A/N: Haitani, Shirai and some other characters mentioned are all from the 'Love Hina' series by the same author as 'Negima'. I don't own them any more than I do Negi and crew. Passages in italics indicate the character is remembering something from the past. Thanks to Eternal-Longing for his review. I hope I answered your question.

Narita International Airport

It was a gorgeous Friday morning outside, but Masayuki Haitani was in no condition to enjoy it. He sat in the lobby watching the minutes creep by until it was time to board his flight. He vaguely remembered the previous evening when his friends and co-workers celebrated his promotion. "Some promotion," he thought. "I can't even pronounce Para . . ., Para . . ., ah the hell with it." It was an important position, but he'd be stuck on a little Pacific island for the next year.

The party lasted several hours and Haitani wasn't sure just how much he'd had to drink. He remembered somebody brought out a bottle of Tequila, the kind with the little worm in it. That was when things got hazy. Just one more drink somebody said, one more for the road. Now he sat with a hangover the size of Osaka. Life just wasn't fair.

Why couldn't he have lucked out like Keitaro did? Here was a guy who did crummy in school, was kicked out of his home by his parents, and never had a girlfriend in his life. Now look at him. He was a student at Tokyo U and near the top of his class, he owned that huge inn his grandmother gave him, and his fiancé was an absolute knockout. "Some guys have all the luck," he groused to no one in particular.

Not that his luck had been all that bad. He managed to make it into a university before Keitaro did. And Haitani enjoyed being a marine biologist. However, he did have to laugh at how he fell into the field. He took the first class because he wanted to jerk that Aoyama girl's chain. Kendo girl could knock them all flying with an umbrella, but she came unglued at the mere thought of turtles. When he brought a bunch over for Summer break, she refused to leave her room. He laughed again as he remembered the look on her face when she walked out to all those turtle in the bath. His head throbbed in response.

He heard a ringing and it took a moment for him to realize it was his cell phone. "Masayuki here," he answered. It was his friend Shirai. "Hey buddy, what's up?"

"You will never, ever guess, not in a million years, what just came in the mail?" Shirai said excitedly.

"Whoa, slow down. Remember to breath," he told his friend. "What are you talking about?"

"You remember those two girls we met in Mahora?"

The scene of his walking into the alley and seeing them changing clothes flashed through his mind. So to did the huge sword that one girl pulled on him. He hadn't noticed at the time how much like Aoyama-san she looked. Haitani shuddered. "I'm not likely to forget," he replied.

"Well the girl I talked to, her grandfather sent an invitation for an O-mimai," Shirai said. "Isn't that great?"

"An O-mimai? Yeah, great," Haitani responded. "I didn't know they still did those."

"I'm going to mail my acceptance this morning," Shirai told him. "I wonder if I can get grandma to send some flowers over."

"Is that the grandmother who owns the florist shop?"

"Yeah," he replied. "Look, I know you're getting ready to go to Pararakelse for a year, but I wanted you to know."

"I'll send you an invite to the wedding," Shirai said before hanging up.

Haitani put the phone back into its carrier. He got out of his chair and went in search of some water. Life was sooo unfair.

Mahora Infirmary

Evangeline's body still lay unconscious on the bed, with the headmaster's spirit trapped inside. The headmaster's body sat nearby, and Evangeline fretted over each passing minute. "Simple transference spell," she fumed. "Yeah right." The spell only lasted 24 hours, but both parties had to be conscious for it to conclude.

Evangeline fidgeted in her seat. "I probably shouldn't have drunk all that tea," she thought as she felt an urgency not born solely of impatience.

"Shouldn't he have woken up by now Chachamaru?" she asked.

"My calculations were based on all available data Mistress," the robot replied. "But they were an approximation none the less."

"Still, its been over 80 hours," Evangeline commented.

"Perhaps," Chachamaru started to say but was interrupted by a groan.

Evangeline looked down as her body stirred. The next thing she saw was the ceiling. She sat up on the bed and looked over at the headmaster seated next to her. "At last," she cried as she wrapped her arms around herself and hugged tightly. She glared at the headmaster. "You and I are going to talk old man."

The headmaster smiled back at her. "Indeed we will," he replied. He felt an uncomfortable pressure on his bladder. "But I have, ho hm, some matters to attend to first," he rose from the chair and walked out of the room.

As he entered the hallway, the headmaster heard "Grandfather!" and was engulfed by a hug. "Are you okay?" Konoka asked.

"I'm fine Granddaughter," he answered. "Please don't squeeze so hard."

"There will be plenty of time later to talk, heh," he said as Konoka released him.

The headmaster looked at the other three people in the hall. "Good work Kuzunoha-san," he said. "You too Setsuna-kun."

He looked at Phillip. "Hm, hm, I think you should go in now Markham-sensei."

"Thank you sir," Phillip replied as he made his way into the room.

Evangeline sat on the bed. She looked at Phillip but didn't smile. He walked over to her bed and sat down on the edge. "Hello Kitty," he said.

Evangeline gazed down at her clenched hands. "What are you doing here?"

Phillip had thought hard over the past few days what he was going to say to her. Now that the moment was here, he felt the words were inadequate. "I met a wonderful person named Katherine," he told her. "I hope to meet her again some day."

"I'm not Katherine," she replied as her hands began to tremble.

"I know that Evangeline," Phillip told her. "But the person I know as Katherine is a part of you."

Phillip reached out with his hand and touched the side of her face. She flinched but didn't move away from him. "I think I should get to know the rest of you."

Evangeline grabbed the front of his coat with her hands. Her cheeks were flushed as she stared him in the face. "You're a fool!" she shouted.

"Yep," he replied. "I have to agree with you there."

Suddenly, Evangeline's head was pressed against his chest. Her shoulders convulsed as the tears rolled down her face. Phillip put his arms around her and held on while she cried. "I'm the biggest fool there ever was," he said.

Istanbul Turkey

Takamichi sat on the bed and poured over the spread out maps of the Balkans. He looked over at the reports the Sheik had given him, and then marked a spot on the map. He wished he had paid more attention to his geography lessons. Nitta-sensei would probably have him sitting seiza if he could see Takamichi now.

His cell phone rang. "Takahata here."

"Yes sir," he replied to the voice on the distant end. "I'm still at the hotel waiting on my visas."

"I'll be heading to Orsovo immediately," he said. "What? A murder? Who?"

Takamichi's face turned pale as he listened. "Should I return?"

"No?"

"I understand sir," he said. "You can count on me."

Takamichi hung up the phone and sat it down on the bed. He wasn't a particularly religious person, but he bowed his head and recited a prayer for Eva-chan's soul. Then he said a prayer for the rest of them. This was just the first casualty. He feared it wouldn't be the last.

Mahora Infirmary

Chachamaru stood guard over the single door into the office. Inside, the headmaster, the Chief of Operations and a little, blonde-haired vampire made their plans.

"So the lilin can still transform then?" Evangeline asked.

"Yes, Setsuna locked the demon into her physical form," Toko answered. "She can't dematerialize, but she can still alter her shape."

"Then we can use her to sneak me out of here," Evangeline said. "And provide a body for everyone to see."

"Hm, if she will cooperate," the headmaster interjected.

"Oh, she'll cooperate," Evangeline assured them.

"The question then becomes, heh, what to do with both of you," the headmaster commented.

"I've worked that one out already," Evangeline told them. "But it requires a great deal of trust from you."

"Trust?" Toko looked suspiciously at her. "Just what do you propose?"

"All in good time," she replied. "First, what are you going to do about Markham?"

Evangeline's thoughts returned to that morning's meeting.

She had stopped crying, but her head still lay against Phillip's chest. For the moment, she was content just to be held.

"You were pretty gutsy the other morning," he told her. "Telling my mother and I all of that stuff about yourself."

She pushed herself away from him. "How did you know?"

"You gave yourself away," he said. "The headmaster has a peculiar way of speaking, ho hm."

Phillip smiled at her, no doubt pleased with his cleverness. "And the headmaster strikes me as a very proper sort," he continued. "I don't believe he would ever suggest I use someone's nickname without their permission."

"So if you knew all that, then why . . .?" she asked as her heart started to pound.

"We don't have a whole lot of control in our lives, but we do have some say about the person we choose to be," he told her. "Who you choose to be is up to you Kitty. All I ask is that you don't push me away."

Evangeline had been about to call him an idiot, but only managed "Mmmm," as his lips pressed against hers. Her shock flared into anger, but the anger quickly melted away as he put his arms about her again. "Mmmm."

The door opened and Setsuna poked her head in. "The headmaster has returned," she said, and then her jaw dropped. "Dwaah."

Evangeline could have cheerfully brained the hanyo for the interruption. Instead, she broke off the kiss. "The headmaster can wait until we're finished," she informed the girl. Setsuna's expression was quite comical, but Evangeline was too busy to enjoy it. "Mmmm."

Evangeline wrenched herself back to the present, but words from her past rang in her ears. Try living in the light. It's your move. Who you choose to be is up to you. The words coalesced into a single idea. At that moment, Evangeline knew what she wanted.

"Well?" she asked.

"Hm, Markham has proven himself," the headmaster answered. "I will explain his purpose for being here after we finish our meeting."

"Furthermore," the headmaster started and then paused. He knew what Evangeline had been before Nagi placed her on his doorstep. She had earned every bit of that bounty put on her and then some. But he had trusted her with Konoka's and Negi's lives, and she came through. He again had trusted her and placed his own life on the line. Now, he had to trust again. "You have proven that you can be trusted," he said. "Ho hm, what is your plan?"

Evangeline smiled in response. "I have no intention of hiding out for who knows how long," she said. "And I refuse to become another denizen in that dungeon you call Library Island."

If her smile broadened anymore, her face would have broken in half. "I understand there's an open teaching position at the middle school."

Evangeline laughed as two bushy eyebrows shot upwards.

Mahora Headmaster's Office

It was the second time that Phillip had been called out of class. He had feared the worst until he learned he was to report to the headmaster's office. After the headmaster had talked to him, Phillip wasn't sure this wasn't the worst.

"I am, heh, sorry not to have been forthcoming with you before," the headmaster said apologetically. "I hope you can appreciate my situation."

"Oh, I can appreciate it," Phillip replied. "I don't like it one damn bit, but I can appreciate it."

"When I enlisted in the Air Force, I understood the risks," Phillip said, his anger beginning to show through. "I didn't know being a teacher in Japan would be more dangerous."

"And the worst part is," he continued, "you're still not leveling with me."

"You show me a part of the picture and ask me to stake my life on it."

Phillip saw the anger flash in the old man's eyes, but it was quickly suppressed. "You're correct Markham-sensei, I'm not leveling with you," he told Phillip. "I can't and I won't. Too many lives depend upon my decisions."

"I tell you only enough to make an informed choice, no more," he said. "If it isn't sufficient, then refuse."

"You can be on a flight back to America tomorrow," the headmaster said sternly, "and we can go on preparing."

Konoemon watched in amazement as the other man grinned at him. "Now you're leveling with me," Phillip chuckled.

The stunned expression on the old man's face made Phillip want to laugh out loud. "It's always good to know where you stand with your commander, don't you think?"

"Markham-sensei," Konoemon spoke slowly, "were you like this with your military commanders?"

"I was much worse with them," he admitted.

"I see," the headmaster replied.

Phillip's face became serious again. "Sir, would it be possible," he started. "What I mean is could I see . . .?"

The headmaster shook his head. "No Markham-sensei," he answered. "That wouldn't be possible under the current circumstances."

Phillip's disappointment showed in his face. "I understand," he replied.

"Hm, so Markham-sensei, have you made your choice?"

Phillip was silent for several minutes. "There's a part of me that's screaming to get out of here," he finally said. "You're in way over your head and it's not your fight."

"And there's another part that says if I don't stand with you now, who will be left to stand with me later."

Phillip closed his eyes. He breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly. He opened his eyes and looked straight at the headmaster. "If you'll have me, I'm on your team," he said. "And I sure hope our team wins."

"So do I Markham-sensei. So do I."

A/N: Okay, I can see it coming. "The Queen of Evil becomes a school teacher!" "Couldn't you think of something better?" Well, no. I am taking 'The Wonders of Love' by TFKeyes as my inspiration. In that story, the author proposed that Evangeline joined the faculty at Mahora and enjoyed teaching. This in turn caused me to wonder how such a change could have occurred, and the last few chapters are the result. They may not convince you, but this is fanfiction, you can post a better explanation. And I'll be happy to read it. Next item on the agenda. When Phillip first met Evangeline, he saw her as a woman named Katherine. True, it was an illusion, but he still sees her as Katherine despite all that has happened. I imagine this is the opposite of the Thousand Master. Nagi first saw Evangeline as a kid and he continued to treat her as such even though he knew better. Both are acting foolish, but at least Phillip admits it. I hope I can rush through the next week, but I fear there are still too many things going on. Evangeline has to be eulogized, Negi has to start training again, a teacher hired, a demon confined, Takamichi after Fate's trail, and Asuna off detention. Looks like I'm swamped.