Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ The Gifted Moon Academy ❯ First Injuries ( Chapter 19 )

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

Waking up from a much needed sleep, Ki'iro stepped into his bathroom. Slipping out of his clothes, he stepped into the hot water that ran down his body. Today was going to be a good day, he could tell. Everything between him and Nakya was settled, it was a new year. Everything would be better.
He turned the water off after he had washed his hair and body. Grabbing a towel, he dried himself off and tied the towel around his waist. He looked in the mirror. Seeing how much he had changed, he sighed softly. What had happened to him over the summer? Who had he become? Did he even deserve to be with someone such as Nakya? Ki'iro picked up his comb and got the tangles out of his hair. His skin seemed so pale against his now jetblack hair. His eyes had changed, his facial structure had changed, and so had his voice. Sadly, he seemed more Kai than ever.
Ki'iro slid on boxers and a pair of jeans before heading outside into the snow. He didn't want to have a shirt on, he wanted to test himself. He wanted to see how much cold he could stand.
To: Ichio
From: Tesa
Message: Ichio, you really need to get back to me this time.
We really need to talk. I've been waiting all summer. Please get back to me.
Sighing softly, she climbed out of bed and changed into her jogging clothes. Slipping her phone into her pocket, she left her room. Peeking into Ki'iro's room, she saw he was out and about. She laughed softly. He actually woke up at a decent time now. Making her way outside, she did a few stretches before carefully beginning her jog around the grounds. The air was crisp but she didn't mind. It helped to wake her up. As she ran, she saw a shirtless Ki'iro standing outside. She ran past him, shouting out "You're going to catch a cold!"
"Heh..." he laughed softly under his breath. "Doubtful," he whispered. Ki'iro jogged quickly to catch up to Nakya. Easily keeping her pace, he smiled over at her. He didn't want to bring up the subject of Ichio, but he felt a sudden urge to. "When Ichio comes back, will you leave me?" He asked flatly. He didn't know how else to say it. There really wasn't a nicer way to ask. "I need to know, Nakya." He continued jogging. Every step he took, shadows whipped up at his feet. Another exercise he enjoyed doing. In a way, the shadows kept him warm, they were just like a dark fire.
Nakya smiled as Ki'iro caught up with her and kept pace. She watched as the shadows licked upwards as if they were flames. Hearing Ki'iro's question, she stumbled a bit before sliding to a stop. A mixture of pain and confusion crossed her face. "No, I won’t." she said softly. He still couldn't believe that she cared about him. She furrowed her brow, a crease forming on her forehead before continuing to jog. This time, she stared straight ahead, an emotionless expression on her face, and remained silent. Her thoughts swirled like a tornado in her mind.
"You'll hurt him though..." his voice trailed off. He had no doubt that Nakya still cared about him, even loved him. But she had cared and loved him last year. Still, she picked Ichio. Could he really go through this again? He sighed as he continued jogging, he stayed a little behind her as they ran. "I don't want to be hurt again," he mumbled to himself under his breath.
Tahtsu awoke from his deep slumber. He quickly changed his clothes and slung his sword onto his back. He headed out into the snow, the powder once again reflected against his silver hair. Seeing students jogging so early in the morning made him smile with pride. "Good, we have some athletic students this year," he said to himself. Placing his fingers in his mouth, he whistled loudly. It was audible to most of the entire school. Waiting for a response, he unsheathed his sword.
Nakya slid to a stop again and turned and faced Ki'iro. "Do you think I do? Contrary to popular belief Ki'iro, I do not like hurting people." Her anger was growing and she balled her hands into fists. "If you were this unsure, why did you kiss me last night? Because you felt sorry for me? Because you wanted to hurt me like I hurt you?" As she waited for his answer, angry tears began welling up in her eyes. She opened her mouth to continue, but a sharp whistle caught her attention and she turned to see a man with a large sword unsheathed. Flicking her hand, a wall of ice formed in front of her, and she had her dagger in her hand.
"Why would I want to hurt you Nakya? I've never lied to you. Have I ever even hurt you? I don't think so. I just don't want to be hurt again. Why do you think I had an emotionless fling over the summer? So I couldn't get hurt by her. That's why," he snapped at her. Looking over when he heard a whistle, he too saw a man with silver hair and a sword. Near him was a black haired man. "Let's talk about this later, we have company." Ki'iro said as he approached the student.
"Hello," he called out as he neared him.
Tahtsu smiled as he got the attention of the students. With a booming voice, he called, "Class has begun!" He grabbed his sword in one hand and shoved it into the snow beside his feet. A chilling breeze moved through his body, whipping his hair around his face.
"I am Mr. Kishiru," he said as he introduced himself. He knew the students could hear him. Whether or not the acknowledged his presence was a completely different story.
With a glare on her face, she connected her thoughts to Ki'iro's. With a growl to her thoughts, she said 'Yes you have Ki'iro. Many times.' Flicking her wrist, the ice wall dropped and she quickly walked away from Ki'iro and the other boy and walked up to the man.
"And what exactly do you teach? I'm pretty sure I was just out for my morning run." she demanded, her dagger still in her hand. She was in no mood to play games and her body language showed that.
The male smiled at the female who had just approached him.
"That's just it. I'm your physical training instructor." He just smiled widely, revealing his pearly whites. Swiftly, he grabbed his sword and thrust it over his head, landing a few inches from the woman's face. "And until you can stop my blade, we have a lot to do," he said softly. A smirk slid across his face. Withdrawing his sword from her persona, he stuck it back into the ground. "May I be so rude as to ask you for your name?"
Staring at the man, who was supposedly her teacher, she didn't flinch when his blade stopped mere inches from her face.
"Nakya." she said simply, tucking her dagger away. "Seems to me, trying to stop your blade would be weapons training and defense, not physical education."
She hoped this teacher knew what he was doing, but she highly doubted it. She turned slightly, glancing down at Ki'iro and the other boy, before returning her attention to the so-called teacher.
"I would appreciate it if you didn't question my authority, young lady," he said simply. "Weapons, defense, physical training. It's a bit of an all-around class, if you'd like to think of it that way. The only thing I cannot teach you is magic, and abilities of that sort." The male smiled softly, he didn't want to offend his students, but he demanded respect. "Please, invite your friend to join us. We should begin. The weather's just right," he stated as he looked around at the snow. It was about half-way up his calves, his pants were soaked.
Merely rolling her eyes at the teacher's comment, she focused her thoughts on Ki'iro once more.
"The teacher wants you and the new kid to come up here, start class or something."
Waiting for Ki'iro's response, she looked out over the school grounds and sighed. A perfectly good morning for a run had been ruined. She was not happy.
Ki'iro looked over at Nakya from over his shoulder. He walked briskly over towards Nakya and the male.
"Yes?" he asked, looking at Nakya emotionless.
Nakya heard Ki'iro's voice and turned to see his emotionless face.
"He wanted you to come up here."
Turning to face the teacher once more, she waited for his instructions. Suddenly, feeling bad about she had treated Ki'iro, she moved closer to him, taking his hand in hers and squeezing gently.
Tahtsu smiled at the students who had gathered around him.
"Yes, this is the physical training class," he said to the young male who had just joined them. He didn't seem like the physical type, but who was he to judge? "I am Mr. Kishiru. It's a pleasure to meet you all. Now, who believes they can stop my sword?" he asked with a smirk on his face. He looked amongst the crowd and waited for somebody to volunteer.
Raising her hand, Nakya let go of Ki'iro's and stepped forward. Flicking her wrist, an ice wall formed. Closing her eyes, she sent her thoughts into the teachers. She could feel them moving around in his head, looking for an opening to slip in and take control. Nakya knew she didn't have much time, and when she saw what she thought was an opening, she made her thoughts take hold, before opening her eyes and waiting.
Tahtsu smiled at Nakya's determination and the fact that somebody had volunteered. He stared at her for a moment, before swinging his sword from his side. It pierced the ice wall.
As Nakya watched him swing his sword down, she swore under her breath. It hadn't been an opening! Flicking her other hand, ice formed around his blade. Nakya kicked high, trying to smash her foot into the blade, smiling as she knew the blade would be weakened.
"What's the point of this?" Taking a deep breath, Nakya moved into a position to defend herself from an attack, if needed.
"My sword's taken more of a beating than your little scratch."
Tahtsu smiled, she seemed determined, possibly even a match for him. He withdrew his sword from her and shoved it back into the ground. After a moment of standing in front of her and staring at her, he placed both hands on the dull edge of his sword. He held his weight up with his arms and thrust a leg into her thigh. He wouldn't dare hit a student in any place where he could do serious damage.
Nakya saw the kick coming her way and moved into a back flip. On her way over, his foot hit her thigh, causing her to stumble slightly when she landed. Regaining her balance, she moved her hands quickly and not one, but two, daggers were in her hands. Smiling quietly, she asked
"Is that the best you can do, old man?"
Nakya jumped in the air, spinning, and threw her daggers at him, before cart wheeling to the side.
Tahtsu quickly reached out and grabbed the daggers that flew at him. "Good show, young lady." he smiled softly at her.
"Class, I want you to find a partner to spar with. I want to see what you can all do, please, separate into pairs." He said. Walking up to Nakya, he handed her the daggers back. "There you go, that was a very good defense on your part."
Nakya laughed softly, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Reaching out, she took the daggers from her teacher.
"Thanks!" Sliding her daggers back into their spot, she looked at Ki'iro. "So, whaddya say, do you wanna spar with me, cutie?" She looked up at him, with a teasing smile on her face.
Ki'iro just smiled at Nakya. He had forgotten how powerful she was and how powerful she had become. Idly, he waved his hand around, causing a shadow to dance around in the air before him.
"Nakya," he said softly under his breath. The shadows around his feet danced up towards his thighs, seeming extremely happy. "I would love to spar with you," he said as the shadows around him licked higher. They burned brighter and darker, and flicked over towards Nakya.
Walking closer, she said just as softly,"Ki'iro. Oh cmon, you won’t hurt me, and I won’t hurt you, okay?" Wrapping her arms around his neck as if she were going to give him a hug, she bit down on his shoulder, before running a few feet away. Turning to face him, she called out "Okay! Now come get me!" A mischievous grin crossed her face, as she waited for Ki'iro, and watched his shadows come closer.
Ki'iro just laughed at her. He wasn't exactly a "cocky" person, but he considered himself extremely confident in his abilities. He raised his hands, shadows surrounding his arms. His eyes flashed bright red as he shot shadows after her, they reached for her ankles.
Seeing Ki'iro's shadows going for her ankles, Nakya flipped backwards while flicking her wrists. As she landed, her daggers were in her hands and shards of ice were hovering near her. Nodding once, the shards flew towards Ki'iro as she threw her daggers at him, flipping out of the way of the shadows once more.
Ki'iro threw a shadow from his hand. It grabbed the daggers and slingshot them back towards Nakya. His feet burned with dark flames. Nakya was graceful, he gave her that, but she definitely wasn't as strong as he was.
Nakya flipped out of the way again, but wasn't fast enough this time. One dagger scratched her thigh, while the other stuck in. Falling to the ground, she let out a scream. Holding back her tears, she looked at the dagger sticking out of her leg. With shaking hands, she reached over and pulled it out, screaming again as a spurt of blood shot out.
"Oh god. Okay, stay calm Nakya." she said out loud, wincing at the pain. Grabbing the bottom of her shirt, she ripped off a long piece of fabric and held it to the bleeding wound.
Tahtsu looked over at the screaming girl.
"This is what I didn't want to happen, young lad," he said as he addressed Ki'iro "Take this young woman to the nurse's department,"
Ki'iro ran over to her and picked her up without hesitation. He held the piece of fabric to her leg as he took her to the nurse's office.
Nakya wrapped her arms around Ki'iro's neck, she buried her face in his shoulder, biting down to keep from screaming from the pain. Once it had subsided some, she spoke.
"It's not your fault, Ki'iro. I flopped when I should have flipped." She laughed softly at her attempt at a joke, before losing consciousness.