Magika - Chapter 29 (New)
Nino was nervous as he walked together with Ohno to his classroom. Sho, Aiba and Jun followed closely behind them. He knew Kimura sensei will be in the classroom. It was his favourite place in the school as he often spends his time there. He never saw him anywhere else besides the classroom and the library.
"Kimura sensei," he pushed the door of his classroom. Kimura sensei was nowhere to be seen. But, when they walked further into the classroom, the door behind them closed, revealing Kimura sensei. Nakai wasn't with him and without thinking, Nino scanned the classroom, wondering if the guy was hiding somewhere in the classroom.
"He is with our hostages," said Kimura sensei. "Who knows you might try to free them without surrendering yourself. I am surprised to see all five of you are here. Surrendering yourself to me without a fight,"
Nino didn't say anything. To be honest, he was afraid. Afraid that their plan might fail. But, Ohno's presence calmed him so he tried to hide his nervousness. He noticed Kimura sensei was eyeing the way both of them were holding hands.
"Are... Are... Are... You... Naomi?" His whole body was shaking as he asked the question. He still found it hard to believe that his teacher... His most respected teacher... Is the real culprit behind the war. How did this happen? He didn't think her appearance was an illusion. He believed this was Naomi's real appearance now. It wasn't a baseless guess. He noticed the teacher didn't like to look at the mirror, as if he hated his look. Furthermore, his most favourite type of illusion was changing his appearance. There must be a reason for that, right?
Kimura sensei didn't immediately answer him. Instead, he looked at him with amusement, unlike the first time he mentioned Naomi when he disguised as an old woman.
"I'm surprised you know about me," Kimura sensei told him, indirectly confirmed that he was indeed Naomi. "Is this something that all the descendants know? How did he know then?"
Kimura sensei directed his gaze towards Ohno. Ohno didn't say anything at first, only watched in silence. Nino knew he was trying to restrain himself from doing anything foolish.
"You attack me in the cave. Our parents were forced to tell the truth," Ohno answered. "Though we already knew about you. Our source told us that you’ve died in the battle,”
"Your source was wrong, then. I didn't die in the battle and I'm still here, even though I look different now," said Kimura sensei. There was bitterness at the end, proving to Nino that he indeed wasn't fond of how he looked like right now.
"Still angry with me because of your look?" A familiar voice interrupted them as Nakai entered the room alone. He didn't wear his mask this time. Nino took the chance to look properly at the guy. He was older than what he saw in Naomi's memory, perhaps in the late twenties or early thirties. It should be around the age when he was supposed to be dead, according to the history. "If I didn't do that, you will not be here. So, be thankful, okay?"
Kimura sensei didn't say anything in return, even though he was scowling at Nakai. Nakai ignored him and directed his attention towards Nino and his friends with amusement.
"Wow, I cannot believe that all the little boys are here," Nakai said. "Seeing them made me miss their ancestors. Little Samii and Little Kazu look so much like our friends. Though this Little Kazu here didn't seem as gullible as your little brother,"
"Shut up!" Said Kimura sensei. There was a hint of anger in his voice.
"Okay, I will shut up," said Nakai. He smiled at them and Nino couldn't help but feel uncomfortable to see the smile.
"We're here like you want," said Nino, trying to look away from Nakai. "Will you release our fathers and Kitagawa sensei?"
"Depends," answered Kimura sensei.
"Depends on what?" Asked Nino almost immediately. Wrong move. He was evidently panic. It was enough to make Kimura sensei realized he was worried as he stared at him. Nino could not control his illusion anymore under the intense stare. Sho, Aiba and Jun started to flicker before they finally disappeared. Seeing that, Kimura sensei laughed at him.
"Remember your first lesson, Ninomiya san. Pay attention to the details," Kimura sensei mocked him. There is no warmth or kindness from the teacher. "I know something was wrong right from the start. Your friends didn't talk at all. In fact, the expressions on their face didn't seem right. It's too rigid,"
Nino couldn't bring himself to look up. He had failed his friends because of his incompetence. Seeing Nakai smiled from the other side of the room was enough to let him know that his friends had been captured by him. However, Ohno held his hand tightly and gave him encouragement. He didn't blame Nino. Instead, his gesture showed that he was proud of what Nino had done.
He was surprised when a streak of light headed towards Ohno. However, Nino was quick to deflect the spell. He turned his head towards Kimura sensei. This time, he wasn't surprised to see the teacher's furious face.
"Stay away from him," the teacher told Ohno. However, Ohno ignored him and started to stroke Nino's back comfortably. Seeing that, Kimura sensei closed his eyes to concentrate. But, whatever he was trying to do was interrupted by Nakai.
"Women are easy to provoke, right?" Said Nakai. Kimura sensei opened his eyes and gave a deadly glare to Nakai. But, Nakai didn't seem to be afraid. Instead he gave the same intense glare to Kimura sensei. Even though they didn't say anything, Nino could feel they had reached an understanding as Kimura sensei once again turned his attention towards Nino and Ohno. It's weird, though. Even though he didn't personally know Nakai, he always imagines him as a loyal sidekick. But, now, he could see that Nakai wasn't as obedient as he imagined. In fact, it looked like he was in control more than Kimura sensei.
"Release the others," Ohno told Kimura sensei. But, the teacher laughed in return.
"Even if you use your magic on me, I won't do it,"
"You want me and Nino. We're here like you want. So, release them," Ohno said with his glowing eyes. He tried to use his magic on Kimura sensei. But, it had no effect on the teacher.
"You are not as powerful as you thought. A mediocre magician like you, who didn't have a proper training, will never defeat me. Just like your father,"
When Kimura sensei mentioned his father, Nino could feel Ohno tensed beside him. They never know who Ohno's father's real killer was. But, hearing what Kimura sensei had said, it confirmed that Kimura sensei played a part in his death.
Suddenly, Nino could feel the floor beneath him shaking. It was slow at first but it gradually increased. Nino immediately look at Ohno. His eyes were glowing, showing that he was indeed the one who caused this. How did this happen? He didn't know Ohno had this kind of magic. He thought Ohno could only control people's mind.
He wasn't the only one who was surprised with what happened. Nakai, who looked uninterested with everything before, looked at Ohno with wide eyes. Kimura sensei was the only one unaffected with this. He glared at Ohno as if he didn't notice what Ohno had done.
"So, you killed my father?" Ohno asked.
Without waiting for an answer, he broke the window and directed the fragments from the window towards Kimura sensei. It took Kimura sensei by surprise but he deflected the attack with a spell. He laughed hysterically, and it was enough to provoke Ohno. Defeated by the provoke, Ohno lose control of himself and kept tossing everything in the room towards Kimura sensei. But, Kimura sensei was quick in deflecting the attack.
"I was surprised when I met your father, a magician with the magic inherited from the bastard," Kimura sensei started as he deflected any attacks coming from Ohno. "I thought the weakling died without a descendant. Who knows that he indeed reproduced, obviously betraying my little Kazu. My poor little Kazu was stupid to believe that the weakling was in love with him. He just used my Kazu and tossed him away when he didn't need him anymore,"
"Stop it! Stop badmouthing my ancestor,"
"It's the truth! He left my brother after he had enough with him. I bet it must be because my brother was a crybaby. He cannot stand listening to him crying because he thought he killed me,”
“But… how dare he manipulated my brother to erase me from history. He took credit for everything I did and then disappeared. I didn't even have the chance to take revenge on him when I returned. I was no one because of the bastard. Nakai wasn’t even with me when I returned. I went to find Nakai and released him, knowing he was imprisoned by the others. The others were too stupid to think that Nakai was dead. It was actually an illusion,"
Then, he smiled at Ohno.
“When I met your father, I think it was fated for me to take revenge on his descendant. He was too stupid and trusted everything that I said. I came to this school decided to kill all of the descendants from the bastard. Then, I would make my grand return, claiming credit for everything I did that your ancestor and the other founders twisted from history. I will take over the world once again and no one could stop me this time,"
"You will pay for this!" Ohno said as he continued to attack Kimura sensei.
Nino was terrified with the way Ohno behaved. He was worried that Ohno will be drained of his energy because he used too much magic. He had to do something quickly. So, without thinking, he approached Ohno and hugged him before he kissed his boyfriend. He could feel Ohno's shock with the kiss but it distracted him from his attack on Kimura sensei. The shaking stopped almost immediately as he felt Ohno kissed him back.
But the kiss was too short. Ohno suddenly pushed him away and as a result, he was hit by Kimura sensei's spell. It hit Ohno right in the chest. The look of pain on Ohno's face was unbearable. He collapsed and Nino became worried. He hurried to Ohno's side, shaking the boy's body. But, there was no response.
"No no. This can't happen. Ohchan, come back. You cannot die!" He kept on muttering those words as he shook Ohno's body. But, nothing changed. Ohno was lying there, showing no sign he will wake up. Nino buried his face in Ohno's neck, sobbing uncontrollably. It should be him. If only Ohno didn't push him...
"That was easy," he heard Kimura sensei muttered behind him. He turned around to look at his teacher. He didn't show any regret for taking a life. Instead, he looked happy. Nino laughed at himself for being stupid. Why would he think Kimura sensei will feel remorse for what he did? Of course Kimura sensei wouldn't feel guilty. He had taken lots of lives in the war. Why would another life be any different?
"Bring him back," he begged the teacher.
"I'm sorry?" Said Kimura sensei.
"I said... BRING HIM BACK," he shouted to the teacher. But, the teacher only laughed at him in return.
"He is dead, my dear brother. There's no way I can bring him back,"
Brother. It seemed that Kimura sensei had once again thought of him as Founder Ninomiya.
"But... You're alive," he responded, looking at Nakai this time. He knew Nakai was the key for their long lives. He was a healer, after all. "How did Nakai bring you back?"
"It's too late," said Nakai. "His soul has left his body. There's no way I could bring him back. He didn't deserve this kind of death. I don't even have the chance to torture him. Naomi, once again, you let your emotion clouded your action. This is not how we should kill the descendant of Ohno,"
"It doesn't matter to me," said Kimura sensei. "He is dead and no one would bother me and my brother anymore,"
He approached them before he kicked Ohno's body even though Nino tried to stop him. Then, he pulled Nino away from Ohno. Nino tried to resist but he was too weak.
"Stop sobbing, Kazu. You're stupid. You're not in love with him. You're under his control," said Kimura sensei as he caressed Nino's cheek. He sat on the table and put Nino to sit on his lap. Nino didn't even bother to stop him. He didn't know what to do. He cannot think. Ohno is gone now. That's the only he thought about.
Kimura sensei placed Nino's head on his chest as he kept stroking Nino's back. Nakai eyed them from his position. He looked at them with disgust. Then, he left the classroom, leaving Nino alone with Kimura sensei.
"I miss you so much, my dear brother," Kimura sensei said once they were alone. Nino didn't look at his expression but from his voice, he sounded dreamy. Nino knew he was once again thinking of himself in the past. He was reminiscing about the time when he was Naomi and Nino as her little brother. Nino was silent. He didn't dare to say anything.
"Do you know how much I love you?" Kimura sensei continued. "A lot. I thought we will be together forever. But, the scum and his father came to take us away from the village. Then, he corrupted you with his magic. Don't you notice? He made you fall in love with him using his magic. You don't really love him. You love me,"
Nino felt sick to hear what Kimura sensei had said. It felt wrong and his expression didn't betray what he was feeling. Thankfully, Kimura sensei didn't look at his face.
"But, now, he is dead and his control on you is broken. Don't you feel happy?" Asked Kimura sensei. Nino only nodded his head, playing along with his teacher's imagination. "Of course you're happy. Don't worry, I forgive you for what you did before. You're under his control. That's why you killed me. That was just an illusion, you know. I put that illusion to escape. You wounded me and I almost died but Nakai saved me,"
Nino didn't say anything. He was tempted to ask how he survived but he was afraid that he couldn't play his part well. So, he kept quiet and let Kimura sensei talked about it on his own.
"Do you want to know how I survived?" Kimura sensei asked. He stopped stroking Nino's back. Instead he placed Nino to sit in front of him. He lifted Nino's face to make him look straight at him. Nino didn't want to look at him, afraid his expression will betray him. He slowly nodded his head, hoping he didn't seem eager to know.
"I will let you know because you are my favourite person," said Kimura sensei before he put a kiss on Nino's lips. Nino tried to keep his expression neutral. He loathed the way the lips felt against his own.
"You have to thank Nakai for saving me. My body was damaged beyond repair. I almost died and the only way to save me was by transferring my soul to another vessel. It was a hard process but Nakai is a talented healer. He succeeded in transferring my soul to a new body, the body I'm using now. Too bad the body belonged to NMF,"
"Was there any side effect?" Nino asked the teacher. Kimura sensei gave him a sad smile.
"He doesn't have magic in him, Little Kazu. Because of that, it was hard to control my magic and I become easily exhausted. Not to mention, I could only perform simple spell. That's why I have to use my blood or kiss to make the spell stronger. Because of this, Nakai thought he could control me. If you remember, he was very docile before the war,"
Easily exhausted? Nino thought about it. He had never seen Kimura sensei exhausted before. But, he realized that it must be the reason why Kimura sensei rarely show his magic, except for his first class. Now that he thought about it, Kimura sensei looked pale after their encounter with Naomi in the cave and when Naomi appeared once again to Ohno in the hallway. He also had avoided using his illusion when attacking Ohno earlier. He wondered if it was because he was exhausted after what he did to Nino in the dining hall or if he was reserving his energy for something else.
Learning that Kimura sensei had difficulty in controlling his magic made Nino almost happy. He wondered if he could use this knowledge to defeat Kimura sensei and Nakai. But the happiness quickly disappeared. Even though Kimura sensei had his trouble, he was still an outstanding magician. It will still be hard for Nino to defeat him. Furthermore, Kimura sensei could be lying about it.
"You don't know how I felt when I woke up," Kimura sensei continued his story. "I was trapped in a body of a guy! Worse, he is NMF. One of the NMF that we captured as a slave. This NMF was the first person Nakai saw in our fortress and because we ran out of time, he used this body as the vessel for my soul. Nakai destroyed my original body to complete the transfer of the soul. When I woke up, I was too emotional and cannot think properly. I left the fortress. I don't understand what had happened to me and kept wandering in the woods, battling with the owner of the body for control,"
"What happened to the owner of the body?" Nino asked. It was the thing that he wanted to know the most.
Kimura sensei was silent for a while. Then, he stood up and walked towards the window. He looked outside the window. Nino was anxious as he waited for the teacher to answer him. He wondered if he had made a wrong move by asking that question. Did Kimura sensei know his true intention?
"I don't know," answered Kimura sensei. Nino was relieved. He hoped that by answering, Kimura sensei wasn't aware of what he wanted to do.
However, maybe it was too quick for Nino to be relieved.
"But..." Kimura sensei slowly turned to look at him. "I know what you're trying to do,"
Nino didn't even have time to respond. The next thing he knew, he was struggling to breathe as the teacher put a spell on him.
"How dare you betray me again?" The teacher said, clearly angry. "Why am I so stupid and tell you everything? You leave me no choice, Kazu. I have to kill you,"
Nino tried to break free from the spell. But, the spell was too strong for him. He didn't even know what the spell was so he cannot think of any spell to counter the effect of the spell. He didn't want to give up but it was too hard for him to stay awake. Slowly, he closed his eyes as he felt it was the time for him to go...
And then...
Nino jerked in surprise when he can finally breathe again. He opened his eyes to see Ohno.
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A/N: This is actually my favorite chapter. I hope you like it :)