Kokoro no X (I) ~EDITING~

Ten

"TAMOTSUSAYURI'SBACK!" Obviously, being Koichi, the second Sayuri stepped in the school doors Monday morning he had announced it to everyone before she could even blink.

"Give the poor girl some space, will ya?" Takumi sighed. "She's been sick this whole time."

"You have?!" Koichi turned to Sayuri who had just walked in the classroom. She still looked kind of sick, and I wondered if she should even be here.

"Yeah, something wrong?" Sayuri asked, a little coldly, her voice still stuffy.

"No... but why didn't you pick up your phone?"

"I got grounded, idiot." She sat down in her seat behind me, almost immediately sneezing. On instinct, I ducked, sending Sayuri into an even fouler mood. Takumi knocked me on the back of my head as he walked by.

"Nice going, Tamato Soup," he muttered.

I watched him walk back to his own seat, calling after him, "What is it with you and weird nicknames?!"

"You're just too sensitive, Koko-chan," he laughed.

"Too sensitive, my ass," I growled as I looked back to the front of the classroom. I gulped as I realized Ms. Kawaguchi had been standing there for the past minute, and the entire class had been silent. Everyone was either staring at me or Takumi, as I had figured out by a glance around the room.

"NAOHW THAHT EVERRRYWAHN IS SILENT," she snapped, rolling the "r" and accenting the "t." "WE MAY CONTINYUE LEAHNING ABAOHT ELEMENTAHLS." She turned to the board, picking up a stylus and began writing. She was done in less than six seconds, and by that time, everyone had also pulled out their notebooks. "Elemental Types" was written in near flawless handwriting.

"NAOHW, THEHR AHR TWO DIFFERENT KOINDS OHF ELEMENTAHLS. MAIND, AHND MOTIOHN." In another quick seven seconds, Ms. Kawaguchi drew a hand and a featureless face. "FOHR EACH KOIND, THEHR AHR TWO WAYS TO TELL THEHM APAHT. ONE IS THEIHR CLAHN MAHRK. IF THEY AHR A MAIND ELEMENTAHL, THEN THEY HAHF THEIHR MAHRK ON THEIHR FAYCE. IF THEY AHR A MOTIOHN ELEMENTAHL, THEHN THEY HAHF THEIHR MAHRK ON THIEHR HAND."

"But I thought that there were five clans!" called a random kid toward the back.

"WHELL-"

"Uh, Ms. Kawaguchi?" Koichi stood up. "May I answer this?" She nodded, and he hurried up to the front of the room.

"Actually, there are. These two kinds are just different ways that the Elementals control their Element. For instance, I'm a Raito, meaning I control light." And shadow, I thought.

"But, I'm also a mind Elemental, since I control my Element, light, with my mind. Make sense?" Silence.

"So does that mean you're also a Kokoro Elemental?" Kokoa asked. Koichi froze up, panic crossing his face for a slight instant, before I jumped in.

"No, he's just a Raito. He means that he can control light with his mind, and not a certain motion like Sayuri can. Uh... Maybe a demonstration would help make things clearer." I added awkwardly after no one showed any sign of understanding.

"YEHS, I AGREE," Ms. Kawaguchi screeched. "KOHICHI?"

And suddenly, the front of the classroom went pitch-black, Koichi and Ms. Kawaguchi disappearing into the darkness. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Takumi and Kagerou stiffen up.

"The absence of light is darkness. Any light trying to cross that dark barrier will get rejected, bouncing back. Only darkness remains on the other side," I heard Kagerou mutter.

And then, almost as quickly as it happened, the darkness was gone.

Koichi was breathing heavily, having exhausted his powers. Takumi hurriedly rushed up and helped his brother back to his seat. Ms. Kawaguchi looked extremely frazzled, and she had placed her hand on the corner of the table.