Training with Tomoe

The few days of punishment were over as quick as a flash. Yami had stayed in the dorms as told with some entertainment given by her friends. She had been able to go out to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but that was mainly it. In those few days, Rosa had apparently gotten better and was now working up again, which was a good thing. The only things Yami worried about now were Sachiko and people's opinion's. What would they think now that Yami had hurt Rosa? Even worse, what would Rosa think of her? It surely couldn't be good…

It was the night before Thursday, the day Yami would return to normal activities. She tucked in her bed sheet and plopped down on her bed, tired. It had been a long day, even though all she had done was stay in her bedroom. Akuji's scent of pineapple filled the room (pineapple was Akuji's favorite smell) and gave Yami the impression everything would be alright.

"Hey, Akuji?" Yami asked, and Akuji swiftly turned around to cock her head. Her blonde hair was placed neatly in a bun, and here blue eyes looked tired. "So, what do you think will happen when I…you know, come back to the classes…what will the reaction be?" Yami asked, looking at her hands nervously.

"Do not overthink it. I'm sure it will…be fine," Akuji stated, and then stared at Yami in the eye with accusation. "Wait, when did you say Mari was coming back again?" Yami's body tensed, and her eyes widened. She frantically thought for an answer. This was…this was not so good.

If I tell her the truth, Akuji will reject me the same way Sachiko probably did to me. And I don't want that. Mari was her best friend. This is too much! THINK, YAM, THINK! Yami stared into space for five minutes, which probably caused Akuji to be highly concerned for her health.

"YAMI! When is she coming back? That is all I am asking!" Akuji sighed and folded her arms, now annoyed. Yami sighed back and took in a deep breath. She was ready. "Yami…"

"She's coming back in about a month," Yami admitted, and felt a hot sensation run through her body. She almost choked as she attempting to not breathe until Akuji replied. "Not lying," Yami added without consciously wanting to. Everything was just in such a rush she couldn't even bear it…

Luckily, Akuji nodded and smiled. "Okay. See? Easy! I just really miss her, it has been a while, it feels like, I'm excited for when she will return," Yami's gut twisted inside as Akuji spoke these words. She felt INTENSELY terrible, so much, that she wanted to tell Akuji straight to the face the truth. But she couldn't do that. She had to lie to keep her friendships, and not lose any more than she had to.

"Yeah…and…Akuji? I have another, uh, question," Yami added, and Akuji sat down on her other bed. She stared at the middle bed, which was Mari's.

"Yes?"

"Why hasn't this school felt…evil yet?" Yami questioned, and Akuji started laughing hysterically. Yami raised an eyebrow as Akuji seemed to have gone mad. "Akuji?"

Akuji paused from laughing, her face red. "Torture prison. Rude teachers. Haunted halls. Gothics. As if it is evil enough," Akuji smiled slightly. "Also, I am sure it will get much worse, if that is what you want. It has only been a few months! Calm down!" Yami smiled, trying to seem delighted by this news. Even Akuji had a tinge of madness in her…but Yami? She felt nothing at all…until she was…possessed.

"Well, alright then, we should probably get to bed!" Yami stated, and Akuji nodded. They both laid down in their beds, relaxed and ready to go to bed. Just as Yami's eyes were about to close and she was about to fall asleep, there was a very loud knock on the door, which left both Yami and Akuji very stunned.

Yami ran up to the door quickly and opened it, though reluctant. It was Kirai and Katsu. Their faces were panicked and worried. Why? Yami had no idea. "Guys! What's wrong!?" She asked, but before Yami knew it, Kirai had dragged her out and they were in the halls. "What's all this about?"

"Well, we got a slip from a person named Tomoe Sasaki," Kirai explained first, and Yami's ears pricked up. She had met that woman. She had gotten that slip from the woman. What was she doing with these two? "You too?"

Yami nodded. "It's today, right? I just realized that. And what time is it…?" Kirai looked up at an old, beaten clock that was straight above their heads. He squinted and finally answered.

"About thirty minutes until midnight. We have some time," Kirai nodded, and Yami breathed out a sigh of relief. Now all they had to do was make it to the top floor, to the attic, and without being caught. Super easy, not.

"So top floor, in the attic!" Katsu exclaimed, but since he was being so loud, Kirai quickly covered his mouth and glared at him coldly. They had to be quiet, or they would not be able to do this. At all.

It was icy cold at this time of night. The sky was black and the moon was bright but somewhat dim. The academy felt empty and isolated as they ran up the stairs that were tall and ran high enough to reach about two hundred feet. They heard mice tampering around, and crows outside cawing. So far, their mission was successful. Until they saw a flashing light that looked like a dimming lamp. Stepping closer, they heard voices.

"I must apologize for the damage the girl caused," A voice said. It was Rosa. "It's technically my fault. I didn't check her records. Please, blame me," Yami clasped a hand around her own mouth.

"It's fine. Not anyone's fault, really," The second voice sounded like Ophelia, the Light Academia headmistress! Well, the Rosa and Ophelia were both sisters, so it made sense. "Anyways, I better get going back! This place is so…uhm…dark, heh," She added, and then her voice vanished. It was only Rosa now.

"Sometimes I worry about you…" Rosa thought aloud, and then turned around swiftly to go the opposite way. Yami breathed a sigh of relief as the sound of footsteps vanished. Katsu laughed quietly in relief and Kirai remained emotionless and stationary. The trio continued walking up the stairs, but quieter and more concise. The air was crispy and cold, which bit into Yami's jaw, unpleasantly. Didn't feel too good.

Finally, the three students were on the third floor of the Academia. The air pressure was even higher and their ears rung. However, this did not stop them from entering a large ladder that was flatly in place. They picked it up with great strength and set it up against a wall, which was near a little trapdoor that could at least fit one human being. Luckily, they each could fit into it. Hopefully it actually led to the attic…

It did. The trio was standing in front of a large room, with a ceiling with the shape of a rooftop; this was it; this was the attic. They were at the top of the academy. Old, dusty boxes filled the room as if it was a normal attic. There was a small lamp that you could turn on. Katsu turned it on, so they could see better. However, the woman, Tomoe, was not there.

"Where the heck is she?" Yami wondered, and felt desperate to know. If she hadn't arrived…all of this would be for nothing. Kirai raised an eyebrow as he just stood there.

"She's here, just not in plain view," Kirai stated, and Yami felt impressed. How could he know?! Noticing her disbelief, he added on to his comment. "I can just sense it, I don't know how,"

All of the sudden, the lights went out. Yami couldn't sense anything going on, as it was deadly quiet. Katsu and Kirai were not speaking, or they might not even be there, with her anymore. It felt oddly different. She felt as if she was falling and falling in an empty pit of darkness. Just like that scary dream Akuji had accidentally given her on her first night.

Suddenly, Yami's back hit the solid ground. Her breath was taken out, and pain erupted around her whole body. She felt like screaming, but no one would hear her. Blood splattered on the floor, and no doubt Yami's back was broken. She stared up into the emptiness hopelessly. Her eyes teared up. Perhaps she would be joining her younger sister, Koku, in the Spirit World…that would be nice…wouldn't it…?

"YAMI! WAKE! UP!" A voice yelled. She felt a hard slapping on her cheek, and she awoke to brightness of a room. Everything was blurry, but when she could see again, Katsu was sweating in front of her and Kirai looked concerned. The women, Tomoe, was there as well. She looked concerned also. "Just. A. Fake. Reality! Tomoe created it to test our ability to bear pain!! Ya get the meaning now?! Your heart almost stopped! Gah!"

Yami sighed with relief. "I'm so sorry," She said apologetically. Tomoe smirked and patted Yami's shoulder. "I'm usually better at withstanding pain, I'm sorry, miss," She added.

"It's not a problem to me, we'll be working on that later. Anyways, your training has officially begun. We have about an hour together, no goofing off or anything of the sorts," Tomoe paced the room, intimidating the three, except for Kirai. He was never intimidated. "So, we're starting out with a speech,"

"Will it be long? Please don't make it long," Katsu said, a sweat dripping down his forehead. He hated long speeches…and just speeches in general.

"What do you think, boy? Of course it's short! I'm only explaining what we're going to be learning!" Tomoe rolled her eyes and continued on. "Anyways, call me Tomoe-sensei. For a while, we'll be learning on how to control your dangerous ability. You see, Darkness is one of the most deadly powers, and Light is also one of the most powerful. No living human is able to possess both Light and Dark, but it's still possible.

"The first Angel Goddess, Hikari, Goddess of Light, created a structure of energy which passed on magic to those who possessed the confidence inside of them. Then, Kurayami, God of Light, came in, and made his own structure of Dark energy which was passed down unto everyone. You see, you three have that Dark power. You three have some of Kurayami in you!"

"Hikari means light and Kurayami means Darkness, right?" Kirai asked, and Komoe nodded bluntly. As if in a hurry, she immediately began continuing the speech.

"So, I'm teaching you how to control it. But now…oh, holy cow…it's almost been an hour. You three have to go, it's almost one in the morning," Tomoe frantically stammered and quickly ushered out Katsu, Kirai, and Yami. "I have a dead line for how long I get to spend. Now I have other duties. True training in exactly seven days, got it?" She snapped, and the three nodded as if it was life or death.

They quickly dropped out of the trapdoor, trying to fall as gracefully as possible so that they wouldn't get caught. They ran down the stairs with pure intention to get back, fast. By now, they didn't even care about being quiet. They just needed to get back. As soon as they made their way down the stairs, they were suddenly…stopped?!

"What are you guys doing down here?" It was the girl that had spoken to Yami first in this wretched place. It was Misato Haniko! The girl who had led Yami to her dorm…all that stuff. When she recognized Yami, she surprisingly hugged her. "Been a few months, hasn't it, Yami? Good to see ya! But why the heck are you guys here at almost one in the morning?" She questioned.

"Look. We have to go, I'm sorry!" Yami said, and could see the hearts breaking in Misato's eyes. She pushed past Misato, and ran to her dorm quickly, Kirai and Katsu following behind. She quickly opened her door and waved goodbye to Kirai and Katsu. The dorm was empty and cold, but Akuji was sleeping, luckily. "Phew…"

Yami's eyes quickly averted to her bed, where she jumped in and fell dead asleep, tired as ever.