Author's Note: For Ruroken Week 2016, I wrote seven different AUs. I've released most of them over the past few weeks. Depending on the responses/reviews, I'll decide which ones to continue and prioritize. (This does not mean I'll abandon the rest, just that they'll be tackled later.) Thanks in advance for reading!
This one was inspired by an aesthetic on Tumblr, about the Japanese wizarding school and used elements of the RK live action movies.
Her team was going to be eaten alive in the tournament. While it was true that Quidditch was a foreign sport and still lacked prestige, it was also the Fire House's only chance to redeem its losing record in everything else.
And it meant that all eyes would be on them, for every match of her last year. Kaoru suppressed a shudder as she scanned the practice area and counted the heads of her juniors. She already knew their weaknesses by heart.
Tsubame needed confidence to actually chase down the Quaffle. Yahiko and Yutaro needed to stop threatening to beat each other with their clubs. Uki needed to stop fussing over her little brother Ota, who needed to stay awake as he protected their goal hoops. And Misao…wait, where was Misao?
"Where's my last Chaser?" Kaoru demanded and was met with shrugs until Tsubame timidly spoke up.
"She said she was going to be late."
"She's gone to see Shinomori-sensei, hasn't she?"
"Um…" That hesitation only confirmed it.
She gritted her teeth and straddled her broomstick. "Uki, lead everyone in flying drills. I'm going to drag Misao here." The sixth-year may have been her best friend, but damn her infatuation with the broody astronomy teacher!
She flew, her feet skimming the grass and air flowing over her rosy uniform. Even though she had grown up with a shinai, flying had its own thrill. Literally, it was to become the wind, and she could feel herself relax.
A flash of red moved in front of her, and her shoes dug into the earth as she skidded to a definite stop. "Ack, Kenshin!"
The new groundskeeper stumbled back, dragging his broom. "Oro! Excuse this one, Kaoru-dono."
"Geez." She huffed but smiled. Their friendship started during a practice game, when she nearly collided into him as he swept the walkway. After that, she sought him out between classes, in the vicinity of the Fire House's courtyard. "Sorry, but I'm in a rush to find Misao. She's late for Quidditch."
"Ah." He glanced in the direction of the astronomy tower, but he stiffened. His next words were ominous. "That does not look good."
She turned and cried out at the sight. Despite the clouds, a swarm of dark creatures was circling the top of the tower. In the next moment, red fireworks signaling distress poured from the only window. "Those look like tengu, but how did they get past the barrier? Misao and Shinomori-sensei are in trouble."
"Let this one go with you." He hopped onto his broom, but he wasn't the best flier, barely levitating off the ground.
"Here, just get on mine!" Hers was bought from a Western manufacturer, and considering how light they both were, Kenshin could easily tag along with her.
He didn't protest, settling behind her, but he locked his hands around her waist. Her breath caught, and she nearly missed his remark. "This one is in your care. Let's hurry."
"Y-yeah." She desperately focused on the tower, and they soared upwards.
As they approached, the dark creatures materialized into long-nosed tengu. They were huge, their wingspans easily matching the length of her broomstick and their horrible voices echoing.
Talismans. She needed talismans. "I have an ink brush and paper in my left pocket." She said. "If you can reach-"
"There's no need." In the next instant, one of the tengu was suspended in midair. His hands hadn't moved at all.
"Silent magic?!" Only the best magicians could perform it without much concentration. Meanwhile, she stuck to using kotodama, speaking a torrent of words to toss the restless tengu out of her path. As they flapped for balance, they stilled under Kenshin's voiceless commands.
She thought they would be fine, but the air suddenly warmed around her. "Duck, Kenshin!" She shouted and dove like she found the golden Snitch. Above their heads, a fireball roared, and the clouds abruptly shifted to douse it. She flashed a grateful smile at Kenshin, but it felt strained. In her books, it stated that tengu rarely created fire. They were docile most of the time, so this made the situation even stranger.
Fortunately, the guards below had noticed. Some subdued the tengu with stronger spells, while others started to draw the immobilized creatures into nets. Taking her chance, Kaoru pulled up, heading for the top. Kenshin tightened his grip on her, but before she could even be nervous, they reached the window. They landed inside with a graceless tumble.
Misao was holding her own, stunning a large one, while Shinomori froze a couple more with ice talismans. Kaoru took care of the last, whacking it with her broomstick and planting a talisman on its back. It immediately collapsed, falling asleep, and Kenshin bound it with a summoned rope.
"Kaoru!" Misao lunged for her. "You came to help!"
"Because I was looking for you. We have to practice for the tournament, you can't be slacking off!"
"But it was a good thing I was here, because these were kind of weird! Right, Shinomori-sensei?" To her dismay, the professor agreed.
"These aren't normal tengu. See, there are fire talismans attached to their claws." Shinomori-sensei pushed one of the birds with his foot. The paper was covered in the character for 'burn'. "These are the larger variant, so their fireballs are enhanced."
Misao jumped in. "Not to mention, tengu prefer the mountains. What are they doing on this island?"
Kaoru thought aloud. "They could have been summoned, by someone who knows of the school's location but not exactly the barrier. Otherwise, the barrier would have gone down."
"This one can tell; it is Shishio's work." Kenshin said decisively, and the name chilled her.
Shishio Makoto. Over ten years ago, he had been found practicing the Dark Arts. His robes had been turned white, and he had been expelled with a number of other students, most of whom also belonged to the Fire House. Even though all of this happened before Kaoru began classes, the shame still lingered.
He continued. "He had a lackey who specialized in yokai, and the barrier changed after they left. It hasn't been reworked since. The talismans are also touched with ash, and he excelled in fire magic. He would have been too ready to use it here."
"But isn't all of this circumstantial? What makes you so sure?" Kaoru argued.
At this, Kenshin and Shinomori-sensei shared glances. The latter spoke. "There was a message sent from him. It was only raving about burning everything to the ground, but we improved security here. Not enough, it seems. There'll be a meeting later, Himura."
"This one will be there." He ended the private exchange and motioned to her. "We should go."
She and Kenshin left the way they came, while Misao promised to descend by the stairs with Shinomori-sensei. When their feet touched solid ground, she turned to look at him as he dismounted. "Kenshin, what did he mean? You're a groundskeeper, not a teacher or a guard. Or…are you?"
He straightened his gi, slowly saying. "According to the records, this one is a groundskeeper. However, this one was assigned here after the government received Shishio's message."
"So why do you have to hide? You're a great magician, I just saw that with my own eyes. You could even be a better teacher than some I know."
He shook his head. "What qualified this one were his deeds in the Bakumatsu. During that time, this one was known as Hitokiri Battousai. This one is ashamed that it led to his presence here, but this one will atone in any way he can and without ending life. This one is here to pay for his sins."
In other words, he was one of the most powerful magicians who served the Ishin-shishi, specializing in curses along with martial prowess. Using both, he must have taken many lives. There were so many urban stories about him, but she doubted his cross-shaped scar glowed. And what did it matter anyway? The person in front of her was alive and breathing, not a two-dimensional character who stalked the night. Legends were only tales, in the end.
Kaoru planted her hands on her hips. "So what?"
"Oro?"
"You helped rescue my best friend and my professor, didn't you? And aren't you here to protect the students? I don't care about your past. The person I know is the clumsy groundskeeper, who can't even kill a spider. You're my friend, Kenshin, just a man and not a legend." By now, her face was madly hot, and she throttled him. "So I don't want to hear this self-deprecating crap. Got it?"
"Yes." He meekly answered. "Kaoru-dono?"
"Yeah?"
"Is your team still waiting for you?"
She let him go, and he swayed on his feet as she scowled. "You're right, and Misao should be there when I get back or else. I'll talk to you afterwards!"
"Then, this one will see you later. Work hard." He replied with a wave.
She zoomed off, inwardly cursing at her lateness. Well, her teammates had better shape up. With or without a crazy pyromaniac, they had a tournament to win.