Negima 4: The Best Christmas Wish

Chapter 21: Memories of Christmas

Christmas is celebrated by all types of people, no matter where they are in the world. Whether in the past, present or future as well. And now, we bring you a tale of Negi and his friends far into the future, to when Asuna and Negi were Rose's adoptive parents.

"Rose? Can you pass me that?" Negi asked. Rose nodded, fishing in a nearby box of decorations. She handed Negi an ornament for him to put on the tree.

"Thank you." Negi replied. Rose smiled as she looked on at the family tree. It was beginning to grow more and more into a Christmas tree.

"Wow. Our tree. It's so pretty this year." Rose said. Asuna chuckled, patting Rose's head.

"Yeah. It really is, isn't it? I have a feeling this is going to be our best Christmas ever." Asuna said. Nearby, Kotaro was hanging the wreath on the outside door. Natsumi was holding the wreath until Kotaro had the hook on.

"Is it ready yet?" Natsumi asked.

"Almost. Just hold on." Kotaro said. After putting on the hook, Kotaro put his arm out behind him, accepting the wreath. But as he slipped it on and stepped back to examine it, the wreath popped off the hook.

"D'oh. Stupid wreath. Can't it work with me for ONE year?" Kotaro grumbled. Natsumi chuckled as Kotaro went to pick it up.

"And what, may I ask, is so funny?" Kotaro asked.

"Nothing. It just...reminds me of what happened last year when you told Negi you'd put the lights on the house. Remember?" Natsumi asked. Kotaro groaned, swatting himself in the face.

"Yeah. Yeah. I remember." Kotaro groaned.

:::

Flashing back to their last holiday, Kotaro was hanging up a stream of holiday lights across the house. He walked up a ladder with Natsumi holding onto the lights below.

"Uhh...Kotaro. Are you sure you're going to be okay up there?" Natsumi asked. Kotaro looked down, giving a sly smirk.

"Of course I'll be all right! Have a little faith in a guy, would ya?" Kotaro asked. Natsumi sighed and shook her head. She watched as Kotaro was lining the edges of the roof with lights. As he did, he didn't look on as part of the lights were wrapping around his right arm.

"Okay Natsumi. Lemme have a few more...what the?" Kotaro asked, seeing the lights on his arm. He shook his arm to shake them off, but nothing worked. He grumbled.

"Annoying lights. C'mon. Get off." he groaned. He continued to shake his arm, unknowingly making the ladder rock.

"Uhh...Kotaro!" Natsumi called. Kotaro soon felt the ladder shake and looked down.

"Oh crud." he groaned. The ladder soon tipped over, with Kotaro yanking the lights clean off the roof and from Natsumi's hand, and throwing him in a snow pile nearby.

"Kotaro! You okay?" Natsumi exclaimed, rushing over. Kotaro quickly emerged from the snow, spitting snow from his mouth and pulling the lights off him.

"Natsumi? Remind me to tell Negi...to put the lights up himself next time." Kotaro grumbled. Natsumi lightly chuckled.

:::

Kotaro sighed as the flashback ended.

"Well, at least I know I can handle putting the wreath on the front door." Kotaro said, taking the wreath again. Inside, Evangeline was taking a nap in the back room. However, she was soon interrupted by someone shaking her side.

"Evangeline? Evangeline? Wake up please." a voice said. Unknown to Evangeline, the voice was of Jennifer, with Julie watching from afar. Richie laid by the edge of the couch Evangeline slept on. Jennifer sighed.

"Good grief. You'd think Evangeline was a sleeping senior citizen or something." Jennifer thought. She leaned over and came close to Evangeline's ear.

"Hey...Evangeline? WAKE UP!" Jennifer yelled. Evangeline awoke in a flash and fell to the floor. Evangeline looked up and stared at Jennifer.

"J...JENNIFER! What is the deal waking me up like that? You'd better show respect for me you little troll or else...!" Evangeline shouted, waving her hands.

"Yeah. I know. "Or you'll turn me into a warted frog or something." I've heard it before. But...come on Evangeline. You're nicer than back then now, right?" Jennifer asked. Evangeline huffed.

"Surely you jest. I'm meaner now than I EVER was as a child." Evangeline said. But she saw Jennifer growing a sly smirk.

"Really? Then allow me to remind you of the time last year when you agreed to play Miss Claus for Rose's school pageant. How about that?" Jennifer asked. But as the flashback was beginning, Evangeline stopped it.

"No! Don't you dare! We said we'd never speak of that again. Ugh. Everyone kept calling me "old woman" days after that pageant ended." Evangeline said "Anyway, what did you want?" Jennifer soon realized she had forgotten and chuckled.

"You forgot, didn't you?" Evangeline asked.

"Uhh...yeah. But I'm sure I was supposed to make sure you wake up. I mean, come on Evangeline. How much are you gonna sleep? You've almost made it a daily habit to have a ten hour nap." Jennifer said. Evangeline huffed and turned away. Meanwhile, Rose had heard the sounds of Holly crying upstairs.

"Uh oh. I think Holly needs someone." Rose said. Negi heard the crying and asked Asuna if she could check on Holly. He was busy finishing the tree.

"No problem. You just make sure we've gotten as many ornaments as we can hung up. Okay?" Asuna asked. As she left with Rose, Negi chuckled.

"Asuna...even after all the years you've grown up, I don't think that much of you has changed." Negi thought. Asuna hurried into Holly's room, seeing the young baby crying in her crib.

"What is it Holly? Something wrong sweetie?" Asuna asked, picking her up. Rose took a sniff and quickly clutched her nose.

"Eww! I think someone needs a diaper change." Rose groaned, holding her nose. Asuna chuckled, asking if she'd like to help.

"Uhh...no thanks mom. I mean...last time Holly had to have her diaper changed, the smell was too much, remember?" Rose asked. So instead, she slowly slipped out into the hall and closed the doors. She sighed with relief.

"Phew. Okay. It's not so much that I don't like Holly or anything, it's not that. But I just can't stand the smell of a "need diaper change baby". Ugh." Rose thought. She thought back to the time she did help her mother change Holly's diaper.

:::

Asuna and Rose stood side by side as Asuna was about to start. But as she did, Rose could smell the stench coming off her.

"UGH! Mom! What is that...that stink?" Rose shouted.

"What? I thought you would've dealt with that when you helped at the orphanage." Asuna asked. Rose shook her head.

"No! The kids at the orphanage...were older than Holly. Whew!" Rose groaned. Asuna chuckled, but not before seeing Rose rushing out.

"Don't worry Rose. I'm sure one day you'll be able to take it." Asuna thought.

:::

As Rose sighed again, she was called for downstairs by Negi.

"Rose? Can you come downstairs and tell me what you think of the tree?" Negi called.

"Huh? Okay. I'll be right down!" she called. Rose hurried down the stairs and rushed to the tree. As she came in, Negi was just finishing setting the tree skirt below. He stepped back with a smile.

"Well, what do you think?" Negi asked. Rose looked on in awe, seeing light sparkle from the ornaments. Negi could see the twinkle in Rose's eyes.

"Oh wow. It's...It's beautiful." Rose said. Negi smiled.

"You think so? I thought it was nice...just like our other trees." Negi said. Rose smiled.

"What do you mean? This one is more beautiful than the ones before. It really is." Rose said. Rose heard someone chuckling quietly behind. She turned and saw Nekane with an adult Anya by her side.

"It really is beautiful Negi." Nekane said. Anya looked away, saying she could've done better.

"Oh come now Anya. Haven't you grown out of this childish rivalry yet?" Nekane asked. Rose chuckled.

"Aunt Nekane! Aunt Anya! You're back!" Rose cried.

"Yep. We just had a few little errands to run. But I guess we were too late to finish the tree. Right?" Anya asked. Negi looked at the tree.

"I'm afraid so. All that was left to do was the tree topper. But...I wanted to save that for you Rose." Negi said. Rose gasped, seeing the tree's star topper nearby.

"Oh. Okay." Rose said. She took the star and, with Negi's help, was lifted towards the tree's top. She quickly put it on before coming back down.

"There. Now it's perfect." Negi said. Rose smiled. But just then, she looked outside and saw it beginning to snow lightly out the window.

"Oh. Look at that. It's snowing." Nekane said. Anya smiled.

"Well, after being out in that weather, I feel like a hot cocoa. Anyone else?" Anya asked.

"Sure. I'd love some! Come on dad." Rose said. She hurried into the kitchen with Anya. Negi watched Rose with a smile.

END OF CHAPTER