Sticks and Stones

[Kaoru Shurui]

Kaoru had been rather bored during the day. He hd spoken to his friends, yes. But he longed to go outside, to run about in the fresh air. Kao had hated being stuck in a classroom all day. He knew he was desperate to go when his eyes kept wondering over to the windows... If there had been any in that certain classroom. Was it so bad that he loved the outdoors? He had been asked before, but he just couldn't think of anything to reply. He just did. So, as soon as he had the chance... After getting changed out of his uniform to a pair of denim shorts and a t-shirt, he had run to the lakefront, feeling the wind blow in his brown hair. It certainly hadn't take him long to get there, but it had felt like eternity. As soon as he heard the water, a wide grin was plastered on his face, and stopped when he was amongst the pebbled beach. Closing his eyes, he tilted his head back as he felt the cool breeze, and heard the water, and rustling of trees nearby. Where he liked the warm inside on a snowy day, outside... Kaoru felt free.

Opening his brown eyes, the young Hufflepuff started hunting around for stones to skip on the water's surface. They needed to be a certain shape, smooth and they needed to be able to fit in his hand. He had only skipped rocks once before, and that was back before he was at Hogwarts. He needed to practice. Still, Kaoru knew that he would time somewhere! But, could the Japanese boy still know how to... "I guess I'll just have to find that out for myself!" He declared, grin widening as he found his perfect stone. Picking it up and rushing over to the shore, he threw it out into the sea, watching as it skipped once before sinking into the ocean's depths. Kaoru cheered. He still knew how, he just needed to get better. Still there was time for that. And he had his homework to do later... That didn't matter. He would find time to do it later!

 

[Ryuuji Tsukino]

It was just a normal day for Ryuuji Tsukino, or at least, a day that is as normal as it could be provided that he's spending it within the magical and majestic walls of Hogwarts New Zealand. Just like his usual routine, he woke up early to the sound of his dorm mates' laughing and the birds chirping outside the large windows of their room. It was actually great that the Ravenclaw house had been situated at the highest place in the castle, the view from his room was indeed, breath taking. Untangling himself from the bed sheets, the sixteen year old ravenclaw proceeded to change into a simple white shirt and jeans. Despite him being a son of a renowned fashion designer, Ryuuji still hadn't acquired his mother's taste for dressing up. Satisfied with the way that he looked after checking his reflection on his bedside mirror, Ryuuji decided to explore around the castle. The classes had just started, he still didn't have a lot of things to do, but he knew that he was bound to be busier on the days to come. It would be better to have fun fun now.

Trying to tame his messy black hair, the Ravenclaw started on his way down the grounds. Now, having his room on the towers seemed to have its disadvantages too. He had to spend a lot of time just going down the numerous stairs and, if he's unlucky enough, even longer should he somehow get lost. Ryuuji had spent five whole years studying here, but still, as embarrassing as it sounded, he hadn't been able to memorize the whole place. Not that anyone could blame him though, the school was so magical that one time, a room would be there, and another second after, it would be gone. After minutes of walking, Ryuuji finally found himself down the Hogwarts grounds. In the lakefront, to be more specific. The place held a lot of special memories for him, and truth to be told, he would actually miss the place the most once he graduated, which won't be that long from now. Looking around the place, the ravenclaw spotted another boy, younger than him from the looks of it. He watched as the boy began hunting for something. Now it would seem quite rude for him to actually watch someone, but then, he was just curious as to what the younger boy was doing. When the younger boy then had approached the lake and threw the stone, which was the thing that he had been hunting for it seemed, the sixteen year old cannot help but to clap his hands in awe with the way that the stone had skipped on the waters. He used to do the same thing back in Japan before, but he doubted that he could still do it right now. "Sugoi (amazing..." He exclaimed, unable to stop himself from talking.​

 

[Kaoru Shurui]

Kaoru hadn't been expecting somebody to be watching him. Nope, not at all. Let alone that person know Japanese. Kao grinned. "Arigato, Senpai!" He said to the older boy. Truth be it, he was glad he had somebody to talk to. It would've been awfully lonely if he hadn't. And the talkative boy was always wanting to talk to people, whether they be older, younger or by themselves.

Kao jogged over to the older boy, bowed slightly, and held out his hand. "I'm Kaoru Shurui, but most people call me Kao!" He grinned and waiting for the other boy's response.

 

[Ryuuji Tsukino]

It was actually great that the younger boy had not been too startled to yell at him nor too full of himself to tell him to mind his own business. Ryuuji had had his own fair share of experience of meeting rude people around, not that that ruined his Hogwarts experience. He knew that people are different, it wouldn't be that shocking to meet people who just don't like you at first sight or whose only purpose in life is to annoy the hell out of other people. But still, it's great that this person that he had just randomly talked to wasn't rude to begin with. At least, he wouldn't have a hard time starting a conversation. The fact that the younger boy looked Asian is another plus too. He rarely meets people from the same country as him. Ai and Conan were the only ones actually. "Ah.. you're japanese! Yoroshiku (nice to meet you). Watashi no namae wa Tsukino Ryuuji desu. (My name is Ryuuji Tsukino)." He introduced, bowing a full ninety degree before smiling brightly at the younger boy. It had been a really long time since he last use the language. He would often use random japanese words when talking with Ai, but it's the first since a very long time that he had actually spoken a full sentence in it. "You can call me Ryu. If I'm not mistaken, you're a first year, aren't you?" He continued, the smile never leaving his face. ​

 

[Kaoru Shurui]

Being a first year, Kaoru hadn't met very many people yet, let alone some of the same nationality. The only chance he had to speak in Japanese was with his brothers... But he hadn't seen them very much recently. He presumed they were busy with classwork and homework. Since they were older, Kao wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. But now, having met Ryuuji, maybe he'd have more of a chance to stick with his first language. As much as he liked New Zealand, and speaking English, he was more comfortable speaking Japanese. It was hard to explain... Ah well, it wasn't that important, right? "Yoroshiku! Hai, Boku wa. (Yes, I am.)" Kao smiled, before nodding. "I am only a first year, Ryu-senpai." Looking behind his shoulder at the shore, he hummed in thought. He'd have to find some more pebbles. He began scouring for more around him and Ryuuji.

 

[Ryuuji Tsukino]

Being with someone with the same nationality was quite refreshing. It reminded him of home. Ryuuji really missed his family: his uptight yet really funny grandmother, his strict father, his doting mother, even his quite annoying and overprotective sister. He would have wanted to be with them, but then again, he wouldn't want to leave the school. Hogwarts was his second home, and in here, he was able to build his own second family. Ai and Conan, were, in fact, like his real younger siblings at school. Though, sadly, at the moment, his relationship with Conan wasn't good. It hadn't been that long since he had last talked to the younger boy, though, talk would probably not be the right word to describe what had happened. It was more like an argument after all. Sighing, the ravenclaw tried to clear his thoughts. He cannot think of such negative things right at the moment. He'd have time to think about that later once he's already within the confines of his room. Right now, what he should focus on is how to make this new student welcomed. He'd have to show him how great the place was. Come to think of it though, he wondered why the boy was all alone and without company. "I'm pretty much really older than you then. I'm already on my sixth year here... but well.. I don't look that old though, do I?" Ryuuji said with a laugh, his hands behind his head as he watched the younger boy look for, he assumed, were more pebbles. "What are you doing here alone anyway?" He then added, not being able to stop himself from asking the same question that had been running on his mind since earlier. He just hoped that the younger boy won't be offended by his inquiries.​

 

[Kaoru Shurui]

Kaoru shrugged. Just because he was a sixth year didn't mean the both of them couldn't be friends, right? He hoped not, because Kao liked being able to talk to someone from Japan, who wasn't related to him. It was a change, and quite nice. Spotting some pebbles, he scooped them up as held them in his arms tightly, careful not to drop them. Stone skipping was fun to do, especially with someone. Being by ones self all the time was sometimes boring, not to mention lonely. Kao didn't like being alone. He hated it. Kaoru chuckled lightly, and grinned. "No, you're not that old, Ryu-senpai. But, even with the age difference... We can still be friends, right?" He asked hopefully, an odd look of almost innocence in his face. His mouth was wide in a smile, and his eyes shining. Looking at the amount of pebbles in his arms, he gestured some to Ryu. "Here!" He said, ready to pour a few. Still, his head tilted by the side, confused. Why... Was he alone? Well, Kaoru hadn't really noticed. He shrugged. "I... Didn't notice. I don't really like being alone, though..."

 

[Ryuuji Tsukino]

"Oh, I don't look that old eh? Thanks Kao-kun." Ryuuji said with a sheepish smile, brushing his har away from his eyes as he watched the younger continued to play with the stones. It was quite weird really, even though he was already in his sixth year, it seemed that majority, if not all, of his close friends at Hogwarts were those who belong to the lower years. It really was weird, but then, it wasn't bad at all, right? There's nothing wrong with it. Perhaps, it was because he's still a child at heart, and besides, being sixteen is not that old. He's just in his teenage years. He cannot really call himself an adult yet. "Well, of course Kao-kun. We can be friends. I'd really like that." He said in affirmation to the younger's statement.

The ravenclaw just accepted the pebbles that had been offered to him. He had used to play with it before too. He just hoped that his 'skills' if you can call it that, had not been that rusty from not being used for quite a long time already. "Arigatou," He said, examining the pebble in his hand, making sure that it had a flat surface. Satisfied with the pebble on his hand, Ryuuji held the flat sides of it with his thumb and the other side, with his middle finger. With a sidearm toss and flick of his wrist, the stone came flying towards the lake, only for it to sink without even skipping one bit. "Ah.. mou.. I guess I don't know how to do it anymore." The Ravenclaw pouted even though it was quite a childish thing to do. HE wasn't one to give up though, so he asked for another one from the younger boy. "No one wants to be alone, even those persons who said that they prefer it, I doubted that. No one can live by himself. I for one, don't like being alone too. So, we're on the same boat Kao. Don't worry, you'll meet lots of awesome people here." He announced as he tried to toss the new pebble in the lake, it skipped one time before it too, had sunk to the depths of the water. "Yatta! (I did it!) Even though, it really didn't skipped much"​

 

[Kaoru Shurui]

"Do itashimashite! You're welcome!" He replied, nodding his head with a such a big smile it made his eyes close. Facing back to the shore, he took another pebble and skipped it along the surface. Cheering lightly, he jumped on the pebbles, and caught his footing just as he was about to slip. Phew! Kaoru thought, as he laughed. "I'm glad, senpai!" He took another pebble and skipped it, smiling. "You seem like a nice friend already." He mentioned, his voice a little calmer to show he was being serious.

Kao nodded to Ryuuji. "You're welcome." Throwing another pebble to the ocean, he slumped slightly as it sunk, before looking around for more pebbles. Practise makes perfect, after all. He looked at Ryuuji. "I'm sure you can! Just practise, Ryu-senpai!" However, at his next few words, Kao sighed, and slumped. No, he hated being alone. He was scared of being alone. He didn't want Kisho and Kenzo to leave him like his mum and dad did... He didn't want his friends to, either... "I'm scared of it..." He whispered, his demeanour darkening for a moment before it brightened up. "Yoku yatta, Ryu-senpai! Well done, Ryu-senpai! It takes a while to be able to skip it lots!" Kaoru clapped his hands once, before grinning widely.

 

[Ryuuji Tsukino]

Ryuuji swore that his heart almost stopped when he saw the younger boy lost his balance, it was really a good thing that he had somehow, been able to regain his footing thus stopping himself from falling. If he did slipped, the Ravenclaw wouldn't know what to do anymore. He had far too many experiences in the hospital wing already that he didn't want to have another trip there. Besides, it hadn't been that long since he brought Ai there, and of course, she too had been injured then. The nurse had warned them that they'd be reported to their head of the house already should the sam ething happen again. "Be careful Kao-kun." He said in relief, his hand on his chest. He used to be so carefree and calm before, but since last year, he had been finding it increasingly hard to take life in stride. He was turning into a worrywart actually, and honestly, he didn't like it. "Am I really? I'm glad you think of me as that. You're a really nice kid too Kao." Ryuuji added, a smile gracing his face, his eyes seemingly close from his smiling.

The Ravenclaw just laughed when the younger cheered for him. Even though it's quite silly, it actually felt great. The younger boy reminded him of Ai and Conan actually. Though, him and Conan were not really in good terms right now. He hoped everything would settle down soon. He really would like to introduce the younger boy to the twins. He seemed quite lonely and seemed to need some friends. Even though he had just met the boy, something about the younger's smile tells him that the boy was lonely. And that thought had been confirmed by the boy's statement. "You don't need to be scared Kao. I'm here, alright? Although, I shouldn't really say that much since I'm about to graduate already." The ravenclaw said, smiling sheepishly while letting out a small laugh. "But seriously though, I think you're a really nice kid, it's not hard to like you. You'll meet lots of great people here. It might be hard to finds friends at first, but I'm sure that you'll be able to forge life long relationships here. Don't be scared Kao-kun." Ryuuji continued, patting the much younger boy on the head the same way that he would do to Ai whenever he would comfort her. He understood why the boy was scared of being alone. But still, being scared would be of no help at all. He had to fight and face his fears rather than dwelling on it. "I'll introduce you to some of my friends here, they were closer to your age. They're really nice too." He said at last, gently smiling to reassure the boy that he really need not worry so much.
​

 

[Kaoru Shurui]

Kaoru was always slipping over, always climbing trees and falling out of them. In turn, he had rather tough skin, but he still cut himself a lot, and he did bruise rather easily. But, it didn't hurt. He was just really clumsy. He gave Ryuuji a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Ryu-senpai!" Kao kicked the unstable ground lightly. Still, this pebbles could leave some nasty bruises on the legs and back. He would rather not know from experience, so he would have to be careful. He was only wearing a t-shirt, so that wouldn't be much protection. Kao would just have to hope that he wouldn't slip over. "Don't waste your worry on silly old me!" He chuckled, and nodded to Ryuuji. Yeah, he'd be careful. He was having too much fun to ruin it by falling over. He then rubbed the back of his neck, a little embarrassed. "You bet!" He admitted, before his cheeks tinged slightly pink at the compliment. Kaoru wasn't really complimented. "Haha, thanks, Ryu-senpai... but I don't think I am..."

Kaoru slumped slightly. Was he going to tell Ryuuji all of this? He wasn't sure... he trusted Ryu-senpai, but he wasn't sure if he would want to know. "But... that's what mum said... and she's gone. And I don't want anyone to leave me again... I'm being stupid." He admitted, skipping another stone. "But even you'll be leaving..." Letting out a sigh, Kao tried to cheer up. He didn't want to dampen the mood with his fears. Feeling the hand on his head, he smiled genuinely, and almost leant into the touch. His mother used to do the same... and it felt really familiar. "I have some friends, like Ai, and I'm trying to get her twin to like me too. Ai's tutoring me... since I'm not exactly the smartest person around." Giving a shrug, he smiled at Ryuuji, trying to cheer up.