Mahou Sensei Negima: The Next Generation

Chapter 10: The Dark Sniper Returns

The next day, Nodoka was at her desk in the library sorting through books. There wasn't that many activity in the library but Nodoka didn't mind it. Just then, the door to the library opened and Nodoka saw Negi enter.

"Oh. Hello Negi. What brings you by?" Nodoka said.

"Just came to see how you were...and to say, I have a surprise." Negi said.

"What?" Nodoka said. Negi chuckled and called someone over. When Nodoka looked behind Negi, what she saw made her gasp. Yet at the same time, it made her happy inside. Standing besides Negi was her old friend Yue.

"Yue!" Nodoka said. Yue smiled and waved at Nodoka.

"Hey Nodoka. Long time no see." Yue said.

"I thought I should tell you that Yue wanted to come back to the academy. She asked me what job you had and when I told her, she guessed that you wanted to be here." Negi said "Yue came by earlier today and now she's apart of the staff." Nodoka smiled and turned to Yue.

"Really Yue? That's so great. Welcome back." Nodoka said. Negi told Nodoka that she and Yue would be working together and Nodoka wouldn't have been happier either way.

"All right then Yue, you're free now. I need to check on something else anyway." Negi said. Negi said his goodbyes and Yue joined Nodoka behind the counter.

"I still can't believe it Yue. We haven't seen each other since you left with Haruna." Nodoka said. Yue said it got a little tiring with all the traveling hassle and she wanted to be in one place longer than a week.

"Well, it's still great you're back. I have so much to tell you." Nodoka said. Yue smiled.

"All right then. Just don't get lost when you're telling me." Yue said. Yue and Nodoka chuckled and continued chatting. Meanwhile, Negi was checking on Rose who was working on her powers. Grace sat on a stump watching.

"Hi Rose. Is everything all right?" Negi said. Rose nodded.

"Thanks again for letting me train with you. I feel a lot more relaxed now." Rose said. Negi smiled and patted Rose's head. Asuna passed by and winked at Negi. Negi chuckled.

"That's really great news that you and Asuna are getting married dean. That is just so awesome." Grace said.

"Isn't it? I actually can't wait for the day." Negi said. Rose smiled.

"If you're inviting people to it, would you invite me?" Rose said. Negi chuckled saying she was already on his mind of inivtes along with Grace.

"Wow. Thanks." Grace said. Meanwhile, Konoka and Setsuna sat underneath a tree together looking up at the sky.

"Asuna should be feeling pretty good right now. It's really great that she was able to tell Negi how she felt." Setsuna said. For some reason, Konoka was very quiet.

"Konoka? What is it?" Setsuna said. Konoka looked at Setsuna with a smile.

"Just thinking about Asuna had me wondering. Why don't we get married too Setsuna?" Konoka said. Setsuna groaned.

"Konoka! Come on! Do you know how awkward that sounds?!" Setsuna said.

"But think about it Setsuna. You and I have been best friends forever." Konoka said. Setsuna sighed and looked away.

"Yeah. We really are." Setsuna said. Konoka and Setsuna started to remember the happy memories from when they met as kids to their days together at Mahora Academy. Konoka even remembered one time when they were in science class, they were taking care of a pair of baby catterpillars. When they became butterflies, Setsuna and Konoka got an A+.

"Remember that Setsuna? We even named them after us." Konoka said. Setsuna chuckled.

"Yeah. I remember." Setsuna said. Just then, she felt Konoka sitting closer to her. Setsuna looked at Konoka's smiling face.

"So, why not Setsuna?" Konoka said. Setsuna gasped.

"Wait. You were serious?" Setsuna said. Konoka giggled and hugged Setsuna. The force of Konoka's hug knocked them both over and Konoka was laughing.

"Come on Setsuna." Konoka said.

"Konoka! Please! Someone might be watching us!" Setsuna said.

"Pretty please Setsuna?" Konoka said.

"Konoka!" Setsuna said. As Konoka giggled and Setsuna struggled to get free, Chamo watched from afar.

"Ah. That Konoka. She'll never change no matter HOW much time passes." Chamo said. Meanwhile, Karula was in her lair with pratically every dark version of Negi's class.

"Hello all. Now that we have alligned ourselves together, we shall revive our master Gragon and destroy Negi Springfield and all of his pathetic friends!" Karula said. In her chambers, the dark forms of Setsuna, Mana, Ayaka, Zazie, Makie, Yuna and everyone else were with her.

"So, what should be our first job...boss?" Dark Mana said. Karula chuckled.

"We'll wait for the moon to rise. When that happens, Mana, you get to send them the "message" that their time is up." Karula said. The dark Mana smiled with an evil grin and her blood lust was boiling. When night came to Mahora Academy, Rose and Grace were looking out at the starry sky while Negi, Setsuna and Mana were walking together.

"I heard the news. You must be feeling pretty good right now Negi." Mana said. Negi smiled.

"Yeah. In fact, I never felt any happier. I never thought I could feel this way about Asuna before. But I'm glad I am." Negi said. From the rooftop, the dark Mana watched ready to fire her bullet. She aimed right for Negi's head.

"So that is the little punk fifteen years into the future. Well, it's time his future ended." Dark Mana whispered. When she was completely locked on, she fired and a needle shaped bullet headed for Negi. But Setsuna saw it and deflected with her sword.

"Shoot." Dark Mana said.

"Who's there?!" Mana said. They heard an evil laugh and the dark Mana jumped down to the ground. Mana, Negi and Setsuna gasped.

"Hello again...Springfield and friends." Dark Mana said. Mana and Setsuna couldn't believe their eyes.

"Wait. You're...Mana?" Setsuna said "You're that dark Mana." She laughed.

"I never forget that face. That's when Gragon's nasty bugs were possessing my class!" Negi said. Dark Mana looked at Negi.

"Good you remember. But now...it's time for a little REVENGE you twerp!" she said. She floated upward and started firing her guns at them. The three of them started running as the dark Mana continued firing.

"What's wrong? Scared?!" she said. She laughed as her guns fired.

"Man. I was really THIS insane?" Mana said. She drew her guns and fired. They deflected some of her bullets and a few got her.

"Gah. That...that hurt!" Dark Mana said. She looked at herself and saw they were magic bullets.

"So THAT'S why." Dark Mana said. She started firing only at Mana and she ran firing back.

"Whoa! Look out! It's Mana versus Mana!" Setsuna said. Negi had no idea what was going on.

"My human half has some skill. I'm impressed." Dark Mana said. Mana chuckled.

"Same feeling here. But only ONE of us can be an expert gun shooter. Let's see who is better!" Mana said. The dark Mana laughed and clamped her hands together. Negi remembered this when they battled in the Dreadnoid castle.

"Mana! Look out! This bullet is going to be able to bounce around! Look out!" Negi shouted.

"Ha! Take this!" Dark Mana shouted. Mana swiftly dodged the bullet and even avoided it when it bounced off the tree behind her.

"It'll take a better shot than THAT to hit me!" Mana said. Dark Mana chuckled and fired another one. Now two of them were bouncing around. Suddenly, Negi saw Rose and Grace coming. They heard the gun firing.

"Negi! What's going on?!" Rose said "We heard guns firing and...!" But Grace knocked her down when one of the giant bullets almost got Rose in the head.

"Whoa! What was that?!" Rose said. Dark Mana saw them and chuckled.

"Well, fresh meat. Hey kids? You like seeing red? Well, you sure WILL be when I get ya!" Dark Mana said. She started firing at Rose and Grace but Mana intervened and took the hits.

"Miss Tatsumiya!" Rose said.

"Get out of here! I'm fine!" Mana said. Rose and Grace rushed off as Mana fired back. One broke through and struck the dark Mana.

"Agh. Those magic bullets really do hurt." Dark Mana said. She laughed.

"That's what makes this so much fun!" Dark Mana said. She started firing faster and faster. Mana was almost out of bullets.

"Oh no! If she runs out of bullets now...!" Setsuna said. Negi decided this was going far enough and he fought back. He fired a spell and it knocked the dark Mana down. As the dark Mana got up, Mana charged for her and tackled into her. She had one of her guns pointed at the dark Mana's head.

"I may be low on bullets. But one is all I'll need to finish YOU." Mana said. The dark Mana chuckled and panted.

"This has been...one of the best fights I...ever had. I didn't...know the human me was such a...good shooter." Dark Mana said.

"Yeah. It runs in my blood." Mana said. Setsuna and Negi watched waiting for the dark Mana to try and break away. But strangely enough, she just stayed there with the gun pointed at her head.

"I hope...we'll fight again...someday." Dark Mana said. Mana sighed.

"For you, there won't be a next time. You're going back to the underworld where you belong." Mana said. Dark Mana chuckled and started sinking into the ground beneath her.

"What the?!" Negi said. Mana gasped and fired. The bullet missed and ricocheted up towards the sky. They could hear the dark Mana's laugh echo in the sky.

"Oh believe me. There WILL be another round Mana. Until then, try and get some target practice." she said. Her dark laugh echoed in the sky before vanishing completely.

"Darn it. She got away." Mana said. Negi was at least all right that Mana was alive still. Just then, Asuna came over. She said she saw everything.

"Please tell me that...I just didn't see the evil Mana here again." Asuna said. Negi sighed.

"Sorry Asuna. But you did. Karula must have gotten the Reaper's Claw and revived her. I can only imagine she revived the remains of those other disgusting bugs." Negi said "And they'll probably have the girls' powers as well." Asuna brought Rose and Grace back to their rooms as Mana watched the sky.

"If she wants another round, I'll make sure...round two...will be her last." Mana said looking at her gun.

END OF CHAPTER