"And that should be it."
"All that?"
Kouji and Kouichi still lived apart, but visited each other as frequently as possible, which rose to the spare room in the Kimura apartment being furnished for Kouji and a room being prepared for Kouichi in the Minamoto house. Since they didn't see each other in magic school much, being in different elements, they had made it a point to alternatively sleep over at each other's house on weekends, much to the initial surprise of their parents who had been very surprised that they knew each other so well already.
Kouichi, who had dropped by to see Kouji, was sitting on the edge of Kouji's bed, while his twin started to pile stuff into a bag. "Why aren't you packed yet anyway?"
"I was thinking…"
"You always are."
"I mean, I was wondering, why suddenly put us in Hogwarts? It's so sudden. I have a kind of feeling that there's something going on."
"I thought about that too. I don't really like lying to Mother about being on an exchange program. You got the permission slip signed?"
"Does that mean that you haven't got it signed yet?"
"I told you, I don't like lying to Mother."
Kouji stared, then shrugged, folding some dress robes and prodding it into his bag with a wand. "You know something? Your element really should be Light since you're so honest. And I really mean it."
"I don't like using Occlumency either. I just get a guilty feeling every time I do. It's like trying to hide a lie."
"Now I seriously do think that you should be Light."
Kouichi laughed. "Very funny. Your slip signed?"
"Yep." Kouji, with some difficulty, zipped the bag shut. "I wonder what plane Kimaru-san was talking about?"
"Must be something surprising, by the sounds of it."
"Yeah…"
&&&&
Kouichi lay on his bed, flicking his wand at nothing in particular as he wondered what to tell his mother. What he had told his brother was true; he couldn't bear lying to anyone, especially his mother. He would never lie to her. But the reason why they had been instructed to lie was for safety reasons. He closed his eyes in frustration, flicking his wand particularly aggressively.
A shower of fireworks exploded above him, and he rolled away to avoid them. The colourful sparks singed holes in his bed sheets, and he repaired them with a prod of his wand. As he sat up, he caught sight of the broomstick that stood in a corner. It was an Eastern style broomstick, a gift from his father for his twelfth birthday. Kouji had also received a similar broom. Different from the Western style brooms, the twigs were made of light wood polished to a shining silver. The handle too was painted silver, so that it glimmered in the light. A dark purple lettering on the handle said Toukiu 3.6.
Even though he had met the other half of his family, he still sometimes felt odd, as if something else was missing from his life. He sometimes just wandered around the neighbourhood, lost in thought as he remembered his first few days in the Digiworld. As Duskmon. He recalled, those days, he still vaguely remembered, was when he felt the most contented. Like everything was perfect in his life. Kouji never knew about this; he had taken care not to mention it, always employing Occlumency around those thoughts.
His thoughts drifted back to his first day in Elemental School, where, he remembered with a smile, had been so shocking discovering the friends he made in the Digiworld were also wizards. He remembered when he had been placed in the Darkness Element. He had been surprised, as in the West it normally would create an impression of being a Dark wizard, which had been why the element had been termed as 'Darkness' instead of just Dark.
There was the sound of the front door unlocking, and he quickly went out. His mother was stepping into the house, a weary look on her worn but still pretty face. She worked nearby at the back of a small shop selling wizard robes, under the cover of selling Muggle clothing. The main problem was that there were simply too many people around to efficiently create a place for wizards to live openly, so it was the norm for a wizard, disguising as a Muggle.
It's now or never… Kouichi took a deep breath and stuffed his wand into his jeans pocket, which had been enchanted to hide a wand. Quickly calling up his Occlumency, knowing that his mother was modestly skilled at Legilimens, he moved forward.
"Good day, Mother?"
His mother smiled wearily, not replying. Kouichi knew. Business wasn't very good, since the shop was in a crowded Muggle area. He grabbed a cup from the kitchen and filled it with water, handing it to his mother.
"Mother, there's something I want to tell you."
"Go on, honey. Is there something wrong?" Mrs Kimura thanked her son, accepting the water.
"You see… I've been selected to go on an exchange program. To Hogwarts, England. Kouji's going too. There's a permission slip you need to sign."
The permission slip was just meant to make the exchange program thing more real. Kimaru-san hadn't been very clear, but he had said repeatedly that this was no ordinary exchange trip, instead having something to do with the return of You-Know-Who.
His mother frowned, then smiled. "If Kouji's going to then I won't be so worried, you two can look out for each other. But with Lord Voldemort's return…"
Mrs Kimura never said You-Know-Who. She often said that it was ridiculous the way people simply got scared of a name.
After a while she smiled. "Of course you can go. Just make sure to follow all the rules. With Dumbledore as the Headmaster, I know you'll be safe."
Kouichi breathed easier in relief. "Thanks, Mother. I'll just get the slip, then I have to leave for work…"
After recovering from the fall that took him to the Digiworld, Kouichi had taken up a part time job in a wizarding shop that had a less than decent reputation. He hadn't been able to take up a job among the more decent wizarding folk, as many knew his mother and would more than often sympathise with him and his mother, roundly abusing his father and Kouji for abandoning the family. He knew he wouldn't be able to take it, but never really told his mother or Kouji about the shop where he worked.
It was in a seedier area of Shibuya, where Muggle drunkards slumped over dustbins in the street. It was a shop selling enchanted Dark objects that he doubted that the Ministry would even approve of. The pay was good, for just performing a tricky charm to block the curses that had been placed on the objects to be sold so that the workers would be okay around the objects. He was called in every time the shop got new shipment, so it was actually quite convenient. Being a pure blood also helped to ensure he was treated properly there.
"Kimura, hurry up, there's a whole lot of boxes back in the storeroom to do. You get five Galleons for each object you charm."
"Yes, sir," he muttered.
The back room was filled with dusty boxes, all marked with 'Dangerous' in a variety of languages. Kouichi grabbed a pair of gloves hanging on the hook and put them on. Although he wasn't going to touch anything, every object was still dangerous nevertheless.
Tapping a box with his wand to open it, he performed the Wingardium Leviosa to examine the object inside as it hovered before him. It was a golden skull, empty eyes shining magically.
"Death curse," Kouichi muttered with a slight smirk. Almost all the objects had Death curses on them; it was sometimes so easy to predict the curses.
He worked his way through the pile of boxes, stopping occasionally to rest and look at the other boxes he hadn't opened. Being a Darkness element, the Dark objects did not affect him much as they would have affected wizards of the Light element. Instead he always felt full of energy here.
"Huh?"
He had just opened a box to reveal a crudely made snake with its mouth wide open, stretching almost to the entire height of the snake. It was ugly, an eye missing and body crooked. The weird thing was, he couldn't sense any curse on it.
The next moment, he did something totally rash and unexplainable. He ripped off a glove, and grabbed the snake with his bare right hand.
There was a light in his left palm. He stumbled back surprised, but still holding the snake tightly. Its ugly one eye was shining now. Slowly, a weight appeared in his left hand, the light disappearing slowly.
Kouichi slowly brought the thing that had appeared in his left hand up, staring at it as if in a dream.
"My D-Tector?"
&&&&
"Kouichi is there something wrong?"
"Nothing." Kouichi avoided looking at Kouji, who was staring suspiciously at him. He hadn't told anyone about the D-Tector, keeping it in a heavily enchanted box and stuffing it right into the bottom of his bag. He just had a really bad feeling about it.
The six were waiting inside the temple that stood above their school. There was actually nothing in here, but illusions were created whenever Muggles looked in. Fudas plastered the walls, functioning to prevent too much magic from spreading to the human world and causing electrical chaos. It was the day to leave for England.
Tommy had brought his owl, named Piyomon, who was right now perched above her cage and refusing to get in. Only Tommy and Zoe had brought pets, Zoe's being a magical butterfly with shiny wings that was on her head at the moment. All six had brought their broomsticks, having packed them into Muggle guitar cases for the journey to the temple, in case any Muggle was watching.
Their Headmaster, Kimaru-san appeared, talking grimly to another elderly man they didn't know. Both spoke in very low tones, and in a language they didn't recognise.
Kimaru-san abruptly stopped when he saw them watching curiously. He stepped aside a little, letting six other kids their age walk in. The group was also lugging bags with them, and two or three guitar cases concealing brooms.
"These are the other Japanese wizards and witches also invited to study at Hogwarts," Kimaru-san explained. He indicated the new six. "From the Fire Academy. There is no time to make introductions now, you shall do so on the plane."
The new six had oddly more than the usual amount of luggage. Each carried a bag on their shoulders that was bulging weirdly.
"What plane is this that we're using?" Takuya asked, unable to contain himself. He caught the eyes of the boy who was near the front of the Fire Academy group. Why had he seen him somewhere before? The boy quickly looked away, and he was reminded of Kouji and Kouichi.
Kimaru-san smiled. "This plane."
He waved a wand, and the walls behind them parted. All the 'exchange students' gasped as the walls opened up to a big, hidden area that looked too modern to belong to wizards. A small plane sat in the centre.
"It's… Small," Takuya stuttered.
"This is how you're getting there." Kimaru-san smiled at their reactions. "It's newly invented. No need to hide from Muggles with this. Flying with brooms has always presented a problem wherever there are Muggles, especially extra long distances."
The six Fire Academy students bowed to the other man, who apparently was their teacher, and joined them at the foot of the plane. This group suddenly looked even odder, without the presence of any pets or anything remotely magical. Four boys and two girls, three of the four boys were carrying guitar cases.
Kimaru-san waved his wand, and the door of the plane opened, a staircase magically appearing, descending to their feet. "Up you go," he called out.
The inside was magically expanded so that it seemed more like a thousand-seater commercial Muggle aeroplane. There was even a kitchen, a row of comfortable-looking beds separated by screens, a garden and fishpond, and a staircase going up. All 'exchange students' were in awe as they dragged their bags up. The Fire Academy students seemed extraordinarily careful about their bags.
Kimaru-san waited as they chose seats. Naturally the Elemental School students sat by themselves, while the Fire Academy students kept to a group.
"Er… Sensei," Takuya said, raising a hand. "May I ask – who's piloting this plane?"
"I am," Kimaru-san replied calmly.
"What?"
The headmaster smiled at the Elemental students' reaction.
"You can fly a plane?"
"This plane was specially loaned to us from the International Confederation of Wizards. It is normally used to transport Ministers for Magic for long distances throughout the world, but Professor Dumbledore requested its use for this exchange program." Kimaru-san nodded at them. "Enjoy your journey. It'll take roughly two hours, so I think it'll be enough for introductions." He disappeared through a door at the front.
Takuya, being the friendly one, was the first to move to the Fire Academy Students. "Hi," he said, stopping in the aisle and bowing. "I'm Takuya Kanba – ARGH!"
"Oops, sorry," one of the boys apologised, his face scarlet as he quickly grabbed his bag, which previously had been hopping up to Takuya. He hissed as he struggled with the bag, which seemed to be alive. His companions all flushed with an Oops-Not-Again look. Finally he straightened up, as another boy with dark blue hair took his bag for him and stuffed it underneath a seat.
"Sorry about that," he apologised again. "Our bags are… Er… Enchanted." He looked highly uncomfortable. "I'm Davis Motomiya."
The other Elemental Students joined them, except for Kouichi and Kouji, who were seated together and merely watching them. They quickly introduced each other.
"Zoe Orimoto," Zoe said with a smile.
The two girls in the Fire Academy group introduced themselves as Kari Kamiya and Yolei. The youngest of the group was Tommy's age, a boy named Cody.
The Fire Academy students still looked red about Davis's hopping bag. Another of the bags began quivering, and the dark-haired boy quickly pushed it under a seat, muttering something.
"Thanks," a blond boy called out. "I'm TK Takaishi," he said.
"And that's Ken," Davis said, indicating the dark-haired boy, who seemed to be slipping a chocolate bar into another bag that quivered even more violently. "Ken Ichijouji."
"No way!" Takuya gasped suddenly. "The Ken Ichijouji! Wow, really!"
Ken seemed embarrassed. He muttered something to Cody. It sounded like 'They're hungry' and turned to them and nodded with a small smile.
"Hey, guys, come on over!" Zoe called to the twins. "Kouji and Kouichi," she told the Fire Academy group. "They're twins, and as you can see, they're not at all very sociable."
Cody began discreetly slipping chocolate into the bags, looking very uncomfortable. Only Tommy noticed, but decided not to ask.
"I'm still hungry," suddenly came a tiny voice that quickly made all the Fire Academy students flush red. Davis grabbed his bag and hissed into it. "You already had breakfast!"
"The bags need to eat?" Takuya asked, mystified.
"Yeah!" Davis said too fast to be telling the truth. He dropped the bag into a seat, whispering what sounded like threats if it didn't shut up.
"So the bags are like your pets?" Takuya continued, still bewildered. "Why not just keep an owl or something? Owls deliver letters, but bags don't."
Zoe elbowed him hard.
Suddenly they all became aware of a beeping noise. It seemed to be coming from Davis. TK and Kari both at the same time pushed him down onto the floor and began talking about the weather.
"Come on," JP hissed to the others. "They don't look very comfortable."
They went back to their seats, still staring at the weird Fire Academy students. TK was admonishing Davis about not putting something into a bag.
"I forgot, okay!"
"How can you forget that!"
"Sounds like you and Kouji," Zoe whispered to Takuya who was sitting beside her.
"They're a weird lot," JP observed. "Like they're hiding something."
The trip continued uneventfully, except when a bag from the Fire Academy flew up into the air yelling out in pain and when Takuya accidentally blew up a box of magical fireworks. Apart from that, the two-hour journey was pretty fun.
"Kouichi, quit studying! We're nearly there!"
"Takuya, don't try to influence him, please," Zoe sighed. "Everyone knows that you hate studying."
Near the end of the journey, the Fire Academy had conjured up a screen around several seats. Things were violently bouncing up and down behind the screen, emitting delighted squeals. Kimaru-san emerged as they were nearing London.
"Okay, kids," he announced. "We'll be touching down in London in a while, so hurry up and get cleaned up. Kouichi, you can put that book down now."
Takuya mouthed 'I told you so' over his shoulder at Kouichi, then turned back to look at Kimaru-san. "That's what I told him."
Kimaru-san continued calmly. "Now there is the matter of the language barrier. I will perform a particular charm on you to enable you to understand English, and for others to understand what you say."
The Fire Academy was suddenly listening very attentively.
One by one the 'exchange students' came up to the Headmaster, who muttered something and tapped them on their heads. The Fire Academy students had a silent and hurried discussion, only noticed by the twins. In the end they pushed Ken forward.
"You want to know how to perform that language charm?" Kimaru-san repeated in surprise. "But the charm I put on you is quite long lasting."
Nevertheless, when Kimaru-san disappeared back to the front of the plane, the Fire Academy huddled together and in a very odd manner started to place the language charm on their bags.
As a result, when they touched down in London, they were all staring suspiciously at one another.
"Kouichi, why can't you just quit studying? We're in London already!"
"Takuya…"
Review and tell me what you think..
Ken