Chapter 9 - Negi's New Friend

Negi, Reinforce, and Alicia were quiet as they walked towards Konoemon's office, with the blond following behind the other two, feeling nervous with the total silence between them. To offset that, Alicia turned her attention to looking around the Academy building, though there wasn't much going on due to classes being done.

Reinforce took the time to observe Alicia from the corner of her eye, and she saw some definite differences between her and what she knew about Fate. Look-wise, Alicia had a side tail on the left of her head, that was tied with a white ribbon, compared to Fate's twin tail look. She wore a white shirt and red tie, along with a black skirt that reached her knees, black thigh stockings and brown and black shoes. Personality-wise, Alicia had a more cheerful and outgoing attitude, something that stood out a lot more to Reinforce, considering Fate's personality.

"…Um, where are we going?'

Alicia's sudden question nearly made both Negi and Reinforce jump, but the latter turned to Alicia and replied, "We're heading towards the Dean's office. Since you're involved with the Jewel Seeds, we'll need to see him so we can tell him that you were helping to wrap things up, and to tell him that you're not an intruder anymore."

"Ah, I see…"

Alicia stayed quiet after that until the three reached the entrance to Konoemon's office. Reinforce knocked on the door and said, "Sir? It's Negi and I. We need to talk to you about something."

"Ah, please come in Rein-kun, Negi-kun."

Opening the door, Reinforce went in after Negi and Alicia. Konoemon looked up at them and greeted, "What can I do for the both of you? And who's you're guest?"

Reinforce gave Alicia a nudge, and the young blond stepped forward. "Excuse me sir, I'm Alicia Testarossa. Pleased to meet you."

When Alicia gave a bow, Konoemon eyed the girl before musing, "You know Testarossa-kun, you match a description one of our patrols spotted leaving a…scene. Do you know anything about it?"

Alicia grew nervous when Reinforce stepped forward and put a hand on Alicia's shoulder. "Don't worry about it."

That's when Konoemon gave a laugh as a grin appeared under his beard. "Hohoho, don't worry Testarossa-kun, I'm just curious. From what I can tell, you helped deal with some of the Jewel Seeds, correct?"

"Y-Yes, that's correct. Um, I was actually told to help gather them up first before meeting Aunt Rein actually…"

Reinforce blinked once hearing that, but kept a neutral look on her face, while Negi looked at Alicia with curiosity. Konoemon raised an eyebrow, but just nodded and folded his hands together as he continued to give Alicia his attention. "I see… Do you perhaps know how many Jewel Seeds there are altogether?"

"I was told that there were nine altogether. I have four inside my device."

"We found three ourselves." Reinforce added.

"And the patrols found two, which makes nine altogether." Konoemon finished, "Well, it looks like this little incident came to a close before anything catastrophic happened. Testarossa-san, could you hand over your Jewel Seeds, if you please?"

Alicia seemed hesitant, but one look from Reinforce and she took out Zanthis, the Device looking like two yellow triangles being kept together by a green bead in the middle in it's Standby Mode. Konoemon and Negi looked on with interest, while Reinforce just watched as Alicia held out Zanthis. "Zanthis, set up!"

[Engage, standby ready.]

Both Negi and Konoemon's eyes widened a bit as Zanthis shifted into it's released form, a single-edged blade that had a green jewel at the center of it's guard. Reinforce couldn't help but think, 'Definitely different from Fate…'

"How fascinating…" Konoemon commented as Alicia released the Jewel Seeds from Zanthis, the Lost Logia appearing from the green jewel.

When that was done, Alicia put the Jewel Seeds on the Dean's desk as Zanthis shifted back to Standby Form. The she returned to where she was standing previously, but she couldn't help but ask, "Um, what are you gonna do with them?"

"Seal them away for the time being. Maybe after a bit of research they can be used for other, more benevolent purposes. Konoemon put the Jewel Seeds to the side and covered them with an overturned cup. "Now that that's taken care of, what are your plans now Testarossa-kun?"

"Well…the main reason I was sent here was that I was to be put under Aunt Rein's care by my…uh, previous guardian, so…"

"Normally, I would let you move in with Rein-kun," Konoemon started, "But the room they're in is a bit crowded as it is, so…"

"If I may say something sir?" Reinforce stepped up to speak. "I think we can squeeze in T-, Alicia until the end of the term. I think I can find an apartment for the three of us by that time."

"I see…" Konoemon looked like he was deep in thought, something that made Reinforce raise an eyebrow. "That's fine by me, though I hope you talk to Konoka and Asuna-kun about it first."

"Of course, sir."

"Now that everything's taken care of, you may go now. Ah, and it's a pleasure to meet you Testarossa-kun. If you have any paperwork, I would appreciate it being sent to me ASAP, okay?"

Alicia just nodded as Reinforce led the kids out of the Dean's office. Konoemon smirked under his beard as he watched the three leave. "Alicia Testarossa, hmm…? Negi-kun sure knows how to attract them, hohoho…"

"So, you were sent by your former guardian?" Negi asked as he, Alicia, and Reinforce walked towards the hotel Alicia was staying at.

"Y-Yes. My former guardian took care of me for a while after Mother died…" Alicia replied, looking a bit uncomfortable.

"Ah, I-I'm sorry Alicia-san."

"It's alright Negi."

"Still, I'm a bit curious as to how a Unison Device could be your Aunt, so to speak."

"A-Ah, well…my former guardian doesn't see much of a difference between a Unison Device and another person. He's a bit eccentric like that…"

"He sounds like a great person. Is he a mage like us?"

"Umm… I guess you can say that. He never gave me his name, just suggested to call him 'Being' for some reason."

"That's a weird name…"

"I know, right?"

Observing the conversation between the two, Reinforce couldn't help but think of the situation. 'Being? So he's involved here. I know Fate Testarossa had a sister, but why send her to me instead of her…?'

"Ah, Reinforce-san, I have something for you." Alicia dug into the pocket in her skirt and pulled out an envelope. "This is for you from my former guardian. It's a special letter, so it's better to read it in private."

"Hmm, thank you Alicia." Reinforce took the envelope, and saw that it was blank, and wondered what was in it.

When the three were inside Alicia's hotel room, Reinforce decided to open it up and read it as Alicia started packing with Negi's help. Inside was a single piece of paper, but when she folded it open she saw that it had magical text similar to what one would see on a computer screen. It read:

Reinforce,

Hey there, it's Being. I know that by the time you read this letter, you already have met up with Alicia. If not, I suggest you track the girl down and bind her so she won't run away.

Anyway, I'm sure you're asking for answers right now, the main one being why I sent her to you instead of your home dimension. You see, it all started with…

Flashback

"Ugh, damn Elites, why can't you just die already!"

"Betrayal!"

"What?-! Who the hell did that?-! Ugh, the match's over already…"

*Ding Dong*

"Who the…? Wonder what's going on."

Being got up and walked to the room where he extracted the Defense Program from Reinforce. When he got there, he was treated to the sight of Alicia in a pod with a note attached to it. Being picked it up and it read: 'Heard you were a lolicon, so this is for you. Take good care of her, ya hear? We fixed her up and everything, just go easy on her you pervert. The Al-Hazard crew.'

Being crumpled the paper as he growled, "Just because I play The iDOLMASTER games doesn't mean I'm a lolicon! They grew older in 2 at least! …Great, from what I can tell, this girl's from the same dimension as Reinforce. Well, might as well call some help. Exelica! Crueltear! Faintear! Get over here!"

Three girls in casual clothing appeared through teleportation as the one named Exelica asked, "You called us sir?"

"Yeah, I'll need the three of you as soon as I crack this pod open. At least the crew had the decency to give her a dress."

Being pressed a few sequences and the pod cracked open. A minute later, and Alicia started to wake up. She rubbed her eyes and looked up at Being, his shrouded face scaring her a bit. "U-Um…where am I? And w-who are you?"

"Haa…don't be afraid. Call me Being, and you were sent to me by some…eccentric people." Being was tempted to swear in front of her, but reined himself in 'cause he's a gentleman like that. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you or anything."

"Being…?" Alicia found the name weird, but went along with it. "Where am I? And where's Mother?"

"That…I don't know. Why don't you go with these three lovely ladies to get you settled in while I find out just what the heck is going on, alright?"

Exelica, Crueltear, and Faintear took that chance to go over to Alicia and introduce themselves. As Being watched the three Triggerheart copies escort Alicia away, he muttered, "I have a feeling I'm not going to like this…"

…I have to say, it was heart wrenching to tell the girl that her mother's dead and stuff. Broke down right there in front of me. At least the Triggerhearts were there to comfort her, and she did take in the fact that she has a sister out there in Fate, even though she's technically Alicia's clone. Kept mumbling on how Precia fulfilled her promise or something the first few days.

After a month or so, I had to do something about her, as being around my place wasn't doing her any good. So I decided to send her to you after training her up in Mid-Childan magics. I could've sent her to Fate, but things would've been awkward for her, and I know that you'll take good care of her, and Negi could use another friend his age. Don't worry, she has both the Japanese and English language down with the help of magic, so the language barrier won't be a problem.

A year later, I decided to send her on her way, but apparently when I opened a scrying gate to look around Mahora, the Jewel Seeds that were stuck in the space in between dimensions fell through and down into the city. That's why I had to send Alicia to round them up before meeting you…

"So that's you're job, alright? I positive that you and Zanthis are up to this." Being told Alicia.

"I won't let you down Uncle." Alicia replied with confidence.

"You and Zanthis make quite the pair. I was right to model something different from Fate's Bardiche."

"Oh, I'm gonna miss you around here Alicia." Faintear said with a sigh. "I'll be the only blond around here again."

"Don't get yourself wrapped up Faintear." Crueltear said, "I'm sure the boss will let us see her again sometime soon, right?"

"Yes, yes, of course. Before you go, take this." Being gave Alicia the blank envelope which she pocketed. "It's for Reinforce, so remember to give it to her. It'll explain why I'm sending you to her."

"Of course Uncle. Well, I'm off. Ready Zanthis?"

[I am ready to deploy sir.]

"Ugh, couldn't you have fixed it so Zanthis calls me ma'am at least Uncle?"

"Sorry, it's the Device's problem, not mine."

"Tch, alright. Alicia Testarossa, heading out!"

Being created a portal to Mahora and Alicia picked up her suitcase before running through it, though Faintear commented, "They grow up so fast."

…And that's that. Alicia has her paperwork on her, so she'll be integrated into the system with little problem. I hope that she'll be a great help to you and Negi, and please take care of her where this one cannot. I have enclosed some money in Alicia's suitcase to help with expenses. Please hold on to the envelope, as if you need to contact me, place a letter in the envelope.

Being,

P.S.: Oh, and if she happens to know where my Miki, Hibiki, and Takane keychain figurines are, please tell me as soon as possible.

Reinforce stared at the letter in her hands before she gave a sigh. Taking care of Alicia won't be much of a problem, and even Reinforce can see that having her help when it comes to magic would be a boost. The only problem is the girls of 2-A…

"Kyaa!"

"A-Ah, I-I'm sorry!"

Looking up, Reinforce saw Negi backed to the wall while Alicia was holding a pair of panties in her hands. Taking a wild guess at what happened, Reinforce folded the letter and stuffed it and the envelope in her pocket as she offered, "Do you need some help?"

Sometime later, the three were making their way to the dorms as Reinforce informed Alicia, "We're living with two other students, so it will be a bit crowded. It's only a temporary measure, until I can find an apartment for the three of us."

"Um, will they be okay with it?" Alicia asked.

"Well, Konoka-san would be okay with it, but Asuna-san…" Negi trailed off, looking uncertain.

"Leave Asuna-san to me Negi, I'll convince her." Reinforce assured him.

Negi just nodded as they entered the dorms. Immediately, some of the students hanging around took interest in Alicia as she was with Negi, causing her to flush with a bit of embarrassment. Reinforce looked around as she muttered, "Well, the rumor mill sure is going to be active tonight…"

When they reached the door to their room. Negi opened it up first with the usual, "I'm home!"

"Ah, welcome back Rein-sensei, Negi-kun. Is the guest you mentioned over the phone with you?" Konoka called out.

"Yes, she is." Reinforce replied as the three of them walked in. "Is Asuna-san here too?"

"I'm here. What's this about a guest?" Asuna came out of the bathroom, fresh from a shower as she rubbed a towel on her head.

"This is Alicia Testarossa. She'll be staying here until the end of the term. Please bear with her for a while Asuna-san, as I am trying to find a place for the three of us."

"Another foreigner…?" Asuna eyed Alicia for a minute, making the latter blush. "Where's she from?"

"Italy. But she's been living in Japan before moving to Wales. It's a long, complicated story." Reinforce automatically replied.

That got some looks from the two students, but Asuna shrugged and said, "Well, since you said it's only until the end of term, I guess it's alright."

"Wow, Asuna-san sure took that well…" Negi whispered.

After dinner was served, Alicia looked around and asked, "Um, where do I sleep?"

"Uh…usually, it would be a futon, but…" Reinforce thought about it, and surprisingly enough, it was Asuna who spoke up.

"She can sleep with me." Then Asuna looked at Alicia and asked, "You don't…move around in your sleep, do you?"

"Not that I can tell. Exelica-nee-san says that I sleep like a dead corpse." Alicia replied.

"Wow Asuna, I didn't expect you to offer to share your bed. I was about to do that." Konoka remarked as she gathered up the dishes.

"Well, what I figured, is that if I'm already sharing the bed, that one won't have any room to sneak in." Asuna pointed a finger at Negi, who blushed. Alicia just blinked as she looked at Reinforce.

"Don't worry, things like this are normal around here."

"I-I see…"

What they didn't notice was Kazumi lurking outside their door as the paparazzi queen heard rumors of Alicia running around the dorm. "This is going to be an excellent scoop tomorrow, fufufu…"

The next morning was something you could call interesting compared to regular Negima antics, as everyone woke up to a shout from Asuna. "What the heck is this?-!"

Reinforce and Konoka woke up immediately in response, and the first thing the Unison Device noticed was that Negi wasn't beside her. 'Ugh, I think I know what's going on…'

"Asuna, what's going on?" Konoka asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"W-why do I have two brats sleeping in my bed?-! I only agreed to one!" Asuna's question made the two get up and look at Asuna's bed, where they saw a most interesting thing.

Negi was in Asuna's bed like Reinforce assumed, but what she didn't expect was the boy mage to be attached to Alicia, with his arms around her. Alicia herself looked like she was snuggling against Negi, and both Reinforce and Konoka thought it was cute.

'Ooh, it's only the first night and Negi's already cashing in on some action!'

'…You know, I have to ask, where the hell did you come from? I don't remember having a perverted program like you. Not to mention you sounding like Hayate…

'Well, let's just say that as you left a part of yourself in her, she left a part of herself in you and leave it at that.'

For some reason, Reinforce didn't like the sound of that as her mind wandered back to the operation that Being put her through. 'Is this because of what happened back then?'

"Ugh, whatever, I need to get to work. And to think I thought it would work." Asuna grumbled as she got dressed.

Surprisingly enough, Asuna's shouting didn't even rouse Negi or Alicia as the former snuggled into the latter.

A/N: And this is back after so many months. This marks the end of the pseudo-MLGN 1st arc. There will be other arcs based on As and StrikerS, but not the way one might think. Funny, after a long time of writer's block, I get this done in around three hours, even with a pre-draft of the first scene. I admit that I could've gotten back on this earlier, but two things distracted me: Infinite Stratos and Hyperdimension Neptunia. Oh, and I guess you can add Aria the Scarlet Ammo to that as well, that I have fics up in those sections. Another funny thing was that the inspiration that got me back into this was the Gears of Destiny PVs. God the storyline looks so interesting that I'm planning on putting a few elements from it into this story, like U-D for instance.

Well, that's it for now, and thank you very much for your interest in this story. I'm a bit surprised that this is my most popular one from what I can tell from the stats. Reviews are appreciated, but not necessary. You guys liking this story's is proof enough for me.