Mahou Sensei Negima! Fan Fiction / Pani Poni Dash! Fan Fiction ❯ I Am Negima!?, AND SO CAN YOU! Act I ❯ Chapter 3: "Friday Night Party @ Mahora's!" By Himeko ( Chapter 3 )

Scheme!? Final Mix

Chapter 3: “Friday Night Party at Mahora's!” By Himeko

A swirl of darkness.

It seemed somewhat out of place in such a calm and serene flower garden, but apparently that swirl of darkness didn't care. It had a job to do, and that was to pave Cygnus and Rokugou's entryway into this dimension. Which it did unceremoniously I might add.

A flap of wings marked Cygnus's safe landing, with Rokugou wrapped in his arms. Quite a beautiful scene if they were lovers in a romance, huh? But alas, one is a self-professed crazed villain and the other is a meek girl caught in the middle of a fight nobody knows who started. But enough about that, we turn to Cygnus's thoughts. You know, why don't I turn this goal of getting home into something interesting... it's gonna be a while before my powers recharge completely, and this girl in my grasp is cute, so... He turned to the outside world, speaking to Rokugou. “So I guess we're here, huh? Back in your world...” Cygnus noticed the fearful eyes she was giving him.

“Please... be gentle...” The girl's face was red. “I heard it can hurt...”

“Eh?” Cygnus didn't get it. Then he saw where his hands were, and the position they were in.

He got it, alright, and he didn't like it.

He backed away so fast it was like he teleported, which he probably did. Waving his arms frantically, he bellowed in heated denial, “WHAT?! NO. NO! I wasn't going to do that, I swear!”

“You weren't?” Her face was slightly less red. A small smile returned to her face. “Well that's good.”

“I'd say so too. Otherwise I'd have to castrate him.” A voice snidely added. Rokugou looked to her left. There stood a girl that looked around Becky's age, her long blonde hair blowing in the wind. She was also decked in a Mahora uniform, so Rokugou figured she went here as well. A taller green-haired girl, more mechanical than human, stood by her side, eyes gazing at the two of them. The shorter blond continued to speak. “I'd have to ask just what are you doing, but then you decided to make it quite obvious, lowly pervert.”

“Awah?! B-b-but that's totally—” The blue-haired girl began to stutter, but Cygnus finished that thought for her.

“Tch, how about 'no',” Cygnus stomped back towards the girl until he was beside Rokugou again. “I was trying not to get eviscerated by an angry brat, and as luck would have it, we kinda landed in a less-than-wholesome manner.”

Evangeline A. K McDowell had to laugh at that. “Oh, is that it?” The jovial grin faded, however, and she was back to business. “In all seriousness, what are you REALLY doing here?”

The dark boy paused for a moment. He then answered, “I'm on a hunt. I'm looking for a lot of things.”

“Like bondage hentai?” Evangeline suddenly gained her smirk back.

“NO,” Cygnus pointed an angry finger at her, much to the vampire's amusement.

“Evangeline!” The girl heard that annoying, reprimanding voice yet again. She looked past Cygnus to see a grizzled middle-aged man in a suit coming towards them. He seemed to have a relaxed smile, though, which meant he was probably going to follow up with an annoying suggestion. “You should probably lighten up on our otherworldly guest, at least until he answers a few questions...” Just like she thought.

“Takamichi,” Evangeline greeted in annoyance.

“Questions?” Cygnus leered at this newcomer. “What exactly would I know?”

“It was said that a swan, likely a youkai, appeared before the mage council just before the Star Crystal was stolen.” Takamichi let his ring appear, and it glistened almost threateningly. “Swan demons are kinda rare, so you might know something.”

“I'm unaware of the existence of any swan demon but myself,” Cygnus muttered. “As for this Star Crystal... Some brats I just fought mentioned it, but I have no idea of its existence.”

“Huh?” Rokugou looked between the three of them, completely lost on what was going on.

“Looks like you ran into Negi-kun. You chose a fine time to start challenging Negi and his friends. Your powers seemed to have scared away the darkness that was already plaguing us. Not lying, are ya?” Takamichi calmly raised an eyebrow.

“Don't have a reason to,” Cygnus shrugged.

“Master,” Chachamaru, the robotic girl, spoke for the first time. “Body signals show he's telling the truth.”

“And here I thought you were evil,” Evangeline huffed. “Some villain you are.” She added that last line with a smirk.

Cygnus furiously whipped his finger out, threatening to expose his thumb print to Evangeline, but Takamichi interrupted his rage. “Since you're making your own splash, and somebody else already has dibs on bringing you down, I'll just sit this one out.”

“You're okay with this?” Cygnus raised an eyebrow. “Though I'm curious on who this 'someone else' is. I've got my suspicions...”

“Heh, figure it out yourself,” Evangeline added. “You can consider your actions as 'training' that boy. But know if you act too out of line, we'll be on you like hell itself.”

“Even knowing what I'm up to?” Cygnus was suspicious that he was being let off the hook by two of the stronger people on campus, if his generic “detect power levels” aura was correct.

“You won't let us down, will you?” Takamichi asked, a small smile on his face.

With that, Cygnus smirked. Taking a large, sweeping bow, he said, “You have my word.” However, he looked at Rokugou, and said, “Would you guys do the honor of taking her back to her friends? I can't do that right now.”

“Count me out, I'm not a friendly type,” Evangeline waved him off. “Chachamaru, let's go.”

The obedient robot spoke for the second time. “Yes, Master.” She followed Evangeline as they walked off back towards their cottage.

“Leave it to me then,” Takamichi said.

Cygnus nodded, and turned to leave, however, that was quickly interrupted when he heard “—wait!” He turned around to see a flustered Rokugou shyly pressing her fingers. “Umm, you aren't totally gone yet, are you?”

“You ain't seen the last of me,” Cygnus grinned. “Not by a long shot.”

“It was nice of you to protect me and stuff. M-maybe we could meet again, even though you're not a villain, just a bondage hentai.”

Cygnus crashed. Amid Takamichi's laughter, he reached the obvious conclusion that whatever he did in regards to Rokugou would probably not end well.

xxxx

We take a break from the enigmatic but bumbling dark boy to focus on an entirely different subject.

The Himeko.

Our subject, Himeko Katagiri, was a legendary fool amongst her peers back in her home habitat, the Peach Moon Academy. The Himeko would easily float around her old habitat, easily amused and playful with her friends and then-new-arrival Becky.

But now, in this strange new environment, Himeko wasn't quite sure what to do. It didn't matter that she was already entirely lost, or the fact that she was separated from her friends. What mattered now was navigating this strange new place.

Classes had let up rather quickly. Miyako, Rei, and Rokugou had high-tailed it earlier to follow some of the resident girls, and nobody had a clue where Ichijou went. As for Kurumi and Mesousa, well... they kinda faded into obscurity. So that left just her, unfortunately too clueless as to wonder just which way she had to go. By sheer blink luck, however, or maybe just for the convenience for this story, she found her way here.

“Here” was the dormitory for most of 3-A, a stout building done well with a red rooftop. But that kind of thing does not concern Himeko. Oh nooo. The girl was hungry, and as well dazed and confused. She hoped to chaos that the place she was walking into had a restaurant, or at least a kind soul that knew how to cook crabs. The Himeko loves crabs, and can make out their scent from over two miles away depending on the strength of the scent. Speaking of such, she smelled the air much like an animal, hoping to catch the scent of something good.

She wandered inside. No sign of any kind of restaurant. Bummer. She sighed in hungry defeat. However, despite being a fool she knows enough that this is the living area, and it would probably be the best place to spend the night after getting something to eat.

The Himeko was about to step outside again when she noticed a curious thing: stepping towards her was none other than Rokugou. She hadn't seen the other blue-haired girl since that afternoon they bombarded the class earlier that day. “Oh, Rokugou-san!” She called out ecstatically. “Where have you been? I've been so lonely!”

Rokugou stepped calmly and wearily towards her. Having just gotten back from what was a rather wild ride, she almost missed Himeko calling out to her. Unsure how to respond to her statement though, she blinked. Himeko could inspire dangerous thoughts sometimes. She did the wise thing when dealing with wild Himeko and decided to answer her this-time-logical question. “Uhhh... it's a long and strange story...” She began to blush.

The Himeko may be a foolish species, but on rare occasions she would show rather sharp insight. This was one of those times, “Did something omega romantic or cool happen? You gotta tell me!” The Himeko was rather persistent in her thirst for interesting tales. If the nice girl Rokugou wanted to keep it a secret, she stood no chance.

“O-okay...” She sighed. Even in her nice state and the fact that this was Himeko they were talking about, the paler-blue-haired girl wasn't sure if she'd believe it. She took a deep breath and began. “Well, Rei-san, Miyako-san and I went to a chupacabra club with some of the girls in this school. We thought we found a chupacabra, but it turned out we didn't find anything... but then I got lost. Some... portal pulled me into another dimension.”

“OOOOO!” Himeko interrupted. “That's amazing!” But something turned in that empty head of hers. “But wait, how are you back here?”

“Please let me finish!” Rokugou pleaded. Himeko settled down just long enough for her to continue. “Well, then I met a swan.”

“A swan?” Her loose “ahoge” formed a question mark.

“Well, a boy with a swan. He talked about darkness a lot. Then a giant robotic dog attacked us,” Rokugou recalled the events of her adventures with Cygnus in chibi-fied clarity, but Himeko's imagination depicted the events quite differently. For one thing, she kept thinking that the swan and dog were Godzilla-sized machines. “Cygnus-san saved me, even though he said he was a villain. He tied me up and ran around a lot of places looking for some kind of jewel. Eventually he picked a fight with the other child teacher before leaving me with some of the school staff.”

“Wow!” Himeko blinked, not sure of what to make of the story. She remembered a few times Rei deceived her with some ghost stories... but this was Rokugou! Even though the story was truly strange, would Rokugou really lie?

What's this? Himeko picked up a scent. A wonderful aroma that smelled like her favorite food. “I smell wonderful crab, maho!” She practically floated, allowing her nose (and ahoge) to guide her. “I'll bug ya later, Rokugou-san!” The pig-tailed girl only stared as Himeko merrily floated away, the great sensation of crab alluring her.

Rokugou stared in her direction for a moment, only to hear yet another voice call out to her. “Rokugou!” She perked up a bit before turning to see a worried Becky running towards her. “Are you all right?! How'd you get back?! Did Cygnus do anything to you?!” Negi, with Kamo sitting on top of his head, was right behind her.

“I'm fine, Becky-san,” The girl answered. “I was brought back here by one of the teachers.”

Negi stepped up. “I bet it was Takamichi! He's always been great help! Though I wonder why he's stepped back...” Negi chalked THAT fact as part of the mysterious “setup”. But another concern crossed his mind. “Rokugou-san... did you talk with anyone else since returning here?”

Rokugou thought for a moment. For the most part she didn't do much talking until she met Himeko... “Well...” She began.

“MAHOOOOOOO!” It looked like Himeko found the jackpot.

“Rokugou... d-don't tell me you... talked to Himeko...” Becky said weakly.

“Himeko-san?” Negi blinked.

“Your secret's dead if she finds out,” Becky sighed in defeat. “She's such a fool she wouldn't know a secret if it slapped her.”

“Oh no...” Negi gripped his face, worried about his secret being discovered... again.

“I did... but then she smelled somebody making crab...” Rokugou answered. “I don't think she was paying attention...” She sighed. “Why, what's the matter?”

“Oh, nothing!” Negi smiled nervously, trying his best to cover up and prevent Rokugou from further delving into his secret. “Nothing at all!”

“It's not like Negi's a mage or anything!” Kamo-kun suddenly interjected in the worst attempt ever to ward Rokugou off. Becky introduced her face to her palm.

“Kamo-kun?!” Negi flailed.

She didn't miss a beat. “Ah! Is that why Cygnus-san fought both of you?” Rokugou concluded. “He mentioned to me that he wanted to see if anyone was strong enough to stand a chance against him...”

“Is that so...” Kamo rubbed his tiny chin.

“Rokugou-san, why don't we discuss these matters in a more comfortable place? Besides you and your friends need to pick out dorms to stay in while you're here.” Negi said politely.

“Okay.” Rokugou nodded.

“That's good...” Becky yawned. “I'm getting tired.”

Bad news for Becky: the night is still young. And it wants to party.

xxxx

Nodoka sighed. It was one of those loud Friday nights where EVERYBODY was up to something, and half of it was no good. The girl somberly made her way up to her room before she heard her name called. “Oh Nodokaaaa!”

The girl swirled around to find, of all people, Haruna Saotome, coming up the stairs behind her. “Haruna-san?” Nodoka asked. “What is it?”

“I've got good news and bad news, ya know,” Haruna said, slipping her hand around her friend's shoulders. “C'mon, head to my room. Ku Fei's too busy hanging out with Chao-san to bother us.” Nodoka grew used to the shady feeling that invaded her every time Haruna talked to her alone. Usually Yue's sensibility reigned her in, but the meek Nodoka was no match for Haruna's dark and evil perver— “Get on with it, please.” Oh, right. Well anyway, Haruna softly guided Nodoka to her room before sitting her down.

“Haruna-san, what about Yue?” Nodoka asked.

“There needs to be a good time to let her in, but unfortunately not yet,” Haruna wagged her finger. “I promise she'll be in on it when a good opportunity comes up. But first... about you. I heard you managed to kiss sensei.”

“What?!” The girl jumped back, completely shocked at Haruna's knowledge. “W-w-w-where did you hear such a thing?!”

“Furthermore, I heard you got a PACTIO from Negi-sensei, too.” Haruna knew she struck gold when Nodoka made a face much like one would when being sniped and nearly fainted right on the spot. “Oh don't worry, Nodoka. The secret's safe with me... and most of our newcomers.”

“I knew something was off today!” Nodoka suddenly stood up. “Shichimi-san mentioned something about being forced to look the other way today, and I was wondering what she was talking about! Now I know...”

“So that explains what the crazy frog was talking about, too,” Haruna muttered. “But enough about that! While it's good news that I can join in on your magic fun, I've got some bad news as well. You know the new tiny teacher, right?”

“Miyamoto-sensei?” Nodoka asked.

“She and Negi have massive chemistry together, I can feel it!” Haruna pumped her fist. Her voice was serious despite the massive grin on her face. “Nodoka, if you're going to stake your claim on Negi-sensei, you need to act much stronger than you are now!” Nodoka swallowed as Haruna continued. “'Becky', as her underlings call her, is much closer in age and experience than we are. She'll have an easier time than the rest of the class combined!”

Nodoka gasped in shock, but quickly closed her mouth when she realized she was merely falling for the hype. She slowly stood up. “Why don't we talk to sensei right now?” She asked demurely.

Haruna laughed. “Atta girl! I don't know where he is right now, we went looking for a newcomer that disappeared, but he might've stopped by Asuna's dorm.” Nodoka immediately stepped up and bolted out the door and towards Negi's room.

With her gone, Haruna smiled softly. “I promise you won't get left out, Yue.”

xx

Yue, listening in on another peephole, listened in on that conversation. Puffing up her cheeks, she muttered to herself, “I'm counting on you then, Haruna.”

xxxx

“Makie-san?” The regal Ayaka asked.

“Yes?” Makie stopped her rather fascinating gymnast stretches, turning her attention to her roommate.

“Who is this plain character huddled in the corner?” Ayaka asked, pointing towards a sulking girl, singing a broken lullaby to herself. Makie could practically see the blue lines of depression on the girl.

“Ah, that's Kurumi-san!” Makie smiled. But that smile disappeared when she faced Ayaka again. “She doesn't like it when she's called plain though.”

“Why did you not inform me of her arrival?” Ayaka asked, slightly irritated with Makie for about the thousandth time. “Or the fact that she dislikes being called plain?”

“I-I-” Makie began.

“Makie-san!” Ayaka commandeered. “It was quite rude of you to bring a guest and not inform me of what was going on, and furthermore you fail to inform me of her dislikes, in which we have both already committed!”

“I... I fail?” Makie's eyes were watery with tears.

“Yes. You, Makie Sasaki, fail at life!” Ayaka pointed dramatically.

Even though she saw it coming a mile away, Makie still froze from the absolute shock.

Strangely enough, Kurumi had enough of her own depressed state. She got up, walked over, and patted Makie's back to cheer her up. “Don't worry, she's not being mean on purpose!”

Always being the diplomat, Ayaka gave an apologetic bow. “Excuse my manners, Momose-san. Please, feel free to stay with us and use one of my Negi-sensei sleeping bags.”

Kurumi took the offering. “Thanks,” Unfortunately, she then noticed the insane amount of Negi paraphernalia around the room. “Uhh...” Kurumi Momose never felt so comfortable yet so out of place at the same time.

xxxx

“Urgh... even MORE idiots today,” Chisame muttered as she set away her laptop and began to boot up her desktop. “Why did Negi-sensei have to pull in that one teacher, knowing she had extra baggage?”

“I'm pretty sure he didn't expect it either,” Satomi Hakase was hacking away at her own desktop, no doubt doing some research. “But those new students are interesting, to say the least.”

“I don't appreciate being called 'extra baggage'. That really pisses me off!” Chisame nearly jumped as she turned to see the source of that voice. Miyako had barged in, apparently overhearing her conversation by some grace of luck.

“Who the hell are you to randomly barge into our room?!” Chisame countered, shocked at the gall of the girl.

“Now now,” Satomi tried to placate the future warring girls. She then turned to the newcomer. “I'd say that there's a 99.99 chance that you're looking for a place to stay, right?”

“How would you know?” Miyako blinked.

“What else would you be doing right now?” The scientific girl coolly asked.

“Guess you're right.” Miyako looked around the room. Simple enough. Dark, full of computers... she rather liked it. “Can I stay here?”

Hakase looked at her roommate for the final verdict.

“You're less of an idiot than the others, so I guess you can stay,” Chisame reluctantly admitted.

“You're not that bad yourself,” Miyako part countered, part complemented. Her forehead shone ominously. Chisame and Miyako immediately got into a fierce staring contest which involved eyebeams of fiery death.

xxxx

Meanwhile, the ever so pathetic Mesousa had once again found himself walking alone, the evening sun only adding to his eternal emo sorrow. Not even Kurumi was around to keep him company, so basically he was on his own on finding a place to stay.

He saw a few girls walk past, talking animatedly about some sports. “Um...” He tried to get their attention, but that endeavor failed. He sighed in defeat. As usual.

“Are you lost, rabbit-san?” Mesousa turned to see Ichijou standing there, calm and emotionless as usual.

“Ah... I don't have a place to stay...” Mesousa admitted weakly.

“You could stay with me,” The girl offered.

“Really?” Mesousa was glad for the offer... but then he remembered who he was talking to. “Umm... where are you staying?”

“Plot device,” Ichijou answered sagely.

“That doesn't make sense at all...” Mesousa moped.

“It makes better sense than the hotel fare, mya,” Shichimi appeared on Ichijou's head. “How much money do you have?”

“50 yen...”

“Epic fail, mya,” Shichimi added. “You need at least over nine thousand. You should be glad Ichijou-san is helping you, mya.”

“I-I'm sorry,” Mesousa bowed his head. He then straightened up and asked Ichijou, “Can I stay with you?”

“Sure. That will be ten thousand yen,” Ichijou held out a hand.

“Why am I cursed?” Mesousa sobbed.

xxxx

An all girls' dorm was either a pervert's heaven or a man's hell. Sometimes both.

To Cygnus, the middle option would be the most accurate.

While he liked girls, he was in the middle of a mission. The last thing he needed was distractions, temptations, and anyone attempting to mislabel him as a bondage pervert. Well, the last thing was kinda inevitable.

There was nary a soul outside the dorms on Friday night—a rarity and quite a blessed one, actually. He could easily do a scan for what he was looking for and get the hell out. Unfortunately life was never so easy. The Bedeviled Swan could note the smell of roses as a voice echoed in the night.

“Afternoon tea with a green wind. Hailing from the Country of Mist—Love and bravery's Ambassador of Friendship.” A swirl of black rose petals danced in front of Cygnus. The boy turned around to see a pink-haired person, wearing a top hat, a cape, a white tuxedo, and a strange half-mask over his left eye. “They call me... the Black Rose Baron!” The person boomed his introduction.

Cygnus was not amused. “You are the worst freaking fruitcake I have ever seen!” He pointed an enraged finger at the Baron. “And what the hell are you doing near a girl's dorm, anyway?!”

The mysterious person put a hand on his top hat, probably to look badass. “I could ask you that very same question. For one seeking darkness you're awfully close to the light.”

“I was told that the closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes,” Cygnus answered. “I just so happen to be seeking the shadows.”

The Baron was quite amused that someone actually decided to match his word play. He laughed. “Not bad at all, swan of darkness!”

Cygnus's eyes went wide. He knows what I am...?!

“You, who have taken center stage in the darkness, will now face the next challenge from the light!” The Black Rose Baron, master of timing, ended his sentence just as a few girls noticed the commotion and looked outside. Cygnus cursed and turned to run, only to sense one of the seven shadows in its depths. Considering all the innocent bystanders in that building... the amount of casualties and chaos that would result would be epic... but not his style of evil. He grit his teeth in frustration.

The Baron seemed to know this, and smirked. “One who claims to be the darkness... are you evil enough to let things run their course?”

Cygnus snarled at the figure, looked back, and then turned to the Baron again, only to find him gone, leaving a swirl of black petals in his wake. Things were not looking good.

Time to play the card of chaos.

Swallowing all of his fears, the boy turned inside and began to sneak into the dorms from the back. It was his only shot.

Besides, something smelled wicked good in the room he was entering...

xxxx

Ignoring the quiet chaos stirring about in the hallways, Mana Tatsumiya calmly cleaned her sniper rifle. She cast a long shadow to the setting sun. Close by, Zazie Rainyday was practicing her usual juggling tricks.

A strange shadow, crawling about nearby, began to swim towards Mana.

Mana reacted quickly. She aimed a pistol...

...she realized she couldn't shoot it on the floor, lest her bullets pierce the floor below and harm another classmate. That decision turned out to not matter anyway, because the shadow devoured Mana's own shadow in a matter of seconds.

When all was done, Mana found her shadow was now projecting a weasel-like character, with spur like boots and a fedora hat. The dark shadow gave a thumbs-up to the girl.

“This won't end well,” Mana muttered.

“All's well that ends in a well,” Zazie quipped.

“Two points.” Mana thought that joke was awful.

“I'm sorry.”

xxxx

“You need to save some for me!” Ku Fei pouted as Himeko greedily enjoyed the crab-comboed meat buns.

“But they're so good! And there's plenty of them!” Himeko savored the delicious treats, much to the amusement of Chao and Satsuki and much to the chagrin of Ku Fei. “They taste so delicious! Maho maho maho maho mahooooo...”

“You're so amusing, Himeko!” Chao beamed.

“Hey, hey, Chao,” Rei casually waved once she entered the room. “I take it Himeko found your crab recipe. I hope she's not causing a problem for you.”

“Ni hao,” Chao returned the greeting, both girls bowing down to each other. “She's not a bother at all.”

“You two know each other?” Satsuki asked.

“We've been in contact for quite some time,” Rei adjusted her glasses, a smirk on her face. “She was the one who told me Becky was coming here.”

“Wha? You mean it wasn't Ichijou-san who guided us here?” Himeko asked between mouthfuls of food.

“Nope! Totally our idea!” Chao beamed.

“Sorry Himeko, I already call this room, so you can't stay here overnight.” Rei said seriously.

“Awww,” Himeko deflated, just enough for Ku Fei to snatch a few meat buns.

“But feel free to stop by for more meat buns!” Satsuki offered.

“YAAAAYY!” Himeko cheered.

“B-but that means I don't get any meat buns when I visit!” Ku Fei complained, more out of worry about her favorite food source than dislike of Himeko. “She'll eat them all!”

“Aww, don't worry Ku Fei, she's not going to eat them all,” Satsuki gently chided. As she went to go grab another meat bun, though, she found herself staring face-to-face with a dark-skinned boy, who was devouring the meat bun she was about to grab. She only stared blankly before she registered that the bun was in fact, being eaten by a boy in the girl's dorm.

This boy took a moment before recognizing the fact that the girl had seen him. Once that happened however, he sat in silence as well.

They stared for about another five seconds before Satsuki screamed.

“AUUGH!” The scream caught Cygnus by surprise as well, and he jumped backwards into everyone else's view. Talk about the worst entrance ever.

“HOLY SNAP IT'S A BOY,” Rei yelled before mentally chiding herself for sounding obnoxiously exaggerated.

“Oh shi—” Cygnus began. He couldn't fight these people because they had no magic affiliation with Negi or Becky, or at least to his knowledge... “I like girls, but this is too many at once! TOO MANY AT ONCE!”

“I won't allow any boys to prey on innocent maidens!” Ku Fei assumed a fighting stance. “I, Kuu Laozi, will show them no mercy!”

“I think Ku Fei's got the right idea,” Chao followed Ku Fei's example.

Himeko was kind of stuck on what to do. On the one hand there was another boy here, and everyone wanted to fight him. And she didn't want to be left out of the fun. But... wasn't there a better idea? “Wow... I haven't seen a boy this dark before! Let's catch him!”

“Wait what?!” The dark boy did not like the sound of those unfortunate implications.

“CUE POKEMON BATTLE!” Himeko leapt into action, assuming a fighting stance right beside Ku Fei.

“Goddamn it...” Cygnus hissed through clenched teeth. Now we narrate Pokemon style.

Wild Cygnus appeared!

Go! Himeko! Ku Fei!

Enemy Cygnus used CONFUSE RAY!

Himeko is already confused!

Ku Fei used LOW KICK!

It's Super Effective!

Enemy Cygnus countered with CRUNCH!

It's not very effective...

Himeko is confused!

Himeko's power UNSTEADY GAIT allows her to increase evasion while confused!

Himeko used GIANT ENEMY CRAB BATTLE!

“Olioliolioliolioliolioliooooo!”

Enemy Cygnus is driven absolutely mad!

Enemy Cygnus countered with RIDGE RACER!

It's Super Effective! Himeko's weakpoint is struck for MASSIVE DAMAGE!

Himeko fainted!

Cygnus ran away!

The harried swan boy sprinted out of the room. Looks like the chaos is inevitable... he thought. But that doesn't mean I can't lure out the shadow!

“Don't let him get away!” Ku Fei and Chao led the chase for the boy. Rei followed behind.

Satsuki looked down on the fallen Himeko, slight worry in her eyes. “Are you okay?”

“Maho?” Himeko stood up, and as if nothing happened, began her chase of Cygnus. She did give a small smile to Satsuki before leaving as a means of 'yes.'

xxxx

“So that's your story,” Rokugou said as Negi finished.

“Yes... Rokugou-san, please understand I need to keep this a secret,” Negi said earnestly.

“I understand!”

“I hope Himeko forgot...” Becky murmured, still sleepy.

It was about now that Asuna arrived, Konoka following right behind her. “Negi, have you seen—” She spotted Rokugou sitting demurely nearby. “Oookay... telling us that Rokugou-san's safe and sound would've been nice...” She gave Negi a look.

“Well, I had to explain everything to Rokugou-san first,” Negi said smoothly despite the nervous smile on his face. “My next move was to call anyone still searching for her. Honest!”

“Fine.”

“That's okay, Negi-kun!” Konoka said. “I met Takamichi on the way back who told me Rokugou had come back, so I called everyone to return.”

“I MISSED TAKAMICHI?!” Asuna grabbed Konoka by the shoulders.

Konoka nervously smiled. “Not my fault you weren't paying attention.” This caused Asuna to sulk for a short moment.

However, that demeanor suddenly changed. “Whoo hoo!” Asuna cheered once she was back in the sanctuary of her dorm. “After all that chaos, it's Friday night! And you know what that means!”

“ZOMBIE RIDER!” Konoka cheered as she attacked the Playstation 2 console to begin the game.

“Spoil sport,” Asuna muttered under her breath as she flopped down on the couch.

“HEY! THAT COULD BE MY FUTURE SLEEPING SPOT! GET OFF!” Becky complained.

“Becky-san, please leave Asuna-san alone. You won't like her when she's angry.” Negi tried to placate the angry girl. “Don't worry, I'll find a better spot here for you to sleep.”

Setsuna entered the dorm. “Excuse me,” Setsuna said softly as she walked in. Setsuna turned to see Konoka already playing Asuna's game. “Ojou-sama...”

“Hey, Secchan! Play with me!” Konoka waved, happy to see her friend.

Hoping to the high heavens above that nobody interpreted that as innuendo, Setsuna nervously and politely declined. “I-I think I'll pass.” She turned to Negi. “Negi-sensei, where are Miyamoto-san and Rokugou-san going to sleep tonight?”

Sudden epic timing kicked in as Nodoka stepped in. “Negi-sensei! E-excuse me!” Her hurried pace slowed to a nervous, shaky walk as she stepped in.

Becky eyed the newcomer with a part-curious, part-jaded eye. “Huh?” The older girl was shaking a bit as Becky scrutinized her. “Whaddya want.”

“Uh umm...” Nodoka sashayed slightly. “I was wondering where all the new people were going to stay for the night, and since this room was getting crowded...”

“I'm going nowhere,” Becky pouted, leaving no room for argument. Negi had to suppress every urge to call the girl cute right then and there.

“Ummm... I don't know where I'm staying yet,” Rokugou said.

“Ah, Rokugou-san!” Nodoka saved face and spoke up. “You can stay with me and Yue-Yue then.” Nodoka inwardly sighed at her screw up, while Becky subtly noticed her disappointment. Chalk that up for another question Negi was getting hit with tonight.

“Th-thanks!” After that quick and convenient setup, everyone was about to settle down when a nasty clatter sounded out in the hallways.

“What...?” Negi, Becky, and Rokugou took a look outside, only to see a dark blur streak by, followed by Ku Fei, Chao, and Himeko bringing up the rear. “What's going on?!”

“It's a boy! We're gonna catch it!” Ku Fei called back.

Rokugou recognized the blur. “Could it be... Cygnus-kun?”

Bad words to say. The word 'Cygnus' was all it took for Becky to see red. “Cygnus?! HOLY CRAP IT'S CYGNUS! QUICK, GET IN THE TRUCK!” The enraged girl took off after Himeko, hoping to potentially beat the crap out of a boy that dare kidnap one of her students.

“Cygnus-san... This could be bad.” Negi turned to the others still inside. “Please stay here,” He grabbed his staff and also joined in the mad pursuit.

Nodoka and Rokugou stared on, a bare whisper of “Cygnus-kun...” escaping Rokugou's lips.

xxxx

“DAMMITDAMMITDAMMITDAMMIT!” Cygnus cursed like a sailor as the three ladies behind him began to pick up the pace. Things definitely weren't helping when the clown in the back was yelling “There's another boy in the girl's dorm!” He needed to get rid of them and fast.

He took a sprint towards the left and kept rounding as many corners as possible, trying his best to locate a vacant spot to where he could teleport. No dice so far—and it looked like the crowd chasing him was getting bigger. Random girls from around the dorm were now adding to the crowd out to put him on display at the zoo, and he could've sworn he had to dodge a poké ball or two.

He dashed towards a vacant stairwell. Finally! He mentally sighed. He took a running jump and phased out of solid existence. By the time the group of girls reached the stairwell, he was completely gone. Splitting up, they took different paths as to not let the strange boy escape.

Snickering, Cygnus reappeared at the bottom. He cockily rubbed his nose as he said, “Heh, not smart enough to catch me yet.”

An interesting flicker caught his eye closer to the wall next to the stairs. Turning to examine it, he saw it was yet another rift... likely caused by those jewels. “Keep that spot in mind,” He thought out loud.

“Cygnus-san!” The boy's attention was now on a new voice... one he recognized. He turned to see Negi and Becky there.

“Stop right there, dark boy!” Kamo boldly shouted, reappearing on Negi's head.

“Negi Springfield,” Cygnus answered in a slow, harsh voice.

“YOU,” Becky pointed an enraged finger at Cygnus. “You won't escape this time! Not after what you did to Rokugou!”

“Are you insinuation that I did something to Rokugou?” Cygnus asked snidely.

“It's 'insinuating',” Negi corrected meekly.

“Ungah!” Cygnus cursed his mixed up tongue. “Anyway,” his hands beckoned the two of them. “You're hunting the wrong target. By now shadow number two is gunning for you.”

“Shadow...?” Negi blinked.

“Mahooooo!” Surprise Himeko attack from behind!

“GRRAAKK!” Cygnus nearly toppled from the girl tackling him.

“I got you now!” Himeko crowed. “If I catch you, I get more crab buns! More crab buns for meee!”

“Oh no you don't!” Cygnus twisted a bit before throwing her off...

...right into the portal behind him. She was sucked right in.

“HIMEKO!” Becky panicked.

“If you want to rescue her... bring it!” Cygnus curled his fist and snarled, as if issuing a challenge, and followed Himeko into the rift.

Negi and Becky didn't hesitate. They followed the boy into the dimensional portal.

As did another shadow. By now, its host's shadow was completely eclipsed by its will. Loading a sniper rifle, what used to be Mana Tatsumiya stepped in right behind them.

xxxx

When the wild breathtaking ride was over, Negi and Becky found themselves staring at a wide city expanse. The city gave off a purplish-blue hue, but all the lights shined white. They were standing atop some airborne roads as well.

“This...” Negi began, mesmerized by the sights.

“Wow, check out the city nightlife! I could start a new casino business—” Kamo began, but Negi silenced him with a finger to his mouth.

“Umm, Kamo-kun, let's not begin scheming about things in dimensions that aren't ours, okay?” Negi asked.

“Himeko!” Becky spotted her some distance away, unconscious and muttering constant “mahos” under her breath. The blond girl rushed over to the girl, kneeling and trying to slap her awake. “Himeko! Snap out of it!”

“Negi Springfield!” The boy sharply turned to see Cygnus standing above, sneering at them with a wicked smile. “Are you prepared for the darkness?”

“Cygnus-san? What is the meaning of this?!” Negi shouted back.

“You can't have any sympathy for that which is the darkness... that is my burden alone.” The smile faded from Cygnus's face. He reared a hand back. “Prove to me you can fight it!” He pushed forward, and a blast of darkness shot forward. Negi scrambled out of the way before the darkness could explode and render him kibbles and bits.

“He's obviously crazy!” Becky shouted, flailing her arms. “Negi! Let's use the contract!”

“Good idea!” Kamo agreed.

“Consider it done.” Negi twirled his staff and prepared his magic. “Partner: Miyamoto Rebecca! Show me the power within you!” He quickly summoned the orb and grabbed the card inside. “Contract.. activate!” He pulled it out.

A puff of smoke.

Becky found herself as a small, white rabbit, as if she were in a tiny, cute costume. “WHAT IS THIS?!” She squeaked.

“Suka card,” Kamo answered dejectedly. “You got jipped.”

“Oh! Becky's so cute!” Himeko called from her position further away.

“SHUT UP!” Becky squeaked back at her.

The bad news is that it was rabbit season. A rifle focused on Becky's head.

Cygnus saw this and reacted first. “Watch out!” He bellowed. Unfortunately the fastest thing he could do was blast Becky out of harm's way.

And that's exactly what he did.

“WAAHHH!” The rabbit girl sailed away, landing with a faint plop right next to Himeko. That blast hurt quite a bit, although not as much as a sniper shot to the head would have. Becky did the only thing she could do. Cry. “Hau hau hau,” she sobbed from the pain cutely.

“Becky... cry?” Himeko murmured. She looked at Cygnus. Disbelief and shock turned into quiet anger. “How... dare you make Becky cry...”

It seemed like Negi felt that same anger as well, as he pointed his staff angrily at the boy. “That was completely uncalled for, Cygnus-san.” He said in a strained voice. Before he could do anything else though, he suddenly saw Himeko right beside him.

The goofy, idiotic persona of hers was completely gone. “Negi-sensei... lend me your strength.”

“Himeko-san!?” Negi drew back in shock. Who was this person, and what had they done to Himeko? Was everyone from Peach Moon wrong about Himeko's true nature?

“Negi-sensei, please! I want to make him pay...” Fierce determination and a rare rage shone in her eyes.

“Big bro, the contract!” Kamo sprinted to the floor. With lightning speed he set up the circle, then turned to Himeko, launching a succinct explanation. “The pactio will help you unlock your own powers. Just kiss big bro in the circle!”

“Kamo-kun—!” Negi began, but Himeko's lips were pressed against his in an instant.

“Pactio!” He shouted, and a bright light shined. The three cards representing her pact flew out from the ground and disappeared into her body. With the deed done, the light was gone.

Negi turned to Cygnus. “Cygnus-san. Why did you do that?” He prepared his staff.

“It was either that or get sniped. Realize who your enemy is, fool!” Cygnus snarled, pointing over in the distance.

Negi looked over, and sure enough, there was a familiar sniper in the distance. “M-Mana-san...”

“She's got shadow problems,” Cygnus announced. “I hope you and your new partner have what it takes to cure her... Settle your grudge against me later.”

Negi silently agreed. Now was the time to deal with a new threat. “Partner: Katagiri Himeko,” Negi held out his staff in front of him, glowing with ethereal power. Himeko floated gently until she was right beside him. “Show me the power within you!” The orb appeared in front of Himeko, the hole facing Negi. He reached for it. “Contract... Activate!” He pulled out the card, and a bright light flashed.

Her normal clothes were gone, replaced with a pink halter top, skirt, and white shoes. Himeko reached out and grabbed what looked like a giant key with a flowery hilt. The edge the prongs were facing away from looked rather sharp. “Key... blade,” she murmured.

“KEYBLADE?!” Cygnus gasped like a bug about to be hit by Raid. Safe to say he quickly scampered away.

“This is her armor card!” Kamo said. “Huh, I wonder what's so special about it, though...”

“Play time's over,” a chilling voice whispered. Negi felt, rather than saw, the scope of the sniper rifle aimed at him.

Before he could even react, though, a shot was already fired.

Himeko would have none of that. It was like teleportation: one moment she was simply beside Negi, the next moment she was right in front of the bullet, deflecting it back like a baseball bat. The pseudo Mana felt her own bullets. She fired again twice... three times. Himeko deflected the bullets back with lightning speed. The girl only let out a grunt of pain before standing up. “You clever little sneak.” She hopped over a rail and landed on a large hoverbike, yellow and purple in design. It hovered into the view of the two of them. “How about a ride on the Marvelous Queen?”

“Return Mana-san, whoever you are!” Negi demanded.

“Can't even call it right? It's Fang the Sniper. Or Nack the Weasel, although I ain't lookin' too weasel-ish right now.” She took aim again and fired. Both Negi and Himeko beat a hasty retreat.

“Negi-sensei, what do we do? She's not herself!” Himeko panted as they leapt over buildings, dodging bullets. She suddenly swung a hard left and deflected a random bullet aiming straight for Negi's head.

“I need to perform a spell when she's close enough in range...” Negi explained. Although he was kinda reeling from the serious nature, it was best that he didn't think about it and take advantage of it instead. “Can you get rid of her guns?”

“I'm on it!” Himeko slid to a stop while Negi rounded a corner nearby some windows. 'Fang' decided to attack Himeko directly first, putting away the sniper rifle and going for the more traditional guns, raining a hail of bullets against Himeko. The grounded girl back-flipped and cartwheeled out of harm's way. Taking advantage of a pause, Himeko hurled the Keyblade like a boomerang, the weapon sailing in the air until it struck the hovercraft.

“What!?” 'Fang' faltered, trying her best to keep hold of the bike.

Himeko wasn't done yet. Because the hunter was now close enough, the maho girl twirled in the air and landed on the bike. She took her mighty Keyblade and stabbed down into the hull. The front began to spark and short circult, leading to the inevitable crash and death of the Marvelous Queen. Old Himeko took this moment to celebrate with a “NYAH NYAH!” In 'Fang's' face before Serious Himeko took back over and forced herself to evacuate.

Both girls abandoned ship as the Marvelous Queen sank from the sky and crashed into a random building, exploding in the process.

“AIYAAH!” The look on Mana's face was priceless... at least, it would be if it were fully Mana.

Negi was prepared by now. “O Spirits, hear my call. Draw the shadows to the light, and separate light from darkness. Tel ma... AMORIS!” A flash of light, just like before, pierced Mana's un-shadow from below. The sniper girl fell unconscious, and the shadow toppled backwards into the third dimension.

Fang the shadow stood. “Hey, hey, we can talk about this, right?” It chuckled nervously as Negi walked in closer. “Right?” Negi came closer. “Maybe not.” Fang pulled out a gun, aimed, and shot Negi directly in the forehead.

The good news was that it was only a pop gun, so Negi fell to the ground alive with a massive welt rather than dead.

The bad news (for Fang) was that Himeko didn't see that at first. “How DARE you!” Weapon ready, she lunged at the shadow and smash it straight in the gut with the Keyblade.

“Aigah!” Fang crashed into the ground. Seeing that hell hath no fury like a Himeko scorned, he quickly tried to explain himself. “I-I didn't k—” He began but unfortunately Himeko didn't hear him, she was too busy smashing his face in with a giant key.

Clutching his sore head and muttering a healing spell, Negi tried to stop Himeko's wild rage. “H-Himeko-san... I'm all right...” He chuckled nervously as she ignored him.

Cygnus reappeared from the shadows. Calmly moving Mana out of the way with his powers, he then faced the pathetic Fang shadow. “As amusing as this is, your time outside has ceased to be. That jewel inside you is mine.”

An outstretched hand. “GLORIA EN OBSCURUM.” He then began to curl that hand. “O Darkness, answer me now. Draw in this evil, and crush it within you. Free all else to light.” He pointed downward. “SUBMIT!”

As if she knew what was going on, Himeko drew back and let Cygnus's spell erase the panicking Fang out of existence. “Noo! I only got a fourth of an episode to my existennncee!” The shadow cried as it disappeared, leaving only the shining jewel in its place.

“Heheh,” Cygnus grinned. “Now to claim that jewel...”

“I don't think so,” The angry Himeko bellowed. She leapt up into the air and slammed down right where a teleporting Cygnus was just milliseconds before. “You made Becky cry, therefore you don't get anything!”

“Geez,” Cygnus reappeared further away, snorting derisively. “You guys really are an uptight bunch!” He looked back to where the jewel was. “WHAT?!”

Himeko whirled back behind her. “Maho?”

“The jewel's gone!” Negi's eyes were wide with shock.

“Mahooo...” Himeko sank in depression. Negi did likewise. Whether Cygnus did or not, nobody cares.

“Wonder what that jewel's called...” Negi trailed off.

“It's called a Chaos Emerald!” Negi and Himeko looked up beyond the airborne street to see a familiar shadow. The spikes, the short body... it looked like the chupacabra! But why was it talking about a “Chaos Emerald”? “Jewels that store immense power! Even just one holds a lot of power, but if you gather seven of them, they can perform miracles!”

“Chaos... Emerald?” Cygnus whispered from his perch, his eyes on the shadow as much as Negi's was. “No wonder... such powers...” He stood up. “That so called chupacabra knows more about those jewels. If I can talk to him about those powers... I'll find that 'chupacabra' before they do!” A swirl of the swan guardian with him, and Cygnus disappeared into the night.

The figure was flipping the emerald he had in his clutches. “Sorry guys, I'll have to keep this one. Consider it insurance! Keep your eyes peeled for more, okay? Catch ya later!” In a flash the figure sped off, either oblivious to or ignoring Negi's cry of “WAIT!”

The boy sighed.

“Negi-sensei.” Negi turned to see a now conscious and always serious Mana.

“Yes?” Negi blinked, nervous.

“Looks like this is the second time this week I've been possessed. Did you free me?”

“Uhhh...” Negi had a dilemma. On the one hand, he did want to tell Mana the truth, considering she seemed to have a vague knowledge of magic, much to his surprise. On the other hand, there was the problem with his identity as a mage...

Problems seem to solve themselves nowadays. For no reason at all, Motsu popped up on Mana's shoulder. “You know what you shouldn't say—” 'BLAM' “—AAAUUUGGGGHHH!” The frog thing crashed into the ground, a smoldering cork still on his head.

Mana casually put the smoking pop gun away. “Thanks anyway, Negi-sensei.” And with that she left.

Negi sighed in relief. So distracted by Mana he was, that he nearly forgot Himeko's presence until she called out to him. “Negi-sensei.”He snapped back to reality and turned to the girl, surprised yet again at her addressing him as 'Negi-sensei' instead of 'cute boy'. “So this is why you're so grown up in a cute boy's body... Listen,” The armor card clad girl was still shockingly serious. She held out her 'Keyblade'. “This is about the only time you'll see me serious, so listen, okay? I know that I'm an idiot and probably going to be the newest member of the Baka Rangers, but I know that you have a lot on your plate, and that you also mean the best for Becky-san. So if you need any serious help from me,” she dismissed the blade and leaned in close to the boy. “...don't be afraid to use those cards, okay?” She pecked him on the forehead. “Now I see why Becky likes you.”

Negi's mouth hung open in silent response. Words failed him.

Words failed everyone else, but not silently. “D-D-D-D-D-DAH!” Miyako sputtered, seeing everything.

“H-HIMEKO... SERIOUS!?” Becky pointed in shock. She, Miyako, and Ichijou had appeared within Stardust Speedway as well.

“It could be a side effect of the card,” Ichijou offered sagely.

Just as she said this, the card ran out, and Himeko was back to her old self. “Maho?” She blinked, confused.

“Himeko-san?” Negi asked.

“MAHOOOO! Oh cute little teacher!” She squeezed him in an impressive hug. “It's such a shame, but I think you belong with Becky-san.” Becky's jaw dropped at that, but her stuttering attempts at a denial were ignored.

“Uh, ummm Himeko-san? Can we get back to the dorms first?” Negi asked as his life was happily squeezed away.

“Sure!” She let go, and winking at him, marched off. The others, now even with Negi, wearily followed her back home. Negi had to ponder at that wink, wondering if the serious Bizarro Himeko wasn't as deep down as everybody thought.

xxxx

“So... this is a 'Chaos Emerald' he was talking about,” Becky said, scrutinizing the red jewel she had in her hand. “Apparently it has massive powers.” The gang of Negi's Ministra Magi had gathered back into the team room in the dead of night, the nearly full moon and the jewel before them providing enough light. For the first time since this incident began, Nodoka and Himeko were there as well.

“That Cygnus creep looks like he's after them, too,” Asuna bellowed. “AND the chupacabra! We have to catch that thing AND get the Chaos Emeralds before it's too late!”

“Cygnus?” Rei blinked, adjusting her glasses. “Is he the guy everybody was chasing around earlier?”

Rokugou sunk in her seat, failing to hide the apparent blush in her cheeks.

Too bad Haruna noticed. “Oh ho, I smell the sweet stench of LOVE coming from THAT DIRECTION,” She covered her face evilly and pointed straight at Rokugou, causing the blue haired girl's blush to deepen.

Konoka followed up with her usual dish of cheery insidiousness. “Hey, Rokugou-san. Why's your face red?”

“Judging by that, I'd say I'm right.” Rei gave a self-satisfied smirk.

“N-no reason!” Rokugou gave a heated denial.

“You're joking...” Becky started, but then her anger got the better of her, and the tiny teacher flew into a furious tirade. “Cygnus has to be stopped! Who knows what evil things he might do to Rokugou! Next time we find him, we burn him at the stake! WHO'S WITH ME?!” She pumped a fist into the air.

“Yeah!” The twins Fuuka and Fumika cheered, but they were agreeing more out of amusement at Becky than genuine bloodlust of Cygnus.

“Now, now, Becky,” Negi chuckled nervously. “Let's not rush for an attack just yet...” Negi turned over to Rokugou. “But... Rokugou-san. Please be aware that Cygnus may come for you again.” He then turned to everyone. “It seems like Cygnus only attacks us if we're competing for the same emerald.” Or Rokugou is concerned, most added in their thoughts, but that was best left unsaid. “So unless you have a Chaos Emerald, do not engage him. I don't think he'll be too much of a threat if you follow that.”

Becky reluctantly nodded. “I guess you're right... but the MOMENT he tries anything, BURN HIM AT THE STAKE!”

“Hold that thought, bratty teacher,” Asuna stepped up. Becky opened her mouth in shock to retort to the blatant disrespect, but Asuna continued. “Negi may be our Magister Magi, but I'M the leader of this club. And I say we need more research on this matter! Honya-chan!” She whirled to Nodoka. “Can you look up anything on the Chaos Emerald?”

“U-um, I think Library Island might have something on it,” Nodoka answered. “It's a bit too late for my powers...”

Feeling ignored, Becky's eyes became watery. Negi, always the gentleman, came to her side and gently chided Asuna. “Asuna-san, maybe you should tone down how you treat Becky, okay? Let's do a Library Island expedition tomorrow.”

“Again?! Fine,” Asuna grumped. “But you're sleeping on the couch tonight.”

“Yes,” Negi sighed, teary-eyed and defeated.

“Speaking of sleep...” Konoka yawned. “I'm gettin' tired.”

Setsuna did the respectful thing and immediately stood to escort Konoka. “I'll take you to your room, ojou-sama.”

“Looks like somebody beat us to the punch,” Rei remarked dryly. Everyone else followed her pointed finger to Himeko, who had been sleeping during the entire impromptu meeting. A nose bubble bobbed up and down as she slept.

“Himeko!” Miyako moved to slap her awake, but both Negi and Becky blocked her way.

“I think she deserves a rest, don't you?” Negi asked the red-haired girl.

“For a rare time in her life, Himeko was a hero,” Becky admitted. “I guess we'll let her get off easy... for now.”

That's right. Himeko enters Negi's fold as the chaos heats up in Mahora Academy. As our heroines and their young male leader head off for bed, we come to realize that when they wake up tomorrow, they're now in a dangerous, shadow-filled race to get to the power of the Chaos Emeralds first! Will they succeed? Will they find what the chupacabra really is? And what of Cygnus? Tune in next time!

&!.?

“This is Miyako! Argh! My lack of importance in this story is REALLY pissing me off! The good news is that we're off to a place just filled with BOOKS! I wonder if there's anything that can teach me how to study right... or why the hell are all these cats wondering around! Next Time: 'It's CATURDAY?!' By Miyako. If you're expecting some crappy joke about Catnarok right now, then forget about it!”

(Tune in next time to hear Konoka say: “Oh Secchan!”

Props to Eternal Longing for prereading)