Katawa Kijo

[Mirage_GSM]

Can't have fluffy getting angry, can we?
@Shades of Grey: I don't understand the language ou're using there, other than it might have something to do with 'Heroes'...

Chapter Six– Snuff Out The Light
Fifteen minutes later, I stand in front of our classroom. The first lesson is almost over, but I decide to go in anyway. Shizune is sitting at her desk, studying the textbook, but Misha's chair is empty. Mutou throws me an annoyed glance but motions for me to sit down.

As I pass her desk, Shizune notices my arrival. She looks at me with raised eyebrows, her face clearly showing the question. Rather than risking to annoy Mutou any further, I simply shrug and sit down. This is not going to buy me more than a few minutes. I hope, Misha is here by then.

Sure enough, as soon as the bell signals the start of the first break and Mutou has stopped scribbling on the board, Shizune is standing in front of my desk, placing a paper in front of me.

'Where have you been? Where's Misha?'

I try to find a way to dodge the question, but being blunt is probably the only way. I take my pencil and scribble a reply on the paper. 'I'm sorry, but I can't tell you. This is something Misha should tell you herself.'

I can see the storm brewing in Shizune's face, as she reads this, but luckily I am saved as at this moment Misha enters the classroom. She has redone her make-up and is wearing her usual broad grin. Only by looking very closely, I notice that it is not reaching her eyes, except for a brief moment when she meets my gaze.

When Shizune notices her, she immediately goes off to intercept her. I decide to remain at my desk to spare Misha from having to translate everything for my sake. From where I'm sitting I can't see Shizune's face, but after a few moments her shoulders sag noticeably and her gestures become heavy, as if she has difficulties raising her arms. When lessons resume and she returns to her desk, her face is an ashen grey.

Misha sits down in her place next to me and smiles my way. I put my hand on her arm and squeeze it slightly. Mutou resumes his monotonous drone, but today I can concentrate on him even less than usual. Every now and then my gaze is drawn to the girl sitting next to me and my mind is busy trying to think up ways to help her.

The three of us spend lunch-break eating silently in the cafeteria. Nobody is in the mood to talk and the food seems to taste even more bland than usual.

Afternoon lessons are much the same and when the bell finally rings, I can barely remember what the teacher was talking about the whole time. As our classmates leave one after the other, I notice Mr. Kanzaki standing in the hallway motioning for me to come out.

Misha has noticed him as well. “It's time for our first lesson, Hisao. Mr. Mutou said, we could use this classroom for our exercises. Will you come by here later when your lesson is finished?”

I promise to and with one more glance over my shoulder head outside to greet my new mentor.

***

Kanzaki leads me over to a small office on the second floor of the auxiliary building. There is no sign at the door and a fine layer of dust is covering the empty shelves. The only other pieces of furniture are a desk and three chairs. At least those have been dusted off, or maybe they were only brought in here today.

Mr. Kanzaki sits down behind the desk and motions for me to take one of the chairs in front. I look at him expectantly, wondering what will come next.

He takes a deep breath. “It has been quite some time since I last had the opportunity to teach someone, so if I'm going too fast or if there is something you don't understand, don't hesitate to ask.” I merely nod.

“I think I'd best start by destroying any false preconceptions you might have about magic. In novels or movies you often see mages shouting out pseudo-latin phrases or incantations to cast magic spells. All that is absolute nonsense. There are no magic spells. There are only effects you want to achieve. So if a Conjurer wants to create a flame, he simply has to concentrate on the desired effect to make it real. Some mages choose to use either incantations or gestures when doing magic. Those can serve two purposes: Some say, they help them concentrate, and some simply want to show off in front of others.”

He frowns. “Personally, I think those from the first group just want to show off as well. I'd rather you learned doing magic without such foolishness. It attracts undue attention and can slow you down at critical moments. Also, if you're used to using gestures, you will have difficulties using magic if you can't use your hands for some reasons or other.”

“The second thing I'd like to get out of the way are magical artefacts. There aren't any. Every magical effect needs the conscious effort of a mage. You cannot store magic in wands to be activated by some kind of password. Some magic effects do persist for a while after the mage has left. The more skilled the mage, the longer the effects last. There are only three kinds of effects that are permanent.”

He counts off his fingers. “Firstly, something that has been conjured or teleported does not usually return to its place of origin without further application of magic. Secondly, matter created by a Conjurer is usually stable and does not disappear again. And finally changes made to non-living materials by a Transmuter do not always revert themselves.”

I raise my hand, holding out the ring glittering on my finger. “What about this? This is a magic artefact, isn't it?”

Kanzaki smiles. “A very good question, Hisao, but no, there is nothing magical about the ring itself.” He takes off his ring and places it on the table, where it returns to its dull grey state. “This is a natural property of the stone it is set with. In fact it doesn't even change its properties. It is like a prism that focuses the aura of the person wearing it. That you can see the change at all is proof that you have magical talent. It is a special ability all mages regardless of their affinity have, the ability to see magic. It is what we are going to train first.”

He returns the ring to his finger, produces two small, red cubes from beneath his desk and places them in front of me. “Here, Hisao, please have a close look at those cubes and tell me what you see. You may touch them, they are not dangerous.”

Curious, I pick up one of the cubes. It feels like it is made of solid metal, a perfect cube with 5 cm to each side. I pick up the other one. For all I can tell they are identical. I look up at my teacher. “They seem to be two identical blocks of metal, painted red.”

Kanzaki smiles at my cautious choice of words. “Are you certain? Look closer.”

I frown and put them next to each other. Their sizes are identical. They seem to weigh the same too, as far as I can tell... Kanzaki still looks at me expectantly, but it doesn't seem like he is about to offer any hints. Well, he said this was an exercise to 'see' magic, so... I pause, mentally putting together a question. “Do you 'see' magic with your eyes or do you use some other mode of perception?”

A satisfied expression. Apparently that was the correct question to ask. “Eventually you won't need your eyes to feel it, but for now it will be easier if you use them.”

I look back to the two cubes, trying to push everything else in the room from my mind. Both cubes are red, but for an instant, there is a flash of a different colour on the left cube. I focus on that. Eventually more and more colours become visible on the cube until it is covered in a rainbow-hued aura. I pick it up. “This one is coloured like a rainbow.”

Kanzaki breaks into a grin, which looks kind of scary with a beard such as his. “Very good, but not entirely correct. It is not the cube that is rainbow-coloured, it is the magic effect. Every school of magic has its own associated colour, like the one your ring shows. Using your mage-sight, every effect you see will appear to be the colour of it's school. I had Mr. Nomiya put a simple Illusion on this cube earlier, so that is what you are seeing.”

I realize that I never got to see Rin's ring yesterday. She was probably wearing it on her foot. Kanzaki is continuing his explanation. “Now if you were a Diviner, you could also see what lies beneath the Illusion. As it is, you will have to remove it to see the truth. Try to picture the rainbow aura dissolving.”

Now that I know what to look for, I can clearly see the aura. I try to picture it disappearing, but nothing happens. “Don't worry if it doesn't work on your first try. Just keep trying.”

That is easier said then done. I keep staring at the cube willing the aura to disappear, but it is very resilient. Finally I think I detect a flicker somewhere. I probe that spot and finally the aura begins to recede gradually leaving behind an ordinary metal cube – now of blue colour.

Kanzaki strokes his beard. “Very good.” He packs away both cubes. “Now what about this one?”

He places another cube in front of me. It is the same size of the others but this time it is made from some kind of translucent material, almost like glass. I pick it up. It is almost perfectly smooth but I can't tell what it is made from.

I concentrate on finding its aura. It is different from before and it takes me a while to find it, but once I do, it shines a radiant green. I tell Mr. Kanzaki of my findings and he nods. “Yes, the green aura signifies a Transmutation. Now try to remove it... You might want to place it on the desk first.”

I try to do as I'm told, but this time it is not as easy. I probe the green aura for half an hour without making any progress. Finally I am ready to give up. “I'm sorry, but I just can't get it to dissolve.”

He sighs. “I am sorry, Hisao. This probably was too difficult for your first lesson. Takeshi said he saw an enormous potential in you, so I may have demanded too much from you. Don't worry, you are doing better than most students do on their first try.”

“It will be easier if you have an idea of what the effect you are trying to remove actually does. That way you can more clearly picture the state you want the object to return to. With more training you will be able to recognize such things. For now, I'll tell you. This cube is made from water.”

I take the cube and tap it against the desk. There is a solid thunk. Okay, so the transmutation was to solidify the water, and to remove it means... I get back to work and after a few more minutes the cube spreads out in a puddle across the desk.

Kanzaki mops it up with a rag. “Good. Let's keep it at that for now. How'd you like to look in on the progress of your fellow students?”

“I'd like that, Mr. Kanzaki, I think I'm beginning to have a slight headache.”

“That's quite normal. Using magic takes a lot of concentration, and if you're not used to it you will tire quickly. It will be gone in a few minutes. But before you go...”

He takes a small box full of cubes from a drawer of his desk and examines them carefully. Then he picks four of them and hands them to me. “That's your homework for tomorrow. Please try to remove the effects from at least three. Don't worry, if the fourth is too hard, I'll help you do it tomorrow. And now...” He thinks for a moment.” Let's pay a visit to the art room. You know where it is, don't you? I'm not too familiar with this school yet.”

That makes two of us, but the art room is a place I've been to several times now, so I pack the cubes away and we leave the office.

********************

Please Look forward to chapter seven:
Trashin' The Camp

[Mirage_GSM]

@Shades of Grey:
Got a tip on how to read your coded message... No Heroes reference after all...
To answer your question: No, I am not a member of the dev team. I am part of the German translation team, but I don't have access to much information beyond what is public knowledge. Misha's disability is not part of that information.
And if I knew, I would most certainly not use it as a plot point in one of my Fan Fictions.

[Devon]

@Shades of Grey:
Got a tip on how to read your coded message... No Heroes reference after all...
To answer your question: No, I am not a member of the dev team. I am part of the German translation team, but I don't have access to much information beyond what is public knowledge. Misha's disability is not part of that information.
And if I knew, I would most certainly not use it as a plot point in one of my Fan Fictions.

Still, the fact that you made that kind of cancer her disability was pretty rocking in itself. One of my best friends had that cancer until it took her from us at the age of 15.

Hit close to home, man...

[Mirage_GSM]

I am sorry to hear that.
When I did the research for that chapter, I was looking for a type that would affect teenagers and whose treatment methods would include both chemotherapy and surgical procedures. It was not pretty reading...
Also Sarcomas are very rare, so I didn't expect there would be any cases among the readers or their acquaintances.

[Shades of gray]

*squinted eyes*

fi uoy rea a evd, ouy louwdn't ays os wno loudw yuo? < just for fun

Am enjoying the story so far, Kinda curious as to how the other trainees are progressing.

However, I just Finished Watching Evangelion... I shall put it simply : My Mind is full of F**K, and it didn't even answer half my questions...

Will pose questions once I un-twist my mind (probably after the next chapter)

[Esa94]

However, I just Finished Watching Evangelion... I shall put it simply : My Mind is full of F**K, and it didn't even answer half my questions...

Assuming you watched End of Evangelion too, how did it not?

[Shades of gray]

However, I just Finished Watching Evangelion... I shall put it simply : My Mind is full of F**K, and it didn't even answer half my questions...

Assuming you watched End of Evangelion too, how did it not?

watched Death and Rebirth and EOE, answer this : we know asuka and shinji (seemingly) survived, rei appears to be a giant white corpse and everyone else? well.... who knows? How did humans "bind" the EVAs? why was Gendo such a asshole to his own son? how is Yui a part of EVA 01? where did the Angels come from?
What do the Dead Sea Scrolls actually say? Did humanity (even if just for a second) actually become a God? The Lance of Longinus... how did it come to be?
will the alternate "world" (rei&shinji toast scene) be a spin-off? Lilith's Egg/Black Moon/Whatever... just... wtf? (besides being a symbol of sexuality and birth... with human souls as sperm), and the inevitable : is shinji gay?

etc etc etc...

god... so many questions, some of which may have been answered by the anime, but missed due to the mindfuck.

only to Images i could find that somewhat sum up a little of how i feel.... and seriously... shinji needs the therapy
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d129/ ... otFail.png
http://webpages.charter.net/smerrow/pos ... herapy.jpg
http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs51/f/2009/ ... o7shua.jpg < about how I feel

*Edit*My apologies Mirage, I seem to have de-railed a little bit

[Mirage_GSM]

Wow, everyone's posting fanfictions today. Don't want to stand back, so...
Here's chapter seven. Merry Christmas everyone!

Chapter Seven – Trashin' The Camp
As we enter the art room, Rin is sitting in front of an easel, holding a brush in her right foot. Now that I know what to look for I can see the ring, shimmering in all colours of the rainbow like a soap bubble. Mr. Nomiya is standing a few steps behind her, looking over her shoulder. When he notices us he puts a finger to his lips and motions us to come closer.

“Shhh, she's concentrating,” he whispers. Then he moves a bit to the side to allow us to look on as well.

Rin is moving the brush across the canvas, drawing what looks like nothing more than lines and circles. I fail to be suitably impressed until I notice that she isn't using any paint. The brush is completely dry and looks like it has never been used before.

I look around the room and notice half a dozen more canvasses covered with the same black lines barely recognisable on some, bolder on others. Mr. Kanzaki has noticed them as well, and points to them giving me an encouraging smile. I look to Mr. Nomiya. He simply nods, so I pick up one of the canvasses and place it on one of the tables.

It doesn't take long for me to make out the rainbow aura. It is already fading in places, but still I start to experiment, trying to remove the lines only in certain sections of the canvas. My precision leaves a lot to be desired, but Mr. Kanzaki, who has been observing my efforts, nods approvingly.

When I have finished with the canvas, I turn my attention back to Rin. By now she isn't drawing just black lines any more. Here and there the lines change colour and right now, she is painting an actual rainbow. When she is done, she sits back, apparently satisfied.

Mr. Nomiya seems more exited than her though. “This is simply amazing! Kozo, have you ever seen one do colours on their very first lesson?”

“No, I haven't, but I don't teach Illusion, so I wouldn't, would I? I'll trust you that it is an accomplishment though.”

Rin turns around. She probably just now noticed that someone else is in the room. “Oh, hello Hisao, what are you doing here?”

Before I get to answer, Mr. Nomiya cuts in. “They are here to see how you're doing of course. And you are doing extremely well, if I may say so.”

Rin looks at him confusedly. “Of course you may. Why would anyone forbid you?”

Mr. Nomiya pauses. “Why would...? Ha, good one Rin! Always good for a joke that one is! Anyway, as I said, this is really extraordinary. I never thought we would get this far today.”

Rin stares at him. “But we're still here in the art room where we started.”

At that Mr. Nomiya bursts out laughing, which only adds to Rin's confusion. I exchange a glance with Mr. Kanzaki who seems to be slightly amused by the antics of those two. Then he turns to Mr. Nomiya. “So, I hope you're not going to have her use a brush all the time.”

Mr. Nomiya flashes him an annoyed look. “Kozo, I don't tell you how to teach your student, so don't you tell me how to teach mine. It's something familiar to help her get the hang of it, but of course she won't use it for long.” He brightens at the thought. “Not with the kind of progress she's making.” He turns to Rin. “In fact why don't you try to do it without a brush right now?”

He takes the brush from Rin, and points at the canvas. “Would you please erase that, Kozo? I'm running out of canvas.”

Kanzaki winks at me. “Now look closely, Hisao.”

I stare at the canvas. One moment there are a multitude of colourful lines, then there is a bright flash of white and I'm looking at a clean canvas again.

I blink my eyes and stare at Mr. Nomiya. His previously garishly coloured jacket is now a drab grey. Predictably he starts complaining at once. “Now that's what I call cracking a nut with a sledgehammer. Why'd you have to use so much...? Oh. You wanted him to see. Fine, no harm done. I'll just redo the Illusion later. But please leave us now. Rin has to focus on her task and cannot be distracted.”

“Well, let's go then Hisao.” He heads for the door, and after waving goodbye to Rin, I follow after him. I'm not sure she even noticed.

In the corridor, Mr. Kanzaki breaks into a chuckle. “I've known this old coot for more than twenty years now. He's really easy to manipulate.” He turns serious again in the blink of an eye. “Now what did you see just now?”

“A flash of white light.” I think of the diamond on my ring. “Was that Abjuration magic?”

He nods. “Yes. And he was right; I overdid it a little. You might try to spot the aura of your own magic when you do your homework tonight.” He glances at his watch. “I think we're finished with our lesson for today. It's too late to begin with something new anyway. So, have a nice evening.”

He shakes my hand and walks down the corridor. It's still a bit early, but I decide to head for our classroom to see how Misha is doing.

***

I knock on the door of our classroom. For a few seconds, there is no response, and I wonder if they have finished already. Then the voice of Mr. Mutou bids me to enter, so I open the door.

“Ah, it's you, Hisao, come in, we were just...”

“Hisao!” Misha lets out a squeal of delight and races to embrace me. Mr. Mutou raises an eyebrow and I feel I'm turning red again.

“Mikado, please finish your task. We'll be done in ten minutes and then he's all yours.”

Misha reluctantly lets go of me and returns to the desk. Curiously, I step closer as well. Several pieces of lab equipment are arranged on top. Currently Misha is staring at two shallow glass cylinders filled with a clear liquid.

Mr. Mutou stands next to me and explains quietly. “This is an exercise in energy management. The petri dishes are filled with water. The task is to move energy from one to the other.” When he notices my uncomprehending stare, he elaborates. “To heat one while cooling down the other. For beginners it is easier to use energy from a source other than your own magic...”

At that moment there is a loud crack and a cloud of steam rises from the desk. Misha jumps back with a yelp, and I reach for my heart to make sure it doesn't object to the shock.

When I look at the desk again, one of the petri dishes has shattered into hundreds of small shards, scattered all over the desk, mingled with little bits of ice. The other petri dish is empty, but radiating an intense heat.

Mr. Mutou swallows. “Well... Very good, Mikado. Seems you finally got the hang of it. Let's... Let's just call it a day. I'll clean up this mess and we'll continue tomorrow, okay?

Misha beams at him. “Okay. We'll be going then.” She grabs my hand and drags me from the room.

***

As soon as the door closes behind us, Misha sags against the wall of the corridor. She looks at me with a weak smile. “Please, can we go somewhere without people?”

I have to think for only a moment, then I lead her up on the roof. We sit down at one of the benches and I put an arm around her shoulder. Misha gazes up at the clock tower. “That was really fun, but it's really exhausting to keep up appearances.”

“Why do you force yourself to act so cheerful? Don't you think Mutou knows about your condition?”

“I asked the nurse not to tell anyone for now. Mr. Mutou will learn soon enough, but I don't want him to go easy on me. The nurse said, the magic training would have no effect on my condition either way.”

I grimace. “At least promise me you won't try to act in front of Shizune. She'd know anyway.”

“Maybe you're right.” We are both silent for a while, then... “Did you really mean what you said this morning? About being the happiest man on earth?”

I smile. “If there's a guy around somewhere who is happier, I don't know him.”

Tears come to her eyes again. “But... But chances are, I'll be dead before graduation...”

I interrupt her. “And if I try to do anything remotely too strenuous, I could be dead tomorrow. It doesn't matter. We're together today, and we'll be together for as long as either of us lives. Isn't that more than most people have?”

At that Misha bursts out laughing. Not the 'WAHAHA' I've grown so used to but a softer laugh, a content laugh. “Now you're the one trying to act positive for my sake. But I don't mind. I could use a bit of positive thinking right now.” She leans against me, her head resting on my shoulder.

“So what's next? You are going to fight it, aren't you?”

“Of course I will. I don't want to lose. Not to the Sarcoma in general, but I also don't want to lose my new career as a mage. I don't want to lose Shicchan. And I don't want to lose you.”

“Tomorrow I'll have to go into town to the hospital for more tests. The nurse said, they want to resume chemotherapy as soon as they've decided on the appropriate poison cocktail.” She shudders. “I can't say I'm looking forward to it.”

I continue to hold her close, as we watch the moon rising into the sky together. Finally, when the evening starts to get a bit chilly, we return to the dorms and with a kiss we say goodnight to each other as we each return to our rooms.

********************

Please look forward to chapter eight:
Let's Go Fly A Kite

[Devon]

It's nice to see Misha laugh without the trademark 'WAHAHA~.' Chapter Seven is, by far, my favorite. Good work. :3

[Shades of gray]

Nice chapter Mirage. also follows a (sort of... it is magic afterall) logical path.

Lookin forward to the next chapter

P.S I now understand NGE... After watching 1.0 & 2.22 movies/remakes, waiting for 3.0 to be released damnit, why are things i like never finished? Duke Nukem, KS, NGE: Rebuild, Elfen Lied (the anime, already finished the manga) etc etc... oh well... nothing but waiting for now

Merry Christmas!

[Mirage_GSM]

Long hiatus, but I haven't forgotten this story.
I have currently almost finished writing chapter ten, and at the moment the plan is for about fifteen chapters altogether.

Chapter Eight – Let's Go Fly A Kite
I arrive at the track earlier than usual. A good night's sleep and no Kenji does wonders for one's punctuality. Emi is just warming up; she can't have been here for long.

When she sees me, she stops and runs over to me, her grin almost connecting her ears. “Hey Hisao! Congratulations on getting yourself a girlfriend!”

I'm taken aback for a moment. “How did you learn about that so quickly?”

Emi begins to pout. “What, not even a denial? You're making this almost too easy.” Then her grin is back like it was never gone. “Well, Rin saw Misha going into the boy's dorm yesterday before class and during lunch-break, Miki from your class told me that the both of you missed the first lesson. I didn't know anything definite, but I thought I'd just give it a shot. Turns out I was right, wasn't I?”

She pokes me in the ribs with her elbow. “So, got any juicy details to share, you bad boy?”

I feel myself turning red again. I should try not to make a habit out of this. “I have a feeling that sharing 'juicy details' with you would ensure the whole of Yamaku knows about them by this time tomorrow.” A pout again. “But there aren't any. For the most part we just talked.”

Emi looks disappointed. “What? Not even a kiss?”

“Well,...”

“Ha! I knew it! So what were you talking about?”

Now she's going a bit too far. “Emi, this is beyond curious and bordering on intrusive. What we were talking about is private, and no amount of pouting will get me to tell you about it.”

For a moment a hurt look appears on her face, but then her grin is back in a flash. “Right. Sorry, Hisao, couldn't help myself. So, are you up to a few laps?”

We start with our daily exercises. I don't manage to do more laps than yesterday, but she can't expect me to set a new record every day, can she? When I leave I realize that we didn't talk about our magic lessons at all... Well, I'll just have to ask her later...

***

Classes pass without incident. Misha and Hanako are both absent - Misha probably because of her examinations in town, and Hanako's absence is hardly unexpected. Shizune glances my way several times, but makes no attempts at communication.

During lunch-break, I head to the cafeteria to buy some rice-balls I'm not in the mood for crowds though, so I pack them in my bag and head back to class. Halfway there, I decide to make a short detour to the tea room to see how Hanako and Lilly are doing.

I knock on the door. “Please come in.” Lilly's voice.

When I enter the room, Lilly is sitting alone at the table, a boxed lunch and a cup of tea in front of her. She looks to the door. “Hisao?”

“Did you use Divination to find that out?”

She smiles. “Not really. Few people ever come here and Hanako's steps are more quiet. Do you want some tea?”

“Yes, thank you, but please continue eating. I'll just help myself, if you don't mind.”

I busy myself making some tea. When I'm done, I sit down at the table across from Lilly and unpack my rice-balls. “So where is Hanako today? She hasn't been to class this morning.”

“Oh, Ms. Miyagi said she had given her some books to read, so she's probably in some corner of the library studying. Apparently you need some theoretical background for Transmutation. So far, my training was more practical in nature.”

“So what did you do so far? Reading minds? Scrying?”

“No, mostly I just had to detect and analyse magic effects. Like seeing through Illusions and the like.”

“So it's probably much the same as my lessons, only I can't see through the Illusions unless I dissolve them first.” An idea forms in my mind, and I unpack the fourth cube from the 'homework' Mr. Kanzaki gave me yesterday. Like he said, the first three were easy, but I didn't manage to do the last one.

I place the cube on the table in front of Lilly. It is red, made from some rubbery substance and quite heavy. “Say, do you also use training cubes like this?”

Lilly pushes her lunch-box to the side and picks up the cube. For the first time I notice the ring on her slender finger, set with an amber-coloured gem. “Yes, we did use those. It's probably a common training method.”

“Mr. Kanzaki gave it to me as an assignment, but I can't figure out the enchantment. I can tell it's a Transmutation, but I have no idea what the real form is and I can't remove the enchantment if I don't know.”

Lilly cup's the cube between her two hands. I guess focusing on it with her eyes is not helpful for her. I try to make out what she is doing, but all I perceive is a soft yellow glow emanating from between her hands. She continues for a few minutes, then she puts the cube down.

“I understand why you had difficulties with this. We didn't do anything like that yesterday either, but I think there are two different Transmutations on this cube. One causes it to shrink and the other forces it to stay in this shape. I think this is actually a rubber ball.”

I examine the cube again, trying to see what she saw. Now that I know what to look for, I can see the two effects overlapping on the cube. I still can't tell what either is supposed to do, but Lilly is a Diviner. She's supposed to be better at this than me. At least that's what I tell myself.

I focus on removing one of the effects first, and after a short while the cube loses its shape and becomes a sphere. From there on it doesn't take me long to dissolve the other effect as well and the rubber ball grows to more than twice its previous size.

I grin at Lilly. “Thank you, Lilly, I couldn't have done that without your help.”

“Not at all. It was an interesting challenge.”

We finish eating, all the while discussing the other exercises our respective teachers have put us up to so far. Finally the bell rings and we return to our classes.

***

When I enter the room, most of the class is already there, but Shizune's seat is also empty now. Either she's doing some student council work, or she's doing some extra lessons with Ms. Aikawa.

As I unpack my books, Mr. Kanzaki enters the room. For a moment I am confused, but then I remember that he told us he would enroll at this school as a history teacher.

He places a few books on the desk and addresses the class. “Good afternoon. This may be a bit sudden, but Mr. Uchikawa has requested a transfer to another school for personal reasons. My name is Kozo Kanzaki, and I am going to be your history teacher for the rest of the year.”

Naomi's hand shoots into the air. “Excuse me, but do you know why Mr. Uchikawa would transfer schools so suddenly?”

“Well, I am told his wife was offered a very lucrative job somewhere near Fukuoka and he found it too long a commute. Now, you will excuse me for not knowing all your names, so why don't we start by introducing ourselves...”

After ascertaining where we left off in the book, Mr. Kanzaki begins his lecture. I never met the previous teacher, because last Wednesday I spent these two hours with Misha and Shizune in the Shanghai, but still Mr. Kanzaki's way of teaching is very interesting, considering the subject is history. He always has little anecdotes to tell about the events he describes and his descriptions are so vibrant, it's almost like he has seen them with his own eyes.

After the lesson, Kanzaki leaves, telling me to meet him in his office once classes are over.

***

When I enter said office later, Mr. Kanzaki is sitting at his desk reading some documents. He looks up, noticing me. “Hello Hisao, please give me a few more minutes. I'd like to finish this before we begin.”

I look around the room. The shelves have been dusted and filled with several books since the last time I was here. I walk over and examine the titles. Most of them are historical treatises ranging from modern Japanese history to ancient China and Egypt. None of the titles mention magic at all.”

After a while he puts away the documents and motions for me to sit down.

“So, are you really a history teacher, or is that just a cover?”

“No, I'm not a teacher, but I told you before that I was a doctor. I hold a doctorate in history, though usually, I do more research than teaching. Takeshi is my assistant, that's why we were teamed up to look for new magic students at Yamaku.”

Suddenly it dawns on me, why he was able to give such vivid descriptions of historical events. With Takeshi assisting him, he probably really did see them with his own eyes.

“But we should get to work. How did you manage with your homework?”

I place the four cubes on the desk and decide to give an honest answer. “I did three on my own. Lilly helped me with the fourth one.”

“Very well. I hoped you would be able to do it on your own, but removing both Transmutations is also quite an accomplishment. Let's work on your magic perception some more.”

I spend the next half hour examining half a dozen more cubes, until something strikes my mind.

“Mr. Kanzaki, why is it that I can see the magic in those cubes but not in other mages?”

“That is because you can see only active magic. If you look at me, you won't see anything, unless I actually use magic.” He holds out his hand and it begins to glow in a bright white light. He stares at it for a few seconds and the light fades again. “That is why it is so difficult to tell whether a potential student has magical talent or not – they have never used magic before. Only a Diviner can perceive a passive magical aura.”

“But I think this is enough theory for now. Let's go practice your talents against another mage. What kind of magic would you like to practice against?”

I don't even have to think before giving the answer: “Evocation.”

Mr. Kanzaki laughs at that. “Ah, and the reason for that wouldn't be a certain pink-haired mage, would it?” From my expression he can tell that he has hit the mark. He winks at me. “I'm sorry, but I just wouldn't be comfortable having you practice against fireballs and lightning bolts in your first lesson. We'll do something safer for now.”

***

We leave the room and I follow him to the nurse's office. When we enter, the nurse is sitting at his computer, looking at patient files. Emi is nowhere in sight. He looks up and greets us. “Hello, Hisao, Mr. Kanzaki. Welcome. Emi is in the back practising telekinesis.” He points at the drawn curtains. “Can't have patients walking in on floating equipment, can we?”

Mr. Kanzaki sits down in one of the spare chairs. “How is she doing?”

The nurse looks dejected. “Well, okay I guess. I can tell even now that she's got way more talent than me. I hope I'm not holding her back as a teacher.”

Mr. Kanzaki pats him on the shoulder. “Don't worry about that. You know as well as I do that a teacher can only do so much.” He turns to me. “With magic what matters most is the talent you have and the effort you put in. You can exercise your control, but the overall power of your magic is limited by your talent. According to Takeshi, young Miss Ibarazaki should do just fine.”

Just then the curtains are drawn back to reveal Emi, who is grinning from ear to ear. In front of her, half a dozen medical implements are spinning in a circle like a tiny ferris wheel. “Hey look, I did it! I... Oh, Hisao... Drat!”

She notices us and loses her concentration for a moment. All the floating objects clatter to the floor. A small bottle of pills shatters, scattering its contents all over the room, while a scalpel drops straight down to stick in Emi's foot. I wince for a moment until I remember that this is only her prosthetic.

“Emi, what did I tell you?” the nurse asks in an exasperated tone. “No fragile objects. No dangerous objects. And most importantly, look before you come out. What would I have done, if it hadn't been Hisao but a regular patient?”

Emi has the decency to look embarrassed as she bends down to remove the scalpel from her mechanical foot. “I'm sorry,” she whispers, but then her grin is back. “Did you see, Hisao? That was eight objects at once! Yesterday I could do no more than two. I'm making great progress, ain't I?”

Mr. Kanzaki rises from his chair grabs a plastic cup from the desk and fills it with water at the sink. “If you think you're making progress, why don't you try levitating this...”

Emi interrupts him. “Sure I can do that easily. It's not heavy or anything...”

“...without the cup,” he finishes his sentence, placing the cup back on the desk.

Emi just stares at him. “Without... You mean just the water?” She looks at the nurse questioningly.

He shrugs. “Why not? But please try it on that table over there. I'd prefer no water spills on my keyboard.”

Emi takes the cup somewhere without electrical equipment and gets to work. Almost immediately, I see a blue glow forming around the cup. Then the cup lifts a few centimetres from the ground, only to sink down again. She looks up. “It's tricky not to lift the cup as well.”

On her second try the cup starts to shake but stays on the ground. Instead the water inside rises slowly against the wall, but when it reaches the rim, it simply spills over onto the ground.

The nurse smiles. “Lifting liquids is not that simple. You have to apply force from all sides at once to keep it together.”

Twenty minutes and several refills later, Emi has managed to form a - slightly dripping - globe of water, floating steadily one metre above the ground. With some effort she gets most of it to flow back into the cup.

The nurse smiles. “Very good. This is a good exercise to train your control. You should practise it some more in your room tonight. For now, instead of having Hisao just watch, why don't you two train together?” He grabs a book from one of the shelves. “You levitate the book in front of you, while Hisao tries to dissolve your magic to make it drop to the floor.”

Emi grins at me. “Sounds like fun.”

She levitates the book, and I focus on the blue aura surrounding it. After a few seconds it fades and the book drops down. “Hey! Not fair! Let me try again!”

We practise for a few minutes, and Emi quickly learns how to renew her magic every time I dissolve it until finally the book wobbles up or down whenever one of us has the upper hand for a moment.

Suddenly the blue aura increases in brightness, and the book escapes from my control shooting towards the ceiling which it hits with enough force to leave a dent in its binding.

Mr. Kanzaki clears his throat. “Well, it seems you won't need to worry about this young lady's magic potential. Don't worry Hisao. That burst could have taken me by surprise as well. It takes much practice to react to such things quickly enough.”

We continue our exercises some more, until Mr. Kanzaki calls for a stop. Neither of us noticed that we overran the lesson by almost half an hour. As we say our goodbyes, he turns to me once more. “Oh, I almost forgot. I won't be able to make it for your lesson tomorrow. I scheduled an extra lesson with Mr. Setou. Please report to Ms. Miyagi in class 3-2's home-room after your classes are over. I will inform her that you will be attending her lesson tomorrow.”

After I leave the nurse's office, I head for my homeroom to see if Misha is there. When I arrive the door is locked and nobody is there. I check the cafeteria and the student council office as well, but she is nowhere to be found. Either she is still in town, or she has already gone to bed. For a moment I consider heading over to the girl's dorms, but I don't even know where her room is, and if she's really resting, I don't want to disturb her.

Instead, I head over to the library to stock up on some books and spend the evening reading in my room.

********************

Please look forward to chapter Nine:
Beauty And The Beast

[ChaoticGrowth]

Awesome! I'm glad that you're back. I was getting worried that this story was being discontinued. I can't wait to read more.

[neumanproductions]

And on this note, it looks like the fanfic gang has all but reassembled as the inevitable release of KS looms over the horizen.
Anticipating your next chapter Mirage.

[Shades of gray]

and where there is fanfic writers, there is being readers nearby...

[Mirage_GSM]

Chapter Nine – Beauty And The Beast
When I arrive in class after my usual morning run with Emi, almost all seats are already filled. Only Hanako is absent again. Misha jumps up as she sees me, waving cheerily. Hearing her “Hey, Hicchan!” I could almost be fooled to think nothing had ever happened, but unfortunately I know better. I wonder how much of her upbeat personality has always been an act...

I shake those thoughts away, because it really doesn't matter. Instead I walk over to her and greet her with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Well, I guess Miki will have something more to tell Emi during lunch-break.

I am just about to ask Misha about her visit to the hospital, when Mr. Mutou enters the room and we all have to take our seats.

***

During lunch-break Misha, Shizune and I grab something to eat in the cafeteria, but decide to eat in the more private surroundings of the student council office.

When the door closes behind us, I can contain myself no longer. “So, what did the doctors say?”

Misha falls down on a chair, sighing. “For now I can continue to go to school. I'll get my first poison cocktail tomorrow morning and then one more every day until either the tumour dies or I do. Maybe they'll do some surgery as well, but I'm not certain there are any non-essential parts left for them to remove.” I wince at the deadpan tone she has in her voice.

“...?” Shizune looks at her quizzically.

“Oh that's right, I never told you about that. Last time they removed... Heck, I don't even know the sign for that...” She fishes in her bag for a pencil and a piece of paper and writes out a word for Shizune. When she reads it, her eyes go wide and she stares at Misha, her mouth hanging open.

Misha doesn't seem to notice and just stares at the wall. After a moment of silence, she continues in a toneless voice. “Do you know what's the worst thing about it all? It's not feeling tired all day or being sick all the time. I could endure that. It is brushing your hair in the morning and finding most of it in your brush.” Her left hand is playing with her drills absent-mindedly. “You know I had really long hair before... I got sick. Just like Miki's. I was very proud of it.”

I put my arm around her shoulders and she leans against me. “It's the most depressing thing of all. Losing your hair little by little, a constant reminder every morning until it is all gone.”

“So why don't you shave it off before? That way it will be done with in one go, and what's more, it will have been your own choice.”

Misha sits up abruptly and turns to me as if to check whether I have gone mad. “You can't be serious!”

“Why not?”

She considers that in earnest for a few seconds, then she begins to really smile for the first time today. “Thanks Hicchan, I might just do that. But what about you? Don't you like my hair?”

I spin a curl of her drills around my fingers. “Of course I like your hair, but I love the girl underneath it. If it helps you just a little bit, then get rid of it. The hair will grow back, once you're well again. I'm sure it will be as long as it was five years ago one day.”

We are rudely interrupted by Shizune slamming her hand down on the table. She doesn't bother with signs and simply points at our lunches which are slowly getting cold.

“Oh, thanks for reminding us Shicchan.” Misha gives her a weak smile, and we both unpack our lunches and start to dig in.

***

Mutou's afternoon lesson runs a bit late, and when I have said goodbye to Misha and finally leave the classroom, the corridor is completely empty. I walk a few steps down the corridor until I stand in front of class 3-2's homeroom.

Just as I am about to knock, I hear Hanako's voice from inside, followed by some kind of guttural growl. Some kind of wild animal? Might Hanako be in danger in there?

I try to open the door, but it is stuck. A green glow around the lock confirms that it has been magically sealed. Inside the growling increases in both volume and ferocity. I gather all my concentration and try to set the lock back into its original state. After a few seconds the green glow fades. I turn the doorknob and open the door.

In the classroom, Hanako is standing behind one of the desks, alternately staring at me and a very large wolf that is standing next to the blackboard growling menacingly. I don't stop to speculate how a wolf might have gotten into the classroom, but instead grab a chair and move to stand between Hanako and the wolf.

“Come on Hanako, let's get out of here!”

Hanako just looks at me with wide eyes, but doesn't move. A moment later the wolf makes some gurgling noises and starts to talk with a ragged, barely intelligible voice. “Next time you could simply knock, Mr. Nakai.”

I am so surprised that the chair I've been holding clatters to the floor. I stare at the wolf for a few seconds longer until realization finally hits me. “Ms. Miyagi?”

“Of course. Who else would I be? Now please wait outside for a few minutes so I can change back and get dressed.”

My gaze wanders to a pile of clothes on the floor and I can feel my face getting hot. I stammer something I don't even understand myself and hasten out of the room, slamming the door shut behind me. I spend the next few minutes doing breathing exercises to get my heart to beat with a regular rhythm again.

After a while the door opens and Ms. Miyagi motions for me to enter. “So Hisao, what brings you here? Aren't you supposed to be with Mr. Kanzaki right now?”

“No, he's with Kenji and told me to go to your class today. Didn't he tell you?”

She sighs. “No, he must have forgotten.”

I fix my gaze firmly on the floor. “I'm sorry for barging in like that. I heard those strange noises, and I didn't stop to think...”

She interrupts me. ”Oh well, no harm done. Neat job on the lock by the way.” She pulls a cigarette package out of her jacket. “Mind if I smoke after all this excitement?”

I notice Hanako going pale behind her. “I don't think that would be a good idea.”

Ms. Miyagi turns around. “Oh, I'm sorry Hanako, I forgot.” The cigarettes disappear back into her pocket. Anyway I was just giving Hanako a demonstration of Animal-Transmutation. I've covered the basics with her already, so I might as well ask you. Did you notice anything extraordinary?”

“You mean other than you turning into a wolf?”

She laughs at that. “Yes, that would be a bit extraordinary, wouldn't it? Anything else?”

I ponder the question for a while. “Your voice sounded strange.”

“Well, obviously, a wolf's vocal chords are not really suited for human language I had to make a few changes on the fly to talk to you, but such things are never perfect. Nothing else?”

I feel myself getting red in the face again. “Uh... Your clothes....”

“Exactly. That's what I meant. One of the two basic limitations of all Transmutations. You can transform inanimate matter almost as you like. The same for living beings. But you cannot change one into the other. That means, as you change into an animal, everything you carry has to be left behind. This makes transforming into an animal impractical under most circumstances. Mostly it's better to settle for minor modifications of your body, like claws or gills.”

She pauses. “Hanako, you don't have to listen to all this stuff again.” She walks up to her desk and picks up a book. “Why don't you study this for a moment? I'll be back to you right away.” I glance at the title 'Chemical elements and their composition'. Hanako simply nods and sits down at a desk with the book.

“Why do you have Hanako read a book about chemistry? Can't you just change chemical elements with your magic?”

“It would be nice if it were so easy, Hisao.” She sighs.” If it were, alchemists in the middle ages wouldn't have had such a hard time turning lead into gold. It's actually pretty easy to do, if you know that gold has three protons less per nucleus, but if you don't understand the concept of atoms, the best thing you'd come up with is yellow lead.”

“So, to do Transmutation you actually need to know a lot about natural sciences. Physics, chemistry, biology... You can simply force matter to be something it doesn't want to be - I'm sure you trained with solid water cubes by now - but such things are never permanent. Once the magic fades, the water will return to it's liquid state. If you want a permanent effect, you have to transform it into something that is naturally stable.”

“It's even more difficult with living beings. Living beings somehow remember their original form. No Transmutation of a living being will ever be permanent. Even if a wolf-form is naturally stable, I am a human, and when the effects of the magic fade, I will return to being a human. However, if that is an uncontrolled process it can result in serious injury or even death.”

“Also, any modification you make on your body has to actually work. It's very easy to create gill slits on your throat, but if you don't know how gills function or how to connect them to your lungs, they won't help you shit on your next diving trip. And if you change into an animal, you better have a good idea of that animal's anatomy, or the result won't be pretty.”

Secretly, I am very glad that my ring didn't glow green when I first put it on. I mean, those are very cool abilities, but there are too many opportunities to die a horrible death for my tastes... “So, if you know about the anatomy, you can change into any animal you like?”

“Well, there's still the second basic limitation of Transmutation magic: Mass. I weigh about 65 kilos. That mass has to go somewhere. If I were to change into a mouse, it would be a rather big one. It's also theoretically possible to change into a miniature version of a bigger animal, but most animals don't scale very well.”

I shudder as the image of a 65kg spider flopping on the ground with broken legs comes unbidden to my mind. Hastily I change the subject. “And Hanako is going to have to learn all that stuff?”

“She's a natural. I've never seen anyone devour those science books at such a speed. I asked Mr. Mutou to excuse her from his science lessons. What she's learning here is way more advanced than regular high-school stuff anyway. She might be allowed to cut a few of the other lessons as well. Skilled Transmuters are much sought after, because they are very rare – almost as rare as Abjurers by the way. That reminds me. It couldn't hurt for you to learn a bit about basic anatomy as well. You might be called on to undo a Transformation one day, and it helps to know which part goes where...”

As I listen to Ms. Miyagi's explanations, something in my mind goes click. I file away the thought for closer examination later on. I glance over to Hanako to make sure she is still immersed in her book, then I ask Ms. Miyagi in a low voice. “So, if she has become a trained Transmuter one day, she'll be able to do something about her scars?”

Her face turns somber. “In theory yes, but they would not be truly healed. It would be a temporary fix and it would have to be renewed periodically – and having one's body in a permanent state of transmutation can have some very unpleasant side effects...” She looks at me pointedly. “You know, the sort you'll need an Abjurer to remove.”

I shudder, and she gives me a big grin. “Well, while you're here why don't I give you something to practice other than those boring cubes Kozo is tormenting you with? Hanako?”

Hanako looks up and lays down the book she has been reading. As we both stare expectantly at Ms Miyagi, she begins to turn pale at an alarming rate. Noticing our reaction, she smiles and motions for us to say put. Little by little all colour is draining from her face and hands, and her hair is turning white as snow.

When she speaks again she looks as if she were a ghost. “Changing the colour of an object or being is one of the simplest forms of transmutation.” She walks over to Hanako, takes a few strands of her hair and puts them into her hands. “Now, Hanako, please try to turn these white, and you, Hisao will try to return my hair to normal, but... “ she winks at me, “if you cause my hair to fall out, I'll have to turn you into a giant toad.”

Hanako starts to giggle. I think this is the first time I've heard her make that kind of sound. Ms. Miyagi looks surprised as well.

“Anyway, before you start, let me tell you some things about pigments and refraction...”

********************

Please look forward to chapter Ten:
Colours of the Wind