For all those who keep asking when things will show up/be explained, I have one answer: Eventually. The Digimon will appear eventually. The Yin and Yang will be explained eventually. I have everything planned out, it'll all come in…EVENTUALLY! (Most of it by Halloween…)
And to the person who keeps asking: The Takumi stuff will come in LATER. Okay?
Disclaimer: I don't Harry Potter or the characters of Digimon Frontier. I'm just weird.
Chapter 12: Adjustments To Be Made
Kouichi sighed, sitting on the windowsill next to his bed in the Slytherin dorms. It was actually quite nice down here, somewhere around the sixth level of the dungeons, the dormitory situated inside a large cliff face so that he was looking over the huge, inky black lake.
The room itself was round, its walls made of dark gray stone and decorated liberally with green and silver. It had one door, leading to the stairwell, and one window that sat directly opposite. The beds, five of them, were all made of a dark brown wood, probably oak, and had thick green curtains with silver trim. They were situated like spokes on a wagon wheel, with the head against the wall, a bed-stand next to each one holding a pitcher of water, a glass and a basin.
Speaking of glass…
He stood, crossing over to his own bed, which was just to the right of the window, and dug around in his bag. He pulled out the small vial Kenkyo-sensei had given him, pouring the liquid into the glass. The familiar smell of the Saisei potion filled his nostrils…vaguely like grass after a light rain.
He heard footsteps behind him and turned slightly to find the blonde from the carriage entering the room. Draco Malfoy, his name was. Listening to him talk, Kouichi had gotten a pretty good feel of his character…rich, probably more than a little spoiled, used to getting his way and being in charge, and with the rather unfortunate attitude towards muggle-born wizards that certain pure-blood families tended to harbor, mixed with a deep rivalry against Potter.
Despite his outward 'snobbishness' (for lack of a better word) Kouichi had gotten the feeling that maybe the boy wasn't as bad as he tried to look. After all, more than a few people had labeled his own lack of speech as a sign he wasn't worth talking to…
He abruptly realized Malfoy was speaking to him, and yanked his mind back to reality. "I'm sorry…what?"
"I said, what have you got there?" Malfoy demanded, pointing at the glass in his hand. "Only in school for a few hours and already trying unauthorized potions?"
"It isn't unauthorized." Kouichi turned his back to him again and swallowed the translucent blue liquid. It tasted roughly like the fake-cherry flavored cough syrup the nurse in elementary had made him take for a cold, except this was attempting to create a blueberry flavor.
He appreciated it. Usually, this stuff tasted more like shoe polish.
"If it isn't unauthorized, why are you taking it up here by yourself?" Draco pointed out coyly.
"Because it really isn't anyone else's business." Kouichi poured some water into his glass, getting the last remains of the potion as he drank it.
"Whatever." Malfoy sniffed airily, crossing to his own bed, which was just across the room from Kouichi's own. He lay down, putting his hands behind his head before he spoke again. "They're saying in the commons that one of the Gryffindor transfers is your brother. Is that true?"
Kouichi blinked, a bit surprised, but nodded a soft yes.
"Oh, really?" Malfoy sneered. "I wouldn't go around admitting something like that. It's almost shameful to be related to a Gryffindor. Nothing but Mudbloods and Muggle-lovers there."
Kouichi felt a defensive prickle on the back of his neck. His brother was not a 'Mudblood', whatever that meant, and there wasn't anything wrong with Muggle-born wizards! Sure, he himself was not exactly fond of the Muggle side of his heritage, but he had a good reason and he really liked Takuya's parents…
"And even when they do get someone with a half-way decent heritage…" Malfoy continued. "They're the worst kind. Those Weasleys and their lot, they're a disgrace. I can't believe they're even pure-blood, can you? The way their dad flounders over Muggles like that, and he can't even earn a decent meal…"
Pure-blood? Just how common could pure-bloods be in this part of the world? There had only been three in their class of thirty, including Izumi…
Oh. That prickle wasn't defensive.
Kouichi reached into his trunk, pulling out a pair of pajamas and reaching up to grab ahold of the curtains. Malfoy noticed this and sat up. "And what are you doing?"
"It's been a long day…" Kouichi muttered. "I'm going to bed. Onami-wa."
With that, he slid the curtains closed and dropped face-first onto the bed. He heard Draco muttering something along the lines of, "Whatever.", then the door closed. He was alone.
For a moment he just enjoyed the warmth of the sheets combined with the darkness of his curtains. Then he sighed and started to clear his mind a bit. It was time to see what Kouji wanted…
. . . . . .
The Gryffindor common room was warm and pleasant, full of plush, comfy, over-stuffed arm chairs with a large fire dancing merrily in the hearth. The sixth year boy's dorms had the same feeling of comfort, with its seven red-curtained beds around a small, glowing fire.
However, the common room was crowded with dozens of students, and the dorms had people entering and exiting constantly. Neither was quiet or peaceful, and Kouji really didn't want to be interrupted. Which was why he had retreated into the boy's bathroom.
It was a western-style bath, naturally enough, but it was as large and deep as a hot spring pool. There were also several individual shower stalls, a few toilets, and about a dozen sinks with mirrors above them
Kouji stepped into one of the showers, turning on the hot water full blast. There was a small bench inside the stall, which was good. No dizzy spells.
He adjust the head of the shower so that it sprayed onto the bench. He sat down and took a deep breath of the steam, which had the potent scent of some kind of soothing herbal potion. He leaned back against the wall, clearing his thoughts before opening the link.
"Kouichi…Can you hear me?"
He waited about five minutes, worrying slightly that the Slytherin commons were too far away for their connection. But after a moment, he felt a gentle prickle on the back of his neck and heard his twin's voice somewhere in the rear of his mind.
"I hear you, Kouji."
He couldn't help but grin a bit. This talking without speaking was so common to them now, but the first time it had scared them both out of their wits. Most identical twins, at least those with magic in them, had this kind of established connection.
"You think about that every time we do this." Kouichi accused jokingly.
"Well, it was funny."
"Ha ha."
Kouji at the odd sensation of breathing through a heavy cloth, then something soft pressing against his cheek. "Where are you?"
"In bed." Ah. That explained it. His brother was lying against a pillow. "Where are you? I smell lavender."
"Oh, is that what this is?" Kouji grinned despite himself. "It's mixed in with the bath water."
"You're taking a bath?" Kouichi's voice sounded more than a little accusing. "Kouji, you know that's dangerous…"
"Relax." Kouji grabbed the potion that was the equivalent of shampoo and squeezed some into his hand. "It's a shower, not a bath, and it's got a place to sit."
Kouichi sighed. He had been worried, of course, about their little habit… whenever they made this connection for even a little too long, one or the other of them had a tendency for very bad dizzy spells. As such, it was better to do this while sitting or lying down, and doing it while submerged in water was quite dangerous.
"So, how is it?" Kouji pressed. "Slytherin, I mean. Potter and Weasley don't seam to like them much, but how do you feel about it?"
"Not too bad, all things considered…" Kouichi paused a moment, contemplating his next words. "I've only gotten to talk to one of them, though…Draco Malfoy. You saw him, the blonde boy from the carriage this evening?"
"Yeah…" Kouji frowned, though his twin couldn't see it, and started rubbing the potion-shampoo into his hair. It foamed up almost instantly and turned an odd shade of chartreuse. "Potter seams to have a pretty sour history with that guy."
"There is no love lost between them, trust me." Kouichi yawned. "Malfoy spent half of dinner going on about how he'll 'show him up' this year…That, and beating Gryffindor in the Quidditch Cup Potter and Weasley explained to us."
"Don't tell Takuya about that one." Kouji grinned a bit, washing out his hair under the water.
Kouichi laughed slightly, then was quiet a moment. Finally, his voice came again, very soft and almost fearful-sounding.
"Kouji…do you believe in premonitions?"
His brother blinked. "What do you mean?"
"Like…dreams. Ones that…I don't know, tell the future."
Kouji contemplated a moment. "…Only priests get those, remember?" he pressed. "And even then they have all those herbs and things burning, who's to say it's not smoke-induced insanity?"
"…So you don't think anyone here could get one?"
"No." Kouji frowned. "Kouichi, is something wrong?"
"…Nothing." his brother's voice sounded lighter. "Just…tired…"
They were both quiet a moment, as Kouji listened to his brother's breathing get steadily slower. Then, almost suddenly, the link cut off.
Kouji grinned just a little, finishing his shower. Kouichi had fallen asleep.
TBC…
Onami-wa - Good night
