Disclaimer: I do not own Mahou Sensei Negima, it is a copy righted work of Ken Amakatsu.

The Mage and the Swordswoman

Chapter V "Healing"

Hello everyone, this is chapter five, hope you all are enjoying the story so far. Anyway, this chapter is a bit of relationship and character development. Well, there we go again and enjoy as I am going to cut the author's note a little bit short this time.

Setsuna slowly opened up her eyes and found herself looking up at a orange sky while she realized that her hearing was also slowly recovering.

Then she tried to move but only to find herself in pain. Then she felt a hand that held her body still.

"Setsuna-san, don't move." A familiar voice told her and then the face appeared, in a gently manner.

"Negi-Sensei…" Setsuna was lost in the mood as she looks into his eyes.

"You have been unconscious for a day already." Negi said as he turned around and grabbed a wet towel to put onto her forehead.

"A day!" Hearing that, Setsuna tried to get up, but the pain overwhelmed her, forcing her to lay down again.

"Don't try to move too much, even though I have casted healing spells on you, it is still going to take a while to recover." Negi said as he put the wet towel onto her forehead.

"You were also having a fever." Negi informed her as he slowly readied himself to cast another spell

"Ras Tel Ma Scir Magister. Fragrantia floris, meis amicis vigorem,vitalitatem, auram salutarem refecto." This was probably only thing Negi could do now, which was to heal the parts he could and leave the rest to Setsuna's body.

"I will go get the campfire ready." Negi then stood up and walked a few step amdf stopped where he had already laid down the woods and everything.

Chamo for the mean time watched the interaction as he rested since the ride to find this place was horrible as the water kept on splashing onto him.

"But it is really unlike aniki, she got him to worry sick for her." Chamo then stood up and walked over to the camp fire trying to get warm.

Negi for the mean time was debating with himself over several things as he tried to start the fire to cook the rations.

"Setsuna-san seems to be getting better." Negi said to himself mentally with a happy tone as he broke open the ration package.

Then another voice said in his mind, "You care for her, don't you?"

Negi paused as he heard that thought, but instead of avoiding it, he took it head on.

"Yes, so?" He asked as he resumes working.

"Even more than Asuna-san?" That placed him into a dangerous place, since if he answered it, regardless which way, there would be consequences.

"Asuna-san is more like a sister to me." Negi replied to that voice as he started the fire with a match as he had exhausted all of his mana healing Setsuna.

"And Setsuna-san, she is partner and something else. My feelings towards her is…"

"Is what?" The other voice asked.

"I like her in the way a man likes a girl." Negi answered that as he knew that he was still a little too young, but he could feel that it is something that is real.

"…." The voice was silent afterwards.

Negi could now finally be at peace with himself, because since the day before when Setsuna fell off the bridge, he had been worrying about her and also, he had been debating with himself over this issue, his feelings.

But now with that gone, he could now go back to normal.

Or so he thought.

Several minutes later, Negi readied the plates and puts the food on them, giving Setsuna the bigger portion.

Setsuna noticed as her meal is set before and so she decide to ask why the special treatment.

"Negi-sensei?" She asks.

"Yes, Setsuna-san?" Negi replied as he sat down facing her.

She then slowly got off from the bed with Negi's help, noticing that Negi had set up the camp already.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Setsuna asked in a very weak voice and Negi was silent for the first few seconds, then he answers.

"Because you are my partner, someone who I need to have, furthermore, you are a friend." Negi's words brought warmness into her heart as she smiled while she sat down right besides Negi.

Negi then offered to feed her, but she politely refuses telling him that she is okay.

They enjoyed that night as Chamo watched them and sighing in relief that his plan was working out and that they are getting close as they now seemed like a pair of newlywed.

But of course, Chamo knew he should keep it to himself out of it in order for this relationship to progress and only to interfere if he had to, because barging in at the wrong time had often proved counter productive.

So right after dinner, the ermine took the night off and retired to rest.

But for Setsuna and Negi, the night was a wonderful time as they talked abouit various things such as things at school, things that happened, and their own past.

"Negi-sensei, do you mind a non-human says that she cares for you in romantic way?" Setsuna asked as she lazily laid in the tent while Negi sat on the outside facing her.

"No, I won't mind." Negi replied as he kind of knew who she was referring to.

Hearing what he said relieved her, as she knew that many people can be friends with someone of a different race, but being together for the rest of their lives was something else, but hearing Negi's reply truly made her at ease as she knew that he would accept her one day when he also shares the same feelings.

The conversation goes on until very late in the night.

"It's quite late now, Sensei, you should sleep." Setsuna said as she slowly got out another sleeping bag that is within their backpack.

"But…" Negi's face became red as he did not see the sleeping bag.

"Don't worry, we have two sleeping bags." Setsuna said as she put the second sleeping bag out in another corner of the tent.

Seeing the other sleeping bag, he sighed in relief the proceeded to set up a warning enchantment formation around the camp.

"Oh." Negi sighed in relief once more as he walked into the tent and settled into his sleeping bag.

Negi then closed his eyes slowly.

"Good night, Setsuna-san."

"Good night, Negi-sensei."

Then that night ended as they dreamed of a happy future together.

To be continued…

1st Edit: 02/14/2011

Well, how is it everyone? Though not as long as the last chapter, but still I hope it has some good quality to it. Oh and I corrected Negi's magic activation words in the last chapter, so it's right now. Anyway, stays tuned for the next chapter and please read and review my other stories as well.