Disclaimer: I do not own Negima or any of its characters.
A/N: I hope you enjoy the story. Please drop a review on what you think of it.
She was foolish to dream that she could be accepted for who she is.
Ever since she was born the demons of her clan despised her.
They treated her lowly.
An outcast.
A curse.
All because of the pure, white wings she was born with.
But because she was of royal blood they still tried to raise her.
Until, that is, they couldn't take it anymore.
Thus, she was banished from their lands.
She was foolish to believe that she would have friends.
A man named Konoe Eishun took her in his charge.
A man who graduated from the famous school of kenjutsu.
The Shinmei-ryū.
There she was taught the ways of a swordsman under the woman named Kuzunoha Tōko.
She was taught how to hold a sword.
To use onmyōdō magic.
To be an effective fighter.
She did her best to keep up with the standards of the school.
Because she wanted to belong.
She wanted to be recognized.
She tried to keep up with the other students.
But most of all she wanted to have fun.
Have friends.
After all she was only 5 years old.
But every day she would get more and more rivals.
She was foolish to love someone whom she should not love.
She was trained to protect the daughter of the man who took care of her.
Trained not to show emotions.
Trained to be well disciplined.
Trained not to make mistakes.
She was 5 when she first met her.
She was moved by the way the princess treated her.
She was moved so much that when she couldn't save her she left.
Left to train.
Left the princess heartbroken.
She trained hard.
Not to commit the same mistake again.
And eventually earned Konoe Eishun's nodachi, Yūnagi.
And they met again several years later.
She started to protect her from the shadows.
In truth, she wanted to be near her.
Then came the day their paths crossed each other.
After that the princess requested her constant presence.
But she didn't call her like she used to.
She felt that she doesn't have the right to.
And every time she says it she would catch a glimpse of sadness in the princess' eyes.
She felt something on the day she and Konoka met.
Something like before.
Something that grew every time she was with the girl.
Something that she should have been over years ago.
She knew then and there what it was.
She was in love.
All over again.
She suppressed it.
Again.
She knows that it was forbidden.
It was improper.
For her to fall in love with her 'Ojou-sama'.
So she kept it to herself.
Her unrequited love.
It was foolish of her to hope that her love would be returned.
Konoka had the strange habit of playing pretend.
She would ask her to join and play with her.
She would be given a role of the husband while Konoka would be the loving wife.
She played along.
And never asked why.
For this was the only time she could hear the three words she longed to hear from the other girl.
After years of declining her suitors from the omiai's her grandfather, Konoka finally accepted one.
It was none other than their former English teacher, Negi Springfield.
She never expected Konoka to finally accept someone to be her life time partner.
She never expected it to be not her.
She was surprised at this news and nevertheless she was happy for Konoka.
Especially when she believed that they would be together forever.
And she was chosen to be the best man. (A/N: I can't really see her in a dress... can you?)
After all she was her 'Secchan'.
Only 'Secchan'.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
Foolish are those who do not dream.
She finally begun to feel she belonged.
She never felt so happy in all of her years.
She finally found people who would treat her as an equal.
But that didn't last for long.
Soon she was abandoned by the Shinmei-ryū.
She was taken in again by Konoe Eishun as the protector of his daughter.
She was sent to Mahora Academy.
There she met many people.
And she felt it again.
Felt that she belonged.
But she was afraid.
She was afraid that this would only be a dream.
So she tried so hard to conceal her true identity.
That she is a hanyo.
Half human.
Half demon.
Because that's what gotten her exiled and abandoned.
She wanted a new life.
Then a fateful day came that she needed to unleash her true nature's power in order to save her 'Ojou-sama'.
It was during the battle in Kyoto.
The eastern mages tried to revive the Ryoumen Sukuna no Kami using Konoka's power.
And the only way to save her Ojou-sama was to unleash her wings.
She knew that she would have to say goodbye to anyone who sees it.
She knew she had to leave.
Even with the consequences she did it.
To save her 'Ojou-sama'.
To save her Kono-chan.
She expected Konoka to be disgusted with her.
Expected her to hate her.
But what she found out after rescuing Konoka was unexpected.
The princess found her wings to be beautiful.
Beautiful.
Finally she got what she wanted.
To finally be accepted for who she is.
Too bad she had to leave it all.
Stupid rules of the clan.
Foolish are those who do not believe.
Her very first friend was Konoe Konoka.
Kono-chan.
They met when they were five.
She was introduced to her as a guardian.
But the princess treated her as a friend.
Every day she came to visit her.
Play with her.
Have fun with her.
But it seems that good things do come to an end.
She left her.
Left her because she didn't do her duty.
She failed to protect her Kono-chan.
It was like de ja vu once again.
She tried to leave without notice.
To leave without saying goodbye.
It was just much easier that way.
But would you really think that she would get away?
Not really.
Something stopped her.
Rather.
Someone.
She was talking with Evangeline the day she was set to depart.
The vampire was subtly delaying the hanyo's departure.
Even though she doesn't show it, Evangeline does care.
And she succeeded.
Negi woke up before she could leave.
Asuna and Konoka came right after.
She really never got away.
They persuaded her not to leave.
Not to escape.
And she enjoyed the rest of her vacation.
With her friends.
Foolish are those who do not love.
From the very moment she met Konoka something had already sparked within her.
She never wanted to leave her side.
She never wanted to see the falter on the other's smile.
So she vowed to protect the girl.
She vowed to protect her heart.
There was a time where a stray dog came across their path while they were playing.
The dog attacked Konoka.
But she got in between and saved the girl.
She was bruised all over.
But she was glad.
Glad that she succeeded protecting the princess.
Glad that she succeeded protecting her heart.
Then came the day when she failed.
Failed to rescue the princess.
Failed to rescue her heart.
She was angry.
Sad.
Heartbroken.
Angry at herself for being so weak.
For being so useless.
Sad for she knew she would be taken away.
Heartbroken for she knew what went wrong.
So she left.
She left to train.
To become stronger.
To get rid of these emotions that got in her way.
To be able to protect the one person who is dear to her.
The person who holds her heart.
Even if it meant to defer any feeling she has for her.
After several years she came back.
And when they met again everything came back.
And all of the years she spent trying to suppress her emotions were useless.
But now she wasn't angry anymore.
She used these feelings to drive her will to protect Konoka.
She wasn't sad anymore.
She still had the chance to be with Konoka every day.
But still heartbroken.
She knew that the girl is just overly friendly to everyone.
Especially her, since she was her best friend.
Doing special things for her.
That sometimes would exceed the friendship boundary.
But she was clouded by her emotions and her logic that she did not see past through these.
So she concluded that Konoka treated her that way because she was her special friend.
And she accepted it.
She accepted that she was contended with that.
Or that's what her mind says.
Foolish is he who only hopes and not acts.
"You know, the wedding would be incomplete without a best man. Or should I say best woman."
Asuna.
"You're not going to her wedding, aren't you?"
The voice stopped her from her tracks.
She was leaving again.
"I've finished my job here, it's no use for me to stay anymore."
Silence.
"Now that she is marrying Negi-sensei, my job of protecting her is done."
My job of protecting my heart is done.
"Do you think running away is the answer?"
Again, silence.
Then footsteps.
She was walking away again.
"You were always dense weren't you Setsuna?"
She stopped from her tracks.
"What do you mean?"
Silence.
"She loves you, you idiot."
A chuckle.
"Tell me Asuna-san, if she did, then why would she be in the church marrying Negi-sensei?"
Asuna flinched.
Bitter.
Her voice was bitter.
"Cause you were so dense!"
"She did everything to show you that she loved you."
Asuna's voice was strained.
"Then why didn't she say it!"
Asuna was held back.
"She did!"
S-she did?
"What?"
This time she turned to face Asuna.
"Every time she said it, she showed it, you wouldn't take it seriously thinking it was just pretend."
She did.
"Didn't you even notice that every time she asked you to pretend for her she was really meaning every bit of it?"
I-I didn't.
"All these years she rejected every person her grandfather set up for her because of you."
She was silent.
She couldn't find her voice to speak.
"I asked her once why she kept on rejecting every single one of them."
"Do you want to know what she told me?"
Why can't I find my voice?
Her eyes locked onto Asuna's.
Why?
"She always told me she'd wait until the day that you return her feelings."
Her head lowered.
"She kept hoping for these past few years that someday, somehow, you would love her the same way she loved you."
"Even when she was heartbroken because you didn't take her confessions seriously."
"But I guess she couldn't really wait anymore, now that her grandfather is dying."
"B-but I do."
Asuna stopped.
Her facade was breaking.
I love her so much.
"I do love her."
Tears were starting to form in her eyes.
"So much."
"Then go tell her."
Her head snapped to meet Asuna's eyes.
"But, what about Negi-sensei?"
"I'm sure he'll understand." He never wanted to be in this predicament either.
She ran.
She ran like she never ran before.
I've got to tell her.
She whizzed past people.
I've got to tell her before it's too late.
And she arrived there in no time.
She was near the large wooden door to the entrance, panting.
But was she on time?
"I... do."
Konoka.
Her world came crashing down.
She was late.
By a second.
A mere second.
Tears were starting to fall from her eyes.
She couldn't believe it.
She was LATE.
She ran.
She ran not caring where her legs would take her.
She ended up near a river.
She sat down near the river bank.
Thoughts suddenly filled her mind.
If only I came earlier.
If only I wasn't so cowardly.
If only I-
"Se-secchan?"
She stopped crying.
K-kono-chan?
She looked behind her.
It was Konoka.
In her wedding dress.
Trying to catch her breath.
"Secchan!"
She was tackled into a hug.
A river.
A woman was sitting in a mat near the river.
Another woman came.
She sat down right beside her.
"It brings back memories ne, Secchan?"
The trademark blush.
The woman who spoke reached for the other's hand.
"It has been two years, hasn't it?"
She played with the ring that matched hers.
"I'm really glad that I followed my heart that day."
I love you, Secchan.
The hand she was holding now grasped hers.
Their gazes met.
"Me too Kono-chan, me too."
I love you too, Kono-chan.
A/n again: Edited some parts to avoid some confusion. After reading this again the transition of a scene to the next was not properly separated thus, this.