Mahou Sensei Negima! Fan Fiction ❯ Return to Sender ❯ Chapter 1

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters from Negima, they all belong to Ken Akamatsu and I’m only borrowing them for awhile. This story also contains spoilers for Book 18 of the manga, so if you haven’t read it go do that first!

Return to Sender

In the aftermath of battle Chao Lingshen stood before Negi Springfield, the black haired young woman’s clothes shredded and part of her long black hair free from one of it’s buns. Negi looked up at her in anguish, “Are you really sure about this? You didn’t get....”

“No,” Chao smiled at him tenderly, a faint blush coloring her cheeks, “Don’t worry, Negi-bozu. I’ve achieved my wish.”

“Huh?” Negi blinked in alarm, “What do you mean by that?”

Holding the Cassiopeia-2 watch in her hands light shone around Chao as she tapped into the World Tree’s magic for the time trip, lifting off the ground. “My plan failed,” she said evasively, “but I’m still alive, therefore I must return to my own battlefield.” Chao smiled at her teacher, “Negi, you stay here and fight your own battles.”

“Chao-san...” Negi watched in awe as the mystical symbols appeared in mid-air as Chao said her farewells. She addressed each of her friends, gifting each one with something she knew they wanted.

“Ku!” Chao yelled to her friend, grinning at the dusky skinned blonde as she continued, “One day we’ll spar again!”

“Oh....” Fei-Ku smiled back, ‘Yes! Is promise!”

“Farewell, Negi-bozu!” Chao turned to him with a smile as her belongings swirled around her and the power built to a fever pitch, “Zaijian!!”

“Yes!” Negi knew the Chinese for farewell as he waved back to the disappearing girl, “One day!” In a burst of light she was gone, leaving them all standing stunned as the spots faded from their vision. Negi looked up at the night sky as he sighed, “Someday....”

Almost exactly a hundred years in the future light flared in the Mahora Campus, shining in midair as Chao returned home once more. As she fell she was lucky her comrades were waiting for her, as planned.

“About time you got here,” Evangeline grumped, the blonde vampire smirking as she watched her companion Chachamaru catch Chao easily.

“You’ve been waiting years to use that line,” Chao complained jokingly to her mentor.

“Yup,” Eva grinned, showing off her fangs as the young woman said, “and it was worth the wait, too.”

“Are you all right?” Chachamaru asked, the green haired robot’s outer skin making her look entirely human. “I assume your mission was successful, since we are all still here.”

“Negi’s as ready as I can make him for the battles that are coming,” Chao nodded firmly, “though the whole situation gives me a headache.”

When Eva had approached her a year ago and explained she had to go back in time and fight her ancestor, Chao had thought she was mad. But Eva had produced photographic evidence, and more importantly had explained why she had to do it. Not long after the battle as the festival Negi would come into conflict with his greatest foe, and without the seasoning of facing a opponent as powerful and devious as Chao, he’d lose.

“Time paradoxes are a bitch,” Eva added sympathetically as they offered Chao a change of clothes.

Chao’s traditional Chinese look in the past had been part of her disguise, since she couldn’t wear her futuristic combat gear normally. Only in the final battle had she worn her usual clothes, finally shedding her false skin to fly her true colors.

Together the three set off across campus, a place Negi and the others would still recognize even after a hundred years. The streets still ran trolleys, the buildings still had a old world charm, but teens were already stirring out on their hover boards and flying scooters, and soon the streets would be crowded with students going to class.

“The Headmaster will want to see you,” Chachamaru said sympathetically, “I think he knows by now what’s been happening.”

“I’m prepared,” Chao answered as she smiled, “besides, the chance to meet Grandfather as a child was worth it.”

“He was a little cutey,” Eva recalled impishly, “wasn’t he?”

“Eva-san!” Chao blushed.

“Don’t give me that,” Eva gave her a look, “I remember how you teased him about that almost proposal.”

Chao had to smile, “He was just too adorable not to tease.”

“Exactly,” Eva nodded.

Teachers and students waved to the trio as they made their way to the main administration buildings, heading upstairs to the Headmaster’s office. As they were walking up Asuna Kagurazaka was just leaving, her blue and green eyes widening in surprise.

Asuna surprised Chao with a hug as the orange haired woman said, “That was a very dirty trick you pulled, Chao.”

Chao hugged her back, feeling the odd mix of emotion caused by seeing Asuna as a teen only hours ago and now dealing with her as a older woman. “Sorry,” she smiled as she drew back, “but I didn’t have much choice.”

“Eva explained after you disappeared on us,” Asuna answered, “though I’m still having a hard time wrapping my head around it.”

“As expected from Baka-red?” Chao teased.

ASuna looked startled, “I haven’t been called that in years.” She ruffled Chao’s hair as she added impishly, “Respect your elders.”

“Yes ma’am,” Chao winked.

“Is he in?” Eva asked impatiently.

The look Asuna gave Eva was far less affectionate, as was fitting for the sometimes rivals, sometimes allies. “Yes,” she said flatly, “and he’s not happy with you in particular.”

Evangeline looked unruffled by the other woman’s look, “Like that’s a surprise.”

“We’d best go in,” Chachamaru bowed slightly to Asuna in farewell.

The office hadn’t changed much in one hundred years, but the man behind the desk was clearly different than the old headmaster. Negi Springfield nearly leapt out of his chair as they entered, hurrying around the desk as he looked Chao over.

“It’s good to see you again,” Chao disguised her nerves as she joked, “Negi-bozu.”

Negi laughed slightly as he looked his granddaughter over, “That was a clever disguise, putting your hair up and talking in dialect all the time.”

“I just imitated Ku,” Chao laughed, “it was easy.”

Negi hesitated then finally said, “Thank you.” He shot a glare at Evangeline, “As much as I may wish my former master hadn’t sent you back in time, fighting you really prepared me for what was coming.”

“As planned,” Evangeline smirked.

“Don’t push your luck,” Negi frowned at her as he pointed out, “I can still officially declare you endangered your student, teacher.”

“Hmph,” Eva frowned but didn’t continue.

“I’m sorry you got hurt,” Negi added to Chao quietly, “if I had known it was all a test I wouldn’t have....”

“That was kind of the point,” Chao sounded amused, “we couldn’t let you know that.”

“So what next?” Negi asked as they walked towards the desk, sitting down behind it as the three women took seats in front.

“Well, I’m going to explain to sensei Fu Kei that her old friend is actually her student,” Chao said wryly, “as well as looking up anyone else I can find still around from 3-A.” She sat down in front of the desk tiredly, “Then I think I’ll settle down in the life of a nice, quiet student for awhile.”

“Well, we did kind of meet you again in the past,” Eva noted quietly.

Chao nearly jumped, “What?!”

“Kidding,” Eva winked evilly.

“Don’t DO that to me,” Chao slumped in her chair with relief.

Negi looked at her thoughtfully as he remembered her leaving, “So that’s what you meant when you said you had achieved your wish.”

“Yes,” Chao quietly agreed, “I finished what I went there to do, training you for your coming battles.”

“It’s good to have you home,” Chachamaru noted quietly, “we missed you.”

“It’s good to be back,” Chao agreed.

End

Notes: This occurred to me after reading Chao’s final appearance in the manga and thinking, why did she say to Negi that she had achieved her wish? She lost, right? But if winning wasn’t her goal what might her REAL reason for going into the past be? This is also a bit of a time loop, as Eva probably found out when to send her student Chao back in time from meeting Chao herself back in the past. As to Negi becoming headmaster I could see it after his adventurer period wore off... in a few decades. He may also be married to Asuna... tho I didn’t specify that if you prefer him with someone else.