Studying{Open for three}

[Vy]

In the quiet library, where one can even hear the scribing of a pen, a young boy was standing in front of a bookshelf. His outfit making him stand out, black pants with a gray colored shirt. Over him though was a black jacket without a hood. It went with him being colored black just like the night, in the middle were a twin set of lines going down in the middle. The zipper was a yellow cross that was fully up. Long black sleeves covering his whole arm, leaving the covering his hands to two black gloves with a yellow cross on each. Dawned on his head was a sunhat that was quite small with a yellow borderline with the rims as it's base. Innocent green eyes reflecting the large amount of books on English. Gloved hands, sliding across the various books as he stared at it. His focusing on a specific book, as it rested on it. His hands slowly grabbed the book and pulled it off of its resting place.'English to Japanese dictionary', yes just what he needed! He was never good on the subject.

Holding the book in his hands, the boy, Haru, sat at an empty desk. He didn't really like working with others. It wasn't that he was a loner though! He was just...not really good with the crowds. He also didn't like being so close to others. He wanted to ask his English teacher, Oozara-sensei, but he also taught magic so the man probably didn't want to be bothered by such trivial things. Learning a new language was hard, especially when one grows older and most accustomed to their native language. Yet for some reason his sister, Kyuuka, can easily grasp the language as if it was the only one she knew. He didn't know how but figured that it was most likely from all those fashion magazines she read. She subscribed so much and scanned through them, it was so strange how she like those things. It might just be something that only girls like though.

Opening the book, he quickly turned to the word 'mizu'. He was writing an essay on the human necessity and he decided to do it on water. At first he thought it was going to be simply until something happened. The teacher would only accept papers in English, and he was barely passing that subject. Actually he was barely passing every subject, including P.E. He's been so busy with helping spirits and people who are haunted by spirits that he didn't have that much time to study or do homework. It wasn't that he was trying to be busy, no he did stay up late at night to do all the work and study but even then it wasn't enough time. Sometimes he wished that he would just have sometime to relax and study but people needed him everywhere pretty much. He also couldn't say no to them because it was his duty and every moment he spends relaxing is a moment more the spirit and people had to suffer.

Soon he was able to find the word 'mizu' which is translated into English as 'water'. With that he continued to write down his rough draft. The paper wasn't due for another two weeks but he decided that since he is free right now, he might as well do his work right? After all, going into a good collage is very competitive and he has to study hard. With his grades right now there was no way any of those schools would take him in. They would most likely have laughed at him and then Kyuuka would make a big scene out of it. The thought of that made him sigh, she was hard to live with but still, he cared for her. She was his sister after all, he cared for her, she was special to him. She was the only thing he has right now to live for since if he was to die she would cry, he didn't want that. He didn't want anyone to suffer. That was why he doesn't like being near people.

As he finished the first paragraph, he looked around to see that he still had sometime left. Kay, maybe he won't have to check out the book, after all if he does than someone who needs it won't have it. He soon noticed some gazes on him and he started to feel nervous. It was most likely because of what he was wearing, it did stand out after all. Embarrassed by that though, he slowly pulled down his hat to block his face a little. It was a good thing there was light to cover his eyes. Now he couldn't really focus but he tried to pretend that he was doing work anyway.

[Zain Alfo]

Zain walked through the aisle of the library, the smells of books was far too common to him. It brought back the memories of the church, the basement was filled with books on alchemy, ranging from the basics to things Zain had only just begun to understand. He past a few students giving them all a slight smile, he was still new to the school however if a student had been taught by him in the science class room they would know.

His music would play loud, different music for different classes and there would always be a practical. Nothing like watching a bubble travel through a tube, more like learning how to accelerate the bubble so it was able to shoot out from the tube and blast through a table. He smiled to himself as he remembered that lesson, not many of the students had expected something like that. he liked to keep them on their toes.

Then Zain saw it, a student in need. A smile crossed his face as he slowly walked beside him, his eyes catching a look at his work...’Mizu?’ Why was the kid writing about water, some people did amuse him. He looked down at the kid, from behind him be spoke, [black] “You okay kid? You look slightly lost?” [/black] Zain said in Japanese, he was not a native and that was obvious by his accent. However he knew there would be many students from natonalities and had taken it upon himself to learn a number of languages, including Russian.

The boy was indeed writing an essay about water, what a strange subject...what a boring subject. He was quite for a moment and then heard the sigh leave the boy’s lips, was the kid having problems? Zain pulled up a seat beside the kid, lifting the chair so it did not scrape against the floor. Swiftly he took a seat looking down at the boy’s essay, then it was clear. He had the slight feeling before but not it was obvious, the boy had some sort of power. What it was Zain could not be to sure however it was most definitely strong for his age, at that boys age Zain wasn’t even sure he had discovered his powers.

Zain’s eyes scanned over the boy, he was indeed wearing strange clothing compared to a number of students. Then again Zain was a science teacher wearing a lab coat with a dragon embodied on his right arm. Then he was wearing a pain white vest under his lab coat, then a simple pair of jeans which had a chain that ran into his pocket connected to his keys and teacher card. [black] “Pay no attention to them, their just jealous of the style.” [/black] Zain muttered as he leaned over the table a little, he soon begun to read the first paragraph of the essay.

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[Vy]

“You okay kid? You look slightly lost?”

"Oh no, I'm okay." he stuttered nervously. His hands waving that his hat almost fell off even. It was a usual response for Haru though. He doesn't like bothering other people. Keeping his mouth shut, he started to write down some more. This was not easy for him at all. He didn't like it so much either, English had so many rules that it broke. Like with plurals and grammar. Actually it really reminded him of his sister. She was also trained to be a good girl and a good wife but she always break those rules. For example, girls were suppose to be quiet and soft, their voice no louder than the soft blowing wind. Well that surely applied to the teen but for Kyuuka, she was more like a storm. She was very loud that sometimes he wondered if the whole world can hear her triumphant laugh.

“Pay no attention to them, their just jealous of the style.”

The boy nodded and chuckled a bit. It wasn't really something that the man should say to him. Rather he should tell that to Kyuuka. She would definitely agree and then talk about how if Haru was a girl, she would pair them up together. The thought made him remember the last time she set him up with another 'date'. It ended horribly. The girl was so quiet since she thought those kind of girls would fit him. Of course he was shy, she on the other hand wore all black and had to scary look on her face. It terrified him more than a ghost would. He hated the date and made an excuse on why he had to go. He felt guilty about it afterward though.

"Oh, I'm Iramaki Haru." He introduced himself to man. Getting out of his chair he took a little bow, his hand clutching the hat so that it wouldn't fall off. Idiot. He forgot that it was customary to introduce oneself. Perhaps it was because he doesn't really talk to adults in school or even work much. Most of the time he let it to Kyuuka. In a way she was his voice as hers was loud enough to be used by the two. Scratching the back of his head a little he tried to smile but couldn't really. Instead it was only a small smile, the one that he uses during his work instead of a big smile. Then again, those smiles don't really fit him at all.

[Zain Alfo]

"Oh no, I'm okay." The boy said as if choking on his own words, the words were the only thing he said for that moment and quickly he returned to writing. So he was an unsocial type perhaps? Zain muttered a few words about the other students, seeing the kid nod and chuckle. At least he was acknowledging him, Zain wasn’t being blanked and he was happy for that. Teachers couldn’t normally talk to students outside the classroom without difficulty, not saying this was easy to start a conversation with the kid.

"Oh, I'm Iramaki Haru." The kid said, then he stood up from his chair and bowed in front of Zain. Gripping his hat stopping it from falling. Then Zain saw it, a forced smile....if it could be called a smile. Did this kid have any friends? Zain smiled back and too rose and gave a small boy.

[black] “Still not use to all this bowing business, In England we shake hands.” [/black] Zain muttered with a light tone, keeping his words quite so he was not thrown out of the library again. He sat back in his chair lifting his left foot on to his right knee and leaned over towards the essay. [black] “Essays...fun...You don’t need to mark thirty a day.” [/black] He said with a laugh as he read the beginning of it, tilting his head slight he liked his lips...he needed food.

[black] “So what lesson is it for? Biology, the effects of water oon the animal and world? Or is that more suited to geography?” [/black] He asked as he raised his right hand removing the sleep from his eye as he begun to read more of the essay.

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[Vy]

“Still not use to all this bowing business, In England we shake hands.”

Really? How long has he been here? Apparently not that long. Many he's a new teacher this year, The boy wasn't so sure at all or anything like that. It was obvious that he wasn't Japanese from his accent and what he had just stated. After all bowing when greeting one or introducing oneself was a custom of the country. For some reason though there were some kids that don't do it. One of those would be his sister, and so the adults would always yell at her. He didn't really mind it but since the Iramaki family was very well respected, following every custom of Japan was very important. Haru never asked why they had to do it, he was a follower after all and so he never questioned those types of things at all. Besides, he was used to it so it was hard not to do it now. His sister on the other hand was perfectly fine not doing it and commented on how he looks like a salesman always doing it. He even does it over the phone because of that habit.

“So what lesson is it for? Biology, the effects of water oon the animal and world? Or is that more suited to geography?”

"It's for Biology." he answered nervously. He already felt uncomfortable being near the man and the two had barely talked. Where was Kyuuka when he needed her, Oh yeah, she's at the shop right now. Maybe he should head over there and do his work instead. That would be a better idea but then he won't be able to tend to the customers because of the essay. A sigh escaped from his lips as he adverted his eyes to the ground. He tried to make sure that he was acting natural but he had a feeling that he wasn't doing a good job at all. He was being quiet and barely talking at all. Maybe he should act like Kyuuka? What would she do in this situation? Probably talk about things that she like. Kay so what does she like that the teacher can relate to. Uhmmm, Japan maybe? No, probably not, what about animals? Haru can relate to that easily but can the teacher do that?

Okay lets try it. The teen opened his mouth for a bit and then closed it. It still felt strange to him. He hated being alone with a stranger. It wasn't because he believed that he should talk to strangers. Well he does if they have a strange aura around them but first of all the man was a teacher and second of all he was old enough to know who to talk to and who to ignore. Well not ignore really but rather avoid. This was going to be harder than he thought, speaking to the man that is. One of the reasons why he likes working with his sister, she would always do the speaking. She never avoided the limelight, on the contrary, she actually baths in it happily. He never understood how or why she is able to react like that. Of course, she was going to become a star one day so she must be used to it. Yes, she'll be a star one day, where the clothes that she made herself and never change but still be the person she always has been. That was her dream, something that he knows she will be able to do easily one day.

[Zain Alfo]

"It's for Biology." The boy answered, his words were still shaky and it as obvious he was nervous. It was very clear he was not the most outgoing of people, perhaps he was the type that only studied and never saw people? The boy let out a small sigh, his eyes pivoting to the ground. Perhaps Zain should not be here, it seemed obvious that the boy wasn’t relaxed.

Zain watched him, his eyes now taking in what he was wearing, how he was writing, the rate of his breathing. A number of things he took in with a few seconds of noticing, anyone could do it as long as they knew where to look. He watched closely as the boys mouth open, and then shut again. Was he about to say something or was he taking in a deep breath?

The boy was quite, no words left his mouth. Zain only smiled, it brought back memories of his childhood. Memories of the priest, that was a man that rarely spoke and if he did it was either a prayer or telling Zain how to improve. Of course it was always constructive, he never brought down Zain, he would only give tips on how to be better. Zain smiled as he remember the church, a giant place, many magnificent windows and paintings within the church.

Then there was the basement.

The best of all places, the basement was about double the size of the library. It was a crazy size and Zain got lost a number of time within the walls of it, however whenever he was lost he would just pull out a book and read it. Each book was about the magic of the world, most book about Alchemy however some too spoke about the other types. However there was something Zain once read that stuck with him for his whole live.

‘Alchemy, the darkest of magic’s...changing the will of God.’

The church never look upon it with a smile, they hated it seeing it as an act against God. However why did the Priest take Zain in, was Zain not seen as an abomination? He let out one more sigh, it was a shame he never got to ask him before his death. However Zain had read within the books, the art of resurrection was possible with alchemy. There was a rule that had to be followed, the rule of equivalent exchange.

Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain,
something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's First Law of Equivalent.
Exchange.

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However Zain would break that rule, he would learn how to create something from nothing. Magic could do a number of things so why not that, and if that was not possible. Zain would sacrifice someone for the resurrection of the Priest, then he would as the question, ‘Why was Zain taken in against the will of God?’

He smiled to himself as he looked back at the boy, [black] “So you enjoy biology or is it one of those subjects you wished could be thrown out the window?” [/black] He said as he pulled out a chocolate bar, turning his head quickly to make no one could see and scoffed it quickly before anyone could see the food.[/center][/size]

[Vy]

“So you enjoy biology or is it one of those subjects you wished could be thrown out the window?”

"Well, I don't enjoy it really... Haru began taking a short pause after his statement. Then again he doubted that anyone enjoyed it. If his grandmother was here and heard him say that, she would definitely punish him. He never hated his grandmother for that, Kyuuka though always did."But it does help me with my dream." He ended part of him knowing that the dream would never be complete. After all, he was far too busy to take care of animals and make sure that they were alright. Also, there was no way any collage would accept him with his poor excused grades. It would be a miracle to even be allowed to work as a zoo keeper. One of the reasons why he tends to spend his time in the library, catching up from all the times he had to be absent or excused from school, spirits. Never had he hated them for it, perhaps it was because he was someone who could not hate. The idea was something that doesn't really enter his mind. Sure there are times when he is mad at someone but never had he hate someone.

Standing there, he noticed that he had just made himself stand out even more. Not that the clothes already did a pretty good job with that. Seeing this, he sat back down onto his chair. He really hated being in the limelight. Having all of the eyes starring at him, waiting for him to mess up somehow or someway. It was nerve wrecking for the boy. That was why he preferred to stay in the shadow. Too bad his sister never really let him do that with her clothes and how she even sometimes advertise him. Luckily it wasn't around school and she only does it with the people she trusts the most. Still, that didn't mean that it pleased him. Having so many people knowing him like this was not what he wanted high school to be. He would rather just sit in a little dark corner of the school and do his work then go out and meet new people. Fate or karma though, always had a different thing in mind for him.

This instance was simply one of them. A man, most likely a science teacher from the way that he is dressed came up to him and once again he is alone with a stranger. Well not exactly a stranger, the man might be in his science class as his teacher. He wasn't sure at all since he never did got to learning all of his teachers yet. Might be because of all the absence that he has though. After all, they always stack up because he was 'sick'. That was the excuse his sister always use making the students think that he has a weak body or something. Because of that though, he doesn't have to do P.E. That was something he was grateful for, since P.E. have sports where people have to work together. He wasn't goo at working with other people. Also there were contact sports such as football or soccer, something he really rather not do at all. Lastly, sports were aggressive making injuries really possible. That was why he hated when his sister had P.E. since he is always worrying over her.

"Uhmmm. What's your name?" Haru asked, his voice almost like the whisper of the wind. Students were still studying but some were starting to goof off because they were bored. It was amazing that some people can be in here for such a long time. He on the other hand was trained to be able to be used to the quiet but that was because of his training. After all, one has to be able to be quiet to focus the aura of the spirit, then they had to concentrate to force it back. He on the other hand though, hated forcing the spirit back. They must have a reason why to still be here. It's simply too sad for others to want to force them back because they are trying to complete their dreams or whatever they wanted to do. That was why he always felt sorry for the spirit and cry when he has to force them back. Sensitive to other people's emotion, he cries for them when they can't. Some say that he takes other people's emotion as his own but because of that it is easy to break him. That was why Kyuuka comes with him to his jobs, that way she can comfort him.

[Zain Alfo]

“So you enjoy biology or is it one of those subjects you wished could be thrown out the window?”

"Well, I don't enjoy it really...” The boy said, pausing after as if contemplating what he had just said. Zain saw the subject as a great amount of knowledge, it was amazing how detailed the human body was. Humans could create robots but still could not re-create a human eye.

."But it does help me with my dream." Zain smiled, when he was young he didn’t have a dream as such. He just allowed the wind to take him, and then one day he just wound up with a PhD in chemistry and a job as a teacher. He didn’t hate it, far from it...he loved the job, well so far. However he knew people did not need dreams to achieve things, however having a dream was just like having a target and that itself would, or should, help the person achieve great things. [black] “Can I ask what that dream is?” [/black] Zain asked as he begun to tap his finger upon the table top.

For a moment all was silent however it seemed the boy was getting slightly embarrassed, he didn’t seem to be a team player and that was obvious. It was a shame, team work was a very important skill. Yet being able to stand on your own two feet is very important, perhaps he did in fact have someone to fall on when the time came and Zain just had not meet that person, that seemed very possible.

"Uhmmm. What's your name?" The boy said with a quite tone, Zain leaned in slightly to listen to the boy. He smiled at the question, so the kid didn’t know him...perhaps he hadn’t taught this individual yet. [black] “My name, call me Zain.” [/black] He said with a smile as he went to pat the boy on the shoulder a smile upon his face.

Now was this kid like him? Did he have the power of magic? Zain wondered for a second, indeed he could feel something from him however Zain was not in the mood to focus and find out. Asking would be so much simpler and easier, he had been taught to do things correctly and never take short cuts however, no one was about to die so he did not care. [black] “So kid, ever been behind the fountain?” [/black] He asked as he turned his head looking for a window to point out of, however there was no window and Zain could not see the fountain either.

He let out a single sigh and he then swore under his breath, only a light curse, nothing to serious. In Zain’s eyes. The one moment he wanted to see the place was the one time he would not be able to, talk about bad luck eh.

[Vy]

“So kid, ever been behind the fountain?”

What? How was Haru going to respond to this? Should he admit that he is a magician or should he lie? Well, if he did lie how is he suppose to act? Is he suppose to act as if Zain is stupid or is he suppose to just act ignorant. Well, he couldn't find any excuse so he just nodded at the question. It was kind of hard for him though. After all, he might have made the wrong move. What if a magician accidentally talked about it and the teacher overhead it. Then anything can happen, the man might wonder why and ask the boy and he might have just revealed it. One of the reasons why he hated pressure, he always make the wrong move under them. He really have to take speech class or something to get rid of it. Those people can speak normally as if they were just talking to some inanimate object. Well, minus the fact that it is strange to talk to one that is.

Maybe he should change the subject. Would that make it more obvious? Is there another way out? Sitting there, he looked down so that the shadow of the hat would block his emerald green eyes. He can't afford to look at people so easily right now. After all it might end up being a big mistake and no one would want that. Also, his sister and everyone else is always able to tell what he is thinking just by looking at his eyes. He was almost like an open book with his thoughts. It was amazing that they even taught him magic since it was a big secret. Maybe it was because if they didn't, the chances of him exposing it might be even higher. That is not to say that him exposing it right now was low.

That was the time right now though. Shaking his head softly he tried to focus on the matter that hand. He needs a one track mind right now. Replaying everything the man had just said in his head he remembered something about what his dream was. What a great chance! He haven't answered yet. A small smile spread on his lips from what fate had just given him. Okay, time to take it before it was too late. "Oh, and I want to be a vet one day." he answered. Although he doubt that it was going to happen. The chances of that was as much as Kyuuka stop making him go on random dates that she set up. Also, with his grades right now, it would take more than a miracle to actually enter a good collage. After all he doesn't have that much money either. That might just be because he doesn't really accept tips and the jobs that he takes himself are all free.

Maybe he should try to get out of here. He can go and do his job early, although he was no where done with the rough draft of his essay. Well it's not due for a while and he could just stay up late to do it. As if he cue, a small yawn came out. After the yawn, he covered his mouth. It as a habit really. Yeah, leaving here was a really good idea right now. Quickly he put everything into his bag but then noticed something. He promised Kyuuka that he was going to take her and there was no way she was going to be able to skip out on the job now. A sigh was relived out of his mouth as he put everything back onto the table. He was going to have to spend sometime here for a while longer then. Great.

[Zain Alfo]

Zain asked his question and watched as the boy turned to smile at him and then spoke, "Oh, and I want to be a vet one day." Zain tilted his head slight but smiled, [black] “A lot of people want to get into that, you want to be at the top of your game to get in.” [/black] He muttered with a smile as the boy let out a small yawn and covered his mouth. Had the boy not been sleeping well?

Zain watched as the boy laid his belongings on the table, it seemed it was a bad idea to talk to him. Zain only smiled, [black] “Well I guess I will leave you to it,” [/blacked] he muttered as he placed his hand on the table and pushed himself up, with a small light hidden by his hand Zain quickly altered the table. Lifting his hand he moved it towards the boy, the wood was in the shape of a small cow. [black] “If you ever have any questions, about anything and don’t have someone to chat to. Just give me a call.” [/black] He said with a smile and laugh, pushing his chair in his placed the cow on the table and looked at the small indent of where the wood used to be.

[black] “See you behind the water one day,” [/black] he said with a smile as he turned on his heel as begun to walk towards the exit. Turning his head to look back at the boy to see if he would say anything.

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