The Knight of Mahora Academy

by Master Attlon

He was saved by those people. The group that was greater than legend, heroes and gods among the people. And he grew up by their example. Of strength. Of courage. Of determination. And now, he will show this new team their message.

11. Traveling In Kyoto

The Knight of Mahora Academy

Period 11: Traveling In Kyoto

I am. Completely and totally. Enamored with UQ Holder.

Let's all admit it, Akamatsu-sensei has come up with some really clever ways for people to be immortal.

And even after two years in the real world (or 75 years in the manga, your choice of which) that stoic little bastard still doesn't change.

On a completely separate note, does anybody watch Akame Ga Kiru, listen to that Schnee woman that also does the voice of Nodoka and just...feel wrong about what's going on.

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

The nervous, shy young girl was taking in quick breathes as she felt her face turn atomic red. She closed her eyes and summoned up more courage than she ever had in her entire life. She squeaked out, "Ne-Negi-sensei, I-I-I like you!"

The little bobble-head doll she had brought with her to substitute for the child teacher methodically bounced back and forth.

Nodoka let out a long sigh and placed her hand against her chest in an effort to stop it from popping open. She gave a little smile, "At-at least I was able to say it."

The door to their room slid open and her two friends walked in to bring her along to the lobby. Haruna waved her hand, "Nodoka come on! We're gonna miss breakfast."

"You know you two could take a day to relax. You both did drink a lot of that water yesterday." Yue added in as she walked back out with Haruna and took out another juice box from her pocket. She looked up at her taller friend, "I have to admit I'm impressed you two aren't more hungover."

"We ain't got time to be hungover Yue! We're in Kyoto baby! Yeahhhh-Ow!" Haruna exclaimed before grabbing her head and massaging it.

Yue just sighed and took a sip of her 'Flounder and Grape' flavored drink. She didn't have the will to tell Haruna she told her so anymore.

Nodoka took a deep breath and stilled her beating heart. She stood back up with a fire in her eyes.

Today...was the day.

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

Down below, in the breakfast hall of the Arashi Yama, an unbelievable phenomenon was occurring that no one in their right mind would think possible.

The students of 3-A were quiet and behaving.

Under normal circumstances, the rowdy group of teens would be screaming, cheering, partying, and causing all kinds of mayhem. And subsequently, causing so much strife for the other residents of the hotel that they would start sending in complaints about the noise.

But most of the class was slumped over and exhausted after their first day in Kyoto. For different reasons of course. 1) A good chunk of them were still a bit drowsy after drinking so much of the spiked water from the Otowa falls and 2) The rest of them didn't get any proper sleep due to the fact that a loud explosion caused all the cars, vans, and buses in the parking lot to trip their alarms that continued blaring through the night.

When people went outside to check on what happened, all they found was a large trench going through the middle of the lot and bursting through the fence with enough heat to melt its chains.

Needless to say, nobody was having a very cheery morning.

Ayaka struggled to eat her food while her appetite started to disappear. She rubbed her face and sighed, "I...I can't remember a single thing that happened after the Kiyomizu temple. Some of the class got their fortunes told and...the rest is just blank..."

"The first day. The entire first day. And we slept through it plastered like a salary man after getting fired." Yuna cried into her hands, "What kinda life is this? We are failures to all the other middle school students that have come to Kyoto before us! Failures!"

"Yuna, stop yelling." Misa groaned as she rubbed her temples to try and force the migraine away, "It wasn't enough that some jerk had to ruin our chances at love, he basically screwed all of us over."

Madoka chewed on her food silently, "Not only that, everyone in the hotel woke up when the cars started going off all of a sudden. We barely got a good night sleep."

Sakurako still had her smile on but it was somewhat strained after all the fatigue she was feeling, "I'm just glad Nitta-sensei didn't spot us after we all finished drinking from the falls. If he found us, he would have been so mad."

"He was." Akira said after she took a sip of her water. Being the only person at her table that didn't drink from the falls, she perfectly remembered what happened that saved them the return trip to Mahora. She looked up from her food, "Nitta-sensei did catch us. It's just Naruto-sensei did something...reckless to save us."

They looked at her in confusion, "What did he-"

"Guys! Why are you all so gloomy?!" Makie added as she walked over to the table, beaming a huge smile and almost no repercussions from the booze she drank yesterday. She gave them a big smile, "C'mon guys, lighten up! We're in Kyoto! Let's celebrate!"

All the others girls glared at her and growled threateningly at the happy pink-haired gymnast. Stupid Baka Ranger and her unending well of positive energy.

"Everyone...listen up..."

The entire room of students looked towards the center to see four of their teachers together in a group. Shizuna, standing to the side with a kind smile on her face. Naruto and Negi, standing together with small bags under their eyes after a full night of activities. And at the front of the group was Nitta looking pale, sickly, and sensitive to the light around him.

He rubbed his eyes and looked around at the students, "Hello everyone, welcome to the second day of our Kyoto field trip. Today...we will be traveling around Nara with your groups for free activities. Now although you have the freedom to look around the city, please remember that you are representing Mahora as a school and act responsibly. That being said..." He held his forehead and tried to keep standing.

Shizuna came to his side, "Are you all right Nitta-sensei?"

He gave a weak nod, "Y-yes, I woke up this morning and I felt very ill. But I cannot for the life of me remember why?"

Several people sent a glance to the blond teacher that flinched at their stares and just started to whistle nonchalantly.

Shizuna placed a hand on the older teacher's back and started leading him back to his room before looking at the students, "Everyone, I don't think Nitta-sensei will be able to chaperone today due to his condition. We will have less chaperones to watch over you so please stay together and don't get lost."

As the two older teachers left the room, Naruto looked around and noticed a distinct lack of a certain little orange fox in the mix of students. He tapped Negi's shoulder, bringing the young boy out of his thoughts, before he pointed towards the stairs, "I'm gonna go grab Kyūbi from the room. Make sure you save me something to eat, okay?"

Negi gave a small nod, "Of course, Nii-San." The red-head watched as the his blond friend walked away before he just started methodically walking towards the breakfast line. Negi couldn't concentrate or focus on his job or the trip at hand anymore. His mind just kept going back to what he was told...

"Negi-sensei..."

Negi was brought out of his thoughts when he heard his name being called. He looked behind him and saw Setsuna with her tray in hand. He turned to face her and bowed with a small smile, "Oh, good morning Setsuna-San."

She returned his bow, "And good morning to you as well." She stood back up and saw the tired look on his face. She was concerned, "Are you okay? You look exhausted. Are you not feeling well after what happened last night?"

Negi flinched and shook his head while waving his arms, "N-no, it's not that! I'm fine! Never better! A little tired but nothing a quick power nap won't break through!"

"I see, that's good to hear." Setsuna bowed towards the young teacher and spoke earnestly, "Thank you for everything you did to save Ojou-sama, Sensei. If it wasn't for you, Kagurazaka-San, and Naruto-sensei, I don't think I would have been able to save Ojou-sama."

Negi blinked before he shook his head and smiled, "Don't worry Setsuna-San, there's nothing you have to apologize or thank me for. We were all trying to save Konoka-San, that's all that matters."

Setsuna gave a small smile and nodded her head to the honest young man, "Thank you Sensei. Those are very sincere and strong words to hear from someone so young."

Negi laughed and scratched his chin, "Well, I am your Sensei."

"Secchan!"

Setsuna was nearly tackled from behind as Konoka bear hugged her. The bodygaurd's face went red as she stuttered, "O-O-O-Ojou-sama, w-what are you-"

"I caught a Secchan!" She looked up at her childhood friend, "Hey, Secchan, let's play together in Nara today, okay?"

Setsuna was sputtering and trying to say something in return to Konoka's cheerful smile. The Shinmei-Ryū student just slipped out of her arms and ran away, "I-I can't handle it!"

"Ah! Secchan, wait up!"

Asuna watched as Setsuna and Konoka ran past her, yelling about spending the free day together. She smiled as she watched her friend keep on the strong act before she walked over to her partner. She nudged his shoulder, "Hey Negi, you all right?"

"Oh, Asuna-San...well..." Negi looked off to the side as he thought about his answer before he looked up at her with uncertainty, "I...I don't know..."

Asuna shrugged her shoulders and patted his shoulder, "Yeah, I'm having a bit of a hard time adjusting after what we heard last night. But hey..." She grinned, "It's nothing we won't be able to handle, right?"

Negi looked up at her confident smile before he nodded in agreement, "Yes, you're right."

"All right folks, listen up!" The two partners' attention was taken by the announcement from the class loudmouth, Kazumi Asakura. The dark pink-haired girl announced while she had her classes' focus, "We've got one cutie for a chaperone and five groups to look after! Which means not everyone can have a turn with him today! So...right here and now...we're gonna decide!"

Kazumi pulled the towel off the small box by her feet, revealing a cardboard box with an open top and dozens of little papers inside of it. On the front of the box was a crude little drawing of Negi's smiling face, "The 'Negi Lottery' is up and running! Five groups, only one of them will get a chance to spend the day with our beloved little foreigner teacher! Whose ready to play?!"

"YEEEAHHHHHHHHHH!" Most of the girls from each group responded while throwing their hands in the air, Ayaka and Makie in particular very excited to spend a day with the little red-head.

The boy in question looked at the scene and panicked, "When did I become a game prize?!"

Asuna patted his head, "Guess that the price of being popular, huh?"

"No whining! No bitching! No crying if you don't win! That goes especially for you Iincho!"

Ayaka rolled up her sleeve, "I won't lose! I will channel by adoration for Negi-sensei into my very being and pluck the winning ticket from the pile!"

"No way!" Misa started rotating her shoulders with a confident look on her face, "Negi-kun is mine for the day!"

"I'll make pick-Aru! Negi-bōzu will be ours-Aru!" Ku Fei said with an excited tone as she jumped over her table and prepared for the lottery.

"Nuh-uh!" Makie jumped over her table as well and argued with her fellow Baka Ranger, "You'd break him for the rest of us Ku-chan! I'm gonna get Negi-kun and then we can eat all kinds of tasty Nara treats and snacks!"

Kazumi looked between them all, "Is everyone ready?" She raised her hand, "Then on your marks! Get set!-"

"U-um, N-Negi-sensei!"

Negi turned away from the student lottery and saw Nodoka standing besides him with a scared look on her face. She was feeling very self-conscious with everyone staring at her as Negi asked, "What is it Miyazaki-San?"

"I-I was just wondering...if u-um..." Nodoka swallowed her fear, "I was wondering if you would join Group 5 in the free activities around Nara today! I-if it's not too much of a bother!"

All the other girls felt their mouths go agape while they stared at the nervous librarian and the child teacher. Negi's mind started to work through their current predicament before he realized just how useful this situation might be.

He nodded, "Yes, I would very much like to come with you all today!"

Nodoka smiled in joy as Haruna and Yue popped up behind her and got their friend in a group hug. Asuna blinked at the weird set of events before she smiled and giggled. She had never seen Nodoka have such a serious look on her face before.

The rest of the class was silent as the only sound to be heard was the clock ticking away.

Misa cried, "Damn! She didn't even play the stupid game with the rest of us! Is that fair?!"

Kazumi looked at the guitarist and thought, "Um...well...this never really was an official thing. If one of us just went up to Negi-kun and got his consent, I'm sure that would have been fine."

Misa grabbed the reporter's collar, "Then why'd we do this in the first place?!"

"H-hey, I was trying to save the pain and disaster from all of you ripping the poor kid apart like a slab of fresh meat!"

Madoka and Sakurako nodded in agreement, "She's right Misa, Asakura saved us the bloodshed with this weird lottery thing."

"Tch." Ayaka bit nail as she started murmuring, "Miyazaki-San, to so bravely go to Negi-sensei and claim his attention...you truly are a worthy opponent. And I am ashamed for not seeing it before."

"Yeah, Honya-chan was so brave! I don't think I've ever heard her say so many words so loudly before!" Makie added while pushing down on Ayaka's back before looking to everyone else, "I say we let her keep Negi-kun for the day! I'm kinda upset I didn't get a chance but I've gotta admit she was really cool!"

Her friends looked at her in surprise before they almost started crying. Ako rubbed her eyes, "Makie..."

Akira did the same, "I didn't know you could be so mature..."

Yuna smiled and sent her a thumbs up, "It's okay Makie, you might have lost the battle but you can still win the war!"

"Stop making it sound so bad you guys! You're making me upset!"

"So..." Kazumi got their attention before she picked up the box and examined it, "What do we do with this? Without Negi-kun to auction off, there isn't much reason to hold a lottery anymore."

"Geez..."

The girls looked over to the hallway as they saw their blond assistant teacher walking forward with his fox in his arms and Negi's ermine on his head. He reprimanded the two of them, "Chamo, you're usually so full of energy and ready to go with Negi on anything. Just because of last night you can't feel all sad now! And Furball...just get off your lazy ass already, damn."

The girls all looked between each other before looking at Kazumi. She instantly understood what they were implying and pulled out a marker from her pocket. She spun the box around and made a few adjustments before revealing the Negi face previously drawn on it was scratched out and a silly Naruto face took its place.

Naruto walked over to the gathered members of Group 5 as the Library Trio started huddling together. He came up to them, "What happened? What did I miss?"

"Oh Sensei, you won't believe it!" Haruna said as she circled her arm around his shoulder, "Nodoka asked Negi-kun out on a date! It was so romantic~!"

Nodoka turned crimson and shook her head, "N-no! H-Haruna, you know I didn't ask Negi-sensei on a d-d-"

Yue patted her shy friend's back and tried to comfort her. She looked up at the girl with the same stoic look, "It's fine Nodoka. Don't let Haruna get to you. You know how much she loves to stir things up."

Haruna poked her tongue out and giggled, "Teehee, I'm such a skamp."

"You're a monster." Yue retorted.

"Well, you guys seem pretty energetic about this." Naruto said with a smile as he walked over to Yue and Nodoka. He nonchalantly placed his seven-tailed fox on the shortest girl's head and smiled at them, "I hope you guys have fun."

"Sensei..." Yue looked at him blandly as the fox settled on the top of her head, "Why did you put Kyūbi-San on my head?"

"Because you two go very well together." He shrugged his shoulders, "Y'know, the whole 'Indifference Duo' thing."

Yue pouted, "That wasn't a real thing."

"Oh yes it was!" Haruna interrupted before she grabbed Naruto's hands and started thanking him profusely, "Thank you for making my day Sensei!"

Naruto just chuckled as Haruna continued to thank him before going back to tease Yue and Nodoka. Naruto walked past the Library Trio as he spotted Asuna and Negi. He took the white ermine off his head and placed him on Negi's shoulder before looking at the younger boy, "You two are ready for anything, right?"

Negi gave a somewhat confident look before he nodded, "Right."

Asuna looked at the blond, "What about you Whiskers? What are you gonna do today?"

Naruto scratched his head, "I don't know. I don't think I'm going anywhere else so I might just stick with you guys-"

Naruto felt someone circle their arm around his and pull him over to the side. He looked down to see Kazumi with a grin on her face before she announced to the room, "And thanks to our wonderful Iincho, Group 3 gets to spend the day with our new prize, Naruto-sensei!"

"Boooooo!"

"You suck!"

"Redo! Redo"

Naruto blinked in confusion as some of the girls started to argue and whine that it should have been best 2 out of 3 for the lottery. Kazumi shook her head and wagged her finger, "Uh-uh, you guys remember the rules. No bitching. No whining. Alls fair after the draw."

Naruto was confused, "Wait, what's happening? When did I become a prize?"

"When you became the only cool teacher left for us to auction off, that's when!" Kazumi answered before she winked at him, "Iincho, at the very edge of depression, achieved true enlightenment and reached into the basket, pulling out our golden ticket!"

Off to the side, Natsumi and Chizuru were trying to console the depressed blonde girl. Natsumi patted her back, "There there Iincho, it's going to be okay."

Chizuru followed along, "I'm sure you'll get to spend some time with Negi-sensei soon Ayaka, don't be so sad."

Ayaka just continued moping with a dead look in her eyes and a cloud of depression over her head, "It doesn't matter. Any prize we win besides Negi-sensei is just a cheap knock-off prize."

Sitting on the couches were Chisame and Zazie, ignoring the spectacles happening around them by blogging and juggling respectively.

Naruto started to worry and looked back at his last salvation, Group 5. He looked at them with hopeful eyes, "Save me."

He saw Konoka and Setsuna breathing heavily, finally joining the rest of their group as they watched the scene play out. Negi nodded righteously and stepped forward, "W-wait a minute girls! You can't-"

"It's fine Negi, let them have Whiskers." Asuna interrupted by grabbing her partner's shoulder and leading him away. She just smiled, "You already promised to spend the day with us. Let them have their fun."

"You're leaving me! Just like that?! No fight or anything?!" Naruto yelled, "Traitor! Judas! Benedict! They have special places in hell for people like you! You'll pay! You will pay!"

Chisame fixed her glasses, "Guess I'm not the only one who realized this was a bad idea."

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

"Zazie-San! Please don't juggle the candles like that! Those are a part of the sacred prayer ground in the temple!" Ayaka quietly tried to chew out the acrobatic girl as she effortlessly tossed lit candles between her hands for amusement. The girl in question just stared back at the blonde class president without a single change in her features.

Ayaka threw her hands down, "I know we are on a class trip, but that doesn't mean you can just throw courtesy and class out to the side! And I told you not to eat all those sweets! Remember how much you were affected by the sugar at the festival last year! You didn't stop moving the entire time I saw you!"

While some people watched the dark-skinned girl jump around and hang from a tree with just her foot while still juggling candles, they started clapping in amusement and asking for more.

Ayaka looked at all of them is surprise before shaking her head, "Stop appluading! She's not a street performer! She's a middle school student!" She ran over to the tree Zazie was hanging from and started jumping to grab her, "Come back down this instance! Someone help me!"

Natsumi panicked and waved her arms around, "I-I'm coming Iincho!" She joined her blonde roommate and tried to bring the agile girl down, "Zazie-San! Please come down! Y-you're gonna hurt yourself! Or-much more likely-we're gonna hurt ourselves trying to stop you!"

Naruto, Chizuru, and Kazumi were standing off together to the side and watched as the two girls tried to stop the silent but mischievous Zazie. Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Should we help them?"

"Are you kidding?! This is great!" Kazumi took out her camera and got into an optimal position to take pictures of everything around them. Her camera shuttered with each photo and she smiled, "I get to take great pics of Kyoto and I don't have to be chewed out by Iincho! I couldn't ask for anything better! Plus, you never see the heiress of the Yukihiro family look so flustered unless she's spotted Negi-kun or fighting with Asuna! I bet Asuna would pay to get her hands on these!"

"But Asakura-San..." Chizuru stated while touching her cheek, "I thought you only took pictures for the sake of pursuing justice and such, not for the purpose of making money."

Kazumi scoffed, "Yeah well, that's all fine and dandy on paper but justice ain't cheap. I need as much coverage as I can get for a big scoop and that means I need equipment!" Kazumi started to grow an evil grin, "And until I get that scoop, I've gotta sell pictures like this to the highest bidder!"

Naruto looked down at the reporter kneeling in front of him and droned, "Okay, I have to ask...what exactly is this 'big scoop' you're hoping to get?"

"I don't know! If I did, I would have already gotten it by now!" Kazumi countered before she started snickering like a madman, "But I'll know it when I see it...and when I do, it's going to blow everyone away."

"Asakura-San!" Ayaka yelled from her place by the tree and started fuming, "Stop taking pictures and assist us already!"

Kazumi shook her head, "No thanks! I know how Zazie can get when she's stimulated in an open area and you'd have better luck teaching Makie algebra!"

"Asakura-san, if you don't come help us this instance, I will inform Nitta-sensei and Takahata-sensei of the pictures you took of the boys high school wresting team and-"

"Woah Iincho! L-let's not be too hasty here!" Kazumi sighed and snapped her camera to the strap around her neck before running to their side, "I'm coming! Here Zazie! Come here girl!"

Naruto looked at the scene and deadpanned, "Well, they definitely look like they're trying to be responsible. I'm sure Nitta-sensei won't be too mad about this."

Chizuru giggled. She looked to the blond teen standing besides her, "I doubt we have to worry about Nitta-sensei being upset with us. Considering the last time we saw him he had difficulty just standing on his own legs without assistance."

Naruto hummed in agreement before he peaked in the corner of his eyes to look at the light red-head besides him as she laughed cheerfully at her classmates antics. He asked, "Do you want to help them?"

Chizuru stopped laughing for a moment and looked at the whiskered assistant before she shook her head, "If things get too far out of hand all they need to do is ask me. But I think I'll stay here for a moment and ask what's bothering you."

Naruto turned his head and inquired, "Do I look bothered to you?"

"Your expression seems a little different compared to how you normally look..." Chizuru had a smile instantly cross her face, "But I just believed that you were tired and angry because of the alarms going off last night for some reason."

Naruto turned to face away from the buxom girl and sweated a little, "Y-yes, I'm very angry at that guy. Damn him...and whoever else was with him at the time."

"But then I remembered that you had a similar look on your face when we were walking around Kiyomizu temple yesterday. I looked back for a moment and I spotted you coming out of the fortuneteller's booth with a sorrowful look on your face. And I thought something must be wrong."

Naruto was actually surprised by how insightful and attentive this girl was. She seemed mature and wise far beyond the years of a middle school student. Evident from her kind expression, open personality and...

Of course Naruto couldn't forget her generous figure from when Kyuubi was spying during their medical examination.

He shook his head to try and get the rotten thoughts out before he coughed into his hand. He looked over at the girl, "How do you know something is wrong?" He aimed a little smirk at her, "Maybe I just feel like mopin' around, huh?"

"Hehe, I suppose you could be right." Chizuru giggled before she looked ahead with a calm expression, "But I think the expression you show in class is more of the real you than anything. The you that spaces out during lessons, teases Negi-sensei with little jokes and makes him all nervous, jokes around with Asuna-San as she yells at you furiously, and makes the whole class laugh just being there. I believe that's who you really are Naruto-sensei...and I thought something was wrong because you're hiding that now."

He was quiet for a moment before he shook his head, "I'm not hiding anything. But last night, I got reminded that I can't just fool around anymore. It sucks that I almost lost sight of what I'm supposed to be doing. And what sucks more..." Naruto looked ahead with anger in his eyes, "I should have remembered the last time I screwed up because I was careless."

Chizuru could tell that he was referring to something else. She didn't know what but she had a hunch he was never referring to his school job. She took a step forward until she was right in front of him and looked at him with a smile...

"I'm sure you will know what to do Sensei." She reassured him with a comforting tone, "I believe you are someone that finds a way to fix his problems before they affect or hurt anyone else."

Naruto just stared at her for a moment before shaking his head, "You assume a lot about me."

"Maybe I just hope you are someone that can fix problems." Chizuru placed a hand on her cheek, "I seem to have a bad habit of forcing my views on people like that."

"Chizu-Nee!"

"Chizuru-San, help us!"

Chizuru and Naruto looked back to see Kazumi on her butt after failing to catch the agile Zazie that was swinging her legs over the side of a branch. Chizuru turned around and started walking over to them, "I'm coming! Just a moment!"

Chizuru took a few steps before looking back at the blond, "I'm sure you will know what to do Sensei. Just give it some time."

Naruto watched the busty young woman run off to help her group and just scratched his head in thought. He decided to take a break and walked back towards the temple to sit on its balcony and relax. He sat by another student of class 3-A that was currently typing away on her laptop.

Naruto leaned back on his hands and without turning towards her asked, "Do you think you should be helping them?"

Chisame didn't look up from her laptop and continued to type away, "They're the ones who think they need to stop her to try and save face for the school. But god knows what everybody else is doing to embarrass us. So it isn't my problem."

"Aren't they your classmates?"

"I think you're confusing seat placement and class arrangement by a system of computers and teachers for something like camaraderie." Chisame moved a strand of hair out of the way of her glasses and continued to look at the screen, "I may have been stuck with these people in the same classroom for three years but that's it, I'm stuck with them. I barely know them and they barely know me. And I'm completely content with that."

Naruto thought for a moment before shrugging his shoulders. He relaxed and let the warm air and slight breeze wash over him before he asked her again, "What about looking around Kyoto? Don't you want to see the sights?"

"I've been here before. On a family trip with my folks and some estranged other family members." Chisame said with a hint of distaste at the memory, "Tons of fighting, screaming, bitching and scenery ruined. So I don't really have fond memories of coming to this place, despite the view."

"What about all the trees and fresh mountain air? Not interested even a little?"

Chisame sighed tiredly before she looked over at him Ike all his talking was just a waste of time, "I looked at the trees and breathed in the air. And they aren't gonna change any time soon." She threw a thumb over her shoulder, "And that's just a bigger, fatter Buddha than the one you can find at any temple, street corner or local restraunt. So no..." She went back to typing, "Not interested."

Naruto tilted his head before nodding in some agreement with what she said. He leaned back, "Well, to each their own I guess."

"Thank you."

Naruto crossed his hands behind his head and leaned back on the temple porch, "But I still think you should put away your computer. Before that happens to it."

Chisame and rolled her eyes and shook her head. Great. The weird, wannabe 'Assistant Teacher' wanted to try and connect with her on a personal level. Thinking that her spending time on her laptop wasn't 'good for her social life'. Please. He would never be able to estimate the amount of times she had received that boring, self-satisfying speech.

She decided to just play along as she continued working on her web page, "And what exactly, if I may ask, would happ-"

*Swish*

"-en-What the hell?!" Chisame was shocked to see the laptop she was typing away on was just swiped from her lap so easily. She looked up in the direction the brown blur had went and saw Zazie with her laptop running through the grass towards the trees. A new surge of energy filled Chisame as she jumped up from her seat, "HEY, RAINYDAY, GET BACK HERE WITH THAT DAMMIT! IF YOU BREAK IT, YOURE GONNA PAY IT BACK WITH INTEREST!"

Ayaka came running by, "Hasegawa-San, be careful!"

Kazumi next, "Ha, never thought Zazie would try and steal Chisame's laptop! This is gold!"

Natsumi came running and panting while Chizuru followed suit. Naruto watched the group of girls chase the usually quiet girl around the temple, getting people to whisper and talk between themselves. He smiled and chuckled a little.

He was already feeling a little less stressed just watching them argue and struggle. Maybe it was something about watching other people miserable just sorta lightened your mood. That's probably why car crashes and nut-shots were so popular.

But Naruto's cheer started to subside when he was reminded of the looks on his friends faces last night. He really, really hoped that they were able to enjoy their day off in peace...but he knew that was probably asking for too much.

He closed his eyes...cleared his mind...and played out what happened in his mind once again...

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

They were all shocked to say the least.

After they had come back from the train station and arrived in the lobby of the Arashi Yama, Naruto decided it was time to tell them what he knew. They had traveled up to Naruto and Negi's room and they were all sitting around Naruto as he talked to them.

Konoka was speechless for a moment as everything her blond roommate was saying started to sink in. She blinked, "So, my father and Negi-kun's father were friends who fought together in a war years ago?"

Naruto nodded, "That's right. Eishun-San is one of the best swordsmen in the world and he fought alongside Nagi to save a lot of people."

"I always knew that he was a great fighter and that he had scars but I never knew he fought in a war." Konoka said, feeling pretty overwhelmed by what they were telling her. She shook her head to try and calm herself down before asking, "And, these people that were trying to take me tonight, they did it because..."

"Because you have a lot of magic Konoka." Asuna answered while trying to console her friend. She remembered how swamped she felt when Negi introduced her to magic and she could only guess how terrifying this might be for her friend. She contiuned, "I don't know why but you've got more magic inside you than most people."

Konoka looked over herself and touched her chest, "But I've never even used magic before."

"Everybody is capable of using magic, Konoka-San." Negi added, trying to explain the mechanics to the newcomer, "You don't see people using it everyday because they haven't found a way to activate the magical potential that rests inside them. Once it has been tapped into, with some training, it is possible for anyone to use it."

Konoka nodded slowly as she got some vague understanding of what he meant. She then blinked and looked at her hands, "Then has my potential been released or-"

"Y-yes, it has." Negi admitted in guilt as he lowered his head in shame, "W-when you-um-kissed me on the c-cheek the other day..." Negi said with a pink hue of embarrassment on his cheeks, "It awakened your magic power and is probably why those people were coming after you."

"I'M SORRY NEE-CHAN!" Chamo ran up Negi's back until he landed on his friend's unruly mop of red hair and started to bow to the unfortunate girl, "THIS IS ALL MY FAULT! I FORCED ANIKI TO TRY AN' MAKE A PACTIO WITH YA AND THAT'S WHAT CAUSED ALL THIS MESS!"

"It wouldn't have mattered if she had reached her potential now or later." Naruto countered, getting all of their attention, "They know she was their target and they still would have gone after her. As far as we know, activating her magical power early would have just saved them the trouble of forcing her to do it by some other method."

Negi deflated, "Even so..."

"It's okay Negi-kun, don't blame yourself." Negi looked up at Konoka's kind and reassuring smile as she eased his mind, "If it wasn't for you, I don't know where I would be right now. So please cheer up."

Negi almost could have cried when he heard the brown-haired girl thank him for his help. He didn't feel like he deserved it but he nodded his head and hummed in agreement.

While Asuna watched her friends cheer up, she turned to look at the sitting blond, "Okay Whiskers, time to spill. What's wrong?"

They all looked towards the older blond as he rubbed his face before moving his hands through his hair, his right hand momentarily rubbing against the old scars along his temple. He looked at all of them, "First off, you have to understand, I don't know everything that Nagi and his friends went through during that war. I read up on all the stuff they did that was already public knowledge and they never really talked about the past because they felt like it wasn't something they should bother with when they couldn't change it. Even Raka-Ji only mentioned it in passing but never went into detail about what happened in the final battle. Y'see, back in the day, all of them were fighting against a group of people."

"They were these bunch of nasty guys that were toying and playing with both sides of the war for their own personal gain. We don't really know if they were doing it for profit, power, some other stupid reason you might find in a movie or game, or if they just wanted to watch everything that had been created by that point topple on its foundation, but everyone in Ala Rubra saved the world and beat the bad guys. Or...at least most of them."

"When I met all those guys years ago, they were looking for something, searching for it with as much effort as they could. They were putting it all into recusing someone that was being held captive."

Konoka, Negi, and Asuna looked between each other when Naruto took a moment to let his story sink in. Asuna looked up at the whiskered blond, "Who were they trying to recscue?"

"Someone special. Someone very important."

Naruto sat up in his seat, "But that's not important right now. What is important was that there was someone in the group they were fighting against that was stopping them from recusing that person. Someone who was a part of the group they were trying to defeat in that war twenty years ago."

Negi's eyes widened, "That boy with white hair..."

Naruto nodded.

"Wait! Wait! Hold up!" Chamo got their attention and asked in a panic, "So you're saying that little brat that was riding on Aniki's staff like a skateboard is really some kinda adult that fought in a war twenty years ago?!"

"I don't know if he specifically was part of the war attack years ago, but something like him was." Naruto rubbed his head, "They're part of a series of dolls or puppets, artificial lifeforms with magic in their bodies to form a consciousness. They're called the Averruncus Series. They're designed to be powerful tools of war and destruction that will follow their orders and protocol to the letter until they are destroyed."

Each of their eyes widened in shock at what he said. Chamo jumped up, "You mean there might be more of those crazy little psychos running around here causing trouble?!"

"I don't know." Naruto shook his head, "I don't know if their creator is still alive, or if it was just purchased by the highest bidder to do their work, and I'm not certain if the one we saw tonight is the same one that tried to stop Ala Rubra over a decade ago, but I do know this." He looked at them, "They are calculating. Methodical. Cunning. Ruthless. And damn near impossible to beat. They will play with your mind to get out of their way. Or, more likely, they'll just break you."

Konoka shivered a little in fright. Asuna felt sweat come down her cheek while Negi gulped. And Chamo turned slightly paler. Negi asked, "Nii-San, do you think we can beat them?"

Naruto was silent for a moment before looking between them, "Listen, all of you. I won't let them hurt any of you again. Not anymore. I don't care what they're trying to do and I don't care why that freaky little doll is on their side, if they try taking Konoka or hurting anyone else, I will personally stomp them into the ground. I promise."

They saw the firm and resolved look in his eyes and knew he was telling the truth. Asuna was the first to break out of the silence and nodded while gripping her fist, "Hey, it's not just you Whiskers. Now that we know they're coming, I wanna pound them into the dirt too."

"Me too!" Negi said whole jumping up to his feet before he blushed a little, "I-I mean, not the-um-'pound into the dirt' action but I do want to help and protect Konoka-San and everyone else."

"Ah~, thanks you guys!" Konoka wrapped her arms around Negi and Asuna and hugged them tightly before jumping up and hugging Naruto around the neck. She cheered for all of them, "I promise I'll do everything I can not to be captured by those guys anymore!"

Naruto had a small smile on his face seeing their moods lighten up after what he said. He stood up, "Well, I want you guys to keep Kyūbi with you at all times. He can contact me instantly if anything goes wrong and he can fend off any attackers until then."

Konoka blinked in surprise, "So, Kyūbi-chan isn't just an adorable little pet then? Is he kinda like Chamo-kun?"

They all looked in different directions while Asuna scratched her cheek, "Well, kinda like that pervy rodent, I guess. Just way more foul-mouthed and...scary. But can Furball take care of it?"

"Oh, trust me, he's fine." Naruto reassured while patting her shoulder and walking over to his bed, "Well, it's been a long night and I think it's time to go to bed."

"Whiskers is right, let's go. I'm sure I could totally pass out and sleep like a baby now." She walked besides Konoka, "C'mon Konoka, let's go."

"Okay. Konoka followed before waving the teachers goodbye, "Good night boys, sleep well."

They waved goodbye and Negi walked over and got under the sheets of his bed. He saw Naruto was looking out the window and asked, "Nii-San, are you going to sleep?"

"Don't worry Buddy, I'm just gonna stay up a little longer." Naruto turned around and smiled, "Just close your eyes and sleep."

Negi looked up at him before smiling and nodding. He took off his glasses, watched Chamo curl up at the end of his bed, and the little Mage rested his head on the pillow.

But he couldn't close his eyes. He couldn't bring himself to just fall asleep so easily. Not after hearing everything Naruto had just told him. The little red-haired welsh boy stared at the wall for so long he had lost track of time. Naruto had even gone to bed before him while he just stayed awake.

Negi closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind.

Sensei...

Sensei...

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

"S-Sensei, a-are you all right?"

Negi opened his eyes again and looked up to see Nodoka with a concerned look on her face. He realized he was in Nara with Group 5 and shook his head for clarity. He looked up at the slightly taller girl, "Oh, I'm sorry Miyazaki-San, I was daydreaming for a moment. But don't worry, I'm fine."

"A-are you sure Negi-sensei? B-because, um-well..." Nodoka pointed to his side, "T-the deer."

Negi blinked in confusion and looked towards where she was pointing. Only to see his outstretched hand was currently being lightly chewed on by a baby deer. He froze for a moment, shaking with little tears in his eyes as he tried to pull his fingers out of the deer's mouth. He held his wrist and shook it a little, causing the baby deer to detach its chomp and letting the little boy go.

He held his hand and blew on his achy red knuckle before seeing the concerned look on Nodoka's face. He hid the pain and smiled, "I-I'm all right Miyazaki-San, no problem."

Nodoka breathed in relief, "Oh, thank goodness. I was worried for a moment."

"No, don't mind me." He reached into a small bag of deer feed before holding it out for her, "Do you want to try feeding them too?"

"Eh?" Nodoka blushed before shaking her head, "N-no, I-I don't think I would be very good f-feeding them. M-my hand may shake and-"

"Oh, it's not that hard, I promise. I bet you would like it." Negi said.

Nodoka thought for a moment before giving a small nod and reaching into the bag. She pulled out a handful of feed and spotted a deer about her size that was looking in her direction. She shook nervously before holding out her hands and closing her eyes. The deer walked up to her, smelt the food in her hands, and started eating it directly from her palm.

As Nodoka shook from the animal's warm tongue roaming over her palm, Negi nearly jumped in excitement, "Miyazaki-San, look, look! It likes it! You're a natural!"

Nodoka slowly opened one eye and saw the peaceful creature eat from her hand. She was amazed at its beauty before a small smile grew on her face. The deer finished eating from her hand and lowered its head in front of her. Nodoka realized it was allowing her to pet it and she slowly ran her hands through the fur on its head.

She had a dreamy expression, "He's so fluffy."

"Oh, Miyazaki-San, you are so lucky!"

Yue watched her best friend and teacher interact with the deer. She was holding Kyūbi in her arms after refusing to keep him on her head all day. She watched Nodoka happily pet deers with Negi and smiled, "She looks so happy. It's so nice. It's-"

"Boring!" Haruna interjected, nearly pushing Yue over while jumping in, "Nodoka's finally got Negi-kun all to herself and she's wasting it with all this stupid small talk and deer feeding! She's never gonna get a chance like this again on the trip!"

Yue pushed Haruna away from her, "Shut up you idiot, let Nodoka go at her own pace. Just because she's not jumping him like you would, doesn't mean she's not doing anything. Just let her take her time and-"

"Negi!" The two other members of the Library Trio looked over to see the twin-tailed girl make her way over to their target. Asuna and Setsuna walked over as Negi and Nodoka were feeding the deer, "You have to hold you palm out more if you are trying to feed them. Hold it with curled fingers and the deer might bite into your hand."

"I-it's all right, Asuna-San, I know that now."

"It already happened, didn't it?"

"Y-yes."

Yue and Haruna watched as Negi's attention shifted from Nodoka to Asuna. Yue slightly narrowed her eyes, "Okay, that might be a problem."

"That's the thing about Negi-kun..." Haruna said with a raised finger, "He'll pay attention to you if he's alone, but since he's a teacher, if more students come on the scene, he's gonna divide his attention. So, we've got to separate them."

"Okay." Yue and Haruna got into a huddle while Kyūbi just blinked tiredly, "I'm pretty sure you and I can separate Asuna, she's the biggest obstacle. Just pull her away and keep her away long enough for Nodoka to get a good atmosphere going."

"What about Sakurazaki-San?" Yue asked, "I...don't know how to deal with her."

"True, she's a wild card." Haruna stroked her chin, "Maybe if we-"

"I'll take care of Secchan!"

They looked behind them to see Konoka happily volunteer to distract Setsuna. They blinked in surprise, "Konoka?"

"What are you-"

"You guys want to leave Nodoka with Negi-kun, right? Well I'll take Secchan off the grid and you guys get Asuna. That's what you were talking about, right?"

Yue and Haruna looked between each other before shrugging.

"Asuna-San! Asuna-San, look! He's eating it!" Negi cheered while the deer are from his hand.

Asuna just tiredly waved, "Yeah, whatever you say, ya little spaz."

Setsuna smiled a little while she watched the orange-haired girl rub her head. She looked towards her, "It seems Negi-sensei likes to keep you informed of everything new he is experiencing."

"Tell me about it." Asuna slumped, "He's like that super annoying kid brother that tries to get you to play a game whenever he sees you. It's exhausting."

"You don't seem to mind much though."

"Yeah well..." Asuna scratched her cheek, "He's annoying, no doubt about that. But he's not that bad."

Setsuna smiled at Asuna's backhanded compliment towards their teacher before speaking, "Kagurazaka-San, I just want to say once more, thank you for what you did last night."

"Geez are you still on that." Asuna waved it off, "We would have chased those guys to the end of the world either way."

"I know you would." Setsuna grabbed Asuna's hands, "And I'm happy that even if I might be hurt or blinded from Ojou-sama's sight for a moment, someone like you, Negi-sensei, and Naruto-sensei can look after her."

Asuna saw the look in Setsuna's eyes and felt guilty that the Shinmei-Ryū swordswoman didn't know what they discussed last night. She took her hands out of Setsuna's, "Sakurazaki-San, there's something we need to tell-"

"Asuna!"

Asuna immediately felt Haruna and Yue push on her back and lead her away from where she was. Yue looked forward, "Come with us to the shrine!"

"Yes, come Asuna!"

"H-hey, Paru, Yue-chan, what the hell?!"

"Secchan!"

Setsuna was pulled away when Konoka wrapped herself around her old friend's arm, "Come with me! There are some cool statues over here!"

"O-Ojou-sama?!"

Nodoka stood up from where she was petting a deer, "Yue! Haruna! Come over here! He's really nice and...Yue? Haruna?"

Nodoka looked around and noticed that her entire group was missing. She looked around, trying to spot anyone from Group 5, but realized that she was alone with...

...

With Negi.

'Oh no!'

Nodoka's face turned crimson red and she held her cheeks to focus herself. Her mind started to race and the girl with bangs realized her friends had created the perfect opportunity to be alone with him. She closed her eyes, steeled herself for anything, took a deep breath, and spun around...

"N-Negi-sensei!"

Negi looked up at her, "Yes?"

Nodoka swallowed the lump in her throat, "D-do you want to walk around w-with me for a while?"

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

"Hey, Secchan look! Yakushi-ji!" Konoka pointed at the large Buddhist temple. She turned to her oldest friend, "Do you remember when Mother and Father brought us here when we were kids and we just ran up the pagoda? Heh, well, I guess I ran up it. You kept calling to me and telling me that it was dangerous to be here all by ourselves."

Setsuna akwardly watched as the air-headed heiress ran around with a huge smile on her face. Setsuna nodded, "Y-yes, Ojou-sama, I remember very well what happened back then."

"C'mon, let's go up and see Nara again!"

"W-wait, Ojou-sama!"

Setsuna stopped Konoka from going upstairs and tried to persuade her, "Ojou-sama, we shouldn't separate from the rest of the group. It could be dangerous."

"I know. But as long as we are together, I'm sure we can handle it."

"No, Ojou-sama, you don't understand!" Setsuna spoke loudly with a firm voice, "Even if we were raised here that doesn't mean it's safe for us to just run around so carefree. You don't know what could happen."

Konoka looked at her best friend silently for a moment before looking down at her feet, "Secchan, I know."

"Well, all right then. Then we should-"

"I know about everything now Secchan." Setsuna stopped moving and looked at Konoka hesitantly for a moment.

She asked, "W-what do you mean?"

"I know why those guys took me in the middle of the night yesterday. I know why you and everyone else chased after them to save me." Konoka gave Setsuna a sad look, "I know what you've been doing to protect me."

Setsuna's eyes widened in horror hearing Konoka tell her she already knew the truth. She realized that Konoka wouldn't have known all of this if she didn't ask someone. She looked at the heiress, "Who told you?"

"Naruto-kun told me. After we got back from the train station, he told me all about the Kansai Association and the magic inside me." She looked up at the side-ponytailed girl, "And he told me what you have been doing for me as well, Secchan."

Setsuna was angry. No, she was furious! No, no, he had to have a reason for this. But even so, Setsuna specifically told the whiskered blond how much she wanted to hide this side of her life from Konoka. She trusted him. Did Negi or Asuna know about this? Setsuna turned around and was preparing to look for the rest of Mini Rubra-

"Wait, Secchan!"

Konoka grabbed Setsuna's arm and stopped her from stomping away before looking up at her, "You don't have to keep fighting for me like this!"

"W-what?"

"You're risking your life and jumping into danger, aren't you? You're gonna get hurt fighting these guys, aren't you?"

Setsuna was quiet for a moment, "That maybe, but even so-"

"No!" Konoka cried in protest while shaking her head, "You don't have to get hurt! You don't need to do this for me! If you're about to get hurt, just hide away! Don't fight! I don't care what happens to me if it means you get hurt in the process!"

Setsuna looked at Konoka in shock before closing her eyes, "How can you say that? You would be willing to experience pain and suffering because you don't want me to be hurt? Do you know how foolish and selfish you sound?!"

"I know its selfish!" Konoka grasped Setsuna's shirt and rested her head as her shoulders shook, "I know how stupid it sounds. I'm scared. I'm so scared that I can't stop shaking. But just thinking about you getting hurt because of me...it scares me even more. I don't want you to suffer and die because of me." Konoka sobbed, "I just want you to be safe."

Setsuna was silent as her best friend cried into her chest. She was conflicted for a moment before wrapping her arms around Konoka's heaving shoulders and comforted her. Setsuna spoke, "I know you might not like it. But just imagining you getting hurt is like hell for me. So please...don't ask me to look away."

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

Asuna walked around the temple while trying to admire the sight of the temple. She should be bouncing on her feet in enjoyment about where they were but her head was clouded with what happened last night and the things Naruto had said.

"Hey Asuna!" Haruna waved over to the twin-tailed girl from over at the temple, "Come over here! We're about to pray for fortune!"

Yue sighed unenthusiastically, "Didn't we just do something like this yesterday? What's the point of doing this again?"

"Because now I get to make my own fortune! Who wouldn't like that?"

"You are far too loud for this temple."

"Then just keep quiet and watch me pray!" Haruna walked forward and grabbed the large rope of the bell before she started ringing it, "Oh great gods that watch over us~, hear my pleas and answer my prayers~. My dreams and wishes are simple~. I only want to become the greatest manga artist in the world, get a smoking hot boyfriend with a great package, maybe a little world domination, every volume of BL doujinshi I can find and-"

*SNAP*

The rope snapped and the massive bronze bell fell, cracking the wood by their feet. Everyone in the area froze in place and stared at the extremely bad omen before they all looked to the girl with the ahoge on her head.

Haruna twitched at different intervals before she started laughing with a detached edge in her voice. She stammered, "H-hey Yue, t-that's not as bad as I think it is, right? I-I mean this place is old and the ropes are probably ancient. There's a good chance that-"

When the bespectacled girl looked up, she saw her short friend taking several steps away from her to create an ample space. Yue shook her head, "Haruna...I would very much like it if you don't come near the rest of the group for the rest of the trip. Or come to the club meetings anymore."

Asuna watched as Haruna chased Yue all around the temple while yelling at her for being a back-stabbing, lousy excuse for a friend. She sighed before walking up to a shrine and looked it over. She bowed twice and then brought her hands together...

'If there is someone watching over us, please let us make it through this okay. Keep Konoka safe from danger. Make sure Whiskers and Sakurazaki-San don't get hurt. If you want you can protect the Pervert Ermine but if you can't I totally won't judge you. Um...make sure everyone in class is safe from harm while we take care of things here. And...and please, please watch over Negi. I know that lil' twerp is probably gonna do something stupid but just make sure he doesn't go overboard.'

Asuna clapped her hands twice and gave one last deep bow before lowering her hands and looking ah the shrine. She sighed defeatedly and shook her head, "Geez. I'm pretty sure I just made a wish even the gods couldn't fulfill."

"You shouldn't put too much faith in having your wish granted."

Asuna raised her head and looked to her side at the young man standing besides her. He was facing towards the temple with narrowed eyes and he had black hair going down to his neck. While he looked like someone about their age he wasn't wearing a Mahora uniform or anything similar. Just a grey short-sleeved shirt and blue jeans.

He continued with a unamused tone in his voice, "I believe that once we come down to Earth, the gods decide that we are out of their jurisdiction and leave us to our own devices. So it's just a waste of time to be praying and hoping for a miracle. If there's something you want to do, just do it yourself. Most times it falls on you to fix your own problems."

Asuna was confused about where this stranger was going but she felt like she had to respond, "I...don't think this is a problem I can fix by myself."

"Well then you better find a way." He looked at Asuna and she felt a nervous chill run up her back at the expression in his eyes, "You won't be of any use to anyone if you are too weak or helpless. It might be time for you to either step back and leave...or jump in and try to gain some strength to stand on your own."

The boy said nothing else before he just started walking away from Asuna. She just stood there and watched him walk away. What the hell was that? Was there something wrong with him? He talked with such detachment in his voice. He seemed so apathetic. He...

Seemed familiar.

"Hey Asuna!"

The bell wearing girl looked in the other direction to see Haruna walking back over to her while dragging Yue with a headlock. The Mangaka-in-training looked at the daydreaming girl, "Why are you just staring off into space? You usually don't resort to that unless we're getting a quiz in the middle of class."

Asuna glared at Haruna for the quick shot at her intelligence before she looked back and saw the boy was completely gone from sight. She shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. Some...weird guy was just standing here and talking to me."

Haruna's interest got peeked, "What did he look like?! Was he hot?! Did he strike you as the dominate type or did he seem like the kinda guy who would be submissive if you talked to him long enough?!"

Yue rolled her eyes from underneath Haruna's armpit, "We need to have you spayed."

Asuna shook her head and got some focus again before she faced the other members of her group, "Nevermind, it's not important. C'mon, let's head back to Negi and the others. Knowing my luck he's probably getting mounted by a baby deer or something."

They all had a small laugh at that while making their way back to Nara Park where they would all meet up. But Kyūbi took a moment to look at Asuna and then in the direction she said this 'strange' man headed off in. He could feel something churning in the pit of his stomach when he looked in that direction but he couldn't quite place it.

What the hell was going on in Kyoto?

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

Nodoka hesitantly walked through the grassy field while periodically looking behind her shoulder. Her eyes kept falling on the welsh red-head as he passed around Nara with a somewhat vacant look. The purple-haired girl would call out to him and get his attention sometimes, causing him to blink his eyes before smiling up at her and enjoying the scenery around them. But not long after his eyes would become unfocused and he would look off to the side while thinking of something.

She stopped moving and looked as he absentmindedly continued walking. She spoke up, "S-Sensei?"

Chamo ran up Negi's sleeve and started patting his paw against the red-head's cheek. He whispered, "Aniki! Nodoka-neechan is calling! Snap out of it!"

Negi blinked back into clarity and realized he had walked past Nodoka as she looked at him worriedly. He sputtered, "O-oh, um-I'm sorry Miyazaki-San. I didn't notice we had stopped. What were you saying?"

Nodoka placed a hand on her chest before asking with an anxious tone, "S-Sensei, is something bothering you?"

Negi flinched a little before waving his arms in protest, "W-what? No! Nothing at all! I-I'm fine! W-why would you ask that?"

"Because you've been very distracted all day. And you keep looking off like you are in thought. And you didn't notice when that big deer was sniffing you and was preparing t-to..." Nodoka blushed a little before shaking her head and looking back at Negi, "I-I just wanted to know if something is wrong..."

"N-nothing! Nothing is wrong!" Negi shook his head back and forth, "If anything seemed wrong then-"

Negi looked up and saw the concern and worry in Nodoka's eyes as she looked at him. Even thought she probably wouldn't say anything out loud to him, he could plainly see the expression in her eyes that she knew he was troubled.

Negi stopped talking, let his hands fall to his side, and just stared at the ground for a moment. After a few seconds of silence he looked back up at her, "Miyazaki-San, can I tell you a secret?"

Nodoka straightened up and nodded her head, "Y-yes! I-I mean, of course you can Sensei."

Negi looked off to the side, "When we came to Kyoto, I was asked to do something as a favor to the dean. Deliver an envelope to someone here and hopefully do some good. And that's one of the reasons I was so excited to come here. I thought that I might finally be able to prove that I'm up to a challenge if someone put their faith in me." Negi looked down at the grass between his feet and his tone shifted to one laced with melancholy and doubt, "But since we arrived, there have been more matters I've had to deal with and complications along the way. And the more I think about it, the more difficult I'm finding it to believe I will actually be able to do what's asked of me. Not just as a teacher but as a friend as well...I just don't know."

Chamo looked up at Negi from his place inside the young teacher's pocket and felt sorry that his partner was feeling so pressured during this time. He whispered, "Aniki..."

"I...I think you can do it."

Negi blinked before slowly looking back up at the girl with the bangs around her face, standing across from his with her hands in front of her chest. Nodoka blushed a little and contiuned, "I-I mean I don't know what it is you have to deal with, b-but I'm sure you can do it, Negi-sensei. You helped us during the dodgeball game. You helped Yue and everyone else when they had to study for the finals. A-and you don't have to do any of this alone if you don't want to. You still have Asuna-San to help you! O-or Naruto-sensei! And Konoka! And not just them, you can ask Yue for help! Or Haruna! O-or even me!"

Nodoka looked at the young boy and gave him a small smile, "But you should know Sensei that even if you have a hard time with your task, I still have faith in you. I'll always have faith that you can do anything."

Negi looked up at her with some surprise and disbelief. He swallowed the lump in his throat, "Do you really mean that?"

Nodoka smiled and nodded her head, "Yes, of course I do. I believe in you Sensei. And I know you can do whatever task it is you were asked to do."

Chamo was crying inside Negi's pocket. T-this Nee-chan was amazing! He knew he was right about making her his first choice in the conquest of Class 3-A!

Negi gave a small smile and rubbed his eyes for a moment before nodding at Nodoka, "Right. Then I'll make sure I won't disappoint you Miyazaki-San. And...thank you for the words of encouragement."

Nodoka had a small smile and lightly shook her head, "Not at all. I sometimes feel like watching you succeed helps me believe I can do anything. It's one of the things I like about you the most."

Negi smiled, "Well if I can help you in any way then-"

...

Chamo's ears perked up and his jaw went slack.

Negi blinked, "Um...I'm sorry Miyazaki-San, what did you just say?"

Nodoka was quiet for a moment before her whole face lit up like a neon sign at what she said. She waved her arms in front of her, "N-no! I-I d-didn't mean like as in 'l-like' like! I mean it's not that I d-don't 'like' like you! I-I do! It's just-I didn't mean-"

Negi felt heat come up to his cheeks and he sputtered, "W-wait, what?!"

"I-I mean-"

Nodoka felt her brain start to overheat and somehow the little voice in her head that sounded a lot like Haruna broke through. She took a deep breath...

"I-I like you Negi-sensei! I like you very, very much! And I've liked you since the first day you came to our class! A-and I know this maybe an inconvenience for you at the moment b-but I just needed to tell you that! S-so...I'm sorry! KYAAAAA-"

Nodoka ran off as fast as she could and left Negi standing there while the gears slowly turned in his head.

The other members of Group 5 were making their way back when they saw Nodoka running towards them. Asuna waved, "Hey, Honya-chan, what's-"

"-AAAAAAAAA-"

Nodoka ran past the rest of them while screaming loudly. They all just watched her as she became a spot in the distance.

Konoka and Setsuna blinked in sync before the brown-haired heiress asked, "What's wrong with Nodoka?"

"I'm not quite sure. Maybe she's-OH MY GOSH! SENSEI!"

The rest of the girls looked over to see Negi lying on the grass while incoherently mumbling something under his breath. The girls gathered around him and Asuna grabbed his shoulders. She shook him, "Negi! Negi what's wrong?! Speak to me!"

"Ablalabdabrgafishmeliferdop."

Haruna panicked, "Oh crap! He's speaking in tongues!"

Konoka started waving her arms, "S-someone! Help us! Our teacher broke! Negi-kun, hold on!"

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

Ayaka bowed her head, "Thanks for helping us again, Sensei. She probably never would have stopped if we didn't give her something in return."

"It's fine."

Kazumi hugged her camera in relief before chuckling, "She's a girl with simple tastes I guess."

Chisame grumbled and fixed her glasses before walking past the rest of the group and trying to find a spot to update her website.

Chizuru and Natsumi were walking besides each other before the shorter girl with freckles looked at the whiskered blond in concern, "Um, Sensei, are you all right? She's not...too heavy, is she?"

Naruto turned around, making sure that Zazie didn't fall off his shoulders as she continued to juggle her bags and rubber balls. He hummed, "Nah, it's not that bad. She's weighs-like-nothing at all. But I'd still like to know why she wanted to sit on my shoulders to begin with?"

Zazie continued to juggle but sent a quick look down at the blond below her.

Naruto raised and eyebrow, "I don't care if you get to be the tallest like this, we're back at the hotel. I think its time for you to get down."

Zazie stopped juggling and lifted herself off Naruto's shoulders before dismounting with a flip and landing perfectly on the floor. She then started juggling again and walked away.

Naruto watched Zazie walk away and scratched the back of his head, confused by the weird girl's behavior. Before he noticed that most of the students in 3-A were surrounding something and whispering between each other.

He made his way through the small crowd, "Hey, what wrong? What are you all...woah."

The thing is question that was getting the attention of everyone in class was the sight of their ten-year old teacher lying spread out on the couch with a vacant expression on his face.

Ayaka pushed everyone out of the way, "NEGI-SENSEI! WHAT HAPPENED?! W-WHY ARE YOU-HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!"

Misa answered, "He was like this when he came back. Asuna just said something happened while they were at Nara and he's been like this ever since."

"ASUNA-SAN! SHE KNOWS WHAT HAPPENED! ASUNA-SAN! WHERE ARE-"

"Woah woah woah! Calm down Iincho!" Several girls wrapped their arms around the blonde-haired class president and stopped her from charging off, "It's not Asuna's fault. Plus Negi-kun is fine, he just...a little absent right now."

Naruto walked past the rest of them and kneeled down besides his young friend. He started poking Negi in the face, "Negi~? C'mon buddy, wake up~. You're scaring all the girls."

Negi didn't respond as Naruto continued to poke him in the cheek before pulling back and letting the boy's cheek expand back out. Naruto shrugged, "Okay, he's not answering. Let's give him a little space."

"Is he gonna be okay?"

"I'm sure he's fine. Let's all go back to our rooms and let him get some rest. Don't worry, he'll probably be all right."

The girls all looked between each other with uncertainty before deciding to return to their rooms and just hope the little red-head would be okay. Naruto looked back at Negi for a moment before hearing someone call out to him, "Sensei."

Naruto looked over to see Setsuna standing around the corner with a stern look on her face before beckoning him over, "Can I speak with you for a moment?"

Naruto decided to comply and made his way over, leaving Negi alone in the lobby and letting Chamo run up his back to follow. The little welsh foreigner sighed and sat up in his seat before grabbing his staff and walking out the door.

Unbeknownst to anyone else, a certain pink-haired reporter made a wicked smirk before deciding to follow her homeroom teacher outside.

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

Negi walked outside of the Arashi Yama and just sighed tiredly as he looked up at the sky. He shook his head, "I can't believe Miyazaki-San said that. I-I never knew she felt that way about m-me...what in the world did I do to deserve her attention like that?"

Negi fell to his knees and rubbed his head trying to calm the stress before he heard a soft meowing below him. He opened his eyes to see a small kitten licking its paw and looking up at him with its big eyes.

Negi felt some of his anxiousness dissolve and he made a small smile before he started scratching the little animal behind its ears. He breathed in relief at taking the little moment of tranquility to calm his mind.

Kazumi hid behind a bush with a tape-recorder in hand for the hot scoop about their ten-year old teacher's strange change in behavior. In Kazumi's experience, people don't act so dramatically different like that unless something juicy happened to them. She smirked mischievously, "Just wait Negi-kun, when you let your guard down, I'm coming in for the-"

"Hey Asakura! Whatcha doin'?"

Kazumi yelped and threw her recorder in the air before bouncing it around and catching it in the palm of her hand. She sighed in relief before looking behind her and glaring at the pink-haired gymnast happily waving at her, "Makie! What the hell are you doing here?!"

"I asked you first." Makie titled her head, "I wanted to come see Negi-kun because he was so upset."

"Yeah! Me too!" Kazumi whispered loudly and pulled the air-head down to kneel besides her, "I'm trying to catch Negi-kun by surprise and get the details on what happened to him. I know there's a scoop here and I'm waiting for the perfect opportunity."

"But I'm bored~." Makie whined cutely before looking at the other girl besides her, "I didn't get to play with Negi-kun at all today! I didn't even get to play with Naruto-kun! It's no fair!"

"Yeah well life's not fair, get used to it." The girls looked over the bush again and watched as the little cat Negi was playing with started walking across the street, "I want to know what happened at Nara Park and I'm only gonna know if-"

Their conversation was interrupted as a large truck came around a sharp corner and was heading straight for the little kitten crossing the street. Negi spotted the vehicle making its way towards the little animal and he dove to cover it in time.

The girls looked in horror before yelling, "Negi-"

A shimmer occurred in the air around Negi and the truck impacted against an invisible dome around the red-head before making a loud screeching sound and swerving into the sidewalk.

Negi made sure the little kitten was safe before he ran over to check on the driver. He looked through the window, "Sir! Are you okay?! Your truck swerved off the street and nearly crashed!"

The man with the trucker cap was slightly shook up and frozen before he looked at the little boy, "I-I thought I hit something. D-didn't I hit something?"

"Hit something?" Negi looked off in thought, "Um-no-I don't think you hit anything. If you did we'd probably know it."

"Y-yeah...good point."

"Are you sure you're okay."

"Yeah, I'm fine." The trucker looked over himself, "I...might need a minute to catch my breath though."

"Well, okay, if you say so." Negi stepped away before waving goodbye, "Stay safe!"

As Negi made his way around the hotel, Makie and Kazumi stood their with open jaws and wide eyes. That...that wasn't a trick. That wasn't a mirage. Negi moved that truck out of the way before it hit him and the kitten! He pushed a 10-ton truck out of the way before it hit!

Kazumi looked at the shorter girl in shock, "You...you saw that, right?"

[[[[[[[[Knight]]]]]]]]

Done

I want to take a second to address a matter that's been plaguing me quite a bit. Some people have contacted me and sent reviews about what direction and choices I've made to this story. I need to address those people and tell them that I understand their worries. But whatever choice I take for this story, good or bad from better to worse, it's a choice I've made to write it that way. Because that's what I'm comfortable with and that's what I think would be interesting.

Also, I've written the earlier chapters with plans set to be revealed at a later date. Things like what occurred in Naruto's past, and the reason he's so comfortable with Setsuna. I felt like I left that rather ambiguously so I'm telling you now that some things have been planned.

Either way, I know it's been a long time since I updated this story, but please stick with it because I've always loved this story and its source material.

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Thank You and Bye