Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ The Gifted Moon Academy ❯ Ending conflict. Or...is it? ( Chapter 16 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Nakya nodded to Rinsi. However, her heart sank when Ichio told her that he wasn't the person she thought he was, and seeing his heart wrenching reaction from her words. She believed him, but she also knew she hurt him badly, but before she could tell him to wait, he was already gone, racing down the hall like a track star.
"Thank you.." She said, looking over at Rinsi helplessly. "The only way I can catch up to him, is if I transform...Could you follow me? Bring my dress?" Nakya asked, her fear and heartbreak showing through in her voice.
Nakya stood up quickly and gave Mooney a kiss on the top of his head. Waiting for Rinsi's answer, she looked around the room. Grabbing a piece of paper, she wrote a note on it and folded it. Dropping it on the floor, she transformed. Once she wriggled her way out of her dress, she picked up the note in her mouth and went running after Ichio, hoping Rinsi would follow. Nakya followed Ichio's scent and found him outside crying. Walking up to him slowly, she dropped her note at his feet and sat down. Her note was simple.
I'm sorry Ichio. I believe you. I'm glad you're back.
I missed you. I love you.
Nakya
Rinsi nodded to Nakya and picked up her dress once she transformed. She was able to keep up with her easily thanks to all the years she spent jogging in the morning to keep her slim figure. When they finally caught up to Ichio, Rinsi could tell he was torn. Though he had always been serious to some point, he was also the cheerful type, so Rinsi had not seen him cry before. Then again, she didn't know him as well. She couldn't help but feel badly for him as she stood next to Nakya, trying to catch her breath.
"You know, the three of us should go jogging some time." she said cheerfully, though out of breath. "It'd be great exercise."
Ichio had all but collapsed in the middle of the meadow, the dense fog clinging wetly to his skin and hair. A small fox raced up to him, carrying a piece of paper in its mouth. Gingerly picking up the folded paper, he opened it, recognizing the fox as Nakya through Yumi's eyes. He read the note silently, feeling hysterical sobs build up in his throat.
"Nakya.... How can you say that? After what happened, what I was going to do to you.... I'm not the person you see me as."
He chuckled darkly, ruining its sinister ring with the tears falling down his face. He stood, pulling back a sleeve to show a deep pink scar running down his forearm.
"This is from the last girl. There are more than I can count."
He didn't want her to come rushing up to him without knowing his past. He was dangerous, in more ways than one.
When Rinsi saw the long scar on his arm, her smile melted into a frown, almost a scowl.
"You know, we all have our secrets." she told him, trying to keep back the emotions that were brewing in her head, "And no matter how bad things seem, there's ALWAYS someone out there that cares enough to let you talk to them and try to help you. You just have to let them."
Rinsi was both sad and angry at the same time. Yeah, she could understand why that scar was there. She had even thought about it herself from time to time. But she knew better. She knew there were others that would be horrified and heartbroken if she went through with it, just as Nakya had been when Ichio had stabbed himself. She wanted to slap him, hug him, shake him violently, and punch him in the stomach all at the same time, but she restrained herself. If this was what she was feeling now, what was Nakya feeling? Probably the same things, but ten times worse.
"If you're really that dangerous, don't keep it to yourself. Ask for some help instead."
Nakya did nothing but sit there. Her heart felt as if it had fallen out of her. She laid down, wrapping her tail over her nose. Slight whimpering noises escaped from her, as she closed her eyes tightly. She didn't care about who he was in the past, she knew who he was now and that's all that mattered to her.
Kai woke up, dazed and confused. His room was still dark, his head still ached. And to his demise, a voice boomed in his ear.
"Kai! Get out right now!"
He just smiled and rolled his eyes. Running his fingers through his hair, he got up and headed down the hall towards the front of the school. His stomach yelling at him, he stepped into the cafeteria and grabbed a muffin. Smiling, he headed out the front door and into the forest.
Kai smirked, and raised his hands, controlling the shadows around him. They hoisted him up into a treetop, and carried him from tree to tree as he commanded. Eventually, he found the three people huddled together in a meadow. He crouched on a branch and watched the scene unfold.
Standing up, Nakya pulled her dress from Rinsi's hands. Dragging it behind a tree, Nakya transformed. Standing up, she brushed the grass off her bare knees. Slipping her dress back on, she looked around cautiously. She could have sworn she smelled something strange. Walking back out to where Ichio and Rinsi were, she stood near Rinsi, looking around.
'Rinsi, I thought I could smell something weird when I was still a fox, could you smell it at all?'
No, Rinsi thought back, knowing Nakya would hear anyway, but I do sense it. It's like Ki'iro last night, before he went to his room. The air is so heavy!
Rinsi's solemn attitude got even more grim when she sensed this change. She didn't like it at all.
"Kai! They know you're here. Get out while you still can. I don't want them seeing me-us like this!" a voice said within Kai's mind. That always irking voice that never seemed to shut up, never seemed to stop complaining. How he wished that voice would go away!
"Shut up," he hissed back to Ki'iro in his mind.
The wind blew the trees and around him. His scent was lifted up into the air and whirled around. He threw his hands up, creating a small wall of shadows around him, hiding his scent as much as he could.
Giving Rinsi a slight nod, Nakya continued looking around. Disconnecting her thoughts from her roommate's, Nakya searched with her mind, trying to see who all was in the area. There was Ichio, and Rinsi...and there was another person somewhere. It sounded like Ki'iro, but it was different. She connected her thoughts to the unknown hider.
'Who are you? Why do you sound like Ki'iro? What the hell is going on?'
She shot Rinsi a look that told her to be on her guard. She had her that voice before, but when? Searching her mind, memories flashed back. Ki'iro on the steps, passing out. Ki'iro asking her to keep someone away. That's where she had heard that voice before. Her gasp caught in her throat. She knew this wasn't good…
"Nakya, it's me. Don't you recognize me?" he asked out loud.
He knew that they could hear him very well. Jumping down from the tree, his feet landed softly on the grass, cushioning his fall. He flicked his hair back, revealing his stunning eyes. Staring at Nakya, he smiled softly.
"Hey," he cooed softly.
"Nakya, I recognize this air." Rinsi whispered to her room mate, "Ki'iro was like this last night. I don't think he's Ki'iro right now. If things get hairy, get the hell out of here. I'll take care of it."
Staring at Ki'iro, she calmly replied.
"You know as well as I do, you're not Ki'iro. If you were, you'd know he never wants to see me again."
With a sweet smile, Nakya flicked her hand open, a shard of ice appearing in it. She focused her thoughts on Rinsi.
'No, you run if things get bad. He's this way because of me. I'll handle it.'
Yeah right. Rinsi thought back, Like I'm going to leave my friend to someone who is potentially harmful. Look, I have a plan already for if things get messy. If you're around you'll get hurt.
"Hey, Cec," she whispered to her cheerful new companion, "what kind of barrier is Moon Halo?"
"It's a strong one!" Cecil whispered directly into her ear, "Nothing goes in, nothing comes out!"
"Perfect." she said with a wry grin.
"Damn," Kai cursed in his head. "I'm just over it. You're not worth my time anymore, but," he paused, then spoke again, "I've decided against hating you. Consider it my treat."
Kai smiled brightly and walked closer to Nakya. His hands were held behind his back, and a black flame flicked from the tip of his fingers.
Giving Rinsi a stern look, Nakya turned her attention back to Ki'iro.
"You're not as good at lying as he is either." she said, beginning to circle around him slightly, still facing him.
An idea struck her, if only it would work. She didn't have time to debate it. Searching in the Ki'iro look-a-like's mind for Ki'iro, she found it and softly spoke to him.
'Ki'iro, I know you hate me and that's fine, but Rinsi's here. Do you want to hurt her too? Please help us try and get this other you under control. Rinsi is going to do a spell and you'll get hurt too. Please, Ki'iro' Her thoughts took on a pleading tone, though her face showed no emotion.
Rinsi didn't want to do what she was thinking of, but if it meant the possibility of bringing back Ki'iro and keeping Nakya safe, she would do it. Of course, she's face their wrath later, but that's a bridge she'd cross when she came to it. Right now, she didn't like that dark glow that she almost didn't see behind Ki'iro's back, and she CERTAINLY didn't like the air about him now.
Kai just laughed out loud as Nakya tried to beckon Ki'iro to fight back against Kai.
"You think he's in there? Whatever you say to him, I know." the male openly admitted to being a different person.
"Rinsi, mm?"He looked over at the girl and smirked. "You think you intend on hurting me? Do you think you can hurt me?” Kai laughed again.
"Kai...you need to stop this..." he pleaded. His voice was becoming weaker every minute he was not in control of his body.
Rinsi cursed under her breath. Nakya must have given her away with a telepathic conversation. She probably hadn't thought that, since it was the same body but a different entity controlling it, that both would hear whatever she had said. She gave Nakya a firm shove away from her to get her as far away as possible, as quickly as possible. She then began to spin, and in spinning kept her staff extended outwards. She was glowing intensely during this, which had started faster than ever.
"Ichio!" she said as she spun around, slowly bringing herself up with the spinning staff, "Get Nakya out of here now!"
After a lot of thinking earlier, she had figured out of a process of elimination, as well as a deduction of dancing patterns, that this dance was Moon Halo. And she was correct. As she neared the end of her spinning, the staff itself was glowing brightly, leaving a glowing streak in its wake, and two words screamed in her head. As she finally straightened, she brought the staff directly above her.
"Moon Halo!" she exclaimed as the lantern burst with light, encasing the area around herself and Ki'iro in a powerful barrier that glowed with light.
Hearing Rinsi yell to Ichio, Nakya ran over and grabbed Ichio's hand. Running as fast as she could, she stopped at what she hoped was a safe distance away, and looked back towards Rinsi and Ki'iro. As she saw a barrier of light shoot up around them, she screamed.
"RINSI!!"
Nakya ran back to the barrier and tried to find a way in, but she couldn't. Trying to connect to her thoughts, she realized the barrier was also stopping that. She dropped to her knees, unable to do anything, and watched helplessly.
Kai quickly raised his hands, shooting shadows out from his hands and his body. The light that shot at Kai was pushed away from him, a shadow wall surrounded him. His hair whipped around him as his body was engulfed in flames. The light that was conjured by Rinsi still shone around them, but did not penetrate him enough to bother him more than a cut would. His eyes were becoming sore from the blinding light, but nothing more.
Ki'iro was silent in the back of his mind. He had appeared unconscious from his lack of strength. Kai laughed villainously at Rinsi.
"I told you, you can't hurt me." He said, though his voice was beginning to break. He maintained his composure.
"Alright, whoever you are." Rinsi said with a smile plastered on her face, but still on guard, "Let's chat. Tell me, since you're not Ki'iro, who are you? And why are you here?"
Cecil rested on Nakya's head and looked down into her face.
"Mistress Rinsi will be alright. She's strong. Stronger than her parents, though she doesn't know that yet."
"Cecil, it's my fault that this happened to Ki'iro..I should be in there fighting for our friends.. Not Rinsi.."
Sighing softly, Nakya continued to watch, wishing she could go to Ichio for comfort.
"Even so," Cecil said, somehow sounding more mature than s/he normally let on, "Cecil knows the Starlights like they were Cecil. Starlights aren't just healers. Starlights are protectors. They'll do anything to protect their friends."
"Who I am, is none of your business. Why I'm here, is also none of your business. You don't need to know anything about me, or what happened to Ki'iro." He stopped talking for a moment and listened for Ki'iro. All he heard was his broken breathing.
His hair continued to whip around him, Kai's defense didn't falter a bit.
"Like I said, you don't need to know about me. Ki'iro's gone now. It's all Kai now. Now if I may be so rude as to ask, who exactly are you? I feel like I know you from somewhere. Your family, perhaps? What is your name?" the male demanded.
"Well, then, Kai," Rinsi said, smiling at his slip of the tongue, "if you won't tell me anything, why should I tell you anything? It's hardly fair."
Rinsi remained guarded. She had no idea what he was talking about, and she wasn't sure whether to be happy or worried that he somehow knew her.
Kai flinched softly as the girl said his name. Raising a flame-covered hand, he let a tendril of a shadow reach out towards her face. As it touched her beautiful skin, flashes of her memories raced into his mind. Satisfied, he pulled the shadow back.
"Mmm, a Starlight I see. Yes, we know your family well," he said as shadows continued to flick around him.
Mind reader?! she thought to herself when the shadow flame retracted back towards Kai. She had a lot of questions for him, but he didn't seem to eager to answer. That was fine. She'd ask Ki'iro later.
"Oh?" she said, almost cooing, "And how is it you know the Starlight name? Tell me, how do you know me, when I do not know you?"
"Miss Starlight, I do believe our game is over. It was nice playing with you, I will be on my way, if you don't mind."
The male bowed slightly and walked towards the light barrier. Shooting a hand out, shadows raced towards the light, drawn to it, drawn to make it darker. The barrier shattered before him and he ran out into the forest, shadows trailing from behind him as he left. He ran deeper, and deeper into the trees until the light meadow behind him was no more than a flicker of hope.
Rinsi's eyes widened. How the HELL was he able to break her barrier like that? Had Cecil been wrong? Or had her spell been too weak? She couldn't tell. Internally she wanted to scream, to run up to the guy and smack him upside the head with her staff. She even tried to, but her body wouldn't cooperate. Instead her knees buckled beneath her, and she fell to her knees in shock.
"Cecil, we need to talk." was all she could manage.
Seeing Rinsi collapse and Kai run off into the forest, Nakya scrambled to her feet and went running to Rinsi. Dropping to her knees beside her, Nakya took her in her arms.
"Rinsi.. Are you okay sweetheart?" she asked softly.
Nakya pushed all her grief and guilt off to the side, as she took care of her friend.
Hearing Nakya's voice snapped Rinsi back to her senses. She shook her head violently for a moment, trying to rid herself of the remaining shock, and smiled at her friend reassuringly.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about that!" she said cheerfully, "I hope I didn't hurt you when I pushed you like that."
"You didn't" she said, smiling at Rinsi. "Is Ki'iro still there? Or is he gone for good?" she asked.
Looking in the direction Ki'iro ran, Nakya frowned feeling responsible for everything that had happened.
"Ah, I'm glad for that." Rinsi said, playing cheerful as she stood up and brushed herself off a bit. "Hm, I'm not sure. I guess that's up to Ki'iro himself. But I would like to know how Kai knows me and my family. I'm going to have to make a phone call."
Walking up behind Nakya, Ichio stood a bit distant, trying to find something to say.
"Kai and Ki'iro are at odds. Ki'iro has to be in pain. I'm not sure if it applies to him, but if one personality rejects another, especially if there are only two, one can be snuffed out entirely. Something needs to be done." He said quietly, pulling his sleeves down as he inspected something on the ground.
Turning to look up at Ichio, Nakya listened to his words.
"The only time this happens, is when Ki'iro gets upset. I upset him. So if Ki'iro is hurting or goes away, it will be my fault, just like it was when you left..."
Tears filled her eyes as she buried her face in Ichio's chest.
"I didn't mean for any of this to happen, I swear.."
"I'll stay out of our room for a bit so you can have some privacy then." she said, turning to look at Rinsi.
"Nakya," Rinsi said, now sounding a bit irritated, "stop blaming yourself for everything, okay? Jeez...Anyway, once Ki'iro comes back, we'll be sure to train him to keep Kai under control. Sound good?" she said with a wink of her eye.
Frowning at Rinsi, she replied, just as irritated.
"Well I'm sorry if that's all I know how to do. If I take the blame, I can fix it. It's the easiest way to do it."
Turning back to Ichio, she continued holding onto him, her head resting on his chest. Nobody knew anything of her life before here, and she sure as heck wasn't going to let them find out now. She would be ostracized for sure.
Ichio sighed at Nakya's words.
"There is no blame to take, Nakya. If he's not in control, it's not your fault. It's something only Ki'iro can fix, and there's only so much we can do to help him."
He put one arm gently around Nakya, the one opposite of his scarred arm. Not that there were no scars on the other arm, she just didn't know they existed.
"You can't take all the blame all of the time. It'll drive you mad." He smiled, looking up to Rinsi. "Am I right, or am I right?"
Sighing, she nodded slowly. Looking up at Ichio, she spoke to him softly.
"I'm really sorry, for everything."
Connecting her mind to his, she continued.
'I was so worried you weren't coming back... And it doesn't matter to me who you were in the past. I know who you are now, and I love that person...'
Her thoughts trailed off. That was the second time she had told him she loved him. The first time had not gone over well.. Maybe he didn't want to be with her anymore.. Realizing her thoughts were still connected to his, she quickly made her mind go blank, hoping he hadn't heard her fears.
"I'd say we're right." Rinsi said with her usual smile. "Even if you think it's easier to take the blame, in the long run it's harder. It's really bad for your morale and can literally drive you to insanity, or suicide. However, if you choose to accept things as they really are, move on, and find a way to correct the situation, you can still fix things without losing your mind or killing yourself. Besides, you've got friends here with you, and they certainly don't blame you , so you shouldn't blame yourself."
"Mistress Rinsi is right!" Cecil chimed in.
"See?" Rinsi said with a laugh, "Even Cecil agrees, and he or she has been around longer than we have been combined!"
Ichio looked back down at Nakya when she moved to face him. A small smile tried to creep onto his face as he heard her words in his head. It vanished as she seemed to stop paying attention to speaking in his head. His face took on one of slight shock, and disbelief. She didn't think.... he wanted to be with her? Ichio opened his mouth, then closed it. It didn't quite make sense to him. Why would he not want to be with her? He couldn't figure it out, so his mind wouldn't form words. He looked at her, eyes wide and questioning pleadingly.
"I suppose you're right..." she said, nodding at Rinsi.
From a distance away, two sets of eyes peered at the happenings of the group before them. Dark eyes glanced to emerald eyes as a dome of light appeared from seemingly nowhere.
"Want me to handle this?" came a husky voice, full of an obvious overabundance of testosterone.
"No, she can handle it. Let's see what she can do." Came a lighter, and far more familiar voice.
Gene didn't avert her eyes for a moment while they talked. She wanted to see what Rinsi could do with those powers of hers, how she would handle a potentially threatening situation with another student whose powers were the polar opposite of hers. She wanted to see just how strong they both were, but Rinsi in particular. A frown crossed her graceful face when the dome of light disappeared and darkness broke through as though someone had punched their way through easily, shattering the dome of light like glass. Perhaps she wasn't as strong as she thought. Or perhaps she was, but had not realized her potential yet. She hoped, for everyone's sake, that it was the latter.
"Professor has his eyes on her?" Logan said dubiously. "She can't even handle someone like Ki'iro-"
"Kai." Gene corrected.
"Oh, Kai now? What, is he an MPD patient?"
"Something like that."
"Either way, if she can't handle him, then why are we watching her?"
"I don't think she's reached her potential. I can...sense something about her, but it hasn't come yet. It seems like it's on the way, though."
"I hope you're right."
"So do I."
Looking up at Ichio, she noticed the expression on his face. Furrowing her brow at the look in his eyes, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself up, and gave him a hug. She wrapped her tail around his waist, and whispered in his ear.
"We'll talk when we get a moment okay?"
Not lowering herself back down, she looked over at Rinsi, beginning to smile again.
"So, what should we do now?" she asked.
She was lucky to have friends that cared about her. It didn't matter who she was in the past, all that mattered was here and now. It would take her time, but she was sure she could move on from it.
"There we go!" Rinsi said cheerfully at the return of Nakya's smile, "That's much better! Hm, I suppose for now we wait for Ki'iro to return. I have a phone call to make, so you two go have some fun."
Rinsi had said that last part with a wink of her eye before she sauntered off towards their dorm room. She had a lot of information to dig up, and she wasn't sure how to do it.
Nodding at Rinsi, she let herself slide back down Ichio's body, landed with a soft thud on the ground. Taking his hand in hers, she walked, seemingly aimlessly, but they wound up at a lake. She sat down close to the shore, and looked up at Ichio with a gentle smile.
"I need to know what you're thinking. Just because I can read your mind, doesn't mean that I can understand it."
Leaning against his leg, she flicked her hand, causing an image of herself to rise up out of the water. Flicking her other hand, another image rose up. This time it was Ichio.
Ichio followed Nakya quietly, deep in thought. He didn't sit down next to Nakya when she leaned against his leg. He watched her pull her figure and his from the water, still thinking.
"Nakya." he said quietly, placing a hand on her head before he walked down to the water, picking up a large rock. "I'm afraid of hurting you."
He turned back to face her, eyes watching his hand squeeze the rock in his hand, forcing it to give and crack into pieces.
"If I ever lost my temper around you, or if Yumi did, we could kill you without breaking a sweat. Rinsi is proof of that, and Yumi hadn't used her full power." Ichio looked back to Nakya, dropping the broken pieces to the ground.
Nakya merely nodded listening to Ichio. When he mentioned his fear, Nakya let the two figures fall back to the water. Standing up, she walked over to him and embraced him, her head on his chest.
"I know you wouldn't hurt me Ichio. Neither would Yumi. Not intentionally at least." Hesitating a moment, she continued "How do you feel about me. You're so hard to read, even your thoughts. If I scared you when I said I loved you, I'm sorry."
She looked up at him, eyes full of concern. Taking his hand in hers, Nakya raised it to her mouth, and kissed it softly.
"That's the clincher. We wouldn't intentionally hurt you. But I know it will happen. It has before, and what's to say it won't again?"
Bleeding faces passed in front of his eyes, dying screams sounded in his ears. He didn't want to do that to Nakya.
"You mean too much to me for me to put you in danger like that, Nakya. I could never forgive myself if I hurt you."
Hearing Ichio's words, Nakya felt her heart drop.
"We can still be together right? I promise I won't let you hurt me."
Nakya looked away as her eyes filled with fear and pain. She had waited for him to come back; she loved him. Was he really saying what she thought he was? What would she do, if he didn't feel the same way?
Ichio sighed in response to Nakya's words.
"You're such a bad liar."
A small smile crept onto his lips. He put a finger under her chin, turning her face so he could look into her eyes.
"But it seems to me that being away from you puts you in even worse pain."
He leaned forward, kissing her lightly on the forehead.
"I promise I won't leave you again."
He wrapped his arms around Nakya, pulling her close to his chest, careful not to let his emotion overpower him.
"Nakya, I love you." He whispered.
Nakya smiled quietly when Ichio kissed her forehead. Giving him another hug, she quickly moved behind him and jumped on his back, throwing her arms around his neck.
"I love you too Ichio." she said, her happiness showing in her voice.
She leaned forward and kissed his ear.
"What do you want to do?"
Nakya began to feel like her old self again. It was amazing what one person could do to her. She laid her head on his shoulder, waiting for his answer.
Ichio laughed as she crawled up on his back. She was so energetic when she was happy.
"Hmmm... Let's see." he said, thinking. He didn't want to brink Ki'iro up, in case Nakya became depressed again. "We could go get something to eat. I haven't eaten in a while." Ichio laughed. His stomach growled a moment later. "See?" He laughed again, grabbing Nakya's legs to make sure she wouldn't fall off, then walking up from the beach.
"Oh food! I don't remember when I last enjoyed a meal!" she exclaimed.
It was ridiculous how happy she was really. As Ichio grabbed her legs, she laughed, squirming slightly.
"Sorry, ticklish." she mumbled. Wrapping her tail around him for extra support, she asked "What's your favorite food?"
She rested her chin on his shoulder as he walked up the beach, through the forest and into the school. Nakya giggled the whole way, she was far too ticklish, and if anyone saw her, they'd think she was going crazy.
Ichio smiled the whole way back to the school, glad Nakya was in a good mood.
"Hmmm... It depends on what I'm hungry for." He laughed, then continued, "Right now it's a couple of racks of Baby back ribs..."
His mouth watered, imagining the food at one of his favorite restaurants.
"I hope they have them here." He chuckled, deliberately tickling Nakya's legs. "What's yours?" He asked, pretending he didn't notice her giggling.
Squirming her way off Ichio's back, she landed silently, and grabbed his hand. She easily kept pace with him.
"That's easy! Pasta!"
She smiled up at him. Seeing the cafeteria doors ahead of them, she ran through them, pulling Ichio behind her. Once inside, she grabbed a plate and piled it high with varying types of pasta. Humming softly, she made her way over to an empty table and sat down, waiting for Ichio to join her.
Ichio laughed at Nakya's actions, following her obediently.
"Pasta?" He asked, smirking.
When they arrived at the cafeteria, Ichio immediately smelled something delicious. He walked up to it, looking down at the dark soup. It seemed purple, oddly enough. It smelled like heaven. Dishing up the biggest bowl of it he could find, he followed Nakya to the table. He took his spoon into the soup, swirling it a bit.
"You notice how quiet the school's been? It's like there's no one here..." He said, looking up at Nakya without taking a bite.
"Yes pasta. I love it!"She said excitedly.
She smiled at Ichio. Listening to his question, she nodded slowly.
"It's been this way since shortly after you left. It's as if everyone else just... disappeared."
Frowning slightly for a moment, Nakya twirled a mix of spaghetti and linguine on her fork and popped into her mouth. Her eyes closed as a small smiled graced her lips. As she finished chewing and swallowed, she looked at Ichio's ...soup?
"What's that?" she asked, intrigued by the liquid.
Ichio looked down at his soup, unsure.
"I don't really know what it is. But it smelled amazing."
He laughed, sizing up the spoonful. He took a bite, savoring. It tasted sweet, but slightly sour. It was like nothing he'd ever tasted. It burned down his throat, setting it on fire.
"Ow!" he exclaimed, clapping a hand over his mouth as his eyes began to water violently. He coughed, grabbing the glass of milk he'd gotten along with his soup.
"That was weird." he rasped after downing the whole cup. His voice was almost gone. It still burned, but not as badly.
Grinning at Ichio's answer, Nakya watched as he took a bite. Her grin was quickly erased from her face as she saw Ichio's face change. Watching him gulp down his milk, she stood up and moved to his side of the table quickly. Sitting beside him, she gave him a hug before softly kissing his neck.
"Better?" she asked, in a soothing voice.
She reached up and wiped away a stray tear rolling down Ichio's face.
'It must have been from the water that filled his eyes...' she thought to herself.
Ichio winced as he took a deep breath.
"A little." He wheezed, a small smile on his face. "I'm not sure what this stuff is, but it must not be very good for me, if it did that."
He looked down at the purple liquid, which smelled even better, though he hesitated from the pain. Taking a small spoonful, he smelled it carefully, unable to distinguish any ingredients. He stuck his tongue out, tasting the smallest portion. It set his mouth on fire. He dropped the spoon back into the bowl, splashing a bit out onto the table. Smoke rose delicately from the spot, sending a horrible smell of burnt plastic and wood into the air.
"Yeah, I don't think I should eat any more of this." He said quietly, his voice still deteriorating. He pushed the bowl away, his appetite gone.
The phone call to her aunt and uncle had been unproductive. They had no idea who Kai was, and said only her parents would know about something like that, as they kept secrets like that to themselves. Real help they were. Needless to say, this put Rinsi in a rather bad mood. She hated needing information and being deprived of it. She spent some time pouting over it before her stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten in a while, and was falling into a bad habit of not eating three meals a day as her body required her to do.
Now she stood at the salad buffet part of the cafeteria, heaping vegetables and toppings into a bowl on her tray. The only other thing there was a small plate with fish on it for Mooney, and another plate heaped with hot dogs for Cecil. Cecil, of course, was bouncing around her happily, overjoyed that s/he would get to eat hot dogs. Finding a lone table and not bothering to look around, Rinsi sat and grumpily began to pick at her salad.
Renny skipped down the hall, being her usual bubbly self. Her animal was hanging from her hand. She headed into the main office of the building, intending on speaking to the headmistress.
She found her easily, she began blurting out ideas.
"The school year's almost over, and I think that we need to have a going away dance! I mean, there's like one more day left in the school year. Let's just celebrate what we've accomplished!"
Renny just smiled confidently. The headmistress sighed heavily, she wasn't a fan of dances. But she granted Renny her wish.
Renny quickly bolted down the hallway and began calling some people that she knew. One of her good friends was a DJ, and she just figured decorations weren't mandatory. All she needed was some good music to have a fantastic time.
Rinsi ate her salad in silence, still perturbed about her current situation, information wise. Just who was Kai anyway, and how did he know her family? She stabbed a stack of lettuce leaves and popped them into her mouth at the same time that Cecil was shoving a hot dog whole down his/her throat, shoveling them in like they were going out of fashion. Rinsi chewed on her bite, not really tasting anything as she was deep in thought.
After she was done eating, she had picked up her dishes and was taking them to the kitchen to be washed, when she could hear someone talking excitedly. She set her dishes down and followed the voice to the new girl that had bumped into her the other day. She was talking excitedly on the phone, and from what Rinsi could hear, she was making arrangements for a party of some sort.
Perfect, she thought to herself, this is exactly the thing we all need to wind down. I think I'll wait until it's official, though, before spreading any word about it.
Once the conversation was done with, Rinsi knocked on the girl's door, hoping she could at least have someone to talk to for a bit, since Nakya and Ichio were busy with each other. If not that, then maybe she could at least jog or practice with the girl.
~ Year one, Fin ~