Maito Gai

*leans out his window, breathing the scorching summer air and gazing out over the village which he thinks of as his home-away-from-Hogwarts; automatically cataloguing the best rooftop routes to any destination in sight, glancing up at wheeling birds and stroking the owl that has just released a thick letter into his hands*

*mutters* Hah, I've been waiting for this.....


[[Private, unhackable]]

..Eep, the initiating exams begin in early July!!!! *clutches parchment* This is dated two weeks ago! Why do my owls keep getting lost!? Is someone intercepting them?? *GASP* It's probably Uch ..no, I must be fair, it could still have to do with that confounded artifact.... How low can you get, tampering with the post!??? All right, that does it -- tracking spells on all owls from now on.

Oh, and speaking of finding lost objects...!!

[[/private]]


[[Filtered to the Fuu-break-out people]]

Why didn't anybody MENTION that one of our schoolmates was in DIRE PERIL!??? Lady, Renji, and everyone -- good luck with your plan!! Give that egregious rascal WHAT FOR!!!

[[/filtered]]


[[Behold the magnificence of the Candybar Gai Doll!!!! OK, so I did cheat a bit with the hair and eyebrows. Photoshop was right there and bowlcuts can look better than that, darnit. ^^

And a glorious Fourth of July to those who celebrate it! *backlit by sparkling fireworks*]]

*slumps by a statue of Bældæg the Bilious and rubs his stinging ribcage; two blue 'bullet' marks stain the left leg of his camouflage fatigues, and there's one on his right side -- still blue, which meant that it must have thought it bounced off a rib -- and a flaring streak across his back*

*grits his teeth: if these had been large-calibre bullets, his bones would have been destroyed; as it is, the scenario seems to be designed with small-caliber weapons, and the mock bandages he had created out of strips of his torn robes should be sufficient to stop the 'bleeding' and allow him to keep moving, if not to fight at full strength*

*because in this kind of game, this test of survival, the ability to keep moving -- to stay on your feet, to fight to the last -- was what mattered the most: to cling even through pain to the mission, the objective, and the inner strength to attain it*

*hearing no sound of pursuit, Gai pulls out his journal and scribbles a brief, shaky note -- one that he'd meant to write two days ago, before the Battle Royale had come out of nowhere and taken all his free time*


[[Filtered to Sir Integra]]

Sir, after the current activity ends, I have a report to make on a matter we discussed a while back. Please leave me a note as to when.

[[/filtered]]


[[Don't worry, Gai's still in the arena. Since he hasn't had many live encounters, this is to establish that he actually is fighting and getting shot at and stuff, even when I'm not around.]]

AAAAAAH!!!! There's a HOLE in my pocket!! How long has that been there!? No wonder my quills kept going missing.... and why is the lining of my robe stuffed with squirrel feed!?? Maito-kun, you rascal! *laughing*


[[Private, hackable to friends]]

How very strange!!! -- there's a certain... tension in the air... a feeling of waiting, of IMMINENCE, of the INEXORABLE JUXTAPOSITION OF EVENTS... as though an ONRUSHING CONCATENATION OF UNSTOPPABLE CIRCUMSTANCE is building up to some GRAND AND UNKNOWN END....

..it feels....

..as though something good is going to happen.

.....

It must mean I'm going to ace my NEWTs!!!!! *PROUD GREEN POSE*

[[/private]]


[[HAH. Finally online!!!]]

[[Private]]

My last few weeks as a student here... it's enough to make a grown man weep. Summer will doubtless be choked with the assignments I need to fill my duty roster for the next half-year. I can't believe Kakashi's missing the end of the term. That must be some assignment -- but I'LL TRACK HIM DOWN IF IT TAKES ME ALL SUMMER!!!!

I must find that artifact. I WILL find that artifact. If I don't find that artifact, I'll double my NEWTs revisions every evening! If retracing my steps doesn't help, then... mind-magic? The Pensieve? *shudders* As unsettling as that would be, keeping the Eye of Rassilon out of enemy clutches is too important to leave any stone unturned.

[[/private


What a blustery day this is -- with the wind pouring down from the mountains like this, it's a challenge to make any headway at all. *PROUD WINDSWEPT POSE* But when I return to the castle with the gale at my back, I'll probably get to set a new record for sp--

*slapped in the face by a lengthy sheet of parchment* SAKJHKFHDS?!!! *flails* Whose homework is this???

[[Filtered from Heather]]

The owls are leaving with Heather's basket this afternoon! So far we have:

      bread non-floating sandwich rolls, charmed for freshness
      a coloring book (since it came off so well last time)
      flowers and cards

If anyone wants to add something, let me know!!!!!

[[/filtered]]


[[Private]]

Sir Integra's new schedule is replacing two-thirds of my regular training regimen, and with Lee running alone in the mornings, I hardly see him anymore. Got to schedule some one-on-one practice with him before exams are upon us. And McGonagall would choose this week to hit us with extra Transfiguration work. The new textbook helps -- though I should have waited until the next Hogsmeade weekend. All of this worry and chaos is uncomfortably reminiscent of days when rule-breaking was a matter of survival. I shouldn't be resorting to that mentality here in CIVILIZATION!!!!

I wonder, though... that tunnel's got a dangerous reputation these days... so why were there fresh footprints before I went in???

[[/private]]


If there's one thing this school's got right, it's breakfast. And -- ah, here comes the mail! *leaps out of his seat to intercept a small scroll before it lands on his pudding*

*pulls it open -- expression flashes from surprised to appalled to highly disturbed*

*lets the scroll roll up and bolts for the corridor*


[[Dreaded Evanescence caption whut!!]]

Between Lee, Sakura, and Allen, and now hopefully Neji, our morning workout is becoming a VIBRANT SOCIAL EVENT!!! Nonetheless, we must continue to surpass ourselves in striving for excellence. As springtime hastens to fling the newborn sun over a landscape hungry for warmth, so will we hasten to greet the day with ENTHUSIASTIC VIGOR!! The sunrise has gotten earlier -- INSTEAD OF FIVE-THIRTY, WE WILL NOW TRAIN AT FIVE O'CLOCK!!!!


[[Private]]

*pacing* I hope she'll be all right... Madame Pomfrey knows her business... the school has everything she needs... she's strong and healthy... they'll take care of her... must turn thoughts to other matters... Tim didn't have that artifact after all... but Dumbledore says it's still in the castle... perhaps I missed it earlier in the week.... maybe it fell out in Jareth's old maze.... which is near the Hospital Wing... no, think of something else... Uchiha seems under the weather... perhaps I harmed him more than I thought... but he would have sought attention... he usually does... I don't understand that man at all... Professor Masters yelled at everyone today... tempers are running high... Dark Wizards encroaching... and this place, with all its children... THINK OF SOMETHING ELSE.....

[[/private]]


[[Due to the low survival rate among children where Gai grew up, he's overly worried by the events in progress.]]

*shaking out a mass of sooty pink fabric* Well, that's the end of these robes: they met an honorable demise lighting our way in the labyrinth. Maybe I can use the cloth for something else.... but it's GLORIOUS to be back in my own dorm after half a week of sleeping on the floor. And a good night's sleep along with a judicious application of healing salves CAN INDEED WORK WONDERS!! If I'm not back in training by tomorrow, I'll double my daily run for the rest of the year!!!!

LEE!!! When you're done with today's classes, let us review the lessons gleaned from last week's chaos!


[[Private]]

I can't believe I spent the last few days with the memories of a person from some strange parallel dimension. With the cause of the phenomenon still unknown, I've been worried about it happening again, but Sir Integra said to BE PREPARED, so I will!!!!

*empty space where several sheets of parchment have been stuffed into Gai's journal*

So much has happened lately -- but this is a time for ACTION, not contemplation. Some Quaffle practice should clear my head. I hope Shin has the time -- and he said he'd ask Samus as well. Still... even though nothing in the huge heap of loot from the Katamari turned out to be mine, I feel as though something has been misplaced.....

*checks pockets*

GOOD LORD -- THE AMULET!!!!

[[/private]]


[[The papers bear a lengthy and quite private screed describing Hogwarts and Gai's life in detail, containing such sensitive matter that even I don't know what's in them. XD He hasn't seen The News yet, and will now be dashing down to the Great Hall to search for that pesky artifact, which he lost during the fight. FEEL FREE TO INTERRUPT.]]

Tar and feathers... peculiar creatures roaming the halls... odd effects from pranked comestibles.... yes, this has been an interesting April First.


[[Filtered to Professor Jackson]]

Professor -- you said you had a minute? *digging in his pocket for THE ARTIFACT OF D00M*

[[/filtered]]


[[Backdated to whenever Gai met with Professor Jackson. Oh, and if you didn't get to Sakura's party last night, just step back in time to when it's still going on! XD]]