Second Years at Hogwarts
Title: Second Year at Hogwarts
By: arashiforyou
Genre: Friendship/ Fantasy/ Drama
Rating: PG13
Summary: Matsujun is a second year at Hogwarts. After a rough talk, Jun finally understands why Sho would cause such a tragic at the Dueling Club, but Nino is still reluctant to forgive Sho. Jun wishes he could help Sho, and his only plan was to get Sho's mind off of his problems...but confess to Sho! How will Sho react? What will Nino do when he finds out? What will Jun do?
A/N: things are gonna get more awkward for Jun XD
Enjoy!
Chapter 8 - You're Pathetic
Sho didn't even said a word when Jun finally realized what he'd done. Jun only wanted to get Sho's thoughts on something else besides his family. Jun believed it'll be a good distraction for Sho, but now in retrospect...he wished he kept his mouth shut.
"...A-aahhh!" Jun blurted out. "I-I forgot! We have that assignment for UtaMahou class due tomorrow. Y-you should work on that too."
Sho still didn't say anything. His eyes were still wide in shock and his mouth slightly opening. Jun did all he could not to stare back at Sho as he just swung his arms around and shuffled his feet.
"You're in a big pinch since you're such a nut for school. Haha!" Jun faked laughed a little too loud. "You want to be top student and all, right? You know what they say! Early worms get the birds!"
At that, Jun turned around and dashed away in embarrassment, leaving Sho still in his shock state. It wasn't until he finally got back to the portrait of the Fat Lady that he realized what he said to Sho.
"It's 'the early bird gets the worm' you idiot!" Jun hit himself. "And what does it have to do with anything! Stupid!"
"Password denied," the Fat Lady smirked. "Poor boy, you're in way over your head."
"Ryusei no Kizuna!" Jun growled the password. The Fat Lady pouted as she swung the door open to allow him in. Jun sighed.
"I am over my head..."
* * *
The next morning was something Jun wished would never come, but he couldn't stop time. The first class of the day had to be UtaMahou, and he had to be late to class and the only seat available had to be the one sitting next to Sho.
Jun would have thought someone would sit next to Sho since he's so popular, but then Jun remembered that the students were still terrified of being anywhere near the angry Ravenclaw. Sho looked guilty as ever, but Ikuta Toma was kind enough to keep him company. Jun sat down next to Sho, yet scooted as far from the table as he could get from Sho without realizing it.
"Not you too," Sho mumbled. Jun immediately felt guilty for his minor action, but remained where he was. He wasn't sure that Sho was talking to him, or maybe Jun misheard him.
"N-no, I just..." Jun fumbled.
"Hey Jun, Aiba was thinking of trying out for Quidditch," Sho brought up, acting like nothing happened. "Want to come watch him?"
Jun turned his head and stared at Sho. He had a normal smile on his face, as if all his troubles were gone, and this only made Jun more confused. Jun was happy to see Sho smiling so genuinely, but he was also unsure.
'Is he only being nice to me?' Jun thought, feeling his heart sinking slightly. 'Is he pretending last night didn't happen?'
"U-uhh, s-sure," Jun said. "All the houses are trying out now?"
"Yeah. I was thinking of trying out myself, but I think I'll stick to being announcer," Sho nodded, still keeping his smile. "You should try out too. You and Ohno would make a great team."
Sho playfully punched Jun's forearm. Jun could feel the heat on his face rising.
"Aah, I don't know," Jun said, feeling bashful again.
"You should," Sho repeated. "It'll be fun calling your name on the speaker."
'Someone pinch me!'
Throughout the class, Sho talked with Jun like he always have been, and Jun slowly accepted it. Sho smiled warmly and even patted Jun's back when he answered a question from Professor Masahiro. Even though Jun smiled back, he was still on edge.
'Sho is being more physical then he used too. Is he trying to hide behind a mask?' Jun pondered. 'Did he forgot what happened last night? Is he just trying to be tough to ignore the students stares?'
The class was over, but Jun was still in his own thoughts throughout the day. Before Jun could even grasp an idea behind Sho's behavior, it was time for the Quidditch try outs to take place. The field was open for all houses to share for the time being. Jun and Ohno descended down to the field ready for try outs. Sho and Aiba was already there, and Jun couldn't find Nino anywhere.
'He's probably still mad at Sho,' Jun thought and sighed.
"You're up, Matsumoto," Oguri Shun called.
"Eh? Already?" Jun gasped, looking around confused. Ohno slightly smacked his head.
"You were so busy daydreaming, you weren't even paying attention," Ohno teased.
"O-okay," Jun nodded.
'I can't even keep track of time!'
He got on his spare broomstick and kicked off the ground. Suddenly, he felt a thrill surge into him as if all his troubles and worries were left on the ground. He felt the power and control of his broomstick as it easily turned at his command. Jun faced the other team members with Shun nodding to him.
"Okay, pass the Quaffle around and head for the goals," a seventh year instructed and tossed the ball to Shun.
He caught it smoothly and zoomed around the skies. Jun and another fourth year followed him. The fourth year was slowing down as if she couldn't gain speed with her broomstick, but Jun was right next to Shun with no problem.
"Okay, Karina come back!" The captain called. Jun heard him yell. "Ohno! Get up there."
Before he knew it, Jun saw Ohno right behind Jun. Shun passed the Quaffle to Ohno, and he caught it with ease. Of course, since they have already played together, they knew each other's moves. Shun was mostly known for his Seeker skills, but Jun knew he was athletically built for any position. As for Ohno, he was natural on the broomstick.
"Jun!" Ohno called, and threw the Quaffle hard.
Jun watched the red ball spinning closer and closer to his face. But he instantly caught it with one arm and zoomed towards the goal. The captain played as the Keeper and hovered professional between the three goals. But Jun saw a space on the left goal. He pointed his broomstick to the right goal, tricking the Keeper and pulled his broomstick a hard left and threw the Quaffle.
It zoomed pass the Keeper and through the hoop. Jun pumped his fist.
"Yes!" Jun cheered. The captain nodded.
"Good job. Okay! Next is...Jin!"
"You did good!" Ohno said, as they landed. "I haven't seen such speed like that last year."
"Yeah, you were amesome, Matsujun," a voice called behind them.
He turned around slowly and cracked a smile at the last minute as Sho approached them. Jun felt his heart do all sorts of gymnastic moves; he wasn't sure what he was feeling.
"I saw you two flying," Sho said. "You guys will make the team no problem."
"Thanks, Sho," Ohno smiled. Jun just nodded. As if sensing his embarrassment, Ohno "accidentally" shoved Jun so his shoulder bumped into Sho's. Jun felt his face heat up again.
"Why don't you play for Ravenclaw, Sho?" Ohno asked, calmly, still having Jun trapped next to Sho.
"And have my back break? No thanks," Sho laughed, clearly not bothered by the closeness. "Being the announcer has its perks. 'He shoots and he scores! The amazing Matsujun wins for Gryffindor as always. Just check out those wicked flying skills.' " Sho said, gazing at the sky.
"Come on, guys," Jun mumbled, wishing he wasn't turning red.
"Oh!" Ohno pointed at the far end of the field. "It looks like Aiba's up next. Let's go!"
Finally, Jun had an excuse to move away from Sho. Jun tried to keep a health distance from Sho, but somehow, Ohno managed to make Sho in the middle so he was next to Jun. Sho lightly brushed Jun's shoulder and Jun instinctively stepped away.
Jun kept his eyes on Aiba in the sky, but he saw from the corner of his eye that Sho was watching him too.
'What am I doing?' Jun yelled in his head. 'If anything, I should be nice to Sho!'
"Go Aiba!" Ohno yelled.
The boys watched Aiba zoomed across the sky without effort, but he dropped the Quaffle. Aiba looked upset and angry. It wasn't the first time Aiba failed to keep his grip on the Quaffle. Then, the Hufflepuff captain handed Aiba a Bludger bat. In replacement for the deadly Bludgers, the captain threw regular baseballs at Aiba. Fueled from his failure with the Quaffle, he swung his bat as hard as he could. The baseball soared across the field until it shot through the goal post at the other end of the field.
"No way!" Ohno whispered.
"That's like a miracle shot!" Sho laughed. Even Jun was surprised.
They watched the Hufflepuff captain nodded in amusement, and Aiba descended to the ground next to Jun.
"Did you see that?!" Aiba smiled as brightly as ever. "I was meant to be a Beater!"
"You were so awesome!" Sho jumped on Aiba, and rubbed his head with his knuckle.
Ohno and Aiba laughed, but Jun could only chuckle. Somehow, watching the closeness between Sho and Aiba made him feel uncomfortable. The way Sho was at ease and playful around Aiba, and the way Aiba accepted Sho's nudges and touches. Somehow, Jun was envious...
"We should have a mini celebration," Aiba suggested.
"We don't even know if we made it to the team, idiot," Ohno said.
"So? It's to celebrate my miracle shot," Aiba smiled. "Let's head to our VIP spot in the library. I also wanted to try this new experiment with mixing pepper and sugar in the Shrinking Potions."
The boys headed for their private spot in the library. Ohno casted a minor UtaMahou spell around their area. He explained that no one will be able to hear them for making too much noise, as if it was a reflective 'Nancho' spell.
"Man, I wish I was ahead of UtaMahou like you," Sho slouched, sipping on the butterbeer they took from the kitchen.
"You seem to do a lot of studying on it already," Aiba pointed out. "You always talked about Rap Magic."
"Yeah, I'm learning it now," Ohno nodded. "It's hard!"
"Not really," Sho said, sitting up. "I've read books in it. The key is rhythm."
"Yeah, but it's hard to come up with the right words," Ohno complained. "Rap Magic is more than the rhythm and power of your voice. It's timing also."
"Isn't that the same as rhythm?" Sho asked. Aiba snickered.
"No, no. I mean, Rap Magic can't be thought for long. When you do it, you have to do it on the spot," Ohno said. "For practices, Matchy make us duel each other. You have to come up the words by yourself on the spot. If you falter, your UtaMahou power disappears and it's just pointless words."
"Wah! Sounds hard!" Aiba said, over-exaggerating as always.
"Matchy?" Sho caught the nickname. "You call Professor Masahiko...Matchy?"
"It comes naturally," Ohno shrugged.
"You know, I think Sho got rap magic down already," Jun spoke. Sho stared at Jun with an unreadable expression. Jun gulped. "I don't want to remind you, but that time at the basketball court..."
If there was any noise in their private spot, it died away. As if Jun cast a Silence Charm and all went still. Clearly Sho and the others haven't forgotten. But Sho still had that unreadable look in his face, so Jun continued.
"Well, I remember you didn't stop," Jun said, staring back at Sho. "It was terrifying...but it was amazing too!"
"Eh?" Sho's eyebrow twitched.
"You didn't stop to breath," Jun said, remembering the scene. "Words flowed out of you, as well as the magic. It was like a non-stop flow of magic."
Sho remained still for a long time until he smirked. Aiba sighed with relief as the tension died down.
"That's Sho for you," Ohno said.
"That's brutality." Another voice spoke.
"Nino!" Aiba gasped.
Nino leaned on the bookshelf as if he had always been there, inside the barrier of Ohno's magic sound shield. Jun hated it when Nino suddenly appeared like that. Nino's eyes bored into Sho's, who stared back but there was no trace of anger...just guilt.
"Nino," Jun began stuttering. "W-wha...uuhhh, h-how's Yamashita?"
Nino still had his eyes on Sho, but he answered.
"Burnt."
Sho didn't even blink.
"H-hey! Want some butterbeer?" Ohno asked, politely. "We have some pound cakes too."
"What's so great about Rap Magic..." Nino ignored him, "...when all it does is hurt people?"
Sho still didn't say anything. Jun was the only one between them, and he looked to Ohno and Aiba for help. Ohno stared at Jun and quickly glanced down at his pocket. Jun gave a tiny nod.
'If the worst comes, I'll use my wand,' Jun gently placed his hand over his pocket.
"Rap Magic is just a never-ending flow of offensive magic...ripping, shredding, burning..." Nino continued. "A great offense...but someone who's not old enough shouldn't use it."
Sho shifted in his seat.
"Why would someone so young take the time to learn Rap Magic," Nino said, rising his voice a little, "when they could wait when they are mature enough to understand it? Why Sho?!"
"Nino, that's enough," Aiba said, but that didn't stop Sho from standing up.
"Nino..." Sho spoke.
A long pause. So long, Jun thought a day had passed. What can Sho do for Nino? Sho still hates Yamashita for taunted him with his past. What is it that Nino wanted from Sho?
Finally, Sho bowed.
"I'm very sorry!" Sho bowed so low, his body looked like he was completely folded.
Nino looked uncomfortable again.
"Nino," Jun spoke, standing up so he was eye to eye with him. "Can't you see Sho is sorry?" Jun said, trying to be calm. "What is it you want from Sho?"
Nino looked speechless. Jun knew he got Nino in a tight spot now. Clearly, Nino wasn't sure how to answer him. The cool and suave Nino couldn't make a move.
"Yamashita..." Nino finally spoke, "...was sent to Nippon Majo Hospital today."
Aiba and Ohno gasped. Jun could hear Sho straighten up behind him.
"They say...he'll have better medical attention at the hospital," Nino said, gripping his fists. "If you had controlled your temper, this would've never happened! My friend is facing a life or death situation! And you're sitting here drinking beer?! You're pathetic! Have you even once seen the damage you've done?! Or maybe you already had from the past!"
Jun was roughly pushed aside, and he saw Sho standing nose to nose with Nino. Sho had his grip on Nino's cloak tightly, but Nino didn't flinch.
"I didn't ask for this to happen!" Sho yelled. "What am I suppose to do?! Tell me! I have my family to think about too, you know! My father has a reputation, a political image to look after. You think I don't know the mistakes I do will harm others! I get it! Now, no one will even look at me! They're scared of me! How am I suppose to explain to them when no one will hear my side of the story?"
"And all you can do is complain!" Nino shouted, shoving Sho away, causing Sho to stumble back on the table. The opened butterbeers spilled on the table and the floor. Aiba and Ohno also stood up.
"You run away from things, Sakurai!" Nino yelled back. "Your families expectations, your sister's health...have you ever once took it like a man and face them!"
"What do you know?!" Sho roared. "You know nothing about Mai-chan. I love my sister, and you can't say I ignored her."
"Everybody knows about this story, Sho!" Nino said, rolling his eyes. "You refused to take on your families expectation. You want to know Rap Magic, UtaMahou, DansuMahou. You want to be a wizard singer. All expectations fell on your sister, and she cracked. And what did you do?"
"I was there for her!"
"You go on and study Rap Magic!" Nino blurted. "You never once cared, did you? As long as you continued to gain knowledge in magic, everyone else can rot. You just want to be number one!"
Sho lunged forward and punched Nino square in the jaw. Jun and Ohno rushed to stop Sho, each holding onto Sho's arm. Nino gracefully stood up as if he wasn't harmed. But Jun saw the redness around his mouth.
"The wizarding world of Japan knows this story," Nino continued, his voice very quiet. "Sho...I am sorry for what happened to your sister. I truly am. But you need to control your anger. It's getting pathetic."
Sho continued to struggle under Jun and Ohno's grip, but Nino walked away. Sho breathed heavily before he screamed in their small private spot. However, no one was able to hear his cry of regret but Jun, Ohno and Aiba.
The next day, Sho got into fights again.
-------------------------------------
ugh, you know what I'm stopping here. (i mean chapter wise, not the story XD)
ARGH! summer classes are killing! T_T how long has it been? a week? week and a half? since i updated? argh!! these summer classes will be the end of me! TT_TT
anyways, waaaaah! this was tough to write as well. as far as i know, sho balanced his studies and his work pretty well in real life. so you can say from here on out, sho isn't so balance. XD in this story that is. in real life, i think sho is a multitasking master ><
oh, and the part where ohno takes about rap magic. the practice sessions in class he mentioned...is suppose to be rap battles. you know? where there's a beat, and you face your opponent, rapping and dissing your opponent. thats hard, yo! XD
again, sorry for the wait. you might be expecting that from now until...june i think. yeah.
To Chapter 9 - arashiforyou.livejournal.com/10955.html
By: arashiforyou
Genre: Friendship/ Fantasy/ Drama
Rating: PG13
Summary: Matsujun is a second year at Hogwarts. After a rough talk, Jun finally understands why Sho would cause such a tragic at the Dueling Club, but Nino is still reluctant to forgive Sho. Jun wishes he could help Sho, and his only plan was to get Sho's mind off of his problems...but confess to Sho! How will Sho react? What will Nino do when he finds out? What will Jun do?
A/N: things are gonna get more awkward for Jun XD
Enjoy!
Chapter 8 - You're Pathetic
Sho didn't even said a word when Jun finally realized what he'd done. Jun only wanted to get Sho's thoughts on something else besides his family. Jun believed it'll be a good distraction for Sho, but now in retrospect...he wished he kept his mouth shut.
"...A-aahhh!" Jun blurted out. "I-I forgot! We have that assignment for UtaMahou class due tomorrow. Y-you should work on that too."
Sho still didn't say anything. His eyes were still wide in shock and his mouth slightly opening. Jun did all he could not to stare back at Sho as he just swung his arms around and shuffled his feet.
"You're in a big pinch since you're such a nut for school. Haha!" Jun faked laughed a little too loud. "You want to be top student and all, right? You know what they say! Early worms get the birds!"
At that, Jun turned around and dashed away in embarrassment, leaving Sho still in his shock state. It wasn't until he finally got back to the portrait of the Fat Lady that he realized what he said to Sho.
"It's 'the early bird gets the worm' you idiot!" Jun hit himself. "And what does it have to do with anything! Stupid!"
"Password denied," the Fat Lady smirked. "Poor boy, you're in way over your head."
"Ryusei no Kizuna!" Jun growled the password. The Fat Lady pouted as she swung the door open to allow him in. Jun sighed.
"I am over my head..."
* * *
The next morning was something Jun wished would never come, but he couldn't stop time. The first class of the day had to be UtaMahou, and he had to be late to class and the only seat available had to be the one sitting next to Sho.
Jun would have thought someone would sit next to Sho since he's so popular, but then Jun remembered that the students were still terrified of being anywhere near the angry Ravenclaw. Sho looked guilty as ever, but Ikuta Toma was kind enough to keep him company. Jun sat down next to Sho, yet scooted as far from the table as he could get from Sho without realizing it.
"Not you too," Sho mumbled. Jun immediately felt guilty for his minor action, but remained where he was. He wasn't sure that Sho was talking to him, or maybe Jun misheard him.
"N-no, I just..." Jun fumbled.
"Hey Jun, Aiba was thinking of trying out for Quidditch," Sho brought up, acting like nothing happened. "Want to come watch him?"
Jun turned his head and stared at Sho. He had a normal smile on his face, as if all his troubles were gone, and this only made Jun more confused. Jun was happy to see Sho smiling so genuinely, but he was also unsure.
'Is he only being nice to me?' Jun thought, feeling his heart sinking slightly. 'Is he pretending last night didn't happen?'
"U-uhh, s-sure," Jun said. "All the houses are trying out now?"
"Yeah. I was thinking of trying out myself, but I think I'll stick to being announcer," Sho nodded, still keeping his smile. "You should try out too. You and Ohno would make a great team."
Sho playfully punched Jun's forearm. Jun could feel the heat on his face rising.
"Aah, I don't know," Jun said, feeling bashful again.
"You should," Sho repeated. "It'll be fun calling your name on the speaker."
'Someone pinch me!'
Throughout the class, Sho talked with Jun like he always have been, and Jun slowly accepted it. Sho smiled warmly and even patted Jun's back when he answered a question from Professor Masahiro. Even though Jun smiled back, he was still on edge.
'Sho is being more physical then he used too. Is he trying to hide behind a mask?' Jun pondered. 'Did he forgot what happened last night? Is he just trying to be tough to ignore the students stares?'
The class was over, but Jun was still in his own thoughts throughout the day. Before Jun could even grasp an idea behind Sho's behavior, it was time for the Quidditch try outs to take place. The field was open for all houses to share for the time being. Jun and Ohno descended down to the field ready for try outs. Sho and Aiba was already there, and Jun couldn't find Nino anywhere.
'He's probably still mad at Sho,' Jun thought and sighed.
"You're up, Matsumoto," Oguri Shun called.
"Eh? Already?" Jun gasped, looking around confused. Ohno slightly smacked his head.
"You were so busy daydreaming, you weren't even paying attention," Ohno teased.
"O-okay," Jun nodded.
'I can't even keep track of time!'
He got on his spare broomstick and kicked off the ground. Suddenly, he felt a thrill surge into him as if all his troubles and worries were left on the ground. He felt the power and control of his broomstick as it easily turned at his command. Jun faced the other team members with Shun nodding to him.
"Okay, pass the Quaffle around and head for the goals," a seventh year instructed and tossed the ball to Shun.
He caught it smoothly and zoomed around the skies. Jun and another fourth year followed him. The fourth year was slowing down as if she couldn't gain speed with her broomstick, but Jun was right next to Shun with no problem.
"Okay, Karina come back!" The captain called. Jun heard him yell. "Ohno! Get up there."
Before he knew it, Jun saw Ohno right behind Jun. Shun passed the Quaffle to Ohno, and he caught it with ease. Of course, since they have already played together, they knew each other's moves. Shun was mostly known for his Seeker skills, but Jun knew he was athletically built for any position. As for Ohno, he was natural on the broomstick.
"Jun!" Ohno called, and threw the Quaffle hard.
Jun watched the red ball spinning closer and closer to his face. But he instantly caught it with one arm and zoomed towards the goal. The captain played as the Keeper and hovered professional between the three goals. But Jun saw a space on the left goal. He pointed his broomstick to the right goal, tricking the Keeper and pulled his broomstick a hard left and threw the Quaffle.
It zoomed pass the Keeper and through the hoop. Jun pumped his fist.
"Yes!" Jun cheered. The captain nodded.
"Good job. Okay! Next is...Jin!"
"You did good!" Ohno said, as they landed. "I haven't seen such speed like that last year."
"Yeah, you were amesome, Matsujun," a voice called behind them.
He turned around slowly and cracked a smile at the last minute as Sho approached them. Jun felt his heart do all sorts of gymnastic moves; he wasn't sure what he was feeling.
"I saw you two flying," Sho said. "You guys will make the team no problem."
"Thanks, Sho," Ohno smiled. Jun just nodded. As if sensing his embarrassment, Ohno "accidentally" shoved Jun so his shoulder bumped into Sho's. Jun felt his face heat up again.
"Why don't you play for Ravenclaw, Sho?" Ohno asked, calmly, still having Jun trapped next to Sho.
"And have my back break? No thanks," Sho laughed, clearly not bothered by the closeness. "Being the announcer has its perks. 'He shoots and he scores! The amazing Matsujun wins for Gryffindor as always. Just check out those wicked flying skills.' " Sho said, gazing at the sky.
"Come on, guys," Jun mumbled, wishing he wasn't turning red.
"Oh!" Ohno pointed at the far end of the field. "It looks like Aiba's up next. Let's go!"
Finally, Jun had an excuse to move away from Sho. Jun tried to keep a health distance from Sho, but somehow, Ohno managed to make Sho in the middle so he was next to Jun. Sho lightly brushed Jun's shoulder and Jun instinctively stepped away.
Jun kept his eyes on Aiba in the sky, but he saw from the corner of his eye that Sho was watching him too.
'What am I doing?' Jun yelled in his head. 'If anything, I should be nice to Sho!'
"Go Aiba!" Ohno yelled.
The boys watched Aiba zoomed across the sky without effort, but he dropped the Quaffle. Aiba looked upset and angry. It wasn't the first time Aiba failed to keep his grip on the Quaffle. Then, the Hufflepuff captain handed Aiba a Bludger bat. In replacement for the deadly Bludgers, the captain threw regular baseballs at Aiba. Fueled from his failure with the Quaffle, he swung his bat as hard as he could. The baseball soared across the field until it shot through the goal post at the other end of the field.
"No way!" Ohno whispered.
"That's like a miracle shot!" Sho laughed. Even Jun was surprised.
They watched the Hufflepuff captain nodded in amusement, and Aiba descended to the ground next to Jun.
"Did you see that?!" Aiba smiled as brightly as ever. "I was meant to be a Beater!"
"You were so awesome!" Sho jumped on Aiba, and rubbed his head with his knuckle.
Ohno and Aiba laughed, but Jun could only chuckle. Somehow, watching the closeness between Sho and Aiba made him feel uncomfortable. The way Sho was at ease and playful around Aiba, and the way Aiba accepted Sho's nudges and touches. Somehow, Jun was envious...
"We should have a mini celebration," Aiba suggested.
"We don't even know if we made it to the team, idiot," Ohno said.
"So? It's to celebrate my miracle shot," Aiba smiled. "Let's head to our VIP spot in the library. I also wanted to try this new experiment with mixing pepper and sugar in the Shrinking Potions."
The boys headed for their private spot in the library. Ohno casted a minor UtaMahou spell around their area. He explained that no one will be able to hear them for making too much noise, as if it was a reflective 'Nancho' spell.
"Man, I wish I was ahead of UtaMahou like you," Sho slouched, sipping on the butterbeer they took from the kitchen.
"You seem to do a lot of studying on it already," Aiba pointed out. "You always talked about Rap Magic."
"Yeah, I'm learning it now," Ohno nodded. "It's hard!"
"Not really," Sho said, sitting up. "I've read books in it. The key is rhythm."
"Yeah, but it's hard to come up with the right words," Ohno complained. "Rap Magic is more than the rhythm and power of your voice. It's timing also."
"Isn't that the same as rhythm?" Sho asked. Aiba snickered.
"No, no. I mean, Rap Magic can't be thought for long. When you do it, you have to do it on the spot," Ohno said. "For practices, Matchy make us duel each other. You have to come up the words by yourself on the spot. If you falter, your UtaMahou power disappears and it's just pointless words."
"Wah! Sounds hard!" Aiba said, over-exaggerating as always.
"Matchy?" Sho caught the nickname. "You call Professor Masahiko...Matchy?"
"It comes naturally," Ohno shrugged.
"You know, I think Sho got rap magic down already," Jun spoke. Sho stared at Jun with an unreadable expression. Jun gulped. "I don't want to remind you, but that time at the basketball court..."
If there was any noise in their private spot, it died away. As if Jun cast a Silence Charm and all went still. Clearly Sho and the others haven't forgotten. But Sho still had that unreadable look in his face, so Jun continued.
"Well, I remember you didn't stop," Jun said, staring back at Sho. "It was terrifying...but it was amazing too!"
"Eh?" Sho's eyebrow twitched.
"You didn't stop to breath," Jun said, remembering the scene. "Words flowed out of you, as well as the magic. It was like a non-stop flow of magic."
Sho remained still for a long time until he smirked. Aiba sighed with relief as the tension died down.
"That's Sho for you," Ohno said.
"That's brutality." Another voice spoke.
"Nino!" Aiba gasped.
Nino leaned on the bookshelf as if he had always been there, inside the barrier of Ohno's magic sound shield. Jun hated it when Nino suddenly appeared like that. Nino's eyes bored into Sho's, who stared back but there was no trace of anger...just guilt.
"Nino," Jun began stuttering. "W-wha...uuhhh, h-how's Yamashita?"
Nino still had his eyes on Sho, but he answered.
"Burnt."
Sho didn't even blink.
"H-hey! Want some butterbeer?" Ohno asked, politely. "We have some pound cakes too."
"What's so great about Rap Magic..." Nino ignored him, "...when all it does is hurt people?"
Sho still didn't say anything. Jun was the only one between them, and he looked to Ohno and Aiba for help. Ohno stared at Jun and quickly glanced down at his pocket. Jun gave a tiny nod.
'If the worst comes, I'll use my wand,' Jun gently placed his hand over his pocket.
"Rap Magic is just a never-ending flow of offensive magic...ripping, shredding, burning..." Nino continued. "A great offense...but someone who's not old enough shouldn't use it."
Sho shifted in his seat.
"Why would someone so young take the time to learn Rap Magic," Nino said, rising his voice a little, "when they could wait when they are mature enough to understand it? Why Sho?!"
"Nino, that's enough," Aiba said, but that didn't stop Sho from standing up.
"Nino..." Sho spoke.
A long pause. So long, Jun thought a day had passed. What can Sho do for Nino? Sho still hates Yamashita for taunted him with his past. What is it that Nino wanted from Sho?
Finally, Sho bowed.
"I'm very sorry!" Sho bowed so low, his body looked like he was completely folded.
Nino looked uncomfortable again.
"Nino," Jun spoke, standing up so he was eye to eye with him. "Can't you see Sho is sorry?" Jun said, trying to be calm. "What is it you want from Sho?"
Nino looked speechless. Jun knew he got Nino in a tight spot now. Clearly, Nino wasn't sure how to answer him. The cool and suave Nino couldn't make a move.
"Yamashita..." Nino finally spoke, "...was sent to Nippon Majo Hospital today."
Aiba and Ohno gasped. Jun could hear Sho straighten up behind him.
"They say...he'll have better medical attention at the hospital," Nino said, gripping his fists. "If you had controlled your temper, this would've never happened! My friend is facing a life or death situation! And you're sitting here drinking beer?! You're pathetic! Have you even once seen the damage you've done?! Or maybe you already had from the past!"
Jun was roughly pushed aside, and he saw Sho standing nose to nose with Nino. Sho had his grip on Nino's cloak tightly, but Nino didn't flinch.
"I didn't ask for this to happen!" Sho yelled. "What am I suppose to do?! Tell me! I have my family to think about too, you know! My father has a reputation, a political image to look after. You think I don't know the mistakes I do will harm others! I get it! Now, no one will even look at me! They're scared of me! How am I suppose to explain to them when no one will hear my side of the story?"
"And all you can do is complain!" Nino shouted, shoving Sho away, causing Sho to stumble back on the table. The opened butterbeers spilled on the table and the floor. Aiba and Ohno also stood up.
"You run away from things, Sakurai!" Nino yelled back. "Your families expectations, your sister's health...have you ever once took it like a man and face them!"
"What do you know?!" Sho roared. "You know nothing about Mai-chan. I love my sister, and you can't say I ignored her."
"Everybody knows about this story, Sho!" Nino said, rolling his eyes. "You refused to take on your families expectation. You want to know Rap Magic, UtaMahou, DansuMahou. You want to be a wizard singer. All expectations fell on your sister, and she cracked. And what did you do?"
"I was there for her!"
"You go on and study Rap Magic!" Nino blurted. "You never once cared, did you? As long as you continued to gain knowledge in magic, everyone else can rot. You just want to be number one!"
Sho lunged forward and punched Nino square in the jaw. Jun and Ohno rushed to stop Sho, each holding onto Sho's arm. Nino gracefully stood up as if he wasn't harmed. But Jun saw the redness around his mouth.
"The wizarding world of Japan knows this story," Nino continued, his voice very quiet. "Sho...I am sorry for what happened to your sister. I truly am. But you need to control your anger. It's getting pathetic."
Sho continued to struggle under Jun and Ohno's grip, but Nino walked away. Sho breathed heavily before he screamed in their small private spot. However, no one was able to hear his cry of regret but Jun, Ohno and Aiba.
The next day, Sho got into fights again.
-------------------------------------
ugh, you know what I'm stopping here. (i mean chapter wise, not the story XD)
ARGH! summer classes are killing! T_T how long has it been? a week? week and a half? since i updated? argh!! these summer classes will be the end of me! TT_TT
anyways, waaaaah! this was tough to write as well. as far as i know, sho balanced his studies and his work pretty well in real life. so you can say from here on out, sho isn't so balance. XD in this story that is. in real life, i think sho is a multitasking master ><
oh, and the part where ohno takes about rap magic. the practice sessions in class he mentioned...is suppose to be rap battles. you know? where there's a beat, and you face your opponent, rapping and dissing your opponent. thats hard, yo! XD
again, sorry for the wait. you might be expecting that from now until...june i think. yeah.
To Chapter 9 - arashiforyou.livejournal.com/10955.html