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 Nine: The Wonderful Life

Kain blazed through the sky, low enough and slow enough to not have to worry about side effects or possible collisions but fast enough to easily outpace any trains and with his presence cloaked so that none could detect him. Perhaps his sudden and speedy arrival around the magical lands of Mahora would trigger a few alarms, but if he did, he did not really care…he was back, his life was back, and….

Kamo appeared on his shoulder. "Whew! Quite a little crazy detour, eh? But it's great to be back…."

"Yes…it's so good to be back," Kain agreed easily. His smile quirked. "Of course, I do have a couple regrets leaving that world behind."

Kamo easily leaned forward onto his 'elbows' as he settled into his ride. "Oh?"

"I never did get to say thank you or goodbye to Sakura. Of course, apparently I'll be seeing her once more, for my 'final wish', whatever that is going to be. She's a rather disagreeable genie, you know, granting my 'wishes' without actually asking me what it is I want…."

"Yeah, yeah. She's eccentric. Just like you. I'm sure if you needed to say goodbye she'd arrange it; so what's your other regret?"

Kain fell silent and his smile fled. He took on his…somber attitude, and Kamo could almost feel his melancholy. "Just at the last moment there…my mother…." He shook his head. "Thanks for that, especially. I know…I know how in the end it all means nothing…but…."

"No, it's okay, I get it, Kiddo…I do understand. It's your way, after all. Not to worry. In this world, too, she's well taken care of, you can be sure."

"You're right. Yeah. And, when that time comes, finally…." But again he drifted off and his melancholy seemed to come back.

"Yeah. I know. At the same time…."

"Okay!" In a fashion, Kain forced his cheerfulness to return, but his exuberance came back in honest force as he intensified his aerial acrobatics. "That's fine. That's the future. Now, especially…I have to be so very grateful to live in this present. For now, it's Christmas Eve, a holiday worth celebrating, and I'll be spending it with those I treasure the most. And that is a blessing I can be really grateful for!"

8-8-8

Mai and Momo were walking across the grounds, arms loaded with bags as they headed back to their dorm, chatting about something. Kain didn't know what, but again, he hardly cared; he arrived so swiftly he did cause a slight burst in the air around as he touched down behind them. Mai actually went falling backward, her burdens flying from her arms….

With his habitual ease and grace he turned around swiftly, grabbing Mai with one arm and her bags with the other. As Mai began to get her senses back and register his presence, muttering his name, he shocked her—and Momo—by suddenly pulling her into an embrace.

"K-Kain-sensei…?" the bewildered Momo asked, and then Kain shocked her by throwing the bags back into the air (where they remained without any visible supports) and reached out to grab Momo, and hauled her into a close embrace. The pair of them stuttered and stammered, red-faced, as Kain held them close.

"You're here," he muttered. "You're real…you know me…it's all as it should be." Then he released them, stepped back, laughed, and danced back another step, letting the bags fall from the air back into his arms.

"W-what's gotten into you?" Mai muttered. "Jeez…we weren't expecting you back until the evening, and then you suddenly show up like this, a-a-and…."

"You'll have to forgive him," Kamo laughed. The ermine had been forced to make little climbs and detours over Kain while he engaged in his public affection of the two ladies, but now settled back onto his shoulder. "We just had a nasty, crazy little adventure…and it's given Kain new perspectives on gratitude and a whole lot else. He'll be sane again soon enough…."

"An adventure?" Mai stiffened and her eyes narrowed as the lurking suspicion of Kain leaving her behind once again began to creep up on her. "What kind of adventure…?"

"Oh, settle down!" Kamo insisted, leaping onto her face and eliciting a brief shriek from her as he moseyed over to her shoulder. "Not one you could have helped with. Not one he wanted or was prepared for…but it turned out all right, okay? It's like nothing ever happened anyway, and we're here, safe and sound! So…." He extended a curious nose towards the packages. "What's with the goody bags?"

"I-it's the party tonight, of course," Momo finally managed. "We went out to get our share of it. Even if we've been invited to the Sanzen'nin estate, we want to contribute our part to it as well. We've got treats, as well as Christmas gifts for most of the people who'll be there. Only small ones, of course…we can't afford anything fancy for so many people…but we want to make the most of it." She glanced over at Kain, who had frozen, a thoughtful look on his face. "What's the matter, Kain-sensei…?"

"That's right," Kain murmured, remembering some recent dreams involving that name. "That's right…the Sanzen'nin mansion, eh? So…heh, and I've been outside this world too much recently as it is." He shook his head. "No, never mind. You two…most of the class is spending most of today at their personal homes, right?"

"Y-yeah," Mai agreed. "Caria, strangely, almost never seems to go back to Europe, but except for those who don't really have another home—me, Momo, Alyssa, Miyu, Rei, Erika—the rest all went to see their families. They'll all be at the mansion for the party tonight, of course."

Kain tried to remember all they'd talked about on that score. They hadn't really discussed personal plans with Kain during their moments in class over the past month, except for insisting on his presence at the party this night, but they had discussed it amongst themselves, and he'd overheard a little. He hadn't thought much about it while he was still busy making his final preparations for his Alignment Project, but now that it was done, he was dredging up those memories to examine the interesting information. "Kagome took Inuyasha back to Kyoto with her…that must be a real interesting trip, but I can't blame her wanting to keep an eye on him. Yes…definitely can't blame her…and Delryn, with nowhere else to go, went back to Yokohama with Akari, Kiami and Hikaru, right? That would be an even more interesting situation…."

"But they'll all still be back for the party," Momo insisted.

"Right." Kain shook himself back to the present. "Well, let's get on with it then, shall we? I'll help you girls prepare. I am here, after all…and I hardly want to let you out of my sight for a little while anyway."

The girls didn't seem reassured by this statement, and Mai pouted, "You're really starting to creep me out, Kain." Kain just laughed in reply.

8-8-8

Kain settled down some as the time approached evening, but his glowing satisfaction did not diminish. As the girls began to show up one by one or two by two or even three by three to attend the special party, he greeted each of them enthusiastically and happily. Alyssa seemed surprised and annoyed when he caught sight of her and greeted her with his bubbling warmth.

"What's gotten into you?" she demanded. "You're acting like a love-struck bard or something!"

Kain laughed, then smiled knowingly at her. "C'mon, Alyssa…once again, you don't remember anything? Twice, pretty much in the same day? Tsk, tsk…what a helpless little demon princess you are…."

Alyssa's scowl deepened. "You're really starting to try my temper, Kain…."

Kain just laughed in reply.

Soon after he caught sight of Yuki, having arrived but taken her usual place in the background. As their eyes met, she nodded slightly at him, and Kain realized that this meant that she, at least, knew something about it. He smiled and returned her nod.

They gathered as a class first to exchange gifts and dress up in their stunning attire—the Sanzen'nin family being extremely wealthy and powerful, their Christmas Party was a very high-class affair, and even if the youths managed to make their own corner of it—something likely very easy to do, if the Sanzen'nin estate was the same one from his dream—they had to have the proper appearance. And, naturally, the girls thrilled at the chance to dress up, insisted on showing off their dresses to Kain, and demanded he choose which among them was most beautiful.

"Surely, you jest," Kain returned, his warm joy still burning in his being. "A man walking amongst such a flower garden as this notes the splendid colors and the vivid shapes and wonderful panorama; he may marvel at the rose, the chrysanthemum, the violet, the tulip, and all the rest; he may even recognize the individual luster and the unique beauty of each one. But can a man choose a single flower among them to which he devote his praise and wonder? Nay, but the heart of the poet shall praise them all, and the God who made them, and the creature known as the flower most of all; and thus is my sole misfortune in this garden paradise, for how can a single foolish mortal man select one beauty amongst them above the rest?"

The girls mostly tittered, thrilled at his poetic speech and flattering words, but a few inwardly scowled, wondering if his monologue was closer to the heart of the 'real' matter than he would like to admit.

Finally they gathered into the waiting limousines that had been sent to retrieve them, and all twenty-seven of them were whisked away.

Kain found himself in one stretch limousine with Hinagiku, Erika, Miki, Izumi and Riza. He remembered that four of them had been together in his Sanzen'nin dream last month, when he was the butler-in-debt of Nagi Sanzen'nin, attending…. "Sanzen'nin Nagi-ojô-sama…she attends Hakuô Academy, doesn't she?"

"Mm," Miki agreed casually. "The founders of Mahora and Hakuô were ancient partners, and the schools have had close relations to begin with. Several of us almost attended Hakuô, and Sanzen'nin-chan almost attended Mahora with us."

"You know her well? You're close?"

"Well…not really," Hinagiku admitted. "I mean, all of us have attended parties and the like with her before, but she's just an acquaintance to us, I'd say…."

"Why'd she invite our class to this grand party of hers, then?" Kain asked with honest curiosity.

Izumi giggled. "Why, because of you, of course!" she declared, then continued: "There are a lot of people outside of the school who saw your performance at the Mahora Festival, and Nagi-chan was one of them. She's become a huge fan! She'd be willing and able to invite our whole school if it meant getting a chance to meet you!"

"Yes," Hinagiku agreed with just a hint of annoyance. "Once again, Kain-sensei's popularity knows no bounds."

Kain actually burst out laughing, surprising the other four occupants. "Sorry," he finally apologized. "That's just…somewhat surprising. I guess it shouldn't be…but, well, my 'popularity' is just something I still can't get used to. Well, I guess I'll have to be a proper guest for her…."

8-8-8

The limousines pulled into a mind-boggling line on the curb in front of the great mansion of the Sanzen'nin family, which Kain did recognize; he also knew that, if the rest of the Sanzen'nin lore held true from his dream, it was one of the smaller Sanzen'nin holdings. The wealth of the family was truly terrifying….

The gates were open and black suits stood on guard, an unusual occurrence but appropriate for the circumstances. The girls, murmuring in excitement, drifted into the grounds and moved towards the mansion rather quickly. Kain actually measured his pace and let them take the lead; his mind, still glowing with a buzz of exultation, was at work again, a quiet contentment, almost a complete reverse of his usual melancholy.

"You made it back to your wonderful life, Kain-sensei; still getting it to sink in?"

Kain froze, then, after several seconds, turned around with a smile. "Sakura…I wasn't sure I'd see you again for a while. I'm glad, though; I never got the chance to thank you for your help. I never would have made it, never would have come close, if not for you. So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you." He bowed to her.

Sakura accepted the thanks with a bow of her own. "It's my pleasure, my whim, Kain; and less than you deserve, after how I treated you at the Festival. And I'll be seeing you again; you still have one wish left, after all."

"Yes, you keep saying that," Kain returned. "Yet each time, you interfere pretty much on your own and say you've granted my wish. Are you really sure you shouldn't appear first and then ask before you grant them? You know, the usual, 'What is your command, my master?' or some such?"

Sakura giggled. "Well, okay, genie might be pushing it, and there's no way you'll see me in one of those outfits. But I'm serving quite nicely as a wish granter…at the very least, I can assure you that I'm granting the fondest wish of your heart. Can you deny that, at the moments I appeared, I did anything less than use my power to grant what you desired more than anything else?"

Kain stared, then slowly nodded. "…Yes. The first time I even called on you; I wanted out of that dream, and you alone provided the escape. The second time, I needed to escape that world and return to my own life. You enabled me to do that, too, using powers beyond my own."

Sakura nodded crisply, smiling brightly. "And when the time comes for your third wish…it will also be to grant the fondest desire you hold in your heart in that moment. Now, I really should be going and let you…."

"Saku!"

Kanade came flying from off-camera and tackled Sakura, who just managed to avoid falling over. "Y-Yûki-san!?" Sakura demanded, sufficiently startled. "W-what are you…?"

"Ah, you showed up for our Christmas Party!" Kanade stepped back, but did not release her victim. "Oh…or maybe you came just to try and steal Kain-sensei away for a little one-on-one time between lovers on Christmas Eve? Completely unfair of you, Saku! If you've come back, you have to see all of us, too!"

"B-but…."

Kain stared, bemused and amused, as Sakura was helpless before her enthusiastic classmate's assault. "Hey, you're kinda dressed like Momocchi gets!" she accused her. "Does that mean you're one of those shinigami people too? Are you really her sister or something from another world?"

"W-well…"

"Bah, doesn't matter! You have to come to the party, too! Or else a wonderful punishment awaits…!"

Sakura turned to look helplessly at Kain, who just smiled at her. Kanade had obviously come back to investigate when Kain failed to be prompt in following them in, and even now several others were coming back as well. "Once again you underestimated our class," he informed her kindly. "Since you've been found out, you might as well join us. I'm sure one more won't be noticed in this crazy group."

Sakura sighed, but she seemed less than put out. "Fine, fine. Just…let me get somewhere I can change inside, okay? I can't attend a nice party like this…."

8-8-8

"Greetings to you all," the maid declared, bowing to them and then ushering them inside. "You must be Mahora Class 3-A…and that means you must be their teacher, Kain Lockeheart-sama, yes? I am Maria, Nagi's maid."

Kain smirked to himself. He had expected no less. "Thank you, Maria. We're honored to be invited by the great Sanzen'nin household." He bowed, then rose. "And…incidentally…."

He produced a small colorfully-wrapped package out of nowhere and presented it to the surprised girl. "Happy Birthday," he told her. "You must be…what, sixteen today, if my guess isn't off? Congratulations." He gave his best smile to her.

Maria stared, stunned, nearly ready to panic. "E-eh? A-ah…y-yes…t-thank you…." She tentatively took the package. "B-but…how did you…?"

"I am a first-class teacher," Kain declared solemnly. "I'm always prepared…and I know everything."

He could feel the heat of the mixed stares coming at his back from his gathered class, but he ignored it; he couldn't help responding to the young woman who had so helped him for so long, even if it had all been a dream. Before any of them could comment, the hostess appeared. "Ah? Maria, is this them?"

The small girl, short, blond, with twin pigtails in a bold party dress that in some ways made her look lovely but from other viewpoints rather did not suit her, focused her attention on Kain, and her eyes flew open wide. "Ah! You must be Kain Lockeheart, the runner-up of that incredible Mahora Tournament, right!? You're like a real magic battle-ninja, with superpowers, capable of destroying tall buildings, eating speeding bullets, and outracing locomotives!"

"Yes, something like that," Kain replied without blinking.

"Ah, really here in the flesh! Look, Maria! It's the Mahora Super Saiy**!"

"Oho, Super Saiy**?" Kain replied haughtily, folding his arms and smiling broadly. "Don't lump me in weaklings like those! I still have four more transformations beyond that!"

"Oh! You hear that, Maria!?" Nagi turned to her maid, eyes shining. "Just what you'd expect of Kain Lockeheart-sensei!"

"And I butle, too," Kain couldn't resist adding.

"Yes, yes," Maria sighed, Nagi's rampant enthusiasm shaking her from her own stun, and the package disappeared somewhere about her person to be opened in private later. "Now, we shouldn't stand around here in the entrance hall…your grandfather's guests will be arriving soon as well…."

"Tch, who cares about that old man's stupid party," Nagi muttered, her good humor shaken at the mere mention of the family patriarch, but she started away, and Maria bade the army follow her. "Oh, well. Look, Lockeheart-san…."

"Kain, please. I am American, after all."

"Excellent. Kain, and all of you lot, you're going to spend this time with me, all right?"

"A bit rude, isn't she?" Erika muttered as they moved along.

"Like you, her family situation has left her somewhat isolated," Kain whispered back to her. "She doesn't have many friends; at this point, she can just be another member of the class, right?"

"Heh. Yes, I suppose it would be easy to think of her like that…."

Kain caught the attention of their hostess. "I'm sure you have lots of great activities planned for us this evening, Nagi-ojô-sama, but if I may make a request…I'd like us to watch a movie together as a group. In English, with Japanese subtitles, as a bit of a Christmas 'bonus lesson' for my class, but also because I really want to watch this Christmas movie."

"Oh? Really? Well, I suppose it would be rude of me to refuse a request made by a proper teacher," Nagi replied. "What movie is it?"

In reply, Kain turned to Ami. He had requested that she locate the movie for him earlier, and she had checked it out of the Middle School's library, and he asked her now to bring it forward. Here he presented it to the class: "A Christmas movie recommended to me by our own Sanada Sakura-chan, 'It's a Wonderful Life'! It's an older movie, but supposedly has excellent merits…."

Sakura stared at him. "Really? That?" She smiled beatifically. "Are you sure our class, considering, ah, that they're our class, can sit through a movie like this…?"

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean!?" Riza objected hotly.

"I guess we'll find out," Kain replied airily. "I'm sure offering extra credits for a paper on this movie wouldn't get much response, but…perhaps if I offered time at Alyssa's instead, we could pay enough attention to it, right…?"

"Rather sly of you to say that, when Alyssa isn't here," Mai muttered to him; Alyssa, of course, still could not leave school grounds, and thus she and Miyu alone were not attending the party.

"I'm sure she won't object too strongly, and hardly grumble," Kain replied. "In any case," he continued more loudly, "let's watch this movie, and then enjoy the rest of our Christmas Eve!"

And so they settled into an extravagantly opulent movie room to watch the adventures of George Bailey. Perhaps they were not quite so exciting or dangerous as Kain Lockeheart's, but his story did touch their hearts, and Kain certainly did feel a companionship with the man.

And so he passed this celebration of the ending year surrounded by those he loved. It had been an incredible year, and, on technicalities, more than a year of experienced time for him, but what he had gained, and what his wonderful life meant, he now understood so much more than he had before. Trying times still lay ahead…and the coming year would have difficulties all its own….

But, now more than ever, Kain wouldn't trade it.

He wouldn't trade it for anything…no, not even the world.

F I N

Author's Note: The Ending

And so Act 18 comes to its close. The Wonderful Life adventure is concluded, the Obsidian Star is wholly vanquished, and Kain's adventure continues into the New Year.

Having this sudden party at Nagi Sanzen'nin's was an idea that just suddenly came, and it seemed appropriate and to make sense, and so I included it. Then I thought upon the irony that he was now dealing with a girl who had the same name as the final villain he just had to vanquish. And I also realized that, although he had spent six plus months in the universe of Hayate the Combat Butler as Nagi's butler, we never actually met Nagi in that dream sequence; I skipped over all those parts. So it was good to bring her in here for that cameo, too. Just this cameo; we will otherwise see nothing of Nagi, unless, in the final Epilogue section that will take up an indeterminate part of Act 20 (The Finale), I mention what happens when she finds a debt-ridden young man and adopts him as her butler. But her part in Kain's story is one-and-done.

And, as I mentioned, Kain's story here follows the 'IAWL' story of Warehouse 13, and in that episode, when our hero has returned to his proper place and time, he goes to the Warehouse's Christmas party and they have decided to watch 'It's a Wonderful Life', and he flips out in the amusing close to the episode. Kain, however, is…well, not a glutton for punishment, but sentimental and willing and curious to see what Sakura's talking about. And, yes, I had to have Sakura have a little more time with the class, too, before disappearing. Just this night. But it's good to see them all again, regardless.

Incidentally, at the end of one Christmas episode of NCIS, Tony Dinozzo declares this the 'greatest Christmas movie of all time', and this author gives his hearty approval to the statement. Plus one'd, and all that.

Anyway, that's the finish here. Moving on to Act 19…the beginning of the end….