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Despair Aura Volume Two Sora Kazuma January 10th, 2005 "Satoshi!" Nomiko called, trying to get his attention. He was so afraid he was dead... "Please..." he said softly his eyes sliding closed again. "Just call me Aura." Phase Four- Wounds "Tsugara-san..." he murmured upon listening to his request. "Come on, you have to get up. You're bleeding everywhere... I have to get you to a doctor's." "Take me back to your house. Please...just let me rest for a while." He whispered. And just like that, his body was gone, the form of a badly wounded fox replacing his tall handsome form. Nomiko scooped him into his arms. He could figure this out later... right now, he needed to get him back to his house and get his injuries taken care of as soon as possible. Dashing through the front door, he slammed it harder then he had intended to, slipping off his shoes. "Miko, you brat, you're finally ho- woah!" His sister came around the corner, her eyes widening in shock. "Wha-" "Not now Nii-san. He's hurt badly. Can you get me some of the old towels, please?" he responded, glancing back and forth between his sister and the animal in his arms. "Sure." She nodded, taking off down the hall. Nomiko went into his room. Peeling off his school jacket, he laid it on the floor, placing the fox on top of it. It whimpered every now and then, it's ears pinned submissively to its head. He opened the first-aid kit, still sitting by his bed. He had a feeling this wasn't going to be enough. "Here onii-chan." Rose said, tossing him some towels. "When you were talking about a fox the other day, you really meant it, didn't you?" "Yeah." He smiled back at her. "Can you see if we have any more bandages or anything? I'm going to need all the ones I can find." "There's a shop on the first floor and I've got some pocket money. I'll be right back." She said, shutting the door. "You're sister seems nice enough." The voice came from the fox although it didn't make any motion to move. "She is, when she wants to be." He replied, leaning against his dresser. "I can't believe this. I don't even know how to begin to explain how my physics teacher is my pet fox." He sighed. "I wasn't planning on letting you find out. I was going to leave and not come back the other day but when I knew how worried you'd be....I found myself back here." "So you weren't going to tell me? I guess that's good enough since I would have been pretty embarrassed to find out that the teacher I had a crush on had really been sharing a room with me for the past three days as a pet I had picked up off the streets." He turned away, his cheeks going crimson. The fox raised its head; it's eyes watching him. "Nomiko..." "Don't call me that!" he snapped, huffing. He couldn't even begin to fathom this...he had let the fox sleep in his bed by his side, and all the kisses he had received from bringing the thing food to eat... it was now sinking in who that had really been. "If I could live my life being just your pet, believe me I would have done it. I would have been Aura forever worrying only about making you happy. But unfortunately, being a stray fox does not make money and cash is something any human needs to survive. I couldn't possibly let you take care of me for the rest of my life. It wouldn't be right." He told him. The door opened then and his sister entered with two whole boxes full of bandages. "Here ya go." She tossed them in her brother's lap. "Oh, you're friend is up. He's so cute." She leaned down, petting the fox on is head, the only part of his coat not covered in blood. "Get better, okay boy?" she said with a smile, backing out of the room. Nomiko locked the door behind her. "So what are you anyway?" Turning his head back he was surprised to find that he had transformed back into his human form, lying against the side of his bed. "I'm a kitsune fox." He said, holding out a hand. "Here. I'll take care of my wounds myself." Nomiko pushed his hand away, coming over to sit by him. "Take off your shirt. You're in no condition to take care of yourself." He got out a pad and the alcohol. This was going to sting him but at least he would be getting better. "So what exactly is a kitsune fox? I've heard about the spirits, but I can tell you're not a ghost." He ducked his head, blushing at the man's exposed chest- he really was built nicely. "We're a dying race of fox humans. We're travelers, scavengers...we don't usually stay in one place for to long." He didn't even flinch as the boy ran the alcohol-covered pad over his torso. "I was attacked by that man the other day; the wolf guy you saw earlier. That's what he did to my arm. I was trying to get home when you found me, but I had just about ran out of energy. I had transformed back and just about passed out from pain. I didn't mean to put my burden on you, but you were so kind to me. Then when I recognized your name and then your face as one of my students, I couldn't believe the twist of fate life had given me. I have been looking for a Zodiac master...and I think I may have found him." "A what?" he blinked. "Zodiac? Like, as in the horoscopes?" "Yeah. You possessed the elemental of water so you would have to be�a Cancer, a Pisces or a Scorpio." He said, closing his eyes as the boy wrapped the gauze over his shoulder and around his chest. "I'm a Scorpio." He said after a minute in surprise. "Born November 14th." "I figured as much. Your ability to use water is amazing." He said, sitting up and inspecting the boy's handiwork. "What do you mean my ability to use water?" he asked, staring at him. "You don't remember?" he blinked. "You used the water from the rain storm to hit Naga with a stream of it. He had no choice but to retreat." "I manipulated water?" he swallowed. "Could I do this with any form of water?" he asked eagerly. Satoshi blinked. "I don't suppose why not... water is water whether it's in liquid form or not." "Then perhaps I could make the bathtub fill up with snow?" he asked after a minute. Satoshi blinked. "If you're thoughts were cold or being directed toward someone in a harsh manner then-" "I was mad at my sister for making fun of me. Could that have possibly been it?" when he nodded, the boy grinned. "Well, that's kinda cool." He stood up, gathering the first-aid things and putting them away. "By the way," he swallowed. "What should I call you now? You're not exactly just my teacher and you're not my dog..." "Call me whatever you like." He told him with a smile. "...Satoshi? Can I call you that?" he asked before putting a hand to his forehead. "No, I can't call you that. People might get the wrong idea about us, not that there isn't already something in question..." he blushed, muttering for saying that out loud. "Tsugara-sempai maybe?" "How bout Aura?" Satoshi supplied with a grin. "No!" Nomiko glared at him. "If I would have known in the first place-" "But I like my pet name. It's cute." He said with a smile, throwing his shredded t-shirt back on. "You're right, it's a 'pet' name, and you're not a pet. You're a human being! Or at least you act like one!" he snapped back, shoving the gauze pads in the top drawer of his dresser. "But I'm just as much as animal as I am human." He said, standing up. "Look no matter what, you're still my physics teacher." He said, his face going completely red. "And I was still your pet dog when you left the house this morning too." He said with an amused smile. Nomiko gritted his teeth. "Will you stop playing games with me?! It's bad enough I'm trying to figure out just where things stand right now." "Like what?" he asked, leaning against the wall. The boy's face flushed. "Well dog boy, you've been imposing as a fox the last couple of days. And you've been k-kissing all over me.." "Oh. That." He grabbed the boy's arm, pulling him to him, their lips locking. Nomiko's cerulean eyes blinked wide, his face going completely red as Satoshi pulled away. "What makes you think that just because I changed forms I didn't mean it?" he asked him softly. The boy was at a lost for words. "Sat..." "Dogs show affection to their owners as a way of showing gratitude, thanks and love toward their master. What makes you think I wasn't doing the same?" he let him go, stepping over to look out the window. Nomiko swallowed. This was the last thing he had been expecting. "Satoshi.." he said after a minute. "As Aura, I told you some of my secrets. I hope... you won't embarrass me with them." "Don't worry- you're thing for Sakura is our little secret." He smiled. "And about what you had to say about me...I was flattered. Thank you, very much." The boy flushed. "N-No problem." He swallowed. "I'm going to go take a shower. I'll be back in a few." "I'll be waiting here." He said back to him with a smile. Nomiko took his set of clothes with him. Before, he hadn't cared if the fox had been in the room with him when he changed but now that he knew... He cursed as he stormed into the bathroom. Satoshi had seen him naked, and probably more then once. When he returned from the shower, his mind was still as puzzled as it had been when he went in there. He ran the towel through his sopping onyx hair, letting it fall on his shoulders as he entered his room. The fox was lying curled up on the end of his bed and it lifted his head as he came in. "Welcome back." He nodded at him, taking a seat on the floor. Opening his shoulder bag, he pulled out his physics books and grabbed a pen off his dresser. The fox hopped down from the bed to come sit over by him. "What are you doing?" he asked after a minute. "I have to get some of this stuff done. I mean, you did assign me chapter four for homework." He thought about what he had just said. Man this was too weird. He went to grab the textbook and pull it onto his lap, only to realize the fox had curled up beside him, its head resting on his thigh. Nomiko's face went red. "Do you mind?" "Hmm?" the animal lifted its head before it backed away from him. "Sorry. I've just gotten used to being close to you." It hopped back up on the bed and made itself comfortable, it's long bushy tail wrapping around its face. The boy watched him go, ready to hit himself. He hadn't meant to snap at him or send him away. Just the thought that his pet was his new teacher was a little more then weird. "Satoshi..." he said after a moment, setting down his books. "I didn't mean..." "It's alright." Came the answer. "A lot's happened tonight... you probably need a little time to think about what you've learned. I'm tired too. I'm going to rest." Nomiko hung his head for a minute. The tone of the creature's voice sounded drained. He probably needed to rest and he probably was hurt from being pushed away from him. Glancing at the textbook with his cerulean eyes, he decided against doing any work. Sleep was sounding more and more like a better idea. Getting up, he walked over to the bed. Instead of disturbing the napping animal he moved slowly away from the end of the mattress, lying with his back up against the wall. The blankets were shoved toward the footboard and he grabbed one, pulling it up around his form and careful not to wake the sleeping creature in anyway. His eyes hesitated on the fox's form for a moment, watching him as he slept, the white tip of his long elegant tail tucked underneath his chin. He smiled, lying his head down on the pillow. "Goodnight..." he said softly, his eyes closing. "Aura." Feeling the moonlight beam down on his copper coat, Satoshi awoke sometime later only to find his protector asleep beside him on the bed, long raven bangs hiding the boy's childishly handsome face. He lifted his head, golden eyes inspecting the damage on his body. Damn Naga...he just couldn't leave him alone, could he? Not only had he been so cruel, he had messed up his beautiful crimson fur. Not to be vain, but he would pay for marring such beauty. "No..." His ears perked up at the mumbled sound coming from the sleeping boy. The fox got up, stepping lightly on the mattress to walk up near the boy's face. So Tatsuya talked in his sleep? How cute! The animal's tail wagged softly at the thought. "No, you can't..." Nomiko's body shifted restlessly under the thin blanket. "Tsugara-san...." The fox jerked his head up, his golden eyes wide. This kid...his cold words hid his true feelings. The animal went down to the end of the bed, grabbed a mouthful of covers and tugged them over the boy's form, dropping them against his neck. His nose nuzzled against his cheek as he dropped down by the boy's chest, his head falling comfortably in the contour of Nomiko's neck. Phase Four- End -Character Profile- Yoshikawa Nomura Birthday: April 9th Age: 16 Zodiac Sign: Aries Element: Fire Blood Type: B Height: 5' 5" Hair color: Brown Eye color: Brown Occupation: Student Favorite Subject: Math -- Phase Five- Student Teaching 101 "Aw, you guys are so cute!" Nomiko's blue eyes blinked opened, staring sleepily at his sister. "Huh?" He sat up, realizing the fox was curled up huddled by him. "Gah!" he said, his jaw dropping slightly. The fox didn't move but it whimpered softly, lifting its head to look sadly at the boy. "Miko, you upset him!" Rose growled, sitting down on the side of the bed. "He's so beat up... poor thing. Don't disturb him so much." She leaned over, scratching him underneath the chin. The fox purred, licking her fingers. She giggled. "And he's so calm and sweet too. And beautiful. Miko you're so lucky to have found such a perfect pet. Just don't hurt him or anything- he looks like he's in enough pain already." She got up, smiling at him. "We gotta be to school soon, though I'll cover for you if you wanna stay home and take care of him. I'm gonna go get a shower. See you in a few!" As soon as the door was shut, Nomiko leaned back against the wall. "I figured you would have left by now. You do have to report to school earlier then students don't you?" he replied, not bothering to look up or over at the small creature. "I figured I'd lie low today. Naga will probably be checking all the spots you might have known me from and there's no way I could go into school like this." Nomiko looked up to see Satoshi leaning up against the headboard. His body was covered in scratches and bruises and his clothing was in tatters. He looked up at him, golden eyes shining at his. "Thanks... for looking out for me though." Nomiko's cheeks went crimson. "It's nothing. So if you're not going in today, who is going to teach your class? We don't have any other physics teachers at Soudai High." "Course we do." He winked. He sat up, picking up a piece of paper from the desk and tossing it at the boy. "Huh? What's this?" Nomiko blinked, scanning it. His face fell at the words scrawled on the page. "You want me to teach your class for you?" he asked, finding it hard to talk with his jaw hanging on the floor. "Yep. You're practically taking the same classes that I am. If the school thought that I would be the best choice to teach class then I guess you can do it the same. With this, it won't be hard for the principal to give you the okay and you can find my lecture plans on the desk in the office. It's not that hard." He smiled. "You'll be fine, Master." "Master?" he sat down the paper. "Why am I your master?" "Well, it's complicated. But do you remember what I told you last night about Zodiac Masters?" When the boy nodded, he sat up, despite the pain it put him in. "Well Zodiac masters true titles are Lords of the Stars. A long time ago, these people could manipulate the element of the star constellation they fell under. Yours is Scorpio, the sign of the scorpion. Your element is water, meaning you control water, bend it to your will. All living beings cannot exist without water- this power you carry is great. You are this way because your guardian stars have need of your power here on earth and for good reason." He brushed his long raven hair out of his face. "Kitsune spirits...noh masks, demons...even dragons and unicorns, creatures of western legend...all of them were at one time real. We have been hunted to the brink of extinction, and by what? If we can deceive normal humans with our appearances then there should be no reason why we are being killed off this way. But there is a very simple explanation for this- creatures with magic are fighting creatures with magic. My people have been targeted by a dark society of demons and for us, there is no mercy. This race of yokais has not just been hunting us...any other race of magic-users are in danger." "But then, if they're killing innocent people, why don't you fight back? If they're starting this, why don't you guys finish it?" he asked, wrapping his arms around his legs. "We're drifters... nomads, Tatsuya-sama, not warriors. I've been taught how to fight since I could walk and still, I'm not very good. I'm a fox. There are much bigger, larger creatures out there that can easily take me down. We've been waiting for a Zodiac Master for a long time now- the last one was killed in battle one-hundred and twenty years ago. All the tribes of demons and animal spirits have been waiting for one to return to us and somehow the stars just wouldn't answer our call. But if you're that person- the person fate sent me to, there's no doubt that you're the one we've all been waiting for." He told him with a smile. "So, wait...there's only one Zodiac Master? And that's me? But what about you? You can use magic too. You have to to be able to transform." Nomiko asked. "I'm a kitsune fox. My magic abilities are horrible compared to what yours must be. I'm a Gemini- born May 29th. My element is wind. I can move the wind, use it to my advantage or create a shield with it. But I can't use it for an attack. I don't have that much magic power. There are others, from different races and clans that can use magic more extensively. But their best falls at about what you used last night, and you weren't even concentrating. You were just using your emotions and your instincts to save you." "So what exactly is a Zodiac Master capable of?" the boy asked again. "Miko! Are you ready to go yet?!" Rose called from the hallway. "Nomura and Serina are here! Let's go!" The boy stared down at his t-shirt and pajama pants. "Uh..." "Go on and get to school." Satoshi told him with a smile. "I'll be here when you get back." "Uhm.. okay." He got up, grabbing random clothes out of his closet before he dashed out the door. "Give me two seconds Nii-san! I'll be there in two seconds!" Satoshi chuckled. Lying back down on the bed. Sleep was calling back to him and his eyes closed sleepily. "I'll be waiting here...should you return...Master..." Nomiko had no problem from the principal once he showed him the letter Satoshi had written up for him. Excused from a day full of classes, he headed to the physics room and tossed his stuff in the spare chair. Going over the list of class plans his teacher had left for him he got ready for class period one. This would be his toughest period of the day. A class full of seniors. As the class filled in, he walked out of the room, holding a binder full of papers and an extra folder he had dug out of Miss Hitsugawa's files. "Who assigned a junior to our class? Is he Mr. Tsugara's aide?" one of the boys's asked with a grin. "Yeah honey, where's the hot teacher?" a girl asked, chewing on a wad of bubblegum. Nomiko gritted his teeth at that comment. "Mr. Tsugara won't be here today. I've been sent to take his place. I'm Tatsuya Nomiko from class 2-A." He threw down the stack of papers on the desk. "This is your next project- due on Saturday. And these-" he paused to throw down the folder. "Are referrals to the office for anyone who happens to give me a problem." The entire class quieted at that. "What'd you got for us to do Boss?" one of the kids asked. Nomiko smiled. This might be easier then he thought. "The project deals with Chapter Six in your text book, which starts on page 215." He turned to the chalkboard. "The basic formula for the tested theory is this-" he scrawled the equation from memory writing big enough for the kids in the back of the labroom to see. "This, along with-" he paused, writing the newer equation underneath the first. "Are going to be used to compare and contrast the selected theory in the book. Do you follow?" "Sure." One of the boys in the front row nodded. "Alright, then come and get your work. If you need any help go ahead and ask." He said, tossing the chalk back on the holder. For the next hour and a half he walked the seniors through problems in their project, explaining step by step how to use the equations to find the selected answer. And the class treated him like an actual teacher instead of a young kid. When they left at the start of period three, Nomiko felt like there was nothing he couldn't do. That was until he got his next period of juniors. Several of the girls made passes at him while he was giving out instructions, one asked if Nomiko knew where their teacher was which cause Nomiko to turn to the board to hide his blushing face (it wasn't if he could very well say 'no') which in turn got him picked on by the same several girls who had been flirting with him. He was about ready to pull his hair out by the time fifth period came around. He had his lunch break but spent it working on chapter four of his own work, which he still hadn't gotten done. As the bell rung he lifted his head, going to get the next pile of assigned papers for the next class. This would be his salvation from his last class. This was his class- the sophomore class. "Hey Tatsuya, you are here!" As his friends filed in they came over to his desk. "What are you doing in here man? Where have you been all day? Nomura told us you were teaching for Mr. T." "I am." He said. "Guys, go sit down. I've got stuff to tell you and give you your next assignment." "So you gonna tell us what's going on Tatsuya?" Hiroshi asked from his seat. Their entire class had come in and sat down, waiting for an answer. These were the same kids he had shared every grade with since kindergarten. He smiled. "Yeah guys, thanks. It's been a madhouse all day. I would appreciate the cooperation. Mr. Tsugara called in sick today- apparently he came down with something bad. So because we have no physics teacher, they called in their last resort- me." He grinned. "I've been teaching all day. It's been crazy. So please, don't give me to much grief." "No problem Tatsuya-kun. We'll do exactly like you ask." Sakura smiled at him. "Itsuki's right." Kanzai nodded. "So what's on the agenda today Tatsuya?" Yutsukigara asked with his usual grin. "Our newest project?" Yoshi smiled at him. Nomiko could have hugged his classmates. "Yes, of course it's you newest project. And I'm gonna teach you all how to do it." "But-"Sakuza started. "Tatsuya, you can't do that!" Sakura told him, her green eyes widening. "Of course I can. I'm the teacher." He smiled. "Leaders, come get packets for your groups. We'll do this as a class lab, rather then split up into our teams. Textbook page 386. Chapter Thirteen." He snapped his fingers, going over to the chalkboard. "Now people? We've got an hour and a half and if we work quickly we can get this entire thing done today." "You serious Tatsuya?" Ruri asked, her eyes widening. "Yep, now let's get started, shall we?" he said, glancing at the textbook he had left open on the chapter. "This project's rather easy. The main equation is right here in the beginning..." "Tatsuya-kun?" Sakura asked him at the end of class as the kids were filing out of the room. Nomiko looked up, putting the papers away from the class period and closing his textbook. "Oh...Itsuki-chan. What is it? Did you have trouble on today's assignment?" "Nope! You explained everything perfectly Tatsuya-kun! I had no trouble at all." She smiled. "I was wondering if I could walk with you to the train station?" "I thought you and Yoshikawa were heading to the arcade this afternoon?" he asked, his cerulean eyes blinking wide. "We are, but I asked him to go ahead of me. I wanted to stay behind and talk to you." She told him. "Is it okay?" "Yeah." He smiled back. "Sure it's okay." They walked through the halls together and Nomiko found he couldn't suppress a blush for long. Sakura was so cute...and she had wanted to stay behind to talk to him? "You're such a great teacher Tatsuya-kun! Whenever you help me with my work, I totally understand it. I love physics- it's such a great class If I could understand it all the time like the way you teach it, it would probably be my favorite subject." She told him. He blushed horribly. "What is your favorite subject?" he asked after a minute. "Isn't it literature?" "Yep! Reading and writing is the best! Though, like I said, I'm starting to like physics too." She beamed at him. "Aw man! That reminds me! We have that report due on Monday and I haven't even started it yet!" he sighed. Where physics and math were his strong points, writing was definitely not. "Do you want me to help you with it?" she asked as they stepped out of the lobby and down the front steps. "Huh?" he jerked his head up, looking at her. "I'm really good at writing. I already turned in my paper already and got a 99 on it. Do you want me to come over your house and help you with it...say Sunday afternoon?" she told him, looking up at him. His face went completely red. "That would be great." She smiled. "Alright then. It's a date." He stopped, watching her hop down the steps. Did she just say she had a date with him? "Tatsuya-kun?" she looked back at him. "What do you suppose is going on over there?" She pointed to a large group of people crowding around near the front gate. "Dunno. Let's go check it out." He shrugged. As they got closer one of the girls from their class recognized them. "Tatsuya-kun, you have such a cute dog!" Ruri Minako said smiling at him. "Dog?" his eyes widened. There was no way... "Miko?" His sister called. The group around her broke, allowing him to get closer to his sister. She was holding the fox up against her chest, wrapped in her school jacket, his long bushy tail draping down her side. The animal was wearing a slim black-leather collar, a gold tag glimmering off it. She blinked. "I found him wandering around out here and picked him up. He was limping again and his bandages on his body were coming off. I was touched," she smiled at him. "That he'd come all the way to find you." "He's such a beautiful animal, like a small wolf or something." Ruri smiled. "More like a fox. Look at his tipped tail." One of the senior boys corrected her. "His tag says Aura. Is that his name Miko?" Rose asked him. Nomiko ran his fingers through his long bangs. He couldn't believe this. "Yeah Nii-san that's his name." "It's so pretty..." Sakura came over to him. "Hey little guy." She tickled him under the chin and his tail wagged. She giggled. "Aw, such a cutie!" she looked up at Nomiko. "He's so beautiful. I didn't know you had a thing for animals Tatsuya-kun." He blinked. "I found him on the street wounded and took him in. I just couldn't leave him there to die." "Really?" her eyes blinked. "This poor thing was out on the street? And you rescued him! You're so sweet Tatsuya!" she beamed at him. Her emerald eyes flew to her watch and she sighed. "I'm sorry, but I have to be going, or I'm gonna be late. I'll see you tomorrow okay?" she paused to pat the fox on the head. "And I'll see you sometime soon, okay Aura?" The animal barked; it's tail wagging as she left. Rose smiled, patting him on the head. "He's so adorable. You're gonna have to take him home though Miko. I've got a soccer game this afternoon that I can't miss. Don't worry about Mom- she's working late tonight." She paused as she reached in her pocket. "And here. Buy some dog food or something for this guy to eat. If he's staying with us you just can't afford to keep feeding him your lunchmeat." She handed him the cash and then the fox. "I'll see you both when I get home. Be a good boy Aura and get some rest." She told the animal, ruffling his ears as she headed off with her group of friends. Nomiko watched her go before letting out a sigh. "I could strangle you, you know that?" he told the fox. Part Five- End -Character Profile- Sakura Itsuki Birthday: March 12th Age: 15 Zodiac Sign: Pisces Element: Water Blood Type: A Height: 5' 1" Hair color: Red Eye color: Green Occupation: Student Favorite Subject: Literature -- Part Six- Friday Night "Master, come on. I couldn't help it. I came to the school to make sure you were doing okay and I didn't want to be seen on the premises as myself or they would know something was up and besides Naga could still be around." Satoshi had taken his human form again, walking along side Nomiko, matching the boy's strides step for step even with his bad limp. He had gone to his apartment and gotten some clothes too- khaki pants and a red dress shirt made his ensemble as well as a black duster. "He didn't attack you today did he?" "I was fine." He replied angrily. "You don't have to watch out for me, and you don't have to call me master. And most importantly, you don't have to keep acting like my dog. What was the deal with the collar anyway?" he asked irritably. "I can't wander around during the day without a dog collar- the kennel we'll come get me and put me in the pound. So I had a tag made with the name 'Aura' on it today. It's the only name someone's ever given me anyway, so it felt right if I at least used it for something." He explained with a sigh. Nomiko stopped in midstride. "What do you mean 'it's the only name you've been given'? Didn't your parents name you?" "I'm a fox, Master." He said after a moment. "My parents didn't give me a name. My sister and I left our parents behind and when we did we named ourselves. I chose a name that I liked and I used the last name my clan has been using for centuries. I never had anyone give me a name." He smiled. "That's why I didn't really mind what you kids called me in class. Because it would be nice to have a nickname that I didn't give myself. So, I'm sorry if it offends you, but Aura is the only pet name I've ever had, even if I was being mistaken for a pet at the time." "Satoshi..." a wave of guilt hit him. At least he had his nickname, 'Miko', which had passed down to him from his big sister. His face went red when he realized he had done it again. "I-I mean...Mr. Tsugara... " The man chuckled. "Please, call me Satoshi. Not many people do." Nomiko swallowed. "Alright then." This was to weird...he still wasn't used to the whole fact of the matter but at least he was getting a better grip on it. "The name's Tatsuya Nomiko. You can call me either, not 'Master'. It's way to weird." Satoshi's amber eyes widened and then he smiled. "Alright then... Nomiko." "So, if you don't mind," Nomiko said, shoving his hands in the pocket of his school jacket to avoid blushing. "How long are you planning on staying with us?" "I'm not sure. I'm pretty sure I was followed when I went home today which means my apartment is now probably under constant surveillance." He told him as they continued on their way. "You really think these guys are after you that badly?" Nomiko look up at him. "You severely underestimate them." Satoshi said after a minute. "These guys would kill your whole family to get to me, just to get to me and that's just Naga. You couldn't even count the rest of his team." "What?" his eyes blinked wide. "Don't worry, you're not being watched. They don't know how powerful you are yet and I can guarantee you Naga's not going to admit to being beaten by some high school student on a total fluke. They're more interested in taking care of me first, I can assure you." They headed down into the subway, moving past crowds of people. "Still no matter what, I won't give them a reason to go after you or your family." Nomiko looked up at him just in time to see his tall, dark and handsome appearance shift through the crowds to his height and build. When they stepped through the swarm of people he was standing next to Yoshikawa Nomura, not Satoshi Tsugara. "What the hell?!" his eyes blinked wide. "Yoshi, where did-" "Shh." His friend's hand covered his mouth. But it wasn't his voice- it was still Satoshi's. "It's still me, I can assure you. I'm a fox remember? Trickery is my best skill." He uncovered his mouth, a smile highlighting the boy's face. "Now let's get going, okay Tatsuya-sempaii?" Nomiko was surprised that he could match his voice too, but he nodded, holding up his pass to let them through so they could get in the train. "Why the sudden change?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "They can track me when I stay in my true form. I have to stay in my fox form or take the form of someone else to stay cloaked by their senses and if I went home with you as a fox, it would be blatantly obvious that I was staying with you, so we don't want that either. It's just better to be seen as a friend of yours and it's not uncommon that you and Yoshikawa walk home together. This was the best choice of action." He explained as they sat next to one another. "True. You're smart." He told him after a minute. "Fox." He shrugged with a grin. Nomiko leaned back against the seat. "Friday night...and nothing to do." "I say we order a pizza and crash in the living room to watch some TV." Satoshi replied with a smile. "Yeah I agree. Yoshi you always..." his eyes blinked open with the realization that this wasn't really Yoshi and he laughed. Satoshi joined him, his cheeks flushing red in embarrassment. He hadn't meant to sound to much like the boy's best friend. "Tatsuya-sempaii! Nomura-kun!" The two blinked at one another and then at two of the high school girls who took the seats across from them. Both were very cute young freshman girls, one with long navy blue hair pulled up into a ponytail and the other had bright blue eyes and dark chocolate brown hair. "Hi." Nomiko smiled. "Um, do I know you two?" "Uh, not exactly sir." The girl with navy blue hair blushed. "Forgive us." Her friend bowed her head. "We know you both from computer class. You both are Mrs. Kosaki's top students." The blue-haired girl. "My name's Hitari Rika." "And I'm Seika Fu." The other girl said, her bobbed hair falling in her eyes. "Nomura-kun, thank you so much. I'm not good with computers and you totally saved my project." She said, her cheeks flushing. "I remember you two now! You were the girls who crashed those computers and it took us nearly two hours to get them back online." Nomiko smiled. "Nice to see you again." "It was no problem." Satoshi said, nodding his head toward the short-haired girl. The two got off at the train station, laughing to death. "I can't believe you got that girl's number for me!" Nomiko said, trying to catch his breath. Satoshi held up the paper triumphantly. "Yep right here! She was into you too� you could probably get yourself a date there pal." He said with a grin. "Hey, you know the only woman I'm interested in." he said heading up the steps. "Yeah... so? I scored you a couple points with her this afternoon too." He said, stretching his arms over his head. "Hey I was the one that taught that class today!" he said irritably. "I scored myself a few points!" "And I was the one who acted like you cute injured puppy dog, or did you forget that?" he shot back. "Nobody asked you to..." he huffed. "It's a sad thought. Oh well...that Rika girl was pretty cute too. But you're too into another woman to care." He grinned. "What an adorable little soap opera." "Can it foxy." Nomiko glared at him as they headed up the hill toward the apartment complex. "Or better yet, you go out with her." "Um...teacher." He pointed to himself. "Teacher...student. Teacher, student. Do you see why that relationship wouldn't work out?" "And yet you don't see the problem with the fact that you sleep at the end of my bed? She's not even one of your students. I am!" Satoshi stopped, shoving his hands (and the phone number) in his jacket pockets. "Yeah, but you're different from them....I can't help it...I want to be close to you." "Did you say something Satoshi?" Nomiko blinked, looking over his shoulder. "Just talking to myself. Sorry." He explained with a sheepish grin, catching up to him. "So...how did the project in your class go today?" he asked, changing the subject completely. The less he talked about it, the better. Part Six- End Character Profile Serina Osaka Birthday: August 21st Age: 18 Zodiac Sign: Leo Element: Fire Blood Type: A Height: 5'2" Hair color: Forest Green Eye color: Brown Occupation: Student Favorite Subject: Drama Author's Notes: -*cuddles Nomiko before going on to Satoshi*- Nomiko, you better get over this whole 'my teacher is my pet fox' sort of thing and quickly! -*glares at character*- You two are way to cute together to be fighting! -*looks up and blinks realizing volume two is over*- .....hi everyone! ^^; sorry about that, just trying to foretell what will happen in the next installment! In Volume Three, Sakura ends up coming over to help Miko with his paper and the sparks of jealousy fly from Satoshi's end. A fight breaks out between best friends, putting Yoshikawa and Nomiko on opposite ends of a bitter rivalry. And yet again Naga shows up, but with Satoshi still badly hurt, will the two manage to hold out or will Naga get his hands on the Zodiac Master? Until I write again! Sora Tokumi Kazuma |
