Chapter Two: Late Night Chat, the First
'What if she has someone in there with her?' Then Snape realized how stupid that was. No one in this school was close enough to her age to hit on, and it was too late in the evening for any teacher to be having a normal meeting with her.
'She might be doing something important.' He told his rational, polite mind to shut the hell up and take a back seat. Nothing she could be doing was too important to interrupt. He was going to have his say. He was going to talk to that brat, no matter what his rational mind said.
Screw being polite, she'd fucking pissed him off. Rescuing him! Assuming he needed rescuing in the bloody first place! The damned nerve of that girl to think that she could handle a situation that he couldn't! He was a decade older than she was, at least, and far more experienced, how dare she underestimate him!
He thought about knocking, but then shrugged mentally and thought, 'Aww, screw it.' He opened the unlocked door, rushed in before Hikaru could say anything, and without preamble began to rant.
"Miss..." he struggled with her name, "Mistress Hikaru, I am forced to inform you that your actions this evening were entirely inappropriate. I certainly did not need rescuing from that... that creature, and for you to assume that I did, I, a senior teacher, is completely unacceptable.
"I am a senior teacher, not to mention I am ten years your senior at least, and have far more experience than you with Dark Creatures. Your behavior was unacceptable. We do not employ teachers that wish to play the hero. We do not employ teachers that think they know better than teachers who are more experienced. We do not employ teachers who seek to upstage their colleagues. We do not, in short, employ teachers who behave in the manner in which you behaved, Mistress Hikaru.
"I don't know how you managed to snare this job, but let me assure you that your behavior this evening, if such behavior continues, will not be overlooked, and will be sufficient to have you sacked."
When he finally finished and managed to take a full breath, he figured out what it was he was actually looking at.
Hikaru had her shining, blue-black hair hanging over one shoulder near the fireplace, running a brush through the bone straight, silken, shining darkness of it. Even after his outburst, she continued to calmly brush her hair, drying it as she brushed it. Her face, slender and golden toned and beautiful, was a mask of serenity, and her golden brown eyes watched him, but they glittered with what could only be anger.
After setting the brush down, she flipped her hair back into place and stood up, smoothing her emerald, silken pajama bottoms and straightening the silken top.
His eyes took her in, saw how her tiny, slender feet were bare, and how her deep green silk pajama pants, although loose around the ankles and calves, clung to her curvy hips. He saw how the green silk, long sleeve top hung on her slender shoulders, the sleeves falling below her fingertips, the neckline plunging just low enough to attract the attention of his eyes. His eyes found the silver key embossed on the emerald around her throat, hanging just above her full, round breasts.
She really was a beautiful young woman.
"Do I have permission to call you first name?" She asked him.
"No," he said coldly. His icy voice was so at odds with his gaze of obsidian fire, the gaze that couldn't stop staring at her, running up and down her figure over and over again. What the hell was wrong with him?
She took a deep breath, and said calmly, her tawny eyes catching his and locking his gaze, "Professor Snape, I very sorry to say you not qualified for situation. You would be dead. Understand what I say? My English not good as yours, but hope I make point."
"I believe I have been in the world of magical defense, probably longer than a child like you has been alive."
"I no doubt. But you know only one kind magic. Me, five."
"Oh, indeed."
"Hai. Yes. Free Magic, Charter Magic, Wizardry, Witchcraft, Shinto Magic. You know Witchcraft, I know Witchcraft, Shinto, and Charter Magic. I know small Wizardry, small Free Magic. You probably no heard before, sure not fought Free Magic monster."
"I doubt you have either."
"You doubt, um... bad."
"Indeed, Mistress Hikaru?"
"I fighting Free Magic creatures since small child. Is part of growing up in my family." He stared at her. She was totally calm, utterly serious. She did indeed know such monsters.
"Why?"
"My mother, she prepare me to be Auror. Was Auror, for time. Now, am sensei. Like you. We each have specialties. I expect you treat me, how you say, as if I have sense. I do."
Severus gazed on her, struck by how regal she looked. This small, half-Asian little girl, so young, looked so commanding. It nearly knocked him off of his feet. For a moment, she didn't seem so young. She seemed, indeed, so very old. Then he blinked, and the impression faded. He tried to reassert himself.
"Keep in mind what I told you."
"Keep in mind what I tell you, Professor." Hikaru seated herself once more beside her fire and began to brush her thick, blue-black hair again. As Severus began to turn around, she said, "You like tea?"
"Tea?" Why was she suddenly being so friendly? Her smile was bright and sweet, a charming little girl smile that she flashed at him.
"British like tea, yes? Have chamomile, if you wish. Will help sleep."
"I have paperwork I have to do," he said stiffly.
"Green tea," she replied airily. "Will help keep awake."
'Obviously, she isn't going to take no for an answer,' he thought wryly.
"I... if you insist." She rose to get her tea service, ordering him, "Sit."
"On the floor?"
"Is how do things in Japan. I keep floor clean, no worry. Must ask take off shoes, please. Arigatou," she said as he slipped off his house slippers. She set a small table, very low to the ground, in front of the fireplace, then set about making the tea. She let the water slowly boil in the china pot with a crest of four silver keys and four golden, magic wands on its fat little body, over the fire.
"That word... airy-got-oh," she smiled when he struggled on pronouncing it, "what does that mean?"
"How you say... thank you."
"Ah. Why didn't you learn to speak English?"
"My English no good enough? You no understand?"
"Well, I understand, but-"
"Good. Learn English best can. Take much time, but learning. Speak good, yes? For only four months? Was when asked to come here."
"For four months? You've never spoken English before that? Yes, it's," amazing, "adequate."
"Arigatou. Ah! Tea." She poured him a cup of green tea, and he sipped it. It really did taste very nice. He would have to see if he could get his own. He certainly wasn't going to come back here again. He couldn't.
"Thank you."
"Very welcome. So. Tell me you."
"Pardon?"
"Speak of you self." Oh.
"Why should I?'
"Am curious."
"You first."
"Ask question."
"What's your full name? It's rather complicated, and hard to remember."
"Musumejou-Akebono, Hikaru." He tried it, and she smiled. He asked, "What does that mean?"
"Daughter of the Dawn, Brightly Shining. What does your name mean?"
"I have no idea, nor do I care. Those bells that you rang, earlier. What are they?" He pointed to the tiny Bell no bigger than a pill bottle, and the Bell no bigger than a jar of marmalade. Both were back inside the leather bandolier with the others.
"Is what British call Ranna, Sleep Bringer, Saraneth, the Binder. Good weapons for fighting Dark Wizards who use Dead."
"How did you come by them? Why haven't I ever heard of them before? What are they, exactly? Why do you have them? And what-"
"Is very late, Professor, and tea done. Please go now, am very tired, am gomen nasai, very sorry."
"But-"
"Please." He knew he wasn't going to get anywhere by forcing the issue, unreasonable though it was, so he dropped it. Giving Hikaru a curt good night, he quickly left her office, thinking hard as he walked back to his.
R/R, please! Thank you. Don't own squat.
Hikaru's not a mary-sue is she? I tried to strip all mary-sue ness from her, but I'm not sure if it worked. Please let me no. Flames welcome, just no swearing, please. Thank you.