Me: What's up everyone? Dana's back with a whole new fanfiction!
Setsuna: Where have you been this whole time anyway?
Me: College. Where else would I be?
Setsuna: On the streets begging for change?
Me: Hey!
Konoka: Dana would like to thank DonoBionic for requesting this fanfiction, right Dana-chan?
Me: That's right! Sorry it took so long but here it is! I don't own Negima! Hope ya enjoy the show!
…=…
Aim. Shoot. Reload. Repeat.
It was all just another day in the life of Mana Tatsumiya. It was simple really, a group of chimera being experimented on by a few researchers at Mahora Academy escaped the lab one sunny afternoon and found their way into the dense forest on the west side of the academy. Using a special tranquilizer gun, Mana was able to take down five out of six chimera and only the ringleader was left roaming the vast forest.
Finding the group was easy enough but this particular creature was more agile than the rest. The tanned woman had been jumping over fallen tree trunks, swatting away branches and moving past shrubs for at least an hour now and there was still no sign of the beast. She sighed and slung her gun over her shoulder and allowed herself to rest and relax for a few seconds, something she normally wouldn't do while on the clock.
Like an answered prayer, Mana suddenly heard an ear piercing roar coming from a distance. She smirked "Finally" and took off at an incredible speed. She grabbed the two guns that were on the holsters strapped to both her legs and began to scan her surroundings for her target.
Another roar but this time there is also the sound of water crashing on rocks. The closer Mana got to the source of the sounds, the more she could feel the adrenaline rushing through her body. Once she made it through the last of the vegetation blocking her path she gripped her guns tightly, ready for any ambush that came her way. She found out, however, that she wasn't the first one who tracked the chimera down.
The beast was there, yes, and for a second, Mana thought it was alone but suddenly a brownish blur whizzed past the beast causing it to bellow in pain. The mercenary continued to lay low wondering who she should be shooting. The chimera swiped it's lion paws at the air and even shot fireballs off its snake-like head but whatever or whoever this brown blur was was obviously too fast for the chimera to attack. Seconds later, the beast was covered in slashed wounds and finally collapsed to the ground, heaving.
As the beast fell, its attacker also stopped moving at a blinding speed for Mana to see who it was. What stood in front the fallen beast was a woman fully clad in a shinobi outfit. From out of the shadows, Mana walked out in the open, sighing. She didn't like it when people did her job for her, it made her think that she owed them and that she would have to pay for it someday.
"Kaede is that you?" Mana asked ever though she was fully aware of who it was.
The shinobi, who had her back turned from the mercenary, turned around revealing a blindfold that was covering her eyes. She tugged the piece of cloth down to properly see the other girl.
"Mana" she greeted with a short wave "What brings you to this side of the forest?"
"Actually I was hunting down that chimera" The tanned woman, still holding both her pistol, pointed at the beast "You didn't kill it did you?" She was specifically instructed to bring all six specimens back to the lab alive and if returned otherwise then the pay she would get would decrease dramatically, not something Mana would want.
"Nope, I only damaged it enough for it to stop moving" Kaede turned again and poked the chimera's chest with a grin "No need to worry about your little pet over here"
Mana also smiled, that meant she would receive the whole payment. She could already imagine the number of zeroes on the check.
"Now that you've caught this thing or technically I have" Kaede said, bringing Mana back from her little money paradise "Do you have any plans for the rest of the day?"
"No I don't why do you ask?"
"Great!" Kaede grinned again "Why don't you stay here? I get really lonely training all by my lonesome"
"Why would I waste my time here in the middle of nowhere just to keep you company?" the tanned woman said with a poker face. Contrary to what she said, she did think she deserved a break for once from all the hard work she did and a little company from Kaede wouldn't be so bad as well. She sighed, trying to look like hated the idea of staying "Alright I'll stay, but just this once" she took out her cellphone "Hold on let me make a call first"
After making the call, Kaede led Mana up to the-like rock formation that was overlooking the waterfall and river. Although she wouldn't admit it out loud she thought the view was spectacular. She dumped all her equipment next to Kaede's small tent and walked to the edge of the cliff where Kaede sat.
No words were exchanged between the two of them as they both just stared at the scenery before them. They could have stared at it for hours at it would still be breathtaking. Once in a while Mana would slightly shift her gaze over to the other girl whose face could only be described as content.
Mana usually enjoyed these quiet moments but at that moment she felt so awkward and the urge to speak suddenly grew within her. She was never one to start a conversation unless it was necessary but she felt this need to speak and break the silence that she blurted out the first thing that came into her mind.
"So do you come here often?" She said, trying hard not to stammer.
Kaede suppressed a giggle "Did you just use a pick up line on me Mana?"
"What are you talking abou-" Good heavens she did use a pick up line on her "I didn't mean it like that!"
The laugh Kaede tried to hide was now released and audible for the whole forest too hear "Lookie here, I managed to get The Great Mana all shy and shaking"
"Give it a rest Kaede" Mana whined, not enjoying being the subject of a joke.
"Alright if you say so" the laughter died "I come here to train as often as my schedule allows me to, does that answer your question?"
The mercenary simply nodded in response. They might bicker often and get in each other's nerves (mostly Mana's nerves but the feeling must have been mutual) but Kaede's dedication for training in the ways of the ninja was something Mana had always admired about her. She had no master, so to speak, and when she wasn't training with the Ala Alba, who all had different styles of fighting; she fervently masters her art on her own. And unlike Mana, she wasn't doing it because someone was going to pay her later; she was doing it for herself.
Before she knew it, Mana had caught herself staring straight at Kaede and unluckily for her, even though Kaede's eyes seemed to be closed, she also took notice of the stare she received
"Like what you see?"
"Hardly."
After chatting about anything and everything with a few unwanted teases from Kaede on the side, they decided to gather some food for dinner. Every little thing they did, be it fishing or gathering wild mushrooms was turned into some contest to see who was, once and for all, better. Kaede was able to chip Mana's pride for a bit when she did all of their tasks blindfolded which made Mana try even harder. At the end of the day the two girls were exhausted and covered with sweat but luckily the food they had gathered turned into a worthwhile feast by the campfire under the stars and moonlight.
"That was a well deserved meal" Kaede sighed.
"I'd have to agree with you on that one Kaede" Mana smiled as she noticed the dancing flames on their campfire shining on the ninja's face making her look exotic and captivating. As fast as the thoughts came, Mana pushed them from her mind just as quickly. She shouldn't be having these thoughts, she forbade herself from thinking about anyone that way. She was a mercenary, someone who wouldn't have feelings, period. She knew all too well that she shouldn't get attached to anything or anyone too much because she knew they would never be able to stay with her for too long. There is no love on the battlefield, she would always tell herself. But wait, if she tells herself this right now then that would be the same as admitting that she has feelings for the female ninja, which she clearly was not doing.
As she was mentally arguing with herself, Kaede stood up and called for Mana to follow her. Needing something else to fill her mind, Mana simply got up and followed.
It wasn't a long walk and Mana immediately saw what they came for. It was an old drum. Mana had the pleasure of experiencing a bath in one of those and after a long day it was exactly what she needed. Kaede, quick as she is, already had a fire going underneath the drum that was already filled with water.
"You can go first Mana" she offered.
"No it's alright" the tanned woman said trying to be polite "You go first"
"How about we stop arguing right now and just go in together?"
Mana would have agreed. She would honestly have agreed to that but the mere thought of being cramped in that tiny drum with Kaede, naked no less, bothered her to no end. She was afraid of the emotions a situation like that would stir up inside her. Wait, did she just say afraid? Scratch that, she meant concerned of the emotions. Yeah, that's better.
"How about I just go in myself?" Mana responded at last.
Kaede giggled "Knock yourself out"
Mana stripped behind the drum, away from Kaede's eyes and took a dip in the blissfully hot water. As comfortable and relaxed as she was, she didn't really feel like talking to Kaede the way she was now.
They both finished taking their baths without uttering a single word to each other. As they walked back to the tent to rest up for the night, Mana thought of simply sleeping outdoors to avoid awkwardness involving sleeping with Kaedethen she suddenly found herfel staring at the sky and noticing the dar and ominous clouds looming over head.
"We should hurry back" Kaede whispered.
With a quick nod from Mana they both sprinted for the tent.
As they reached their destination, Mana took a quick glance at the riverside where the chimera was and found that it had disappeared. Either it recovered already and took off or Mana's little helpers had come to pick it up, the latter being more plausible since she gave the beast a special tranquilizer to keep it down for a ridiculous amount of time.
The ninja told Mana to put her equipment inside the tent. Kaede knows just how important those guns are to Mana and damn the world if anything happened to them. The tanned woman stuffed all her belongings into the tiny tent and soon afterwards the two women rushed in as well just in time for the rain to pour down like someone just decided to dump a bucket of water on the world.
Inside, the two barely fit and all of Mana's gear forced them to lay too close for Mana's comfort.
"You're way too stiff sometimes Mana" Kaede said with a grin "You could try to relax a bit you know? Especially around people like me, I'm your friend Mana, I won't kill you and I trust you won't kill me either"
Unable to find the right words, Mana simply muttered a quiet "Thanks…" as a response. It wasn't that she was cautious of Kaede suddenly attacking her but the thought of something from outside suddenly attacking them that worried her. It was probably nothing more than an old habit but for now in this cramped little tent she felt reassured, she felt she was safe from anything external. It was just her an Kaede in their own little world trying to get some sleep.
The gunslinger folded her arms behind her head and looked at the woman beside her who was already sleeping like a baby. As Mana was focusing on the relaxing sound of the raindrops trying to penetrate the roof of the tent, she noticed Kaede shuffling in her sleep and wrap an arm around her waist tightly and snuggling against her chest causing Mana to stiffen. Kaede looked so peaceful that way, that she didn't want to disturb her and as much as she didn't want to admit it she was enjoying this little situation she was in.
Mana smiled and carefully put her arm protectively around the slumbering ninja.
"Goodnight Kaede"
Somewhere in the middle of the forest
They hated the situation they were in. They had been lugging the bodies of unconscious chimeras back to the laboratory that was a great distance away from their current position and to top it all off it was begun to rain cats and dogs.
"How did we get into doing Mana's dirty work?" asked the ebony haired hanyou as her bangs slapped her forehead wet.
"Because we owe her apparently" the blonde Chinese girl said as she lifted one of the last two chimeras on her shoulders.
"She owes us alright" the angry half demon exclaimed as she dragged the final chimera away "And her face better be ready for it"
…=…
Me: That's all she wrote! It's 4 AM and I feel so hyper!
Setsuna: Why on Earth was I i-
Me: No chimeras were harmed in the making of this fanfiction!
Setsuna: Is she ignoring me?
Konoka: 'Fraid so Set-chan.
Me: Anyhoo, I hoped you liked it guys (especially you DonoBionic, sorry it took so long). It's the first time I've written a KaedexMana fanfic and I hope I did it right. Stay tuned to the next chapter alright? But until then…
Me, Konoka, Setsuna: Dana-chan out~!