Shadow Reapers

"Damn poster, stay up!" Kai was in his dorm setting up his new room for the year. He was trying to put a poster of one of his favorite video games as inspiration on his wall but it ended up turning into an all-out war. So far, the piece of paper was winning.

As Kai put a piece of tape on one of the corners the tape on the other corner came off. The whole poster ended up falling off the wall. Kai let out a frustrated sigh as he put the poster onto his desk. "I'll deal with it later."

A cold chill suddenly ran up Kai's spine as he heard a moan behind him. He turned around to see the spirit of a middle-aged man floating behind him. The spirit extended his hand toward Kai and said, "...help me..."

"God dammit, this is the eighth time this week! I already told you, I'm too busy to bring you back to your grave, you shouldn't have left it in the first place!"

"But I can't find my way back!" the ghost pleaded. It suddenly didn't sound so helpless.

"I know I'm the only one who can see you, but you can't keep bugging me every waking moment!" Kai said. "Maybe after I get settled into my classes I'll help you." Kai picked up a broom that was standing against the wall and started waving it at the ghost, trying to push it out the window. "Now go on, shoo! I've got work to do!"

"Alright! Alright! You don't have to get so pushy!" The spirit floated out the window and disappeared.

Kai put the broom down and wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead. "Man, ever since I started seeing those things it's been one favor after another. 'Please help me find my grave', 'tell my mother I love her'." Kai threw his arms up in the air in exasperation. "I swear, if I have to hear one more favor I'm going to hurl myself out that window! Now, where was I?" He took the poster from the desk and went back to trying to put it on the wall.

Audra

I was wandering along the hallway, trying to find Kai's room when I heard him. Swearing, again.

I approached the door to find it partially open, and, with a quick glance inside, I saw the reason for his foul language. He was fighting with a poster!

I snickered as I entered his room and closed the door behind me. "Having trouble, sweetheart?" I asked, barely concealing my laughter.

He jumped in surprise. Had he not heard me enter? Well, probably not, with all his "god damns" and "shits."

I moved to his side and took a roll of tape off the nearby desk, riping a long strip from it and securing it across the top of the poster. "Works better this way. You've got more cohesion, which keeps it up. Just do it like that all the way around, and you'll be fine."

I laughed when he glared at me playfully and gave me that smile I loved.

"Thanks, Audra," Kai said with his usual growl that always made Audra shiver in delight. He took her hand and pulled her into his arms. The movement was so sudden she hadn't seen it coming. He put his hands on her hips and bent down to claim her lips. Audra had to go on tip-toes to meet the kiss. Kai was six inches taller than her, so kissing was sometimes awkward if they didn't meet each other half-way.

Audra reached under his shirt and traced her fingers along his stomach. Kai didn't have the right body build to have serious muscles, but the ones he did have were strong and firm. He could lift her off the ground as if she weighed nothing. The thought of him holding her in his arms combined with the feel of his muscles under her hands tore a moan from her throat.

Audra was out of breath when they finally pulled away. Three years had come and gone and he still had that effect on her. She had to close her eyes for a moment, the passion of their kiss had made her a little dizzy. When she opened her eyes to meet Kai's face he was staring off behind her.

Audra looked over her shoulder to see what he saw, but the door was closed and nobody was standing there. She turned back to her lover and asked, "Kai, what's wrong?"

Kai jumped a little when he heard her voice. He looked down at her and smiled. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you've been acting a little strange these days. You're always staring off into space. It feels like you're seeing things that I can't."

"What, you're not suggesting I'm seeing ghosts, are you?" Kai asked.

Audra laughed a little and shook her head. "Of course not. Ghosts aren't real."

"I'm fine, Audra. Sometimes the homework starts to pile up and I get tired," he told her. "When that happens I sometimes find myself drifting off into space." She didn't believe a word he was saying and she let it show in her eyes. "Look, I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me. I'm more worried about you right now. How are you adapting to life in college?"

"The residence is basically the same as high school, so I'm not having much of a problem with that. But the lectures are so long, I just can't seem to keep up with what the professor is saying."

"You should talk to your councilor," Kai said, "that's what they're there for. They can help you come up with ways to keep on-top of things."

Audra nodded. "Alright, I'll go make an appointment to see my councilor this week."

Kai smiled. "I'm glad. If you ever feel like the work is starting to get overwhelming just come on over. I'll relieve the stress for you." There was a glimmer of mischief in his eyes.

"I know you will," Audra said as she moved in to kiss him again. As they kissed Kai's eyes wandered back to where he had been looking. There was a spirit floating by the door, watching the two of them kiss. Kai felt his eyebrow twitch with frustration.

Shiro Hiroshi-

The bleach blond haired boy rushed down the hallways, late for class yet again. Shiro was holding on to his textbooks for dear life, as he ran towards his class.

“Crap, I’m so late.” He moaned.

This morning someone had turned off his alarm clock, and his roommates failed to wake him up. So now here he was running as fast as he could, and still he was going to be in trouble. His morning class was a math class, and his professor was a huge jerk. As soon as Shiro would enter the classroom- Professor Miller would scold him again.

Kestrel

"Twelve steps," Kestrel mumbled to herself as her fingers brushed against the handle. She smiled and tilted her head to the side, estimating where the face of her guide would be but missing it by a good three inches. "Okay, I can manage from here."

"Wouldn't you like me to show you your room first? How to work the shower and the..."

"No. I can manage," Kestrel insisted. "But thank you." The short, robust woman nodded and waddled away down the hallway as Kestrel entered her room. She placed a hand against the wall and began the lengthy process of memorising her space, touching each object carefully, measuring it and recording the details in her mind.

"I'm going to really like it here," Kestrel decided when she was ready to start un-packing. "There's even a window. I'm glad there's a window."

She carefully hung her clothes in the wardrobe, placed her type-writer and braile text-books on the desk and then sat on the edge of the bed and waited. A breeze fluttered through the open window, ruffling the pages of her text book and the faint echo of footsteps and voices could be heard. Then she recognised one:

"Kes? This room yours?"

"Come in, father. Can I have my flute?" A tall, dark haired man stepped into the room backwards, using his shoulder to push the door open. Slowly, he shuffled towards the bed and carefully placed two instruments beside his daughter, pressing the third into her hands.

"You want me to hang around?" Mr Plyth asked, feeling uncomfortable around the daughter he had never really connected with.

"No," she replied with a faint smile. "I'll see you later." Kestrel took the flute from its case and held the instrument to her lips.

"Okay, have a good time, hun. Call me if you need me."

Stella-

"Sal, do you reckon there'll be someone new next door soon?" Stella asked her roommate.

Sally shrugged. "I don't know. I guess so. I miss Annie though."

"Yeah, me too," Stella agreed, looking down at her diagram. "She'd know how to finish this off. Yagh," she made a gagging noise. "I can't do this."

Sally set her straighteners on the desk. "If you can't do it, your whole class must be confuzzled."

Stella stuck her tongue out. People were always saying that to her, expecting her to agree and take the compliment, but she rarely did.

"I'll ring someone this evening," she set, putting her pencil down.

"You're coming out with me this evening, aren't you?" Sally said, pouting. "You promised."

"No I didn't," Stella said flatly.

"Okay, fine, you didn't. But I don't want to go and be a loner."

Stella rubbed her eyes. "I'm tired, I'm going to have an early night, curl up with ice cream and a good book."

Sally threw a cushion at her. "You're so boring!"

"In any case, I need to ring home," Stella said, picking the cushion up.

"Oh, yeah," Sally said nodding. "Well, then, I'll forgive you. For now. But please, please, please, let me straighten your hair!"

Stella grinned. "If you really want to," she said, moving over.

Next door, the sound of the dorm door slamming shut was made.

"Hey, we have company!" Stella said. "Should I go over, or wait?"

*that's kind of you, Kitty, should I go over or not?*

Come over =)

Kestrel

Kes winced as her father shut the door much too loudly, the echo of it thudding in her ears.

"Sorry, sorry," her father's mumbled apologies slipped under the door and over the soft notes of her flute. Kestrel ignored them, trying not to listen out for his receding steps but then... steps coming closer? Her door was at the end of the hallway so her room could be their only destination. Was it her father returning?

The knock at the door suggested not. There was a touch of hesitation, but the absense of shuffling feet so no awkwardness at the prolonged wait. Kestrel took the flute from her lips a little reluctantly and crossed the room to the wall, annoyed that she had to feel her way along towards the door but that would change. She would learn the room no matter what.

Kestrel opened the door with a smile, drawing in the warm, scent of another person where soap lingered and not a brush of alcohol or smoke could be detected. Very unlike her father's.

"Hey there, I'm staying in the room next door, thought I'd come over and meet you..." The voice was light and refreshing, vibrating with an energetic hum. "I'm Stella by the way," she added. Kestrel felt the slightest shift in the air and wondered if the other girl had raised her hand or was merely straightening clothes she couldn't see.

"I'm Kestrel, though people call me Kes. I think the room next door is a double..."

"That's right, you can come meet Sally if you'd like to?" Kestrel thought that she would and rummaged in her pockets for the key to her room while still 'looking' straight ahead, smiling a little and wondering if the girl was smiling back.

Stella-

"I honestly adore the name Kestrel. I once read a book and the girl was called Kestrel," I said with a grin as we went down the corridor. "They're a bird of prey aren't they?"

She nodded.

"That's awesome. Okay, we're just down here. Our friend Annie used to be in your dorm, she was a ledge, she used to help me with all my work. I'm doing medicine, how about you?"

"English and music."

"Cool." I opened the door to our room.

"Sal, this is Kes."

Sally looked up from her magazine. I wondered what Kestrel would think of her looks. With her purple streaked hair and eyebrow ring, she and I looked so different, it would be hard to believe we were good friends.

"Hi," Sally said with a smile.

Kestrel

Kestrel took a few tentative steps into the room, hoping and praying that they weren't the type to leave things on the floor -- how she hated being tripped up -- and smiled in the direction of the firmer, lower voice.

"Hey," Kestrel said.

"I love your bracelet," Sally decided. "Very cool." Kestrel touched the circlet of silver around her wrist, running slender fingers along the celtic knots intertwined with amethysts.

"Thank you," she said, very pleased, and then she hesitated. Compliments were alwasy so... awkward. "I bet you have beautiful eyes..." she smiled apologetically, "But I'm blind so my opinion probably doesn't count for much. Sorry."

Silence trickled into the room and then Stella quickly interrupted it:

"Oh I don't know about that, I'd say your opinion counts as much as anyone's and if nothing else, you're right in this instance: Sally has gorgeous eyes." The sound of movement accompanied this and Kestrel presumed that Stella had sat down.

"Pshhh," Sally uttered. "Don't be so silly." Kestrel smiled. She sounded so happy and pleased; these two girls were certainly close. "Come sit down, Kes, there's space on my bed..."

Stella-

"So... you're not phazed by me not being able to see?" Kes asked nervously.

"No, one of our family friends was blind back home. Never stopped her," I grinned.

"Where's back home?"

"Ireland. I know I don't sound it, but I'm from Dublin. I have a flag hanging above my bed."

"Do you miss it there?"

"Not that much. I mean, I miss my family, but I love Canada."

"'Cause the Canadians are such good people," Sally interrupted. "What classes are you taking?"

"English Literature and Music."

"I'm doing English Lit too," Sally said. "D'you reckon we'll have lectures together?"

Kes shrugged.

"Well, we can show you around or anything you need, you only have to ask."

"Except for milk, we're out. It was Stella's turn to buy it."

I rolled my eyes and Kes gave a little laugh.

"So..." Sally said, and I saw a familiar glint in her eye. "Do you go clubbing? Stella's being all boring and staying in tonight. How about you? I bet the guys would be begging to see that figure in a little black dress."

I rolled my eyes, then stopped. Maybe she would want to go out with Sally after all.

<Rei>

I sat next to the fountain in the flower garden, a light spray of icy water falling onto my bare arms and shoulders. Hundreds of people passed along the outer path with boxes and suitcases, from the newest entries who looked around hopelessly trying to find their way, with parents tugging along copius amounts of extra luggage, whilst the eldest members usually brought a single case which had probably been carted over europe with the rest of their newly-sunburnt friends.

I pulled up my legs and started sketching the area as it had been in summer, with the flowerbeds in full bloom and the trees bright and green. Then I stuffed the green pencil into the side of my sandle next to the blue and switched my feet around to find the orange that would now mark the edges of the trees.

With a sigh I dipped my hand into the water.

'Don't worry,' I said to the snorggots that swam across my imagination. 'So long as the fountain works, the charmen can't get you.'

**I'll post later tonight. I have to get ready for my musical performance...**

good luck ^_^

Shiro Hiroshi-

Now in class, he was thankful that there was a sub instead of Professor Miller. Shiro was relieved that the sub didn’t care that he was late for class.

Sitting in the back Shiro took out a tape recorder and recorded what the teacher talked about; using his favorite pen he wrote all the instructions, notes, and problems on the board. Shiro always found doing this very useful especially when the teacher was fast.

**Thanks, Maki! I'll be back on in about...four or five hours, maybe. Adieu!**