I do not own any creative rights to Negima! Magister Negi Magi. I do, however, own this story.

Oddly enough, this story was inspired by an idea I had while working on A is for Airbender. A version of this was originally going to be the "H" piece for that collection, but then I kept expanding upon it until it no longer really made sense there. I also happened to have Negima! on my mind at the time, and from there everything more or less fell into place. I guess it just goes to show that inspiration can truly come from anywhere, huh?

Sakura Lane's namesake trees were, for lack of a better word, gorgeous, particularly in the evening. In the waning light, the rosy petals gave off an ethereal shine that seemed almost otherworldly, both captivating and tranquilizing. However, all of this was seemingly lost upon the figure who sat at a bench along the side of the road, a lone streetlight as his silent companion. At first glance it may have seemed as though he were hunched over in some combination of pain and hunger, but a further examination would have revealed the photograph that he was studying intently.

Negi Springfield sighed heavily, his gaze never leaving the small yet precious object that lay innocently between his thumb and forefinger. Through the glare of the sunset, Nekane stared back at him, and while she didn't seem to notice the cherry blossoms either, Negi's cousin and colloquial "sister", for the most part, seemed much more content than he.

If only Anya could see me now… she'd laugh herself silly. How many months had it been since he'd left Wales? He hadn't really bothered to keep track, but it seemed like an eternity nonetheless. A lot had happened since then, and yet somehow, when all was said and done, it would be on his mind once more.

Forget Anya… what would Asuna think if she saw me now? His face held a rueful smile as he considered it. The fiery teenager from his class of thirty-one had certainly not been too keen on the young teacher's arrival at first, dismissing him as no more than a small child. However, through time, quite a few unexpected events, and the forced sharing of a bedroom, the two had grown close, Asuna even becoming the first person with whom Negi had formed a Pactio.

"Maybe she was right about me all along," he sighed.

"Who was right about what?"

Negi's head snapped up at the voice, the picture falling from his grasp. There was a warm breeze, and amidst a cascade of pink petals and the clear, pristine tinkling of small bells, he saw Asuna Kagurazaka standing beside him, the picture at her feet. It was in her hand before he could even think about asking for it back, and without another word she dropped down unceremoniously next to him on the bench.

"Asuna-san…"

"You idiot," she interrupted with a smile, knocking him playfully on the head. "You didn't come back after school today. We were worried sick, you know."

Negi said nothing, instead preferring to focus on an imaginary speck of dirt on his shoes.

"Konoka's making dinner," Asuna added gently, as though it were incentive for him to say something.

"Asuna-san." His tone was uncharacteristically sharp, and Asuna immediately fell silent at the unfamiliar change in demeanor. However, his voice immediately softened as he said, "Please give me back the picture."

Wordlessly, she handed over the photograph, but not before catching a glimpse of its subject. "She's beautiful," she said softly as Negi pocketed the picture.

"Yeah…" the mage replied lamely, his voice trailing off as he found himself conflicted over what to say. What would she think if she found out?

Unexpectedly, Asuna broke into a sly smile, her eyes gleaming in the light of the setting sun. "So, who is she? You never told me that you had a girlfriend." For some reason, she found her voice rising by a couple of steps.

Despite her clearly halfhearted attempt at a joke, Negi smiled a little. "No, it's nothing like that. She's my… sister." It wasn't technically the truth, but it was true enough for him.

His hesitation was not lost upon Asuna, but she misinterpreted it—though only slightly. "Hey, is something wrong?"

Alarm bells were ringing like crazy throughout Negi's head. This was the last thing he'd wanted to happen—dragging Asuna into even more of his problems, especially this one. She'd never let him hear the end of it, that was certain, Pactio or no Pactio. So, he resorted to a tried and true trick that had gotten him through a number of tight spots: evasion.

"It's nothing you need concern yourself with, Asuna-san," he replied gently.

"Gee," Asuna said, putting her finger to her lip and gazing upwards in mock-deep thought, "now where have I heard that one before?"

Another soft breeze blew through, bringing with it another wave of petals. Negi's gaze returned to his shoes. "I don't want to talk about it right now."

Asuna had heard enough. Emitting something that could have very possibly been a growl, she got up to stand in front of the mage and put her hands on her hips. "Listen, dummy," she said firmly, leaning in so that her face was level with his. "I don't know what's been going on, but I do know this—I'm your partner. You chose me. Let me honor that and help you out, okay?" When Negi initially remained silent she continued. "So enough with the tough guy act, huh? I told you before, it's not impressive."

At this, Negi felt a funny feeling welling up in his stomach, one that made him almost want to laugh. It was this feeling that drove him forward as he said, "Well… sometimes I guess I just wonder what she's doing right now… back home."

The change was immediate. There was yet another breeze, but this one was decidedly cooler as Asuna's face softened with realization. "I get it," she said gently. She laid a hand upon his shoulder as he looked her in the eye. "You're homesick, aren't you?"

Negi offered no reply, but the lone tear that streaked down his face was response enough. Asuna didn't know what to say. She hadn't been expecting it, but now that she knew, it wasn't all that surprising. A ten-year-old being homesick was just natural, after all. Like Nodoka being timid, or Eva attacking her classmates.

"Asuna-san? Do you ever miss home?" Negi's voice was strangely hopeful.

Asuna allowed a wry chuckle, her hand still resting upon the mage's shoulder. "Nope… can't say that I do."

Negi sank a little lower into the bench. Night had fully fallen by now, the only light coming from the moon and the nearby streetlight. Great… she must really think I'm nothing more than a helpless child now…

"But then again, my parents are dead," the girl continued offhandedly. "I guess there really isn't much for me to miss."

Instantly, Negi regretted what he'd said. "I'm sorry, Asuna-san!" he wailed, the tears now fully gushing forth. "I didn't mean it! I—"

"Whoa, calm down!" Asuna exclaimed, grinning as she knocked him affectionately over the head once more. "I told you before, it's no big deal. Honest."

The mage's crying had stopped, though he was still sniffling periodically. "I'm a terrible teacher," he said gloomily. "How can I do my job when all I do is get homesick and cry?" He paused and looked straight into Asuna's eyes. "You were right," he admitted. "I guess I am nothing more than a silly little ten-year-old kid." And then, to Asuna's surprise, he gave the faintest of smiles. "But I can't help it… I just miss it so much sometimes."

The next thing he knew, he was being lifted out of his seat on the bench. A moment later, he was in Asuna's arms as she enveloped him in a tight embrace.

"Idiot…" she muttered for the second time that evening. "You are a ten-year-old kid. But you're also so much more than that… to me and to everyone else. Don't forget that."

As the last of his tears fell to the ground, forgotten, Negi found himself smiling in her arms.

"It's okay to miss your home," Asuna said after a few moments of silence. She looked down and smiled at him. "But just remember that you're always at home here, too."

Surrounded by the cherry blossoms of Sakura Lane, "home" could not have been more beautiful.

A/N: In hindsight, Negi's probably slightly OOC. I don't think I got him too far off; he is a ten-year-old kid, after all, so I don't think homesickness is all that unreasonable, and we have seen him cry on multiple occasions over the course of the manga. Asuna, on the other hand, I'd like to think I hit as close to spot-on as possible, but hey, feel free to leave a comment and correct me if I'm wrong.

Also, I should say that I don't really have a favored pairing or anything when it comes to Negima!. Negi/Asuna is cool, as is Negi/Nodoka (in fact, look for Nodoka to get a story of her own after this... I mean, it's only fair, right?), along with a few others... so many possibilities! Kudos to Akamatsu-san for producing a fun series to write about.

Reviews, as always, are lovely. Thanks for reading!