Fever Days pt 1

Negima! fanfic. When Setsuna, already secretly head over heels for her precious Konoka-ojousama, downs an entire bottle of love-potion things get even crazier than usual at Mahora.
(Konoka/Setsuna, Asuna/Ayaka) Divided into two parts due to size.

Read Fever Days pt 1

Disclaimer: Mahou Sensei Negima etc belongs to Ken Akamatsu and possibly a few others, certainly not myself though if someone would feel like giving the series to me I would not object. ^_^

I haven’t read the manga, so please have patience with any and all OOC behaviour.





Fever Days pt 1 of 2
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By Carola “Ryûchan” Eriksson





It started as a fairly ordinary day at Mahora, meaning there was a certain level of chaos and mayhem present to begin with, but not so much as to overly concern the three inhabitants of a certain dorm room and their sword-carrying guest. Of course one should bear in mind that whenever things started happening in the area, one or several of the people in that room tended to be involved, one way or another.

The group was going to have dinner together before going off on their own things, that day having been the last school day and the long, gloriously free weekend stretching out before them. Asuna helped Negi clear the table of his recent experiments while Setsuna devotedly shadowed Konoka’s footsteps, carrying and lifting and everything else she could think of to aid the smiling brunette that was preparing dinner for all of them. Asuna kicked a certain annoying ermine out from underfoot, and soon three students, one child teacher, and one bedraggled ermine sat down to eat with much complimenting of their talented chef.

“...and in the end I promised Iincho that I would bring Negi over so she could spend a little time with him today. I figure as long as I’m with them to make sure she’s not doing anything weird it’ll be ok.” Asuna finished relaying a story to Konoka as dinner was coming to an end, the others listening as well. “And you and Setsuna are going on another date, I gather?”

The young warrior that had previously peacefully been eating her food in companionable silence suddenly shot to her feet, blushing furiously at Asuna’s description of the planned shopping trip with Setsuna’s adored ojousama. Setsuna opened her mouth to voice a protest...

“Yes we are!” Konoka exclaimed cheerfully, apparently either taking no notice or just having no objection to Asuna assuming that she was dating her childhood friend and protector. “Secchan and I are going to... Secchan? Secchan, what’s wrong?”

...Setsuna, in sheer surprise, inhaled a piece of food that lodged itself in her throat. The raven-haired girl coughed and wheezed, desperately trying to get some air without success.

“Secchan!” “Setsuna!” Asuna and Konoka ran to the wheezing girl’s aid, Asuna immediately giving the girl a good pounding on the back. “Negi! Get a glass of water!” The frightened boy scurried away at once to obey, and even the ermine bounced around, worried for the now purple-faced girl.

Negi slammed down the glass of water on the edge of the desk at about the same time that Asuna, through a particularly resoundingly good whack, got the offending morsel unstuck and Setsuna sagging over the edge of the desk, greedily sucking air down her lungs.

Konoka, worried about her warrior, hovered close to Setsuna, patting her hair and back gently. “Secchan? Are you alright?” Without waiting for an answer Konoka simply pulled the girl leaning over the desk to her, her head into Konoka’s chest. She lightly kissed the top of the raven head and murmured her name.

Once more crimson in colour Setsuna bounced away, eyes wide and somewhat frantic. To Konoka’s confused and questioning gaze she croaked weakly “Water!” and just barely turning grabbed a glass off the desk behind her.

“NO SETSUNA-NEESAN....” The ermine shouted and Negi looked as if he was about to do the same. “NOT THAT ONE!”

Having swallowed the entire glass in one huge gulp Setsuna turned towards the protesting voices with a confused look. Then she blinked a little, and went pale.

“What?” Asuna sounded irritated as she glared at the ermine. “What’s wrong this time?”

Setsuna dropped the glass in her suddenly numb hand. “I feel strange...”

“Secchan?” Konoka reached for her precious friend again, steadying her as Setsuna’s knees turned wobbly.

“Setsuna-san just drank one of my experiments...” Negi said with wide, worried eyes, causing Asuna to spin around and stare at the stricken Setsuna with horror. Negi’s experiments never boded well for anyone.

Chamo scuttled over to the dropped glass and sniffed it with an expert air. “Aa, this is trouble... aniki, she drank the Cupido Primus concentrate!” To Asuna and Konoka’s uncomprehending looks he continued “It is the distilled form of the most important ingredient used for love potions of all kinds.”

“It can be used for other things too!” Negi hurried to explain, having been already threatened within an inch of his young life should he ever mess around with love potions at the dorms again.

“L-love p-potion...?” Asuna whimpered, slightly panicky, as she was helping Setsuna to get her bearings. As the black-haired girl turned to look at her Asuna blushed darkly and mustered up a wavy kind of smile. “Err, Setsuna...?”

“Thank you Asuna.” Setsuna said politely, straightening herself but blinking as if trying to clear her mind. Her lack of reaction to Asuna had the redhead glance over at her youngest roommate with a questioning look.

Negi shrugged, he didn’t know either why Setsuna did not react to Asuna. “Setsuna-san, are you feeling alright?”

Setsuna focused on her child-teacher and gave a brief, apologetic smile. “I am just feeling a bit strange, and somewhat off-balance.”

“Maybe you had better sit down, Secchan.” Konoka spoke up from behind Setsuna, hands already coming up to Setsuna’s shoulders to gently nudge her to take a seat.

The black-haired warrior froze. Her eyes grew wide as saucers and she started to tremble visibly all over. “O-ojousama?”

Konoka started to move up beside Setsuna, wanting to see her face as they spoke, but a trembling arm stopped her.

“Ojousama...” Setsuna’s voice was terribly strained, the girl obviously struggling greatly with herself. “You need to... take Yuunagi... and run!” The warrior panted slightly. “Now!”

The others in the room looked at one another in confusion, not quite getting what Setsuna was trying to say. Konoka touched one of Setsuna’s arms as she spoke up. “Secchan, what do you...”

“Now, ojou- !” Setsuna turned to face Konoka, but the very instant the young warrior’s eyes fell upon the brown-haired heiress a kind of transformation took place. Already pale, Setsuna’s face grew white, and the pupils in her eyes dilated until her eyes were black as pitch and void of reflection. Her lips were still parted from where her words cut off, and a small strangled sound managed to escape them.

Konoka tried to speak again, slightly scared for her Secchan, but she never got that far.

The next thing she knew she was pressed tightly against the slender but strong body of her protector while hungry, insatiable lips were devouring her own. A shocked gasp escaped her lips, unintentionally giving way for a hot, electric tongue to caress her own.

Instinctively Konoka reached for something to hold on to, her mind going absolutely blank.

“OH MY GOD!” Asuna cried in shock and, after a moment, rushed over to try and pry the black-haired girl away from her floundering roommate. Without so much as breaking the heated kissing Setsuna flung Asuna across the room, stunning the redhead ever so briefly. “Negi! Do something!”

Quickly unlocking his powers Negi muttered something and tapped Setsuna lightly on the shoulder with the edge of his staff. Instantly the girl grew limp, causing the unprepared Konoka to slide down to the floor with her while Asuna came up to them, rubbing an arm absently.

On the floor Konoka lay, stunned into near immobility underneath her unconscious warrior, staring up at the ceiling with wide eyes. Ever so slowly her hand came up to touch slightly wet and kiss-bruised lips.

“Wow...” She whispered softly, too softly for her friends to hear.

---

After the stunned friends recovered enough to pick up the prone Setsuna and put her in Konoka’s bed while trying to figure things out before the girl would wake up, an argument started between Asuna, Chamo and Negi. Or rather the redheaded girl, upset and worried about her friends, argued at the other two while they offered weak excuses in hopes of placating her.

Konoka did not interfere with the conversation, most of her attention on the still sleeping figure in her bed, and the thoughts spinning around since said girl had pulled the rug out from under their ‘safe’ affection rather effectively albeit unintentionally.

“I don’t know, Asuna-san... I’ve never heard of anyone drinking a whole bottle of concentrated Cupido Primus before.” Negi was explaining. “I don’t know what we can expect.”

“We’ll have to keep an eye on her until you find a cure or this potion thing runs through her system.” Asuna frowned, not liking it one bit that her shy friend would have to suffer through this predicament. “At least we know she doesn’t react to me or you, Negi.”

“Yes...” Negi was leafing through some papers while Chamo was doing something or other at his computer. “I wonder why that is?”

Asuna snorted and rolled her eyes. “Why? I can think of two reasons... one of which is that in my case love potions don’t work to begin with, and in your case, well, Setsuna doesn’t like boys. The other, well...” Asuna hesitated and tried to ask in a low voice, not realizing that she had already gotten Konoka’s attention. “what happens to someone if they drink that Cup O Domus when they’re already in love with someone?”

“Cupido Primus, Asuna-san.” Negi corrected automatically while looking thoughtfully towards the sleeping girl. “Do you think that...”

“Yes. I do.” Asuna interrupted curtly, discreetly gesturing to Negi not to voice more of that thought out loud. “What about, you know, her not being entirely human? Will that affect things?”

It was Chamo that answered. “It might, but since we don’t know what to expect to begin with...” Everyone looked at the black-haired girl with varying degrees of concern and wariness. “Aniki and I will search until we find a cure, you and Konoka-jouchan just make sure to keep her calm and out of sight while we do.”

On the bed Setsuna stirred, groaning softly as she fought her way to consciousness again. Immediately Asuna dashed over and made Konoka – whom had been about to sit down and reach out to her Secchan – step back a ways while she and Negi nervously stood closest to the bed. “S-setsuna-san?” Negi asked carefully, a bit worried that the black-haired warrior would be upset with him for several reasons.

“...what happened?” Setsuna groggily, rubbing her forehead and blinking up at the ceiling. “I feel so...”

“Are you ok Secchan?” Konoka asked anxiously, having walked up until she was right behind Asuna. “Do you hurt anywhMMMmmmMMmmphh!”

Again, this time with Konoka flat on the floor with her very eager Secchan pinning her down with toe-curling kisses. The brunette found herself quite unwilling to offer up any resistance to her friend’s ardour this time.

“Oh no you don’t!” Asuna said, bounding back from where Setsuna had shoved her away in her haste to get to Konoka, and tackled the black-haired girl into a roll. “Konoka, get into the bathroom and lock the door!” A pause in which she struggled with the considerably stronger Setsuna. “NOW Konoka!”

“Negi, give me a hand here!”

As Konoka reluctantly obeyed, Negi aided Asuna in her attempt to subdue the amorous warrior. After a flash of Negi’s power a considerably calmer Setsuna knelt of the floor with a black blindfold and her hands tied behind her back.

“Setsuna!” Asuna’s voice was a bit louder than strictly necessary, as if the sheer voice volume alone would make Setsuna able to understand her. “You have swallowed a love-potion and you are out of control, we have to keep you from... err, hurting anyone... until we get a cure! Do you understand?”

A terse nod, and then the struggling girl managed to rasp a few strained sentences. “Tie... up, lock in... my room. Leave Yuunagi... with... ojousama...” She gasped as if she had just done something hugely straining physically. “Getting... stronger! Ojousama... must leave... ojousama...” Setsuna’s words turned into a small, almost growling cry.

“Secchan!” As if Konoka had pulled a string attached to Setsuna’s head, the dark-haired girl’s head spun towards the bathroom and she attempted to get to her feet.

“YOU STAY THERE AND BE QUIET, KONOKA!” Asuna shouted and sat on Setsuna, trying to keep her down as the other girl struggled. “Negi, we have to do something!”

Quickly gathering his staff and Setsuna’s sword Negi mumbled something, and while the stricken warrior was dazed from the effects he and Asuna grabbed the girl and hurried off towards Setsuna’s own dorm room. Clearly, if they were to have any hope at all to keep Setsuna calm, she would have to not be able to hear or see Konoka.

Once at the right place another sleeping spell was invoked, and Asuna got Setsuna situated on her bed, removing the bindings around her hands though she left the blindfold on after some hesitation. The sword was hidden away under the bed, and a quickly scribbled note stuck to the inside of the door, then they locked the door around the girl. The sleeping spell was going to last for several hours at least, so it was safe enough to leave Setsuna there unsupervised for a while, they would be back long before the she woke up anyway.

They failed to take in account the half-demon warrior girl’s stamina and her dedication.

Roughly two fairly unproductive hours later Konoka, the girl desperately wanting to see her Secchan but having been scolded enough times by Asuna when voicing this to know to restrain herself, was heading out for refreshments for the little research team back in her room. She did not get further than the first few steps in the staircase.

A pair of warm, strong arms wrapped around her and picked her up, the sheer safety and belonging Konoka instantly felt telling her whom they belonged to even before she rested in Setsuna’s arms facing her raven-haired protector.

When Setsuna this time leaned in to take possession of Konoka’s lips, Konoka responded eagerly, arms flung tightly around the dark-haired girl’s neck. Deep, hungry kisses that made Konoka’s heart race and her head spin, all in the strong, alluring sweetness that was her Secchan...

With a deafening crash a girl coming down the stairs opposite Konoka and Setsuna stumbled over her own feet and threw the impossibly large stack of books she had been carrying like a mass of leather-bound projectiles down the hallway. Setsuna did not break the kiss as she deftly spun away with Konoka in her arms, however Konoka did, turning her head towards the unfortunate noise-maker.

“Honya-chan! Did you hurt yourseeEEeeecchan, oooohh!” The concerned question turned into a loud moan as Setsuna, denied Konoka’s lips, found places along Konoka’s neck in need of devouring. Konoka bit her lip and arched her neck to give Setsuna better access.

There was another slamming noise, this time from a door, and the sound of someone running. “What the freaking...!” Asuna’s voice registered with Konoka, and she briefly glanced in the redhead’s direction. “Can’t you be left alone for five minutes?!”

Attaching herself to Setsuna’s back, Asuna smacked her in the head with one of Nodoka’s books. “BAD SETSUNA! Let Konoka go!” She smacked her a few more times, causing them to stagger. “Bad bad Setsuna!”

The furiously blushing Nodoka was quickly sworn to secrecy, and together with Negi they managed to get the out-of-control swordswoman to go back to her room by having a reluctant Konoka dashing ahead of them and calling for her Secchan. As they reached the room in question it became readily apparent why it was such a bad idea to leave Yuunagi in the room with Setsuna; the warrior had simply shredded the door.

Negi quickly fixed the door, and Nodoka was given Setsuna’s precious blade for safe-keeping, but actually getting the warrior to stay in the room while also getting Konoka out of it was a difficult task. On the plus side Setsuna appeared not to care less about what anyone else in her surroundings were up to, as long as she had Konoka in her arms, or in that specific instance, pushed up on Setsuna’s desk. On the downside whatever reason Setsuna had still held was swiftly vanishing, making any attempt at removing Konoka from her be met with increasing levels of threat and violence.

It did not help much that Konoka also seemed somewhat reluctant to let go of her Secchan, but in the chaos that ensued Asuna decided to take that up with her roommate later.

Finally, not seeing any other alternative at hand, and Negi’s own strength waning with worry and fatigue, he hit Setsuna with a much stronger version of the sleeper spell. The protesting Konoka was banished from the room while Negi and Asuna tied the black-haired girl’s arms and feet to the bed, feeling bad about it but not sure what else could be done. Asuna tried to make Setsuna a bit more comfortable, and muttered an apology for the treatment before they left the room.

The door was sealed with a spell on the lock as well as just being locked, making sure that if somehow Setsuna woke up and even more unlikely got out of her fetters to try to force the lock, Negi would be alerted.

Tired to the bone and, at least in Asuna’s case, aching from various bruises, they made their way back to their own room where the still rather fruitless search for a way to cure their friend carried on until late into the night.

---

The group frantically searching for a way to help their friend stayed up very late that night, stopping only when Asuna noticed that Negi was about to topple over from being half-asleep, at which point she made sure everyone got to bed whether they wanted to or not. After such a long and exhausting day they were all, except Konoka who stayed awake a while longer with her thoughts and her worries, out like lights almost as soon as their heads hit their pillows. Once sleep got them it was unusually deep, so deep in fact that when a figure opened the door and walked in on quiet feet, not one of them so much as stirred.

Konoka stirred slowly to a state of being semi-awake when someone climbed into her bed with her and a warm body was pulled tight against her own. Even in sleep Konoka knew her Secchan, and so she relaxed again and snuggled up to her precious protector, feeling safe and at peace as the other girl merely held her gently and buried her face in Konoka’s hair.

They lay like that for a long time, Konoka drifting along in her half-sleeping state blissfully, until finally something called for her to slowly clear the grasp of her dreams.

“Secchan?” She whispered and shifted so she could look at the face of the girl holding her so lovingly. Setsuna was resting but clearly not sleeping, eyes shining in the dark along with the small gleam of teeth in her smile. “Secchan, what are...?”

She was of course answered by a deep, passionate kiss, and swiftly found herself loosing interest in conversation when she instead could eagerly give Setsuna’s tongue the attention it deserved. Not interrupted for once, Konoka arched in pleasure as Setsuna’s talented hands found sensitive skin and uncharted territory among soft, inviting curves.

Asuna growled silently as she woke, her body protesting that it was much too early even for her. Blinking the redhead tried to figure out why she was awake, checking the little boy snoring slightly by her side first, then checking her alarm clock just in case. Nope, neither of them were the culprit.

There was a sound, and Asuna cocked her head, concentrating to figure out what it was.

Hmm, that sounds like Konoka’s voice, moaning... and that sounds like kissing... hey wait a minute...

“Oh Secchan, yes! Right there!” The gasped words made Asuna’s eyes go wide and a certain heat instantly transfer to the tip of her ears. Ohmyfriggingod!

She threw herself towards the edge of her bed so fast she nearly fell over, leaning past the sleeping Negi to glare down into the lower bunk to confirm her suspicions. It took a moment to make them out properly due to the dark, but all too soon it was clear to Asuna.

Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit!

Setsuna’s face and hands disappeared into Konoka’s open pyjama shirt, though doing what Asuna’s mind shied away from. Konoka herself seemed far from unwilling about the whole thing, her head thrown back with the kind of expression on her face that Asuna never ever wanted to see on her friend and would spend a long time erasing from her memory, and Konoka’s hands were firmly entangled in Setsuna’s hair holding her close.

None too elegantly Asuna tumbled to the floor, yelling. “OK THAT’S IT! BREAK IT UP YOU TWO!” She stumbled over to hit the lights, earning a startled yelp from Negi and not a twitch from the two girls. “DON’T MAKE ME GET THE HOSE AND TURN IT ON YOU!”

When her words had no effect, Asuna – wincing inwardly – charged the couple to wrestle the black-haired girl off the bed with her. Negi peeked over the edge of the upper bed and, squealing at an impressively high pitch, ducked back under his cover, stuttering out the key to unlock his powers. Setsuna fell unconscious mid-trampling Asuna, sagging to the floor, boneless.

“We’d better hope that spell of yours isn’t giving her brain damage, all the times you’ve used it on her lately.” Asuna grunted as she rolled Setsuna over. Glancing over at Konoka who was getting out of bed to join them Asuna blushed. “Erm, Konoka? Could you, you know, maybe button that up?”

Konoka complied absently, her attention on her Secchan as usual. A horrified look crossed on her usually so sunny features, and Konoka grabbed one of Setsuna’s hands ever so carefully. “Oh Secchan... Asuna, look at her hands! What has she done to herself?”

The paleness of the slender wrists were marred by dark, angry red welts and several scabbing wounds.

“Aw no...” Asuna made a soft hissing sound of sympathy. “She must have torn her wrists up to get out of the shackles.” She took Setsuna’s other hand and frowned in worry. “You crazy girl.”

Tenderly Konoka lifted first one wrist to her lips and then the one Asuna held, carefully placing a soft, lingering kiss on the wounds that shimmered under her touch and receded, leaving not a mark in their place. A tear found its way down Konoka’s cheek, and then she pulled Setsuna into her arms, the dark head in a protective embrace against her chest.

“...this is just... wrong.” Asuna muttered, trying to hide tears in her own eyes at seeing her precious friends like this. “We’ve got to fix this!”

Negi patted her shoulder, having gotten down to join them. “We will. I will ask Nodoka-san and Yue-san to come with me to the Library tomorrow while Chamo-kun keeps checking his computer... one of us has to find something that helps.”

Asuna nodded. “I’ll keep watch over Setsuna, if you can help me come up with a way to keep her in her room, and Konoka...” She glanced over at the brunette that was rocking Setsuna gently and stroking the black hair. “Konoka will have to be somewhere else, far away from Setsuna.”

A while later they had managed to get Setsuna to her own room, discovering this time that she had forgone the door completely – thus not alerting Negi’s spell – and instead gotten out through a window. Asuna realized to her consternation that they had all completely forgotten about Setsuna’s wings, and remedied the situation this time, making sure Setsuna would not make her escape through them again.

Feeling extremely guilty Asuna and Negi also removed the shattered and bloody remains of the things they had used to restrain Setsuna with, this time only putting the girl to bed comfortably and in no way attempting to tie her down. Other potentially dangerous things were removed from easy access, and finally one of Setsuna’s chairs were pulled outside the door. Asuna sat herself down on it as Negi sealed the locked door again, settling in for a sleepless night of keeping watch over her friend from the hallway.

Konoka wanted to stay, to keep watch along with Asuna, but with joint efforts she was persuaded otherwise. Asuna had to promise to alert Konoka of any change of the situation, and also sneakily appeal to the other girl’s caretaker instincts regarding Negi to get her to leave, but it was safer that way she figured. Before Konoka left though Asuna had something to ask.

“Konoka? Why do you, err, I mean...” Asuna blushed and fidgeted. “Why don’t you... resist when she... uhh...” She trailed off, hoping her friend understood what she was trying to ask anyway.

And Konoka did. She blushed slightly, looking away for a moment. When she met Asuna’s gaze again, Asuna was a bit startled by the intense and knowing look in the other girl’s eyes. “When you are kissed like that sometime, Asuna, you’ll know... that resisting is the last thing on your mind.”

---

Night passed and morning came, Negi setting out towards Library Island as promised while Konoka tried to occupy herself with whatever she could think of. It wasn’t much as she was feeling rather depressed, and finally she gave up on lingering in the dorm room and made her way over to the cafeteria for lunch, knowing several of her classmates were going to be there.

Getting her lunch Konoka decided that she would get another double of everything to go and have someone deliver it to Asuna, as Konoka was concerned that Asuna and Setsuna would go hungry. She was just going to go set her tray down next to some friends and return to place her order when she vaguely noticed a commotion coming closer.

Her tray was thrown away and chairs overturned, people stumbling as they hurried to get out of the way, but all Konoka registered was that she was suddenly pressed up against the cafeteria wall, in plain view of any number of shocked and blushing girls, being absolutely kissed senseless by her dark warrior.

Thinking briefly that she felt much better now that Secchan was in her arms, Konoka quickly forgot everything else and responded eagerly, moaning into Setsuna’s kiss. A warm hand slid up the back of a bare thigh, and Konoka willingly lifted said leg to wrap over Setsuna’s hip in order to give better access to the rounded part of her anatomy eagerly squeezed by her Secchan.

The shocked silence of the room bearing unexpected witness to this heated make-out session made the loud slamming of Asuna crashing a few chairs into a table as she skidded to a stop reverberate like a shot from a cannon. Panting the redhead grabbed hold of a nearby fruit bowl and started throwing apples at the moaning couple.

“GET... OFF!” Asuna gasped for air and succeeded to get Setsuna to release Konoka’s lips long enough to look in her direction. Seizing the opportunity Asuna hurled herself in another tackle, getting Setsuna away from Konoka but also succeeding in sending Konoka stumbling into a bunch of their classmates. Setsuna got to her feet a heartbeat before Asuna did, and aimed for Konoka.

“Oh no you don’t!” Asuna growled, tripping Setsuna whom instead of falling turned herself around and started running. “Hey!” Asuna set off after her at a breakneck speed.

Ayaka, having caught the stumbling Konoka together with Chizuru, gave a start at the disappearing Asuna, protesting with a frown. “HEY! Why are you interfering with their relationship anyway? Asuna!” With no answer from the redhead the scowling Iincho ran after them, gaining a few giggling followers on the way.

Chizuru got help from Haruna in trying to get the slightly wobbly Konoka back on her feet, intending to ask her what in the world was going on. The brown-haired girl just looked at them unseeing with heavy-lidded eyes and wet her slightly swollen lips, clearly not in a state of mind to answer any kind of question just yet.

“Wow.” Chizuru said softly, admiration in her voice.

“Yeah...” Haruna added, looking stunned. “It’s always the quiet ones.”

---

The mad chase came to an end outside, around the back of the building, when the long string of girls giving chase – though not all of them intentionally – with Asuna at the lead chased Setsuna right past Tatsumiya Mana. Observing the chase Mana calmly grabbed Asuna as she tried to race past, demanding an explanation without actually uttering a word.

“Setsuna... spell...” Asuna gasped, getting out of the taller girl’s grip. “Need to... catch.”

Mana let the redhead go and with a smooth yet impossibly swift motion brought up a gun from wherever she managed to hide those. A single shot, and down Setsuna went like a puppet with her strings cut.

“Oh my god, you shot her!” Asuna cried in disbelief and raced over to the fallen girl. Mana merely shrugged as if to say, of course, and took care of her gun as she walked over to her combat partner. Some of the other girls caught up as well, Ayaka grabbing hold of Asuna to shake her weakly while wheezing for breath. “You...” Gasp. “...lunatic!” Cough.

With a strangely guilty and desperate expression Asuna threw up her hands and raced through a quick explanation of the situation. “...andwehavetorestrainheruntilwefindacureyousawwhatshedoeswhenevershegetsloseand...”

As Ayaka struggled with whether or not to be mollified by the explanation, not to mention just breathing for the moment, Mana checked the fallen Setsuna’s pulse and then hefted her up on one shoulder.

“...sothat’swhywedidn’tcometoyouyesterda... Hey! Where are you going with her?” Asuna realized that Mana had walked off with her friend only once the tall markswoman had managed nearly to the corner of the building.

Mana glanced at her over the shoulder that wasn’t currently occupied. “...Evangeline.”

Asuna blinked. And blinked again. “Of course!” She smacked herself in the head for her stupidity. Why hadn’t they thought of that? “Keep an eye on Setsuna please, I’ll get Negi and the others and meet up with you there!”

---

Evangeline was... not amused. Honestly, there was a limit for how far stupidity could go and retain some entertainment value, before it just became annoyance.

She smacked Negi in the back of the head, hard.

“HEY!” Asuna protested, grabbing Negi somewhat protectively and scowling at the petite vampire. Evangeline remained unimpressed, as ever.

“He had it coming.” She snorted. “How many times must I tell you magic is not a toy or something you fool around with? And how many times will someone around you accidentally have to take the brunt of your failed experiments before you wise up and do as I’ve told you, and perform your experiments somewhere only you have access to?” Evangeline crossed her arms over her chest as she chastised the guilty-looking Negi.

An eyebrow twitched and she turned away from him, not able to look at his sad expression anymore. “If you can’t find a better place you’ll just have to come here for your work.” Just so that no-one would mistakenly think that she had gotten soft she added with a sneer. “Who stores Cupido Primus in a regular glass standing in the open, anyway? You’ve got no sense at all, boy.”

“And you!” She rounded on Asuna and Konoka, of whom Asuna gulped but Konoka was oblivious, tending to her fallen warrior as she was. “You should have come to me right away! Honestly, I thought you knew better than this.”

Finally having vented enough Evangeline turned her attention away from the sheepish redheads and back to the pale girl lying on Evangeline’s couch. “You just keep getting yourself in these situations, kid...” She muttered softly, absently patting Setsuna’s head as she concentrated, eyes glowing slightly, on something invisible to mere human eyes.

She clucked softly under her breath. “Poor kid...”

“Can you help her, Eva-chan? Please?” Konoka pleaded, eyes trusting and sincere to the point they made the imperious vampire look away and cough slightly to cover up getting embarrassed by the Konoe heiress.

“Yes, of course.” A slightly evil look crossed her child-like features briefly. “We’ll just have to... burn it out of her system, and everything will be fine.”

Those present breathed a sigh of relief, then Asuna started, eyes wide. “Wait... how exactly are we going to do that?”

The evil smirk widened. “How do ya think, airhead? How do people usually get rid of that kind of... urge?” She laughed at the suddenly furiously blushing and horrified faces turned her way. “I’ll explain that to you more in detail if you want, but the boy would have to leave the room first.”

Glancing at the blushing brunette that was holding onto a pale hand seemingly without noticing it herself, Evangeline grinned and turned toward Mana. “So are you up to the job, Tatsumiya? Think of it as a life-saving assignment if you want, because she sure isn’t going to be able to take much more of this.”

“WHAT? NO!” Konoka gasped and pulled the sleeping girl into her arms possessively. “No, you can’t!”

At Evangeline’s smile and raised eyebrow Konoka blushed further and stuttered. “Secchan is... that is... we are... she...” That eyebrow hiked up higher, causing Konoka to get a bit frantic. “Secchan is my Secchan and we belong together! I can’t let anyone else... I won’t!” There were tears in Konoka’s eyes.

“Oho?” Evangeline leaned towards Konoka and gave her a particularly evil look. “Does that mean that you are volunteering?”

“YES!” Konoka’s blush deepened drastically, to levels previously only seen on her fair-skinned companion. “I-I-I w-will do it!”

Evangeline’s smile gentled and she put a hand on the teary-eyed girl’s head in a for her unusually soothing gesture. “Relax, calm down... I didn’t say that was the only way to cure her, did I? So don’t worry.”

She gave Konoka an intense look that revealed as few other things could that despite her appearance Evangeline was a very old creature with an understanding of the world and human nature that these children would never have. “But remember this, these feelings you have right now and the decision you made. Remember it well.”

“Now step aside.” Waving the rattled girl aside Evangeline placed herself by Setsuna’s side and chanted the key to unleash her power. Another chanted sentence and blue flames erupted from Setsuna’s body, the eldritch fire roaring high to the sound of Evangeline’s strangely echoing voice while Setsuna’s body shook and bucked as if electrocuted.

Asuna had to hold Konoka back as the procedure continued for a long time until finally the flames died out and Evangeline closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. She waved the girls away as they darted forward to check the still sleeping girl, needing space to repeat her previous eye-glowing inspection. Finally she nodded, apparently satisfied, and moved aside to let Konoka and Asuna fuss over the girl.

“She’ll be fine,” Evangeline assured them as she sank down into her settee. “she’ll sleep for a long time, probably, and she’ll be a bit weak for a few days, but that’s it.” A low chuckle and a look in Mana’s direction. “She might smart a bit from where that stun bullet hit her, though.”

“Setsuna will forgive me.” Mana sounded calm and unlike Konoka and Asuna she was not fussing over her prone friend, but her eyes were scanning Setsuna’s form over and over, making sure all was well in her own way. A brief, uncharacteristic moment of hesitation followed. “Although... perhaps Konoka-ojousama would be kind enough to...”

Konoka nodded instantly and pressed her lips to Setsuna’s surprisingly chastely considering recent events, concentrating on letting her power flow into her precious one for a moment.

“You really shouldn’t be doing that left and right until you’ve learned a bit more control over your powers, you know.” Evangeline said softly, trying not to sound too critical or for that matter too tired. “But I’ll approve of it in this case.” She waved her hand nonchalantly. “Chachamaru.”

“Yes Master.” The artificial girl was by her master’s side instantly, head tilted in polite enquiry as she awaited her orders.

“Help them get Sakurazaki back to the dorms, then come home and make me some tea.” As Chachamaru complied, effortlessly lifting Setsuna and heading for the door with Konoka and the others scurrying to bow deeply to Evangeline in thanks before hurrying after them, Evangeline leaned back into her chair.

“Thank you so much Eva-chan!” “Thank you Evangeline-san!” “Thanks, fang-girl!”

Evangeline glared briefly at Asuna’s far too insolent way of thanking her, but ignored it... for now... to instead give Konoka some last piece of advice. “You might want to keep an eye on her for a couple of days, to make sure she doesn’t strain herself before she’s recovered.”

Another round of bows and thanks and then the guests disappeared as quickly and suddenly as they had showed up, leaving Evangeline to sigh tiredly and close her eyes.

“Accursed... curse.” She muttered peevishly, making herself more comfortable in the soft cushions. “Getting worn out doing just any little thing, it’s pathetic.” A nap would be nice, yes that was a very good idea, as long as the children didn’t see her needing a nap from that little exertion. Evangeline let herself relax... she would rest for a little while, just until Chachamaru had made her tea...