Negima has had quite a few different anime series during its run, many offering their own unique spin on the series. Some of these you may not have any heard of!
Negima!? Introduction OVA's
Mahō Sensei Negima! Introduction Film
魔法先生ネギま ! 麻帆良学園中等部2-A : ホームルーム
Director: Hiroshi Nishikiori Studio: Xebec Release Date: August 25, 2004 – March 24, 2005 Episodes: 3 |
What is it?
The humming of the computers, damnit, and the stupid fluorescent lights casting a vomit-inducing greenish hue over everything in this tiny little jail called "cubicle." And you know what else? The idiocy of this stupid job, and this oppressively dull atmosphere, and the poor souls damned to stare at flickering outdated computer screens until their lives have wasted away and they need eye prescriptions in the double digits. In short, life is giving Setsuna a headache. She's been doing these exact same tasks and thinking those same thoughts for the past three weeks. She may as well sleep here – all she does is go home and pretend to sleep anyway, so staying at work would at least spare her the horrible mid-morning commute. And clearly, she thinks, this job is as useless as it makes her feel. The entirety of her employment she's done nothing but type "I fucking hate this" for sixty full pages – no copy/paste, that would be cheating – and play online roleplaying games. Nobody, even her bosses, has noticed yet. In the meantime she navigates her ridiculously busty character in the World of Witchcraft and wishes that actually being a demon is as fun as pretending to be one online. Moral of the story? Demons, even half-demons, should not hold office jobs. "You need to redistribute your talent points and switch to a single-handed weapon, or else your attack speed will be too slow." Mana doesn't even need to look up from her own screen to tell her any of that. Setsuna silently curses her silly façade of a life for the two-hundred and twelfth time that day, as she had been doing since Evangeline had come to warn her over a month ago that she was destined for great pain. After her character is killed by ogres for the sixth time in the past hour, Setsuna decides now is a good time for a break. She leans back in her chair and sticks her hand in her pocket, running her finger along the edge of the card hidden there. Looking down she can just barely see the beginnings of her portrait. Setsuna hadn't even realized the picture on the card was her own until she'd begun training on Earth. With Mana. After stepping through the portal she found herself standing in a dark room, face to face with the girl that would be in charge of keeping her in line. She was intimidating to say the least, with two guns tucked into her belt, but hardly looked the part of your average demon. With no further insight than that, and spared the pleasure of an introduction, she was lead to a chair and made to sit down, and what followed was excruciating pain comparable to what she'd felt on her worst days in Hell. Setsuna had no clue what was going on – one minute she was being shoved into a seat with Mana's hand resting on the top of her head, and the next she was gritting her teeth against a headache that could only be described as agonizing. Pure, raw information that she couldn't fully comprehend was being shoved forcefully into her mind – cars, air conditioning, handshakes, palm trees, what the fuck is ice cream? For a full two hours Setsuna could feel her brain scrambling in an attempt to understand these new things. She thought it might be like trying to alphabetize an encyclopedia that's been put through a paper shredder. It took a full twenty-four hours after she'd been left slack-jawed and wide-eyed on the floor of that room to understand her own analogy, but at that point she knew her brain was done sorting. She sat up, and Mana was there. "I assume Guardian training went alright?" "I'm here, aren't I?" "I see you've at least learned sarcasm." Setsuna was pretty sure she'd already been capable of that, but Mana didn't seem like the kind of person that appreciated back-talk, and she isn't really the type to dish it out anyway. Now though, three weeks later and more-or-less situated on Earth, she feels her resolve cracking from the constant off-hand criticisms. Which brings us full-circle, back to Setsuna the fake guardian angel half-demon from Hell being picked on by her demonic watch dog about an online role-playing game. Sometimes it's easier not to acknowledge the strangeness of things. "I like my character's talent build." "It's inefficient, just like your handling of this mission." "I'm not sure why you care so much." More of the resolve cracking. "The faster you grab this girl's soul, the faster I get paid." Part of her wants to argue, but Setsuna knows she's being slow about the whole process. Even Asuna had contacted her a week ago to check on her progress and was dumbfounded that she hadn't even spoken to her charge yet. That was all easier said than done, in Setsuna's opinion. Just because she'd had the knowledge of what social interactions should look like forcibly woven into the fabric of her psyche doesn't mean she's capable of performing them. "Finished all your work I see." Startled out of her self-defeating thoughts, Setsuna swivels in her chair to get an eyeful of the stubbly chin-strap of her office manager. "Mr. Takahata," she offers in greeting, not bothering to minimize the incriminating window open on her computer. "I know this job isn't the most stimulating, but at least pretending to work will prevent me from having to turn you over to the lady in charge." Dread promptly announces itself by gouging holes in Setsuna's stomach. "I suppose that means I'm being turned in." "Yes," Takahata agrees amiably, the smallest of amused smiles on his face. "I suppose it does. I'll arrange a meeting for you tomorrow morning, first thing when you come in. Better to get it over with." Procrastinating has never sounded better, in Setsuna's opinion. He's halfway down the hall when he turns around again. "And Ms. Sakurazaki? You'd do more damage if you redistributed your talent points. Since your using a double-handed weapon, a damage-dealing specialization might be better." And with that he disappears around the doorway to the office kitchen, leaving Setsuna with the cheerful thought of I fucking hate this life. XXX Setsuna is beginning to suspect Earth is spoiling her. Even though her time on the blue planet has hardly been enjoyable up to this point, she finds she has to constantly remind herself that where she comes from is so much worse. There's no comparison between monotony and tediousness versus mind-numbing physical pain and loneliness. But somehow she still manages to find mediocre things to complain about. It's silly and spoiled, really, to even notice that Ms. Konoe's office chairs are so much more comfortable than hers. And yet as her butt sinks into the pillowy goodness of a plush armchair, she can't help that vague feeling of indignation when she thinks about the back-breaking plastic-y thing on wheels she has to go back to. Her (perhaps too serious) examination of furniture is interrupted by heels clacking on the hardwood floor. Setsuna hardly has time to notice the styled brown hair and the frustrated expression and the opal necklace and the gold bracelet and the fitted dress that's more appropriate for a date than a professional environment according to the limited fashion sense that was installed in her brain via Mana – Alright, so she notices quite a bit before her thought train comes screeching to a halt once again by the sound of heels, this time being kicked off and bounced against the wall. But only because it's hard not to notice how absolutely loaded this woman must be, even to Setsuna. "Can you believe this?" The woman throws herself on her chair in a display of impressive recklessness. She lands sideways so her head is resting against one arm and her legs are dangling over the other, pink-heart-covered-socked-feet swinging in the air. "Um," is Setsuna's sympathetic response. "He thinks he can just give me away like I'm a prize – not even! He's basically selling me to the highest bidder just to make sure his company doesn't collapse when he retires. As if I couldn't run it myself, like I need some – some – some stupid guy to just come in and rescue me like I'm a dainty princess. I don't understand why he doesn't just train me to take over instead of trying to find someone who'll probably come in and mess it all up for his own personal gain anyway." "I'm sorry?" More sympathy. Kind of. "You're right," the woman Setsuna assumes to be Ms. Konoe does a spin in her swivel chair, "I don't even really want to run this business. It's so boring – for me, anyway. I'd rather be out doing something cool, but, well, I don't usually get so mad. It's just some of these guys… I mean who wants to spend their life with a man who only marries you for your dad?" "Not you, certainly." Ms. Konoe, or at least Setsuna hopes it is or she's just wasted a lot of time, pulls her feet up on her chair so she can hug her knees. "Exactly. Marriage should be about love, and passion, and fate, right?" "I've heard that many people who get married for financial reasons end up living happily." "You really think so?" Setsuna doesn't really know, but she nods anyway. "Maybe you're right and I'm just being too romantic about it. Are you married, Miss, um…?" It's at this point the brunette realizes she'd just come storming into her office to rant at a complete stranger. "Setsuna Sakurazaki, from human resources. And no, I'm not." "I guess your father isn't trying to marry you off either, huh?" Ms. Konoe sighs dejectedly. "My parents are dead." Ah, perhaps the first truth she's spoken to a human since she'd arrived. Judging from Ms. Konoe's expression, Setsuna guesses she probably should have lied. "I'm so sorry for your loss," Ms. Konoe mumbles. She reaches her hand behind her head embarrassedly, but her voice is sincere. "That must have been very hard for you." "Not really," Setsuna shrugs, not thinking much of her boss's reaction. Another day, another social faux pas. "You seem very down to Earth, Ms. Sakurazaki. I wish I could be a bit more like you." More like tactless and ignorant of social nuances than down to Earth, Setsuna knows. As if to back up this thought, a long, awkward silence stretches between the two. It consists of Setsuna making too much eye contact and not offering a response, and Ms. Konoe still being rather embarrassed and confused by the whole exchange. And then she realizes an employee probably isn't sitting in her office for no reason. "So, uh, was there something you needed help with?" "I got caught playing computer games by Mr. Takamichi. He sent me here." "You make it sound like school detention or something." "You're not going to hit me with a ruler, are you?" There's a short silence before Ms. Konoe's laughter drowns it out. "You have such an intense expression," she says between giggles. "For a second I thought you were being serious." Well, she had been, since Setsuna's idea of detention comes from Mana's outdated memories of a highly religious private school. "I think that's the first time I've laughed all day," Ms. Konoe admits once she regains her composure. "Glad to see you're feeling better, Ms. Konoe. Is there anything you might need me for, or should I get back to work?" "No, nothing I can think of yet. Maybe I'll call you back in here when I need a level head again though," she smiles, getting up to open the door for her employee. Just as Setsuna's walking through the doorframe there's a hand on her wrist. "Ah, I did think of something! Call me Konoka, will you?" "I will," Setsuna says, closing the door behind her. XXX Mana is looking at her like she's a stray dog, but Setsuna is used to that. Plus, she really looks the part right now. Her outfit is soaked and sticks to her skin, and despite her best attempts, she somehow managed to track mud all over their apartment's carpet. "Do you know what a door mat is for?" Mana asks, pointedly and disdainfully looking at the shoe-prints on the floor. "Sorry," Setsuna offers, finally pulling her shoes off and setting them beside the door. She sits on the armchair in front of the TV and turns it on. Far from being a brain-killing activity, Setsuna actually considers TV to be educational – she learns a lot about humans from these shows, at least. Mana watches from the kitchen, waiting for her water to boil, and sighs. There's going to be a big, wet Setsuna-imprint on that chair now. And she can't even blame her for it, really. The girl isn't doing it because she's inconsiderate. Rather, it's because she legitimately doesn't understand why someone would care if their seat was wet, or if their lights were left on, or if their roommate knocks on their door at four in the morning to ask what the phrase curb stompmeans because she heard it on the TV. Mana hadn't been too happy about that one. It's too bad her information transfer couldn't be more specific. As it stands, however, the most she could do was give the other girl's brain some images and their corresponding pictures, like a child's book, so Setsuna can recognize things and their basic function. But transferring context for those words, while it would prevent many strange social interactions for Setsuna, would require Mana to transfer the context from her own memories. And she's not about to do that. The slang and sex-related words, on the other hand, are an entirely different matter, and more annoying in some ways. Mana hadn't thought it necessary for Setsuna to know phrases like friend zone and getting plastered at the time. She regrets that frequently now, and if Setsuna didn't cower away whenever Mana mentioned her desire to just implant these things in the girl's mind, she would've done it by now. The water boils and she dumps her instant noodles and soup packet in the pot – cooking isn't her strong suit – and when she turns back around Setsuna is staring out the window. "Mana?" "Hmm?" "Why doesn't the sky at home do this?" "Wasn't this explained to you?" Setsuna shrugs. "Evangeline said that our world is dying, but is that why? Because it doesn't rain?" Mana hums in affirmation and dumps her instant soup into a bowl. She joins Setsuna in the living room, resting her meal on the arm of their couch. "Most people think so. You probably weren't outside during those times, but it does rain. Just not very often. And in order for resources to be sustained, the planet needs water. No water, no resources. It'll be completely useless soon." "Ah." Setsuna touches her wet clothes thoughtfully and continues to watch the downpour outside. Mana takes a bite of her food before speaking. "How did your meeting with that woman go today?" "Um, good, I think." That doesn't mean much coming from Setsuna. "She didn't scold you?" "No. She was complaining about men, and her father forcing her to get married, or something along those lines. Then she said she'd call me if she needed advice again." Mana puts down her chopsticks, the only indication of her surprise. "You gave her advice?" "Not really, no, but she seems to think I did." That's good news for her, Mana thinks, relieved on Konoka's behalf. "Well, at least you'll have a reason to talk to her from now on. Or you could just keep getting in trouble at work." Setsuna nods distractedly and fiddles with the hem of her still damp shirt. "I was thinking…" She finally turns away from the window to face Mana, "If Heaven is so much better than Earth, why don't the angels just kill everyone and take their souls there instead?" "Because," Mana pauses, taking a second to think. "…I don't know actually. Maybe because humans are happy here. But the angels must have their reasons." '…We're all connected in one way or another, so the destruction of one life could mean the destruction of many…' Asuna's words ring clear in Setsuna's mind, but she doesn't mention it. It's not much of an explanation anyway, so she opts for turning back to the TV. They sit in silence through the commercial break and halfway through an episode of Seinfeld. Mana isn't a big fan of television, and especially not since Setsuna came around. Shows like the sitcom on right now are particularly dangerous. Setsuna narrows her eyes at the TV and opens her mouth, and Mana steadies herself for what she knows is coming. "I don't understand. What are they betting on?" Mana stares stone-faced at the screen and tries to decide if it's better to lie or tell the truth. But, well, part of her duty as Setsuna's babysitter is to help her get accustomed to the life of a human so she can properly act the part. This is part of what I'm getting paid for, I suppose. "They're betting on who can go the longest without masturbating," she finally says. "Oh." Setsuna lets that information cycle through her mind for a minute, and then: "What does masturbating mean?" This is not worth the money. Mana sets her empty bowl down on the coffee table and disappears into her bedroom. She reemerges balancing an open laptop. "Here," she puts it on Setsuna's lap. "Just look it up." Setsuna looks at the laptop and then at Mana, who has retreated back to the couch, then back at the laptop again. Finally she puts her fingers to the keyboard and types the word into Google. The gunman relishes the silence, happy at having found a less ridiculous solution than giving her naïve roommate the "bird and the bees" talk. Or so she thought. "Is that what this girl's doing?" Before thinking about it Mana turns to Setsuna, only to find the laptop's screen has been turned to face her. She gets a good eyeful of some woman lying on a desk and spreading her legs before her reflexes can kick in and turn her head away. "Damnit, Setsuna," Mana curses, trying to unsee the fragment of video. Setsuna looks at her quizzically, and Mana can only sigh and agree, "Yes, that's what she's doing." "Why do people do that?" "Why don't you try it and find out?" Mana growls, exasperated by this whole situation. She hadn't been expecting Setsuna to listen to her quite so immediately, although she probably should have, and before she can say a word the girl is stripping in the middle of their living room. "Not here you idiot!" Setsuna pauses, hands on the clasp of her bra, and waits for instruction. "Your room. Go. To. Your. Room." "Oh," Setsuna nods, "Okay." Mana lets herself sink down in her seat a little bit when she hears Setsuna's bedroom door close. How she hasn't been hit by a car or killed yet is beyond me… She glances at the spot where Setsuna had been sitting and realizes her laptop is gone. As in, Setsuna took it to her room. Probably to use as an instructional tool. For masturbation. …Damnit. XXX Later that weekend Setsuna turns the television on only to be greeted by static. "What happened to the TV?" She asks Mana, who is sitting on the couch reading. "I cancelled our cable." "Oh," Setsuna pauses, "…Why?" Mana's brain assaults her with the pornographic image her roommate had flashed her with two days ago. "It was expensive," she says, and Setsuna nods and opens up Mana's laptop, which she had kindly gifted her after the other night. She switches off the TV and opens up her MMORPG. Mana smiles behind her book. …It's definitely better to lie. XXX Like most people who get scolded, Setsuna didn't quit playing her game at work. She just got better at hiding it. On Monday she changed her desktop to a dark background and now plays in windowed mode. The stripe of black at the top of the screen works like a mirror, allowing her to see if someone is coming up behind her, and although it affects her gameplay a little to be glancing up all the time she decides it's worth the reduction in DPS. Because even though Mana told her it would be a good opportunity for her and Konoka to talk again, and even though it's her mission to do just that, the idea makes her nervous. Setsuna still doesn't understand what's expected of her by Evangeline and Mana – or by Konoka for that matter. Is it significant that Konoka had been complaining to Setsuna, and that she asked to be called by her first name? That's what friends do on TV, at least... But does one meeting qualify as "friendship?" And more than that, is that even enough for their souls to be linked? Setsuna figures it must be because she doesn't know what else would be, if not that. But Setsuna figures she doesn't know much of anything at all, so she decides it's best to sequester herself in her cubicle and quietly play World of Witchcraft. Unfortunately for her, that plan doesn't turn out like she wanted it too. On Tuesday she hears the little ping e-mail notification from her computer. She types a quick "brb" to the people she'd been doing a dungeon with – internet interactions are so much easier than real life – and minimizes the window. Konoka Konoe SUB: [no subject] Hey, you said you were sent to my office because of a game right? What was its name? Setsuna rereads the e-mail again, minimizes the window, and then reopens it. The message is, of course, the same. Why would she ask that? Does she want the name so she can block people from playing at work on the office computers? But, well, Konoka's her boss. What else can she do but answer? me, Konoka Konoe RE: [no subject] It's called World of Witchcraft. Setsuna hits the send button and frowns at her computer. This MMO is the only thing making work tolerable. She reopens her game, typing a quick "I'm back," and resigns herself to whatever happens. On Thursday, however, her game is still up and running. She hears the e-mail ping again and minimizes the window, only to find another message from Konoka. Konoka Konoe SUB: The Wastelands quest Setsuna rubs her eyes and reads the subject line again. The Wastelands is a zone in WoW, isn't it…? She clicks on the e-mail. Where the hell is Markrik's wife? … She stares at the line of text and guesses she should be happy her internet access isn't going to be restricted, but is her boss really playing an MMO at work? She figures she should answer regardless and types a quick reply before reopening her game. Another ping forces her to minimize it again though, and she sighs frustratedly when her computer lags out and she has to reset it. When the OS finally boots she checks the message. me, Konoka Konoe RE:RE: The Wastelands quest OHHHH. Thanks! Setsuna struggles for a moment, trying to decide if she should reply, and ultimately decides not to. This is already weird enough as it is, she figures. Except pretty soon it gets even weirder. A week passes, and just as she's about to forget the whole thing ever happened, she scrolls through her e-mails one Saturday morning to find another message. Konoka Konoe SUB: WORK EMERGENCY "Is that really for you?" Setsuna jumps at the sound of Mana's voice from behind her. Normally she wouldn't be caught so off guard, but the girl walks like a freakin' cat. "It's addressed to me, so I guess so." She clicks open the e-mail, leaning to the side a bit to let Mana get an easier look. Good morning Ms. Sakurazaki, There's been an issue involving your department. Because of the problem's scale, it has become necessary that we address it immediately. At your earliest convenience, but no later than 2:00pm, please meet me at the address specified below. Business dress will not be required, and I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. Sincerely, Konoka Konoe Mana's eyes skim over the e-mail and land on the address listed at the bottom. She raises an eyebrow at the street name. "That's an upper class neighborhood. The address is probably for her house." "Do you know where it is?" Setsuna asks, already grabbing her jacket from the closet and searching for a missing shoe. "It's outside of the city. You'll have to get on the metro and take a bus, and even then you'll have to walk at least a mile." Jeez, I wonder why she lives so far from everything. Setsuna shoves her laptop and power cord into a backpack and, holding her keys in her mouth, attempts to put her hair up. "…Are you really going to go like that?" "Go like what?" She mumbles, mouth full of keys. "In sweatpants and sneakers, carrying a backpack, and with your ponytail completely sideways." "Meh," is Setsuna's undignified answer, "Why does it matter?" It's only when Mana smiles that Setsuna realizes she might actually need to be worried about it. "You have a lot to learn." She turns away, seemingly done with the conversation, and Setsuna locks the door behind her and embarks on her trek. XXX They're standing outside the mouth of a huge cave. Icicles hang from the top lip and snow blankets the ground where they're standing, and one can only guess it must be far below freezing. Setsuna managed to light a fire, however, having had flint in her backpack. She sits down with Konoka across from her, enjoying some stamina-boosting grilled fish. A long sigh from Konoka reaches her ears despite the howling wind. "I don't get it," she half-shouts over the noise. "It's supposed to be right here." "Do you think we could've missed it?" "I don't see how. That cave is only, like, ten feet deep and this thing is supposed to be massive–" Setsuna stands suddenly, drawing her sword. "Found it," she says, and Konoka follows her gaze to the large, drooling, hairy yeti standing behind her. She jumps back and Setsuna unfurls her wings, swooping in to strike the creature from above. She scores a direct hit, only to enrage the beast and get swatted down like an oversized bug. "Shit," she stares at her broken arm guard, "These things are expensive to fix." Still staring at her arms, she watches a barely noticeable aura engulf her. Feeling renewed from Konoka's spell, she goes at the yeti again, striking four times in succession before a quick shout from her magic-using partner warns her to get away. She jumps back, beating her wings to stay in the air as she watches the ground explode in a glowing, fiery energy. The yeti attempts to claw after Setsuna and fails, its movements being slowed down by the charring of its feet, and it bleats its sheep-like cry as it falls to the ground. They stare at the fallen creature as if expecting it to get up again. When it doesn't, they breathe a sigh of relief. "That wasn't so bad," Konoka murmurs, approaching the yeti's body once the magic on the ground has waned. She reaches her hand in its mouth and pulls out one very large tooth – supposedly a magical item, according to the guy that'd asked them to retrieve it. Once she's successfully extracted it, she turns to Setsuna and notices her wounded arm. Konoka rubs her hands together, summoning her healing magic. "Thanks," Setsuna says in advance, "I don't have any bandages left so –" Konoka nearly jumps out of her skin when she sees Setsuna suddenly combust into a ball of white-hot flames, get stabbed by two gnomes, and then be mauled by a tiger. XXX "Oh what the hell," she can't help but exclaim, throwing her headset down on her computer desk and standing up in outrage, "Why are there so many high-level players that just spend all their time killing us?" Setsuna stares passively at her character burning to death and shrugs. "At least you got your tooth." She's used to assholes in this game taking advantage of her relatively low-level character for some quick laughs. Konoka, being a bit newer than her, is understandably more frustrated. "I'll walk my spirit back to our bodies and resurrect us, you can wait there," Konoka offers, returning her focus back to their game. She puts her headphones back on and Setsuna leans back in her chair to wait. Glancing up over the top of her borrowed monitor she takes a moment to reflect on the strangeness of her afternoon. Today is the first day she's had on Earth that broke her pattern of work, sleep, work. Even the walk here was strange. After finally reaching Konoka's neighborhood, she could kind of understand what Mana meant with her earlier remarks. Everyone had been staring at her. Despite the various people taking wide routes around her while exercising their tiny pets, it was still a pretty pleasant walk. Whereas the sidewalks around her apartment are usually uneven and end after about twenty feet, forcing her to cross the road every few minutes or risk being hit by a car, the paths here are long and smooth. Trees line the pavement and every front yard is filled with colorful flowers, and from her view on the street she could see tennis courts and pools behind the traditional-style mansions. She'd passed several people on her way here. Most of them were older woman in their fifties power walking on the other side of the street, clad in Under Armor spandex and pink Nike shoes. They all quickly pretended to be busy changing the song on her iPhones until they'd passed Setsuna completely. It's not like Setsuna's particularly intimidating, being so small, and only upon remembering Mana's words did she realize those paranoid people were all probably under the assumption that she's going to rob their houses. Konoka's maids and butlers hadn't been much better either, and she faces their scrutiny every time they walk in the room or she has to step outside it. She'd had to spend fifteen minutes just convincing them to let her inside the gate, and Konoka herself had to come to the front door and confirm who Setsuna is before she was allowed in the house. After stepping inside though, she can almost understand why. Even the furniture in the foyer is probably worth more than both her kidneys. She'd been a bit worried about spending time in such a fancy place considering her obvious lack of etiquette, but to her surprise they'd went back to Konoka's work room and the girl had jumped right back in her computer chair. Turns out she'd needed help with a few quests. Which still left a couple of things unexplained. "Konoka?" "Hmm?" "Did you actually need my help with work?" "Nope," she replies easily, casting a resurrect spell in-game. Setsuna clicks the 'accept' button on her screen, and Konoka continues, "I had to say that though. My dad goes through my e-mails because he's afraid I'm going to talk about something that might hurt the company and hackers could get a hold of it. He got pissed about the messages I'd sent you earlier, so I kind of had to lie…" She trails off, giving Setsuna an apologetic look. "How do you talk to your friends then?" Setsuna asks, disregarding the apology since she doesn't know what to do with it. Suddenly Konoka looks pretty uncomfortable, and Setsuna wonders if she said something strange. People have friends, right? I think that's normal… "Well," the brunette starts, not making eye contact, "I don't really… have those." "Ah." Guess not. Silence. Setsuna sits undisturbed through the awkwardness as only an oblivious person can, but finally Konoka can't stand the pressure. "It's – it's not like there's something wrong. With me, I mean, or, you know, I don't think so anyway… It's just that most people at work don't want to be friends with their boss, you know? And when I was a kid I wasn't allowed to go anywhere outside my yard because my dad was super paranoid since my mom died in an accident…" Setsuna lets the silence happen again, not knowing what to say to that, and Konoka can admit to herself that she might be getting a little panicked. God, she probably thinks I'm a freak… (Little does she know.) "Parents can be so frustrating," she finishes her thought and memories of her first conversation with Setsuna surface. She regrets saying it immediately. "N – not that I'm not lucky, for having a dad, you know, I mean, I'm sure you know – knew. I'm sure you… knew, uh." Pause. "Okay, maybe there is something wrong with me," Konoka mumbles, letting herself sink forward in her chair until her face is in her hands. Finally, something clicks for Setsuna. "Oh, you mean you feel bad for mentioning my parents. I don't mind. I didn't know them, so I have no emotional ties to them at all." Whatever that means. "I see," Konoka sighs in relief, "I'm still sorry though. You must think I'm an idiot or something." A moment, and then another click. "If you're embarrassed about not having friends, I really don't care about that." Konoka raises an eyebrow at the blunt choice of words. "You don't find it strange? I'm sure you have lots of friends. You seem pretty normal to me." Setsuna is pretty sure she's not normal. As far as friends go… Well, there's Asuna, that's true, but their relationship is founded on lies. And Mana is paid to be in her company. The only person that even comes close is Evangeline, but she only talks to Setsuna very rarely… "I don't really know. What constitutes friendship?" "I don't know either," Konoka admits, and then continues shyly, "But, if you want, you and I can be friends, and then we can figure it out. You know, and play games together and stuff…" The girl lets her sentence hang and waits for a reply. Anyone but Setsuna would've been struck by how childish and silly that proposition sounded, but instead she just shrugs and says, "Yeah, sure." Despite Setsuna's nonchalance, Konoka is practically glowing. "Really? Are you sure? This is going to be awesome – there's a ton of stuff I've always wanted to do but I never really had anyone I could enjoy it with, but now I can just call you up, right? I mean if you're not busy, of course, and you don't have to hang out with me but –" I kind of do, though… "I'd like to hang out with you," Setsuna cuts her off there, "But I don't have a cellphone, so you'll have to e-mail me." "You don't have a phone?" "I don't have any friends, so I don't really have anyone to call." Konoka guesses that makes sense. "Okay, in that case I'll just –" She's interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come in." An older maid steps into the room and nods politely at the guest before turning to Konoka. "Miss Konoka, your father is here to discuss some business with you." "Daddy is? Is he downstairs?" "He's coming up now, actually." A man's voice echoes from down the hallway, presumably Konoka's father, and it sends the girl into a flurry of action. She promptly closes the games open on both the computers and hurriedly shoves the extra monitor into a closet before going back for the computer and doing the same. She guides Setsuna back into her chair and reaches for the girl's laptop, lying closed on the corner of their desk, and opens it to face Setsuna. She's just sitting down in her own chair when her dad walks in, and she reverses the motion quickly to make it look like she's just standing up instead. "Dad!" "Konokumpf – " She jumps at him in a tackle-hug more appropriate for a kid, and he pats her on the back and says about as much. "Aren't you getting a little old to be doing that?" "You've been saying that for ten years dad. Hasn't stopped me yet." He only notices Setsuna when his daughter releases her death grip, and the smile drops off his face immediately, his expression settling into something more business-like. "Konoka, you didn't tell me you had a guest." "Ah, oh yeah, I forgot," she smiles and gestures at Setsuna, who hasn't budged from her chair. "Dad, this is Setsuna Sakurazaki. She's an employee in human resources." He sticks out his hand and Setsuna gets up to shake it. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Konoe," she says and drops his hand to pile her things back in her backpack. "Nice to meet you, Miss Sakurazaki," he answers just as politely, but his eyes follow her as she gathers her laptop and puts her belongings away. A nudge from Konoka snaps him out of it. "Don't be so rude, daddy, she's just here to help me with computer stuff." He rubs the back of his head in embarrassment, and Setsuna can quite easily see the resemblance between the two. "I'm sorry," he offers, smiling now, "I'm just very protective of my daughter. Please excuse me for being rude." "That's alright. If you don't mind, I'll be going now. My roommate is expecting me back shortly." "Of course," he steps aside from the door and gestures for her to step through. "Get home safely." Setsuna leaves without another word, but despite his apology she can feel his gaze burning a hole in the back of her head. ffffffffffffffffffffjgchbvhgcvhfvjgchfchfchcchchhcyucfy hgcjyvufbjhgvghhhhhjhhjhhhhhh Konoka really hadn't been kidding about wanting to do things together. The following Monday she'd even gifted Setsuna a phone for the express purpose of calling each other whenever they wanted. Although Setsuna learned from Mana that refusing an offer is the polite thing to do, she hadn't argued too hard about that once she learned she can manage her WoW character's equipment using an app. Beyond that, there's also the convenience of an interactive bus schedule, a GPS, and not to mention Angry Birds. "Where did you get that?" Mana leans over her desk to check out the fancy iPhone. "Konoka gave it to me." She's about to ask why, but spots the person in question walking towards them anyway. Several employees straighten up in their seats, a few wiping drool off their faces, as Konoka makes her way past the cubicles. She leans against the back of Setsuna's chair and watches her play games for a moment before speaking. "Enjoying your new phone?" "Yes, actually," Setsuna responds while slicing a flurry of strawberries in Fruit Ninja, "Thank you again." "Don't worry about it," Konoka waves the thank you off and waits for Setsuna to be done with her game. Four minutes later she's still going at it though. Another three minutes and Setsuna's score is completely off the charts. "You have some seriously ridiculous reflexes," Konoka comments, genuinely impressed. "I've had a lot of experience with sharp objects. You kind of have to be fast." A few feet away Mana puts her hand on her forehead and shakes her head. Who says that? But to her surprise, Konoka goes right along with it. "Let me guess… in WoW you're a warrior, but I think in real life you're more like a rogue? Or maybe a ninja or something, like my dad." Setsuna finally looks up from her phone, purposely losing her game. "Your dad's a ninja?" "Um, kinda… actually, there's something I wanted to talk to you about in my office." Pause. "Is it about your dad being a ninja?" Thunk. Mana can't help but let her head hit her desk at that remark. It's completely miraculous that Konoka even wants to talk to someone as absurdly maladjusted as Setsuna. She's still not even sure what brought it on in the first place. But then again, Konoka herself hardly seems the perfect picture of normal either. Her reactions are pretty unusual, and despite her social class, she hardly seems to care about who she spends her time with. Or what she spends her time doing, for that matter. It's hard to tell if she's too nice, or just oblivious, but either way it's turned out rather conveniently for Setsuna. The two make quite a pair. As far as the strangeness goes, Mana can only guess it's due to her upbringing. And apparently having a ninja as a father. Konoka puts her hand behind her head nervously, a doppleganger of her father, and admits, "Kind of, actually." She leads Setsuna to her office and Mana's slightly disappointed to see her entertainment go. At least until she spots Setsuna's iPhone on her desk. She decides she's going to have to give the girl a lesson about leaving her nice things in the open. But until then: Fruit Ninja. XXX Setsuna is sitting comfortably in her favorite chair and spinning a pen between her fingers. Staring out at the skyline of the city from the huge windows along the wall, she half-listens to Konoka rifling through papers and mumbling to herself. "Where the heck did I put it…" Slamming a drawer shut she stands up and leans against her desk, tapping her nails on its surface. "Ah ha!" She goes to the file cabinet against the wall and pulls out some folders before finally coming back to sit down, letter in hand. She plops in her chair in that unusual way and this time lands cross-legged. "Here it is." Setsuna stares at the envelope on the desk. It's blank except for a name: Eishun Konoe. "Is that for your dad?" Konoka shakes her head. "Nope, it's from my dad. This company works pretty closely with a particular contracting firm – one of the biggest in the world. Their CEO is currently in Japan doing some project or other in Kyoto, and since it's part of my job, my dad's sending me there to 'maintain relations' or something," she explains, air-quotes and all. "I see, so the letter is for this company's representative." Konoka shakes her head again. "Not quite. Talking to this woman is kind of a side-task. He's actually sending me there mostly just to deliver this. It's for some of his personal business associates, not related to the company…" She goes silent for a second, fumbling with her words. "My dad is… I know this is kind of obscure, but have you ever heard of an old-school martial art called Shinmeryuu?" Setsuna abruptly stops spinning her pen. "Your dad trained with them?" "Oh," Konoka looks appropriately surprised, "So you know about them?" "I've heard of them." If "heard" and "impersonated" mean the same thing, anyway… "That puts you a step ahead of most people," Konoka says with a smile, glad she doesn't have to explain too thoroughly. "They believe in all kinds of weird stuff, so I never had much to do with it. Not that I'm opposed to things like fortune-telling or stuff like that," she corrects herself quickly, "But these guys take it to a whole new level; it's kind of cult-like. They seriously believe they protect the world from evil." Konoka rolls her eyes at the supposed absurdity while that very same "evil" shifts nervously in her seat. "Anyway, my dad actually became one of their leaders while he lived in Japan." "Your dad helps run the Shinmeryuu?" Konoka shrugs. "I guess so, yeah." That is very not good for her mission, Setsuna knows. The Shinmeryuu's cult-like insistence that they protect the world from evil exists because they actually do protect the world from evil. Or demons, as the case may be. Setsuna is only vaguely versed in their behaviors from Evangeline, but she knows they're not to be messed with. She's no slouch with a sword herself, but there's no doubt in her mind that someone as presumably skilled as Konoka's father could kill her pretty easily. And probably without anyone noticing. Is that why her dad was staring at me like that? Could he tell? There should technically be no way to identify her as a demon just by looking at her, and her half-humanness should hopefully help disguise any metaphysical traits that would otherwise give her away. But that doesn't mean it's not possible. But considering how protective he is of Konoka, I doubt he would've let me walk away from that house so easily if he knew what I am… Regardless, this is not good. Konoka thankfully interprets Setsuna's nervousness as disbelief. "I know it's kind of hard to believe in that type of stuff, but my dad's super into it. And the reason I'm telling you this is because," she averts her gaze, "I know we don't know each other that well, but I can tell you have a really level head. I could use that while I'm in a foreign country trying to do business I hardly know anything about. So I was kind of wondering if you'd come with me…?" "To Japan?" "Yep." "Where the Shinmeryuu are?" "Yep." …Shit. On the one hand, saying yes could end very, very badly. Not only is there the potential of being killed and getting her soul sent back to Hell, making it extremely difficult to explain to Nagi and Asuna what happened, but if everything were found out, the angels would be on full alert. There's no way she, or anyone else willing to try, would get another chance at this. On the other hand, saying no would undoubtedly put a big dent in her progress thus far. And depending on how long the trip is, it might also be difficult to pick back up where they left off. Not to mention she'd have Evangeline and Mana complaining about how long it's taking her to get anything done. "How long would we be gone?" She finally asks. Konoka smiles, taking her question as a positive sign. "Three weeks. And don't worry; the company will pay for everything. We even get first-class tickets." "Tickets to what?" "The airplane, silly." Airplane? Well, she's never been on an airplane… And hadn't Evangeline told her to enjoy herself? …Kind of? "Okay," she says finally, and Konoka bites her lip to contain a girly squeal. "Thank you thank you thank you! It'll be so much more fun if I have someone going with me. We're supposed to leave this Thursday, is that alright with you?" "That should be fine. Let me run it over with my roommate and make sure I'm not forgetting anything." "Sure," Konoka says, still smiling, "This is going to be so cool…" I certainly hope so, Setsuna thinks, trying to hide her nervousness. XXX Setsuna waited until after work to discuss the trip with Mana, and now she's glad she did. "Do you realize how idiotic this is?" Mana shouts – or as close to shouting as the apathetic girl can get, anyway. "I don't think it's so bad. It's not like I have to walk in there with her when she hands the letter over. Besides, don't you think it'll be a good opportunity to get closer to her?" Those are valid points, but Mana still can't help but be worried about it. If it were her, or someone with more experience, she could trust that even if the Shinmeryuu were suspicious she could talk her way out of it or remedy the situation through force. But Setsuna? Setsuna wouldn't even realize she'd walked into the damn school until she was face-to-face with a sword pointed at her. She takes a deep breath and holds it for a second before exhaling. Maybe that's a bit harsh. Setsuna is hardly the most appropriate candidate to bump noses with an opposing force, but she has come quite a way since she'd been dropped in their living room. And the trip would undoubtedly speed up her progress, which means the money comes in sooner. Still, Mana can't figure out how the hell no one had mentioned that her boss's father is a leader of the most prominent demon-slaying school on Earth. It's kind of a big oversight. "That's true," Mana concedes, "But if you're going I want you to be able to contact me if anything goes wrong." "You mean on the phone? I think I have international calling –" "Verbal communication could be risky depending on the situation. Wait here." Mana leaves her in the living room and disappears into the kitchen. Setsuna can hear a couple of drawers opening and closing, and the taller woman reappears with a paring knife in one hand and the kitchen's rug in the other. Setsuna doesn't like where this is going. "What are we doing with those?" "Making a contract." She puts the rug on the floor and gestures for Setsuna to sit across from her. She does so, though tentatively. "What kind of contract?" "It's called a pactio. I think you made one with Asuna, although you probably didn't realize it. You have the card for one at least." Setsuna's been keeping it faithfully in her pocket despite the fact that she has no idea what it does. Pulling it out, she examines her picture and the various symbols in the corners. It's certainly pretty, with its white background and the circular diagram imprinted on the other side. Her own image appears apathetic, being true to her nature, and her wings are half folded against her back. In one hand she carries the long blade she'd trained with when she'd been in Heaven. Since she'd lied about being part of the Shinmeryuu to explain her lack of reaction concerning the existence of an alternate dimension, they'd offered it to her as her personal training weapon. 'To help her get accustomed.' The irony is, unfortunately, lost on her. "I guess I must have; maybe while we were training or something. I don't know what it does though," Setsuna admits, placing the card on the floor. "A card of that power probably has two functions. The first is telepathic communication. If you touch it to your forehead, the person it's linked to can hear your thoughts." "I think I remember Asuna saying something about that," Setsuna agrees, putting the card back in her pocket. "The other function is to call forth your true image. As you've probably noticed, Guardians alter their appearance slightly when they come back to Earth so they're not approached by people they knew while they lived here." "Oh. That's why my eyes are black and I'm not so pale, then?" Mana shakes her head in disbelief. That someone could notice their appearance change and not question it is… something. She's not sure what, but it's certainly something. "Right. The image on the card will always be what you actually look like, although angels always appear with their wings, thankfully for your cover. However, unlike most angels on Earth, If you activate it your wings will also return. And possibly that sword," Mana adds after a moment of thought. "Beyond that, depending on how the pactio is made and who it's made with, you may also get a special item that can be summoned as well. But ours won't be powerful enough for that, so don't bother yourself with those details." "So how do we make one? I don't remember doing it with Asuna." Mana lifts the knife to her arm and tests its sharpness before responding. Seemingly happy with the result, she replies, "That's probably because she activated the pactio while you both were already bleeding from training, and you'd already consented by signing the Guardian's contract. That's one of two ways to do it: by exchanging blood." "What's the other way?" "It can also be invoked by a kiss." "Oh. Well why don't we just –" "No." "But –" "No." "Okay," Setsuna sighs, not really understanding what the big deal is. It's a pretty simple act, and to her it certainly seems more attractive than cutting herself open. Mana holds the knife out to her. "Certain spirits govern the making of pactios, and it has to be clear the contract is consensual. Do you agree that providing your blood makes you a willing participant?" Setsuna eyes the knife and sighs in resignation. "Yes." She grabs it by the handle, trying to decide how to go about it. Finally she grips the blade loosely with her left hand, and with nothing more than a grimace, pulls it through with her right. The blood comes quickly and spills onto the rug. Setsuna looks at Mana for approval and the gunman nods, taking the blade and repeating the action on her own hand. They push their bleeding palms together. "Pactio, invocationem." For a moment nothing happens and Setsuna thinks maybe it didn't work, but a glowing light from the floor quickly proves her wrong. It flashes only briefly, but it's long enough for her to recognize the diagram. When the light dies down Mana separates their hands and picks up the two cards sitting between them. She glances briefly at the picture before handing one to Setsuna. "The picture's different," Setsuna remarks, turning it over in the hand that isn't bleeding profusely. It's only a slight difference in position and angle, but the colors of the card itself are reversed as well; the background is black and the lettering is white. "The image changes depending on who you make the contract with. The coloration is due to our demonic heritage." Setsuna goes to put the card away but changes her mind. "How would I summon my wings, if I need them?" "Hold the card and say adeat. Reversing it would be abeat. Just don't do it accidentally," Mana warns. She can already imagine Setsuna attempting to activate the contract in an inappropriate place just to see if it works. "I won't." She pockets the card and lets Mana pick up the rug to throw in the washer, and they both rifle through the medicine cabinets for bandages. After running through a few more details with Mana and establishing that, yes, Setsuna will not jeopardize her mission or Mana's paycheck, she's finally dismissed. When she's back in her room Setsuna opens her window and leans out, taking a deep breath and staring at the tree line in the distance. She idly plays with the two cards in her pocket and thinks about her wings, and how nice it would be to fly out this window. No chance of that, though. To preserve her identity, Mana had sealed them for her when she'd arrived on Earth. Even though she'd been born with wings, she'd never really gotten to use them. Just having them in Hell got her locked up and abused; she'd hate to see what would've happened if she'd actually flown. Setsuna frowns, memories of her early life coming to the surface of her mind. The abuse had never made much sense to her. Demons despise angels – she's aware of that – but her wings are demon's wings. Angels' wings are made of magic, while hers are physically attached to her back; and besides that, they're only white because of a genetic defect Still, they'd looked close enough to the angels' version for her to be made an example out of anyway. Ironically, they're the same reason she was selected for this mission, and now it's her that's going to rescue her tormentors from certain doom. She was the only one in Hell able to pass for an angel both physically and spiritually, having a half-human soul. Setsuna sighs, not wanting to think about where she'd come from. It's much easier to forget. Still, the thought of flying lingers. Her trip to Heaven had been the first time she'd ever reallygotten to be airborne. The feeling was incredible. Turning away from the window, she leaves the cards alone and gets ready for bed. Even if she won't be using her wings, hopefully she'll be up in the sky on Thursday anyway. XXX On Wednesday night there's a minor debacle concerning Setsuna's lack of passport. "You couldn't have told me you didn't have one earlier?" Mana gripes, putting on her overcoat and grabbing her keys off the hook. "I didn't know I needed one." Mana decides not to argue any more than that; it's partly her responsibility for not realizing it sooner. Setsuna couldn't possibly have a passport because even if she'd ordered one the first day she'd gotten here – which she couldn't have because her forged birth certificate and social security card weren't made yet – in all likelihood she still wouldn't have gotten it in the mail by now. But it's still obnoxious to have to run out at eleven at night to do some expensive fake ID making with a few shady individuals. Regardless, she gets it done and arrives back at the apartment looking a bit worse for wear at around six the next morning. Setsuna's just finished packing at that point, and Mana tosses the forged passport on top of her suitcase. "You're going to want to leave now if your flight's at nine. It's going to take you at least an hour to get to the airport." "Thanks," Setsuna says, gesturing at the passport, and heads out the door. After struggling through check in and security with the directions of a friendly concierge, she manages to make it to the departure gate with an hour to spare. She finds Konoka sitting with a People magazine spread across her lap. "Hey!" She calls out, pulling a headphone out of her ear and looking up from an article about Jennifer Aniston's wedding, "Did you get through everything alright? I would've come to pick you up but my dad insisted we come straight here." "It was fine. I've never been in an airport though, so I had to get scanned when I couldn't figure out security procedures." "You've never been in an airport?" "Is that strange?" Setsuna puts her backpack down and takes a seat, pulling out her phone to check the time. "I don't know actually," Konoka offers sympathetically. "I kind of assumed everyone flies at some point or another, but I guess maybe today is your 'sometime.'" Setesuna's about to say that she has flown, just not on a plane, but figures that might be too hard to explain. Instead she grabs her laptop out of her backpack. "Want to do a dungeon while we wait?" "I don't know how good the wifi is here, but we can try." Forty-five minutes into their adventure a voice comes on over the speakers announcing that their plane is boarding the passengers in first class. Konoka leads them to their seats: huge comfy armchairs in a special, secluded cabin complete with a bar area and full service breakfast menu. They're greeted by wait staff and an apology that "they're out of red wine today, so white wine is half-price." Setsuna stares at the scene and tries not to let the absolute awe she's feeling show through. This is more luxurious than anything she could've ever imagined, and Konoka let her have the window seat. It's hard to imagine that for other passengers on their flight this is all nothing particularly out of the ordinary, when for her it's literally the best day of her life. Despite her best efforts to maintain some air of normality, some of her surprise does show through, and Konoka watches the other girl's amazement at the scenery outside the window during takeoff. That expression is priceless, she thinks, trying not to laugh at the child-like wonder on Setsuna's normally stoic features. They haven't known each other very long at all, but as far as they've been together she's never seen Setsuna look so… something other than apathetic. Konoka decides that, although she isn't one to rub her money in other people's faces – or at least not on purpose –she'll make an exception today. "Are you hungry?" She asks, handing Setsuna a menu. "Kind of, but I can't really afford –" "Get anything you want, my treat." "Really? Is that okay?" Even though using her money is kind of a cheap way to start a friendship, this has been the only thing thus far to get any kind of real reaction out of the girl. Setsuna actually looks happy. Heck, I might even be able to get her to smile for once. "Sure. And help yourself to dessert too, and drinks if you want them." Setsuna opens the menu and her eyes pour over all the options. Thus far she's only had what Mana can "cook," and what she's learned to "cook," which basically means anything that doesn't involve steps more complicated than boiling water. Blueberry buttermilk pancakes, chocolate chip waffles, corned beef hash with eggs … She tries to remind herself to keep her cool – normal people don't freak out about breakfast – but faced with the idea of endless gourmet food she's never tried, it's pretty difficult. Konoka watches her, but it's still not quite a smile. She tries again. "And if you want, I think these chairs also do massages, and – oh, we can watch a movie or two if you like; they provide headphones and everything." There we go. "This is incredible," Setsuna gushes, surprisingly infectious smile intact, "But are you sure it's okay? It's kind of expensive." She's asking mostly per Mana's instructions about being polite, but she's already flipping through the viewing options on the TV. "Like I said Silly, it's totally fine. That's what friends are for right?" "Then I think I won't be a very good friend," Setsuna remarks, thinking of her bank account. She'd been taking Mana's advice about saving, and mentally counts how many of these items she could afford. Not many. Konoka laughs at the not-quite-a-joke, seemingly perfectly content with that arrangement. "Don't worry about it; I'm sure you can pay me back another way some other time. For now, what do you say we eat breakfast?" Setsuna is more than happy to take that deal. XXX 2 Hours, 1 Drink XXX "Enough is enough! I have had it with these motherfucking snakes on this motherfucking plane!" Even though it's the third time she's seen this movie, Konoka can't help but crack up at that line. "This movie is so ridiculous," she says between giggles, trying to stifle the noise for the sake of the other passengers. Setsuna nods in agreement. "I don't understand why the gangsters didn't just get on the plane and kill the guy themselves." Konoka shrugs and takes a sip of her Gin Fizz. "Because then there wouldn't be a movie." "That makes sense, I guess." XXX 4 Hours, 3 drinks XXX "Oh man, is it me or does this feel extra good right now?" "I don't really have a baseline to judge from," Setsuna replies, voice shaking from the vibrations of the massage chair, "But it feels pretty amazing." They're both lying in their chairs, reclined to the maximum and letting the automatic massagers do their work. "I dunno," Konoka stretches languidly and sighs in contentment. "Maybe I just drank too much. These things just taste like lemonade though; it's hard to believe there's really alcohol in them." Setsuna picks up the glass and stares dubiously at the liquid inside. With the go-ahead from Konoka she takes a sip. "It kind of has a weird aftertaste, but it's pretty good." "Here, try this one," Konoka points to a drink on the menu. "I've had these before, they just taste like peaches." XXX 6 Hours, ? XXX Setsuna can admit that she's stumbling a bit coming back from the bathroom. She's seen other people get drunk on TV and in movies, and they always seem to make such huge asses out of themselves. She hadn't really understood why, or why someone would purposely incapacitate himself – until now, anyway. It's kind of fun to be a little out of your head. "Hey, hey," Konoka holds up the gossip magazine she'd been reading earlier, "Who do you think's hotter: Chris Hemsworth or Channing Tatum?" "Um, I dunno," Setsuna squints at the pictures. "They both kind of look the same to me." "Ahh, I see. Buff, blonde, white men not your thing?" "I'm not sure if it's that, exactly; I just don't really look at men." Konoka sits up suddenly, mouth agape. (She's definitely drunk.) "Oooooh, you like women then? Hey," she nudges Setsuna in the ribs, "Have you ever slept with a girl before? What was it like?" "Er, wait," Setsuna replies quickly, "No to both those things. I don't really look at anyone," she corrects herself, noting again how much easier it is to talk with alcohol in her system, "And I've also never slept with anyone." "You've never –" Konoka cuts off her exclamation, noticing that some other passengers are glancing at them sideways. Pausing momentarily, she continues a bit more quietly when the spectators have lost interest and looked away. "You've never had sex?" "Nope." "Are you super religious?" "Not at all." Konoka puts her thinking cap on and is suddenly struck by a thought. She leans back to get a better look at her traveling companion. "How old are you?" That's a good question. Setsuna really has no idea. She pulls out her passport and checks the date inside. "Apparently I'm twenty-four." Konoka raises an eyebrow at her, obviously skeptical. "How can you not know how old you are?" "Uhhh…" Maybe drinking wasn't the best idea. "I didn't ever meet my parents," Setsuna blurts out. "They dropped me off at an orphanage when I was really young, before I can remember. Apparently they lived pretty crappy lives and thought I'd have a better chance without them." Setsuna crosses her fingers and hopes her travelling companion doesn't catch on that she stole her story from Futurama. "That's incredible," she mumbles, enthralled by the idea. Setsuna allows herself a mental sigh of relief. "What was the orphanage like?" That, at least, is easy to answer. "Hellish." XXX 10 Hours XXX They're two hours from landing and Konoka has officially passed out. She fell asleep strewn across her chair so that one leg is laying across Setsuna's lap and both her arms are dangling off the other side into the aisle, which would have certainly pissed off the stewardesses if they weren't in first-class and trained in the frustrating art of 'the customer is always right.' Even if the customer is drunkenly blocking half the walkway. Except for the offending limb, Setsuna doesn't notice much of that though. She's staring out the window at the clouds, no longer inebriated, and wonders about her earlier conversations with Konoka. How is she supposed to "get close" with this – this ridiculous, upbeat, naïve girl who she has nothing in common with? It's not like she dislikes Konoka or anything; as far as people on Earth go, she seems far more pleasant to spend time with than any of the other humans Setsuna has run into. But her mind is loaded with questions: she doesn't have anyone to help her, she still has very little idea how the Earth works, let alone the human mind, and she's never had any friends or experiences that could possibly be of use now. Except, maybe, Evangeline. Would she call the vampire a friend? She'd certainly like to. Evangeline is the only person in Hell that'd ever spoken to her without malice, and had even been so kind as to stick up for her on occasion and lighten her "punishments." But friendship? Friends are supposed to spend lots of time together, and do fun things, and tell secrets… But Setsuna doesn't have any secrets (from Evangeline anyway), and they couldn't possibly have done anything fun in their situation, so maybe that's why? Or maybe it's just because her idea of friendship comes from watching My Little Pony. Determined to solve the mystery, she puts Konoka in a reasonable position and retreats to the bathroom. With the door shut behind her, she pulls out the little compact mirror Evangeline had gifted her and opens it. She's half expecting it to ring like a telephone, but it doesn't, and all she can see is her reflection. Until Evangeline's face appears in the mirror, causing her to nearly jump out of her skin. "Setsuna?" The girl in question pulls herself together and holds the mirror up so they're face to face. "Hi." "Is something wrong?" Evangeline asks, cutting right to the chase. "Um, no, not really. I kind of just… wanted to talk." The vampire raises an eyebrow and Setsuna thinks maybe this wasn't such a great idea. "Okay, so talk." "…So how are you doing?" "Oh, you know, just fine and dandy down here in Hell watching this planet wither and die." Setsuna winces at the remark. "Ah, well, I'm working on that. I'm actually with Konoka now; we're headed to Japan for some kind of business." "She invited you on a trip? I'm impressed." "Really?" Setsuna can't quite keep the excitement out of her voice. Even if she can't call Evangeline a friend, she's certainly a mentor of sorts, and who doesn't want to impress their teacher? "Yes, actually." "I'm glad," Setsuna says happily before allowing her anxiety to show through. "But I've been kind of worried…" "…About?" "About getting close to Konoka. She said she wanted to be friends with me, but I still don't really understand what it is I'm supposed to be doing." Evangeline smiles, and it's hard to tell if it's patronizing or if she's just amused. "Oh, the complications of humanity," she rolls her eyes. "This isn't a concept that's easy to explain. How about you just… act natural? No, that won't work for you. Hmm…" She disappears from the mirror, reappears, then disappears again. Presumably pacing. "Okay, think of it like this," her image pops back up again. "You know you're close to someone when you're able to predict their thoughts and feelings because what they're thinking and feeling affects how you think and feel. Does that make sense?" Setsuna considers the idea for a solid minute. "No, not really." "Don't worry, it will eventually. Until then, try not to worry too hard about it. If anything, remind yourself that she has a mind and emotions just like you do, and don't forget the golden rule. " "Rule?" "Treat others as you would like to be treated." Although she means what she's saying, it's obviously difficult for Evangeline to take that seriously. "Okay, I think I can do that." "Great. Now if there's nothing else –" "Wait!" Setsuna holds up her hand reflexively even though the other woman can't see it. "There's just one more thing. Are we… close?" "No." Setsuna visibly slumps. "You're such a dope," the vampire sighs. "If it makes you feel better, I consider us friends anyway." "That's -!" "And," she continues, cutting Setsuna off, "Don't forget when you're done with your mission you'll be a hero. When we're on Earth and not in such a hurry, maybe then we can spend more time together." "I'd really like that," Setsuna is practically glowing at the notion. Of all the people in her life she values Evangeline the most. The vampire smiles that same unreadable smile, but it drops from her face as she glances sideways at something outside the frame of the mirror. "Keep up the good work then," she says distractedly, "There's something I have to take care of. I'll talk to you again soon." The "line goes dead," so to speak, and her image fades back into the mirror until only Setsuna's reflection remains. Confidence boosted, and with something exciting to look forward to, she turns around to head back to her seat only to come face to face with a stewardess. She makes eye contact with the confused woman for a moment. "I'm sorry," she says, looking Setsuna up and down. "The door was unlocked so I didn't think anyone would be in here…" "Don't worry about it. I should've remembered to lock the door." She glances at the compact in Setsuna's hand, then at Setsuna again. "Were you just talking to your makeup?" "…Yes?" "I see." After another moment of awkward eye contact, Setsuna steps around the dumbfounded stewardess and walks back to her seat. |
Negima!
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This anime loosely covers the first six volumes of the original manga, however, it offers an original ending.
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Negima!? Spring OVA
Negima!? Haru OVA
Negima!? Haru Negima!? Natsu OVA
Negima!? Summer OVA
Negima Natsu OVA
Negima!?
ネギま!?
Director: Akiyuki Shinbo Studio: Shaft Licensed By:
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This series is an alternate retelling of Negima's story. It features new locations, characters, and different takes on the series' mechanics as well as a different story-line.
In addition, a manga was released alongside the anime, called Negima!? Neo, and while it's similar to this show, many things differ. |
Magical Teacher Negima! ~The White Wing~
Mahō Sensei Negima! ~Shiroki Tsubasa Ala Alba~
魔法先生ネギま!〜白き翼 ALA ALBA〜
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This is a three episode OAD series, covering chapters 176-183 from the original manga. It is closely related to manga and episodes were originally included with the limited edition Negima releases.
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