I do not in anyway own any content related to Mahou Sensei Negima, this is a fan made story

The predicament was distilled with the two mature students. After fighting through the crowded school hallways with an anonymous struggle of tight squeezes, rough shoulder barges and similar occurrences, Natsumi was still bothered by the morning event. The Secret Santa event, to be more precise. Even after having the whole day to think about it, she was unable to understand why Kotaro picking her name was such a bother. Was it fear? That her gift would be rather…childish, and embarrassing? Perhaps it was the fact that since he was a child, she assumed that he had no money, which would lead to him becoming distraught in shame and making Natsumi feel terrible.

No…it was neither of those, Kotaro was much stronger than that, both emotionally and physically. He will find a way…which brings up the question again, why was she so miserable? Could it even be called misery? She felt odd, not in a bad way, but more of a surprised, hopeful sense of accomplishment that she was lucky enough to even have her name picked by such a…'special' friend.

Kotaro was indeed special in her opinion, and far more superior than other students around the school. Although sceptical of his Hayno form, he is someone she can truly trust because of the months they had interacted. His personality was ecstatic, his looks were…initiative…and he is willing to listen to Natsumi, no matter how dull or boring it may seem, although, he doesn't show much care when it comes to making his interest become obvious that he doesn't seem to care half the time, but he's still ten, so she couldn't blame him, at least he puts the effort in and is willing to reply to her specific words.

Could It be…n-no, that would just be a fatal mistake that hurt both her and Kotaro. The thought sent shivers down Natsumi's spine as the emotional feeling, the emotional word, overwhelmed her with burning redness that scorched across her face, slightly notifying Chizuru who was walking by her side through the hordes of students they blended into perfectly.

"It makes no sense…why would Kotaro even feel that way about someone like me? I'm just the average girl in the class. I'm not beautiful…I have no funny or attractive personality…nothing about me is unique, I don't even have large breast compared to the others…h-he's just ten…why would he think I was beautiful anyway? I'm not…so why do I feel so gloom and…hopeful? No, I don't feel that way about a ten year old, and he doesn't think that way about me!…D-Does he?" wondered Natsumi.

Walking along side Natsumi in the narrow hallway, Chizuru worryingly watched Natsumi, who throughout the day had remained relatively quiet since the surprising morning as the thoughts of Kotaro and her…ate away at her very essence of purity that reassured her of any chance of relaxation. Her face was red as Natsumi tilted her head downwards, swaying her eye motions left and right with animosity while biting her lower lip harshly. The whole time her dilated pupils sloppily studied the cold concrete her flexible feet stumbled upon while her unknowing thoughts engulfed the red headed girl's focus to concentrate on nothing but the clean, patterned surface of floor tiles that sparkled a spontaneous mixture of red and yellow. Her feet felt heavy as the weighted burden mildly lay on top of her shoulders, slightly slouching her majestic posture down and creating awry sounds of thumps that vibrated up her wobbly legs and turned them into unstable jelly. It concerned Chizuru, was being picked by Kotaro really that bad? It didn't seem so to her, which meant that Natsumi wasn't upset, but more concerned in the actual event itself, bringing the options down and giving Chizuru a better understanding of the situation. Natsumi wasn't bothered by the fact that Kotaro picked her name, she was bothered that something may happen in the future that she never expected, and was no where near prepared for. She was scared, that Kotaro and her…

Budging past the double doors, both Chizuru and Natsumi were interrupted when consumed with the winters breeze that whirled around them with blistering coldness. Natsumi sniffled before sliding both hands up her hip and cuddling them around opposite arms, frantically rubbing the clothes she wore against her skin and creating precious warmth with the available friction.

Chizuru sighed, causing the thickness of white condensation to escape her mouth while she continued to watch Natsumi, who desperately seeked warmth as she gracefully turned and looked up at Chizuru, swiftly flickering her silky hair outwards and causing it to flow simultaneously with perfection while doing so. Chizuru was completely aware of the harsh opinions Natsumi said about herself, and was in disbelief to how she could think of such preposterous things. No matter how many times she attempted to oppose Natsumi about the statements, no matter how much effort she put in, Natsumi would never listen, even if she looked like she was. She would say that she appreciated the kind words, and sometimes even admitted to understanding them, but in the end, she never reminisced those words and continued to put herself down, which brought sorrow to both her and Chizuru.

Simultaneously walking side by side down the brightly coloured pathway, which was slowly becoming empty as students from the academy began reaching their designated dorms and leaving a lonesome, boulevard walkway for Chizuru and Natsumi to lightly tread down as they reminisced the day, they couldn't help but admire the pure beauty of nature that surrounded them every day, changing in mystical ways, unleashing fascinating changes across the area and completely morphing the atmosphere to match the current weather conditions…in this case, winter, the time where the luscious colourfulness of the Mahora grounds turn dull and grey.

Left and right, the sparkle of the glistening green grass that neatly flattened itself across the fresh soil linguistically flowed with the ice cold whistling winds, causing it to gracefully swerve from side to side with gentle gestures as pollen from nearby flowers, glimmering daisies from Natsumi's perspective, sprinkled the white substance across the open field of nature, overwhelming the atmosphere with purity itself. The grass wasn't the only thing affected though as higher up the chilly winds began to pick up, swiftly passing through the two beautiful school girls as if they were ghosts and leaving a spiteful tingle of shivers to disperse around their developing bodies, forcing them both to huddle up into a ball of warmth that barely lasted.

Along with that, their elegant hair churned into an entangled frenzy of wildness when the winds collided with them, messily blasting soft strips onto one side of their head while hovering over the fierce winds. It left an unprofessional image once the winds disappeared, leaving Natsumi and Chizuru to both frustratingly swipe their hands across their foreheads as their fringes lingered down over one another's face, drifting back and forth over their eyes and leaving a blurry image of annoyance.

Every now and then they would pass the emptiness of a fully grown tree, looking rather ugly as it's long, thick branches stuck out like a sore thumb and immerged it's true image of winter, revealing the awry brownness of the twisting wood that heavily exposed itself without question. Chizuru took extra care when it came to nature, and was willing to spend a lot more time studying the saddening scenery…but then again, Chizuru pretty much took extra care with just about anything she was able to get her hands on. Beneath the long branches, Chizuru quietly examined the mixture of colours stained onto the fallen leaves that sorely lay beside the stump of the old tree, softly being blown across the available grass by the growing winds and piling themselves on top of one another. It was a sorrowful sight that made Chizuru exhale with disappointment, but once the thought that it was the natural cycle of life and that the beautiful green leaves would once again materialize back onto the branches of the old tree pried itself into her mind, she would mildly smile with relief, sighing, nodding, before turning her attention back to her best friend, Natsumi, who was currently still drowning in her own worries and concern…at least, that was how Chizuru saw it, and she was usually right.

Tilting her head downwards and overlooking her best friend, since her height greatly outmatched Natsumi's, Chizuru watched the gentle girls lips nervously quiver, where at times her sparkling white teeth clutched themselves hard against the clear redness of her lips as they bit down hard, both on the upper and lower strips of her luscious lips until she was forced to pull away while exhaling a cold blast of condensation, which revealed harsh imprints dug into the surface of haw lips created from her obnoxious biting. Lower down, Chizuru's eyebrows lifted high with suspense as she witnessed Natsumi's hands fidgeting around each other, childishly wrapping and criss crossing fingers into each other calmly. It was surprising because just mere seconds ago Natsumi was rubbing her hands against the fuzzy threads of clothing warmly leeched to her arms… it was rare for Chizuru to miss the obvious, which meant that either Natsumi was quite sly and sneaky when not fully focused on her actions, or Chizuru really was occupied enough by Natsumi's concerns to miss such simple things…one way or another, she was still surprised, which worried her further for Natsumi's sake.

Her reflective glistening eyes, which portrayed a glimpse image of Kotaro deep within, curiously stretched themselves to the sides of her sockets as her motionless head remained tilted down to the marred ground, slowly entrenching herself in a deep trans of thoughts that couldn't be broke by her own actions. Chizuru could hear the loud exhales of anxiety and the easily detectable gulps slither down Natsumi's throat, and it was enough for her to finally intervene with the dazed girls worries as her jaw dropped open wide while taking in a determined inhale of the icy winds, looking at Natsumi the whole time with confidence.

"Natsumi" Chizuru's voice was light and gentle, as always "Is everything ok?" she questioned in a rhythmic tone "You've been quieter than usual!".

"Ah!" Natsumi flinched, as if startled by the question. Truth be told, she was. Her quaking head turned with a panicky motion, where she witnessed the comforting smile of her best friend, Chizuru, flourish itself onto her like a spell "Y-Yes…" the response was a quiet muffle, making it barely understandable while at the same time showing that Natsumi was rather shy and embarrassed by her true answer "I was just…thinking about something".

Chizuru could easily see the visible redness scorch itself onto Natsumi's snow white skin as she blushed nervously, slightly turning the opposite direction to keep it hidden. She continued to smile, but this time with sympathy.

"What are you thinking about?" politely asked Chizuru, obviously intrigued. In a way, she was suspicious that it wasn't the Secret Santa event itself, but rather the boy who has been assigned to be her Secret Santa.

"Uh! W-Well…Ah…It's…" stuttered Natsumi.

"Is it about Kotaro and the Secret Santa event!" cheekily replied Chizuru, answering her own question "Because I found that very sweet" she winked.

"N-No! No no no!" panicked Natsumi, attempting to lie. The only problem was, lying wasn't her best skill when it came to Chizuru "Don't say such things!" she begged, waving her separated arms around with nervous intentions and making a puppy eyed face towards Chizuru, which to Natsumi's relief, or disappointment, made the brown haired girl chuckle sweetly.

Natsumi widely opened her eyes with suspense as she swayed them back and forth with worry, eagerly looking for an explanation that could convince Chizuru that she wasn't thinking about Kotaro. But to her surprise, it was a lot harder than it sounded. She had no idea why, but the thought of Kotaro, and the Secret Santa event, kept her quiet and calm when keeping it to herself, gradually increasing her lovable heart beats that tingled with warmth each beat. Then, when it became exposed to the open world, she would go into a frenzy of anxious panics as if to hide the nervousness or embarrassments she had been able to contain her entire life until the arrival of Kotaro…until his childish face entered Mahora grounds…until his admirable personality started living with them in their dorm, much to Ayaka's displeasement, which in a way, Natsumi found humorous because of the way they treated one another.

It happened again, Chizuru watched Natsumi go back into a deep thought as she reminisced the memory, which she assumed was Kotaro, or at least, related to Kotaro. Natsumi had made it relatively obvious that Chizuru's assumption was correct, and that it was indeed Kotaro and the Secret Santa event that was bothering her…and she found it understandable to why she continued to hide it away…Chizuru knew it wouldn't be appropriate to hassle Natsumi about it…she was uncomfortable…new to what she was experiencing…she was in denial to what she properly didn't understand.

The quiet, red headed girl perked up as she continued to remember the fun times she had ever since the arrival of Kotaro. A sudden small, shy smile that made her look extremely cute and flattering sprouted from her luscious red lips "Heh…he really is a child…but he's a caring, responsible one. M-Maybe this wont be so bad…Kotaro is a special friend…h-he wouldn't do anything to hurt or embarrass me…would he? A-And…and" Natsumi's head turned as light as a feather as she tilted it up, over Chizuru who was still watching, where she looked high into the clear, grey sky that slowly darkened with each passing second as night slowly approached. At the same time, unaware of her own actions, Natsumi hesitantly began slithering both her palms up her chest until they overlapped each other at the left section of her chest, over her healthy heart where she could feel the exhilarating beats of emotions…one emotion in particular…that four letter word, brewing up, which was still unknowing to Natsumi "And…what if…what if likes me?" her heartbeats dramatically intensified, with a pleasant feeling of hope "B-But…would he really feel that way about me!" Unfortunately, Natsumi's sweetening smile turned into a sorrowful frown as she continued to look up at the blissful sky "Of course he wouldn't…why would he? What aspect of me is even remotely attractive? I'm not beautiful…I'm nothing….ah! W-What is happening? He's only ten! Why am I feeling this strange…desire".

"Natsumi, are you alright?" suddenly interrupted Chizuru who was respectfully waiting patiently.

Immediately flinching, Natsumi quickly turned back to Chizuru, who had a rather confused and concerned facial expression peering back at her. She blinked twice before sweetly humming as if to say "What!" and then proceeded to tilt her head downwards where she witnessed both her hands tightly clamped against her chest, which forced Natsumi to squeal a loud "Ehh!" before tugging both arms back down to her accurate sides and turning towards Chizuru to give her response "Y-Yes!" she instantly replied, still blushing from her preposterous thought "I-I was just…" desperately trying to think of an excuse, Natsumi turned to the one thing she had eagerly awaited all year. Rapidly looking up with despaired excitement, swishing her short, smooth hair with her, her eyes glistened at the greyish blur in the sky as she began to speak "I was just thinking of when the snow would come" softly whispered Natsumi, bringing back her shy smile.

"O-Oh…" stuttered Chizuru, becoming stumped as the familiar topic of snow reminded her about the morning weather report…that snow wasn't coming to their area "Is that so?".

"Uh-huh" sweetly hummed Natsumi "I know I must have already told you, but I can't wait for the white snow to fall…I just know it wont be long, I can feel it" Her head dropped down and turned back to Chizuru, who watched the excitement in Natsumi's eyes tremendously grow as her smile grew "I remember last year…I acted so childishly, hopping around with my tongue poking out as I tried to catch the snowflakes" a lovable giggle escaped Natsumi's mouth as her head tilted to one side while she closed both eyes and happily smiled, which gave Chizuru both a satisfied feeling of relief that she was happy, but at the same time a sorrowed feeling of remorse…should she tell her? Kotaro offered to do it…but…breaking the news to her best friend wasn't exactly easy.

"Oh dear…what should I do? She has been looking forward to this all year…would it be right if I shattered her desires like this so unexpectedly? Maybe…maybe I should just leave it…for now…let Natsumi have her hopes in tact for a little longer so she can enjoy them…after all, it's almost Christmas" pondered Chizuru.

Putting on a convincing smile herself, Chizuru began to speak "I'm sure we wont have to wait much longer" she replied in a friendly tone.

"You really think so?" immediately responded Natsumi, worryingly sounding rather doubtful.

Chizuru gulped "Of course" she said, still cringing a twitchy smile.

The response made Natsumi very happy as her shy grin turned into a detailed smile of endurance that was doubled the size of her last smirk, joined with the flourishing red roundness of blushing that burned brightly around her smooth cheeks with delicacy, and even though Chizuru was unsure if what she had done was the right thing to do or not…it was always nice to see someone as sweet but neglected as Natsumi, who repeatedly punishes herself, to enjoy herself.

Silence then took over. The awkward position Chizuru had put herself in had restrained her to continue the conversation and forced her to hesitate when attempting to change the subject. As for Natsumi, she simply went back to her day dreaming, this time with the unfamiliar smile still neatly planted on her lips as she switched back and forth between the thoughts of Kotaro and the Secret Santa event to the snow she direly awaited. Both majestically walked forward with their heads looking in front of them, watching the barely inhabited pathway turn abandoned as the last of the other students separated and disappeared, leaving the two members of class 3-A alone as their neared the end of their destination, or better known as home.

"Just around this corner and down the steps, then our dorm should be in sight" pondered Chizuru, deeply sighing as if to say she was tired. Natsumi had similar thoughts "Almost there. It sure is cold…maybe a nice warm bath would ease my concerns and make it easier to-" herwondrous words were then interrupted as both Chizuru and Natsumi simultaneously turned the narrow corner, almost causing Natsumi to accidentally bump Chizuru into the grimy wall that was covered with unknown substances that neither of them wanted to discover. Fully turned, the sight of something was what interrupted Natsumi's thoughts as she shrieked to a halt, clumsily stumbling around on the spot and falling behind while Chizuru took another few light steps forward before noticing Natsumi's dismissal. She quickly turned and peeked at the freckled girl before humming with confusion and checking up on the fazed girl "Natsumi?" she watched her lips quiver with distraught "Is something the matter?" Chizuru kindly asked with concern.

Natsumi's eyesight glared at the end of the pathway, right beside the stone steps where she slowly examined a familiar figure that quietly went unnoticed. The figure was barely visible as the wall he slouched his back on engulfed him with shadows, but even so, he was easily recognisable because of his stance and looks. "It's him" she thought, trembling forward beside Chizuru who's head motionly followed Natsumi until she halted, giving Chizuru the opportunity look forward where she too recognised the figure, without the dramatic actions Natsumi had seemed to make so serious "Kotaro? Is that you?" called out Chizuru.

She was right. Kotaro had his arms crossed and his head tilted downwards with his eyes closed, as if waiting for someone, which he was, and that someone being Chizuru and Natsumi themselves. The gentle toned voice of Chizuru immediately caught his attention and perked his wolf-like ears up while his head frantically turned towards the two school girls he looked up to, instantly after causing him to drop both arms down quickly, where one tucked and sunk itself deep into the pocket that had been threaded onto the side the same scruffy, black jacket he usually wore.

Pushing himself of the wall, Kotaro linguistically turned and slowly began treading his feet across the tiled pathway as his ocean blue eyes leered back at both Natsumi and Chizuru while he approached "Yo" he simply replied, raising his other palm in the air and gesturing a friendly hello.

"Ah!…K-Kotaro-Kun!" responded Natsumi, stuttering at the surprise.

"Oh, Kotaro-Kun, what a pleasant surprise" Chizuru smiled with both relief and thrills…maybe she could help him with the Secret Santa event? "I didn't think you were going to be staying with us today, you usually inform one of us during our school periods" informed Chizuru.

Stopping just a few feet away from them, Kotaro repositioned his gesturing palm and softly flattened it at the back of his head, nervously swiping his hands back and forth worryingly as he spoke "Well…ya know, I had a lot to think about while I was gone…".

"Huh?" Natsumi's cheeks plumed up with both interest and striking apprehension "What exactly was he thinking about all this time?" she thought while continuing to speak "You mean you weren't in your lessons the whole time?" asked Natsumi.

"Hmm?" hummed Kotaro, relatively cautious to what he says "Oh, yeah, after that Santa event thing I decided to leave" he admitted.

"That's not like you Kotaro-Kun, you usually like hanging around and talking to the other students, especially Natsumi, at least for a little while, don't you?" interrupted Chizuru.

Kotaro straightened up with tense suspense as the comment sounded rather…different, from his perspective "Ah! W-Well, not just Natsumi! I mean, there's also you and Negi-Kun…" he then slouched down and caught of glimpse of Natsumi who looked rather disillusioned to what was going on, making him feel more comfortable that at least he wasn't the only one feeling the way he did "Anyways, after spoiling the event for Natsumi, I wasn't in the mood to hang around and go to lessons…" Chizuru witnessed Kotaro nudge his foot around, quietly kicking the concrete as if nervous "I felt bad…I guess is what you could call it" informed Kotaro, pulling a childish but manipulative face of submissive honesty.

"Kotaro…" whispered Natsumi's sorrowful voice "This is exactly one of the things I was afraid off…he feels bad because of me…" suddenly, only just realising what she had said earlier in the morning, Natsumi flinched as her face shook from side to side as if to snap herself awake "B-But I told you that I was glad you picked me" she revealed, immediately after lowering her head to show her embarrassment.

"Uh…well, yeah…" he began rubbing his rough textured cheek with his open palm, making it obvious that he was unsure about something "But I don't know what I could get ya…which is kinda stupid since…ya know…apart from Negi, you two are really the only people I hang around with" explained Kotaro.

Everything then went awkwardly silent as Kotaro looked back and forth between Natsumi and Chizuru, turning his head side to side where he received a glowing peer from Chizuru, and a shy expression from Natsumi who hesitated to reply. Chizuru on the other hand seeked to help. Nodding and smiling with satisfaction, she took a step closer and bent downwards, gently slapping both her palms against her shivering knee's while her face froze inches away from Kotaro's who nervously leaned backwards while watching her mouth slyly open "May I make a suggestion?" she politely asked. Kotaro didn't reply, but instead gulped at the little distance that was between him and Chizuru…he never liked being so close to her, because it usually ended up with him being groped or worse by the beautiful motherly figure, giving her the opportunity to speak again "I remember hearing about a Christmas fair in town tonight from Konoka during Negi sensei's class…perhaps Natsumi would like to go there with you?" winked Chizuru, turning to Natsumi who looked rightfully puzzled and shocked at the same time as she struggled to even respond properly, blurting out recognisable words such "What are you getting me into?".

"Ehhh! B-Bu- Ah…we-well…uh…I…y-you mean…just us two?" repeatedly stuttered Natsumi.

"Uh-huh" hummed Chizuru "That's if both of you want to go" she reminded.

"Christmas fair eh? What do you think Natsumi? Wanna go?" mumbled Kotaro's voice as he resisted the excitement waiting to burst out of him at the idea of a fair "A fair means rides, right? And cotton candy?" he gullibly thought to himself.

"Um…" truthfully, she had no idea how to respond. The freckled girl had no idea why she was acting so panicky towards his question…was it that this was so sudden? Or the fact that Chizuru was pretty much leading them into something…personal. "What should I say? Do I reject his present? He wouldn't seem too bothered about it since Chizuru was the one who brought it up…but that fair does sound fun…and with Kotaro still being ten, I'm sure he would like to go to…uh, what harm could it do? It's just two friends having fun together. I bet behind that frown is his childish side wanting to call out his excitement" the thought made Natsumi smirk pleasurably "It would be nice…to spend some time with him…he seems disappointed by this morning, maybe some one on one time with me would cheer him up" pondered Natsumi.

"Sure, I…I would like that" softly whispered Natsumi.

"Cool!" there was a short pause as Kotaro expected some sort of response "So…when should we go?" he asked.

Before Natsumi could even attempt to answer, Chizuru immediately responded with detail "Well, I would suspect that it is still being set up. I also suspect that Natsumi would want to get ready?" Chizuru turned and watched the nervous red haired girl hiccup herself straight, slightly moving one side of her lips to show she was thinking while humming a progressing tone, then nodded abruptly as a whimper whistled out of her mouth, allowing Chizuru to continue when turning back to the slightly confused wolf boy "Then it's settled" she sweetly grinned "Find some appropriate clothing and come back to our dorm in a few hours, and your princess shall be waiting".

The word 'princess' made Kotaro twitch, and Natsumi squeal as both remained utterly compelled by the sudden opinion Chizuru had on the current situation. Did she think this was a date? Natsumi certainly hoped not…nope, she begged that neither her or Kotaro would consider this a date or anything related to that word…she wasn't going to think that way about him…she doesn't think that way about him…that's right…it's just a night out with a friend…at least, that's what Natsumi wanted to be roaming around in her thoughts.

"P-P-Princess!" shrieked Natsumi before unwillingly having her wrist tightly grasped by an overly excited Chizuru who began dragging the freckled girl along the concrete, slipping past Kotaro cautiously while shouting "Lets go, see you soon Kotaro!" madly waving her other hand crazily in the air with Natsumi stuttering the questionable phrases "W-What do you think this is! What are you planning to do!" the whole way and leaving Kotaro to ponder while watching the two girls disappear from sight.

"Princess? Appropriate clothing?" Kotaro momentarily stood on the spot, glaring out to the open scenery as he thought hard, but in the end, he just shrugged his aching shoulders and hastily turned, where he began to walk the opposite direction as he left one hand to sink in his jacket's pocket, and the other to scratch his head with confusion "Girls are weird sometimes…" he whispered to himself, hoping that his croaky voice wasn't heard by Chizuru and Natsumi.

Quietly strolling along the seemingly abandoned hallway that was unfamiliar to Kotaro, who was still finding Chizuru's requests rather complicated and confusing as his mind wondered from time to time, making his already slouching stance look even less professional once his head tilted upwards to look towards the ceiling as if day dreaming, and hiding both his sharp hands deep into the spacious pockets which kept his palms cosy and warm…just what did she mean by 'appropriate clothing'? It was partly the reason to why he was in the abandoned hallway in the first place…as much as he didn't want to admit it, he needed some guidance from someone more experienced with girls…someone who had been here longer than him…someone who he thought would understand the phrase 'appropriate clothing'.

Some called them friends, others called them rivals…which Kotaro preferred…but in the end he was satisfied that what he was doing would surely provide some sort of knowledge to what Chizuru was referring to…after all…he didn't want to ruin the present he was giving after already spoiling the Secret Santa event for Natsumi, he felt remorseful, and he hated it…adding to that feeling would just sour him further.

He neared his destination as he continued to travel down the barely lit hallway that buzzed with skimming winds that managed to whistle in through the gaps beneath the dorms rooms closed doors from open windows or similar encounters. Some of the bright lights sloppily flickered, staining the walls with darkness for mere seconds before being overwhelmed with the warm, illuminating light again until the process repeated itself. Kotaro rarely visited the dorms, with the exception of Natsumi and Chizuru's room, which meant he only had a limited amount of knowledge on where he was going…but the fact that in his past experiences, the hallways he entered to get to Chizuru and Natsumi's rooms were usually occupied with a flowing chain of attractive students hanging around and walking by one another, either entering or exiting the building, pretty much forced him to question why everything was so quiet…so empty. The skies were still in the progress of turning dark, so it wasn't that late, and even if it was the end of the week, a Friday is a Friday and still counts as a day to work…or whatever the students did after the day at Mahora Academy ended, which he had yet to find out.

Usually he would see all the girls such as Asuna and Konoka go home…but when staying with Natsumi and Chizuru, they didn't do much but stay in and either relax or study, to their displeasement…is that what all the girls did during the weekend?

That's how he saw it, and that's why he was confused to the scenery at hand. He wasn't use to the peacefulness around, partly thanks to Ayaka who he constantly managed to get into arguments with when staying with them…only for it to be broken up by the horrifying Chizuru, which he feared at times. It was nice though…but he wouldn't want to get use to it anytime soon, not when he still has a desire to grow stronger, and to beat his rival…and the embarrassing thing was, the exact same rival was the same person he was going for guidance for, which partially irritated him.

Slowly but carefully halting himself, Kotaro's soaring head that stared upwards to the pale coloured ceiling droopily nudged to the right without a care, leaving his strained neck in the same positioned, bending backwards, as his childishly diagonally placed head leered at the brown door beside him, which from his prospective, was slightly tilted to the side because of the way he positioned his head with boredom. If he remembered correctly from past visits, this was the correct room in which he was looking for.

Notoriously turning himself with noticeable antics, the Hayno boy's ears perked up as he heard familiar voices peak through the thin door while a conversation began to brew within the rooms boundaries. The voices were calm and subtle, but despairing and eager at the same time, if that were possible, which it was in Kotaro's opinion. Being his usual ten year old self, he couldn't help but take a small step closer and listen in as the voices became clearer and less mumbled, while at the same time a devious snicker escaped his lips as Kotaro enjoyed himself.

One voice was gentle, with a hint of sorrow and barely recognisable, but the sighing phrase of "I know Asuna, but I had hoped we could have gone together" caressed his pointy ears while another voice, sounding more brutal and adaptive helpfully replied "Don't seem so down Konoka, I'm sure something will turn up eventually" with a hopeful tone. Leaning a little closer until his ears literally squashed themselves against the smooth wooden surface of the brown door, the next gentle phrase, which he was now aware was coming from Konoka, began to smear through the door "I hope so…Set-Chan didn't give a full reply…so…maybe…" harmonically whistled Konoka's voice.

"Huh, Konoka's being bothered by something?" wondered Kotaro, lightly backing away from the door "Not a lot upsets that girl…she's usually happy all the time…uh…somehow".

Closing his heavy eyes, Kotaro took a deep breathe in through his nose and held in the long gasp of oxygen before exhaling hard through his mouth, where he reopened his drowsy eyes and prepared himself. With one hand remaining in style and tucking itself deep into his leathered jackets pocket, Kotaro slowly dragged the other that was hanging down by his side up, where he tightly closed his rough textured palm into a heavily clenched fist that hovered across the air, levelling itself with Kotaro's pumped chest. He persistently pulled his fist back with caution, instantly after thrusting it forward without hesitation where his bruised knuckles rapidly connected with the wooden surface of the door repeatedly, producing four loud thumps that could startle any unsuspecting student that was nearby.

He retreated his hand back down by his side and patiently waited. Silence. The detectable voices from Konoka and Asuna had expectedly stopped, but footsteps nor the sound of the door opening was seen or heard, which slightly aggravated Kotaro…he had put enough effort into those knocks, which meant that something must have happened to delay them… not that he could blame them…the conversation earlier was a reasonable excuse to take longer than expected, and by his logics, they weren't anticipating any visitors. The only problem was…it wasn't them he was here to see.

Then, when he least expected it, the golden coloured handle attached to the wooden door fumbled around, mildly shaking with effort and eerily grinding itself downwards as it produced a unique clicking sound that indicated that the door was easily unlocked while the rusty hinges warily twisted themselves when the swirling door opened with an infuriating creaking that made Kotaro cringe his eyes and mouth as the sound crackled in his ears like fireworks, hurting them while they slouched downwards for protection.

Further the door opened, releasing a warm bask of both admirable heat and ecstatic light that covered Kotaro like a blanket as his advanced senses picked up the natural, sweetening scent of both Konoka and Asuna, which made sense since it was their room, and calmly relaxed the wolf boy since the filling scent was rather…elegant, just as his intellect of women always smelling sweet and perky had taught him over the short stay he had endured when hanging with the many girls of class 3-A "How can Negi repeatedly handle such a girly environment?" he thought to himself, inexplicitly.

Speaking of Negi, that was just who he saw. As the door heaved to a stop while brushing against the frizzled carpet with a "Thrshhh" sound, the image of the young, talented magister appropriately standing straight with his majestic stance as he leaned one palm against the edge of the sturdy door for support consumed Kotaro with constricted reactions to whether he should just walk away now before embarrassing himself in front of Konoka and Asuna who mildly watched from a distance in the background…both sitting on the bottom bunk of the fluffy bed and looking rather disappointed after getting a better look at the spiky haired boy, obviously mourned that it was him instead of someone else they had hoped would appear "Good to see you too…" he sarcastically thought with humour, rolling his eyes at the same time. There was a short silence as the unexpected visit startled Negi for a few moments as he frantically blinked while regaining his senses, glaring at Kotaro who the whole time who simply leered back, awkwardly sighing. "What am I doing?" he wondered.

Negi's postponed facial expressions twitched as the picture of uncertainly remained planted of his face "Oh, Kotaro" he took a light step forward "What brings you here on such a peaceful afternoon? Aren't you usually training with Kaede or staying with Chizuru and Natsumi?" asked Negi.

Kotaro took immediate notice of the unusual scruffiness that burdened itself around Negi. His striped tie was loosened and messily tilted to the right while hanging on by a thread since the top button had been perceptively undone. One side of his white, creased shirts collar flung up with fatigue positioning, showing that Negi never intended on looking so…indecent upon unexpected Kotaro's arrival, nor did he intend on making a fool of himself in front of the girls, which meant that while unravelling his tie, the accidental fashion on his clothing was created…most likely because of Kotaro's loud, marred knocks which startled them all.

Distracted, he only answered Negi's question with another question "Hey Negi…did you annoy Asuna or something?" he chuckled with a notably joking smile, pointing his visible hand towards Negi.

"Hmm?" Negi followed the direction Kotaro was pointing, lowering his developing face until catching a glimpse of his scarring clothing which made him look as if he had just been beaten up "Oh!" embarrassingly noticed Negi as he looked back up with panic…having Kotaro assuming differently was something he didn't want "No no, nothing like that, I was just in the middle of getting changed" he answered.

Kotaro's head slightly shuffled to the left, looking over Negi's shoulder where he glared back at Konoka and Asuna who continued their quiet conversation "In front of the girls?" an eyebrow raised while his voice croaked the phrase out.

"Ehhh!" Negi's majestic stance rapidly dispersed as he straightened up with a nervous stomach that churned displeasingly "N-No! I meant that I was getting my clothing ready!" shouted Negi, catching Asuna's attention with his loud voice.

Turning, Asuna caught the sight of Kotaro watching her, which left a degrading feeling of worry in the pit of his stomach, since he knew what was coming next. Asuna hummed a rhythm of annoyance…she hated being talked about behind her back, especially by a couple of kids that didn't know any better "What are you two talking about over there?" she curiously questioned, with a hint of anger.

"Nothing!" they both said together, staring at the fazed orange haired girl and obviously fearing her wrath as she pulled a funny face of confusion to their panic, which consisted of a twitchy smile and lowered eyebrows "Ok…" she unsurely replied, turning back to Konoka who had kept quiet during the small talk.

Gulping, and then sighing vindictively, Negi rotated his head back to Kotaro where he watched the mischief boy snicker with entertaining. The young mage pondered at first, wondering what was so funny…but eventually, he just smiled back, finally realising the funny side of things and finding the situations one another get into when together amusing. They really were still ten years old, especially when the outnumbered magisters got into troublesome antics together, no matter how mature they made themselves seem when alone with the other girls. And that was the biggest mystery of all to the students of class 3-A…how one minute Negi or Kotaro can seem so…responsible… to their actions and personality…and then the next minute, they dramatically change to the sudden age they were meant to be…childish…silly…having fun instead of continuously worrying about not only themselves, but the girls safety as well, which in a way, seemed unfair to a lot of them.

"Hehe…so, what can I do for you?" politely asked Negi.

"Uh…well…" Kotaro began softly rubbing his rough textured palm across the side of his neck with frustration as he started to rethink the explanation to him being there…he really should have planned ahead "I'm not sure how to say this…" he implied with a grouchy tone of voice.

"What's wrong?" concurringly interrupted Negi "Did something happen?" he replied worryingly.

"It's nothing" instantly insisted Kotaro, sensing Negi's concern and attempting to ease the atmosphere between them…then again, he has had a daunting past where he would usually show up when something dire or awry had happened "I just need your help with something".

"Oh, do you need a training partner?" suggested Negi in a rather intertwined voice, sounding as if he hoped the answer would be 'No'.

"Not exactly…" he groaned "As much as that would be nice…" pondered his thoughts pleasantly "Do you know what 'appropriate clothing' is?" questioned Kotaro.

There was a contagious pause as the questioned stumped Negi, who repeatedly blinked and blundered the sour taste of confusion as he spoke "A-Appropriate clothing?" he stuttered, tilting his head to the side with confusion.

"Sounds stupid, doesn't it?" exaggerated Kotaro, being his usual narcissistic self "I'm taking Natsumi to that Christmas fair later for her Santa thing…and Chizuru said something about…'appropriate clothing?" his shoulders shrugged as Kotaro looked at Negi obediently, one hundred percent sure that being the same age and having the same interests and desires, Negi would fully understand why Kotaro sounded so confused…wasn't any kind of cloths 'appropriate' as long as you're outside?

Negi sighed with relief "So that's why you're here. I'm glad to know that you're taking this event seriously" he smiled.

"Well, you know…I didn't want to see her sad since I already spoiled the secret part…" replied Kotaro "And…maybe I wanna hang with her for a while…".

"That's kind of you. I think I can help" he whispered cheerfully "You came just at the right time".

"I did?" simply replied Kotaro.

"I was just getting ready to meet Nodoka…back in the classroom she asked me to meet up with her at Library Island…she mentioned it being special, so I thought appropriate clothing would be necessary" grinned Negi "Come in and I'll get some cloths for you…uh…I'm assuming that's why you're here, right?" he suddenly brought up.

"W-What?" stuttered Kotaro.

"You didn't come here just to ask me about appropriate clothing did you? I don't think Natsumi would be pleased if you arrived at her door wearing the same tacky jacket and trousers on your night out!" exclaimed Negi, unaware to himself that by his words, both Asuna and Konoka recognised and assumed some sort of 'date' was going on between Kotaro and Natsumi, in which forced Asuna to once again twitch an unbelievable smile while the thought made Konoka frown again once she remembered her Set-Chan.

"Sure…I guess…it's not like I have anything else to do…I need to kill time until I go back to Chizuru and Natsumi's dorm anyway…" mentioned Kotaro, complexly barging his way past Negi who had yet to make a space for Kotaro to squeeze through…the funny thing was, Negi half expected that to happen whether he made a space or not.

"Good!" delightfully sprung Negi "Wait here and I'll go and get the clothes we both need" he smiled, closing the creaking door shut with immensity before trotting across the far room where he began rummaging through the closet that consisted a variety of clothing, some more unusual than others…it's as if the young mage had never heard of casual clothing.

Kotaro could do nothing but wait…and the consistent glares he received from Asuna and Konoka that burned into his back didn't exactly ease his confusion to what he had just got himself into. He felt the urge to just leave…but Negi's words about Natsumi's displeasement to his usual clothing restrained him…and a bit of Chizuru's strictness may have been added fear to that worry…he supposed that all he could do was wait and see…after all, how bad could it be?

"Yo, Konoka" suddenly interacted Kotaro with fascination "Are you upset or something?" he nosily asked.

"Ah…" the gentle whimper of suspense was easily detectable, perking Kotaro's sharp wolf ears up as the sorrowing face of the healer looked up with cuteness "Everything's fine, I just have nothing to do…" she replied, putting on a convincing smile of adorableness "Why do you ask?" she questioned, poking one finger against her smooth cheeks like she usually did when confused.

"Dunno…you just look a little different I guess" he sighed, shuffling the hand tucked in his pocket around as if adjusting the position it was in.

A sweet hum escaped Konoka's mouth as she began to wonder, sliding her finger from her luscious cheek to her chin . She sorely bit her bottom lip and kept her glistening eyes on Kotaro, softly exhaling with resilience and gently rubbing her other hand along her soft lap…something really was bothering her…

Then, the sudden sigh of exhilaration caught Kotaro's attention, causing his refluxed instincts to rapidly kick in as he heftily turned to the sighing sound of relief and away from Konoka. His childish excitement was obliviously unavoidable as his striped tail swept the ground fiercely, almost tearing up the carpet with it's sharp spikiness of hairs that poked out like a sore thumb. Implicitly, that excitement was crippled and lost when the sight of Negi deviously grinning while what appeared to be firm, black clothing neatly lay across both his arms and covering the green fabric of the jacket he usually wore when teaching his classes. Kotaro couldn't decide what to keep his eyes on, the clothing, or Negi's nerving smile as his eyes rolled up and down, repeatedly switching between the two until he was interrupted by Negi's calm voice "Put these on" he offered, stretching his arms outwards and pushing the clothing closer to Kotaro.

"Whaaat?" Kotaro's croaky voice strained itself with a tone of unappealing grouchiness to the request "You mean here?" one finger outstretched itself, revealing the dangerous claw that gleamed in the reflective light as it pointed to the ground "Now?" he questioned, pulling a depth face that made him raise the lower part of his jaw, partly showing his bottom teeth above his lips.

Negi showed a blank expression "Well, sure, where else?" he replied with an influencing tone.

The Hayno boy felt unconfidential as he showed obvious signs of aggravation by stumping his foot against the frizzled carpet repeatedly and redirecting his pointing hand behind his head as he began to swipe his rough textured palm hard against his scruffy black hair with immense speed, creating burning friction. Grouchy groans howled out of his mumbling mouth, shortly followed by some tutting and unrecognisable words that were slurred and murmured with annoyance before the intimidating but recognisable word of "Fine" growled out of his mouth with regret.

Closing his eyes, deeply sighing and nodding his head down as if dozing off, Kotaro returned to his usual impulsive stance, with one hand stuffed in his spacious pocket and the other lightly lingering down by his side. As he took an abrupt step forward, an easily visible footprint mixed with dirt and mud that was crammed in the gaps of his tearing trainers from where he trained in the unlikely environments with Kaede stained the brightly coloured carpets, which briefly frustrated Asuna who gave him a daunting stare, which he ignored. It was as if Kotaro could see with his eyes closed and had accepted the request…truth be told, he had accepted it, but his grouchy ignorance pretty much led the way as his ragged arm deployed itself over the clothing being offered to him, where his scarring claws dropped like weights onto the soft fabric and closed it's rough fingers, partially creasing the elegant clothing as is was snatched away from Negi while Kotaro budged past him, approaching the lockable bathroom.

Just as he continued past Negi, leaving a whistling breeze that left a hint of nervousness to pass through the young magister as if he were a ghost, the unsure tone of innocence crept out of Negi's mouth with worry as he quickly turned, facing the back of Kotaro's head as he softly spoke "Ah! Be careful Kotaro, that clothing is very petite" he notified, obviously noticing the fierce way Kotaro was handling his clothing. Negi watched as the comment forced Kotaro to pause, halting to a stop and slightly twitching before an agreeable hum slurred across his lips, which relieved Negi quite a lot as he continued to watch Kotaro enter the bathroom before turning and shutting the door, instantly after hearing a clanking sound that indicated the locks of the door being used, shortly followed by a long, awkward silence that left Negi, Asuna and Konoka all baffled…after the reaction they had just seen, Kotaro suddenly went calm…which to be honest, Negi hadn't expected since the clothing he had offered wasn't exactly Kotaro's…style.

Minutes past, which previously concerned Negi, surely it doesn't take this long to put on some clothes? Only then did he remember that it was Kotaro, and that to his knowledge, this was the first time he had even seen clothing such as this…but what was he suppose to do? Help him change? Even Negi knows that Kotaro would rather sit in a room with Ayaka for an hour than get help getting into some fabric.

Quiet shuffles fled under the tiny gaps available through the door, followed by agitated sighs and mumbles that matched Kotaro's low tone of voice that made Negi cringe…it either indicated that Kotaro was struggling to put the clothes on…or he was trying to escape through the open window…either way, he was having trouble, and the young magister could only hope that it was his first option…he didn't exactly want to walk in on Kotaro half naked in a bathroom that was neither his nor Kotaro's.

Without warning, the sudden displeasing yelp of "Ehhh!" echoed out the bathroom and across the room as stomping footsteps crashed onto the clean, squeaky bathroom floor like weights "Negi!" gasped Kotaro's anxious voice "What the hell is this!" he remarked "Is this some kind of joke?" snarled the wolf boy.

"What do you mean?" immediately answered Negi, finding Kotaro's response rather irrational "Is something wrong?" he asked, taking a step closer to the wooden door.

There was barley any time to breathe as Negi's question received an immanent response without hesitation. The bathroom door began to intensely rustle around, rocking back and forth and hitting the edges of the walls that prevented it from opening without proper handling until eventually the over reaction Kotaro used one hand to take a tight grasp around the golden handle that reflected the image of him which he found rather…bliss. The glossy handle shot down and created a clinking sound to indicate it's unlocking. A short pause. The refreshing air from the bathroom thanks to the open window whistled in through the small gap that had been created upon unlocking and covered Negi like an adaptive blanket, absorbing the wild scent of Kotaro and blowing it towards Negi.

Slowly, the door creaked opened and a fine, black coated arm appeared, followed by the scruffiness of Kotaro's torso and eventually he revealed himself wearing something neither he, Negi, Asuna or Konoka would ever see him in. The short tempered boy nervously swept his feet along the carpet, shuffling a few inches forward and standing in the doorway as the image of him caused Asuna to slightly sniffle in the background.

A smooth, long, black sleeved blazer that was skilfully threaded together softly lay on top of the his skin which sent a vibe of smoothness to run along the tip of his hairs that all began to stand up with suspense. It was the perfect size for Kotaro and engulfed him with an elegant look as the frizzled warmness sent shivers down his spine. Black trousers neatly straightened themselves along Kotaro's long legs as he straightened himself up, feeling the tightening effects of the unusual clothing Negi assumed was 'appropriate'…unfortunately that was the only thing he had managed to put on correctly. The white, buttoned shirt he wore was half tucked into his trousers and a large number the buttons hadn't been placed in the correct holes which forced the shirt to be tugged on and look rather creased while slouching downwards. Another problem was his stiff collar, which flung up high without a care while the brightly red coloured bowtie hung on by a poorly attempted knot as it hovered across his chest, swinging back and forth heftily.

Ignoring Asuna's unneeded sniffles that she barely contained as her face turned bright red and Konoka's confused glare, Kotaro stood before Negi who had his eyebrows raised. The Hayno boy tutted without realising that what he was feeling at that moment was embarrassment before lifting his hand high with annoyance and pinching the side of his flipped up collar with his dangerous claws and pulling hard on the delicate clothing, dragging and stretching the fabric to one side as he seeked to comfort himself while beginning to speak "I look stupid" he sighed, completely unaware that he hadn't put the clothing on properly "I don't see why girls like this sort of thing…" he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Eh hehe" snickered Negi " Ah, Kotaro…you're not wearing it properly" smiled Negi with ambition.

"Hmm?" Kotaro's persistent hum sounded just like a startled dog that had just been interested in something . His head tilted down where his eyes scoped his messy uniform, absorbing the slight twitches of perseverance he felt. His eyebrows lowered, then his head sloppily raised itself again as Kotaro stared back at Negi with an inexpressible face of confusion "It is?" he simply answered, struggling to find the right pouch to tuck his hand in as he roughly patted his divine trousers until eventually finding the tiny gap which he squeezed his strained hand that turned red with soreness as it burned against the thin fabric, preventing him from fully hiding his hand away in the pocket. By the time Negi began to build up his response, Kotaro's hand was half in the tightening pocket, now struggling to pull itself out rather than pushing itself further in, where he began wriggling his hand around, with little effect.

"Here" Negi began stumbling forward, approaching Kotaro with prejudice "Let me help" he insisted, raising both arms and stretching his palms out in a friendly manner.

"W-What are you doing?" cautiously asked Kotaro, cringing and leaning back as Negi grew nearer. He could do nothing but falter as he felt Negi's grubby paws smudge it's fingerprints over the blazer he wore. Negi pinched the edge of the blazer and pulled hard on it, straightening the petite clothing. He then proceeded to Kotaro's bright red bowtie, where his smooth fingers struggled to untie the childishly constricted knot while at the same time, Kotaro's hassling movement wasn't helping as it made it harder, all because of the accidental ticklish sensation he felt from Negi on his neck which forced him to wriggle around in snickers of irritation while yelping out barely understandable phrases that pleaded Negi to stop.

From both Konoka and Asuna's point of view, the sight wasn't exactly an expedition as all they could see was Kotaro squirming around with retaliation while Negi repeatedly shifted his head from up and down , to left and right while the back of his hands pretty much waved themselves all over the place, as if he was swiftly speeding through the corrections being made. At times, Asuna could feel the uncertain stares of Konoka burn into her as she wondered whether she should intervene or not, looking back and forth between Asuna and the two individual ten year old magisters before them…to be honest, Asuna was half enjoying the two of them hassle one another, but at the same time, she was tempted to stop them because of the amount of noise they were creating and disturbing her peace.

Just before she could make her choice for herself and Konoka, the delightful chirp of Negi's voice shouting out "Done!" with satisfaction caught their attention, making both the flickering girls turn and watch as Negi leap back with both arms stretched outwards by his side, and then another image snatched all the commotion. There he was. Kotaro. Sparkling brightly in the appropriate clothing given to him by Negi…although, he absurd facial expressions that indicated pickiness and discursion bloated across the face of the fazed Hayno boy, who's ears flopped down with brief embarrassment to what he experienced, and what Asuna and Konoka just witnessed.

"Don't ever handle me like that again!" he growled, sighing at the same time as he tutted at the sight of an illuminate smirk plant itself across Negi's mouth , which left him baffled for words…did Negi enjoy helping him or something? "Uh…so...now wha-" before Kotaro could finish his rather awkward question, he was rapidly interrupted by a rather high pitched, exhilarated voice of excitement that engulfed him with compliments, one which he hadn't expected

"Wooow!" the word was stretched with fascination as Konoka had somehow blasted her way past Negi and halted herself only a few inches away from Kotaro, screeching along the carpeted dloor and spinning around him with amazing speeds while she examined the beauty of how Kotaro looked in such divine clothing. Just moments ago she was sitting on her bed, distressing her situation with Asuna…but now…Kotaro really didn't understand girls "Kotaro-Kun!" shouted Konoka with enthusiasm, poking at him with her elegant finger and feeling the smoothness of the black blazer he wore "You look amazing!" she complimented "It's like you're a gentleman, just like Negi-Kun!" admitted Konoka with a heart warming smile.

"T-Thanks…" nervously replied Kotaro as his face began to burn rosy red with bluishness. It's not that Kotaro wasn't use to being stared at…in fact, it was the complete opposite. Many times, on the roads and streets, members of the public would glare at him with ignorance because of his sensitive ears or fluffy tail, that he wasn't 'normal' like the rest of them…but it was different this time…instead of his usual grouchiness towards the attention…Kotaro felt…warm, that he was being complimented for what he was wearing rather than for what he was…and it felt good, to say the least.

"I'd have to agree" suddenly intervened Asuna "You look much different and less scruffy" she said, which made Kotaro ponder if that too was a compliment, or an insult.

"I'm sure Natsumi will be happy to see that you tried to hard Kotaro" smiled Negi.

"Wait wait wait! So you guys actually think that this crud I'm wearing looks good and will make Natsumi happy?" intriguingly questioned Kotaro.

"Of course!" instantly replied Konoka with elation "Natsumi will love it!".

The response puzzled Kotaro "Why would Natsumi love it? Aren't I the one wearing it?" he wondered, not realising what Konoka truly meant.

"Well, you best get going then, I also need to get changed" informed Negi, opening the squeaky, wooden front door for him.

"Hmm?" hummed Kotaro with perplexity, already forgetting why he was there in the first place "Oh, yeah, I suppose I should get back to their dorm, I remember the last time I was late for something…Chizuru almost killed me" joked Kotaro, winking with amusement and gesturing a thumbs up with a cheeky smile. Yanking the hand that was still stuck in the tight pocket, Kotaro roughly pulled it out, where he proceeded to criss cross his fingers into each other and lightly flatten both palms against the back of his scruffy, spiky black hair while tilting his head up where his eyes scanned the ceiling, just like he did before encounter Negi and the others.

Slowly walking as he let his mind wonder again, Kotaro reached the doorway before giving a simple "Cya" as he entered the hallway…however, his response was one he hadn't expected. Just as Negi began closing the door, the anticipating voice of Konoka was heard shouting "Good luck on your date with Natsumi!" as she thrillingly waved, causing Kotaro to twitch and immediately turn, anxiously spouting out "Wait? Wha-" before being interrupted by the closing door that slammed shut with a calm click, leaving Kotaro baffled.

"That was weird…" pondered Kotaro, where he mildly paused as he glared at the door. Then, he motionly shrugged, quickly turned, and began walking down the still abandoned hallway, acting as if nothing had happened while the cold, chilly winds that entered from the nearby exit whistled past him…he had gotten so use to the warmth of Negi's room that he had completely forgotten that is was still winter, and about how cold it was outside.

With both hands comfortably jammed into the desirably heated blazer pockets instead off the tightly fitted patches on the trousers he wore, Kotaro diagonally turned and used his arm and shoulder as a battering ram to push the double glass doors open, colliding himself into the cleanliness of the glazing glass and squashing himself into it without any sign of reconsidering, producing a violent thump while doing so.

Upon entering the outside, the young, talented magister sniffled at the icy sensation that overwhelmed him with pricks of soreness that stabbed his exposed skin like a needle, making the Hayno boy cringe aggressively while sighing, exhaling out a heap of condensation that was as white as snow before adding itself to the forming fog that lightly withered across the floor.

Eventually, being his wild self, Kotaro adapted to the cold environment and straightened up, looking very posh and gentleman-like is his borrowed clothes as he began to heavily trot his feet hard against the freezing concrete that soon became a pathway that was surrounded by plentiful pieces of grass that gracefully followed the winds swift direction of delicateness. His walking style was different, most likely from the inexperienced suit he wore that made it harder to just simply drag his feet across the floor…no, it took much more effort and believe it or not, skill to adjust walking properly without looking like a fool, at least, it did for Kotaro.

It was only when Kotaro sloped his head up and peered out to the darkening sky did he falter to a hesitating stop as he witnessed the glowing colour of orange soar across the scenario view from the sunset, to which he couldn't help but admire such a rare sight for him…it was as if the image hypnotized him as he blankly stood in the middle of the pathway that was soon to be crowding with people, memorized by the glittery colours that glistened brightly and stifling his senses for a few moments before he snapped out of it, gently shaking his head and smirking, where he then proceeding forward without a bother.

Powerful gust of winds swerved around him, blasting petals and leaves from naturist tree's and flowers that delicately swayed through the searing cold air. The winds slashed through his hair, fiercely blowing his spiky black strips madly around his head as the blackness withered around while floating back down. Being his usual self and showing no signs of weakness, Kotaro simply shrugged on the urge to huddle himself up and cringe his eyes by slightly adjusting his head position, rotating it to the right and avoiding the facial encounter of the icy winds that brushed past the back of his tilting head, leaving an irritating itch that made him groan with annoyance…he was so sure that the unexpected winds seemed to be growing every second that past.

Still looking to the right, the sudden flicker of warm lights easily caught his attention, making Kotaro blink twice as he fully turned to the heating glows. During the stare, he continued to walk, having no clue whether he was about to bump into any cheerful people or not…luckily, he didn't…but to be honest, would Kotaro have even felt the gentle touch when not paying attention? He was that tough after all. Only seconds after staring outwards towards the open world, over the grass and below the twinkling stars was a mildly grey coloured building with numbers of windows dazzling with precious light, creating an venerating pattern of zig zagging lines thanks to the light that were turned off in some of the available rooms. Kotaro tilted his head, making it obvious that he was intrigued until finally managing to figure out that the large grey building was in fact the dorms he was travelling…and one specific light shined brighter than any other…one specific room gleamed with ecstatic rays…Kotaro knew that the room he was peering into with his sensitive, yet experienced eyes was the room, that consisted of Natsumi and Chizuru, both supposedly finishing off and awaiting his arrival which caused Kotaro to loudly gulp "What exactly am I going to say? Hey, I'm here, lets go? Do girls like that kind of response from guys like me?" pondered Kotaro, suddenly opening his eyes wide "A guy like me…" he tutted "Wait…what exactly is a guy like me and a girl like Natsumi suppose to do at a fair! I'v never been to one before…I mean…it's not like I wanted to go or anything…" at the moment of his lie, Kotaro's tail began to wage like a dog, showing his slight excitement "Bah, why am I worrying?".

Being completely lost in thought for a moment that felt like an eternity, another unexpected wind crashed into the right side of Kotaro, completely snapping him out of his personal thoughts and adjusting his stance as his body unbalanced itself, sloping downwards to the left and staggering his footsteps. Kotaro hopped around, attempting to regain his senses when the sudden familiar and recognisable image came in contact with his craving sight. The unsuspecting visit of a familiar face forced Kotaro to cringe his fingers and tear his hands out of his blazer pockets with caution to continue…the more people that see him like this, the bigger his reputation will get ruined, and he didn't want that. But he continued walking, not wanting to seem threatened by what awaited him.

From afar, with her beautiful face partly covered by her luscious fringe and looking as if she was having trouble with the bruising winds that made her partially covered her eyes with her hovering arm, was Setsuna, seeming rather stunned b the awkward sight of Kotaro who wasn't the only one wearing a different set of unusual clothing. Both ironically stared deep into one another's eyes with nervousness until halting just a few inches away from each other, where the silence immediately kicked in as both awaited the first response to this sudden…visit.

Now standing opposite her, Kotaro awkwardly stumped his heel repeatedly against the hard concrete, complexly looking down with discreet while realising that Setsuna seemed rather…traumatized…by his appearance. An aching cough smudged through his lips as he cleared his throat, making it obvious that Setsuna wasn't the only one in an uncomfortable position. His sloppy eyes rolled around, changing from a quick peek at Setsuna back to the floor while attempting to remain unnoticed.

Setsuna scanned Kotaro like a robot, as if he was a rare piece of technology. Truth be told, he was, not because of his actual being, but because of the magnificent clothes he wore. Spread across his body like butter, was what appeared to be a suit, hiding Kotaro's usual scruffiness. He wore plain black trousers and a black blazer, matching the colour of his frizzy hair that was madly spiked up . Hiding behind the blazer was a clean white shirt and a spotless red tie, making Kotaro look like quite the gentleman, as if he was going to a prom of some sort.

She sniffled, pulling an innocent smile which fazed Kotaro as his head sloped up, watching the grin of Setsuna suddenly cause him to smile back.

"H-Hello…Kotaro" whispered Setsuna, slightly blushing.

"Uh…Yo, Setsuna…How you been?" replied Kotaro, stuffing one hand into the open pocket easily visible on his blazer.

"E-Everything is well…thank you for asking. Do you mind if I ask why your wearing such fancy clothing?" questioned Setsuna, obviously intrigued.

At that moment, Kotaro joined Setsuna's blushing, instantly glowing a bright red colour as the reason came to mind, which made him stutter. Like the child he was, he murmured his words at first, making them more understandable each time as he began to fidget around with his fingers, flicking around the black threads that concealed one of his hands while his fingers poked around each other. He was thinking of replying with a joke, similar to "I was going to ask you the same thing" but decided not to once he remembered what sort traditional person Setsuna was. "Well…y-ya know…the Secret Santa thing…Natsumi" he put a lot of emphasis on Natsumi's name "We planned this an well…" he hushed the rest of his words while noticing Setsuna's smile turn from a nervous smile to a respectful smile.

"I see" nodded Setsuna "Well…I don't want to hold you up. Good luck" smiled Setsuna.

Without hesitation, Setsuna began to walk, brushing past Kotaro who poked a childish face at her. He turned back, quickly panicking to what he should ask.

"Ah! Wait!" it caught Setsuna's attention as she turned "Where are you going?" asked Kotaro.

"Oh…no where" she winked "By the way…where did you get that clothing, I didn't think you were the type of person to possess that type of fashion" questioned Setsuna.

"This?" Kotaro pinched the blazer, slightly pulling it outwards "I borrowed it from Negi, just a short while ago. Its not my style…but I think it will make Natsumi happy. Although, Konoka looked sorta disappointed…something about having nothing to do and feeling…lonely? I think it was… " informed Kotaro.

The word lonely forced Setsuna to silently gasp, she didn't want Konoka feeling that way! It must have been her fault…she rejected Konoka's offer earlier in the morning for uncertain reasons and now Konoka was upset…she had to hurry!

"Thank you Kotaro" replied Setsuna as she bowed.

Turning her back to him, she began walking again, leaving Kotaro to ponder his thoughts with a rough scratch of the head as he watched the skilful swordsman fade away until nothing but the icy winds were left "That was close…" nervously chucked Kotaro, who turned and continued walking with more focus this time, making sure he didn't run into anymore inconvenience with the other students.

Knock. Knock. Knock. Those were the sounds Kotaro's bruising fingers produced as he harshly cankered them against the hard wooden surface of the door, barely preventing himself from leaving dents in the smooth surface thanks to his nerving senses that left him feeling cripple….not feeling like his usual self, which was very deceiving to the overly confused yet excited Hanyō , enough for a unique creature such as himself to create an atmosphere of his own in his own domain. His striped tail uneasily wagged around, and his high pitched ears perked up with interest…if how he looked now was stupid, he was eager to see what kind of humorous clothing Natsumi would be wearing…she was going to be wearing similar clothing…right? That was just one of the many thoughts that swirled around his fragile mind, almost creating an irritating headache…it made him laugh inside thought, the trip to the fair hadn't even started and he was already feeling awry "I must be getting sick or something…Not exactly feeling myself…must be the stupid suit" he told himself, sighing.

He stood there, in the lonesome hallway that echoed with chilly breezes from the outside, not exactly in the most majestic stance as he slouched down and leaned back, looking rather uncaring and bored, which is fact was his usual stance, while Kotaro awaited the door to fly open with some sort of greeting from one of the girls, most likely Natsumi since she was the one waiting for him. Mistakenly, a wide spread yawn mourned out of his opening mouth, whistling past his vicious sharp looking teeth that were easily visible from afar, to which Kotaro showed barely sign of bother to it, not minding if anyone saw him…it was only natural after all, especially for a child like him to yawn in public, whether it be friends and family or complete strangers. The yawn disappeared seconds later, allowing Kotaro to close his mouth again, where the sudden sticky sounds of him sucking the saliva from his gums with his tongue obsessively blurted out of his mouth when his dry lips unstuck themselves by a few inches, allowing the sound to escape. Luckily for him, no one had answered the door yet…at least, he thought that was lucky.

As he waited, the distinct sound of a struggle, followed by whimpers from a girls voice sounding a lot like Natsumi's squeezed through the gaps of the doors and into Kotaro's sensitive hearing, which made him eerily twitch as the thought to what the two girls were doing came to his mind…then again, it was Chizuru he was talking about alongside Natsumi, and everything was nerve racking with Chizuru around, he couldn't blame the whimpers coming from Natsumi…not that he would do the same. Then, the sudden call out from Chizuru's voice shouting "I'm coming! Please hold on for just a moment!" made Kotaro hum with impatience while he swore that he heard a whispered mumble of unrecognisable words following the last sentence, as if Chizuru was talking to someone behind her…although, it wasn't exactly hard to guess who.

"It's me!" Kotaro responded without thinking twice, huffing and puffing before weakening his voice and speaking again "Haven't got all day…" his tone lowered and his eyes rolled, enough for the dangerous words to fade away before reaching the delicate ears of either girl, keeping him safe from relatively scarring harm.

Immediately after, footprints were heard on the other side of the door. These were no ordinary footprints though. The pace and weight on them obstructed excitement and anticipation that couldn't be held back, acting as an unstoppable force barging whatever stood in it's way. He didn't know why, nor did he realise it at first, but Kotaro silently gulped with a marred mind to step a few inches away from the door, which he did with quick action, thinking that it would be the best thing to do in the situation he was in. Then, the thunderous footsteps stopped, followed by a short, daunting pause that left him clueless…that was until the firm grip of a hand locking itself onto the golden door handle attached to the door was heard, to which Kotaro prepared himself.

The handle shot down like lightning, jittering the door with animosity before the clinking that indicated it's unlocking was heard. The plain looking door swooped inwards as it opened and before him revealed the flawless, beautiful, motherly figure Chizuru, elegantly standing straight with a majestic stance as her long, luscious, flowing brown hair ran alongside her back and shoulders with curly smoothness. He looked up at her, and she bowled down at him, both given accurate facial expressions that obviously told one another that they were surprised…for Chizuru, it was easily noticeable, Kotaro's clothing…but the reasoning to Kotaro seeming surprised was unknown and yet to be discovered…maybe he just didn't expect to see Chizuru so hyped up over something that was meant for Natsumi?

She gave a sweetening smile, then a humorous giggle as she spoke "My my Kotaro" the sound of her happiness lightened up Kotaro's mood. Chizuru's eyes homed over him, examining his unusual clothing "Don't you look like quite the gentleman" her eyes closed, supporting and adding to the lovable smiling she still had as her head tilted to the side.

"Uh-.H-Hey Chizuru" Kotaro said nervously with a hint of embarrassment…taking compliments from a girl wasn't his strongest points, mainly because half the time he didn't know whether they were compliments or not "I'm here to take Natsumi to the fair" he informed.

Chizuru's eyes lightly opened "I know" the same smile remained on her face "She's just finishing off, she'll be with you in a moment" answered Chizuru.

"Hmm? Right, gotcha…" simply replied Kotaro.

Looking down, Kotaro keened to keep himself entertained as he waited by fidgeting around with his feet, softly stumping the front of his black footwear gently against the lumpy surface of the floor repeatedly and producing a mild thumping sound that was barely heard by Chizuru. His eyes motionly watched the feathered stumps, swiftly keeping in sync with it's movements and blinking each time the footwear connected with the floor.

Without warning, just when he least suspected it, the sudden cosiness of Chizuru's warm, charming palm soothingly flattened and patted itself on top of Kotaro's scruffy, black hair and softly stroked his head with a fragile movement. Kotaro flinched with suspense, then cringed while dragging his head upwards to look at Chizuru, bringing her hand along with him where silently gasped at the developing situation. Chizuru's expressions looked precious and underestimated…she had the same smile, but it told differently than before…it was proud and envious, and her now glistening eyes twinkled a message of relief. Kotaro didn't know how to respond, nor did he know if he should or not…if it was anyone else, he would have groaned and shook his head miserably…but this time…

Eventually, Kotaro wasn't given a choice to respond as Chizuru's caring voice spoke in a lower volume, as if she was attempting to hide it from Natsumi "Thank you Kotaro-Kun" gently whispered Chizuru "I know a lot of this is an inconvenience for you…finding the clothing, taking Natsumi to the fair…I realise this isn't your usual daily activities and I…I appreciate what your doing for her" explained Chizuru.

"Wha-…N-Nah, don't worry about it…I wanted to do this for her" honestly replied Kotaro, slightly blushing.

Slowly, Chizuru pulled her hand away and retreated it back down by her side as she continued "She may not seem like it…but I can see right through her, she's quite excited" informed Chizuru "Last time I saw her this excited was when we found out that Negi-sensei was becoming our teacher" a memorable smirk planted itself across her mouth "I know you're only ten years old and not very experienced in this sort of stuff, but I find it very admirable that you're putting so much effort into this….and into Natsumi's happiness".

"She's excited? To go with me? But what's so special about this? Is it the fair or something? And what does she mean by experience? Is there some kind of trick when it comes to these sorts of things?" wondered Kotaro.

Before Kotaro could even have a chance to ask the questions that withered around in his mind, a sudden glimmer sparkled behind Chizuru at the far end of the dorm. Kotaro's uttered words stuttered, and then faltered to release himself thanks to the Hayno boy biting his upper lips hard with fascination as he seeked to examine the brightly coloured anomaly that unexpectedly appeared from out of nowhere. It took a moment for Chizuru to notice Kotaro's change in sight, but when she did, she sweetly hummed with confusion before turning herself, aligning her own sight with Kotaro's where both targeted the pure image, widely spreading their eyes open with suspense.

Glistening brightly in the doorway as she partially hid herself from the sights of Kotaro and Chizuru was Natsumi, who abruptly gulped at the first glimpse of Kotaro in his petite clothing. Slowly, with obvious nervous movements but brave courage, Natsumi politely began sidestepping out of the doorway with silent tiptoes, barely making a tap when her small, light feet connected with the ground. The entire time, Natsumi's head sloped down as if she was looking down at the floor, when really her eyes remained focused on Kotaro who quietly exhaled with speechless words to Natsumi's rare looks. Her luscious fringe flickered over her forehead, looking perfect as each strand of hair was in place. Her soft hands connected and crisscrossed into each other, flattening her palms together as she hovered them both around her stomach, squeezing them both tight with eagerness for acceptance from Kotaro.

She stopped. She waited. The atmosphere intensified while both Kotaro and Natsumi gleamed at one another from across the room, neither showing any sign of talking first, but instead were consumed with one another's unusual looks…was it shock? Was it humour? Whatever prevented both of them to speak, the feeling was mutual…the feeling…was warm. Kotaro's jaw slightly opened as he studied Natsumi. He always saw her in the usual school clothing, and every now and then he witnessed her in casual clothing…but this time, it was different.

Comfortably worn by the embarrassed Natsumi, looking very plush and snugly, was a long, smooth green robe that perfectly matched the freckled girls glistening eyes as the layers of fabric gently lay on top of her snow white skin. Kimonos was the proper pronunciation for the divine clothing, and Kotaro could easily tell that from the perfectly embellished silver pine tree's and bamboo neatly stitched across the clothing, acting as good luck symbols, as they should, to the wearer. The long sleeves almost overtook the length of Natsumi's trembling arms as they hovered over her wrists, consuming and keeping a wonderful sensation of heat that should keep Natsumi warm from the winter winds.

Kotaro gulped. This was a first for him. He had only seen Kimonos on TV's and posters since he never attended any winter festivals…and seeing it for the first time on Natsumi made him feel…strange, tingling with fuzzy warmness that left him mildly speechless for the time being. Although unsure herself and desperately awaiting a response, Natsumi could only do the same and examine the unusual clothing Kotaro had worn, completely unaware that the clothing she wore looked right in Kotaro's eyes, but now he had to figure out how to compliment the nervous girl without sounding soft himself…Kotaro always hated exposing any kinds of weaknesses.

He moved his twisted tongue about, poking it against the inside of his cheeks and producing a small lump to appear outside his cheek, acting as a ten year old would when unsure on what to say. Then, he grunted, slightly clearing his throat as his eyes churned back and forth between Chizuru and Natsumi, as if trying to send a message that he needed some sort of aid from Chizuru, but, to his avail, was not properly received as Chizuru just smiled back.

"N-Natsumi, you look uh…cool?" awkwardly admitted Kotaro, clamping his teeth together immediately after once realising what he just blurted out "Cool! That's the best you could come up with!" he strictly thought to himself.

Natsumi flinched with suspense. A confused whine quietly escaped her slippery lips with nervousness as the red haired girl never expected to be complimented by someone such as Kotaro, especially when he's the type that are hard to please "T-Thanks" she simply replied with a weak but humble voice.

"Why am I doing this again! It just….it just doesn't feel right. Were both dressed as if were going on a d-d-da- I can't say it! I don't feel that way about him, and he doesn't feel like that about me! R-Right? I mean…h-he has no reason to…ah! N-Not that I want him to! Uh…ah…what am I thinking!" wondered Natsumi with a tempting panic.

During her personal thoughts, there was a daunting pause that left Kotaro sceptical as he watched Natsumi's eyes eagerly sway away from reality while she lost herself in her thoughts. He turned to Chizuru, who gave a simple shrug of the shoulders and an easily recognisable hum that told him "I don't know" before he turned back to the beautiful girl before him.

"Uh, Natsumi?" called out Kotaro.

"Ah!" Natsumi straightened up, as if just being scared by something "Y-Yes?" she stuttered.

Only just regaining her senses, the first thing Natsumi witnessed was Kotaro awkwardly scratching the side of his cheek with his index finger as a mild smile of misperception as faint "Hehe" sighed out of his mouth. It worried Natsumi…was she annoying the Hayno boy? It was barely clear, but then again, it was Kotaro. In fact, Kotaro found Natsumi's constant day dreams admirable and funny, it was unfortunate that she didn't know that.

"I guess we should get going" reminded Kotaro, sniffling his nose around as the scented perfume of Natsumi caught his attention. It had a discreet smell of strawberries…funny thing was, Kotaro wasn't the fruit eating kind of person, and yet the smell made him fond of it "I didn't get dressed into this thing to stand around, and the same goes for you, am I right?" cheekily joked Kotaro, nudging a wink of humour.

"Uh!" Natsumi panicked "No, of course not!" she trembled forward with a nervous rhythm, madly swinging her eyes back and forth for some kind of solution to get her out of this situation.

With the door still open, she watched Kotaro roughly turn, taking up his usual position with one hand in his pocket as he sloppily trotted out and disappeared around the corner without a trace of evidence of him ever being there, leaving her and Chizuru together as if he'd already forgotten about them.

Natsumi's stomach churned unavoidably with uneasiness, she really wasn't sure about this. In a last effort, she turned to Chizuru desperately, where her innocent eyes aligned with the sweet, familiar eyes of Chizuru before she began to speak.

"C-Chizuru, are you sure you don't want to come?" nervously asked Natsumi.

Sensing her anxiety, Chizuru simply smiled, as if understanding what Natsumi was going through. "It will be fine, I promise" she whispered.

"Fine! You're acting like something's going to happen!" quicklythought Natsumi.

Natsumi calmly breathed outwards, and silently gulped before turning away. Her footsteps were light as a feather while she felt them quiver. If it hadn't been for Chizuru who was partly pushing Natsumi towards the door, not that she was particularly thrilled about the help, then her weak knee's would have collapsed, and she would have fell to the floor on purpose as an excuse not to go alone.

"This would have been so much easier if the word 'date' never came up! But it's not a date! It's not! I wont accept it!" pondered Natsumi in her thoughts.

Before she knew it, the surface below her turned from a soft, warm carpet to a cold, damp wooden floorboards. The heated atmosphere from her confined dorm changed to an icy feeling as winds from the open doors blasted in, covering Natsumi like a blanket and making a shiver tingle down her spine. Now in the hallways and noticing the soft grip Chizuru had on her was now gone, Natsumi only had enough time to look over her shoulder as she witnessed the creaking, wooden door slowly close, followed by the waving hand of Chizuru as her high pitched voice softly called out the words "Have fun" before the door finally closed.

She sighed "Ok…you can do this" Natsumi thought to herself.

Turning and leaning her head to one side, she expected to see Kotaro calmly and politely waiting for her. Instead, what she witnessed slightly dropped her jaw with annoyance as she watched Kotaro continue to walk further away, already halfway down the hallway and closing in to the exit "Hey!" angrily shouted Natsumi, her face began to lightly glow a weak red of annoyance "Don't just walk off like that!" she exclaimed, storming closer to Kotaro and completely forgetting her past worries.

Kotaro mildly stopped and looked back with a confused and uncaring expression "Huh? Come on slowpoke!" laughed Kotaro, being his childish self around Natsumi. Only just reaching him, Natsumi momentarily pouted, it was hard to run in the elegant clothing she was wearing. Only seconds later did she smile, realising that Kotaro was being his usual self and that she couldn't fully blame him "At least wait for me" she sighed, finally catching up enough to be side by side with the Hanyo boy, where she caught of glimpse of his smile…a smile of enjoyment.

The night was young, but that wasn't exactly helping Natsumi. All it meant for her was that she had a long night ahead. She was use to long nights though. It was a habit. Not entirely her whole life, but when Kotaro himself forced his way into their dorm. Forced would be the wrong word to use though…it was more like inviting himself to stay, at least, that's how Natsumi wanted to see it. Truth was, Kotaro literally had no say in the matter when first entering their dorm, as he was unconscious thanks to an old enemy of his. If not for Chizuru and Natsumi's kind assistance in his recovery, he wouldn't be here today, walking alongside Natsumi across a rocky path full of other excited people who were obviously making their way towards the fair. Then again, he didn't exactly make himself a face to be pleased to see after taking Natsumi hostage in the first place when waking up from his recovery, but that was all behind them now, a joke, a memory to look back on…a memory Natsumi can't help but feel started all this.

It had been relatively quiet since both of them had left the comfortable warmth of the dorm. The only sound was the chatter of the people around them, mostly couples, who expressively smudged themselves together to create heat between them. It wasn't a big help for either of them, not that Kotaro understood it in the first place, but it was obvious that it bothered Natsumi, which then bothered him.

Every now and then they would take a peek at each other and feel their jaws lower, but words never whistled past their lips as soon as the eye contact was noticed. It was very unusual for both of them…they had been alone many times, both night and day, in and out of the dorms…why was today different? Was it the clothes? The atmosphere? It completely stumped Kotaro, but Natsumi had a slightest solution, not that she was eager or willing to share it with Kotaro…or anyone else for that matter.

Natsumi's received a lot of stares, not because she was with a ten year old boy in smart clothing who had pointy ears and a tail, but because her Kimono sparkled brightly as the glowing moon and gleaming stars reflected themselves off her beauty. She really stuck out amongst the crowd who mostly wore causal clothing. Half the time, she couldn't tell if it was her or Kotaro they were staring at, but her face burned red every time with embarrassment…until they get to the fair, they'll both stick out like a sore thumb.

Kotaro's enhanced hearing senses easily detected the positive sounds of the fair nearby. The laughter of children, the splash of the water as people attempted to catch goldfish at one of the stands, the sound of what appeared to be skates screeching across ice, which raised Kotaro's eyebrows with confusion. And yet he didn't feel right. "We're almost at the fair…Natsumi doesn't look like she's enjoying herself or looking forward to it…I have to make this gift count for something, or all this would have been for nothing" he thought.

Inhaling deeply, Kotaro loudly sighed out a blast of condensation to alert Natsumi that he was about to speak. In the corner of his eye, he watched Natsumi nervously turn to him. It worked.

"So, you ever been to a fair before?" suddenly asked Kotaro, still keeping his head forward but swaying both eyes to the right to look at Natsumi. It looked as if he didn't care what she was going to say and was going to ignore her because of his usual stance and keeping his head forward, but he really did, and Natsumi knew that.

"Oh, yes…I went to a lot of the summer fairs with Chizuru and Ayaka over the years, t-this is a first though" cautiously answered Natsumi.

"A first? What's a first?" immediately questioned Kotaro, finally turning his head towards Natsumi.

"T-This" nervously responded Natsumi "Us" her head tilted down as she looked at the floor, attempting to hide her obvious expressions "This is the first time we've been to a fair together" she whispered.

Kotaro's ears perked up, not only did he notice the voice of Natsumi lower and get quieter, but he caught a glimpse of her hands fidgeting around, harshly digging her fingers into the side of her legs as if she had struggled to respond to his question. This wasn't like Natsumi at all and he knew it "Is something wrong? Did I do something? Wait…what did I do! I'm not getting the blame for this…wait…oh crap, that's right, the snow, did she find out about the snow? Damn, that sucks. Well, at least I don't have to tell her now…looks like I gotta try extra hard to make her happy…shouldn't be too hard…now, what do girls like to do at a fair?" Kotaro pondered to himself.

"Kotaro?" suddenly called out Natsumi.

"Huh? Wah?" panicked Kotaro, shaking himself like a wet dog.

"Wasn't you listening?" growled Natsumi, lurking her face closer to Kotaro with suspicion.

"Crap, she must have asked me something while I was thinking…" thought Kotaro.

"Uh, yeah! Course I was" replied Kotaro without a second thought.

Natsumi frowned "Liar…" she instantly retreated, looking back down at the ground "I can tell when you're daydreaming and not listening" Natsumi's frown unexpectedly turned into a humorous smirk "That's how long we've known each other".

"Hehe, you got me" chuckled Kotaro, swiping one finger under his nose back and forth "What did you ask?" he questioned.

It took a few seconds, but eventually Natsumi turned back to Kotaro, where her beautiful, glowing green eyes almost hypnotised him into submission as he was hesitant to the pretty sight.

"I said, have you ever been to a fair before?" asked Natsumi with the same smile on her face.

"Me?" whelped Kotaro, looking sceptic to the question as he pointed at himself "You could say that…" he whispered, now looking mournful.

"What do you mean?" instantly responded Natsumi, seeming intrigued.

"W-Well…" Kotaro observed Natsumi the entire time as his actions spoke louder than his words. With one hand still curled up in his trouser pockets, the other momentarily crawled itself behind Kotaro's head as he began to scratch hard with an unsure smile on his face, making it obvious he was worried. Then, he suddenly sighed "Ok…promise me you wont tell Negi or Eva or anyone, kay?"

Natsumi blinked twice and gulped. It was a fact that Kotaro rarely told his secrets to anyone…could she be an exception? She was about to find out as Natsumi's head bobbled up and down with curiosity "I promise" she said in a sweet, innocent, trust worthy voice.

"Ok…well…as you know I didn't really have any parents…and when I was younger and more vulnerable, I had no choice but to find work that didn't involve fighting or anything like that because I wasn't strong enough. A guy that had his own stand in a fair hired me as an assistant. The job sucked by the way" explained Kotaro.

"O-Oh…did I make you remember it? I'm sorry!" quickly panicked Natsumi, who jumped to conclusions way to quickly.

"N-No…it's fine, really" comforted Kotaro.

"Oh, good" huffed Natsumi, calming down.

It went dead silent with awkwardness. Only when both Kotaro and Natsumi turned their attention away from one another was when they realised that they were just a few feet away from the entrance to the fair. Multicoloured lights dazzled them, even blinding Kotaro, who was use to the night sky, for a few moments as he slightly turned away, allowing his eyesight to adjust itself to the bright lights.

Kotaro carried on walking, unaware that Natsumi had paused to admire the wonderful sight of the sparkling Christmas lights and noticeable stands that offered a variety of events to participate in. She stood there, mouth slightly open with amazement while her head slowly swayed from left to right, scanning the entire fair with interest. Her face perked up with a smile as she began to take small steps as light as a feather. The laughter and whisper of children caught her attention and made her lower her head to look at them, where she watched a small boy and girl run in front and past Kotaro, both holding hands while a candy apple was tightly gripped in the other. They laughed the entire time and began approaching Natsumi wildly without proper guidance.

They continued running, until eventually noticing that they were about to run into Natsumi which forced her to flinch and slam her eyes shut. Both children screeched to a halt, inches away from the freckled, red headed girl who peeked one eye open, then sighed with relief at the close encounter.

"S-Sorry miss" whispered the girl.

"Yeah…sorry" replied the boy immediately after.

"Uh…t-that's-" before Natsumi's sweet voice could finish the sentence, both the little boy and girl swiftly turned and anxiously ran. Natsumi could only watch and listen as she heard the gentle voice of the little girl calmly state "That girl was pretty" in a memorable tone.

Natsumi postponed herself for a few seconds, but then smiled pleasantly as her cheeks turned a rosy red colour as she warmly blushed with happiness. She felt warm inside…and it tingled nicely.

Then, the heavy steps of Kotaro was heard approaching. He walked into Natsumi's line of sight and glared at her for a short while as if intrigued by something "You ok?" he politely asked "Your cheeks have gone red" Kotaro turned his head to the side, in the direction of where the children Natsumi encountered were last seen "Those kids should be more careful" noted Kotaro.

"Ah! Yes!" quickly responded Natsumi with worrying quivers, she hadn't realised how visible her blushing was "I'm fine…" she admitted in a quieter tone.

Kotaro turned back, and his eyes met with Natsumi. It fazed her though. Not with shyness or embarrassment, but with truth. She could see it in his eyes, Kotaro's child-like instincts that he rarely showed. Natsumi could feel the overly excited Hanyo tensely keep himself occupied with concern for her and to keep himself looking tough and confident. Kotaro never did like showing his age, or acting it, he always thought it made him look vulnerable to his enemies…but you couldn't blame him…growing up the way he did, he didn't really have a choice.

This was Natsumi's chance….it was her chance to allow Kotaro to be himself without worry, to enjoy himself at the fair they were both at, Enjoying it herself was the least she could do since he was the one who took her there.

"Lets find something to do then" suggested Kotaro. This time, he didn't walk off, but instead waited for Natsumi's response.

A sweet hum of acceptance whistled past her lips "Sure" Natsumi innocently complied.

Simultaneously, both began to walk side by side. Kotaro, being more aware of Natsumi's actions now, slowed his steps so that they went at the same pace while his head jerked left and right, searching for something they could do. There was so much to see that even he doubted they could visit everything, but the way Natsumi smiled, and the way her eyes sparkled bright with excitement at the things before her kept him confident and determined.

Natsumi no longer seemed out of place with her bright, elegant clothing. Kotaro on the other hand still looked out of place…he didn't seem to notice though, most likely because he was so busy concentrating on finding something to do that he ignored the focused glares of concern from other people. Natsumi easily detected this, but she didn't mind…it made her happy that Kotaro was trying something new for once instead of his old, scruffy look…not that there was anything wrong with it in the first place, at least, that's how Natsumi saw it.

"Ah!" something caught the Hanyo boys eye "What about this?" he said as he pointed over to the left.

Before Natsumi could even turn to see what Kotaro had mentioned, she felt the sudden warmth of Kotaro's rough hand gently curl itself around her fragile wrist, shortly followed by the hard yanking of the hyped Hanyo. Soft hums of confusion squealed out of her mouth, and the familiar sounds of "Ehh!" and "Ah!" was heard immediately after as Natsumi was dragged along with Kotaro to a red and white striped tent that had Christmas lights scattered around it.

Kotaro halted himself in front of the stand, allowing Natsumi to balance herself upright as she murmured at Kotaro with annoyance "Don't drag me like that! I could have fallen" notified Natsumi.

Kotaro sniffled "Hehe, I couldn't help myself, I wanted you to try this" he informed, finally letting go of Natsumi's smooth skinned wrist "I wanted to see how hard you can throw" he winked.

"T-Throw?" stuttered Natsumi. Her eyesight swayed from Kotaro to the stand, where she noticed some stacked up cups from afar and a wide selection of balls that were just the right size to fit into her hand "You want me to try this?" questioned Natsumi, who's eyebrows raised up high with interest.

"Yeah! I want to see how hard you can throw and how accurate you are! Those things are important in combat, y'know?" smirked Kotaro, who's tongue slightly poked out.

"W-Well…ok, I'll try" agreed Natsumi who stumbled closer to the wooden board that was covered in balls.

Nervous, she looked up at a strange man behind the counter who gave her a long, weird stare that left her feeling uncomfortable. He had long, smooth hair that ran down the back of his neck and a cheeky grin that she would usually see on a troublemaker…in fact, Kotaro himself did use the grin quite a lot, Natsumi specially remembers.

The man approached the counter with sneakiness and slid his sly hands along the wooden board, eventually ending up in front of Natsumi "Wanna give it a try miss?" he asked, raising one hand and swiping his long, blonde hair over his ear "You get 3 tries. If you knock down the stack of cans, you get to pick a prize, seems like a fair deal, right?" his devious grin grew longer after finishing the sentence.

"Ok" simply replied Natsumi, determined.

Natsumi looked back down and waved one hand over the variety of balls, hovering her fingers above them for a few seconds before finally dropping her hand like weights, grasping the ball as her fingers sunk into the fabric of it. The ball was soft and light, which seemed rather unfair to Natsumi, but she didn't want to complain and cause any trouble.

Her lips quivered and she quietly gulped. One foot lightly stepped back as Natsumi pulled her arm back, keeping a tight grasp on the ball the entire time. Then, she leaped forward, dragging her arm forward and releasing the ball. The ball moved like lightning, flying past the man at the counter with speed but unfortunately also missing the stack of cans by inches.

Kotaro, slightly behind Natsumi, looked rather shocked "So fast…" he thought to himself, smiling. The fact that the face of the man behind the counter looked crooked and suspended added to the humour.

He continued to watch as Natsumi tried her second attempt. Using the same stance and technique as before, she was able to produce the same speed, and this time the ball hit the stack of cans…but to both her and Kotaro's surprise, the cans barely moved.

"Uh…t-they're still standing?" Natsumi whispered to herself.

Kotaro's smile turned into a frown…he had seen this before, back when he worked as an assistant "I've seen this before…they used this cheap trick when I worked for them…the cans have been weighed down, so knocking them over is impossible for someone like Natsumi….tsk, I should have expected this" Kotaro thought to himself.

Natsumi felt tense now, as if this was a life or death situation, although, she didn't know why…maybe it was because Kotaro was watching? Either way, she couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed that she couldn't even knock over some cans. Her eyes dropped down, scoping the wooden board and catching a glimpse of the next ball she would pick up. She was about to pick I up, when suddenly…

"Hey Natsumi" the freckled girl felt Kotaro's palm patter itself against her shoulder. Natsumi's head swerved around with curiosity, looking at Kotaro's hand first before running her eyesight along his outstretched arm until reaching his grinning, confident face "Lemme have a go" requested Kotaro.

"Oh?" Natsumi looked down at the ball, then back up at Kotaro's face "Go ahead" she smiled, nervously walking back and to the side and giving Kotaro space to position himself.

Kotaro took a step forward, standing in the same spot Natsumi was in just moments ago "It's been a while" informed Kotaro, referring to his strength. Trouble was, neither Natsumi or the man at the counter knew what he was talking about. The Hanyo shuffled his shoulder around as if trying to relax them and then moved his hand across the board. Just like Natsumi, he hovered his hand over the ball for a few seconds before dropping it like weights, where his strong hands tightly grasped the soft ball. Any harder and Kotaro's sharp nails would have sliced the soft fabric in half.

Without warning, Kotaro flung his arm back, leaving barely any time for Natsumi to flinch with suspense as he forcefully jolted forward, throwing the ball at high speed with tremendous force. While in the air, the soft ball began to singe as smoke withered from it before it collided and crashed into the stack of weighted cans, easily tearing through them and making the cans slam into the ground violently.

Kotaro chuckled and waved his fist in the air with victory, smiling the entire time as he watched the man at the counters reaction. The mans jaw dropped with amazement, and he repeatedly blinked as he turned back and forth between Kotaro and the torn apart cans.

Natsumi's eye were open wide as she watched Kotaro turn his back to the counter as he faced her. He eventually calmed down, giving Natsumi the opportunity to speak "That was amazing!" she shouted.

"Heh, well…" The Hanyo boy awkwardly scratched his cheek with his index finger "I think I went a bit overboard" admitted Kotaro with a humorous tone. His ears perked up with pride as Kotaro turned back to the man at the counter "So, uh, do I get something now?" he curiously asked.

The man at the counter's jaw was still open wide "H-H-How did you…" he stuttered. Eventually, after seconds of wondering, the man gave up as he slouched down and slapped one hand across his eyes with shame while his croaky voice spoke "Just pick your prize…" he whimpered.

"Prize?" Kotaro called out, sounding surprised. It was most likely the fact that the selection that was available to him were mostly stuffed bears and animals. Their was even a stuffed dog, which Kotaro found rather irritating and insulting since he was apart of the Hanyo breed. He shrugged it off though, being himself and not showing much bother to something so little "Uh…well…" he was in an awkward position "Why is all this stuff so girly and childish?" Kotaro thought to himself.

That's when it hit him. After hearing himself think the word 'girl' Kotaro immediately turned to Natsumi, who at the time was remaining quiet and nostalgic. Only when she noticed Kotaro looking at her did she react to his stares with a confusing and rather worrying look.

"Hey Natsumi, you wanna pick the prize?" Kotaro suggested in a rather dull voice as he pointed over at the stuffed bears. At the same time, the Hanyo boy stuffed the same hand that he used to throw the ball back into his warm trouser pockets, once again maintaining his usual stance.

"Ehh?" whimpered Natsumi "M-Me?" she replied with a high pitched tone. Her hand lifted and she stretched out her index finger as Natsumi began pointing at herself.

"Sure, there's nothing here that I want anyway" comforted Kotaro.

Natsumi shivered and felt a warm tingle go down her spine "W-What's going on? This is the sort of stuff that you would see in the films! L-L-Lo…I can't even say it!" panicked Natsumi. She silently gulped and slowly approached Kotaro, eventually positioning herself beside him where they both looked at one another.

"Take your pick" he politely offered while smiling.

The freckled, red headed girl uneasily nodded and achingly turned towards the prizes. Her eyes scanned the prizes like a robot as she slowly rotated her head for left to right, swaying her bright green eyes with it. Then, she paused. Natsumi's frown turned into a sweet smile and her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree "Aww, That one's so cute…." she mindlessly thought to herself.

Kotaro, who was patiently waiting, which wasn't like him at all, saw the look on Natsumi's face change to a magical reaction which made him feel warm inside. He liked seeing Natsumi happy, it was one thing he could openly admit to anyone. Following her line of sight, he ended up looking at the same stuffed bear she was admiring. It was a small, pink teddy bear that had crystal clear green eyes, just like Natsumi. In it's hands was a red heart that glowed brightly, which Natsumi found appealing.

Kotaro could see the bear itself reflect in Natsumi's clear, pretty eyes. And her smile made it clear that it was the prize she wanted. It was so obvious. Although, Kotaro didn't understand it at all "It's just a bear…what's so appealing about the thing? Girls are weird…" he thought to himself.

"That one?" suddenly cut in Kotaro without warning.

Natsumi snapped out of her daydreaming and wildly flinched, madly stuttering her words and becoming vulnerable as she was unable to respond properly. The only things that leaped out of her mouth were the faint "Ah!" followed by stuttered words that no one could understand, not even Kotaro with his enhanced hearing.

"Hmhm, ok" chuckled Kotaro, nodding and easily understanding the situation Natsumi was in. He turned and faced he man at the counter "She'll have that one" requested Kotaro as he pointed at the pink bear.

"Yeah yeah…" rudely replied the long haired man, turning his back towards them both to get the bear. He took a few steps forward and went onto his tiptoes to gain height, where he roughly grasped the bears waist without a care. The man turned back, gave Kotaro a dirty look and handed him the bear. Any random stranger would think they purely hated each other.

Kotaro turned back to Natsumi, but took a moment to examine the bear by twisting his hand and rotating it back and forth. He still found no interest in it and nothing appealing about it, he was thankful no one he knew was around to see him holding such a thing.

Before doing anything else, Kotaro noticed the sudden silence coming from Natsumi. It was as if something had scared her into submission. Up until now she had been relatively active and talkative…but now, she seems so negative. Was it something he said or did?

His hand lowered, and Kotaro's sight looked up at Natsumi where he noticed the beautiful, green eyed girl act unfamiliar and strange to him. Natsumi nervously looked down at the ground as her hands anxiously fumbled over each other, eagerly fidgetting around as her face burned red with bluishness. The constant sound of her foot stumping itself against the hard, concrete ground with embarrassment rang in Kotaro's sensitive ears like an alarm clock.

The Hanyo boy outstretched his arm as he offered the bear to Natsumi "Here" he whispered. He didn't notice it himself, but Kotaro joined Natsumi in blushing as a red stripe burned itself across his face.

The bear narrowed itself into Natsumi's line of sight, which at the time was just an image of the dark, cracked ground. She frantically blinked as if being snapped out of hypnotism, and Natsumi's dry but smooth lips unstuck themselves when she opened them to sigh with a mixture of relief and concern, where a blast of white condensation whistled out with it. Her head tilted up to look at Kotaro, who had slightly turned away to hide his discomfort…kindness wasn't his strong point. One arm hovered around as he awaited Natsumi to accept the offer while the other continued to tuck itself inside his trouser pocket that was starting to crease up.

Natsumi sweetly smiled with innocence at him, and then looked back down at the bear before calmly outstretching both hands. She trembled at first, unsure on how to make her approach as her arms hindered back and forth until eventually she took a soft grip of the bear. It took a few seconds for Natsumi to perform her next action because she hesitated, leaving them both to have a grasp on the bear, but seconds later she retreated her arms back, taking the bear off Kotaro's hands.

She brought it close, using both her shaky hands to push it against her waist as if cuddling the soft, pink, warm bear. The entire time, she had a smile upon her face, a smile that meant a lot to her…a smile that Kotaro couldn't help but admire.

"I know I shouldn't be feeling this…this isn't a date…not that I wanted it to be! it's just, uh…I mean…Kotaro is only ten…even he doesn't realise what's going on. I mean, even if he did…w-why would he like someone plain like me…he could do much better…b-but…is it wrong for me to feel this feeling? It feels warm…because he gave me this cute bear…I feel warm" Natsumi thought to herself with sorrow.

"Thank you" she whispered in a soft tone, looking happy at the same time.

"Y-Yeah…no problem" awkwardly responded Kotaro. The fact that Natsumi now looked extremely cute with the bear laying against her made him hesitate and stutter to reply immediately.

They both had a long night ahead…but despite all the awkward, embarrassing, nerve racking moments they ran into over the course of the first activity they had together, both could agree…they were enjoying themselves…they were having fun…together.

Hours had past, and the young night slowly turned darker with each passing second. During those hours, Kotaro and Natsumi had participated in many events which both thoroughly enjoyed, even if at times Kotaro's childish antics would kick in, or Natsumi doubting herself negatively crept it's way out.

In the end, even in the awkward times, they both made it through.

What neither of them did notice though was the warm spot that had been in them both the entire time, deep within their chests…the heart, continuously building itself up and growing endlessly. At times, Natsumi would feel the hint of warmness…wondering…even hoping, no matter how much she refused it. Kotaro on the other hand still being his cold self, took no notice of it, finding excuses such as his clothing being the heat source.

The later the night got, the more beautiful it became as more twinkling stars revealed themselves to the world below, being admired by the people at the fair, at Mahora grounds and all across Japan. And behind those stars was the biggest light source of them all at night. The moon, glistening bright with a pale aura that lit up the sky and it's surroundings. It all became a mirror, reflecting one individual's beauty in particular…her skin was as white and smooth as snow…her eyes were as clear as two green emeralds that glittered brightly…It was Natsumi.

Kotaro and Natsumi were sat on some stools, both slouching their arms over the counter with exhaustion. Both were in sync with each other as they breathed and blinked calmly while they look over at a small portable TV in the corner of the stand they were at. It was nothing special, the news channel, nothing that particularly thrilled them, especially after the day they had.

The pink bear Kotaro had won for Natsumi was still around, happily sitting on top of the counter and softly leaning against her chest with one of Natsumi's small, elegant hand wrapped around it tight. She hadn't let it out of her sight since it was first given to her…Kotaro couldn't help but wonder if it was really that special to her? He didn't ask though, wanting to keep the conversations they had subtle.

"So…" Kotaro suddenly spoke up "Uh…did you…you know, like the fair?" awkwardly asked Kotaro.

"Ah…y-yes!" panicked Natsumi, unsure on how to respond at first. As Kotaro watched Natsumi, he noticed her head lower as she peeked at the pink bear she had, and a heart warming smile appeared on her face "It…was fun" whispered Natsumi pleasantly.

Kotaro smiled with her as he continued to focus on Natsumi for a short while. It went quiet, far too quiet, and that's what caught Kotaro's attention. Slowly, as if not bothered, he started to shuffle around on his seat as the Hanyo boy looked left and right over his shoulders. He noticed that the mass crowd who were there before have managed to sneak away and disappear. It was getting pretty late, it was understandable that the fair was beginning to empty out it's inhabitants.

Then, Kotaro caught something in the corner of his eyes. Another stand, one that looked abandoned. It was offering candy apples, which at the time looked delicious to Kotaro since neither him or Natsumi had eaten anything since before the fair…he thought it would be a good energy boost for them.

"Want a candy apple?" asked Kotaro, turning to Natsumi.

"Sure, I'm pretty hungry" happily replied Natsumi.

"Cool, stay here, I'll go and get them" insisted Kotaro as he hopped of the stool.

"O-Ok" simply replied Natsumi.

Natsumi's head slowly swayed to the left as she followed the direction Kotaro walked, then, she shook her head around as if snapping herself out of a trans "Today really has been fun…" she thought to herself, smiling.

Kotaro calmly walked along the grassy surface as his feet sunk into the soft soil. His eyes were perched and locked onto the candy apple stand…that was until something suddenly caught his interest. The Hanyo boy roughly screeched to a halt, digging the heel of his footwear into the murky soil. His head jerked to the right and Kotaro took a long glare at another stand…an item in particular which was the sole reason he stopped.

"That item…it has what she loves in it…Natsumi might like it" wondered Kotaro as he started to approach the stand that caught his interest. The entire time, his eyes remained on the item he figured Natsumi would love so much…there was only one way to find out.

After waiting a few minutes and letting the time pass by watching the small portable TV, Natsumi finally heard the heavy footsteps of Kotaro stumble up behind her. She delightfully turned, expecting to see two golden caramel covered apples lighten the mood. Instead, her expectations wasn't exactly accurate as she witnessed Kotaro slouching down with only one candy apple in his hand, which had already had a bite taken from it. Not an average human bite, this bite left a slight imprint of Kotaro's sharp teeth.

"Yeah…they only had one left, I figured we could share this one" chuckled Kotaro "Here" he offered, holding out his shivering hand and patiently waiting for Natsumi to have a taste of it's sweetness "Have a bite, it's delicious".

"Eh? Ehh?" groaned Natsumi. Little was Kotaro aware, Natsumi had a theory of her own when it came to sharing the same pieces of food "A b-b-bite? O-Of that! But K-Kotaro has alr-already taken bite…w-w-wouldn't that be an indirect k-k-ki-kiss!" stuttered Natsumi in her own thoughts as she began to blush.

"A-Are you s-sure? I'm f-fine without it you k-know. Yes! That's right, I don't feel hungry anymore" informed Natsumi, trying to find an excuse to avoid her theory.

"But you said you were hungry earlier? Come on, I know you haven't eaten since we got here" notified Kotaro, bringing the candy apple closer.

He had her there, Natsumi really was hungry. She couldn't think of any other excuse that didn't involve ruining the end of the day for them both. Natsumi had no choice but to comply. Slowly, she hesitantly lifted her free hand and homed it in closer to the candy apple. She heavily gulped, it felt like forever, but it only took seconds before Natsumi's fingers curled themselves around the wooden handle holding up the candy apple.

The candy apple madly wobbled uncontrollably along with Natsumi's hand. She took a long look at the delicate piece of food…it really did look delicious, but the constant thought of an indirect kiss swirled around her mind, playing itself over and over again. It was only when Kotaro spoke again did the tension break.

"I also got you something, y'know, a gift I guess…I thought you'd like it-" Kotaro was suddenly cut off my something nearby. It wasn't another human that had stumbled into their conversation, it wasn't the winds or animals of nature, it was in fact the object that had kept them occupied for the past few minutes. It was the portable TV in the corner of the stand. It had cut Kotaro off because of the words it uttered out, which forced him to pause with concern. Kotaro eerily turned his head slightly, looking over Natsumi's shoulder as he glared at the TV. Shortly after seeing Kotaro's suspending facial expressions, Natsumi joined him and turned back to look at the TV.

There was a woman dressed in purple, introducing herself and that she will be forecasting the weather one last time for tonight.

"Expect clear skies for the rest of the month. No signs of snow have been indicated or detected. We'll keep you all updated as news comes in" explained the woman on the TV.

Kotaro's jaw twitched open as he carefully turned back to Natsumi, who had yet to make a reaction "Crap…this is bad, I should have at least told her myself back at the dorm. Stupid! Stupid Kotaro!" he thought to himself.

"Natsumi…you alright?" kindly asked Kotaro, trying to comfort her. Kotaro leaned over to the left and he began tilting his head to the side, where he caught a glimpse of the girl before him. Kotaro quietly gulped as he spotted a shadow completely covered the top half of Natsumi's face. A negative presence was now radiating off her, Kotaro could feel it…she wasn't herself.

Then, what Kotaro saw next made his heart skip a few beats. His eyes widened as a drop of water slithered itself down Natsumi's pale cheek. Was it raining? No…Kotaro didn't even have to ask himself that question, he knew what it was…a tear.

"Ah…Natsumi-" Before Kotaro could finish his attempt to comfort Natsumi, the freckled, red headed girl lashed out, stunningly turning her back to Kotaro as the words "Excuse me!" sobbed out of her mouth. Kotaro watched as Natsumi took a step forward, then another two until eventually she was practically running. At the same time, she dropped the candy apple and her precious pink teddy bear, letting them hit the ground with sadness.

"Natsumi! Wait!" called out Kotaro.

Before doing anything else, Kotaro ducked down with skill and speed, grabbing the pink bear Natsumi had only just dropped before he set off for her. Kotaro was amazed at how fast Natsumi was, this was the first time he had actually seen he run this fast…compared to him, she made it look easy. It didn't help that the darkness was also in the way, making it even harder to keep her in sight, it was lucky Kotaro was part Hanyo, he is capable of speeds no human can match, but he wanted to catch up to Natsumi, not surpass her…which will be a problem, since he has never tried something like that before. It was always about winning for him in the past not catching up.

Closer and closer he got, it was only a matter of time before he caught her. But then, something happened. After running endlessly through the fair, past stands and other couples, the hurt Natsumi stopped at the fairs main attraction. A Ferris wheel. Obviously she was tired, Kotaro was amazed that someone with her standards lasted as long as she did, but even someone like Natsumi needed to rest. He watched her stumble into the open carriage as the supervisor of the Ferries wheel prepared to close the door.

"Wait!" shouted Kotaro who huffed loudly "Hold that thing!" he demanded in a croaky voice.

The man straightened up with suspense as Kotaro's shouting voice startled him. He didn't have to wait long though as Kotaro leaped past him, hopping into the same carriage and allowing the man to close the door and signal the Ferris wheel to begin moving. And it did. A loud humming sound roared from the engine, and slowly the carriage began to rotate while it vibrated with force from the engine.

Kotaro was on his hands and knee's as he desperately huffed and puffed. Large inhales and exhales wheezed in and out of his mouth while the Hanyo boy looked down at the ground and cringed. One last inhale, and then he calmly sighed while looking up, where he watched the girl he chased mildly sit in the corner of the carriage, alone, with tears creeping into the corner of her eyes.

"N-Natsumi" sighed Kotaro, who grunted as he pushed himself up from the floor. Although, he almost lost balance and fell back down as the carriage continued to rotate.

Natsumi sniffled, wiping her eyes with both hands "K-Kotaro-Kun" she whispered in a sorrowful voice.

Kotaro slumped himself down on the seat, sitting close to Natsumi. He gave her his best comforting smile and raised his hand "You forgot this" informed Kotaro, offering Natsumi the pink bear she had dropped.

The teary girl loomed down and spotted the pink bear. At first, she didn't know what do to…but then again, what do you do in a situation like this? Laugh? Cry more? To be honest, Natsumi did feel like crying again after seeing the bear…it just reminded her of what she had done. The bear moved closer as Kotaro leaned inwards. Usually Natsumi would feel discomfort from having Kotaro so close to her…but now, she could use the company. Eventually, she lifted her arm which was as light as a feather and Natsumi took a very weak and soft grip on the bear.

She retreated her arm, placing the pink bear in her lap as she took the time to admire it again. Then, while still looking down at it, she spoke "I'm sorry Kotaro-Kun…" whimpered Natsumi.

"Huh? Sorry? Whad'ya mean?" questioned Kotaro, who really did looked confused as he pulled a funny face.

"I ruined this nice day…it was all going so well and I had to let my desires get in the way…just like I always do…because that's who I am, a nobody. I'm the plain one, I have nothing special about me" explained Natsumi, who began to tear up again.

There was a short pause "Idiot…" simply replied Kotaro.

"Wh-What?" sniffled Natsumi.

"Well…lets see…ugh, I'm not good at stuff like this" admitted Kotaro "You didn't ruin the day, ok? I should have told you…this morning, I found out that it wasn't going to snow but I didn't tell you. I'm the one who should be sorry "The word 'sorry' left a distasteful flavour in Kotaro's mouth, he wasn't use to apologising "We had fun, right? Screw that weather lady, she's wrong. I don't care if the day ends like this, and I don't care if today wasn't exactly meant for me. This is my gift to you, y'know? All that matters is that you're happy and that you had fun. You may think you're plain and stuff…but…you're special to me, ok?" explained Kotaro "If The others find out I said this, they'll mock me for weeks…even if it is true" he quickly thought to himself.

"K-Kotaro-Kun…" Natsumi said in a sweet, innocent tone "D-Do you really mean all that?" she asked.

"Of course! What do you take me for?" grinned Kotaro. He couldn't blame Natsumi for asking though, he did say a lot of things he really didn't mean "Oh, I almost forgot" Kotaro looked down at his trousers, where a small item left a bulge in his trouser pockets "I was about to give this to you before the stupid TV interrupted me. It's a small gift…I thought you'd might like it" admitted Kotaro while he was fumbling his hand around his pocket.

It took some time, but the quiet, sad sniffles of Natsumi encouraged him to keep going. Finally, after battling the cramp space of his pocket, Kotaro pulled out a round, glittery item that immediately caught Natsumi's attention.

"I got it while I was on the way to the candy apple stand" informed Kotaro as he lifted the item high.

They were now at the high point of the Ferris wheel, where the stars and moon were its brightest. The item Kotaro held reflected itself in Natsumi's crystal green eyes as she examined the object. It was round and fragile. The top half was covered with glass, and the inside contained a miniature snowman and houses that glistened with beauty . Kotaro lightly shook it, and puffs of whiteness burst itself into the air, where it then slowly hovered itself lower and lower until hitting the ground and landing on top of the miniature snowman and houses that was inside the little glass dome.

"It's…it's a snow globe" whispered Natsumi

"Yeah, I know it's not much…but here" offered Kotaro "I know how much you liked snow, and this was the best I could do" he informed, sounding rather disappointed with himself.

Intrigued, Natsumi carefully used her free hand to take a delicate grasp of the snow globe. She brought it higher and closer to her face, lightly shaking it while doing so and watching the fake snow fall again and again. She dreamed herself being in the middle of that snow, and that it never ended. And with her in that dream was a familiar figure…a friend…Kotaro. Natsumi snapped out of her daydream and noticed through the glass of the snow globe was the glowing moon. She had almost forgotten that they were in a Ferris wheel.

"I…" it sounded like Natsumi was about to breakdown into tears again. Kotaro couldn't help but looked down at his lap with disappointment.

"I know…it's not the real thing…bu-" Without warning, Kotaro felt something warm and smooth place itself against his cold cheek. His eyes swept themselves to the side, and once discovering the source of the warmness, Kotaro's face burned red as he madly blushed.

It was Natsumi. She was leaning in as her lips softly connected themselves with Kotaro's cheek. Her lips were so textured and silky…Natsumi maintained the position she was in for a good few seconds and kept her eyes closed the entire time. Deep inside…the warmness that was building up suddenly dispersed the moment the kiss connected, for both of them. A tingle warmly buzzed around their entire bodies as they became overwhelmed with the satisfying feeling of love. It was as if they were paralyzed.

What seemed like an eternity, Natsumi finally pulled away, leaving a small saliva sample on Kotaro's cheek "I love it…" she whispered into Kotaro's perked up ear.

Kotaro, who's face was still burning red, started to madly stutter as he was still trying to sum up what just happened "W-wh-what…h-how…d-did you…ugh!" complained Kotaro, who anxiously began wiping his hand hard along his cheek that Natsumi had kissed, scrubbing it hard.

Natsumi simple giggled at Kotaro's reaction…he really was still ten years old.

Then, suddenly, Natsumi felt something cold hit her hand. She looked down and saw a white blob slowly melt on her hand "Is that…" there was a pause as Natsumi looked out to the sky. What she saw brought a smile of happiness to her face as she witnessed whiteness fall from the sky, as snow fell from the sky.

Natsumi gasped "Snow!" she exclaimed. The tone in her voice was the happiest Kotaro had ever heard. They both looked out to the beautiful night sky, admiring the scene and watching the elegant snow fall…they both watched it…together.

First of all, allow me to personally apologise to my fans and readers. It had taken an insulting amount of time to get this chapter out and I am truly sorry. It's just that I have been very busy in life right now, and it didn't help that I got writers block which took 7 months to go away. Once again, i'm very sorry.

But please, enjoy chapter 3 of my Secret Santa story. This entire chapter is dedicated to Kotaro and Natsumi's love story. I seriously never expected it to be this long! But finally, I am proud to say that this chapter is finished. Reviews will be greatly appreciated! And most of all, I hope you all enjoy reading this chapter i put a lot of hard work into.