Disclaimer: I do not own Mahou Sensei Negima, it is a copy righted work of Ken Amakatsu.
The Mage and the Swordswoman
Chapter VI "Move On"
How are you all doing? It seemed like I am running out of time. Anyway, hope the story is good so far. Please leave some reviews okay? This chapter is a little bit more internal thoughts of the character. But anyway, thanks for reading this and on with the story.
It had been a day since Setsuna woke up.
Originally Negi wanted Setsuna to have a few more days to rest, but per her urging, they decided to continue their journey.
Along the way, they talked and laughed together as friends would do on a trip.
Chamo remained quiet along most of the way as he continued to devise his little plan of making the temporary contract into a permanent one.
"Negi-sensei, I think you will make a really great husband one day." Setsuna said as a smile appeared on her feature.
"What in the world am I saying?' Setsuna only realized after it has left her mouth.
"Well, you will also make a great mother and wife, Setsuna-san." For Negi, it was the same thing.
"Why did we just say that?" They both wondeedr as Chamo sweat drop and said to himself, "Well, can't you two just act normal for a bit?"
But then they realize what each other's words possibly meant; it meant that I like you a lot and hopefully we will get married in the future.
Seconds later, their face became red and were too embarrassed to talk for the next few minutes.
Then their journey continued and as they walk, Negi and Setsuna enters into their own world of thoughts.
"Negi-sensei, does he really care for me that way?" Setsuna thought as they slowly trailed along the river.
But then a thought hits her mind, "He is still a ten years old kid."
In modern days, kids as young as Negi had gone into relationship, but she knew that those relationship, no matter how strong they appeared to be, was nothing comparing to a real love relationship.
Setsuna knew that thinking about things in this kind conditions was abnormal if not very strange, especially with a ten years old boy.
But she then told herself once more that Negi was not a normal ten years old, he was man striving forth to achieve his goal, his goal to become a Magister Magi, like his father Nagi Springfield, the Thousand Master.
What about her? What didshe want to become?
She wanted to always be able to protect Konoka-ojosama, but she can see that Konoka would become a mage one day and find her own happiness while she would always just be that good childhood friend and bodyguard, if she decided to keep her that is, but she had to start thinking about herself as Negi was already on that path, the path to become a great mage.
What did she really want to become? A strong swordswoman? A great exorcist? Setsuna realized that those are not what her heart really desired.
What did her heart really wanted though? What did she, a half demon exorcist, really longed for?
Furthermore, her identity and her heritage were contradictory to one another, and that at many times had brought unhappiness and sadness to herself.
Just as these thoughts went on in Setsuna's mind, Negi noticed that joyfulness and happiness they had found over the days in the jungle had disappeared from her and this was making him worry.
"Setsuna-san…" Negi silently whispered her name in his mind as he watched her.
"Something is bothering her." Negi said to himself as Setsuna walked slowly behind him while carrying her weapon.
The noise the sword made as she traversed slowly became a steady rhythmic noise, making him feel as they were just walking in the same place and not moving forward.
"I must talk to her." Negi told himself. "For her own good."
Then finally came the time for them to rest for a midday meal after hours and hours of the same metallic sound.
"Setsuna-san, may I talk with you for a second?" Negi asked as they sit down to rest.
Setsuna looks up at him absent mindedly and nodded, giving him the okay.
"Is something bothering you, Setsuna-san?" Negi then asked as Negi broke open the seal on his meal, a small energy bar.
"Nothing really." Setsuna replied as she tried her best to hide it, but still the absent mindedness remained behind.
"Please tell me, Setsuna-san, you are not acting as you normally do." Negi said as Setsuna looked down at the floor with sadness.
"You haven't been yourself since the morning when we talked, is it something I said?" Negi asked as he felt sorry and desperate.
Sensing Negi's emotion, Setsuna then forced herself to look up, while tears were forming at the corners of her eyes.
"It's not you, it's that I when I see you, I see that you have a goal, but…" Then it was as was something is choking her, not allowing her to speak, but then she decided to close her eyes and shout it all out.
"But I can't seem find one, no matter what and how I look at myself, I am still that half demon. I am still what humans hate. I am…" Then she felt a strong hand held onto her shoulder and then she opened her eyes to find Negi looking at her with a forceful and confident manner.
"Setsuna-san, I don't care about what the others have said to you in the past, so should you, because they are not you." Negi then paused for a few fractions of a second then continued. "You just have to be the way you are, because you can't choose what you are, but you can choose what to make others think of you."
"Negi-sensei." She silently whispered that name as a smile formed on Negi's expression.
"So no matter what you do, I will always supports you." The smile and the words melted her heart.
"Okay?" Negi asked and Setsuna nodded in reply.
"That is why aniki gets all the girls around him." Chamo said as he smiled evilly.
Then Negi released his hands from Setsuna's shoulder, while Setsuna's face was still suffering effects from the moments, as her heart moments ago was pumping at a very fast paste.
While Negi was suffering from the same effects and accidentally pushing one of the bags over and causing it to roll down the hill.
"I will pick that up." Negi saidas he runs into the forest and down the hill, leaving Setsuna there, which gave her the time she needed to have everything sink in.
After reminiscing what just happened, Setsuna once again began to think about her future, but the difference was that this time with a positive outlook.
"That smile, I want to it to be there forever, I want Negi-sensei to be able to smile at me like that forever." Setsuna thought as she felt the warmth on her shoulder.
"I think I understand why I am in 3-A now." She paused for a few seconds then her thoughts carried on. "I will be his guardian, no matter what he says or how he looks at me, I will be beside and protect him forever."
Just then an explosion sounded and Setsuna immediately picked up her weapon while Chamo quickly got up and jump onto Setsuna's shoulder.
"Negi-sensei." She immediately ran towards the direction where Negi was last seen heading towards.
"Please be safe." Setsuna then gave that silent prayer as she ran towards the unknown.
To be continued…
1st Edit: 02/19/2011
How does it look to you people? I hope it's good. Anyway, I will leave the judgment in your hands since you are the reader. Anyway, please keep on reviewing this work so I can improve it and also read my other works. Thanks and please stay tuned to the next chapter.