Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).

Chapter Three: Festival, Re-Start-o!

The two rushed out into the main lane of the school. They stared at the gathering students and hordes of visitors, the blimps, the floats, and parades, the bands…everything was just as it had been that morning. The loudspeakers announced the hour of ten o'clock…and the start of the Mahora Festival.

Kain checked his watch. It was still convinced that the hour was 20:00 (Kain preferred a 24-hour clock). However, his cell phone, which set its time by satellite, agreed with the rest of the world around them rather than Kain's reality—the time was now 10 AM.

"H-how can this be happening?" Kain muttered. "Was this…time magic? But even bending time and space, you can't go backward in time…."

"That depends on the situation, I think," Kamo returned. "In any case, you two should better hide while we work this out. We don't want to run into anyone who might have seen you elsewhere…or, heaven forbid, yourselves."

They retreated to a café and secluded themselves in a corner bench. "So…did we…really travel back in time?" Momo asked, bewildered. "I agree that it should be impossible, but…how else do we explain what's happened?"

"It's not technically impossible," Kamo informed her. "It's nearly impossible, depending on the strength of reality of the universe in question and several other factors you probably wouldn't understand. This world has a very powerful hold on reality…it treats time rigidly, one-way, which is why Kain is able to use magic to transport forward in time (and a mere few minutes), and even that only by a technicality, but the reverse is impossible regardless of the level of magic spell you try to use."

"Then what's the deal, Kamo?" Kain demanded. "How did it happen, if magic can't do it?"

"You still have Sakura-chan's egg, right? Bring it out."

Surprised, Kain did so. The three inspected it, and Momo narrowed her eyes. "I feel…a faint reiatsu emanating from it now…."

Kamo nodded. "Yep. The effect triggered when Kain grabbed the egg before. Somehow, this thing is the cause. It's a MagiTech device of some sort, I suspect, but as Momo-chan said, it has some reiatsu…woven into it somehow. As far as I know, that's impossible. Soul Reapers…sorry, shinigami…can't normally use mana at all, nor cast any kind of mana-based spells. Momo-chan can gain access to mana through the contract, but only as you give it to her, and as far as I know, she's the only shinigami who has ever had access to it. Combining the two in one object…that alone is a feat almost as impressive as time travel itself.

"Sakura-chan called herself an 'alien', 'time traveler', 'esper' and 'slider'. I think she was half-joking and half-serious. I think it's clear she isn't native to this plane of existence—like me, she must have come from some other reality. Either she has a tool like this that she uses to travel between planes, or she actually made this herself—and she has a power that allows her to traverse time and space freely."

Kain was sitting there, thinking. "I'm even having trouble thinking about this. You really believe that this is some sort of time machine…?"

Momo shook her head. "Perhaps, but…."

"K-Kain-sensei…?"

The two looked up in surprise to see Nodoka standing there. Dressed in the same black pseudo-witch dress she had been wearing that morning…now? She seemed confused. "I-I thought you were…at…."

"Oh, no, that doesn't matter, Ojô-chan!" Kamo said hurriedly. "We just stopped in here for a second, but we'll go back! You go first!"

"Eh…all right…."

Nodoka bowed to them, collected the drinks she came for, and headed out the door.

Kamo watched her go. "Follow her. Discreetly," he commanded.

"What? Why?"

"Just do it. You'll see before I could properly explain."

They did so, carefully watching her head through the crowds until she met up with….

"Me?" Kain gaped at the figure.

Kain, flanked by Yue and Ami, greeted Nodoka as she arrived with the drinks she'd fetched, and Nodoka privately marvelled at Kain's speed, but she didn't overly react…of course, she was well aware of Kain's magical abilities. Kain was the one most impressed. He watched as Yue repeated—or, rather, stated for the first time—the rundown of the Festival's cultural and economical significance.

Kain and Momo slipped off. Kain removed the egg again. "So…this is really…a time machine…."

"Suddenly believing?" Kamo smirked. "Of course, that was pretty convincing proof. Naturally, this could all be a huge illusion; although I know it isn't, you could be convinced of that, but…."

"He isn't listening," Momo informed him. "He's thinking about something else."

Indeed, Kain was lost in thought, clutching that egg in his hand. "I wonder," he murmured. "Could I use it to go meet my father…?"

"Okay, I understand, but halt that train of thoughts right now, kiddo," Kamo sighed. "Take it from me—time travel is very dangerous. We don't know how this thing works, or what it's fully capable of…."

"That's right," Momo agreed. "Before anything else, we should go find Sakura-chan. She has some explaining to do…."

Kain pocketed the egg again. "Right," he said finally, sighing in turn. "You're right, of course. We'll ask her about it first. Right now, she's back at our class, cooking, so we can't go there…."

"That's right, and she's about to send us to the infirmary," Kamo noted. "Well, it's too dangerous to stalk the class waiting for her to leave. I guess we can kill time by seeing the festival until she's out…."

"You can track her, can't you Kamo? Like you did before to…at Kyoto?"

Momo looked confused, but Kamo agreed, "I think so. I haven't been in that close of contact with her, but I've been in the class for a while now, so I should have a grasp on her. Until then, you two should enjoy yourselves."

"Y-yeah…I guess so…" Momo quavered. "But…."

"Ah, I've never really had a chance to attend a school festival before," Kain exulted. "I didn't think I'd have time to with all the activities I had to do. Just for this, I could be grateful to Sakura-san."

Momo considered her teacher. She was wary of the recent revelations about her classmate, but seeing Kain's hopeful and expectant face calmed her a bit. Yes, it was true that there was no harm in enjoying a bit of the time that had been returned to them. "You're right, Kain-sensei. Let's enjoy the Festival a little…."

"Not yet," Kamo barked. They looked at him in surprise. "It's better if you disguise yourselves somehow while you're touring the festival. After all, you never know who you might run into…I have a feeling this time travel business will make things tricky."

He pointed to a costume shop. "A simple disguise should be all we need. Why don't you check that out?"

"I'm not sure about this outfit," Momo commented.

Both she and Kain were dressed in the 'traditional' outfit of Sherlock Holmes, complete with cloak (Kain reluctantly colored his own and used it), waistcoat and sleuth hat. Kamo smirked at Momo's remark. "Well, Ojô-chan, there are a few other outfits I thought would be great if you'd prefer." He pointed one out; the amazingly gauzy piece of fabric needs only the two words 'Arabian harem' to describe it. Momo blushed and muttered to herself.

"Now that that's settled…." Kamo turned to Kain. "Well, shall we get started? Where to first?"

Kain, who seemed to be quite happy with his outfit, considered the festival. "Well…let's start with…."

A holographic light-gun adventure ride.

A mini-theme park themed for dinosaurs.

A roller coaster.

And a few other places.

With nearly childlike vigor Kain swept through the festival. He moved with passion from place to place, his face a strange mask of interest but not giddy or overly emotional. Still, the enthusiasm he felt was almost palpable.

During a brief rest, Momo considered her 'teacher' once again. Yes, so unlike his father…Kalan was unquestionably bold. He never hid anything he did; he never suppressed anything he felt but wore his intentions on his sleeve. He never hesitated and never shirked from the situation; boldness was his calling card. He must have been feared by most of the Japanese when he visited that country, even as a child….

Kain, on the other hand, fit in Japan quite well—he had been conforming to his situation his entire life, fitting into his schools, classes, situations…he grew up being polite and respectful because he was a minor in an adult's world, and was very cognizant of that fact. Even now, his excitement over a chance to live like a real child for a few hours was buried under his forced exterior of calm.

"Having fun, Kiddo?" Kamo asked.

Kain looked to his shoulder and smiled a little embarrassedly. "Yes, I am…."

"Good. Well, hate to break up the fun, but I've got a bead on Sakura-chan. She's up on the zeppelin." Kamo pointed.

Kain looked up. "Ah…there? The academy blimp?"

"It stops for tours around the grounds every half-hour or so over by the university. If we hurry we should be able to catch it there."

"Ah! …Right. Let's go, Momo."

"Right, Kain-sensei…."

Even the blimp seemed fascinating to Kain.

He waited patiently for the zeppelin to lift off, and then paused to stare out one of the windows at the scene below. "Fascinating," he murmured.

"Don't you see this all the time when you fly around with magic?" Kamo teased him.

"It's not the same," Kain assured him. "Here, effortlessly…completely at peace…on another's power I can stand in the air and look out at the land below. It's…amazing…."

Kamo sighed. "I suppose so. Well, I'm glad you've taken the opportunity to relax for once, but…."

He stopped in surprise as Momo picked the ermine off of Kain's shoulder and placed him on her own. Kain turned in surprise. Momo smiled at him. "Don't worry about it, Kain-sensei. You can relax a little longer…I'd like to look around a little bit myself." Bowing, she departed.

"What's this about, Momo-chan?" Kamo asked when they were out of earshot.

"Can you find Sakura-chan for me, Kamo-kun? I'd like to talk to her myself first, before Kain-sensei meets her. Kain-sensei…is naïve and gullible, like how I used to be, as you well know. If Sakura-chan or her device is a threat, I need to take care of it personally…."

"Not a bad idea, I suppose. I guess the kiddo can use a bit more of a breather before we get him into any more trouble…and if we can avoid it entirely, so much the better. Just keep on this way…it seems she's headed for us…."

Sakura smiled at she came around the corner and met them. She was dressed in a red Chinese robe with an embroidered gold dragon. "Good afternoon, Momo-chan. I see you've come to talk to me. How was your first experience with time traveling?"

Momo regarded her seriously, stopping just short of scowling. "You...really did plan that out? You drugged us and…."

"That's right…I apologize for doing so, but I knew that a demonstration of the item's power would be much more effective for showing you the merits of my little gift." She turned around and started away. "I assume you came alone because you wanted to talk away from Kain-sensei? Let's go over there, then."

They seated themselves in a booth near a window. Sakura cheerfully explained on the way that she had come to promote interest in the class' restaurant by preparing some food for the touring aeronauts. She had a taste for, and skill in cooking, Chinese cuisine, and had chosen that style to be her demonstration, hence her dress.

"In any case," she continued as they finally sat, "I assume you have some questions for me. Ask away, Momo-chan."

"Very well," Momo said. "Our little fiasco with you yesterday brought me to several realizations. Mostly I'm just asking for confirmation of my suspicions. First of all…alien, time traveler, whatever…what you really are is a shinigami, correct?"

Sakura smiled. "If I were very precise, I could say it's technically incorrect, but really, yes, I am a shinigami."

"Technically incorrect but really you are?" Kamo scoffed. "Do you ever give a straight answer? What kind of game are you playing, Ojô-chan? You mix words like some people I know…."

"A habit I picked up from my father. Like him, I have a…'special' attraction to the truth. I'll explain a bit more. My mother is a shinigami, through and through. My father is also a shinigami, but…a very special one. He is more than a shinigami, that is, he has powers greater than that within him.He was also human before becoming a shinigami, not a wholly unusual case, to be sure, but I mean he went directly from being a human to being a shinigami. He never experienced any of the normal events that occur for a human soul to become a shinigami—dying, being guided to the Soul Society, developing spiritual powers, etc. It's a long story."

Momo nodded. "Okay. In any case, you truly are a shinigami, regardless of your parents' status, which explains your concealed reiatsu and the reiatsu in the egg you gave Kain-sensei. Far more importantly, however—you are the shinigami responsible for shielding Kain-sensei's battle with Alyssa-chan from the eyes of the school, correct?"

Sakura looked at her askew, still smiling. "Oh? What makes you suspect that?"

"After the harrowing adventures we experienced in Kyoto—which I'm sure you're quite cognizant of—Kain almost forgot about it, but the very idea has been bothering me. Kamo-kun tried to convince Kain-sensei that I was a spy for the war hawks of Kyoto, and, as part of his trick, presented evidence that suggested that my powers were responsible for that clouding ability—since I couldn't be detected with normal mana, it could have been an ability I used. I only heard about their duel and the various subjects involved second-hand, after the fact, but I wondered about it; perhaps Kamo-kun's bluff had some basis in truth. A zanpaku-tô's power could conceivably perform such feats without triggering any sense of magic or another power a magic spirit like Kamo-kun could identify…although I've never heard of a zanpaku-tô having such a power.

"Of course, that's simply conjecture, and it would be jumping to conclusions to assume you're the guilty party simply because you're the first person I've encountered who fits the criteria. However, there's another event in Kyoto that's been bothering me all this time as well, one that is equally inexplicable. When Tokine-chan and I took Kagome to Cinema Town, I left my gigai to try and scout out our opponents privately, but somehow the entire class could see my shinigami spirit body. There was no explanation for it…and, like the clouding event from Kain-sensei's battle, there was no traceable power responsible for it. But you were there, at that time…and you alone had acquired a prop, an umbrella I don't recall seeing in the costume collection provided by Cinema Town. Urahara Kisuke disguised his zanpaku-tô as a cane…it wouldn't be inconceivable that such a sword could be disguised as another object….

"Right now, that's all I have to go on. However, considering what we've discussed of your nature…what this time traveling phenomenon has revealed about your power…it's certainly not a stretch for these things to be true."

Sakura applauded lightly. "Well done, Momo-chan. Yes, I am responsible for both those events. And?"

Momo scowled at her. "Why? Why did you do these things? What is your motivation, your intention?"

"Why? What is my intention? Well, why does that matter to you, Momo-chan? I helped you, didn't I? What else do you really need to know?"

"I need to know your intentions, Sakura-chan. I need to know what you intend for Kain. If your goal is to harm him in any way…I will not let you off easily." Momo's tone had become harsher, sterner, and rather obviously threatening.

Sakura giggled. "That's hardly a convincing threat coming from a cute little girl dressed up like that, dear Watson-kun."

"D-don't change the subject like that! I'm quite serious here!"

Sakura's smile subtly changed. "Goodness, how fierce, Momo-chan. What a threat! You would raise your hand against your classmate, without question…for Kain-sensei's sake? While it's an admirable trait overall, it leads me to believe…you haven't really changed at all…."

Momo recoiled as if struck. "W-what? What do you…?"

"It was the same twenty years ago, wasn't it? For the sake of Aizen Sôsuke, you'd have lifted your hand against anyone…if his death letter had pegged Hitsugaya Tôshirô, your family in all but blood, as the guilty party, you'd have attacked him for Aizen's sake, no? What a careless girl…."

"N-no! H-how do you…?"

"I know a lot about you, Momo-chan. And I know that you're like an ivy vine. You can't live without clinging to something, to someone. At first, it was simply the dream of being a shinigami. Then, when the godlike Aizen saved you and your classmates from those Hollows, he became your goal, your hero, your life. You were his faithful slave for so many years…until Kalan revealed Aizen's shocking true nature, and with your idol crushed you were devastated. Then you tried to shift that worship to the amazing man who had saved you, whom you had tried to destroy…but he had no place in his heart for you, and you had no way to cling to him. You never accepted your new captain, nor yourself, and lived broken until Hirako Shinji-san gave you something new to focus your heart on. And now Kalan's son has appeared…different, but every bit as wonderful as his father. Now he is the support you're clinging to…so tell me, are you any better now than you were when you were 'saved' by Kalan? You warn me not to think of harming Kain-sensei, but I can warn you the same: based on your past, can you promise me that you will do nothing to harm him?"

Momo sat there, eyes downcast, trembling. Finally she said, "How can you…do you think you know everything? How can you speak like that to me?"

"Because I understand you…because I've seen it all before." Sakura brought her hands across the table and there was suddenly a tea cup and dish in front of her. She took a sip and then said, "Why do you suppose I chose you out of all the girls in the class to experience this with Kain-sensei? Because you are special to me, like he is. You may begin to hate me for the things I've said, but that's fine…because I hate you, too. In my case, it's the hatred that borders love. I hate you because I love you too." Momo finally lifted her head, staring at her in newfound shock.

"You're a wonderful person, Hinamori Momo," Sakura continued after taking another sip of her tea. "You're intelligent and gifted, gentle and kind and so thoughtful about others, and yet you're strong at heart, willing to go to great lengths to protect people and see justice be done. You hate fighting…yet if the need arises and you agree with it you will throw yourself into the battle. You're truly amazing, Momo-chan…I've admired you longer than you can know. And yet, despite all that, you give people power over yourself…and I can't help but hate you for it. No, I know that you won't harm Kain-sensei. But you're quite prone to harming yourself."

Sakura suddenly rose, swept over to Momo and embraced her. "I'm sorry for my harsh words. I'm sorry for tricking you and for causing you discomfort through my little earlier whims. I've just wanted to say this to you for a long time…I hope that you'll look at yourself more closely, because you're too great a person to cling to anything…not even someone as great as Kain-sensei."

Sakura withdrew and giggled again as Momo continued to stare at the whimsical girl in shock. "Goodness, but perhaps I shouldn't be qualified to give that advice. I'll tell you truthfully, Momo-chan, I can't harm Kain-sensei. He's like family to me, even if he doesn't recognize me as such. Everything I've done and everything that I'm doing is for his sake. I know you're suspicious of me and my motivations, but I assure you that I'm telling the truth…even if it isn't obvious at first what I'm doing. Letting him duel with Alyssa-chan without any interference from the school got him started on his hero's path. By the same token, everything I'm doing now is for his benefit.

"Like that egg. It's a time travel device I made for him to help him deal with his myriad responsibilities at the festival. It should help him enjoy himself and yet be responsible, taking care of his many duties. If you don't have any more questions, perhaps it would be good to go find him and explain the device…."

"W-where are you really from?" Momo managed. "If you're a shinigami…if you know so much…you must be from the Gotei 13, but…."

"Ah, no…not the Gotei 13, not your Soul Society or Seireitei, not from those place affiliated with Earth," Sakura denied. "Where I was born, where I grew up, is a place far removed from those legendary places. I can't tell you any more than that…but I will say that I meant it when I said I was a time traveler, too. To me, your Seireitei is a legend of history."

"Yes…" Kamo mused. "An alien…you're directly saying you're from some other planet, whether or not you use a spaceship to come to earth. Time traveler, as you explained…any shinigami could qualify as an esper, just as they could qualify as mages to most people with their version of magic. And, of course, the obvious and most accurate title of slider—you're from a completely different plane of existence, just like me. So, tell me, this father of yours…."

Sakura closed one eye in a prolonged wink, put her index finger to her lips and said, "Classified information."

Kain turned to them and smiled as the girls approached. "Ah, Momo…you've found Sakura-san. …Are you all right?"

"Eh? Ah, yes! I'm fine, I'm fine," Momo stammered. "Yes, I've brought her, Kain-sensei…."

"And here I am," Sakura continued cheerfully. "So, how did you enjoy your first experience with time travel?"

Kain hesitated. "First experience, that sounds…."

"Yes, I intended for you to have several of them. I assume you still have my present?"

Kain removed it and showed it to her. She took it from his hands. "Here, let me demonstrate….

"This device is called a Chrono Trigger. It represents hope, and possibilities. As you've seen, it allows you to travel back in time…." She touched the center of it, and it suddenly opened, rising from about its middle and separating into two halves. Within the empty space between the two parts lights flickered into life, showing a translucent hologram of clock gears above equally-translucent digital meters and a kind of control panel. "The Chrono Trigger is a MagiTech device into which I've implanted my own reiatsu and power. However, it consumes mana from the user to operate, as well as from the environment around it…a device like this will only be operable while the Mahora Tree is brimming with energy, or in other words, only during this festival. The mana it consumes from you isn't too great, but it gives it certain restrictions—you shouldn't use it continuously or try to go back too far into the past, or it will simply fail to work, or, worse, drain all the mana in your body. Twenty-four hours is about the limit of how far you can go back…and I don't see a reason why you would, but you shouldn't try to go back a cumulative twenty-four hours within a four-hour window. As long as you limit its use to that kind of time frame, there should be no danger to you."

"Ah…only twenty-four hours…." Kain sighed.

"Yes, that would make it impossible to go find your father or other such silly ideas," Kamo put in. "Pretty much, it's a tool restricted entirely to the Festival, which I suppose isn't a bad thing…."

"That's right…time travel is nasty, terrible business, and you shouldn't play around with it too much." Sakura showed Kain how to set the dials and operate it properly. "But since you're so overburdened with obligations during this Festival, Kain-sensei, I thought that this gift would help you enjoy the time at your pace." Sakura bowed.

Kain returned the bow. "Thank you, Sakura-san…I am very grateful that you thought enough of me to give me this gift. I will use it well and wisely."

Sakura bowed again. "I hate to be abrupt, but I have people to serve on the zeppelin here; and it is docking, so you may resume your busy activities. I hope to see you again soon, Kain-sensei…although it might not be for you." Smiling impishly, she turned and walked away.

Once she was out of sight, Kamo said, "Well, we can certainly make use of her gift, kiddo, but it doesn't excuse her. She's powerful and seems to intentionally get under the Magic Council's skin. If she were on the up-and-up she probably would have introduced herself to them immediately, even if she had to come up with a story for her identity."

"Yeah…I suppose you're right…."

Kamo appraised Kain. "Oh? I'd have thought you'd have been protesting her innocence the way you did Momo-chan's before…."

"I'm not completely naïve, Kamo. We didn't have any real evidence that Momo was an enemy before…all we had were your conjectures. Sakura-san has been very kind, wise, and is quite generous with this gift…but I do acknowledge that she's causing trouble for the academy's mages." He examined the Chrono Trigger again. "Still, I am going to make use of this…."

As they headed for the exit, Momo whispered to Kamo, "Please, Kamo-kun…not a word to Kain-sensei about what Sakura-chan said to me…."

"Don't worry, Ojô-chan, my ermine lips are sealed. I've got more important things to worry about with her….."

"So, what is our plan now?" Momo demanded. "It seems we have a second chance at today…."

"Well, I have nothing major today until the meeting with Nodoka at 4 o'clock. I was planning on spending a few hours beforehand making some of my rounds with the class…."

"Hmm…may I see your schedule, Kain-sensei?"

Kamo, keeper of the schedule and Kain's real manager, produced the notebook and displayed it. They looked it over. Besides the date with Nodoka and the length of time allotted to general visits, there were notes for the Battle Tournament starting at 5:30 and a round of patrols by the World Tree at seven.

"Hmm…you only scheduled an hour and a half with Nodoka?" Momo asked almost dejectedly.

"Ah…I know that's little," Kain admitted. "But…."

"The schedule's so tight, we had little choice," Kamo explained. "But that was before. Now, borrowing the power of the Chrono Trigger, we have plenty of time. Let's forget about the club and class visits, about the tournament and the patrols—we'll leave those to our future selves…."

"Eh? Kamo-kun, you're planning…?"

"I'm not sure I fully trust Sakura-chan or her device…but right now, I don't see any harm in putting it to use. So, let's focus on his date with Nodoka-chan."

"I-it's not a date, Kamo…it's just…."

"Sure, sure. Are you planning on going out like that?"

"Eh?" Kain considered his outfit. "Yeah, perhaps this isn't the best t…."

"Right. We'll pick out a new outfit and get you prepared for the date before four. We can ask Kagome-chan for help, perhaps…in any case, you can just focus on enjoying the date…."

"I told you, it's not a date…!"

Nodoka stood in the school square. She was prepared physically for the date—her hair had once again been put up in a small ponytail, and she wore a frilly one-piece knee-length dress. However, from her composure it was obvious she was mentally unprepared.

"Y-Yue…Ami…are you there?" she asked her cell phone.

"We're here, Nodoka, we're here," Ami assured her from the other end. "However, we're probably going to disappear quite quickly today…."

"Eh? I'm going by myself?"

"Well, that is the definition of a date," Yue commented, taking the phone for a second. "We don't think we should follow you today."

"This is your moment, Nodoka," Ami said, taking the phone back. "It's a good opportunity for you, so don't waste it, okay? I'm sure you might even be able to give him a real kiss or something this time…."

"N-no way I could do that…!"

Yue took her turn again. "Well, just enjoy yourself and do your best, okay?"

"B-but, Yue, my heart is beating so fast, I feel like I'm going to faint, I-I can't…maybe we shouldn't meet…."

"Calm down and take a deep breath. You'll be fine, okay? No one's expecting anything from you—except yourself. Just have fun, right?"

"Y-yes…okay…I'll try…."

She shut the cell phone with a sigh. And, with impeccable timing….

"Nodoka! Did you wait long?"

"Oh, no, no, I ju...ju…just got here," Nodoka stammered, slipping the phone into her purse as she turned around to face her hero.

It was normal to see him in his suit and even that strange white cloak had been a scene the school had gotten used to, but apparently his handlers had convinced him to put it aside for this occasion. And, dressed in simple jeans, a t-shirt and a sleeveless vest, he seemed much more at ease than in his usual garb.

"That dress looks quite good on you, Nodoka. It's quite cute."

"Eh…i-is it…thank you…."

('In any case, this time-traveling machine is great,') Kain thought. ('Date or not, it's good to have this much time to visit the Festival with Nodoka. Now we have all evening to enjoy the Festival….')

Ami, watching from the bushes, giggled as they shyly exchanged compliments and other small talk. "They're both so shy…."

"They actually do look quite good together," Mai agreed. Yue started as she suddenly appeared right next to her. Kamo was sitting on her shoulder

"Hmm…I thought this hat would complement that outfit well," Kagome mused from next to Mai. "Kain-sensei wouldn't have anything to do with hats, though. What do you think, Momo?"

"Well, he's not a little kid, so I guess the hat was a bit much."

"W-when did you three…?" Ami demanded, startled.

"Hey!" Kagome greeted her.

Just as Ami was settling down from the appearance of their fellow conspirators, however, new intruders suddenly threatened to make everything more interesting.

"Hmm…what an interesting event…."

"Kain-sensei is on a date? What fun!"

"Oh, how suspicious!"

It was, naturally, the trio of Miki, Izumi and Riza.

"What are you three doing here?" Mai demanded crossly.

"We smelled something suspicious going on when Momo-chan snuck out of the classroom with you two," Miki supplied. "Naturally, as Class 3-A's most dedicated busybodies, we can't pass up the opportunity to investigate this matter…."

"Don't go interfering with Nodoka's date!" Ami hissed.

"Ah, no, we don't want to interfere," Izumi assured her.

"Just to be clear, while it's lots of fun to play around with Kain-sensei, none of us actually have any designs on him," Riza continued. "Actually, it seems like the most fun to help out with this little adventure."

"Right," Miki agreed. "But first we need information. Mai…."

"W-what? What is it?"

"Aren't you bothered by this at all? Or why are you so interested?"

"W-what are you talking about?! Why should I…?"

"Well, you can act innocent all you like. What I'm really interested in is how much of a chance Honya has today. She's not the only girl after his heart, of course, so, tell us…whom does Kain-sensei really like?"

"Why are you asking me!?"

"Because you're Kain-sensei's bodyguard, and you're also at the very top of the suspicious list."

"I'm not his bodyguard and I don't know what you even mean by 'suspicious'…besides, Kain-sensei's our teacher, so we shouldn't be concerned about…."

"Oh, Kain-sensei and Honya-chan are moving!" Riza remarked. "We better follow them!"

"Oh, we have to hurry and catch up!" Kagome agreed.

Mai, Momo, Kagome, Miki, Riza, and Izumi started shadowing the pair, and Ami followed after them. "Ami!" Yue called. "I thought we weren't going to follow…?"

"Yes, but I'm afraid of what they will end up doing if we leave them alone…." She turned and hurried away.

Yue sighed. "Really," she muttered. "Everyone has such bad intentions. Of course, I'm worried too, especially about those three, but….

"Oh, well. I guess I'll spend the rest of the day walking around the Festival stalls alone."

She actually smiled slightly as she considered the situation. ('Do your best, Nodoka,') she thought.

And, lost in thought, she didn't see where she was going, and bumped heavily into someone.

"S-sorry, I wasn't watching where I was…." She stopped and froze as the face turned to her. "What!? You!?"

Author's Note: Sakura Sanada, The Mahora Festival, Nodoka Miyazaki and Time Traveling.

And so the zany Mahora Festival has begun. Sakura has revealed herself, partially, to Kain and Momo.

Sakura is kind of like Kain's father Kalan in a lot of ways. She has a tendency towards self-righteousness, as shown in her conversation with Momo. She tends to be extremely thoughtful as well, overthinking things; however, she has little patience for the kind of stupid mistakes that Momo made in her past. Sakura is not above using cruelty in order to bring about kindness. It's this kind of thing that allows her to take the part of a villain…but obviously it'll still be a while before she reaches that point.

The Mahora Festival starts with yet another chronological boo-boo, one that I caught a bit late but don't need to worry about adjusting. Negi's class went with a Haunted House, and subjected the poor ten-year-old to so much trauma during his trip through that Setsuna volunteered to take him to the nurse's office to rest. It is never defined how Chao drugged their tea at the nurse's office, or how she knew to do so…I had before planned this out with Sakura's set-up covering the angles better. However, on the trip over, they discuss Negi's plans and he says he doesn't have anything until the rendezvous with Nodoka at four. However, after the reset, his book shows a multitude of meetings with girls—the 'club visits'—in the few hours before the date. I covered this little slip-up by declaring that Kain's plans were not set in stone here, but were simply some ideas he had about how to spend the early afternoon beforehand….

I should note parenthetically that this was another stroke of luck in my adaptation of the series. Setsuna, as I had noted earlier, is the girl whose overall place Momo has occupied. And as I noted last paragraph, Setsuna volunteered of her own accord to accompany Negi to the nurse's office. Momo, on the other hand, is chosen for this spot because…of Sakura's whims. Perhaps we'll find out more on why later, but it works out perfectly for the scenario, although in certain circumstances I'm not shy about exchanging characters where appropriate.

For example, with Nodoka's date. Well, first of all, one of the running gags with Nodoka is that her cute shy innocence conceals…what, shall we call it a perverted streak for PC purposes? If Nodoka is left alone to think upon her beloved—like when she's standing around waiting for her date to show—she brings out her book for comfort and reads the diary of her thoughts, which invariably begin to show ecchi ideas (usually inspired by the amoral Haruna's suggestions). These 'comedy' scenes are being thrown out with most of the useless perversions, and in any case there isn't as much call for them because the primary instigator (Haruna Saotome) is absent.

Which brings us to the current situation. The idea of an interfering group shadowing them and pressuring Nodoka in the upcoming date is amusing, but Yue absolutely refuses to interfere at this point, and Ami isn't someone to interfere, either. Mai, Kagome and Momo are here, and while Momo and Kagome might be willing to help encourage Nodoka (and would likely like to spy on the encounter for several reasons), they wouldn't pressure her as necessary to (lightly) electrify the date. So, in swoop the Baka Trio, who love to be engaged in these games with Kain but are not actually interested in Kain themselves (notice that they all refused to join in the Kiss Kiss Carnival as well….) We'll see more of what they're up to next chapter.

And so the time-traveling begins. Kamo, a veteran of these kinds of circumstances, already has plans to use the Chrono Trigger heavily and has even forwarded some of the day's problems and duties to future Kains and friends. Like Kain's magic secret, several members of his class will slowly be brought into his secret as he repeats the next few days over and over….

So, let's get on with it! The excitement of the Festival continues….