Sohma Hatori woke up. He was still a child due to the strange events at the beach house the year before, but he was gradually getting used to that.
What he wasn't used to was the adoptive mother that Akito had forced him to accept. She was always fussing over him. "I hope that Hatori gets enough to eat. Do you think that Hatori's coming down with a cold? I'm taking Hatori to the park. Hatori, you shouldn't have to do that. Why don't you do something that you want to do?"
Of course as soon as he tried to do something that he wanted to do - like read - she was right there. "Oh, Hatori, are the other kids picking on you again? Come on, let's go to the park. We don't need them." Then without regard for anything he said she would drag him away and make him go up and down the slide a million or more times, or so it seemed.
The other children that she was talking about were the other members of the zodiac and three extras. Akito, who had also gotten turned back into a child, had given the order that everyone was to forget that they had every been adults. That meant that they had to have surrogate mothers and fathers.
To make sure that he had his eye on them at all times, Akito had moved all of them to the main house and refused to allow them to leave unless they were accompanied by a parent. Then he had started making them all come over to his house every day for at least an hour, and he would speak softly or loudly depending on the mood he was in.
Everything with Akito depended on the mood he was in. On a whim, he could kill someone in a rage, then less then five minutes later he could be the most soft spoken person in the universe. It made coming over to see him unpredictable. The others weren't used to the unpredictability that Akito represented, but Hatori was, or rather had been his doctor. He had visited the head of the family more often then the other members, and suffered from his violent tempers more then the others.
He was actually mostly blind in his left eye due to a flung vase. He had been asking for permission to marry at that time, but Akito had denied him the right to even love Kana anymore. He kept blaming Kana for hurting Hatori.
"Hatori, it's not like you to stay in bed this late," his mother called out. "You must be - "
Hatori quickly wiped the corners of his eyes. No tears had fallen, but his eyes were still damp, thinking about Kana still hurt. "I'm fine, Mother. Is there something that you needed?" his voice was the same icy calm that he had gotten used to years before. The voice that let none of his emotions through.
His mother wrinkled her forehead and frowned. "Akito-san has requested your pressence at the main house. I'm not sure what he wants, but it had better be quick. You start public school today."
The regressed children had all been home schooling to keep themselves from having to repeat public school, but recently their parents had decided that they were getting to isolated and had applied to send them to real school.
"I'll go see what he wants," Hatori said. He climbed out of his bed, noting his mothers disapproving look at his thin bed covers. He had tossed the heavy features onto the floor the night before. She was always worried that he would catch a cold.
He quickly dressed and gave her a kiss to keep her placid. "I'll be back before you know it," he said. Then he was gone, and his mother sank down onto his bed and worried what might happen to her son that day.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
Sohma Yuki was breathing heavily. Akito had summoned him to the main house. He hated being summoned to the main house. He hated living so close to Akito. He feared Akito, he couldn't help it.
Beside him Kyou walked in silence. Normally the cat was loud and boisterous, but today. . . . . today he was super quiet. He didn't even look that slightest bit pissed off at the presence of Kagura.
For her part, Kagura was unnaturally quiet too.
"Is something wrong?" Tohru asked. She was her usual bright and cheerful self in spite of the anxious attitudes of the zodiac members around her.
Yuki started slightly and nodded his head by accident.
"What?" Tohru pounced on his answer right away.
He started again, then smiled slightly at her. "I'm just a little bit nervous about being summoned to see Akito like this. He usually waits until after school, and even then he never calls all of us at the same time."
"Do you really call this 'all of us?" Kyou demanded. "We're only a small amount of the zodiac and the doomed ones. Kyou had started calling himself and the other regressed adults, the Doomed Ones. According to him, Yuki was going to make sure that none of them every found happiness.
"Everyone is coming, that's what he said on the phone," Kagura spoke up suddenly. "That means that everyone is coming. Akito doesn't lie. He even ordered the three outsiders to come to the main house. That's not like him."
"What do you mean?" Uotani asked from behind them. Her and Hana had been turned back into children too, and Akito had decided that they were going to stay at the Sohma house until they were old enough to leave.
"She means that he doesn't usually act this way," Hana said in her mysterious fashion.
Tohru turned her attention back foreword. She hadn't seen Akito in a long time. He liked calling Hatori to the main house the best and seemed to alternate everyone based on the idea that he would see Hatori then someone else, and then Hatori again.
"I wonder how he's doing," she muttered to herself. None of the others responded.
They walked in silence for several more moments until while passing Ayame's house they ran into another group of cursed children. Shigure, Aya, and Hatori were slowly making there way to the Honke.
Shigure and Aya were bouncing around Hatori bubbling about some sort of joke. Hatori was in an even deeper blank state then usual. He didn't even greet the others as they drew nearer.
"Good morning," Tohru said.
"Hello and good morning, and what a fine morning it is," Shigure said. He nodded his head to the rest of the assemble cursed children. "Aya and I were just talking how lovely it is going to be to go back to school."
"That way we can play tons of jokes on everyone," Aya said. "Yuki, say do you want to help? It'd be a fun chance to get to know your brother better!"
"Get away from me," Yuki said. His nerves had been steadily getting worse, and he burst into a run to get out of the group of children. He wanted to be alone. He had been to closed in around. Too tied down for his own comfort.
"Yuki-kun!" Tohru shouted. She started to run after him, but Hana stopped her with a single pale hand on her shoulder.
"He needs time to be alone," the electric girl said.
Hatori sighed behind them all. "Everyone, start moving towards the house now. We have to get to the Honke before something else happens, or someone else arrives."
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
Sohma Hatsuharu cursed when he realized that he was the first one to arrive at the main house. That shouldn't have happened, he lived farther away then everyone else and had taken a circular route to make sure that he didn't get there too soon.
"That you're here proves that the others are taking there time," Akito said. "I called you last, you know."
"Acutally, I didn't know," Haru said. Next time he promised himself that he would run around Tokyo first. That way he wouldn't have to be alone with Akito.
"I suppose that you want to know why I called you all here, yes?" Akito asked softly.
Haru shook his head slightly. "No, not really. Whatever the reason, I'm sure that you'll tell us in your own timing."
Akito tossed somthing to him. "Read this," he commanded.
Haru picked it up and stared at it. The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no stamp. He turned the letter over and saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter H.
It was adressed clearly. So clearly that there was very little doubt as to who was too read the letter.
Mr. Hatsuharu Sohma
Room 5
4 Sakura Drive
Tokyo
There was no zip code and it wasn't adressed like regular letters, but all the same it was clearly supposed to belong to the ox.
"What's this?" he asked before he could stop himself.
"Open it up and see for yourself. It's where you're going to go to school for the next seven years," Akito said. He didn't seem to be in a bad mood.
Haru turned the letter over again, noting that the seal had already been broken. He didn't say anything. If Akito wanted to look at his mail, he would.
"Well, hurry up and open it," Akito said.
Haru nodded and pulled the papers out of the envelope.
Hogwarts School
of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, Frist Class, Grand Sorc., Chf.Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, Internations Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Mr. Sohma,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equiptment.
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Yours Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress
Haru looked at the paper skeptically. What kind of school was this? "What -" he began to ask, but Akito interrupted him.
"It's a magick school. We're all going. That way we can learn something new and fun."
Haru just stared for several moments. Then he shrugged and examined the rest of the papers that had come with the letter. One of them was an equiptment list.
Hogwarts School
of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Uniform
First-year students will require:
1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide of similar)
4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags.
Course Books
All students should have a copy of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)
by Miranda Goshawk
A history of Magic by Bathilda Bagsho
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Sitch
One Thousand Magical Hrbs and Fungi
by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beast and Where to FInd Them
by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A guide to Self-Protection
by Quentin Trimble
Other Equiptment
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 set brass scales
Students may alon bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THIER OWN BROOMSTICKS!
"Uhmmmmmmm, can we really get this stuff anywhere?" Haru asked skeptically. This wasn't going to be a typical school year.
"If you know where to look, yes," Akito said. "We'll leave as soon as the others arrive."
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
What he wasn't used to was the adoptive mother that Akito had forced him to accept. She was always fussing over him. "I hope that Hatori gets enough to eat. Do you think that Hatori's coming down with a cold? I'm taking Hatori to the park. Hatori, you shouldn't have to do that. Why don't you do something that you want to do?"
Of course as soon as he tried to do something that he wanted to do - like read - she was right there. "Oh, Hatori, are the other kids picking on you again? Come on, let's go to the park. We don't need them." Then without regard for anything he said she would drag him away and make him go up and down the slide a million or more times, or so it seemed.
The other children that she was talking about were the other members of the zodiac and three extras. Akito, who had also gotten turned back into a child, had given the order that everyone was to forget that they had every been adults. That meant that they had to have surrogate mothers and fathers.
To make sure that he had his eye on them at all times, Akito had moved all of them to the main house and refused to allow them to leave unless they were accompanied by a parent. Then he had started making them all come over to his house every day for at least an hour, and he would speak softly or loudly depending on the mood he was in.
Everything with Akito depended on the mood he was in. On a whim, he could kill someone in a rage, then less then five minutes later he could be the most soft spoken person in the universe. It made coming over to see him unpredictable. The others weren't used to the unpredictability that Akito represented, but Hatori was, or rather had been his doctor. He had visited the head of the family more often then the other members, and suffered from his violent tempers more then the others.
He was actually mostly blind in his left eye due to a flung vase. He had been asking for permission to marry at that time, but Akito had denied him the right to even love Kana anymore. He kept blaming Kana for hurting Hatori.
"Hatori, it's not like you to stay in bed this late," his mother called out. "You must be - "
Hatori quickly wiped the corners of his eyes. No tears had fallen, but his eyes were still damp, thinking about Kana still hurt. "I'm fine, Mother. Is there something that you needed?" his voice was the same icy calm that he had gotten used to years before. The voice that let none of his emotions through.
His mother wrinkled her forehead and frowned. "Akito-san has requested your pressence at the main house. I'm not sure what he wants, but it had better be quick. You start public school today."
The regressed children had all been home schooling to keep themselves from having to repeat public school, but recently their parents had decided that they were getting to isolated and had applied to send them to real school.
"I'll go see what he wants," Hatori said. He climbed out of his bed, noting his mothers disapproving look at his thin bed covers. He had tossed the heavy features onto the floor the night before. She was always worried that he would catch a cold.
He quickly dressed and gave her a kiss to keep her placid. "I'll be back before you know it," he said. Then he was gone, and his mother sank down onto his bed and worried what might happen to her son that day.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
Sohma Yuki was breathing heavily. Akito had summoned him to the main house. He hated being summoned to the main house. He hated living so close to Akito. He feared Akito, he couldn't help it.
Beside him Kyou walked in silence. Normally the cat was loud and boisterous, but today. . . . . today he was super quiet. He didn't even look that slightest bit pissed off at the presence of Kagura.
For her part, Kagura was unnaturally quiet too.
"Is something wrong?" Tohru asked. She was her usual bright and cheerful self in spite of the anxious attitudes of the zodiac members around her.
Yuki started slightly and nodded his head by accident.
"What?" Tohru pounced on his answer right away.
He started again, then smiled slightly at her. "I'm just a little bit nervous about being summoned to see Akito like this. He usually waits until after school, and even then he never calls all of us at the same time."
"Do you really call this 'all of us?" Kyou demanded. "We're only a small amount of the zodiac and the doomed ones. Kyou had started calling himself and the other regressed adults, the Doomed Ones. According to him, Yuki was going to make sure that none of them every found happiness.
"Everyone is coming, that's what he said on the phone," Kagura spoke up suddenly. "That means that everyone is coming. Akito doesn't lie. He even ordered the three outsiders to come to the main house. That's not like him."
"What do you mean?" Uotani asked from behind them. Her and Hana had been turned back into children too, and Akito had decided that they were going to stay at the Sohma house until they were old enough to leave.
"She means that he doesn't usually act this way," Hana said in her mysterious fashion.
Tohru turned her attention back foreword. She hadn't seen Akito in a long time. He liked calling Hatori to the main house the best and seemed to alternate everyone based on the idea that he would see Hatori then someone else, and then Hatori again.
"I wonder how he's doing," she muttered to herself. None of the others responded.
They walked in silence for several more moments until while passing Ayame's house they ran into another group of cursed children. Shigure, Aya, and Hatori were slowly making there way to the Honke.
Shigure and Aya were bouncing around Hatori bubbling about some sort of joke. Hatori was in an even deeper blank state then usual. He didn't even greet the others as they drew nearer.
"Good morning," Tohru said.
"Hello and good morning, and what a fine morning it is," Shigure said. He nodded his head to the rest of the assemble cursed children. "Aya and I were just talking how lovely it is going to be to go back to school."
"That way we can play tons of jokes on everyone," Aya said. "Yuki, say do you want to help? It'd be a fun chance to get to know your brother better!"
"Get away from me," Yuki said. His nerves had been steadily getting worse, and he burst into a run to get out of the group of children. He wanted to be alone. He had been to closed in around. Too tied down for his own comfort.
"Yuki-kun!" Tohru shouted. She started to run after him, but Hana stopped her with a single pale hand on her shoulder.
"He needs time to be alone," the electric girl said.
Hatori sighed behind them all. "Everyone, start moving towards the house now. We have to get to the Honke before something else happens, or someone else arrives."
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
Sohma Hatsuharu cursed when he realized that he was the first one to arrive at the main house. That shouldn't have happened, he lived farther away then everyone else and had taken a circular route to make sure that he didn't get there too soon.
"That you're here proves that the others are taking there time," Akito said. "I called you last, you know."
"Acutally, I didn't know," Haru said. Next time he promised himself that he would run around Tokyo first. That way he wouldn't have to be alone with Akito.
"I suppose that you want to know why I called you all here, yes?" Akito asked softly.
Haru shook his head slightly. "No, not really. Whatever the reason, I'm sure that you'll tell us in your own timing."
Akito tossed somthing to him. "Read this," he commanded.
Haru picked it up and stared at it. The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no stamp. He turned the letter over and saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter H.
It was adressed clearly. So clearly that there was very little doubt as to who was too read the letter.
Mr. Hatsuharu Sohma
Room 5
4 Sakura Drive
Tokyo
There was no zip code and it wasn't adressed like regular letters, but all the same it was clearly supposed to belong to the ox.
"What's this?" he asked before he could stop himself.
"Open it up and see for yourself. It's where you're going to go to school for the next seven years," Akito said. He didn't seem to be in a bad mood.
Haru turned the letter over again, noting that the seal had already been broken. He didn't say anything. If Akito wanted to look at his mail, he would.
"Well, hurry up and open it," Akito said.
Haru nodded and pulled the papers out of the envelope.
Hogwarts School
of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, Frist Class, Grand Sorc., Chf.Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, Internations Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Mr. Sohma,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equiptment.
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
Yours Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall,
Deputy Headmistress
Haru looked at the paper skeptically. What kind of school was this? "What -" he began to ask, but Akito interrupted him.
"It's a magick school. We're all going. That way we can learn something new and fun."
Haru just stared for several moments. Then he shrugged and examined the rest of the papers that had come with the letter. One of them was an equiptment list.
Hogwarts School
of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Uniform
First-year students will require:
1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)
2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear
3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide of similar)
4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)
Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags.
Course Books
All students should have a copy of the following:
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)
by Miranda Goshawk
A history of Magic by Bathilda Bagsho
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Sitch
One Thousand Magical Hrbs and Fungi
by Phyllida Spore
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
Fantastic Beast and Where to FInd Them
by Newt Scamander
The Dark Forces: A guide to Self-Protection
by Quentin Trimble
Other Equiptment
1 wand
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
1 set glass or crystal phials
1 set brass scales
Students may alon bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THIER OWN BROOMSTICKS!
"Uhmmmmmmm, can we really get this stuff anywhere?" Haru asked skeptically. This wasn't going to be a typical school year.
"If you know where to look, yes," Akito said. "We'll leave as soon as the others arrive."
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **