Mahou Sensei Negima! Fan Fiction ❯ The Dreamer ❯ Real Emotions, Fake Cause ( Chapter 6 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

-----Author’s note: Well, here’s hoping last chapter’s cliffhanger didn’t make people mad and chase away any readers.....ha, ha.....I don’t own Negima!, but any other characters and ideas are my own. This is simply my shot at fan fiction, inspired by a love for the characters and a will to shell out a plot for them. Enjoy!-----

Negi was greeted with a forced smile as Shizuna caught him outside of his classroom. The boy, in a good mood, didn’t catch the glint of depression in her eyes.

“Good morning Shizuna-sensei,” Negi spoke cheerfully, dipping into a deep bow, “How are you today?”

“I’m alright, Negi-kun, thank you. I’m actually here to tell you that Connor won’t be joining you for class today. He’s got something he’s taking care of, at the moment,” She lied through a smile.

“For.....for the voice?” Negi leaned in to whisper.

“I believe it is related to that, yes.”

“He didn’t mention anything about it yesterday.....”

“It only just happened last.....he was just asked last night,” Shizuna faltered, “Also, you are to fill in for him as 3-A’s PE instructor, for now. That’s all.....” The woman quickly turned to leave, hurrying down the hallway.

“W-Wait! When will he be getting back?”

“Sorry, I don’t know!” Shizuna called over her shoulder before disappearing around the corner.

“Aw, I really wanted to show this to him.....” Negi muttered, glancing at the cd sticking out of his bag. “Oh well, we’ve got a test today, so I need to focus on that, anyway.”

Negi slid the door open, his students rising to meet him as he approached his desk. The bid him good morning, chairs scraping as they all sat back down. Negi laid his bag down on the desk, pulling out the thick stack of papers that comprised the day’s test, “I hope you all are ready! The period today is set for the test, so when you finish just turn it in and you can go,” The teacher made his way through the rows of classes, handing out the test as he went. He hit seat 12, missing a beat. He looked around the room for his missing student, but she was nowhere to be found.

“Where’s Ku Fei? Does anybody know?”

“She didn’t show up this morning,” Chao Lingshen stated with a shrug.

“Sister Kaede isn’t here either,” The Narutaki twins called out in unison.

“They probably cut class so they could study more and just take it late. Negi-kun, you’re too nice!” Yuna Akashi said with a laugh.

“But Mana and Sakurako aren’t here, either!” Fumika pointed out, looking to Negi for some kind of an answer.

“W-Well.....that test isn’t THAT hard,” He sighed, moving on. He was wondering if something had happened, this many students hadn’t ever missed class at one time. Ku Fei had the dream, making her a target for the enemy. Could Kaede and Mana have been injured protecting her, maybe? But what about Sakurako? The peppy cheerleader didn’t have the aura, so there was no real reason to worry about her, was there? But-

The classroom door opened with a bang, shattering the young teacher’s train of thought. He whipped around to find Connor stroll into the classroom, dressed for class, and even without his bandanna. Several pleased sighs came from the class.

“Sorry I’m late, Negi-kun,” The teen apologized with a grin, snatching some of the papers from the boy’s hands, proceeding to hand them out.

“Wh-What did you call me? Are you feeling alright....?”

With a good humored laugh, Connor nodded, “Yeah, why do you ask?”

“N-No reason.....um, didn’t you have something you were going to be doing today?”

“Nothing that I couldn’t handle before class. Come on, these pretty ladies aren’t gonna wait forever.....” Connor quickly finished handing out the papers while Negi watched in confusion. His aid was helping? He called him Negi-kun? Whatever the headmaster had him do must have been pretty significant for this kind of turnaround.

-

Setsuna Sakurazaki shivered, a cold chill rushing up and down her spine as she made for the front of the class. Negi had left about half an hour ago to find out where Ku Fei and the others had gotten off to, no doubt worried about the possibility of them being harmed. She, herself, was still trying to swallow all of what she’d been told. Some kind of dream issued targeting system? That meant that anyone and everyone was in danger, and she was feeling pressure to protect more than just one person for the first time in a long time.

The guardian set her completed test sheet down on the desk in front of Connor, who flashed her a smile, “Confident about the results?”

With a blank look, Setsuna replied, “Confident enough, Connor-sensei.” She expected him to say something about her calling him sensei, but was surprised to find he ignored it.

“That’s good, then. I’ll see you in PE.”

Setsuna exited the classroom, but was hesitant to go much further. Konoka was still taking the test, and being too far away from her would be a mistake. Sure, she hadn’t had the dream, but there were always other things that could pose a threat to her. The trip to Kyoto had been enough of a reminder that Konoka wouldn’t be safe if left alone. Asuna was in there, but was she enough? Unwilling to take the risk, she decided to wait outside the classroom for her two friends to finish. A second chill ran through her, shaking her core with an icy grip.

-

“They’re alright, then?” Negi asked Shizuna, who nodded.

“Questioning Ku Fei about her encounter with the men in masks has been long overdue, and Kaede insisted on coming along as protection. Sakurako.....may or may not know about what’s going on, so we’re checking up on her, as well. And Mana? Well, I wouldn’t worry about her. She probably just had some business to take care of.”

Hearing Shizuna explain things made Negi feel better. Something about an adult’s composure helped to set his mind to rest, made him feel like even though things were bumpy, they’d eventually smooth out.

With a heavy sigh of relief, Negi broke out into a smile, “And Connor’s back already! Whatever the headmaster wanted him to.....” He trailed off when he saw the confused look on Shizuna’s face, “Yeah, he came back this morning.....What’s wrong?”

“You.....are you sure?”

“He was acting a little off, but yeah, he’s already back.”

“Negi! Bring him to me right now!” Shizuna took out her cell, punching in the headmaster’s office, “Now!” She pointed out the door for Negi to hurry.

The boy took off down the hall, flustered and confused. A shot of wind magic helped him dash through the halls, skirts kicking up as he went, though this went unnoticed by the boy. Gauging Shizuna’s uncharacteristically urgent attitude, he could tell something was wrong with Connor. Had he been targeted? No, that couldn’t be it. He would have seen the aura, and why would that make Shizuna need to see him? He skid on all fours to slow down enough to maneuver the halls and make the corner. Did he.....do something wrong? Shizuna had been acting strange at his mention since before class, maybe.....it was ridiculous for him to think Connor had done something to the students that had missed class, right?

The boy nearly ran over Asuna, Konoka, and Setsuna as he barreled through the halls.

“Hey!” Asuna called out, bringing Negi to a grinding stop. “Where are you going in such a hurry? Come on, we’re going.....” She trailed off when she caught the panic in his eyes, “What’s wrong?”

“Is Connor still in the classroom?” He asked, wiping his brow with his sleeve.

“Sorry Negi-kun, Connor-sensei took Asakura out for lunch. He said something about starting off on the wrong foot, or something like that,” Konoka explained.

“He-He took Asakura-san out? Out where?”

“He didn’t say. They’re heading out to the trains, though. If you hurry you might be able to catch them,” Asuna stated.

Setsuna followed after Negi, who had rushed off as soon as Asuna had finished talking. “I’ll catch up to you two later! I need to talk to Negi-sensei about something,” She called over her shoulder.

“W-Wait!” Konoka called out, but was ignored. With a pout, she began to follow after the two.

“Konoka, we have plans! They’ll be ok,” Asuna stated, though she found herself following her roommate.

“Set-chan is a part of those plans, though. We’ll just have to wait for her to finish up with negi-kun before we go. Come on!”

-

“Why.....” Asakura asked timidly, her usually mischievous eyes abnormally somber and depressed, “Why the sudden interest in making a good impression with me?”

Connor laughed, putting an arm around Asakura. He felt her tense up at his touch, but she didn’t object or pull away, either. “You’re one of Negi-kun’s friends, and you’re one of my students, too. I know it must be tough for you to be one of the targets, and I should be doing everything I can to make you feel better. Or, at the very least, Asakura-chan, to make you feel safe.”

The seriousness in his tone sent tingly sparks down her back and through her legs to the tips of her toes. He wanted to protect her? His arm around her shoulders felt warm, it felt nice. She’d been on pins and needles ever since eavesdropping on Negi and his conversation with Shizuna and the headmaster which revealed the danger that faced them all. She was one of the first to be targeted, and she didn’t even know why. Confusion heaped on top of a healthy dose of fear had left the paparazzi girl sleepless since finding out. The dream itself, now that she knew the danger it actually posed, was enough to keep her from sleeping. But the fact that while she slept she might be attacked by men in theater masks was really stretching her emotions out too far.

She slowed down the pace they were walking at, letting her head find its place against her teacher’s side, allowing her eyes to ease shut as they walked. It was alright to be weak sometimes, to need someone.....wasn’t it? All she knew was that right now, his warmth against her was enough to hold back the fear which shrouded her, even if only for this moment, if only for right now. “I’m tired of being afraid,” She whispered so quietly that Connor almost didn’t hear her.

“You don’t need to be afraid when you’re with me. You can believe that, and you can believe in me. I’d never let anything happen to you, Asakura-chan.”

She had been expecting him to call her ‘Blaze’, or ‘Photo-girl’, but hearing him say her name hit her like a ton of bricks. She felt herself wince a little as he came to a stop, removing his arm from her. She opened her eyes, and was surprised to find a tear slide down her cheek.

Connor, with a sad smile, wiped the tear away, putting his hand below her chin and tipping her face up to meet his own, “I’ll protect you from the darkness. I swear.”

Asakura couldn’t understand how she had ever gotten a bad impression of the man standing before her. Strong, caring, sympathetic.....handsome.....God, was she falling for him? Her teacher? The class-rep and Nodoka going head-over-heels for Negi was odd enough, but she was falling for a teacher, herself?

“Come on, we’d better get on,” Connor mumbled, taking her by the hand. If her realization that she had developed a hefty crush on her teacher wasn’t enough to immobilize her, hand holding definitely was. It took her a second to realize that they were standing before the train, and that the doors were open in anticipation for them to get on. Once the feeling returned to her legs, which was mostly through force of will, she stumbled onto the train after Connor.

-

“Setsuna-san! I’m glad you’re coming!” Negi yelled over his shoulder as the two made a mad dash for the trains. They were both moving so fast that the people around them couldn’t recognize them, and several began to murmur about the supposed ghost which haunted the school.

“Negi-sensei,” Setsuna managed to fall into stride with Negi, glancing down at her frenzied teacher, “What’s going on? Right now, what’s happening?”

“I’m not sure,” He admitted, pausing to leap over a group of people as they conversed. Once he landed, he continued, “Apparently, Connor had something to do for the headmaster last night. He got back a lot sooner than anyone expected, and Shizuna needs to see him right away! There’s something wrong, but I don’t know what!”

Setsuna recalled the vicious chills she had caught earlier, “Something IS wrong. Connor-sensei isn’t acting like himself,” The two were quiet for what felt like forever, but probably didn’t span more than two minutes, before she broke the silence, “I think Shizuna-sensei is lying to you.”

Negi came to a screeching halt, the soles of his shoes wearing away and heating up. Setsuna came to a slower stop, about ten feet ahead of her teacher. “Don’t say that! She wouldn’t lie to me, especially about something as important as Connor. She tells me everything I need to know, and she would never mislead me!”

“She may tell you everything you need to know, but maybe she doesn’t think you need to know everything. There’s a fine line, and one that I think people are dancing across left and right. Where did she tell you Ku Fei went? What about Kaede? She wouldn’t tell you much about Connor, would she?” Setsuna asked calmly, her face blank as she scanned her upset instructor’s face, “She’s lying to protect you from something she thinks would hurt you.”

“No, she.....”

“There’s something horrible about today, I felt it earlier and I know you can feel it, too.”

“I don’t feel.....”

“He suddenly picks up the honorific system perfectly, he was polite to everyone, he helped in class, and he just took the first target out to lunch.”

“Don’t.....”

“Negi- sensei, that man isn’t Connor!”

“Don’t say that!” Negi shouted, continued the rush for the trains. He blew by Setsuna, who watched him without moving. No matter how strong he was, no matter how mature he tried to be, no matter how reliable he was, nothing could change the fact that he was a ten-year-old kid. Seeing him in a desperate panic like that reminded her of this. With a discontent sigh, she chased after her teacher.

“If that’s not him then who is it?” Negi yelled to no one, ‘If.....If that’s not him then.....where’s the real Connor?’ He wanted to believe that Setsuna was wrong, but she sounded so right. Was Shizuna trying to shield him from some truth that he couldn’t bear?

“It only just happened last.....he was just asked last night,”

She had said that, but he hadn’t thought anything of it. Maybe something had happened.....was he alright? He felt so stupid, now. Connor would have told him if he had some kind of mission lined up. He would have at least given him a call to let him know, wouldn’t he? Whoever was with Asakura would know, he would.....

“Asakura-san!” Negi shouted, trying to get the attention of his student as she looked up into the eyes of the man before her. The two entered the train, neither seeming to hear him. “”Asakura-san! Wait!”

The train began to pull away, quickly gaining speed as it went. Without even bothering to look around, Negi swung up onto his staff and took off after the train. He couldn’t let anything happen to her. He had promised her right from the start that he would protect her, that he would protect all of his students. There was no way he was going to fail. No way in hell he was going to fail!

-

Setsuna rushed to catch the train before it gained too much momentum. All she needed to do was catch up to it, that was all. She was only ten feet behind, maybe another ten feet off to the side. Sword in hand, the guardian was pumping hard, pushing herself to catch up. If Negi, who was now flying above the train, confronted the man alone, there was no guaranteeing his safety, or Asakura’s safety.

Konoka called out to her, followed shortly after by a call from Asuna.

This broke her concentration, slowing her down and allowing the train to gain ground. Had they caught up while she and Negi had stopped to talk? That was the only way, at the pace they had been moving at. With one last glance over her shoulder at the person she was duty bound to protect, Setsuna leapt into the air.

Her sword swung out of its sheath as the girl flew through the air. Pulling the blade behind her head as she overtook the train, Setsuna plunged the steel deep into the side of the train, holding on for dear life as the train hit top speed. She swung up onto the top of the train, jerking her blade free as she did so. Kneeling down to keep from flying off of the massive transport, she cast a quick look over her shoulder at Konoka, watching the girl fade away as she sped along. Even her voice inspired her to do more, to be better, stronger. Would she have been able to catch up to the train on her own? She’d never have to worry about that. She’d never be alone as long as she remembered who was important.

-

Asakura was sitting beside her teacher, who once again had his arm around her. She could tell from the first time she had set eyes on him, that he could be a charmer if he tried. It didn’t even seem like he was trying, now, though. It just came naturally. So naturally she began to wonder if he simply acted like the tough-guy he seemed to pride himself on being for the sake of his own image. The first time she ever set eyes on him.....that was when he saved Negi and her from becoming quick victims of the aura targeting system. Had she felt like this then, too?

The train was empty, save for the two. This didn’t surprise Asakura. Most students were still in class, after all. She had only gotten out early because she had breezed through the test. Not being able to sleep had helped her studying time increase by.....well, a lot. She was grateful for that, though. It had allowed her to have this time with him, a time she didn’t want to end. She didn’t even care that he was her teacher at this point. What did that matter? If anyone who frowned on such relationships could feel as safe and content as she did right then, they would not only understand, but encourage her to be as close to him as possible. She felt a little jealous of Ku Fei, Kaede, and Mana. They got to see him a lot more than she did. It seemed unfair.

Connor put his free hand on Asakura’s head, flashing her a smile as he brushed her hair back, “Don’t worry, today’s gonna be a good day.”

-----Author’s other note: Well.....how was that for a chapter? In the author’s note at the beginning I said something about the cliffhanger hopefully not chasing anyone away, but it actually picked up two reviews, which doubled my tally, pulling it up to four! So unless I get a lot of people telling me to quit being an ass and stop with cliffhangers, they’re probably going to be a lot more prominent. Like this one, for example. Will Negi and Setsuna be able to save Asakura from the imposter instructor? Asakura’s fallen for Connor? Will Negi find out what really happened to Connor, and if he does, how will he handle it? Where exactly are the four missing students? What the hell’s my problem, why didn’t I go straight to the World Tree to pick up where last chapter left off? Will any of these questions be answered in the next chapter? Depends on what people say in the reviews, I guess. I’m hoping for at least two more.....I mean, seriously, that’s reasonable, right? I see these other stories up here with, like, 50+ reviews, and I’m like, holy crap! How do I get that kind of play? And some of them are a lot shorter than mine! Some people do the ‘I want this many reviews before I update’ thing, but that’s not cool, so I won’t do that. Now that I’ve written the longest author’s note I’ve ever written, I think I’ll stop. Thanks for reading.....-----