�Maow,� the cat replied from within the confines of its carrier. Doukun sighed again and entered the building. Though he had a little trouble carrying his possessions up the staircase he managed it and paused in the lobby of the second floor.
�You look lost,� a somewhat harsh voice said from behind him. Turning, he saw another boy about his own age. What he found shocking was that the boy had large white pointed ears on his head. He blinked and looked down to cover his nervousness. �Need help? My name�s Inuyasha Koinu,� the other boy said.
�Um, well� I�m new here. I just arrived today,� Doukun explained, still looking down. Blushing he added, �I�m Doukun Ou.�
�What house are you in?� the other boy � Inuyasha � asked turning his head so he was almost looking in Doukun�s eyes.
�Soumei,� Doukun answered quietly.
�Hmm, that�s that way,� Inuyasha said pointing. �Do you need help carrying these things?�
�If you don�t mind,� Doukun answered, smiling at him. Doukun followed Inuyasha down a corridor that was painted a very pale purple color. �I was told that it was alright to bring a pet,� he said conversationally. �My older brother thought it would help me settle in to have Tama with me.�
�Yeah, all the houses have cats. Kuwabara has Eikachi in House Kowaii, Kagome has Buyo in House Ureshii and Sango has Kirara in House Kawaii. So now Soumei has a House Cat too. Don�t worry about letting him roam; no one lets them out. They have free reign of the building.�
�That�s good,� Doukun said, stopping as Inuyasha stopped before a door. �I don�t think Tama would be very happy confined to my room all the time.�
�I think this is you,� Inuyasha said. �Got a key?�
�Yes,� Doukun said inserting it into the lock. It turned easily and he opened the door. Looking around the room it was obvious that it was meant to be shared. There was two of every item of furniture. Doukun went inside, carrying one of his bags and watched as Inuyasha easily carried a very large and heavy trunk inside.
�You�re a little late starting,� Inuyasha said curiously.
�I, um� my brother�s fianc�e was very sick. I wasn�t sure I wanted to go so far away from home for school. But, um, Myojuan, my older brother, said that I should go. He didn�t want me missing out on the opportunity to study here�� Doukun trailed off and shrugged.
�How is she? Your brother�s fianc�e?� Inuyasha asked.
�She�ll be alright. My brother�s a doctor. If anyone can take care of her, it�s him,� Doukun said trying to sound confident. �Anyway, I probably won�t have much trouble catching up. I only missed the first week of school.�
�What�s your schedule like?� Inuyasha asked as another boy peeked into the room.
�Hi,� the other boy greeted. �I�m Miroku. I was wondering if they were going to put someone in here or not.�
�Hi, Miroku,� Inuyasha practically growled. Doukun smiled up at Inuyasha as he bent to retrieve his schedule from his school bag. While he was kneeling he undid the latch on the carrier, allowing Tama to escape its close confines.
�Hello,� Doukun greeted softly, picking up his cat. He smiled slightly as both the other boys reached out to pet the creature. �The other cats in the building, are they friendly?� He asked before setting Tama on the floor.
�Oh, yes, and they�re not very territorial either,� Miroku answered, his blue-gray eyes scanning the room. �I wonder if they�ll give you a roommate. This is the first year I�ve had one and I�ve been going to this school since I was eight.�
�Well,� Doukun said, uncertainly.
�Well, we�ll be house-mates and I still don�t know your name,� Miroku prompted.
�Oh, I�m Doukun Ou,� he answered, bowing slightly. Miroku smiled at him and bowed back. �It�s very quiet here,� he offered.
�Everyone�s either at the library or on the green,� Inuyasha answered. �You wanna get settled in or do ya wanna come with us and meet everybody?�
�I think I�d like to get my room in proper order first,� Doukun said, not wanting to admit that he was feeling a little nervous about the whole experience.
�Suit yourself,� Inuyasha said, with a shrug. �Dinner�s at six. Be on time or you�ll never get a seat.� Doukun nodded. �Oh, an� ya need to wear a uniform to meals and classes.�
Miroku smiled and peered at the schedule Doukun was still holding, �Chorus, Ki Magic, History, Tai Chi,� he read. �Communicating with your inner spirit! You have an inner spirit?�
�I hope not,� Doukun replied, paling slightly.
�Kurama�s in that class. He�s nice,� Inuyasha said reassuringly.
�Colin�s in that class too, because of Chloe, his familiar. He said that Master Phillip is very nice. I don�t have him for a teacher; he teaches true magic, mostly,� Miroku added.
�I�ve been having these� dreams,� Doukun admitted.
�What kind of dreams?� Inuyasha asked.
�Frightening ones� a, um, a monster, or man perhaps, is pursuing me through dark corridors in some of them and in others I, um, I� k-kill myself.�
�Wow!� Inuyasha breathed. �I thought my nightmares were bad.�
�My mother asked Master Kaede � she met her at a medical conference my brother attended � to take a look at me when the nightmares started. She thought that maybe they were a precursor to� something.� Doukun looked down, a little uncertain. �So here I am.�
�Don�t worry,� Miroku said reassuringly, �Master Phillip will figure out what�s going on.� Doukun nodded and forced a slight smile at the other boys as they waved and went outside.
He sighed and went back into his room. Glancing around he saw Tama scurry out the door and down the hall. Having investigated their room, the cat wanted to see more of the building. Doukun sighed again and sat on his bed. Stifling a sob he said, �I want to go home.�
�Already?� said a voice from the open door. Doukun looked up to see a girl with very long dark hair and warm gray-blue eyes standing there. �I�m Madison,� she said stepping closer. �What�s wrong?�
�I � I miss my family and � and I�m nervous about starting classes�� Doukun trailed off uncertainly. He�d already scared off two people telling them about why he was going to this school, did he really want to share with another person.
�What kinds of classes are you in?� Madison asked, smiling at him. Doukun looked back down at his schedule. He didn�t really want to tell her about the �Inner Spirits� course. It was talking about that class that had scared off the boys.
�Um� Chorus, Ki Magic, History, Tai Chi, um� Potions, Language Arts and Algebra,� he replied.
�You only signed up for one elective?� Madison asked. Shrugging she said, �I�m in Chorus and Tai Chi. So I�ll see you there. What voice do you sing?�
�Um, soprano,� Doukun answered, grateful that she hadn�t pursued the fact that he�d only listed one elective. He�d hate to lie to such a pretty girl.
�Me too. Maybe we�ll sit next to each other and share music.�
�I � I think I�d like that,� Doukun answered, smiling. He noticed that Madison�s eyes seemed almost bottomless.
�Me too,� she said. �Feeling better?�
�Yeah,� he replied. He waved as she got to her feet and left the room. Still smiling he followed so he could watch her walk down the hall. Tama brushed up against his leg as he re-entered the room. �I think I�m going to like it here, Tama,� he said.
End
