that he's able to love both of us at the same time and make sure that we're all happy."

And then she kneeled down and pulled Yue into a hug. The shorter girl soon relaxed in her best friend's arms, returning the embrace.

Haruna gave a content sigh. "You four will be so happy together" she muttered. However, the two heard it.

"Four?" Nodoka & Yue said simultaneously, looking at Haruna.

"Oops! Did… did I say that out loud?"

"Spill it, Haruna" Yue said in her normal flat tone.

"Well… y'see… Ahsoka-chan's got quite the crush on Negi-kun, it turns out. I only found out recently. But… but lately, she and we have gotten pretty close. The old trio of me and you two kinda has her as a new fourth member, wouldn't you say? If she was in with this, I'm sure there'd be no trouble."

The more Nodoka and Yue thought about it, the more they agreed. They and Ahsoka had gotten rather close as friends, and the girl was nothing if not loyal and kind-hearted, though prone to somewhat-abrasive sarcasm to people she didn't know at all, and even then she seemed to always somehow know where to draw the line to avoid actually seriously offending anyone (unless they were asking for it, at which point she really let 'em have it). They looked to each other and nodded. Ahsoka was wholly welcome to join in.

-SCENE BREAK-

Yue's face went beet-red as Haruna and Konoka forced her & Negi's together in a kiss. The Pactio circle at their feet glowed with power, and Yue felt as Negi's magical power flowed into and through her, causing her to fight back a moan from the sensation. Negi was a tad surprised when Yue leaned into the kiss, pressing her lips tightly against his. Soon, the glow faded, and they parted, both of them blushing. Negi reached out and grabbed the new floating card, creating a duplicate for Yue.

"Okay," Shion said, "that's one down."

"Huh?" Negi said, eyes wide and confused. "What do you mean?"

By the time Ahsoka realized what her teammates were planning, Shion already had her hands on her shoulders and was beginning to maneuver her towards Negi, who was being ushered toward her by Marie. Both blushed with realization, but Ahsoka's blush was around thrice as deep as Negi's. They were placed standing inside a new Pactio circle, facing each other. Eventually, Ahsoka's wants won out over her embarrassment, and she leaned forward and captured Negi's lips with her own. The Pactio circle flared to life, Negi's magical energy flowing into and through Ahsoka's body, causing her cheeks to flush further and a quiet, whimpering moan to come from her throat, muffled by the kiss.

After several seconds, the circle's light faded, and the two disengaged, Ahsoka panting lightly as she reveled in the echoes of the sensation that had coursed through her. She was shaken out of her daze by Negi handing her the Pactio card. She focused on the card, feeling for the power in it and in herself.

"Adeat"

In a flash, a dull-red bracer-like device formed over her left forearm, a small magitek machine with organic-looking curves much like the tech commonly made by Protoss and Sangheili. Following a mental cue, she clenched her fist and focused her energies. An extra metal plate/flap faded into existence extending over her fist, locking to prevent her from bending her wrist upwards… and a blue-green energy blade, looking like a cross between a lightsaber and Shion's Void Blade sprang into existence, a teensy bit shorter and narrower than Shion's energy blade but otherwise alike, except for emitting the constant low hum of a lightsaber blade, and looking like such.

"Woah"

She focused some more, and from the outer edge of the bracer sprang a few triangular energy blades/spikes, looking somewhat like the teeth of a shark or something. Another mental command, and they grew and merged to form a large, wide energy blade jutting out from the side, shaped like the fin of a dolphin. She experimented in switching between the different blades on her Artifact. Lastly, she followed one last cue. With the other blades deactivated, she bent her wrist up and curled in her ring finger, and a thin, flat energy spike sprang out from under her wrist, about 10 inches long.

"Should I start calling you Ezio?" Marie said.

"What?" Ahsoka looked honestly confused.

"Ah, sorry. I forgot I hadn't shown you that game series yet. I'll tell you later."

After about a minute more of experimenting, Ahsoka dispelled her Artifact, returning it to card form and pocketing it.

"Two down, one to go…" Haruna said in a worrying tone, advancing on Negi with her trademark grin. Negi was a little frightened by the predatory look in her eyes, but Shion held him in place as Chamo reinforced the Pactio circle one last time, Haruna stepping into it. She gazed into Negi's eyes, seeing the multitude of emotions in them. She smoothly removed her glasses, pocketing them, and then pulled Negi close, bending over slightly so her breasts pressed into his chest & neck rather than smothering his head. She wrapped one arm around his waist, holding him close, and placed her other hand on the back of his head. She leaned down and kissed him, tilting his head back as she did.

Negi felt as his magical energy began to flow through Haruna, but he mainly focused on how she was pulling him close against her shapely body, sending his not-quite-pubescent mind and body into confusion… but a strangely welcoming kind of confusion. He involuntarily squeaked as he felt her lower hand grab his butt and squeeze, and then felt as she took the opportunity to slip her tongue into his mouth, to his great surprise. He couldn't really do anything about it, though; one hand continued to hold his head close, while the other was still gently but firmly squeezing and fondling his bottom. Despite himself, Negi let out a light moan as he unconsciously started to give in and enjoy the whole thing, Haruna happily continuing to plunder his mouth and knead his ass. All the while, the other girls looked on in mortified fascination… and jealousy.

Finally, about 15 seconds after the Pactio ritual itself was finished, Haruna disengaged, running her tongue along Negi's lips as she slowly broke apart. The boy's eyes were half-lidded, a fairly deep blush on his face, and he was panting lightly; his first 'deep kiss' had been far more than he'd expected. She gave his rump a final squeeze and gently ran her other hand along the side of his face; like Ahsoka before him, he unconsciously leaned into her hand as she did so. She stepped back, grabbing her new Pactio card.

"That…" she said to him, "was an adult kiss. Remember it, so you'll know what to do with your future girlfriend… or girlfriends."

Negi dumbly nodded.

At this point, Marie's cell-phone rang, changing the mood. It changed the mood due to the fact that the ringtone was not something you'd expect from Marie:

(rapid drum beats) Oo-ow!

If you're hungry for a hunk'a fat 'n juicy meat,

Eat my buddy Pumbaa here, because he is a treat

Comin' down to dine,

On this tasty swine,

All you hafta do is get in liiiine…

Aaaaaare ya achin' (yep-yep-yep)

Fooooor some bacon (yep-yep-yep)

Heeeeee's a big pig (yep-yep)

You can be a big pig, too! Oi!-!

At this point, Negi, Haruna, and Shion were giggling as a mildly embarrassed Marie answered her cell phone.

"Hello? Oh, hey, Boss. …Yeah, we got three new Pactios. …Yue, Ahsoka, and Haruna. …Yeah, Ahsoka got one. …Yes, Haruna took it over the top; was gettin' kinda hot & heavy, really. ….Mmkay, we'll see you at the concert. Bye."

"Concert?" Ahsoka asked.

"Oh, you mean the Cheerleader Trio and Ako-chan, right?" Haruna said. Marie nodded.

And then Shion's phone rang.

Chocolate?-! Chocolate!-! CHOCOLAAAAATE!-!-!-! CHOCOLAAAAATE!-!-!-! CHOCOLAAAAATE!-!-!-!

(beep) "Hello? …Hi, Asuna-san."

By this point Haruna was laughing out loud, and Marie was giggling, too, as Shion filled Asuna in on the recent happenings (Asuna's 'protective older sister' side meant that she wasn't too pleased at Haruna threatening Negi's innocence like that and her all but molesting him, but she knew that there was no stopping Haruna from such things).

And of course, all the Earth pop-culture/cartoon references went right over poor Ahsoka's head.

-SCENE BREAK-

Roof of Mahora Middle School Building

That Night

"So, Marie, we've heard Teana and Shion's stories. What's your family like?"

Marie leaned against the chair she sat in as she processed Mai's question, tuning out the surprise Going-Away Party being held in Chao's honor. She sighed, leaned back, and then began to speak.

"Well… first off, my mother Veronica is damn near unshakeable – iron will, and whatnot. She's… a little harsh and short-tempered, but considering the ugly divorce she & dad went through, and the stress of raising three kids, one of which was the old, bratty me, it's kind of understandable."

From the currently-dormant Charon projected an image of a woman in her mid-30s, with mid-back-length hair similar (though not identical) in color & shade to Teana's, and piercing green eyes.

"Then there's my little sister Erika. She's 11, but she's pretty small for her age. She's kindhearted, quiet, unassuming, really shy, and has a gift for reading people – basically, she's a lot like Nodoka-chan and Hinata-chan. One thing about her, though: …she's incontinent. She has to wear diapers. I remember it being caused by some sort of accident when she was little, but… well, with how that magical perfume or whatever the Hell it was alters reality and memories to fit whatever changes it causes, I'm starting to wonder if maybe she tried it on herself without knowing what would happen… Anyway, she's the sweetest little thing, really. She's very moé, especially when she blushes, which is really often."

The hologram showed the small pre-teen girl, nervous green eyes open wide and a light blush on her face framed by shoulder-length, slightly-downward-spiking black hair. If one looked close, the skirt she was wearing stuck out a bit more than it should, hinting at her embarrassing semi-secret.

"Then… there's Sarah. My older sister – even after my age-up to my original body, she's still got a couple of months on me and more than a couple of inches. She is… perfect. The old me didn't see it – refused to see it – but… she is, probably, the best big sister anyone could ever hope for. She's smart, kind, strong, can switch between goofy and serious in a heartbeat as needed, damn wise for anyone, let alone a 16-year-old, and always knows just what to say or do to make people feel better. Even when I was the old me, she was probably the only person who could make me feel truly comfortable. I love her with all my heart. After… after all that the old me did to her… I don't… don't really deserve to have her as my big sister anymore. I had that chance and I squandered it. Granted, if anyone would forgive an irredeemable brat like me, it'd be her… but I still haven't really forgiven myself for what I used to be."

The hologram showed the young woman, blond hair held back and up in a ponytail, dark-blue jeans and a white shirt with open brown jacket completing the look, along with a green-eyed smile that was near-comforting just to look at in a still image.

"She looks kinda like Mion…" Shion muttered. "Same hairstyle, similar taste in clothing… Like another Mion, except for the hair color and breast size."

Marie looked at the rather impressive figure of her sister in the hologram, and then arched an eyebrow at Shion.

"Twins" Shion said, while cupping her prodigious breasts, causing them to almost-imperceptibly jiggle.

"Ah" Marie simply responded, absent-mindedly glancing down at her own low-C-cup assets with a twinge of jealousy. "Right. Oh! I almost forgot Erika's little boyfriend, Tim."

The hologram showed the young boy, around 10, with short black hair, dark-green eyes, and an innocent smile, wearing black jeans and a red shirt.

"Tim Randall. He's a great kid. He and Erika have really hit it off together. And yes, he knows about her little problem, but he doesn't care one bit; I actually have a feeling he thinks it's a little endearing. Cheerful, patient, a teensy bit shy but nowhere near as much as Erika, pretty smart and wise for his age… basically, he's like Negi-kun without the parental abandonment issues. Erika got herself one hell of a catch. …Now if they'd only work up the nerve to actually confess to each other…"

By now, several more people had gathered around and listened to Marie's descriptions of her family, including the rest of Gamma, Konoka & Setsuna, Negi, Chao, the Library Trio, Ayaka, Chizuru & Natsumi, Akira & Ako, and Kaede Nagase & the twins. Holograms of all four individuals now showed up side by side in response.

"Your little sister does look cute" Chizuru said.

"More than that" Haruna said. "The shyness! The small stature! The adorable little smile and big blush! The innocent, heartwarming relationship with an equally-adorable little boyfriend! The wholly justifiable reason to take care of her! If that isn't nigh-unbelievably kawaii and moé, I don't know what is!"

Ayaka, meanwhile, was fighting down the slight tingling of her Shota Senses upon seeing the hologram of Tim, while Ako was looking back and forth between Akira and the hologram of Sarah. Chao, meanwhile, was focusing on something else.

"Interesting device you have there" she said, referring to Charon.

"Thank you" Charon stated, catching anyone not already in the know off-guard. Natsumi gave a shocked look to Marie.

"Yeah…" Marie sighed. "He's not quite at the level of Chachamaru-san, but Charon-kun's AI is pretty advanced. Teana-san's personal AI, Cross Mirage, is a bit more advanced, but not by much. I'd… rather not say how we got them, really, except I can say that I built Charon's superstructure by myself using Cross Mirage's physical structure combined with my own ideas & visions as a sort of guideline, and I... can't really reveal how the AI that Charon-kun is came to be. He & I have been through a lot together, even though I've only had him for a few months or so. Teana-san has had Cross Mirage for much longer; they're pretty much inseparable."

"Master has stated I am one of the three individuals she trusts most in all of existence" Cross Mirage, still in Card Form in Teana's breast pocket, stated, "though she has yet to inform me of who the other two are."

"I bet I know who…" Marie said with a tiny smirk. "It's that blue-haired girl who was clinging to you in that picture of your old team you have, isn't it?"

Teana blushed and fidgeted. Haruna, as expected, now had her trademark grin on her face. Teana gave a wavering sigh and then pulled Cross Mirage free, holding him flat. A hologram sprung up of a dark-blue-haired, green-eyed smiling girl around Teana's age, wearing a tight sweater that accented her not-inconsiderable assets, along with jean-shorts.

"Subaru. Nakajima Subaru. My first friend. Met her around three years or so ago. We argue a bit – well, mostly she says or does something that sets me off and I snap at her while she just laughs and apologizes. Even so, we're always there for each other, no matter what, and we'd do anything for each other. Yeah, she's another of my most important people. I… haven't seen her in months. I really miss her… a whole lot. Stupid as it is, I even miss her silly fun-first-business-later attitude, and her insatiable sweet tooth. Her laugh… her smile… her eyes… her warmth… her presence… Without her, it… feels like part of me's missing. I miss her… so much…"

A hand fell upon each of her shoulders – one from Haruna, and one from Marie. "You must really love her" Haruna said with uncharacteristic seriousness and tenderness. Teana blushed, but then closed her eyes and smiled, a single tear rolling down her cheek. "…Yeah… I do. I'm… such a fool that I didn't realize it until just now… long after I left her to get away from our old boss, who betrayed me in a manner I'd really rather not bring up. If I'd been more aware of myself back then… I'd probably have done anything to convince Subaru to come with me. I only hope… that losing me doesn't destroy her."

"You'll see her again."

Teana's eyes shot open, and she raised her head to look at Negi, who had a serious look in his eyes and a mature smile on his face.

"I know it" he said with utmost conviction. "You'll see her again, Teana-san. Sooner or later… you'll get to be with her again."

Teana suppressed a tiny sob, and smiled & nodded.

-SCENE BREAK-

Evangeline's Resort

Everyone readied themselves, checking weapons & tools and going over battle plans.

After the gang had initiated the new recruits (Haruna and Chisame) fully, explaining to them Negi & co's exploits and Gamma Team's as well (luckily, Chisame was a player of Halo and StarCraft, so freak-out was tempered by mild fangirlism), they'd spent time training and trying to get Asuna out of her funk over the thing with Takahata (this had not 100% succeeded, but she claimed she was now good to fight).

Negi had explained what Chao had told him: that she had come back from the future to reveal magic to the world at large, for some as-yet-unexplained reason. After much moral deliberation, they had to choose their own futures, what they still had yet to accomplish in their lives, over the good that might have come about with the breaking of the masquerade. Now prepared to do what was necessary, they all gathered at the exit point of the Resort.

As the light whisked them all outside, and they exited and headed off out of Eva's Cottage, they all missed the single holographic note taped to the dome, written in Chao's handwriting:

"I WIN"

-CHAPTER END-