Mono no Aware

Even though it was sure to be crammed with tourists Harry ended up visiting Kiyomizudera for its annual fall light-up. Everyone told him that it was one of the best places to go for viewing the autumn foliage and that it would be a very different experience from visiting during the daytime. Kenichi told him that the momiji were especially beautiful when they were illuminated against the darkness of night and that he would not want to miss the opportunity.

"Come with me, then," Harry said. Kenichi laughed and shook his head.

"I've gone several times and can do without the crush of people. It's your first time in Kyoto, though, so you really should go."

Harry must have looked somewhat crestfallen because Kenichi reached out and brushed his fingers gently. "I'll have dinner with you beforehand."

Harry trudged up the narrow, winding approach to the temple and realized that Kenichi had been right about the crowds. The street was thronged with people: high school students in their distinctive uniforms exclaiming over the souvenir stands and eating matcha flavored ice cream in spite of the cool weather, young couples dressed immaculately in designer clothing and holding hands, tour groups from other parts of the country trailing behind guides wearing neat uniforms and holding aloft different colored flags. Harry moved up to the ticket tent and fumbled for a five hundred yen coin. The young man smiled and offered a quick Arigato gozaimashita, Harry nodded in reply and moved into the grounds.

It really was quite impressive. The floodlights were carefully placed so that the red and white temple buildings were dramatically lit up while the stone paths remained cloaked in shadows. As the visitors strolled through the maze of buildings they frequently saw clusters of tiny red maple leaves glowing brilliantly in the beams of light. Harry could understand why people would be so eager to come to Kyoto just to see this. He had gone to Tofukuji last week during the daytime to see the leaves there, and while they had been lovely he had to admit that this was much more exciting.

He made his leisurely way to the temple's famous balcony and took in the view. Nighttime Kyoto was spread out beneath him, a patchwork of sparkling lights framed by the darker shadows of the surrounding mountains. The needle of the Kyoto Tower Hotel jutted out over the lower buildings in a white point thrusting toward the sky. Harry leaned against the wooden railing and closed his eyes, content to feel the cool night breeze against his face and listen to the rapid fire Japanese being spoken around him.

He felt someone move to stand next to him but he paid no attention. He figured that it was just someone posing for a photo op when the person spoke to him. In English. With an upper class British accent.

"Imagine finding famous Harry Potter in Japan, of all places."

Harry's eyes snapped open and he felt as if a bucket of ice-cold water had just been poured over his head. He had to make a conscious effort not to gape at his unexpected companion.

"I could say the same for Draco Malfoy."

Harry had last seen Malfoy six years ago the Ministry gala that marked the official end of the Second Wizarding War. None of them had been in a particularly celebratory mood, but the Ministry officials had felt that it was important to show that the dark times were over and they were ready to move forward once again. Harry had grudgingly agreed to go, but had privately resolved that this would be the last time he ever appeared as the Boy Who Lived. He had done his duty to the Wizarding World when he destroyed Voldemort. Now he would live for himself.

Draco had been at the event as well. Harry remembered that he had looked frail and sickly, his robes hanging loosely off his too-thin frame and prominent dark circles under his eyes. The months of fighting had been impossibly difficult for him as he watched his former schoolmates fall defending their Master, sometimes by his own hand. After the death of Blaise Zabini Harry asked him if he regretted his decision to change sides. Draco's answer had been unhesitating and firm.

"No. I will not live in fear."

That Draco had come a long way from the self-centered eleven-year-old Harry had met in Madame Malkin's shop. The Draco standing before him now was in turn a different creature from the pale, haunted youth from the end of the War. The confiscation of the Malfoy fortune had apparently not left him completely at a loss, since he was dressed in a rather nice ensemble of Muggle jeans and a nicely fitting wool sweater - an outfit that wasn't as posh as what he would have once worn but that wouldn't have looked out of place in the trendier parts of London or New York. He was still slender, but not unhealthily so, with pale blonde hair hanging around his cheekbones and eyes that were now clear and calm instead of shadowed with pain and sorrow. Harry had to grudgingly admit that Draco Malfoy had turned out being quite pleasant to look at.

The blonde flicked a stray lock of hair out of his eyes and titled his head quizzically.

"So. Why Japan of all places?"

Harry shrugged. "I wanted to go someplace completely different and get away from it all. I've never been to Asia, and I thought it would be interesting to study Japanese magic. It's very different from what we're familiar with."

Draco raised an elegant eyebrow and Harry thought wryly that no matter what else happened the Malfoy arrogance was one thing that remained constant. "Oh?"

"Yes. It has close ties with Shintoism." Harry didn't bother to elaborate and Draco looked slightly put out.

"I hope that you enjoy Kyoto." Harry gave him a cordial nod and started to move away to finish walking through the grounds when Draco's voice stopped him.

"Potter."

"Yes, Malfoy?"

"Walk with me?"

Harry and Draco had never really been friends, not even after Draco threw his lot in with the Order, but their schoolboy rivalry had long since faded into the distant past. And it might be nice, maybe, to hear the news from Britain from someone who wouldn't try to pressure him into returning the way that Ron or Hermione would. He stopped and looked back at the Slytherin.

"Come on, then."

They walked in silence for a while, carefully navigating their way around groups of people snapping pictures of the foliage with their cell phones or sitting on benches sipping at bottles of green tea. Harry had long ago gotten used to the sensation of being the only European in a crowd of Japanese people but Malfoy looked uncomfortable with the sideways glances that followed in their wake. Harry took pity on him and guided him into one of the small teahouses that were scattered throughout the grounds and signaled to the waitress. He grinned at the surprised look on Draco's face when he ordered two bowls of zenzai in Japanese.

"You speak Japanese."

"I've been studying it since I got here. It's slow going, but I have the basics down."

"And how long has it been since you came here, exactly?"

The waitress returned with two bowls of a steaming reddish-brown soup and two small cups of green tea. Draco eyed his bowl skeptically.

"What is this?"

"Zenzai. It's a kind of sweet soup made with red beans and with mochi in it. Try it. And as for your other question I've been here for seven months. Before that I moved from place to place quite frequently."

Draco took a cautious sip of his zenzai and made a face. "Urgh. It's so sweet."

"Drink some tea, it helps cut it." Harry took a sip of his own beverage and narrowed his eyes thoughtfully at Draco.

"So what exactly brings you to Kyoto? I never would have thought you'd develop an interest in the East. You seem more the type to enjoy vacationing in a place like Rome or Paris."

A very, very faint blush crept across Draco's cheeks but his voice remained cool and nonchalant.

"I wanted to go somewhere on holiday that wasn't Europe. I've traveled there quite frequently, you know, and it goes get rather dull after a while."

"I'm sure." Harry had spent a few months touring Europe immediately after the War ended but had ultimately realized that it was still too close to home for him, that he'd need to make a much more drastic break with the past for him to reclaim any sense of himself. While he didn't doubt that Draco was similarly haunted by memories of the War and yearned for a new beginning, Harry didn't think that his choice of Japan could be chalked up to mere coincidence.

But it wouldn't do to lay that out on the table right away. He'd have to draw it out.

"What's the news from Britain?"

Draco shrugged. "Ron and Hermione are married, but I'm sure you must know that at least - or have you not bothered to keep in touch with them at all?"

Harry snagged a mochi with his chopsticks and chewed thoroughly before answering. "I hear from them occasionally. Not all that often."

"Ah. Well suffice it to say that they are happily married, Hermione is involved with the Department of Mysteries, and her husband works for the Department of Magical Games and Sports. No plans for children in the near future although I daresay they'll make a godfather of you yet."

"Anything of particular importance going on within the Ministry?"

"The focus on cooperation and harmony that sprang up after Voldemort's defeat is still going strong. There's been such a strong backlash against the way that officials like Fudge or Scrimegeour handled Voldemort that the Ministry is still occupied with trying to restore its image - the result being that we've probably never had such morally upstanding officials. You'll be happy to know that Neville Longbottom is now the personal assistant to Minister Weasley and that most of the high level positions are filled by a gaggle of do-gooder Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs."

"No Slytherins?"

Draco didn't meet his eyes and Harry immediately regretted the jibe. He started to apologize but the blonde cut him off.

"Don't worry about it. Done is done. We all made our choices and now we have to live with them."

Draco sipped his tea and Harry slurped up the last of his zenzai while trying to think of some way to smooth over the awkwardness that had sprung up between them. Draco took him by surprise when he spoke up, his voice so quiet that Harry could barely make out the words.

"After you vanished all anyone ever talked was Harry Potter, why he left and where he might have gone. There was this obsession with finding Harry Potter. A bit tiresome, really. But after a while people started to lose interest. You're still fondly remembered, of course, but the fever's died down. People are content to let you remain in the past as the Boy Who Lived rather than find out who you've become."

Harry played with his chopsticks awkwardly. "That's good. I know you thought I reveled in it, but being held up as a hero gets tiresome."

"Just because people aren't obsessed with finding you anymore doesn't mean you're not missed. Granger, the Weasleys - they'd all like to see you again."

"And what about you?"

Draco met his gaze steadily but Harry could see a flicker of uncertainty in those gray eyes. "What about me?"

"How did you find me, anyway?"

The Slytherin's pale cheeks turned pink but he didn't look away.

"I am a wizard, you know. And you have a particularly strong magical signature."

"Why? Did someone in the Ministry ask you to come after me?"

This time Draco dropped his eyes to the table and he didn't say anything. Harry fought back the urge to sigh in frustration.

"I would be lying if I said I didn't miss Hermione, and the Weasleys. But I'm not going back to Britain. I'm h appy here. I'm not just going to give up the life I've created."

Draco's eyes blazed. "And everything you left behind means so little to you."

Now it was Harry's turn to flush. "That's not what I -"

"Whatever, Potter. Just... don't." He pushed his chair back from the small table and stood up.

"Finished? Let's walk through the rest of the grounds before it gets too late."

Harry followed Draco back outside and thought irritably that even if Draco was no longer as much of a prat as he had been back at Hogwarts he hadn't lost his ability to knock Harry off balance.

* * *

Kenichi lived on a small side street close to the Kamo River. His house was built in a very traditional style with a wooden front and a sliding door that opened into a small entrance hallway. He felt the tingle of the wards reach out to test his magical signature as he approached, then part once they recognized him. He toed off his shoes in the entranceway and stepped up onto the tatami mats.

"Tadaima."

"Okaeri." Harry could hear the smile in Kenichi's voice and felt himself relax. He stepped up onto the tatami mats and padded in the direction of the bedroom.

As he slid the paper screen to the side Kenichi looked up at him and offered a warm smile. He was already settled comfortably in the nest of blankets on their futon, propped up on his elbows with a book open before him. Harry pulled off his shirt and slid in next to him, carefully fitting his body against his boyfriend's slender frame. Kenichi laughed softly and put his arms around him.

"Did you enjoy the momiji?"

"It was very pretty, but too crowded." Harry tucked his face against Kenichi's collarbone. Slender fingers began to comb soothingly through his hair.

"What happened?"

Harry tilted his head up so that he could look into Kenichi's dark eyes. They had met shortly after Harry arrived in Tokyo, exhausted and bewildered and trying desperately to get his bearings in his new environment. Tokyo had been so overwhelming after his life in Britain, the tall glass and metal skyscrapers that pierced the skyline, the blaze of neon lights that characterized Shibuya and Shinjuku at night, and everywhere so many people, cramming into subway cars and pushing their way down the sidewalk so that more than once Harry had the feeling that he was nothing more than a leaf being swept along a particularly fast flowing river. He had holed up in a Muggle youth hostel in Asakusa and had spent the first week trying to figure out what he would do. He had come to Japan with nothing more than the vague idea of finding a wizard community where he could study their form of magic and perhaps learn the language, but once he got there he realized that he was in over his head and had no idea where to begin.

Fortunately luck was on his side. Harry had gone to the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno Park for what he hoped would be a relaxing afternoon. The museum's collections were certainly impressive and Harry spent a long time looking at displays of beautiful kimonos and samurai weapons that were as deadly as they were beautiful. But the artifacts that really caught his interest were the scrolls of beautiful calligraphy from the Heian era. He marveled that the exquisitely detailed kanji could have written so precisely by using brushes and leaned toward the glass to get a closer look. He couldn't suppress a startled gasp at what he saw.

During the War Harry had become proficient at seeing the traces of magic in the air. It looked like a softly glowing mist that hovered over the place where it had been used, the color differing slightly depending on what manner of spell had been used. The glow that hovered over the old paper was a pale blue that indicated that whichever witch or wizard had spelled it had been weaving a form of protective magic, but for what purpose... He looked down at the small plaque and read that the scroll was a copy of the Lotus Sutra from circa 1150 from Toji Temple in Kyoto. He glanced quickly around the gallery. It was mostly empty except for a two women standing near the door and a young man perusing scrolls in another case. No one was looking at him. He murmured a quick revealing spell under his breath and raised his eyebrows as the blue mist convalesced into a pattern that he had never seen before.

"Wandless magic is exceedingly difficult to pull off. I'm impressed."

Harry jerked around and came face to face with the young man who had been looking at the other scrolls. He extended his hands palm up to indicate that he didn't mean any harm and smiled.

Harry exhaled and waited for his heartbeat to slow down again. "You startled me."

"I'm sorry. I could sense magic being performed and was surprised to see that you weren't using a wand. It's a rare talent."

Harry looked closely at the stranger. He was about Harry's height and very slender, with a thin face and very elegant features. Softly tousled black hair fell around his cheekbones and his almond shaped eyes were warm and friendly. His English had been slightly accented but other than that it flowed smoothly and easily off his tongue. He could sense magic. He must be a wizard.

Harry had never been a great believer in fate - Professor Trelawney had seen to that - but he couldn't help but that think that maybe, just maybe he and this stranger were meant to meet.

He extended his hand. "Harry Potter."

"Kenichi Watari."

Kenichi proved to be the stroke of luck that Harry needed. When Harry mentioned that he was interested in studying Japanese magic Kenichi had offered him to introduce him into one of the wizarding circles in his hometown of Kyoto as well as offering advice into where he could stay and which Japanese language schools he might consider. The two of them stayed in Tokyo for another week, Kenichi visiting relatives during the day and showing Harry the ins and outs of Japan's capital in the evening. By the time the two of them boarded the train to go to Kyoto they were fast friends.

And now more than friends. Harry spent his first few weeks in Kyoto living in a dormitory with the usual mess of foreign expats looking to start a new life in Japan but with the amount of time he spent at Kenichi's place getting help with his attempts to learn Japanese and navigating the intricacies of Japan's foreign magical system it was only a matter of time before he invited Harry to move in with him. So they became roommates. And a while after that when they were out at the banks of the Kamo river with a bottle of sake that they picked up in a Circle K convenience store they kissed, and that night they became lovers.

Harry trusted Kenichi just as much as he did Ron and Hermione. He could help him figure out what to do about Draco.

"I ran into someone from my old school at Kiyomizu."

Kenichi's fingers paused momentarily before continuing their gentle ministrations. "From Hogwarts, you mean?"

"Yes." Harry's fingers curled into a fist. "He managed to track my magical signature to Kyoto. I can't figure out why he did it."

"Is he a friend?"

"Not... exactly. When we children we hated each other. We were always fighting. But then during the War he fought on my side and we reached an understanding of sorts."

Kenichi's fingers left his hair and he urged Harry to roll over onto his stomach. Harry pillowed his head on his arms and sighed in contentment as Kenichi straddled his hips and began to massage his tense shoulders.

"So. Someone who is neither your friend nor your enemy has managed to find you. What are you going to do now?"

Harry moaned softly as Kenichi's fingers dug into tight muscles. "I don't know. Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing. He doesn't know where I live and I don't think the probability of another random meeting is very high. Now that I know he can trace me by my magic I'll just make sure I don't leak any traces. He'll finish his holiday and go back to Britain and that will be that."

"Do you want him to just go back to Britain?"

"Yes!" said Harry quickly. Maybe a bit too quickly. He sighed.

"He didn't tell me to go back but I could tell that that's why he came. I just don't understand why it's him and not one of my friends."

Kenichi was quiet for a long time and Harry was content to bask in the sensation of warm hands running over his back. He could tell his lover was thinking through what Harry had told him, reading between the lines and drawing his own conclusions. But when he spoke up all he said was,

"Are you sure you don't want to see him again?"

Harry carefully rolled out from beneath Kenichi and tossed his arm over his eyes. "I don't know! He's always been able to get under my skin. He makes me think about things I'd rather not. He makes me feel confused."

Kenichi tugged his arm away and cupped Harry's chin, forcing him to make eye contact.

"I'd like to meet him."

Harry's eyes widened with astonishment. "What?"

"I want to meet him. See him for myself."

"But he's a prat!"

Something like mischief was sparkling in Kenichi's dark eyes and he pressed a quick kiss to the corner of Harry's mouth.

"It'll be fun. The three of us can go to Shijo-Kawaramachi tomorrow night and enjoy the nightlife. We can get sushi."

Harry sighed and brushed his fingers against Kenichi's cheek. "You're serious?"

Kenichi smiled. Harry dropped his hand with a groan.

"Oh all right. I'll send Hedwig to find him in the morning. She's smart enough to get a message to him discreetly."

He threaded his fingers through Kenichi's and let his eyes slip shut.

"I'm only doing this because you want me to, you know."

"Of course."

Kenichi sounded a trifle smug and Harry couldn't resist pinching his arm in admonition. Kenichi laughed and reached over to the lamp and switched it off, plunging the bedroom into darkness. The two of them shifted on the futon until they were curled comfortably together with Harry's back pressed against Kenichi's chest and their entwined hands resting on his stomach.

"Don't worry. What will happen will happen. Maybe this person will just go back to Britain. Or maybe he's here for some purpose you don't know yet. Just don't worry about it so much."

"How Zen of you."

He felt Kenichi's lips curve into a smile against his shoulder. "That's just being pragmatic. Now go to sleep."

* * *

Draco was wandering through the streets of Gion when he felt a whoosh of air against his cheek and a piece of paper fluttered down to land on the rain-spattered cobblestones. He bent to retrieve it before it became completely soaked and then looked up at the grey sky just in time to see a speck of white winging off into the distance. His breath caught in his throat as he remembered that Potter had a snowy owl.

Balancing the stem of his umbrella against his shoulder he carefully opened the paper and read the brief note twice just to make sure it was real.

Malfoy -

Meet me at the Hankyu Line Kawaramachi Station tonight at nine o'clock.

-HP

So Harry wanted to see him again. A small flutter of hope rose up in Draco's breast but he forced it down. It was probably nothing. Potter probably just wanted to tell him to leave and never come looking for him again.

But maybe...

Draco sighed softly and resumed his meandering walk. So far Gion was his favorite part of Kyoto, a maze of cobbled streets that looked as if they hadn't changed since the Meiji period lined with exclusive teahouses and restaurants that were secluded in carefully tended gardens and guarded by high wooden fences, the only indication of what lay within discreet wooden signs marked with elegant calligraphy. It was also full of temples, magnificent works of art that had stood since Japan's antiquity and contained beautiful examples of Buddhist art. Draco walked through them at a leisurely pace, enjoying the dreamlike atmosphere created by the gently falling rain.

He would see Harry again tonight. That was more than he had hoped for. And maybe, just maybe things would be clearer after that.

Author's Notes:

Momiji is the Japanese term for the autumn foliage, specifically red maple leaves. And Kiyomizudera temple really does have a night light-up each year.

Zenzai really is very sweet and very good.