~Tears of a Phoenix~
A Fushigi Yuugi/Harry Potter Crossover
DISCLAIMER: Rowling-sama owns Harry Potter and Watase-sama owns Fushigi Yuugi. Chibigreen owns nothing, not even one bishounen… *cries SD style* I took a few direct quotes from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, but this mostly comprises of the Hogwarts Anthem.
~Chapter 4~
*Saihitei's POV*
We were all packed and ready to go. Our trunks and suitcases were carefully stacked on pushcarts with a cage that held our pets on top, and we were standing near a solid divider between platforms nine and ten. Hagrid had told us that we were supposed to go to platform nine and three-quarters, and then he disappeared without telling us where platform nine and three-quarters was.
That meant it was a slight shock for us when the older students began to run through the divider between platforms nine and ten, especially when they didn't come out the other side.
To calm our nerves, Keisuke told all of us new students that all we had to do was think that we could pass through it. If we had magical powers, then we could. It was that simple, he claimed.
And as I look at the brick divisor that I am supposed to run through, I realize that perhaps it is not so simple when your head is telling you that if you try, you will smash into it and regret it later. I still went when it was my turn, running so that I would not lose my nerve and actually get smashed, and through the bricks that were somehow not there I came onto an amazing sight: the Hogwarts Express.
Let me elaborate. It was not so much the train itself as the feeling that goes: We're finally going! We're going to learn magic! My family being a wizarding one, I have always wanted to learn the magicks that were so important to my family. But partly, it was the train, a red, old-fashioned yet modern train that seemed to give off a hint of old times not yet forgotten, but just changed. It reminded me of the wizarding world versus the Muggle world, but both were somehow combined in the train. It was also nice to look at, but it was not even close to being as beautiful as me.
When our group – Miaka, Juan, Doukun, and the others – were all across the barrier, we went into the train and chose two compartments for our use. Each compartment contained two seats that faced each other. The seats were large and soft, but you couldn't fit more than four per seat, and that was if you were squeezed together like sardines. I made sure that I had enough room around me that my hair or clothes wouldn't get mussed. It had taken me so long to comb it straight this morning, and I did not want to go through the ordeal again. I think it bothers some of my friends that I pay such detail to my looks.
Miaka, Yui, and Kourin were sitting on the seat across from Taka and I. (My other friends had made sure that Taka and Genrou were sitting in different compartments.) I'm glad that I had three girls my age as my friends who weren't chasing after me. The nerve of some people… I didn't need to be chased by girls, as well as some guys, two and three years older than me. I was only eleven, and yet they already liked me because of my obvious beauty. How weird can people be?
I sweatdropped as Miaka's stomach rumbled. "Miaka," Taka sighed, "just how hungry can you be all of the time?"
Yui said, "Actually, her stomach has been well-behaved lately. It's usually much worse."
"Yui-chan!" protested her best friend.
"It is."
As if to prove the point, another rumbling sound came from her stomach. Miaka blushed. "Does anyone have anything to eat?"
My snowy owl hooted at this. Like many of the owls, including Taka's Kryssa, Akia had not forgiven Miaka for the comment about eating owls. Our pets were with us in the compartment, but because they were wizarding pets, the two owls, two cats, and one fox thankfully did not try to kill or eat each other. Yui's white fox, Aisha, was having fun running around the compartment non-stop. Princess, Kourin's cat, just yawned and curled up more comfortably on her owner's lap. Keimei, Miaka's cat, had climbed up on the top of the seat and was busy trying to knock the ribbons off of Miaka's hair buns.
A woman pushed a cart full of candy up to the door to our compartment. "Would anyone like anything off of the cart?"
Miaka sweatdropped. "I don't have any money…" Her stomach growled again.
"I guess I'll buy some," I sighed. Anything would be better than having to hear it through the whole trip. Soon, a small pile of various candies, such as Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Cauldron Cakes, and other unusual candies was being passed around. I've never had any English wizard candy, so I was slightly surprised when I opened a box of the Every Flavor Beans and bit into a brown one, only to have it turn out to be wood. With a face, I swallowed it.
Seeing my expression, Kourin cautiously nibbled on an orange bean. Her face lit up. "Sherbet!" she exclaimed happily.
Soon, everyone was digging into a box of jellybeans to see what flavors they would get. "Cheeseburger," Yui proclaimed after eating a brownish yellow bean.
Taka bit into a strange silvery one, and his eyes widened. "Money," he sighed happily. I'm not even going to ask how he knows what money tastes like.
Another yellow one that Miaka took turned out to be… "Soap…"
After the jellybeans were finished, I took out a chocolate frog. To my great relief, it wasn't a real frog. It was just a milk chocolate in the shape of a frog. After some strange experiences with the jellybeans (that including tasting cat hair, hot peppers, and what I think was dirt), I was more than happy to bite into some nice and normal chocolate. Beneath the frog was a card that had a picture and a small biography of Merlin on it. Like all wizard pictures, it was moving. "Interesting," I said as I put the card down. "I think that you're supposed to collect them."
"Why worry about the cards? You can't eat them," said the same one who had gotten a soap-flavored bean as she bit into a Pumpkin Pastie. "This is more like it," she sighed happily.
I made sure that Miaka didn't consume all of the candy – after all, I had bought it – and stuck the extras in my trunk. "I'm going to visit the others," I announced as I stood up and made my way to the door. I walked down the corridor to the next compartment, where I found the wizard's equivalent of chaos.
Small fireworks were rocketing everywhere, and the effect was that various frightened pets were dashing around the room or hooting loudly in cages. Genrou was cheering and clapping wildly, and a blue-haired teenager that I didn't recognizing was continuing to light more of the wet-start fireworks by spitting on them. Then one rocket flew straight at my hair! I dodged it just in time, or else my hair might have been ruined!
Doukun was simply reading a book, Houjun was trying to stop the boy lighting fireworks, Kourin's twin was sitting as still as she could and had very wide eyes, and Juan wasn't paying it any attention as he tried to calm down Tama-neko. "Everyone, stop it!" I shouted as another one came perilously close to me. It got their attention, and everyone froze. "Just look at what you almost did! My hair could have been messed up, and I spent hours fixing it this morning!" I clapped a hand to my cheek. "And if it had damaged my face, I don't know what I'd do," I said dramatically.
I actually wasn't quite that vain, but it did get them to stop lighting fireworks. Genrou gave me a fanged grin. (Do you know how many people have asked him if he was a gaki? He has to keep on explaining that he is not a Japanese vampire, but he's always had large canines.) "Hey, Sai. What's up?"
"I was just getting away from Miaka," I replied as I took the last empty seat. "I bought some candy, and she ate almost half of it! I don't see how she does it."
The shortest of us looked up with a smile. "It's most likely the result of a high metabolism," Doukun went on to explain, "and if it is, that is why she can eat so much and still remain thin." He went back to his book, which was entitled Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling. I knew that he had already read through all of the other books for school. He claimed that they were interesting, but I was still disbelieving on that subject.
"The owls are still mad at her," I commented. "Whenever she mentions that she's hungry, at least one owl will glare at her." The elf owl, Chibigreen, seemed to find that statement hilarious, and she began to do her whistle/laugh again. Sansele, Genrou's owl, hooted at her, and finally she quieted down.
"I'm not surprised," Juan put in, "considering that she asked if owls were edible." As usual, Tama was purring and sitting on his shoulders. The cat nodded wisely in agreement. I agree with Doukun. That is not a normal cat.
"Kouji, maybe you should go back to your other friends," Genrou said. Another wicked grin covered his face. "I'm sure that your cat is missing you."
"I don't see why Keinami just keeps on latching onto me," said the older blue-haired boy, who I now knew as Kouji. "I mean, I walk into the same room as her, and BAM! I have a cat on me."
"Maybe she thinks that you're some hot star from a TV show," he suggested.
"Give me a break, bro. Me on a TV show? I don't think so," he shook his head as he began to walk out. "I just probably smell like catnip or something."
The redhead turned to me. "If you didn't pick it up, that's my older brother, Kouji. He's a really cool person, but don't tell him I ever said that." I nodded. I didn't know how it felt to have family members, but from the way my parents react to their brothers and sisters, I can certainly guess.
I, too, prepared to leave. "I believe we are almost at the school," I said to all of them. "We should change into our robes soon." With a cordial nod of my head (learned from the endless etiquette lessons my parents gave me), I left to follow my own advice. And my appearance was still undamaged even after I had changed into my black wizard's robe that served as the school uniform. In fact, the black even enhanced the looks of my face.
It was a good day, indeed.
********
When we reached the castle, Hagrid had again reappeared. I wondered how he got to the school without using the train, but then I decided that he had probably Apparated slightly off of school grounds. Apparating or Disapparating on Hogwarts was impossible. Apparation/Disapparation is equivalent to the Muggle legend of "teleportation."
"Firs' years, this way!" called the gigantic man while holding a lantern in his hands. Children began to crowd around him. "Over here! Firs' years! Any more of yeh firs' years around? Then let's go! C'mon!"
We all followed him. Our luggage was being taken onto the train separately, so we could walk fairly easily after Hagrid. I almost slipped a few times as the slight path sloped down towards a forest. Then it abruptly turned, and I received my first good look at Hogwarts.
Across a prodigious black lake, on top of a mountainous cliff, sat the humongous, amazing castle that was Hogwarts. There were so many windows, towers, and turrets that I could not even begin to count them! In the black, night sky, the castle seemed to sparkle beautifully. I wondered how any Muggles missed seeing it; it was as obvious to me as a hideous wart would be if it formed on my perfect nose. If there were Muggle Repelling Charms on it, it must have taken a horde of wizards to place them.
On the black lake floated many small wooden boats. "No more'n four to boat!" Hagrid called as they reached the edge of the lake. I entered a boat with Kourin, Houki, and Houjun. As soon as everyone was in, Hagrid gave one call, "FORWARD!" and then all the boats began to move off at once.
And I began to feel seasick. It wasn't too bad; there were any waves in the water to make it worse, but my stomach still began to protest eating those sweets on the train. Thankfully, I didn't need to… well, you know. It would've been disgusting, and I might of gotten something on my robes.
Then the boats reached a curtain of ivy that covered the face of the cliff, and Hagrid ordered us to duck. We did, and through the ivy we went into a low, underground passage that led to a rocky underground harbor. I gratefully removed myself from the boat and placed myself on the firm, pebble-strewn ground. I was already beginning to recover.
Hagrid led us up and up through a passage in the rock, and we finally came out so close to the castle that it seemed to caste a shadow over us. We were then led to the massive oak front door, and Hagrid knocked loudly three times. It opened immediately.
A stern-faced woman was standing there. She had a tight face the reminded me somewhat of a bird, but I could tell immediately that this was not the type of person that you wanted to laugh at, unless you also wanted to be severely punished.
"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid said formerly. It was like this was all some ancient ritual to welcome us to the castle. But then, I realized as I took a better look at Hogwarts, it probably was very, very old.
"Thank you, Hagrid," replied the tall, black-haired professor. "I will take them from here." I decided that they had done it so many times, it almost was a ritual for them.
The witch, who was wearing scarlet robes, led us past a chamber filled with the noisy chatter of students to a small, empty stone chamber. "The Sorting Ceremony will be taking place in a few moments in the Great Hall. It will place you into one of four houses, which will act like your family while you are at Hogwarts. You will sleep in your house dormitory, eat at your house table, and take classes with your house. There are four houses each with its own noble history that has produced outstanding witches and wizards. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin.
"You can earn or lose points for your house, based on if you do good deeds or bad, respectively. The house with the most points at the end of the year is awarded the house cup, a great honor. Now, I suggest that you – quietly – smarten yourselves up while you wait for the ceremony to begin." And then she left the room as various people tried to make themselves look better. I didn't try, but I knew that I looked good. I always did. Except, perhaps, for when I first woke up in the morning.
"What's the Sorting Ceremony?" I heard Doukun ask Genrou.
"All Kouji told me was it puts you in one of the four houses. He's a Gryffindor, I think."
This seemed to perplex him. "Is there anything else about it?" He seems to like going into situations knowing about what's going to happen.
"Yeah. I heard that the house that you go into depends on your attitude. Power-hungry people usually go into Slytherin – I heard that overall, that house is pretty nasty. People that are pretty loyal get put in Hufflepuff, and the people that are more intelligent than anything else are Ravenclaws. The bravest ones are supposed to be the Gryffindors, or at least that's what Kouji said."
The other people that heard that began to wonder what house they'd be in, and I wondered right along with them. Hopefully, I wouldn't go into Slytherin. I had heard from my parents that people still treated Hogwarts cautiously because the Dark Lord Voldemort had many servants (he called them Death Eaters) who had been in the Slytherin house at Hogwarts. Some of his followers in Japan had caused the Edo School of Magic to shut down, which had caused the potential magic users in Tokyo to be shuffled to Hogwarts. I explained all of this – quietly, as Professor McGonagall had ordered – to my friends.
Soon after, the strict professor returned. "Form a line and follow me," the professor ordered all of us. We fell dead silent, unusual for a group our age, and began our trek across the entrance hall and into the Great Hall.
Even while walking, it seemed to overpower the nervousness of having to face some sort of test just by how wondrous it seemed. The ceiling was the sky, or, more precisely, bewitched to look exactly like the sky. Candles floated in midair, and there were so many that they had no trouble at all in lighting up the entire hall, and it was more than large enough to fit in a large house. There were five long, great tables in the hall. Four were parallel to each other, and each represented one of the four houses. At the head of the hall was the last table, and on it sat all of the teachers, with the man who must have been Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, in a large wooden chair at the center.
There was one reason why You-Know-Who, as most of the wizarding world referred to Voldemort, had been able to send Death Eaters to attack many major wizarding schools, but not Hogwarts, and that reason was solely Professor Dumbledore. His name was strange, certainly, and he was quite old, but it was rumored that he was so powerful that even the Dark Lord had not wanted to fight him.
Professor McGonagall led us so that we were facing the tables full of students and had the teachers at our backs. Very quietly, the professor placed a very dirty and worn wizard's hat on a stool in front of the line. What on earth was that hat for? And it was so ugly.
But then a rip near the bottom of it opened like a mouth. "Ah, more Japanese students this year. But some of these are very unusual." I felt stunned that a hat was speaking. Yes, I have had mirrors, chess pieces, and even birds talk to me, but I have never heard of a talking hat. I figured that it probably did this every year, but that didn't explain the slightly confused looks on the faces of some of the older students' faces. "I have a special song in store for this year, yes indeed…" And the rip opened wider, and it broke out in song:
Long, long ago, there was a legendThe stuff of tales, you see
About four gods that guarded us
On earth, in the sky, and in the sea
Chosen were seven stars
And a priestess who was pure
One set for each guardian
So that from heaven the god they could lure
North, south, east, west
Four brothers they were said to be
Turtle, phoenix, dragon, cat
Much more powerful than you or me
This also tells what house fits you best
Phoenixes are Gryffindors, courageous in the south
They show chivalry and justice
That is not just word of mouth
But is Gryffindor the one for you?
Tigers, like the Hufflepuff, are loyal in the west
Patient and hard working, true to the end
They will keep on trying longer than the rest
But if you do not fit there, there are two houses more
Such as the Ravenclaws, the wise
Who are clever old turtles
And work for the truth and not lies
And if you don't fit in that, there is one house yet
There is Slytherin, the blue dragon, cunning and sly
They want to gain power, to rule in the sky
And will win by any means that they can apply
But who needs to worry?
I'm here, so be carefree!
I'm a wonderful cap that can think freely!
To find out your house, just try on me!
At that, the whole house broke out in applause, though some still looked slightly confused in my eyes. The Thinking Cap (for that's what I know knew it was) must have said something unusual. But I had no more time to think, for Professor McGonagall came in front with a large parchment scroll and announced, "When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted." She opened the scroll and called out the first name. "Ashippo, Kiba!" A large, hulking person (for an eleven year old) walked forward and sat on the stool. He put on the hat, and after a pause, it called out, "SLYTHERIN!" The table that was second to the right began to clap loudly as Kiba walked over.
The first person that I knew personally to get sorted was Houki. "RAVENCLAW!" She went to the table that was second to the right.
Then Professor McGonagall called, "Chou, Ryuuen!" and Kourin flinched slightly and walked forward. But she had said that her real name was Kourin… Why was she answering to Ryuuen, which was a boy's name? "GRYFFINDOR!" called the hat, and Kourin/Ryuuen went to the heavily applauding table on the far left.
A few names later, Yui became a Slytherin. That almost biased me against her, but I reminded myself that she had been nice enough, so the house she was in ought not to matter. First Genrou, then Juan, Doukun, Houjun, and Taka became Gryffindors. For Juan and Doukun, it had paused slightly longer than it normally did, but not by much. I was the next person. "Wong, Saihitei!"
I went forward to the stool, picked up the hat, sat down, and gingerly placed the disgusting thing on my head. "Tut, tut, that's not a very nice thought," it said privately to me. "I am a very nice hat, just a little dirty. But as for you… you are very conceited and vain, but the amount of courage is astounding. It's very nice. You will make a fine… GRYFFINDOR!" Glad to get the thing off of my head, and glad to be sorted into the same house as my friends, I took off the hat and went down to sit by them.
From my sleeve, I removed a small comb and a mirror to fix my hair as the first "W" was called. "Weasley, William!" A redheaded boy walked forward jauntily and was quickly put into Gryffindor.
Finally, Miaka was sorted. "GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted, and then Professor McGonagall removed the hat, the stool, and the scroll as Miaka took her seat.
There were shining, but empty, gold goblets, plates, and silverware in front of us. To drag our attention off of the table, Professor Dumbledore stood up and began to speak. His eyes were twinkling, and he certainly did not look as if he might be more than one hundred years old. "Hello! It is wonderful to see so many new faces this year at Hogwarts! Welcome to a new year! Soon we will feast, but for now, I will say a few words before we do: Ping! Kirin! It!" He sat down. "Thank you. Now let's eat!"
There was clapping and cheers from all around the hall in return to the "speech" from the slightly mad wizard. My parents mentioned that, too. They also said he was a genius and the best wizard in the world, but they did mention that he acted a bit unusual at times. But he was supposedly never harmful to you, unless, of course, you were a Dark wizard aiming at taking over the world.
Suddenly, tons of food materialized on the tables. There were many English foods that I had never seen before, but there were plenty of Japanese, and even some Chinese, food that had almost had my mouth watering. I calmly helped myself to some varieties of sushi, wasabi, and ginger. I noted that there were chopsticks included in the silverware, and then I began to delicately eat my dinner. Across from me, Miaka was piling whatever she could reach on her plate and then gobbling it down. It was almost disgusting to watch, but if I concentrated on eating the spicy salmon sushi, then I felt fine.
Then a silvery and translucent ghost floated down from the ceiling. "Hello," he said sadly.
Kouji, who was sitting down next to Genrou, called over, "What's bugging you, Nearly Headless Nick?"
"My name," the ghost said stiffly, "is Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington."
"Yeah, but you're Nearly Headless Nick. Will you show the first years why?"
"I suppose," said the ghost, who was dressed like a medieval nobleman. He tugged on his left ear, and his whole head fell to the side and showed quite well how he was nearly headless. I had to cover my face to not see the hideous sight. The reactions he got seemed to please him, but he still sighed sadly. "The Headless Hunt has refused me again because I 'lacked a proper beheading.'" He sighed. "I suppose that being the resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower is fine, but I want to try something new…"
"Yummy!" sighed Miaka in a different manner as she finished clearing her plate for the fourth or fifth time. It seemed that she was finally finished. She turned to Kourin, who was sitting to her right. "Kourin, why did they call you 'Ryuuen?' I thought that your real name was Kourin."
She did not answer because just then Dumbledore again spoke. As he stood, the last of the food disappeared. "Now that we have supped and drunk, I may have a few start-of-term notices.
"Students should take note that it is advisable to stay inside, unless an adult is present. We are still cleaning up the last of the unpleasant pranks that a Death Eater or two dropped on Hogwarts. And under no circumstances is anyone to go into the forest in the grounds. It is, and has always been, strictly forbidden." His twinkling eyes flashed cheerily over a few students across the hall.
"Also, Mr. Filch, our caretaker, has asked me to remind all students that he has again updated his list of law-breaking items, and it is hanging on his office's door if anyone would like to take a look at it. And, as always, I should remind you that no magic is to be used between classes while in the corridors.
"For second-years and up interested in playing Quidditch for your house," there were various noises of approval from across the hall, "Madam Hooch will be hold Quidditch trials next week. For more information, you should stop by her office.
"Finally, I must warn you that Madam Pince has recently added many new protection spells to the regular and forbidden books in the library. Be cautious about how you treat the books, or you may end up with one beating you on the head. Be careful, and try not to die a painful death before your time. Thank you.
"And now for the school anthem! Everyone, sing along to you favorite tune!" He flicked his wand, and a long, golden thread came out and formed into words.
"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Hoggy Hogwarts,
Teach us something please,
Whether we be old and bald
Or young with scabby knees,
Our heads could do with filling
With Some interesting stuff,
For now they're bare and full of air,
Dead flies and bits of fluff,
So teach us things worth knowing,
Bring back what we've forgot,
Just do your best, we'll do the rest,
And learn until our brains all rot."
"Music is such a wonderful magic," the headmaster said as he wiped his eyes. "And now it is time for bed! Good night!" One of the older students wearing a silver badge led me and the other Gryffindor first years to our house dormitories, and we received another glance at the many corridors of Hogwarts.
It was a very confusing place, with many turns and twists to it. In at least two places, we had to go through a door behind a portrait or a hanging tapestry, and in other places we were instructed to jump over certain steps; they were actually illusions of steps, or steps that could disappear at any moment. Some "doors" were actually walls pretending to be doors, and the people and things in the paintings hung on the wall could actually move. I'd seen that in photographs, of course, but I had never thought that the rule might apply to wizarding paintings.
Once we had climbed many, many tiring stairs – I expected that I looked not quite as good as I usually do – we reached a dead end corridor with a portrait of a fat lady in a pink dress on it. "Password?" asked the Fat Lady.
"Patronum," replied the student who had led us here.
"That is correct," said the lady, and her portrait swung forward to reveal a hole in the wall. We scrambled through it, and found ourselves in the Gryffindor common room. There were soft, cushiony seats, tables to do homework on, and a large, plushy red rug in front of a fireplace. There were also seven stairwells visible around the room, and our guide led them up the one closet to the portrait hole.
"This is the entrance to your dormitories," he said. "The rooms are enchanted so that a bed appears for every person sorted into the house, and the size of the room grows with it. Your trunks, and all of your pets except for owls, should already be in your dormitory room. Owls are housed in the Owlery. Ask a portrait how to get there if you're interested. The Owlery also houses school owls that you can use to mail anyone." At the top of the winding stairs were two doors. He pointed to the one on the left. "This is the boys dormitory, and the other door leads to the girl's dormitory. If you have any questions, ask me. My name is Alexander. I'll be in the common room for a few minutes before I go to bed." And he left us to our own devices, so the boys and the girls went into their separate dormitories to sleep.
I looked around the room, and I noticed that there were eleven beds, but only ten boys in the room. There was a nametag on each trunk, so I looked at the one on the bed next to mine, which was still empty after the other boys had claimed their beds. I paled at what it read, and the boy with the bed on the other side of it, Bill (officially William) Weasley also read it and said what I had been thinking.
"Kourin Chou. But isn't she a girl?"
And then the door to the room open, and Kourin was standing there and looking ashamed. She – or was it he – had tears in her/his eyes. Her/his eyes lighted on her/his trunk, and then he was running away and sobbing. Neither I nor anyone else in the room had any idea on how to react to the revelation that Kourin, one of the most feminine people I had ever met, was actually… She was actually…
…He was actually a guy!
Briefly I wondered if my jaw had reached the floor yet. It seemed oddly removed from the rest of my face.
Chibigreen's Notes: It was hard to write from Saihitei's point of view; I had to keep on reminding myself that he's pretty conceited… and rich… and that I made him come from a wizarding family, so he would know a lot about the non-Muggle world. I hope that the chapter didn't come out boring.
The pets are all chosen! ^___^ For Koutoku and Shunkaku is Yume no Kage as an owl. For Chuin (_) is wodenschild (sorry about that) as a cat. Shadow priestess is Houjun's fox (not a toad), and Sansele is Tasuki's owl. PrincessKitty-Chan is Ryuuen's cat, Misao is Houki's cat, Merigold is Kaen's cat, Kryssa is Taka's owl, Keinami is Kouji's cat, Keimei is Miaka's cat, Fox Girl Aisha is Yui's fox, Chachiri is Ayuru's owl, and Akia Starfrost is Saihitei's owl. If you want yourself (as a pet) to be a special type of owl (horned, barn, barred, screech, eagle, etc.) or cat (Maine coon, American curl, Persian, tabby, calico, etc.) or to have a special coloring, just let me know via review.
Today's recommendation: Between Seishi and Gods by Kryssa, who also happens to be a reviewer for this fic! Yay! I love that story.
If you want to be noted when this story is updated, leave your e-mail in a review. I won't be able to update for at least a week because I'm going on vacation.