-Ten-Faced Paladin
Neo Negima By Ten-Faced Paladin Chapter 1: The New Instructor is a Magician?
The grand hall of the magical academy was lined with magi as the Magus stood at the front, holding a scroll and five other scrolls next to him. Before him were the five graduates from the academy. All of them were fifteen years old and all five had a bright future ahead of them.
"When I call your name my sorcerous graduates," the Magus spoke. "take your mystic diploma which shall dictate your career. And remember: a charmed life is a happy life."
The Magus then turned his attention to the scroll in his hand. He then began reading out names of the graduates of his school. One by one, the students walked to the Magus and recieved their diploma.
"Negi Springfield!" The Magus called.
"Yes sir!" the boy in the middle of the five graduates spoke.
Negi seemed like quite a nice boy and he was actually very intelligent. He stood about average height for his age. He had a shade of red hair which grew darker as it was closer to his head. It was also long enough for him to keep it tied back. He wore a small pair of glasses on the end of his nose.
Negi walked up to the Magus, who was also his grandfather, and took his diploma. He could have sworn he saw his grandfather smile with pride for a brief moment before Negi had to step down and return to his previous position with other graduates.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Outside the great hall, Negi was met by his older sister, she was actually his cousin but he saw her as a sister, and his good friend Anya.
"Negi, I'm so proud of you!" his sister smiled with pride as she trapped him in a tight hug.
"S-sister," Negi managed to speak with a red face. "I-I kind of need those ribs!"
His older sister smiled and loosened her hug, but didn't let go of him. Anya decided to interrupt, holding out her diploma.
"Hey Negi!" she spoke. "What's your assignment? I'm going to be a fortune-teller in London."
Negi finally pried himself out of his sister's enbrace, "Well, it hadn't shown up yet. It should any minute now."
Negi pulled out his diploma and unrolled it. He looked at it for a moment before the words finally appeared.
"A teacher in Japan," he read. He then did a double-take as he looked at the words with his sister and Anya peering over his shoulder.
"A teacher...?" Anya whispered
"In Japan?" Negi's sister finished.
After a few minutes, the silence of the academy was broken as Negi's sister began screaming after their grandfather.
"Maaaaaaagusssss!" she screamed.
The three of them finally tacked down the Magus as he was travelling down one of the outer hallways which looked out onto the scenery.
"Magus!" Negi's sister cried. "Negi's diploma! It says he's-"
"Being a teacher in Japan." Magus finished. "I know."
"There has to be some mistake!" Negi's sister cried. "He's only fifteen!"
"Yeah!" Anya added. "Not to mention he's a space cadet!"
"Space cadet!" Negi frowned.
"The diploma has spoken," the Magus replied. "Not even I, the Magus, can say otherwise. Besides, Negi is old enough the begin walking on his own path."
"But..but Magus," Negi's sister sputtered, trembling.
Negi watched his sister's shoulders tremble as she tried to control her tears, but failing. He then went to her and trapped her in a hug. Her head then rested on his shoulder as tears leaked onto his shoulder.
"I'll be alright sister," Negi whispered, trying to calm her down. "You don't have to worry."
Negi's sister leaned back, her eyes puffy and red, "I will anyway. Japan's on the other side of the world!"
"I'll be fine," Negi insisted. "I've been in tough scrapes before. I've made it out okay."
Negi's sister then let him go and he turned to face the Magus. The old man looked to Negi with an amused twinkle in his eyes.
"Dedicate yourself Negi. Japan's youth will be counting on you," he spoke. An amused smile coming to his face. "Worry not. An old friend of mine runs the school. He and your heart will guide you. I have every confidence."
"Yes sir!" Negi nodded. "I will!"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
3 weeks later...
Negi was standing at the train station that would get him to Mahora Academy. It was where he was told that he was going to teach. Now if he could only find the train that would actually get him there. Deciding that he needed help, he asked the person closest to him.
"Excuse me?" he spoke in perfect Japanese. "Could you tell me where track one is?"
The man he questioned looked at him strangely before pointing to the sign that was directly behind Negi. He sweatdropped as he saw it.
"This is me looking stupid," Negi sighed in English.
He made his way over to the train and swiftly boarded it. Soon, as it began moving, he began to notice all the girls that were along with him. He noticed that several of them were giving him a few appraising looks.
'Be kind to girls," Negi thought to himself. 'Always remember what sister said.'
The train gave a huge jolt and Negi found himself buffeted at all sides. Trying to remain an English gentleman, he kept his hands close to himself and tried to refrain from touching anything he shouldn't. When the train finally smoothed out, Negi recieved some apologies and he tried to just enjoy the ride. Unfortunately, as one of the girls turned arund, her hair tickled his nose since it was such cramped corners. This forced Negi to rip off a sneeze.
Now, a simple sneeze isn't that much to worry about, but Negi is a special case. When he sneezes, his magic surges in a blast of wind. It goes in various degrees depending on how hard he sneezes. In this case in particular, the blast of wind reulting from this sneeze, was enough to flip up the skirts of every girl in that train car.
With a beet red face, he looked up to the celing, not sure where else to look. Every girl there each had a red tinge to their faces.
"Where did that wind come from?" one girl asked.
"A dirty mind, I'm thinking," another replied.
The train ride finally stopped and the doors opened. The train emptied out pretty quickly as everyone began running for the school. Negi looked around and saw everyone running past him.
"Hey, excuse me-" he spoke, but was ignored. "Is this what all Japanese schools are like?"
Checking his watch, he saw that he was going to be late. That was one of the last things he needed. Being late on the first day. He hadn't even found the school itself or even met the headmaster yet. Deciding that speed was going to be a major bit of help, he began to race alongside all the other students. Even if he didn't have the faintest idea as to where he was going.
"Takahata-Sensei, Takahata-sensei, Takahate-sensei, Takahata-sensei, Takahata-sensei, arf!"
'What in the world was that?' Negi asked himself.
Negi looked around curiously for the source of the strange outburst. He answer was soon given when he saw two girls running alongside him. One long had long red hair tied into two ponytails with bells while the other one had long brown hair. As Negi glanced at them, he felt something. An image of the future that he sometimes got. The red-haired girl was going to have her heart broken today. Negi knew that he had to do what was right and warn her.
"Sorry to butt in," he spoke, getting the girls attention. "but I thought you should know that you'll be heartbroken."
The girl stared at Negi in surprise. She seemed too shocked to speak. That lasted for abotu a moment before she got angry and grabbed Negi by the scruff of his shirt.
"How'd you like to be broken!" she shrieked as she shook him.
Negi sweatdropped at her outburst, "Well..uh, not so much. It's just that I'm kinda psychic and I saw your future-"
"Your future's looking pretty short right now!" the girl shrieked at while she glared at him.
"Hey, I was just trying to warn you!" Negi protested, trying to break free.
"Is that a threat!" the girl growled, her glare narrowing.
The brown-haired girl decided to try to defuse the situation by trying to calm her friend down.
"Oh come on Asuna," she spoke as she put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "He's a foreigner. He probably just mispronounced what he said."
"I don't care!" the girl, Asuna, shouted while shaking him harder. "Take it back you jerk!"
"Would you just let go?" Negi snapped as he broke out of her grip.
As Negi fixed his collar, Asuna crossed her arms and looked at the boy suspiciously.
"Look pal," she huffeed. "Couldn't you read the signs? This is the Mahora school district. It's all girls, got it?"
"The boy's district is one stop back," the other girl added, trying to be helpful.
'At least I'm in the right district,' Negi thought to himself.
"Right," Asuna spoke. "Now apologize and I might put you on the train rather than under it."
Negi sighed in agaitation, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "Can I ask one question? Are all Japanese girls this cranky or do you just have really serious issues?"
Asuna gaped at Negi while the other girl just gasped.
"Oh this isn't going to end well," she spoke.
"Why you little-!" Asuna shrieked as she reached for Negi, a murderous look in her eyes.
The little standoff was suddenly broken as someone spoke from the building that they were standing next to.
"Well well Asuna," the voice spoke amusedly. "Making friends I se- Negi is that you!"
Everyone looked up to see a man standing at a window above them. Asuna instantly dropped her murderous visage and bowed, her face heating up. Negi recognised him immediately. How could he forget his old friend and teacher.
"Ta-Takahat-sensei!" she gasped. "I-I did-didn't..uh..he..,"
"Takamichi you nut!" Negi smiled as he waved. "How's it going?"
Asuna stepped back withh the perfect portrait of surprise on her face, "You nut! Where? How? Who?"
Takahata continued to look down at Negi, a smile on his face, "I see the welcoming comitee found you. Glad to have you aboard. 'Negi-sensei' who would have thought."
The brown-haired girl adopted a thoughtful look and turnd back to Negi.
"Did he just call you..." she spoke.
"Negi-sensei?" Negi finished. "Actually, yes."
He then bowed respectfully to the two girls, "My name is Negi Springfield and I'm your new English Professer."
Negi was expecting some kind of reaction, but the one her got was not the kind he was hoping for.
"I'll kill him!" Asuna's voice roared.
He was met with Asuna's furious face and her trying to grab his collar while the other girl held her back.
"This has to be some kind of joke!" she growled. "You're no older than we are!"
At this point, Takahata came out of the building. He still had a cigarette in his mouth. He seemed to have found the whole situation amusing.
"Calm down Asuna," he smiled. "Negi's smarter than he looks."
"Well he'd have to be," Asuna huffed.
"Well, you'll find out since Negi here is taking over my class," Takahata explained.
Asuna started to sputter as she looked at Takahata in disbelief. Negi could already tell from her first reaction from seeing his friend that she had a crush on him. This of course, made it painfully obvious.
"You can't be serious Takahata-sensei!" Asuna cried. "If-if he replaced you it would..."
"Break your heart?" Negi remarked curiously.
"Yes! break my...hey shut up! Who asked you!" Asuna shouted.
She grabbed Negi's collar and brought him close again. Negi could have sworn that he could see fire burning in her eyes.
"Of all the unfair, unreasonable...You nit! You nothing! You-"
As Asuna went through her rant, Negi felt something coming onto him. Something that he knew was not going to help him. He felt himself about to sneeze.
'I must be allergic to criticism,' he thought absently to himself.
"Ah...ah...ACHOOO!" Negi sneezed loudly.
In the blink of an eye, Asuna's clothes were blasted from her body. All that was left protecting her modesty was her underwear which had a bear pattern on them. She dropped to her knees blushing furiously while trying to cover herself. Takahata looked to the side, trying not to embarrass the girl further.
'Wind magic still a problem there Negi?' he thought to humself.
'Crap,' Negi thought sadly to himself.
Knowing he couldn't leave Asuna in this condition, Negi shrugged off his backpack and then removed his coat, handing it to Asuna. It reached to his knees so it should have been more than enough to cover her.
"Here," Negi spoke as he offered her the coat, trying not to stare at her state of undress.
Asuna quickly took the coat and wrapped it around herself quickly. her face was still a deep red and there may have been some tears in the corners of her eyes from the sheer embarrassment she just was put through.
"Well then, uh, the headmaster is expecting you Negi," Takahata spoke, catching everyone's attenntion. "Asuna, Konoka, why don't you two show him the way?"
"Yes sensei," The brown-haired girl, Konoka, nodded. She then turned to Negi."This way Springfield-sensei."
"Thank you Konoka-san," Negi smiled with a bow. "You can just call me Negi though."
Konoka smiled with a smaller flush as Asuna just gave a 'humph' and walked ahead of both of them.
"Are you two coming or what?" she called impatiently.
Negi sighed and followed her with Konoka following him. As they were walking away, Takahata took a drag from his cigarette with a smile on his face.
"Looks like we're in for an interesting year," he smiled to himself. "An intersting year indeed."
To Be Continued.
A/N: Whew. That what I have for chapter one. There's not much of a change from the origional because, well, you just can't have Negi meet Asuna any other way really can you? I wanted to give Negi a bit more of a romantic bit in this so expect it. I've even goot some ideas for pairings too.