NegiÆs life since heÆd come to Mahora had been one of near-constant surprises. Mostly that was due to the antics of his thirty-one, now thirty, students. TodayÆs surprise, however, hadnÆt been from one of his students but from one of his studentÆs parents. HeÆd been on the way back to the dorm room he shared with Asuna and Konoka, only to find that KonokaÆs father had been waiting for them at the dorm entrance.
Konoka, of course, had flown into her fatherÆs arms, delighted at the unexpected visit, and Negi and Asuna were both happy to see the older man as well. Ushering them all into their room and onto the cushions that were scattered around the small table, Konoka had happily bustled around making tea for the four of them before finally settling down herself. It was only at that point that things calmed down enough that Negi and his two students waited for their guest to volunteer why heÆd dropped in on them.
The silence stretched out as the three looked at Eishun expectantly. The older man shifted for a moment, as though trying to get comfortable, and though his expression didnÆt change, NegiÆs eyebrows furrowed for a moment as the silence stretched out past the usual length of time a pause went unfilled in a casual conversation.
Eishun, for his part, glanced back and forth from Negi to Asuna to his daughter and then back to Negi again, never losing his polite smile. After another few seconds of silence, KonokaÆs patience was the first to break as she opened her mouth. Eishun, however, beat her to the punch.
ôSo, Negi-kun, I heard that youÆre going to go to Mundus Magicus over the summer break?ö
Negi blinked, surprised that Eishun knew what his plans were, before realizing that Konoka had probably let it slip, or that maybe Setsuna had reported it. He knew that she had some sort of formal arrangement with Eishun regarding protecting Konoka, despite how much closer theyÆd become recently. Not that it really mattered; Negi had no problem with anyone who knew he was a mage knowing his plans.
ôYes. IÆm hoping I can find some clues to my fatherÆs whereabouts there. I know he spent a lot of time there, soàö he trailed off, trusting that his point was self-evident.
ôAnd weÆre going too,ö interjected Asuna, putting a hand on NegiÆs head and rubbing a little too forcefully, ôotherwise Negi hereÆd get in over his head somehow and end up doing something stupid.ö
ôWaah! Asuna-san!ö wailed Negi in protest of both the harsh treatment and the rebuke. Despite that, he made no move to stop the almost-painful rubbing, having long since learned to accept AsunaÆs forceful nature.
Konoka giggled at the display, and even Eishun seemed to be amused at NegiÆs predicament before his face lost its mirth and settled back into the polite smile. ôAbout that, Negi-kun, I wanted to talk to you.ö
Asuna ceased her tormenting at that, and everyone settled back down to give Eishun their full attention. The man paused again, and this time his discomfort was clear to everyone. ôNegi-kun, be careful about how you go about looking for information about Nagi.ö
ôHuh?ö Negi blinked, not sure what to make of that.
ôDaddy,ö piped up Konoka, ôwhat are you saying? NegiÆs father was a famous, heroic wizard with your group, right? Everyone should be happy to help Negi-kun look for him.ö
Eishun sighed. ôItÆs true that Nagi was really famous. The Ala Rubra was very well-known, and Nagi was easily the most outgoing and popular memberàthatÆs sort of the problem.ö
ôBut why is that a problem?ö asked Negi, a confused expression on his face. If his father had been such a celebrity, shouldnÆt that make it easier to find him?
ôThings are different for wizard groups in Mundus Magicus, Negi-kun. Here, they have to maintain secrecy. From making sure to call themselves ænon-governmental organizationsÆ to erasing the memories of ordinary people who find out about magic, what happens here in the normal world doesnÆt get much scrutiny.ö In fact, it did get a fair amount of scrutiny, but that was from the high-ranking wizards in charge of making sure that magical order was maintained on Mundus Vetus. There was no need to go into that level of detail though, since that wasnÆt what he was here to talk about.
ôBut in the magical worldà?ö prompted Asuna. Hearing about how things worked in another world was surprisingly captivating, and she couldnÆt help but lean forward slightly in anticipation.
Eishun sighed again. ôWizards whoÆre members of adventuring groups like thatàare the rock stars of the magical world.ö
ôEh?!ö All three almost collapsed at that.
ôR-rock stars?!ö parroted Asuna. Unprompted, an image came into her head of Konoe-san pounding on a large drum set while Takahata-sensei jammed on a guitar and NegiÆs father (whom she thought of as looking like an older version of Negi) sang into a microphone on stage before a screaming crowd.
ôTry to understand,ö Eishun pressed forward, seeing the flood of questions that were about to be unleashed, ôthe magical world glorifies the use of magic as much as the normal world tries to hide it. And with all different kinds of powerful monsters there and, unfortunately, evil organizations, wizards who go out and fight the proverbial good fight quickly become very famous. And if theyÆre good-looking and personable, wellàö he braced himself for a moment, then forced himself to say the last part, ôthen they tend to become sex symbols for the populace.ö
S-sex symbolsà Negi turned the thought over in his mind, trying to digest the idea that his father had been thought of that way by complete strangers all over the magical world.
Asuna, for her part, was blushing up a storm. She remembered that flaky witch, Mei Somethingorother, saying that Takahata-sensei was a major sex symbol in the magical worldànow she knew why. Unable to help herself, AsunaÆs eyes slid back over to Eishun, taking a moment to appreciate his figure even though he was wearing those baggy old shrine robes. Unbidden, she suddenly recalled how heÆd fallen naked on her in the bath when they were at Kyoto, and felt a pleasant flutter at the memory, causing her to turn redder as she looked down in embarrassment.
Konoka, for her part, was studying the ground very intently. She did NOT want to think about her dad that way! Ew ew ew!
Eishun continued. ôThat was especially true for the Ala Rubra, since weàdid a lot, almost all of which got reported and sensationalized around the world. It didnÆt take very long before it got to the point where if we went anywhere at all, we were mobbed by fans, women mostlyàö he paused as he remembered being surrounded by women, shrieking voices asking him to sign various articles of clothingàand body parts.
ôAhàö Negi opened his mouth, trying to find a polite way to ask why Konoe-san had traveled all the way to Mahora just to tell him that, but didnÆt have a chance before someone else spoke up.
ôD-Daddy, thatÆs enough,ö Konoka cut in, ôyouÆre embarrassing Negi-kun!ö She was sure that he was embarrassing Negi, and though calling attention to that was rude, it was more acceptable to her than pointing out that he was embarrassing her to death!
ôAhaha, forgive me,ö feigning a levity he didnÆt feel, Eishun scratched the back of his neck. ôIÆm telling you this so youÆll know what to expect if you start dropping your fatherÆs name, Negi-kun. When someoneÆs that famous, even, no, especially after theyÆre dead,ö Negi opened his mouth to protest the rumors of his fatherÆs demuse, but Eishun didnÆt give him a chance ôeveryone has a tale to tell about them. Mention NagiÆs name, and youÆll immediately hear about how the store youÆre in was his favorite place to shop, or some young punk once beat him in a fight, or some girl had his love child, things like that.ö
ô ælove childÆ?!ö gaped Negi.
ôDaddy!ö squealed Konoka, scandalized.
ôWe get it, Konoe-san,ö Asuna climbed to her feet as she spoke, suddenly uncomfortable with the entire conversation, ôweÆll make sure to avoid the wild rumors and tall tales. Thanks for the warning. CÆmon Negi.ö Putting a hand on her teacherÆs shoulder, Asuna started to pull him to his feet, nodding at Konoka to get up also.
ôWait.ö It was the first time since heÆd met up with them that Eishun had sounded forceful about anything. Sighing for a third time, he motioned for them to sit back down, which the trio did slowly, fidgeting at how thick the uncomfortable atmosphere had grown.
For his part, Eishun had closed his eyes and was visibly girding himself for what was to come next. When he opened them, though, he looked more resigned than resolved. ôNegi-kun, for whatever reason, the Ala Rubra was by far the most famous wizard group when we were active. We couldnÆt go anywhere without women surrounding us. Most just wanted something like an autograph or a token to prove that theyÆd met us, but some wanted something more personalàö
ôDad-ô knowing where this was going, Konoka tried to cut him off, but her father silenced her with a look before turning back to Negi, who couldnÆt meet his eyes.
ôI was never comfortable with that kind of attention, and did my best to avoid it whenever I could. Gateau-san mostly ignored it all, and Takamichi did the same. Albireo-kun always seemed amused by it all, and treated the whole thing like a joke. Jackàö even now, the thought of his boisterous teammate was enough to make Eishun roll his eyes, ôJack always did whatever he wanted, which sometimes meant taking a girl to bed with him when he was in the mood.ö Actually, Jack had usually gone to his room with more than one girl at a time when heÆd felt like satisfying his urges, but there was no need to mention that lurid detail.
ôHold on!ö Asuna leapt to her feet. ôYou canÆt be saying that NegiÆs father used his fame toàto hook up with s-slutty women!ö For some reason just the thought of that offended Asuna deeply; she didnÆt bother asking herself why that was, attributing her outrage to how poor Negi would feel about such an allegation.
Eishun, however, kept his eyes on Negi, who was still studying the ground. ôNegi-kunàtry to understand. Your father was already a teenager when he joined the Ala Rubra, and when youÆre at that ageà and he was the most popular member of the group by far, so he had more fan girls than any of us. IÆm not saying he did it all the time, or even very much, butàö He forced himself to continue, ôbut he did sleep with some of them.ö
Silence reigned in the wake of EishunÆs statement. Because Negi was sitting slightly ahead of Asuna and Konoka, neither of them saw the look of pain that crossed his features, though judging by the concerned way they were looking at him, both knew it was there. Eishun, however, had a full view of NegiÆs reaction, and the sight of it made him hate himself for causing the boy pain. He knew that he had, if not completely toppled the pedestal that Negi held his father on, then at least damaged it badly.
ôThis was all years before he met your mother, Negi-kun. I visited him once, when heÆd moved to Wales, and he only had eyes for her. In fact, I heard that she actually didnÆt like him very much when sheÆd first met him, and that heÆd had to seriously woo her before sheÆd go on even one date with him.ö Despite himself, Eishun smiled a bit at the memory, ôI think part of the reason he was so attracted to her was because he had to work pretty hard to get her to like him. That was a first for him, after being such a celebrity on Mundus Magicus. But Negi-kun,ö the tone of his voice clearly indicated that he wanted Negi to look at him, which he did after a moment. EishunÆs voice softened as he continued. ôIÆm absolutely certain that he was never unfaithful to her. He loved her dearly.ö
Negi managed a small smile at that, nodding. ôI know he didàthank you for saying that though, Konoe-san.ö
NegiÆs thanks had a clear ring of finality to it, and the young teacher was already climbing to his feet when Eishun spoke up again. ôNegi-kun, the reason IÆm telling you all this is because-ô
Negi cut him off. ôI know. You want me to be prepared in caseàö he couldnÆt seem to finish, but then took a deep breath, visibly buoying himself, and managed a small, but genuine, smile as he said ôin case I meet any brothers or sisters in the magical world.ö
KonokaÆs eyes grew as big as dinner plates at that, and Asuna gasped audibly, a hand over her mouth; both ignored them as Eishun nodded in confirmation. ôI justàwanted you to be prepared.ö It was to EishunÆs relief that Negi gave him a grateful nod at that, before MahoraÆs youngest teacher turned and left the room.
Outside, Negi could hear the shouts of both girls as they scrambled to catch up to him, but he paid them no mind. An older brother or sister? Looking up at the sky, Negi couldnÆt help but smile more as he imagined what itÆd be like to have someone else, besides Nekane, who was family to him...
* * * * *
Nana Sevensheep hummed to herself as she finished applying the new wallpaper to her bedroom. Lots of people had posters of Nagi-sama, she knew, but no one else had this custom-made Nagi-wallpaper! Now, her entire room had Nagi-samaÆs gorgeous countenance spread across each two-foot square area! The sight of it was enough to make her shriek in happiness as she flung herself onto her bed, bouncing like delighted child before coming to rest on her back.
ôNagi-samaàö she cooed happily, glancing over at the picture sheÆd carefully cut out and framed for her dresser. Right next to it was a picture of herself and her daughter, Emily, sheÆd had taken at EmilyÆs ninth birthday party. Side-by-side like that, she could almost imagine that they were one picture, and that Nagi-sama was right there next to her and Emily, like a real familyà Sighing wistfully, Nana could still feel the dull ache in her heart that had been there ever since sheÆd heard that Nagi had died, shattering that particular dream.
Emily didnÆt know, of course; sheÆd been keeping it a secret, telling her that sheÆd never actually met Nagi-sama, because sheÆd wanted him to be there when she told each of them who the other was û she waned to see the joy on Nagi-samaÆs face when he realized that sheÆd given him a daughter, and the wonder on EmilyÆs face as she looked at the man whom Nana had made sure was her hero when sheÆd realized that he was also her father. But now, well, she still planned on telling Emily, once she found the right timeà
But those thoughts were for later. For now, the sight of Nagi-samaÆs face on the walls made her feel like he was watching her, looking only at her, just like when heÆd come to her town all those years ago. Her breath quickening as she lifted the hem of her dress, Nana let herself drift back into the memory of the night her daughter had been conceivedà
* * * * *
Author's Notes: I recently read vol. 23 of Negima!. My muse, lazy bitch that she is, apparently found that to be motivation enough to get off her ass, and she gave me the inspiration for this story last night as I was falling asleep. Luckily, I had enough time and inclination to write it all down just now.
I doubt there'll be more to this (but then, you all know that I'm awful about finishing what I start) and was originally going to post it in the Ideas section, but at five pages long, seems more like a fic(let) than an idea, so it's here instead.
Konoka, of course, had flown into her fatherÆs arms, delighted at the unexpected visit, and Negi and Asuna were both happy to see the older man as well. Ushering them all into their room and onto the cushions that were scattered around the small table, Konoka had happily bustled around making tea for the four of them before finally settling down herself. It was only at that point that things calmed down enough that Negi and his two students waited for their guest to volunteer why heÆd dropped in on them.
The silence stretched out as the three looked at Eishun expectantly. The older man shifted for a moment, as though trying to get comfortable, and though his expression didnÆt change, NegiÆs eyebrows furrowed for a moment as the silence stretched out past the usual length of time a pause went unfilled in a casual conversation.
Eishun, for his part, glanced back and forth from Negi to Asuna to his daughter and then back to Negi again, never losing his polite smile. After another few seconds of silence, KonokaÆs patience was the first to break as she opened her mouth. Eishun, however, beat her to the punch.
ôSo, Negi-kun, I heard that youÆre going to go to Mundus Magicus over the summer break?ö
Negi blinked, surprised that Eishun knew what his plans were, before realizing that Konoka had probably let it slip, or that maybe Setsuna had reported it. He knew that she had some sort of formal arrangement with Eishun regarding protecting Konoka, despite how much closer theyÆd become recently. Not that it really mattered; Negi had no problem with anyone who knew he was a mage knowing his plans.
ôYes. IÆm hoping I can find some clues to my fatherÆs whereabouts there. I know he spent a lot of time there, soàö he trailed off, trusting that his point was self-evident.
ôAnd weÆre going too,ö interjected Asuna, putting a hand on NegiÆs head and rubbing a little too forcefully, ôotherwise Negi hereÆd get in over his head somehow and end up doing something stupid.ö
ôWaah! Asuna-san!ö wailed Negi in protest of both the harsh treatment and the rebuke. Despite that, he made no move to stop the almost-painful rubbing, having long since learned to accept AsunaÆs forceful nature.
Konoka giggled at the display, and even Eishun seemed to be amused at NegiÆs predicament before his face lost its mirth and settled back into the polite smile. ôAbout that, Negi-kun, I wanted to talk to you.ö
Asuna ceased her tormenting at that, and everyone settled back down to give Eishun their full attention. The man paused again, and this time his discomfort was clear to everyone. ôNegi-kun, be careful about how you go about looking for information about Nagi.ö
ôHuh?ö Negi blinked, not sure what to make of that.
ôDaddy,ö piped up Konoka, ôwhat are you saying? NegiÆs father was a famous, heroic wizard with your group, right? Everyone should be happy to help Negi-kun look for him.ö
Eishun sighed. ôItÆs true that Nagi was really famous. The Ala Rubra was very well-known, and Nagi was easily the most outgoing and popular memberàthatÆs sort of the problem.ö
ôBut why is that a problem?ö asked Negi, a confused expression on his face. If his father had been such a celebrity, shouldnÆt that make it easier to find him?
ôThings are different for wizard groups in Mundus Magicus, Negi-kun. Here, they have to maintain secrecy. From making sure to call themselves ænon-governmental organizationsÆ to erasing the memories of ordinary people who find out about magic, what happens here in the normal world doesnÆt get much scrutiny.ö In fact, it did get a fair amount of scrutiny, but that was from the high-ranking wizards in charge of making sure that magical order was maintained on Mundus Vetus. There was no need to go into that level of detail though, since that wasnÆt what he was here to talk about.
ôBut in the magical worldà?ö prompted Asuna. Hearing about how things worked in another world was surprisingly captivating, and she couldnÆt help but lean forward slightly in anticipation.
Eishun sighed again. ôWizards whoÆre members of adventuring groups like thatàare the rock stars of the magical world.ö
ôEh?!ö All three almost collapsed at that.
ôR-rock stars?!ö parroted Asuna. Unprompted, an image came into her head of Konoe-san pounding on a large drum set while Takahata-sensei jammed on a guitar and NegiÆs father (whom she thought of as looking like an older version of Negi) sang into a microphone on stage before a screaming crowd.
ôTry to understand,ö Eishun pressed forward, seeing the flood of questions that were about to be unleashed, ôthe magical world glorifies the use of magic as much as the normal world tries to hide it. And with all different kinds of powerful monsters there and, unfortunately, evil organizations, wizards who go out and fight the proverbial good fight quickly become very famous. And if theyÆre good-looking and personable, wellàö he braced himself for a moment, then forced himself to say the last part, ôthen they tend to become sex symbols for the populace.ö
S-sex symbolsà Negi turned the thought over in his mind, trying to digest the idea that his father had been thought of that way by complete strangers all over the magical world.
Asuna, for her part, was blushing up a storm. She remembered that flaky witch, Mei Somethingorother, saying that Takahata-sensei was a major sex symbol in the magical worldànow she knew why. Unable to help herself, AsunaÆs eyes slid back over to Eishun, taking a moment to appreciate his figure even though he was wearing those baggy old shrine robes. Unbidden, she suddenly recalled how heÆd fallen naked on her in the bath when they were at Kyoto, and felt a pleasant flutter at the memory, causing her to turn redder as she looked down in embarrassment.
Konoka, for her part, was studying the ground very intently. She did NOT want to think about her dad that way! Ew ew ew!
Eishun continued. ôThat was especially true for the Ala Rubra, since weàdid a lot, almost all of which got reported and sensationalized around the world. It didnÆt take very long before it got to the point where if we went anywhere at all, we were mobbed by fans, women mostlyàö he paused as he remembered being surrounded by women, shrieking voices asking him to sign various articles of clothingàand body parts.
ôAhàö Negi opened his mouth, trying to find a polite way to ask why Konoe-san had traveled all the way to Mahora just to tell him that, but didnÆt have a chance before someone else spoke up.
ôD-Daddy, thatÆs enough,ö Konoka cut in, ôyouÆre embarrassing Negi-kun!ö She was sure that he was embarrassing Negi, and though calling attention to that was rude, it was more acceptable to her than pointing out that he was embarrassing her to death!
ôAhaha, forgive me,ö feigning a levity he didnÆt feel, Eishun scratched the back of his neck. ôIÆm telling you this so youÆll know what to expect if you start dropping your fatherÆs name, Negi-kun. When someoneÆs that famous, even, no, especially after theyÆre dead,ö Negi opened his mouth to protest the rumors of his fatherÆs demuse, but Eishun didnÆt give him a chance ôeveryone has a tale to tell about them. Mention NagiÆs name, and youÆll immediately hear about how the store youÆre in was his favorite place to shop, or some young punk once beat him in a fight, or some girl had his love child, things like that.ö
ô ælove childÆ?!ö gaped Negi.
ôDaddy!ö squealed Konoka, scandalized.
ôWe get it, Konoe-san,ö Asuna climbed to her feet as she spoke, suddenly uncomfortable with the entire conversation, ôweÆll make sure to avoid the wild rumors and tall tales. Thanks for the warning. CÆmon Negi.ö Putting a hand on her teacherÆs shoulder, Asuna started to pull him to his feet, nodding at Konoka to get up also.
ôWait.ö It was the first time since heÆd met up with them that Eishun had sounded forceful about anything. Sighing for a third time, he motioned for them to sit back down, which the trio did slowly, fidgeting at how thick the uncomfortable atmosphere had grown.
For his part, Eishun had closed his eyes and was visibly girding himself for what was to come next. When he opened them, though, he looked more resigned than resolved. ôNegi-kun, for whatever reason, the Ala Rubra was by far the most famous wizard group when we were active. We couldnÆt go anywhere without women surrounding us. Most just wanted something like an autograph or a token to prove that theyÆd met us, but some wanted something more personalàö
ôDad-ô knowing where this was going, Konoka tried to cut him off, but her father silenced her with a look before turning back to Negi, who couldnÆt meet his eyes.
ôI was never comfortable with that kind of attention, and did my best to avoid it whenever I could. Gateau-san mostly ignored it all, and Takamichi did the same. Albireo-kun always seemed amused by it all, and treated the whole thing like a joke. Jackàö even now, the thought of his boisterous teammate was enough to make Eishun roll his eyes, ôJack always did whatever he wanted, which sometimes meant taking a girl to bed with him when he was in the mood.ö Actually, Jack had usually gone to his room with more than one girl at a time when heÆd felt like satisfying his urges, but there was no need to mention that lurid detail.
ôHold on!ö Asuna leapt to her feet. ôYou canÆt be saying that NegiÆs father used his fame toàto hook up with s-slutty women!ö For some reason just the thought of that offended Asuna deeply; she didnÆt bother asking herself why that was, attributing her outrage to how poor Negi would feel about such an allegation.
Eishun, however, kept his eyes on Negi, who was still studying the ground. ôNegi-kunàtry to understand. Your father was already a teenager when he joined the Ala Rubra, and when youÆre at that ageà and he was the most popular member of the group by far, so he had more fan girls than any of us. IÆm not saying he did it all the time, or even very much, butàö He forced himself to continue, ôbut he did sleep with some of them.ö
Silence reigned in the wake of EishunÆs statement. Because Negi was sitting slightly ahead of Asuna and Konoka, neither of them saw the look of pain that crossed his features, though judging by the concerned way they were looking at him, both knew it was there. Eishun, however, had a full view of NegiÆs reaction, and the sight of it made him hate himself for causing the boy pain. He knew that he had, if not completely toppled the pedestal that Negi held his father on, then at least damaged it badly.
ôThis was all years before he met your mother, Negi-kun. I visited him once, when heÆd moved to Wales, and he only had eyes for her. In fact, I heard that she actually didnÆt like him very much when sheÆd first met him, and that heÆd had to seriously woo her before sheÆd go on even one date with him.ö Despite himself, Eishun smiled a bit at the memory, ôI think part of the reason he was so attracted to her was because he had to work pretty hard to get her to like him. That was a first for him, after being such a celebrity on Mundus Magicus. But Negi-kun,ö the tone of his voice clearly indicated that he wanted Negi to look at him, which he did after a moment. EishunÆs voice softened as he continued. ôIÆm absolutely certain that he was never unfaithful to her. He loved her dearly.ö
Negi managed a small smile at that, nodding. ôI know he didàthank you for saying that though, Konoe-san.ö
NegiÆs thanks had a clear ring of finality to it, and the young teacher was already climbing to his feet when Eishun spoke up again. ôNegi-kun, the reason IÆm telling you all this is because-ô
Negi cut him off. ôI know. You want me to be prepared in caseàö he couldnÆt seem to finish, but then took a deep breath, visibly buoying himself, and managed a small, but genuine, smile as he said ôin case I meet any brothers or sisters in the magical world.ö
KonokaÆs eyes grew as big as dinner plates at that, and Asuna gasped audibly, a hand over her mouth; both ignored them as Eishun nodded in confirmation. ôI justàwanted you to be prepared.ö It was to EishunÆs relief that Negi gave him a grateful nod at that, before MahoraÆs youngest teacher turned and left the room.
Outside, Negi could hear the shouts of both girls as they scrambled to catch up to him, but he paid them no mind. An older brother or sister? Looking up at the sky, Negi couldnÆt help but smile more as he imagined what itÆd be like to have someone else, besides Nekane, who was family to him...
* * * * *
Nana Sevensheep hummed to herself as she finished applying the new wallpaper to her bedroom. Lots of people had posters of Nagi-sama, she knew, but no one else had this custom-made Nagi-wallpaper! Now, her entire room had Nagi-samaÆs gorgeous countenance spread across each two-foot square area! The sight of it was enough to make her shriek in happiness as she flung herself onto her bed, bouncing like delighted child before coming to rest on her back.
ôNagi-samaàö she cooed happily, glancing over at the picture sheÆd carefully cut out and framed for her dresser. Right next to it was a picture of herself and her daughter, Emily, sheÆd had taken at EmilyÆs ninth birthday party. Side-by-side like that, she could almost imagine that they were one picture, and that Nagi-sama was right there next to her and Emily, like a real familyà Sighing wistfully, Nana could still feel the dull ache in her heart that had been there ever since sheÆd heard that Nagi had died, shattering that particular dream.
Emily didnÆt know, of course; sheÆd been keeping it a secret, telling her that sheÆd never actually met Nagi-sama, because sheÆd wanted him to be there when she told each of them who the other was û she waned to see the joy on Nagi-samaÆs face when he realized that sheÆd given him a daughter, and the wonder on EmilyÆs face as she looked at the man whom Nana had made sure was her hero when sheÆd realized that he was also her father. But now, well, she still planned on telling Emily, once she found the right timeà
But those thoughts were for later. For now, the sight of Nagi-samaÆs face on the walls made her feel like he was watching her, looking only at her, just like when heÆd come to her town all those years ago. Her breath quickening as she lifted the hem of her dress, Nana let herself drift back into the memory of the night her daughter had been conceivedà
* * * * *
Author's Notes: I recently read vol. 23 of Negima!. My muse, lazy bitch that she is, apparently found that to be motivation enough to get off her ass, and she gave me the inspiration for this story last night as I was falling asleep. Luckily, I had enough time and inclination to write it all down just now.
I doubt there'll be more to this (but then, you all know that I'm awful about finishing what I start) and was originally going to post it in the Ideas section, but at five pages long, seems more like a fic(let) than an idea, so it's here instead.
