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Chapter 3
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Series: Harry Potter, Saiyuki, Count Cain, Tenipuri
Warnings: Slash, violence, probably some unintended OOC-ness and full spoilers for all series
Disclaimers: All characters in this story do not belong to me, only the plot of this fanfic does.
Author's Notes: I'm still NOT getting the hang of writing this fic. I thought I did, and my dear Fuji-muse just HAD to make all sorts of trouble for me in this chapter. Goodness knows how many times I've re-written this chapter, and I'm still not really satisfied with it. Bleh. Forgive me, everyone. I promise a better next chapter, because my Tezuka-muse has finally come back from his vacation. ====================================================================================
" So, basically summarizing the situation, the main reason Echizen's being stalked by Fuji Syuusuke has a 90% to do with Yuuta," Inui announced calmly as he scribbled in his notebook.
" Ehh…" Ryoma grinned maliciously at Fuji Yuuta's obvious discomfort. "Your older brother's really protective of you, huh? Dearest Yuuta-otouto," he added.
" Don't call me that!" Yuuta snapped, flushing slightly with annoyance and embarrassment. " And as for aniki looking for your whereabouts, why do you think I took all the trouble to come to warn you?"
Ryoma shrugged nonchalantly. " Well then," he flickered a glance at Sengoku Kiyosumi and Akutsu Jin. " What're you two doing here for?"
" Ch. As if I wanted to be here," Akutsu muttered, looking utterly bored.
" Maa, maa," Sengoku waved a hand casually while leaning against Akutsu. " Jin was worried about you having a powerful stalker from the Fuji Clan and I wanted to know more about Yuuta's famous older brother."
Closing his eyes in exasperation, Akutsu snorted, " When the hell did I say I was worried?" Eyeing Ryoma's heck-care expression, he said, " I just wanted to make sure that he wouldn't get too cocky after defeating me, and lose at the hands of simply anyone else just because he let his guard down."
" Aniki is not 'simply anyone else'," Yuuta scowled blackly at Akutsu. " He's really very strong. One of the best mages in the world, he is," he announced proudly.
" Really?" Akutsu deliberately made his tone skeptical, as his glinting gold eyes focused on the young mage for daring to argue with him. " From your standards, I'd hardly believe it."
" Ssssssss…" Kaidoh's glare at Akutsu was just as cold as the one the latter gave Yuuta. " This coming from an exorcist who was defeated by a vampire doesn't sound convincing at all," he growled.
Turning his attention to the Viper of the House, Akutsu turned the menace in his glare up tenfold. Not to be beaten, Kaidoh maintained the staring match with equal ferocity. Any time, without warning, this could easily break into an extreme fight. Although judging from the room's occupants' expressions, they seemed more interested in the outcome than worried about it.
" Stupefy." Uttered a soft voice mildly.
The teacups on the long, rectangular and low wooden table, in front of Akutsu and Kaidoh respectively, burst into pieces as the Stunning Spell hit them, splashing the tea contents all over the floor and table.
Immensely startled, everyone looked up, effectively breaking up the staring match as well.
Remus Lupin calmly sat into the single sofa-chair at the head of the table. " Reparo," he murmured, as he waved his wand at the shattered pieces. As expected, the teacups became whole again. " Scourgify," he added to clean up the mess.
" I'm sure," Remus stated matter-of-factly, " That for now, it's more important for us to listen to what Yuuta has to say rather than indulging in play."
/And that was currently my first and last warning./ were the unsaid words that echoed loudly in the room.
There was a long pause as everyone in the room stared at Remus, each taking in his expression, and then the deceptively relaxed way he was holding his wand.
/Remus is definitely in a bad mood today./ Concluded both the residents and the visitors of the House.
" So…what are we going to do about the oncoming confrontation between aniki and Echizen?" Yuuta eyed Remus with some consternation and guilt. /This is all my fault, and now, even Remus-san is so openly displeased./
" Nothing." Remus answered dryly.
" Eh?!" Yuuta stared in amazement.
" We can't really do anything if Echizen refuses to tell us what happened," Inui agreed in a monotone.
Silence fell as everyone(except Ryoma) turned to look at Yuuta expectantly. Who blinked hard rapidly as he processed the information in his brain.
Leaping to his feet, Yuuta looked at Ryoma with a furious flush on his face. " Echizen!!" he yelled at the vampire, who turned his head immediately away to ignore the Mage. " You haven't told them yet?!"
Ryoma folded his arms. " Hmph."
" Ssssss…." Kaidoh looked ominously at the young mage. " Well?"
Yuuta looked both exasperated and indignant. " Echizen, you should be the one to tell them!" he accused. " You were the one that initiated the challenge to aniki at Isolan Plains the night after tomorrow!!"
" Iyada," Echizen opened one eye and smirked righteously at him. " You should be the one to tell the story, since you're the 'lead character' of this whole mess."
"……" Everyone eyed the vampire with mixed feelings. /So you do know this has really become a big 'mess', huh? And if you say Yuuta is the 'lead character', aren't you considered to be the 'lead antagonist' as well? Incorrigble, as always. Drat./
Yuuta collapsed back into the sofa and rested his forehead into his right palm. " Oh my…" he groaned. " This is certainly going to take a long time to explain…"
" Maa That's alright," Sengoku cheerfully waved a hand. " We have lots of time at the moment. Go at your own pace, Yuuta-kun."
" Feh. Things finally start to get explained, eh?" Akutsu snapped. " About time, as well."
" Not to say that this will be Ii Data too," Inui added almost absently as he started to scribble in his annoying notebook, ignoring all the pointed dirty looks from the others.
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" Hoi hoi, don't worry, Fuji!" a red-haired young man grinned at High Mage Fuji Syuusuke comfortingly. " We'll definitely save your otouto from the clutches of that vampire Echizen!"
" Eiji," Fuji smiled in response to the hyperactive young man's words. " I'm grateful that you and Oishi have agreed to help me. With the Golden Pair at my side, I can set my mind in peace even if they're holding Yuuta hostage while I battle Echizen Ryoma."
" Nya" Kikumaru Eiji waved a finger reprovingly. " We are best friends, Fuji! You don't have to be so formal! Right, Oishi?"
Oishi Syuuichirou nodded firmly at his partner's words. Looking worried, he added, " Don't tire yourself by worrying too much, Fuji. We'll definitely help you to save your brother, so you just need to focus your mind on the oncoming battle."
Fuji smiled at Oishi's kind words. " I don't think Echizen will allow any harm to come to Yuuta," he mused. " Since I'm quite sure he's trying to corrupt Yuuta against us instead, he'd have to obtain his trust first."
" How on earth did your brother get involved with a vampire, anyway?" Eiji tapped a finger against his lip thoughtfully. " And why would your brother believe in a vampire? We all know they're nothing but bad news."
" Eiji!" Oishi admonished him immediately. " You shouldn't talk about Fuji's brother like that!"
" It's alright, Oishi," Fuji shook his head. " Eiji's right. But I believe that Yuuta must have been bewitched and fallen into the vampire's trap. Yuuta, he's got potential, but he's still too young. That's why…" Fuji trailed off somewhat sadly.
" Fuji…" Eiji looked downcast at his friend's expression. " I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."
Maintaining his ever-present smile, Fuji shook his head. " Never mind," he said. " It's not your fault that Yuuta refused to listen to me and left to warn the vampire instead."
" The most important thing now is to reach the place of meeting as soon as possible," Oishi added, smiling comfortingly at both of them. " Let us finish our dinner before the food gets cold."
Knowing that what Oishi said made sense, Fuji smiled politely at the young waitress who had a faint blush on her cheeks as she filled his wine glass again, before turning back to his dinner and adding heaps of wasabi onto it.
/ 2 days from now, Echizen Ryoma, and we will meet at Isolan Plains. And you will pay for messing with a Fuji, especially with Yuuta!/
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"…And that's why aniki feels that Echizen has bewitched me," Yuuta sighed and grumbled. " Plus, he wouldn't listen when I tried to explain."
Silence reigned once more as Yuuta suddenly realized the error in his choice of words.
" Ha! Ha! Ha!" Akutsu threw his head back and unhesitatingly roared his amusement.
" Ahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!" Sengoku's following explosive laughter filled the room, over-riding Yuuta's red-faced splutters.
Inui felt his lips curve involuntarily and even Kaidoh looked amused. Remus twitched slightly with controlled laughter, covering his smile discreetly with his hand like a gentleman.
Needless to say, the only person other than Yuuta in the room that was not amused was Ryoma, who was now glaring stonily into empty space with his golden almond-eyes.
" Bewitched! Bewitched, eh?" Sengoku snickered madly as he leaned against Akutsu for support. " Echizen bewitch Yuuta? Ahahahahahaha!"
" Be quiet," Ryoma growled ominously.
" Bewitch, bewitched!!!" Sengoku continued to chortle. " Echizen, did you bed Yuuta as well after bewitching him? Or did you merely give him a rooooooooooomantic kiss?"
Open grins, snickers and smirks erupted immediately at Sengoku's question. The resident vampire glared warningly and menacingly at the occupants. By now, a gleam of silver had started to flash in his eyes.
Yuuta scowled ferociously, flushing so furiously, his face was a ripe tomato. " I meant," he corrected hastily, " That Aniki thinks that Echizen has hypnotized me without me realizing it."
" You must have spent too much company with those Mages," Akutsu mocked. " To actually make this mistake."
" Yuuta-kun," Sengoku agreed, his voice weak with laughter. " We all know how Echizen hates to be said to 'bewitch' anybody with the vampirism thrall."
Kaidoh closed his eyes with a supporting hiss to Sengoku's words. " It's an insult to Echizen," Inui added, grinning knowingly at Ryoma, whose eye-color had now started to gleam more clearly with a shade of moonlight-silver.
" It's ok, Yuuta," Remus spoke comfortingly to the now-mortified young mage. " Ryoma won't take this to heart. It's not your fault you said the wrong word, his actions brought it upon himself." The werewolf seemed to be in a better mood now, at Ryoma's expense.
The sulking vampire looked at Yuuta with reluctant forgiving. " Never. Ever. Repeat. This. Mistake. Again." he enunciated each word slowly, to which Yuuta nodded fervently.
" Well," Remus chuckled audibly as a sudden thought struck him. " At least Yuuta didn't say Ryoma tried to 'seduce' him."
This time, nobody except Ryoma bothered to hold in their amusement. Even Yuuta joined in the raucous laughter at Remus's words.
And all Ryoma could do was to sulk and be disagreeable throughout the whole night's discussion.
TBC
Started: Around mid-March? ;
Ended: 24th June 2004
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Author's Remarks:
Okay, I know the timeline's getting a bit confused, and that's due to the fact that I've deliberately left out some things in this chapter that will be explained in the next… ;;;
This isn't really a very elaborate chapter, it's more of a chapter to show the distinctive traits of the characters themselves, and of course, a little of the reason(s) as to why Fuji is 'stalking' Ryoma.
Read and review, please. Questions, comments are very welcomed.
Hints for next chapter:
1. In which we find out more about why Oishi and Eiji are now involved.
2. In which we find out why the hell Fuji is stalking Ryoma.
3. In which we find out how are Cain and Riff involved in this story. (As so many have asked.)
4.In which we find out about Love, Jealousy and Fights in this horribly twisted plot. .;;;
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