Negima FanFiction Discussion

[deathcurse]

Chapter 5 of "Love and Duty Come in Chains" now posted on Fanfiction.net ^^.

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

*peeks in*

*tosses in offering and scuttles out*

Spoiler for Such Is:

She can’t recall when she stopped believing in magic; when the fairytales and happy endings lost the glitter she’d once treasured, when she stopped searching for monsters under her bed. She can’t recall the exact moment when she started to think that magic wasn’t real and that reality was harsh and cold.

Such was her memory.

She had computer skills, and she used them to make up for the lack of friends, family, the lack of people who weren’t there. Her school was annoying, but she figured that as long as it was reality, she would play along. She just had to survive until graduation.

Then he came.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

He annoyed her; most anything that threatened her perception of reality annoyed her, really. She hadn’t genuinely scared since the time she’d been six and she’d locked herself in the closet, and hadn’t been able to get out of the dark and small for two heart pounding, frightening hours. But the little boy named Negi Springfield annoyed her even on a bad day, but she tolerated him. He was unusual, but he was her sensei.

She respected him, if nothing else. There was no love, no real loyalty to her feelings. He was her teacher, and she the student; regardless of anything else, she would keep that boundary line and respect it. Such was her reality.

She had no love for him, not like the others. She wouldn’t lay down her life for his.

But he came for her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

She considered them friends inside, even if outwardly she denied it with every bone in her body. But she had come to care for all of them, in her own way; the loud and hard-headed Asuna, the calm and stoic Setsuna, the optimistic Konoka, the determined Nodoka, the loyal Yue, the ever baffling Chachamaru and the downright terrifying Evangeline.

She would deny it until kingdom come, but they had changed something in her.

And then there was Negi.

The loyalty, the love, wasn’t there; not yet. The boundary line had broken, and she saw the boy, but she still didn’t dare venture closer. She was concerned for him, as a stranger would be for someone far too kind, but she hadn’t thought it would go any further.

Such was her belief.

She still had her reality, a reality that had cautiously accepted the concept of their crazy group, a reality that didn’t love, didn’t trust, but was beginning to open to the world.

Then he saved her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

Those days were the only days she could truly recall being afraid.

He coughed up blood those days, jerked and screamed beneath her hands, and all she could do was bring him water, cool his face, tend to his wounds while she cursed the man named Jack Rakan with every fiber of her being. The boy named Negi Springfield would spend whole days clinging tightly to her hand as he fought his inner battle, and every moment her insides steadily turned to ice.

The line had been crossed. She didn’t know how, or why, but this boy had broken her barriers, her boundaries; he had taken her concept of reality and spun it on its head. She had friends, people who cared, people she cared about.

Magic was real.

So she talked to him, because he had made her believe again. Such was her new reality, and she accepted it. She told him how he hadn’t given up on her, how he’d held on when no one else was willing to try, how she’d admired his strength. She’d been ready, more than ready, to destroy his dream instead of facing a future where he didn’t exist.

His name was Negi Springfield, and he had changed her world. She snatched the knife, prepared to shatter his hopes of finding his father, so long as he lived.

Then he woke up, and for the first time, she cried.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

She still denies magic these days, and tries to rationalize it even when she acknowledges it; her stubbornness continues to make her friends giggle and roll her eyes, and Asuna promises once again to beat her until she believes.

Deep down, though, her conviction that magic is false is long gone. It is real; it exists. She has seen it with her own eyes, lived through it, wielded it at her fingertips. She only does it to coax a rise out of her friends; they know and play along, for old time’s sake.

She hasn’t changed all that much, really. Perhaps a little more willing to believe, a little more willing to trust; perhaps more willing to view her world with open eyes, to accept what is there and that even the impossible can be challenged and attained.

Such is the lesson Negi Springfield has taught her.

And now it’s her turn to teach the same thing to someone else.

Spoiler for Author's Notes:

1. I shamelessly admit Chisame is my favorite character and hardly gets enough love from the fandom. The above was my attempt to try and get into her head. I get the vague feeling she's probably OOC, but, well, I tried to keep her as true to character as I possibly could. I just liked the thought of trying to guess what her past was, what she must have felt when Negi came into her life and shook everything up.

2. For those who don't know or aren't certain, the three events italicized before the end are: the day Negi arrives in school, when he takes her to the class party, when he saves her from the clothes-eating monster in the magical world, and when he wakes up after fighting Eva.

3. Out of all the girls, I figure Chisame is probably the one least likely to be a romantic partner, mostly because she's been developed more as a big sister figure to him. Still, though, I think in her own way she does love him and places him somewhere special in her heart, which I hopefully managed to nail down with this piece. Any and all romantic subtext was completely unintended.

EDIT: Crap, I just realized this is a double post. @_@

From the very first few sentences, I knew it was about Chisame !

Each section is really good, terse yet descriptive . But for some reason, when I take them together, it doesn't really do it for me ....Hmm, I think it might be because there's a very similar feel/mood/voice in each section, so it feels a little repetitive when I read them all together?

Sorry if that made no sense ....

Nice "continuation" feel with the last line!

[RadiantBeam]

Originally Posted by deathcurse

From the very first few sentences, I knew it was about Chisame !

I was wondering if anyone would figure it out from the first few lines. I was trying my best not to call her name out directly or to give her any real defining features, so it was a struggle.

Each section is really good, terse yet descriptive . But for some reason, when I take them together, it doesn't really do it for me ....Hmm, I think it might be because there's a very similar feel/mood/voice in each section, so it feels a little repetitive when I read them all together?

I was experimenting a bit with the feeling and flow for this one, I admit. I didn't really want there to be this major revelation every section, but kind of this gentle, steady push that ultimately led up to the conclusion of the piece. So I was trying to keep it repetitive, with maybe a few changes in wording and such to indicate her mindset was starting to shift.

Guess it's something I'll have to tinker with to get it right.

Nice "continuation" feel with the last line!

That was my favorite part.

...

*still wants to write a Chachamaru/Chisame story* Oh goddammit.

[deathcurse]

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

I was experimenting a bit with the feeling and flow for this one, I admit. I didn't really want there to be this major revelation every section, but kind of this gentle, steady push that ultimately led up to the conclusion of the piece. So I was trying to keep it repetitive, with maybe a few changes in wording and such to indicate her mindset was starting to shift.

Guess it's something I'll have to tinker with to get it right.

Naw, it's fine!

I like how it's not DRASTIC MAJOR CHARACTER CHANGE PER SECTION!!! I guess, on a very crazy and wispy level, it feels like it's great that each section has a similar style and mood, but that maybe if each section had a different....colour, then it would show a slight progression/shift per section that might make it feel less repetitive?

.......

Gaah, I suck at expressing this! Really, it's good....maybe I'll get it better upon re-reading .

*still wants to write a Chachamaru/Chisame story* Oh goddammit.

*whistles* There's no one stopping you .....

[RadiantBeam]

Originally Posted by deathcurse

Gaah, I suck at expressing this! Really, it's good....maybe I'll get it better upon re-reading .

You really must show me these colors you speak of. I have a hard time seeing then, myself, but maybe if you pointed them out to me. *whistles innocently*

*whistles* There's no one stopping you .....

Except for the lack of a decent plot?

Okay, no, that's a lie, but still. >>

[deathcurse]

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

You really must show me these colors you speak of. I have a hard time seeing then, myself, but maybe if you pointed them out to me. *whistles innocently*

Ha! I figured it out! The colours I'm talking about are like writing poetry! So while it might be related to mood, it's more like....crafting the colour of a section by paying attention to diction, and sentence length, and rhyme and parallelism and metaphors and imagery....colour! Not so much to the point of having a drastically different style per section, but enough to add a bit of different colour and spice per section?

Except for the lack of a decent plot?

Okay, no, that's a lie, but still. >>

.........well, why would you put Chachamaru and Chisame together? =O Do they compliment each other in something that you can write a story around, or do they have a great tossaway scene in the manga you might want to explore?

[RadiantBeam]

Originally Posted by deathcurse

Ha! I figured it out! The colours I'm talking about are like writing poetry! So while it might be related to mood, it's more like....crafting the colour of a section by paying attention to diction, and sentence length, and rhyme and parallelism and metaphors and imagery....colour! Not so much to the point of having a drastically different style per section, but enough to add a bit of different colour and spice per section?

....

Well, I mean, I get what you're saying. But I wasn't really trying to do anything related to poetry writing, so I don't really see how that was a problem for the piece. =O I wasn't thinking of it in terms of colors and spices, or in sentence length and the like. I was in a flow and wrote as I went along.

.........well, why would you put Chachamaru and Chisame together? =O Do they compliment each other in something that you can write a story around, or do they have a great tossaway scene in the manga you might want to explore?

I personally just find their whole little friendship fascinating. And I find it interesting how Chachamaru was questioning about having a soul and everything, when a soul in and of itself has a pretty wide defintion.

Spoiler:

It's mainly a future fic, post MW-arc, featuring a cynical Chisame, a queen Asuna, and the like. There's also a small subplot focused on Sayo, but mainly a lot of it is Chisame having to come to terms that happened during the final battle during the fight to save the magical world and how it changed her as a person. And really, Chachamaru/Chisame just crossed my mind as a possible pairing for the fic because a lot of it is questioning what makes a "soul"; is it the intention of the person, or how they're shaped by their experiences? Can someone still change and fundamentally be the same?

[Merctrin]

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

*peeks in*

*tosses in offering and scuttles out*

Spoiler for Such Is:

She can’t recall when she stopped believing in magic; when the fairytales and happy endings lost the glitter she’d once treasured, when she stopped searching for monsters under her bed. She can’t recall the exact moment when she started to think that magic wasn’t real and that reality was harsh and cold.

Such was her memory.

She had computer skills, and she used them to make up for the lack of friends, family, the lack of people who weren’t there. Her school was annoying, but she figured that as long as it was reality, she would play along. She just had to survive until graduation.

Then he came.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

He annoyed her; most anything that threatened her perception of reality annoyed her, really. She hadn’t genuinely scared since the time she’d been six and she’d locked herself in the closet, and hadn’t been able to get out of the dark and small for two heart pounding, frightening hours. But the little boy named Negi Springfield annoyed her even on a bad day, but she tolerated him. He was unusual, but he was her sensei.

She respected him, if nothing else. There was no love, no real loyalty to her feelings. He was her teacher, and she the student; regardless of anything else, she would keep that boundary line and respect it. Such was her reality.

She had no love for him, not like the others. She wouldn’t lay down her life for his.

But he came for her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

She considered them friends inside, even if outwardly she denied it with every bone in her body. But she had come to care for all of them, in her own way; the loud and hard-headed Asuna, the calm and stoic Setsuna, the optimistic Konoka, the determined Nodoka, the loyal Yue, the ever baffling Chachamaru and the downright terrifying Evangeline.

She would deny it until kingdom come, but they had changed something in her.

And then there was Negi.

The loyalty, the love, wasn’t there; not yet. The boundary line had broken, and she saw the boy, but she still didn’t dare venture closer. She was concerned for him, as a stranger would be for someone far too kind, but she hadn’t thought it would go any further.

Such was her belief.

She still had her reality, a reality that had cautiously accepted the concept of their crazy group, a reality that didn’t love, didn’t trust, but was beginning to open to the world.

Then he saved her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

Those days were the only days she could truly recall being afraid.

He coughed up blood those days, jerked and screamed beneath her hands, and all she could do was bring him water, cool his face, tend to his wounds while she cursed the man named Jack Rakan with every fiber of her being. The boy named Negi Springfield would spend whole days clinging tightly to her hand as he fought his inner battle, and every moment her insides steadily turned to ice.

The line had been crossed. She didn’t know how, or why, but this boy had broken her barriers, her boundaries; he had taken her concept of reality and spun it on its head. She had friends, people who cared, people she cared about.

Magic was real.

So she talked to him, because he had made her believe again. Such was her new reality, and she accepted it. She told him how he hadn’t given up on her, how he’d held on when no one else was willing to try, how she’d admired his strength. She’d been ready, more than ready, to destroy his dream instead of facing a future where he didn’t exist.

His name was Negi Springfield, and he had changed her world. She snatched the knife, prepared to shatter his hopes of finding his father, so long as he lived.

Then he woke up, and for the first time, she cried.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

She still denies magic these days, and tries to rationalize it even when she acknowledges it; her stubbornness continues to make her friends giggle and roll her eyes, and Asuna promises once again to beat her until she believes.

Deep down, though, her conviction that magic is false is long gone. It is real; it exists. She has seen it with her own eyes, lived through it, wielded it at her fingertips. She only does it to coax a rise out of her friends; they know and play along, for old time’s sake.

She hasn’t changed all that much, really. Perhaps a little more willing to believe, a little more willing to trust; perhaps more willing to view her world with open eyes, to accept what is there and that even the impossible can be challenged and attained.

Such is the lesson Negi Springfield has taught her.

And now it’s her turn to teach the same thing to someone else.

Spoiler for Author's Notes:

1. I shamelessly admit Chisame is my favorite character and hardly gets enough love from the fandom. The above was my attempt to try and get into her head. I get the vague feeling she's probably OOC, but, well, I tried to keep her as true to character as I possibly could. I just liked the thought of trying to guess what her past was, what she must have felt when Negi came into her life and shook everything up.

2. For those who don't know or aren't certain, the three events italicized before the end are: the day Negi arrives in school, when he takes her to the class party, when he saves her from the clothes-eating monster in the magical world, and when he wakes up after fighting Eva.

3. Out of all the girls, I figure Chisame is probably the one least likely to be a romantic partner, mostly because she's been developed more as a big sister figure to him. Still, though, I think in her own way she does love him and places him somewhere special in her heart, which I hopefully managed to nail down with this piece. Any and all romantic subtext was completely unintended.

EDIT: Crap, I just realized this is a double post. @_@

Yes, Chisame is in definite need of more love. She has some really great character development in the manga, but it rarely gets mentioned.

So, since it is mentioned here, I obviously like this a lot. And it made me smile to think of how completely Negi has overturned her life since taking over her class .

Also, any Chachamaru/Chisame plot bunnies should be encouraged.

[RadiantBeam]

Originally Posted by Merctrin

Also, any Chachamaru/Chisame plot bunnies should be encouraged.

You're only encouraging the plotbunnies, you know. They have very sharp teeth.

Glad to know I'm not the only Chisame/Chachamaru fan out there, in any case.

[ZeroForever]

hmm I'm just waiting for a pactio that allows people to Gattai!! just for the epic crack that would result.

Chisame just needs more fanfiction in general, it's just more difficult writing a cynical realist in context specially when she didn't start developing until halfway through the series. She's my favorite as well but don't think she even scratched the top 10 in popularity polls.

chachamaru could use more focus but she's moderately popular so gets included a decent amount already.

[RadiantBeam]

Originally Posted by ZeroForever

Chisame just needs more fanfiction in general, it's just more difficult writing a cynical realist in context specially when she didn't start developing until halfway through the series. She's my favorite as well but don't think she even scratched the top 10 in popularity polls.

Mmm, probably. Either way I'll probably be doing more writing focused on her, since I find her such a fascinating character. I personally feel she probably went under the best character development in the whole series, considering where she started out when the beginning kicked off, but I know that this is mainly my personal opinion and that people will disagree with me.

chachamaru could use more focus but she's moderately popular so gets included a decent amount already.

What can I say, I'm a sucker for the Chachamaru/Chisame pairing, friendship or otherwise.

[Kurush]

*Eye twitching* ...feeling ignored again... getting too paranoid.... Time for...

Spoiler for CRACK PAIRING!:

"Bit of a real spot of danger, Negi-kun was in." Misa said as she and Madoka were packing the young magi's bags.

"Yeah." Madoka responded almost bland. There was a lot on her mind at the moment.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Misa asked her. "Worried about him?"

"...Yeah." Madoka replied after a while. "I mean... shouldn't you? You're the one of us cheers gunning for him the most." She asked the purple-haired cheerleader.

"I try not to think too much on it." Misa replied. "Sure, I knew the risks of magic when I first enrolled to become a mage like the others, but since it's Negi-kun, he'll get through. As always, no doubt."

"...Shouldn't you be more worried then, that we are actually packing his bags for his honeymoon?" Madoka inquired.

"...I try not to think too much on it." Misa said, seeming a bit more distressed now. "But now you mention it... I can't stop thinking about it."

"Vivid pictures coming to your head again?" Madoka asked her.

"More like virile ones." Misa replied. "I mean, take a look at Theo-hime. You don't find a body like that, anywhere. Okay, Chizuru-san could give a go at comparison, but Theo could blow away any competition. I mean, damn!"

"...And you think just because she has measurements men would kill for, and Negi-kun now has the body of an apparent thirteen year old, he's gonna go for it?"

"I should never have teased him that one time last year!" Misa now wailed in despair, on her knees by the bedside.

"Wait, when was that?" Madoka asked, but got no answer from her cheerleading friend. "...Hey, Misa. You're thinking too much on this. It's only for a week and Negi-kun and Theo-hime are not even in love with each other. What are the odds of them having sex on this vacation?"

"How do you know?"

How do you?" Madoka countered. "Okay, we may also be married to each other, but that doesn't mean that we're in love with each other."

"...Wait, what does that mean?" Misa made a turn about and asked her 'wife' that, leaving Madoka confused. "What's to say that we're not in love? We're friends, sure, but what if we somehow fell in love at some point and it kinda broke loose back in Arcadia?"

"...Hey, Rachel-san got careless and got us all drunk." Madoka countered, finally getting what Misa was talking about. "Someone must've brought up the subject of getting married, and we just... went ahead of ourselves to give it a try."

"Why are you trying to be so defensive?" Misa asked her.

"I know for a fact that we're both straight. We didn't even intend to get married to begin with." Madoka said. "I've never even had lecherous thoughts about other girls."

"Are you saying that because you think it is so, or because you're scared of what would happen if we did?" Misa asked now, making her spouse getting mad.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Madoka demanded to know.

"You heard!" Misa replied. "You don't think lecherous thoughts about other girls probably because you're scared of how we would react to it."

"I'm not scared." Madoka countered. "And why would I even have them to begin with? It wouldn't make sense for me to have thoughts about girls out of the blue."

"Well, what about me?" Misa asked now, making Madoka flinch. "Could you at least try to have some thoughts about me? I don't care what they are, at least try."

Madoka couldn't find an answer to that immediately. And what Misa just said then, made her think of something. Not enough to make her blush, but the damage was done. "...Are you just willing to keep this going, or something?"

"...Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you like that." Misa said, turning her head down. "And no, I don't want to keep this marriage together. It's just that... Nah, forget it."

"What? What?" Madoka reacted to her.

"Do you think... we really kissed back then?" Misa asked of her, and Madoka did an immediate spit take. "Oh come on! We were drunk in Arcadia, like you said. I can't tell if we even did."

"Does it matter that much to you?" Madoka asked her genuinely. "I know I've lost my first kiss back then, though whether it was to you or to Negi-kun, I'm not certain."

"Well, I want to be certain, at least." Misa replied to her, before bringing up an idea that would surely work on her, just to get what she wanted out of this. "Or is it that you really are scared of kissing girls?"

"Hey, I never said that." Madoka said. Technically, that was true.

"Oh? Then why don't you come and prove me wrong, hmm?" Misa inquired of her spouse.

"You know what, that's it." Madoka suddenly advanced on her friend and spouse, grabbing her by the hips with her hands. "Pucker up, Misa."

With that, the short haired cheerleader kissed the purple long haired cheerleader, making them both fall down on the bed next to the luggage they had been packing for Negi. Misa's own hands went somewhere on themselves somewhere onto Madoka's back, though that's what broke it off between them. The two of them stared at each other for a while.

"...How long, was that?" Madoka asked, being the one of top.

"...about 40 seconds..." Misa replied, still having her hands somewhere on Madoka.

"...You didn't have to grope me there, you know." Madoka tried to gain composure to herself.

"That coming from the person who went ahead to unbutton my shirt just then." Misa said, trying to get up, but she froze when she saw the person at the doorway. "...Setsuna-san!" She exclaimed, making Madoka turn as well towards the doorway.

"Er, I wasn't-" Setsuna started, stammering hysterically after seeing them. "I mean, I didn't- didn't mean to... I was only- ...I'll just, uh.... Yeah." She said, finally turning around and leaving the two spouses alone.

"...Please let no one else have seen this..." Misa said, glowing red in a blush.

"...No, shouldn't it be more directed at 'Don't let Setsuna-san tell anyone about this'?" Madoka corrected her.

"No, I've learned how to erase memories. Think we can catch her?"

"Oh, yes." Madoka agreed with her and was the first one out of there, rushing after the swordswoman.

*Pant, pant, pant* ...Finally got it out of me... Took... while to... think...something... *deep breath* ...Good.

[Merctrin]

Originally Posted by Kurush

*Eye twitching* ...feeling ignored again... getting too paranoid.... Time for...

Spoiler for CRACK PAIRING!:

"Bit of a real spot of danger, Negi-kun was in." Misa said as she and Madoka were packing the young magi's bags.

"Yeah." Madoka responded almost bland. There was a lot on her mind at the moment.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Misa asked her. "Worried about him?"

"...Yeah." Madoka replied after a while. "I mean... shouldn't you? You're the one of us cheers gunning for him the most." She asked the purple-haired cheerleader.

"I try not to think too much on it." Misa replied. "Sure, I knew the risks of magic when I first enrolled to become a mage like the others, but since it's Negi-kun, he'll get through. As always, no doubt."

"...Shouldn't you be more worried then, that we are actually packing his bags for his honeymoon?" Madoka inquired.

"...I try not to think too much on it." Misa said, seeming a bit more distressed now. "But now you mention it... I can't stop thinking about it."

"Vivid pictures coming to your head again?" Madoka asked her.

"More like virile ones." Misa replied. "I mean, take a look at Theo-hime. You don't find a body like that, anywhere. Okay, Chizuru-san could give a go at comparison, but Theo could blow away any competition. I mean, damn!"

"...And you think just because she has measurements men would kill for, and Negi-kun now has the body of an apparent thirteen year old, he's gonna go for it?"

"I should never have teased him that one time last year!" Misa now wailed in despair, on her knees by the bedside.

"Wait, when was that?" Madoka asked, but got no answer from her cheerleading friend. "...Hey, Misa. You're thinking too much on this. It's only for a week and Negi-kun and Theo-hime are not even in love with each other. What are the odds of them having sex on this vacation?"

"How do you know?"

How do you?" Madoka countered. "Okay, we may also be married to each other, but that doesn't mean that we're in love with each other."

"...Wait, what does that mean?" Misa made a turn about and asked her 'wife' that, leaving Madoka confused. "What's to say that we're not in love? We're friends, sure, but what if we somehow fell in love at some point and it kinda broke loose back in Arcadia?"

"...Hey, Rachel-san got careless and got us all drunk." Madoka countered, finally getting what Misa was talking about. "Someone must've brought up the subject of getting married, and we just... went ahead of ourselves to give it a try."

"Why are you trying to be so defensive?" Misa asked her.

"I know for a fact that we're both straight. We didn't even intend to get married to begin with." Madoka said. "I've never even had lecherous thoughts about other girls."

"Are you saying that because you think it is so, or because you're scared of what would happen if we did?" Misa asked now, making her spouse getting mad.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Madoka demanded to know.

"You heard!" Misa replied. "You don't think lecherous thoughts about other girls probably because you're scared of how we would react to it."

"I'm not scared." Madoka countered. "And why would I even have them to begin with? It wouldn't make sense for me to have thoughts about girls out of the blue."

"Well, what about me?" Misa asked now, making Madoka flinch. "Could you at least try to have some thoughts about me? I don't care what they are, at least try."

Madoka couldn't find an answer to that immediately. And what Misa just said then, made her think of something. Not enough to make her blush, but the damage was done. "...Are you just willing to keep this going, or something?"

"...Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you like that." Misa said, turning her head down. "And no, I don't want to keep this marriage together. It's just that... Nah, forget it."

"What? What?" Madoka reacted to her.

"Do you think... we really kissed back then?" Misa asked of her, and Madoka did an immediate spit take. "Oh come on! We were drunk in Arcadia, like you said. I can't tell if we even did."

"Does it matter that much to you?" Madoka asked her genuinely. "I know I've lost my first kiss back then, though whether it was to you or to Negi-kun, I'm not certain."

"Well, I want to be certain, at least." Misa replied to her, before bringing up an idea that would surely work on her, just to get what she wanted out of this. "Or is it that you really are scared of kissing girls?"

"Hey, I never said that." Madoka said. Technically, that was true.

"Oh? Then why don't you come and prove me wrong, hmm?" Misa inquired of her spouse.

"You know what, that's it." Madoka suddenly advanced on her friend and spouse, grabbing her by the hips with her hands. "Pucker up, Misa."

With that, the short haired cheerleader kissed the purple long haired cheerleader, making them both fall down on the bed next to the luggage they had been packing for Negi. Misa's own hands went somewhere on themselves somewhere onto Madoka's back, though that's what broke it off between them. The two of them stared at each other for a while.

"...How long, was that?" Madoka asked, being the one of top.

"...about 40 seconds..." Misa replied, still having her hands somewhere on Madoka.

"...You didn't have to grope me there, you know." Madoka tried to gain composure to herself.

"That coming from the person who went ahead to unbutton my shirt just then." Misa said, trying to get up, but she froze when she saw the person at the doorway. "...Setsuna-san!" She exclaimed, making Madoka turn as well towards the doorway.

"Er, I wasn't-" Setsuna started, stammering hysterically after seeing them. "I mean, I didn't- didn't mean to... I was only- ...I'll just, uh.... Yeah." She said, finally turning around and leaving the two spouses alone.

"...Please let no one else have seen this..." Misa said, glowing red in a blush.

"...No, shouldn't it be more directed at 'Don't let Setsuna-san tell anyone about this'?" Madoka corrected her.

"No, I've learned how to erase memories. Think we can catch her?"

"Oh, yes." Madoka agreed with her and was the first one out of there, rushing after the swordswoman.

*Pant, pant, pant* ...Finally got it out of me... Took... while to... think...something... *deep breath* ...Good.

Yay, crack!

*snickers* Well Madoka, even if you manage to catch her, I don't think Setsuna will be altogether comfortable with Misa messing around with her memories. It probably won't take much to convince her to never tell a soul though.

This was cute. And hilarious. Shame they're getting a divorce.

[deathcurse]

Originally Posted by Kurush

*Eye twitching* ...feeling ignored again... getting too paranoid.... Time for...

Spoiler for CRACK PAIRING!:

"Bit of a real spot of danger, Negi-kun was in." Misa said as she and Madoka were packing the young magi's bags.

"Yeah." Madoka responded almost bland. There was a lot on her mind at the moment.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Misa asked her. "Worried about him?"

"...Yeah." Madoka replied after a while. "I mean... shouldn't you? You're the one of us cheers gunning for him the most." She asked the purple-haired cheerleader.

"I try not to think too much on it." Misa replied. "Sure, I knew the risks of magic when I first enrolled to become a mage like the others, but since it's Negi-kun, he'll get through. As always, no doubt."

"...Shouldn't you be more worried then, that we are actually packing his bags for his honeymoon?" Madoka inquired.

"...I try not to think too much on it." Misa said, seeming a bit more distressed now. "But now you mention it... I can't stop thinking about it."

"Vivid pictures coming to your head again?" Madoka asked her.

"More like virile ones." Misa replied. "I mean, take a look at Theo-hime. You don't find a body like that, anywhere. Okay, Chizuru-san could give a go at comparison, but Theo could blow away any competition. I mean, damn!"

"...And you think just because she has measurements men would kill for, and Negi-kun now has the body of an apparent thirteen year old, he's gonna go for it?"

"I should never have teased him that one time last year!" Misa now wailed in despair, on her knees by the bedside.

"Wait, when was that?" Madoka asked, but got no answer from her cheerleading friend. "...Hey, Misa. You're thinking too much on this. It's only for a week and Negi-kun and Theo-hime are not even in love with each other. What are the odds of them having sex on this vacation?"

"How do you know?"

How do you?" Madoka countered. "Okay, we may also be married to each other, but that doesn't mean that we're in love with each other."

"...Wait, what does that mean?" Misa made a turn about and asked her 'wife' that, leaving Madoka confused. "What's to say that we're not in love? We're friends, sure, but what if we somehow fell in love at some point and it kinda broke loose back in Arcadia?"

"...Hey, Rachel-san got careless and got us all drunk." Madoka countered, finally getting what Misa was talking about. "Someone must've brought up the subject of getting married, and we just... went ahead of ourselves to give it a try."

"Why are you trying to be so defensive?" Misa asked her.

"I know for a fact that we're both straight. We didn't even intend to get married to begin with." Madoka said. "I've never even had lecherous thoughts about other girls."

"Are you saying that because you think it is so, or because you're scared of what would happen if we did?" Misa asked now, making her spouse getting mad.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Madoka demanded to know.

"You heard!" Misa replied. "You don't think lecherous thoughts about other girls probably because you're scared of how we would react to it."

"I'm not scared." Madoka countered. "And why would I even have them to begin with? It wouldn't make sense for me to have thoughts about girls out of the blue."

"Well, what about me?" Misa asked now, making Madoka flinch. "Could you at least try to have some thoughts about me? I don't care what they are, at least try."

Madoka couldn't find an answer to that immediately. And what Misa just said then, made her think of something. Not enough to make her blush, but the damage was done. "...Are you just willing to keep this going, or something?"

"...Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you like that." Misa said, turning her head down. "And no, I don't want to keep this marriage together. It's just that... Nah, forget it."

"What? What?" Madoka reacted to her.

"Do you think... we really kissed back then?" Misa asked of her, and Madoka did an immediate spit take. "Oh come on! We were drunk in Arcadia, like you said. I can't tell if we even did."

"Does it matter that much to you?" Madoka asked her genuinely. "I know I've lost my first kiss back then, though whether it was to you or to Negi-kun, I'm not certain."

"Well, I want to be certain, at least." Misa replied to her, before bringing up an idea that would surely work on her, just to get what she wanted out of this. "Or is it that you really are scared of kissing girls?"

"Hey, I never said that." Madoka said. Technically, that was true.

"Oh? Then why don't you come and prove me wrong, hmm?" Misa inquired of her spouse.

"You know what, that's it." Madoka suddenly advanced on her friend and spouse, grabbing her by the hips with her hands. "Pucker up, Misa."

With that, the short haired cheerleader kissed the purple long haired cheerleader, making them both fall down on the bed next to the luggage they had been packing for Negi. Misa's own hands went somewhere on themselves somewhere onto Madoka's back, though that's what broke it off between them. The two of them stared at each other for a while.

"...How long, was that?" Madoka asked, being the one of top.

"...about 40 seconds..." Misa replied, still having her hands somewhere on Madoka.

"...You didn't have to grope me there, you know." Madoka tried to gain composure to herself.

"That coming from the person who went ahead to unbutton my shirt just then." Misa said, trying to get up, but she froze when she saw the person at the doorway. "...Setsuna-san!" She exclaimed, making Madoka turn as well towards the doorway.

"Er, I wasn't-" Setsuna started, stammering hysterically after seeing them. "I mean, I didn't- didn't mean to... I was only- ...I'll just, uh.... Yeah." She said, finally turning around and leaving the two spouses alone.

"...Please let no one else have seen this..." Misa said, glowing red in a blush.

"...No, shouldn't it be more directed at 'Don't let Setsuna-san tell anyone about this'?" Madoka corrected her.

"No, I've learned how to erase memories. Think we can catch her?"

"Oh, yes." Madoka agreed with her and was the first one out of there, rushing after the swordswoman.

*Pant, pant, pant* ...Finally got it out of me... Took... while to... think...something... *deep breath* ...Good.

The banter was amusing . And don't worry Madoka, I bet Setsuna has already wiped that image from her own mind!

[RadiantBeam]

Apparently "bad mood" equals "character death and angst". Oi.

Spoiler for Red:

She wakes to discover she is warm and bleeding red.

(It amuses her, on some sick level, because that was one of her old defenses, her sharp jokes with her parents; cut her and she would bleed computer data, not blood. But oh God, oh God, it’s red.)

It is slow and faded, the pain only a dull ache as it settles in her chest, and dazed, she opens her eyes. “I’m…. alive?” Stunned and still not fully believing it she slowly sits up, sliding off her broken glasses. “I’m alive!”

With an uncharacteristic whoop of delight as her sprites crowd happily around her (“We thought you were doomed, Chiu-sama!”), she turns to her companion, her eyes alight. “That was awesome, I don’t know what you did—“

And all she sees is red.

(“Hey…. Come on, wake up. This isn’t funny. I thought you only played these kinds of jokes on Setsuna-san.”)

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

They return to Mahora Academy, hailed as heroes; over the course of the night, their leader and Negi’s oldest and most trusted partner has become princess of the New Ostia, placed in charge of rebuilding it. But she returns to school to reclaim her old place, though they look into her eyes, a mixture of life and death, and know Asuna will never be the same again.

She locks herself in her room and pours all of her energy into her computers, developing and testing new programs requested by the freshly chosen Council, an attempt to merge the usefulness of the old world with the mystery of the new.

(Computers can’t bleed, they can’t run red, and when they die they can be rebooted. She wants to forget that all she saw at the end was red.)

The skin over her heart heals and scars, and despite her best attempts she can’t bring herself to withdraw completely from society; she attends class still, with graduation looming ever closer, interacts with her friends, keeps her dry humor and wit intact by some miracle. They have changed, they have all changed, but at their core one thing is the same: they love each other, they need each other to breathe now, to function, to survive in a world that doesn’t understand what they saw.

Regardless, she and Setsuna don’t speak to each other.

(“Seriously, I knew you were always a bit of a joker, but come on, now. Open your eyes. We have to go back. Everyone will be celebrating.”)

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

She wakes up every night with a scream on her lips, her heart pounding and the scar on her chest throbbing, aching, burning. Over and over again it replays before her eyes as she sleeps; the surge of pain, the voice urging her on as healing magic pours into her body, the tears, the scream, the sudden silence. Feeling the elation, the annoyance, then the slow, horrible horror.

And guilt. So, so much goddamn guilt.

(It’s always warm and bright in her dreams; the blood, the red, the brilliant flashes. Sometimes she wakes up wondering if this time, this time for sure, the nightmare will kill her; she wakes up, seeing only red, and it never does.)

She continues to post on her blog, but gradually as the year drags on she focuses on it less and less. The girl she was yesterday feels almost like a dream, a faded memory, and when she looks back on how she was she almost laughs.

The only one who comes into her room uninvited is Chachamaru. She hoped that the robot girl would get the hint, first with sharp words and then with calm ignorance, but always she comes back; to talk, to sit quietly beside her, to keep her company when the scar aches and her memory haunts her.

She’s grateful for it, though she’ll never admit it.

¬XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX

“How was Setsuna-san at practice today?”

“She is improving in leaps and bounds,” Chachamaru says quietly; she never sounds especially interested when she’s asked for the latest news on their friends, but she always responds. “Her sword becomes sharper and more true with each passing day. She’ll probably quit school to teach swordsmanship.”

For a moment, there is only the silence and the clatter of her fingers against the keyboard.

“That’s good.”

(“Dammit, dammit, no, this wasn’t how it was supposed to happen, not for me! WHY?! Weren’t you and Setsuna-san going to travel the magical world after this so you could become stronger, work better together?!! WHY DID YOU THROW THAT AWAY FOR ME?!”)

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

She opens her eyes in the morning and sees a brilliant flash of red; she groans softly and closes her eyes. “Dammit, leave me alone,” she murmurs, but there is no heat in her voice.

(It crosses her mind now that she can’t recall what the red even means anymore; if it was the blood, the heat, or if it was the deceased’s favorite color and she never knew.)

She rubs her eyes, groans again, and reaches for her glasses, sweeping her hair up out of her face as she stumbles out of bed and prepares to face another day. She comforts herself with the knowledge that one day, the memory of red will fade.

She doesn’t believe it.

(“… I’m sorry, Setsuna-san. I’m so, so sorry.”)

Could be considered a prequel fic for an idea I currently have, since much of what happens here is the building block for the story if I ever get to it.

[isagrimorie]

Originally Posted by deathcurse

This chapter is twice as large as the previous one! It was surprisingly easy to write, despite it's length .

Love and Duty Come in Chains

Previous chapters

Spoiler for Chapter 5:

--snip--

Spoiler for Author's Note:

1. Nodoka appears! There will be another Ala Alba member appearing in Chapter 6 ....

2. I tried to flesh out Kyo a bit more, as well as provide some background on the Wallward family and what kind of internal politics may be going on there.

3. Biggest thing in this chapter perhaps is the flashbacks of Konoka and Kyo's interactions...unfortunately, these flashbacks didn't mesh as well as the ones in Chapter 2 did, but I felt like a bit of history on those two might be needed to keep Kyo a round character.

4. Bit of a reference to the manga, with Rakan's teaching Setsuna the "In Celebration Of My First Kiss With Ojou-sama Strike"!

More development on Kyo and how the lead up to the marriage agreement. And the Wallward guards who… hmm… I really am having a bit lot of trouble with them (as you already know!) I somehow find it dubious that the Wallwards, the supposed experts with all the magical text are so ignorant of Pactio rules (and importance of pactio partners) and, well, demons and how to fight them. Sorry about ragging on them, I guess it really rankled me that the Wallward matriarch had the gall to be uppity about the Kyoto Magical Association's designated security when they themselves are fail in terms of fighting!

It's really good you have people like Asuna and Eva to knock sense to Setsuna and Konoka but I really wish they'd get the message STAT or else I'll find a way to reach into their world and shake sense into 'em myself!

And the Nodoka cameo you spoke of! Awesome! Plus, I laughed at Mana's subscription *grin*.

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

*peeks in*

*tosses in offering and scuttles out*

Spoiler for Such Is:

She can’t recall when she stopped believing in magic; when the fairytales and happy endings lost the glitter she’d once treasured, when she stopped searching for monsters under her bed. She can’t recall the exact moment when she started to think that magic wasn’t real and that reality was harsh and cold.

Such was her memory.

She had computer skills, and she used them to make up for the lack of friends, family, the lack of people who weren’t there. Her school was annoying, but she figured that as long as it was reality, she would play along. She just had to survive until graduation.

Then he came.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

He annoyed her; most anything that threatened her perception of reality annoyed her, really. She hadn’t genuinely scared since the time she’d been six and she’d locked herself in the closet, and hadn’t been able to get out of the dark and small for two heart pounding, frightening hours. But the little boy named Negi Springfield annoyed her even on a bad day, but she tolerated him. He was unusual, but he was her sensei.

She respected him, if nothing else. There was no love, no real loyalty to her feelings. He was her teacher, and she the student; regardless of anything else, she would keep that boundary line and respect it. Such was her reality.

She had no love for him, not like the others. She wouldn’t lay down her life for his.

But he came for her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

She considered them friends inside, even if outwardly she denied it with every bone in her body. But she had come to care for all of them, in her own way; the loud and hard-headed Asuna, the calm and stoic Setsuna, the optimistic Konoka, the determined Nodoka, the loyal Yue, the ever baffling Chachamaru and the downright terrifying Evangeline.

She would deny it until kingdom come, but they had changed something in her.

And then there was Negi.

The loyalty, the love, wasn’t there; not yet. The boundary line had broken, and she saw the boy, but she still didn’t dare venture closer. She was concerned for him, as a stranger would be for someone far too kind, but she hadn’t thought it would go any further.

Such was her belief.

She still had her reality, a reality that had cautiously accepted the concept of their crazy group, a reality that didn’t love, didn’t trust, but was beginning to open to the world.

Then he saved her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

Those days were the only days she could truly recall being afraid.

He coughed up blood those days, jerked and screamed beneath her hands, and all she could do was bring him water, cool his face, tend to his wounds while she cursed the man named Jack Rakan with every fiber of her being. The boy named Negi Springfield would spend whole days clinging tightly to her hand as he fought his inner battle, and every moment her insides steadily turned to ice.

The line had been crossed. She didn’t know how, or why, but this boy had broken her barriers, her boundaries; he had taken her concept of reality and spun it on its head. She had friends, people who cared, people she cared about.

Magic was real.

So she talked to him, because he had made her believe again. Such was her new reality, and she accepted it. She told him how he hadn’t given up on her, how he’d held on when no one else was willing to try, how she’d admired his strength. She’d been ready, more than ready, to destroy his dream instead of facing a future where he didn’t exist.

His name was Negi Springfield, and he had changed her world. She snatched the knife, prepared to shatter his hopes of finding his father, so long as he lived.

Then he woke up, and for the first time, she cried.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX

She still denies magic these days, and tries to rationalize it even when she acknowledges it; her stubbornness continues to make her friends giggle and roll her eyes, and Asuna promises once again to beat her until she believes.

Deep down, though, her conviction that magic is false is long gone. It is real; it exists. She has seen it with her own eyes, lived through it, wielded it at her fingertips. She only does it to coax a rise out of her friends; they know and play along, for old time’s sake.

She hasn’t changed all that much, really. Perhaps a little more willing to believe, a little more willing to trust; perhaps more willing to view her world with open eyes, to accept what is there and that even the impossible can be challenged and attained.

Such is the lesson Negi Springfield has taught her.

And now it’s her turn to teach the same thing to someone else.

Spoiler for Author's Notes:

1. I shamelessly admit Chisame is my favorite character and hardly gets enough love from the fandom. The above was my attempt to try and get into her head. I get the vague feeling she's probably OOC, but, well, I tried to keep her as true to character as I possibly could. I just liked the thought of trying to guess what her past was, what she must have felt when Negi came into her life and shook everything up.

2. For those who don't know or aren't certain, the three events italicized before the end are: the day Negi arrives in school, when he takes her to the class party, when he saves her from the clothes-eating monster in the magical world, and when he wakes up after fighting Eva.

3. Out of all the girls, I figure Chisame is probably the one least likely to be a romantic partner, mostly because she's been developed more as a big sister figure to him. Still, though, I think in her own way she does love him and places him somewhere special in her heart, which I hopefully managed to nail down with this piece. Any and all romantic subtext was completely unintended.

EDIT: Crap, I just realized this is a double post. @_@

CHUI! I love Chisame! And I love how you captured her cranky voice and her journey through her denials and admissions and how the story goes full circle.

Originally Posted by Kurush

Hey.

I uh, I don't know if I should be posting this to get support or anything, since the whole thing is VERY confusing at the time this is up, but I just want Someone's opinion on this.

Spoiler for #1:

"--snip--

...Any thoughts on these? I haven't gotten any reviews or so from these two last chapters, so I wonder what people would think of this.

For those who doesn't get it: Aris stood for the idea of sending a strike team off somewhere to eliminate Nodoka, who wasn't at Mahora at the time. Negi on the other hand, rejected the idea completely and stated that they should work together to save her instead.

Practically, the strike team is not such a bad idea. They have little support to begin with, since USA and China (No Offense at all to people here from mentioned countries) refuse to throw in their magi for support to stop an alien invasion since the States claim that it is not a threat to National Security (Note: This is during the Bush regime) and China says they can hold their own against the aliens. Other states and nations, are uncertain or haven't decided due to lack of evidence of an incursion. This is understandable. The Canon Githyanki (Loyalists in story) however, offer to change that, by convincing the nations to lend support, and even bring in major military aid as well. This is an opportunity they can't ignore, if the countries of the world can't come to aid the Magi with their support.

Morally, however... Well, you get the idea.

This looks very intriguing but I think I'm coming into the very middle of the story, am I right in thinking this is an AU?

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

Apparently "bad mood" equals "character death and angst". Oi.

Spoiler for Red:

--snip--

Could be considered a prequel fic for an idea I currently have, since much of what happens here is the building block for the story if I ever get to it.

Oh! Oh! *flaily hands* Is this what I think it means??? And Asuna in Ostia and still choosing to return! (Just out of curiosity, is there a reason why Negi wasn't placed as head of Ostia?) and… still with the flailing because OMG! You killed her and now Chisame has survivor's guilt and Setsuna's guilt for not being there and choosing the sword and… OMG, how did/is Asuna reacting to one of her older friends dying? Sooo many questions!

[RadiantBeam]

Originally Posted by isagrimorie

Just out of curiosity, is there a reason why Negi wasn't placed as head of Ostia?

Spoiler for Plot Point:

As far as my reasoning has gone for explaining why Negi is still only a teacher when I get around to the full fic, my main thought was that despite being a hero, Negi was still viewed as too young to be head of Ostia (being only, like.... 11 or 12), and in my head I could see Asuna pretty much bashing the Council over the head until they let him return to the old world to have a normal life with his students.

[isagrimorie]

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

Spoiler for Plot Point:

As far as my reasoning has gone for explaining why Negi is still only a teacher when I get around to the full fic, my main thought was that despite being a hero, Negi was still viewed as too young to be head of Ostia (being only, like.... 11 or 12), and in my head I could see Asuna pretty much bashing the Council over the head until they let him return to the old world to have a normal life with his students.

Spoiler:

and in my head I could see Asuna pretty much bashing the Council over the head until they let him return to the old world to have a normal life with his students.

*snerk* Yeah. I can see that happening, Negi's already crossed far too many lines for her liking and he's going to be allowed to be a kid, dammit! And if that means bashing Council heads in to get her point across... She's not going to cry over that!

[RadiantBeam]

Originally Posted by isagrimorie

Spoiler:

*snerk* Yeah. I can see that happening, Negi's already crossed far too many lines for her liking and he's going to be allowed to be a kid, dammit! And if that means bashing Council heads in to get her point across... She's not going to cry over that!

Spoiler:

Well, either she bashes them over the head for it or she puts her second personality to work (yes, in this fic, Asuna has a dual personality issue) and coldly, calmly shuts them down and talks them all in circles until she gets her way and Negi can freely go home.

[isagrimorie]

Originally Posted by RadiantBeam

Spoiler:

Well, either she bashes them over the head for it or she puts her second personality to work (yes, in this fic, Asuna has a dual personality issue) and coldly, calmly shuts them down and talks them all in circles until she gets her way and Negi can freely go home.

Spoiler:

That is even more awesome! I think both sides would be gaping at that point, especially for her classmates expecting Baka Red.

[Kurush]

Originally Posted by isagrimorie

This looks very intriguing but I think I'm coming into the very middle of the story, am I right in thinking this is an AU?

Spoiler for Spoiler:

Yes, it is an AU. This takes place months after the events at Ostia, with an even bigger event going on than the MW coming to an end. I'm not gonna bother with telling you the whole story. Just, not now.