Disclaimer: I do not own Mahou Sensei Negima. I wish I could draw as good as Ken Akamatsu, but I can only draw stick figures. Nor do I own the Haruhi Suzumiya series. Those belong to Nagaru Tanigawa. The only things that are mine are any original characters. Resemblance of these characters to anyone or anything else, living or dead, is either a coincidence or meant as a respectful shout out.

Another door opens in a limitless multiverse...

Chapter 2: Integration, Part 2

Afternoon break came not a moment too soon. Honestly, people shouted and disrupted class more here than Haruhi did. You'd think being forced into another world would involve things being different, somehow. And they are. But is it too much to ask for a little normalcy every now and then? Am I going to be denied even that last comfort while I'm trapped here?

I remember that a man once said that if something bad could happen, then it would. I wonder if he's laughing at me right now.

I can't even escape that nickname here either. Thanks to that slider, they'll all be calling me Kyon before the end of the week. Sooner, since no one here knows my actual name. They actually have no choice this time. Oh joy.

"Kyon-kun, I'm going to go check out the school. I'll be back soon." With that, Mamoru, self-professed slider, was gone. It was strange, being referred to in a familiar manner by someone I'd just met. I tried telling him to call me something else, but all that led to was him calling me Sempai. Understandably, we'd get weird looks if that continued, so Kyon-kun it was.

He'd promised to try to explain everything he could. What I didn't realize was that he meant to pass me notes all class long. Notes so full of technobabble, diagrams, and slider terms I was unfamiliar with that I'd need Nagato to decipher them to make any sense at all.

Suffice to say, all I understood was that sliding was complicated business, and required certain instincts to work. The current theory for why we were here was that an unexplained energy surge had caused a malfunction in his abilities. The kind that could only come from Haruhi or another sufficiently powered source. No clarification on said sources. Clear as mud, as they say.

He kept saying, 'trust me, I'll handle this', but I can't help but be a little weirded out. This guy's practically dodgier than Koizumi. It's a hard feat to manage pulling off a facade better than the Esper boy, but Mamoru's not telling me everything. That's easy enough to see.

Oh, well. I'll just go with it. At least I've escaped the supernatural for a while.

And a walk didn't sound too bad, actually. I might as well get familiar with the surroundings. We may be here a while, after all.

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Mamoru was having a great deal of success, if he said so himself. A few of the girls were more than happy to help out the new guy.

Already he was learning where things were and the names of most of his classmates. There were so many, though! But a few had nicknames. Nicknames, Mamoru had found, made things a lot easier. The class rep Ayaka Yukihiro was usually called "Iincho", Nodoka Miyazaki was "Honya", Haruna Saotome was "Paru", Takahata-sensei was "Death Glasses"...

"Thank you...Sasaki Makie-san, was it?" The girl nodded. Well that should be easy enough name to remember. There's a Sasaki back home, too.

Mamoru gave a slight bow and continued on his way.

He noted that there was a forest nearby. A branch rustled loudly. A shout came from within.

"I saw what you did! Explain yourself! You're an Esper or something, aren't you? You've got supernatural powers?"

The voice was getting quieter as the speaker went further into the trees, but Mamoru recognized the voice of the girl who'd shouted so much this morning, Asuna Kagurazaka.

Things like this made Mamoru feel nostalgic of a few home instances.

He silently wished luck to whoever was being shouted at. It was obvious already that she was not someone whose bad side you wanted to be on.

Time to head back to class, he decided. It was getting late already. Mahora's campus was pretty huge. He'd spent quite a while exploring.

He followed the lead of a black haired girl with a Hime-style hairdo. Why was she familiar, again? He'd seen her before with Asuna and...the principal's granddaughter, that's who she was! Konoka Konoe.

The back of Mamoru's neck itched unpleasantly. He could feel eyes watching him. A shadow slipped from one piece of cover to the next. He almost missed it, but Mamoru's Sliding-enhanced senses were unusually sharp. Very strange.

"Um, who are you behind that pole?" In a flash, he found himself pinned facedown to the floor with a sword hilt in his face.

Holy crap, that was fast! Mamoru had thought he had fast reflexes, but he hadn't even had time to react. The sword made a scraping sound as half an inch was pulled free of the sheathe. Mamoru caught the meaning of the threat. Okay, don't panic. Calm. Imagine this is a threat to Kyon-kun.

He swallowed. "Why were you following that girl?" There, that was calm and reasonable, right? "I'm in no position to stop you, but you weren't going to hurt her, were you?"

The hilt was pulled slightly away. A sound of disbelief came from its wielder. "I could never hurt Ojou-Sama."

"Ojou-Sa-?" The sword-wielder held the girl in such high regard? Maybe he'd jumped to the wrong conclusion. "So this is all a misunderstanding, right? Could you let me up?" The pressure holding him was released, but the sheathed sword was still held threateningly in his face. He recognized this kind of overprotective behavior. He'd been guilty of it too many times, himself. "I just got suspicious with you sneaking behind her like that. Jumped to a conclusion, had to rush to the rescue, you know? You understand, right? Bodyguard to bodyguard?"

The blade was removed. Mamoru stood up, shaking the dust out of his uniform. The sword-wielding girl was sizing him up. She had her black hair tied off to one side, giving the strange impression of a single bird wing. Her massive blade was almost as big as she was. It was a wonder she could even carry it. His diagnosis was that things would go much better with her as ally than enemy.

"I'll tell you my story if you give me yours. I'm Mamoru, and I've sworn to protect Kyon with my life. You?" He held out a hand.

Slowly, the sword-wielder took it. "Setsuna."

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"So you protect her from the shadows? Is that smart?" Mamoru asked.

"It's what's best for someone like me. To quietly guard her, so she never knows the dangers." The answer came from behind him.

He'd declared the two of them to be comrades-in-arms after learning that Setsuna Sakurazaki was a Shinmeiryuu swordmaster-in-training and childhood protector of Konoka. She'd tentatively agreed to let him help secretly escort the girl back to class. She was still staring at him with a hint of suspicion as she followed half a step behind.

"I understand the feeling. For years I never revealed myself to Kyon-kun, but eventually I left the shadows and became his close friend. It's worth a try, you know?"

Setsuna scoffed at the idea. The school came into view.

"Well, I've got to go find the one I protect. If you ever want to come out of the shadows, or could use a hand with the whole guardian thing, keep in touch. Maybe we could swap old war stories sometime." He ran off, waving goodbye.

The sword-wielder said nothing.

Mamoru caught Kyon in the hallway, creeping along slowly because of the two girls hanging on to his arms. Both were tiny; the same girls he'd compared to 11 year olds earlier, in fact.

"Do I even dare ask what chain of events led to this situation, Kyon-kun?" Mamoru laughed. "It seems you've been even more productive than me, hmm?"

Kyon looked mildly annoyed. "Allow me to introduce the Narutaki twins. He's Mamoru." He looked as if his hand would be making an exasperated beeline straight for his forehead if it weren't for both his arms being restrained.

"I'm Fuuka!" The one with the twin tails said brightly, waving a hand in the air.

"And I'm Fumika!" Her sister followed immediately, copying the gesture.

With that, the two ran off, bent low to the ground with arms outstretched like the ninja in manga.

Mamoru couldn't stop laughing after that. "So, h-how long have you b-been into Lolicon?" he choked out.

To Mamoru's delight, he'd gotten Kyon flustered at last. "That was not my fault. I do not think of little girls like that. Besides," he said, recovering quickly and sporting half a grin now, "aren't you the suspicious one? I was watching when you and that girl Evangeline kissed...who's into lolis now?"

And just like that, the tables were turned. Oh, crap. I didn't want to think about that! Mamoru's face was probably burning up. "What happened between me and Eva-ch-" He shook his head. "Between Evangeline and myself was completely different!"

Kyon managed to speak volumes with just a single raised eyebrow.

Yes, his face was definitely burning. Heat was radiating away. He could feel it.

"It's not like that, really! I-she might be an old friend. Maybe. That didn't mean anything, it-" The panicked rambles abruptly stopped. He'd been defeated soundly. Kyon was still the master.

The master was obviously trying and not succeeding very well at not laughing.

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The moment the two reached the door, they were yanked in by the class rep. "Get over here and help!" she ordered. It turned out the rest of the class had been preparing a party to welcome the new teacher for a few days now. Now that they knew the teacher was a ten year old boy, the party preparations had suddenly grown at the last moment.

"How do I always get dragged into chores like this?" Kyon groaned, facepalming at last. He began hanging banners without further complaint, though.

"Hand these out." A bag of party poppers was forced on Mamoru. He shrugged and began moving through the class, giving one to each girl. He gave a slight smile to Setsuna as he passed. Evangeline ignored his presence, while the odd-looking green haired girl next to her gave him a strange look.

"Master?" she asked.

"Later," Evangeline hissed. The small girl shot a glare at Mamoru. "Go away." She snatched the outstretched popper and turned away.

"Master isn't usually like this," the green haired girl apologized. Mamoru's senses tingled. Something was vaguely familiar about her. Not her, but he recalled seeing Evangeline with someone similar once. And her voice was a little off? Something to think about later.

"I have to get something first. You go over there..." Asuna barreled into the room, dragging Negi-sensei behind her.

"Welcome, Negi-sensei!" shouted the entire class. The poppers shot streamers everywhere. The child teacher had a confused expression on his face.

"Ah! That's right! Today is your welcoming party. I forgot." Asuna held up a bag. "I brought the food."

The food and teacher were yanked away in the blink of an eye. "The guest of honor sits in the middle," the group of girls said.

With that, the celebrations were underway. The room seemed impossibly crowded, especially when Takahata-sensei and Ms. Shizuna arrived. Mamoru looked around for Kyon. With a grin, he noticed him in a corner, talking with what seemed to be the cheerleading club. Popular as ever. He really didn't know how Kyon did it.

Presents were gifted to the boy teacher, the most ridiculous of which was a Negi Springfield statue from the class rep. Unsurprisingly, this led to another fight between her and Asuna. Mamoru was beginning to get the idea that brawls in the middle of the classroom were a normal thing for the two.

There were some meat buns over in the corner that were calling to him. This was a party, so he might as well mingle.

There were a lot of worse places to have accidentally trapped your friend in than a class full of pretty girls, after all.

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Things finally came to a close. Everyone was having so much fun that no one noticed at first that the guest of honor had vanished. When they did, the closest girls to the door threw it open. Nothing.

Sound was coming faintly from the door leading to the stairs, so they threw it open too. The sight that greeted them was Asuna leaning in close to the child teacher's face. The boy was blushing.

The orange-haired girl jumped back, waving her hands in the air. "This isn't what it looks like!"

Ayaka's eye twitched. "What were you planning, bringing a little boy out here alone?" the class rep exploded.

"It's a misunderstanding, Iincho!"

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This was almost too convenient. Could the day have gone any better? A party, a lively and interesting class, and now one last piece of luck. After what probably amounted to a hurricane of paperwork for the school office, all of the new arrivals and transfers had been taken care of. Mamoru and Kyon had been signed up for the very last open dorm room. The room that had been intended for the incoming teacher, it turned out. But, since the principal's granddaughter had no problem with him rooming with her, things had worked out fine.

Mamoru sat down on one of the beds. It still wasn't that late out yet, maybe six or seven, but he was exhausted.

Kyon looked around the room. If he had any opinions either way, he didn't voice them. The boy kicked his shoes off and relaxed.

It had been an eventful first day. It looked like this world would be a nice place to stay until Mamoru figured out how to transport a human across the dimensions. He'd even made a friend, possibly.

"Tomorrow. I'll figure out what's going on then." Mamoru leaned back a little. Sleep claimed him instantly.

1.61803398875...

"Finally get to relax," a thin white haired boy said. He slumped comfortably on a black couch. The couch was the only splash of color in the pure white room.

He closed his eyes. Calm moments like these, after being sent out on so many missions, were a rarity. Something always had to distract him. A soft mechanical whirr alerted him to the door opening. He ignored it.

"Where is everyone else?"

"Go away," the white-haired boy said. Times like this, where he could never get any peace, made him really hate his lot in life. But these people, his allies, were better than the alternative. They gave him purpose.

"Shiro, this is important. I can't find anyone. Where are the others?" The voice was utterly calm. If it was so important, shouldn't he act like he cared?

The boy called Shiro opened his eyes and yawned. Of course, it was him. That blue-haired know-it-all.

"Why should I know where anyone goes to? I thought that was your job." Shiro met the other's stare. He shrugged. "Our leader is still napping. As for the others, let me count..." He held his hand outward.

"A few of our people are out on some sort of mission, probably. I remember something like that." He lowered two of his fingers. "I have no clue what that lunatic Nate gets up to, that annoying moron is nowhere near me like I like it, and the destructive one is, well, you know what he's up to." He lowered three more. Yep, that was everyone.

"Destroying, obviously," the blue-haired boy replied almost amusedly. He took a few steps forward into the room. The boy's ponytail swished as he made a turn for the far corner. "I guess we're the only ones at the base right now. I'll have to report later. We may have a problem. Mamoru is gone."

Shiro scratched his head. "Why should I care? So he left earlier than we thought he would. Big deal. Besides, I hate that twerp."

The other boy chuckled. "Why do you treat him like a kid? He could be as old as you. Maybe older. The constant travels really add up years."

"Because he acts like one! Always messing with everything, whining." Shiro scowled. "Always, always with 'I screwed up again. It's entirely my fault!'" The boy's voice took on a mocking, whiny pitch.

"And yet the real reason you're still upset is because he was always her favorite, not you." The blue-haired boy reached behind himself and tapped lightly on the wall with his knuckle. A clear screen slid out, higher quality than the most expensive plasma TV available.

Shiro gritted his teeth. "Stop doing that. You think you can just analyze everyone, don't you? You know us all so well?" There was no reply. A holographic keyboard appeared in front of the screen. "Of course I'm ticked about that! What right did the brat have, coming in like that? Always sucking up to her, letting her baby him every time he had a problem. Stealing her affection with his stupid act. I saw him do things she wouldn't have approved of. I saw."

"While you were stuck being dear little Yuki. All Shiroyuki Ken wanted was to be taken seriously, hmm?" The other boy smirked.

Shiro shot a glare at the other boy. No one called him that. It was ignored as the boy turned and started typing away on the floating keyboard uncaringly.

"What was so wrong with me? Nothing. Without him around, I could've-" He punctuated this with a fist pounding into the couch. He got up and began pacing. "Tell me his new coordinates, so I can go kick his ass right now."

"As stupid an idea as that as, it brings me to the problem. Mamoru is gone. Gone from the readings completely. He didn't just slip into the next world over, he's somewhere completely different now. I can't find any trace of him anywhere. And that's bad, because," he pushed a button. The screen flashed to a series of flashing bars and graphs. "The readouts from the world he was in have gone haywire. Dangerously unstable."

Shiro stopped angrily pacing for a moment. "It's destabilizing? How? Dammit, I'm going to be sent in to clean up the mess again, aren't I? That world is so completely boring."

The other boy shook his head slowly. "Not yet. This world isn't like some. It's survived some pretty destabilizing events before. We'll wait and see."

"Fine then. I'll be in the dojo, burning off steam. Don't bug me unless you want a rematch."

"Maybe if I do that...but then I risk...but it could work. I have time to wait..." The blue-haired boy mumbled to himself. He hit a few keys almost absentmindedly.

Shiro shook his head and walked out the door. It slid shut with a mechanical click.

The blue haired boy remained behind, working away on the keyboard. The screen made a whirring noise, and he spoke softly to himself.

"Mamoru, you are such an idiot. What mess have you gotten yourself into this time?"

A/N: So that ends the introduction proper. I really liked the idea of having the robot Chachamaru talk in a different font to show her slightly mechanical voice...but with only Times New Roman to work with, I guess I can't. And there is a reason why the last number sequence/paragraph break is different. For symbolic reasons, that number has meaning to the organization at the end of the chapter. What that is, exactly, might require some basic knowledge of some advanced high school courses. But I digress.

Next time: Dimensional portals! Secret rooftop meetings! And a heartfelt declaration of love?

...be sure to close the door when you leave.