Chapter 22:
A Day in the Life...
Midnight, and the world was silent, save for the occasional cry of the nocturnal animals. A small shadow flitted out of a window on the Ravenclaw tower. Pausing, it faded from ordinary sight, becoming no different from the darkness of the night.
Hiei hugged the walls, making him smaller and casting as little shadow as possible. Using skills learned through survival in Makai, he made his way towards the Slytherin Tower, careful not to trip any of the magical lines that would alert the teachers and staff inside of his presence. It would be very difficult to explain what he, a student, was doing outside the castle grounds and flitting about on the roof tops. Not only that; He had to keep an eye out too for ghosts especially that pesky Peeves. But just in case he would run into that annoying ghost... He touched his pocket briefly. Kurama had given him some powder made from some plants in Makai to deal with ghosts.
He came to Slytherin's Tower and quickly located the window to Kurama's room. He was about to get up to it when something red popped out.
"BOO!"
"GYAH!"
Hiei almost lost his balance and managed to cling to some finger holds the castle walls afforded to him.
"Kurama!" he hissed at the fox angrily as the red head was doubling over in laughter where he was perched on the window sill. "Stupid fox! You'll wake the others!"
Kurama was still trying to catch his breath and laughing. Clambering back up, the stout fire demon looked to his hysterical friend suspiciously, "You're giddy..."
Kurama held on the sill, trying to reclaim his breath while pointing at the waxing full moon.
"Hn. You're crazier than usual then."
"I know, I know... It's bothering me, too."
"Surprising me like that... I could have killed you, you know. Not to mention, what the hell are you thin..." Hiei trailed off as he smelled something in the air. He looked at the fox pointedly. "Wonderful. Sleeping pollen; the variety that knocks humans to sleep but doesn't do a thing for us."
Kurama hopped on the sill and crouched. "I had to do something. Like you said, I'd been feeling giddy; like I wanted to bounce around the room, and all."
The small demon's eyes widened a bit then narrowed in thought. "How old are you again, Kurama..?"
"Huh? Me or Youko...?"
"Youko..."
"I have no idea. I know I'm pretty old..."
"Kurama, you may have forgotten how you go into these cycles, of complete rationality and..."
Kurama froze; he had forgotten. It had been so long. En-ma, he had forgotten. He uttered a Makai swear word. When he was younger, he experienced episodes of utter lucidity and insanity. Thing is, he remembered everything once he got back to himself but nothing before that. Like his past and how he got that way. As time had passed, the intervals of clarity had grown longer. The moments of insanity shorter, but when the insanity hits, it was like being trapped in his body and watching someone else go on a rampage if not restrained. That was how Youko Kurama's reputation grew in Makai. How everyone had come to fear the name Youko.
"Don't worry. Yusuke and I will restrain you," Hiei said in a tone that was as close as he could get to teasing. "Or maybe Tatsumi to help along. He doesn't strike me as the type to deviate from the mission. You going bonkers pretty much do exactly that."
"Look at the bright side; I'm stuck in a human body and have no access to my full abilities. Maybe that will help, eh?" Kurama said trying to console himself and quiet the nagging voice at the back of his mind. Youko was laughing insanely back there.
"Tch. I fail to see the bright side of that; Humans are unpredictable. Just look at Yusuke."
Kurama groaned. "Gee thanks, Hiei. Rain on my parade will ya...?"
"I don't do water; I'm a fire demon."
The 2 friends disappeared into the shadows.
Tatsumi quietly slipped out of the Faculty Common Room. Hogwarts corridors were dark and full of traps. Teachers who were not assigned patrol duty that night had already retired. He wasn't one of those assigned of course, but then again being a teacher was incidentary to his mission. A few well placed questions, a nudge of a drink here and there... a few bribes and flattery, and tongues got wagging. In a short while he had most of the story of what had been happening to Hogwarts in the past 5 years. He lowered his chi to a level where he disappeared from human and ghost sight and navigated his way to the twisting, changing hall ways of Hogwarts.
Miriya ran lightly on the corridors knowing exactly where she was going. She didn't have to see to know where she was, and where he was. His aura guided her to him. She'd forgotten to take a coat was just dressed in her sleep wear underneath the cloak. Her feet were cold, with the ballet slippers she had on not providing any warmth. They didn't have any time alone the whole day and it had been so long since she last saw him. Then circumstances conspired to put them in separate Houses. They were shooting each other meaningful looks across the room, and for some annoying reason, that redhead with the green eyes would get in the way.
Cray...
She heard his answering thought to her own. A delicate wisp in her mind. She ran to the meeting place they had decided, disappearing into the shadows.
Aya sulked in her chair determinedly not answering any questions. She was in Dumbledore's office, along with the man himself and a few other teachers. The Headmaster was sitting calmly at his chair and smiling at her benevolently.
A little more fat here and there and he'd look like Jolly Saint Nick.
"What is the meaning of this notebook!" Snape slammed her journal down in front of her.
She glared at him. None of your fricking business grease face.
Professor McGonagall was wringing her hands. Still, Dumbledore seemed calm as ever.
"Ms. Shinimori, you will explain to your teachers why you have a Necronomicon in your possession," Snape said again.
Necro-what..? She wanted to laugh so badly now.
"Are you a necromancer!" He demanded again, unpleased with the silent treatment. McGonagall was looking more upset by the minute.
Aya laughed. She couldn't help it anymore. Necromancers bring the dead back to life, or some sort of semblance to life. What she'd been doing lately was giving necromancers something to play with.
"What's so funny?"
Apparently, the greasy haired professor didn't like being laughed at. She only found that funnier.
"Enough Severus."
"But Albus!" McGonagall implored while Snape looked shocked.
"The young lady is not a Necromancer, of that I can assure you."
The old wizard's not as dumb as he looks then. I could actually start respecting him... Nah.
"What proof do you need Dumbledore? The way she fought in class, this notebook bound by... human skin..." Snape's tone quickly turned to that of disgust.
"The young lady does not bring people back from the grave..."
Aya smiled at the owner of the newly arrived voice. It was the cute Potion's teacher. He wasn't so bad after all... Even if he refused her vial.
"Rather," Touya continued. "She puts them there..."
Stunned silence. Only Dumbledore and Touya remained unmoved.
Wait... It's gotta be the skin covering. I mean, doesn't take much of a genius to figure that out. So what if it's off the mark...
"But the skin are not her victims," Touya said simply. "It has simply come to her possession."
"I beg your pardon!" Snape's voice was getting higher pitched.
"Severus," Dumbledore waved a hand, still in that serene manner. "Kinomoto has the gift to see the Truth. It is why I have him here. There are precious few of us left who have that gift."
"But he has basically told us she's a murderer!"
Screw you. Aya gave Snape the mental equivalent of the finger.
"She kills for a reason."
Snape glared at Touya. McGonagall seemed to be in shock.
Aya was smiling goofily at Touya, now biting the back of her thumbnail. Wow...gorgeous and smart. Hmm... He's Miriya's cousin? Maybe I should be nicer to that girl after all... She's not half so bad.
"And that would somehow make it okay? Because she kills for a reason?" McGonagall spoke up a bit shrilly.
"Onmyoujitsu deals with Balances, Severus, and Minerva."
Snape glowered. He didn't like his co-teacher in DADA calling him by his 1st name. At the same time, Aya managed to look innocent at Mizuki's statement.
"Are you telling us... Killing is acceptable?" McGonagall was looking at Mizuki, appalled.
"In certain circumstances, yes, I'm afraid so. Even Death is a balance..." Her eyes met Touya's and a knowing smile was exchanged. "I'm sure that our new History teacher will concur if he was here."
"You can go now, Aya," Dumbledore smiled at her warmly. "And you can take your journal as well."
"Hai!" And I won't be so careless next time. Damn Nefertiti and Zshar... Those stuck ups. Those... Tattlers... We'll see about that...
Snape watched the tall girl disappear behind the great statue and turned to the other teachers, "And what if she kills again? Are we going to stand by and watch?"
Mizuki smiled warmly, "But you forget; Balance. There are others here, who can cancel her out."
McGonagall gasped, "I cannot believe how calmly you speak of murder!"
"Not murder," Dumbledore was playing with an antique balancing scale. He dropped weight on one side tipping the scale. "She is this..." He dropped another equal weight on the other side, evening it out. "The other one is this; and as you can see..." He beamed at the perfectly balanced scale.
"You see my fellow teachers; what we all must understand, re-learn again is that Balance is important... For so long we have ignored Balance, but Balance cannot be ignored, for it will find some way to assert itself."
Kurama halted in mid step causing Hiei to bump into him.
"What?" the fire demon hissed softly at him.
"Shhh..."
That's when Hiei sensed it. 2 aura's, subdued, but nonetheless, merged. And then the faint fragrant but human scent wafted to their noises.
Maja and Magi, or in Hogwarts terms, witch and wizard.
Hiei sensed the sudden stiffening in Kurama's body and wondered what got into his friend.
"Silly girl, forgetting your coat..." Cray whispered to her as he had her shivering body in his arms, holding her tightly. He had wrapped his own cloak over her so that she was warm. He was shivering too, but of a different sort of heat.
"I'm so sorry... I was in a hurry," her teeth chattered mildly.
"You were never too good with the cold..." He lifted her off her feet as he kissed her, sending a warmth down her body as he slowly pushed her against the wall.
(Cray!)
I can't Touda... I just can't. I want to touch her so badly!
She moaned softly near his ears whispering how she missed him as she clung to him tightly, feet dangling slightly off the floor.
He let out a soft groan. With his heightened god-senses he could tell by her scent she was still a virgin. He'd known that already; she'd told him as much, had never doubted it, but to have that scent tease his senses...
Toudaaaaa... Heaven help me, I can't resist her...
(CRAY!)
He knew she didn't mean it; was probably not even aware of it. A part of him chuckled wryly at finally understanding why some rituals demanded virgin sacrifices. Their aura was untouched. No psychic imprints or echoes. The spotless Lamb... If she united with him...
(Don't you dare Cray!)
Okay, so he didn't have any... precautions at hand, but other than that why not? They didn't have to go that far you know.
(Her aura is volatile! You merged it with yours that is already merged with mine... There is no telling what will happen! Already you can sense it... just what your mere presence is doing to her!)
She was kissing him and writhing in his arms. He pressed her roughly up the wall in response.
Oh yeah, I know... God, I know...
(That is NOT what I meant...!)
"Kurama, you're growling..."
"Huh?" Kurama turned his eyes away from where it was fixed at the 2 lovers.
"You started growling when you saw them getting cozy..." one eyebrow was raised quizzically at him. "Are you jealous...? Or envious?"
"What?" he managed to keep his voice down to glare at Hiei.
Hiei shrugged.
Something flickered to her consciousness. She broke from their kiss.
"Is something wrong...?" he asked her softly. Part of him was going Oh thank god. I'm not prepared for the occasion, the other was going... No, don't stop. And then there was the god; Touda was livid inside his head.
"Someone is here."
He sent out his senses to probe. Nothing.
"Just your imagination, dear."
"Ie."
He sighed. He'd lost her. He wasn't so sure though it he should be glad or disappointed. But she did look so cute with her brows furrowed in concentration, and she felt so warm and soft...
(CRAY!)
(Dammit, Touda I hear you! Stop yelling.)
The god didn't answer. But Cray did get the sense of someone very irritated going their way.
"Snape!"
They both hissed at the same time and stared at each other. He grabbed and lifted her up in his arms. She uttered a surprise yelp and then he flew out of the window, and into the cover of night.
Snape swore he heard the flap of robes somewhere down the dark corridors. As he rounded the corner he found no one. It didn't help his already foul mood. He was muttering darkly as he made his way back to his quarters.
Kurama and Hiei watched their DADA professor walk by under them. For a minute, Snape halted in his steps and started looking around. The 2 shrank back into the shadows further and hid their chi. Kurama held his breath as the professor scanned the very niche they were pressed on, hoping the man would miss them; hoping that normal Makai stealth techniques of disappearance would work.
It worked. Snape's eyes passed right over them. The man went away and the 2 could breath normally again.
"He's good for a human," Hiei said grudgingly.
Kurama nodded, " Yeah... Everyone being magic users, it's almost like Makai..."
"Minus the violence and the bloody fights"
Kurama chuckled, "You obviously haven't seen the catfights."
"Cats? Fight? So?"
"Later... I'll explain later. Tatsumi said he wanted to meet us at the old, girls' bathroom"
"I don't have to turn in yet, you know," she said softly in his arms as he flew towards Slytherin Tower. It wasn't technically flying. What he was doing was really just jumping off from place to place and staying on air most of the time. He didn't want to use too much magic to start activating the Castle defenses and flying requires that he raised his chi higher.
"Shh... It's late. And seriously, you're cold." A small part of him went, ARE YOU NUTS! But he was more fixated on what he just said out loud.
Did he just say that? God, he just did. Boy he really was in love.
(And giddy...)
Shut up, Touda. I didn't ask for your opinion.
He found the Slytherin Tower. He realize he couldn't just drop her right on her window. The barrier spell in the girl's dormitory would stop him. Hell it would bounce him back. He settled for the window in the common room. He stepped lightly and then slowly let her down on her feet on the warm floor while he stayed on the window sill. She smiled and rose to her tiptoes to kiss him. He had to lean down to reach her.
"Love you..." she smiled as they drew back.
"I love you too," he said softly, running his hand through her hair.
Cough, gag.
More choking sounds.
The 2 froze, then turned to the source of the sound.
"Evening Miriya and mysterious horny person I've never seen before," Aya nodded solemnly. She had stayed in the common room, after stashing her journal somewhere safe, to try and keep up with the school work. Snape had unceremoniously dragged her out of class and had made her miss several lessons by "interviewing" her. So annoying. First few days in school and already she's behind. Grrrr...
"Sorry about that. Something got caught down the back of my throat. I'm good now."
Miriya turned red. Aya wondered if the girl could get any redder. Guy looks cute. So Hiirigazawa likes tall dark mysterious looking guys. There's hope for Ms. Goody-two-shoes after all. Okay so she hadn't exactly demonstrated any good-ness yet for her to qualify for that title, but somehow Miriya just gave off that sort of vibe to her.
Oh this is so much fun... teasing her. She looked at Cray. Yeah, so you're definitely the guy I overheard some of the teachers talking about, and then some of the girls too as I was on my way for the "interview." She stared back at the blushing girl and her current state of dress.
"Normally with a guy like that, I wear something with more slink..." she tried not to let her lips twitch. Judging from Hiirigazawa's state of dress, they were interrupted. Seriously though, what was that girl thinking; he was definitely a lace person, not oversized pjs. Geeze. At least she still had the sense to use silk, otherwise she didn't think she could handle it if Miriya wore thick cotton Pjs. She'd probably be shaking the girl hoping to knock some sense into her...
Sniff. Sniff.
She started to laugh. Oh gods. No wonder she was clueless; never been plucked. Just like most of the girls here in the dorm. Well at least she can give Miriya a few credits. The girl didn't talk about it. The rest seemed to talk about it but had 0 experience. Or worse, denied it and pretended to be holier than thou. So annoying. Points to for Mr. Dark and Mysterious for not taking advantage of the situation. He seemed odd... He didn't seem to act like most normal guys she knew of.
Cray looked at both girls and wondered how he should handle this situation.
Miriya decided to ignore the comments was the best course of action.
"He's just dropping me off. Why are you still up and singing at this late hour?"
"Why are you two?" Aya shot back.
Cray decided now would be a good time to exit. "Well it looks like everything is okay... Uhm, goodnight Miriya." He waited for her acknowledgement, a smile that seemed warmer than how she was right now, before leaving.
"Haven't seem him for a long time now." She made her way to the fire place to warm herself up first.
Good gods she didn't really have to answer that. She was either very naive or very cunning. Aya decided on the former, but just in case she was wrong she decided to stay on guard... After all, you never know what ran through a girl's mind.
"So, what about you?"
The question took Aya off guard. She'd expected Miriya to be defensive. Naive or cunning? Which is it? Arrgh!
"None of your business."
Miriya looked like she'd been slapped. And then her expression seemed to soften. Aya groaned inwardly. If she gets that pitying look I'm so slapping her senseless. To her surprise the other girl's expression turned neutral.
"Suit yourself Aya. You'll tell when you're ready."
She watched the girl make her way up to the girl's dormitory.
"What's that suppose to mean?"
"Nothing."
Tch. Fine. Have it your way. I'm not telling you about the sleeping pollen then.
"What the...? Aya? Why do I smell sleeping po..." THUD.
Serves her right. She resumed singing while studying that way she won't get bored easily.
Tatsumi found himself standing in front of the unused girls' bathroom.
He stared.
And stared again.
And then kicked himself wondering what the heck he was doing dithering outside. He was a grown man. It's not like he was going to be doing some sort of embarrassing things in the girl's bathroom.
More nervous dithering.
Well then why the heck was he still hesitating. It's just the girl's bathroom and rarely been used for En-ma's sake!
I'm sure somewhere in his long career as the Undead- he must have entered into some girl's bathroom to escort her back to Meifu, right? After all, Death comes in even the most unexpected places.
He couldn't recall any such incident.
Okay, fine. When he was living...? Surely he must have entered into one either by accident or dare?
Nada. Zilch. The big zero.
What is it with men and their fascination in the goings on and layout inside girls' bathrooms?
"I never really understood it myself, honestly," a voice piped up beside him, startling him.
"Ch. It's just a bathroom. No different from the males."added another voice.
"Well, actually Hiei, there are some differences though. For example we have these devices called u..." Kurama added.
Time to salvage what was left of his poise. Tatsumi cleared his throat, "FYI, I was waiting for you both. And stop reading my goddamn mind."
Kurama patted him on the back consolingly, "It's alright Sei-san. It must be the after effects of that love potion she slipped you."
The shinigami bit back any retaliation to that. He was still trying to find a Tatsumi trademark response for such a situation when Hiei spoke up asking what in Makai's name they are doing standing outside a dark corridor in front of a girl's bathroom.
Oh thank you for small blessings! He cleared his throat.
"Few years back, Potter discovered the Chamber of Secrets..."
"You mean the boy with the lightning scar on his forehead?" Hiei asked.
"With the funky chi hanging out with... Hiirigazawa?" Kurama seemed to stumble a bit at the name.
"That one, yes. Apparently, a basilisk was residing in there. As is explained- this Voldemort is one of our wanted men, and in addition to being a powerful magician, he seems to be able to communicate with snakes as well. We know Voldemort's real name and how he lived. What we are not certain is how he eluded death. However from what I have gathered... I think I may have an idea as to how, but I will need to verify this by going down and seeing, for ourselves, the scene."
Hiei yawned, "Well, looks like you don't need us here."
"Hold on, your 3rd eye can see things that we normally can't. I want you to use it down there; help sort out what is fact from rumor."
Kurama's mental gears were turning as he mulled things over.
"Don't worry about ghosts...I took care of it," Tatsumi added in the sudden silence.
"That wasn't what I was thinking but now that you brought up the subject, how did you do that? Last I heard Moaning Myrtle haunts this place. Students say she died here."
"Simple. I just made it feel like someone's coming over to collect them. The Bureau's backlog is boggling. So much so that some spirits never got picked up so usually those spirits linger over places they have a strong connection to or are drawn to magical points becoming ghosts. With how long they've lingered here... it would be very much like a second death. And yes, it won't be traced back to me. We have our own tricks too. We either let you know we're coming but not to who or when. Or we just drop in out of the blue and tell you your time is up."
"I would have sensed it," Hiei grumbled.
"If I was newbie at this, yes. And frankly- if you want to argue this pick another time. You have school tomorrow and I have a class to teach so let's get this over with as quickly and painlessly as possible."
"Question...? How do we find this Chamber of Secrets?" Kurama muttered and then just as the question slipped out of his mouth he realized something and turned to Hiei. Tatsumi did the same thing.
"What?" came Hiei's suspicious and curt response.
After a few false starts the group found themselves under Hogwarts' grounds and inside the pipelines and sewage system. With Hiei's 3rd eye they manage to find the trigger spot to open the Chamber 'door.' The next tricky part was the password which was suppose to be spoken in Parsel tongue...but leave that to the master thief. It wasn't long before Kurama picked their way in without having to speak the Parsel tongue password. A few well place vines here and there and viola!
The stink, however, was another matter, and for once Tatsumi was glad he could turn into a ghost.
"Ugh! I thought this place was rarely used?" Hiei winced.
"That must be the rotting carcass of the basilisk we're smelling."
Kurama shot the brunette a look, "Tatsumi's cheating. No fair, turning into a ghost. You have to inhale this stench too."
"Crap. This smells worse than Makai air on a really bad day!" the fire demon grumbled.
"No thanks. I like my incorporeal self right about now. One whiff was enough."
"Why the heck did you make me pick the damn lock first when you can just go through it in the first place!"
"Because the other teachers have sealed the damn place up! Ghosts don't go down there and if I did, or some other ghost did, it would trip their alarms."
"Oh... Sorry."
Hiei shook his head. It seemed it wasn't just Kurama that was acting loopy. Tatsumi wasn't in his usual calm, severe, and serene state. That must be some powerful potion Shinimori doped him with.
It wasn't long before they came into sight at the rotting carcass. To say it was gross was an understatement. However the loony part in Kurama's brain wanted to roll in the smell; much like how canines roll in stink. The only thing keeping it in check was his vanity, and the reminder that if he did, his bed would forever be cursed by that volatile stench.
"Well," Hiei declared having enough. "This is useful. One really dead stinking basilisk. Tell me how this helps?"
Tatsumi was surveying and studying the area. That there was a fight was obvious. What he wanted was the tooth that pierced the diary. It was said the diary bled when pierced. This was odd. Items, no matter how much soul or spirit is poured into making it, don't bleed when destroyed... unless...
"Look for a broken off piece of basilisk tooth- a fang."
Kurama winced as he stepped accidentally in a pool of putrid decaying mass. "Oh geez that is gross..." he shook his foot to get rid of the slime. "How the heck will we see that fang when this thing is already liquefying and covering most of the damn area with stinking goop?"
"Hiei...?" Tatsumi looked over the fire demon who groaned and rolled his eyes. The little guy lifted his diadem up a little to free his 3rd eye to scan the area.
"Over there... Oh great, right in the deepest part of that green muck."
No one made a move to retrieve it. It was that disgusting.
Tatsumi looked at the two, who just stared back at him.
Kurama shrugged, "Hey... If you want it that badly go get it yourself. I am so getting out of here and getting a shower."
Hiei was trudging his way back following Kurama's retreating form, "Yeah... We did our part. Good night, teach."
"Hey...! Wait!"
"Tell us all about it tomorrow, okay Sei-san? Oyasumi-nasai!" Kurama said way too cheerily.
Tatsumi watched the red head and the fire demon disappear back down the tunnel where they came from. Then he eyed the muck that Hiei said had the tooth.
I am so asking for a bonus for this... Grr.
Kurama had decided to stop by in the Prefect's bathroom to bathe and shower. Only till he was sure that the scent didn't stick to him did he stop and got out. Of course he'd thrown his clothes away. There was no saving them. This was why he entered the common room with only one of the spare towels from the bathroom for such emergencies, wrapped around his waist.
He froze when he heard Aya singing.
Someone's awake? No way.
He hesitated before stepping over the threshold and revealing himself. Several thoughts ran through his head- the pros and cons of meeting her with him wrapped only in a towel.
Wait it out till she fell asleep?
Judging from the fact that she was starting another song while happily scribbling their homework essay, which he noted was several inches long already... It would be a loooong wait. And yes, even demon foxes, or itans, or whatever the hell he was, needed sleep too, damnit.
I must be out of mind.
(But we are dear boy.)
Shut up, Youko.
The singing stop when she saw him. One eyebrow was raised.
"Well, hello, almost naked hot guy."
Nope. He didn't like that grin at all.
(I do. She grins like me too when I corner my prey.) Laughter.
Just shut up will you!
"So what happened that you needed to take a shower this late of the night?"
"Something stank."
"Vain. But it's okay. I like my men to be a little vain."
"I'm not your man."
"We'll see."
Kurama was making his way towards the boys' room taking care not to be within towel grabbing distance from the girl.
"Are you afraid I will grab your towel?"
(Hold on... Why is she still awake?) Youko suddenly asked inside his head.
Well hello there Youko. Glad you finally caught up. Came his sarcastic reply.
"I'm not afraid. I just don't like getting grabbed."
"I'll be gentle." She gave a wider grin.
"I don't care." In his mind Youko was demanding an explanation for the girl's wakefulness.
She resumed singing yet still watching him as he moved.
"Any special significance to that song you keep singing?"
She looked surprise. "Huh? Significance?"
"Fields of Innocence by Evanescence... that's twice already you've repeated that song."
It was apparent on her face that she was singing it almost unconsciously. He had taken her by surprise with his question. He had almost made it to the boys' area when a pair of feet stopped him short. His eyes traveled higher to slim legs covered in oversize silk jammies. The silk had clung to her body, outlining every curve. Her top was even partially undone.
Miriya... Slumped and very asleep on the staircase on the way to the girl's dormitory.
(Ohh goodie, look at her.)
Kurama imagined that Youko had chibified and was trying to stuff him in a box and stowing him away. To his chagrin-the chibified Youko was running around forcing him to chase after him. Damnit even his imagination wasn't going his way today.
(I have another better use for our imagination...)
Huh? Whoa...
A second or two later and he was back to trying to reduce Youko into chibi form in his imagination. What Youko had shown was something better left to R-18 audiences.
"Aya... What the heck is she doing here?"
He had an idea of how that might have happened but he wasn't thinking clearly for now. No, something about warm beds, soft silken sheets...
"Nyah. Not telling you. You weren't nice to me."
Was it just his running amok imagination or is Shinimori looking sleepy? Miriya... Can't leave her out here. People would suspect something. She would be able to put two and two together if she woke up or something... Getting difficult to think clearly... Youko stop that!
Youko was bouncing around now in his head. In chibi form, too. Good god.
He picked up Miriya and carried her back to her room. In his fuzzy state he had forgotten about the barrier. He found only 2 beds empty. One obviously seemed to belong to Aya with the surrounding funky stuff near its dresser. He set Miriya down in the other bed.
Her neck looks so inviting...
(Yes, and I bet if you unbutton a few more buttons...)
Stop that!
He got up and staggered out.
"AHA! I knew you weren't one of them."
Shit.
"You went through that barrier like it was nothing!" she exclaimed, before letting out an unexpected yawn. "... You must... be... responsible for the... crap. I'm getting sleepy... damnit... that was... sooner than I... thought... wow, really potent... pollen... Zzzzzzzz"
Kurama stared unbelievingly as he leaned on the wall watching the glamour fade, revealing all of her healing scars and burns to him, or at least what the robe wasn't concealing. It didn't take much of a genius to figure out there was more under it. He had a moment of clarity as he made his way to her and whispered to her slowly fading consciousness.
"I keep your secret and get you to bed, but you must keep mine."
"Uhn... mhm... yeah... kay... Zzzzzz..."
"Promise...?"
"On... My... staff... I... swear..." Aya's head rolled back finally.
Kurama sighed. Long night.
Herbology. His favorite subject right? Him; Youko. Plants were his specialty so this should be...
Yawn.
God it's so boring.
He could swear that his eyes were glazing. Professor Sprout was going on, and on, about how to properly handle the snapping plants whose juices were a powerful ingredient in dream potions. That is, if you could get past it's snapping bulb to get at the leaves. Heh. Dangerous? This tiny plant is no way near what he would call dangerous. Annoying was more like it. All he had to do was look at it and mentally say 'Stay,' and then it was just sitting there, looking at him obediently; Waiting for him to complete any business he had with them.
Yawn.
Dirt pelted his back jolting him back to alertness. He turned to find the cause.
Aya.
The girl, for reasons he could not fathom yet, was upset at him and had made her displeasure evident during breakfast... And now, even in class, by throwing dirt at his back. He frowned slightly. If anything, it should be him that would be upset at her. She had attempted to grab his towel last night; and she was asleep! He was just closing the curtains when a hand gripped his free wrist. He had tried to adjust his towel as he fixed the drapes around the girl's bed, to keep her secret, and she struck. For a minute he had thought she was awake and playing with him. Turned out she was in deep sleep and muttering. He carefully extricated himself from her grip, and went to bed finally that night.
So what the heck was she throwing dirt at him for? He kept her secret. She'd better keep his, or there would be payback.
Aya glowered right back at Kurama. She'd misunderstood deal last night. She'd thought taking her to bed meant... Well, not dropping her off in her own bed to sleep, but something far more active and fun. Yeah, so what if she's a little too active for her own good, and age. If anything, doing it stabilized her energy and mental state. Hell, she'd be more of a nut case if she didn't have it as an outlet. Well okay, revenge and journal keeping is another, but come on... She's far to messed up for just those two; she needed another 'activity.' Yes. Boys and girls, I do not recommend this course of action, but hey... What works for Susie doesn't mean it's going to work for Aya. It helped too that she wasn't human. On the other hand, it also gave her a higher reserve of energy to work off of. She had an immunity that made her impervious to all human ailments. And she heals faster too. So no, boys and girls, I do not recommend this sort of thing to the rest of you. Nyah. Besides, it was one of the only times when she wasn't feeling anything other than pleasure and excitement. That was something she needed at least every now and then.
So, she thought she'd break the deal, but then it would put her identity at risk. She already had enough trouble with Snape and those... Snitching blue bloods. Could she claim it was an accident that resulted in those scars? No, he's too smart for that, and she wasn't that quick as him. That was something she'd easily admit. She might end up getting trapped in her own lies, and then what...?
She growled and settled for throwing a few pebbles at him again, in annoyance and frustration.
Miriya watched her partner's odd behavior. For the 2nd time she got paired off again with the unstable girl. Minamino was acting funny too. She shrugged, "Not that I care how odd you 2 are acting."
"Says the one who collapsed asleep on the stairs," Aya shot back irritated.
Silence. Then, a sudden realization. Aya could swear a light bulb just flashed over the other girl's head.
"Wait, hold on. I remember..." Blinks. "Then, how did I get to bed..?"
The girl honestly looked confused. Aya had never met anyone whose thoughts and emotions were so easily transparent on their face.
She cleared her throat, holding back a grin of mischief. "I may know who put you there, but I won't say how." She shot Kurama a look. The boy glared right back at her.
Miriya didn't miss the dagger looks exchange, and gave Aya a questioning look.
Aya decided she liked being cruel. She smiled and shrugged. "I don't remember the person telling me to keep their identity secret, after all," she smirked over at Kurama.
Kurama heard Youko snarl inside his head. Outside, he tried to act calm and ignore Aya. The girl responded by tossing a few more pebbles and some leaves that landed on his hair. It took a lot of effort to calm down Youko but he managed it.
"Yow!"
Miriya. She'd miscalculated and the plant had bitten her. Blood welled up from her finger tip. She instinctively had started to suck at her finger now.
Youko calmed down when he saw that. He wanted to know what else the girl would...
DON'T even go there!
Youko wasa picture of innocence now. Kurama groaned inwardly. He hated this. He can barely recall those times he slowly went over the edge and back then, but it wasn't as loony and childish as this...
Aya was chiding her partner for not being careful. Kurama saw she was using it also as a way to direct attention away from the fact that she was coaxing the plant to be still. Crude but rubbing the main stem of that species usually calmed... Wait, hold on... That wasn't taught. All Sprout said was to dodge the snapping bulb in getting the leaves, or say a spell to calm it down. She's been in Makai!
A thumb sucking Youko responded, (Mhmm... That must explain the scars.)
There were other yelps of pain. It seemed Hiirigazawa wasn't the only one bitten.
"Cripes... What has gotten into this thing!"
Aya's alarmed voice broke his reverie. The girl was shaking her hand too. She had been bitten as well. In an instant he felt the shift in the plant's chi, and all hell broke loose.
OH NO.
Youko went 'fweeeee' in his head.
The plants they'd been working on were the immature versions of what he used in their fight with Karasu. Fed with his chi, they could mature into meat-eating versions that snap at anything that would move. Did Aya feed it her energy...?
No, he felt the mild shift earlier after it had bitten Hiirigazawa.
In one swift movement he was on their table and pulling the girls away. Unthinking he took Miriya's wounded finger and tasted her blood.
He felt the sudden rush of power as soon as her blood touched his tongue.
Pure Maja!
"What the hell are you doing to MY fiancée!"
He found himself looking up at Cray who pulled the stunned girl up to her feet.
Everyone else in the room were frozen at what he had just done. He just realized he had sucked on her finger. Why that was more astonishing compared to the rapidly growing plant, he would have to figure out later. Dimly, he heard Yusuke whoop and congratulate him for having the guts when the plant hit full size breaking the glass house. And then the bulb dove towards the nearest moving object; some shrieking girl from Hufflepuff.
More screams and wands were pulled out and aimed at the plant. That made its other heads go after those moving items too. Including, sadly, their owners. Everyone was running and screaming. Sprout was tangled up in the vines and waving her wand to free herself.
This is bad...
The Rei Tantei looked at each other and wondered how to fix this without revealing who they really were.
Harry was glad no one had become plant food so far. Ron was busy directing students out of the way, and they seemed to calm down ,and were no longer running this way and that. Hermione was wracking her brain for a suitable spell when the main bulb went up in a black fire ball. The black fire spread quickly over the plant and incinerated it. Strangely enough, no one felt the heat. Far more importantly, no one and nothing, except the plant itself, was burnt.
Hiei stared intently at the tall man. The black fire glow in Cray's right hand slowly vanished.
A black fire user too? Like him? How could that be? Wasn't he the only one--and wait... Human!
He heard Kurama's strained voice behind him, "It seems...there's more to the Houses history than what we know of..."
"Ch."
He frowned ever so slightly as he saw the display of magic from the Dragon Heir. He could also pretty much guess what had happened to the plant. It had a taste of maja blood. The stories were right about the Reed line then... The Bastard House as he would like to call it. There was a non-human in their line. The Houses were right to object on the Reed line. The fact that the Dragon Heir had declared his intentions to one of the daughters of the Reed line was a matter of concern. The Dragon line would have a powerful ally, and they would rule over the Houses. Something that he could never accept. The Dragon clan did not worship Shiva, they worship His Heretic wife, Kali. Shiva was pure, while Kali had destroyed them; scattered them like straw in the wind, and worse of all, She had betrayed Her Husband. Unforgivable. But that was to be expected. Women were irrational, unreasonable and Kali was Chaos personified. Shiva was the Pure One. The Enlightened of the First. The one that brought Order. His return had been now long delayed. Oh but He, the Chosen, the real Chosen One andnot that Potter, among the Houses and all in the Magic World will bring about his Lord's return. Shiva will thank him in return, oh yes. He and his House will be exalted above all. They may not know him now, but when the time comes, it will be his name they will speak of in hush tones. The old man Voldemort was useful for now, and he will be his distraction. And when they finally realize what the real score was, it will be far too late.Shiva, his master, will finally walk the earth again.
He smiled softly. A few girls turned to smile back at him shyly which he acknowledged politely. Weak. They are all weak. Only the strong can serve the Lord of Order. But for now, he will pretend to be this wizard's spy.
The chase never stopped. He had a few brief moments of relief, but with the way everything seemed to be turned upside down or right side up... He wasn't really sure if they were minutes, or eternities. Sometimes he would elude his pursuers. Sometimes they were almost right on top of him. But on he ran, knowing that if they caught with him, he would never be able to see his god son and warn him of what he had seen, known, heard and learned of while in Limbo.
He ran to another brightly lit portal...and ended down on his face in snow. He coughed a few times before standing up and dusting his robes. The weird thing about being stuck in Limbo was that he was only a ghost if he ran into his particular time line and dimension. Should it be another time line or dimension...he was...disturbingly corporeal...and glad that he could see the next door way or he'd be stuck there forever to die another death...
Great... Where am I know? Please don't let it be the Jurassic age, again. That pterodactyl was waaaay to close for comfort.
He rounded a corner and found himself in a beautiful garden blanketed in white snow so that it looked like a winter wonderland. However, one tree was infull bloom, like it was in spring.
"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" a cold voice asked him from behind. At the same time he felt the cold sharp tip of a sword threatening the back of his neck.
Great, he was corporeal again. On the good side, maybe it was safe to tell, whoever this person was, his name. He started to open his mouth when a tall man wearing a purple magician's robe came into his sight line. The man looked amused at them, it seemed. He had long hair which he had tied back and he took his glasses of to wipe them with a white handkerchief before putting it back on. Close behind him was a big yellow- Sirius did a double-take. A mountain lion with angel wings! Wait, he shouldn't be so surprised. He'd seen a lot more odd stuff, but... Damn, what is that thing?
"Yue, let Mr. Black go. He hasn't come to do bad things."
Yue... So that's the name of whoever was holding the sword.
"Oh geeze...You are so uptight, Yue."
Sirius did a major double take. The cat... It talked!
After a few seconds, and the other part hit Sirius full-force.
Hey... How the hell did he know my name...!
"Are you sure Reed-sama? Ghosts are usually troublesome."
Sirius found his voice finally. "Hold on... How did you..."
"Know?" this Reed said to him politely. "I'm a magician, much like you. I was just enjoying a stroll around in my garden when we felt something and decided to see who it was. Welcome, Mr. Black."
"Where am I?"
"Limbo" the man said cheerily. "They," he gestured to his 2 other companions. Yue step into his line of sight and Sirius felt himself gasp in surprise. Yue looked like an angel, with his pale complexion and long snow white hair that trailed down to his feet... And look at those downy wings... Wow, it was just... Wow.
"They," Reed continued, "are not really here. I'm just visiting their dreams. Which, unfortunately, they will remember little of when they wake."
"Who are you...?" Sirius asked him suspiciously as Reed dismissed the others saying that it was about time they wake up.
Reed finally turned to smile at him pleasantly, "My name is Clow Reed. It's nice to meet you. I'm afraid we will not shake hands. Their dream is slowly dissolving and then your pursuers will be coming for you."
"Are you like me?"
"Nope. I'm not really here either. I think the closest description would be is that I'm a ghost of a ghost, though even that isn't very accurate since I'm alive in 2 people."
"Huh?"
"Don't worry too much about the details. You've seen the chaos creeping in the horizon?" he gestured to the darkness just off the edge of limbo. To Sirius it seemed like the only thing keeping that darkness at bay was some sort of invisible barrier.
"Yes, what about it?"
"Let's just say that if your godson's arch enemy succeeds, that... Will crash over everything. Also, please tell Harry to be careful. Our... line is not known for... Sanity..." Reed chuckled.
"You know him too?"
"Oh dear... Time to go. Your pursuers have almost caught up again. We'll run into each other soon, Mr. Black, but I maybe in a different form."
"Wait, are you saying Voldemort will destroy us?"
"Yes, but it won't be him doing the destroying, though... In fact, he may be destroyed too, along with the rest of us if he succeeds. Ah, but I must go now. I'm not suppose to exist anyway..."
Sirius watched in disbelief as the man faded away, till what was left was the faint laughter, and even then that was gone too.
Good gods. What has been going on the real world? Was he going insane? What if that man was right...?
I must find a way to get back and reach Harry!
Tatsumi found himself in the deepest recesses of Hogwarts' library looking at a lot of spells and powerful forbidden magic. Many of these were banned and no longer in use. He however suspected that Tom M. Riddle had used them. He must admit that the anagram of his name was witty on Riddle's part.
He had sent the tooth via one of the Rei Tantei's familiars to Watari. Tatsumi already had a sneaking suspicion on what the diary really was from the psychic impressions he got from the dried blood on the tooth. But he had to confirm. As far as he could tell, that sort of magic was not very widely known in the West. If there was a book here somewhere, then that could explain how the boy managed to get that info.
His beeper vibrated deep in his coat pocket. He fished it out and looked at it.
Watari.
That was fast. Even for the doctor's standards.
He got down the ladder and dusted himself. He was carrying a thick dust covered tome that tried to snap and growl at him. It pacified when he threatened to kill it and added a little demonstration to prove he wasn't bluffing. He needed to get back to his room before he can talk to Watari privately.
He managed to get to his room a few minutes later. It helped that most of the students were in classes and he had none scheduled today, so that the halls were not only empty, he also had free time. He entered his room and placed the book on a table before making sure his kekkai was up and in place. To any outside observer, magical or otherwise, he was seated on his desk and studying. In reality he was standing in the middle of a circle and communicating back to the JuOh Cho.
"Watari, any news?"
Watari's smiling face appeared on the mirror in Tatsumi's room. "Hai Seiichiro-san. And quite disturbing too. The Count says it certainly explains the odd behavior of Riddle's candle."
"Explain."
"Well, the count says Riddle's candles are split but one of the candles had already blown off. So that means your theory is right; Riddle has indeed used the technique to claim pseudo-immortality. Nowhere near Reed's stunt, however. The count still couldn't find Reed's candle, but 2 candles similar to Reed's had sprung where Reed's candle disappeared. Riddle's is unlike those candles. It's just one candle split into..." Watari consulted his book. "Seven, I think... Unless I misheard the Count, and you know how creepy he makes me feel..." The doctor flinched at the memory.
A second later the blond doctor was edged out of the screen by a puppy Tsuzuki.
"Tatsumiiiiiiii! It's a mess here... People aren't dying properly!" the other shinigami whined and pouted. He was pushed over by a smaller honey colored hair shinigami, "We'll make a report of it Tatsumi-san. Please ignore my partner."
"Ehem." Watari push the jostling duo away from him so that he could once more talk to Tatsumi. "By the way Sei-san, we had to revive the poor bird... The tooth... Stank..." the man's nose wrinkled. "We had to seal off the lab and clean up the air filters... I know it's going to hurt the budget but..."
"We'll charge it to the European branch," Tatsumi was still thinking. He missed the shocked look on Watari's face. The doctor had expected him to start ranting and raving at the costs.
"Uhm... Okay. You okay Tatsumi?"
"Mhm? Oh, yes. I was just thinking... His efforts seem similar to Dr. Muraki..."
The 3 other shinigamis on the other side of the mirror shuddered.
"Good god... If those two ever meet," Watari started and had a hand clamped to his mouth by Tsuzuki who shot him a warning glance. Watari recovered and looked at Tatsumi, "Err... Anything else?"
"No, thank you. That's all we have for now. Tell Chief Konoe that I'll make a formal report later."
The class room doors opened to spill out students and teachers. Each on their way to their next class or the rest room or to swing by the dining hall to grab a bite to eat. Some kids who had no classes yet made their way to the grounds to talk, mingle or even do a little broom flying.
"Whoa, you heard the news?" Ron said to Harry and Hermione as he sat down on the grass in front of them. "We're having more DADA classes than ever. And not only that, it will be in this one HUGE classroom too."
Harry almost choked a little on his milk. "Seriously?" He remembered the last session. One of them almost ended up dead.
Miriya joined them, with Cray not so far behind, to join their group.
"I also heard that they'll be teaching us wordless magic. I mean, what the heck is that?" Ron continued in that still awed voice.
As usual Hermione provided the answer, "Basically magic done without words... Obviously."
Ron was apparently dense that day or flying in a very good mood because he ignored the sarcasm, "But yeah... How? I overheard Ms. Mizuki, Snape and Dumbledore talking down the corridor while I talked to Ginny. Snape was in a fit. He said it was too soon, and that early grade levels shouldn't be taught..."
"Whoa, hold up..." Harry wave a hand. "The younger year levels will be joining us?"
Cray glanced at him curiously, "It's Defense for Dark Arts. Your age shouldn't matter. The more you know, the better."
"Well, yeah, but what about the basics...? They could hurt themselves with it too if they don't know basics." Harry responded.
Miriya shrugged, "Ms. Mizuki will start on basics...I don't think she'd do anything high level on the first few days. I'm guessing she might teach the physical aspect of defense first though."
Ron laughed, "You mean dodging?"
"Yes, dodging." Miriya decided to ignore the laugh.
"And running." Cray added.
"This would involve stamina..." Miriya said again. "Just look at what happened in Herbology, and I don't know what we did with our plant... It just... Grew..." She still looked a bit mystified at it.
"They do have a point..." Hermione mused. "We never really emphasized the physical aspect of magic..."
"Hey..." Ron started to get flustered.
"Besides," Miriya looked at Harry. "There is a certain point where magic demands a lot from your body. It also explains the sudden spike in your appetite Harry. " She grinned.
Harry paused in mid bite to a sandwich he'd taken from the hall. "Uhm... Really?"
"Yes, really." Cray added solemnly.
Hermione looked at her class schedule parchment and watched in surprised as a new schedule suddenly appeared on it. She groaned and looked at everyone, "We have DADA after dinner."
Ron peered over her shoulder, "Guess Snape lost the argument after all."
Afternoon was Care of Magical Creatures, and so the joint group of 5th years who passed the OWLs trudged down towards Hagrid's cabin. A few students were already there and oohing and aaahing at something behind the fence. Hermione and Miriya hurried to it to look while the guys made some mock groans about girl's curiosity. However soon enough the cries of delight drew them over.
Behind the fence were creatures that looked like a cross between cats and foxes.
"AWWWWWWW! SOOOOO CUTE!"
Everyone turned at the voice while the companions of the voice's owner cringed and wanted nothing to do with him.
Kuwabara ran over the fence and reached for one of the cute cuddly creatures and instantly got caught up in a fight with them as the creatures thought they were being attacked.
"AAAHHHH! Heeeelllppppp!"
"Alright... Enough you little B'vals." a deep booming voice said.
The cries of how cute and cuddly turned into an apprehensive murmur as the creatures got off a now badly scratched and bleeding Kuwabara.
Yusuke couldn't help but laugh. "It's okay. He's survived worse than that."
Kuwabara glared at him and joined their ranks muttering about how he likes kittens and that kittens like him back.
"Ch. They're not kittens..Baka." Hiei snorted.
"Well kiddies, now you know that them are quite deadly, too..."
Malfoy snorted in the background.
Harry shot him a look.
"...When handled wrongly," Hagrid added, oblivious to Malfoy's snort. "They're also where our butterbeer comes from. Without them, that nice butterbeery flavor just wouldn't be the same."
There was a stunned silence as several minds wondered how the felines would yield butterbeer. Was it milked from them? No that wasn't right.. It was made of some sort of seed if they recall correctly.
Hagrid continued totally oblivious to the silence. "See these creatures eat the seeds of the butterbeer tree and from those seeds we make our brew of butterbeer. Without these creatures, butterbeer would be bitter. It seems that once the seed passes through their stomachs, the bitterness is removed..."
"Wait, hold just a minute" Malfoy was looking horrified more and more at what Hagrid was saying. Please, please let his suspicions be wrong. It just CAN'T be! "Are you saying... Seeds taken AFTER they've eaten it is the ingredient to our... butterbeer?"
"Why yes. Their droppings are picked and the seeds harvested that way..."
The rest of his words where lost when all the students howled in despair while a few gagged and turned green.
And so passes half a regular school day in Hogwarts…
