Mahou Sensei Negima! Fan Fiction ❯ Life In A Bottle ❯ A Father Figure ( Chapter 10 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

-----Author’s note: Serac plays a prominent role in this chapter, so for those who don’t like him, I apologize.

I do not own Negima!, but any other characters and ideas are my own. Enjoy.....-----


“Why won’t you just leave me alone?”

“No matter what world you exist in, no matter what you do or say, we are connected by Fate. So long as you need guidance, I will always be the one to guide you.”

Alone with Fate’s Enforcer in the abandoned clock tower by Asakura’s grave, Connor managed to find yet more displeasure in his foul company. Talking to him was pointless, but he always found himself doing it, “I never asked for your guidance, and I sure as hell don’t want it.”

“Then it is a good thing that your opinion is not important,” Was the cold response he got. The corner of the eroding building Serac was standing in seemed darker than the rest of the room, the light almost bending to avoid coming close to him.

“I’m leaving Mahora. I’ve already quit,” The man in black stated bluntly, though he waited to see the response he would get.

Without revealing any expression at all, Serac replied, “I know.”

“What, that’s it? What about that whole load about me having to ‘do Fate’s will’ here?”

“You have done more than you know, and have accomplished the tasks laid out for you already.”

“So why don’t you tell me what I’ve done, oh omnipotent one?” Connor put a hand to the wall and used it to hold himself up as he leered across the room, waiting for the response.

Taking only enough time to blink once, the Wanderer started off a list, “You have helped the Murakami girl feel as though she is special, and have found her a relationship with the Hitodama boy. During the course of your poorly founded date plan, the girls in pursuit of the Springfield boy were the cause of a traffic accident. In this accident, a building was practically destroyed when a car exploded. This building was a privately owned business, run by one Eiji Akashi.”

“.....Isn’t one of Negi’s students-”

Cutting him off, Serac continued, “Eiji is the brother to an instructor at Mahora, who happens to have a daughter known as Yuna Akashi, yes. The insurance settlement that Eiji will receive is enough to keep him and his family living comfortably for quite some time.”

“Are you telling me that the basketball girl is rich?” Connor asked incredulously, not afraid to show his disbelief.

“Not her, personally, but her family will be quite well off. Eiji will receive the payment within the week, but as of now she does not know that she has a rich uncle,” Serac’s eyes fell upon a black cat as it peeked its head into the building through the open door.

Ignoring the animal, Connor pressed for more, “What else?”

His gaze trailing after the cat’s movements, Serac muttered, “The rest is of little consequence, to you.”

“Of little consequence my ass!”

“Very well. You have made the Naba girl self conscious of her body by calling her ‘Fully-developed girl’.”

“That was just a joke, I-”

“And she is just a teenaged girl. You have hurt the kunoichi through your actions and inactions. You-”

Taking his hand off of the wall hold it up in front of him as if to shield himself from the unpleasant truths, Connor cut in, “Kaede? She’s fine! She hit me already, so we’ve cleared up the mess!”

Serac shook his head, “You do not even believe that, so do not try and pass the lie by me. By your fawning over the Chinese girl, and her over you, you have successfully dealt a blow to Nagase’s self image.”

Shaking his head was all Connor could do to signify that he disagreed with that, because his tongue was caught in his throat. It was sounding like he had done as much damage as good. But Kaede seemed so sure of herself all of the time.....True, he hadn’t really been spending much time with her at all, but he wasn’t just ignoring her.....was he?

“No matter how sure of oneself one may be, to be used and brushed aside by another is a very belittling experience. Regardless of what you think or may have intended, that is how she has interpreted it all. It would be too much of a joke for you to believe she should take it otherwise. Lest it not be mentioned, as you want to know so bad what you have done, know that you have also damaged the faith that some of them had in men. The lie concerning the baby and your willingness to give up custody as you did will reflect rather poorly upon you, and it will affect several people other than yourself. Would you like me to keep going?” Serac finally paused long enough to breathe, but Connor wasn’t even sure if he needed to.

Still shaking his head to tell Serac he had heard enough, Connor took a few steps to look out to the garden, not all that surprised to find Sayo sneaking a listen. He pretended not to have noticed her so she wouldn’t get embarrassed and run away. .....Fly away. He remembered a time when he didn’t care what any of them thought about him, and he wished he still felt that way. Now, whether he liked it or not.....

“So you care about these people, it is understood. That does not mean that you should cling to them so. It is rather pitiful.”

He was fuming on the outside, but he was embarrassed and sad on the inside. Not quite sure what to do with himself, Connor simply continued to stand there, staring daggers at the man before him. When it became apparent that Serac was going to wait for him to say something, he dislodged his tongue from his throat and spoke, “It’s pitiful that you can’t grasp that sometimes people need each other. I cling because I need something to hold on to!”

“No, you cling because you need people to hold on to you. Being needed by others validates you,” Serac muttered.

“I don’t need validation! These people are a part of my life, now! They’re a part of who I am.”

“And yet, only minutes ago, you claimed you would be leaving.”

A few seconds of silent one-sided tension passed by before Serac continued to speak, “You cling to these relationships in your mind, you claim that they are a part of who you are. These.....people, these relationships, the feeling of being wanted, none of them, none of that amounts to you being any more than you are. Take this can, for example,” Serac snapped his fingers, and a dirty old soda can flickered into his free hand.

“I can cling to this piece of garbage until the end of time. I can claim that because I cling to it and it is important to me, that it is a part of me. That will never change the fact that it is simply a piece of garbage, a separate thing apart from me. I can drop it whenever I so choose,” He released the can, which evaporated before it hit the ground, “You would do well to drop your own pathetic garbage, Connor.”

The man in black took a few slow steps towards the Wanderer, pointing a finger at his chest, just close enough to him that he could feel the tip begin to numb, “I will never.....ever.....be like you. I would rather hold on to anything than end up with nothing, like you. If that makes me pathetic, fine. I’d rather be pathetic with everyone else in the world, than be detached and alone. You want me to drop my garbage? Fine. I’m dropping you,” He turned around and made for the exit.

“Connor,” Serac mumbled just loud enough for his company to hear.

“Rot in hell,” The man replied, not stopping.

“As we agreed, I am to tell you now where to find the girl’s soul.”

And he stopped.
-

“I can’t believe he would do that.....” The scarlet-haired boy spoke, hardly breaking a whisper. Negi was in the headmaster’s office, and he had just discovered Connor’s abrupt leave. Not only that, but he had just found out that his ex-aid had signed off his own child to the custody of the headmaster.

“Negi-kun, it may be difficult to understand, but there were circumstances which we are not completely aware of. We have to try and be understanding and sympathetic to the situation,” The headmaster, still sore from his tie with Evangeline, spoke slowly from behind his desk.

“I am sympathetic. I’m sympathetic to the little girl he left without a father! I can’t believe he would do that.....just.....it’s like he abandoned her.....” The boy’s eyes were misting over, and he brought up a sleeve to brush the water away before they became full-blown tears, “It’s almost like.....”

Konoemon shook his head, “Your father never abandoned you Negi-kun, don’t even think that.”

“Then.....wh-where is he?” The damn broke, and the tears came flowing out. Unable to hide his weakness a second longer in front of the headmaster, Negi did what any ten-year-old would. He turned around and he bolted.

As he flung the ajar door shut behind him in his flight, Negi ran straight into someone, who caught him up in their arms. He didn’t know who it was, and his blurry vision wouldn’t allow him a clear look. He never bothered with it, though. Burying his face into the person’s chest, he let out his disappointment and sadness in sobs, sinking to the ground as the person continued to hold him, one hand on the top of his head, the other wrapped around him.

“I-It’s ok.....Negi-sensei.....” Nodoka whispered, laying her cheek beside her hand on the top of his head, trying to console the teacher she was head over heels for.

In between his crying Negi managed to speak, even though it was muffled into his student’s clothes, “I’ll b-be the dad f.....for her.....I’ll be th-the dad he couldn’t be.....”

Nodoka, who had been eavesdropping, didn’t know if Negi was talking about Connor, or his own father. Nothing was going to persuade her to ask, however, so she continued to hold him close in silence.

“I just.....I can’t d-do all of this alone.....I wish he was here.....”

“Negi-sensei, you’re not alone. You can count on all of us, we’ll always be there to help you, no matter what.....” Easing Negi back just enough that she could look into his eyes, Nodoka concluded, “I’ll always be there for you.”

In that teary moment, Negi let impulse take over, and he found himself pushing forward and pressing his lips against Nodoka’s. She gasped a little, but was quick to return the kiss and just soak the moment in. This wasn’t like the Yue-induced accident after the lip-scramble game, this was the real thing. She hadn’t even been the one to initiate it, Negi had chosen to kiss her of his own free will. That thought alone made her head go fuzzy, her lips burning from the thrilling touch of his before they went numb when he stopped.

Negi waited the few seconds it took Nodoka to flutter her eyes open before he stated, “I’m.....sorry about what you saw with Chachamaru-san. I don’t.....know exactly what happened, she just.....she’s confused because of the upgrades Hakase’s been giving, and I-” He stopped talking when Nodoka pressed a finger against his lips, leaning in for a second kiss. All thoughts of Connor and his father left his mind.

-

“Well I’ll be a son of a bitch.....” Connor muttered, leaving the building and moving to sit beside Asakura’s grave. Sayo, still believing her presence was undetected, continued to watch in what she thought was secret.

Serac followed slowly after his acquaintance, arms folded as he stood on the opposite side of the grave, “A rather interesting turn of events, you can agree.”

“But why would.....that doesn’t make any sense. She was going to ruin the world! I can’t believe that.....”

“Creation and destruction go hand in hand. To create a new world, the old one must inevitably disappear. You may not have approved of the Mother’s methods, but that does not mean everyone else did not. Some can understand and appreciate that nothing worth having comes easily, and sometimes sacrifices must be made for the greater objective good,” Serac watched as the black cat followed them from the clock tower out into the tsuwabuki garden.

“Ha, funny. It almost sounds like you’re trying to help me out. Almost,” Connor couldn’t help but grin at the ridiculous thought.

“No, I am simply telling you what I am meant to. Now that you know where to find the soul, you have only to retrieve it. You will find him to be willing enough to part with it, should you provide him with ample reason.....” Serac let the last word trail off, as if to tell Connor that words might not be the way to go. He raised his hand, poised to snap his fingers and leave.

“Serac, wait. There’s something I want to say to you.....”

“That you love me like cancer, and hate me like a father. I already know,” He snapped his fingers, vanishing with a flicker.

Sayo hurried down to Connor’s side, and he gave her a half-hearted smile as a welcome, “Connor-sensei, you know how to get her back, now?” The ghost asked, hope practically bursting from her ethereal pores.

With a slight nod, the man in black replied, “Yes, Casper, yes I do.”

“Are you going to be alright, though? The Thousand Master sounds scary.....do you know him?”

“Not personally, but since he’s holding the souls for the Mother, I will soon enough. I hate Serac with everything I am, but he’s damn good when you need to find something out. Since I know where to look, I should be back in two weeks, tops,” He climbed to his feet, patting Sayo on the shoulder as he passed her by, “Be good while I’m gone.”


-----Author’s other note: Wow, that was a pretty good chapter, I think. Short, but good.

Dark Lord Tokunaga, thank you for being my ONLY Mediaminer reviewer. Actually, you’ve read all of my stuff, so far. Thanks for sticking around and even having the awesomeness to review, I do appreciate it.

Thanks for reading.....-----