Yoh. Actually updated faster this time! Good eh? Things are going slow so far but it should pick up once they enter Luron.

Thanks for those who reviewed! : You keep me going. Sounds so cliche but it's true.

I just feel like replying to all you guys so yeah :p

Yeah, cuz I'm feeling happy, nice and cliche-ish. And I have college entrance review classes next week. I'm still hoping I can write this with the same speed or even faster.

I wish we had SAT's instead of separate tests per college and University. It would make our lives so much easier.

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KuroShiroYamiHikari-Thanks! She thinks Setsuna's odd/different actually. :p But yeah, a bit suspicious too.

Reusch17-YAY update! Haha. Yuhp, I'm hoping that I can do a good chunk of this story during my summer break.

Rotem- Yeah, I know. It's kinna going slow eh? The plot should get a bit faster once they get into Luron. It's all in my head, just takes some time to write down.

Tatsuki-san- Haha. Thanks. I was actually tossing around that idea. Ayaka/Asuna. But I'm trying to center the story around Setsuna and Konoka. Sorreeh. Maybe in the future when the main arc is done. If it ever does get done. And I'm up for more writing. sweatdrop

pigtopus-Thanks for the review! Yuh I know right? That's gonna change though. But you can't exactly get people's trust so easily.

animeaics- Wow, your review is long! Thanks! I feel honored that this is the longest review you've done. Yeah, Setsuna IS awesome! The demon aspect of Setsuna is interesting because it's still quite a mystery and Akamatsu doesn't dwell on it so much. Hahaha.

Nini62223- Yeah, I'm glad I can now update a bit faster. Thanks for the review! You're french? That's cool!! LOL. XD

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Disclaimer: Naw, I don't own Negima. Believe me, Konoka and Setsuna would be snogging in every hidden corner of the manga if I DID own Negima. XP

Oh well, we still love you Akamatsu-sensei for creating these fabulous characters. XD


Chapter 7- Bringing Down the Barriers


Here we go again. It was basically starting from block one all over. She took off her glasses and wiped them clean with the sleeve of her kimono. Really, where could that little girl have gone? Despite being told NOT to even bother looking for that princess inside the Uzoku territory, by the tribe leader no less, she just had to check to make sure. To make it easier for her and her small band of what you could barely call 'troops' she had only checked the gates which all led to the four separate countries. She at least expected the princess to make it that far in this forest...if she was in it. Guess she would have to start looking inside her own home country just incase the Mahora princess made it there. She would leave inspecting the land of Mahora until the very end. The current king might just wonder why she was there instead of in Luron. After all, she did just come from there. The assistant to the prince grabbed the arm of a young soldier while he was walking. He immediately stood up straight and saluted, he was another rookie no doubt. Majority of these men given to her were straight out of the academy, she wasn't complaining of course. The Luron soldiers' academy takes in little boys and in a few years they come out strong men; strong, nervous, lacking in experience, stuttering men. "Y-yes ma'am?" He stammered at her. "Please tell them..." She swayed her palm at the scattered troops. "…to stop searching. We shall head back to Luron." The searching wasn't doing them any good at the moment.

"A-alright ma'am." Chigusa watched as he started to go up to his scattered colleagues and told them that they would be leaving for Luron. That princess was going to be found, no matter what.


"Let's start moving shall we?" Evangeline emerged from the cabin in a plain black dress with minimal frills at the hems and a small shoulder bag. She slightly kicked the backs of the Virga knight and the half-demon still sitting on her wooden veranda. "Geez, you have a bad habit there Eva." Asuna stood up and stretched for the second time that morning. Immediately after Setsuna had stood Konoka and Negi had emerged from the cabin and to her displeasure, she found them both talking to each other quite happily. She had heard some bits and pieces of the conversation, majority about spells and the like. Her old master gave her a small pat on the arm which signaled her to start walking. Evangeline slightly turned her head to her robot servant. "See you Chachamaru, take care of the house!" She gave a small wave to Chachamaru, who waved back. "Please be careful master." Evangeline smirked. Ah, good old Chachamaru. She always wondered how a robot could always be so caring.

Eva trotted along beside Setsuna and observed her young former student. Those dark brown eyes were downcast, filled with confusion. This girl wasn't oblivious to the way the red headed boy eyed her, tried to avoid her without it seeming so. At first he was talking with her and such but after her small practice match with Asuna he became wary of her. The blonde sighed and patted Setsuna in the back just to give a bit of enthusiasm back into the dejected looking girl. She would need it. This trip was going to be a bit tedious, especially if she had to deal with that demon blood in her in the near future. The raven haired girl gave her a forced smile in return but looked a lot better than before. Eva smiled back. The half demon quirked an eyebrow at her former master and just stared. "What?"Evangeline replied rather confused.

"You never smile at people." She held her own smile in. "That was a very odd thing to see."

"I'm not an expressionless being. Besides, I think you needed it." She shrugged and gave a playful hit on the taller girls shoulder. The younger girl grinned, inhaled deeply and started to walk a bit faster compared to a while ago. "Yeah, I think I needed it too."


One more town and they'd reach the west gate. Sure took them long enough. Tsuruko let out a huff. Really, did the royal council think that she couldn't handle herself? She had gone into the large circular room and calmly declared that she would be entering the Uzoku territory in search of her sister. Majority raised their eyebrows and simply stated that it wasn't safe. Hah, those coming from these people who have hardly stepped out of the capital. Then again, it was the Uzoku territory, the area that everyone avoided for…obvious reasons. She ran a hand through her hair. Another thing she had been thinking of was what if an heir was produced. If that was the case then that heir would have control over Uzoku and Saroustian land. She sat down at an empty table in the inn they were currently staying at and tapped her fingers on the hard wood until a plate full of food and a glass was laid down in front of her. The girl who had put all the plate and glass down was soon seated beside her with her own plate and glass. "Thank you Ku."

The blonde girl with small pigtails nodded. She was an apprentice martial artist which the Royal council had asked Tsuruko to bring with her. Even if she had the ability to defend herself the council found it safer if she brought at least an apprentice with her to help if any kind of trouble were to arise.

Although, since being a member of the council herself, the high ranking official doubted she would get into any trouble. Besides, they were trained on how to make a good impression. Saroustia being a former demon slaying country, she was also taught self-defense. Making pacts and alliances was her forte and she did quite as well in her swordsmanship.

She stared at her food and then her former thoughts came up once more. What would she do if there was an heir? Her bloodline and yet a half-demon, what would the council have her do with the heir? Then again, Saroustia was a former demon slaying country and at the moment only the Royal council was handling the country. Someone who was born from their royal line was, in way, a good foundation for the country. Her country men didn't exactly trust the council and at times, tried to overthrow them. Luckily for the council, their overthrowing plans never really went through. Who else would be better to run the country but relatives of the late Royal family? Not the country men, they didn't know how. And so they left it at that and decided to leave the council alone to do their work. 'Sometimes they just don't think…then again, what would they do if they realized their ruler was a half demon?' Despite them being a former demon slaying country they still had demon slayers and they often took assignments from other countries when there would be a rouge demon attacking villages. She rolled the meatball in her plate back and forth with her fork. She'd have to ask Motoko about that heir.

Ku Fei started to eat her dinner. She didn't really know what to expect during this short journey into the Uzoku territory. It was unnerving to think that the first mission she had been given was to go with a member of the Royal council. Not just that, but she was also about to go into one of the largest demon territories in the world; the Uzoku territory. Come to think of it, she was one of the top apprentices and would be graduating in a few months. Perhaps she needed this sort of exposure. She nibbled a bit on the tip of her fork. She'd gain a lot of experience, she was sure of it. The thought excited her a bit and she grinned to herself. She was taught some demon exterminating moves. Maybe they would be of some use during this trip.


Evangeline had decided that they would rest here, in this small clearing in the forest for the night and had them put up camp while she thought Konoka some more spells. Negi, surprisingly, had asked Setsuna to go get some firewood and so she went on ahead and started to pick up some branches lying about in the woods. Now this, she was used to. She always had to do this back when she was living alone. She had to cook using wood and there were times when she had to keep her tree house warm, which wasn't exactly an easy task. She paused a while. Would she be living alone again after she brought the Mahora princess into Luron? She had no trouble with it before but now she found herself feeling a bit lonely at the thought. A sigh escaped her lips and she decided that the branches she held in her arms were enough and made her way back to camp.

"Ah, Thank you Setsuna, please put those down right over there." He pointed somewhere in the middle of the clearing they decided to stay the night in. "Do you want me to light it?" Negi looked at her with curiosity in his eyes and a bit of doubt. "I can do basic magic…" Realization spread across his face in an instant. "Oh right… you were a student of Master Evangeline before."

He put up a tent with a wave from his small wand. "Alright then, if you please." He brought up his small wand with another wave and another tent was put. She knelt, muttered 'Lan' and pointed her finger and the pile of wood on the floor, setting it ablaze. The young magician tilted his head in her direction. "Thank you. You…seem used to this." He started slowly and began to say a small spell for protection around their campsite. He couldn't avoid talking to her forever. He knew she was probably a demon disguised as a human being but he was starting to take in what Asuna had told him before.

The black haired girl sat on the grass and let out a small grin. "Yeah, I am, I lived by myself until Kono-chan came along."

' "She seems alright to me. I'd start panicking if she was the type to suck blood like Evangeline…Don't worry about it, besides I think she's a good person." ' Those words echoed in his head for a bit. Indeed, she didn't seem like a bad person, although Asuna had kind of told it to him in a joking way. After all, Evangeline was something similar but did no harm to him or Asuna during the years they had known each other. Konoka seemed a bit fond of her too and when they had met they were already traveling together before hand.

"Alone you say?" Asunas voice suddenly joined in as she came walking towards them. She had just come from telling Eva and Konoka that there would be a protection barrier so that they wouldn't be too surprised if they couldn't get into campsite so easily. Well, not like something Eva couldn't handle anyway. The pigtailed girl took a seat beside Setsuna.

"Yeah, I don't have a mother and my father is…well…" She thought for a bit in order to cover up her fathers' true lineage. "…always busy." She continued.

Asuna waved it off. "I have two younger sisters but I got dumped into the Virga knights at a very young age. I can't even remember when I was put under the Virga knights nor when my sisters were put under the care of the Virga mages but we basically grew up in the palace."

"You must be spoiled then." Setsuna smirked and started to pick up twigs laying around her.

The knight went closer to her and wagged her finger at the girl which caused Setsuna to lean back a bit. "I'm nowhere near royalty, I'm merely part of the Virga knights. Our barracks are placed inside the palace for emergencies. I had to go through some helluva training." She pulled herself back and crossed her arms over her chest. "It wasn't easy."

Setsuna put Yuunagi beside her and patted it fondly. "I had to go through sword training as well , although a different technique I would guess."

"I had to go through magic training. Not at all that easy either." The only boy in their group sighed as he remembered the days and nights he had spent practicing his spells. "Konoka's going to go through some pretty hard stuff after she passes her current level."

Setsuna smiled and poked at the blazing flames with a long twig. "I guess we all had to go through rough times huh?"

Asuna started to take off her gauntlets and greaves. "I bet we still have a lot of things in store for us, it's not like we're experts at what we do yet." She placed her armor beside her taking note to bring them into the tent later on.

As they stared contently at the lively flames in front of them, they all grinned. They had some things in common and enjoyed the fact that they could all share the somewhat same feeling and experiences.


Chigusa grumbled, the first places they would have to search in Luron would be the villages closest to the gate. What confused her was that if the Mahora princess had in fact come from the Uzoku territory, then the guards wouldn't have let her in that easily. Also, since she is not a Luron native then a report would have been made and sent to the palace. More so would they have found out if she had showed her royal seal to any of the Luron guards. She would have most probably been transported to the capital through the magic circle as well. The problem was that none of these happened. No activities at the Uzoku-Luron gate except for her and her troops.

She started to panic inside, she would have to go all the way back and check the land of Mahora. She thought it best if the royal family of Mahora did not find out about their little…mishap. She groaned. She was screwed. They would really need to contact the current Mahora King and tell him what was going on in order to ask for his…help. She brought a hand up to her temples and rubbed them. Even if she managed to get to Mahora at a short amount of time her appearance there would bring about suspicions.

It was best if the whole truth was out, now, she had to go and tell Prince Fate. What a lovely day indeed. She let out another groan. She had to get to the capital, fast. Now, where was that magic portal in this village?


Setsuna leaned herself on a nearby tree and slumped unto the ground. While they were eating the food prepared by Chachamaru earlier Evangeline had mentioned that they would be taking a little side trip. Negi and Asuna had to take care of a small item in a town inside Luron before they would head for the capital. Of course, she and Konoka had asked on how much longer it would take them to get to the capital if they had to do the small side trip. The former master had answered that it wouldn't even take a day since the town they were going to was one of the selected places in Luron which was a part of the magic circle transportation system in the country. Konoka then excitedly stated that she had never used one despite them being all over in Mahora. At that time Eva smirked and Setsuna raised an eyebrow at the blonde but she just ignored her and continued eating. After dinner Evangeline and Negi stated that they would be going to bed and entered separate tents. Negi mumbling something about hoping he wouldn't be a practice dummy in the future because he still got tired even though the spells weren't too strong. Eva glared at him and he scurried into Asuna and his' tent.

Setsuna on the other hand was now worrying about how the day she was going to part with Konoka was drawing near. Tired as she was from the trip she would find it a tad hard to sleep tonight, she was almost sure. She had expected this trip to take longer, much longer. Now she was realizing that it was unavoidable that they would reach the capital eventually…that she'd have to hand over Konoka in the end of this trip.

Konoka folded her legs and hugged them to her body, resting her head on her knees. In a few days she would reach Luron and unite the two countries. Although she had formerly told Setsuna that she had to do this because of her status in life…she wasn't exactly sure if she really wanted to go through with it in the end. She had made some good companions; although odd, good none the less. If she was truly going to marry Fate then that would mean she would be separated from these people. It wasn't like she didn't have any friends before. It just seemed like she would be loosing important ones if she continued on.

In Mahora, majority of the time she was kept in the palace and had minor interaction. Her father told her it was because she was delicate and important. Now that she experienced life outside, she wasn't keen on going back to the life of being 'delicate and important'. Setou had allowed her to choose her path and so did Setsuna. Unlike her grandfather who had just arranged the marriage without her consent and even her father who did not object and just sent her a sorry glance when the announcement was made.

Asuna was seated beside her in front of the fire. She decided that it was too early to sleep and wanted to hang about by the fire a bit. "So, we're getting to the capital of Luron in a few days. You guys must have some important business to take care of if Eva insisted on coming with you."

"Do you not have important business in Luron as well? That must be the reason why you are also with us on this trip." She let a small smile play on her lips. Back firing a question was a small tactic her grandfather had taught her since it was usually useful.

She gave a small smirk. "Heh, yeah. Kinda." She'd have to answer that back fired question unless she wanted the cycle of back firing questions to go on forever. "We went to Luron a few weeks before you came to Evangeline's place and dropped off something for a repair. We're going back to pick it up." She shrugged. "So, what's with you guys?" She tilted her head in the direction of the girl under the tree.

The Mahora heir looked at the half demon with a soft gaze. "She's…my escort."

Not exactly the answer she was looking for, she was after more of what they were going to do in Luron. She must have said the sentence in the wrong way. Asuna raised her eyebrows and looked at Setsuna too to see why Konoka was staring so long. Their fellow companion seemed to be staring back at them with a look that said, "What? Is there something on my face?". The girl who was suddenly getting attention started to look behind her and to her sides when they did not stop looking at her. She started to blush slightly when she concluded that they were indeed looking at her and not at something behind her or something near her. "W-what is it?" She started with a raised voice, so that the two girls could hear her from where she was sitting.

Konoka giggled a bit. "It's nothing Secchan." She answered back at her with the same volume. Setsuna frowned. She felt like she was being left out of something important, picked herself out from the ground and planted herself somewhere nearer to the two girls where she could hear more clearly.

"Oh Secchan, if you're going to sit closer then you might as well sit beside me." She patted the empty space on her other side. The half demons slight blush came back but took the offer anyway and ended up sitting beside the brown haired girl, quite happy of where she was.

The heir told Setsuna to then make her back face her, the half demon gave her a confused look but complied anyway. Konoka then turned around herself and rested her back on the half demons. Setsuna just remained quiet and took the sudden weight without complaining.

"Uh-humm." The red head girl nodded to herself slowly, not really believing what her friend-could she call her a friend?- had just told her. She turned her gaze back to the fire. "I guess you could say that I too, am Negi's escort." She replied. "Although no way in hell do I get stares like that from him." She imagined herself gagging since doing it outright would lead her to a questioning look from the girl beside her and probably Setsuna too… which would lead her to another question, which she was sure she didn't want to answer.

The swordswoman raised her eyebrow and inwardly sighed. Escorts, what? They were talking about escorts? She thought they were talking about something far more important than escorts.


Tsuruko stared at the house in the middle of the forest. She had expected that finding her sister was going to be hard, especially because she was supposedly located inside the Uzoku forest. With great surprise she and Ku Fei had bumped into this very well hidden house inside the territory. As far as she was concerned they were in pretty deep into the forest and they were both shocked to see a house resembling the style of Saroustian homes. Ku Fei, who was not expecting anything like this was even more amazed at the sight before her. Both heard footsteps growing closer behind them and immediately turned to attack but stopped when they saw Motoko.

Motoko blinked at the two people she saw in front of her home. She had just come back from her daily afternoon walk. She slightly squinted her eyes at Tsuruko who was staring intently at her, with a smile on her face. "Uh…d-do I know you?" A slight fear suddenly washed over her when the staring did not stop. Ku Fei kept her stance but Tsuruko brought down her sword, knowing fully well who the person standing a few steps away from her was. It was her sister. She had matured quite a great deal but she still looked similar to the image of the fourteen year old girl in her memory .Her aura was the same. Stronger but still the same.

"T-T-Tsuruko?" Motoko cautiously asked. Well, she did look sort of familiar to her and that stare made her slightly nervous, the same way her sisters steady gaze did a long time ago. The unknown woman nodded. "Hello Motoko, it's been a long time." Her eyes widened in slight shock from the reply. As it turned out, her guess was correct. She didn't expect her older sister to come see her …well, ever. In fact, she didn't even think Tsuruko taught she was alive until now. Ku Fei seeing the interaction finally put down her fighting stance and shrugged to herself. She guessed she would do no fighting during this trip if this woman was the reason why Tsuruko had gone through the west gate and into the Uzoku forest.

The Shinmeiryuu master gestured for both of them to enter out of her hospitality. Despite the unreadable but unnerving stare she had gotten from her older sister she couldn't help but send her sister a grin, she hadn't seen her in a very long time. Tsuruko smiled back at her; this time, seeming truly happy for seeing her. Motoko couldn't help but feeling like something interesting was going to happen.


Yeah, I'll admit, it's goin' a bit slow. Although...Tsuruko's gonna find out about an heir! LOL. Do we know where this is leading? XD Hehe. Negi's being nicer and they all get some bonding time. Yeah, cuz Setsuna has to get their trust sometime right?

Oh yeah, if you're gonna ask me who are Asuna's sisters they're supposedly Mei (Sakura Mei) and Anya. Sadly, I'm not going to delve deeper into them unless my story finishes the Konoka and Setsuna centered arc and I decide to continue the story which would be more character development on Asuna, Negi and the people from Virga like Iincho and Nekane for example.

Please click that wonderful button down there!

You know you want to. It's screaming, "I'm so damn hot, push me."

LOL. Kay, you know what to do. ;D