Mixed Darkness: Chapter 1
Title: Mixed Darkness
Author: chrysan
Type: AU, fantasy and supernatural, multi-part and multi-crossover
Main Series: Prince of Tennis, Harry Potter
Minor/Guest Appearance series: Saiyuki
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: All characters of Prince of Tennis and Harry Potter do not belong to me. The Plot of this fanfic belongs to me, though.
Summary: The Underworld has always considered itself neutral, even though many don't, for many of those of the Underworld usually join or help forces considered of the Dark. Now, with the Dark forces rising to power, the Underworld's survival is slowly threatened, by both sides.
Warnings: Slash, violence, dark themes, and mild bad language. Full spoilers for all series.
Author's Notes: Posting Chapter 1 as well. ^^
===============================================================
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~Chapter 1~
--------------------
The man bowed low. “ I’m afraid we have failed, My Lord,” he stammered fearfully to the figure sitting in the middle of the circle. Like all the rest in the eerily lit room, he was dressed in a long, black robe. Unlike them, however, he was not hooded.
“ Failed?” the figure sitting on the high chair looked hideous, with extremely pale skin, and a pair of narrow slits for eyes that were glowing an unnatural red. His voice was soft, and filled with a cruel malice in his tone when he spoke. A long snake coiled near by his feet, eyeing the still-bowing man coldly, hissing as well.
“ My Lord,” the man said in a pleading voice, “ please forgive me. The cursed werewolf was more cunning than we had thought. We had been really sure to catch him off guard and deliver him to you.”
“ Well, it seems that you’ve underestimated the werewolf again, Avery,” another man, who was hooded as well, said in a silky voice. “Surely, after so many times, you should have had enough experience to catch a werewolf.”
The man, Avery, glanced in the direction at the man who spoke. “ If it was any other werewolf, it would have been easy,” he replied. “ But Remus Lupin is no ordinary werewolf. Otherwise, why would our Master desire for him to join us? I don’t believe that you’d have had any better luck in catching him either, Malfoy.”
Lucius Malfoy walked slowly to the front of their Master and bowed low as well, throwing his hood off. “ Master,” he said respectfully. “ Let me take care of the werewolf, since Avery obviously can’t accomplish such an easy task. I will deliver him straight to you without fail.”
Avery darted him an angry, nervous look. “ Master, please give me one more chance,” he hurriedly said. “ I am perfectly sure that the werewolf will not escape this time.”
“ This is the tenth time you have failed,” the figure coolly answered. “ This is a bad example set to my other Death Eaters, Avery. Very bad, indeed. Yet you still ask for another chance? Lord Voldemort does not forgive failure so easily, Avery.”
“ My lord,” another short, hooded figure whispered hesitantly, as he hobbled forward. “ My lord, if I may speak….”
Voldemort smiled mirthlessly, and flicked his empty left hand negligently. “ Speak then, Wormtail,” he commanded coldly. “ But know that if your words displease me, suffer the consequences from my wrath.”
Peter Pettigrew, otherwise known as Wormtail, swallowed nervously. “ My lord,” he began slowly, nervously. “ Avery has indeed failed in his task too many times, but as he has said, Remus Lupin is no ordinary werewolf. Perhaps if I and Lucius assisted him, it would be much easier to capture Lupin.”
Lucius Malfoy glanced coolly at Wormtail. “ Master,” he cut in abruptly. “ It would be easier for me to finish this task alone. I’m afraid that with Wormtail and Avery, I’d be delayed even further. Surely it is more important to have Lupin on our side before he is convinced to join others?”
Voldemort considered the proposal, fixing his glowing red eyes on Lucius carefully. “ You are right, my slippery friend,” he rumbled intensely in agreement. “ Very well, then. I will entrust this task upon you. Do not fail me as Avery did, Lucius.”
Lucius bowed low again, with a pleased smile on his face. “ It shall be as you say, Master,” he replied.
“ But my Lord!” Wormtail seemed determined to have the last word. “ At least, let me assist him!” he begged. If he could participate in this mission, he would have his share of reward if the capture were successful. If it failed, Lucius Malfoy would be the one to take most of the blame. Either way, it was ideal for him.
Voldemort turned his gaze to Wormtail, who cowered slightly under his scrutiny. The Dark Lord smiled another mirthless smile, and nodded slowly, tapping a finger at the same time. “Since you are so interested, Wormtail,” he said, “ Then do so.”
Wormtail looked delighted, and bowed several times. “ Thank you, my Lord,” he breathed. “ Be assured that I will not fail you!”
“ Before you leave however,” Voldemort added. “ Severus will accompany you in this task as well, to ensure that the werewolf will be brought to me more easily. Do not harm the werewolf unnecessarily, just drug him.”
Severus Snape stepped forward. “ I thank you for providing me this opportunity, My Lord,” he bowed low as well, his voice soft and oily, as usual.
“ Go then, bring the werewolf, Remus Lupin to me.” Voldemort commanded coldly, waving his hand.
Upon dismissal, the three Death Eaters apparated away instantly, leaving the much-chagrined Avery behind without any further ado.
“ As for you Avery,” Voldemort’s expression twisted into a cruel smirk. “ You will receive your due punishment. Know that Lord Voldemort does not forgive failures or mistakes easily.”
Avery’s complexion turned ashen as the Dark Lord’s wand pointed towards him.
“Crucio!”
*******
“ So, you are the infamous half-demon that’s extremely resourceful and sells information for a living,” the person who spoke had a soft, mild voice. His tone was pleasant, just like the slight smile on his face. All in all, he looked absolutely harmless, gentle and forgiving in nature.
The man leaning into his chair, with his legs propped up on his desk was not fooled by his appearance. He took a deep drag from his cigarette before speaking. “ That’s right,” he replied in a drawling tone. “ But I’d like to remind you that any information I sell comes with a heavy price, High Mage Fuji Syuusuke.”
The smile on Fuji’s face widened slightly, not at all bothered by the fact that he was recognized so easily. If this half-demon could recognize him, it would mean that he was indeed as capable as rumored. The information he could get from this half-demon would be invaluable in aiding his search.
“ That is to be expected, Mr. Sha Gojyo,” he agreed calmly. “ Name your price now, Mr. Sha, and let us conduct and finish our business quickly. My search is urgent.”
Sha Gojyo narrowed his red eyes as he scrutinized the smiling, placid expression on Fuji. The way this High Mage smiled reminded him eerily of an old friend he had kept in contact, but not met in quite a while. Both were always smiling seemingly harmlessly, always pleasant and friendly when speaking.
“ Ch.” Gojyo extinguished his cigarette by pressing it into the half-filled ashtray on the table. /Both of them also share the same lethalness under that serene façade as well, eh? /
“ Tell me what you want to know then,” he absently drummed his fingers on the desk after removing his legs from it. “ The price paid will vary according to what you ask.”
Fuji’s smile never wavered, but now his expression changed subtly as he opened his eyes and stared at Gojyo. After a moment of contemplation, he seemed to come with a decision within himself.
“ I want to know about the whereabouts of a vampire,” he spoke softly. “ How much would that cost?”
Noting the change on the expression of Fuji immediately, Gojyo smirked. “ It’ll be expensive,” he informed, somewhat interested now. It wasn’t everyday a High Mage would look for a vampire, much less a Fuji. After all, the Fujis were an esteemed, well-respected ancient family who were renowned for the powerful magic they possessed. Like most powerful clans, the Fuji clan was an enigma to most. It was rather odd for Fuji Syuusuke, the currently strongest mage among the young generation of the Fuji clan, to come to look for him, one who belonged to the Underworld, for information. Surely the Fuji clan had their sources that were probably as good as he was?
“ A vampire,” Gojyo continued to muse, never taking his eyes off Fuji. “ Surely the Fuji clan would easily provide you with information you want? Vampires are difficult to gain information about, true, but I believe that the sources of the Fuji clan would still be capable of bringing you what you want to know.”
Still keeping his piercing blue eyes open, Fuji returned the scrutiny with an implacable stare of his own. “ It is a personal matter which I do not wish to involve the Main Family,” he offered as an explanation of his reasons. “ To have them know about this would just waste my time and complicate matters.”
Gojyo shrugged. “Fine,” he accepted the explanation readily. “ Give me the name of the vampire then, and I’ll tell you the fee after that.”
Fuji fell silent, as though suddenly hesitant. He was naturally wary of this half-demon, even though his reputation about confidentiality was solid. He had not been lying when he said that it would complicate matters if anything about this leaked out into the ears of the Fuji clan.
In the silence, Gojyo waited patiently. He was used to it already, the hesitance of his clients, that was. Besides, he could understand it too, though had it been any other, he would probably have taunted them for hesitating. Despite his gentle exterior, Fuji Syuusuke was not one to be trifled with. He had no wish to bring unnecessary trouble from a Fuji, for the moment.
“ Echizen Ryoma,” Fuji finally said. “ The vampire’s name is Echizen Ryoma.”
*******
“ Is he still sleeping?” the person who had spoken first among the trio in the room had his eyes closed. He was idly tapping his cap against the armrests of the couch, looking very relaxed.
“ Yes, he is.” There was a soft rustling sound of a page turning. The second person who replied was scribbling intently on his notebook.
“ What are you back for?” the question was direct, and almost rude. The third, final of the trio in the room, had a slightly disgruntled expression as he glanced over at the second person.
“ I live here too.” Came the calm reply. The speaker stopped scribbling though, and he closed his notebook, adjusting his square-framed glasses at the same time with a satisfied smile.
A long, soft hiss. “ You are certainly bold for one who has left for so long without keeping contact.”
“ Not that you’d care.” The tone was faintly curious now. “ You mean you were worried for me?”
“ Ssssssssss………” The speaker fell silent, seemingly embarrassed.
The second person smiled in a pleased manner to himself. “ Why Kaidoh,” he said in a slightly teasing tone. “ I didn’t know you cared that much about me.”
Kaidoh scowled and looked away, but he didn’t refute the statement. “ What happened to Remus?” he asked, glowering slightly as he changed the topic.
“ He got ambushed by Death Eaters on his way back,” replied the first person, who opened his almond-shaped, cat-like eyes as he spoke. “ It was near full moon, so it took more than usual of his energy to shake them off.”
“ I see.” The second person opened his notebook and scribbled more. “ According to my research, this ambush must have been quite elaborate, to be able to exhaust Remus to this point. And since it has failed, there is a 90% chance that Lucius Malfoy will take over the operation to capture Remus instead of Avery. There is also a high percentage probability of 85% that Severus Snape will be sent along by Voldemort to assist him.”
The short analysis brought blank looks from the other two.
“ Except for the name Voldemort, I don’t know who you’re talking about, Inui,” the first person informed. Kaidoh made an agreeing noise, and then hissed disinterestedly.
Inui looked amused. “ Not surprising,” he said. “ Considering that it’s you two that I’m talking to.”
The first person turned to glare at Inui. “ It doesn’t matter who they are, anyway,” he coolly retorted. “ I told Remus that he should’ve killed them, but he was too soft-hearted.”
Inui and Kaidoh looked slightly surprised at the last statement. “ You’re unusually bloodthirsty, Echizen,” Inui noted, opening his notebook again, with pencil poised ready. “ Did anything happen to you before you returned?”
There was a long pause at the question. “ Nothing happened,” came the evasive reply.
“ Really.” Inui was not fooled. Although they were not exactly close at all, his fine observation skills told him many things, things that many tried to evade discussing, things that many tried to avoid. It wasn’t as though he was a busybody(that was an insulting term to him, by the way), but collecting data from his observations was always useful and interesting, after all. Not to say that it was very fun as well to watch his opponents and friends alike to squirm when they find out about the data he collected from them.
Flipping through his notebook, he scanned the information he had collected, trying to find out what was wrong. If he could, it would perhaps bring him more good data to collect, and even provide him with some entertainment.
“ Ah,” he stopped at a page. Grinning slyly now, he said, “ Someone’s been scouting information for your whereabouts, Echizen. He must be good, for not even I could break through and find out this person’s identity. Any idea who it is?”
“ You couldn’t find out who the person was?” Kaidoh looked slightly startled. After all, it was the ‘Data Man’ they were talking about here.
“ Yes,” Inui answered calmly. “But I could speculate who that person is, and the chances of my speculation to be accurate are high. A 90% probability.”
The glare directed at Inui warning him to shut up was very pointed now. But long used to such menacing looks(people always gave him death threats, death glares, etc.), Inui merely continued speaking in an unperturbed manner.
“ Would you like me to tell you who I think that person is?” Inui’s grin could only be described by one word now - evil.
“ Shut up.” The tone was ominous now.
“ I’d like to know,” a new voice interrupted. The newcomer had opened the door silently and left it slightly ajar. No wonder none in the room had detected his presence. Of course, that could be blamed on their lack of being alert enough, but the occupants seldom felt the need to feel tense or on their guard while they were in the house. This was one of the few places where they could properly rest and relax.
“ Good evening, Remus,” Inui greeted the newcomer, noting that though the latter still seemed rather careworn, his eyes showed that he was refreshed from sleep and much more alert now. “ I see that sleep has improved you considerably.”
Remus Lupin nodded. “ Someone’s looking for you, Ryoma?” he asked the now sullen-looking boy on the couch.
Echizen Ryoma scowled slightly. “ Who knows?” was all he deigned to offer as a reply.
Kaidoh hissed at Ryoma’s insolence. But though he was curious as well, he chose to remain silent. It’d be much easier to wait for Inui to reveal the answer.
Remus turned patiently to Inui instead. “ So, who is it?” he asked.
Inui grinned again. Pushing his glasses, an evil gleam flashed behind them. “ From the looks of it,” he replied, “ I’d say that the Fuji clan is searching for Echizen.”
“ I see.” Remus glanced back at Ryoma contemplatively. “ I’d like to know how you crossed paths with Fuji Syuusuke, Ryoma.”
The resident vampire of the house scowled even more blackly. There was no escape for him this time, he knew. Looking annoyed, he replaced his cap before he started being interrogated by Remus. From *his* looks of it, this was going to be a boring and tiresome night.
~TBC~
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Author’s Remarks:
Well, many of you may find Remus rather OOC, but I’d like to say that this is an AU fic, where Remus would have different life experiences. So, this is how I pictured Remus would be like if he lived a different life instead. Hopefully, my characterization for other characters is good enough. ^_^ Please read and review, ne.
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Author: chrysan
Type: AU, fantasy and supernatural, multi-part and multi-crossover
Main Series: Prince of Tennis, Harry Potter
Minor/Guest Appearance series: Saiyuki
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: All characters of Prince of Tennis and Harry Potter do not belong to me. The Plot of this fanfic belongs to me, though.
Summary: The Underworld has always considered itself neutral, even though many don't, for many of those of the Underworld usually join or help forces considered of the Dark. Now, with the Dark forces rising to power, the Underworld's survival is slowly threatened, by both sides.
Warnings: Slash, violence, dark themes, and mild bad language. Full spoilers for all series.
Author's Notes: Posting Chapter 1 as well. ^^
===============================================================
--------------------
~Chapter 1~
--------------------
The man bowed low. “ I’m afraid we have failed, My Lord,” he stammered fearfully to the figure sitting in the middle of the circle. Like all the rest in the eerily lit room, he was dressed in a long, black robe. Unlike them, however, he was not hooded.
“ Failed?” the figure sitting on the high chair looked hideous, with extremely pale skin, and a pair of narrow slits for eyes that were glowing an unnatural red. His voice was soft, and filled with a cruel malice in his tone when he spoke. A long snake coiled near by his feet, eyeing the still-bowing man coldly, hissing as well.
“ My Lord,” the man said in a pleading voice, “ please forgive me. The cursed werewolf was more cunning than we had thought. We had been really sure to catch him off guard and deliver him to you.”
“ Well, it seems that you’ve underestimated the werewolf again, Avery,” another man, who was hooded as well, said in a silky voice. “Surely, after so many times, you should have had enough experience to catch a werewolf.”
The man, Avery, glanced in the direction at the man who spoke. “ If it was any other werewolf, it would have been easy,” he replied. “ But Remus Lupin is no ordinary werewolf. Otherwise, why would our Master desire for him to join us? I don’t believe that you’d have had any better luck in catching him either, Malfoy.”
Lucius Malfoy walked slowly to the front of their Master and bowed low as well, throwing his hood off. “ Master,” he said respectfully. “ Let me take care of the werewolf, since Avery obviously can’t accomplish such an easy task. I will deliver him straight to you without fail.”
Avery darted him an angry, nervous look. “ Master, please give me one more chance,” he hurriedly said. “ I am perfectly sure that the werewolf will not escape this time.”
“ This is the tenth time you have failed,” the figure coolly answered. “ This is a bad example set to my other Death Eaters, Avery. Very bad, indeed. Yet you still ask for another chance? Lord Voldemort does not forgive failure so easily, Avery.”
“ My lord,” another short, hooded figure whispered hesitantly, as he hobbled forward. “ My lord, if I may speak….”
Voldemort smiled mirthlessly, and flicked his empty left hand negligently. “ Speak then, Wormtail,” he commanded coldly. “ But know that if your words displease me, suffer the consequences from my wrath.”
Peter Pettigrew, otherwise known as Wormtail, swallowed nervously. “ My lord,” he began slowly, nervously. “ Avery has indeed failed in his task too many times, but as he has said, Remus Lupin is no ordinary werewolf. Perhaps if I and Lucius assisted him, it would be much easier to capture Lupin.”
Lucius Malfoy glanced coolly at Wormtail. “ Master,” he cut in abruptly. “ It would be easier for me to finish this task alone. I’m afraid that with Wormtail and Avery, I’d be delayed even further. Surely it is more important to have Lupin on our side before he is convinced to join others?”
Voldemort considered the proposal, fixing his glowing red eyes on Lucius carefully. “ You are right, my slippery friend,” he rumbled intensely in agreement. “ Very well, then. I will entrust this task upon you. Do not fail me as Avery did, Lucius.”
Lucius bowed low again, with a pleased smile on his face. “ It shall be as you say, Master,” he replied.
“ But my Lord!” Wormtail seemed determined to have the last word. “ At least, let me assist him!” he begged. If he could participate in this mission, he would have his share of reward if the capture were successful. If it failed, Lucius Malfoy would be the one to take most of the blame. Either way, it was ideal for him.
Voldemort turned his gaze to Wormtail, who cowered slightly under his scrutiny. The Dark Lord smiled another mirthless smile, and nodded slowly, tapping a finger at the same time. “Since you are so interested, Wormtail,” he said, “ Then do so.”
Wormtail looked delighted, and bowed several times. “ Thank you, my Lord,” he breathed. “ Be assured that I will not fail you!”
“ Before you leave however,” Voldemort added. “ Severus will accompany you in this task as well, to ensure that the werewolf will be brought to me more easily. Do not harm the werewolf unnecessarily, just drug him.”
Severus Snape stepped forward. “ I thank you for providing me this opportunity, My Lord,” he bowed low as well, his voice soft and oily, as usual.
“ Go then, bring the werewolf, Remus Lupin to me.” Voldemort commanded coldly, waving his hand.
Upon dismissal, the three Death Eaters apparated away instantly, leaving the much-chagrined Avery behind without any further ado.
“ As for you Avery,” Voldemort’s expression twisted into a cruel smirk. “ You will receive your due punishment. Know that Lord Voldemort does not forgive failures or mistakes easily.”
Avery’s complexion turned ashen as the Dark Lord’s wand pointed towards him.
“Crucio!”
*******
“ So, you are the infamous half-demon that’s extremely resourceful and sells information for a living,” the person who spoke had a soft, mild voice. His tone was pleasant, just like the slight smile on his face. All in all, he looked absolutely harmless, gentle and forgiving in nature.
The man leaning into his chair, with his legs propped up on his desk was not fooled by his appearance. He took a deep drag from his cigarette before speaking. “ That’s right,” he replied in a drawling tone. “ But I’d like to remind you that any information I sell comes with a heavy price, High Mage Fuji Syuusuke.”
The smile on Fuji’s face widened slightly, not at all bothered by the fact that he was recognized so easily. If this half-demon could recognize him, it would mean that he was indeed as capable as rumored. The information he could get from this half-demon would be invaluable in aiding his search.
“ That is to be expected, Mr. Sha Gojyo,” he agreed calmly. “ Name your price now, Mr. Sha, and let us conduct and finish our business quickly. My search is urgent.”
Sha Gojyo narrowed his red eyes as he scrutinized the smiling, placid expression on Fuji. The way this High Mage smiled reminded him eerily of an old friend he had kept in contact, but not met in quite a while. Both were always smiling seemingly harmlessly, always pleasant and friendly when speaking.
“ Ch.” Gojyo extinguished his cigarette by pressing it into the half-filled ashtray on the table. /Both of them also share the same lethalness under that serene façade as well, eh? /
“ Tell me what you want to know then,” he absently drummed his fingers on the desk after removing his legs from it. “ The price paid will vary according to what you ask.”
Fuji’s smile never wavered, but now his expression changed subtly as he opened his eyes and stared at Gojyo. After a moment of contemplation, he seemed to come with a decision within himself.
“ I want to know about the whereabouts of a vampire,” he spoke softly. “ How much would that cost?”
Noting the change on the expression of Fuji immediately, Gojyo smirked. “ It’ll be expensive,” he informed, somewhat interested now. It wasn’t everyday a High Mage would look for a vampire, much less a Fuji. After all, the Fujis were an esteemed, well-respected ancient family who were renowned for the powerful magic they possessed. Like most powerful clans, the Fuji clan was an enigma to most. It was rather odd for Fuji Syuusuke, the currently strongest mage among the young generation of the Fuji clan, to come to look for him, one who belonged to the Underworld, for information. Surely the Fuji clan had their sources that were probably as good as he was?
“ A vampire,” Gojyo continued to muse, never taking his eyes off Fuji. “ Surely the Fuji clan would easily provide you with information you want? Vampires are difficult to gain information about, true, but I believe that the sources of the Fuji clan would still be capable of bringing you what you want to know.”
Still keeping his piercing blue eyes open, Fuji returned the scrutiny with an implacable stare of his own. “ It is a personal matter which I do not wish to involve the Main Family,” he offered as an explanation of his reasons. “ To have them know about this would just waste my time and complicate matters.”
Gojyo shrugged. “Fine,” he accepted the explanation readily. “ Give me the name of the vampire then, and I’ll tell you the fee after that.”
Fuji fell silent, as though suddenly hesitant. He was naturally wary of this half-demon, even though his reputation about confidentiality was solid. He had not been lying when he said that it would complicate matters if anything about this leaked out into the ears of the Fuji clan.
In the silence, Gojyo waited patiently. He was used to it already, the hesitance of his clients, that was. Besides, he could understand it too, though had it been any other, he would probably have taunted them for hesitating. Despite his gentle exterior, Fuji Syuusuke was not one to be trifled with. He had no wish to bring unnecessary trouble from a Fuji, for the moment.
“ Echizen Ryoma,” Fuji finally said. “ The vampire’s name is Echizen Ryoma.”
*******
“ Is he still sleeping?” the person who had spoken first among the trio in the room had his eyes closed. He was idly tapping his cap against the armrests of the couch, looking very relaxed.
“ Yes, he is.” There was a soft rustling sound of a page turning. The second person who replied was scribbling intently on his notebook.
“ What are you back for?” the question was direct, and almost rude. The third, final of the trio in the room, had a slightly disgruntled expression as he glanced over at the second person.
“ I live here too.” Came the calm reply. The speaker stopped scribbling though, and he closed his notebook, adjusting his square-framed glasses at the same time with a satisfied smile.
A long, soft hiss. “ You are certainly bold for one who has left for so long without keeping contact.”
“ Not that you’d care.” The tone was faintly curious now. “ You mean you were worried for me?”
“ Ssssssssss………” The speaker fell silent, seemingly embarrassed.
The second person smiled in a pleased manner to himself. “ Why Kaidoh,” he said in a slightly teasing tone. “ I didn’t know you cared that much about me.”
Kaidoh scowled and looked away, but he didn’t refute the statement. “ What happened to Remus?” he asked, glowering slightly as he changed the topic.
“ He got ambushed by Death Eaters on his way back,” replied the first person, who opened his almond-shaped, cat-like eyes as he spoke. “ It was near full moon, so it took more than usual of his energy to shake them off.”
“ I see.” The second person opened his notebook and scribbled more. “ According to my research, this ambush must have been quite elaborate, to be able to exhaust Remus to this point. And since it has failed, there is a 90% chance that Lucius Malfoy will take over the operation to capture Remus instead of Avery. There is also a high percentage probability of 85% that Severus Snape will be sent along by Voldemort to assist him.”
The short analysis brought blank looks from the other two.
“ Except for the name Voldemort, I don’t know who you’re talking about, Inui,” the first person informed. Kaidoh made an agreeing noise, and then hissed disinterestedly.
Inui looked amused. “ Not surprising,” he said. “ Considering that it’s you two that I’m talking to.”
The first person turned to glare at Inui. “ It doesn’t matter who they are, anyway,” he coolly retorted. “ I told Remus that he should’ve killed them, but he was too soft-hearted.”
Inui and Kaidoh looked slightly surprised at the last statement. “ You’re unusually bloodthirsty, Echizen,” Inui noted, opening his notebook again, with pencil poised ready. “ Did anything happen to you before you returned?”
There was a long pause at the question. “ Nothing happened,” came the evasive reply.
“ Really.” Inui was not fooled. Although they were not exactly close at all, his fine observation skills told him many things, things that many tried to evade discussing, things that many tried to avoid. It wasn’t as though he was a busybody(that was an insulting term to him, by the way), but collecting data from his observations was always useful and interesting, after all. Not to say that it was very fun as well to watch his opponents and friends alike to squirm when they find out about the data he collected from them.
Flipping through his notebook, he scanned the information he had collected, trying to find out what was wrong. If he could, it would perhaps bring him more good data to collect, and even provide him with some entertainment.
“ Ah,” he stopped at a page. Grinning slyly now, he said, “ Someone’s been scouting information for your whereabouts, Echizen. He must be good, for not even I could break through and find out this person’s identity. Any idea who it is?”
“ You couldn’t find out who the person was?” Kaidoh looked slightly startled. After all, it was the ‘Data Man’ they were talking about here.
“ Yes,” Inui answered calmly. “But I could speculate who that person is, and the chances of my speculation to be accurate are high. A 90% probability.”
The glare directed at Inui warning him to shut up was very pointed now. But long used to such menacing looks(people always gave him death threats, death glares, etc.), Inui merely continued speaking in an unperturbed manner.
“ Would you like me to tell you who I think that person is?” Inui’s grin could only be described by one word now - evil.
“ Shut up.” The tone was ominous now.
“ I’d like to know,” a new voice interrupted. The newcomer had opened the door silently and left it slightly ajar. No wonder none in the room had detected his presence. Of course, that could be blamed on their lack of being alert enough, but the occupants seldom felt the need to feel tense or on their guard while they were in the house. This was one of the few places where they could properly rest and relax.
“ Good evening, Remus,” Inui greeted the newcomer, noting that though the latter still seemed rather careworn, his eyes showed that he was refreshed from sleep and much more alert now. “ I see that sleep has improved you considerably.”
Remus Lupin nodded. “ Someone’s looking for you, Ryoma?” he asked the now sullen-looking boy on the couch.
Echizen Ryoma scowled slightly. “ Who knows?” was all he deigned to offer as a reply.
Kaidoh hissed at Ryoma’s insolence. But though he was curious as well, he chose to remain silent. It’d be much easier to wait for Inui to reveal the answer.
Remus turned patiently to Inui instead. “ So, who is it?” he asked.
Inui grinned again. Pushing his glasses, an evil gleam flashed behind them. “ From the looks of it,” he replied, “ I’d say that the Fuji clan is searching for Echizen.”
“ I see.” Remus glanced back at Ryoma contemplatively. “ I’d like to know how you crossed paths with Fuji Syuusuke, Ryoma.”
The resident vampire of the house scowled even more blackly. There was no escape for him this time, he knew. Looking annoyed, he replaced his cap before he started being interrogated by Remus. From *his* looks of it, this was going to be a boring and tiresome night.
~TBC~
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Author’s Remarks:
Well, many of you may find Remus rather OOC, but I’d like to say that this is an AU fic, where Remus would have different life experiences. So, this is how I pictured Remus would be like if he lived a different life instead. Hopefully, my characterization for other characters is good enough. ^_^ Please read and review, ne.
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