This is an expansion on the Warlord Negi thread, a snippet that I am sort of happy with at this point. I'm a bit intimidated by the quality of writing from TFF authors but I'll try my best! This hasn't been pre-read so I would like to ask for a little help in that area.
And I need a better title <_<
-------------------------
CH. 1
"Vox Victum"
by Hypothesis
-------------------------
"Remember Negi, the Headmaster is an old man," a rather tall and stately blonde woman whispered out the side of her mouth to a smaller figure wearing a pointy hat. "If they don't call you up, I'm sure we could take him."
With a muffled groan, Negi pulled his hat down even further in an effort to hide his burning face. "I'm sure that won't be necessary, Nekane..." But even as he said it, there was a small sliver of doubt. He hadn't been paying attention to every name called, but he was reasonably sure that it was being done in alphabetical order and 'Springfield' should have come up by now. He hadn't exactly failed the finals, so technically he was qualified for graduating but...
They could deny him a diploma.
Nekane sniffed before giving the top of his head a look that was half way playful and half way worried. "If you are sure!"
And he was sure. Very sure. Whatever reasons they might have for not giving him a diploma would not be helped by attacking the Headmaster out of rage. He would have told his sister that he was better than that, had he not spent the last hour considering it.
'It won't be necessary.' He reaffirmed to himself and a second later, a certain name was called.
"MARCUS ZIMMERMAN!"
The very last name off the list. Negi bit his lip as applause began to resound in the hall, feeling the pin pricks of forming tears. Wiping the evidence away, he looked up at his sister and promptly began to fear for the Headmaster's life. That smile...Nekane was always smiling but this one was...not pretty.
"No innocents in the crossfire!" he said quickly.
"We can make them clear out faster."
"Nekane!" His voice was close to whining but not quite, because Negi Springfield does not whine. It was far too childish.
"We will have words with the Headmaster, Negi," she replied in a tone that brooked no argument. "I will not allow you to go home and mope in your room until we know exactly what is going on." He felt her tug at his hat affectionately. "You earned it, don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
'That's right!' He stood a bit taller, lifting his chin with a new determination. He had earned it; he had been earning it for five years! 'I have to take what's mine.'
It took the better part of an hour for his classmates to stop congratulating each other and stop walking on eggshells around him but eventually, the hall emptied. Gathering his courage as the attendants started to clean up, Negi stepped forward. "Headmaster!" The old man turned to look him dead in the eyes, momentarily choking his words. Did this count as insubordination? "My diploma..."
"Mr. Springfield," he murmured pleasantly, even as Negi's heart jumped.
Doki-doki...
"May I speak to you privately?"
-------------------------
Over the course of five years, Negi had been inside the Headmaster's office far more times than he was comfortable with. It was regal, it was impressive, it was large and he was there again. The very first time he had seen the room was when Nekane had been bulldozing the man into letting him move up in the academy early giving this situation an ironic flair.
"I don't suppose you would like some tea, would you? Oolong."
Negi was tempted but he was so nervous that he just might throw it up. "No, thank you." His hands were shaking.
The Headmaster made a noncommital humming sound as he poured himself a cup from the plain white set. The old man took a sip, breathing in the steam. "Do you remember, the second to last question on your Magical Theory exam?"
The young boy blinked. That was a random question. "Yes, it was an essay on the benefits of having greater magical control." The man's mind seemed to have drifted away sometime during his answer, so Negi took a breath and pressed forward. "Was something wrong with my answer?" 'I know I didn't put down anything incriminating...'
"In terms of content and voice, it was horrible."
Negi nearly had a heart attack. "H-h-horrible!" 'Crud!'
"You didn't answer the question. What little examples of benefits that you included were minor at best. The whole thing was beating around the bush with a strong sense of disapproval. You know the material," the man asserted. "But you rebel against it so strongly that you can't even write it down?"
Negi couldn't believe they were having this conversation. Again. "I passed, didn't I? This is a school! Not a political campaign! Headmaster, I know what you are thinking..." The man raised an eyebrow. "But I'm not that reckless anymore! I was just...young."
The other eyebrow went up.
"Really young," Negi blurted before throwing his hands up. "Come on, that was three years ago! I've changed, really." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Power is not the end all be all of things..."
There was a heartbeat of silence.
"The Board worried that you would repeat that incident, with even more purpose." The old man took another, long sip from his cup. "You take well to Darkness, Negi. A little too well for anyone to be comfortable...." he trailed off as he reached into the left voluminous sleeve and withdrew a scroll, tied with a golden ribbon. "I trust you will give me no reason to regret this."
For a full minute, Negi couldn't speak because his heart was lodged in his throat. He wrapped his hands around the diploma gingerly, as if it would break into dust at any moment. "I..." He clutched it to his chest and smiled widely. "I won't!" And just like that, all lingering tension vanished as the new Magister-Magi-in-training stood up to leave. "Thank you."
"Think nothing of it. Make me proud."
"I will."
As soon as the door closed behind him, Negi felt a bit of regret worm into his heart. Lying never sit well with him. With a sigh, he began to chant a phrase that belonged to him and him alone.
...rastel...magister...
He only had one chance to do this. 'Put me somewhere where I can grow stronger.'
The scroll rebelled. Bucking, twisting with the staccato of crackling paper, it burned him. A scorching, icy heat was lapping at his fingers and then slithering up his arm...it was...-it was too strong! Reflexively, his fingers snapped open and the scroll drifted down onto the ground. Sharp, angry letters formed.
A teacher in Japan.
Negi sighed again as he felt a geass snap into place. Oh well, he didn't really think it would work anyway. He nudged the diploma with his foot. Nothing. He picked it up, rolled it, tied it and stuck it in the closest pocket. And sighed once more. The two women in his life, Nekane Springfield and Anya Cocolova...
'They're gonna flip...'
...
'Japan, huh?'
-------------------------
And that's as far as I got. This Negi has goals and hopefully, I showed a different Negi than in canon while still keeping him Negi. Did I succeed? I didn't think that I would have the patience to start the story somewhen earlier but if it's needed, I'll whip it up.
And I need a better title <_<
-------------------------
CH. 1
"Vox Victum"
by Hypothesis
-------------------------
"Remember Negi, the Headmaster is an old man," a rather tall and stately blonde woman whispered out the side of her mouth to a smaller figure wearing a pointy hat. "If they don't call you up, I'm sure we could take him."
With a muffled groan, Negi pulled his hat down even further in an effort to hide his burning face. "I'm sure that won't be necessary, Nekane..." But even as he said it, there was a small sliver of doubt. He hadn't been paying attention to every name called, but he was reasonably sure that it was being done in alphabetical order and 'Springfield' should have come up by now. He hadn't exactly failed the finals, so technically he was qualified for graduating but...
They could deny him a diploma.
Nekane sniffed before giving the top of his head a look that was half way playful and half way worried. "If you are sure!"
And he was sure. Very sure. Whatever reasons they might have for not giving him a diploma would not be helped by attacking the Headmaster out of rage. He would have told his sister that he was better than that, had he not spent the last hour considering it.
'It won't be necessary.' He reaffirmed to himself and a second later, a certain name was called.
"MARCUS ZIMMERMAN!"
The very last name off the list. Negi bit his lip as applause began to resound in the hall, feeling the pin pricks of forming tears. Wiping the evidence away, he looked up at his sister and promptly began to fear for the Headmaster's life. That smile...Nekane was always smiling but this one was...not pretty.
"No innocents in the crossfire!" he said quickly.
"We can make them clear out faster."
"Nekane!" His voice was close to whining but not quite, because Negi Springfield does not whine. It was far too childish.
"We will have words with the Headmaster, Negi," she replied in a tone that brooked no argument. "I will not allow you to go home and mope in your room until we know exactly what is going on." He felt her tug at his hat affectionately. "You earned it, don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
'That's right!' He stood a bit taller, lifting his chin with a new determination. He had earned it; he had been earning it for five years! 'I have to take what's mine.'
It took the better part of an hour for his classmates to stop congratulating each other and stop walking on eggshells around him but eventually, the hall emptied. Gathering his courage as the attendants started to clean up, Negi stepped forward. "Headmaster!" The old man turned to look him dead in the eyes, momentarily choking his words. Did this count as insubordination? "My diploma..."
"Mr. Springfield," he murmured pleasantly, even as Negi's heart jumped.
Doki-doki...
"May I speak to you privately?"
-------------------------
Over the course of five years, Negi had been inside the Headmaster's office far more times than he was comfortable with. It was regal, it was impressive, it was large and he was there again. The very first time he had seen the room was when Nekane had been bulldozing the man into letting him move up in the academy early giving this situation an ironic flair.
"I don't suppose you would like some tea, would you? Oolong."
Negi was tempted but he was so nervous that he just might throw it up. "No, thank you." His hands were shaking.
The Headmaster made a noncommital humming sound as he poured himself a cup from the plain white set. The old man took a sip, breathing in the steam. "Do you remember, the second to last question on your Magical Theory exam?"
The young boy blinked. That was a random question. "Yes, it was an essay on the benefits of having greater magical control." The man's mind seemed to have drifted away sometime during his answer, so Negi took a breath and pressed forward. "Was something wrong with my answer?" 'I know I didn't put down anything incriminating...'
"In terms of content and voice, it was horrible."
Negi nearly had a heart attack. "H-h-horrible!" 'Crud!'
"You didn't answer the question. What little examples of benefits that you included were minor at best. The whole thing was beating around the bush with a strong sense of disapproval. You know the material," the man asserted. "But you rebel against it so strongly that you can't even write it down?"
Negi couldn't believe they were having this conversation. Again. "I passed, didn't I? This is a school! Not a political campaign! Headmaster, I know what you are thinking..." The man raised an eyebrow. "But I'm not that reckless anymore! I was just...young."
The other eyebrow went up.
"Really young," Negi blurted before throwing his hands up. "Come on, that was three years ago! I've changed, really." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Power is not the end all be all of things..."
There was a heartbeat of silence.
"The Board worried that you would repeat that incident, with even more purpose." The old man took another, long sip from his cup. "You take well to Darkness, Negi. A little too well for anyone to be comfortable...." he trailed off as he reached into the left voluminous sleeve and withdrew a scroll, tied with a golden ribbon. "I trust you will give me no reason to regret this."
For a full minute, Negi couldn't speak because his heart was lodged in his throat. He wrapped his hands around the diploma gingerly, as if it would break into dust at any moment. "I..." He clutched it to his chest and smiled widely. "I won't!" And just like that, all lingering tension vanished as the new Magister-Magi-in-training stood up to leave. "Thank you."
"Think nothing of it. Make me proud."
"I will."
As soon as the door closed behind him, Negi felt a bit of regret worm into his heart. Lying never sit well with him. With a sigh, he began to chant a phrase that belonged to him and him alone.
...rastel...magister...
He only had one chance to do this. 'Put me somewhere where I can grow stronger.'
The scroll rebelled. Bucking, twisting with the staccato of crackling paper, it burned him. A scorching, icy heat was lapping at his fingers and then slithering up his arm...it was...-it was too strong! Reflexively, his fingers snapped open and the scroll drifted down onto the ground. Sharp, angry letters formed.
A teacher in Japan.
Negi sighed again as he felt a geass snap into place. Oh well, he didn't really think it would work anyway. He nudged the diploma with his foot. Nothing. He picked it up, rolled it, tied it and stuck it in the closest pocket. And sighed once more. The two women in his life, Nekane Springfield and Anya Cocolova...
'They're gonna flip...'
...
'Japan, huh?'
-------------------------
And that's as far as I got. This Negi has goals and hopefully, I showed a different Negi than in canon while still keeping him Negi. Did I succeed? I didn't think that I would have the patience to start the story somewhen earlier but if it's needed, I'll whip it up.
