Disclaimer- I don't own Negima.
I enjoyed writing this. I enjoy writing Al a lot. I hope you enjoy it too!
"A Nagi story? Hmm...how about the first time I met Nagi?"
"That could be really boring..." replied Chisame skeptically.
"Please, have a little faith in me," smirked Al. "Would I tell you a story that wasn't interesting?"
The girls exchanged glances. "If you thought it was funny you would."
"I don't," said Al pleasantly. "I think the story might be fun."
"Your fun or our fun?" asked Asuna.
"Your fun."
"Maybe..."
Al launched into his story. "Nagi, who was traveling with your father Eishun," He nodded towards Konoka. "Was only thirteen at the time. Only three years earlier he had won the martial arts tournament here at Mahora, and had since been enlisted to fight with the army in the Magic World. Being Nagi, he decided to take a tour of the United States before he left. Coincidentally, I was also traveling there, albeit in a somewhat different manner..."
Despite themselves, the girls found themselves being drawn into the story...
Albireo sipped his coffee, wrinkling his nose slightly at the taste. He would have preferred tea, but tea didn't quite keep him awake during the long nights.
"More coffee, honey?"
Albireo smiled at the waitress, who was poised above his coffee cup with a pot.
"Yes, please."
He was sitting at a stool in a small diner he'd found when his eyes hadn't quite been able to stay open the way he wanted them, and stopped to refuel both his truck and his body.
The waitress, a young woman with bottle-red hair, smiled back. "Are you a trucker?" Normally she assumed anyone coming in at this hour was, but this man looked so...so delicate, that she had to ask.
"I am," replied Al, to her surprise. "I'm on my way to Albuquerque."
"Where're you heading from?"
"Kalamazoo."
The waitress whistled. "A long haul."
Al shrugged slightly, his slender hands wrapped around his coffee. "I suppose."
The door dinged, and two truckers entered, looking a little worse for wear.
"Jean, can we get some coffee over here?" called one. Al recognized him. His name was John, and they'd met several times before.
"Of course. If you're paying, that is." said Jean, shooting the man a look.
"I'm not stupid enough to come otherwise." snorted John. He cast his gaze around the cafe and set his eyes on Al. A grin broke out across his face. "Al, is that you? Can't believe I'm seeing you here!"
"Quite odd, I'll admit."
John slid into the seat across from Al, and the man's friend followed suit. "What've you been up to, you old dog?"
"Same as always. On my way to Albuquerque."
"Houston, myself. This is Carl. He's going to Kansas City."
"Should've been there yesterday," muttered the large, bearded man. "I don't really have time for this."
Al pinched the bags under his own eyes. "Haven't been getting much sleep myself." He was half the size of both men across him, and his hair was twice as long as theirs. His looked more at home with a teacup than a mug and didn't look like he could even climb into a semi, let alone drive one, but he still managed to do it. He'd grown bored in the Magic World and had decided to take a break in the Old World, so he'd hidden himself in America and gotten a job as a truck driver...two days after he acquired his license. He was enjoying the change of pace.
He chatted with his friends for a few minutes, but had to excuse himself. "I'm afraid to say, I must be going. I only stopped to wake myself up."
The truck drivers nodded. "See you." grunted John and Carl.
"Goodbye." He paid his tab and left a generous tip for the waitress.
As Al was pushing the door open he heard Carl mutter, "What a pansy."
"Shut up," defended John. "He saved my life once. Don't judge a book by its cover."
Al let the door shut behind him. He breathed in deeply, allowing the crisp winter air to envelop him. He wandered over to his truck and started the engine, ditching his unzipped coat as soon as he was in. It would take a moment before the heat was warm, but when it was there would be no need for long-sleeves.
It was after midnight, and Al was one of the few people left awake at that hour. He slowly pulled out of the parking lot and made his way back onto the highway, which was almost deserted. He kept his eyes on the road, watching the trees fly by and the moon creep down in the sky. Automobiles in general amazed him. Sometimes he woke up in the back of his truck and believed the past two hundred years were a dream. The Industrial Revolution had quickly made him feel very old, spewing out machines every year that boggled his mind. He'd never let on- he had made sure to study the mechanics of all of them and had even invented a few things himself, but he'd assumed the majority of humanity would never be able to imagine the thing that he, having been alive so long, had thought of. He had thought the society would develop slowly, a great invention made every few centuries, such as Johannes Gutenburg's movable type.
He refocused on the road. One of the reasons that he'd bought this truck was to give himself something to do. As the years passes, he had fallen into a practice of introspection so deep he could lose himself for hours. He'd met people who had given themselves so over to thought that they had fallen into a haze, where they were lucid only once or twice a year. Sensing this might happen to himself, he had hightailed it out of the magic world and had gone to the New World.
A car turned into the lane next to him, swerving a little. Al saw rental plates and wondered briefly about the occupants. On their way to the West Coast for winter break, maybe?
The car switched line directly in front of him, and Al slowed down. He peered at the car, and just as he looked they moved back into their original lane. He realized their sunroof was open and snickered. Was that on purpose? He doubted it.
He saw an asian black-haired man in a turtleneck driving, with a red-head kid draped in a white coat squabbling in the passenger seat. The red-head glanced his way, saw the truck, and made the honking motion. Albireo obliged them, honking the horn. The noise surprised even him with its loudness. He was sure people in other cars didn't appreciate it.
He saw the black-haired man yell at the kid, and they soon started swerving badly as the kid started messing with the driver. Al watched as the car drove straight into a ditch on the side of the road. He slowed his semi to a stop and hopped out, landing lightly.
The rental car was smoking from the hood, and as he got out he heard the sound of arguing.
"Hello." said Al loudly.
The man and the boy both looked at him in surprise. "H-hello," stammered the asian man in halting English. "I thank you...stop...helping...fix...automobile?"
"Thanks for stopping," chirped the red-head in a Welsh accent. "That horn is cool."
"Thank you. Is your car going to be all right?"
"Probably not. Eishun drove it straight into the ditch! It was awesome!"
"Eishun probably doesn't think so."
Albireo switched to Japanese, the language he thought they had been arguing in. "My name is Albireo. Is there anything I can do?"
Eishun looked relieved at the sound of his native language. He stuck out his hand awkwardly, and Al delicately shook it. "I'm Eishun Aoyama. This idiot is Nagi Springfield."
Both names stuck a chord within Al. Eishun Aoyama was the leading member of the Kyoto Shinmei School, thought to be the next head of the clan. Nagi Springfield was the prodigy of Wales, and had recently won a martial arts tournament in Mahora academy, the headmaster of which was a friend of his.
"Nice to meet you. I'm afraid your car looks like it's going to be out of commission for a while."
"Yes, well..." Eishun shrugged, embarrassed. "We'll find somewhere to stay tonight."
"We're you headed?"
"Wherever we want!" exclaimed Nagi. Albireo now saw that he was wearing a mage's cloak.
"I'm on my way to New Mexico. You could come, if one of you don't mind sitting on my bed."
Nagi looked excitedly at Eishun. "Could we?"
"We don't want to impose, Nagi..."
"It wouldn't be imposing. I could use some company." Al smiled.
"Are you sure? You don't even know us."
"I've picked quite a few hitchhikers in the past few years. It's no big deal."
"I'm going, Eishun. You can come if you want." Nagi retrieved a small backpack from the smoking car.
Eishun sighed. "I apologize for the inconvenience."
"He apologizes a lot." informed Nagi.
Nagi jumped into the passenger side of the truck, and Eishun climbed into the back, where Al's bed and possessions were. He examined the quilt curiously, as it had been handmade and was very old. He looked around the cramped space, and realized that everything Al owned was crammed in this space (this was not quite true, as he had several million dollars and countless priceless artifacts from every time period stored in areas all over the world). There was a small shelf where Al's favorite books were kept, and beneath that there was a small hand-painted doll and two boxes, one labeled "Evangeline" and one labeled "Love" in Latin. Eishun left those alone.
Al started the truck. Next to him, Nagi yawned. "Don't you wonder where we're from?"
"Wales and Japan."
"...How did you know?" pouted Nagi.
"Your accents."
"Damn," whined Nagi. "And I love making people guess."
They drove, and Nagi chatted for some time. Al listened, while Eishun fell asleep in the back. The poor man was probably run ragged taking care of Nagi, who, as far as Al could tell, could only be twelve or thirteen.
"I'm going off to war soon..." Al could tell Nagi meant to say this with his usual excitement, but his voice trailed off halfway through.
"Nagi!" Eishun hissed.
"War? Aren't you a little young?" said Al steadily, actually trying to remember what war was going on currently. Wasn't it Hellas? Or was it in the Old World?
"Yes I am." declared Nagi.
He took a chance. "Against Hellas?"
Nagi and Eishun exchanged glances. "You're a mage?" asked Nagi, awed.
"Of sorts."
"What're you doing driving a truck? Did you get exiled or something?"
"Don't be rude." muttered Eishun wearily.
"Exiled? Nothing of the sort. I enjoy this job. I've heard that it doesn't suit me, but I like it."
"It doesn't suit you," agreed Nagi. "You're a bit of a pansy."
Eishun reached from the back and slapped Nagi hard on the head. Nagi laughed it off.
Al did too. "I've heard that before."
Eishun came to a sudden realization. "Did you say your name was Albireo?"
"Hm? Yes."
"Albireo Imma?"
"That'smy name." Al had spent most of his life under a different name, as he didn't want to constantly be recognized for the immortal being he was, but every now and then an exploit of his leaked out.
"Who's that?" asked Nagi, oblivious.
"You're the man who stopped time and saved the Vampire Legion from being destroyed!"
"Was that me? I don't quite remember."
"I don't get it though...why are you out here in the middle of nowhere?"
"I wouldn't call midwestern United States nowhere." replied Al.
"You disappeared twenty-five years ago..." said Eishun in awe.
"Twenty-five years? Dude, how old are you?" asked Nagi.
"Haven't you heard that it's rude to ask someone's age?" This was Al's usual response to that question and had been for the past two hundred years.
Al laughed as Nagi pouted. "You don't answer any of my questions."
"It's a habit of mine."
Albireo returned to driving, most of his attention on the road, a small part of him listening to Nagi's ramblings. Time passed, and Eishun fell asleep in the back-seat. Dawn was approaching, and Al's eyes were slowly closing. He hadn't slept in some time, running on coffee and his considerable self-control.
They passed a welcome sign for New Mexico, and Al headed for the welcome center. He needed another cup of coffee if he was going to finish his run without sleep.
"You're like a machine," said Nagi, yawning. "I can't believe you haven't needed to sleep yet."
Al smiled slightly. "It's a talent."
"Dude, how can that possibly be a talent?"
He got out of the truck, stretching his legs. Nagi hopped out, and Eishun continued snoring in the back.
Al bought a cup of instant coffee from a vending machine. Predictably, it was awful, but Al drank it anyway. Nagi got his own cup and spit it out, declaring it disgusting.
"Wow," said Nagi. "Look at all this desert! There's no one here! I can see a cactus!"
"You'll see a lot more before the day is over." remarked Al.
Nagi ran around aimlessly for a few minutes before Al called out to him, "Nagi! Could you do me a favor?"
"Whaa?" was Nagi's response.
"I'd like to see a demonstration of your power."
"We could spar?" suggested Nagi.
Al laughed. "I couldn't possible spar with you, Nagi. I'm sure I'd be no match." His real reason for not fighting was that he was wearing jeans, and they sure did chafe when he flew into the air. He preferred skirts, but there was a limit to how justifiably pansyish he could make himself look while driving a truck.
Nagi crossed his arms. "How do I show you my power, then?"
"It's up to you. You're clever, I'm sure you can think of something."
Nagi sneered at him, annoyed. "I hate thinking..."
Nagi fell into a fighting stance, and Albireo watched, buying himself another coffee. Nagi let out a huge cry and ran towards- and Al's heart suck slightly when he saw this- Al's truck, punching it with a huge combination of magic and chi that blew a hole in the side, letting thousands of Twinkies pour out of the truck.
"Wow," said Al lightly. "Amazing."
Eishun came running out the truck, yelling obscenities in Japanese.
Nagi looked sheepish. "You did say to show you my power."
"I meant in an undestructive manner." replied Al calmly.
Eishun looked at the damaged truck. "H-how much do I owe you?"
"Hm...two hundred thousand for the truck, and another hundred thousand for the load you destroyed."
Eishun blanched. "I think I could pay you...maybe. If I tap into my retirement fund I could pay most of it, and then I could borrow for the rest..."
"That's quite all right," laughed Al. "I'm perfectly capable of paying it myself. I can always buy another truck."
"I can't just let us owe you this much money!" protested Eishun, smacking Nagi on the back of the head several times for good measure.
"Let me travel with you, all expense paid. I'm sure you'll pay me back eventually with all the meals you'll be buying." said Al. He felt that this was a good deal. He liked to be where things were interesting, and he was certain that with Nagi Springfield things would always be interesting.
"It would be an honor," said Eishun, thrilled at the idea of the Albireo Imma traveling with them. Although, now that he thought about it, he couldn't really recall what he was famous for...
Nagi scratched his head. "I don't know, dude, you're kind of creepy..."
"Nagi!" Eishun slapped Nagi yet again.
"I'm just saying!" whined Nagi.
"That's quite alright. I'm quite strong, if I do say so myself. I'll be a help in the fights to come."
He pulled out his checkbook and wrote a check for the price of the load to the Hostess company. He'd send it as soon as they got to the next town. Then he pulled the quilt, the two boxes, the books, and the hand-painted doll, placing them all in a bag that he gave to Eishun to carry.
"We're off then." declared Nagi.
"Where to?" asked Al.
"Are we just going to leave the truck here?" worried Eishun.
Al glanced at it. "Sure. It'll be a monument."
"A monument to what?"
"I'm sure I'll think of something." said Al, smiling.
It was the first of many, many smiles Nagi and Eishun would receive n their days together as Ala Rubra.
"Wow," breathed Konoka. "Was that all true?"
"Every detail." said Al smugly.
"I find it very hard to believe that you were a truck driver..." grumbled Chisame.
"Why?" questioned Al politely.
"You're just so...so...so quaint. If anything, I'd say you were the innkeeper of a bed and breakfast, you know what I mean?"
"Yes, I think so. But I promise you, that was a true story."
"Nagi sounded so little!" squealed Konoka.
"He was young." said Al.
"Those truckers sounded liked they could have broken you in half." commented Chisame. Al chose to ignore this remark.
"My dad was...lame." said Konoka sadly.
"A little bit." agreed Asuna.
"Look at the time," said Chisame, checking her watch. "We have to be back in the dorms soon."
"Really?" asked Konoka, sounding unhappy. "I wanted to listen to another story."
"Could we come back?" asked Asuna hopefully.
"I...wouldn't mind come back either." admitted Chisame.
"Anytime. I'm not going anymore." Al had long finished his tea, but he couldn't help finger the cup.
"We'll be back tomorrow!" chirped Konoka as they head out the door.
There it was, the first chapter! I hope you liked it! I think Al fits seamlessly into every culture and time period, even if he looks a bit...odd. Next time: 1960s' prison! Maybe, I just made that up.
Review! :)