A/N: Sorry for the delay, but so much is going on with my life at the moment that there is little time left for writing. Hopefully things will settle down soon. The scene with Ako was suggested by MakuhariFan-01. Many thanks for your help.

Negima and its characters are owned by Ken Akamatsu. Phillip Markham, Marcato Rallentando and others are my OCs.

The following conventions are used: "words", 'thoughts', lyrics and "spells".

Monday Morning

Monday, Monday, can't trust that day– John Phillips

Mahora, Japan

White brows knit together as Mahora's wizened headmaster closely scrutinized their guest's credentials. Though hardly unprecedented, the sudden appearance of a dignitary from the Hellas Empire threw the school's administration into a frenzy of activity. Not that the boy lounging in the padded chair seemed to care.

Konoka studied the young noble from the Mundus Magicus. Based on appearance, he was near her age; however, many Magic World inhabitants looked far younger than they were. With his blonde hair and fair skin, the emissary could have passed for a foreign student attending one of Mahora's many schools.

'Could be an illusion,' the girl thought, recalling the many times she or one of her classmates disguised themselves as another race during last summer's adventure. Magic could turn a bestial visage human as effortlessly as the reverse.

"Your credentials are in order Marquis Rallentando," her grandfather finally declared. "Please pardon our caution, but it is rare for Her Imperial Majesty to send a peer of the Empire."

"I understand Master Konoe," the boy replied. "Might I see Her Highness now?"

"Regretfully the princess is engaged at the moment," the headmaster answered. "However, my granddaughter will conduct you to her quarters."

"Excellent," the nobleman responded as he swiftly stood.

"Does your Excellency have a, hrmm, girlfriend?" the elder Konoe unexpectedly asked, provoking a grimace from Konoka.

"No," the bewildered boy answered. "Why do you ask?"

"Just an old man's, heh, curiosity," the headmaster replied. The old man's face wore a grin that annoyed her far more than the question had.

After schooling her expression back into a smile, Konoka held the door open for her charge. "Shall we go your Excellency?"

Walking next to her, the marquis seemed poised as if anticipating an enemy to strike at any second. It reminded the teen a little of her bodyguard's wariness. However, her companion's demeanor struck Konoka as hopeful rather than on guard. 'Perhaps more like Mana-san instead of Se-chan,' she decided.

Occupied with her own thoughts, Konoka was surprised when the marquis spoke to her. "You are the Princess's friend," Lord Rallentando said, though she couldn't tell if it was a statement or a question.

"Yes I am."

"What is the princess like?"

What was the princess like? The question spun round and round as several answers were considered and then swiftly discarded. Though she cherished the other girl's friendship, Konoka harbored few illusions about Asuna. A bundle of contradictions sprang to mind. Clueless yet gifted with clarity of purpose that many would envy. By turns the red-head would rage as furious as a hurricane and then show the gentleness of a breeze. "Her Highness is quite unlike anyone else I know," the teen cautiously answered. "It is true that she is not a scholarly sort; the princess is more in the mold of an epic hero, one who is unafraid to step forth when the circumstances require action."

"A most admirable quality," the young noble said, nodding his head in agreement with his own assessment.

"I look forward to meeting Her Highness," he continued, speaking almost as if thinking aloud. "And Master Springfield as well."

Once they reached the dormitory, Konoka took one of the outer stairwells so as not to bring a boy through the main lobby. Though following the headmaster's orders, she reasoned that the fewer questions asked the better. Finding the door to her room unlocked, she was about to congratulate herself when an outraged voice yelled, "What is that boy doing here?"

Konoka quickly shoved the startled noble into her room and slammed the door shut before turning to find the class 1B rep storming towards her. Mikami-san's face nearly matched the shade of the girl's fiery, red hair. "What stunt are you trying to pull?" the other girl demanded while more students stumbled into the hall as if in response to a magical summons.

(-)

Two figures could be seen jogging side by side in the pre-dawn light, a girl carrying a satchel slung over one shoulder and an older man whose grey shirt was wet with perspiration. Tiny bells tied to the girl's twin pony tails jingled as feet pounded the sidewalk. Grabbing a rolled up newspaper from the bag, she flung it onto a front porch with practiced ease.

"That's it then sensei," Asuna announced as she slowed the pace a bit for her wheezing companion's benefit.

"Do you normally go this fast," her homeroom teacher asked, "or did Kotaro-san put you up to this?"

"I went a little faster this morning because I wanted extra time for breakfast," she answered. "The Bao Zi should be opening today."

"That's Satsuki-san's business isn't it?" Phillip asked. "I'll have to be sure to stop by."

Glancing at her teacher, Asuna thought the man appeared more relaxed than he'd been since the class trip. There were times when sensei had reminded her of a rubber band stretched to the point of snapping. "You seem to be in a better mood today," the teen mentioned in a casual tone.

"Do I?"

"Yeah," she answered. "Did you try anything different recently?"

"No. Nothing in particular," Phillip told her. "Why do you ask?"

Having watched Setsuna suffer from being stressed out, Asuna had hoped to find a release for her friend. Perhaps breakfast at the Bao Zi would help. She had been surprised when the swordsman readily accepted her suggestion. 'I hope Setsuna is getting ready.'

"No real reason," she replied to her teacher's question. "So why did you decide to jog with me instead of Kotaro-kun this morning."

"To be truthful," he answered, "I wanted to discuss your recent test scores before class."

The student's stomach sank at those words. "That bad huh?"

"Let's say that I would strongly recommend additional study outside of regular class hours," her teacher remarked. "Aren't there evening and weekend classes?"

"With all that's going on," she sighed, "how am I going to find time for cram school?"

Phillip stopped and the man's mouth twisted into a frown. "I know you have more pressing issues Asuna-san," he said, "but what are you going to do if you fail?"

She looked away, unwilling to meet the teacher's gaze. What would she do? Asuna had no home or family to go back to. Takahata would never see her as anything more than the little girl he helped raise. She could get a low paying job with limited chances for advancement, but what kind of future was that? And how would Negi take the news?

'Negi accepts me for who I am,' she steadfastly maintained, but an image of the young mage's disappointed expression sprang instantly to mind. As infuriating as the little squirt could be, the last thing Asuna wanted was to be its author.

"I don't know," she reluctantly admitted.

"I want to try something a little different for our after school study session," Phillip said. "Bring along a change of clothes and some shoes suitable for walking."

All the way back to the dormitory, Asuna wondered what sensei's "something a little different" was. The after school sessions were bad enough, the teen couldn't afford to lose any more training time.

As she opened the stairwell door to her floor, Asuna heard an irate shout from the 1B iincho. "I don't care if you are the headmaster's granddaughter," Mikami-san screamed at Konoka while Ayaka tried to interpose herself between them.

"I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding," the blonde girl said dismissively as curious faces poked out of rooms and around hallway corners. "I'll take care of it."

"Like you took care of the basement wall?" Ayaka's red-headed counterpart asked.

Asuna quickly strode to the storm's center. "What's going on class rep?"

"Mikami-san claims Konoka here was smuggling a boy into your room," Ayaka answered.

"Claim!" the other class president yelled. "I saw her push him inside."

"Just like you did that dragon?" Yuna chimed in, drawing several snickers in response.

"Keep out of this Akashi-san!" the shrill voice responded. "I know what I saw!"

"And I saw …" the girl continued but was interrupted by a shout from inside the dorm room.

"Jakuzankusen!"

Asuna jerked Konoka out of the way as the door flew off its hinges, smashed into the opposite wall and was immediately followed by a dark shape. A pale-skinned boy, his blonde hair splayed out on the carpet, gazed upwards as Mikami-san ran down the hall screaming "Not again!"

Dripping water on the carpet, a naked Setsuna stomped into the open doorway with an equally bare blade clenched in her fists. The shinmei-ryu's glowering visage reminded her of a tidal wave rushing towards the shore. "Who are you?" Asuna demanded of the prostrate stranger.

"Those eyes!" the boy exclaimed in shock as he gazed at her face. "You are of House Teotanasia!"

Her very breath froze as the stranger slowly rose to his knees. "Your Highness," he greeted her as if kneeling on a carpet after crashing through a door was the most natural thing in the world. "I bear you a message from Her Imperial Majesty."

An avalanche of voices fell upon her as numbness tightly gripped the bell-wearing teen. "It is a boy." "Did he say he was from the Imperial court?" "Message … eyes … Teotanasia."

"Maybe we showed go inside," Konoka suggested and then gazed at her bodyguard, still damp from a shower. "Er, could we use your room iincho-san."

Dazed, Asuna let herself be led to Ayaka's room. Ensconced on the couch, she listened, barely comprehending the emissary's words. One of Sakurako's cats, the white one, jumped into her lap and her hand began to mechanically stroke its silky fur.

"Is Her Highness feeling well?" the boy's concerned voice asked before he turned to Konoka. "Should we summon a healer?"

"I am a healer," the chocolate-haired girl assured.

"Now exactly who are you and what's with this 'Your Highness business?" Ayaka demanded.

"I am the Marquis Rallentando," the haughty response came. "And my 'business' is with the princess, not some uppity peasant."

"Who are you calling a peasant you third-rate reject from a Shakespearian play?" the class rep shot back. "I'll have you know that my father is the owner of Yukihiro Worldwide!"

"Have care of that wagging tongue of yours," thundered back a warning. "I am not to be scolded by a mere merchant's daughter."

"Enough!" Everyone jumped as Konoka's silver mallet slammed onto the table adding emphasis to the girl's command.

"This bickering speaks well of neither of your families," the meek-seeming girl pronounced before sitting down next to her friend. "Asuna, are you alright?"

Her lips formed in response, but the words came slowly. "I'm … okay. Just … a little … shocked … by this."

"Your Highness," the marquis started but was warned to silence by Konoka's glare.

Ayaka sat down on the opposite side of the couch. "Do you want to be alone for awhile?" the class rep asked.

A thousand questions were reflected in the other girl's face, but Asuna didn't doubt the offer's sincerity. "I'm fine," she claimed and then added a "No really" in reply to the class rep's skeptical expression

Asuna glanced at the arrogant nobleman. "What message do you bear from the Empress?"

A momentary scowl crossed the boy's face to be replaced by a look a resignation. "If you are indeed the Princess Asuna Teotanasia, I am to deliver this scroll from Her Imperial Majesty," he answered while producing a sealed scroll from underneath his coat.

A wild thought sprang up as she eyed the rolled up parchment. She could claim to not be the princess. "I'm sorry but you have the wrong Asuna," she would say and have an end to it. "I'm just a normal student."

While gazing down at Homura after the pyromancer had nearly killed Yuna, Asuna had been ready to slice the unconscious mage into tiny pieces, but a voice inside her head stopped her. Once again that voice spoke. "You were never a normal student," it mercilessly reminded her. "Send the pompous windbag away, but that won't change who you are."

"I am the princess," she reluctantly admitted as an equally reluctant hand reached out. Fingers brushed against the rough surface before grasping the slender cylinder as if it was a poisonous creature. Trembling, she broke the seal and unfurled the scroll. Incomprehensible characters written in a graceful script stared back at her.

"What is this written in?" an anxious princess asked.

"It looks like Greek," Ayaka remarked.

"It might as well be Martian," she disgustedly replied.

"It is Martian," Konoka added under her breath.

"Greek … Martian," Asuna cried in frustration, "I can't read it!"

"Maybe we could get Negi-kun to translate it," her roommate suggested.

"My Lord Rallentando," Ayaka said as the class rep fixed an officious smile on the boy. "Could you please translate this document for Her Highness?"

"If I might?" the boy requested as he gingerly took the parchment. "To Her Royal Highness, Princess Asuna Teotanasia, Heir of House Teotanasia, Earl of Argyre …"

"Um, could we skip the formal stuff and get to the message?" Asuna asked, earning another quick scowl from the marquis.

"It being Our intention to confirm the Princess Asuna in all of her holdings within the Empire of Hellas," he continued, "We require the Princess Asuna to present herself before Our court no later than Mid-Summer's Day and to regularly attend court in accordance with the most ancient traditions of the Empire."

"Confirm?" Asuna confusedly asked. "What does that mean?"

"It means the Empire of Hellas is going to recognize your title," Konoka excitedly answered. "That clears a major obstacle to receiving your inheritance."

"What about this attend court bit?"

"How often does the imperial court meet your Excellency?" Ayaka asked.

"Annually," the noble answered. "It starts on Mid-Summer's Day and continues for several weeks."

"I can't do that," Asuna declared. "I'll miss mid-terms."

"Wait a minute," she said while considering the situation further. "Is that a bad thing?"

Several eyes rolled at her comment and a respectful knock interrupted the conversation. "Who is it?" Ayaka asked.

The door opened and Setsuna stuck her head into the room. "May I enter?"

After glaring at the marquis, the now clothed swordswoman took up her position at the end of the couch nearest Konoka.

"Mid-Summer's Day doesn't give you much time," Ayaka remarked. "Are you to take the Princess's reply back your Excellency?"

"Reply?" the marquis responded. "The princess's compliance is assumed. I am here to escort Her Highness and Her consort Master Springfield …"

"Consort!" the class rep cried in dismay before glaring at Asuna. "Just what did you two do last summer?"

With her jaw jutting defiantly out, Asuna glared back. "I have no idea what you two are nattering about."

Trying to head off another quarrel, Konoka quickly interrupted the two classmates. "I'm sure this is just a mistake," the girl said before addressing the marquis. "Asuna and Negi-kun are only provisional partners your Excellency."

A puzzled expression appeared on the young noble's face as all eyes turned to him. "Well … the bonds of a Magister and Ministra are considered just as valid …," the marquis floundered as Ayaka's mouth hung open while understanding dawned on Asuna's face. "… especially in the absence of an actual marriage …"

"You mean that little twerp and I are considered married?" the horror-struck princess gasped.

"What?" Ayaka suddenly cried. "Negi-sensei and Asuna are …?"

The class rep paused for a moment and then Ayaka's eyes turned steely. "I'm coming along too?"

"What do you mean you're coming too?" Asuna countered. "I didn't hear him invite you."

"Your Excellency." The class rep turned to the utterly confounded boy. "Am I correct in assuming that the Princess is expected to bring her own staff along?"

"Well of course …"

"That settles it then," the blonde girl triumphantly gloated. "I'm your Chief of Protocol."

"Hang on sister! Chief of what?"

(-)

Walking into his apartment, Phillip began to strip off the sweat soaked tee–shirt when he noticed Negi's ermine friend applying a stroke to a sheet of parchment. The American glanced quickly about and asked, "Where's Negi?"

"In his room getting dressed," came the answer.

"Shouldn't you be keeping that Doki Doki list away from him?" he asked.

"Actually," whiskers twitched as the furry statistician looked up, "this one is for you."

"Say what?"

"It needed updating after this weekend," the ermine explained. "You might find it instructive to look over."

"And you might find it instructive," the man growled, "if I take that brush and stick it …"

"Suit yourself," Chamo interrupted before the threat could be completed. "But don't say you weren't warned."

"Warned?" Phillip scoffed. "Warned about what?"

"Come take a look."

Cautiously the teacher glanced down at the neatly ordered rows of Japanese characters.

"It follows the class list order," the ermine told him. "The number on the far end is an aggregate score."

"So Modoka has the highest score," Phillip commented after scanning the list. "I could have guessed that."

"But look who's second."

Phillip followed the white-furred paw up to an aggregate score slightly lower than his confessed admirers'. A queasy sensation started in the pit of his stomach and threatened to spread outward. "You're pulling my leg."

"That's only the start," Chamo told him. "Take a gander at the individual categories."

Eyes tracked to the left, only to stop a few columns over. "Isn't that the …" he started to ask.

"I told you Big Brother's score wasn't that much higher."

"But … but," the middle-aged man sputtered. "Surely you're not suggesting …"

Being the helpful sort, the ermine promptly supplied an answer. "What I'm suggesting is that you might be grabbed by other than the throat if you pop into her shower."

Conversation ground to a halt as Negi emerged from the bedroom. "Good morning Phillip-san," the boy cheerfully greeted his roommate. "What's this about showers?"

"Albert and I were just discussing my misadventure in Buenos Ares," Phillip lied as he snatched the parchment from the table and hastily rolled it up.

"I'm really sorry about that," the youngster apologized.

"Don't sweat it," he responded. "I survived the ordeal and we got some information out of it."

"Some help," Chamo remarked with a glum tone. "We know Total World wants to get rid of injustice by destroying the Mundus Magicus."

"But that is helpful," Phillip countered. "You can't reason with a madman bent on world destruction, but you can with a crusader trying to make a better world."

(-)

Mahora Elementary School

After sliding the stall door shut, Haruki unfastened his trousers before squatting over the shallow trough set into the floor. Briefly, the boy wondered why the school couldn't install something that would allow students to sit but quickly moved onto other grumblings. Mihai had made him look like a fool in front of Yuki and their classmates. And his parents had scolded him over ruining a perfectly good pair of shoes. How could he explain that they needed to be chiseled out of the ground?

The boy had realized during last year's festival that Yuki was very special to him. They had admitted that much to each other after chasing down his classmate's errant hat. Even when they had argued, Haruki winced at the memory of the girl's iron fist of fury attack she'd unleashed on him after being hit by the robot's strip beam, the two had always made up afterwards. However, now he had a rival for her attention and was losing badly to the foreign boy.

The door to the bathroom opened and closed as another student entered. A single set of footsteps echoed in the enclosed space and then stopped nearly in front of his stall. "Hello other me," Mihai said in what passed for the Romanian's cheerful tone.

"I told you to call me Fate." Haruki froze as the strange boy spoke in a deeper voice. "How did the powder work?"

"I fed it to a bear cub and it induced a coma almost instantly," the cheerful voice answered.

"Why not that girl you were with?" the deeper voice asked, causing Haruki to shudder.

"Had she been found, it might have tipped others off to what you're planning," Mihai casually answered. "As it was, the healer girl happened along and was able to revive the cub."

"Unfortunate," came the reply. "But not completely unexpected."

The one who called himself Fate paused before moving on to another subject. "I have another task for you," the other said. "I want you to make contact with one of Professor Springfield's former students, a girl named Izumi Ako."

'Izumi-san?' Haruki remembered the soft-spoken girl who was an assistant manager for the boys' soccer team. 'What's going on?'

Carefully, the fourth year student pushed the stall door open enough to peek into the washroom. Through the gap, he could see Mihai's profile as if his classmate was facing another person.

"For what purpose?" the white-haired boy asked.

"I have a use for her talents," the callous voice responded.

Haruki tried to slide the door open a little more to view this mysterious, other Mihai when it snagged and rattled. The youngster's heart leapt into his throat as invisible hands shoved the door open and pulled him from his feet. The breath was knocked from the boy as he belly-flopped to the floor. Mihai stood to one side while on the opposite side was an older looking version of the Romanian. Though that one's expression lacked any sort of emotion save for a bored disdain.

"Who are you?" Fate demanded.

Paralyzed with fear, the youngster could only stare back.

"His name is Haruki," Mihai volunteered. "He's in my class."

"He's heard too much," Fate said ominously.

"I'll take care of it."

The washroom floor tiles rippled beneath him as if they had liquefied and Haruki began to sink. "No!" he cried while desperately trying to tread water. "Wait!"

Lower he dropped, as if weights were pulling him down. "Why are you doing this?" the fourth grader asked as his chin fell below the level of the floor. "Who are you?"

Mihai pondered the question for a moment, and just before Haruki's eyes disappeared, the strange boy answered, "I guess I'm a 'nobody'."

(-)

Lost in thought, Ako trudged across the campus grounds. An electric bass and case were slung across the girl's back, and she paused to catch her breath from their weight. A foreign boy, about her age, had shown up in the high school dormitory that morning and claimed to have a message for the Princess Asuna. Rumors had flown fast and thick about Mahora, but her classmates had managed to quell most of them by the end of the school day. Of course no matter how inventive the rumors were, they paled in comparison to the truth.

Asuna was indeed a princess from another world; a world where magic was openly known and embraced. Ako and several of her classmates had ventured their last summer and had saved it from destruction. Well, Negi, Asuna, Konoka and Setsuna did the majority of saving; like the secondary character she was, Ako had cheered from the sidelines. No, that wasn't completely true, she mentally chided herself, but it was close enough. Her involvement had been wholly accidental and Negi and his partners were able to handle everything without her assistance.

In fact, Ako had made it easier for the enemy to accomplish their scheme. Her own pitiful talent for magic had helped make those attending the peace festival more susceptible to a spell that incapacitated most of them on the final day. Her supposed friends had used her, just as the teen suspected she had been used again to get Negi-sensei's help to rescue Shiori-san. And now that her part had been played, she'd fade into the background.

'Just as well,' Ako told herself as she slung the case off her shoulder in order to sit down. Despite Negi-san's arguments, exchanging one prison for another didn't strike the teen as an improvement. Perhaps it would have been for the best if the paper with Shirabe-san's message had been crumpled and tossed away.

A sudden feeling as if she was being watched cause Ako to scan the surrounding area. Other students and faculty members going about their business were all that met the girl's gaze. 'I'm jumping at shadows,' she told herself.

Cautiously, Ako removed the instrument from its case and began to tune it. Finishing with that, the teen dug through her backpack and brought out a headband with what looked to be a small mirror affixed to it. She had taken the music projector as a souvenir and had nearly been arrested by Mage Knights under the Ostian Governor's control. Only the timely intervention of Mister Cabot had kept her from being incarcerated. Thinking about the handsome officer brought a slight smile in response. If only …

"Key of the Twilight," she whispered. Instantly, the magic device projected the notes she began to strum.

Come with me in the twilight of a summer night for awhile
Tell me of a story never ever told in the past
Take me back to the land
Where my yearnings were born
The key to open the door is in your hand
Now fly me there...

She had practiced the song only once, but its haunting lyrics brought back memories of a time when Ako had felt confident and like something more than a supporting character.

Fanatics find their heaven in never ending storming wind
Auguries of destruction be a lullaby for rebirth
Consolations, be there
In my dreamland to come
The key to open the door is in your hand
Now take me there

Eyes closed, Ako played on, listening to Shirabe's voice repeating the words.

I believe in fantasies invisible to me
In the land of misery I'm searchin' for the sign
To the door of mystery and dignity
I'm wandering down, and searchin' down the secret sun...

She did hear a voice singing. Eyes snapped open to find a white-haired child in front of her.

Come with me in the twilight of a summer night for awhile
Tell me of a story never ever told in the pas

Almost against her will, the notes continued to pour from the bass to accompany the lad's singing.

Take me back to the land
Where my yearnings were born
The key to open the door is in your hand
Now take me there
to the land of twilight

Like one struck dumb, Ako stared at the youngster as the final chord faded. "Who are you?" the bass player breathed. "How did you know that song?"

"My name is Mihai," the child hesitantly answered. "I'm not sure how I know it."

"Maybe I heard it somewhere before," he suggested and then glanced down.

"You're not in trouble Mihai-kun," Ako swiftly assured him. "I was surprised that somebody else knew it."

"Could I ask a favor of you?" the boy said with his face screwed up in an expression that was entirely serious yet irresistibly cute.

"What favor would that be?" Ako asked as she resisted the urge to giggle.

"Could you walk me back to my dormitory?" Mihai answered. "One of my classmates disappeared from school this morning and we were warned not to walk by ourselves."

Ako's smile faded as the new reality of Mahora sunk in. "Sure," she agreed while replacing the bass back into its case. "Which dormitory are you in?"

"The one on Sunny Hill Lane," the youngster answered.

"That's on the way to my dorm," the teen remarked as she hefted the instrument back in place. "Come on."

"Thank you ah …"

"Izumi," she told him. "My name is Izumi."

"Thank you Izumi-san."

(-)

After Negi and Chamo had left for school, Phillip pulled out his cell phone and scrolled through the list of contacts until 'Jacobs, D' was highlighted. "It's been more than a month," the American reminded himself but the sense of apprehension hovering over his shoulder refused to budge. Inhaling deeply, the combat hardened teacher punched the dial button. "She's bound to have cooled off a little," the man muttered.

Several rings later, a woman's voice answered, "Doctor Jacobs here."

'Piece of cake,' the man thought to himself before responding. "Hi Delilah. It's Phil." A harsh CLICK followed by a dial tone echoed in his ear.

"Then again …"

Once more he dialed and waited, only to hear a recorded message. "Hi this is Delilah Jacobs. I can't come to the phone as I'm installing the illudium Q-36 explosive space modulator right now. Please leave your name and number and I'll get back to you … unless you hear an earth-shattering kaboom … then don't bother."

"It's me again," Phillip quickly said after the beep sounded. "I understand you're still mad, but I have a student who really needs your help. C'mon and answer Delilah … I'm out of ideas …. please …"

An angry voice spoke on the distant end. "That's Doctor Jacobs to you Mister Markham!"

"Look, I'm sorry …" he started to apologize but the voice would have none of it.

"Sorry for what?" it demanded. "Sorry for leaving a voice mail that said 'Hi, I'm going to Japan'?"

"No, I'm sorry your schedule didn't allow us any time," he snapped, "so I could tell you about the job offer in person!"

Silence. And then the voice, a little calmer, returned. "You said a student of yours needs help."

That afternoon, to Asuna's surprise, their study session consisted of walking to that fabulous overlook Kaede took him to his first weekend at Mahora. They lay on tufts of grass and gazed up at passing clouds. "See that one," Phillip pointed to a fleecy shape. "That looks like a dolphin."

"Which one?" Asuna asked.

"That one," he replied.

"A dolphin huh? I think it looks more like a dragon."

"Ready for a short quiz?" he asked and received a decidedly unenthusiastic "I guess so."

"What's your favorite color?"

"Huh?"

"You heard me."

"Blue."

"What are Ayaka's favorite flowers?"

"Lilies and roses."

"What grade were you in when you met Konoka-san?"

"Third."

"What about Setsuna-san?"

"Seventh."

"Who is the analog of Jack's mother?"

"The Queen," Asuna absent-mindedly responded and then frowned. "What's going on?"

"Like I said," a smirking Phillip answered, "it's a short quiz. What does analog mean?"

"Um, analog," the girl repeated. "It's a … uh um …"

"I think we can stop right here," he announced.

"So what is going on sensei?" his student asked again.

"I've noticed that you start your tests well, but struggle the farther along you get," he explained. "Just now, you showed a grasp of the concept of what an analog is, but were unable to explain it when asked. I described this to a colleague who suggested it might simply be you're trying too hard."

The teen's expression was far more eloquent than words would have been.

"It's like an actor who does well during rehearsal, but freezes up in front of the audience," Phillip said. "Or somebody who knows a subject forwards and backwards but can't pass a test? The pressure we put on ourselves to do well can cause us to perform poorly."

"So what do I do sensei? Stop trying?"

"No," he chuckled in response. "But we'll be able to try a few ideas before you have to leave …"

"Leave? How'd …?" Asuna's mouth fell open and then closed with an audible click. Visions of violent acts committed upon the class rep came unbidden to him.

"The headmaster informed me," the teacher hastily answered. "We better head back."

Whether from concern or curiosity, Phillip closely monitored the girl's thoughts on the way down. To his surprise, instead of thoughts about her new home, life at the imperial court and a future of being a princess, memories of happy times at Mahora predominated. Particularly the ones shared with a certain somebody. Coupled with a conversation on the Kyoto bus and some numbers recalled from Albert's previous list, he wondered if Asuna wouldn't turn out to be that certain somebody's 'special girl' after all.

(-)

A/N: Before you ask, I do like Stephen King. My project for this summer is to read all of the Dark Tower books in order.

Chapter title and heading were inspired by the song "Monday Monday" by the Mamas and the Papas. The song "Key of the Twilight" was written by Kajiura Yuki for the "hack/Sign" anime.

In the story, Lord Rallentando referred to Negi as Asuna's consort. The good marquis was trying to use a term that recognized the princess's relationship with a male who isn't a blood-relation as well as grant Negi a noble status without the boy having an actual title. This was misunderstood by those more familiar with the Japanese culture where the Empress Consort is the wife of the Emperor.

Among Asuna's titles was Earl of Argyre. An Earl's wife was referred to as a Countess. I've used the masculine form here to denote that Asuna holds that title through blood succession instead of marriage.