How I Went on a Late Night Excursion

By Tsukime P. Heap

Circle me and the needle moves gracefully
Back and forth
If my heart was a compass you’ll be north
Risk it all
I will catch you if you fall
Wherever you go
If my heart was a house you’d be home…

Kouri sniffed. The song was so sweet and the voice of the singer, Adam Young of Owl City, was enough to make her melt. He was really a genius! How she hoped she’ll be as talented as he is someday.

Closing her new Apple notebook, she stretched her back. Research always gave her a backache. She was certain of it. Not the position of lying on her stomach and propping pillows beneath her chin but the research itself. Yeah…

Mitsuri with attitude

She walked toward the window. Mitsuri, her friend owl landed on the sill and gently gave her a ‘hello’ peck on the arm. Kouri smiled, still amazed that the owl, the first one that ever visited her, always kept coming back. She gave him the name on the fifth time he had returned and they were inseparable ever since.

A movement below caught her attention. She thought she saw Kizashi and, carrying Mitsuri, hurried down the stairs and out of the building. He wasn’t there when she finally stepped foot outside. Pouting, she made a decision to hunt him down and drag him out for some chocolate drink (for him) and chocolate bar (for her).

Humming, she skipped down the shadowy street, already tasting the chocolate in her tongue. Frozen chocolate is the best!

Something lunged out of an alley and Mitsuri panicked and flew away from Kouri’s loose hold and into the night.

“Mitsuri! Mitsuri! Return to the Kouri please!” she begged Mitsuri’s disappearing form.

Lonely at being left alone, she fought the tears that were threatening to roll down her cheeks. She was worried of her owl, and what was that thing that lunged at her? As she was contemplating under the dim light of the post lamp, a figure emerged from the same alley and spoke, “I’m Athana.”

Kouri squealed in surprised and turned around. In front of her was a blonde lady wearing twin pigtails, looking winded and tired. “Hi! The name is Kouri. Why the Athana tired?”

Athana looked at the strange girl before her wearing light pink pajamas with owl pictures which did nothing to hide her curves and a pair of purple bedroom slippers with owl eyes. She shouldn’t be out tonight wearing those thin pajamas, Athana decided. “My cat ran after your owl,” she said, then as if as an afterthought, she continued, “Sorry.”

Kouri nodded. “Daijobu,” she replied, hooking her arm around Athana’s. “The Athana go with the Kouri and look for Mitsuri and the cat.”

Athana nodded and the two walked around the school. When they passed by the the swimming pool, Athana suddenly said, “Over there.” She pointed at the entrance to the lockers.

Kouri quietly enterd the area of the swimming pool and headed straight towards the locker rooms. “Doku?” she asked Athana.

Athana pointed at the door named “Boys’ Locker Room”.

“They sure do name their rooms and buildings strange here in HADES,” Kouri said thoughtfully.

Athana just shrugged and pushed the door open. What she saw stopped her, effectively rooting her in place as if she really was a tree having giant roots running deep into the soil.

Kouri looked at Athana strangely. Why had she stopped, she wondered and pushed past the taller girl. Inside she saw Xenon standing beside an open locker, wearing only a towel around his waist, and drying his dark hair with another towel.

It must be his favorite style of clothes, thought Kouri and stepped inside the locker room.

“Hi!” she said cheerfully, carefully avoiding large puddles of water. “The Kouri hope she not chilling the Xenon. Have you seen Mitsuri?”

It was on the tip of Xenon’s tongue to reprimand the girl for stepping inside another exclusive male area again when the mention of the strange name confused him. “Mitsuri?”

Kouri pouted like a petulant child and Xenon suddenly realized that this was no 16 year old girl he was talking to (yes, he had read the student data) but a child trapped in a misleading body.

“The Kouri’s owl friend, Mitsuri. The Athana’s cat scared Mitsuri and Mitsuri flew away. The Athana’s cat followed Mitsuri. Now, the Kouri is asking the Xenon if the Xenon has seen Mitsuri,” she said slowly and loudly in her singsongy voice, as if talking to a child.

Xenon chuckled and shook his head. This Kouri reminded him of a child and children had always been his weakness. Maybe she’s immune to his curse?

“Sorry, little one,” he said gently, “I haven’t seen your Mitsuri.”

Kouri looked crestfallen then suddenly shook her head. “You talk like the Headmaster Wood,” she said with a smile, “Little Girl, he calls the Kouri.”

Xenon laughed at that and slowly pushed Kouri towards the door. “Now, be a good girl and go back to your room. The Boys’ Locker room is no place for you, just as the Boys’ Dormitory is off-limits.”

Kouri was almost out of the door when she saw Athana still staring at Xenon, her mouth open and a dazed look in her eyes.

“The Athana ok?” Kouri asked.

Xenon groaned. Not another one, he thought.

A voice suddenly boomed from the deeper part of the locker room.

“Is that a woman’s voice I hear, Xenon?” the voice called out, a bit slurred.

Xenon groaned. “It’s just a little lost girl, Abaven,” he replied, knowing full well that the moment Abaven caught sight of Kouri, the girl won’t make it out uncompromised.

The owner of the voice stepped out from behind a line of lockers and leaned against the wall, a bottle of vodka in his right hand. He was wearing some sort of corporate attire, minus the tie, and his long dark hair was framing his face. Drunk as he looked to be, he still strike a very sexy figure that a drop of blood was slowly making its way out of Athana’s nose, down her chin, and dropped to the floor.

“Wow! Another person the Kouri can ask! Maybe the person knows where the Kouri’s Mitsuri is!” Kouri declared and she slipped from Xenon’s grip and rushed towards Abaven in a flash.

“Hi! The name is Kouri. Have you seen the Kouri’s Mitsuri? Mitsuri is the Kouri’s owl, white with bits of black on Mitsuri’s wings. A very handsome owl!”

Abaven slowly smiled, a sensual smile that had succeeded in melting numerous women. “Hi there, too, sweetheart,” he said in a soft, sensual voice that was slightly slurred with drink. “So good of you to notice my handsomeness. I’m Abaven Shahe and I’m not really that drunk, you know. We can still make it to my dorm room. I’m sure Xenon won’t mind sleeping on the common room sofa. So, what do you say, sweetheart?”

Kouri blinked as her back touched the wall. She didn’t even notice that the person had manipulated her into being cornered.

“The Xenon says the Kouri isn’t allowed into the Boys’ Dormitory,” she said, her big, innocent blue eyes large in the dim light of the locker room.

“Bother Xenon. You shouldn’t listen to him. Come with me,” he said softly, literally stooping low just to reach her head. If this was causing him discomfort, he didn’t show it. He was whispering in a seductive voice, “I can make your blood sing.”

Kouri blinked. “Blood can sing? The Kouri didn’t know that.” A fine sheet of ice was now covering the wall which Kouri’s back touched, making her cold. She shivered.

Abaven mistook her shiver and decided to push his seduction a little further. “Yes, they can. I can also make them dance. Just say yes and go with me.”

“That is just so cool!!! The Kouri—“

She stopped talking as if suddenly lost for words. She turned towards the door and saw it open. Her expression suddenly softened and she sighed dreamily. “Kyre…”

Annoyed, Abaven turned to look at the newcomer who was, right enough, Kyre Zafirlust van Tempest the new kid that was always following Celesteine Noctis de Beau around. Can’t a man seduce in peace? he thought. When he returned his attention to Kouri, it was to find that she wasn’t there.

Depressed, Abaven slumped in a corner and raised the vodka bottle to his lips. He waited for about a minute then frowned. No liquid was pouring from the bottle. It was frozen solid. He threw it against the far wall angrily. Try as he might, he can’t make Fallon love him, and now he can’t even seduce this slip of a girl. He’s such a loser.

Xenon almost felt sorry for his roommate. He knew what he was suffering but thinks that his way of being distracted was wrong.

“KYRE!!!”

The shrill voice of Kouri woke Athana from her daze. If there was one word that she hated, it was ‘Kyre’. Narrowing her eyes at the new comer, she marched toward him and smacked him upside his head.

“Unhand my cat, you imbecile!” she yelled.

Kyre looked thoughtfully at Athana. After three minutes, he brightened. "Oh! sorry. Here." He held the giant cat to Athana who took it, rewarding Kyre with another smack, this time, on the face.

“Ow,” Kyre said, his hand coming up to touch his cheek, wondering what he did this time.

Kouri sided up beside Kyre and gazed at him adoringly. “Kyre…”

Kyre turned to her. “What?” he snapped.

Suddenly, the door was thrown open with such force that it hit the opposite wall and closed again. A soft groan was heard from the opposite side.

The door opened, this time slowly, and Kizashi entered massaging his forehead. On the top of his brown locks, a snowy owl perched.

“You are not supposed to be here, it’s already midnight,” Kizashi said to the whole room.

“Mitsuri!!!” Kouri reached for the owl as Kizashi held it out for her.

“We’re supposed to be the one to say that, underclassman,” Xenon said sternly.

Kizashi just looked at him up and down and said his famous line, “No matter how naked you are, no matter how hot you look, how wet you are, sorry… I do not do guys."

He turned to go then remembered some thing and looked back at Xenon. "Sorry, but three on one? Not a chance."

Three pairs of male eyes focused on Kizashi with such contempt, Athana wondered how he could still be standing.

Xenon walked towards Kizashi while pulling on a long black trench coat and hit Kizashi on the head. "You annoy me, underclassman. You made me act violently before women. As a punishment, I'll have you clean this locker room. Oh, and you can forget about returning to your room. I'll personally lock it and change the combination."

Having said this, Xenon went to Abaven, who was still mumbling about Fallon and why she wouldn't fall for him, and dragged him out of the room. Athana meekly followed him and then Kyre. He was still wondering what had transpired.

Kouri hesitated. "Zash need help?" she asked worriedly.

Kizashi shook his head. "No, you go ahead, I'll be fine."

Kouri nodded and skipped outside to followed them (specifically Kyre).

Kizashi shook his head and tsked. "Children these days..."

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A/N: Comments of respective character's owners are welcome. ^^