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Despair Aura Volume Five Sora Kazuma May 8th 2005 Phase Thirteen- The Fox Is Out of the Bag Moonlight shone through the cracks in the blinds, streaking the room with silver light. Nomiko's cerulean eyes blinked open, shoving away raven bangs from his sight. Satoshi was still lying on top of him, head resting on his chest as he slept soundly, dark hair hiding his face from view. A light blanket was pulled over the both of them and he stared at it for a minute, wondering where it came from. "Don't worry, I'm watching over you guys." Glancing over he saw the small petite form of a young woman sitting in the chair adjacent from them, smiling at them. "Hey there cutie." "Miyakura-sempai�" He felt the heat rising to his face as she sat there in a sports bra and silk pajama pants. "Miko-sama, please." She giggled softly. "You can call me Saitou now. After all, my secret's out of the bag. Is it alright if I call you Miko-sama? Or is that a special name that only Satoshi-kun can use?" He swallowed. "No, it's fine. I just�you all don't have to keep calling me '-sama'." "Course we do!" She replied with a smile. "You are the Zodiac Master after all." "So�you believe it too�" "Dude, you helped me take down Naga! He's a wolf demon, and they don't call quits easily. And a couple of days before you showed Maruka who was boss-" "You were watching that?!" He gaped. "Course I was! I've been watching you for a while young master!" She beamed. He huffed and she busted out into quiet laughter. "So�you come to a decision yet?" "Huh?" Those bright blue eyes blinked wide. When he caught her eyes drifting to the form lying against him he sighed softly, resting his head on the arm of the couch again. "I�when I saw Satoshi pinned to the floor and Naga over top of him like that� I think for a moment my heart stopped beating. I was so afraid�and angry�and I think�a little jealous too. All I know is that I never want to see that happen again. Naga�.Naga will pay for what he did." His fingers found themselves running through that long curtain of onyx hair as he spoke, hands trembling from nervousness. "Your decision hasn't changed then�it's been the same all along. I say�you should stop running away from it and fess up. Hand Itsuki-chan over to Nomura-kun and take Satoshi for yourself. I really don't think you're losing here." She snorted when he shot her an unsure glance. "Look�he's put a lot of trust in you, a lot of effort and staked a lot of feelings on your decision too. Don't you want to protect him?" The boy's face blushed, looking down at the man resting on top of him. Despite the fact that they had only met so recently, Satoshi was like a close friend, someone who had always been there with a smile, words of advice and the power to shelter him when he was in serious danger. He was the heartthrob of the entire student body, a great mentor and an all-around kind and gentle person. True he was a teacher, but he was also a fox, a Kitsune spirit with a human form. 'Just like I have two roles�the student and the zodiac master�' He swallowed. Two different sides to a person�didn't mean they were all of what that person truly was. If Nomiko truly believed he was more then just labels�then wouldn't the same work for Satoshi as well? "When�I think back on everything now, I see it completely different then how I would have seen it a month ago. Hell, if I look back a week it would be different. But�it wasn't right." Saitou blinked her pale crystalline eyes, listened as he spoke. His voice sounded more confident even at a mere whisper. It was one of the few times he had ever sounded so sure of himself. "I've been a jerk�I thought if I ignored all of this the problem would just go away. If I kept my power hidden and tried not to show it nobody else would ever know. But the one person who needed to know had already seen what I could do. Naga was there the first time I tapped into my powers, and now there's nothing I can do to stop him from coming after us. If I can't hide anymore as the zodiac master, then I guess I shouldn't bother trying to hide my feelings either." He looked over at her. "I want to get stronger�so that nobody else gets hurt." She smiled. "That's a very noble thing to say. Miko-sama, you ARE worthy of the title Zodiac Master." His face flushed. "Uhm�so�do you think Naga's going to show up at your school? Or more importantly at my house?" His eyes widened. "What if he goes after Rose and Mom-" "Kiddo, calm down." She giggled. "First off, keep in mind that Naga is injured right now. He's a demon so he heals at about the same rate I do but still with the wounds he received, that puts him out of battle for at least two to three days. Keep in mind Naga is a commander for Gaizo-" "Gaizo?" The boy blinked. "You didn't think Naga was all there is, did you?" She tilted her head questioningly at him. When he swallowed she let out a soft sigh. "Gaizo is the general for the demon army. From the intel that we know of there are eight demon generals that work under him, possibly more. Naga is the one stationed here in Japan. He has more then fifty specially-trained lower class demons with him and probably that many human magic users. Shinji Maruka, the kid you fought the other day, was one of them." "Where do you get this stuff?" He asked, surprised. "There's a whole secret network for magic users and various races. Anyone who has magical capability probably knows about it. There's a black market for it here right in Tokyo where you can get information right off the street." "You serious?" She smiled. "Dead serious. I'll take you there sometime kiddo, but you'll have to keep a low profile. If people find out you're the zodiac master we'll have a riot." "So, you're serious�there are really other people out there with powers like me?" She giggled. "You fought one the other day, didn't you?" When he flushed in embarrassment she smiled. "It's common that humans have some magical sense. Your race was a massive hybrid from other races. Most people who have grown up in magical families can do various things. Some have the psychic power, others can move and shift things by just thinking about them. It really depends where you're lineage comes from. But in the same aspect there are humans that have adapted their powers from the stars, taking the element of the sign they were born under, they too zodiac masters in a sense. But their powers are limited and few. The elemental power is small, and they can only control one element." "Wait�I can control more then one element?" "With the right amount of training, yes. That's why you are the master. Miko-sama�did you even give thought to what month it is?" "What month?" He blinked. "Let's see�June." "June, specifically this part of the month is overseen by the constellation of Cancer, a water elemental." She replied. "So my powers right now are water because of the stars?" "Yes, and no. You're constellation itself is Scorpio, another water elemental, meaning your power of water is at its highest. However, when it shifts in the middle of next month and Leo takes over, your water power will weaken and your ability to use fire will be greater. The Zodiac Master has the ability to learn all four elements at any given time and choose which one is for his advantage. That will ultimately be your goal." "This just leaves me open for more questions." He huffed. "Why didn't Satoshi tell me any of this and when will I learn how to use fire? What about attacks too�the other day when we fought Maruka Satoshi's wind energy did next to nothing." "First, Satoshi didn't tell you any of this because he didn't think you'd need to know so soon. With you not relying on your powers and him trying to heal it was best for the two of you to hide and stay low-key. Unfortunately Naga starting getting desperate. Second, fire will come to you naturally as July 22 gets closer. You'll find things starting to burn beneath your fingertips, the urge to set things aflame. Keep in mind until you get the hang of controlling it for the first few days, that firepower will be immensely strong and I'd suggest trying to keep your temper. If things get rough, keep water in close supply or create it yourself so you don't have the mind to become a pyromaniac and third, which is probably the most important-" She paused, her arms wrapping around her for a moment. "Every elemental has three things- an affinity that they get along with and one they don't and then an attack-based strength and weakness. Water for instance is compatible with every sign except fire, meaning you have a tough time getting along with Aries, Leo and Sagittarius." "There would be the reason that my sister and I are constantly fighting." Nomiko sighed and Saitou giggled. The boy blinked. "And Yoshikawa too�he's an Aries." The girl's pale eyes stared at him for a minute before her head fell slightly. "Then, there would be the nature behind your spat. You're opposing sides." "You can't base a simple fight on astrology." He said after a moment but she bust out into giggles. "You can't? This coming from you." She smiled. "Keep in mind though, you're the zodiac master. In a way, you're sign is constantly changing, so we can't say that it was for that reason. But since this is a water-based period in the stars it could possibly be the reason. We don't know for sure. Anyway, you're attack strengths as a water element are obviously against fire, but you're weakness is air, or wind." "So Satoshi's element is my weakness�since Maruka was using earth, is it safe for me to assume that earth is air's weakness?" "Correct." She beamed. "Then if you're at opposing affinities with Satoshi-" "It's quite possible that a serious relationship would have failed between us. It would have been hard to keep up anything more then friends." She smiled at him. "But I'm not worried. I lost him before I had even met him anyway." At that his face flushed and he quieted. "Anyway, so what we were talking about? We covered a lot." "I've learned a lot." Nomiko spoke up, glad for a change of subject. "But what should I do? I need to protect my family. If Naga-" "That's who we were talking about!" She softly cheered. "Naga and you. First, when Naga recovers, he's going to come back or send some of his flunkies to do his job, and you'll need to be ready. I know you don't want to drop out of school, so that means Satoshi and I will have to be by your side constantly. I'm worried about your sister too. If it's alright with you, I have a friend of mine who will willingly watch her for us." "Watch her how?" He blinked. "Guard her, like we have to you. He'll stay by her side as one of her friends, making sure that nothing happens." He swallowed. If Rose found out� "I'll think about it. What else do you know about Naga?" "Well�he has a list of magic users that are living or hiding out in Japan. It's his job to kill them or make sure they're killed. Demons have been trying to kill off the magic races for years, but this time they're closer then ever and only because the humans are supporting them more and more." She turned her head away, long violet hair falling in her face. For a minute she seemed upset but as soon As Nomiko started to say something she looked over at him with a slight smile. "Your boytoy's at the top of Naga's list. There's been rumors going around saying that he's been wanting him for means other then just his extermination, and after finding him on the floor like we did, I'd have to believe them. If he wanted him dead, he would have just killed him. He's usually frank and straight to the point. The fact that he left him alive means we probably walked in on him doing something he probably didn't want anyone to see." Nomiko gritted his teeth. "It's not going to happen again. The next time Naga lays a hand on him, I'll kill him." "Will you be able to?" She asked after a minute quietly. "Will you actually be able to kill someone?" "I�" He swallowed. "If I have to. It's either protecting Satoshi and saving myself or dying, and I don't plan on dying any time soon." "Not until you get laid, right?" She smirked. "What?!" He gasped, a little louder then he wanted to. Satoshi shifted and moaned slightly in his sleep, his one arm falling off the couch. Nomiko practically held his breath as he moved letting out a soft sigh once he had settled down. "Get some sleep." Saitou smiled, standing up. "I'll wake you in the morning." Nomiko watched her head down the hall before he shut his eyes, trying to relax. His neck was beginning the hurt, but he didn't dare want to move for fear of waking him up. Sleep fell over him again and this time he slept more soundly, a hand buried among Satoshi's glossy black hair. -- The shifting and the sudden lifting of the weight on top of him caused Nomiko to blink awake, shivering. Saitou was standing there, fully dressed talking softly to Satoshi who was still only in his khakis. Her light blue eyes looked down and she smiled at him. "Morning young master. How are you feeling?" He sat up, rubbing at his neck. "Decent enough." His upper back was really killing him, but he wasn't going to say anything that might cause them to worry. "What time is it?" "We need to be getting to the school soon." Saitou said. "The school's not open." Satoshi said softly. "The TV in the apartment next door is doing a live newscast. They closed the school while it's under investigation. They think there's been a murder." "Close enough." Saitou beamed. "Well, if I ain't going to class, I'm gonna cook breakfast! You two hungry?" She replied. "I need to be getting home. I didn't call my house last night so I know my Mom and sister are going to be flipping out." Nomiko said, standing up. "If I take the train from the stop here, it should be about fifteen minutes to my house." "Owh�but I want to cook." Saitou whined. "Rose will be worried. We need to be going. You can stop by later if you want." Satoshi told her. "Fine�" She whined, but her eyes were watching them. "Be careful though." "We will." Nomiko smiled at her before picking up the fox that was now sitting by his legs. "See you later Saitou-sempai. Be careful." Taking the train with the last of his money, Nomiko held the fox in his arms, watching him. The animal just lay there on his lap; golden eyes carelessly watching the world go past them. "�You're not in pain�are you?" He asked softly, but got no answer. Petting the creature's head he still didn't get the slightest response. "Aura." The fox's ears pricked on its head and it moved to lick at his fingers before it set its head back down. Nomiko leaned back. That was about as good as it was gonna get at the moment. Carrying him home, his school jacket wrapped around the animal, the silence bit into him with ever second he took. When he got home he wanted an answer for why he was acting like this. Satoshi was never this quiet, never this distant. Pulling his keys from his pants pocket and unlocking the door, he removed his shoes. Rose's were right there, so obviously she was home too. "Hello?" He literally had seconds before his sister came around the corner wrapping her arms around his neck. "Thank God! Where have you been???" When she pulled away she was crying, her mascara smearing with her tears. "When we heard about the school and the classroom, we knew it was your science class and you hadn't come home. Mom's in a conference or she would have been right home, we've been so terrified something happened�" "Nii-san, I'm okay. It wasn't anything like that-" "I figured you were at Yoshikawa's but he said he hadn't seen you and I called the Itsuki residence but they didn't know where you were either-" "Nii-san, I'm alright." He smiled at her. She was rambling so badly through her tears he could barely understand her. "It's-" "It's my fault." Nomiko's words faltered and even Rose's rambles stopped as that deep voice spoke up. Aura freed himself from Nomiko's grasp and as he did, transformed, becoming his human form. "It's my fault." He said again. "I'm sorry." The girl's gray eyes were wide, a hand covering her mouth. She glanced from him to Nomiko and back again, not comprehending what had just happened. Meanwhile Nomiko was to stunned to say anything. He couldn't believe he would just give away his identity like that. After a moment of just standing there staring, Rose swallowed. "A-Aura�?" "My name's Tsugara Satoshi." He replied back. "And I'm a Kitsune spirit." "I guess�" Nomiko swallowed. "We have some explaining to do. Nii-san�you might want to sit down for this." Phase Thirteen- End Phase Fourteen- Confessions All Around Satoshi spilled his story, from the moment he had met Naga to the events of last night and Rose just listened, absorbing everything with her wide silver eyes. Meanwhile Nomiko ran around the house, gathering bandages to take care of his wounds and sat down beside him, redoing the dressings on his hands. For a minute Rose just sat there after he was finished and tried to absorb what he had said. "So�" she started after a second. "Out of all the people in Japan, why the heck was it my little brother?" Nomiko gritted his teeth. "Because I'm the Zodiac Master!" He snapped back. "What's�that?" "Nomiko has picked up more then a little bit on magic. We believe him to be the Zodiac Master- a human magic user able to control the elements and affinities of the stars." Satoshi said, leaning his head back on the top of the couch. It was apparent he was in pain from how he was acting and his voice was still a little monotone and sad. "Miko? Can use magic?" She stared at her brother. "Show me." He huffed, but sat down the roll of medical tape and held out the palm of his hand. Immediately a small curl of mist appeared in the center spinning faster and faster and collecting in thickness until a small bead of water formed, hovering just millimeters over his skin. Rose's mouth had dropped, her gray eyes sparking violently. "That's so awesome." "Are you happy now?" Nomiko replied shaking his hand, the spell disappearing along with the water. "Yes. Though I'm not really satisfied. I have so many questions." She said with a smile. "Tell me about it." Nomiko said, shredding a piece of tape with his teeth. "I thought I would let you in on what's been going on because you deserved to know. You've taken such good care of me while I've been here and I felt bad about deceiving you." Satoshi told her. She blushed. "Don't mention it. I was glad to help." "You can't tell Serina about this." Nomiko glared at her. "You can't tell anyone about this. Satoshi could lose his job if the word got to school, and I know Naga would use it to his advantage." "I promise, no one will hear it from me." She held up her hands. "I just can't believe�my brother and his dog are really a magic using force bent on killing demons. And I can't believe you're the same guy we saw that one afternoon while we were stopping to have dinner." "Huh?" Satoshi blinked, but Nomiko just blushed horribly. Rose snickered. "There was this one afternoon that me, my friend and Nomiko had stopped at a restaurant to get dinner and we saw you walking down the street. I remember it so well because Onii-chan couldn't stop staring." "That was actually the day I met you." Nomiko went on, besides his flushed face, finishing with the bandages. "Just seems like fate meant to bring us together." Satoshi smiled slightly, leaning down to drop a kiss on Nomiko's cheek. Nomiko wanted to melt into the couch and Rose blushed horribly, eyes blinking wide. "Damnit, it's not fair." She huffed. "My brother's gonna get some before me, and with a hot guy no less." "H-Hey!" Nomiko snapped back but Satoshi just laughed. The boy glared at him. "I don't want to hear anything from you! You started this fox boy!" "And I intend to finish it." He said, leaning in for another kiss, this time on his lips. "I'm going to give you guys a few minutes, and let Mom know you're okay. Just�keep your clothes on if you're going to be out here in the living room." Rose giggled as she headed down the hall. "Not funny!" Nomiko cried, breaking away from Satoshi. "What was all that for?!" He demanded, looking at him. "I'm sorry for the way I was acting on the train. Something's just bothering me-" "Is it about what Naga did to you?" Nomiko cut him off, looking away from him. "Is it bothering you as much as it's bothering me?" He heard a soft sigh and then felt his face against his neck as he rested his head on his shoulder. "I wish my hands would work right now, because I'd like to wrap my arms around you." He looked up at him. "No, Naga isn't what's bothering me, but I'm touched that you're upset. I-" "Satoshi, I-" Nomiko cut him off. "I came to a decision last night. I'm going to turn Itsuki down. I couldn't possibly be in a relationship with her right now, not when I'm so hung up on you." Those gold eyes blinked wide. "Nomiko-" "Don't try and stop me and don't tell me to reconsider it. I thought about this a lot last night and every possible outcome came to me hurting myself. I can't be with her, not when it would hurt to much to leave you." He spoke up, rambling somewhat himself as he talked, crimson flushing his cheeks. "I have feelings for you. I may have fallen in love with you, I don't know. But I can't-" His words were cut off by a swift and passionate kiss, and his only response was his eyes fluttering closed as he accepted it. "�Yeah Mom�Give me a sec�" Nomiko's eyes shot open as he looked over, his sister standing there blushing badly and wearing a knowing smile. "Here Miko, Mom. Break it up for a sec, will ya?" The boy caught the phone. "Uhm�hi Mom." "Miko, where were you last night, and what's this about you having a boyfriend?!" Nomiko's eyes widened and he almost dropped the phone in response. Satoshi's jaw had dropped, his face flushing horribly as he covered his mouth to avoid making any random noise in his shock. "Well?!" "Well�" Nomiko swallowed. He couldn't really lie at this point and if the walls were going to fall they might as well all come crashing down. "It's true." He continued after a minute. "We were out late last night and rather then come home I stayed at his place and crashed on the couch." His voice was level enough saying it but Satoshi watched him, those gold eyes still registering shock as he stared at him, not believing a damn word he was saying. His mother went silent for a minute. "You could have called. Your sister and I were worried sick. Did you hear about the case at your school?" "Yeah I did. It's really weird, isn't it? But I wasn't anywhere near the school last night. I was out." He swallowed, hoping she couldn't hear the lie through his voice. "I'm sorry Mom, I really am. But I was with Satoshi last night, and he can vouch for me. Here, want to talk to him?" Satoshi's amber eyes widened and he started to shake his head furiously, but the phone was thrust up to his ear and he had little choice after that. "Hello. Mrs. Tatsuya." He said after a second, steadying his voice. "Yes mam, he was with me last night. We went out for dinner and to the movies. We were back to my house by eleven. Yes mam. Me? I'm nineteen. Oh�I'm a student at Tokyo University. Yes mam, I work part-time at Nomiko's school actually. I'm on a student-teacher term this semester. Yes, I have my own place, but I'm thinking about moving." "Geez, what, she getting your life story?" Nomiko huffed. His arm was starting to get tired from holding the phone. "Pretty much only without the fox parts." Rose smiled, walking back into the living room. Nomiko glared at her. "I hate you. Why'd you have to tell her?" "Well, I had to tell her something. If she knew what really happened, she probably would have died from shock. And you and you're prettyboy seemed like the perfect excuse." She smiled. "I love torturing you." The boy huffed. "I noticed." "Nomiko, you're Mom wants to talk to you again." Satoshi pulled away from the phone, face flushed before shooting daggers at Rose. "That was not nice." She just broke out into laughter while Nomiko took back the phone. "Yeah Mom?" "He seems like such a sweetheart.!" His Mom's voice had changed completely. "I can't wait to meet him. Tell him that I'll be home tonight so if he doesn't have class we can all have dinner or something." He sweatdropped. "Sure Mom. I'll see you then." Hanging up the phone, he collapsed back on the couch. "Mom says she wants to meet you so don't plan on going anywhere. She'll be home tonight." "I wasn't planning on going anywhere, so I guess that's a good thing." He replied. "You know," He started after a second. "It feels so much better being able to move freely around your house in human form. I really did feel bad hiding from everyone." "I�kinda feel better too, knowing I don't have to lie to Mom or Rose anymore." Nomiko closed his eyes. "Mom took the fact that I'm dating a guy pretty well." "She was kinda figuring anyway." "What?!" He blinked his eyes open as his sister yelled from the kitchen. "She wasn't surprised when I told her. We all knew you had a thing for Itsuki Sakura but it's not that hard to believe. Hey�Onii-chan, call Itsuki speaking of her, and Yoshikawa too. They were really worried about you." He picked up the phone, staring at it for a second. "Alright. I'll be back in a minute." He got up, heading down the hall to his room. The phone picked up on the first ring, at the same time Nomiko collapsed on his bed. The blankets felt so good under him� "Hello?" "Itsuki-chan?" He said, opening his eyes. "Good morning." "Oh my gosh, Tatsuya-kun! I've been so worried about you! Are you alright?!" "Yeah, yeah. I'm all right. Listen, can you meet me at my train station stop around ten am?" "Sure, I'll be there. Are�you sure everything's okay?" Her voice was curious and still sounded a little worried. "Yeah. See you then!" "See you!" Hanging up, he dialed in another set of numbers, again getting an answer on the first ring. "Hello?" Nomiko sat up. "Yoshikawa." "�.Nomiko-sempai?" "Look dude, you don't have to talk to me now, just meet me at the train station by my house around ten, okay?" "�Sure." "I'll see you then!" Hanging up, he tossed the phone down and got some clothes. Opening his bedroom door he ran into the bathroom, yelling to the two down the hall that he was hopping in the showers. After a quick bath he was out, slipping his silk shirt on as he headed down the hallway. Satoshi looked up at him as he came out into the living room and passed through the kitchen, blushing slightly as the kid flashed him a smile. "Hey, Satoshi, are you hungry?" he called to him as he looked in the fridge for something to make. "I'm starved." "Good." He grabbed two slices of cold pizza from the bottom of the fridge and started back into the living room. "Hope you like pizza, cuz it's always in supply at my house. I eat it like three times a week." "Yeah, but my hands are all banged up. How'd you expect me to eat it?" He blinked at the kid as he came back in the room. "Easy. I'm gonna feed ya." He held the slice of pizza up to his mouth. "Enjoy." Satoshi eyed the pizza for a second before tearing into it, and needless to say it was gone in seconds. "You still eat like a fox." Nomiko smiled, buttoning up his shirt. He had already devoured his own pizza even before he got all the way into the living room. "Even if you do look human. We do have a problem though�how the heck are we going to show you to my Mom all banged up like this? I didn't even think about it before, but you're practically half mummified." "I took the liberty of explaining that one to Mom." Rose replied with a smile, sitting down on the opposite end of the couch and turning on the TV. "I told her you had been in a car accident recently and the entire reason you and Nomiko had been out last night was because it was you're first day back out of bed. Explanation all taken care of." "Nii-san, I love you." Nomiko smiled and she smirked back. "I know." "Anyways," the boy stood up. "I have to get going. I'll be back in a little while." "Huh? Where are you going?" his sister blinked. "To fix a problem." He replied as he slipped on his shoes and left. -- Itsuki was waiting for him as he got there, smiling as usual. "Tatsuya-kun you are alright!" She beamed at him. "What? You'd think I was lying to you?" He said with a smile, his eyes sifting through the crowd. "And there's the last person I was waiting for." "Huh?" She blinked her green eyes, turning around just as Yoshikawa came walking towards them. "Nomura-kun? Tatsuya-kun, what's going on?" "Itsuki�" Yoshikawa's bright copper red eyes dulled at the sight of her. "Alright. I'm here to fix a problem that I've been having and avoiding, and I'm not going to hide from it anymore. I've been doing to much of that lately." His eyes shifted. "Itsuki-chan, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to decline on your offer. Thank you for considering me, but I can't be your boyfriend." "What?" Yoshikawa's eyes widened. The girl swallowed for a second, but she smiled. "I figured that was how it's going to be. Don't be upset Tatsuya-kun, at least you got up the courage to tell me. So who is he? Is it Tsugara-sensei?" Nomiko's face went red before his brain even processed the words and the shock registered. "Uh�yeah. How'd you know?" "It's kinda obvious for someone who watches the two of you. Your eyes always linger on one another. And then when you told me you're friend was having troubles deciding over a guy and a girl he liked, I pretty much figured it out to be you." She explained. "Itsuki, I really do like you. But I couldn't keep leading you on." His eyes left hers to look at a pair of shocked brown ones. "Yoshikawa, I knew you were upset with me. I wanted to tell you all of this sooner. I wanted you to know. Itsuki," He looked between the two of them. "Yoshikawa has had a crush on you since we were in grade school. Out of the two of us, I don't match anywhere in comparison. If you're considering anyone for a boyfriend, it should be him." Sakura turned, face blushing, staring up at him. "Nomura-kun�you were always giving me such a hard time. I thought you hated me." Yoshikawa was just as embarrassed. "I�was only looking for a way to get your attention." He looked up, copper eyes staring at his friend. "Thanks Nomiko, make me look like a complete idiot, not once, but twice within ten minutes." Nomiko grinned. "Anything for ya man." Itsuki giggled. "Well, Nomura-kun, if you stop picking on me, I guess I could make you my boyfriend." Those bright eyes sparked. "I�don't know what to say. Of course�I'll stop picking on you." "Keep your temper down, Yoshi. It's an Aries trait. It might get you in trouble." Nomiko grinned. "Hey, unless you two wanna make plans, do you want to head back over to my place? Satoshi's waiting on me to get back." "Satoshi?" Yoshikawa blinked. "Tsugara-sensei's first name." Sakura told him with a smile. "So you two really are a thing, huh?" "Yeah, but nobody's supposed to know. Don't let this get out, please, or we'll never hear the end of it." Nomiko said as they left the train station, heading up the hill towards the apartment complex. "You have my word dude." "My lips are sealed." Phase Fourteen- End Phase Fifteen- Shadow A week passed in the blink of an eye. Satoshi's wounds steadily healed and he went back to teaching his class with Saitou's help. Nomiko concentrated on taking the pre-exam, which, like Satoshi predicted, he aced in science and math. Mrs. Tatsuya, after some heavy persuading kept the secret of Satoshi's and Nomiko's relationship to herself, though she was ecstatic over the fact. She too, had fallen for the foxboy's handsome looks and charms and had no problems whatsoever with him. Aura continued to sleep at the head of Nomiko's bed every night, curled up by his side. Satoshi closed out of his apartment and got all of his things from it (which wasn't much except for clothes) and he, Rose and Nomiko moved the three boxes into Nomiko's closet, giving him permanent residence at the Tatsuya house. Rose had decided this was the best way to do things since their mother was seldom home as it was and Satoshi could hide himself if a problem ever arose. Saitou had moved too, to throw off any demons who were tracking her, but other then that she was still a regular energetic hyper intern, helping Satoshi with the work he had missed from class (yes Saitou really does take night classes at Tokyo U twice a week) and helping out his various classes with their own work. She became the object of most of the guy's affections, and when you combined her with the fact that Satoshi was teaching too, physics had suddenly become the most popular subject in school. Yoshikawa and Sakura had become a well-known thing throughout the building too, and their relationship seemed to be working out pretty nicely for the two of them. If Nomiko had finished all of his class work early he would often head over to their group during 5th period to help them out as well as find out what was going on in their daily lives. -- "Man tomorrow's Sunday again." Yoshikawa smiled as they walked to the science wing together. "You got any plans man?" "Probably studying. I got another pre-exam coming up and this one throws in literature. I'm going to be totally screwed." He sighed. "Do you want me to help?" Sakura asked him. "I'm sure if I asked, Tsugara-sensei would let me see what I have to work with." "Why are you even trying to get into Tokyo U so early anyways man?" Yoshikawa added. "You're only a sophomore." "Because I want to see if I can do it. That's all. If I get through college earlier, that's more time I'll have after I get out of school to do what I want to." He replied. "And what do you want to do Tatsuya-kun?" Sakura blinked. The boy's face flushed. "Okay, you guys are going to find this amazingly redundant, but I made this decision even before I met Tsugara. I want to be a teacher." "Seriously?" Sakura's green eyes lit up. "That's ironic." Yoshikawa nodded his head. "But it's what I want to do." He smiled as he opened the door to the physics room. "And I'm going to get through college early so that I can." "Power to ya man." Yoshikawa smiled back. "Tatsuya." Nomiko looked up, seeing those gold eyes light on him as he stepped out of the office. "Yes sensei?" He held out his workbook and textbook. "Here's your things back, marked for 5th period." The boy stepped forward, taking them from him, before it clicked in his head. "You're hands have healed! But�. sensei, are you sure you're going to be okay?" He swallowed, trying to make up for his sudden outburst. He had caught some of his classmate's attention on that one. Satoshi smiled. "I'll be fine kid." "And if he's not, he's always got me to cover for him!" Saitou appeared from behind him with a beaming smile. Nomiko smiled at her before going to take his seat. Satoshi started giving directions while Saitou passed out papers. Like usual the period flew by when he had both Saitou and Satoshi helping him with his work, and the class was in its usual weekend air, the students doing about sixty percent of their work before slacking off and breaking into talk among their groups. When the bell rung everyone filed out for the day except Nomiko, Yoshikawa, Sakura and the two teachers. "Hey, Nomiko-sempai," Yoshikawa called to him. "Do you guys want to hang out tonight?" "It's okay with me." Satoshi told him. "Me too!" Saitou beamed. "I guess that makes it a yes. At my house?" He asked. "Course!" Sakura smiled. "If it's alright?" "I'll cook dinner! Do you think Rose-san will be there?" Saitou asked him. "And I'll go get my play station. How bout we meet there around six?" Yoshikawa smiled. "Sounds good!" Nomiko nodded. "Alright. See you guys then!" Sakura called as she walked out with her boyfriend, holding hands. "I'm going to head to my house and then I'll meet you all at yours, Miko-sama." Saitou grabbed her bag. "Till then!" Nomiko stared up at Satoshi as he grabbed his own bags. "Wait for me at the train station." Normal procedure. The boy smiled. "Alright then!" Taking off he dashed past Saitou, catching up with Sakura and Yoshikawa who were almost to the front gate and walked with them to the train station. Sure enough, about twenty minutes later Satoshi showed up, and the two couples parted ways. Satoshi was quiet on the train ride to the house and Nomiko was surprised by it. The last couple of days he had been his normal happy, energetic self, but today, something just didn't seem right. This attitude of his carried well into the night. Even with everyone around, he seemed distant and silent. When the others finally left and Nomiko retired to his room for the night, Satoshi followed as always. Once the door was locked, he glared at him from his seat on the bed. "What is up with you? You never act like this." When he got no response he gritted his teeth. "Satoshi, what's going on? Did I do something wrong?" "No!" He looked up at him, amber eyes wide. "It wasn't you Miko." "Then what is it?" He asked him. The only answer he got was him coming over to the bed, sitting down beside him. "What's going on?" He transformed into his fox form, curling up by the head of the bed in his usual spot. "I'm just tired, that's all." Nomiko didn't believe him for a minute but he laid down, hell-bent on getting sleep regardless of this problem that was eating away at his mind. -- "Miko-sama! Miko-sama, get up!" The boy blinked his eyes, staring up into a pair of crystal blue ones. "Saitou�what are you doing here?" "Miko-sama, you have to get up! Satoshi is gone!" That got the boy to his feet. "What?" He looked at the bed, but the fox was missing. "He called me about half an hour ago, wanting to thank me for all the help I'd given the two of you. He said he was leaving the country, going to see his sister in the States." She was practically in tears as she spoke. "When I got here, he was gone, as was his things from the closet and your door was unlocked. "Damnit!" The boy threw on some clothes, rushing out to the front door to slip on his shoes. "Damnit all! Saitou let's get going!" It was overcast and misty outside and as he ran down the hill he fished his keys out of the pocket of his school jacket, going for his train passport. He didn't have any time to lose. If he was late, he was going to lose him, plain and simple. "I understand now�why he was so upset yesterday�" He muttered out loud as he dashed down the street, Saitou keeping pace next to him. "He had been planning this all along." He huffed as he turned the corner letting out a breath. "If I have any powers at all, I want it to start raining. Start storming so badly they delay all the planes. If I'm the Zodiac Master then I want to make it happen." They ran through the station, taking the train that was just getting ready to leave and riding through eight stops to the airport exit. When they left the station it was pouring rain, thunder roaring in the dark skies overhead. Nomiko gave it little more then a passing smile as he fled into the building, dashing past the front desks. "Where's the board of all the outgoing flights?" He demanded, looking over at the violet-haired elf. "It's over here, and they've all been delayed." She smiled. "Great work Miko-sama." "How many are going to the States?" He asked again. His eyes couldn't possibly focus right now. "Three that were supposed to leave within the next hour." She replied. "Which one leaves the soonest?" He replied. "Gate 36C." "Then that's where we're going." He glanced around, finding the terminal hallway marked C and started for it. "Miko-sama, we still have to get past security." Saitou said, matching his strides. "I don't have anything to hide." He told her, walking through the terminal hallway. There was a line backed up in front of the metal detector and he gritted through his teeth. "Though I don't have time for this." "The delay's been called. It will be a while before any of the planes leave." Saitou reminded him. "Yeah, but what if he's already on the plane? I've got no chance then." "Maybe it started storming before they called for boarding. We can only hope that's what happened." She swallowed. "Sir? Any metal objects?" One of the guards asked him. The boy took off his jacket, putting it on the tray while he stepped through the metal detector. "Saitou, grab my coat." He said as he dashed off as soon as he was cleared from the device. The girl blinked and then sighed. "Not wasting anymore time, eh?" Nomiko dashed around people and down the hallway. 30c�32�34� When he got to 36c he was relieved to find people still standing around, many watching the rain pelt the ground outside. Among them was a tall, handsome man with long black hair. The sickening feeling in the boy's stomach eased a little bit. "Satoshi!" He yelled among the crowd, running up to him. The man turned, those gold eyes lighting on him, staring at him with little to no emotion at all. "I wasn't expecting you to cause a thunderstorm in response, though I guess it gave the effect you wanted. I would be on the plane right now." "Why?!" He glared at him. He walked right up to him, looking up at him. "What the hell are you doing?!" All he got back was that emotionless amber stare in response. Those eyes that seemed to stare straight through him, watching him. It was driving him crazy how cold he was being, how distant he seemed. Before he knew what he was doing Nomiko slammed his fist into Satoshi's chest, hammering against him. "God damnit why?! What's going on?! Damnit I deserve to know! I gave up everything for you and you were just planning to leave me, weren't you?!" "I never asked you to make that decision." Yet again Satoshi's voice came off as soft, emotionless and even a little haunting. "But you wanted me to! Admit it! Don't play games with me Satoshi, this isn't the time!" He growled. "If you're seriously planning on leaving then I'm going with you." "What?" Finally something registered in those bright gold eyes. Shock. "You're not just up and leaving me. It's not happening. I sacrificed to much for you to just walk away from me now." He glared at him, those bright ocean blue eyes issuing a challenge to him. He was silently daring him to disobey him. The Kitsune lowered his head with a deep sigh. "But Master�" His stubborn wall was disappearing quickly and he had realized Nomiko's cries had attracted the attention of the people standing around waiting for the storm to pass. "The longer I stay around you�the more danger I put you in. Naga will not rest until he has me, one way or the other. He went to the States to go after my sister, just to get to me. I can't stand to put you're life on the line." "And I can't stand to be without you!" The boy snapped back, crimson hinting his cheeks. "If�If I didn't have you around�I don't know what I'd do. I'd be lost." He swallowed. "Satoshi, we started this together and we're going to finish it together." A smile tinged his lips. That helpless look he was getting meant that the older man had just about completely broken down. He had won yet again. "If you're going to America, then I'm going too." It wasn't a question, or a mere statement. It was an order. Satoshi sighed but he pulled him closer, arms tightening around him as he held him to him. Saitou leaned on the teller counter with a bright smile as she watched the two. There was something about Nomiko that needed Satoshi�. it was his friendship, his passion, his light. And Satoshi would not have been able to get by without that hot flaring temper, stubborn attitude and calm, strategically placed thoughts. The teller handed her two thick booklets, watching the two with purple eyes. "Young love is so cute, isn't it?" She smiled. "They friends of yours Miss?" "More like family." She responded with a beaming smile before she walked up to the two. "Alright, alright, break it up." She responded teasingly. "The storm's miraculously letting up and we need to get on that plane before it takes off." "Saitou?" Satoshi's eyes blinked wide as he looked up at her. "You got us tickets?" Nomiko responded, just as surprised. "A'course. I'm not letting foxboy waste all his money and it seems he has some rather important business in California. Looks like we're taking trip boys! Sounds like fun!" She grinned. Nomiko smiled but held childishly onto the sleeve of Satoshi's trenchcoat. He had no clue how he was going to explain this one to his family and friends but if Satoshi was with him, he had a feeling everything was going to be okay. Phase Fifteen- End -- Author's Notes- For some reason I had a really bad case of writer's block trying to finish this volume. I've been trying to finish this and FM Ch 15 for days. -*sigh*- Oh well. -*cuddles Nomiko*- I'm so proud of you! ^^ I was thoroughly impressed with Miko's decision as well as the way he did it. I hope it wasn't to soon though? ~_~ If it was, I'm not rewriting it and besides�. there are still levels of their relationship they haven't reached yet. Anyways�. volume six�introduces Satoshi's sexy and seductive twin sister Kage Tsugara and her monstrous, yet gentle protector. Los Angeles is a great place, but there seem to be demons lurking underneath the city of Angels. Until I write again! -*-Sora Tokumi Kazuma |
