Disclaimer: The following story is a fan made work of fiction. Fairy Tail and Mahou Sensei Negima! are owned and written by Hiro Mashima and Ken Akamatsu respectively. Please support their official releases.
Chapter 10
Two Paths, One Goal
"Hold still for this part Kaede. You will feel a sharp pain as I set the bone."
"Please get on with it, Mana. I am prepared, de Gozaru."
"Alright. Take a deep breath and -" Crack! With a loud noise which echoed through the girl's dorm Mana finished setting the last of Kaede's broken bones. A searing pain tore through Kaede's body and she let out a short grunt of discomfort. Ninja's endured pain, but to endure it you had to feel it.
Moments later, Mana drew her upright; as the dark-skinned mercenary wrapped a wet compress around Kaede's upper body to keep the newly set rib in place. The other girl moved quickly and deftly, wrapping the bandages with practiced ease. The girl's school uniform still looked sharply pressed, and her face appeared as stoic as ever. Setting Kaede's broken ribs and dealing with her burns did not seem to have affected the other teen in the slightest.
Kaede studied the room as Mana finished her work. It took only a short while, leaving Kaede alone on the sturdy table. The ninja was currently seated on a durable piece of wooden furniture which probably doubled as the mercenary's dining table. Scattered around the room in ordered piles were weapons and medicinal objects, some of which had just been used in the ninja's treatment. It was a spartan room which never failed to set her at ease.
Moving gingerly, Kaede swung her legs over the table's edge before slowly rotating each arm to gauge her mobility. The discomfort in her side grew quickly, forcing the ninja to shorten and slow her movements. It seemed that she would be dealing with this injury for a while, the thought of which caused a frown to grow on her face; something Mana noticed.
"If you think that injury is inconvenient, Kaede," she said, "you should be aware that it will feel even worse if you do not avoid strenuous physical activity for the next week. Your ribs looked like someone had taken a sledgehammer to them, and you're lucky that those burns weren't worse."
One eyebrow raised before she turned her back towards Kaede. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that you decided to take on a butcher of an opponent in an underground fighting match. With no armor. While half of your fighting arena was lit aflame"
Kaede felt her lips quirk upwards in amusement. "That would be quite the match, de Gozaru."
"It would indeed. But since you are neither Ku Fei, nor little Negi-sensei, I trust that your judgment is more acute than to engage in such a battle without exceptional preparation. Of which none seems to have been present."
The other girl moved about the room as she spoke. Her deft hands wrapped bandages and cleaned the edges of ointment jars which had been used in Kaede's treatment. Each item was carefully examined before being placed within a sturdy wooden cabinet.
Soon enough the room appeared as Kaede best knew it. Clean, aesthetic, and seemingly innocuous. Few indeed would have thought it the home of a teenaged girl. Let alone as the base of operations for a world renowned mercenary.
Even several years into their association with one another had taught Kaede little of the other girl's past. Mutual respect had kept it that way and it had served them well. There were few things in life which kept you on their toes
Meanwhile, as Kaede was thinking, Mana closed the doors of the cabinet gently. She waited until a mechanical click sounded before moving onto another task and spoke as she moved. "If this is another one of your grandfather's ninja rituals then it is none of my business to inquire any further. But if you are engaged in some sort of personal training regimen then I will be blunt: you are not ready for it. To engage in it any further would risk endangering your career as a ninja."
The mercenary turned around to continue scolding her patient but Kaede had heard enough. She held one of her hands up to ward off the other girl's words.
"I understand, Mana. Your point has been made and understood, de Gozaru."
Mana gave a soft snort and returned to her previous efforts. Various other items lay scattered about and it was not in the dark-skinned girl's nature to leave a mess.
"Then I will move on to my next one," Mana spoke firmly. "Kaede, ninja are supposed to be calm and deliberate. Only the stupidest ninja or those who court death ever allow themselves to be guided by haste alone."
The mercenary's sharp gaze could have drilled twin holes in the hardest steel as she turned her head to look at her patient. "I have never thought you to be either, Kaede. I am disappointed to learn that I may have been wrong."
Kaede nodded her head in acknowledgment as Mana continued talking. She also fought to keep a blush of pride from coming to her cheeks. Mana was one of the few individuals whose opinion mattered to the ninja in these matters. Hearing the other girl's praise, even when mixed in with disapproval, meant a great deal.
"However, if what I have said is true and if my assessment of your character and skills are also true, Kaede, then I am left with somewhat of a puzzle. There is a discrepancy between the two, and I would know its cause."
"May I answer that it is a secret, de Gozaru?"
"Of course you may. That is your right, a right that I freely acknowledge. But to avoid answering my question in that manner would be yet another type of foolishness. Would you be twice a fool in my eyes?"
"Never."
"Then enlighten me or risk losing my respect."
Kaede sighed. Mana had backed the ninja into a corner. On the one hand, she wanted to keep the details of her fight secret. In the worlds of magic and martial arts, disclosing a person's secret to another without the person's consent was a universal taboo.
Yet losing the other girl's respect was something which Kaede absolutely did not want to have happen. All of which left her caught between a rock and an anvil... just as Mana most likely intended.
So Kaede grabbed her shirt from the floor and began pulling it on over the new bandages wrapped around her chest as she thought of a good way to answer. Thankfully the solution came quickly.
"You see, I met a most interesting individual in the woods last evening, de Gozaru." Kaede said softly as she continued to think her words through. "This individual, a man I had never seen in this area, caught my attention through a display of magic. I then engaged him, and to keep things brief a... miscommunication of sorts then resulted, de Gozaru."
Mana paused and tapped her nose in thought. "Does this man have a name?"
"He does, but as he disclosed it to me alone, I would keep it to myself for now. In truth I know little more than his name."
Kaede felt her brow furrow briefly as a thought passed through her mind. She met the other woman's eyes with her own. "My grandfather would be quite annoyed with me if he were to ever find out the extent to which I was unprepared when I fought this man. I would be thankful if you could keep this to yourself for now, de Gozaru."
The mercenary gave a shrug in response. "Perhaps," she said. "Although I have only met with him once before it may be said that he deeply impressed me. Keep that in mind, as my actions in that regard will depend on the rest of your words."
The soft tinkle of glass containers touching one another briefly sounded as Mana continued to clean. No longer containing balm for treating burns, they sparkled in the morning light. "Continue your story."
Kaede nodded. She described the battle between her and the fire mage in as much detail as she could recall, and she could recall it with perfect clarity. There were few things in the world which interested Kaede as much as fighting. Being able to speak of an exciting fight with someone capable of understanding every nuance was a rare pleasure, and the ninja's eyes glowed as she spoke.
"The style he used matched him well. It was an aggressive one composed of sharp, powerful strikes which utilized the entire body. He moved like the wind, struck like a roaring flame, and possessed the durability of the earth. If he had one weakness it would appear to be his temperament, de Gozaru. Provoking him during the battle most likely why I did not receive more serious injuries."
Mana paused for a moment in her work. "Ah. Is that so? Please continue, Kaede."
Kaede looked at Mana. That pause seemed to hint at something. She just was not sure what. So instead of following up on it the young ninja continued to speak.
The ninja spoke of how she had discovered him burning a tree in the forest and of his irreverent words regarding her being a ninja. She described his moves in detail, of how she had countered them, and of how he had countered her own moves. Kaede left out no details regarding her mistakes, chief among which was not taking the man seriously as a fighter and going all out from the start of the match.
It really had been an enjoyable fight. The wizard had proven himself to be a much more capable and experienced opponent than either Negi or Kotaru. While their initial confrontation had most certainly been her loss... next time would be different. On her pride as a ninja it would be different.
Eventually, though, the dark-skinned girl shook her head and brought Kaede's description to an end. "I think that I have heard enough, and believe that I have a good idea of what happened last night. To that end I have a single question for you: this fighter that you mention, did he happen to possess bright pink hair?"
Kaede cocked her head in surprise. She had not mentioned that in her description of the man. "He did indeed, de Gozaru. Is he known to you?"
If so, that would simplify things greatly. An opponent who was known to be skilled would lessen her shame at having been beaten. It would also increase her chances of finding detailed information on his abilities before their next battle with one another. A battle that Kaede was looking forward to with great anticipation.
Mana laughed softly before speaking. "I have only met him recently but he is indeed known to me. And he is just as you described." The girl shook her head in amusement and leaned her back against the cabinet holding the used medicinal supplies. "To think that Natsu Dragneel fought with you so soon after coming to Mahora is quite unexpected. Although he is a man who seems to do the unexpected quite frequently."
Suddenly the constant pain in Kaede's side seemed to lessen. Her words piqued Kaede's interest. They seemed to point towards Mana having fought with Natsu as well. If that was the case, had she finally found an opponent she could use to accurately gauge the distance in power between herself and the mercenary? This was an opportunity she had not thought to come across.
It was hard to keep the excitement from her voice as she asked a question of her own. "Have you fought him as well, de Gozaru?"
Mana's smile turned mischievous. She knew what lay behind Kaede's question. "I have. As have Ku Fei, and at least one other skilled member of our class."
"Ah. Then if you would, please tell me about it, de Gozaru. I am interested to learn how you handled his abilities in your own encounter." Kaede smiled widely for the first time since coming to her classmate's room. "For from the sound of it, Natsu-san managed to surprise you as well, de Gozaru.
Mana threw back her head and laughed. "You have the right of it, Kaede, but do not get your hopes up. For unlike you I managed to defeat him."
She stood up and straightened her school uniform. "Now come, Kaede. I'll tell you on the way to your room. Otherwise we will be late for school."
The ninja shrugged and followed Mana outside. This wouldn't be the first day she had gone without sleep, and doing so while wounded would be good training. A ninja must maintain their focus at all times and in all conditions.
Besides, knowing that Mana had also had a difficult time fighting against the same opponent was good enough to lend Kaede energy. Kaede's rival was more powerful than the ninja, and Kaede was not afraid to admit it. But as Mana told the story of how she and Ku Fei had fought against Natsu, Kaede felt a long-held hope begin to grow.
Mana might be stronger. But from the way her tale regarding the mercenary's own encounter with Natsu seemed to unfold, it seemed as if the gap between them was beginning to close.
Today was going to be a very, very good day.
"Achoo!"
A violent sneeze shook Natsu Dragneel awake. Dazed from sleep, the pink-haired man looked around blearily for the cause of it. It had to be close, and since he had been in the middle of a fantastic dream where he was kicking Erza's ass, he was really annoyed at having been woken before reaching the conclusion.
"Happy!" Natsu yelled as he flailed his arms and legs about. "Stop tickling my nose when I'm asleep dammit. If you don't, I'll…"
Natsu's voice trailed off as consciousness returned. Oh. That was right. It couldn't have been Happy. The blue cat person was lost somewhere in this strange world and Natsu was all alone. Well, not completely alone. He was in a city after all.
"Mama, hey mama, why is the strange looking pink man sleeping on a bench?"
"Hush darling, and stick close to mommy. I'll tell you when we get back in the car."
"But mama -"
"No! I said not right now. So listen to me and move quickly. And hold my hand!"
Listening to the mother speak brought a sad smile to Natsu's as he settled back onto the bench. It reminded him of when he and Lisanna had played mom and dad with a newborn Happy as their child. Lisanna had spoken to Happy just like this mother had spoken to her kid whenever the young cat had done something Lisanna had found worrying.
When Natsu had questioned this behavior, Lisanna's reply had been that all good mothers worried over their kids. That even if everything was okay, the mother needed to ensure that everything remained that way. Although Natsu wasn't certain why this particular mother was not telling her kid that Natsu had found the bench a convenient place to sleep – it couldn't have been that hard for the woman to figure out – it was definitely a parents liberty to decide when they wanted to explain things to their kid instead of it being around.
A heavy look of sadness crossed over Natsu's face as the thoughts flashed through his mind. Thinking of this reminded him of his current situation, and it was not a pleasant feeling. The pain of his missing friends cut the pink-haired man deeply.
Damn did he wish that he could be out there with Gray and Takamichi as they searched for the scattered members of Fairy Tail. The training seal Eva had placed on him, along with her kickass time device, were amazing... but they weren't Fairy Tail. Nothing compared to his friends and family, and Natsu would trade it all for their safety if he thought that doing so would help.
Gah! Natsu thought to himself as he shook his head. Enough of this trip down memory lane. Sitting around and moping about things just wasn't his style. He needed to be doing something.
Natsu swung his legs over the side of the bench. He breathed in deeply before clapping his head between his hands. Then, with his head cleared and his heart centered once again, the pink-haired dragon-slayer jumped off of the bench and made his way to the street.
"Even if I'm completely frickin lost," he muttered to himself as he merged with the morning flow of traffic. No, check that. Judging by the sun it was already the afternoon. Natsu had slept longer than he had initially thought. Something which did not surprise him in the least considering how lost he had become during the night.
Mahora City was massive. It blew away Magnolia, Crocus, or any other city Natsu had ever seen back home in Fiore. He had spent the entire night running around it as he had searched for Eva's items with no luck. Every street he turned down was one Natsu had not seen, filled with shops and smells that he had never before encountered.
The dragon-slayer had been vaguely aware of this when he had gone through the city with Negi and Takamichi. Yet back then Natsu had still been suffering from the effects of transportation sickness for much of the trip and had not been able to pay attention to his surroundings.
When he had arrived in the city yesterday after his fight against the awesome ninja girl, Natsu had figured that it wouldn't take him very long at all to run the errands Eva had forced on him. Natsu had been dragged on plenty of shopping trips with Lucy and the other girls in Fairy Tail. Even if Eva had the body of a kid the woman was still, well, a woman. Whatever she had placed on her list should have been similar to the things Lucy and the others purchased back home in Fiore.
However, once again the vampire had proven herself to be an unrivaled pain in his ass. Nothing on the list was recognizable to him. He could read the list thanks to the translation charm he had, or thought he could, but nothing on it made any sense. Something which Natsu found to be incredibly frustrating.
His frustration had eventually boiled over to the point where he had gone up to random people on the street to ask for their help. None of them had been able to help, and in a fit of anger he had set the paper ablaze. If it wasn't cooperating then it could burn to ash.
If only it had had been that easy. Eva had evidently foreseen this possibility as the list magically reformed from the pile of ash Natsu had created. Natsu had burned the list several more times. He had even tried throwing it away as it was burning. None of it worked; the list always reformed and sought him out, even slapping him across the face as he attempted to run away from it.
Natsu pulled the list out of his pants pocket to take another look at it. The smooth, unwrinkled paper which was free of chars or burns of any sort mocked him.
The words printed on it in a smooth, flowing hand weren't much better.
1) Fetch a copy of Dalamar the Dark's thirteenth grimoire from the hidden bazaar in the eighth quarter. An idiot like you does know what a book is, right?
2) Seven Aetherian lodestones. Highly toxic, DO NOT EAT!
3) a #14 part from Hakase's laboratory. Sexual harassment of either of its two proprietors will be severely punished.
4) A bowl of fresh salata vinete from Tepeste's Turk's. DO NOT EAT THIS ON PAIN OF DEATH!
P.S. Do not bother coming back here until you get every item on my list. Otherwise I'll kill you when you least expect it and suck your body dry.
Looking at that last part made him scowl. Natsu had not meant to stay out all night and had actually meant to return to Eva's cabin after having given it a good try. But he had been too annoyed at his task – and the damn magical paper which refused to burn – to think straight and had ended up crashing on a nearby bench in exhaustion. Between his annoyance, his fight against Kaede and the magical seal on his body Natsu had hit the wooden bench hard.
Just thinking about the thing made him more aware of it. Thanks to his fight against the ninja girl Natsu felt like he had a pretty good handle on its effects. The thing robbed him of most of his magical strength, but as long as he was careful he wouldn't need to worry about it. His strength and speed were nearly the same as they were before the seal had been placed on his body, and if there was anyone in this strange city that could take a solid punch from his fist and keep standing Natsu would be surprised.
Mahora city was incredible in some ways. They had some seriously cool looking cars that seemed to run on something other than magic power. Natsu himself would never get on one of the devil-made contraptions, but he could still admire them from the distance. The way everything seemed to light up at night was also pretty awesome. Natsu had spent a good half an hour staring at a display of lights which seemed to move and change form seemingly at will. Other than a fire mage's flame Natsu had never seen it's like.
But it was these same incredible displays and others which drove home some of the words that Eva and the rest had tried to impress upon him. None of them used magic to work. Despite there being hundreds of thousands – no, millions – of things that should have required magic, Natsu had yet to feel even a single drop of it. Everyone and everything around Natsu was completely... normal. And for the first time in his life Natsu found himself too bored to put on his fire demon act and scare random people in the street. What was the point of it if no one could really appreciate his art for what it was?
Whatever. Natsu was nothing if not patient. Ask anyone in Fairy Tail and they would definitely say that patience was his middle name. He always won the staring contests, or the 'who could stay underwater longer' contests before Juvia had come along. He had even tied Erza in a 'how long can you hold your breath for' contest.
Every one of these events had been a massive test in patience and Natsu had won every single one of them. It just happened that Natsu didn't feel like exercising it all that often outside of such events.
Like now for instance. He had tried to find Eva's things on his own for long enough. It was time to locate someone else who might have a better idea.
Natsu stepped out of the flow of traffic. Then he closed both of his eyes and started taking in deep breaths through his nostrils.
Mahora was filled with scents he didn't recognize. Some smells, like the acrid and oily smell of this world's cars, were now familiar. But a large majority of others were not, which made sifting through them more difficult than it should have been for a man possessing the nose of a dragon. Trying to find a person's scent should have been a piece of cake. Instead it was like wading through an ever shifting pool of sand as Natsu tried to find an object buried within.
It took the dragon-slayer several minutes before he was able to pick out a familiar scent. When he did, he couldn't quite match a name to the face which swam in his memory. Oh well. At least it was a place to start.
Ring Ring.
"Alright everyone, class is dismissed. Have a good day!"
"You too, Negi-Sensei!"
"Thank you everyone!" Negi smiled at his students' cheer. The post school buzz had settled in as the first day of the week came to an end. Negi slowly began to organize his things, thinking of his students as he did.
They were always so cheerful that he couldn't help it. Kind, courteous, and attentive did not begin to describe them. Truly, he was blessed to be their teacher. All 30 of the girls had beamed happily as the day's classes came to an end, forming into groups and waving at him as they passed his desk at the front of the room.
Well, all but two of them did, but that was okay. The first girl, Chisame, was moving about her business quietly and not talking to anyone. The bespectacled redhead was probably thinking about her online blog and had gotten too distracted by her thoughts. She seemed to be that way quite often, but it was fine. Her grades never slipped in the slightest, and even Negi had to admit that her blog was really good. He read it on the computer in his room every night before falling asleep and had even snuck a peek or two at it during the school day whenever his busy schedule had allowed.
As for the second student, well, Evangeline never spoke to him at school. Negi was just amazed that she had even shown made it to class that day. The vampiric mage had sniffed and sneezed all day long. Her face looked as though someone had pinched her cheeks too much while her eyes looked as though she had spent the entire night crying and Chachamaru was constantly handing her tissues throughout the day.
The one time Negi had tried to pull her aside to talk about it out of concern, the woman who had become his new master the day before had glared at him so evilly that Negi had shut up and turned around on the spot. The red cheeks and bleary eyes only made her look more dangerous. So no matter how often she sniffed or coughed in her seat Negi did his absolute best to ignore her. He had only just gotten her to take him on as her apprentice, there was no way he would risk his apprenticeship by offending her the very next day. Judging by her stare, Negi had had the feeling that he would be risking a lot more than just his apprenticeship if he had continued trying to help her.
The Dark Evangel was a force to be feared at all times. Even when she looked like a sick elementary schoolgirl in need of medical attention.
"Hey sensei, is it alright if I come on over later this evening to talk about what happened yesterday with you and Asuna?"
Asakura's voice snapped Negi back to the present. Standing in front of his desk the young redheaded girl had a camera in one hand and a brown school briefcase in the other. Her winsome smile was dazzling as usual as she stood in front of him.
"Ah, yes, certainly Asakura-san. Just remember to finish your homework before coming over, okay?"
The class reporter nodded in acknowledgment. "Then it's a date, Sensei. See you then!"
With a saunter of her hips and last flash of her smile the redheaded girl left the classroom. However, her words lingered on, in the air. As she had no doubt intended.
A date. Those words sent a tingle of warning running along Negi's spine. But the words had already been spoken; the damage was done.
It took all of one second after Asakura had left before a member of his class seized upon the reporter's words.
"Waaaah, no fair Sensei! Why is it that only Asakura gets to go to sensei's room? We wanna go too, right Fumika?"
"Right, Fuka! I want to date Negi-sensei too!"
"Yay! Then we'll see you later tonight too sensei!"
"Hey hey hey!" Misa yelled as she pushed her way to the front of the class.
"If those two pipsqueaks are going on date with Negi-sensei in his room too then why can't the rest of us go?" she said while pointing to herself, and her friends and fellow cheerleaders Madoka, and Sakurako. "It's no fair if only they get a head start on stealing Negi's tender little heart."
"Yeah! The more the merrier I always say." Sakurako chimed in. The girl's pale red hair was bouncing from her enthusiasm. Beside her, Madoka merely held up the victory with both hands. "Let's make it a class event. We can call it an after school tutoring session but it'll really be class 3-A's Super Secret Negi Love Love Heart-Pounding Party Time!"
The post school buzz that had settled on the class exploded. Soon nearly every member of his class who had yet to leave was clamoring that they wanted to come over that night to see him. Iincho had even leaped at his desk while yelling something about eternal happiness only to get crushed beneath the feet of her fellow classmates as they rushed towards their young teacher. Negi hoped that the kind girl was okay, but had more pressing matters on his hands than checking on her condition. Greatest of which was figuring out a way to escape this situation with his dignity as a teacher still intact.
Negi felt the skin of his neck begin to heat up. Why had Asakura dropped this particular bombshell before leaving? Dealing with the resulting situation was not his specialty. He really hated saying no to his students regarding anything. Even if it wasn't necessarily something he wanted to encourage at the time.
"Well, uh, you see," Negi began to stutter out as the girls started to make plans regarding food and activities. Negi felt that he had to say something or he would lose all control of the situation, and he really didn't like the sound of the activities they were proposing. "I, uh, well, I'm kind of going to be busy helping Asakura-san with-"
Slam!
The sound of Asuna's school briefcase hitting Negi's desk echoed throughout 3-A's classroom. It had the effect of wrenching everyone's attention from their 10 year old teacher and placing it on the girl instead.
She held up one finger. "First of all, you giant bunch of morons, Asakura is just coming over because of an article she's been working on with our help. She just said that nonsense just now to mess with everyone."
A second figure rose into the air. "Secondly, as far as the rest of you are concerned... scram!"
The class exploded once again at Asuna's words. Yells of favoritism and garbled cries that Negi didn't hear clearly came from the mouths of his angered students. Yet despite it all, Asuna stood unmoved.
"Awwww..." the twins Fuka and Fumika bemoaned as they tried to tug on Asuna's sleeves. "But why can't we come help? We were all in Kyoto together. We could tell her about the Negi kissing event and everything."
Asuna's responding glare could have chipped ice and Negi gulped as he saw it. That stare was never a good sign.
"Did you not hear me?" Asuna said ever so sweetly, grabbing the heads of both girls as she spoke. "I said beat it! Now! Or I swear to the heavenly Buddha that I will crush your skulls like grapes!"
The twins ran for it. They had seen that stare before, had felt that grip before and knew what they foretold.
As for the three cheerleaders... well, it seemed that even they knew when to push Asuna and when to move on. Misa blew a kiss in Negi's direction but quickly left the classroom as Asuna's glare deepened. The other two girls just waved goodbye and with their departure the rest of the class followed suit. A grinning Chizuru even managed to help a dazed Iincho make her way out as the blonde-haired girl muttered fervently under her breadth.
Negi felt relief blossom within him. Normally he would not condone lying, especially to his students, but in this case the young magician felt nothing but gratitude for Asuna's quick thinking.
Negi generally found the twins Fuka and Fumika, as well as the cheerleader trio of Misa Kakizaki, Madoka Kugimiya, and Sakurako Shiina, rather troublesome groups to deal with. For while Negi felt that they were all good girls with nothing but good intentions it always felt like there was something else going on when they were around him. Like an inside joke they weren't telling him. Negi could never figure out what it was, and if he were honest, his ignorance of the joke did bother him a little. Ignorance was a pet peeve of his; being unable to rectify it only made it even worse.
Thankfully, though, he would not have to experience that feeling this evening. For no one, not even the five of them combined, was a match for an annoyed Asuna. The twin-tailed girl with bells in her hair and a temper like flaming tinder stood victorious before Negi's desk. Her icy glare had faded away into a look of catlike satisfaction, and she stood surveying the empty room like a victorious general might survey a conquered city.
That too was a frightening expression for Negi as it generally meant that Asuna had, or was just about to, inflict a horrible punishment on someone. Usually him.
With that expression still on her face, Asuna turned from the doorway to face him. Negi readied himself to experience her wrath.
"Hey, Negi," she said firmly. "Now that that nonsense is out of the way, there's something that I'd like to talk with you about. Do you have a moment?"
Negi blinked in surprise. He wasn't in trouble? Even more, Asuna was asking for his help regarding something? Negi may have only known her for a few months, but an occurrence like this was rare.
He looked around as he thought how to best answer her question. He still needed to put his papers for the day in order and plan the next day's lesson. None of which was particularly time consuming.
"Yep!" He replied honestly. "Just give me five minutes and I'll be able to walk back to the dorm with you. We can talk on the way home."
Asuna shook her head. "Ah, no, I can't really do that today. But I'll wait outside while you get ready and walk to the front of the school with you. It shouldn't take long to talk about what I want to tell you."
Negi nodded. That was a perfectly logical compromise. One that made him really curious as to what she had to say. Asuna never gave up a chance to escort him around the campus.
His response was a simple, "Okay!"
Hearing what she wanted to hear, Asuna nodded her head as well and walked out of the classroom and into the corridor beyond. Negi heard her shut the room's sliding door behind her as she exited and exhaled in relief.
It looks like things are finally going to go simply for once, Negi thought to himself as he ordered the papers on his desk into neat little piles.
Asuna fanned herself with one hand while she waited for Negi to finish tidying up inside of the classroom. For such an advanced state of the art facility Mahora Academy's middle school branch could certainly do with a better air condition unit. The hallways were always uncomfortably humid this time of day during the spring.
Every student knew it and had lived with it so long that avoiding it had become second nature to most. People in conversation generally made their way outside or to one of the Academy's adjoining buildings. Those who attended clubs after school made use of each club's specific facilities. The rest just avoided it and made their way back to the student dorms as quickly as they could.
Asuna used to count herself among those students – oh how she longed for those days past –, but had sadly changed this excellent habit ever since Negi had entered her life.
The kid teacher often had work he needed to accomplish, such as grading or making sure that the room was clean, and Asuna had found herself staying behind to accompany him back to the room. When added to the days she and the rest of the Baka rangers had to stay behind for extra work – something which still occurred far too often for her to feel any sort of pride – Asuna had suddenly found herself staying in the corridors for at least some of the time nearly every day.
"But I still haven't remembered to bring one of those electric fans with me," she said under her breadth as she shifted from foot to foot impatiently. It had been ten minutes and the kid still had not come out. "I could really go for one of them right now. One of Chao's special ones with the turbo feature that can cool the skin to a perfect temperature."
Ugh. Just thinking about the situation and the annoyingly absent solution was making it worse. Hot sweat started to bead along her brow, and she felt a decidedly uncomfortable dampness begin to grow between her breasts. Great, just what she needed.
She tried to ignore it, but with nothing to occupy her mind with besides cursing her young teacher for making her wait the feeling of discomfort only grew. Damn Negi for making her wait!
There was only one way for her to stop the feeling. She looked around quickly to make sure that the corridor was empty. Then, moving as quickly as she could, Asuna reached up and loosened the neck area of her school uniform.
The buttons were hot and humid and decidedly uncooperative. Each one fought against her attempts to loosen them. Asuna growled as she worked.
Eventually they came loose and her shirt opened up. Air flowed in and touched her skin directly, immediately cooling her off and reducing her discomfort.
Sighing to herself, Asuna began to fan her skin with the trusty paper fan she always carried in her bag. Oh sweet, sweet relief.
"Okay Asuna-san, I'm all done. What was it that you wanted to talk abou-"
Smack!
The sound of Asuna's trust paper fan hitting Negi in the head rang through the corridor.
"N-Negi, you idiot! Do-don't sneak up on me like that!" She yelled as she grabbed her shirt with her free hand and clenched it shut.
A red blush crept up her face as she spoke. Had the boy seen anything? He was only a brat, but he was a brat who had displayed some disturbingly adult tendencies on more than one occasion. His age would bring him no mercy from her.
Negi blinked tears out of his eyes as he picked himself up from the floor. "I didn't anything, Asuna-san. I swear. I only saw a flash of white and some polka dots on your -"
Smack! Smack!
Asuna's swift reaction with her fan sent the young teacher back to the ground. "That's one hit for lying and one hit for peeping, idiot." She ground out. How dare he look at her bra! Even worse, how dare he mention it out loud! Asuna didn't see anyone else in the corridor but looks could be deceiving. For all she knew there was a ghost lurking in these hallways. It wouldn't be the weirdest thing she had encountered since meeting Negi.
"Bu-but I still don't understand what's so bad about seeing blue and white -"
Smack!
"That one was for saying it out loud a second time, dumbass. Do I need to repeat myself?
"Nononononono!" Negi said quickly as he cowered before her.
Asuna felt a slight twinge of pity at his expression. It was the sort of expression which only a child could use, one that screamed innocence and love.
She squashed the feeling. There was no way she would raise him to be a pervert, and situations like these called for an iron hand lest he think that such actions were acceptable. She would not see him become like that rogue Natsu; or worse, like that despicable rat Chamo.
"I got it Asuna-san. I really do." He continued. "I didn't see anything, anything at all."
She didn't believe him. "Are you sure that you saw nothing?"
The kid's head bobbed up and down furiously. "Yes. I am absolutely certain that I did not see blue and white polka dots on that thing you wear on your chest."
Smack!
Another smack seemed to finally do the trick. As she repeated her question for the third time as he lay prone on the floor Negi shut his mouth and merely bobbed his head up and down.
Satisfied, but still not trusting him completely, Asuna turned her back to him and started to re-button her shirt. It was still hot but she didn't care. Until she was somewhere cool and safe she would just have to bear it, because she was not going through a repeat of what had just happened.
Or worse, what if Natsu were to run across them during one of Negi's perverted occurrences? If the man had gone after Chao, a girl only just beginning to bloom, then what might he do to a beautiful flower like her?
Asuna shuddered as her imagination went to work. Her chastity was for Takamichi alone! How dare that pink-haired menace do anything which that might threaten it!
"So, um, Asuna-san, what was it that you wanted to talk about?"
Ah! Asuna blushed for the second time in as many minutes. Between Negi's idiocy and her own embarrassment at being peeped on she had almost forgotten what she wanted to tell him.
"Stupid Negi!" She yelled at him. She needed to do something in order to cover her embarrassment and yelling seemed like the natural choice. "Wait until I'm done over here before talking to me."
Thankfully the kid seemed to get the picture. "R-right. Whenever you're ready, Asuna. I'll just wait over here until you're done. Please let me know when that is."
Asuna finished buttoning her shirt with great difficulty. When it was done she smoothed it down before turning around to face the boy.
"Alright, I'm done. Let's head out to the front; I'll talk as we walk."
"Okay!"
Asuna gathered herself as the two of them walked through the corridor to the stairwell. She felt the blush on her cheeks and neck begin to subside as they moved. Good, she didn't want anyone to think that she had feelings for a ten year old brat; which, when considering her crazy classmates, was the first and only conclusion any of them would reach if they saw her blushing around Negi.
Asuna coughed into one hand as she switched thoughts. It was better to avoid dumb thoughts like that and concentrate on her original talking point.
"So, Negi," she began as they entered the stairwell. "Would you mind telling Konoka that I'll be home a little late tonight?""
"Certainly," he responded, cheerful as always. It was like the kid had totally forgotten she had smacked him with her fan. "But why won't you be coming back on time?"
Nosy kid. Of course he had to ask that question. Even if it was a perfectly reasonable question Asuna still wished that he hadn't asked it. She had wanted to keep it a surprise, but lying to him about it felt wrong since it was for his sake that she was going to be late. So she answered Negi's question truthfully.
"Well, you see, Setsuna and I made a promise to one another." Asuna felt her cheeks start to heat up once more as they exited the stairwell and began moving towards the school's entrance. Damn traitorous blood vessels! "Setsuna said that she would teach me swordplay so I could better use my Pactio ability. She hasn't really had the free time to do it except for in the morning, but she told me earlier that she had some time to go over things after classes ended today."
Asuna kicked her foot into the ground as she walked. Talking about this was really embarrassing for her. "I mean, I know how to swing it like a bat," she continued, "but I think that adding some finesse into my movements might definitely be good. And Setsuna's sword style is so smooth and pretty that I thought that asking her to help me out would be a really good idea."
"Ah! I completely agree Asuna. Setsuna is really, really powerful too. I think that's an excellent choice!"
Asuna felt her heart skip a beat at his words. He always praised her and the rest of his students. It was what made him a natural enemy of all women. It was what made her so determined to raise him to be a proper gentleman. So why on earth did her heart skip a beat? She loved Takamichi and Negi was just a ten year old boy!
Then Negi finished speaking. "Because, you know Asuna-san," he said, "your Pactio is really powerful but you sort of suck at using it."
Those words did not cause her heart to skip a beat. Had the kid really just said that she sucked at using her own ability? After she had just told him that she was trying her hardest to get better, and that she knew she wasn't very good? How dare he do that! She would show him!
Asuna held out her right hand as she summoned her magic-canceling fan. Insulting her ability called for an up-close demonstration."Adeat."
"Waaah! I saw nothing Asuna-san. I saw nothing!"
Smack!
"Then stop bringing it back up, you stupid brat!" She yelled as she stalked off, leaving him on the ground behind her. "Geeze!"
Stupid kid, Asuna thought angrily as she walked away. She knew that she still had a lot of things she needed to improve on. The kid didn't need to rub it in.
Especially since it was for his sake that she was trying to get stronger. If she didn't then there would be no way she could call herself his partner.
Negi groaned as he picked himself off of the ground. Asuna's magic-canceling fan really hurt whenever it made contact. Not only did it have a lot of force behind it, but whenever it touched him it sent his body's internal magic into convulsions.
Negi had not been kidding when he had stated that her Pactio was powerful. He also had not been false in saying that she was not very good at using it, although at that moment Negi was rather thankful for her poor skills. It hurt bad enough as it was; training would only make it hurt more.
The bright spot was that the internal magical convulsions lasted for only a short time. Negi was certain that this indicated that the effect was only a side effect of her Pactio's ability rather than being an intended function of the weapon. Both Natsu and Eva had appeared to suffer only momentarily from this effect – if they had suffered from it at all. Both of them were far more experienced mages than Negi and it was possible that they had found a way to avoid this side effect.
He would have to speak with them about it next time he saw one of them in a private location.
Another groan emitted forth as he looked down at the state of his clothing. Thanks to the humidity in the air, and his repeated trips to the ground, Negi's suit was now covered in dirt. He tried to wipe it off only to fail miserably. The humid air had caused the usual light layer of dust to turn into a sticky paste that only smeared when his hands tried to remove it. He gave up on attempting to clean it off.
It did not take long for Negi to reach the front entrance of Mahora. He looked around briefly, hoping to see Asuna standing somewhere nearby, but unfortunately, she was nowhere to be found.
He must have really made her angry. Usually the twin-tailed girl would only go a short distance away after the two of them fought with one another. She would then approach Negi or let him approach her, and the two of them would make up with one another. The only time she ever left completely was when she was really angry at him.
The young boy twiddled his thumbs as he stood at the entrance, nervously considering ways to make things up to the girl.
Buying her chocolate was not a good idea; ever since Setsuna and Konoka had eaten Negi's leftover love chocolate none of them could stand the sight of the stuff. Trying to find Takamichi wouldn't work either. The older man was still off on his mission with Natsu's companion. The two of them were supposed to be out of contact for at least another two weeks, and Negi was certain that his dad's old friend would not appreciate being bothered by something of this level anyway.
She seemed to like buying clothes but Negi didn't know the first thing about buying clothes for a girl. Konoka had told him that most young girls found clothing to be a very personal thing. If he went and bought something Asuna did not like – or worse, hated – then he might make her angrier.
Negi wasn't certain that he could survive for very long if he made Asuna any angrier.
Unable to resolve this inner conflict Negi stood in place for a long time. Students passed by as he stood in silence. Some even called out to him and he replied absentmindedly. Yet as the minutes passed and the hour hand neared a full revolution he finally had to admit defeat. Negi had thought about it as hard as he could, but still no answer had presented itself. New variables were needed in order to reach a solution and in order to obtain new variables Negi would most likely need to move.
Negi sighed as this train of thought reared its head. Frustrating puzzles were the worst; they stuck in his mind like a pack of thorns, twisting and turning as they refused to let his mind rest or move on.
It would take time to get to the bottom of this one, time that was in increasingly short supply as he stood still. Forcing his feet to move, Negi left the school and went down a street that would take him home.
Usually he and Asuna took a shorter route. They stuck to the main street until they reached the light rail station, which they then took to the station by the middle school girls' dorm. It was a simple and efficient route. Yet tonight he chose to take a longer route instead.
There were lots of shops and restaurants along this other route and Negi hoped that one of them might provide him with inspiration. Some of them were geared towards students who generally, but not always, had small budgets. Places such as ice cream shops, toy stores, karaoke bars and fashion boutiques abounded. They were often filled to the brim once school ended and the students wanted to play or shop with their friends.
Others were geared towards their parents, tourists and other visitors. Negi had been told to steer clear of most of them. Some of them were places run by people with shady intentions. Others were places that just didn't allow kids for some strange reason. Takamichi had told him that he would take Negi to some of them once the young boy became a man but until then Negi was supposed to stay away.
Despite his curiosity Negi had obeyed the older man. Takamichi had never steered him wrong before and was a much wiser person than Negi felt he himself would ever become.
Still, despite the plethora of shops and seemingly interesting places surrounded by hordes of young girls, Negi failed to spot a single thing that might be of help to him. Asuna had never displayed any interest in attending a Karaoke bar or a butler/maid combo cafe. Neither had she ever said that she wanted a new car to drive, despite the pleasant seeming salesman's sworn testimony that she would love the latest Jaguar and forgive Negi for anything he might have done. That had been the most promising store he had run across, but ultimately Negi had decided that buying Asuna a car was not something she would have enjoyed.
Store after store appeared before Negi as he searched for a present that might make Asuna decide to forgive him. Store after store failed to provide the answer.
Before long night was beginning to fall and Negi still had not found an answer. He had searched every area he could think of and still hadn't found something that Asuna would love. If he was unable to find anything that he could buy then that meant Negi would have to use magic to make her happy.
Aha! Negi thought to himself as he approached a large fountain. That's what I should have been doing in the first place. I never should have relied on money to make Asuna happy. I should have been using magic! Magic is what I'm good at. Magic will solve all of my problems.
Smiling at last, Negi closed his eyes in pleasure. It turned out that doing so was a rather big mistake, as he happened to run into a rather hard and muscular person who was moving in a hurry. Negi was sent crashing to the ground once again.
"Oof!" Negi cried out in shock. He hadn't been actively using magic to strengthen himself and running into the person had actually hurt.
"Dammit kid, what the hell is your problem? You nearly took me out," yelled the man. With a flushed face, the man advanced on Negi.
It didn't look to Negi like the other man had been hurt by the accident but appearances had to be deceiving. The man seemed very angry from running into Negi.
Aha! He must have gotten hurt somewhere he didn't want to talk about like Asuna. Having solved the problem Negi opened his mouth to offer the man a healing spell. Then he remembered that this man was probably not a mage.
Oh.
Negi's mouth clicked shut. He didn't want to break magical law and be turned into an Ermine.
The man misinterpreted Negi's silence. "What, are you scared kid? Huh? Why aren't you saying anything?" The man said angrily. "You ran into me," he said, jabbing a meaty finger into Negi's chest to illustrate the point. "I want to know why. Doing that was really dangerous; what if I had fallen onto my knife and stabbed myself, huh?"
The man carried a knife with him? Uh oh. Negi was starting to get a bad feeling about this confrontation. Most normal people did not carry knives on their person that could hurt them, and Negi didn't see any belt of tools which might indicate that the man was a tradesman of some sort who would carry such an item as a matter of course.
"Uh, it was an accident, good sir. I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings. I'm sorry that it happened." Negi said hesitantly.
He wasn't certain why the man was so angry. It had only been a simple accident caused because Negi had failed to pay attention to where he was walking. So Negi owned up to his fault and apologized. Doing so should end the conversation so he could get back to finding a magical solution which might bring happiness to Asuna.
It did not seem to please the older man. His face turned a darker shade of red and, angrily, he made a swirling motion in the air with one hand.
"Sorry ain't good enough kiddo," said a deep voice behind Negi. "You've gotta pay up when you make a mistake like this or face the consequences." Startled, Negi turned around to see a small crowd of men standing behind the young wizard.
The crowd of men moved to surround the one Negi had run into as he spoke. Some were dressed like the angry man and others wore nice looking t-shirts or suits. Regardless of their attire, though, each one looked at Negi with cold and disinterested eyes. None of them looked as though they were willing to step in to calm down their friend or help Negi solve this situation peacefully.
The man Negi had run into picked Negi up off the ground with both hands. The older man raised the young mage into the air until they could look into each other's eyes on an even level.
"I asked you a question, you stupid kid," he said in a threatening tone. "What do you think might have happened if I had fallen onto my knife and stabbed myself because you ran into me?"
Now truly confused and worried about what was happening, Negi tried to answer the man's question as honestly as he could. "If that had happened I would have tried to help you as best as I could have, good sir."
The man's face soured. "That ain't good enough either, kiddo. If that had happened then I would have needed restitution. You would have owed me a lot of money. And you know what?" He said, looking around at his friends. "I think that I might need that money anyway. Just as insurance, you understand, in case someone else runs into me and can't pay. And I know that a well-dressed kid such as yourself can pay; that tacky suit of yours looks new, which means that your parents have got to be filthy rich."
"I don't think that forcing Negi-bouzu to pay you money would end well-aru."
Ku Fei! Negi turned his head and saw his student standing nearby. Still in her school uniform, the Chinese student stood with one arm holding her brown briefcase over her shoulder. The other arm was pointed towards the group of men surrounding Negi.
The man holding Negi didn't seem to take her words very well. "What was that you just said, little girl?"
"Huh? Ku was thought that she was very clear with how she spoke, but her Japanese isn't very good yet-aru. Ku will try again."
Ku Fei cleared her throat and spoke once more. "You are holding my teacher in your hands-aru, and forcing him to pay you money is not a nice thing at all-aru and I would have to stop you from doing it."
Negi gulped as she spoke. He knew that the young girl had managed to hurt a wounded Natsu during the school field trip, but this current group seemed to be composed of hardened criminals. Each of the men surrounding Negi appeared to be armed with some sort of makeshift weapon hidden under their clothing.
It was a situation that he did not want to see his student involved. Negi himself had only gotten involved through a misunderstanding; and if money was the only thing that they wanted Negi was okay. He did not care much for money and would rather have it extorted from him than see one of his students hurt.
Before he could open his mouth, though, one of the youngest men standing in the group made his way to the front. Although Negi didn't recognize him the young man was wearing the uniform of a Mahora high school student with the sleeves rolled up and the front unbuttoned.
"Hey, boss, I think that we should do as she says," he said in a loud voice. "That girl over there is Ku Fei – the girl who won last year's fighting tournament by beating the crap out of Donald."
The angry man who was holding onto Negi went pale in the face at the other man's words. "She's the one who beat up Donald? The blonde haired devil student from China?" He asked hurriedly.
The high school student nodded. "Yeah man I'm sure of it. It was all over the circuit that some girl had beaten him up and done it without even trying. Donald's rep took a serious hit from it – she's the whole reason why he's been on a rampage since. I also heard that a couple of smart asses from Takeda's clique even thought that they could take her out to gain some street cred. Only they got beat up even worse than Donald and nobody's seen them for months!"
With every word the high school boy said the angry man's face lost color. By the end of the speech the angry man looked like he had seen a ghost.
Placing Negi down with trembling hands, the now pale man turned to face Ku Fei. He got down onto both knees and pressed his head against the ground in supplication.
"Ku Fei-dono, you have my deepest apologies," he said from his bowed position. "Please forgive me for trespassing against you and yours. You have my word that I did mean any disrespect."
Ku Fei shrugged her shoulders and shifted her position. Negi could only stare at her in fascination as she acted as though this were a normal occurrence.
"That is fine," she said, "but you have still wronged someone I hold dear, no? And were about to do something even worse before I came along, also no?"
"You are correct, Ku Fei-dono. I humbly apologize for my actions."
Ku Fei gave an abrupt nod of her head. "Then stand and face me-aru. Your actions deserve punishment."
The man scrambled to his feet. He looked nervous as he faced her. "May I defend myself, Ku Fei-dono?"
Ku Fei nodded again. "You may." She let the briefcase she was holding in one hand drop to the ground. "Now prepare yourself-aru."
The man settled into a boxer's stance and waited for it to begin.
It was over in a flash. The man who had been so angry earlier didn't even have a chance. One moment Ku Fei was standing ten feet away from him. The next moment she was already inside of his guard and striking him with her palms. One, two, three strikes to the chest which were then followed by a thrust into the stomach from her left elbow.
With a 'whoosh' of air as his breadth left his lungs the man's body went flying into the crowd of men. Several of them caught his limp body with looks of resigned defeat on their face. The ones not holding the man looked over at Ku Fei.
She bowed her head and gestured for them to leave. "Leave and do not bother sensei again-aru."
With muttered words of apologies and thanks, the crowd quickly left. The man who had bothered Negi still hung limply in the hands of his comrades. They shifted his body to their shoulders as they left. Only the sound of shuffling feet and a few whispers between them marked their departure.
Negi barely even noticed. He could only stare in awe at his student as she moved to pick her briefcase from where it lay on the ground.
All his life Negi had wanted to be a great magician. He had lived and breathed its study, trained night and day for years, and studied rare books of spells no child should ever open. He had even managed to pass the magical equivalent of a university at the young age of ten and had graduated at the top his class.
Magic was the solution to becoming strong enough to find his father and Negi had given himself fully to its study.
Yet in this situation he had been helpless to defend himself without causing a worse situation to develop. The solution to this problem had not lain in magic but in the fists of a girl who was his student.
In that moment Negi knew his course of action. In order to catch up to his father, to become a mage capable of beating the mysterious white haired boy he had met in Kyoto then Negi would need to master skills he had previously avoided. Skills that he might be able to learn from the blonde-haired girl now wiping dust off of her briefcase as she began to walk away.
Negi couldn't allow that to happen. Not without talking to her first.
The young mage ran over to his student and grabbed her right hand. She turned around to face him, surprise written on her face. "Ah, Negi-Bouzu, can I help you?"
Negi nodded his head furiously. "Yes! But first, Ku Fei-san that was amazing! Do you know martial arts? Have you trained your entire life? You looked really good and I have to say that, as your teacher, I am both impressed and in your debt!"
Ku Fei stared at him uncomprehendingly at first. Then, perhaps realizing that Negi was thanking her for his rescue, the blonde-haired girl began to blush. She reached up with her free hand and scratched her left cheek in apparent embarrassment.
"Ah, ah, no. No need to thank me Sensei," the young girl replied. "I was only doing what any student should do if she saw her teacher in trouble-aru. It was nothing special for a martial artist who happened to be passing by."
"Nonsense Ku Fei-san!" Negi exclaimed. "I don't know if anyone else in our class could even do that!"
Negi paused. Well, that was not completely true. "Other than Asuna-san, or Setsuna-san, or Tatsumiya-san, or Nagase-san. Maybe two other people too." Negi said, listing off names as the various skills of his students reintegrated themselves into his mind. He purposely left Eva and Chachamaru out for fear that the vampire might not approve of him bragging about her abilities to one of her classmates.
"But still, hardly anyone could have done that," he said. "And you did it even though you barely look any bigger than me!"
Ku Fei, who had managed to slip her hand out of Negi's, nodded sheepishly. "Ah. I do not know much of Kaede-san or Setsuna-san's skills, Negi-Bouzu, but I am certain that Tatsumiya-san could have handled the situation far better than I did-aru. I am a mere beginner on the paths of martial arts when compared to them."
Negi refused to let the Ku Fei deflect him. Humility was a quality to be prized in his students, but he would not let it get in the way of his becoming stronger. Negi would not allow skills which could help him catch up to his father slip out his grasp.
He followed Ku Fei as she walked, following her all the way back to the dorm as he peppered her with questions. How long had she been practicing martial arts? What styles did she know? Had she ever battled against a mage other than Natsu-san? Was she really the strongest fighter in all of Mahora? Those questions and many more flew from his mouth as Negi sought to learn the answer to the most burning question of all.
Would she teach him what she knew?
The two of them neared the dorms before he finally asked it. She looked at him questioningly and asked him in return if he thought that he was ready to seriously study martial arts. That it was a road where pain was a given, one in which he would experience painful defeats and physical trials that would push him beyond the limits of his mind and body.
Negi's response was immediate and affirmative. The list of things the young boy was more certain of was small. His decision to follow in his father's footsteps lay at the top. The decision to have Evangeline as his teacher in magic, and the decision to make Asuna his partner were nestled in the middle. This new decision would fall right beside those two and he swore to himself that he would follow them all to the end.
He stared into his students face as the fire of his decision burned within.
Ku Fei stared back and nodded once again. "Fine then, Negi-bouzu," she said solemnly. "I shall respect your decision and begin teaching you the fundamentals. Training will begin tomorrow morning."
"Yes! Thank you Ku Fei, thank you!" Negi shouted aloud. Relief and happiness welled up from deep within his chest, bubbling out of his body as he listened to Ku Fei's response.
Ku Fei let out a wooping laugh at his reaction. She reached out and slapped his shoulders hard enough to make them sting. "Buwahahaha! It is good that you are so excited-aru. Enthusiasm is a good thing-aru and one that you will need. Training starts tomorrow morning at the fountain; be there at six a.m."
"Yes, master Ku!"
"Good night then Negi-Bouzu."
"Good night Master Ku. I'll see you bright and early!"
Their goodbyes finished, Ku Fei opened her dorm room's door and slipped inside. She closed it with a firm hand, and soon Negi found himself alone with his thoughts. Pleased and happy, Negi hummed to himself as he walked towards the room he shared with Asuna and Konoka.
By the time he reached his dorm room Negi was smiling from ear to ear. He couldn't wait to tell Konoka the good news; that he had found another teacher willing to pass on their skills and teach him. He paused with one hand on his room's doorknob as his excitement rose within.
Konoka would join him in celebrating this good news, maybe even cook him his favorite dinner like she had last night when Negi had told her how Evangeline had agreed to be his teacher. That had been really fun.
Chamo, meanwhile, would probably be happy as well and give his 'brother' a friendly thumbs up. Although if Asakura had already come over for their strategy session, then it was quite likely that Negi's old friend would be busy concocting some scheme with the redheaded reporter. Still, not even the prospect of dealing with some horrible plan created by those two was enough to damper Negi's mood. Because as long as Asuna was around as well then Negi knew that everything would work out just fine.
As for Asuna's reaction, well, knowing her as he did it would be a complicated reaction. She might still be mad at him from earlier. Maybe even angrier because he had not told Konoka that Asuna was going to be late, and unlike he had hoped Negi did not have anything to appease her anger. His efforts to find something to make her happy had failed and he no longer had the time to come up a new strategy.
However, once Asuna stopped being angry, after she stopped yelling and calmed down, Negi knew the orange haired girl would congratulate him as well. Sure she was tough and hard to get along with at times; and when flustered even slightly she would turn violent and hit people with her paper fan. Even so, Negi believed that Asuna would be happy.
Because at the end of the day Asuna was his partner.
Negi took a deep breath to calm his nerves. Then he opened the door and went inside with a smile on his face.
Asakura and Chamo looked up from the room's center with guilty looks on their faces. Papers and photographs of people were scattered across the small table in front of them. Noises coming from outside of his line of sight told him that at least one more person was present. It was probably Konoka, but Negi couldn't tell for certain if it was her or someone else. Either way was okay.
"I'm home!"
END
Next Time in Fairies of Negima: Chao re-enters the picture (I swear!), Eva gets grumpy, and Natsu does as Natsu does.
A/N: So, my original plan for this chapter basically had Negi and Natsu sharing the narrative... but that didn't happen. Negi and Asuna sort of took control of things and Natsu's bit got pushed into the next chapter... much to the ire of my awesome Beta, Rayoukai.
Ah well, watcha gonna do? ;-)
Until Next Time,
Elsil