I know what you're thinking. "She's crazy! Starting another story!" Well, I'll give you my blunt and honest answer. My computer either died, or is really good at faking because I can't even turn it on. So now I'm on my mom's typing this new idea I got while I can't get to my other stories. So please enjoy this one.
Disclaimer: 1, 2, 3! I don't own thee!
This fic was inspired by a preview of a manga I read, PhD: Phantasy Degree.
Nami gazed up at the building; it was huge and covered in white brick with red outline. It was amazing that such a normal looking giant building was a school for the otherworldly, or as they preferred to be called, demons.
She brought her hand over her eyes to block out the sun as she continued to crane her neck upward to look at the four-story academy. It looked remarkable like other Japanese schools, obviously not to attract attention.
Nami readjusted her backpack on her shoulder with her right hand and tightened her grip on her suitcase with her left. She knew how dangerous this was going to be, enrolling in a school for demons. Dropping her suitcase, the girl gripped her fist and stared at the institute with a determined look on her face.
"This is it…The Tenma School for Demons."
Grief and panic soon set in as she recalled the events early in the morning.
"I can't believe you want to go to that school," her cousin reprimanded, standing in the doorway.
"Look, I want to be the best witch I can Keiko. To do that, I want to go to the best school." Nami replied, placing clothes in her suitcase.
"Nami...that school is for demons, vampires and werewolves! It's not a place for witches! If you want to go to a school, go to Tejina School like we did." Keiko snapped back smugly, pouting and crossing her arms across her chest.
"Yeah Nami," her other cousin Kanta spoke up, walking into the room and sitting down on the bed, beside her luggage, "If you get into trouble we can't bail you out, little cousin."
He jokingly ruffled her hair and smiled teasingly. She slapped away his hand and closed the lid of her bag, locking it firmly. Picking it up roughly, Nami laboriously brought it over by her door where Keiko was standing. She then walked around her room and picked up various objects and put them on her bed, beside her backpack.
"Look little sister," a new body entered the room, "Kanta's right. That place is too dangerous for someone like you. It would even be dangerous for us, and we graduated Tejina School. You," he pressed his finger against her nose, "Are just a fledgling."
Nami grabbed his finger and almost snapped it in two before barking back, "Well, it's great that you care about my safety for once, big brother! But no matter what you guys say, I'm going and that's that."
Nami's big brother Naota grimaced and held his finger to stop the painful throbbing while Kanta placed his hands behind his head in a calm manner. Kanta looked at his older sister as she stood in the entryway, deep in thought, and what happened next surprised all of them.
"I just want to be as good as you guys." Nami's voice ran out, breaking the silence.
All eyes turned to where they saw her back facing them; her shoulders were shaking as she was trying to hide her sobs.
"All my life I've lived in your shadows. No matter how hard I try, you are always better than me."
Kanta chuckled, "That's because we're older than you."
"I know, which is why I'm going to that school and learn things you haven't. To study and work to becoming the best witch I can be. To take risks and learn from my mistakes."
Keiko dropped her hands to her sides and slowly stepped across the room. She wrapped her arms around her youngest cousin and hugged her tight. Nami felt her eyes widen as a drop of water, a salty tear landed on her shoulder.
"We know that, which is why we're helping you on your journey to the Demon school."
Nami couldn't resist the giant grin that grew on her face as she whipped around, gazing at the kind smile radiating off her cousin's face. Slowly turning her head, her brother and cousin nodded at each other, showing their approval.
"You just have to promise us that you'll take care of yourself."
"I promise!"
Keiko smiled and stood up, breaking her concentration from her cousin, to the luggage. The boys also stood up, cracking their knuckles.
"First things first, you have too much stuff. We have to reorganize what you're bringing."
Nami watched on in shock as her family went through everything she worked so hard on arranging, was thrown to the floor and around the room. Most of her clothes were now in heaps on the carpet, while Keiko was neatly folding the ones still inside and the boys kept handing her miscellaneous objects with magical value.
As quick as a flash, her suitcase now held a few outfits of clothing and a few boxes, books and various magical items set neatly inside. Keiko shut the lid and clasped it shut, looking at Nami over her shoulder.
"There, all done!"
The youngest girl, however, could feel her eye twitch out of irritation, "What do you mean! I had it all laid out! It was fine the way it was!"
Naota dusted his hands, "The way it was it was too heavy for you to carry it, Bozu."
Nami clenched her fists, ready to jump on her brother and strangle him to death, but the wise and oldest Keiko spoke up before that could happen.
"He's right. I know you tried, but did you realize that the school you're going to has uniforms? Not the kind that we wore, regular uniforms (1), so you don't need all of these clothes. They'll probably give you a few outfits for school and you can wear these other few when it's the weekend. Oh, and don't worry, I packed your precious 'special outfit' (2) too."
Nami sighed in relief, and started to smile, her family really did care after all. They let her go to this school, helped her pack and even stuck some of her most cherished belongings in her stuff.
She walked over to her bed and finished backing up her backpack with some books for school and some personal items as well. After placing it over her shoulder she grabbed her suitcase and followed as the rest of her family walked out of her room.
Nami stopped suddenly at the door, looking back at the place she grew up for 15 years. She smiled as she remembered all the fun times she had there, and smirked at all the times she showed her brother who was boss.
With a tear in her eye, she closed the door and went downstairs to where all of her family was waiting to see her off.
Nami stood with her suitcase and backpack, broom and a few other things set behind her in the street as her family stood in front of her, tears in their eyes. She looked at her mom and dad as she felt them hug her one last time; her grandmother and grandfather kiss her cheek and pinch it a bit as well. Her aunts and uncles watched with encouraging smiled permanently fixed on their faces as her cousins and brother stepped forward.
Kanta stepped forward first and hugged her quickly before stepping back. He flashed his usual mocking smiled as he ruffled her hair again.
"I'll miss ya, Nami."
She smiled as he stepped back and her brother took his place, giving her a hug, and then lifting her into the air and tried to break her back. He laughed a bit as she coughed, completely winded before she smirked and slugged him in the arm.
"See ya around, little sis."
Keiko then took center stage and embraced Nami tenderly as the girl hugged her back. The eldest and youngest cousin both had tears flowing down their faces, as the two closest people in the family said their goodbyes.
They took a step back from each other and smiled. Keiko then reached in her pocket and took out something that glinted in the sun. Nami gazed confused as the three took it in all of their hands and placed it into hers, curling her fingers around it.
When they backed down, the young girl unfurled her fingers to see a silver charm bracelet, with a charm of everyone in their family. Nami raised her head and stared at everyone, completely speechless.
"Don't forget about us, and give that school a taste of what the straight A student, Nami Satoru can do!"
A giant cheer supported the remark as all her relatives, cheered, smiled and wished for her best of luck.
"I will, you guys. I will!"
"I will…I will what?" Nami asked her self out loud, feeling doubt settle in her mind.
"Well, one thing you could do would be to stop standing there, and enter the school?" a sarcastic voice said.
Nami blinked at looked down at her suitcase standing on the ground with a petite pure black cat sitting on it. The cat was looking up at her before it looked away and started to lick it's left hind leg, stretched out as long as it could go.
"What do you mean ShiShi?" she asked.
The neko gave her funny look before pausing its little bath and stared up at the young witch. He opened his mouth to say something, but halted and shook his body, much like a dog before continuing.
"You're not going to get anywhere standing out here. You can this far didn't you? Just walk into the school." ShiShi, the ebony cat said.
Nami looked embarrassed, having being insulted again by her cat, and bowed her head, "Yeah…"
"Yeah?" ShiShi questioned, "What's with that tone?"
A shadow of fear developed behind Nami as she trembled in fear, thousands of horrible first day jitters entering her mind. These weren't the normal first day jitters, mind you, images of her being eaten by her teacher, or having her body sucked dry of blood by peers, even being cut up and offered to the principal as a snack were stuck in her mind.
"M-Maybe…this was a bad idea."
ShiShi looked up, "Having second thoughts?"
"No…reconsidering my death wish! What was I thinking? Going to a school for demons? I'm a witch! I'll never fit in here!" She cried and waved her arms up at down, having a little fit.
"You're right, you won't…"
"Oh thanks, ShiShi!"
"But what will you say to everyone back home when you didn't even go in?" The cat continued, raising a little kitty eyebrow.
Nami could feel sweat build up on her forehead as she bit her lip. This would prove whether she was an intelligent and brave young witch or just another fledgling.
Her shoulders trembled as she felt a new confidence growing within her. She thrust out her fist and glared unwavering from the threatening building.
"Alright! I am going to do this! I will become a student of The Tenma School for Demons and the Otherworldly! I will get good grades and graduate without even a hint of doubt in my mind!"
ShiShi amused himself in watching her with a bored expression as she grew confidence that would, like always, be shot down. He continued to gaze as she pranced around, giving herself words of advice and putting of the dreadful moment even longer. The cat realized how hard it would be to convince the principal to let her enroll, and she almost did too.
"Alright, ShiShi! Let's do this!"
Nami slipped the straps to her pack around her shoulders and picked up her suitcase in her clammy left hand, lifting another bag into her right. ShiShi easily leaped from her gear to her shoulder and perched there as she slowly took a step forward.
A twig suddenly snapped on the grounds, a few feet from the witch…and that's when everything fell apart.
She screamed and dropped all of her stuff, falling to the ground and placed her hands on her head, an effort to protect herself. In all the commotion, ShiShi barely dodged the suitcase and other bags and ran a few feet away, hunching and hissing in distaste.
"What was that?" the girl asked, peeking out from behind her arms.
A breeze brushed her hair as a moment past, and a small shadow hurdled out from behind a tree on the grounds, near the wall that guarded the school, or imprisoned what was in the school.
Nami shook as she witnessed the beast come forward and stop in front of her, leaning down…and eating something? She sat up on her knees and saw a cute little squirrel munching on some peanuts she had dropped from her bag in the excitement. The witch leaned closer to look at it, when the squirrel picked up some nuts and fled away from her.
"Congratulations, you almost killed me because of a squirrel." ShiShi said in a dry voice.
"It didn't look like a squirrel!" Nami retorted back.
"Correction, you didn't see it, you heard a branch snap and jumped to conclusions."
She bowed her head in shame and stared at the ground. ShiShi was right, he was always right. It was her idea to come to this school; he just followed because he was her guardian cat (3). He wanted to stay far away from this place.
"You were right ShiShi," her voice made his head shoot up, "We should just go home."
A sudden pain in her wrist made her gasp in pain and glare at ShiShi, who stood in a hunched attack position.
"Why did you bite me!"
ShiShi showed off his large fang-like teeth, "You did not try to convince me for days on end to get me to let you come to this school, just to chicken out now when you've come this close! Everyone back home is counting on you and you're going to let your fears get the better of you? So what if your classmates will be demons, vampires and goblins! Is that going to stop you?"
At first, Nami wanted to tell him the blunt and honest truth, "Yes! I'm going home! I want my mommy!" but she couldn't resist his look. He was staring at her with determination and force, pushing her to brush off her clothes and get her butt in gear.
"Right…let's go ShiShi."
Her voice seemed weak and shaky, but it was enough to satisfy her cat. He bounded onto her shoulder as she dusted off her pants and stood up straight. After a huge breath, Nami picked up her stuff once again and unsteadily marched down the path to the building.
So, what do ya think?
1- At the Tejina School for the Magically Gifted, they wear robes and stuff to look like witches, not like shirts and skirts ext.
2- It will be explained later, maybe, but it's her witch's outfit that her grandmother made. It's a black t-shirt with a sleeveless long jacket that goes to her shins with a poncho-like thing over the jacket. Black shorts and boots with gloves and a ridiculously large black witch's hat.
3- It's like the movie "Kiki's Delivery Service", a great movie by the way, one of my favs. Each witch has a cat that follows them and helps them on their journey to become witches.
Nami- means "Wave". Doesn't really have any importance as a meaning.
Tenma- means "Demon". Ironic ne?
Tejina- means "Magic". Again, Ironic no?
Bozu- means "Kid" or "Runt".
ShiShi- means "Lion". Giant at heart.
Neko- means "Cat".
Please review!