A/N: As always, I don't own Negima or its wonderful characters. I do however own a curiosity that is always asking "what if?"

Mahora High School

Phillip sat at his desk and finished grading the week's papers. The results were depressing. True, the week had been unusually stressful for everybody. And maybe he was being too ambitious, but Phillip didn't feel that a two page paper every Friday was so much to ask. He pulled out the papers belonging to the Baka Rangers. Now that was really depressing.

These five girls embodied the worst problems of his students. He reviewed them again. Ayase-san had scribbled down maybe half a page. While the spelling and grammar were good, it looked as if she wrote it down right before coming to class. Maybe while on the train. But for sheer, bad penmanship, Nagase-san was the worst. Phillip could barely read what she wrote, let alone grade it.

Fei-san had wonderful writing, but she constantly left words out, usually 'the' and 'a'. She also didn't seem to know the different tenses. Sasaki-san was sloppy with her spelling, and she couldn't seem to stay with one thought at a time. She also had some odd word choices. Phillip wondered if she used a word because it sounded cool. And then there was Kagurazaka-san.

Phillip shook his head as he tried to figure out her problem. She would start out writing neatly. Then she would make a mistake, cross it out, make another and so on. The writing turned into a scrawl by the end as if she were getting frustrated. Most of her mistakes seemed pretty simple, but once she started, she seemed to be caught in a cycle of making them. Phillip thought about making a phone call back to the states, but he decided he wasn't that desperate yet.

If only he could improve those five, the other 600 students would be a piece of cake. He looked at the clock. "Time to see how those two are doing," he thought as he got up from his chair. He decided to let Naba-san and Kagurazaka-san out early today. Besides, Minimoto-sensei had asked him stop by the tea shop and pick up an order. He needed to get there before it closed.

Mahora Shopping District

Phillip left the tea shop in a hurry. The owner had told him about a wine shop and Phillip had just enough time to get there before it closed. He didn't notice the young man down the street watch his departure.

The young man pulled out his cell phone and punched in some numbers. "Segiru here," he said. "Do you want another shot at the American teacher?"

He hung up his phone and waited. He paid no attention to the black and white dog that walked by. Nor did it matter to him that it walked in the same direction as Markham.

Kotaro had been tracking Phillip since the teacher left the school grounds. He wanted to pulverize the creep, but he knew Chiziru-nechan wouldn't approve. And she always knew what Kotaro was up to. Even moving in with Takahata-san hadn't stopped it. She called several times a day to ask if he was eating right, did he get enough sleep, was he changing his shorts.

Kotaro imagined she would still be calling ten years from now. "Naw, we'll be living together by then," he thought, and then froze. "Why would I think that? I'm a lone wolf." But then, he had to admit that the thought of not being with her was disturbing too.

He watched as Phillip walked into another store. "Again," Kotaro thought. "This guy shops as much as a girl." He walked across the street and lay down.

The last store closed and the street was soon deserted, but no sign of Markham. Kotaro did notice four boys approach from the direction of the tea shop. His hackles rose as he recognized Watanabe and his gang. He was going to tear into them when he remembered Markham. He settled back down and waited. "This could get interesting," he decided.

Phillip walked out of the store. He carried a bag in his right hand and a bottle in his left. Nataku shouted something and Phillip looked over at the boys. He obviously recognized them as he dropped the paper bag and backed against the wall.

The boys spread out as they approached. Phillip said something, but none of them understood him. Nataku pulled out a knife. Phillip swung the bottle against the wall, shattering the glass and spraying the contents on the ground and wall. Kotaro smelled some sort of alcohol. Phillip held the neck of the bottle and brandished the several wicked looking shards still attached. The boys paused and considered the improvised weapon. Phillip said something else to them in English and they advanced slowly.

"Real interesting."

The gang had him boxed in and Phillip waited for them to move. Despite his feelings about the teacher, Kotaro had to admire his guts. "Too bad they'll be decorating the street," he thought. "Sure sucks to be you."

The boys moved and so did Phillip. Nataku lunged with his knife. Phillip caught his wrist and forced the knife to the side. The teacher then thrust the bottle at Segiru's face. The boy stumbled back and collided with Satoshi who was on his right. Both boys fell to the ground. Hikaru had hesitated but then moved in. He felt the American's foot strike the inside of his thigh, just above the knee. Hikaru screamed in pain as he felt bone break. He too fell to the ground, clutching his injured leg.

Phillip dropped to bottle and smashed his left fist into Nataku's face. The boy's head rocked back, and he dropped his knife. Phillip released him as he fell back. The boy raised his hands to his bloody nose. Kotaro decided he had seen enough. He ran across the street.

As Nataku staggered up, Kotaro bit him on the seat of his pants. The boy danced about wildly, trying to shake the dog off of him, all the while blood flowed from his nose. Kotaro let go only to chase Nataku down the street. The two uninjured boys picked up their friend and fled as well.

Suddenly alone, Phillip picked up the discarded knife. He was surprised to see blood on the blade. He reached down to investigate his slashed shirt. He brought his hand back up, and saw blood on the finger tips. "And they say we're violent," he thought as he slid down to the ground.

Kotaro walked back to were he had left the American, first stopping to change to human form. He thought the fight was short, but enjoyed it otherwise. He was surprised that the old guy could hold his own. He was still a jerk, but Kotaro could almost respect him.

Kotaro noticed Phillip was sitting down. As he ran over, the man looked up at him and then looked back down. Kotaro could see that he had his shirt open. He could also see blood oozing from a gash across his stomach. Kotaro knelt down and removed his jacket. "And Chiziru-nechan just bought this too," he mentally complained as he took his shirt off and tore it into strips.

Mahora Pizzeria

The phone rang. "Pizza Rush," the man answering the phone said. "We do it in a rush, 45 minutes or the next's on us." He took down the order and punched it into the system. Twenty minutes later, the delivery boy hopped into his car, carrying three large pizzas with the works. He had 25 minutes to make the deadline.

Mahora Teacher's Dormitory

Negi was in the kitchen when he heard the pounding on the front door. "Hey Negi," he recognized Kotaro's voice, "let us in." Negi opened the door.

Kotaro stood wearing his jacket and pants, but no shirt. He was supporting Phillip who had his shirt open and had blood soaked cloths wrapped around his stomach. "Help me set him down," Kotaro said.

They got Phillip to the couch and Negi inspected his wound. "What happened?" he asked Kotaro.

"He got into another fight with Watanabe's gang," the other boy answered. "He wasn't as lucky this time. But then neither were they."

"Don't worry Negi," Phillip said. He looked a little out of it to the boy teacher. "I'll be fine in the morning."

"I don't know if I should have taken him to the hospital," Kotaro said.

"Probably," Negi replied. "I'm going to need help."

Negi pulled a pactio card out and held it to his forehead. "Are you there Konoka-san?" he asked.

"She's with you?" he asked. "I'll bring you both."

Two white lights flared into existence and winked out. Konoka and Setsuna stood in the room. "What's wrong?" Konoka asked.

"Sensei's injured," Negi said as he pointed at Phillip.

Both girls rushed to the couch and inspected the improvised bandage. "Hi girls," Phillip said when he recognized them. They ignored his comment.

"A single cut about seventeen to eighteen centimeters long, not too deep," Setsuna said.

Konoka looked into Phillip's eyes. "Shock has set in," she said.

"I can handle this," Konoka said as she withdrew her wand with the heart-shaped tip.

"Why do you two always see me at my worst?" Phillip asked and then leaned his head back.

Konoka recited the spell and touched his wound with her wand. It healed instantly.

"Should you be doing this in front of him?" Kotaro asked. "Aren't you going to be turned into a bunch of ermines?"

"He already knows about magic," Konoka replied as she checked her handiwork. "He's here because Grandfather thinks he can help us."

"Him?" Kotaro was skeptical. "What can he do?"

"We're not sure how," Setsuna answered, "but he can do things no normal person can."

They heard Phillip snore. "Let's get him to bed," Konoka said. "Then you can explain all this Kotaro-kun."

Mahora Theater

Sayo sat in the darkened theater and watched the movie with her friend Asakura Kazumi. She hadn't seen a film in the years after her death, so she was curious when Kazumi said she was going to cover the Mahora premier.

Sayo enjoyed the movie but had a problem following the plot. She understood that it was about pirates and cursed treasure, but she couldn't decide if it was a love story, a swashbuckling adventure, or a slapstick comedy. Oddly enough, it seemed to be all three at once. There were a few parts that she didn't want to see. She covered her eyes whenever the skeletons were on screen, and her companion chuckled about the ghost being scared.

The pirate captain was about to be executed when the blacksmith appeared to rescue him. Kazumi got up from her seat and headed for the door. Reluctantly, Sayo floated after her. As they entered the lobby, Sayo asked her," Why are we leaving now?"

"I need to set up outside to get some crowd shots," the reporter answered. "But you can stay."

"That's okay," Sayo replied. After all, she didn't need to buy a ticket, so she could come back anytime. However, she didn't want to see a movie by herself, that wasn't much fun. Most of her classmates couldn't see her, so she wondered who would go with her. She could ask Negi-sensei, but he was so busy with his new class. There was Betty-san too.

Thinking of the other ghost reminded Sayo of her new teacher. Although she liked sensei, Sayo couldn't imagine asking him to go to a movie. The thought frightened her more than a whole boat-load of skeletons.

Sayo had been lost in her thoughts as she followed Kazumi out of the theater. She was surprised to find them on the opposite side of the street. As the red-headed girl worked out her camera angle, Sayo decided to ask her the question she had meant to since Monday.

"I remembered something about my sister," she said.

"The one who planted the garden?"

"Yes," Sayo replied. "After graduating, Tsuwabuki moved to Tokyo."

"I know the address, but I need help to find it," she finished.

"That's great," Kazumi told her. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I guess the week's events kind of drove it out of my mind," she admitted.

"I'll be glad to help you," Kazumi said. "But it will have to be after tomorrow's service."

"Will you be covering the service for the paper?" Sayo asked her.

"No," Kazumi answered. "Sometimes you can be too close to a story."

"Back to work," Kazumi said as she readied her camera.

The students exited the theater. Sayo noticed two of her classmates, Nodoka and Yue, leave the theater. They stood on the sidewalk, talking to one another. No doubt they were waiting for Haruna to join them. A few minutes later, Makie, Yuna and Ako walked outside. Nodoka waved at them but the three girls ignored her and walked across the street. Sayo saw the hurt look on Nodoka's face at the snub. Sayo sympathized with Nodoka, but she too had resented the ring that Negi gave the library girl as much as the others. Still, in the time since, sensei didn't seem to give Nodoka anymore attention that before. If anything, he spent more time with Ku and Setsuna. Discussing strategy he explained.

The three sports girls called out as their friend Akira exited the theater. She heard them and started to cross the street. The air was filled with the squeal of tires and a white car, emblazoned with the words 'Pizza Rush,' turned onto the street. Akira froze as the car sped towards her. The driver slammed on his brakes and several people screamed. Sayo covered her eyes, not daring to watch. When she failed to hear a sickening crunch, she cautiously removed her hands.

The car was stopped and a crowd of onlookers had gathered around. Sayo heard them talking.

"It's a miracle," one person said.

"I've never seen anyone move so fast," said another.

Curious, Sayo rose into the air to get a better look. She saw Akira sitting on the sidewalk. She had her arms tightly wrapped around Nodoka and seemed to be crying. Nodoka stroked the girl's long, dark hair and spoke as one would to sooth a frightened child. Nodoka eventually disengaged the other girl's arms as the three sports club girls gathered around them.

Leaving Akira to her friends, Nodoka stood. She had turned to leave when Makie called her name. She spun around; her face had a questioning look on it. The look changed to shock as the gymnast threw her arms about her and hugged her. Yuna and Ako did the same and the crowd let out a cheer for Nodoka.

Kazumi, Yue and Haruna had all managed to push through the onlookers and stood by her side. Kazumi whispered something into Nodoka's ear, and Nodoka nodded in response. The four made their way through the mob who was still cheering for the hero of the moment. Sayo followed them.

After they had gotten out of sight, Nodoka stopped. "What did you need to tell me?" she asked Kazumi.

"What spell did you use?" the reporter asked in return.

"I had to make something up," Nodoka answered. "I think I asked Mercury to help me fly."

Kazumi smirked. "Look down at your feet," she replied.

All the girls looked down. Small, white wings had sprouted from Nodoka's ankles. They waved gently up and down. Nodoka gasped.

"That's too cool," Haruna remarked.

"We better find Negi-sensei," Yue suggested. "After we get you some leg warmers."

Mahora Teacher Dormitory

Negi, Konoka and Setsuna listened as Kotaro finished explaining what had happened. "And that's when Negi summoned you two," he said as he leaned back against the back of the couch.

"Why didn't you help sensei sooner?" Konoka asked him.

"It wasn't my fight," the boy replied. "Besides, I was paid to watch not baby sit."

"Paid? Who paid you?" Konoka demanded to know.

"The headmaster," Kotaro said in a disinterested voice. "He doesn't pay much, but at least I have some spending cash."

"Didn't Asuna get you a job delivering papers?" Negi asked him.

"Yeah," he answered. "But I had to drop that when this job came up."

"Who's doing your route then?"

"I don't know," Kotaro replied. "I guess Asuna-nechan is."

"So Asuna has two paper routes?"

"Never mind that now Negi-kun," Konoka told him. She rounded on the other boy. "Kotaro-kun, you need to take watching Markham-sensei seriously."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever," he said as he stood up and started for the door. "I need to catch some shut eye."

The dead bolt on the front door slid shut with a loud click. "Not so fast," Konoka said.

Kotaro whirled about. Konoka stood with her wand drawn. "What do you think you're doing?" he snarled.

"I didn't know Konoka could do unincanted spells," Chamo whispered to Negi.

"I didn't either," Negi whispered back.

Konoka strode over to Kotaro. "What I'm doing is changing your attitude."

"You and what army?" he retorted.

Konoka smiled in response. "I know your weakness," she told him. She moved her wand out to the side and Kotaro's feet shot out from underneath him. Konoka knelt down and started scratching the boy's chest and stomach.

Kotaro was too stunned to react. As he lay on the floor, he began to realize how good the scratching felt. So good in fact, he had to try hard not to squirm on his back. "Enough Konoka-nechan," he cried out. "Please."

Konoka stopped. She looked down at the boy; her resolve was etched into her face. "I hate to take advantage of Negi-kun's friend," she said, "but if you don't cooperate, I'll have no choice but to tell others about this."

"You wouldn't ell Chiziru-nechan would you?"

"No, I'd tell the Narutaki twins," she threatened.

A look of pure terror appeared on his face. "Not them," he pleaded. "Anyone but them."

"Do we have a deal then?" she asked. "Or do you become Fu-chan and Fumi-chan's lapdog?"

Kotaro was trapped and he knew it. "Deal," he said sullenly.

"Good," Konoka replied. She looked at the others who were still staring open-mouthed at her. "How about some tea?"

Negi was off the couch like a shot. "I'll fix some," he said as he hurried into the kitchen.

Setsuna was right behind him. "I'll help."

Mahora Headmaster's Office

The headmaster sat at his desk and reviewed the latest batch of reports. The agents in the field hadn't uncovered much useful information. A few, like Takamichi, had been attacked, but not in earnest. It was not beyond the enemy to stage a few small battles to draw attention to the wrong areas. He threw the reports aside in disgust.

When he took charge of both the Magic Association and Mahora some 25 years ago, he understood the war that came a few years after. He could prepare. But this war was beyond his comprehension. The enemy was faceless and his aims unknown. He kept to the shadows and bided his time. When he struck, it would be the place and time of his choosing. Konoemon felt as if he were grasping at straws in desperation.

He wondered, not for the first time, if he was still the right leader for Mahora. Although the passion still burned fiercely within him, he was 80 years old. Perhaps the confusion he felt was his unwillingness to accept the changes in the world. Were his ideas so ingrained that he was blinding himself to the truth?

If he did step aside, who would lead them? The council grew more deeply divided by the day. Some of them felt there was no threat. Others argued that they should isolate themselves from the rest of the world, like their ancestors did in the 16th century. Then there were those who thought they could negotiate. Did those fools not realize where the path of appeasement leads?

What if they were right? Had he become too old, too set in his ways? Maybe he should step down and let fresh ideas prevail. But that would also mean condemning Konoka to a marriage. Her chance to become the leader he saw in her would be gone. It was the step he was most reluctant to take.

A gentle knock interrupted his thought. "Come in," he said.

Shizuna Minimoto entered the room. She carried a ceramic cup and saucer in and set them down on his desk. A brownish-colored liquid was in the cup. A string with a tag proudly proclaiming 'Green Tea,' hung over the side.

"It's all I could find sir," Shizuna apologized.

"This will be fine," he lied. He picked up the string and began dunking the tea bag.

"I am in need of some advice," he said. "Do you have a moment?"

"Certainly sir," she answered.

"Please be seated."

Shizuna pulled a chair towards the desk and sat down. Her back was straight and her hands were neatly folded in her lap. She had been a first year Mahora Elementary School student the year he became headmaster. Her pose reminded him so much of that student, that he smiled in spite of himself.

"A war is coming," he said as the smile faded. "A war that will bring us misery and death."

"I am wondering if the price we will pay is not too high," he told her. "Would it be better this time not to fight?"

"No sir," she replied simply and without hesitation. "We must fight."

"You sound sure of your answer," he remarked.

"I am sir," Shizuna responded. "Do you remember your first speech as the headmaster?"

"I don't recall all of it, I was only six then," she smiled as she spoke. The headmaster thought it a bittersweet smile. "But I remembered one part."

"We are a school built upon tradition, but we seek to learn the best that the world has to offer," she repeated. "As we strive to learn, we must also remember. We must never forget who we were . . .."

The headmaster's voice joined with hers, "As we move down the path of who we will become."

The headmaster took a sip of tea. It tasted bitter in his mouth. "I remember that speech," he said quietly.

"I've believed in that idea all of these years," she admitted to him. "To not defend that idea, would be to call it a lie."

"I don't believe that all we have tried to build was based on a lie," she continued. "If you tell me that not one of us will survive this war, I'd still say that we need to fight. To throw away everything we've accomplished would be the greater loss."

The headmaster sat in his chair amazed. Shizuna-kun was the last person he could imagine to argue for violence. Yet she sat there and told him that they needed to, no, were obligated to fight. Perhaps this wasn't just an old man's conceit. He took another sip of tea. Now if only the tea were palatable, but that would take a miracle beyond all others.

A/N: Nodoka finally gets to do something heroic. I mean, giving Negi a kiss doesn't quite count. I hope I can work in a couple of the other girls too at some point. And as for Konoka, she always struck me as being manipulative. Just think back to the scene where she gets Asuna to bark like a dog.