Ner words in this chapter: 3,000


"Talking Japanese"

[Talking English]

'Thinking'

{Talking on the phone/fireplace/two-way-mirror}

{Text message}

–Parseltongue–

Thinking in 3rd person POV/Dream/Memory/Flashback/Others

Letter/Journal/Book/Newspaper

Time change/Date of time

Change of POV


Chapter XIV

–Monk-sama–

Friday, 5 May 1995

HJP's POV

Harry accepted the teatray from Bella and climbed the stairs, joining Shingo on his own bedroom. He set down the tray in the desktop and set up the tea as the boy stayed kneeling on the floor with the look of someone who had kicked the puppy.

"What is her name, Shatei?" He wondered and the boy only tensed even more. Bull's-eye. "What did you do? Pull on her hair? Her skirt?"

"Broke her doll…"

Harry accepted the doll that the boy was taking from his bag that he had brought along. He groaned at seeing it was a porcelain doll.

"You're lucky, Snape-sensei has 'magical' glue."

Shingo looked up surprised. Harry picked the bag, set the doll back inside and took it downstairs, the shy boy tailing him ashamed. Professor Snape accepted the bag and looked at the broken doll before he looked up at the boy.

"I'll see what I can do, Tsukino-kun." The man argued.

"Thank you, Hakase. It's a very important doll. Mika-chan won a contest with it. She makes them herself…"

Professor Snape's lips thinned.

"Were you being picked on by other boys?"

Shingo raised his head immediately and looked surprised at the man.

"How did you…?"

"That's how I lost the friendship with Harry's" [mother.] The man argued. "Go apology or you'll regret for the rest of your life."

Professor Snape turned and entered the lab with the doll's bag. Shingo looked at Harry surprised.

"How much do you like her?" Harry asked as they climbed again.

"Mika-chan's my best friend." Shingo offered.

Harry nodded and messed with his hair.

"Then go apology." He agreed. "Might sound cheesy but females are like that. If you want her friendship then you have to prove it to her. Bring her the doll and explain how sorry you were."

"Aniki…"

Harry grinned back.

"There's school friends: those you talk with on a nowadays basis. Then there are real friends: a real friend will handle you at your best and at your worst." Shingo nodded. "Usagi-chan is that friend to me. Now is this girl that friend to you? Or is she a school friend?"

"A real friend." Shingo hurried to say, not even thinking twice.

"I guess you know what to do, then."

Shingo nodded, sipping from his tea.

–O&SM–

Saturday, 6 May 1995

Harry and Usagi leaned against Taitō's car while Shingo entered Kayama Mika's house alone with the restored doll.

"He needed a man-to-man talk." Harry explained to Usagi, while returning to her the mobile phone. "I guess he took me as a male model or something."

"He does call you Aniki." Usagi agreed. "I guess he hoped that we'd end up together."

"I don't wear a suit, a mask and a cape." Harry argued and Usagi snorted loudly. "Not to mention: Roses? The guy could use so many flowers in the world and he chose that one?"

"You are just mad because there's no guy to give you roses." Usagi argued and Harry stuttered in outrage. "Admit it. If a tall dark stranger showed up and gave you a rose, you'd be enchanted."

Harry huffed.

"I'm not that easy bought." He argued. "Unlike some."

Usagi laughed, only to stop when Shingo left even more depressed.

"Otōto?" She asked.

"Mika-chan refused my apologies. Even refused to look at the doll. Spent the whole time making new dolls…" Shingo run into Harry's arms, who hugged him and looked at Usagi unknown what to say now. "Aniki…"

"Hush. Let's go home and then we'll talk over what happened." Usagi offered soothingly.

Shingo nodded and climbed the backseat with Usagi on either side of Tommy's child-carseat. Harry sat down on the passenger seat and Taitō drove off without argument. They arrived the Tsukino Residence and Mrs Tsukino come out to reprimand her son, only to frown as the boy climbed out crying.

"I'm going to track down Senpai." Taitō put in and Harry looked at the Knight. "I felt his Aura all the way over that house Tsukino-kun entered." He explained once Shingo was out earshot.

Harry looked at Usagi entering the house with Tommy and her family, before he looked at Taitō.

"Want me to go with you?"

"Not today. Tsukino-kun needs you more than he needs his family." Taitō argued. "And I do not intend on fighting my Senpai."

Harry sighed, nodded and climbed out, Taitō driving off at all velocity. He walked inside to see Shingo by the dining table facing his parents as they spoke with him on what happened. He approached Usagi that had set Tommy down, who immediately run to his 'play' corner.

"Nephrite's involved." He whispered to her. "Jadeite-san just went to track him down."

Usagi's eyes grew. She looked at the whimpering Shingo and then back.

"We have to go before something bad really…"

"We don't know what he enchanted, do we?" He argued. "We'll go later today."

Usagi nodded and looked sadly at Shingo.

"Let Kayama-chan calm down a little." Harry offered and Shingo and the Tsukino couple looked back. "She is mad right now but, in a few days… by Monday she'll be calmer. You'll try again at apologising and returning the doll then, Shatei." By then hopefully Harry and Usagi would have destroyed whatever that Nephrite had enchanted.

Shingo looked at his parents and both nodded.

"Now upstairs. You are grounded for leaving without even telling us that you were going to Harry-san's house." Mr Tsukino ordered.

Shingo didn't argue and stood, going upstairs to his room. Usagi raised an eyebrow at her parents as they both stood.

"We don't blame you, Harry-kun." Mrs Tsukino put in soothingly. "Shingo-kun should have warned earlier though."

Harry nodded and sat down with Usagi in the living room, starting on their homework and her daily hour of tutoring.

–O&SM–

Monday, 8 May 1995

Fighting against a porcelain doll Yōma was the opposite of fun. It just kept merging back together!

Eventually Monday morning come and Harry watched as Shingo shyly approached the girl with the doll. She smiled and accepted it back.

Harry made an Ok sign as the boy entered his own school with his best friend and the boy mouthed thank you. Harry then rode on his bicycle to his school. He entered Teacher Higure's classroom with dread and set his plushie on his table facing the professor. Teacher Higure looked back at seeing it finished before she picked a paper from her teacher's table and approached his, setting it on his student table. She took his plushie and took it to the front as his classmates picked their plushies that they hadn't finished at home like him and continued sewing. The teacher picked her notes book and started taking notes on Harry's plushie. Harry looked at his page and saw a how to crochet a small blanket with a snake drawing in English. He looked up at the blushing woman, picked his kit for the teddy-plushie and started the new blanket, this time with an actual wool and knitting instead of stitching.

"Here you go." Harry looked up as Teacher Higure set down his teddy bear on his student table. "It's good." Harry nodded. "When you start on the changing colours call me that I'll help you. It can turn tricky to make the drawings."

"Yes, Higure-sensei." Harry agreed and continued crocheting. "Is… is crochet part of the class?" He asked as she helped him on how to hold the wool-line around his finger so it wouldn't mess up.

"I was going to suggest a scarf, but I do not believe your classmates will argue that you are crocheting a baby blanket instead." Teacher Higure looked around and all the classmates shook their heads, smiling at Harry. "You could do a snake-shaped scarf, but I do not believe that Potter-kun would use it as a scarf."

"Tommy got a new snake-plushie last Friday." Harry argued and the woman smiled back.

"A blanket also means more work but since you are ahead of your classmates, I believe you'll manage to finish it by the time they'll finish their scarves."

Harry nodded and continued the steps, being careful.

–O&SM–

Harry bowed his head at Chiba after setting Tommy on the floor, who paddled at all velocity behind the counter towards an amused Furuhata.

"Thank you for the snake-plushie last Friday."

Chiba nodded back.

"It was no problem."

"Still…"

"You really have low self-esteem, don't you, Potter-sama?"

Harry turned deep red, while listening to Tommy babbling thank you at Furuhata.

"I'm followed by a shrink because of that." He agreed shyly. "Every Monday at 3:30 pm."

Chiba hummed.

"I passed through the same." He offered. "It might sound crazy right now, but they know what they do, Potter-sama."

Harry snorted.

"Just Harry-kun is enough."

"Then it's Mamoru-kun and Motoki-kun, Harry-sama." Chiba Mamoru agreed, making Furuhata Motoki laugh as Harry glared at the title. "Have you ever played arcade games in the UK?"

Harry approached to check.

"My" [cousin] "had" [PC games?]

"Do you have a coin?" Harry looked through his wallet, took one out and sat beside Mamoru. "So, the trick is to touch these buttons to strike and these to walk, jump and duck. Got it?" Harry nodded and Mamoru turned the game on, sitting down besides Harry and grabbing the second set of buttons. "You are the one on your side of the screen."

Harry nodded and started clicking the buttons quickly like he used to do with Cousin Dudley's keyboard games back in England, while listening to Motoki talk with Tommy.

"So, what really happened at the photo session? The journalists are saying that Onmyōji-san and Sailor Moon even were on the location."

Harry's lips thinned. Wizard!

"A crazy dude stormed in and started striking at everyone." He explained as he avoided Mamoru's kick. "I arrived to find already almost everyone unconscious. Usagi-chan was hiding in a dressing room."

The other two nodded.

"Smart of her."

"Yeah… my Sensei won a crush on my housemate." He added, making Mamoru gasp and slip, what gave Harry the chance to take him out.

"For real?"

"«Monk-sama»." Harry agreed as he accepted Tommy back and Motoki chuckled. "«Potter-san, can you tell Monk-sama 'hello' from me?»"

"I'm already feeling pity for the man." Mamoru argued. "How are you going to Harajuku?"

"Bicycle. Taitō-san is refusing to drive me anywhere near Azabu-Jūban with fear of seeing my Sensei." He added, making the two older teenagers to laugh.

–O&SM–

Harry raised an eyebrow at Taitō.

"What did you tell Rei-chan?" He wondered as he looked at the burnt clothes and crisped hair.

Taitō grumbled under his breath as the House-elves used a wet rag on his skin to sooth the pain.

"Your Sensei came over today." Harry's eyes grew. "Hino-chan got furious that I was using the working at the shrine to get girlfriends – which really is what Hino-sama does anyway. She went ballistic. That I'm not a real priest and that shrines are not a way to get girls… I tried asking for her to teach me how to be a real priest then and she just shifted! She didn't even say a word to shift, she just did. I'm not even kidding. If I was a mundane I'd be dead!"

Harry passed a hand through his face, set Tommy down and turned towards the House-elves.

[Ask Professor Snape what is best to be used on magic burns.] They nodded and popped away, only to return with a balm that they started to use. "I'll talk with her… did she shift before people? Do I need to call the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office's members and send them to check whoever saw it?"

Taitō shook his head with a grumble as he let the House-elves work. Harry walked outside to make the call, but Rei refused to answer.

{Moshi moshi.}

{It's English-sama.} Harry offered.

{Harry-sama? Did you forget anything at the Game Centre Crown? Want me to check with Motoki-kun?}

{My Sensei visited Taitō-san at the shrine.}

Harry let Mamoru take the news in before the other groaned.

{Rei-chan got furious.}

{She threw him over the fire in the shrine praying room – most likely without realizing she was doing so –, I guess that she also fired him… and now she refuses my calls.}

{I'll call her.} Mamoru agreed.

{Thank you and I'm sorry for having to put you in the mix.}

{How bad is he?}

{Bella and Donna are filing his burnt skin with balms that Snape-sensei brewed himself after using a wet towel to bath him. His shrine clothes are history and his hairs are crisped.}

Mamoru groaned loudly.

{I'm not going to call her; I'm going there in person.}

Harry blushed but Mamoru had already hung-up. He entered again to see Tommy having fun at patting Taitō's burnt skin.

[Tom Marvolo Potter!] Harry snarled.

Tommy froze and looked back, before he put his hand in the balm, grabbed a handful and brought it to the burnt skin, starting to splash it around as a way of saying I'm sorry all the way under Harry's angry glare.

Eventually Harry helped Taitō to take out his shredded and burnt clothes so he'd put on one of Professor Snape's robes which were the only thing that wouldn't hurt him when used, while being mindful of his burnt skin. Harry frowned when the magic belongings started disappearing and two new slippers showed by the entrance, as well as the House-elves shifting themselves. The doorbell rang and Donna opened it as Bella picked Tommy and walked with him upstairs for his bath. Mamoru entered with an embarrassed Rei in her Miko clothes, who obviously had been scolded. Mamoru changed shoes quickly, before he approached and helped at putting the robe around Taitō since he was taller, not questioning over the cloth choice.

"Hino-sama told me to tell you that you are hired again." Mamoru put in. "If you still want it that is."

Taitō nodded as he stared at him.

"Thank you…"

"Chiba Mamoru, we've met before at the amusement park when talking about English-sama." Mamoru offered and turned towards Donna. [Mr Jedo Taitō can't eat anything heavy. Do you have soup ready?]

[Don…] Harry coughed. [I will check.] Donna agreed and walked away towards the kitchen.

Mamoru turned towards Rei with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't you have something to say, Rei-chan?"

Rei looked like she wanted to hide in a hole. Harry picked what was left of the shrine clothes and walked out to the laundry room with them alongside Mamoru, to give the two space to speak.

"You told her Ojīsama?"

"Rei-chan is only 14. She can be mature in a lot of aspects but still has a lot to learn. Although… I might have destroyed my relationship with her."

Harry stuttered as he set the clothes in the basket, knowing that the House-elves would look through it later.

"I…"

"Why do you think that Rei-chan got so furious?"

"Because her Ojī…" [wha…? Really?]

Mamoru nodded with a smile.

"And from the way he so obviously doesn't blame her – just mad that she had fired him – the feelings are mutual."

Harry groaned loudly.

"I'll never understand girls. Why do you date one if you like another?"

Mamoru laughed.

"Says the teen dating Odongo atama."

Harry rolled his eyes and Donna approached.

[Enough soup for everyone, Master Harry.]

[Very well, heat it up while I set the table.]

Donna nodded and run off.

"Your maid and manservant are odd."

Harry snorted and walked into the dining room, setting the table.

"When I moved in, they used their names and third person when speaking of themselves. And let's not talk about the verb conjugations…"

Mamoru nodded and eventually Taitō and Rei entered the dining room. The girl obviously unable to look at anyone in the face. Harry looked at Taitō, who was looking at Mamoru in a strange way.

What was wrong with him? It wasn't the first-time they met…

–O&SM–

Mamoru was getting ready to leave when Taitō finally turned towards Rei.

"You have to break-up with him… like in right now."

"What? There's no way!"

Harry smiled amused at Taitō's own way of showing jealously.

"Hino-chan…" Taitō groaned and looked out to be sure Mamoru was already on his motorbike, before he looked back. "That's" [Prince] "Endymion-sama!" Harry turned towards Taitō at once. "Chiba Mamoru is" [Prince] "Endymion-sama!" The Knight repeated to be sure they heard him right.

"No… it can't be… you are just saying that…"

Taitō groaned at Rei's refusal.

"Last time he was wearing sunglasses. This time I'm certain! You think I don't want to go to him, kneel and apology to the stars and back until he'll forgive me for my transgressions?"

Rei's eyes watered.

"Then why don't you…?"

"On the moment he awakes…" [Queen] "Beryl-sama will know. With Nephrite-senpai on our side? Maybe we can defend him, but not me and Potter-sama against three Shitennō, while you girls fight the decoy Yōmas…"

(TBC)


I'm sorry the delay but between old laptop not working to be able to post online (I use tablet with bluetooth keyboard to write) and literal oil to get into my eyes, I've been unable to post this week

Hell, my eyes are bloody red today

So if any typo? I'm sorry but today I cannot check

Next chapter: Love Letters

~Isys