Chapter 7: Teach

(At school, Kaaru was studying in the school library with Eito. He started solving maths, cracking his brain to figure out the answer. He looks at Eito not solving but reading a book. He became surprise at first and looked at the book "The power of time")

KAARU: (Thought) He's not solving but reading his favorite book. He must be serious about working with time, but why? Everyone works with time, it's a normal thing but... Wait that's his power, Time traveling. All of a suddenly in the present world, he took me back from the very first starting about how it all happened (Something snap him to his as he remembered something) That's it he can take me to the past on how my parents were killed by a manipulator and whose heredity is it gotten from. (He smiles) Yes that's a great plan Kaaru.

EITO: (Looks at Kaaru smiling at him) Why are you smiling?

KAARU: What... Er... Nothing.

EITO: Time out.

KAARU: Wait. I haven't finished yet.

EITO: Kaaru you spent fifteen minutes trying to solve the question, two minutes looking elsewhere and three minutes playing with your pen. And tell me how many times you have spent all together?

KAARU: (Surprised) Twenty.

EITO: Precisely.

KAARU: Wait a minute how do you know...?

EITO: It's what I do. It's my power. Manipulators have something so special they focus about. I focus on my surroundings. Through the help of time, I can be able to know the time they spend in dancing, sleeping, eating and so many other things you can mention... without looking at a time piece.

KAARU: You are a lucky duck. But hey, have you finished what I gave you to do?

EITO: Yeah. It was a piece of cake.

KAARU: Maybe it was too easy.

EITO: Even if I give you the same you will still be struggling with it.

KAARU: Yeah yeah yeah. You are a smart guy, to be honest.

EITO: If you do that you have wasted a lot of time.

KAARU: I know but first teach me this last question

EITO: Okay.

(Eito looks at the textbook and he taught him the question. Kaaru started to focus as he begins to attempt the questions. School was over and he walks to meet Shin at Route three just as he said. He thinks of something at the pub)

KAARU: (Thought) I don't understand, there must be a reason why they are after me. I have been thinking of these weird stuffs that is going to happen and I can't recall it. Sometimes I wonder where they come from and what they are up to.

(He went to Route three and stares at the place as he was suspecting something. Surprisedly, a dagger was thrown to him and he dodge it, so many of them were coming to him and he dodge everything performing his stunts. He was panting as he looks round. Shin jumps down and Kaaru looks at him astonished and they started to fight. Kaaru dodge every punch from him, Shin trips him and hold his shirt as Kaaru landed on a slant way)

SHIN: Very impressive. You are good at dodging.

KAARU: But I wasn't prepared. I didn't know you would show up.

SHIN: I know. That's why it was a surprise attack. So it was a test

KAARU: Test? You almost killed me...

SHIN: End of discussion (Drops him on the ground) Let's start training.

KAARU: Is this your first time teaching someone?

SHIN: No. I've taught a lot of people. And Yuuto ended up becoming one of my best student.

KAARU: So you taught him. No wonder he's strong.

SHIN: Well... I want you to be stronger than him.

KAARU: Huh!

SHIN: He can be nasty when using his mania. So to me, I don't think he is. Not all you see that they are strong, some have good manipulation but they don't know the secret inside it.

KAARU: How can you tell?

SHIN: I don't know.

KAARU: What! (He said while he make a comical defeated face)

SHIN: But it's the truth. It's what I see I know (Kaaru looks at him with a strange comical look) What's with this face? Don't look at me like that. Let's start the training

KAARU: Okay. (He said as he smiled)

(Kaaru and Shin looks at each others as they was a long pause)

SHIN: Alright. (Points him) I want you to pretend as if you are punching someone.

KAARU: (Surprised and Thoughts) What, is it how he does it?

SHIN: I want you to do it in other to reduce stress.

KAARU: Is that the first step?

SHIN: No. I'm only telling you, so that you can free yourself.

KAARU: Oh... Okay. (As he make a comical defeated face)

SHIN: First thing, you need to show me your moves (So Kaaru tries to perform it by jumping and kicking and he was surprised) What, where is your fire?

KAARU: I can't control it.

SHIN: Now I'm telling you to do it.

KAARU: I don't do that in order. It works through my emotions.

SHIN: If that's what you think (He runs and started to fight him)

KAARU: Hey what are you doing?

(Kaaru was only dodging. To him, it's his favorite skill. He is good at dodging when it comes to fistfight like this. He jumps up and kicks him but Shin blows his face with his two hands and kicks him, he somersaulted and landed on the ground)

SHIN: Come on what's all this? Try controlling it.

KAARU: Like I said It works through my emotions.

SHIN: To overcome this difficult situation, you need to build self-confidence.

KAARU: Self-confidence?

SHIN: Be confidence in what you do. You said it only works through your emotions. Self-confidence comes from it. It builds up your mind in other to make you exhibit it. You know every humans are rational creatures.

KAARU: Self-confidence huh?

SHIN: Hmm Mmm.

KAARU: Then... I can't show it. Manias becomes fast and violent when a manipulator use it. Hm, no wonder we are maniacs. (He said as he smiled to the word "maniacs")

SHIN: You think training you can't make you more effective?

KAARU: I don't know. Sometimes I feel emotional (He looks at his hand) But... Let's us continue. I hope I could learn great things from you.

SHIN: (Smiles) Okay (Shin jumps to kick him)

KAARU: Now all I have to do is to let it come. (He thinks of his parent's death all of a sudden and he was shocked) Life can sometimes be grief and loss. The pain still comes and my heart keeps burning. I wonder why the past is still in my head as if it was yesterday. (As he thoughts) Death mostly lies in the hands of young people. So... (His hands started becoming red) No matter hard I try, I'll never lose!

(Shin was amazed and tries to punch Kaaru on the right but he missed it, then he tries doing the other way round to try punching him on the left using his other hand but also does the same it. Shin was surprised as they both looked at each others, Kaaru was ready to punch him on the gut and he did, causing Shin to go back as he slammed his back to a tree)

KAARU: (Runs to meet him while he was tremble) I'm sorry. Maybe I slightly overdid it

SHIN: No. It's okay. (Looks at him) You really are emotional.

(Kaaru smiles broadly as he scratches the nape of his head. Later, the two were sitting at a restaurant. Kaaru drinks a coffee and Shin drinks a glass of alcohol. They were silent for a long while, just drinking and chilling themselves after a long training. Shin then suspect and looks at Kaaru. So he begins to have thought)

SHIN: (Thought) This kid was so quick that he avoid my strikes. He was able to make it up beyond my speed. (He thinks about that incident) I gave him the first strike and he misses that, I thought he will be so gullible not to see that second strike. Children can be intelligent but what they need is experience from adult. (He then clears his throat to say something) Ahem! So Your mania is fire. How interesting.

KAARU: Yes. But I don't know how it came out.

SHIN: You said emotions.

KAARU: But I wasn't in an emotional state.

SHIN: You wouldn't know. Anger, Pain, Happiness are what drives our emotions

KAARU: So that's it?

SHIN: Kaaru. Who were you thinking about? (Kaaru was surprised) You got carried away that's why you mania came out with ease. (Kaaru kept quiet for a while and Shin looks at him looking worried) Are you alright?

KAARU: The pain is still coming.

SHIN: What pain?

KAARU: Anytime I think of my parents (Touches his chest) I feel something in me is like I'm burning. It's... It's really driving my emotions.

SHIN: What you think of back then it's painful but the truth is you can't leave the past only if you change your mind.

KAARU: (Tears started gathering his eyes and he cleans it immediately with his hand) Damnit! I'm such a crybaby.

SHIN: (Laughs) It's okay. I feel the same way too.

KAARU: (Thought) No... No you don't.

(Shin and Kaaru came out of the restaurant since it was getting late)

SHIN: Remember that this is not the end, tomorrow we will continue the training.

KAARU: Okay.

SHIN: (He took his leave) See you tomorrow.

KAARU: Sir... (Shin stopped) Thank you.

SHIN: (Surprised) For what?

KAARU: For everything. You really taught me great things today. So... (He bow his head down) I appreciate your efforts.

SHIN: It's okay. Please stop bowing your head.

KAARU: I can't. It shows a sign of disrespect and you are my teacher.

(He still continue to bow his head and Shin was surprised he couldn't say a word as he feel embarrassed)

SHIN: I'm... not. By the way, my name is Shin.

KAARU: My name's Kaaru...

SHIN: I know... Well see you tomorrow. (He left and Kaaru raise his head up and looks at leaving as he smiles)

"I may not know about my mania but someone I met today helped me discover it, the true potential inside it. You can't see it nor touch it but you can only feel it in your heart"

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