Ginny walked down to the island, momentarily seeing no one. In a split second the other four elements became visible to her, and going off of their looks of surprise, they had been unable to see anyone else until just recently. Ginny took in each person individually. Sitting cross legged near the ocean was a woman with hair the color of the first grass of spring and eyes that were warm and seemed to draw Ginny towards her. Ginny surmised that this woman had control of the Earth element. Next to the Earth witch was a young man with a cocky grin and dimples who had eyes only for the Earth witch. This man was obviously in control of the fire element because, apart from the fact that his eyes gleamed red, his short hair seemed to move and change just like fire; if she hadn't know better, Ginny would have said that his head was on fire. About halfway between the ocean and the beginnings of a jungle was an old woman with hair turned gray from age that had her eyes closed while maintaining a complicated looking yoga position. Ginny felt sure that, had she tried it, she would have torn some muscles and broken more than a few bones. As her eyes were closed, Ginny had only the ever changing glowing markings that adorned her arms, just as they did everyone else's. They glowed purple, which showed Ginny that this woman was in control of the spiritual element. Ginny smirked. Of course it would be the one meditating and doing yoga at the same time. Ginny turned to the last wizard. Draco Malfoy, tormentor of Gryffindor house. While Malfoy had never spoken to her, meanly or kindly, she didn't expect to be treated any differently from every Gryffindor. When her eyes met his yet again, all that was there was a cold gray. She turned away, blinking sadly. Ginny had been hoping that, for one time in her life, she would have an ally, but it would appear not. If Ginny had just looked to Draco for a moment longer, she would have seen the inner torment and pain held there.
After taking a shaky breath Ginny turned back. She hung her head and sat, not knowing how to handle new people who would, undoubtedly, treat her just as everyone else in her life had. To her immense surprise, Malfoy walked over to her and lifted her chin with one of his fingers and looked once more into her deep, constantly moving eyes. Try as she might to hide it, Draco could see the suffering there, and his eyes softened. Draco would never know why he did it, though in the future he would be exceedingly grateful for it. For a few seconds, Draco let little Ginevra Weasley past his barriers and walls. For the first time in his life, Draco felt that there was someone who understood. He felt that, finally, here was someone whom he could help.
The other three silently watched this exchange between the witch and wizard who obviously knew each other. Yama looked on with a small sad smile, recognizing the first sign of love, which was complete understanding. Yama remembered the first time she had looked at the love of her life like that, over sixty years ago, the very day before he died. When her eyes began to tear up, she blinked rapidly and turned back to her yoga. Derrick and Anna simply looked at the pair and shrugged, then turned and began introducing themselves. After the usual pleasantries, and well as some light flirting, they walked over to Yama to repeat the process (minus the flirting).
Ginny watched as the normally cold as ice eyes melted, showing her pain the likes of which no one should ever know. Draco was obviously not the pampered rich boy she had always assumed him to be. She gave him a tentative smile, then stood and walked with him to the other three, each standing a little closer to the other than was strictly necessary, neither noticing. Even if one of them had noticed, neither would have cared.
When Draco and Ginny walked over, Yama smiled kindly and introduced herself. "Hello, I'm Yama. Kokoro, if you wish to call me by my elemental name. I control the spirits, as I can see Ginevra already knows. And, you must be Draco? Well, it's very nice to meet you." Yama then pulled the both of them into a firm hug. Derrick then stepped forward. With a cocky smile, he introduced himself. "I'm Derrick, I got fire. I'm assuming you got water?" he said, looking Ginny up and down, and then following up with a wink. Draco slid closer to Ginny and glowered at Derrick. "Yes she does, and I've 'got' air." Draco's grey eyes swirled, and a gust of wind blew at Derrick. Ginny, surprised at Draco's reaction, said nothing but looked at him rather oddly. Derrick took a step back, while Yama shook her head sadly. Anna merely looked amused and raised an eyebrow. Anna decided that the tension was getting a bit thick and said, "Well, sorry to interrupt your happy little moment, but I still haven't introduced myself. I'm Anna, and I have the power of the Earth. Now that we've got that out of the way, we should probably start thinking about where we're going to sleep. Look, it's getting dark already!" And, sure enough, the sun was sinking.
The group walked around the island until they found a little chalet. Walking inside, they found a comfy little living room with two overstuffed armchairs and a sofa that was begging to be laid on. However, it had been a long day for all of them, and so after a quick tour of the bathrooms (three of them), the homey little kitchen, and the dining room with a cute little square table, the entire group set out to find the bedrooms on the second floor. As they looked into each bedroom, one person would inevitably go in and flop on the bed, thereby claiming the bedroom as their own. Finally, the only two people left were Draco and Ginny. As they approached the next door, Ginny grabbed Draco's arm and stopped him from opening the door. She kissed him on the cheek, whispered "Thank you," and then walked down to the last door, her door, and walked in without a backwards glance.
Nearly every fiber of Draco's being told him to go after her, grab her, and kiss her soundly, but all he did was stand outside his door with one hand on the door knob and the other touching the place that Ginny's lips had connected with his cheek. When she touched him it was as if warm water had been flicked on him, but with just one kiss, not even on the lips, it was as if he had been hit with a wave. Draco walked into his emerald green room, his feet sinking into the lush carpeting. He stripped down to his boxers and flopped onto his ornately carved bed, succumbing to the pull of dreams. That night, his dreams were filled with swirling ocean blue eyes and swishing sapphire hair.
"Thank you," she whispered. Ginny didn't know why she did it, but she pressed a kiss to his cheek. Maybe she was just yearning for the feeling he gave her, maybe she was simply expressing her thanks, all Ginny knew was that, rather than the swish she felt every time she touched Draco, it was as if a gust of wind had hit her, blowing all her hair back. Ginny pulled back and strode confidently into her room, shutting the door firmly behind her. As soon as it was closed, she fell back against it, pondering what made her do that. Ginny ran a bath and then slowly lowered herself down into the warm, soothing waters. As she took calming breaths in and out, Ginny felt her eyes beginning to drift close. As she was almost lulled to sleep, she thought, I wonder what Draco thinks of that kiss. Suddenly her eyes snapped open and she sat straight upwards. There was going to be a lot of thought tonight, because Ginevra Weasley had just made a startling realization.
She had a crush on Draco Malfoy.
The next morning dawned bright and clear, finding three people rested but slightly tired for the unfamiliarity of the beds, one person having slept exceedingly well having been comforted by pleasant dreams, and one person being severely sleep deprived do to an unexpected development that had required immediate thought. Yama walked out to the porch, preparing to do some yoga. Last night had, once again, been filled with dreams of a lost love. Yoga and meditation had been what helped her come to terms with the loss all those years ago, and, as a rule, she performed the calming mixture of the two that was all her own every morning.
It had been 67 years ago that Yama had almost lost all will to live.
67 years that she had spent wishing that she had died as well.
It had been her birthday. World War two was raging on, and most witches and wizards from Japan had apparated to friends and family in Europe. Yama and her family however, they were staying in Hiroshima-Under numerous protective crams, preventing any and all nuclear warfare from reaching them. Lin, Yama's only muggle friend and her secret love interest, lived at the other end of the island. As it was her birthday, Lin was planning on traveling to pay her a surprise visit. He was just outside of the wards protecting Yama's house when she saw him. Lin watched her as she ran out to meet him, tears of joy streaming down her face. Lin smiled. The woman he loved was here, right in front of him. If only she knew how he felt. If only she felt the same. Yama was right in front of him. Lin began to walk the last few feet, and then stopped in his tracks. Somewhere far off into the distance there was a boom, then nothing. Lin looked to her for the last time, love etched in every feature of his face, and she returned the look with twice the intensity. A look of realization crossed his face, quickly followed by a look of pain and desperation. He knew, just as she did, that that boom signified the dropping of the bomb that they had been warned of for weeks. Yama reached out to him, attempting to pull him under the protective wards with her, but couldn't reach. Suddenly the fire was upon them. Yama watched as Lin, her Lin, the only person she had ever truly loved, was burned alive. The world around Yama was nothing but red. All she could see was the image of Lin, his skin blistering and falling from his body before he became nothing but ash. She screamed, not wanting to accept that they would never get to share their love. Yama tried to walk, to run, to sprint to Lin, to let her enter into the inferno and join him, but someone was holding her back. She screamed at the top of her lungs, kicking, biting, punching, anything to get to her Lin. The strong arms holding her began to carry her back to the house, and as they crossed the threshold, she realized that that was it. He was gone, and she couldn't be with him again, unless… unless her life was also cut short. Yama sagged in the arms of whoever was carrying her, and right then and there, she let it all go. She screamed with all of her might, filling the house with the horrible, gut wrenching sound of a heart shattered to pieces. The arms released her, and she collapsed onto the ground, crying, sobbing, and heaving out her grief. Two hours later, Yama was still crouched in the foyer, sniffling. Sleep soon overcame her, and her brother, who had also been the one to carry her away from Lin, carried her up to her room and laid her in her bed.
Yama wouldn't speak to a soul for nearly two years after that. On her twenty second birthday, Yama's mother walked into the bathroom to find Yama lying in the tub, the water stained red, her eyes rolled back into her head. Her mother had pulled her out of the tub and called a healer, who healed the deep cuts running up her wrist and gave her endless amounts of blood replenishing potion. Yama had been saved that time. However, while she floated somewhere between life and death she realized something. If she died, then she would be giving up. Lin would never have wanted that. And so, as soon as she was able, she began meditating. She cleared her mind, and she confronted her own thoughts and fears. Yama began infusing this with calming yoga moves, sometimes spending over an hour completely stationary in a position that made others wince at just seeing it. By her twenty fifth birthday, Yama was the definition of calm. She had opened a small restaurant selling her noodles, and was planning on following through with this to her death. While it may not have been the life she had envisioned before, it was life nonetheless, and she was content with it. As the years passed, her siblings married and had kids and grandkids. Her mother died of a heart attack when Yama was seventy, and Yama's father followed her due to a stroke the next year. Yama accepted that she would die working in her noodle restaurant. And then, on the day of the elemental choosing, she was granted power of the spirits. Yama sighed and continued her yoga.
Anna pulled on her shorts and ran out to meet the warm ocean, running through the waves while giggling like a mad woman. Derrick sat on the sand, watching her with an amused smile. Derrick knew it was wrong, seeing as he had only met her the previous day, but he fancied the bubbly, high spirited girl. Anna looked over at him and motioned him over. He rolled up his jeans and walked out to her, and she took his hand. Derrick was rather shocked, but took it in stride. Together they jumped over the waves, Anna giggling and laughing, Derrick maintaining a lopsided grin and letting loose a chuckle every now and again.
Anna gave him sidelong glances as they jumped over the waves. He had the cutest dimples, and while some would find his arrogance frustrating, she found it endearing. Anna then realized, with all of the subtlety of an elephant in her little apartment, that she was falling for Derrick. And she was falling pretty damn fast.
Ginny blearily rubbed her eyes. She popped some toast in the toaster and waited for it to pop up, and somehow managed not to jump when it did. She plopped at the table and munched through her toast, and when it was finished, crawled back in bed. There was no way she would be able to face the day, or more specifically, Draco, when she was tired.
Meanwhile, Draco was walking through a little garden he had found in the back of the chalet, hands in his pockets, whistling the tune of a muggle song. Draco found a bench and sat on it, resting his arms on the back of it. Draco had a smile stretching from ear to ear. He had come to a realization last night as well, but unlike Ginny, he accepted it as a good thing. If Draco was truly honest with himself, he would say that he realized it when their eyes connected for the second time. His response to Ginny's kiss on the cheek was merely a great confirmation.
He, Draco Malfoy, son of the infamous Lucius Malfoy, fancied Ginny Weasley, who, as of her first year, had had her life royally fucked up by his father. And he was perfectly alright with that. Draco knew that there was no way that he would ever have a real chance with her; the kiss on the cheek was merely her expressing her thanks. Her heart already belonged to Potter. Draco had noticed Ginny when he was in his second year, seeing her for the first time at Flourish and Blott's. The first thought that crossed his mind was that she was really pretty, but that his father would never approve. Then she stood up for Potter with ferocity in her eyes that he knew was cause only by an exceedingly strong crush. He would have said love, but at her age that could never be it. That entire year she seemed to nearly worship Potter, which confirmed his suspicions of her crush. Of course, then she had had her near death experience, and his father decided that he made a good punching bag shortly thereafter, and she fell to the back of his radar and he virtually forgot about her. So now, four years later, Draco had no reason to believe that any of this had changed.
So why was he so happy? Well, Draco felt that she was truly becoming a friend to him. Not one like Pansy, who wanted only his body, Zabini, who was in it for the money, or Crabbe and Goyle who just wanted a reputation, but for him. For now, that was enough. Plus, there was also the fact that, if she never grew close to him… ahem… romantically, his father would never have cause to harm her. Well, any more than he had before this whole crazy elemental thing. Speaking of which, Draco knew that he wouldn't have to face his father for quite a while now, and so that also added to his happiness.
Aradia turned to Rama. "It's time. Let's go." Aradia and Rama simultaneously soared down to the island where five witches and wizards were going about their business, not realizing that today would be the first day of the most extensive training any of them had ever received.
Rama glanced around the kitchen and, seeing no one, sighed. It would appear that each person would have to be sought out. "I'll look through the house if you look in the garden and on the beach," Rama said to Aradia. He then walked up the stairs, not waiting for an answer. Aradia pursed her lips as he walked away, knowing it was too late to argue. Shaking her head, Aradia exited the house, walking toward the beach. As she neared the beach she heard the sounds of laughter. Finally she was close enough to see whose laughter it was.
Derrick and Anna were jumping around the waves, laughing like school children. Anna slipped into the water and pulled Derrick down with her, splashing him full in the face as soon as he landed. They proceeded to engage in a water fight. It seemed that nature was winning though- The waves themselves were doing the best job at splashing the both of them. Aradia walked forward, slightly regretting having to be the one to break up this happy moment. "Arcadia! Fintan! Please come here.' Aradia spoke with practiced authority. The two young people quickly scrambled over to her, Anna blushing slightly at having been watched while in such a child-like position. Aradia smiled reassuringly. With a wave of her hand, their soaking wet clothes and hair dried. "It is time to begin your training. Please wait for myself and Rama to arrive in the kitchen. We shall both be there in ten minutes." When they both nodded, Aradia turned and set off for the garden.
Anna and Derrick looked at each other and then walked towards the chalet. "So," Derrick began, "Where ya from?" "Chicago, Illinois. It's in the U.S. I would ask where you're from, but your accent says it all." Anna answered. "I've always loved Australian accents," she said absently. Derrick could tell she hadn't meant to say that out loud because her eyes immediately widened and a blush began to spread across her cheeks. Derrick smiled and pretended not to have heard. They kept walking in silence, and as they reached the door, he glanced over to see Anna staring at him intently. She then nodded, as if deciding something. She pulled open the door and walked inside confidently. Derrick shook his head and followed. If he had been able to see her face, he would have seen the very manifestation of happiness.
Rama opened the door to broom after room, finding empty bed after empty bed. He considered skipping the last door, but then thought better of it. Knowing his luck, that would be the one bedroom within which sat a person. He sighed and opened the door, fully expecting the room to be empty. However, he was almost startled to see a woman sitting on the edge of the bed, deep purple smudges marring her face directly under her eyes. She wore an expression of deep thought, and he was almost loathe to disturb her. "Naida?" Rama asked. Ginny looked up at him, startled. He saw recognition flash in her eyes. She knew who he was. "You will need to be in the kitchen in ten minutes' time." Rama then turned and walked downstairs. After scanning each remaining indoor room, he walked out to the porch to find an elderly woman in a painful looking yoga position, her eyes closed. "Kokoro," Rama called gently. The woman's eyes sprang open. She looked at him, warmth in her eyes. "Yes Rama?" she asked softly. "Please go to the kitchen. Aradia and I will be there in ten minutes." Rama then walked out and went out to the edge of the jungle to await Aradia.
Yama walked into the kitchen. Anna waved her over, and Yama sat next to her. They began to talk, and Yama learned, among other things, that Anna was a successful wizarding accountant. Meanwhile, Aradia walked down the path to the garden. Someone was whistling a happy muggle tune. Aradia walked further along the path, a small smile gracing her features. There was a glint of pale blonde, almost white. As she drew closer, the features of Draco Malfoy began to reveal themselves. He appeared to be utterly relaxed, as though he had not a care in the world. "Vayu?" Aradia spoke softly. Draco's eyes sprang open. "Vayu, I need you to go into the kitchen. Everyone else should be there. You can expect Rama and me to be there within the next ten minutes." Draco nodded, and Aradia swept away to meet Rama at the edge of the jungle.
Okay, well, I might not be updating next week. My laptop is acting up, and it's a miracle I got this on here! So, keep reading, and I 3 reviews! Don't be shy! Thanks to marinka for the great review(: