The air was fresh this morning. Things began to go into motion; people coming out of their homes and beginning their day. The sun had barely risen before Negi woke up in his bed. His body slowly went rigid with tension before relaxing. Stretching his arms and back, he yawned loudly and slowly placed his arms down. He then went to the bathroom to proceed with daily activities and to freshen himself from his earlier arrival.

By the time Takamichi got him to the apartment complex, Negi was already tired. He had just gone on an eight hour flight and now exhausted due to his younger body's lesser endurance. So by the time they arrived, he was dosing in and out of reality. Seeing that his young protégé tired, he led Negi to his apartment and opened the door and then Negi, despite being in an exhausted state, told Takamitchi that he could handle the rest and had Takamitchi hand him a set of keys on a ring. He then bade him goodnight and then he dragged himself to bed and fell asleep immediately.

The apartment that Negi resided is quite a spacious place for someone so young and living by themselves. The living room is a simple area with a rug, couch, a medium sized table, and a television set. Connected to this room are the hallway and the kitchen. The kitchen is also fairly large, with it also being fairly advance, being set to modern needs and appliances. The hallway is connected to multiple rooms, with the bathroom being at the very end of the hallway. Connected to the left side of the hallway are two rooms, each one being moderately spacious. The rooms are both equipped with a bed, a drawer, and closet; and a small veranda on the right. Negi's room is just as bare, having no time to furnish it with his own items. The only items visible would be his suitcases and bags by the wall and his father's staff right next to it.

Negi returned to his room with a towel around his waist and threw his clothes into the hamper. He then picked some clothes from one of his bags and donned. He now wore a white t-shirt with a red hoodie with a pair of red sweats. Negi then looked at the clock above his television which read 4:43. Damn, jet lag must really be affecting him. He used to be able to wake at four on the dot and continue his usual routine later on. He then began to do his "warm-ups", which consisted of various exercises, and to do a set of fifty and repeat them until he did them around ten times. Negi set off into his exercise, letting his thoughts wander. Then again, Negi realized that his body is much younger than before and does not have any of his old capabilities. His physical abilities are significantly lacking and reserves much smaller than he ever remembered. That is why he made up a new training schedule where he could increase both his magic and physical capabilities. His warm-ups are significantly less than his previous setting, which were made up from Evangeline's torture. Based off this, he created a map of where he is going to run around. He decided on running two miles in a lap and at set quarter intervals, he had to shoot a magic arrow and continue the numbers until his body wore out. And the laps he had set for himself is ten laps, more than any amount any mundane person could do and something that can wear anyone down by the third lap. And if needed, he would also enhance his body to increase both his speed and stamina, which would help his body and assist his body from getting too exhausted. However, he could only do this if he had enough in reserve and if he had enough to spare for any enhancement. Negi sighed. He now had to work for his strength once more, despite the grueling trials he had to go through to obtain it.

By the time he finished exercising, it read 5:50. He then went back to his room to use his father's staff to incant to help with his training and then he sets out of his apartment, locking the doors with his newly obtained keys. He then ran down the stairs and started to run at nice pace and would continue so for quite awhile.

Negi ran off, determined to go and become stronger so he could protect his friends in their most dire moments.

Yet he would never notice the silvery mist-like creature watching with glowing violet eyes.

"Go forth, scarlet light, and grow into what you need to be."

A second figure joined the silvery mist. Yet unlike it, it seemed as if the air itself split and allowed this being to come forth from this realm.

"Lighting's chosen, emissary of darkness, wind's blessing. Bring forth fortune from bonds and harrowing storms to endure. May the Alterum be blessed with another hope in a darkness so bleak, not even he cannot absorb."

And then a gentle breeze blew by, and the two figures dissolved into their respective forms, and soon the place they once resided upon had no trace of their existence.

The only proof left is two red feathers weaving down towards the earth.

Negi had only ran for a short while, the sun finally appearing from the horizon. He had already enhanced his body so he could keep up with the rigorous regimen. Why did he do this again?

Oh yeah, Shisho would hurt him for saying that this was too much.

Negi suddenly had a torrent of memories from his very first time meeting Evangeline to his training. He shivered. Right, that was the reason why the hell he is running as if his life depended on it.

After all, if one is to train with the Gospel of Darkness then… one better damn straight run as if his life depended on it. Usually, it did.

As he shivered from his past trauma, he began to think about how weak his body really is. He never noticed as a child, that he had always had such low stamina. In fact, he was sure of himself that his stamina was much more than it is now. He knew he was a pretty active back in his previous life; he damn near drove the villagers insane. And he knew he had a little TOO much energy. He remembered when he started to prank the villagers that Nekane-nee had gotten very angry at him. And once one of his pranks accidentally set off on her, she started to chuckle creepily and then called on Anya. Oh yes, he could remember like it was yesterday. The prank involved some tea, cookies, whip cream, a can of "Poof N' Goof", and a blushing angry Anya. She was so pissed that when she punted him, he actually had some mileage as he flew across the sky. He actually woke up in America in the middle of the street. When he looked up, he saw an American couple looking star struck as if they saw a shooting star falling to the ground next to them?

Maybe one passed on by when he was unconscious?

Then his body faded and his eyes began to spin and then he somehow returned to the village. He made sure to look for an illusion back then. There was no way that he could already be back in the village. What was worse was that when he got home, Nekane-nee wondered why he was back so early.

And there was the other time Nekane-nee got really scary. It was during one of the times he tried to show that he was a man in front of the villagers. That was the time he tried to get his father's attention by proving that he is a man. He was able to find some cookies, milk, and a small crate to stand on. When he finished the snack, people were laughing. And then he fainted. What he did not know was that the milk was somehow actually wine. And drinking said wine made him drunk and hit his head on the crate. The villagers had a hearty laugh over that.

Until Negi hiccupped.

The terror the pint-sized created scarred the village before the Demon attack. It became widely known throughout both the village and Magic World that a story known as the Red Chaos was born, being known for its chaos on the village and the horror that they witnessed. Negi never knew why, but when Nekane blackmailed him to eat his vegetables, he knew somehow she would go thorugh with it.

Nekane had pictures of the event, thinking they were hilarious. And with the pictures, she would show them to certain people, and she knew Negi would not like that.

Negi's mind then turned from that to recent events. He did not know how to feel at the moment. He had just lost all he loved. He now had a second chance to do it all over and make sure that his friends are safe. He had just about given up when he realized that all that was precious to him was gone. He had no will left to even fight off a bug back then. His soul damn near became consumed with darkness before the LifeMaker atomized him with his Ancient-level Magic attack.

He is glad for this chance. Despite the Moderator's suspicious appearance, even if it was a demon, he would have taken this chance. Because…

Life would be too different without their light.

As he thought this, he saw that he is coming to the third interval and quickly incanted four magic arrows.

Negi sighed. If he wanted to get through this run, he had to put his all into this.

Tired. Limit reached. Stop. Must Stop.

No. On. Go on. Do not stop. Run. Run with all your might.

This is the state that Negi is currently in. His body made war with his resolve and mind. His muscles screamed in exhaustion, adrenaline no longer dulling the pain within his legs. His lungs felt as if they were going to blow up and his heart is beating so fast. If is as if the heart is going to fail and life would begin to die as he continued to run. His brain is dying without oxygen, his mind no longer functioning the way it is suppose to. Why did he keep going on? Wasn't all he did enough? The scenery began to blur around him, his magic reserves at about a quarter of his original amount, leaving none to enhance his body, even though with all the uses he had done during the run, it took a relatively small amount of magic to enhance his bodily function and it would not cause any long term affects because he had been using it constantly for the entire run. He started to wonder why he continued to run, despite his body urging him to just take a small break for a moment.

And then memories started to come to him. His previous life flashing through his mind.

Learning he had to be a teacher for Mahora Academy.

Meeting his future friends.

The trials he had to endure.

The World Tree.

Mundus Magicus.

Lifemaker.

These memories flowed through his body, causing the small spasms to slow down until the flesh no longer looked like it visibly pulsed. His misty eyes soon gaining clarity and focus. A slight aura forming around him, his magic coming forth at this new found fuel and leaping forth eagerly.

He could not let anyone go through the pain he had to go endure. He would not let any of his future friends suffer for the mistakes that he made. No one would die as long as he would breathe. Gods will no longer be able to take away what is precious to him any longer. If he had to fight a million demons to protect them, he would. If anyone threaten them and asked him to help, he would. If the Lifemaker dared to try and take any more of his friends, he would fight until his last breath!

Eyes burning with determination, he renewed his efforts in completing his fourth lap.

The sun finally rose fully into the sky. The birds chirping happily. Negi was finally able to complete the last of his laps, despite being entirely depleted of any energy. Adrenaline instantly draining away, leaving an incredibly tired boy as he drew to his final marker. Once that was completed, he slowly dragged himself from his mark and up the stairs before collapsing in front of his door.

What he would never know is that his admirable efforts had inspired several early-risers to take a more proactive approach to their exercise and to start to run the next morning or when they had free time to do so.

And some of those people were a few certain adults and children that have watched the boy become inspired by his efforts.

Not that he would know until a few people inform of this several years later.

Takamitchi had just started his day. He had already dropped off Asuna at Yukishiro-san's place and had returned a little earlier make a rest stop at home before having to leave for his job back at campus. As he proceeded to lock his door, he turned to leave until his he suddenly froze.

Was that who he thought it is?

He swerved his head to the right and lo and behold, there lies Negi, looking as if death itself had come for him and had only barely evaded it. Takamitchi quickly dashed towards Negi, worried for the safety of his protégé. And the fact that Nekane would absolutely KILL him for leaving her cousin in a state that looked as if he had extremely strained himself. He quickly lifted Negi and carefully set him against the door. He then began to inspect Negi, and to his relief, Negi was only exhausted, both physically and magically. Although this does beget a question on to how he had tired himself out, he first had to administer some first-aid to help Negi recover faster. He began to use some Ki to restore some of Negi's vitality. While he is not very at converting Ki into a medical application, he had trained hard enough to learn due to all of his past training and incidents since. It was while he was with Ala Rubra that he learned to do this. It was while a nurse who used Ki to heal wounds he asked if he could learn how to use for medical application. The nurse began to turn red when he questioned her and just nodded timidly.

Huh… was the nurse shy? He could never figure out why girls always started to blush around him. He just figured they were all very shy and that they did not like to talk a lot. Or maybe they all had a disease that caused them to turn red?

Ignoring his sudden tangent, he began to focus on the weak form of Negi Springfield. Several minutes later, when he felt that Negi is no longer looking like a ragged child and started to regain some color, that he cut off his Ki and let it settle down. Sighing in relief, he pulled out his copy of Negi's room and opened the door. He then carried Negi down to a room where it had some bags and laid him down unto the bed. As he began to cover Negi with a blanket, Negi's eyes opened drowsily. Seeing this, Takamichi spoke.

"Negi, are you alright?"

"…"

"Negi? Do you need anything?"

Suddenly, Negi grabbed his face with his small hands and asked seriously,

"Papa, I… want a very… pretty pony!" Negi declared.

He then went back into his unconscious state, leaving behind a very bewildered Takamitchi. What just happened? Shaking his head in amusement, he was about to leave before realizing that he did not stock Negi's kitchen yet and he had probably not eaten yet. So he quickly went back into his apartment and made some breakfast for Negi and made a sandwich for him for lunch. He then grabbed a glass and filled it with some juice and added some medicine to it so Negi could restore his magical reserves a little faster. He then went on back with the food on hand and placed it on the living room table and left.

Was this what life is going to be like with Negi around? If it is, life is going to be interesting. First day in Japan, yet here he is, him already tired and sleeping once more. Takamitchi already had his hands full with Asuna becoming a little more active every time she interacts with other students. And just a few months ago that she was so quiet, that he thought she was shy before remembering that she was once like that before joining Ala Rubra. With Negi here, it looked like that he would no longer have free time anymore. And he had a feeling that by the time Negi leaves, he would be breaking some hearts and have quite a few waterworks.

Mid-way into his walk to the Mahora Campus, he froze once again. When did Nekane say that she was picking up Negi again? Now that he thought about it, there was no specific date as to when she would be able to pick up Negi. Just that one day that she would pick him up. Takamitchi groaned. Now he was going to have a headache. He, Takahata Takamitchi, the one who has earned his nickname, Shi no Megane, because he was able to defeat all of his enemies just by seemingly glaring at them, is now babysitting a pair of children. And not just any children, but a pair of royalty. A girl who has the legendary ability to cancel magic, and a boy who descended from the Thousand Master and the Queen of Calamity. A pair of children that had much potential in magic. While he was glad that he would be able to take care of them, he was annoyed because he had to waste his time doing so. But now, he felt that the two might be a start of a change in the magical world. With that thought, he left for his job, but not before remembering that he had to stop by the market to by some groceries for himself and Negi. He also was running out of food.

With that thought, he walked off to his next destination.

Takamitchi never knew how right he was.

Negi groaned as sunlight pieced through the window shades. Silently, he lifted himself out of bed and nearly fell on the floor when his legs were not able to hold his weight. Wondering why, he slowly remembered his earlier training and almost face palm himself. Only now did he remember what he did, and why he did it. Groaning over his exhaustion, despite the fact that the pain should have been worse, he soon was able to stand, albeit shakily. He then went into the bathroom to clean himself once more and discarded his sweat-laden clothes into the hamper for the second time.

When he came out, he went into his room and put on a black t-shirt with a pair of blue sweats. He then proceeded into the living room and saw that it was currently 12:20. Amazed at how much time he must have spent, he headed into the kitchen to grab a bite. Yet he paused, seeing a plate of food and a cup of juice with a letter beside it. Curious, he approached the letter and opened it.

Dear Negi,

What have you been doing all morning? It looked like someone tried to rob you and ran away when they failed. Your body was extremely weak, so I restored some of your health with Ki, which is a type of energy that comes from the body, which is basically like one's own life force. You will notice that you are not as worn out as you should. So when you wake up, I want you to stay and bed and rest, after eating the food. I will be bringing back some groceries for you, seeing that you have no food in the pantry. I will be back soon.

- Takamitchi

Shaking his head in mirthfully, he laid the letter back unto the table and pulled a chair from the table and began to eat.

After eating, he began to do a few stretches to get rid of any kinks and to get his body active from the rest he had earlier and to stretch the muscles that were beat from the morning run. After this, he began to go over some of his Katas from his Si-fu. While he was not practicing the same style, he went with the principle that she continued on with: One must practice in order to improve. Well, that what it was basically, with a bunch of a rambling on from her that continued on into Chinese.

So he began slowly, getting a feel for his moves that he knew so well before coming back and retraining them once more. As he began to get into the flow and rhythm of the Art, he slowly began to relinquish control from his mind to instincts, letting his body go through motions that are memorized like they were the back of his hand. He soon lost himself in a wave of instincts, a flurry of punches, kicks, and maneuvers; becoming a blur to all who would be able to witness his actions.

All too soon did it end, sweat falling from his chin, creating a pool of it on the floor. His body once again dead from the strain, yet a sense of satisfaction and happiness permitted from him. While it may be an exercise that is tiring, it would soon have him back into top shape where he would have the same physical prowess that allowed both him and him and Kotaro to create shockwaves by just bumping their knuckles. But that would not happen for quite a while yet, due to the fact he did not have access to any facilities that had a time-dilation factor or any of Evangeline's Spheres. He would have to build up his strength the normal way, a slow path that would make his efforts all the more fruitful.

The time was now 5:34, Negi still breathing heavily, trotted back to his bed, not bothering to take off his clothes, and plopped down on his bed, instantly losing consciousness and going into a blissful sleep.

Maybe, for once, over the years, something may make him happy again. Something that is not so grim to make him so cold.

Maybe, just maybe…

He could be with all of his precious friends again.

With a small smile on his face, Negi fell into a peaceful sleep.

For once in several years.

"… gi… Neg… up…"

Negi groaned. Why? He just went to sleep!

"Come on… Negi."

Huh? Taka-nii? Why was he here?

"Come on, I need to go over some lessons with you."

Oh yeah, he "supposedly" did not know any Japanese or had any experience with them.

Groaning as he got up, he rubbed his eyes sleepily and dragged his eyes towards the voice. There stood Takamitchi, his eyes revealing his concern for him.

"Morning Takamitchi."

"Actually, it is night. It is seven-thirty, Negi."

"Oh."

Takamitchi then adopted a serious look, "Negi…"

Nervously, he asked , "Ye-yeah?"

"You stink."

Silence permitted in the room .

"What?"

"You stink. Go take a bath, and we will talk."

"Ah-ok."

Negi then went to the bathroom to freshen up.

Fifteen minutes later, Negi came out clean and dressed, walking to the living room. When he arrived, he saw many books that were meant to teach and test somebody learning Japanese on the table. And there sat Takamitchi on the couch.

"So. Let us go straight into the lessons, alright?"

"Ah, Takamitchi I… already know Japanese."

"Oh?" Surprise showed on his face. After all, who would expect some kid to know language that he was not expected to know.

"Yeah."

"Hmmm… looks like we will have to test you."

And on the night went. A night that surprised the hell out of Takamitchi.

Several hours later, Takamitchi was by the doorway, with Negi escorting him out.

"Well, well, looks like you really do know your Japanese. But you have to work on your pronunciation and accent. It sounds like a very heavy accent when you speak it."

"Hai."

"Alright, looks like you will not be needing those lessons. You are doing fine already. Just do not slack off."

"Hai!"

"Oyasumi, Negi-kun."

"Oyasumi, Taka-nii."

The door swung closed, with Negi never realizing that his words from Takamitchi. Taka-nii? Big brother? Really? He had only been with Negi for a while and he was calling him that?

A small smile bloomed on his face.

Taka-nii… that has a nice ring to it…

The next day, Negi woke up at the same time he did yesterday. He then proceeded to do his morning schedule, with a reduced number of laps, and was able to complete it earlier than before, while not being as worn out as he was the day before. He now had the energy to complete his katas and eat an actual breakfast. By the time all this went by, it was already 8:42. He then began to get dressed and left at nine, which coincidentally, Takamitchi was coming out.

"Morning, Negi-kun."

"Ohayo, Taka-nii."

"What are you going to do today?"

That, Negi had no idea. He had most likely already read the books the Headmaster had given him. He already knew of the surrounding area from his previous runs and from his past life. So there was nothing for him to do except for more training.

But where was the fun in that?

"I don't know. I already read everything and I don't have a friend here."

"Hmmm…"

"Ne, ne, Taka-nii."

"Yes?"

"Can you take me to the library?"

While not really surprising, he expected to do so because he had figured when Negi admitted to him to reading on the plane and on earlier days before his departure. So he most likely already had read all the books. And not having a friend is not good, especially what happened to Negi. He needs to spend time somewhere else or else he might relapse into a depression. So yeah, taking him to the library was a good idea.

"Alright, I will take you to the library where I work at, okay?"

"Yay! Arigato, Taka-nii!"

Amused, he responded, "No problem."

And off went the due to the Mahora Campus.

"Here we are, Negi-kun. Be good, alright?"

"Hai, Taka-nii!"

"Alright, I will be back later."

And Takamitchi left Negi at the Mahora Campus Library. Negi wondered if this was fine for an adult to leave a child outside of a door. What if they got kidnapped? He shrugged his shoulders, showing that it was not his problem if some irresponsible adults leave a kid by a room.

Even if their small as hell.

Negi then opened the door to the Mahora Library.

The Mahora Library is not to be mistaken for the Mahora Library Island. While it is true thathey both contain ancient texts, the Mahora Library is significantly smaller than it. But the Mahora Library is also extraordinary. Within it, lies miles of books, each shelf filled to the brim, as if the library itself was regenerating every borrowed book. The library spanned well over several thousand feet, extending a good eighty meters into the sky before stopping. Within this space, lie rows upon rows of books that never seem to end. Many avid bibliophiles have come in, each one failing. See, there is a rumor that the library is said to be uncharitable, maps becoming unreliable as soon one enters it again. And then there are genres that seem to span everywhere, having no specific topic or order, yet they fit in the same catergory in some way. Many students have dedicated their free time to research it, promising defeat for such a foe. Yet they never do, as they have long since graduated. There is even a rumor that the library had its own self updating system. Whenever a recently released book came out, it always mysteriously appeared in the library the day before. It is said that there is a ghost librarian with violet hair that is extremely shy appears to shelve these books.

Of course, Negi had no idea of such knowledge, thus wandered into the library, without knowing that he will be lost for quite some time.

"Okay… where am I?"

It has been half an hour since he entered the library. He first caught sight of an interesting book and soon wandered until he realized he was lost. Panicking, he began to run in different directions before looking around again, seeing that the scenery had not changed. He now walked by a row he was extremely sure that he had already passed. Why, oh why did his drive to learn always bite him in the ass?

Sighing, he wandered a bit more. He was about to turn the corner when he caught sight of a person reading against the bookshelf. Yes! Someone that could possibly help him! The person looked so relaxed, sitting there with their head buried into the book. If she was like that, then surely she would likely know where the exit is? Or where to find a librarian in this impossibly large place? Seriously, he had not seen a single person the entire time. Hell, he was sure that if started to flare his magic that no would notice.

He walked up to the person slouching to read the book and about to ask where the exit was before he froze, no longer to seemingly be able to take in the air. As if everything around him had slowed down so he could take notice of details that he had not noticed beforehand. The person is a girl. She had purple hair, not unlike a violet's color. She has deep blue eyes, eyes that could capture all and understand it. She had her hair tied up into a ponytail and glasses, giving her an intelligent look. She is wearing a purple blouse and blue camisoles.

But that was not what stopped him.

She was the first to confess her love.

She was the one who gave him the courage to go on.

She was the strategist and information specialist.

She always had a book in her hands, despite never having space to carry one.

She is Miyazaki Nodoka. And she is one of his precious students and friends.

It was during a day during the war when there was nothing going on when Nodoka wanted to talk to someone about her childhood, about why she was not able to do much in battle. Always being the gentleman, he gave her a shoulder to cry on, hearing out her story. She told her of much bullying during her time in Elementary School. While things were peaceful, no one wanted to hang out with her. She explained that it was because she was different from them, preferring books than actual company. And while there are no boys, it was during a time where the female classes had to hold up with the male classes due to some accident. Boys began teasing her, which caused her to be afraid of boys.

He clenched his fists. He would not let her go through with it now. Not when he had a chance.

So he took a deep breath before going up to her.

"Hi! Do you want to be my friend? My name is Negi! What's yours?"

Miyazaki Nodoka is enjoying her book. The book is very good. She bet she could write many pages about the book, yet never have enough words to describe the book or how much she loved it. Words would never be able to express it.

The book is that amazing.

She had yet to finish the first volume, forget the many other books in the series. The story is about a boy and a girl in a village. The girl is not really known, kidnapped before she could even be a part of the story. The story began with the villagers offering the girl to be a sacrifice to an evil dragon. The protagonist is the pariah of the village. It is due to the fact that he claimed himself to be a mage from the greatest mage ever seen. Of course, the villagers did not believe such tales of childish beliefs that he was ignored. The only one who listens to him was the girl. When the dragon took the girl, he ran after her. Unable to catch them, he promised to the girl he would save her just as the dragon evaded him. Greatly angered by the villagers, he publicly denounces them and departs onto a journey.

As he travels, he goes through trouble ridden villages, towns, and cities; each one bringing him closer to his destination. And in each place, they mock his abilities to cast magicks and his claims. Yet in each place, he solves the trouble with great difficulty, endearing him to the places he became their savior. The victims that have convinced him to do so asked why, and he responded why he should not. In his journey, he had gained great allies.

The first to come is the strange, yet wonderful swordswoman. With a slash of her blade, she negated any ranged attacks and those of magicks. She is extremely brash, yet in battle, she has the strength to disarm a group of ten men in an instant.

The next is the miraculous healer. She is an extremely cheerful woman, always the one who worries about wounds of insignificance. She has this aura where she can make anyone relax. However, her fighting powers are no joke, as with a wave of her fan she sends waves of attacks towards her unfortunate foes.

After her is the half-demon of the Ookami Gouzoku. He is a very brash man, always eagerly waiting for a fight to happen so his blood may run. He commands the shadows with the help of his blood and ancestors, being gifted with senses beyond human and the strength of demons. He could take out a group of twenty men with his fists only and could take on an army with his demonic abilities.

And then came the half-demon swordswoman of the Karasu Gouzoku. She is a serious woman who has pledged her life to protect the healer. She is the master of the first swordswoman and the one who had honed her skills. With her presence, she can cause bandits and thieves alike to flee in terror.

With every place he had helped, he had gained a companion who became vital in a crisis where their abilities are much needed. Soon, his band grew, numbers overflowing, with all of them irritable with each other or wanting to hurt one of them. Yet their smiles never left their faces.

This book is wonderful. It is so enticing that only those of ignorance would avoid this tale of wonders. Books are wonderful things. They are always so quiet. They can never annoy you, despite the fact that they may not be very good. They are very good listeners when needed.

Books are perfect.

They never complain that you never talk. They are infinitely patient and let you go on at your own pace.

People are not perfect.

She was just like everyone else, wanting to make friends and having fun. It just so happened that she liked books a lot more than anyone else her age. The other kids didn't want to be friends with a bookworm or a know-it-all or a geek. They wanted to be friends with those loud people, those who always make fun of her. And then there was the fact that the boys had to join the girls because of some chemical accident. When the boys came, she thought maybe they were not the same. But they were, and they were worse. They picked on her instead of ignoring her. They called her mean names that want her to cry. They are bullies because they think it is fun to make fun of the fact that she had no friends.

Was it her fault that she liked quiet instead of noise? Is it her fault that the boys always wanted to make fun of her? Is it her fault that she wanted to sit down and read? No, it isn't, and it isn't fair either.

So she turned to books and immersed herself in fantasies and tales of awe and wonder. Each tale bringing her imagination to wander into realms of magic and heroes and where she was not alone anymore.

But being with other people scared her. They were always being mean and stupid. And boys are even worse because they can't think very well. They act immature and bratty, always making fun of her, even when she did nothing to the boys who mocked her.

That is why she does not like boys.

And that is why when a small boy came up to her and asked her to be her friend that she was stunned.

Negi waited a while for her to respond. But all she did was fidget with her book for the past couple of minutes. Maybe it was best that he walked away right now. She did tell him that she did not like boys back in Elementary School. So maybe he should back away?

"Sorry if I bothered you. I'll go now."

"Wa-wait!"

Huh, she finally responded.

"Yeah?"

"Do…do you mean it? Were you talking to me?" Nodoka stuttered. After all, no one wanted to be friends with her!

"Of course I do!"

But this only made Nodoka suspicious. No one wanted to be friends with her, so he must be doing this as a prank. The boys had done it many times before she realized that they were all lying about being one.

But she would let him try to see if he really did mean it.

"O-ok..."

"Yay! I made a friend!"

Negi then grabbed her arms and started to spin her in circles. While Nodoka is getting dizzy, she did not know how to react to how he is behaving. Why was he doing so?

"AH! Sorry!" Negi then stopped spinning her around, noticing the swirls in her eyes and stopping before she could get hurt.

"I'm just so glad I made my first friend!"

First? Her? She thought the boy already had friends, being so energetic. But then she noticed what the boy looked like.

He obviously looked like a Gaijin. No matter where anyone in Japan would go, a child with red hair would be impossible to find unless they had somehow had a fascination with red and dyed their hair. Another thing is that he did not look like he was Japanese. If anything, he looked more like someone from the western hemisphere of the world, somewhere around England. He also looked to be very young, maybe around six. So something must have happened to him to make him come here. So that meant that he probably really did not have any friends, because people in Japan were generally against Gaijin, particularly ones who look out of place and did not like. The boy would most likely be categorized as the former. That also meant that he did not know any mean boys that would pick on her.

That also meant that she could extend a hand of friendship without being mocked.

"Oh… tha-that's ok."

Silence soon became prevalent, an awkward pause left by her response.

"So… what book are you reading?"

That most certainly broke the ice, as Nodoka became animated, with hands creating gestures and her eyes alight with excitement.

"Oh! This book is about a man who is a mage that all the people in the village make fun of because they don't believe magic is real except a girl who no one really knows and the villagers offered her to a big mean dragon who took her away, and the mage left the village to save her and goes on a huge journey to find her and to save her while saving other places that have been plagued with unfortunate things and and…" Nodoka rambled off.

Negi just stared at her, mystified. He knew that Nodoka had liked a good book. He also knew that she loved a really good book. What he did not know was the rants that she had when explaining to a friend what book she was reading and possibly, being able to leave everyone in a five block radius dumbfound at the fact that she could talk so long without breathing.

So Negi just stood, staring on for what seemed to be for hours. Catching only bits and pieces of what Nodoka said and only making a very loosely constructed storyline about a mage and people he saves.

"… And then that is what the book is about!" She exclaimed in triumph. She then turned to Negi to ask he thought of it only to stare at a frozen boy. His left eyebrow was twitching with a little coming from his mouth. His eyes were misted over and his face held a dumbfound look.

All in all, he looked very cute, so cute that she wanted to squeal and hug him and take him home.

"Wuzzah?" Negi asked.

Giggling, she asked something else, "So what are you doing here?"

Noticing that she seemed to be much more relaxed, he shook his head.

"What was I doing again?" he questioned himself. And then he remembered the reason why he came in. "Right, I came here because I was bored and my guardian and he dropped me off here because I wanted to find a book to read. I came in and found a big library! I looked for a book for so long that I got lost! And then I found you and wondered if you would be my friend and here we are!"

She noticed what he said and quickly responded, "Oh, you're looking for a book? Which type? Mystery? Adventure? Romance? Wait, not romance, boys are not interested in romance. So adventure? Fantasy?..."

Once again, he got lost with her rapidly shooting out questions before he could respond. Dear god, how long can someone speak and not need to breathe! He has seen professional swimmers needing to breathe more than her, and they knew how to control their breathing!

Once again, Nodoka stopped, only to see Negi stuck in the same position as he was before, this time noticing that there was smoke coming from his ear.

Oh dear… this always happened when she talked about books.

"Um, are you alright?"

"Pretty girl say what?"

Blushing lightly, she asked again. "I said, are you alright?"

Shaking his head once more, he said, "Uh, yeah! Of course!"

"So, what type of book do you want to read?"
"How about later? I don't know how to get out of here and… what time is it?"

Having seen a clock behind Negi, she had told him that it was currently three.

"Wow, I've been lost for so long. Can you help me get out?"

Being the helpful girl that she is, she decided to help out her new friend who accepted her, despite her long rants on the subjects she loves.

It had taken quite a while to find their way out. And by the time they did, they were really hungry. Deciding on a lunch break since they had finally escaped, they left the library, never noticing a pair of eyes trailing them.

"…"

Shisho- Master

Sifu- Master

Shi no Megane- Death Glasses

Oyasumi- Good night

Ookami Gouzoku- Wolf Clan

Karasu Gouzoku- Crow Clan

Hello, long time no see. This chapter was quite a hassle to write, particularly since the data was accidentally deleted. Took me a while to get this back to where it was before the error.

Now then, some of you have realized that Negi is acting weirdly, especially as he is now. This will be explained later on in the story... just not now.

And can anyone give me any links to websites that can give me japanese/latin/greek translations? That would be helpful

And thank you, and please review. After all, I can't make the story better if I don't get input.

Good bye for now, see you in a few.