Disclaimer:

Love Hina and Mahou Sensei Negima is the creative property of Ken Akamatsu, who created this wonderful anime/manga series. Shingetsugan Tsukihime and Fate/stay night is the creative property of TYPE-MOON. Anything not attributed to Akamatsu-san or TYPE-MOON belongs to their respective owners, such as references to Cowboy Bebop (the Swordfish II) that is a creation of Sunrise and Shinichiro Watanabe, BLEACH is a creation of Kubo Tite, and vice-versa. This story is written purely just for fun, guys; please for God's sake, don't sue me! I'm just a high school student with too much free time on his hands! On the other hand, any specific author created characters I created for this fic (despite how unoriginal they may be at times) are mine. So without further adieu, let's get on with the show!

The Surgeon General's Warning:

Read at your own risk. Multiple pairings inside folks, with KanaxKei and KanaxNegi, just to name a few! You never know what you're going to get so read on (I might even do some alternative stuff, if you know what I mean).

Blue Blue Glass Moon, Under the Crimson Air

The New Life at Mahora...

Chapter 60:

So How About It?

A Love Magister Hina Negima! fanfic by James "Ray" Edwards

Paperwork.

Paperwork.

Paperwork.

Piles and piles of forms and documents that needed to be filled out, and all the while, he was sitting in the same room with the man who had become his biggest headache. Urashima Keitaro: the man who had made it clear that his family would hunt him down, his next of kin, and every last person he might be remotely associated with in some roundabout manner. With their unspoken truce over, now that they had returned from the obvious, hectic excitement of their first class together, it was high time to come to a resolution on this very grave matter, indeed.

In his mind of doubts and horrors, Negi wondered if he had betrayed Nekane somehow in his upright pursuit of morality and justice. Had his actions not put her safety at risk? Years ago, almost a lifetime it seemed, he had sworn he would protect her right in front of the man he so admired and longed to meet once more. He had been very against, in fact, having Nekane join him here in Japan for his continued studies and training as a magister magi. Arguably, she was not really sister but his older cousin and a much more competent magi than himself, yet now with the gift of hindsight, it would have been better if both she and Anya had not come here at all.

With a heavy sigh, Negi glanced idly at the wrapped staff leaning by his desk, the prized possession left behind by that man, before shifting his attention back to Keitaro who sat across from him in a borrowed adjoining bureau. The older boy was busy filing away papers and forms, inspecting and signing off on them with somewhat resigned diligence. In such a situation like this: what would the Thousand Master do? By Negi's reckoning, it would take him a good five seconds just to cast the "Memory Charm" cantrip, although he would have to clear some "breathing space" first, which would involve quite a bit of collateral damage.

Trying to use an actual "Obliviate" spell in such close quarters would likely spell doom for him as he had no idea how much experience his opponent had in combat, period. Granted, he had the initiative, the element of surprise on his side. Keitaro would never see it coming, and if all went well, he would be no worse for wear and everything would work out just fine. Problem was --- there was still Kanako Urashima to deal with, the guy's little sister, and after her "mild" display yesterday, Negi really did not want to run the risk of invoking her wrath. Now that he was on the subject, he did not have a clue what Keitaro could do either.

He seemed harmless enough, pretty goofy actually...

The bespectacled boy sighed and rested his forehead lazily on the desk. Still, I don't want to risk it. I told Nekane, Anya, and everyone what I could... But I haven't even told anybody about the --- red lines --- I saw yesterday. Kanako-san...what is she? Blast, sometimes I really wish there was somebody who could guide me, but it seems I've always had to do things on my own, dragging other people along with me even though I don't want to... Nekane, Anya, and my old friends from Meldiana. I was trying so hard to live up to the ideal of justice, and now...

The sudden loud thud just above his head jerked Negi awake from his reverie, bolting upright out of his seat as he sent his chair clattering noisily backward onto the floor. The young mage's wild expression, somewhere between fear and loathing, lasted only a second or two, before melting away into wary caution. Keitaro, of course, dismissed it as an illusion, considering he did have a somewhat bad habit of seeing things that were not really there...

Still, was it really an illusion though? Was he not the one responsible for that expression?

"Yes, Keitaro-san?" Negi smiled forcefully, doing his best to cover his earlier lapse. If things went badly, he did not want his brief moment weakness to come back and haunt him.

The ronin laughed --- stiffly. He really had no idea why Negi was being so uptight. Oh hell, of course he knew why Negi was so uptight! Who was he trying to kid? The poor kid was totally pissed off at him, sheesh. Still, was it really that hard of a choice to make? All he wanted was the Negi's cooperation along with --- well, anyone else he had involved into the matter. It could not be that hard could it? Right?

"What's so funny?"

"Ehehe, just trying to, um, loosen up the mood, Negi-sempai. Oh, and by the way, I'm pretty much done with all the papers, including yours."

"You did WHAT?"

"That." Keitaro indicated from where he still remained in his desk to the neat stack of papers on the younger boy's desk, much to Negi's amazement. "Sorry, if I got a little rough when I slammed them down, but Kana-chan says that the best way to, uh, relieve stress after doing something boring is, well, just to show it exactly whose boss, get it?"

The bespectacled boy sweatdropped. "I don't understand."

"Uhh...well, it's supposed to be fun --- I guess." Man, what a stiff! What kind of a childhood did Negi have anyway?

"O-kay." Did he really have to bang it near my head though?

"Anyways, now that we got some time alone to ourselves here in the office, have you given my offer any more thought, Negi-sempai?"

"Of course, I've given your offer a lot of thought, you nitwit!" was what Negi wanted to say, but instead he forced himself to opt for something a little more civil:

"Uh-huh..."

Keitaro sighed wistfully at the noncommittal response from his young colleague. "Um, Negi-kun, look we're both being played, alright? Konoemon-kouchousan caught both of us in whatever game he's up to playing using us."

"Kkk! The Headmaster'd never-" And what's with the '-kun' suffix all of a sudden?

"I don't really know him, but judging from the phone call I got last night --- and what we just went through together, there's a lot more to him than meets the eye. I wonder just how much he knows...but that's beside the point."

"The point? What's the point? You're blackmailing-!"

"B-Blackmail! He-H-Hey, that's way out of line! I'm not --- well, I guess am, but still --- I think --- err... Maybe you're losing your nerve, you know? Eh-ehehhe..."

"Stop talking to me like you know me, you hypocrite! You're not the only one with the power to erase memories. If it's for the sake of Nekane, Anya, and everyone, I'll take you on right now and obliviate YOU!"

The ronin winced and shook his head in open dismay, ignoring the smoldering gaze Negi had fixed upon him, as he messaged the bridge of his nose. In hindsight, threatening the young magi might not have been such a smart idea. There probably was a much better way to break it to him, but now...well, it was starting to turn into a big mess.

"Man, I wonder, if this is what it's like to have a little brother?"

"What did you SAY?" Negi shouted in outrage, much to Keitaro's surprise.

"Oh-uh...did I say that aloud?" Oh crap. He looks really pissed. I think I'm losing my grip on the situation too... Gotta think fast before he really does something rash!

The bespectacled boy snarled, gnashing his teeth in seething indignation. The --- the nerve of this guy! How dare he say something like that to me after he threatened me and everyone important to me so openly.

"Negi-kun, c-ca-calm down, calm down now. Uh, cool your jets. Like you know --- count back to ten. Rem-Remember, we're both pawns here. I don't know what's going on or the big picture either, but I do know my fair share of things that I think, um, that you'd be very, very, very interested to learn."

"You think I'm going to let it slide just at that? And stop addressing me as 'Negi-kun'; you have no right, Keitaro-san!"

"Uhh, well... Nope, didn't really expect you to --- I'd be ashamed if you did, to tell you the truth," Keitaro beamed sheepishly with a wince at his retort, causing the angry boy to splutter incomprehensibly. What the heck was he smiling like an --- an absolute idiot all of a sudden for? "A guy who watches out for his friends and family --- that's something I definitely respect."

Negi made a face, his indignant anger defused for the time being by the sudden turn in the conversation. He really did not know what to make of Keitaro. In a way, he was just as confounding as Kanako with her cutting perception and intellect, attacking him weirdly from sideways. Except in the older brother's case, he hailed from an oddly loveable "down to earth" kind of empathy, striking from above and below.

"Ne, Negi-sempai, we make a pretty good team, don't you think so?" Here goes nothing!

"H-Huh?"

"That thing you fought yesterday --- pretty impressive thing you did, by the way, with the lightning magic --- wasn't the only ugly thing around here. In fact, there might just be a lot more, not to mention those Hollows will be back."

"'Hollows'? Is that-"

"Yup, and they will be back, trust me. I fought my fair share of them down at Mahora Central Park the other evening. Wasn't pleasant, you know?"

"Tsk --- and where're you going with this, Kei...Keitaro-san?" Negi bit out tersely at him with a grimace. Keitaro definitely had his attention now, but the older boy simply nodded his acknowledgement.

"Simple: Kanako-chan and I'll help you investigate into these incidents and whatever skeletons the Headmaster might be hiding in his closet. And if you need some muscle --- Kana-chan mentioned something about ministra or minister magi or pactio-something like that --- we'll be happy to help too. Also, I'd be glad to help you out with the kids, um, and all that other teaching stuff. Can't guarantee if Kana-chan will help you out at first, but that might change...hmmm. My guess is that dealing with Two-A isn't going to be a complete walk in the park, although those girls did seem like pretty nice kids overall."

"O-kay, sounds reasonable enough --- and what's in it for you?"

"Remember the part I said about Kanako-chan not helping you at first?"

"Yeah?"

"I want you to help me change that."

Negi blinked, his eyes bugging out wide as saucers, as he screamed in complete disbelief, "WHAT?"

"Hey, she was probably on your list of 'problem students' already, right, so why not? Besides, isn't that our big job from Konoemon-kouchousan?"

"Are you crazy? There's no-"

"Oh, yes way. With me here, the impossible is possible. It's just going to take a lot of work. She's not going to outright attack the students or lay out explosive pranks anymore, but I did say that if she wanted to continue doing what she did, she could too."

"...My God, you really are bloody crazy!"

"Well, as long as she fixes what she breaks, I didn't see a problem with it, you know. Besides, she's my little sister."

"Rarghhghghg! --- blast, I think I'm getting a headache."

"Um, painkillers? I got some, if you want-"

"NO thank you, Keitaro-san; I think you've done quite enough."

Keitaro laughed weakly, though it was impossible to mask the momentary flinch on his face. Negi probably did not realize it, but he had a pretty sharp tongue himself! "Well, it can't be that hard could it? She already made a new friend today."

"...Are you kidding me?" the younger boy shot him a disbelieving look.

"Nope. Sakurazaki Setsuna from our class-"

"Great, she made friends with another delinquent on my list."

"...huh?"

"Never mind."

"Whoa, hold on a minute here, man, Sekkun's a perfectly nice girl," Keitaro raised his voice --- just a little, without consciously realizing it himself.

"I don't know about that. She was bullying Karakuri Chachamaru just the other day."

"Negi-kun, no way. There has to be some kind of misunderstanding here. Sekkun's one of the nicest girls I know."

"Nicest-? Wait a second, why are you calling Sakurazaki-kun 'Sekkun'? And just HOW do you know her, MISTER Urashima Keitaro?"

"Uhhh-ehehehh, well, I met her the other day at the park-!"

"THE PARK? She was there too?"

Keitaro winced, slapping himself on the temple with an audible smack, for letting that particular piece of information slide. Now, things were starting to get a little --- personal, and though he hated to do it, he seriously had to force the issue on the magi kid. Negi Springfield was a good kid, and he did not want to fight him, but if it came down to a fight, he would win, no questions asked.

"Okay, look, Negi-kun, I really --- really can't tell you anymore because if you want to know more, I'm going to need that commitment from you, understand?" Keitaro told the boy as he calmly stood up.

Negi frowned openly at the older boy's sudden change in stance, an obvious attempt to assert his strength, but still he held his ground bravely against Keitaro, despite the significant difference in height. He had faced worse odds and he was not going to back down now. Besides, Keitaro was only an ordinary human, right? Nothing like that monster he had fought the other day.

"So what's it going to be, Negi-kun? I need an answer."

"Hm..."

"Look, we can go ahead and fight right now, if you want to. But I'm warning you, I will win. I'm definitely not bad in a fight myself. So can we please, please, talk this over?"

"Tsk!" Maybe Keitaro-san might NOT be an ordinary person, after all...

"Come on, man, don't make me fight you, Negi-kun! We can help each other out a lot. Isn't this deal reasonable enough?" Keitaro pleaded with him. "And I bet you know, somewhere deep down inside, that fighting me here like this, isn't the right thing to do! It's what my heart's telling me, and I know, yours has to be telling you the same thing."

"Oh, really now...?"

"Oh for Buddha's sake, don't lie to yourself out of pride or something like that! You're only going to get other people hurt, and besides, you're a good kid, I know it. And you should know, even at your age, that putting your pride before your loved ones isn't worth it, Negi-kun. I --- I should know that myself with what I did last month after the Tokyo U entrance exam results came out."

Inwardly, Negi flinched at the strength of the older boy's words. There was a teary mist in Keitaro's quivering dark brown eyes, his expression warped in unabashed earnestness, as if he was on the verge of breaking down on his knees to plead his sincerity. His heart told him flatly that this man's intentions must surely be honest and good because if he had meant any harm in the first place, why would they even be having this conversation? And yet his brain cried "WOLF!", screaming one accusation after another, paranoia and doubt.

This man had threatened him, his friends, his family, and anyone else he might just happen to know, and on top that, the guy's little sister was a-!

SHUT UP.

He had to think. He had to think this through very, very carefully. Weigh the odds. Weigh his options. The offer itself was not bad. In fact, he stood to gain a lot from this alliance, and if it was true that the Headmaster was up to no good, then he would surely need all the help he could get from everyone. The big question now was: could he trust Keitaro Urashima?

"All right, let's shake on it, Keitaro-san," Negi conceded finally with a chuckle, as he extended an open hand to the shocked older boy. "Just don't make me regret trusting you, all right?"

Keitaro blinked. He could hardly believe the turn of events, moving him to tears as he gratefully clasped the outstretched hand with both of his own, no doubt to Negi's surprise:

"Y-Yeah; I promise, I --- I won't. Thank you, Negi-kun. Thank you."

And so another new friendship began, though where it would lead them, neither of the two boys knew, but for now, let it just be enough...

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes:

And a three, and a two, and a one --- ZERO! WHA-CHA! And we're live with Episode 60! The 200,000 word barrier has been broken and we're still going full steam ahead, ladies and gentlemen!

At last our two male leads present a united front, after much squabbling --- well, Negi was doing most of the squabbling. He's awfully protective of his "Family", isn't he? Go figure on his Hero complex and trying to follow after in the Thousand Master's footsteps. On the flipside, man, did Negi give Keitaro a verbal thrashing or what? Poor guy had to sit there and basically take what was coming to him. But man, Setsuna's influence sure reaches far and hits hard. Keitaro rose to her defense real fast! Could it be possible that she has already risen up to the spot of "No. 2 Girl in His Heart"? If so, who's number 1? And what's gonna happen next?

Well, maybe we'll find out on the next episode of Glass Moon-desu!

Reviewers and readers alike, I'd like to thank you all very much for your continued patronage. Remember, I encourage each and everyone of you to feel free to comment, review, and/or discuss the story. Your comments can really make a difference, I assure you, and if you're up to it, feel free to ring me up on AIM, or even send me an e-mail (although you really don't need to boost my ego too often). You know how to get in touch with the maestro here. It's getting close to exam time; I'll try to get back to y'all on the last set of reviews, but rest assured they were all great motivating words to me, so don't feel left out if I couldn't make it back to you.

So without further adieu, that wraps it up, folks (see you around the same time as usual, and just maybe we'll have a double header this week to commemorate the beginning of SUMMER): Peace out! Exams are almost done!

Omake!

Naze Nani Glass Moon Desu

Episode Preview!

Chapter 61:

Lunch Break

"I'm really hungry."

Tsudzuku!