Cadcaptor Aiba - Chapter 9
***Ohno’s POV***
I am really worried about Nino. To be honest, I don’t want to leave Nino alone but I didn’t go home yesterday, so, I think that I should be home today. Plus, my mom also asked me to get home because she wants to talk about something to me at home today. It’s too bad that Nino wouldn’t want to follow me. If not, I will not be so worried about him. Maybe this is the power of love? It makes you feel better if the one that you love is by your side. Falling in love really makes me be sappy. Nino always scolds me for being too sappy. But, I love to see the way he blushes whenever I said sappy words.
I don’t even remember when I started to like him. It happened too sudden. The next thing I know, I was jealous to see how close he is with Aiba chan. I like him because he is my first friend. When we’re still small, no one wants to be friend with me. I’m too shy to talk with others and I don’t have the will to stand up against the others. That’s why people always bully me in the kindergarten. Nino had just moved in into our neighborhood and his sister was quickly become close with my sister. He started to talk to me whenever he went to my house with his sister. For the first time ever, someone thinks of me as a friend but we don’t really talk in class. It’s because Nino is so popular with other students that he always has another student with him whenever I tried to talk to him. And, most of our classmates wouldn’t let me get close into him during class saying that I’m too stupid to be his friend. So, I was always alone during lunch break and spend the time to draw. There was one time that I was alone and draw a picture of Nino and me when Nakai, the biggest bully in the kindergarten came to me and tried to see my drawing. When he saw the drawing, he laughed and saying that I’m too stupid to think that Nino will be my friend. At the same time, Nino came with a few of his friends and saw Nakai tore the drawing. I almost cried but Nino came to me and punched Nakai for me. He said that if anyone bullies me, he will not talk to that person again. And, since that time, he never let me be alone again in the kindergarten. We started to become closer after that.
Time really flew fast. Now, both of us almost finished the school. From being friends, he is now my boyfriend. I can’t believe that a guy as awesome as he is would like someone like me. Even though he seldom said I love you or sappy words to me, I know that he loves me because of the way he treats me. And I love it whenever he said I love you during special moment. If he kept on saying it everyday, I may take it for granted. And, I feel so fortunate to have him as my boyfriend.
To know that we are even lovers in the past life really makes me even happier. But, at this moment, that is not supposed to be our main concern. Aiba is in danger. Matsujun wants the clow card which is supposed to be Aiba’s. I don’t know how serious Matsujun is, but I think that he may kill Aiba in order to get the card. So, we have to make sure that this problem will be solved first.
However, I don’t know why I have a bad feeling about this. I feel like it’s not Aiba that Matsujun wants but it is Nino. Before I revealed the truth about me being the judge to Nino, I dreamt about my previous life. The dream took place a moment before Clow announced about his successor. I was doing my usual training alone when I saw Matsujun was talking to someone. I’m not sure who he was talking to, but I heard him mentioned Nino and something about his power. I’m not sure what they really meant to but I believed this is the key to solve Matsujun’s identity. Too bad that I woke up when I heard Nino cried. And now, no matter how much I tried to remember the details of the conversation, I cannot remember anything at all.
When I arrived at home, my mom was watching the television with my sister. I smiled approaching both of them.
“Eh, you’re back already? I thought that you’re going to spend the night in Nino’s house today,” said my mom. Eh, isn’t it her who asked me to go home at the first place. I have a bad hunch about this.
“But, you send me a text, asking me to get…,” I ended my words abruptly when I noticed that she makes a weird face. “You didn’t send me any messages?” when I asked that, she just nodded her head.
“No, I didn’t. In fact, I want you to be with Kazu chan as his mother told me that he looked so miserable yesterday. Did something happen?” hearing that, I quickly ran away from my house and go to Nino’s house. It seems that Matsujun may be the one who send me the text. I don’t know how he did that but knowing that he has his own magic, I bet nothing is impossible. I feel so stupid to be fooled by his petty tricks.
Nino’s sister opened the door and I quickly run to Nino’s room, leaving his sister being curious. She followed me upstairs to Nino’s room. When I tried to open the door, it was locked and I knocked to see if he will respond. If there is no response, I will break the door.
To my surprise, the door was unlocked from the inside and reveal Nino behind the door. He was surprised to see me and his sister was laughing looking at us, saying something like ‘young love at its finest’ before leaving both of us.
“I thought that you want to go home,” said Nino while opening the door wider to let me in. I didn’t answer his question straight away. I enter his room and sit on his bed before start talking.
“Yeah, but I missed you so much. That’s why I come back,” as always, Nino blushed hearing that from me. He took a seat next to me and holds my hand. Even though he looks normal, there is something off about him. He looks like he was trying to hide something from me. I hope it was just my feeling and nothing really happened to him when I went home just now.
Suddenly, he leaned in and started to kiss my forehead, and then my chin, my jaw, my nose before finally settled on my lips. This is weird. He never initiated a kiss except during our first few kisses. When he lets me go, I saw tears trailing from his eyes. Really, what happened now?
“Nino, what’s…” he stopped my words by putting a finger on my lips.
“Ohchan, you know that no matter what happened, I love you so much,” he said before kissing me again. I want to push him away because I need to know the truth, but I don’t know why I feel that I should cherish this moment. It’s like it is our last kiss. Seriously, what happened?
He finally let me go and I wiped away his tears. Before I managed to ask him anything, his cellphone ringing and he quickly go to answer it. He put a loudspeaker so that I can hear the conversation. It is Aiba who called him.
“Nino, we found EARTHY. It is near the shrine. You should come here quickly,” said Aiba before he ended the call. To be honest, I don’t want to go yet. I need to know what happened first. But, knowing Nino, he may not want to talk about it before we help Aiba. And, I wished that nothing serious will happened in this battle.
When we arrived there, Aiba was struggling to catch EARTHY and Sho chan was trying his best to help. I wished that I would be able to help them with my power as the judge, but, I have not been able to recover my power just yet. Matsujun was nowhere to be seen. Even though I hope that he doesn’t know that we have located EARTHY, I know that he will come once Aiba had captured EARTHY.
“Aiba, use SLEEP to make the whole town sleeping,” said Nino. Aiba nodded his head, agree with the suggestion. To my surprise, both Nino and I do not fall asleep when Aiba used the card. The last time Aiba used it, Matsujun, Nino and I fall asleep and based on Sho’s explanation, and it was because we don’t have any power to resist the card. Now, it may make sense that I do not fall asleep. Knowing that I’m the judge, it may have built some resistance in my body against the power of the card. But, what about Nino?
Aiba finally able to defeat EARTHY by using WOOD. That is when I started to feel something different in my body and the next thing I know, I have changed to a different outfit, something similar to what Sho wore when we first met him. And, I started to feel power overflowing my body. The same goes with Sho. Something in my mind told me that I should judge Aiba now to know if he is qualified to be the new card owner. In order to win the judgement, Aiba has to battle me without anyone else helping or guiding him. We battled on the top of the roof and Aiba was really struggling to win the battle. Even though he is my friend, I don’t know why there is something inside of me that avoids me from being easy with him. He almost lose the battle when suddenly there is a sound of bell from down. To my surprise, it was Nino who rings the bell. That it’s when the time seems to stop and the next moment I don’t know how Aiba was able to defeat me by trapping me inside a ball of wind.
After we finished the battle, both of us went down to celebrate Aiba’s victory. And, that is when Matsujun suddenly appeared. I’m not surprised but I’m just curious about something. Before this, he mentioned that he will snatch the card away from Aiba even before the judgement began, but why did he appeared after we finished the judgement. For me, it looks like he is not interested with the cards anymore. There is something else that he wants.
“Congratulations, Aiba chan. You’re now the rightful owner of the cards. It seems that you struggle a bit and if not because of the bell, you may not have win,” he said while turning his head to the bell in Nino’s hands. Where did Nino get the bell in the first place? What was it supposed to do?
“The bell served as a second chance for you in case you lose the battle. It is to make you realized how much determination you have. Now, that it has served its purpose, you can never go back from the duty,” said Nino and the bell in his hands suddenly disappeared.
“So, are you here to get the cards? You know that it is impossible now that Aiba has won the judgement,” asked Sho but Matsujun was just laughing.
“No, thanks. I’m not interested with the cards anymore,” he turned to look at Nino who was looking different than usual. It’s like he was ready for something. “Now, it is your time to fulfill your promise to me,”
Promise? What did Nino promised him?
Nino smiled looking at Sho, Aiba and I before walking to Matsujun who was still laughing. He stood in front of Matsujun and nodded his head before looking at us again.
“I’m glad that I met all of you,” said Nino before turning his head back to Matsujun. It happened too fast and I don’t know what really happened because it was only Nino’s back that I see. A light surrounded both Nino and Matsujun. As the light faded, Nino falls down. Something in my mind tells me that whatever the light is supposed to be, it may have kill Nino. Please, don’t let Nino died. I don’t know how to live without him. Please, let it be that he was just fainted because he is too tired.
But, I know that it was just my wishful thinking. Nino had left me. Left us. Forever. That’s why he was acting strangely before this.
The next thing that happened makes me feel confused. Matsujun was screaming, saying something about it is not working and why is he unable to be a human. What is really happening now? What is he actually? Why did he think that he needs Nino’s power to be a human? But, why doesn’t it work? If it’s not working, wouldn’t that means that Nino’s sacrifice was useless? He killed Nino for nothing then. Feeling outraged, I go to him for making me lose Nino. But, someone suddenly appeared before me. And, I was surprised to see the face.
“I would not let you kill him. If you kill him, Nino’s power will be yours, instead of mine,”
Sensei? Is the person who stands in front of me my sensei? What does this mean?
“Poor Jun. I forgot to tell you. The power that you stole from Nino will not make you become human but it will make me more powerful once I kill you. But, before I kill all of you, I will let you know who I really am,”
“You are Kitagawa sensei,” said Aiba chan. True, that person who stands in front of us is our headmaster, Johnny Kitagawa. He was an eccentric old man. Despite being eccentric, he was actually kind. But, it seems to me now that he is not who I think he is.
“Oh, that is my name for this century. I changed my name every 100 years. My real name is Clow Reed,”
A/N: I hope that this is okay. Just to clear some points for those who didn't watched cardcaptor sakura. Clow reed is NOT a bad character in the story. And, Toya (the character who is similar to Nino in the anime) did sacrifice his power to save Yukito (the one who is similar to Ohchan) but he didn't died. He just lose his power. But, of course I want to make something different than the anime. Won't be sure when the next update will be. I know I should be studying for the exam but I am the queen of procrastination. Plus, I have just submitted my last assignment today, so I need to get away from books. Stay tuned for the next update to know if Nino really dead and what is Jun actually :)