Magister Negi Magi is owned by Ken Akamatsu and Kodansha Ltd. Tokyo in Japan, and by Funimation and Kodansha USA in the United States, NOT by me.
Other characters are also the property of their respective creators and owners, not me.
Some characters created by kafka'sdragon for his 'Markham Chronicles Negima' story are used here with his permission. Kafka'sdragon often contributes ideas, paragraphs, or entire sections of a chapter, and such help is much appreciated.
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"Oh… quite the mountain of a man; that one…"
-Professor Megumi 'Nutmeg' Natsumi, overheard by a colleague after her first encounter with Jack Rakan Jr.
Mage War
Chapter Forty-Three: There, Here, and the Future
(-)
(Outside Granicus City, Mundus Magicus, April, 2030)
"UURRAAAAHHHH!"
Wandering peacefully though the rocks and cacti, looking for the tasty flowers and other things which sprouted in such places; a startled tokage looked up in the direction of an unexpected shout…
When a wildly laughing, spiky-haired, bipedal creature jumped down from a high rock and grabbed onto its back, the tokage bolted in panic and began running blindly across the desert until it reached the outskirts of Granicus City. There it stampeded through a small market; leaving angry shouts and smashed stalls in its wake; before continuing on through the streets until it reached the massif of the old Minerva Cup Arena, where it sideswiped a wall before slipping and collapsing in a completely exhausted heap…
Rolling off the limp tokage, Jack Rakan Jr. leaned back on his arms and laughed at the game he'd just played…
…such carefree amusement lasted until a huge shadow cast itself over the worn-out tokage, and eventually his own darkly-tanned self, "Ah… hah, hah… Hi dad… I didn't realize you were back in town yet…"
As much as allowances could be made for wild youth; especially considering his own past; Jack Rakan stood over his dust-streaked son and tried to decide what needed to be done. He might have considered ignoring the complaints of those in the wrecked market; might have just paid for all the damages; if not for the tiny personal affront Jack Jr. had unknowingly managed to inflict upon his own father…
Honey-pickled Peach Meade was extremely rare; and even for someone of Jack's means extremely expensive; he had waited patiently a year since the last time it had been available, and was about to slowly enjoy the large flagon he'd purchased when a stampeding tokage's tail had smashed the cup from his hand and spilled the precious alcohol irretrievably across the ground.
So popular had the drink been that none remained to replace what was lost.
Clearly… something had to be done.
If a time came when self-control and restraint of such undisciplined behavior was needed; like his own time as a slave-gladiator in the arena; the lack of such could only mean a bad end for Jack Jr. "Go back to that market; apologize to everyone there; then go home and get packed. I'm sending you to school at Mahora in the Mundus Vertus."
Sitting on the ground in the looming shadow of the Minerva Cup Arena, Jack Jr. was immediately cowed by the even greater presence standing over him. Though he might eventually grow to be as big as his famous gladiator father; right now he was nothing more than a spoiled little brat…
Quietly, Jack Jr. stood up and nodded, "I'll go back to the market; then return home as soon as they let me do so…"
(-)
(Hellas City, Hellas Empire)
Chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath; body bruised from how roughly he had just been treated; Gateau Shin Vandenberg lay limply on the parade grounds of the Hellas Empire's premier military academy…
Getting 'toughened up' by first year cadets was proving to be as intense and seemingly capricious as he'd warned to expect by his mother.
Despite enrolling under the name of one of his father's mentors; a few of those who had worked him over in an impromptu session of close combat training were likely still aware of exactly who his mother was. No doubt they had it in for 'Cadet Vandenberg' because they considered Theodora Hellas nothing more than a traitorous, disgraced princess for leaving the Empire to marry her love; a man from the Northern Alliance named Takamichi Takahata.
He could care less.
His parents loved each other and their son; and he felt the same in return.
People in Granicus City treated Takamichi and Theodora just like anyone else; if people in the capitol were too narrow-minded to accept that; well that was just too bad for them.
"Hey Cadet."
Turning slightly, Gateau saw a dark-haired second year cadet he'd seen around standing nearby, "Plea… please don't make me do more exercises because I'm not standing at attention for you; I can barely move right now."
Looking down at the brown-skinned boy with his forward-curving horns, Misa Markham wondered if he was related to who she thought… "Is your dad's name Takamichi Takahata…?"
Wary about being asked that question, Gateau sat up, "Maybe… why do you want to know?"
Squatting down on her heels; hands propping up her chin; Misa grinned hugely, "You're not being very subtle if you want to hide your parentage from me; as for why I want to know; my dad knew yours back in the day. He told me a few times about something with magic and chi Takamichi could use called Kanka-ho. I was wondering if you knew how to do that, and if you'd be willing to teach me how to use it if you can."
Considering he'd not had any luck making friends since coming to the academy, Gateau was shocked to suddenly have someone; a more senior cadet at that; come up and all but ask to be one…
Calmly, Misa reached out and closed Gateau's open mouth, "Stop gapping; you'll drool or draw flies."
Shaking his head; Gateau jumped to his feet, then nearly keeled over from a double whammy of a head-rush and a muscle twinge, "Ouch! Oww… I mean; of course! I'd be happy to help you learn that! Oww… just; I need a bit of time to get over the close-combat lesson those firsties gave me…"
Rising back to her feet, Misa turned and started to walk away, waving goodbye as she did, "I'll see you tomorrow during the independent training period then."
(-)
(Educational City State of Ariadne)
Both Hiro Sasuki and Beatrix Monroe had retired; more or less; from their original jobs and taken new ones as instructors at the Ariadne Magorum. He taught close-combat drill, and she a secondary-level magic-theory course.
In a house on the outskirts of Ariadne they had lived a comfortable, if not exactly idyllic life.
Emily Sevensheep, Collet Farandole, the crazy pair of mismatched cat-girls from Beatrix' former Valkyrie squad and other old friends would all come over occasionally for visits…
More often than not; such visits would end on a melancholic note; and everyone would drift off to their own homes.
After the passage of the better part of a decade; Hiro noticed Beatrice becoming increasingly reflective… After dinner she would go sit on their porch; quietly watching the world go by until the sun went down, before just as quietly coming to bed. When he would try to speak to her she would only say that there were 'things she needed to work out on her own.'
Obviously she was dissatisfied… He had suspicions about the origin of the matter; and was willing to grant her the time and space to do as she'd said.
In the end; he wished she'd decided to confide in him just a few minutes sooner…
Coming out of the bathroom just in time to see the woman he loved run through the bedroom's French Doors and jump off the second story balcony wasn't something good for his heart…
Shouting her name, Hiro bolted for the porch and looked down into the back yard; hoping Beatrix had landed in the pool. When she wasn't there, he looked up in confusion and quickly noticed a staff rider far off in the distance…
Rushing with cathartic recklessness through the streets and between the buildings of Ariadne; he was all but sure who it was. The rider quickly faded to a faint speck, which just as quickly grew again until Bea finally pulled up to the porch railing on a Valkyrie flight staff and confirmed the suspicion… "Dang-it Bea; don't scare a man like that…" seeing the huge grin on her face, he smiled as well, "…feeling all better now?"
Happy she could still summon the staff, and feeling more alive than she had in years; Beatrix took an extremely long, deep breath before nodding, "Hiro; I'm going to take up Emily's offer to go through the reserve Valkyrie refresher course; then apply for reinstatement in the Brigade."
As Bea jumped lightly off the staff and landed on the porch, Hiro tried his best to display the airs of someone in a put-upon mood, "Finally decided to make me your house-husband have you?"
Shocked for a moment, until she realized he was kidding; Bea stepped forward and lightly thumped Hiro on the chest, "Brute; how can I do that when we aren't even married yet? I should be the one who worries! You might just run away with some sweet young thing who's a student from the regular Magorum while I'm off being a Valkyrie!"
Grinning again, Hiro grabbed Bea's hand and pulled her into his embrace, "I'm happy for you; you've been so quiet of late I was starting to worry a bit…" reaching up; he brushed away a few stray hairs from the face of the woman he loved, "…as dangerous as being a Valkyrie can be; I still think it's your first; best destiny."
Folding her arms around Hiro's chest, Bea then lay her head on his chest, "Thank you for understanding."
(-)
(Edwards Air Force Base, July, 2030)
While crowds of spectators watched a V-22 Osprey team demonstrate the landing and deployment of an infantry force; Ezra Hatton; Chief of Staff to the senior Senator from Nebraska and Senate Defense Committee Chairman, Vance Minot; wandered along the flight line looking at the different aircraft on display.
At one point he stopped before the aircraft some said was just as invulnerable to forcible retirement as it was to enemy fire…
…following voluntary retirement of its previous congressional defender; a Senator from Arizona; Senator Minot had taken up the defender's mantle for the famous tank-busting aircraft; the A-10 Warthog.
Against all attempts to get rid of it; to make budgetary room for newer aircraft; ('allegedly' more capable aircraft, according to the undeniably proven Warthog's many defenders beyond Senator Minot,) the A-10 had persevered; and was looking to have a service life second only to that of the venerable B-52 Stratofortress.
"Mister Ezra Hatton…?"
Turning, Ezra saw a well-dressed, older man with a tanned complexion standing nearby, holding out a hand. Cautiously, he accepted the offer of a handshake, "That's my name; and you are…?"
Smiling with relief after the handshake, the man put a Panama hat he'd been holding back on his head, "My name Is Davao Morro; I represent Polvos Consolidated International. Many of our group's previous political connections in Asia were recently terminated with the implementation of some of the Five Nation's Treaty's initial provisions; so we're trying to establish new connections with up-and–coming politicians in other places. I've heard you were thinking about seeking Senator Minot's seat when he retires; so I was wondering if you could spare me a few minutes of your time?"
Though he was aware of Polvos Consolidated's sometimes unseemly reputation, Ezra nodded, "I'm perfectly willing to give someone as important as yourself a few minutes of my time; perhaps even more, depending on what you have to say."
Sensing perhaps a kindred spirit; Davao held out a hand towards the nearby A-10 Warthog, "Of all the places I could have found you; it was here in the shadow of this powerful beast of an aircraft; perhaps an omen of the strength of our future relationship?"
After a glance towards the A-10 and its huge cannon, Ezra nodded, "Time will tell; time will tell…"
(-)
In high-security contractor's area on the other side of Edwards from the airshow; a Maru gynoid was leading a small group through the office area of a hangar REI had leased from the United States Air Force. With her were the lead test-pilot for the aircraft in the hangar, as well as his son, and the Senate Defense Committee Chairman; Vance Minot, "…so yes; Senator Minot; technically your Chief of Staff has a higher security clearance than Franklin McCall's son Charles; but in his case REI granted a special dispensation as thanks to his father for spotting that asteroid back in 2025. The official public acknowledgement of the aircraft will be next week, so he'll just be seeing the production prototype a week earlier than that."
Reaching out, Senator Minot patted the boy's head, "Well Miss Yukimaru; maybe young Charles will be so impressed he'll keep the secret for a week; maybe he'll even want to follow in his father's footsteps when he's old enough!"
Shrugging off the affection, pouted at the Senator, "My name's 'Chuck!' not 'Charles!' Anyway; Dad made me swear to secrecy; and I always keep my promises!"
Reaching the door to the hangar, Yukimaru keyed a security code on a digital display before leaning in for an ocular code confirmation. Once both were approved; the door opened and the lights inside than hangar came on.
McCall knew a surprisingly high amount of security was inside the hangar; some obvious and some not; but with proper entry codes, nothing jumped out to object to their presence. After everyone entered the hangar and the door closed again, he knelt with one hand on his son's shoulder, and the other pointed towards the pilotless configuration and stealthy lines of the aircraft sitting out in the middle of the gray-painted floor, "There it is Chuck, 'Scorpion II'; the aircraft your dad helped create."
Wide-eyed, Charles McCall could only stare in awe, "It… it's like something from an anime…"
Though she knew Chisame Rakan and Satomi Hakase might not like such a description; Yukimaru smiled briefly at Franklin McCall's son before turning to Senator Minot, "If you can forgive me Senator; because of the schedule for public acknowledgement of the Scorpion; this is the only chance I'll have to ask Mister McCall some recently raised questions about the asteroid he spotted; would you please show Chuck around the Scorpion? Just stay outside the red line and you'll be fine."
Being a politician for as long as he had meant Vance Minot knew when he was being, even politely, brushed off. Since he had helped secure funding for the Scorpion Project though, he was just as ready to brag about the aircraft as its lead test pilot, "Certainly. Come with me Chuck, I'll tell you a few things about the Scorpion that'll knock your socks off."
"COOL!"
As the Senator and Charles moved over towards the Scorpion, Yukimaru faced McCall and held out her hand. "Did you bring that other chip from your telescope?"
Reaching into his uniform's breast pocket; McCall pulled out a micro-memory card. "Right here; I know it's silly to think about now; but I forgot back then that I'd changed the memory card an hour earlier. I was cleaning out the telescope case last week and found it. When I looked at the recorded images I saw something unusual; so I sent a message to that REI e-mail account I was given," as Yukimaru took the card an inserted it into a slot in her arm, he let out a soft chuckle, "…I certainly never expected the one who'd get back with me would be the Scorpion Project rep."
As her automatic security programs checked the card for anything dangerous before even letting so much as an electron come back the other way, Yukimaru shrugged, "I'm the closest REI representative, and Ms. Hakase wanted this evaluated as soon as possible; so here I am."
Yukimaru blinked, and McCall nodded admiringly as a holographic image flickered into existence over her outstretched palm, "That's it; that's the frame that had the weird halo around the asteroid; the only one."
Internally, Yukimaru's processors adjusted based on how the Celestron GSX-401FW Stargazer telescope focused on small items at long range, and the floating image snapped into sudden clarity. It now clearly displayed several concentric and overlapping rings which seemed to be hovering over the asteroid. Fine detail was still blurry, but the existence of something unnatural was unmistakable, "That; Mr. McCall; is a magic circle. I'm now required to tell you that I'm going to scrub your memory card to make sure this doesn't get out; and also that its very existence is a higher level of secrecy than even that of the Scorpion Project."
It wasn't often that Franklin McCall felt a chill of fear… Oddly enough it didn't seem to originate with Yukimaru; whose words could potentially be interpreted as threatening… "You're not kidding; are you…"
Taking the chip from her arm, Yukimaru handed it back to McCall, "I could say something about Maru's never joking; but that would be a lie; some of my sisters are quiet adept at doing so… telling jokes that is. In all seriousness that image needs to be kept secret because if the people who caused it found out their actions had been witnessed; they might try to do something unfortunate."
Sighing, McCall put the chip back in its pocket, "You'd think Earth and that place on Mars were in a Cold War or something…"
Yukimaru's expression was quite serious as she turned to look at McCall, "You wouldn't be wrong to say so."
Seeing his son come running back across the hangar, McCall glanced at Yukimaru; then wondered what her words would mean for the excited boy he leaned down to pick up off the floor…
(-)
(Mahora Academy, August 2030)
Walking down the main boulevard of a Mahora Academy wildly different than the one he'd first been introduced to; Kotaro Inugami wondered were exactly his life would go now…
Though he had been married to Natsumi Murakami for a little more than twenty years, the two of them had reached an impasse, and decided on separation and divorce.
Natsumi's career had been that of an actor and director, and while he had spent the majority of the years at her side; he had often been called away to act as a special agent for Mahora Academy in the Mundus Magicus.
They had started out together with much emotion and equally high hopes; but had eventually drifted apart…
While their parting had been more administrative than acrimonious; and both had expressed a desire to at least remain friends; Kotaro was left with the feeling he had somehow failed as a man.
Always during his marriage to Natsumi, he had felt as if 'something' was missing… as well, as if he was leaving that mysterious 'something' un-done…
More than anything… he felt that 'something' had been why the marriage hadn't worked out…
According to a few of his friends, he should be grateful he and Natsumi hadn't had any children… If that had been the case; their parting might not have been so easy…
As it were; Kotaro wondered if that was what might have been missing…
Since he had been abandoned as a child; Kotaro felt some slight reluctance to have children… After-all… what if he failed in some way, and abandoned them the way he had been abandoned as a child… On the other hand; that he might somehow be incapable of siring children, despite reassurances by Konoka Konoe, was yet another reason for depression…
Many of his friends had had children; and though the unpredictability of such 'small people' was kind of scary, Kotaro had seen the happiness on the parent's faces, and found that he wanted to feel that way as well…
In any case… after spending a year on a journey of discovery in the Mundus Magicus following the divorce, he had decided to return to Mahora. If he could find Negi; maybe a nice; knock-down-drag-out fight would clear his head and help him decide what to do next…
"Kotaro?"
Hearing his name called; Kotaro looked up to see a full-bodied woman with auburn hair looking at him from the entry to a small deli.
"Kotaro! It is you! It's been so long; how are you doing?"
As the woman came over and leaned down slightly to take his hand; Kotaro suddenly realized who she was. "Chi… Chizuru?"
With the same healing smile she'd always had; Chizuru Naba nodded, "I haven't seen you in years! Why don't we have lunch together?"
Suddenly feeling ashamed of himself for his earlier melancholy, Kotaro tightened his grip into a proper handshake, "Why not?"
Later; after a day spent helping Chizuru take care of her pre-school class by being an unexpected and famous guest, Kotaro found himself standing outside Chizuru's home, "Um… well… I suppose I should go now…"
After opening the door, Chizuru turned to face Kotaro, "You've as much as said you didn't arrange for a place to stay before you came to Mahora… Unless you're going to say I shouldn't feel safe with you, then what's wrong with staying here?"
Since Chizuru's look said he was being childish; Kotaro gave a resigned sigh and followed her inside.
Despite any trepidation he might have felt over going willingly into Chizuru's 'clutches,' Kotaro eventually broke down under her gentle questioning and vented his fears and worries until the emotions became so unrestrained he began bawling his eyes out.
For her own part; Chizuru held Kotaro until his sobbing finally quieted, and he fell asleep in her arms.
For the first time in more than a year, Kotaro had an uninterrupted night's sleep…
…though the shock he received after waking up to find himself in bed with Chizuru caused an entirely different kind of anxiety…
tsuzuku
Author's Notes:
As noted in previous chapters; Jack Rakan is married to Chisame Hasegawa. Jack Rakan Jr. is their only son.
Gateau Shin Vandenberg: 神- 'shin' is from the first Kanji in Asuna Kagurazaka's name.
Firsties: Generic name used to refer to senior class cadets at a military academy.
B-52 Stratofortress: First designed and flown in the late 1950's; the B-52 is expected to remain in use until the 2040's. Grandchildren of original B-52 pilots are now flying the latest upgraded versions of the bomber.
Davao Morro and Polvos Consolidated International: A person and business group previously encountered by Misora Kasuga and Cocone Rosa in the Philippines and Bazil.
Next: …for the future…
