Chapter XI
We're Off to Save a Wizard...
It was the month of April—clear skies and sunny days as well as a fourth of the year gone. Today was the fourteenth day of the month, which was nearing its end. The sun had already set, while the moon was still rising to its highest point of its orbit. Night was quiet in Mahora, and the night was also peaceful to me.
I was lying on top of my bed, staring at the whitewash ceiling of the room I shared with no one else. My mind kept replaying the conversation in the infirmary, when the accursed weasel shoved truth serum down my throat and made answer questions I wanted hidden for a little while longer. And I'm glad I didn't have to answer everything.
"...why exactly is this Yates guy so bad?" The line echoed in my mind like it was taunting me. "If you only knew" I muttered to myself, turning onto my side. My hand reached out to the lamp standing on my nightstand, flicking to switch off. If only you knew.
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BRRIIING
The joyous sound of the dismissal bell went off, and the class of 3-A acted like it was the last day of school everyday. They bowed to their teacher, yes, though they usually rushed out of the classroom right after doing so. Some students would chit-chat awhile longer but still leave within the first minute after the end bell. Myself, on the other hand, had nowhere special to go, so I just packed my bags slowly. I'd always be the last one out, unless Negi-Sensei needed to talk with someone after class that is.
I had just finished packing away my miscellaneous binder in my bag and stood up when the teacher called me over. Seems like once the cat's outta the bag, he'd want to know everything else too. Sighing, I walked over to his desk and replied with a not-so-caring "Yes?"
"Well," He began, neatly organizing his papers and putting them into a folder. "It's sorta about what happened yesterday..." Damn, I knew it. I sighed again.
"What is it?"
He looked straight at me with his chocolate-brown eyes. "It's just that...I want to help you help your brother."
I was shocked. "You...wanna...help?" I stuttered out, staring at him curiously. "Why?"
"It's just 'cause..." His voice trailed off. His gaze wandered around the room, either trying to think of something to say, or to buy time. "Well, if I'm gonna be a Magister Magi one day, then I," He took a breath. "I'd need to start helping people in need. And...and I'd want to help you and your brother and thank you for making me smile sometimes, and making me feel, well..." he shivered remembering the field trip, as did I.
"I get your point," I said before he could continue. "Although the faster the better I suppose. I was going to test your capabilities, but it's already too late. Besides, how is this going to work?"
"What do you mean, Aer-San?"
"Well, you've gotta teach and I've gotta learn and we can't just up and leave—people would get the wrong idea, maybe—though it would take more than an afternoon."
Negi-Sensei thought over the words I said, then snapped his fingers. "I got it! Next week is spring break, so the whole school would get the week off. We could go then, unless saving your brother would take longer than a week...?"
"No, actually, that's a perfect plan!" And just in time too! "Friday would be our last day, so we could possibly talk then and leave Saturday. Would that work?"
He pulled out a small book from his bag, flipped the pages, and shook his head. "No, there's a staff meeting Friday after school, and knowing them the whole day would be wasted; I probably wouldn't get back to my dorm until eight or nine, maybe ten the latest. Is leaving Sunday okay, or...?" Negi-Sensei looked at me puzzled. This whole thing was leading into a predicament.
My brain was rattling with all the things that have happened since the summer I graduated to now. It hurt my head, and life could've been smoother if that didn't happen. "If we plan Saturday morning, leave in the afternoon, we'd arrive around evening due to the time changes. That'd leave me Sunday and Monday..." My voice trailed to a whisper, then thoughts. "Yeah, that'll work, I hope. So," I turned to look at the teacher. "You'll go to that meeting Friday, and possibly talk on MIM if you can to get the preparations and planning started. The next day, we'll finish preparations and leave. Sound like a plan?"
The ten-year-old nodded. "That should work. I'll try to possibly sneak out of the meeting early, or if not get back to my dorms ASAP. But, how bad would it be?"
"Not too bad, bring you and your staff (Chamo if you desperately need to—please don't!). Possibly a back-up wand, and you should be good. Deal?"
"Deal!" He said, smiling. I picked up my bag and was just about to exit the room when he asked a last question. "Aer-San, where are we going?"
Without turning around, I gave a slight smile and replied, "In due time, you'll see. Just wait 'till then."
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Wednesday and Thursday flew by quickly, and Friday came upon us. All the girls wanted to leave and be on spring break already, though they still had one day left. And that one day always seems to drag on and on. However, it didn't seem that long for me, in fact, it seemed like a Tuesday or any other ordinary day.
During English class and home base, Negi-Sensei would sometimes look in my direction for a split second, usually during the time when the rest of 3-A had to do book work or paraphrase a poem from English to Japanese in their own words. It was simple for me I didn't really try—I kept staring out the window or up at the blackboard. That was when he'd look and nod or mouth something I could never catch. I think the other girls thought something was up, though I didn't mind.
And once again, the glorious bell ringed; its sound happier than during the rest of the week. Or maybe it was all the girls already in the spring break mood. Whatever it was, I was still the last student out, and even my partner was out quicker than normal. Negi-Sensei had to leave for the meeting right after class, so he didn't have time to dilly-dally. Before he exited through the doorway, he looked over his shoulder and nodded at me, rushing out to beat the crowd on April seventeenth.
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The wind picked up later in the afternoon, as well as some clouds that drifted through the sky, more and more arriving. It was going to rain soon, just a bit after a few months without a little drizzle. It was 'April Showers' after all.
And there I sat, probably my favorite place in all of Mahora—the World Tree plaza. It wasn't too terribly packed, although the direct level where the tree was growing was empty. It was calm and quiet as I stared up at the clouds, imagining pictures in their formations or thinking about random things that crossed my mind.
My watch, a.k.a. my cell phone clock, read five, nearly six in the evening. Soon it would say seven, then eight, and then I would begin my way to the room. But I thought a bit of rain and think about things I haven't in a long time.
Pitter. Patter. Pitter. Patter.
The melody of the rain was calming at times, yet could also be angry and powerful. If you just sit down and clear your mind, it's like a little orchestra playing a symphony of whatever it wanted to. A symphony of peace, or of destruction.
"And would you look at the time," I said, staring at the screen of my cell phone. "It's already eight-thirty. Better get to the dorm and see if Negi-Sensei's on MIM yet." So I walked through the rain all the way to the dormitories, like a lone solider coming from battle all alone. Hm, I thought, smiling at myself. I guess I could be pretty poetic if I wanted to.
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"Damn," I muttered, staring at my computer screen atop my bed. "He's not online." I sighed. "It's nine, so the meeting ran late, or he was on, but I was too busy in the rain. Oh well, we'll talk again tomorrow so I guess it's fine." I typed a little message on MIM, hoping he'd get it when he goes on.
MageTeacherNegi is offline.
(9:12pm) LunarMageAer: Meet me at the Wrld tree PLaza 8-ish tomorrow, k? guess the meeting ran late tho. C ya tomorrow!
I minimized the conversation window so It covered about a fifth of the top of the screen. Yet, I didn't put it on sleep mode just then, because I was staring at my wallpaper; the picture of my brother and I right after our graduation. We were so happy to graduate and all, but now this had to happen and I haven't seen you actually smile since a little over a year ago. Don't worry brother, I'm coming with help.
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(11:02pm) MageTeacherNegi: sorry i couldnt go on yesterday! T-T The meeting was also a little surprise party a few of the teachers held and I was unable to leave! im so tired right now, but I just wanted to know ill see you then. (yawns) eight o clock, got it...
MageTeacherNegi is now offline
The window box closed as I hit the 'X' in the top-right corner. The clock on my computer read '7:31 AM' so we would discuss the trip in half an hour. I turned off my laptop and plugged it into the wall to charge. Then, I went over to the bathroom to find out the clothes yesterday were still wet.
I sighed. "And it's still raining. Well, it's not too bad. I remember when it rained for a whole week straight after that drought we had couple years ago." Heading back into the main area of the room, I pulled open a dresser and grabbed my usual garb—two shirts and two pants, along with a pair of socks.
Once fully dressed, I ate a small breakfast and, being almost eight, I left the dorm and headed for the World Tree. It was early on a Saturday, so I took the precaution to use a spell to keep water off me. Basically, it was an invisible umbrella.
The campus was empty all the way to the giant tree, where I saw a little black dot at the top. As I neared it, I saw a kid under a black umbrella, and who else is it but Negi-Sensei. "Hey," I said walking up to him. He looked up at me and smiled.
"Hello Aer-San." Even though he was cheery, his eyes had a small black ring to it—he probably didn't get much sleep last night.
"Sorry to wake you up kinda early... Anyways, there's not much to talk about actually. We're going to Wales in the afternoon, and we should reach the isle around six-ish. I'm not sure exactly." Before I went into a bit more detail, I asked him a single question. "You sure you wanna help me out? I mean, it could be dangerous..."
He shook his head. "Nonsense! I want to help you out because I want to, not because of self-pity! Besides, this could help me get closer to becoming great like my dad."
All I could do was smile and nod. He's ten but he sounds real heroic... I thought, then sighed. "Okay, now when we go there, we'll have to go on a sa'e pa'e since I'm not good with transportation magic. And—"
"Wait, what's a sa'e pa'e?" He asked, puzzled.
"You'll find out soon enough."
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Author's Note: Gah, this chapter kept getting longer and longer, and it's not even the real ending I envisioned for XI. Oh well, I guess not everything's perfect, hm? The chapter title is a bit of a parody of Wizard of Oz's We're off to See the Wizard, just for legal rights.
Sa'e pa'e is pronounced the way it looks; sah-eh pah-eh.' Simple, eh?
Jack -ch.1- Sorry for not including you in the previous chapter, though I'm happy you like my fanfic. (more reviews possibly...? ) :p
Runekn -- Suspense can kill a lot of people with stories, but there's only a couple of chapters left (I think) so don't worry. :)
Hydriatus -- Reviewer's block I suppose. Seriously, what's so hard about writing 'Good job. Can't wait 'till next chapter', hm?
I said it in my fanfic/poem, Christmas Nightmare, and I'll say it again—happy holidays and merry Christmas everyone! (and I'll probably write another chapter in '08) (Oh, and let's not forget 'happy birthday' to me in a few days from now :)