'I did it, I'm doomed. I'm going to be sent back to Wales and grandfather will turn me into an Ermine. I'm doomed, I'm doomed, I'm dooooooooommmmed,' moaned Negi to himself as he rolled around in his room. He had already packed and was prepared to head out, his things rolled up in a traveling bag.

A soft tapping at the door and Shinobu called out, "Negi-san? We've reached a verdict downstairs."

Negi sighed, got up and grasped his wand. Opening the door, he looked at Shinobu who looked at him but averted her gaze quickly. The pair headed downstairs where the girls were having a conference to see what to do about the new landlord.

As he reached the bottom of the stairs, Negi looked up at the expressions of the girls. All of them looked serious. Swallowing, he bowed and said, "I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused. I'll leave now."

"Who said anything about that?" said Kitsune and Negi stopped short from summoning his luggage. The fox girl smiled and stood up. "Look, just because you've held out that you're this wizard from Wales, doesn't mean you're going to be kicked out."

"But, I thought you were making a vote to see if I was to be kicked out!" exclaimed Negi in shock.

"Kamo explained it to us," said Motoko. "He said you are a Magister Magi in Training. A guardian angel for people who are in trouble. How can you call yourself a man if you give up when your secret is blown?"

"I... I..."

"Negi," said Naru. She smiled and then punched Negi across the room. "Don't be so HARD on yourself!"

"Narusegawa-san," stammered Negi, feeling the red mark of her hand on his face.

"You want to give up trying to prove that you're as good as your father? To finally meet him and say, 'Yes father, yes Thousand Master, I did it'? That's not the person we know, right? You made a PROMISE to yourself that you would see him some day."

"Go big brother, go!" cheered Kamo from the table. "We'll beat this thing together!"

"I... thank you!" exclaimed Negi.

"Now that's settled, we're partying!" exclaimed Su, grabbing Negi. "Do some fireworks!"

"Help meeee..." trailed off Negi as the girls set in for a giant sized party.

Side B : Love Negima!

Written by Shaun Garin

Love Hina and Mahou Sensei Negima are owned and created by Ken Akamatsu.

Chapter 2 : Wish You Were Here!

"Narusegawa-san? I brought some tea and snacks." Negi knocked again on the door. "Narusegawa-san?"

Peeking into the room, the slight breathing of Naru could be heard as she was slumped over the kotatsu. Opening the doors and setting down the food on the table, Negi poked Naru tentatively. "Narusegawa-san? Are you awake?"

Laying a hand on her forehead, Negi gasped. "Oh no, you're burning up!"

"Eighty seven degrees Celsius," said Kitsune as she shook down the thermometer. "She really must have been pushing herself hard for the last few weeks now."

Negi sighed as he watched Kitsune change the cold compress on Naru's head. "I'm surprised she didn't tell anyone she was feeling ill."

"It's just like Naru actually," said Kitsune as she brushed a lock of auburn hair away from Naru's face. "Hey, you're a hot-shot wizard and all. Why don't you try and cure her cold?"

"I'd love to, but I'm not that skilled in medical spells, or potion making of that type," said Negi. "If I had some kind of ingredient list and some time to figure out what they put into the potions they use to treat a cold it could work, but Narusegawa-san would be up and about by the time I'm done brewing it."

"Eh, forget that. Look, just watch over her and change her compress every so often. I'm gonna run into the market to get some of the cold relief that Haruka-san keeps giving us whenever we got sick."

As Kitsune left, Negi watched Naru sleep. 'She certainly is cute when she sleeps,' Negi thought to himself and then shivered. 'It'd be like dating big sister. Eeeww..'

Changing the compress after a few minutes, Negi hummed a melody that his own sister Nekane sang to him when he was a child. Growing up together without their father was something of a challenge for the pair, considering that Nekane never fully recovered from the attack on the village nearly five years ago.

Shrugging off the memories of her sister lying prone on the ground and his father standing against the background of the burning village, Negi dabbed the cool compress against Naru's skin. Naru shifted and then all of a sudden, cried out, "Negi you idiot!"

"Augh, noooo!" Exclaimed Negi but he was merely grabbed and pulled into a hug. "... finish cleaning the hot springs..."

Negi stiffened but then decided to relax. 'Narusegawa-san, you're just tired, sleep now,' he thought as he brought up a hand and rested it on her stomach. "Sleep."

Slowly, Negi's eyes closed as one of his hands held fast to his wand. The wand glowed for a half a moment before Negi fully dropped into a deep slumber.

"Mu-chan! Kei-kun! Where are you?"

Negi blinked twice and then looked at his astral body. "Oh no..." he moaned. "Now I've done it! I fell asleep with my wand in my hand!"

Anya warned him about his bad habit of doing so. Occasionally, he would dive into someone's dreams, a strict violation of one's personal space and ethical morals. When that happened, it was harder for him to wake up until the person stopped dreaming.

Looking down at the girl in a small kimono and short hair, the little girl wandered around the halls of her dream. "Kei-kun! Mu-chan!" Naru called out again until she turned the corner. "Aaaah! Mu-chan! Kei-kun!"

In a slightly fuzzy memory, like many, there were two children who played in a sandbox. The details of the people were hard for Negi to make out, but one was at least a little boy and one a girl.

"Did you know, that when two people like each other that go to Tokyo U, they'll be together forever?"

"Really?"

"When we're older, lets go together, all right?"

"Ah!" Exclaimed Naru. "Wait! Kei-kun! Mu-chan! I wanna go too! Don't leave me!"

"Ah!"

Naru sat up and immediately regretted it as the room spun. Sinking back down onto her futon, she rubbed the sweat out of her face and found a cold compress lying on her ear, having fallen off her head. "I... what kind of dream was that?" wondered Naru to herself. She desperately tried to grasp at the dream but it quickly faded.

Looking down at her stomach, Naru blinked twice at Negi who slept soundly, one hand sprawled on her stomach. "Mm... sister..." he mumbled.

Restraining the urge to hit him, Naru sighed and let him rest. "What an odd dream," she said to the roof. "Somehow it felt important. But why can't I remember anything?"

"Mmm..." said Negi as he reached out and folded Naru into a hug, resting his head between her breasts. Naru went red. "Soft..."

"Why... you... PUNCH!"

"Ow," said Negi as he rubbed his head. "Narusegawa-san certainly hits hard even when she's ill."

"I think she's just having PMS," said Kamo-kun and was immediately socked by a charging Naru that came out of nowhere.

"I heard that you perverted ermine," growled Naru angrily. "Why don't you leave me out of one of your perverted conversations?"

Kamo-kun crawled out of the ermine-shaped hole in the wall. "You know Anesan, you have really good punch there. Why not form a probationary contract with Aniki?"

"A probationary what?" asked Naru curiously.

"Kamo-kun, I don't think I need a partner right now," protested Negi. "I have a lot of time to do that anyhow."

"Okay start talking ermine," said Naru as she picked up Kamo-kun and set him on the table. "Talk."

Kamo-kun lit a cigarette and puffed on it. "Well, a Ministral Magi requires a partner, or as we call it, a Ministra Magi. They act as defence in a battle, and the shield as a Magi is the sword."

"So, in other words, Negi-kun, being the little precocious child he is, needs a lover, eh?" summarized Kitsune, having appeared out of nowhere.

"GAH! Kitsune-san!" exclaimed Negi, jumping back in shock.

"I too have heard of this practice amongst Western Magi," said Motoko, although her face was painted with a blush. "I know that the men and women of this side of the world use onmyou gods, creatures conjured up and summoned with talismans."

"How does this contract thing work anyhow?" asked Naru curiously.

"It's formed using a magical circle to form the probationary contract or pactio as we call it. The old way was open veins, swap blood but now we use a kiss on the lips." said Kamo-kun proudly. The girls fell over in surprise.

"A... kiss on the lips?" Stammered Shinobu, going red.

"Oh yeah," said Kamo-kun with a grin. "Although I'm sure that someone like you girls have already tons of experience with this sort of thing."

Motoko coughed into one hand. "I think it is for the best that we do not go through with this madness for a while."

"A pactio, huh? Is it tasty?" asked Su curiously.

"Depends on the person, I guess," said Negi.

"Does it taste like... banana?" asked Su, mouth watering. Everyone sweated.

"Um, maybe? If the person actually ate a banana previously MRPHGH!"

Negi flailed his arms as Su cheerfully shoved a banana into his mouth. "Aaaaugh, Su! What are you doing!" exclaimed Shinobu in shock.

"I wanna see if a pactio tastes good!" Exclaimed Su, but was snagged by Kitsune.

"Cool your jets," said Kitsune. "We can experiment with this later, right?"

Negi finished swallowing and coughed. "Um, I suppose so. There's no rush and all..."

"Great! Lets experiment now!" exclaimed Su, pouncing on Negi.

"ARGH!" Enunciated Negi.

"He's such a brat at times, ugh," exclaimed Naru as she sipped her tea. "Bringing up something like adult kissing in order to create a pactio."

"It is a bit less messy than opening your veins, Anesan," said Kamo with a shake of his head. Touching his cigarette to Haruka's to light it, the ermine shrugged. "Look at it this way. Negi, just by BEING his father's son can get attacked. Many people remember the name of the Thousand Master and it's a bitter name for a lot of people."

"The ermine is right," said Haruka. "Besides, you're not thinking to leave a kid like Negi alone, are you?"

"No, I just think this is stupid, that's all," said Naru in a huff. "If he wants to make this pactio thing, he can go and make it with Su. She's willing enough."

"Su-neechan is insane, you know that, right?" said Kamo and Naru gave him a look.

"Haruka-san!" called out Negi and Naru froze. "Haruka-san, are you open?"

"Come in," called Haruka. She turned to see Negi and Kamo hiding under the table. Naru made a few "I'm not here" signs as Negi sat down with a sigh.

"Are you all right, kiddo?" asked Haruka.

"Kind of," said Negi. "I'm just sort of upset that Kamo brought up the whole Pactio thing. I know it's a requirement for becoming a Ministral Magi, but it's still something I want to do later on."

"You brought this upon yourself, you know," said Haruka as Negi looked more worse for wear than usual. "Even though you need a partner to protect you in battle, it IS something of an odd thing when you go around asking girls to kiss you."

"I didn't do such a thing, I'm an English gentleman!" protested Negi but his words fell on deaf ears as Haruka blew a cloud of smoke in his direction. "Haruka-san, please, help me out here!"

Haruka looked at him and sighed. "You know, there's nothing wrong with it. But right now isn't the time actually. You're still young and you have time to decide who you want to give the pactio to. It's not something to be used lightly."

"I know," sighed Negi. "I'm sorry for raising my voice, Haruka-san."

"Hey, that's all right," said Haruka. "Go on, I think supper is on and it's Naru's turn to cook. You want to experience her cooking for at least once in a lifetime."

"Thank you," said Negi as he grabbed his staff and flew away.

Haruka chuckled and then cleared her throat. "Okay Naru, Kamo, get out from under the table." The pair looked sheepish as they crawled out. "Naru, try and focus on getting that Tokyo U exam in, all right? I'm sure the others are behind you with it, and I'm sure Negi is too. He's a sweet kid."

Naru sighed and nodded. "All right. C'mon Kamo-kun."

"Hold on, leave the ermine." Naru looked confused but did so. As she left, Haruka loomed over Kamo and cracked her knuckles. "So Kamo-kun, what's this about getting 50,000 Ermine Dollars per proper pactio card?"

"Er... no comment?"

There was a brief shimmer in the room and a hideous crashing noise. "FORGIVE ME HARUKA-SAN!" cried Kamo.