Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit fictional story, a FanFiction based on Ken Akamatsu's Negima. I do not own Negima, or most of the other characters included in this work, excepting where it is stated in the author's notes. It is not intended or presented for any commercial profit or personal gain; it is simply a story written for personal fulfillment and presented for public enjoyment, and as an honest homage to the fine story conceived and written by Ken Akamatsu, as well as all the other (innumerable) works that find place herein (and their authors).
Chapter Seven: To the Future!
It was a crisp, late spring morning, but the chill was mostly unfelt by the collection of students, due to the immensity of the occasion. Four years ago they had largely been children, a collection of misfit girls with flights of fancy, prone to foolishness and such. Now….
Well, some of them hadn't matured as much as others, but they were clearly women…and all that they had experienced had an effect, it was certain. Even Riza Asakaze, Izumi Segawa and Miki Hanabishi were dignified at this moment, as they attended the ceremony that marked their graduation from high school, having fought the good fight in order to register barely-passing grades.
The world had already begun changing. Mahora had changed the most, with the integration of the middle and high schools into single, coed entities instead of gender-segregated pools, and knowledge of magic had spread to pretty much everyone on campus. That part had not been difficult; the greatest majority of students at Mahora were granted admission because they were only a few steps away from being in the magical circle as it was, and they had been conditioned—whether by natural environment, or the school's subtle, diabolical will, it was hard to say—to accept the unusual with aplomb anyway. It was even more subtle than it had seemed in the future Kain and his class had visited…as rumors spread around the websites frequented by Mahora students, rumors that magic was responsible for so many of the strange happenings that went on, the students considered it, said to each other, "Oh, magic, that kind of makes sense, doesn't it?" and went on with their lives.
Certainly, there were a few with more agile and willful minds, those who were like Chisame and Nanami and sought either to deny and run from magic or to exploit it in some way, but the school's resources were easily enough to deal as was appropriate with each of them. Now, the mages were looking beyond places like Mahora, and magical-related events were starting to crop up around the globe. Kain had spent a good portion of the last three years intervening in crimes and mysteries caused by magical forces running amok…they weren't really common, but occasionally a magical force entered the world, or a magical artifact fell into the wrong hands and started mischief, and Kain was at the forefront of the mages putting a clamp on it. At the same time, it allowed him to carefully spread the seeds of magical knowledge to those who could be of the most use to the magical society. Now, his plan called for the final, total announcement of magic sometime within the next four years.
But the matter was fact to these ladies as they graduated, and the young men that graduated with them. And they all had their own plans for after graduation…and most of them involved magic.
After the ceremony was completed, the diplomas were handed out and the former students were released, and they mostly began to fragment into their respective groups, chatting and talking with their friends and making plans to celebrate the occasion….
Kagome hailed Nodoka as the still shy girl began to separate from the crowds. "Ah," she sighed. "Even after all this time, it's kind of lonely, isn't it?"
Nodoka smiled slightly. "Yes…it is…Mai-san and Momo-san for you, and Yue and Ami for me…."
"It's kind of funny," Kagome mused. "When you think about it, we really spent about as much time without them in high school as we did with them in middle school, but it still feels more natural for them to be there, you know?"
"Yes…but…we had each other…."
"Yeah." Kagome glanced carefully at Nodoka. "I'm really relieved, Nodoka." Nodoka looked back in surprise, and Kagome continued, "Well, I was a little worried about you…your friends running off on you, and at the same time, Kain-sensei rejected you, left us all and ran off with Mai…I mean, I can't fault them, I guess I always thought that might happen, and of course I'm happy for her, but…in my heart…even if Mai was my friend, I was always kind of cheering you on, I guess…."
Nodoka actually giggled. "No…it's okay. Kain-sensei…was happiest with Mai-san. That was always the case, even if we were too afraid and stubborn to see it. It was what was best. He loved all of us…it was as painful for him as it was for us, having to choose, having to disappoint so many."
Kagome sighed. "Jeez, you're such a good girl, too. C'mon, you had to have been a little jealous and let-down."
"N-no…." She giggled again. "Okay…of course I was…but if I really love Kain-sensei, I couldn't just let that depress me and ruin my life. I couldn't keep my friends here, beg them to stay, just because I wanted their support. I had to learn…if nothing else, I am so grateful that Kain -sensei taught me to have the strength to stand on my own, to do things for myself. Yue and Ami had their own important dreams to follow, and me too…I have a dream to follow…something that I must do…."
Kagome's look was again very careful. "…Right. Find Fairy Tail, isn't it?"
"Yes." Nodoka turned to Kagome. "What about you? Kagome-san…did you finish with your training…?"
"That's right," Kagome agreed. "I've done all I can, schooling-wise, to be an Archmage Potentiate, as they call them. Rather than receiving a task, I've got a work I'm going to do as my submission for the title, basically my magician's thesis, you could say, and I'm about ready to do it; I'm going back to Kain-sensei's home, and I'm going to restore the people of his village to life. I can do it now, I know it…."
Nodoka gazed at Kagome admiringly. She had always been so strong, so determined. She had often been busy with her studies, but, as the two had been left bereft of their usual circles in high school, they had drifted together, and Nodoka had used Kagome's example as her strength to encourage her to keep going. Thanks to that, she knew she would be strong enough to find them. She thought of her long-lost friends of Fairy Tail…and the strange invitation that had been left at her doorstep that very morning….
"That's wonderful, Kagome-san…I'm sure…."
"Ah, there she is! Hey! Hey! Nodoka-chan!"
"That's rather rude, Arika. Shouldn't you let Yue speak for herself?"
"Well, if we leave it to Yue, she still won't have the voice or presence to cut through this crowd…."
The pair stopped and glanced over in surprise. Nodoka cried out with joy, and charged.
Naturally, the speakers were the misfit collection of HiME that had befriended Yue, including the short girl herself, and the pair of reunited friends embraced enthusiastically. Arika, Nina, Shiho, Irina and Erstin all stood respectfully back and looked on with various expressions. They were dressed in casual clothes, for the most part; all had grown into women, but otherwise seemed little changed from how they had been back in the day, especially Yue, who still seemed so small she should have still been in school.
Yue, amazingly, almost matched Nodoka's enthusiasm in their reunion, her small, earnest smile marking her face. Kagome smiled herself as she looked at the reunion, then decided to address herself to the other visitors. "Well…so you came to visit Nodoka on her graduation, huh? That's nice of you all…I hear you all graduated from Garderobe last week…?"
"That's right," Shiho agreed. "We can't tell you what assignments some of us may have gotten until they become official, but we are no longer apprentice HiME. But…didn't you know…?" Kagome looked confused at Shiho's hinting question, and the psychometer continued, "Certainly, we came so Yue and Nodoka could have their reunion, but it wasn't just our whim. We were invited."
"Invited?" Kagome demanded. "Invited by whom? For what?"
"Oh, please, weren't you paying attention, Higurashi? Were you actually studying these last few weeks or something?"
"Eh?" Kagome turned back as the newcomer approached, marked with her usual brand of ennui. "Chisame-chan…."
"This is our graduation from high school, the most momentous occasion of our young lives so far," Chisame continued. "Or at least, that's how our teachers see it. And one teacher in particular thought that it was an important enough event to make a huge fuss over. Kain-sensei arranged for a huge, Class 3-A reunion/celebration party tonight. You should have the details in your mail if you'd look at them…."
"Eh? Ah…." Kagome whipped out her phone and took a look, and found that it was indeed the case. "It's true! I guess I just never look at this thing enough…none of the people I usually hang with use cell phones much, if at all…." She glanced back to Chisame. "Will everyone really be there?"
"Yes, everyone," Momo said sweetly from right next to Kagome, startling her with the suddenness of her appearance. Kagome actually gave a screech and fell over, and Momo, giggling, bent down to help her up. "It's been too long…but we wouldn't be Class 3-A if we didn't leave our 'childhood' behind with something like this, would we?"
"No, that's certainly true," Yue agreed with her small smile as she and Nodoka finally moved to join the minor reunion. This time it was the recovered Kagome who was enthusiastically embracing Momo, but Yue continued, "After everything, this is only appropriate. I hear Kain-sensei really made some preparations for this. We can start heading over now. Shall we?"
8-8-8
Momo led the group at Chisame's insistence—apparently those two were the only ones present who really knew the location, and Chisame would not lead if at all possible—and together they made their way towards the location for the party Kain had prepared. There were delays, for they encountered more of their friends en route, and Nodoka and Yue both had to take a few moments to embrace Ami at their reunion. They picked up Rakasu and the Yûki sisters on the way as well.
To the surprise of all, Momo was leading them…towards the rooftop that had always served Class 3-A's athletic activities. "What, here?" Kanade demanded. "I would have thought that we'd party somewhere like Alyssa-chan's place…."
Momo smiled beatifically, but Chisame actually smirked knowingly and spoke first. "Ha…really? I'm surprised at you, Dorm Supervisor…you're thinking way too small…."
Momo opened the door…and a brilliant Technicolor field greeted them beyond. As they marveled at it—even to these girls, such sights were hardly common—the field sucked them all inside….
…And deposited them into a relatively familiar terrain. No cliffs, no out-and-out jungles, but a park-like field with a scattering of trees around a path leading up to a magnificent demesne, a sprawling mansion/castle hybrid. Overall, it was similar both to Jynx' lair that he inhabited underneath Library Island and Alyssa's resort. A few of the visitors voiced opinions as such.
"Very close, although that 'lair' of Jynx' was always mine to begin with," Kalan corrected them, and the girls started with cries of surprise and delight. "This place is actually a world Kain and I created out of both of those, and prepared for this little gathering. It has been a few years, after all, and Kain wanted to give you all one last get-together to celebrate your graduation. Let's head on in, then; you girls are among the latecomers…."
The magnificent palace had three large floors and endless rooms with all the various distractions the girls could want; game rooms and movie rooms and kitchens and dining rooms and libraries and studies and everything in between. As Kalan noted, it was already packed with people…not just members of the old Class 3-A, but many of the important friends that had helped them during the crises of that year and beyond.
Before they were released to explore, Kalan explained the rules of this place: similar to Alyssa's, it bent time at twenty-four times normal speed, but unlike Alyssa's, there was no lower limit on required stays, but simply an upper limit, as Kalan and Kain planned one usual twenty-four-hour party…because 'That's easiest to give you extra time without completely sabotaging your sleep schedules.'
Several of the more reserved members of the former class were sitting in the great entrance foyer, sitting around small tables, drinking tea and other beverages, and quietly enjoying conversation. Kajirô was actually speaking with Kaoru and the Harada sisters, and they turned and greeted the newcomers as they approached.
"Hey, hey, Kaji-kun!" Kanade piped up, loudest as always. "Whatcha doin' here? I thought for sure you'd be with Hina-chô…."
The relationship between the two childhood friends had been interesting for those who remained close by at school to observe. They maintained a steady friendship, somewhat too obviously a step or two removed from romance, their interactions a steady constant in the never-ending change that flowed through the school. Even now, with this rather blunt accusation, Kajirô replied, without any strong emotion, "Well, she and Erika-san wanted to have some time with their old friend. Mai-san," he elucidated when they registered initial confusion.
Kagome's eyes widened in delight. "Mai…she's here!?"
"Yes, of course. She arrived with Kain-kun some time ago in order to prepare this, along with Kalan-san and Aeli-san and…."
"Oh, oh, where are they at!?" Kanade enthused, taking charge again. "We need to go say hi to Mai! It's been too long!"
Kajirô gave them directions to a drawing room up on the top floor, and the entire group began to make their way there. Kagome was grumbling about it a little. "Jeez…if they'd come back, why didn't they come see me? I'm just another member of the class, huh?"
"Now, now," Momo offered, attempting to soothe her. "They've been busy, and had a lot to do; they wanted this surprise to be for everyone…."
"Hmph," was all Kagome gave in reply.
They passed the Baka Trio on their way. The three paused to greet them in the midst of their rather dubious conversation:
"I tell you, if we want to take advantage of the new magic world, we have to make something new!" Riza insisted. "A magic investigative service, or something of the sort!"
"I don't know, even with artifacts like ours, running a company would be a lot of work," Miki replied. "We need to wait for one of the other worlds to open up, then snag men from the royalty of that world for husbands 'in the name of interplanetary relations'. Then we can lean on them for anything we want or need out there…."
"We're already wealthy ojô-samas!" Izumi pointed out. "Let's just hire a bunch of heroes to take us on adventures…!"
The sound of battle drew them to a dôjô-like room where Delryn, Kenjirô, Akari, Kiami and Hikaru were all taking turns sparring. Kazumi and Yukari stood against the wall, watching and chatting amongst themselves, and they cheerfully greeted the arrivals when they stepped in to investigate. They then had to drag Arika away, because she wanted to join the fighting….
One stair-bedecked parlor they passed through housed Rei, Kaya, and Yuki, who were enjoying their own quiet drink and conversation. Yuki acknowledged them with her unchanging robotic stoicism, while Rei smiled softly at them and saluted them cordially. Kaya muttered a polite greeting, but obviously didn't seem too happy to see them, and so they quickly moved on.
They started a bit nervously as they came across Kurt Gödel, who was with Caria and Nanami. Nanami seemed to be wheedling Kurt about something, but the conversation stopped and again greetings were exchanged between the groups. Kurt acted his usual self—a bit overly familiar and condescending, but generally courteous and friendly. For some reason, he seemed quite at home here.
And finally they arrived at their original destination….
They entered the drawing room, and found seven souls in attendance—there were two tables in the room, and there sat Mai, with Hinagiku and Erika, chatting amiably, while at a smaller table sat Aeli, Artoria, and Jynx as well, and Aeli held a small child, perhaps eighteen months old, on her lap. The older three watched the youths' table with contentment while they caught up, and all eyes turned to the noisy arrivals as they came bustling in.
"Mai!" Kagome was the first to break the silence, and despite the petulant nature she showed while they navigated the immense building, she immediately dashed forward to greet her old friend, and Mai rose from her chair and received the embrace happily. The rest of the group followed on their heels at a more relaxed gait while the two enjoyed their reunion.
They finally separated, and the rest of the new arrivals greeted their prodigal classmate. Then the attention turned to the other table, and most especially to the child. As the females ogled the little treasure, Aeli introduced her daughter, Rose.
"Wow, so Kain-sensei's really a big brother now, isn't he?" Rakasu giggled. "She's so precious…."
Rose sat somewhat calmly on her mother's lap, but grinned at the visitors and took any hands proffered to her. As the attention here began to wane, Kanade focused a bit more on Mai. "Hey, Mai," she said, "you've gotten a bit fat."
Mai flushed at the comment and scowled at Kanade. "I'm not fat," she muttered with some reluctance, almost under her breath.
Kanade's observation brought the group's attention back to Mai, and they considered her; she seemed much as she had been when they last saw her, shortly before leaving the school during their Freshman Year. She was a little taller and more mature, and not otherwise remarkably bigger except for the fact that her bust, against all that was fair and right, was even bigger…and her stomach, which was slightly inflated, enough that Kanade had remarked upon it and the rest could see it now, too. But it didn't seem so much like 'fat' as it did….
"She's pregnant," Hinagiku sighed with exasperation.
After several moments of shocked silence, this brought a whole new cacophony to the reunion.
"W-whoa!" Kanade yelped. "That's…then, Mai and Kain-sensei…!?"
"Naturally, who else?" Chisame scoffed.
"My, my, my," Shiho murmured with an evil smile. "Well, I guess it's no surprise, even for us, but still…as young as you are…you just couldn't wait, huh?"
"We waited until Kain was officially 18 to get married," Mai retorted. "I'm just a trimester along, thank you."
"Eh…but still, it's quite surprising," Ami averred. "I mean, I…realize you two had circumstances, but to marry and start this so quickly…and, ah, I was, uh, under the impression that, you know, you were both immortal…and it would stand to reason that children from a union would be…rare…."
"I'm not going to get into it," Mai said. "Sorry, Ami. It's just how it is."
"It's not all that shocking, really," Aeli giggled. "Both Kain and Mai are, in various ways and through various means, past teenagers. They may be eighteen according to official records and timekeeping, but Mai's situation and age are most unusual, apart from her immortal status, and Kain has the education of a man in his late twenties."
"They both have walked a very long road just to get here," Artoria agreed. "Even if you think 'they're immortal, they have all the time in the world', they are young enough that such words don't really sink in. What they know is that they've already waited a long time to find each other, to be together, they've already been through so much, and because of their paths they have no idea what the future will really be like. Why are you surprised? Because they're young? Aeli pointed out how that doesn't apply to them in the same way. It might not be the right time? When is? They've just decided to get an early start, and all we can do is be happy for them. Personally, I'm quite happy to welcome such a youthful maiden to the circle of pregnant women we have here."
Artoria's last comment brought another silence-confusion-cacophony bomb. Indeed, with all the other stimuli the girls had been slow in noticing certain small details, and with Aeli and Artoria both sitting it had been a bit more difficult to notice, but Aeli was about as far along as Mai—Rose was positioned on her lap so as to not put pressure on her stomach—and Artoria was quite pregnant. The girls' reaction to this was with more excitement and amazement.
"You have a new daughter, and already you're pregnant again?" Kagome demanded of Aeli. "Wow…after being alone for so much of his life, how's Kain going to handle infant siblings and a kid of his own?"
"I heard about your good fortune, your Majesty," Nina said to Artoria, unable to avoid using the utmost formality and etiquette with her fellow royal. "Father was very pleased; there was, ah, talk amongst some of our…peers before, fears for the Pendragon line. Some even thought you past child-bearing years…."
"Well, the Pendragon line is noted for its incredible longevity," Yue, encyclopedia extraordinary, noted automatically. "They often look youthful even into their sixties, and usually live over a hundred years if they aren't killed in battle…."
"Well, I am blessed now, for certain," Artoria said modestly. "Truthfully, Nina-san, many of my advisors had the same fears that your 'peers' did, since I went so long without selecting a consort. But I never could…there was a rogue who had taken my heart, and until I knew he was totally gone, I could not move on. He finally returned." She smiled at the quiet Jynx, who seemed slightly bashful. "I actually wished for a child even sooner, but my chosen consort was, frankly, quite terrified of the idea, and it took some time to convince him…."
"I-I know I'm…not going to be much of a father," Jynx sighed. He wilted under the curious stares of the ladies around him, probing and, while (mostly) not malicious, quite intimidating all the same. "I guess that's one of the reasons I…stuck with Kalan for so long. I wanted to come back to my lady myself, but…I knew that, as Queen she'd need an heir, and…I didn't think I could possibly be the father of the heir of Avalon…."
"Well, all's well that ends well," Rakasu said cheerfully. "Ah, it's hard to imagine, but maybe in a few years, us, too, eh? We'll marry our own young men, and…." She trailed off, looking wistfully at the ceiling.
"Yes…marriage…." Kagome turned a critical eye back to Mai. "Speaking of which, you said something about that, Mai…marrying Kain…when did that happen, exactly? Why didn't we hear about it…?"
Mai shifted uncomfortably. "W-we just had a quiet civil ceremony the day after Kain turned eighteen. We just had Kalan and Aeli there, and we didn't want it to get out of hand, so that's all we did…."
"In other words, you eloped," Shiho translated.
Chisame chuckled somewhat evilly again. "What do you expect? The brat knew he'd probably end up getting stabbed if he had the class there for it, and there was no way he'd get away with inviting some of them but not all. In some ways, he never changes…."
"C'mon, now, Chisame-chan," Momo sighed. "To be fair, Kain has had enough of celebrity and crowds after all the work he's done the last few years. Can you blame him for wanting the most precious moment of his life to be quiet and intimate after all that? It's not that he rejected…ah, I-I mean, that is to say, it's not like he kept the rest of us out or excluded us out of spite or neglect. And Mai, too. If they really didn't want us to be a part of their lives, would they have come here to do this for us?"
"No," Kagome sighed. She smiled at her best friend again. "Yeah, I understand; I don't like it, but I do understand. I'll forgive you, under the circumstances…but…you better let us know when the baby is born! I want to be there for that!"
"R-right…."
"But speaking of Kain-sensei…where is he?" Nodoka finally managed.
"That's right," Irina put in. "He's the all-important host, and newlywed husband…why's he left his wife here…?"
"He's up above, on the roof," Erika offered. "Take the stairs at the end of the hall if you want to go say 'hi' to him. But…you better be prepared…."
The newcomers observed her with curious expressions. "Prepared? For what?"
8-8-8
Kain had his hands on the concrete base of the railing and leaned his arms into it, staring out at the beautiful pseudo-world, quiet and contemplative. The brown-haired man next to him murmured, "You seem rather entranced with the artificial view, which is all the more surprising considering that you are one of its engineers. Is it really so fascinating?"
Lina, on Kain's other side with her back turned to the 'view' as she leaned against the railing, chuckled and replied for her friend. "C'mon, you should know him well enough by now. That's just how he is, right? If you give him a moment of peace, he'll start contemplating the wonder of the universe, no matter where he is."
"Yes, a complete contrast to your friend and bodyguard."
Lina stiffened slightly, unsure how to translate that comment, but Gourry, standing next to her, actually said, "Well, yeah, probably. But isn't that for the best?"
Lina glanced back to him. "I'm not sure if you understood the comment or not…."
Ellis and Luana, standing slightly off to the side, shared a look of bemusement and then sighed in concert. "It's always different with these ones around," Ellis said wearily.
Kain suddenly laughed. "Yeah…it's never dull, having any of you here." He turned around and stretched. "Sorry about getting pensive. I just haven't had much of a moment for this for a while. Life goes on…rushing forward with frightening speed. Soon the party will start…I just needed a bit of a breather."
"You just got back from your honeymoon," Lina said scathingly. "That wasn't a 'moment' enough for you?"
Kain waved the question away. Then all eyes turned to the stairwell as the troop came pouring onto the roof. They stared in surprise at the ensemble around Kain. There was Lina, and Gourry…oh, and Ellis and Luana, how unusual…and….
Yue's eyes opened wide, and she spoke and acted first. "E-Eminus!" She couldn't equip her Robe on such short notice, but she immediately had her card out and changed it into book, wand, and witch regalia as she assumed a ready stance, and several of the others followed suit, nervously preparing themselves to fight.
The watchers stared back, mostly flabbergasted at this reaction. Kain turned to 'Eminus', the only one who seemed, ironically, unmoved by the debacle, and he asked him, "Is…this really the first time they've seen you like this? None of them know?"
"Well, of course I know," Momo sighed, pushing her way forward. "Calm down, all of you. This is no enemy, despite his appearance."
"Well, you know him, Momo-san?" Shiho asked. "Who is he exactly, then?"
"Allow me to present myself before this goes further," the man replied, and took a step forward. He crossed a single arm over his chest and gave a short, stiff bow. "I am called Nemo, and I am a hinigami, a special member of the Gotei 13." He then rose and turned back to Kain. "And no, it seems you never did tell any of them about me. From what Mai-san says, you usually leave most of the communication with your class to her, and she, never as verbose as you, has difficulty herself in trying to properly tell the tales you wish told. Besides, that conflict ended only shortly before your abrupt wedding, so there was no chance to make mention of it."
"Mmm. I guess so." Kain sighed. "I'm sorry, everyone; I really should apologize to the whole group at dinner; I really am bad at…keeping in touch." He chuckled. "I wasn't before, but I only had one or two important people in my life, so it was easy. With so many of you…and so much going on…it was just so much harder. It's a pathetic excuse, and I regret my actions. I will try to do better in the future." He bowed deeply.
"I hope so," Kagome sighed. "Really, you've dropped the ball, Kain-sensei. I guess most of us kind of brushed it off the last few years—we knew that you were really busy, throwing yourself into your big plan to help Earth become magical, and Mai sent us emails, so we let it slide, but now this…your wedding, this…Nemo-san, and what seems like so much more going on. Even this party…most of us didn't know anything about it until we suddenly got rounded up to be brought here. Usually, invitations to things like this are sent out in advance, you know?" Kain blanched under the assault, and she continued, "Well, I guess in this case you wanted some sort of big surprise, right? Oh well. Can you at least explain…about Nemo-san? I'm interested in that story…."
Nemo actually chuckled, in a surprisingly human fashion. "Yes, I knew you would all act this way if you weren't properly informed. I am Nemo, the name I've chosen for myself, but it is no surprise that you recognize me, and you are actually quite correct; in life I was the Remnant of Pakrov Eminus. However, after my death, my soul, for some reason, was reborn in Soul Society. I trained and worked under the care of Shiba Kûkaku, until a sudden force threatened the Soul Society. The man who was, for lack of a better description, 'God' of the Quincies raised an army and attacked the Seireitei, even managing to kill several captains and lieutenants, and threatened to destroy the balance of the world by killing the Soul King who maintains the Soul Society. It is naturally quite an epic tale, but long story short, Kain-kun and Kalan-san went there and defeated him and once again saved the Soul Society. I played some part in the battle myself, and Kain-kun and I were reunited. Although I was of Eminus, I chose a new name for myself because the Obsidian Star is dead, and I was reborn…I suppose to give me a rather undeserved chance at a free life. Since then, I have been allowed by the Gotei 13 to travel with Kain-kun and assist him…when he isn't honeymooning."
"Ah…so that's a gigai, then?" Kagome demanded.
As Nemo confirmed the fact, Nodoka suddenly approached him. Her soft face broke into a warm smile and she bowed to the man. "I'm pleased to meet you, Nemo-san." She rose and continued brightly. "I…knew that you and Kain-sensei could be friends! I always knew…there was more to you than that…I'm glad…."
"But not so glad as we are," Ellis replied with a warm smile of her own as she stepped up next to Nemo. "Ah…it's the hardest thing not calling him 'Eminus-sama'," she giggled, "but…we never expected to have our lord back…."
With the tension gone, the group began to move forward again for all their greetings, and Erstin actually broke from her own timid place in the ranks to rush to Luana. Once again the atmosphere became light as several different conversations and comments fountained out.
"But's what with you, anyway, Chi-chi?" demanded Kanade. "You've been following us around, smirking like you know everything!"
"Ah, I don't know what you're talking about," Chisame insisted. "Just because I've actually been working for Kain-sensei this entire time, so I've been getting all the stories from the horse's mouth, is no reason to go accusing me of being a know-it-all…."
After several more minutes, Kain called for the attention of his friends. "Well, I think just about everyone's gathered now," he said. "So we should be making our way to dinner; I have a sumptuous feast being prepared, something appropriate for the immensity of today's gathering. Let's go round up all of our companions…."
8-8-8
Kagome had one more shock before she made it to dinner, however.
"Oi, Kagome."
Kagome started and turned to glance at Inuyasha, who had been skillfully hiding in plain sight as the rest of the procession went past, and they proceeded onward without apparently noticing the interruption. She stared at Inuyasha in surprise as the surly hanyô looked away grumpily. "Inuyasha? What are you doing here?"
"Whadya mean? I got invited, same as everyone else. Not sure why I came, though; I'm not much for gatherings like this." He looked back at Kagome. "But, whatever, I'm here."
"Yes…so I see." She smiled brightly at him. "So, why don't you come along to dinner? You might as well at least enjoy the food."
"Hah? Look, with all those people…."
"I know, I know, there's a lot of them, but these aren't just any people…they're our friends. Even if it is hard to get along with some of them. It's better than going hungry." She smiled at him and turned back down the hallway. "C'mon, let's go."
"W-wait…I want…to talk about something first."
Kagome paused and glanced back at him. He turned his head away again and began, "Y'know, the real reason I came, I was just sorta wondering…you're all done with that 'school' stuff now finally, right? So…what are you planning to do now?" He kept looking away, perhaps trying to maintain an air that this was just a casual question of curiosity.
Kagome knew better, she knew quite well, and her mind considered multiple things as she stood there for a moment, silently watching the dog-demon without answering. She and Inuyasha had had a…tempestuous relationship over her high school career. As far as the truth was, she had pretty much brought Inuyasha home as a souvenir from the magical world, and had been stuck with him ever since. He was a lost puppy, with nothing in his life now except Kagome. The thought of it somewhat flattered her, even back then, she had to admit, although she found it quite troublesome to deal with the hanyô, especially when she was trying to do her studies. Once the Magic Council started putting him to use on odd-jobs and errands—which, despite the complaining he did, he rather enjoyed, since it kept him occupied—he was out of her hair more, but he always kept coming back to her, and Kagome found…that she didn't mind. As time went on, she, a girl without any clubs, found time to expand her magical experience by cajoling magical side jobs out of her grandfather, and went on them with Inuyasha as her bodyguard. That's how she had spent her high school; studying, and, really, being a 'magical girl', learning healing magic from Ellis and having small adventures. The more time she spent with him, the more Kagome felt a real attachment to the hanyô…something that started to move past mere friendship. It was not an easy journey, of course; Kagome was somewhat stubborn, and she was an emotional teenager, and had difficulty with her feelings, and Inuyasha's nature, sometimes clueless, insensitive and out of touch and the rest of the time surly and prickly, didn't help matters. Any relationship with two strong personalities like these was bound to have its problems, but Kagome had learned some maturity and wisdom from her adventures with Kain even prior to meeting Inuyasha, and she really felt, more and more as time went on, that it was worth it to her to put effort into it.
And now here she was, graduating. Despite her growing feelings…despite, really, when she admitted it, falling in love with Inuyasha…she had taken the route of her teacher Kain-sensei, and put off frightening thoughts of the future. She tried to feel like their small adventures together and the distractions of school would never end…but here they were. Inuyasha, too, was cognizant of that…and his feelings were….
"Well…I'm not really sure," Kagome said. "I mean, I've got general plans, but…nothing concrete. First of all, I need to go to America and restore Kain-sensei's village. After that, I'm planning to become an Archmage. But, you know…as an Archmage, I'm going to need some strong companions, like Kalan-san had. I could probably…use your help with that, Inuyasha….
"But, even if it's a near future, it's not quite yet!" she insisted suddenly, and reached out and took his hand. He stared at her in surprise, and was powerless to resist her pull as she began to lead him to the dining hall after her friends. "Tomorrow will be a great time…to finally talk about that. But right now, we need to eat…all of us together, celebrating everything we've done. Even if you're uncomfortable, Inuyasha, you won't have to be afraid, because I'm here with you; right?"
"Yeah," Inuyasha replied. Then, assuming his own usual tsundere attitude, he scowled and looked away again, although he still didn't try to resist Kagome's pull at all. "I guess, since you're insisting…and it's not like I can get food anywhere else…."
"Sure," Kagome giggled. "It's always best…to be with friends, after all."
8-8-8
They were all gathered. Class 3-A, minus only the mysterious Sakura and the departed Miyu and Alyssa (although, interestingly, a letter had somehow at some point arrived from the child demon, excusing herself from the invitation but wishing them all the best, particularly Kain and Mai Lockeheart). In addition, they had Kalan, Aeli, Rose, Jynx, and Artoria. Aiden and Iria were also there—Iria now looking noticeably younger—and Kurt was in attendance, oddly seated next to Caria, and Takamichi was with them as well. Lina and Gourry, and someone no one recognized until he grudgingly introduced himself as (a fully cured) Zelgadis. Delryn, Kajirô, Kenjirô, and Hikaru, here to join their friends. Kaya Sendô, with her daughter and Servant. Tear and Luke, Rin and Shirô, not-so-little Mei, and even Iori, Seiichirô, and Shiro Tôgi. Haruna Yûki, Isumi Saginomiya, Inuyasha, Shippô, and the HiME. And Nemo and most of those who had followed him in life. Indeed, most of their friends who had endured some or all of their adventures together, minus only those with the most responsibility who couldn't get away, although all those missing had sent notes, from Overcast and Jade to Minsc and Aerie.
Kain stood up before the meal officially commenced and addressed the whole room. "My precious friends…and more, all of you here are pretty much my family. We've gone through so much recently…and some of you have pointed out to me that I haven't really kept in touch as much as I should have. But I hope that this proves that however far apart we've seemed, we're still connected. All of you have done so much for me, and I'm very grateful. Where we are right now…I never could have imagined it, even in my wildest dreams. We've endured some hard times, but I think we've been fully recompensed for them. And now, I wanted to celebrate my closest friends, my family of Class 3-A, as they officially make their way out into the world. It means more for some of you than for others, but if ever there was a time for us to get together again to celebrate, it is now.
"As we part ways again after this, we should hold one another in our hearts. Though we walk separate paths, our hearts will be together as one. We have seen great and terrible sights, and experienced highs and lows most can't know. But we made it through, because we were together. And even separate, we still will be. All of you…I am so happy that you were my friends, and I am here only because of your help. Thanks to all of you…I love you all…and I always will. Now, let's celebrate, for one day…the Red Wings, the White Wings, Class 3-A, and the incredible legacy we've built."
Kain bowed, signaling the end of his speech, and after a few cat calls, shouts and teasings, and similar things, they threw themselves into their meal, and into their party. Kain had summed it up quite well; they would go forward into the future and become different people, but for one last moment, they would be that which brought out all of them the most, if not the best—they were Mahora Girls' Middle School Class 3-A, the class of Mahô Sensei Kain.
F I N
Author's Note: The End
Well, after a long, crazy haul…it's finally over. Oh, an epilogue moment, and a Final Word, but they are lead-ins to other projects more than anything. At long, long last, this tale, the tale of Mahô Sensei Kain, is in the bag. There were a few things I ended up not doing…things I missed, that I might go back and add more of…but in the end, I think I'm rather satisfied with what I've got.
What? What can I really do more? I actually wanted to slip in the scenario where Erika explains her past with Haruna, from Fortune Arterial (I believe she actually did explain the past once to Kain, actually) and more specifically the part where Erika decides to restore the memory she took from Haruna, but I just never got around to it. I wanted to have a bit of Shirô/Kain interaction, but didn't get that really. And while a few more similar meet-ups and such things could happen here in this last chapter, I think it was long enough already.
I actually pondered how I wanted to end it for a long time. MSN has one last crazy scenario before its epilogue wrap-up (said epilogue being what I'm going to hit in a unique fashion immediately following, a kind of 'what happened to them' brief description of the class' girls), set seven years in the future—about the time Negi would have finally been an adult. It began with a traditionally MSN (mindless fan service) scenario involving Yue; Makie's little brother is at Mahora now, and when a panty thief is raiding the girls' dorms, he decides to hire the 'reliable person' his sister told him about to help his would-be girlfriend, and said person is of course Yue. Yue had graduated from Ariadne with honors, but with magic not yet transitioned to full knowledge on Earth, she's finding it difficult to find a steady job. She's therefore working as a kind of Harry Dresden-esque private investigator/solver of magic troubles to anyone who is willing to hire her, and so she goes down to the school to track down this mysterious lowlife. It turns out to be the crazy perverted bounty hunter demon girl who attacked Nodoka in the magic world, and after a brief battle that shows off Yue's increased magical power the demon manages to strip her and then begins to sexually assault her in the usual ecchi MSN fashion…until Negi shows up to one-shot the beast and tell Yue she's late for the gathering. The big thing with this party Negi arranges seven long years after the story is the big reveal: that Negi has finally recovered his dad from the Mage of the Beginning.
At this point much of what I've done has veered from this, for several reasons, and as I said I pondered my own path, picking up and discarding ideas regularly before deciding to end with this type of setup only just before starting the chapter. At first I was all-in on a seven-year time jump as well, because, among other things, other things were going to happen in seven years, such as Fairy Tail returning (more on that in the Epilogue). I considered doing something similar with Yue…most of my characters don't have much in the way of family (that is to say, siblings here), and those that do (like Mai and Kagome) kind of lost theirs because of how they inherited the backgrounds of the characters they replaced. But Kazumi Yoshida did have a younger brother she talked about, although he never appeared, and he could have been the replacement for Makie's brother. Because I threw out the bounty hunter group, I didn't have that crazy demon to assault Yue, but I considered some other kind of scenario, a demonic invader, perhaps even Kamo or Alvaris showing up and being a panty thief as a bizarre, brief homage to all that. In the end, however, I felt that just jumping three years, to celebrate everyone's graduation from high school (those that stayed in, at least) was enough, especially since, with my myriad plans and lore stories prepped in my mind, even seven years left too many tales and possible characters to introduce into a minor finishing chapter. No, three is fine, and gives set up for what comes after. And there was no need to have a Kalan reveal, because my whole set-up there brought Kalan back at the end of last Act. No, instead the big reveal is Kain's growing family. Maybe that's what I wanted to be the most significant message here—Kain starts pretty much alone, with one crazy friend (Lina) and some older acquaintances who trace their attentions to him to his father, but now, even apart from the class in general, he's wed the love of his life, has his own child on the way, has his parents back, and even has some siblings coming.
On that note, it was an impulse I had to follow, because of Kain's original character and how his original story pre-MSK was built around my life and acquaintances and such; Kain had three sisters REMARKABLY LIKE MY OWN (how extraordinary) but this one, inheriting the Negi backstory, loses them. However, since both his parents are recovered and, by the logic of the rules I created, his mother, in particular, is still youthful and healthy enough to have more children, I just can't resist bringing in the potential of Kain's sisters, even if all three (instead of just two) in this case are younger. As a side note, somewhat necessary—Aeli is currently carrying twins, a joke my family will certainly appreciate.
And so, Epilogue time…I'll talk more about it in ITS Author's Notes (the Author's Notes are neverending….)