CHAPTER FOUR: You Can Take Me To Heaven, Kimi Wa Angel.
TRANSLATION: Truly, you shouldn't need a translation for this, but the Japanese line is basically, You're an Angel, kapice?
This chapter was written to: Metamorphoze (Gackt), Ageha (w-inds.), Jyojyoushi (L'ArcenCiel), and Natsu Zora no Koi no Shi (w-inds.).
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REVIEWS:
TheShadowPanther: Why are you suddenly reviewing anonymously? But yeah, the girls RAAV the pokemon! Attacks or not. Yep, Draco's a little brat. Gohan should straighten him out. (smirk) And stop cackling, that's MY line.
For some reason, my e-mail isn't working right, so I have to check all of my accounts manually. Ugh.
And Florida has been nothing but rain for a week. I've said this before and I'll say it again, I. Hate. Florida. With. The. Passions. Of. Seventy. Five. Billion. Fiery. Hells. By the way, Hikari was NOT mistake. So there. I meant Hikari, NOT Kotoko-chan.
Different dragon, my friend.
MarshmellowDragon: Hi! No, I don't think she'd mind! (grin) But yep, you're right, Katana's gonna get BIG, I'm not quite sure just what I'm going to do with him….
Golden Warrior12: Fragile, huh? (raises eyebrow skeptically) Well, seeing as you've managed to stay with my stories thus far (Thank you thank you thank you!), I would beg to differ. Bad. Grades. Are. Bad. Study more, don't get grounded! "Don't play hooky or you'll miss the knowledge cookie!" And thank you for the compliments.
Sure, hand over the plushies (Sasuke, Gohan, and Hisoka) and I won't kill you. Yet. (cackles) J/K!
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Hate you Draco writing
Hate you too.Harry writing
Clam up, both of you. Gohan writing
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"I hate you."
"Shut up."
"You're an idiot."
"I told you, shut up, you stupid reptile!"
"Both of you shut up." Gohan growled in irritation, none of this being a particularly new occurrence. "Why do I choose friends who cause me so much trouble?" he asked of the heavens, with no obvious response."
"Because you put up with it." Draco told him half-seriously.
Hogwart's most unusual student had been there for just over a month, and now that it was early December, light snow was falling and blanketing the grounds in white fluff. So Gohan, being notoriously vehement about not being locked up, had taken to spending as little time as humanly (or saiyanly) possible inside. Studying outside, eating outside, and driving Draco completely up the wall by stuffing snow down his shirt outside. The blonde and Harry still fought like the proverbial cats and dogs, but now it was more a light bickering now, less hostile and much less violent, ever since Gohan had gotten fed up and punched them both right in the jaws, lightly for him, but a mark that lasted about a week.
That had been the first time he had actually made good in his promises to smack them both into the next month, and more than likely wouldn't be the last.
Sigh.
Gotcha! Kira shouted triumphantly, suddenly pouncing on Aoi and sending her flying into a snow bank; when the water type looked up she growled, and soon the two were rough-housing right in the piles of snow, good-naturedly nipping and growling at each other. Katana was on a blue leash walking cheerfully beside Gohan, who held the other end absently in his hand, smiling lightly every time the kitten mewed in curiosity at anything.
"You know what, hero?" Draco inquired, and Harry raised an eyebrow.
"What, reptile?"
"Our buddy here is one sick puppy."
"Why do you say that?"
"Just look at him!" the blonde exclaimed, and absently Gohan tuned in to hear what the boy was saying, "He's looking at that cat like he's it's mom, he doesn't care when his iguana scorches his sheets, and worst of all, he doesn't care at all that I'm insulting him right now! Oi, listen to me when I'm making fun of you!" he demanded, and the saiyan glanced at him, face bland.
"Sorry, what were you saying? I wasn't listening." a mellow smirk graced his features when Draco scowled and began ranting about the injustices of the world to a rather amused Harry, whilst Gohan looked on, laughing.
It was amazing.
Amazing that in one short month, the two people with the highest voted chance of murdering each other before their fifth year would ever be walking together, never mind even speaking civilly to one another. Amazing that Draco Malfoy would ever be caught walking in public covered in Strasah fur from a rambunctious kitten. Amazing that Harry Potter would ever flick mashed potatoes off of his fork across the table at Hermione Granger when he got unusually irritated with her. Amazing that the both of them would get smacked by an extremely irate saiyan.
"You're so mean to me." Draco complained, tossing his head and picking up Katana to set him on his shoulder.
"Yes, so says the reptile." Harry said loftily.
"Yes, indeed." Gohan agreed, "And what was it you told me the second day, Slytherin Pride? Rule number one, kick all Gryffindorks. Rule number two, no bitching."
Whoopsie, Master said the 'bitch' word! Aoi cooed cheerfully from where she was now trotting easily to keep up with Gohan's stride.
"Clam up." the hybrid told her, and laughed when she swiped at him with a paw.
"Hey, what's that?" Draco suddenly spoke up, pointing a finger, "What in Merlin's crotch are those doing in a place like this!"
Gohan blinked at the unexpected swear and turned his head, only to almost squeal with delight.
"Good god, what is wrong with you?" Draco asked, watching, dumbstruck, as Gohan dashed off past Hagrid's hut and bounding up onto a fence surrounding a field.
"Wow, something I recognize!" he exclaimed, eyeing the animals in awestruck fascination. "I never even dreamed that I would ever see anything like this, even in books!" Never had either of them seen him so positively giddy.
In the field was a herd of pristine white unicorns, with several golden foals and one exceptionally large creature that Gohan assumed was the leader. At the commotion at the fence, the big one picked his head up, snorted, and began thundering in their general direction at a brisk canter, ground shaking beneath his golden hooves, just as Gohan vaulted the fence and landed on his feet. The stallion stopped about a foot away, sensing that Gohan wasn't scared of him and was making no move to step away.
The hybrid didn't step closer, but only leaned forward slightly, taking in the unicorn's sturdy but somehow still delicate frame.
"Oh wow, you're beautiful," he crooned lovingly, watching in delight as the stallion flicked his ears back and forth to his voice, swished his tail, and snorted slightly, obviously trying to figure out whether this strange two-legger was a danger. "Oh don't worry, love, I won't hurt you or your mares. I just want to look at you and smother your gorgeous self with flattery and stuff you full of apple treats just for being so lovely…"
"Yeah, strike four." Draco commented, watching his friend, "Doesn't have a shred of manly pride and is fully content to sit on a fence and coo praises to a unicorn. Oh yeah, that's masculinity right there."
"Shut up, Draco-kun," Gohan commanded in the same sweet, sugary tone, and continued to talk, "Ignore him, he doesn't know beauty even it came up and bit him on his butt. In fact, he would more than likely turn right around and pick a fight with it- naaa?" he trailed off when the stallion suddenly made his way forward several steps and abruptly began snuffling at Gohan's hair, breathing sweetly into his face, and scratching an itch contentedly against the boy's shoulder's.
Gohan stood stock still, and even Draco shut up to watch, stunned, as the leader of the herd openly accepted this strange human (saiyan, whatever) as an equal. Slowly, not wanting to frighten him, Gohan raised a hand and set it gently on the unicorn's forehead and began to rub under his forelock; the delicately ears pricked up and the now soft brown eyes half-closed with pleasure.
"Oh my god, I can't believe that I am doing this." the hybrid said quietly, as if not even trusting his eyes, "I cannot believe that I am standing here, petting a unicorn."
"Are you kidding? I can't believe it either!" Harry murmured, voice unusually soft.
"Wait a second!" Gohan declared, reaching into his coat, "I think I might actually have something for you." he rummaged into his pockets for several seconds, before pulling them out, revealing a handful of apple shaped cookies. "Never leave home without them," he said, "For you never know when you might need them!" With that, he held out his hand, offering the cookies to the unicorn, who sniffed then picked them up delicately in his lips, not showing a single hint of tooth. "Wahoo, I just fed a unicorn my apple treats, and he liked them!"
"Oh yeah, you're absolutely pathetic. What kind of Slytherin are you?"
-------- (OMG, I can't write Hagrid's accent worth crap, so I'm gonna b.s.!)
"The project you will be workin' on for the next week will consist o' this. I want yeh to pick an animal you wan' ta study, and write a report about it. Then when yeh're done, you'll say them in front of the class, and if the animal is acceptable I might consider bringing it in to show yehs." Hagrid told them. Gohan blinked. Did none of them have a clue that the man had a herd of unicorns in the field behind his hut? What the hell!
Actually, more than likely not.
Sigh.
Such wasted youth.
I think we know what animal Gohan's doing. Draco wrote, passing the paper to Harry across the table.
Why are we still doing this when we can mind link?
Because it's more fun this way, hero.
Don't leave me out, you jerks!
Rule number two.
Enough with the rules, reptile.
Who asked you?
ENOUGH! Draco-kun, what animal are you doing?
A dragon. Easy to do, and dangerous enough so that I'm in no position to get eaten.
Don't be so sure about that.
Nani?
Language check.
Oh, sorry. Gohan wrote. What?
Yeah, one year, Hagrid tried to raise a dragon in his hut. Thanks to the reptile, his heart was broken and he had to send it away.
A dragon? How cool!
Not another one. Please God, I can't handle another one.
Not nice.
That's not in my job description, sorry, sweetheart.
What animal are you doing, Harry-kun?
I'm thinking a hippogriff. We haven't done them yet, and I'd really like to see one. Harry scrawled quickly, It figures that the reptile would want to do something easy. Is that in the Slytherin Code of Conduct as well?
Pretty damn close, Gohan replied, I believe that if you want to get technical, it says, and I quote, "The proper Slytherin needs not worry about schoolwork other than the class of one, Severus Snape." It's like a cult, I'm telling you!
It's not that bad.
Are you serious?
"Could yeh please pay attention?" Hagrid's booming voice thundered across the room, and the trio looked up, Harry blinking sheepishly, Gohan having the grace to blush and look embarrassed, while Draco did absolutely nothing of the sort and merely stared back at the man calmly.
"Anou, gomen, sensei." Gohan said quietly, "For that thing too." he added, pointing a finger at the apathetic Draco, "He's sorry too."
"Are you kidding? No, I'm not."
"Yes, you are, now shut up." Harry commanded, and Draco glared.
"Bring it one, hero, I can take you!"
"I told you the first day," Gohan snarled, "No one will be taking anyone! Now quit acting like little kids, before I hit you both like I did last time!" For several seconds, it was dead silent, before the unthinkable happened. Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter backed down.
"Okay, okay, calm down." Draco told him, gingerly, "Don't get in a tizzy." Quiet, Gohan sat back down, calming his temper.
"Anou, this one is sorry about that. I didn't mean to lose my head." he apologized genuinely, bowing his head.
"Meh, no worries." Harry told him mildly, ruffling his hair, a gesture that Gohan openly despised and was generally associated with Sasuke. The boy scowled and pulled away, just as Draco smacked him on the head.
"Hey, what have I told you? Don't go baring your neck to stupid people!" he scolded, and Harry promptly glared at him.
"Don't be such an ass!"
"You know you like my ass."
"Could the two of yeh just stop?"
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"Gazer, would you be considered tamable?" Gohan inquired several days later, sitting on the snow in front of the unicorn paddock. At his voice, the creature picked up his head, glanced the hybrid's way, and snorted, sounding affronted. "Guess that's a no, then." Gohan mused. After a few minutes, he stuck the spiral notebook with his essay in it in his bag and stood, climbing over the fence to meet Gazer, who sniffed at his pockets, nickering, before lowering his head and rubbing up against Gohan's shoulder, being careful with his horn.
For some strange reason, the boy wasn't able to understand any of the unicorns, so when dealing with the temperamental Gazer he had been forced to revert to apple treats, praise, patience, and some old reliable horse sense. Good thing he had experience in working with Ponyta and Rapidash with Professor Oak, ne? Gazer snorted affectionately, nuzzling at Gohan's hands, and the boy sat down against the fence, beaming when he realized that he was being tailed by Gazer, and a particularly bold foal who was being followed by her watchful mother.
"Hi there, beautiful," he cooed to the baby, hardly making a move as the little one sniffed his face, breathed his scent in, and nuzzled his neck curiously, wondering just what this strange creature was that her herd leader would accept him. Eventually, the mother stepped gingerly forward and Gohan dared to stroke her nose before both he and the unicorn backed away as one. Personally, he was thrilled that they would dare come near him, much less let him touch them, so it was in no way a disappointment.
You're easy to please. Kira told him lightly, lying on her back in the snow with Katana, That's what I like. You don't want fanfare and extravagancies, so we don't really have to worry about blowing things out of proportion for you to get it. She kicked her legs, inciting the kitten into a game of pounce. Gohan blinked.
"Really? Am I that easy to read?"
Easy to read? No. Well, it's pretty easy for us, but that's not the point, master. Aoi told him mildly, I think that Kira means that simple stuff makes you happy, as opposed to power or lots and lots of minions, or something.
"Minions might be nice…"
Don't even joke of such things, master. Aoi scolded him, One day, someone might take you seriously.
Suddenly, Gazer's head whipped up from where he was contentedly grazing on what little grass was poking up, and he let out a shrill, fierce whinny, and Gohan stood, walking over to stroke his neck.
"What's wrong, Gazer?" he inquired, worried at what was making Gazer so upset; the unicorn was one of the most courageous creatures he'd ever met! Then, a rustling sound met his ears, and nervously his eyes and the unicorn's both were drawn to a bush.
It rustled, and Gazer's nostrils flared in fear; he tossed his head.
"Easy, easy," Gohan murmured, "It's alright."
Be careful. Pikachu ordered, ears twitching, Don't be reckless. Slytherin code.
"Enough with the code, I'll be fine, relax." Gohan reassured her, sliding through the fence and making his way to the bush. It rustled again, and Gazer stomped a hoof against the dirt, snorting. Suddenly, the saiyan felt cold and scared, a feeling that he was all too used to, isolated and lonely, and he pressed on, leaning down to kneel on the ground in front of the bush.
Please, master, don't get hurt. Aoi murmured, hackles raising, I don't like this.
Slowly, Gohan peeled back the thick layer of foliage, and reeled back as a huge something lunged forward, jaws snapping, just as Gazer took a running leap and jumped the fence, hooves flying, to land in front of him. One strong back leg kicked out and caught the animal right in the side, throwing it back into the forest. Pained yelping was heard several moments later, and the saiyan's conscience twinged angrily as he got to his feet, patting a still-skittish Gazer on the neck.
What the hell are you doing! Pikachu shouted at him, That thing could have killed you, you BONEHEAD! Ignoring her, Gohan shoved through the bushes, and she followed him, cursing in frustration, tailed by Aoi, Katana, and Gazer.
"Pikachu, please." Gohan said, "It was my fault anyway, I provoked it, whatever it was."
You did no such thing!
"Of course I did. If I had left it alone it might not have reacted-"
"What are you doing in here, little dragon child?" A mild voice called out from behind him, and the boy whirled, instinctively charging some ki into his fists, only to face a creature he had only read about. Half man, half horse, the being tilted his head at him. "Put down your weapons, dragon child, I will not harm you." Then, at a snort, his amber gaze was drawn to Gazer. "The young unicorn lord is scolding you. He says that you should not be in here, and that you should follow him out before he drags you."
"But, that animal! I want to know if it's okay!" Gohan protested, and was cut off by a hand.
"I would listen to him. This forest is a dangerous place even for one such as yourself. Please, turn back, dragon child. If it consoles you, I will seek out what you worry so much about, and if I find it, I will let you know. Now, go."
That said, Gazer stepped forward and grabbed the boy's sleeve in his teeth and made good on his promise to begin dragging Gohan out by himself.
"Wait! What's your name?"
The centaur blinked.
"I am known as Firenze. I hope we meet again, little dragon child." Then he stopped, and stared at Gazer. "Watch out for your foal, unicorn lord, he is trouble." Gazer snorted in agreement and Gohan went pink.
"I wanna understand him." he complained lightly as he was promptly dragged out.
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"Are you insane?" Draco asked incredulously, "Have you no sense of self-preservation? Are you some sort of Gryffindor? YOU IDIOT BONEHEAD!"
"You know," Gohan mused, "I got the exact same reaction from pikachu. You two are conspiring against me."
"No, I really don't think that the reptile has the brains to do that," Harry cut in, "But I hate to say it; they're both right. You could have been hurt, badly!" Slowly, Gohan stared at the tabletop, starting to feel a bit bad about the whole thing.
"Look, I'm sorry." he said, "But it was my fault. If it died, it would have been my fault if I didn't get it help. I know you guys think it's dumb, I mean, doing something like that, but I can't help it." Harry sighed, and reached out a hand to ruffle an exceptionally unwilling Gohan's hair.
"Meh, it's okay."
"WHAT ABOUT THE CODE!"
"Oh, for God's sakes, reptile, forget the damn code. No one follows it anyways."
"I do."
"Well, that's because you are a sheep. Baaaaaaa!"
"I am not a sheep!"
"You are too! A blonde, scaly sheep!"
"Gohan, he's picking on me!"
For several seconds, Gohan just sat there, staring, before suddenly bursting into laughter, as opposed to scolding the two for pissing him off.
"What exactly is so funny?" the blonde asked, tilting his head. "Normally, you'd knock my block off."
"Thanks." Gohan said, suddenly serious, and Draco blinked.
"Ne? For what, Slythindork?"
"For not letting things get too serious."
And all three of them could tell that he meant it.
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"Okay, let's see. Repeat that." Gohan suggested, sitting on the snow, Gazer standing over him and watching curiously out of his big brown eyes. "I'm serious, repeat what you said.
You---interesting--foal.
"Well, I got something, at least." he murmured, flopping down on his back. "I guess this is like before, when I had to get to know the creature before I could understand it. I kind of like it this way, too, I like having to work for something. So, Gazer, you can understand me, right?"
---Course.
"Please repeat that?"
Of course. ----of course.
"Of course…I said of course?" Gohan asked hopefully, and Gazer threw his head, tossing his mane and nickering happily. "Guess that's a yes! I'm finally getting this!" Then he tilted his head, picking up some snow and packing it tight in his hand, "You don't mind the name I gave you, do you? I never thought to ask you if it was alright."
---fine. I---it.
"Repeat?"
It. Is. Fine. Gazer said slowly and clearly, I. Like. It.
"I'm glad. By the way, thank you for helping me. It normally takes me awhile to get this, and I know it must get aggravating, repeating things all the time, like a parrot. But if you keep it up, I'll understand soon."
It's ---. You--doing---well. It's. Fine. You. Are. Doing. Very. Well.
"Thank you, again."
It is not a problem.
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"Good morning, class."
"Good morning, professor Lupin." the class echoed back, with one muttered ohayo. Said man stepped back and surveyed the lot of them with an amber eyes.
"Can anyone guess what we're doing this morning?" he asked, and gestured to a cage with a black cloak draped over it. "No? I'll give you a hint. It's cute, fat, and could take your head off. Still no takers?" he inquired, then reached out and whipped off the cloak. The class sat in silence, stunned, until one voice broke out.
"That's a dragon!"
Then, other voices joined it.
"A dragon? You can't bring one in here!"
"What the hell!"
"YATTA!" Gohan suddenly shouted, leaping to his feet, "Can I get closer, onegai! Please, can I see it?" he exclaimed eagerly, and without waiting for an answer, kneeled down next to the cage, gazing in rapture at the tiny animal that was curled up in a small ball, staring, looking through terrified golden eyes at the class. "Hey, it's okay, Ryuu-chan," he crooned, "Watashi o itameranai." With a soft chitter, the dragon stared up at him and cooed right back.
"Hey, it could hurt you!" Professor Lupin told him, "Be careful."
The dragon promptly shot a spout of fire at the teacher, however, it bounced back against the cage.
"You poor thing," the saiyan said, "You shouldn't be here, little one. Where is your mother?"
"She's dead," Lupin said, eyes solemn, "She was killed in a poaching raid for her bones several weeks ago, the baby is only about a month at most." Gohan's eyes widened, and slowly, carefully, he fitted a slender finger through the bars of the cage, despite the teacher's protests. The baby dragon licked his hand.
"Oh, you poor thing. You poor, poor baby." he breathed, ebony eyes beginning to well up despite himself. Damn the ever-present sap that Draco hit him for.
"Oh, please don't look like that." Harry told him, coming up to stand beside him, "Do anything but look so sad as that."
"Oh, please, you sap. Don't be so schmoopy." Draco ordered from his other side, steel eyes masking his own sadness, "You're a Slytherin, act like it."
For once, no one yelled at him about it.
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Gohan was seriously beginning to doubt Harry's sanity. Not only was the boy sneaking down the hallway in an invisibility cloak, but he was also doing it late at night, completely out of bounds, and far too late not to be sleeping. Also, let us mention that he, for all purposes, should have noticed the half-saiyan and several of his guardians stalking him down the halls in an effort to make sure he didn't kill himself.
Where is he going? The boy mused to himself, Doesn't he know that it's dangerous here? And then, he turned to Kira and Aoi, as Pikachu had stayed to watch after Hikaru and Katana. And you guys, why are you following me?
Honestly, the Delcatty replied, What sort of guardians would we be if we didn't look after you? If you think for one second that we are going to let you go tromping through this school in the dead of night without us, well, Pikachu must be right and you are a bonehead, as she so eloquently puts it.
Shut up, please. Gohan told her, What I want to know, though, is just where that guy is heading- Oh hell no! he exclaimed indignantly, hackles raising as Harry entered the classroom of Remus Lupin.
What's wrong? Don't you like him?
No, I don't. Gohan answered shortly, slipping in the door seconds later. Not at all.
Why?
I just don't. He unsettles me- the boy trailed off and Harry readied his wand and Lupin flipped open a suitcase, What is he doing-? What the hell!
As the suitcase was opened, a wispy, robed creature wafted out of it.
The second that.. that disgusting creature showed itself, Gohan felt a piercing, chilling blanket of cold wash over him. He couldn't move.. then suddenly, voices came to him, rendering him shocked and terrified.
"Gohan! Finish him off, Gohan!"
"No. I want him to suffer for all that he's done. He deserves it."
"Gohan, please, we're begging you! Finish him off now!"
"Goku, what's wrong with you, he's a child!"
" He's the only one who can save the planet."
"He's your son!"
"Oh my Kami! He's going to self destruct! Gohan, take him down now!"
"No. I want him to suffer."
"Get out of there, now!"
"Goodbye..."
"I hate you."
"I hate you."
"You aren't my son."
"Die."
For seconds, Gohan heard those voices echo in his head, and painfully, his heart twisted in his chest. With a strangled sob, he collapsed, and Kira and Aoi leapt to their feet, nudging him frantically. Unknowingly, the saiyan had let down his guard down.
At this point, Lupin had had Harry sitting down in a chair. The boy was shaking and in near hysterics. Tonight his mind seemed to be on something else, other than training. Suddenly, Lupin heard a thud in the back, and he whirled, to see a boy of about Harry's age, lying down on the floor. With a start, he realized that it was the Slytherin third year that Harry had appeared so close to. With a sick feeling, Remus recalled that Gohan hadn't seemed to like him very much.
But this time, the teen was the opposite of how he had seen him last. Vulnerable, and Remus realized with a start that he was shaking and shivering with sobs. Obviously, the Dementor had effected him too. But the only person he had ever seen effected like that was Harry, and that was one of scariest things to see. Lupin gaped open mouthed at the two creatures who stood by the saiyan's sides, nudging him, and making strange, whimpering noises. Almost like talking.
Harry looked up at the same moment Remus did, and instantly his jaw dropped, before he leapt to his feet, despite Lupin's protests and kneeled down beside his friend. Kira and Aoi let him through. After hearing about Harry from their trainer and friend, and hearing of how much Gohan seemed to like him, they had decided that if he was good in Gohan's book, he was good in theirs.
"Gohan!" Harry yelped, and a hand on his shoulder steadied him, soothingly. Lupin's.
"Go back and sit down." With that, Remus conjured another chair, and as Harry obeyed, made to pick up the third year who was motionlessly lying on his side. This was NOT a good idea to do around overprotective guardians. The moment Remus touched Gohan, Kira and Aoi leapt forward, teeth bared and hackles raised angrily. They would have taken a chunk out of him, too, if Gohan hadn't chosen that moment to wake up.
The saiyan stirred, and sat up, before the previous seconds caught up with him. On instinct, Gohan reached out and touched both the Delcatty and the Aoinu on their heads, as if to make sure that they were really there. When this was confirmed, all hysterics (or the proverbial hell) broke loose.
In a split second, Gohan leaned forward and hugged Kira around the neck and buried his face as the floodgates opened, soaking her silky fur. All the while, he was muttering,
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do it.. I'm sorry, I'm sorry.. I'm so sorry..." Kira's violet eyes were wide and concerned, never had she seen Gohan break down like this, unless it was the anniversary of the Cell Games. That was an event that took place every year, and the whole group of them would go into Silver Cave for awhile, until Gohan could calm himself down again. Of course, in the saiyan's unshakeable calm, that day was the one exception he made for himself. The loss of his innocence; the first time he took a life. But here he was, looking more like the child he was than she ever saw him, unless he was playing games with them or Gazer. But other than that...
Noting that this was going nowhere, Remus stood and simply moved away from the trio, knowing that no matter how good his intentions he would not be able to get near them. Harry had gotten up out of the chair by now (Bad Harry!) and kneeled down beside his friend to rest a hand on his shoulder. Gohan didn't give an outward reaction to prove that he felt it, but Harry didn't move from where he now sat. In the minutes that passed, gradually, the tears slowed, and the saiyan was able to calm himself, but didn't relinquish his position with his pokemon. Kira turned her head and nuzzled his cheek, both she and Aoi taking note of the rising tiredness in their trainer's aura. Crying always seemed to wear him out.
Slowly, Gohan made to get to his feet, but wavered, not being previously aware of how exhausted he had been. Harry rose with him and on instinct rested an arm around his friend's shoulders, steadying him. He knew what it felt like, after all; having the immense discomfort of being in the presence of dementors too many times for his liking. Kira and Aoi hovered beside them like those little hovery flies that would never go away when you swatted them. However, Harry knew that if you tried to swat those two, they would swat you back. Highly unpleasant, that was. Especially with Kira's claws.
Moving towards the extra chair Remus had conjured, Harry eased Gohan into it, and once assured he wasn't going to pass out any second, the emerald eyed wizard joined him in the other. Remus watched as Gohan wiped the mixture of sweat and tears off his cheeks as Kira clambered up onto his lap, then sighed. Oh boy. How was he supposed to handle this one? Rubbing at his temples, Lupin decided to address the subject bluntly.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, and Gohan stared up at him silently, still clinging tightly onto Kira.
"What do you mean? What's he doing here?" the boy responded in turn, pitch of his voice raising and showing openly the worry that he was feeling. "For Kami's sake, what the hell? How was I not supposed to follow him? For all I know, he could under some sort of spell to lead him straight to Moldywarts, or something!"
"Voldemort." Harry interjected, breathing just then beginning to slow.
Despite himself, Lupin began to laugh.
------
"You. Idiot. Boneheaded. Gryffindork." Gohan growled the next morning, stabbing at his breakfast with chopsticks and a knife.
"I take it that you're still mad?" Harry inquired sheepishly, "I am sorry, but you didn't have to follow me-"
"Haven't we been through this?'
"What's hero done now?" Draco asked sarcastically, "By the way, you're killing your scrambled eggs, eat 'em before I steal 'em."
"Take them, while I finish reaming this idiot out."
"Hey, did you just call me a bonehead? That's your name, not mine."
"Shut up." the saiyan hissed, just as Draco reached over and took both his plate and the sharp knife away from him, "Oi, what are you doing with those! I said you could take the eggs, give back the bacon and my knife! Fine, you can keep the bacon, but give back my knife, damnit!"
"No way, pal." the blonde replied, "No way I'm trusting you with sharp eating utensils when you're this angry."
"Ass."
"You know you like it."
"Haven't we been through this too?" Harry asked, exasperated.
"Shut up!" the other two yelled.
"I'm not done yelling at you!"
"He's not done yelling at you. And I'm really worried about that knife, so quit provoking him, would you!"
-------
"I would never have imagined it." Albus Dumbledore commented quietly from his seat, watching the three boys bicker mercilessly.
"Imagine what, headmaster?" Lupin asked from his right, a spoonful of eggs halfway to his mouth. The old man smiled.
"The simple fact that those three would ever get along. Mr. Son I don't know very well, but both Harry and Mr. Malfoy were rated most likely to murder each other before fifth year in a school-wide vote. I would never have guessed that the two of them would even be able to tolerate each other in close contact, much less banter without severe consequences."
"Really?"
"Yes. But it's rather saddening as well."
"How so?" Lupin asked, eyes following the boy in the center who was half-heartedly making attempts to get his knife back.
"Well, Harry used to be so close to Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley. Now they rarely speak. The two of them are so wrapped up in each other, I realize now that it was inevitable. What makes it worse, though, is the fact that it just stopped." Albus stopped and gathered his words, "No fights, no shouting, no violence. I really thought that they would have the kind of friendship that could stand up. I suppose now that it was a bit too much to hope for."
"That kind of sucks." Lupin commented, gaze drifting to the two lovebirds sitting at the Gryffindor table. Dumbledore snorted.
"I wouldn't have put it that bluntly, but yes. I assume that it was a bit of a shock for you to see your best friends' son sitting at the Slytherin table?"
"Quite." Lupin agreed, then turned his head to watch Severus shake his head in apparent agony. "What's wrong with you?"
"I'm simply shuddering at the concept of Potter's brat associating with my students. Those two are the most talented that I've seen in a long while, it's disgusting."
"You're so negative all the time." Lupin told him. "You might try being a bit more optimistic." Severus snorted derisively. "Fine then, have it your way." Then, under his breath, "Don't blame me if you start getting wrinkles at thirty-five."
"I heard that."
"That was my intention."
"Now, now, children." Dumbledore interjected mildly, placing a hand between the two of them, "No bickering at breakfast!"
-----
"I'm dying. That's all there is to it, I'm dying." Draco moaned dramatically later that day, after they had turned their papers in.
"What's wrong? I think they're cute!" Gohan answered him mildly, cradling the odd-looking, rabbit-ish animal that they were studying that day.
"That's why I'm dying. Why can't we ever study anything cool?"
"I thought that the Strasah was pretty cool," Harry interjected, and was leveled with a steely stare.
"Well, of course you do, hero. You're lame."
Gohan gave them a light glance before turning back to his bunny-thing that they were supposed to be 'taming', but that wasn't going very well. Thos things were vicious as all get-out, and it was only with some major sweet talking and a touch of empathy that Gohan had even gotten his to remain still, much less allow him to cradle it like he was doing currently. It still made attempts to snap at him, even then.
"Be nice," he scolded it gently as it tried to nip at him.
"Why do you bother?" Draco asked him, holding his by the scruff of it's neck as it flailed and slashed at him with it's sharp fangs. Gohan shrugged.
"Why shouldn't I?"
"Oh, some Slytherin you are- hero, what's up? You're looking all moody." the blonde suddenly changed the subject, causing Harry's head to shoot up.
"Wha-? Oh, nothing." he muttered, not noticing as his bunny-thing gnawed at his gloved hand. He blinked when two very irritated Slytherins suddenly loomed up in front of him, a flame backdrop dropping behind them.
"Talk/Hanase!"
"Lay off," Harry growled, "It's none of your business."
"Oroka baka!"
"What did you call me?" Harry spat, temper uncharacteristically flaring up. Not a good idea, with Gohan as irritated and temperamental as he had been feeling lately.
"I called you a stupid dumbass, because that's what you've been being lately!" Gohan spat back, eyes narrowing. By this time the entire class had quieted and was staring at them.
"You ass-!"
"That's quite enough of that." Hagrid interjected, pulling both of them from where they looked as if they were about to tear into each other, "You'll not fight in my class. Twenty points each from both Gryffindor and Slytherin for this nonsense."
"Hey-!"
"Quiet, Malfoy, or it'll be points from you too."
Reluctantly Draco fell silent at the frenetic look that Gohan was giving him, rather than the threat of lost points.
"Now, I think that both of yeh should leave the class for today and cool yer heads." Hagrid told the both of them, who were glaring angrily at each other, eyes each spitting sparks at the other. Roughly, Gohan wrenched himself away and with a stride generally associated with Vegeta stalked off in the opposite direction towards the castle, with Harry heading towards the lake. Hagrid sighed and turned, surprised to see Draco shoot him a vicious glare that somehow looked nothing at all like the ones he used to sport and turned to Gohan's bunny-creature, who was sitting in the grass where Gohan had put him.
"Come here, you nasty thing." he crooned and picked it up. It merely sat calmly in his arms.
--------
"Baka, baka, baka, baka." Gohan chanted, yanking the doors of the library opened and ignoring the scolding of Madam Pince sat down in a chair far off in a corner. Trying to calm himself, he grabbed a random text off of the shelf and opened it.
Chapter three: Human Effects in Potions
"Ew." he muttered, but nevertheless began to read.
While most potions require animal or plant parts to gain the desired effect, some of the more potent ones require the essence of humans, a rarity in the current era. The benign ones may call for human tears or perhaps something along the lines of a cherished possession, as is used in tracking spells or potions. The malignant ones, on the other hand, will require something a bit more potent and dangerous, such as blood. However, when it comes down to it, tears are the more rare and difficult to obtain, as nearly every living being will bleed, tears have to be procured naturally and must be shed with emotion, not from external means of extraction.
Tears are used in many potions, such as self-made anti-depressants, but also in the love bonds used by parents adopting a child into their family. Human tears are exceptionally potent, and if added accidentally when one is brewing while upset may cause adverse side-effects. They are also used in the 'Viscus Esurio', a very dangerous potion that, if done correctly, supposedly grants the user their heart's desire.
The author strongly advises against using this potion, however, as the desire must be pure in order to work, otherwise, the user will be rejected and ultimately killed---
"Yikes." Gohan mused, "I pity the poor bastard that they found all this out on."
"As do many."
Upon hearing the voice behind him, Gohan glanced up with a start, and turned a bit sheepish at seeing Snape behind him.
"Uh, sir?"
"What are you doing in here, and not in class?" the man inquired, taking a seat in a chair opposite the hybrid. Gohan looked to the book still sitting in his lap.
"Well, I got in trouble and Hagrid-sensei made me leave for the rest of class. Because Harry was being a dumbass and I told him so, and one thing led to another, and, well, here I am."
"Hm. Well, Potter is a troublemaker-"
"Demo, it's not all his fault! Uh, sir." Gohan added that last bit at the raise of one slender eyebrow. "We both started yelling, and Hagrid-sensei was right to throw us out."
"Hmm, and what do you think you should do about it?" Severus asked mildly; if any Gryffindors had seen him at that very moment they would have gaped and fallen over dead. Who knew? Severus Snape, bat of the Slytherin dungeons, could quite possibly look parental!
"Well, I suppose to start, I should go apologize to Hagrid-sensei. If I were him, I would have beaten me."
Was that a snicker that came from the Potions Master's throat?
"And then I should go and apologize to Draco for losing those points. He shouldn't have to suffer for my stupidity."
"Good." Looking rather satisfied, Severus ruffled the boy's hair then stood. "Well, you've got you chance in a bit, do you have any idea that you've been in here for over two hours? It's high time that you should start making your way to my class, alright?"
"Hai, sensei." Gohan replied, looking and sounding less angry than he had originally been and getting to his feet as well, before following his teacher out of the room.
------
"I'm sorry/Gomen nasai." Both Harry and Gohan said as one, and Draco sat on the other end of the table, watching them.
"For?" The blonde prompted.
"For being a moody ass." Harry responded.
"For being a stubborn and temperamental little brat like Vegeta-san always said I was." Gohan counted in turn, pulling his hair back with a ribbon and tying it up. It had got longer and was now hugging the small of his back. Gohan had never had it that long, Chichi had never allowed it, but now he wondered if maybe he should keep it that long or get it cut. "Hey, do you guys think I should cut this?" he asked suddenly, twining a thick lock between his fingertips.
"Nah, do what you want." Harry said mildly, while Draco nodded agreement.
"Yeah, what he said. The only thing I would suggest is that the next time we go to Hogsmeade, you get a trim or straighten out the ends. The more often you trim it the faster it'll grow and the nicer it will look."
"Really?' Gohan mused, "I never thought about that. My mother always took care of it-" he trailed off suddenly, glancing at the floor, "My mother."
"Hey, no worries. Mine isn't here anymore either." Harry murmured quietly, resting a hand on the younger boy's shoulder but not saying anymore. He didn't feel the need to.
"Yeah, and mine might as well not be." the blonde cut in, "She's more wrapped up in parties and shopping than anything else; I'm like her dress-up doll or something, something to show off when she buys a new outfit for it then shove back in the toy box when she's done. "
"I'm sorry." the saiyan said, and that was that.
------
TRANSLATIONS:
Hanase: Normally used as "Let go!" but can also be used as an order to speak, the lack of ending in the b4 ending makes it a sharp command.
Oroka: Stupid
Baka: Dumbass or idiot, Gohan happens to be using it in the tone of voice that denotes dumbass.
Demo: The Japanese equivalent of the word "but".