Maito Gai

IMMENSE THANKS to whomever sent me this emergency yodel button!! It will be a perfect way to send signals to my flying students -- much better than a simple whistle!

Hmmm.... with the grounds this icy, it's difficult to perform my daily run... but I will not be thwarted. If the ground is icy, I will simply have to work on my balance. And for every time -- no, if, by chance, I should happen to fall, I will do an extra lap around the castle!! That's a PROMISE!!!


[[Private]]

..I'd better check the roofs on the secret tunnels again, especially the ones the students know about. Ground shifts in weather like this and those shoring spells won't hold them forever.

[[/private]]


[[Not really quite back yet, three exams to go, BUT I PWND MY TORTS EXAM TODAY SO WE'RE GETTING THERE. XD And the button Gai got from the King of All Cosmos is a MAGICAL one, so... just imagine it's higher in pitch and much, much louder. \o7]]

After being away for over a week, it will be interesting to see how the school has changed in my absence! Now that the fall season has started, are the leaves changing colours? Have the Halloween decorations gone up yet? Hmmm... must find out how our Charms students are doing... and see what supplies are in the Quidditch shed.... and.... Change is one of the incredible, unstoppable facts of life. So it's important to meet it head-on and make the most of it!

For example.

BEHOLD, MY NEW JOURNAL!!!! Did anyone else's ever spontaneously catch on fire AND melt AND explode all at the same time, or does that only happen to me?


[[not!private]]

And I'm going to need it -- this is amazing, FANTASTIC, wait'll Lee finds out, I AM SO ECSTATIC I COULD OUTRUN THIS TRAIN ALL THE WAY TO HOGWARTS... and... well, why not? It will be a great way to test myself! Even if I don't make it, it will still be fantastic training, and for every mile I miss, I can add two to my daily set of laps around the lake!!!

[[/not!private]]


[[And he's BACK!! As much of last year's plottage has been retconned, I'm partially opting out of the current event -- Gai's previous entries will be unavailable for perusal. Srsly, this is his third or fourth journal in two years..... However, everything from this post until the end of the event will be open for all to see!]]

*at the sparsely seated staff table in the Great Hall, writing a journal entry before his evening patrol of the castle*


HAH, my memory is coming back!! Good grief, I even remember those thestrels that interrupted my last duel with... with.... ANYWAY -- Hufflepuff won -- or was it Ravenclaw? And I was -- WELL DONE, HUFFLEPUFF, ALL THAT HARD WORK PAID OFF -- I was running toward the--

*briefly interrupted by the mediwitch*

..Yes. Loss of memory is a common side-effect of concussion; they said that in the first-responder course. How ironic that with all I have been through in life, I receive such an injury on a day when everyone is having fun!

And I can't remember how it ended.....

..gaah. If I can't have those memories back, I will just have to make new ones. Tomorrow's London exam comes first, but after that, if I fail to make a series of splendid new memories by the weekend, I shall scale every tower of the London Bridge without magic!!


..They tell me Uchiha graduated early. *snort* But where did he go? What is he doing? Does anybody know!? Not likely. It must be some nefarious--


*gasp*

That's what happened. Slime, why did it have to be slime!!!


[[Strikes illegible. Mwahahaha. For those who don't know yet, Gai patrols Hogwarts for three random nights a week as a public service requirement for his Auror course, so if your character is out after curfew, feel free to encounter (or avoid) him!]]

.........


I'm back to my old self!!! The prank wore off this morning... at long last. I thought Madame Pince was going to kill me. It's not my fault that pile of books was such a convenient staircase when I was twelve inches tall!! And -- s-sorry, Professor Dwayne! I didn't know that was you!

Anyway, Professor Marchbanks is better now, so it's back to London at the crack of dawn. Lee, if you see another bottomless pit, STAY OUT OF IT!!!! Not that it's likely on school grounds, but you can't be too careful! I'll see if I can find out what's going on.


[[Filtered to Grimmjow]]

Jaggerjack, there's still a ban on student sparring, so I suggest we take advantage of the next Hogsmeade weekend or wait till the holidays when we're not on school grounds.

[[/filtered]]


[[Private]]

Another few laps around the lake ought to suffice for breaking my last rule. I'll do it this evening. Anyway, that... gives me a chance to be outside. I don't know... should I even.... But it doesn't make sense; he's never this touchy! Or at least... he never let on....

I thought... our friendship was stronger than that.


As for Lee... it's going to be hard to let him out of my sight. If not for his magic, he could've been... *clutches hair* Who put that hole there in the first place?? Madame Vance could analyze it, but that wouldn't tell me who was responsible... or whether it was meant for him or someone else.

If Sir Integra were still here, this might not be happening.

There's only one thing I can do.

[[/private]]


*goes off in search of Neji*


[[Just messing with possible plot points -- it doesn't need to mean anything yet. Everyone please note that Gai is EXTREMELY broody and morose at this time.]]

*nearly finished packing his rucksack for the trip to London, swaggers down to the Great Hall and scribbles in his journal over lunch*

My Auror training starts tomorrow!! From then on, I will only be at school part-time, so Sgt. Johnson will be seeing to all your disciplinary requirements -- but if anybody needs to contact me, you have only to write!!!

Now... how am I going to get there? I suppose running would take too long.

*hollers across the Hall* ALL RIGHT THERE, FAKIR?


[[Private, hackable with difficulty to everyone but first-years]]

What is WITH all these little kids in the Hospital Wing lately!? There isn't some kind of first-year jinx operating, is there? If I didn't know better, I'd suspect the Wing of soliciting business from the rest of the castle!!

*glances around uneasily at the ominous stone walls*

Strange.... I haven't seen much of... he couldn't be avoiding me, could he? But he knew I'd be going to London! I wish there was another way.....

[[/private]]


[[Strike illegible. Poor Gai thinks Lee's upset about his leaving.]]

Happy birthday, Professor Sprout!!


Why are all those second-years suffering from CHRONIC YOUTH??? And who else is coming to see the fireworks?? *SHINY GRIN*


( Filtered to Integra )

( Filtered to Constantine )

[[Private, 15% hackable to friends]]

*paces furiously* The more I think about it, the worse it gets. Completely wrong-footed by that... that scurrilous... *blotchy scribbled epithet here* It goes to show that even the SINCEREST OF EFFORTS can be misplaced. And suspicion, however deep, cannot be taken to court. What's the best tack to take with this situation? I have to THINK!!!!!

*now getting unhackable*

And Light... I wish there was something to do, something to say.... but when faced with the darkness and insanity that evil can generate, true-hearted sympathy is the only helpful response. If I can keep one person from feeling that kind of pain, that would justify my entire existence. Someday.....

[[/private]]


[[In the absence of information to the contrary, Gai totally assumes that Integra is all-knowing. XD For the people I talked to yesterday, the upcoming events will be written tomorrow but will take place on Thursday, to give us time to put everything together.]]

*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.]]

*pulls open a window in the Hufflepuff common room and leans out into the fresh air*

AHHHH, what a MAGNIFICENT day. Sunny, comfortably cool, with a light breeze and occasional clouds... a perfect day for outdoor training!!! Sakura, Lee, meet me in the south courtyard! Come on, quick as you can -- YOUTH'S GLOWING FERVOR CANNOT BE POSTPONED!!!


[[Private]]

Finally getting somewhere -- good thing McGonagall never asked me what that library pass was for..... gaah, this is harder to understand than one of Jareth's mazes. But this is one of my special goals, and I'LL DEFINITELY GET IT, OR ELSE I'LL... I'll... I'LL JUST TRY HARDER!!!

[[/private]]


[[Yes, he's researching Animagi again! Feel free to spot him in the library, hunched and squinting over musty tomes... whenever he's not outside in the GLORIOUS SPRING WEATHER, working with Sakura and Lee.]]

[[Private, slightly hackable]]

What WAS that sudden weakness that struck me in Jareth's maze!? *pulls out that darned artifact* It's got to be connected with this. But what is it -- what does it do!? Professor Jackson must have never gotten my note... I'll have to leave him another if I don't see him around the castle.

Must find time today for the intensive Beater practice I took on as a consequence of being in that bad mood. But first..... *rubs hands gleefully*

[[/private]]


[[Filtered to the Sakura's-Birthday conspirators]]

YOSH!!! SHE'S GONE FOR A WALK -- WHERE DO WE START??

[[/filtered]]


[[Only one Gai left now, sorry, people. But EEEEEE, some generous soul granted this journal a lot of new icon space!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! *hugs whoever you are and goes off to upload scads of icons*

Just about breaking even on schoolwork. The written stuff was fine, although I'm behind on the practicals... there just hasn't been any time for hands-on spellwork or sparring. But I've resolved be back to full combat form within a week, or else I'll add an extra hour of training every day until I catch up!!!

As for you, Sakura: you have been warned. *shiny grin*


[[Filtered to Lee]]

Lee, have you heard that Drizzt is in the hospital wing? Why don't you go down and visit him? I'm sure he'd appreciate it.

[[/filtered]]


[[Filtered to Mugen]]

Now that I'm back, Mugen, how about that sparring match??

[[/filtered]]


[[I thought of five or six things that Gai should post about today, and forgot them all before getting to the keyboard. *headdesk* Pretend everything's been progressing smoothly for the past few days. And THANK YOU, EIJI-MUN, FOR LINKING TO THAT BEAUTIFUL LIST OF SHRP CHARACTERS. What a great resource.]]