A/N: Ayaka seems destined to be the girl most dumped on in fanfiction (I know I'm guilty of it too). No matter what, she never has a happy ending. In the interest of fairness, I present the following story.

The time period is one year following the Golden Week chapter in the manga and events from another of my stories, The Other Side of the Mirror, are referenced, but you don't have to read it to enjoy this one.

Negima is owned by Ken Akamatsu. Various OCs appear with the permission of their authors.

The following conventions are used: "words", 'thoughts', 'reading', and -telepathy-

Her Wish

Death and taxes, it has been said, are the only inevitable things in life. As Ayaka waited along with the other students to pick up mail, she decided that standing in lines was a close third. She hadn't been expecting a package so the class rep was surprised to find the little yellow ticket in her school cubby that morning. 'Akashi-san had better not have given my name out again,' she thought, remembering the time the shopping addicted athlete had given out several classmates' names to a marketer. 'I don't care how big of a discount they offered.'

Of course, the blonde-haired girl was in foul mood already, after finding out that her Golden Week scheme had been short-circuited for a second year. Avoiding the mistakes of the South Pacific Island fiasco, Ayaka had carefully plotted her strategy for getting some personal time with Negi-sensei. Her plan was a work of beauty, detailed to the last second, but alas it had withered before fruition. Setsuna-san, of all people, had asked him to go to Kyoto with her. The girl shook her head in sad confusion, 'But I thought she liked Konoka-san.'

No matter how hard she tried, it always seemed the class rep wound up with the short end of the stick. Ayaka could have wallowed in unremitting pity, but Yukihiro's were made of sterner stuff than that. 'I will rise above this,' she confidently promised. 'None of that moping about as if my world had ended. Ha. I'll get out this week. I'll enjoy myself. I'll … I'll … I'll be perfectly miserable until he gets back,' she sighed in defeat.

The boy behind the counter held out his hand. "Ticket please," he said. Recognizing the student, he smiled, "Good afternoon Yukihiro-san."

"Good afternoon Mason-san," Ayaka replied as she passed over the slip of paper. "When did you start working on campus?"

The blonde-haired boy frowned in response. "The shop owner retired and the beef bowl had too many applicants, so the headmaster set me up here," he told her.

"So you're still paying back for the damages?"

"Yeah, when they totaled everything up, my share of the bill came to slightly more 153 million," he answered. "It will take me 40 years to pay it off at this rate."

"Oh, that one," the post clerk exclaimed as he checked the ticket. He slid a form across the counter to Ayaka. "This is from overseas, so you'll need to countersign the customs declaration."

As she scanned the paperwork, the boy asked if she could answer a question for him. "Hypothetically speaking," he started, "if you wanted to suggest to a person you're dating that it would be a good idea to go out with other people, how would you do it?"

Ayaka looked up in surprise. "I would be upfront and explain my reasons to that person," she answered. "No one wants to be lied to about something like that."

As the teen-aged boy relaxed, she added, "Of course if that person was descended from a long line of ninjas …"

"Ninjas?" he cried. "Who said anything about ninjas?"

"We're speaking hypothetically, remember?" the class rep responded. "If that were the case, I'd pray that they'd be the one to bring the subject up. Otherwise …"

The clerk would have swallowed, but his mouth went suddenly dry at her unspoken words. "Here you go Yukihiro-san," he said, setting a square package wrapped in plain, brown paper on the counter.

The address information had been written in Latin characters. The From addressee read 'M Rosenkranz'. "Uncle Max," she exclaimed.

"You have an Uncle Max?"

"Uncle Maximilian," Ayaka explained. "He's my mother's brother."

"I haven't seen Uncle Max since … well, in a long time," she continued. Happier than when she arrived, Ayaka picked up her parcel and turned to leave. "Thank you Mason-san."

She hoped the boy had more sense than to try and dump Kaede-san. But in light of his misadventures here, sense had not been something Luke Mason had shown an abundance of.

--

Back in her dorm room, Ayaka sat on the couch as she looked at the outside of her parcel. The postmark was from Germany while the return address indicated a place named Rothenberg and followed by the initials odT, whatever that stood for. She recalled that her uncle Maximilian lived in Strasbourg, but he travelled quite a bit working for the European Court of Human Rights. Carefully, she unwrapped the package and slit through the tape holding the top flap down. Atop the foam pellets lay a letter. Unfolding it, she recognized her uncle's writing.

'Dear Ayaka,

It has been much too long since I've written to you, let alone seen you, and for that I humbly beg your pardon. Your mother has kept me informed of your efforts in school and I was pleased to hear of your advancement to third overall for your grade.'

"That was because Chao-san left school uncle," she muttered.

'Between school work, your duties on the student council and family obligations, I can well imagine that you have little time for yourself. Inside is a small gift from me. It won't grant you the extra hours you no doubt desire, but perhaps it will help you to relax. You have but to wish to make it so.

Love,

Onkel Max'

Ayaka put the letter down and pushed the Styrofoam packing away, revealing a glass sphere and wooden base. The orb contained an intricate miniature of an alpine chalet next to a frozen pond spanned by a wooden bridge. Plastic pellets, resembling snowflakes, lay in a thin layer across the model's base and could be made to swirl about by shaking the liquid-filled globe.

The teen leaned back on the couch and sighed. Ayaka truly loved her family and receiving gifts, but she was glad her uncle had mailed this so she wouldn't have to feign excitement. It wasn't that the snow globe was less than beautifully crafted, and knowing her uncle it was very expensive, but the class rep had grown beyond the age where she would have enjoyed it.

"Does he still think of me as a little girl?" she wondered. "He hasn't seen me since my brother …" The girl sighed again, unwilling to finish that thought.

The ball lay in her lap and Ayaka's hand rested on top as her thoughts went back to the ruined Golden Week. Maybe she was too selfish to expect Negi to spend the entire week with her, but was it too much to want a little time alone with him? The words fell from her lips, as softly as a gentle breeze "I just wish I could spend the day with Negi-sensei."

In the blink of an eye, Ayaka's world had changed. She sat upon a padded couch, before a merrily blazing fire. Her unbelieving gaze swept about the rustic styled room, 'What in the world?' The teen sprang to her feet and dashed to the window, looking through the lace curtains at the snow covered landscape. A trail led from the front door, over a bridge and into a dark line of leafless trees. A few white flakes lazily drifted to the ground.

--

Negi picked up his suitcase and turned towards the ermine reclining on the couch. "Are you ready Chamo-kun?" he asked.

In response, the white-furred creature sprang to his shoulder. "I'm set," Chamo replied.

The boy stepped out of the dormitory and headed for the train station where he'd meet Setsuna and the others before heading to Kyoto. The Golden Week break was a time when most of the students and teachers could relax at the end of the new school year's first month. He had turned down several offers from fellow faculty and not a few other students to spend time with them, but his promise to Setsuna took precedence.

"Isn't it odd that Ayaka-san hasn't asked about your plans this year?" the ermine asked.

"Well Konoka-san did let slip that I was going to Kyoto," Negi answered. "Maybe she decided that I would be too busy."

"That isn't far off the mark," the boy teacher added.

"What is that noise," Chamo asked as a sound he would describe as two mating cats being dowsed by a bucket of water drifted towards them. A tall man with reddish hair, wearing a pair of blue, plaid trousers and matching shirt approached them from the opposite direction. His arms cradled a set of bagpipes that emitted the aforementioned noise. "Isn't that Peten-san?"

At that moment, the man lifted a hand in greeting, not missing a note as he waved. "Hello Peten-san," Negi called out.

Peten Falson, former student of the Coldmountain Bardic College and current music teacher at the girls' middle school, let the mouthpiece fall to the side. "Ah, Negi-san," he said. "Could I have a word with you please?"

"What about?" the boy replied.

Looking down at the youngster's suitcase, Peten commented, "I see you're leaving for your vacation. Ayaka-san is really looking forward to it."

"She is?"

"The girl hardly spoke of anything else during violin lessons," the music teacher commented. "She was constantly on her phone, making plans, changing plans, cancelling plans. Ayaka put in a lot of effort to ensure you two had a memorable Golden Week."

A sick feeling wormed its way into Negi's stomach. "I hadn't realized."

"I envy you young kids," the man remarked smiling. "I wish I could get away for a while. Maybe to sunny Spain or the like."

"Please let Ayaka know that I'll still have to charge her for the missed lesson," Peten continued. "Even though I understand, I can't afford to make exceptions."

"So Ayaka-san missed a lesson today?" the ermine asked.

"Yes, of course," the man answered. "We were going to practice Bruch's 'Scottish Fantasy' for violin and bagpipe."

Boy and ermine glanced at one another as Peten, oblivious to the exchange, continued "I hope she hasn't got herself into trouble." Stroking his chin, he added "I've heard the new teacher is real hard case, giving out detentions and such."

"A former military man I understand," the musician remarked. "Probably the kind that's all spit and polish, drill and discipline. I can only imagine what kind of tyrant he must seem to sensitive girls like Asuna-san."

"Sensitive?" Negi muttered with a shocked look on his face.

"Is he talking about another Asuna?" Chamo confusedly whispered in the boy's ear.

"I need to go Peten-san," the young teacher said. "I'll be sure to give Ayaka-san your message."

"So long Negi-san," the man replied. "Have a nice trip."

"Where are headed now Aniki?" Chamo asked as the ermine noted the change in direction.

"I think I need to speak to Ayaka-san," Negi responded as the sweet strains of 'Hey Tuttie Tatie' filled the air behind them.

After knocking on her door without reply, Negi stepped into the dorm room. "Ayaka-san," he called. "Is anybody here?"

"Do you think she went home?" the ermine perched on his shoulder asked.

"It's possible Chamo-kun," the boy replied as he walked further in. The young mage felt the presence of magic from somewhere close by and though it was faint, the hairs on the back of his neck rose in response. A shipping box, brown paper and scissors lay upon a nearby table. Cautiously, he approached and noted the glass orb resting on a cushion.

"What is it Aniki?"

"That ball there on the couch," he pointed out, "it's magical."

Negi closed his eyes and concentrated on the aura ahead of him, gently probing in an effort to comprehend its nature. Mages had plenty of cautionary tales on the dangers of seemingly innocuous objects that held deadly traps; the story of the princess and the poisoned apple was one that became widely known to the non-magical population.

"What did you find?" Chamo asked as the boy as he opened his eyes.

"Nothing," Negi replied, reaching a hand toward the snow globe. "I'll need to see if physical contact will help."

The snow white ermine jumped from his shoulder and landed on the arm of the couch. "Be careful Aniki," he warned. Chamo watched as the boy wizard's fingers touched the smooth surface of the sphere then he reared back on hind legs as Negi vanished. Quickly the ermine scampered through the open door, wishing they made cell phones in his size. He'd have to run to the train station and fetch the three girls waiting there.

--

Ayaka was amazed to find the cabin fully stocked, including winter clothing. The master bedroom's big, walk-in closet held dozens of outfits, all in the girl's size. 'What kind of fantasy have I stumbled into?' she wondered while changing. Soon dressed for the weather, the class rep stepped outside in hopes of discovering her whereabouts, though an idea was forming in the back of her mind.

She crossed over the bridge, noting the frozen pond underneath, then turned to look back at the chalet. Her breath drew in sharply as she recognized it matched exactly the model inside the snow globe. Ayaka began to tremble in her fur-lined boots, but not from the cold. 'This is … this is,' she struggled to find the words to describe something patently unbelievable. Somehow the student had been transported to the chalet inside of her uncle's gift. "Uncle Max," she cried as hands flew to the sides of her head. "Uncle Max!"

Only the echo of her voice responded to her words as panic took hold. "I have to get out of here," the blonde-haired girl screamed as she turn and raced down the path and into the woods.

She continued running until the pain in her side forced Ayaka to stop and pant for breath. Her breath came out in great, white puffs and the sweat on her face began to freeze in the cold. "What am I going to do?" she asked the surrounding forest, but the trees kept their own counsel, offering no suggestions to the distraught girl.

The silence was broken by as a familiar voice spoke, "Ayaka-san?"

The class rep spun about, facing the speaker. "Negi-sensei," she breathed, then ran towards the teacher. "Negi-sensei!" In her mad dash she crashed into the boy, knocking both of them to the ground. Arms held him tightly as if afraid he would vanish, all the while Ayaka kept calling his name.

In time she recovered enough that Negi could question the student but her answers led him no closer to solving the mystery of how they got to this place and more importantly how they would return to Mahora. "So your uncle wrote that you had to make a wish?" he asked and the girl nodded her head in response. "Did you make a wish?"

"I don't really remember," she replied as her cheeks began to color. "Maybe."

Seeing sensei shiver, Ayaka insisted he wear her coat as they trudged back to the chalet. "This place reminds me a little of my home," Negi observed. "We had snow seven months out of the year."

A smile broke out on her face as she listened to him reminisce. "After classes we would go out and sled down the hills or skate on the lake," he said. "Once Anya and I built forts and had this huge snow ball fight."

The class rep thought back to the many times she played in the snow. She and Asuna had battled with snow balls too, and that had nearly escalated into all-out combat. Suddenly a mass of snow, cold and wet, struck the side of her face. In shock she saw Negi packing another projectile with his hands. "Sensei!"

"Come on Ayaka-san," he called. "Let's have a little fun." She dodged his attack and soon the forest was filled by criss-crossing missiles as the air was rent by alternating shrieks and gales of laughter.

The sky had begun to grow dark by the time the two thoroughly soaked youngsters reached the cabin. Negi and Ayaka sat on the couch, wrapped in blankets as their damp clothes dried in the bathroom. The class rep watched Negi sip his hot chocolate. She too held a mug but was content to let it warm her chilled hands. Guilt over lying to him began to bother the girl, but how could Ayaka admit that being with the boy was what she had wished for? She had sensei to herself, with no chance of anyone interrupting them. Earlier the class rep wondered how to leave this place, now she wanted to stay.

The boy finished the drink and Ayaka giggled as he pulled the mug away, revealing a thin, brown line above his lips. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing sensei," she chuckled. "Would you like some more chocolate?"

As the teen stood, her foot tangled in the blanket, throwing her off balance. The mug flew from Ayaka's hand as she fell forward while simultaneously losing her cover. The wind was knocked out of her as she landed atop Negi. "Are you okay Ayaka-san?" he asked, but the girl lay gasping desperately for breath. His face was less that a hand's breadth from hers, and the class rep stared mesmerized by his lips, so soft and inviting. Her heart pounded wildly and Ayaka was aware of a strange warmth around her stomach. Closer she leaned towards those tantalizing lips, closer … 'What am I doing?' Ayaka sat up, a look of absolute mortification on her face as Negi raced to the bathroom, leaving his blanket behind in his haste.

He locked the door and turned on the cold water, liberally splashing his face. 'You've got to stay calm, in focus,' he scolded himself. 'What would Nekane say if she saw you like this? What would Asuna-san say?'

His partner's voice boomed in his ears, -Hey Negi-bozu! What are you up to?-

"I'm sorry," he blurted out, looking around for the bell-wearing girl. "I didn't mean to."

-Didn't mean to what, brat?- he heard.

"Asuna-san, where are you?"

-I'm in Ayaka's room,- she replied. –Where are you? Chamo-kun said you vanished on him.-

Realizing Asuna was using the pactio card to communicate, Negi pulled his card out of the coat pocket and held it to his forehead. –Do you see a snow globe nearby?-

-Yes,- came her response.

-How about a letter?-

Ayaka had long since secured the blanket around her by the time Negi reappeared, dressed again in his suite. She knew her face was red with embarrassment, but the girl refused to look away. She was a Yukihiro and she would face his censure with head held high. "Negi-sensei, I apologize for my unseemly behavior," the class president said. "And for lying to you."

"I did make a wish," she admitted. "I wanted to spend the day with you."

"Ayaka-san," the teacher started to say as she braced for a reprimand. "I apologize to you as well. I've spent so much time with your classmates, but I've neglected you entirely."

"Never once did you complain, though you had every reason to," Negi continued. "Please say you'll forgive me."

"Of … of course I do sensei."

"Setsuna-san must go to Kyoto," the boy informed her. "And I've promised to accompany her and provide what support I can."

"I understand," she dejectedly remarked.

"But we should return after a few days," Negi told her. "Do you think we could find something to do if I spent all of Monday with you?"

Ayaka grinned in response as she mentally revised the Monday schedule. "I think we can."

--

He watched the TV screen as Negi and Ayaka reappeared and were swarmed by their friends. Dark skin and hair clashed with the all white clothing he habitually wore, and his eyes, a neon-bright orange, alternated between manic intensity and boredom.

As the words 'GAME OVER' flashed across the screen, a tall girl with long, straight, black hair entered the room. She wore a rather short, maid's uniform and carried a tray, such as a cocktail waitress would have, balanced on one hand.

"Your drink Cygnus," she quietly said.

"Thanks Akira," he replied as he reached for the glass. "Is that outfit you wore in Granicus?"

"Yes it is," she replied. "All done playing?"

"For now," he answered.

"Another happy ending," she commented as her mouth lifted into a small smirk. "I guess you still haven't got the hang of it."

His face wore a look of shocked outrage. "I'll have you know that this went exactly as I planned."

"Of course," Akira said, still smirking.

THE END

or is it?

--

Two men, clothed in identical, dark blue coveralls, followed the woman down the dormitory hallway. The older man looked to be only in his mid-twenties. Wide-set, brown eyes lent his face a friendly, reassuring sort of appearance. A brown stubble covered his chin as the man's five o'clock shadow sprouted a few hours early. Though not a big man, he made his companion seem shorter and skinnier then he actually was. The other man seemed to be still in his teens, scarcely older than the dorm's residents. He wore his blonde hair longer than the other and his cheeks sported a soft, light-colored fuzz that had probably never encountered a razor.

The trio halted in front of a door, and the brown-haired man checked the work order. "This is the one," he announced.

In response, the woman held up a ring of keys and started sorting through him. Coming to the proper label, she unlocked the dead bolt and quickly scanned the room to ensure the occupants were out. "Will there be anything else gentlemen?" she asked in a tone that said there had bloody well better not be.

"No thank you ma'me," the older man said. "Sorry to have interrupted your lunch."

He pushed open the door and stepped inside. "Come along Clyde," he called.

The room had the standard furnishings, but looked oddly bare. Clyde decided that it was the lack of decorations that was so strange. A poster depicting several types of handguns hung on one wall, while a rack holding two wooden, practice swords was mounted on the opposite wall. "Gee, I wonder who this room belongs too," he remarked.

"Tatsumiya and Sakurazaki," his companion read off the work order.

"That wasn't a question Barry," Clyde responded. "What are we supposed to fix anyway?"

The man named Barry scanned the form. "Says here they reported a water leak, but it doesn't specify where." Lips pursed together in thought. "You check the kitchen and I'll take the bathroom."

The blonde-haired teen entered the kitchen and walked directly to the sink. He pulled a vial from one of the coverall's pockets and carefully unstoppered it. After a quick glance over his shoulder in make sure the coast was clear, he measured a small amount down the drain and replaced the vial. Turning on the tap, Clyde bent down to observe his handiwork.

After a moment, he was rewarded by a few drops that soon became a steady drizzle. He smiled to himself. "Hey Barry!" he shouted. "I think I found it!" His smile swiftly faded as the u-joint dissolved before his eyes. "Oh crap!" Clyde yelled as water started to flood the floor. He stood up and CRACK went his head as it collided with wood and Formica. Barry rushed into the room to find his assistant holding the back of his head and thrashing around in an expanding pool of water.

A short while later, Clyde, clad in wet coveralls, sat on the couch, holding a plastic bag of ice cubes against his newly acquired bump. Barry had left to scrounge up a replacement pipe. Outside, the janitor heard the sound of several girls as some of the students returned to their rooms. A girl, her reddish-orange hair tied up, stuck her head into the room. "Mana," she started to say then noticed the young man. "Who are you?"

"My name is Clyde Metro," he answered. "I'm with building maintenance."

"Oh, did you fix the leak then?"

"No, it was worse than anyone knew?"

"So what's with the bag?"

"I bumped my head."

"That's too bad Mister Metro."

He felt weird being referred to as Mister by a girl his age. She was dressed in a pink tank-top and white shorts; the boy decided she was rather cute. Clyde pulled the bag from behind his head and noticed it was mostly water. He sighed, "I need more ice."

"Would you like a compress?" the cute girl asked. "Come on, I have one in my room."

Clyde followed her down the hall. "Thank you, Miss …?"

"Oh wow, you sound like my English teacher with the miss," she commented. "My name is Sakurako."

"Well Sakurako-san," he replied, "my name is Clyde, not Mister Metro."

"Okay Clyde-san," she said as they entered her dorm room. "The compress is in the kitchen. Wait here while I get it."

'Nice smile, great legs, friendly,' Clyde observed. 'Why can't I find a girlfriend like her?' he wondered. Looking about the room, he noted is was well-furnished. "This is nice place," he said aloud.

"My roommate's the class rep," Sakurako responded from the kitchen. "Her family is pretty well off."

"Must be nice," the maintenance worker muttered. He was surprised to sense faint magic nearby and glanced about. 'That snow globe,' he thought. Carefully, Clyde picked the orb up and examined the scene of the chalet by a frozen pond.

"Here you go," the Sakurako said as she walked back in. "Hey, be careful. That's my roommate's."

"I won't damage it," he assured her. "Do you know where she got it from?"

"Some uncle in Germany I think," she responded. "It looks kind of peaceful doesn't it?"

"What?" the boy asked. "Oh yeah, peaceful."

"I wish I could take a vacation to someplace like that?" the girl said wistfully.

Clyde hadn't had the time or the money for a vacation in he couldn't remember how long. "Me too," he replied.

Both teens vanished as the snow globe fell to the floor with a thunk. It slowly rolled, causing the little, plastic pellets to swirl madly, and came to rest beneath the couch.

THE TRUE END

A/N: Okay, so it isn't the happy ending she wanted, but it's a lot happier than Ayaka usually gets. And Clyde as well (you can thank me later Midnight).

My thanks to the following authors who were kind enough to let me use their characters: Hydriatus (Luke Mason), Dark Dragon Dave (Peten Falson), The Ansem Man (Cygnus O'Zoul) and Midnight Sleeper (Clyde Metro and Barry Kobayashi). If you are interested in reading their stories, you can hunt through thirty some-odd pages or search the OC Express in the Negima community section.