Disclaimer- I don't Negima.

New chapter! Thank you for your reviews! Before now, I have always alternated chapters between points in history and interactions with Filius or Eva, but as I am almost out of the latter and I'm saving that chapter, you're getting this, which is also fairly interesting.

Enjoy! :)

Asuna walked in whistling a Christmas tune, and Al joined in merrily.

"My, is it already that time of year?" he asked. "I seem to lose track of time."

"That's pretty sad," commented Chisame. "You're so out of touch. When was the last time you saw it snow?"

"Snow? A long time. But that doesn't bother me. I never liked the cold much."

Konoka sighed. "And I thought you were a romantic, Albireo-han. Don't you see the beauty in the cold weather?"

"I see no beauty in frostbite," chuckled Al. "Although...a very long time ago, I did help others appreciate the cold in some small way...I say that, but it was them who helped me in the long run."

"Oooooh," cooed Konoka. "Sounds juicy. Spill!"

"It was a very long time ago, about 1700 years back...as I have said before, I was not the man you know now...and it was winter, the coldest winter anyone had seen for a very long time."

Albireo pulled his furs around him, slouching over on the snowy ground. He didn't like the cold, but it didn't matter to him if he caught cold and died...nothing mattered. He felt icy tears prick at his eyes. He wished he could just die.

There were children playing in snow a few feet away, and he watched their shadows and wondered how long their fleeting lives would last. Humanity was just a shadow on the Earth, lingering no more than a few frozen seconds.

He eventually stood, no idea where to go. He brushed ice out of his hair and eyebrows before shuffling off in the direction of the only tavern this town had.

"Father...I love him! Why can't I marry him?"

It was the cry of a young maiden, and Al promptly ignored it. Things of these nature did not matter to him. He smirked with the memory of making girls scream in pleasure back in Egypt, but that time was long gone.

"I have no dowry for you or your sisters," sighed a man's voice. "None of you will be able to marry for some time..."

"It's not fair," sobbed the woman. "My sisters and I are all fifteen now! Mary is almost twenty! We'll die as old maids."

"It can't be helped, we have no money...I am a nobleman in name only."

The arguing father and daughter stopped when they noticed Al, giving the weary man a suspicious glance.

Then the father seemed to discard Al's presence and said, "I have to get home soon. You'd best follow me."

"I hate you!" cried the daughter, and ran off. Al watched her without much sympathy. The father turned away, his footsteps leaving prints in the falling snow. Al knew his steps would soon be obscured and his very existence forgotten. He wandered off, wondering vaguely what these people considered an acceptable dowry.

As fortune would have it, Al stumbled upon the unfortunate daughter crying behind a pile of wood. Al watched her for a second before turning to leave, but she reached out and grabbed his ankle.

"Are you just going to watch me?" she whispered. "Have you no heart?"

"No," he replied hoarsely. "I am no one."

"You must be someone," she protested. "Everyone exists. That is what the Lord teaches us."

Al didn't reply, wondering where he could possibly fit in the Lord's world. He was a monster, an abomination on humanity. He swallowed hard, holding back the ever present tears that seemed to accompany him. She had the same look in her eyes, and he bent down and brushed the tears from her face, his thumb dirty and calloused.

"They'll freeze," he said quietly. "Why are you so sad?"

"I cannot marry the one I love," confessed the girl, her matted blonde hair in her eyes. "I am poor."

"All of Earth is poor," he informed her. "This is a miserable, wretched life we all lead, myself more than any."

"You're depressing," remarked the girl morosely. "You're not good at cheering people up."

"I never said I was."

"Who are you?"

Al hesitated. "A monster."

She met his wanton gaze with her big, innocent ones and said, "You're very kind, I think. You just don't know it yet."

"Who is it that you love?"

Her eyes lit up, and she began describing her beloved with detail, and Al could tell she really cared for this man. When she had finished, he abruptly stood.

"Where are you going?"

"I hope you get to marry him." was all Al said in response.

He walked into the forest, a good deal away from the village so that there would be no chance of being sighted, and looked within himself, trying to summon the magical powers he seemed to have acquired recently. He'd been experimenting with them for years now, the only new idea in a world of drudgery and repetition. He was scared to explore it too much in fear that it too would become mundane.

He fisted a clump of dirt and poured his magic in it, wishing for a solution to the girl's problem. When he opened his eyes, the dirt had transformed into gold coins, enough for a dowry for all three sisters. He tied the coins rags he ripped off from his clothing and wondered how to give them the gold.

Why was he doing this? He had no idea. He wasn't one to do charity or care about others. In five years this gift wouldn't matter at all, lost in a sea of suffering and eventual forgetfulness.

He remembered a spell he had figured out and used it, calling animals from the forest to his side. A horse, probably a runaway, trotted up to his side. It was white and glossy, healthy from its time in the wilderness. He clambered onto it and straightened up his clothes, tying his scruffy hair in a ponytail. He vaguely wished he had a razor or a knife to shave his beard with, but to no avail.

He clambered onto the horse, holding the bags of gold awkwardly. He commanded the horse to follow the scent of the maiden, which, considering the horse had only the vaguest idea of what she smelled like from her scent on Al's clothes, did a remarkable job of finding her home.

He was planning to anonymously drop the gold into her window, so he was surprised to see her staring back at him when he arrived. He blinked it surprise and cleared his gravelly throat.

"Hello."

"Are you going to rape me?" Her voice was strangely calm.

"No."

"Are you going to hurt me?"

"No."

"Then what are you here for?"

Al soundlessly handed her the gold. "For your dowry."

"There are three." It was not a question.

"For your sisters."

"Who are you?"

Al quickly decided on a name. "Nicholas."

Her haggard face broke into a wide smile. "You are my saint!"

He allowed himself the tiniest hint of a grin. "Forget you ever saw me."

He rode away, the wind whipping at his filthy hair. For the first time in years it actually felt good. It would have been even better if she had forgotten she'd ever seen him, instead of telling the villagers about him, ensuring his return to that snowy village once a year on that snowy night.

He was their Saint Nicholas.

You're Santa Claus?" asked Chisame flatly. "You're Santa Claus? Congratulations, you've ruined my childhood. You've also made cute Santa outfits a lot less appealing."

Al smiled cheerily in response.

"How romantic!" gushed Konoka. "You're so sweet!"

"Ah...well...those were back in my murder and pillaging days, so I don't know about that..."

Chisame shook her head. "Harsh, man. You didn't even get the chick."

He shrugged. "She probably had lice."

"So did you." retorted Asuna.

"Wanna check?"

"Ew..." squealed Asuna, jumping back.

Konoka reached over and ruffled Al's hair. He gave her an icy look, but she pretended not to notice. "No lice here!" she chirped. "Your hair is really thick and soft. It's like a big furry bear's!"

"Yeah, with all the supposed chest hair," grumbled Chisame, suppressing the urge to reach over and touch his head. Asuna displayed no such qualms and took a deep whiff of his ponytail.

"It smells nice too!" she announced.

"Maybe you two better be getting to your dorm..."

They jumped to their feet, their hands lingering over his head.

"Bye..." called Konoka wistfully, now filled with the unquenchable desire to braid Al's hair.

When they were gone, Al leered at Chisame, who was crossing her arms.

"You know you're curious," smirked Al. "There's no one to see you."

Chisame gave in to her carnal desires and patted his head.

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