teams

Miranda's class is training themselves in a few groups of students with the same role.

"Remember everyone in an hour we're going to be making groups which will learn to work together as a team. This is detrimental to this class winning coming competitions and most of all for staying alive when you go on missions or training trips." Miranda announces.

"Miranda, how many teams will our class have?" Yasmina asks.

"three five man teams." Miranda replies.

"five man teams huh?" Lily asks, standing next to Yasmina and the two girls turn to James, who is holding up pads with Kai and Serena both assaulting the training equipment.

"Yeah. Personal connection is important for this, so you may want to ask him." Miranda tells them quietly.

"I doubt we need to. I mean we spend most of the day together the four of us." Yasmina says happily.

"Yeah. I'm sure you're right." Lily agrees.

Meanwhile across the training ground James pulls Serena aside, handing the pads off to Henry, who helps Kai practice.

"What do you want to talk about?" The redheaded beauty asks with a soft smile, feeling happier than in a long time over the past few days, no small amount thank to James.

"I thought about how to reverse what happened to you and I figured out two possibilities, but both aren't realistic to achieve in the near future. I'm sorry. I will try to continue working on it... I promised you, but I see no way to help you safely at the moment." James confesses guiltily, bowing his head to her slightly.

Serena only smiles warmly and pulls him into a strong hug, rubbing over his back while embracing him.

"It's OK. Even if we don't find a way, that you're trying at all means more to me than you can imagine." Serena tells him, rubbing her cheek into his neck comfortably.

"This is practice, not a brothel." Leonhard jokes, making them break their hug a bit flustered.

"Sorry Leo." James chuckles, patting the large man's back.

"Alright Kai, Henry come at me." James says, poking the two in their foreheads and snatches away the pads, dodging most of his classmates attacks and uses the pads to block a few or to land a punch on them once in a while.

"What do you think the teams will look like?" Tina asks, flipping her red hair nervously.

"I'm betting you will be on the all-girls group." Robin says, poking her friend's side.

"yeah. Just relax, I'm sure Miranda will suggest fine groups." Sam agrees.

"I wouldn't mind if she put me on a team with Tim to be honest. Talk about hot." Erin says smirking.

"I don't know. I like Leonhard. He's nice and humble." Tina says.

"And we all know Sam will be happy if she can be with Kai." Luisa says teasingly.

A few minutes later Miranda calls the class together.

"I hope you have thought about your team assignments. I would say my suggestion and then everyone can voice their opinion afterward." Miranda says, the class nodding.

"Alright, for the first squad I would suggest Erin, Tim, Bob, Simon and Luisa. For the second squad I would suggest Tina, Sam, Leonhard, Robin and Kai.

For the third I would suggest James, Lily, Yasmina, Robin and Serena.

Miranda says and everyone seems happy.

"No objections? Then it's settled. Everyone for the rest of the day and tomorrow I want you to get to know your teammates better. You will most likely be spending your next four years with them." Miranda tells them and the class disperses soon after.

"Are we going to the simulator again?" Yasmina suggests, the group of five leaving the training area.

"Or we could show Henry James's house." Lily says.

"Before we do anything. I need you to promise me one thing bro." James tells Henry seriously.

"What is it?" He asks nodding.

"Don't come over to use my bath as well." James begs him.

"He better not. That's our special place." Lily says with a smirk.

"What? you and Lily? I didn't know it was this serious between you two James." Henry says surprised.

"She was actually talking about their special place." James sighs, pointing at their three female teammates.

"Wipe that smile off your face. It's complicated alright." James says, pulling him along by his arm while heading to the simulation rooms.

"Hey James. I have a question. Miranda said something about missions and training trips, can you tell us about that?" Lili asks, only for James to freeze up, shaking slightly.

"What is it?" Yasmina asks worried.

"Nothing. Uh yeah sorry. Uhm missions are rare in the first year. Training trips are possible though. A lot of the time when classes don't have evaluations or competitions students are free to do what they want and many go to dungeons or other places with either demons or monsters." James says.

"What aren't you telling us?" Lili asks him directly.

"The reason I can't handle mist... I almost died in a dungeon with Miranda." James tells them.

"With Miranda?" Yasmina asks surprised.

"Come on let's get to a room and I will explain." James says sighing exhausted.

A couple minutes later the five are sitting in an all-white simulation room, waiting for James to tell his story.

"It was 3 or 4 years ago. I had a crush on Miranda and followed her and her squad into a dungeon.

Dungeons basically are cave systems which appear randomly, no one knows yet why or how. Anyways these so-called dungeons are crawling with demons and sometimes a couple monsters, depending on the location. The guards assigned to the dungeons usually are relieved when students go in to get some real world experience and lower the enemies numbers." James explains.

"Anyways when I and Miranda's squad were in the dungeon something happened. Something I can't tell you about or rather I am forbidden from doing so." James tells them.

"The result of what happened was that Miranda and I got close to what people call the heart of the dungeon. It's a powerful energy source and once someone destroys it less and less demons will come to that specific dungeon. Anyways the heart has a disastrous effect on humans. Not physically, but mentally. You get visions, panic attacks. Basically anything can happen and we weren't strong enough back then. I might be nowadays I guess, but back then my mind was suffocating me and I didn't know how to breathe anymore. Miranda tried to hurt herself but I stopped her and she got knocked out. I managed to get us away from the core and far enough for teachers to get us out completely. But Miranda was left with a scar and I with a fear of mist." James tells them, the four looking at him with some sort of pity and worry.

"So that's why Miranda is close with you." Yasmina says.

"I only just found out that she has no recollection of what happened. I guess the hit on the head jumbled her brain. Which is probably a good thing in this case." James tells them.

"Sorry that happened bro." Henry says.

"So dungeon's are dangerous places." Serena says nodding her head in understanding.

"Not like this usually. This was an isolated incident. And that's the reason why I can't tell people about what happened in detail." James says.

"Do you think you will be able to go into dungeons?" Lily asks curiously.

"I don't know. I haven't tried since." James tells her.

"Alright back to other matters now. We are gonna be a team so we need to know exactly what we each can and can't do." Henry says.

"You're right. Let's show what we got everyone." James agrees and the team starts showing what spells the can use and how they fight, James only showing his basic stuff, like his weapons creation.

That evening

James is at home trying out an illusion spell with Yasmina and Serena staying over at his house.

"Anything?" James asks, trying to cast an illusion on their surrounding which is supposed to let them believe that they are in a pit of fire.

"No. James, you should take a break. Even if you have a lot of energy, you're getting frustrated." Yasmina says, standing up and pulling him to the couch she and Serena are sitting on, leaning into his side contently until someone knocks at his door.

"I'll get it." Serena says, jumping up and heads to the door.

Once she opened it Miranda steps inside, looking at her presence surprised.

"Serena? Is James here?" The teacher asks, the redhead nodding and heading back to the couch where James is sitting with Yasmina smuggling into him while he's reading in a book.

"James. I didn't know you were having visitors." Miranda says perplexed, stepping over to them while Serena hops back on the couch, sitting down on the other side of James.

"It feels more like I'm being invaded." He comments, receiving a playful elbow in his gut from both girls.

"I wanted to ask you something..." She says sounding a bit embarrassed.

"What is it?" He asks and sees her nervous expression.

"Come on, let's talk in private." James tells her, waving her over while heading into his bedroom and offers her a seat on the bed before closing the door behind them.

"What do you want to know?" James questions, sitting down beside her.

"I was hoping you could check on my training once in a while. I believe you must be amongst the strongest people at the academy and you're probably the only one who I can trust not to have an ulterior motive." Miranda says.

"Sure, but I have to prioritize my teams training if it comes down to it." James tells her.

"Of course. I am glad you are taking school serious this time." Miranda replies with a soft smile.

"So no regret that you picked me to be in your class?" James asks curiously.

"No. I am sorry for my past behavior though. I was too focused on school and thought less of you like everyone else." Miranda apologizes.

"No one knew why I was so changed, so it was no surprise that people thought I am weird." James answers.

"But we were friends." She says quietly.

"We still are." He tells her with a grin, patting her back.

"Thank you." Miranda says, wiping some tears out of her eyes before giving his cheek a soft, but long kiss.

"You're gonna make your students have the wrong impression if we stay in here alone." James jokes, brushing through her green hair and stares into her eyes, only for her to blush cutely and get off the bed and hurry out of the room.

"Good night you three." Miranda says, before leaving the house in a rush, Yasmina looking at James accusingly.

"I was only being nice." James answers the unasked question.

"You are too often only being nice and usually it involves another girl." Yasmina says pouting.

"I can be nicer to you too. All you had to do is ask." James tells her teasingly, sitting down next to her again and pulls her into his lap, hugging her against himself, only for Yasmina to be embarrassed and push herself off of him, retaking her seat beside him.

Serena watched all this and wordlessly sits down in James lap, looking at him curiously, not knowing how he'll react since he might still be pissed at her for hurting him.

James only smiles and pulls her into his chest comfortably with her whispering "Thanks." into his chest.