A Heart in Flames #2 (Howl's Moving Castle fanfiction)

Chapter 2: Survival of the Fittest

He was not powerful.

He was not strong.

He was not feared.

But he yearned to be these things. And she could teach him.

Kenta Itō watched as the clang of sharp heels echoed through the long assembly room in a perfect beat. The other students who lined up on his right and left stood tall and proper with their hands held behind their backs like little statues. Kenta mimicked their actions and stood rooted, though his balance was slightly divergent from the homogenous group.

Their esteemed headmaster stood several steps in front of the line, perfectly placed where the farthest left and right could still see her. She clicked her heels together and raised her chin, smiling with satisfaction. "Good morning, scholars."

"Good morning, Madame Suliman." The group said in unison. Kenta kept his mouth shut, frightened that he would say the wrong thing at the wrong time. He didn't want to be singled out by Madame Suliman, the greatest sorceress of their time, on his first day in the Royal Sorcerer's Academy.

"You are very lucky." Madame Suliman began. "You were chosen out of thousands who wished to enter my school. This group of fifty bright students of many ages and talents will learn not only what it is to be a great magician, but how to be a powerful one."

Kenta smiled brightly. This was what his parents wanted for him - the most prestigious school for magic and sorcery in Ingary. He was the first of his siblings to receive his family's line of magic, and his parents were determined to give him as much training as he needed to pursue the same dream his father and grandmother sought at his age. This was his chance to prove himself to them.

This was his chance to prove himself to himself.

As he listened carefully to the Madame's speech, the boy next to him started fidgeting in his place. He tapped his foot on the ground, groaning obnoxiously and rolling his eyes. Kenta creased his eyebrows at the boy, but shook his head and returned to listening.

Kenta then felt a push on his arm and stumbled to the left, almost knocking into a girl with pretty red pigtails.

He gaped at the boy, crossing his arms. The boy looked forward, for the first time following the group of still statues. His long black hair reached just below his ear, much longer than Kenta's nearly shaved head. He took a deep breath in and joined the group once more.

"Now, how many of you are familiar with the Wastes and its connection to magicians?" Madame Suliman asked. A significant number of students raised their hands high, including Kenta. He had lived near the Wastes almost his whole life, and his grandmother was one of the many witches who lived there and trained her own apprentices.

He then felt a smack on the back of his head as the boy next to him raised his hand, so casually whacking him in the process. Kenta raised his eyebrows at the boy, watching him attempt to contain his laughter.

Madame Suliman nodded. "Good. The rest of you will soon discover how special the Land of the Wastes is to us." The group dropped their hands, Kenta extending his arm wide, making a fist as his hand hit the boy's head. Kenta smirked as he brought his hand to his side, watching from the corner of his eye as the boy rubbed his wound.

The boy fumed and snapped his fingers. Kenta's hand formed a fist again, only this time he wasn't in control of his own actions. He smacked himself in the head, stepping back from the blow. The boy chuckled softly, only increasing Kenta's anger toward him. Without a second thought, Kenta lunged for him.

"Hey, what's going on?" The students next to them diverted their attention from Madame Suliman to the two youngsters caught in a brawl. Kenta held the boy's arms back, using most of his strength to keep him from moving. The boy struggled at first, but eventually used a spell that turned him into green slime. He dissolved to the ground, only to reappear in his natural form moments later.