Side A : Mahora Sensei Keitaro! Special!

Written by Shaun Garin

Love Hina and Mahou Sensei Negima are owned and created by Ken Akamatsu. All characters are used for entertainment purposes only. This story is set in between the timeframe of chapter 9 and 10 in order to flesh out the two month gap.

Special 2 : Onegai Teacher

Keitaro kicked off his shoes at the front of the girls' dorm and placed them into the locker provided as he shouldered his book bag, having come directly from Sasaki Seminar. "Any mail today?" he asked of the woman at the front desk.

"Actually there is something," said the lady and she gave him a thick official looking letter. "This arrived for you this morning. Someone you know died?"

"God I hope not," said Keitaro as he carried his things up to the room he shared with Konoka and Asuna. After unlocking the door, Keitaro put his things aside and popped the end off. Pulling out the thick paper, he set to reading it.

After a minute, he shared a glance with Tama-chan who voiced his concerns. "Myuh."

"Myuh, definitely Myuh," said Keitaro in agreement.

"Mom what's the big idea?" demanded Keitaro as he leaned against the wall in the lobby. "I mean, I'm still studying right? Why put me through all of this?"

"Keitaro be reasonable. The only reason why you're killing yourself trying to get into Tokyo University is because of a memory. While your father and I are proud that your grandmother got you that job at Mahora, you're not going to be a sensei forever you know. So when we were approached, we jumped at the chance. She's a very lovely girl."

"But ARRANGING my marriage?" demanded Keitaro.

"Dear it's not an arranged marriage; it's an O-mimi, a blind date."

"And for the purposes of this conversation, you two are deliberately keeping the identity of the girl away from me," said Keitaro, his expression akin to "What The Fuck." and his voice bland.

"It's a Blind Date for a reason. Don't worry; it's not until the weekend so you have plenty of time to prepare."

'Prepare? It's tomorrow!' thought Keitaro angrily. "Mom, c'mon, I can't do this now! I have exams to study for!"

"It's one date Keitaro. We're not asking for you to MARRY the girl on the spot. Just date her. See what she likes and maybe you'll forget about the whole Tokyo University thing. Oh, that's the doorbell. I got to run Keitaro so make sure you go to this!"

"Wait, hold on Mom? Mom! Don't hang..." Then there was a click followed by a dialtone. "Up." Keitaro sighed and hung up the phone. "What am I going to do, Tama-chan?"

"I think it's kind of romantic," said a voice to the side and Keitaro nearly jumped out of his skin as Kaede smiled and held up a hand in greeting. "Feeling stressed out, sensei?"

"Well, sort of," said Keitaro, sagging against the wall. "I don't know. This is so unlike my parents and so much like them. They hate the fact that I haven't gotten into Tokyo U yet and I'm just not going to sit down and run the family business."

"Hmm... well, when sessha gets frustrated, sessha tends to go and relax." said Kaede. "Do you want to relax with sessha?"

Keitaro blinked. He then smiled. "Heh, sounds like fun. Better than getting my marriage set up, that's for sure."

As the pair headed out, Fuuka turned to Fumika and grinned. "Did you hear that? Sensei might be getting married!"

"If this is relaxing, kill me now," moaned Keitaro as he lay sprawled on the rocky ground. Kaede giggled softly as she lit the fire and attended to cleaning out the fish that were skewered on sticks. "Kaede-san," said Keitaro, turning over onto his back to stare into the starry skies, "I gotta ask; how long have you been a ninja?"

"Fuuu," said Kaede as she pitched the tent. "Perhaps about twelve years since I was three years old. My family is a big ninja clan in the area. I suppose my lame excuses aren't serving well, is it, sensei?"

Keitaro chuckled as he rolled over onto his side. "I'm glad you're on my side. From what I saw today I couldn't match up reasonably well enough."

"Fuu, sensei has potential I have to admit. What I saw on the bridge that night."

"Eh?" said Keitaro, blinking. "But I didn't see you anywhere near the bridge that night."

"Fu fu fu," laughed Kaede. "I was standing on a building nearby. You didn't see me because I didn't fight. What do you say sensei? Would you like to learn the art of ninjitsu from me?"

Keitaro looked into Kaede's smiling expression and he nodded. "All right, we'll continue until we return tomorrow morning."

"Excellent. Come along, we have much to teach you young Genin."

"Eh?"

"Fuu, I am your Chuunin Instructor now," said Kaede as she thrust a roasted fish towards Keitaro. "And that means you are my Genin, a low ranked ninja. And the first thing that you will learn is how to shape your Chi."

The insistent knocking on the door roused Asuna from bed as she clambered down from the top bunk and threw open the door irritably. "What is it?"

A man and a woman stood there along with another two who bore a striking resemblance to Keitaro. The man was definitely where Keitaro got his looks while his mother looked like a very traditional woman if it weren't for the casual slacks and long-sleeved blouse she wore.

The other man was a man in a traditional kimono and had a sharp feature to his chin. He also was smiling as one of his eyes was covered with a stylish patch and the other eye was crinkled upwards in a smile. His wife was a woman in a kimono that reinforced the contemporary ninja look as her shirt below the half-open kimono was a fishnet shirt and she wore bandages.

"Yo," greeted the man in the kimono. "I'm looking for Urashima Keitaro. Is he here?"

"Um, sensei hasn't returned home yet," said Asuna as Konoka looked around the wall sleepy eyed. "Would you like to come in?"

"Hmm, I hope he didn't run away because of the Blind Date," said the Keitaro look alike. "Dear, what do you think?"

"Miss... Kakurazaki?" said the casual looking woman and Asuna nodded. "Where is he exactly?"

"Uhhh, I'm not too sure actually where he is right now. Konoka, do you know he is?"

Konoka fought back the urge to crawl back into bed but said, "Sensei's with Kaede-chan. They're out camping right now in the mountains just outside of the school."

The response, was to say the least, unexpected as the woman whom Asuna by now had identified as Keitaro's mother, clasped her hands and exclaimed, "They're dating already? Oh happy day, this calls for a celebration Iruka!"

Urashima Iruka sighed as Asuna's hair stood on end. "Hanabi this is going to end badly."

"Don't be so depressed," grinned the man in the kimono as he let himself into Asuna and Konoka's room. Konoka hurried to prepare tea as Asuna stepped back, twitching several times in rapid succession. "I'm sure my daughter will do well. She's the daughter of Nagase Mizuki and Ino. There's no way there's going to be a problem!"

Asuna twitched some more. "Sensei... is on a date... with Kaede...?"

"Good sensei, good," said Kaede from where she stood sideways on a tree. "You learned the basics of Chi manipulation. Come up here and have a drink."

"Um, shouldn't we get going?" asked Keitaro curiously as he carefully stepped up the large tree that showed several half-hazard attempts to climb it sideways. The surface was littered with small craters that had occurred with the force of untrained Chi.

"Fuu, I suppose," said Kaede. "But I'm not ready. Not yet."

"Something the matter, er, Kaede-sensei?" asked Keitaro as Kaede handed him a juice box.

"It's just..." Kaede let out a breath and leapt to the branch where Keitaro sat. "It's my family. They are visiting today."

"That's good then... right?"

Kaede lapsed into silence as she looked out into the tree boughs. "Well, maybe we should head home then."

"Kaede... as your sensei, I have to say now that if you have problems, you can talk to me." Kaede looked at Keitaro who smiled and added, "You know, I can't help but wonder if you brought me out here to keep me from having to deal with the blind date today. It would be good timing, wouldn't it?"

Kaede giggled and then started to laugh hard, nearly falling out of her tree. Righting herself, she wiped a tear away from her eyes as she said, "Sessha is feeling better now, sensei."

"Huh?" asked Keitaro as Kaede stood up.

"You see... Sessha is the heir to the family style. And it is sessha who is also... your blind date. I heard about it the day before and your call to your parents confirmed it. I wanted to bring you out here... because sessha is curious."

"Curious?"

"You want to protect those whom you care about. But there are so many. Sessha wondered if you would protect me, if something went wrong."

"Well... sure I'd protect you," said Keitaro as he laughed. Then Kaede's words sunk in. "Dwah! You're my blind date!"

Kaede smiled. "We should continue on. There is much to do."

Feeling foolish, Keitaro followed.

"You see, Kaede-chan is the heir to our family martial art and Keitaro's family has a art of their own. Many a generation has married into the family," explained Nagase Ino as she sipped her tea. "This is why we arranged for them to spend some time together, in case the option was opened up for us."

"Kaede is a superb Chuunin but is also in training." added Nagase Mizuki. "She has not reached the highest level of ninja status, a Jounin. Of course, if she wishes to become the leader of our style, then she has to best me, the Hokage as our style closely matches the original Urashima Falling Leaf Arts as the Kouga Hidden Leaf Arts."

"Sounds like an episode of Naruto," muttered Asuna and Konoka giggled. "But if this is true, then is sensei going to have to marry Kaede-san later on? They're what, five years apart in age alone!"

"It is true many times our clans have married," said Urashima Iruka. "But there is also a chance that we will simply strengthen our ties in friendship rather than have another joining of the clans. As it stands, Keitaro has no training in the formal arts rather than the heavy amounts of physical damage he can take as a person. His sister, Urashima Kanako is the formal heir to the family Falling Leaf Art."

The door suddenly burst open as the Narutaki's ran into the room. "Say it isn't true!" exclaimed Fuuka loudly.

"Yeah, big sis Kaede can't be getting married to Keitaro-sensei!" added Fumika.

Ino giggled and Mizuki rolled his eyes. "Kaede, you've been taking on Genin? And Kouga Wolf Style Genin for that matter?"

"Hey! What's with the party in the room?" asked Keitaro as he and Kaede walked into the room. "Eh? Mom, dad, what're you doing here so early?"

"We came to make sure you were doing fine, dear," said Hanabi and his father sent a helpless shrug in his direction. "And I see you met the nice girl."

"Er, yeah, cause she's my student," said Keitaro.

"Mother, father," said Kaede with a smile.

"Yo," greeted Mizuki.

"NOW I feel foolish," said Keitaro as he walked alongside Kaede, dressed in a formal kimono while Kaede smiled as she walked in her own kimono. "Are you going to be fine, Kaede?"

"Fuu, think of this as training," said Kaede. "Come along, there is much to do."

"Er, yes sensei," said Keitaro as Kaede made a jump that brought her to the top of a stone fence that ran along the road. "How do I get up there?"

"First exam," said Kaede from atop. "Channel your Chi into the legs and use it to push yourself upwards as you jump."

"Um, okay." Keitaro took a deep breath and focused. Then, he sprang and flew screaming upwards into the air and came crashing down onto a rooftop. "Ow."

"Fuuu... control, you must have control."

Keitaro found himself laughing despite himself as the pair ran down the streets of Mahora as much as their kimonos would allow. Behind them, Asuna and Konoka watched them run down the way, Setsuna watching from behind Konoka.

"You know," said Konoka, "It would look good for sensei to date Kaede-chan now that I think about it."

"Eh? You think so?" asked Asuna. "I didn't think she'd be happy about this."

"Look at them, Asuna-san," said Setsuna. "They're having fun."

Asuna watched the pair as Kaede coaxed Keitaro onto a fence and the pair sparred back and forth, Keitaro nearly losing his balance several times before splashing down into the koi pond. "They're so cute together," said Konoka, causing Asuna and Setsuna to fall over in shock.

Several hours later, Keitaro and Kaede watched the stars come out. "Sure is beautiful," said Keitaro softly.

"I agree," said Kaede. "And... thank you, for making this easier."

"What do you mean?" asked Keitaro curiously. "I was surprised that you were the one I was arranged to meet."

"I go through this every year," said Kaede. "This year... sessha was supposed to decide on who she would marry. Sessha has been meeting with people since she was twelve."

"But..." Said Keitaro, shocked. "That can't be good, you're just, well, fifteen right?"

"Hmm..." said Kaede. "Sensei... would you allow me a favor? Would you... let me become your fiancee for just a little while? It would only last until I am eighteen."

"Kaede..."

In the bushes, Konoka, Asuna and Setsuna shared shocked expressions. "I knew Kaede-san was being pressured to choose a fiancé but this..." said Setsuna.

"We can't let that happen! Kaede-chan's too young and..." Asuna floundered for words.

Keitaro let out a tired sigh. "Kaede... sensei. As your student, as your Genin, I will commit myself to the engagement. After all..." He lifted his face and smiled brilliantly. "I can't let my students become entangled with someone they won't be able to get along with, now can I?"

Kaede laughed and Keitaro joined her. "All right, sensei, my Genin, you will become my 'official fiancé'" Said Kaede. "Let us hope that our parents will notforce the matter, okay?"

"There's the Kaede I know," said Keitaro. "C'mon, lets get back to the dorm. I think we need rest. I'll walk you home. The least I can do."

As the pair headed for the dorm, the girls fell out of the bushes; as Setsuna mouthed silent words of shock and Asuna sputtered. Konoka sighed. "I wish I had someone like that, willing to take MY Blind Dates."

"Konoka!"

"Ojousama!"

"Hehehehe, catch me if you can!"