A/N: Konnichiwa, minna! It's Star-chan, the sexy female half of Oro Productions. This is a fic about everybody's favorite Martian, Chao Rinshen! (Lingshen if you prefer.) It, in a nutshell, is Chao's life leading up to the Mahora Festival, in first person. Chao tells us the answers to the questions in the summery! (Most of them, anyway.) I thought this chapter really, really, sucked. Like sucky-sucked. Super sucky. But then again, maybe you'll think differently!
Disclaimer: Chao Rinshen/Negima is not Star-chan's, but Akamatsu Ken's. Her parents and the plot are mine, though.
Confessions of a Chinese Martian Mage
Chapter 1. Magic
I will seriously never understand the concept of waking up for school.
You wake up. Take a shower. Put on clothes. Comb hair, brush teeth, ect. But doing it for the next 364 days boggles my mind.
All I can say is that the people of 2003 are crazy. Why don't they just invent the things we have back home? Earth people really agitate me, even if I don't show it.
Oh, dear. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Chao Rinshen, a simple Chinese girl who just so happens to go to Mahora Gakuen. Well, maybe, not so simple.
I am from the planet Mars. Of course, not right now. I was born in 2103, on December 1st. Actually, I'm just guessing here; I can't remember what year I was born but my birthday is indeed the first day in December. Weird, huh? I'm from 100 years in the future, and I like peace, but dislike war, hatred and the unilateral use of major powers.
I came to Earth because of something I need to do. If I don't do it, I had decided that I might as well just throw all my hopes, dreams and wishes in the garbage and become a regular, run-of-the-mill Earthling. Two years ago, I asked my parents something over breakfast that started my plot to reveal magic to the world. (I can remember it like it was yesterday…)
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It was just another regular breakfast time at the Rinshen family.
My Oji-san, Kei Min Rinshen was reading The Mars Times with his cup of coffee and plate of eggs. My Okaa-san was seated next to me, eating quietly. I was eating and reading my history textbook entitled "The Turning Point in History – 2000." It was really, really interesting, and it reminded me of the Cassiopeia, the time traveler that was my father's. I wanted to go see what 2000 was like, not just from the book.
"Oji-san, may I ask you something?"
He looked up from his paper to see me grinning earnestly at them over my bacon and scrambled eggs. "Chao-rin, what is it?" my Oji-san, Kei Min Rinshen asked me irritably as he fiddled with his antennas. "I'm fixing my antennas, Chao-rin."
Oji-san is probably the most vain man I've ever met. My Okaa-san is from the Springfield family lineage, but she can be kind of vain, too.
"I was thinking about using Oji-san's Cassiopeia to do some research." I explained. This was actually the truth, and this is the question that was rooted to what I am planning today.
Oji-san laughed. "No way, Chao-rin. It's a family heirloom, and I cannot let you have it. It's for my use only."
Actually, my father claimed all of my mother's possessions when they married. The Cassiopeia was my Okaa-san's, an ancient heirloom of the Springfield legacy. But my father jealously took the magical pocket watch. Sigh.
"Ah, but Kei Min…" My mother, Nekata said, objection faint in her voice. She put a delicate hand on my shoulder. "The Cassiopeia would be a great learning experience for Chao-chan." She smiled at me, and I couldn't help but blush and nod.
"Yeah. I'll only use it for research!" I promised.
Oji-san snorted. "Look, Nekata, this girl doesn't need to know about… you know."
"But Kei…it's in her blood."
"NO!" Oji-san bellowed across the table, smashing his fist against his plate, sending scrambled eggs flying. "I WILL NOT ALLOW MY DAUGHTER TO BE EXPOSED TO 'THAT'!"
"Please, Kei Min!" Nekata begged, her eyes pleading. "Chao is fourteen years old! She needs to know my lineage! Her lineage!"
I hadn't said anything since the research bit, so began to eat my eggs again. But my lineage? Okaa-san and Oji-san never talked about my grandparents or my uncles or aunts and stuff. I remember in fourth grade, everyone talked about his or her grandparents, and I didn't know squat about mine. But my lineage, my grandparents, my everything…Okaa-san knew.
"Okaa-san…" I had to interject. "Okaa-san…what's my lineage?"
Kei Min glared daggers Nekata. "Don't you tell her! I don't want another girl dying!"
I felt sorry for my mother because of the expression on her face. Confusion, hurt, anger, sadness…all wrapped up in a neat package, discarded on my mother's face. "Kei Min, if I don't tell her, my grandfather will never be saved!" She said in forced calm.
My father gave Nekata a cold stare, but said shortly, "Do as you wish." He left the kitchen.
I never saw my father ever again.
Later that day, my mother showed me a book. It had a mysterious insignia on it: a circle with some kind of weird star in the center, and the center of that was an eye.
"This is the book of my grandparents," she told me, showing the leather-bound book in front of my brown eyes. "This is the book that can save my family. No – our family."
I took the book and hugged it to my chest. "Okaa-san…why did Oji-san leave home? He used to be so happy here…did he just get worked up over one thing?"
Nekata smiled sadly at me, and I could see tears filling up in her chocolate colored eyes. "Well, Chao-chan, I'll tell you when the time is right, okay? Daddy and I…we were always on shaky ground because of our family. Do you understand?"
I nodded. I understood, sort of.
As long as I could remember, in our regular Martian house (the white one with blue shutters), my Okaa and Oji-sans fought, and ninety-nine percent of the time Oji-san won, and Okaa-san never stood up for herself. I usually hid myself in my miniature laboratory, but I remember one day they were arguing about their family.
"Nekata, I don't understand why you need to bring Chao-rin to see your parents! They aren't like her at all. Chao-rin is just a regular Martian."
"No, she isn't," Nekata said quietly. "Chao is different. She's like…my half."
They then went on to argue which side of the family I'm on, but I got bored and absorbed myself in books.
Back in reality, Okaa-san smiled sadly at me. "Chao-chan, I have to go get some sugar, okay? Have fun reading that book."
I nodded and waved good-bye. "See you later."
She gave me a kiss on my cheek and left our house. I looked at the book that she had just given me. "Hmm…the book of my ancestors…"
I walked into my room and flopped down on my bed. My room is pretty big, I guess, with cooking pots, pans and spoons cluttered everywhere; Chinese porcelain dolls lining the walls; beakers and lab coats jumbled in a corner. It was like one of blind prizes you get by sticking your hand in a box and getting whatever you salvage up. You could find anything in my room.
I opened up the book, and in bold-faced letters in proclaimed "Ministra Magi Beginner's Book. Printed in 16XX."
The 1600s! That seemed prehistoric to me. I considered anything before the 1900s quite old, considering I'm in what, the 2100s? (If you lived in my time, you would consider it old.)
Interested, I flipped to the first chapter, entitled "What is a Ministra Magi?" My interest soared, and I read on and on to discover a wonderful, mysterious thing.
Magic.
Little did I know that this "magic" would become vital to me, the thing that would be my life source to fulfill my own selfish desires.
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A/N: Konnichiwa! Did you like it? Hate it? Think it sucked beyond reason? Or want to see chapter two? 5 reviews equal to chapter two, nyo!
So, this is the first chapter of "Confessions of a Martian Chinese Mage". It inspired me because Chao's back-story seems so mysterious! Hoho. I know I probably sucked on chapter one, because 98 percent of it is a flashback! What the freak? But it's an introduction to Chao's interest in magic, and vital to the story.
Now, even though I personally thought I sucked on this, maybe you thought differently. This is my first solo attempt at a Negima fanfiction (One Hell of a Birthday was done by Machasu-kun and I) and my two oneshots were okay, I guess, but I'm a little iffy on this. Of course, I would happily continue. :D
Wrapping this unreasonably long note, R&R! Or I'll send Chao to eat your soul. Um, and please, constructive criticism!
