Magika - Chapter 22 (New)
The training didn't go as bad as he imagined. It was still awkward to be in close proximity with Kimura sensei but it was great. In fact, it was the best lesson he had and he understood why Kimura sensei was Nino's favourite.
They were brought to train at Nino's usual classroom. Kimura sensei reasoned that the classroom was bigger than the training room so it would be perfect for beginner like them. Kitagawa sensei also tagged along to supervise them. It put Ohno at ease to know there was another adult with them.
According to Kimura sensei, the training was conducted the same way he did for higher level students. In the beginning, the students will be divided into a group of five and a student from Ninomiya's house will manipulate the surroundings to see if the students can resist the manipulation. The method had its own benefit as it will also strengthen the illusionist's skill. Kimura sensei will assess how each student performed and when they're ready, they will move to the next level where Kimura sensei would be the one responsible to create the illusion.
So, for their first training, he had asked Nino to do the illusion. It might seem easy considering Nino was a rookie illusionist but Kimura sensei spoke highly of his skills and believed it will be hard for the others to figure out. Hearing how Nino was praised by the teacher, Ohno couldn't help but feeling proud with his boyfriend.
"Okay, so Ninomiya san, remember your first class?" instructed the teacher.
Nino nodded his head, showing that he remembered what the teacher meant. He asked all of them to close their eyes and opened them in fifteen seconds. They obliged. Though it was only fifteen seconds, it was too long for Ohno. That's why he was eager to open his eyes when the fifteen seconds was over.
However, he was surprised with the sight in front of him. At first, he thought there will be two Kimura sensei. He remembered Nino told him that the rest of his class had to figure out which one was the real Nino. So he expected Nino would make an illusion on himself to look like Kimura sensei and they had to figure out which one was the real teacher. But, now, they had two Nino in front of them. So, is that mean, Kimura sensei once again made himself to look like Nino?
"This is hard. Both look like Nino," complained Aiba, who stood beside him.
"Then you have to figure out which one is real," said one of the Nino. He sounded like Nino but Ohno wasn't sure if he was indeed the real Nino.
15 minutes passed with none of them was able to guess which one was the real Nino. Everything looked the same. The eyes, the nose, the hair, the way they stood and talked. Everything. That's why none of them say anything. Even Kitagawa sensei seemed intrigued with the trick which made Ohno wondered if he knew who the real one was.
For Ohno, there was something different. The way they looked at Ohno. Though both tried to remain expressionless, one of them, which he suspected was the real Nino, looked at him with a softer gaze. The other one seemed to be... Jealous? But, why would Kimura sensei feel jealous with him?
He wanted to answer but he wondered if his reason would be acceptable. Furthermore, if he said that the real Nino was looking at him with a look of love, the rest will laugh at him. It wasn't something that he wanted the headmaster or Kimura sensei to hear even though they know about their relationship.
Then something clicked in his mind. What if...
"The one near the table was the real one," he answered hesitantly.
"Your reason?" Asked Kitagawa sensei.
"Ummm... It seems that he had a hard time focusing," he was afraid to tell his answer but when he saw the one he suspected to be the real Nino smiled encouragingly at him, he became more confident with himself. "We're taking it the wrong way. Instead of Kimura sensei making himself look like Nino, Nino is trying to make Kimura sensei look like him. He is struggling to focus because this is the first time he does this,"
Slowly, the image in front of them started to change. The one he suspected to be the real Kimura sensei started to reveal himself.
"Finally!" said Nino. He looked relief and Ohno felt happy to be able to help his lover.
"That was impressive, Ninomiya san," complimented Kimura sensei. "I haven't taught you that and yet you managed to pull it off,"
Nino tried to hide his smug face but didn't do a good job in doing so.
"The same goes with you, Ohno san. Good job figuring out the real Ninomiya san," the teacher also complimented him, which made him smiled shyly.
"We will rest for a while because Ninomiya san seems to be tired. The little trick you did might drain you of your energy. We will continue in ten minutes,"
The rest of them nodded.
"My boyfriend knows me too well," said Nino as he got closer to Ohno. He put his chin on Ohno's shoulder. At first, Ohno thought the others will mock Nino for acting lovey-dovey with him in front of the teacher. But, each of them looked at Nino with concern.
"Are you okay?" Asked Jun. "You look a little pale,"
"I'm okay. Just let me lie down for a little while," said Nino. Hearing that, Ohno immediately pulled Nino down with him before making Nino lie down on his lap.
"Don't you think it is reckless to do that without proper guidance?" Said Sho. Instead of answering, Nino ignored him.
"Don't lecture him now, Sho. I'm sure he learn his lesson," said Ohno.
Sho scowled but didn't say anything as a response. Instead, he went to Kimura sensei, with Jun and Aiba following behind him, leaving both Ohno and Nino alone.
"Thank you," said Nino softly.
"Well, he will definitely lecture you later. Once we get back to the room,"
"I'm not thanking you for that, Ohchan. I'm thanking you for releasing me from my burden,"
Ohno blinked, couldn't understand what Nino meant.
"If you don't figure out which one is me, I might end up fainting in class. That wouldn't be cool, right?
"No, it wouldn't be cool,"
Deep in his heart, he wanted to lecture Nino as well for attempting to do that. But, he cannot do that. He understood why Nino pushed himself to his limit.
Because it will take more than what they had now to defeat the woman.
Phew. Nino was glad that the training was over. He didn't know how long he could stand resting at the corner of the room while his friends figure out the trick done by Kimura sensei.
After the short break, Kimura sensei wouldn't let him join the training. He was too pale. Nino wanted to argue, to say he wasn't that tired but he was actually too exhausted to object. So, he ended up watching them.
"Do you feel better now?" Ohno asked once they were alone at the table during dinner. The others went to take food for them. They were quite far from the other students as they were the only people who sat at the back of the dining hall as most of the students were sitting in the middle of the hall.
"Of course!" He lied. He felt weak. He never felt this weak before. Like Kimura sensei said, his trick drained him of his energy. The others spent the whole evening training with Kimura sensei but he was the most exhausted one because of the trick he did earlier.
"Take a rest once we finished our dinner, okay," Ohno pleaded. It was obvious he was worried for Nino and it made Nino felt bad for what he did earlier.
"Don't worry. I will..."
Everything became dark before he could even finish his sentences. He heard people screaming. What happened? Did the woman attack them again? He felt worried if it was indeed the woman causing trouble again, worried of what the woman will do to Ohno this time. Thankfully, he was holding hands with Ohno before it became dark, so he clasped the other person's hand tighter.
"What happened?" He asked Ohno.
"I don't know," answered Ohno. Though he sounded calm, Nino could sense a little hint of panic in his voice.
"HAHAHAHAHA"
Suddenly, everyone became quiet when there was a loud voice laughing. Nino was uncomfortable to hear the voice. The voice was oddly familiar. He felt even more awful because the laughing voice was very close to him. He prayed that it wasn't the person he was thinking about.
But, his pray wasn't answered. Maybe because he didn't pray hard enough.
When it became bright again, his fear was confirmed.
The woman from the cave stood only a few feet away from him.
This time, she didn't look like she was in her twenties. She looked old, way older than when she appeared in the cave before. In fact, she looked almost inhuman. She was wearing the same robe but without her hood this time, exposing her face to Nino. Her skin was wrinkled, making him wondered how fragile the skin was. Nino wouldn't think it was the same woman if it wasn't because of the robe and her sharp eyes. Though her appearance seemed to be old, her eyes didn't seem to belong to an old woman at all. She was staring at Nino intensely.
Nino didn't want to lose against the woman. He didn't want to show the woman how he was intimidated to see the woman suddenly appeared in the dining hall. So, he continued to give a deadly glare to the woman as she approached him. He stood up, keeping Ohno behind him. He tightened his hold on Ohno, knowing that the other boy was her target. But, he was surprised when the woman stood in front of him. Just like in the cave, he caressed Nino's cheek.
"I miss you, dearie," said the old woman fondly.
And the scream became even louder once the other students in the dining hall noticed the woman.
"What is that? Is it a ghost?" He heard one of the students said.
"What do you want?" Once again, Nino pushed her hands away from caressing his cheek. The woman's hand is too cold, making him wonder if she was indeed a ghost, just like what the other thought of her.
"So cold!" Said the woman. "Is that how you treat your family?"
Once again, there was a murmur from the other students who were watching. Nino didn't care for what they were saying. He only cared about what the woman said. What did she mean by saying they're family? Is she bluffing?
"Ninomiya Kazunari. The descendant of the Founder Ninomiya. How do you get your name?" Said the woman when Nino didn't respond to what she said before.
"Who are you? What do you want?" He asked the woman. But, she didn't answer his question immediately. Instead, she laughed hysterically.
"I'll give you a hint," said the woman. "We're related, in a way that you would never think of,"
"Are you a descendant of Naomi, then?" Asked Nino. He was amused to see the way the woman's expression hardened when he mentioned the name. Naomi's existence was erased from the history. Seeing the way the woman was surprised to hear the name from his mouth confirmed what he thought of. Naomi and the woman standing in front of him were related.
"Enough talking!" Said the woman angrily. Just like in the cave, she said a few incomprehensible words along with the weird hand movement before Nino, Ohno and the woman were surrounded in a bubble of chaos.
Everything happened too fast. He cannot see anything. He cannot feel anything. He didn't know anything. But, he knew something was touching him though he cannot see what it was.
After a few seconds, things started to feel normal again. But, the woman was nowhere to be seen.
However, she wasn't the only one missing.
Ohno... He wasn't beside him. In fact, he cannot see him anywhere in the dining hall.
And the drain of energy he felt from earlier and the fear of losing Ohno started to take its toll on him. Everything started to become blur and before he could do anything, he collapsed on the floor.
A/N:My muse is sort of back. I hope it will be kind to me and allow me to finish this fic soon. I've been rewriting this chapter again and again until I was satisfied with this one. At first, I thought to post this after I finish writing the whole fic but I guess I need some feedback. Hopefully, it wasn't weird and comments are appreciated :)
They were brought to train at Nino's usual classroom. Kimura sensei reasoned that the classroom was bigger than the training room so it would be perfect for beginner like them. Kitagawa sensei also tagged along to supervise them. It put Ohno at ease to know there was another adult with them.
According to Kimura sensei, the training was conducted the same way he did for higher level students. In the beginning, the students will be divided into a group of five and a student from Ninomiya's house will manipulate the surroundings to see if the students can resist the manipulation. The method had its own benefit as it will also strengthen the illusionist's skill. Kimura sensei will assess how each student performed and when they're ready, they will move to the next level where Kimura sensei would be the one responsible to create the illusion.
So, for their first training, he had asked Nino to do the illusion. It might seem easy considering Nino was a rookie illusionist but Kimura sensei spoke highly of his skills and believed it will be hard for the others to figure out. Hearing how Nino was praised by the teacher, Ohno couldn't help but feeling proud with his boyfriend.
"Okay, so Ninomiya san, remember your first class?" instructed the teacher.
Nino nodded his head, showing that he remembered what the teacher meant. He asked all of them to close their eyes and opened them in fifteen seconds. They obliged. Though it was only fifteen seconds, it was too long for Ohno. That's why he was eager to open his eyes when the fifteen seconds was over.
However, he was surprised with the sight in front of him. At first, he thought there will be two Kimura sensei. He remembered Nino told him that the rest of his class had to figure out which one was the real Nino. So he expected Nino would make an illusion on himself to look like Kimura sensei and they had to figure out which one was the real teacher. But, now, they had two Nino in front of them. So, is that mean, Kimura sensei once again made himself to look like Nino?
"This is hard. Both look like Nino," complained Aiba, who stood beside him.
"Then you have to figure out which one is real," said one of the Nino. He sounded like Nino but Ohno wasn't sure if he was indeed the real Nino.
15 minutes passed with none of them was able to guess which one was the real Nino. Everything looked the same. The eyes, the nose, the hair, the way they stood and talked. Everything. That's why none of them say anything. Even Kitagawa sensei seemed intrigued with the trick which made Ohno wondered if he knew who the real one was.
For Ohno, there was something different. The way they looked at Ohno. Though both tried to remain expressionless, one of them, which he suspected was the real Nino, looked at him with a softer gaze. The other one seemed to be... Jealous? But, why would Kimura sensei feel jealous with him?
He wanted to answer but he wondered if his reason would be acceptable. Furthermore, if he said that the real Nino was looking at him with a look of love, the rest will laugh at him. It wasn't something that he wanted the headmaster or Kimura sensei to hear even though they know about their relationship.
Then something clicked in his mind. What if...
"The one near the table was the real one," he answered hesitantly.
"Your reason?" Asked Kitagawa sensei.
"Ummm... It seems that he had a hard time focusing," he was afraid to tell his answer but when he saw the one he suspected to be the real Nino smiled encouragingly at him, he became more confident with himself. "We're taking it the wrong way. Instead of Kimura sensei making himself look like Nino, Nino is trying to make Kimura sensei look like him. He is struggling to focus because this is the first time he does this,"
Slowly, the image in front of them started to change. The one he suspected to be the real Kimura sensei started to reveal himself.
"Finally!" said Nino. He looked relief and Ohno felt happy to be able to help his lover.
"That was impressive, Ninomiya san," complimented Kimura sensei. "I haven't taught you that and yet you managed to pull it off,"
Nino tried to hide his smug face but didn't do a good job in doing so.
"The same goes with you, Ohno san. Good job figuring out the real Ninomiya san," the teacher also complimented him, which made him smiled shyly.
"We will rest for a while because Ninomiya san seems to be tired. The little trick you did might drain you of your energy. We will continue in ten minutes,"
The rest of them nodded.
"My boyfriend knows me too well," said Nino as he got closer to Ohno. He put his chin on Ohno's shoulder. At first, Ohno thought the others will mock Nino for acting lovey-dovey with him in front of the teacher. But, each of them looked at Nino with concern.
"Are you okay?" Asked Jun. "You look a little pale,"
"I'm okay. Just let me lie down for a little while," said Nino. Hearing that, Ohno immediately pulled Nino down with him before making Nino lie down on his lap.
"Don't you think it is reckless to do that without proper guidance?" Said Sho. Instead of answering, Nino ignored him.
"Don't lecture him now, Sho. I'm sure he learn his lesson," said Ohno.
Sho scowled but didn't say anything as a response. Instead, he went to Kimura sensei, with Jun and Aiba following behind him, leaving both Ohno and Nino alone.
"Thank you," said Nino softly.
"Well, he will definitely lecture you later. Once we get back to the room,"
"I'm not thanking you for that, Ohchan. I'm thanking you for releasing me from my burden,"
Ohno blinked, couldn't understand what Nino meant.
"If you don't figure out which one is me, I might end up fainting in class. That wouldn't be cool, right?
"No, it wouldn't be cool,"
Deep in his heart, he wanted to lecture Nino as well for attempting to do that. But, he cannot do that. He understood why Nino pushed himself to his limit.
Because it will take more than what they had now to defeat the woman.
Phew. Nino was glad that the training was over. He didn't know how long he could stand resting at the corner of the room while his friends figure out the trick done by Kimura sensei.
After the short break, Kimura sensei wouldn't let him join the training. He was too pale. Nino wanted to argue, to say he wasn't that tired but he was actually too exhausted to object. So, he ended up watching them.
"Do you feel better now?" Ohno asked once they were alone at the table during dinner. The others went to take food for them. They were quite far from the other students as they were the only people who sat at the back of the dining hall as most of the students were sitting in the middle of the hall.
"Of course!" He lied. He felt weak. He never felt this weak before. Like Kimura sensei said, his trick drained him of his energy. The others spent the whole evening training with Kimura sensei but he was the most exhausted one because of the trick he did earlier.
"Take a rest once we finished our dinner, okay," Ohno pleaded. It was obvious he was worried for Nino and it made Nino felt bad for what he did earlier.
"Don't worry. I will..."
Everything became dark before he could even finish his sentences. He heard people screaming. What happened? Did the woman attack them again? He felt worried if it was indeed the woman causing trouble again, worried of what the woman will do to Ohno this time. Thankfully, he was holding hands with Ohno before it became dark, so he clasped the other person's hand tighter.
"What happened?" He asked Ohno.
"I don't know," answered Ohno. Though he sounded calm, Nino could sense a little hint of panic in his voice.
"HAHAHAHAHA"
Suddenly, everyone became quiet when there was a loud voice laughing. Nino was uncomfortable to hear the voice. The voice was oddly familiar. He felt even more awful because the laughing voice was very close to him. He prayed that it wasn't the person he was thinking about.
But, his pray wasn't answered. Maybe because he didn't pray hard enough.
When it became bright again, his fear was confirmed.
The woman from the cave stood only a few feet away from him.
This time, she didn't look like she was in her twenties. She looked old, way older than when she appeared in the cave before. In fact, she looked almost inhuman. She was wearing the same robe but without her hood this time, exposing her face to Nino. Her skin was wrinkled, making him wondered how fragile the skin was. Nino wouldn't think it was the same woman if it wasn't because of the robe and her sharp eyes. Though her appearance seemed to be old, her eyes didn't seem to belong to an old woman at all. She was staring at Nino intensely.
Nino didn't want to lose against the woman. He didn't want to show the woman how he was intimidated to see the woman suddenly appeared in the dining hall. So, he continued to give a deadly glare to the woman as she approached him. He stood up, keeping Ohno behind him. He tightened his hold on Ohno, knowing that the other boy was her target. But, he was surprised when the woman stood in front of him. Just like in the cave, he caressed Nino's cheek.
"I miss you, dearie," said the old woman fondly.
And the scream became even louder once the other students in the dining hall noticed the woman.
"What is that? Is it a ghost?" He heard one of the students said.
"What do you want?" Once again, Nino pushed her hands away from caressing his cheek. The woman's hand is too cold, making him wonder if she was indeed a ghost, just like what the other thought of her.
"So cold!" Said the woman. "Is that how you treat your family?"
Once again, there was a murmur from the other students who were watching. Nino didn't care for what they were saying. He only cared about what the woman said. What did she mean by saying they're family? Is she bluffing?
"Ninomiya Kazunari. The descendant of the Founder Ninomiya. How do you get your name?" Said the woman when Nino didn't respond to what she said before.
"Who are you? What do you want?" He asked the woman. But, she didn't answer his question immediately. Instead, she laughed hysterically.
"I'll give you a hint," said the woman. "We're related, in a way that you would never think of,"
"Are you a descendant of Naomi, then?" Asked Nino. He was amused to see the way the woman's expression hardened when he mentioned the name. Naomi's existence was erased from the history. Seeing the way the woman was surprised to hear the name from his mouth confirmed what he thought of. Naomi and the woman standing in front of him were related.
"Enough talking!" Said the woman angrily. Just like in the cave, she said a few incomprehensible words along with the weird hand movement before Nino, Ohno and the woman were surrounded in a bubble of chaos.
Everything happened too fast. He cannot see anything. He cannot feel anything. He didn't know anything. But, he knew something was touching him though he cannot see what it was.
After a few seconds, things started to feel normal again. But, the woman was nowhere to be seen.
However, she wasn't the only one missing.
Ohno... He wasn't beside him. In fact, he cannot see him anywhere in the dining hall.
And the drain of energy he felt from earlier and the fear of losing Ohno started to take its toll on him. Everything started to become blur and before he could do anything, he collapsed on the floor.
A/N:My muse is sort of back. I hope it will be kind to me and allow me to finish this fic soon. I've been rewriting this chapter again and again until I was satisfied with this one. At first, I thought to post this after I finish writing the whole fic but I guess I need some feedback. Hopefully, it wasn't weird and comments are appreciated :)