Harry Potter & the Shipgirls

K9Thefirst1

Gentlemen, it has been to long. Here we have Porta laying down the law on what will and what will not be tolerated in her realm. Also, OLD's a bit of an urban legend it seems. And shenanigans are afoot.
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Gathering The Elites part II

January 3rd, 2014

“What is thy bidding, my Princess?"

Porta turned her head from the table, and the animated military-political map showing its rough estimate of the present chaos surrounding her oasis of tranquility that was on it, to eye Ocean Liner Demon.

“You’re late.”

“Canut insisted I take the prime cuts of meat from the cow I killed. Said it was my prize as the Matador. I told her to give it to the crowd, I’d take the worst cuts later.”

That caught the Elder Princess’ attention, prompting her to turn around fully.

“That’s… Unnaturally generous of you Demon,” she said, eyes narrowing with suspicion.

“Not really. Those cuts are only valuable because they’re so tender. Those muscles are almost never worked so they don’t have much connective tissue. It also means that it’s easier to get wrong if you don’t know what you’re doing, while the “cheaper” cuts are more forgiving and pack the most flavor. So even if the choice meats are cooked right, without any seasonings it’s just bland, flavorless meat.”

Porta sighed with disappointment, not just at the Demon’s words, but at her giddy tone of voice. That sounded more like the Demon she knew: Give the warships the promise of a fine prize, only for their own ignorance and high expectations to send them into a ravine of dashed hopes.

“I see. Regardless, the surviving members of the Ten have arrived, and I wanted to go over the strategical situation before we went to meet them.”

“What is the situation anyway? Don’t tell me they’ve all killed each other off already.”

“Unfortunately, no they haven’t.” Porta replied dejectedly, “As is typical for my sister’s ilk, they don’t have the curtesy to just wipe each other out in one go. But, everyone has reacted precisely as anticipated.”

Porta and the Demon looked down on the map. Porta’s present holding was an insignificant blue speck in a sea of dark greens, reds, oranges, and purples, each shade of color signifying one realm or another, like in some RTS game. To the north of their present position, two blobs bordering each other – one red, the other green – showed icons marking a massive engagement between fleets of maybe fifteen to twenty ships each, with status markings showing damage and fighting condition for all involved. And on their far ends, small purple, orange, and pink blobs worked their way into the bigger blobs’ heartlands and towards the bigger units.

“Xeltos and Beltos, of course, blamed each other immediately for the spate of assassinations. I swear I have never seen such a mutually antagonistic pair of identical twins in my life. If they were to have worked together, they would have been a major player. But their suspicions of their own sister kept holding them back. It’s been maybe three days, and their fleets are so exhausted that they ought to be wiped out totally come night fall. Even if one of them survives this battle, that little horde of onesies-twosies squadrons will finish off the survivor without me having to do anything.

“And then by the time I’m mobilized that little swarm of singular ferals and minimal units will have damaged each other fighting over the scraps they’ll get wiped out by whatever fleet I send in without me even needing to be there.”

From there she traced her finger down to the south. Porta’s annexation of Goda’s territory early the previous year, to the Princess’ abject shock, went uncontested. Though she imagined that it was because no one noticed the change of hands. The marvels of not bumrushing in like a Jackass screaming “MINE NOW! YOU NO TOUCHY!” Now the posting of the mobile anchorage Charybdis in the area was paying dividends with the wealth of information her sensors and radio were able to pick up.

The south of her realm was dominated by a quintet of tiny realms that were in near-perfect balance. None of them could fully commit the entirety of their forces to take on one front without ceding any of the other fronts. Though with the constant exchange of shells and torpedoes at each other over time, someone was sooner or later going to give in by attrition if nothing else. But until then is was a stalemate. One that would fold like a house of cards when a properly Out of Context Problem in the form of a sixth opponent, numerically superior and fresh for a fight, came rolling in.

East and West were similar stories, all in a neat little ring around an island of calm. Just as planned. And further out there was even more nebulous chaos that was too difficult to track with any real certainty. All within three days with a few well-placed surgical strikes. These barbarians deserved to be conquered, if they were incapable of ruling themselves properly.

“So,” the Demon asked, “what’s the plan? Once we’ve cleared the local area I mean.”

“Simple enough really,” Porta replied, not looking up from the map, “the situation to our north will be easy enough to take out without my direct involvement. The North Atlantic has had solid convoy coverage running right through it for years now. The Northern Campaign will be a slog, but a simple one. East and West are trickier, but the Humans will be pushing on them from the coastline inward, so the fleets will be naturally squeezed on those fronts as well. Give it a few years and the regions will connect as the Barbarians are forced North and South. I’m thinking having the surviving Ten serve as Fleet Admirals and lead those three campaigns, and you being my Ball Buster in the event one begins to stall.”

Beside the Elder Princess, she heard the cracking of knuckles and dark chuckling. Porta rolled her eyes, but continued on as if the Demon had not made a sound.

“South however… That’ll be much more troublesome. There have not been any real stabs at continuous convoy runs South of the Equator since the early years of the war. With the Great Powers still concentrated in the North, there just have not been the military forces available to weaken the Abyss in this region like in the North. So I will be directing that Campaign personally. Besides, many of the Phantom Islands on my hit list are in this direction, so it would make sense to grab them on my way down.”

“Not much Intel about the area. No telling what we’ll find.”

“I know,” Porta sighed, “that’s why I need to lead. In the event we find someone competent, or at least with the force of will strong enough to form a large enough coalition, I can be close at hand to understand the feel of the land myself and give commands accordingly.”

Beside her, the Demon nodded in approval. “Makes sense. Besides, if they’re to much of a bother, you can always just wipe their minds and annex them.”

Porta laughed. She couldn’t help it! It was true! Though very much not what she wanted to do if it could be avoided.

Any further discussion was cut off when they both got a message from the Imps at the checkpoint at the main entrance.

They were here.
------

Tsurgat moved with light steps. Her mistress expected an update on the one obstacle to her rule as the new Elder Princess, and the Tsu-class had every intent to open the lock to her victory.

She had observed Ancient Atlantic Gateway from her frontier for years, stewing at how little information she could glean. And then, the previous summer, that fool of a Battleship Demon actually sent an open invitation to all comers to join! It was a gamble, but Tsurgat grasped to opportunity to slink into the Elder Princess’ court without question with both hands. In the brief window of time she would have, Tsurgat would get as much intelligence about this Elder Princess as she could manage.

And, against all odds, when the Princess returned, that soft-hearted fool actually gave her the chance to stay! She even let the Battleship Demon live without so much as a maiming! All she had to do was spin a saccharine sob story about being cast adrift, oversell her combat prowess just a little, and Rivet, Weld, With Screws Propelled, she was now a naturalized citizen! The fool!

In the months that followed, Tsurgat learned much about the Princess, her fleet, and her infrastructure. And the only conclusion Tsurgat had, was that no Petty Princess could hope to defeat Ancient Atlantic. But an Elder Princess? Liker her Lady and Mistress? The spineless, Meatsack-loving oaf had no chance.

Or rather, that was her assessment at first. Then the Ocean Liner Demon revealed her true nature on New Years Eve. That wave of Power fueled by Hate, Anger, and the Unrestrained Will to Dominate could only mean one thing: She was a War Demon, and a Powerful one at that. It should have been a farce, this notion of a Merchantship being a War Demon, but the facts were right there glaring her in the face. Tsurgat would be a willfully blind fool to not see it.

Her mistress needed to hear this. Immediately. An Elder Princess and a War Demon teamed up was not an alliance to disregard lightly. Tsurgat’s Mistress needed an aid, an ally of similar strength by her side if she hoped to not merely crush Ancient Atlantic Gateway, but to crush her and still have the strength to destroy the Meatbags in turn.

Fortunately, there was one option her Mistress could take advantage of. Unfortunately, according to the lore of the Gateway Elder Princess, this ally was dead.

But then, Tsurgat’s Mistress had access to the Power to Dominate the Abyss itself. If she had not attained the Power of the Elder Princesses by now, surely it was but a question of time before she did. And that meant that reviving the corpse Princess was but an inconvenience. No, the only inconvenience was to her, given how hard it was to go looking for where these idiots had dumped the corpse when there were so many being so friggin’ friendly. So, when the War Demon demolished the stands in a childish display of power, Tsurgat took the distraction as her chance.

The Tsu-class had spent hours combing sea charts of the Great Meteor Seamount, trying to ID likely dumping grounds around the undersea plateau. In the end, she narrowed it down to the southern edge, as that was closest to the palace. If she had been given the task of disposing of a body, she would have made the trip as short as possible. Thus, Tsurgat had decided to start there, and make a counter-clockwise circumnavigation of the seamount.

Soon, the prize would be hers, and as soon as she could find a way to transport the corpse, it would be her Mistress’…
------

Porta stood at the base of the dais that the central portion of her throne had sat for eight long years. While the rest of the fleet had been preparing for the tournament, her imps and shades had been hard at work removing the restraints that had secured it to its place. And now, it had finally been freed, and was being winched into place, waiting for the Refinery Portion and the Yard Portion to be brought alongside the Arms and Propulsion Portion and bolted onto either side. It was a long, daunting process, but one that was required if she was going to lead her subjects into battle.

She turned away from the gangs working on the heavy equipment to turn to the entrance of her throne room, and the field above it that had once held the mosaic of the Atlantic. Between her slow efforts to raise the seamount above the sea and the fact that the Palace as it stood was at best temporary, the most significant work of Abyssinian art was never going to stay where it had hung with honor. Already it had been quietly taken down and moved to a warehouse on the island, waiting for the day when her new Palace was ready.

’Just a few years. And then I can step out among the nations as an equal…’

Her musings were interrupted by the great door that had seen her Idiot Daughter killed just over a year previous opened up, showing a healthy number of foreign-born Abyssals, led by four that she had not seen in some time.

Kallah.

Soreign.

Neeros.

Tartarus.

…It was with a Royal force of Will for Porta to avoid reacting visibly at seeing that Tartarus still lived. Something was… Off about that one.

When she had last seen Kallah, she was but another bog-standard Ka-Class the likes of which were the standard of the Abyss in the late 1980s, albeit one of the first such submarines that she had built herself. While her design had become antiquated in the decades since, her obvious ascension was more than enough to stay concerns of her ability. The submarine stopped at a respectable distance from Porta and knelt to her knee, hand over her heart in the salute of Porta’s fleet.

“My magnificent Elder Princess of the Gate, you are as lovely as the day we last crossed paths. With chaos swarming the Abyss, I finally found cause to seek you out, after so many years as a lone Diaspora. It does me infinite joy to see you alive and unspoiled by time.”

Porta didn’t respond to the flattery and… Liberal slant to Kallah’s story. Given the respectable fleet of submarines hanging back at the door, it didn’t take a genius to presume that the ascended Ka-Class had not been absolutely honest with how she came to be with them, and why.

’Very well, we’ll play this out as long as needed.’

Sorain similarly took the knee, but kept her peace, not seeing the need of applying anywhere near the thickly spread brown-nosing of her fellow Sub.

“Sorain, reporting in from Extended Patrol. All is well.”

Porta nodded. Sorain had always been her preferred underling: Competent, enjoyed her work, and didn’t waste time and breath with obnoxious boasting.

Tartarus… Was Tartarus.

“My Princess! I have returned as ordered! I have blood of our enemies on my hands, and I have with me a fleet of my own to add to our number, all of them willing and able to slay, rip, and tear in your name, until they cannot slay, rip and tear no more!”

And Neeros. Resolute, skilled Neeros.

“Oh. I see you still have the civilian with you.”

’…Well shit.’

Ocean Liner Demon walked up to the smaller Abyssal, a menacing aura radiating off her.

“Neeros. Your-“

“What’s that?” Neeros said with mockery, her little fleet behind her grinning and cackling at the antics… Well, except for one Ri-Class, who looked ready to void her bilge at the very sight of the Demon… Curious, “I don’t speak wuss, Merchant Faggot! Suck any good Money Cock Capitalist Slut?”

Porta took a soothing breath. Now she remembered. Neeros being included in The Ten was a much to prevent her from getting killed as due to her own loyalty and independent thinking. Neeros, somehow, never quite grasped Demon’s status in Porta’s hierarchy, nor why taunting her was a terrible idea to have. Apparently the nigh-on a decade on her own had done nothing to tamper her scorn and bravado. In the here and now, the Demon’s only response to Neeros’ taunt was to chuckle darkly and put her hand on the other Abyssal’s shoulder. It was time to step in before Liner Demon took the opportunity to express some rage.

“Ladies! If you would, we must get up to speed on the present situation. Follow me to the War Room. Neeros? Kallah? Your… Fleets, can wait in the Antechamber.”

With that, the group were led down a hallway to the War Room. Behind the Elder Princess, War Demon, and High Ranked Abyssals, Kallah and Neeros’ fleets followed at a respectable distance. The group was quiet, maybe a few whispered conversations, but Nuru, Neeros’ Nu-class Light Carrier, noticed that her fleet mate Rita looked absolutely terrified, and kept stealing glances at the hulking form of Porta’s second-in-command.

“What’s got your shaft ally in a twist?”

All Rita did was point a shaky finger towards the Demon standing behind Porta and The Four. And all Nuru look at Rita like she was a loon.

“Y-you seriously don’t know who that is?!” Rita asked incredulously, “How! You’ve been around longer than me! The Ocean Liner Demon? The most powerful War Demon the Abyss has ever seen?”

“Meh,” Nuru shrugged, “never bothered with politics.”

Rita made a sound of disgust at that, smacking her palm into her forehead. As she continued, the other members of their fleet, along with Kallah’s submarines, listened in as well.

“Decades ago, a War Demon manifested in the Abyss, without any Demon, Princess, or Elder Princess to do it herself. And she was any kind of warship, just an Ocean Liner, a merchant ship. And yet no other Abyssal could take her own. Without wasting a minute, she started murdering Elites, Demons, even Princesses! It was only when the Ancient Atlantic Gateway Princess cornered her, personally, that the rampage stopped. And even then, she couldn’t kill her, only control her. I even heard that Central Atlantic challenged her to a fight, intending to kill her and assert her authority.”

“What happened?” one of the subs in the audience asked.

“From every account I heard,” Rita answered, “The fight only lasted a few seconds before that thing kicked her in the crotch, and ended it.”

Several of her audience winced at the very idea, most of that number held their knees close together for a few steps in empathy.

“Such power has never been seen in any other non-warship, before or since. Soon enough, everyone started calling her The Ocean Liner Demon – as lazy as that is. Ever since she showed up, everyone that knows of her has run rampant, speculating how one merchant ship could not only become a War Demon, but one powerful enough to lay low one of our most Ancient and Powerful Elder Princesses in a single strike!

“All that we do know is that she is an unpredictable malevolent spirit of wrath, a torrent of blood waiting to happen, and a monster capable of an absolute unit of ultra-violence, one that we cannot risk, getting involved in dealing with, unless we want to end up turned into razor blades and reefs.”

Toro scoffed, “You for real? HA! She looks like a Tin Plate Gimp!”

“Yeah,” Nuru agreed, “that sounds like bullshit. Everybody knows that civilian ships just don’t have the Hate in their hearts to be real Abyssals. You ever see a Wa-Class get snide? Naw, they’re to weak-willed and submissive to even look at someone funny.”

“You don’t understand!” Rita insisted, “Our skins will be flayed and turned into her new cape! She will gut any one of us and eat the insides! She will not stop, not until…. Un… until…”

As she spoke, Rita began to lose her sense of control, her voice rising as her dread ran away with her, until she realized to late that the Demon could hear her, when the Liner Demon stood in the doorway to the War Room.

“Oh, no. No, do go on…” the Demon taunted. “Give me some ideas.”

The crowd of Abyssals was quiet as a church as the Demon took a step back, and slowly, agonizingly slowly, closed the door. Glaring at them the entire time until the door latched closed.

For the longest time, the room was silent.
------

The meeting went smoothly as far as Porta could measure. It consisted chiefly of a lengthy debrief of the previous decade, what her Deep Cover agents had done, what they saw that they could not risk in a report, and how they carried out their part of the Plan. And it was most informative. For one thing, Porta learned that Sorain and her crew were to be kept as far away from any and all sensitive installations and explosives. And Kallah’s word was not to be trusted blindly. After all, flattering words was what got the U-Boat Princess a knife in the back. A pair of Commissars observing and reporting back to her would be in order for the first year or so of service. The Elder Princess trusted them… But not without a means to verify.

As a certain list of rules suggested, blind trust should be reserved for the Dead. Or in Ocean Liner Demon’s case, the soul-controlled.

Tartarus was… Well, her lack of empathy and psychosis was an asset thus far, she really needed to find away to do away with her that would not be suspicious. Sure she could be scraped – she was horridly outdated and in need of upgrades and a refit – but… Call it superstitious and silly, but the Elder Princess wasn’t entirely convinced her ‘quirks’ weren’t in some way tied to her steel, and she didn’t want to subject some innocent young life with the burden of having that inside her.

Meanwhile, Neeros’ strategy, to just take over a fleet, was… Not intended, but the results may yet be welcome… Provided that they were sound of course. Fortunately, there was one way to test that.

“With that, the operation is concluded. I am ever so happy that you have returned home, and you will be certain to be rewarded handsomely once the war is concluded. The fallen will be mourned and commemorated, and Ruritania… Will be dealt with in time. Until we have her, we will presume she had her reasons to go AWOL. And if they are reasonable ones, she will be spared. If not, then she will be punished.

“And now the topic must turn towards the… Surplus tonnage, that Neeros and Kallah have brought.”

“Surplus tonnage?”

“Indeed Neeros. Surplus tonnage. I have not been idle in the past decade of isolationism. And I hope that you all noticed how I have been building my numbers, all in the name of being able to overwhelm the Enemy. Our true Enemy. Not the Race of Mankind – that was a fool’s errand crafted by fools, and has produced nothing of merit outside of our own cost. Any further aggression against him will be simply throwing good money after bad. And I have no patience for such a practice.”

Porta looked around the room, measuring how each of them, in particular Kallah and Neeros, would react to what she said next.

“No ladies. Our true enemy, was, is, and always has been, the successor fleets of the other Elder Princesses, especially here in the Atlantic. What Marcus Porcius Cato the Elder said of Carthage I say of them: Sororibus posteritatem delenda est. ‘My sisters’ progeny must be destroyed.’

“All of them, from the most meager Imp to the mightiest Petty Princess, are lives undeserving of life. If they have not seen reason in the future of this war by now, they will never see it for themselves, nor agree with the logic of it if it were explained to them in manners most plain. And therefore, their continued existence is a threat to us all, one that must be driven to extinction. If there is to be any peace in the Abyss, and between the Abyss and Mankind, there must be an absolute Debellatio of the other Houses of my Dynasty.

“If there is to be peace between Man and the Abyss, then for the good of the realm, that number must include your little fleets. They are to be put on point in every engagement where losses are expected to be astronomical, far from any reinforcement, and used as a meat shield to protect my own fleet from any-.“

“BITCH!”

The assembled turned to Neeros, who had shot to her feet, pounding her fists onto the table. And on her face was outrage.

Porta’s response was nothing more than a cock of the brow, while to her side the Demon crossed her arms, radiating sadistic amusement.

“I bring you some of the best mercs on the ocean, and you throw it out like they’re nothing?! An-and what, for a bunch of meaningless meatbags?!”

“…Did I stutter?”

Whatever response the cruiser was wanting, that wasn’t it, going by her animalistic growl.

“Princess! What the ACTUAL Hell!”

“It should be obvious: Continued aggression against the humans will result in our own deaths, and so I have aligned myself with them.”

Around the table, the reactions were mixed. Sorain’s jaw dropped while Kallah merely raised a curious eyebrow and lost her usual smile. And Tartarus…

Tartarus’ eyes continued to be the windows into a haunted house.

Neeros in contrast was more… Animated. Her face nakedly showed her mental process from surprise, to confusion, to annoyance, and finally to anger.

“WHY?! We have them right where we want them! One good blow and they run off! It’s what we’ve done for years!”

“Then why are we not victorious?”

“Well maybe it’s because the last Elder Princess has gone soft! We need a ruler that will force the Abyss into line, and drive the meatbags from the sea, not one that’ll roll over and show her belly to her lesser and kill off her own kind! Kallah, please tell me you see this insanity!”

Kallah smiled.

“Ah, but the mind of an Elder Princess is that of a Sovereign. And a worthy Sovereign is able to plan in ways that are beyond our short-sighted comprehension. While my fleet would make ideal scouts and spies, if our Princess says that they must die for the good of the realm, then die they will, all I require to ask is in what manner would it please her.”

Neeros groaned and turned to Tartarous… Before turning to the other end of the table to glare at Sorain expectantly. The So-class submarine put up her hands to ward off the Ne-class’ unasked question.

“Hey, leave me out of this. I killed off my mark specifically to avoid this conversation.”

Neeros looked down onto the table, her hands clenched into fists, and her teeth gnashed together hard enough to make the steel of her bones groan.

“Weaklings… You are all weaklings! Undeserving of the proud name of Abyssal! Especially you Gateway!”

The Elder Princess was utterly unimpressed with the finger pointed at her in accusation, which visibly infuriated Neeros all the more.

“What precisely are you suggesting Neeros?”

Neeros seemed surprised by the question. But soon enough that surprise coalesced into resolve.

“For years… I stood up for you. Every time someone in the other fleets mocked you behind your back, I beat them. Killed them. No matter how much you didn’t fit the mold of the other Elders, I held on to hope that, someday, you’d wake up to your place in the world. And now… After everything – everything – I’ve done for you, you’re going to throw it all away and be some Meatbag’s cock-sucker…”

Porta rolled her eyes at the last the last part. But what Neeros said next made her narrow her gaze, and raise her right hand a few inches above the table.

“The Abyss needs a better class of Leader. Because it’s obvious that you’re nothing but a craven harlot!” The Cruiser summoned her weapons, and trained her main battery on the Princess, “We’re better off without the Elder Princesses! I’ve seen the armada you’ve built! It’ll be more than enough to kill any Shipgirl fleet in the Abyss, and drive the meatbags fr-!”

Porta waived her hand, her eyes glowing Hellfire Red. And like that Neeros was struck dumb and still. Porta then motioned the hand down, and like a puppet on strings the cruiser sat back down in her chair. For the longest time there was no sign of movement from anyone present, save Neeros’ eyes, flitting hither and thither and yon, the confusion in them growing into shock and terror when she realized what was happening:

The Elder Princess has exerted her Power over her as Ruler of the Abyss.

Porta, for her part, merely sighed in disappointment.

“Neeros… I misjudged you. I took your past actions as loyalty. But instead you are as belligerent and foolish as those I sent to St Brendan’s to die. Perhaps I should have kept you here, where I could have kept an eye on you. Because clearly you lacked the maturity to endure the peer pressure of those I sent you to betray. Now then, answer me this: Will your fleet take my plans to side with Man well, and will they follow my orders?”

“No,” Neeros said, under the Princess’ absolute Power, and unable to do anything counter to what Porta wanted. And at that moment, Porta wanted the unvarnished truth. “My fleet are raiders and killers. Nothing pleases us more than seeing ships on fire and meatbags drowning. They are strong like that. Like all Abyssals are.”

Porta sighed.

“Disappointing. But you are one-hundred percent certain that not one of your fleet are without this bloodlust? None of them who would be willing to make peace, even if it is only under orders?”

“Rita. She is weak. Thinks to much. Asks stupid, pointless questions. One of these days I may need to kill her to make sure everyone else knows who’s in charge.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Porta said, “you have outlived your usefulness. It is a tragedy I could not have you serve as an Admiral, but you did commit treason, and are utterly without regret.”

With a wave of the Porta’s hand, Neeros’ own moved all of the Princess’ volition – into the cruiser’s mouth. While Neeros’ eyes widened first in fear, then panic, her own fingers betrayed her as they did something inside her mouth. Then those eyes winced in pain as her body went through the motions of swallowing, and her hands moved to sit flat on the tabletop. Kallah and Sorain leaned in, to better see what was going on, and in the brief moment between Neeros’ hands leaving her mouth and her jaw closing, they saw:

Porta has used her power to force Neeros to swallow her own tongue.

As if she too knew what had happened despite not being in a position to have seen what the two submarines had, Ocean Liner Demon chuckled darkly.

Porta, her eyes still aglow if not as bright and hand still held out, spoke to the Demon, not taking her gaze off of Neeros, even as her skin took on a darker hue.

“Kallah? What of your fleet? Are they sound? Or will they be belligerent as well?”

Kallah cocked an eyebrow. However, Porta looked at her expectantly, and there was no point in denying her.

“They are very sound my Princess. They know no will but of their leader.”

“Very well, they can live. Though I will be distributing them amongst my own submarine divisions. To better acquaint themselves with their new sisters in arms. Demon. I want you eliminate Neeros’ fleet. Spare the Ri-class cruiser named Rita.”

The demon turned to her Princess, disappointment clear in her tone and body language.

“Really?”

“You heard her. Having her fleet amongst my own would cause nothing but trouble. They are clearly useless, save as resources. By her own confession, this Rita is the only one that might be worth something. Now. Do it.”

“…Can’t I at least watch?”

Porta narrowed her eyes, but that was enough to get the message across.

“You’re no fun anymore.”

And with that, the hulking form of Ocean Liner Demon walked to the door leading to the antechamber, leaving Neeros suffocating on her own tongue.
------

The gaggle of Abyssals looked to the door in surprise, and Rita and Kallah’s submarines looked on with varying levels of dread at the Dazzle Camouflaged form that walked in, closed the door behind her, and slid the bolt into place with an ominous thud

“Rita.”

“Y-yes!” the cruise squeaked, her fleet laughing somewhat at the mouse-like noise she made, and the speed she jumped to her feet at the merchant ship’s word.

“You, and those that came with Kallah. Step outside.”

“M-ma’am?”

The Demon turned to face her.

“Yes ma’am!”

The small gaggle of submarines and one cruiser fled more than walked out of the room. Without another word, the Demon walked up to the door the left and closed the bolt on it too. Then grabbed one of the empty benches along the wall, lifted it above her head, and slammed it down in front of the door leading to the War Room. Then the War Demon pulled the Bec du Corbin from her hip, and without any warning plunged the spike end of the head into the nearest Abyssal. As the group sat stunned, the Demon ripped the spike out of the now dead corpse with a sickening crunch of bone and steel before turning onto the next victim.

By then the fleet had gotten over the shocking betrayal and went for the kill. A Ho-Class opened fire – but all that resulted was the shell flying through the Demon’s unarmored hull and blowing the head of to He-Class clean off her shoulder.

“Hera!”

Years of trigger discipline meant that the rest of the fleet was fully cognizant of what had happened, and what it meant: There were to many friendlies in to tight of quarters, and they were fighting an enemy that their weapons – ironically – were to effective at penetration to be of any use. Still, the strike was textbook, and had blown straight through the Ocean Liner Demon’s hull, right where her engineering spaces were. It should have been enough to damage something important…

Except the hole in her chest was closing itself. In seconds, there was no sign they had hurt the Demon at all. Holt backed away as the Demon turned around to face her, eyes glowing hellfire red through the slits in her Helm.

“You stole my kill.”

“Umm… Sorry?”

The Warhammer caved in Holt’s skull.

The next minute or so was a chaos of fists and kicks and dismembered corpses – none of them the Demon. Toro had her head ripped off with the Demon’s bare hands, and the cranium was used to pulp the head of Chilk. On and on this went, until only Nuru, the Nu-class Light Carrier of Neeros’ fleet, was alive.

Oh, they put in plenty of solid licks themselves. The Demon’s hulking form was riddled with the wounds of secondary arms, and dents from desperate punches or kicks, and blood flowed like bilge water from a dozen wounds and from between the seams in the armor. And yet even as she bleed out, the Demon’s body healed, dents worked themselves out, holes sealed. In a few minutes, there would be no sign she had been hurt at all.

Bleeding, one leg ripped off at the knee so that it could be used as a club on one of her comrades, and slumped up against the wall, Nuru, who had said not half an hour earlier that merchant craft were incapable of being a threat, was now seconds away from being murdered by one. The Demon pulled her hammer out of the skull of one of her comrades, and even as she lifted it up to deliver the killing blow, Nuru had to know one thing.

“H-how…?” She coughed out, “Wha- What the Hell… Could you possibly Hate… To be this strong!?”

Strangely, the Demon paused, as if surprised at the question. And in the moment of silence, Nuru felt from the shift of her body language, she looked at her wrist, where a 4.7-inch single mount sat.

“Myself.”

Nuru scoffed bitterly, which turned into a wet cough. It figured. Of all the things to hate, nothing gave more power to an Abyssal, than self-loathing.

’Well,’ she thought, ’I guess it’s not so bad to lose. Not when you had no chance to win anyway.’

Then the hammer fell.

In the hallway outside the antechamber, Rita and Kallah’s submarines huddled around the door. Their first clue something was wrong as the sound of the door being bolted shut, followed by the sound of something heavy being moved around. Then came the shouts, the gunfire, and finally the terrible silence. Tense moments later, the sound of the bolt being undone echoed in the hall, followed but the knob being twisted. The group took that as a sign to enter, and the gristly scene inside made more than one of them gasp in shock, and someone else gag.

Rita just looked around with… A mix of emotions she could not name. On the one hand, these were her comrades, whom she had fought side-by-side for many years. As she looked at the mangled corpse of one of her fleet mates after the next, memories of shared meals and moments of shared experiences in the war flitted through her mind.

But on the other, they were all willfully ignorant brutes. None of them cared about the bigger picture beyond the next fight. Not even Neeros seemed interested in how it became rarer and rarer for them to find easy convoys to prey on, and even more difficult to successfully take what they needed to remain supplied.

And in the center of it all, wiping off the blood and oil from her weapon with a scrap piece of cloth, was the merchant ship, the Ocean Liner Demon, the living… Not legend, but Nightmare, the Abomination of what it meant to be an Abyssal, stood alone. Her body riddled with wounds, wounds that would put any Abyssal in the repair yards for months – assuming the fleet leader both had one, and was willing to use it on her rather than killing her…

Wounds that closed, repaired, and repainted themselves within seconds.

Wounds that she swore were filled with tiny hating faces before the armor closed up.

One of the submarines – a Ka-class, but Rita had yet to commit her name to memory, the Ri-class only noting that she seemed shyer and more reserved than the rest of her sisterhood – somehow found the spine to speak up.

“H-how? How are you still alive? And why did you kill them?”

“First, because my Hate is to strong. Second, the Princess wants to make peace with the surface dwellers. Neeros took exception to that. So Her Highness gave her the option to change her tune, leave, or continue to be an ass.”

There was a long pause as the Demon continued to clean the weapon. Then she turned to properly face the group.

“She chose poorly.”

The group of submarines and one cruiser all gulped at that. They had all served alongside cruel and vicious demons and princesses of course, or had known those who had. And those had killed off Abyssals for far more petulant and small-spirited reasons than a disagreement of alliance. But never had they seen such executions be dealt with so… impersonally before. Before it had always been by her own hand, never by a middleman.

“Rita.”

The Ri-Class straightened up at the call of her name, and preyed to anyone listening that the hair standing up on her neck wasn’t noticeable.

“Did you know that Neeros wanted you dead? Seems you ask questions that make things awkward for her.”

“Umm… Well, I kinda figured that… Much.”

As she spoke, the Demon approached. Her massive form overshadowed her, and then she leaned in, glaring into her very soul from behind that helm, and why oh why was the Ocean Liner Demon glaring at her like thatpleasejustgoawayandkillhernowmakeitstop!

“The Princess likes questions. Gives her a chance to look smart. Either that or it points out chinks in her little plans for her to fix. Keep that in mind – it’s the only reason you’re alive.”

Rita opened her eyes, and looked up from where she had turned away to cower before the Liner Demon. Not that she wasn’t happy at not dying terribly, no, but it was definitely a surprise. There was a lot to unpack in what the Demon had said – Rita had never known an Abyssal, Demon, Princess, Elite, none, that liked being questioned. They all felt it was some sort of threat to their authority. So for a Princess – especially an Elder Princess of Legend – to actually encourage that sort of thing was more than a little surprising. But before she could dwell on it more, the Demon gestured to the carnage surrounding her.

“So. First job. I want you and your new little friends to clean up this mess. Blood cleaned up, damage fixed, bodies cleared. The corpses are going down to the breaker’s yard for recycling. And the Princess wants it done quietly. No one outside this room is to see or hear anything that has happened here. I hear even a whisper of it, I’ll know who I need to kill. If I don’t get it right the first time, the murders will continue until the leak is plugged.”

Before anyone could object, the Demon reached into her hold and pulled up three Imps with Very Importantly and Official uniforms on.

“These are Commissar’s Gaunt, Talon, and Rage. They will direct you down the right paths where you can carry the stiffs without having to answer difficult questions. Now, get to work.”
------

The seconds ticked by as hours. Slowly, Neeros’ skin began to become crisscrossed with bulging veins desperate for fresh blood, and her eyes became bloodshot as her ventilation system became starved for oxygen, and her boilers snuffed out one after the next, as the air in her compartments became all the staler. In her bridge, her command staff began banging on the doors and windows, pleading for mercy. But there was none to be had. From the antechamber door, the muffled sounds of a struggle, the barking of guns and the impact of steel on steel, could be heard, before being silenced. At the four-minute mark, the Ne-Class began to shudder, and her eyes began to weep blood and oil. Finally, with a muffled cough, she slumped forward onto the table.

Porta maintained that silence for another four minutes, just to be sure. Finally, her eyes lost their glow, and the Elder Princess lowered her hand to rest with it’s twin on the table’s surface.

“Ladies. I know this is going to sound counter-intuitive, given what just happened, but hear me out.”

The Princess stood up with all the dignity of a Queen, even as the Demon, mopping up blood from her Warhammer with a scrap of cloth, came back in without a word.

“Ladies,” she said calmly, “Two years ago, I sent out a fleet, along with my heir, on an attack on the phantom island of St Brendan. Where they were sunk nearly to a man. That was my goal. My intent – That they all die. To humans.

“Before that, I learned, by accident, that she had been physically abusing my other daughter, Angband. And no one, not even Ocean Liner Demon, thought to tell me. In the mistaken belief that I had already known.

“I am many things. But I am not omniscient. I make a good charade at it, but only because I know a great deal of things about a variety of things, and know how to make the pieces fit. But I cannot do that, if I do not know something.

“Therefore, I encourage you, in the sincerest manner I can manage, to question my logic. To ask me how and why I do things. If some strategy does not make sense, please tell me, and I promise you – except where concerns of OP-Sec are paramount – I will explain, and convince you. And if you are not convinced, or think that I may have missed some crucial detail, tell me, because it may very well be possible that I have missed something vital, and you will be recognized.

“I want you all to be frank with me, and I will consider your contributions with all the dignity and respect you deserve.” At that point, the pleasant tone in the Princess’ voice dried up like water in a desert, rendering it ice cold and severe.

“…Except for the area of policy that was just under discussion. What my useless daughter and her faction never understood, and what Neeros failed to appreciate, I am informing you right here and now, with the understanding that I will never have to repeat myself.”

With the hiss of metal on metal, Porta pulled out the ancient Abyssal sword that Middle World had found, and walked over to Neeros’ cooling corpse.

“The price. You pay. For suggesting that I betray, or otherwise renew the war on Mankind, or otherwise discussing this policy of peace and alliance with them in the negative. Is I take your head.”

With a flash of movement, Porta sliced down with the sword, and cut Neeros’ head from her shoulders. The time between her shut down of her propulsion plant and the decapitation was enough that very little blood escaped to dirty the table. That done, Porta grabbed the head by the roots of its hair and lifted it up to eye level. And all the while, her expression had remained even, and unemotional.

“Am. I. Unambiguously. Transparent? Or do I need to bring out the charts and graphs?”
------

Soon enough, the task of repairing the stands was complete, and the next round of games commenced, this time it was a joust. Though in lieu of horses, the contenders made due riding on the strongest Destroyers to volunteer for the contest. There was much joy and merriment at the spectacle. Surely, the only downside in Angband’s opinion was that Mother and Liner were absent. So the Demi-Abyssal Ag-Class carrier contented herself with eating another serving of food. Alone. Watching everyone else gossip and cheer and all around celebrate the simple joy of being alive.

A joy that was shattered by distant rumbling over the horizon. The rumble of guns firing and killing. The roar of War.
------

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Morse Code Translation

CLEARANCE TANGO-SANTIAGO-SIX-SIX-SIX EMPRESS-STOP-I HAVE LOCATED THE CORPSE OF THE BIRTHED PRINCESS-STOP-HAVE CREW MAN INSIDE BUREAUCRACY-STOP-WILL COMMANDEER WA-CLASS SLATED FOR SCRAP-STOP-HAIL THE SATANIC PRINCESS EMPRESS OF THE ABYSS-TERMINATE

 

Harry Leferts

Looking at the handful of red, glossy berries, Rika had an interested look on her face, "Huh... so you can use these for a sauce to go with meat?"

Just nodding as he placed some into a basket, Harry wiped at her forehead with a small smile on his face, "Hai, you can put them on lamb, venison... but they go really good with poultry like goose or duck. Sort of like a slightly sweeter version of cranberry sauce actually."

Intrigued, the Nekomata tossed back the redcurrants in her hand and chewed before swallowing, "Hmm..." Smacking her lips, Rika furrowed her eyebrows a little bit, "They're sweet, but also tart."

Lips twitching, Harry chuckled a little, "Hai, which makes them great as a sauce for meat."

For a moment, Rika didn't say anything before licking her lips, "I wouldn't mind goose..." At the look from Harry, she flushed a little, "Never really have had the chance to eat one. Okaa-San talks about it and so do other older members of my Clan. But I never got the chance and it's really expensive."

Beside the wizard, the Kitsune paused and gave him an amused look, "You're thinking about it?"

Slowly nodding, Harry hummed, "I am. And it would not be that huge of an issue since the butcher's in the village would have one. There's a lot of farms that, well... farm geese." He then shrugged some, "We could pick up some other things as well from the town."

That made the others blink and glance at each other before Kaku spoke up, "I'd be up for that. Especially for something like geese."

Everyone eventually nodded in agreement and went back to plucking redcurrants from their bushes.

After another hour or two, Okita stretched her arms above her head with a soft sigh, "Ah... we've been working hard."

Chuckling, Nobu flicked a berry into her mouth before grinning as she chewed, "Hai, but it has been worth it. We're going to have so many preserves, it is not even funny!" Then, she gave her friend a look up and down and hummed, "Though all the Sun seems to be giving you a real tan, Okita-Chan."

Only blinking, the former Shinsengumi looked at herself and, sure enough, her skin had darkened from it's normal paleness which lead to her shrugging, "You know that I tan easily, Nobu-Chan. And we have been spending day after day out in the hot Sun. So why wouldn't I be tanned."

Eyebrow raising, Harry glanced at her and nodded, "It does look good on you though."

Brightly smiling, Okita shrugged a little, "Thanks, Harry-Kun." Noticing something out of the corner of her eye, she blinked a little, "Um... why is Juuchi staring at me like that...?"

At that, they turned and the fourteen year old wizard blinked a little, "Uh, Juuchi? Why are are you staring at Okita-Chan like you want to stab her? I mean... she hasn't done anything."

Juuchi's eyebrow twitched a little and she gave a smile that was obviously as fake as one of Kagotsuruhe's, "Ah, well, she just looks like my sister, Kyoshu."

That made Kenshō blink in confusion as she looked at the equally confused swordswoman, "Mou... she does, Juuchi-Oba?"

Her eyebrow twitching some more, the older Muramasa nodded, "Indeed she does... and sort of like you as well." Then she sighed and looked around, "And like Goldie... and like Cathy... and that one busty woman... Prydwen, I think that Andraste called her. In her memory, she looked like them."

Arms crossed, Natsumi frowned a little as she looked between the named characters and thought back to that one statue in the magical bathhouse at Bath she had gone to with Harry and their families, '... Huh, they do look alike...'

For some odd reason, the Kitsune felt like if this was an anime, she would have a sweatdrop.

Said feeling got stronger as Okita looked at the three weapon spirits there named and frowned, "Uh... what are you talking about? None of us look alike... like at all."

Rapidly nodding, Kenshō had a frown on her face, "Mou... Okita-Chan is right, Juuchi-Oba! We really don't look alike at all."

Only sighing, Goldie shook her head, "Indeed, I still do not understand why you seem to believe that we look alike, Juuchi. None of us resemble each other at all, Umu!"

Twitching more pronounced, Juuchi pointed at them, "Yes, you do! I swear that all of you could be like that those two groups of characters from that Pokémon show! The Nurse Joys and Officer Jennys!"

Happily smiling, the Kogatana nodded, "Pokémon is awesome!" Standing up, she made a throwing action at Jin, "I'm gonna catch a Gyarados! Mou..."

Giving her an odd look, Jin frowned, "Why do I feel like I just got insulted..."

Just snickering, Harry raised his finger, "Actually, she couldn't be a Gyarados, Kenshō."

Kenshō blinked at that, "She can't be? Then what would she be?"

Rubbing his chin, the wizard hummed, "Not sure... are there any Ghost/Dragon types out there? I mean, she couldn't be Poison/Ghost/Dragon..."

Highly amused as her Senpai had a twitching eyebrow, Shiromizu snickered, "That is a good question, Harry. A very good one..." She then puffed up a little, "Meanwhile, I am Dragon/Water!"

Now realizing what they were talking about, Jin gave them a glare, "I'm not a damn Pokemon..."

Just tilting her head, Kenshō frowned some, "Mou... but Mizuchi come from goldfish, like Gyarados from Magikarp! And you keep eating berries! And everyone knows that Pokemon love berries." A frown appeared on her face, "I would like a Magikarp... they're cool! And they become Mizuchi!"

In reply, Asuka hummed with an amused twinkle in her eye, "Hmm... She does have a point, Jin."

A blank look was the only thing that the Tengu got from the Mizuchi before said dragon created a water clone... which then put a facepalm through it's head and palmed the original's face.

Meanwhile, Juuchi scowled some and gestured around them, "Back to what is happening, none of you can deny the fact that they all have the same facial features, somehow! Even Carnwennan, though his is more male!"

Once more, Okita looked at the others and shook her head, "Sorry, but... I'm not seeing it."

Each of the three weapon spirits involved also nodded with Carnwennan shaking his head, "You really must stop with this, Juuchi. It is likely just your imagination."

When she turned for some help, Juuchi found only amusement meeting her and grumbled as she turned back to continue picking berries.

Unknown to her, as soon as she was turned, the others besides those mentioned all blinked and considered the question, 'They really do look alike...'

Harry, on the other hand, had his own frown, 'Hopefully it is not one of those great universal mysteries which will never be solved... or would drive you mad from the relevation of the truth.' Then he gave a shrug, 'Eh, not my problem.'

__________________________________________________________________

Walking towards the cobblestone streets of Godric's Hollow, the group of teens were looking back and forth as they took in what it looked like. Hanging back a little, Iku smiled some as she walked with Harry's hand in hers, "They look like they're enjoying themselves."

Simply shrugging, Harry gave her hand a squeeze, "Can you blame them? This is a lot different than what they might be used to after all."

Only nodding, the blue haired Submarine happily hummed. After a few moments, she noticed the Knight Bus drop someone off before vanishing. Turning towards Harry with a thoughtful look since it reminded her of something, she lowered her voice, "Did you hear about that new project that is being worked on alongside Toby's Otou-San?"

Eyebrow raised in curiosity, Harry blinked, "I take it that you're not talking about the Midget Submarine project?" When Iku shook his head, he became intrigued, "Huh, which one?"

Glancing at the group in front of them, Iku smiled, "Project with the Japanese Coast Guard actually." Seeing the interest, she shook her head, "Apparently they want to see if one can set up a ship with the same transport abilities as the Knight Bus. You know, being able to teleport anywhere within a few hundred miles. It would get to places to rescue people a lot quicker and also allow for it to escape from Abyssals once they got the people on board... they also think that they can add enchantments to allow for it to do the same for a ship that it might be towing as well as prevent it from grounding or what have you."

For a few moments, the teenage wizard considered that before humming, "That... would be pretty useful actually. Huh..." Part of him imagined a ship clad in the usual white and blue of the Japanese Coast Guard appearing from nowhere in the middle of a storm and rescuing someone. Or it appearing and stopping criminals on the high seas, 'And also kind of cool... wonder what the shipgirl for it would be like.'

The two continued to chat before being joined by Hachi who slowed down. Said blonde Submarine took his hand with a happy smile, though she flushed a bit as Natsumi glanced back and gave her a wink which got her a nod in return, 'Perhaps we should speak to her soon...'

It was shortly after where they fully rejoined the group near the war memorial, which as Harry got closer once more changed its form to look like his parents holding his infant self.

None of them said anything for a few moments, but when he glanced at them, Harry could see that the Reincarnates as well as Yae were staring at the monument and each of the Yokai holding their hand. Voice soft, he looked back at the image of his parents, "You can see them, can't you?"

Yae chewed her lip a little and turned to Harry, her own tone soft, "Are these..."

Slowly, the wizard nodded, "My parents? Hai... Potter James and Potter Lily." He pointed towards the churchyard that was down the street, "They're buried in the graveyard there."

A slight smile, Uesugi turned towards Harry and gave him a look of respect, "I remember you explaining what they did when we were all in the hospital recovering." Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Nobu explaining to a wide eyed Yae before turning back to Harry, "I can just say that they held themselves up with the greatest honour possible and that my only regret is that I cannot meet them to say such."

Bowing slightly, Harry smiled at his friend, "Thank you, Uesugi-Chan."

He did blink some as Nobu took her hat off and placed it against her chest before bowing to the statue. Then, placing her hat back on, she smiled a little, "Ha... Uesugi-Chan is right, I wish that I could have met them as well."

With that, the teenage wizard nodded with his smile widening before he glanced at the statues for a few moments, "So do I, Nobu-Chan... so do I..."

Not long after, they reached the butcher shop and Yae gave him a very odd look, "Um, Harry-San? Is this the butchershop...? Really?"

Unable to help himself, Harry chuckled some with a slight grin, "It is, as a matter of fact. After all, you can see the meat."

Looking up at the ducks, partridges, and the like that were hung in the window alongside a full pig. Expression somewhat queasy, Usagi swallowed before looking around, "I'll, uh..." She recognized a nearby vegetable stand and pointed at it, "I'll be right over there seeing what they might have. No offense."

Gently, Natsumi patted her shoulder, "It's not a problem, Usagi-Chan. Go ahead..."

Before she could leave, Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out some bills which he handed to her, "Here, in case you see something that you might like." He pointed at another nearby spot, "There's also a drink stand over there."

Thankfulness on her face, the rabbit Yokai nodded before walking off with a quick pace. Watching as she left, Natsumi shook her head, "I should have remembered that..."

Only nodding, Harry frowned slightly before shaking it off, "I'm sure that she doesn't blame you, Natsumi-Chan." Getting a nod, he turned to Yae who took a picture of the window with an odd look on her face, "Before you ask, yes, that's actual meat there."

Just blinking, the Kendoka stared at him some, "Why would you have the meat on display like that?"

With a shrug, Harry shook his head, "Kind of tradition actually. You see it all the time when you come out to butcher shops." Scratching his cheek, he frowned, "It was one of those things that confused me when I came to Japan..." Then, shaking it off, the wizard walked up to the door, "Anyways, shall we?"

Upon entering, the older man behind the counter looked up with a smile, "Well hello..." Trailing off, he blinked as he looked at Harry and raised his eyebrows before laughing, "Well, I'll be! You must be Harry, Lily's and James' son!"

That made Harry pause in surprise, "Um, yes? How did you...?"

Grin on his face, the butcher chuckled, "Know?" At the nod, he pointed towards Harry's head, "The hair. Potter hair is recognizable no matter what."

Each of the other teens turned to the last Potter and grinned, Nobu laughing as she placed her hands behind her head, "Can't be helped! It is rather true after all."

Only shaking his head, the older man hummed as he mused to himself, "Heard that you live in Japan now, so never thought that I would see you..." Rubbing his chin, he had a smile of remenance on his face, "I remember your Mum and Dad coming in here to pick up orders. Lovely people."

His eyes lighting up, Harry's eyebrows raised in surprise, "You knew my parents?"

Laughing, the Butcher shook his head, "Not just them! I was a boy working under my father here when I met your grandparents as well. Great people as well to be honest." After a few moments, he slapped the counter, "Right then! Enough musing from this old fart, I take it that you're here to buy some meat? I got some great deals after all. And all my stuff is fresh as well."

Smile on his face, Harry returned the laugh before walking up to the display case, "Sounds good... now then, what to get..." Pausing, his eyebrows raised even as his smile widened, "You have veal! Well now, that gives me some ideas..."

All the Butcher did was laugh at that.

It was not long after that they left the butcher shop with Ooi slipping the bags into her pocket once out of sight. Walking over to the vegetable stand, Harry waved, "Hey, Usagi-Chan, we're done!"

The rabbit nodded and smiled before turning back to the older woman who was manning the stall, "Hey, Harry-Kun, just checking out the vegetables here... Apparently she has some leek?"

Just seconds later, Harry was rubbing his hands together, "Fresh leek, huh? I can make use of that..."

Needless to say, after a drop by the baker's as well, they brought back a lot of ingredients. Though more than one of them frowned in confusion when Harry bought some "Grits" as well. But then shrugged as they were looking forward to dinner.

 

Snippet 270: Harry Leferts

Sipping some wine from the goblet he held, Carnwennan raised an eyebrow, "You wish to hear a story from the time of Arthur?"

Just nodding, Yae had slightly widened eyes, "Well... they are very interesting, Gozaru!"

Lips twitching, the dagger chuckled a little bit, "I suppose that is true." Rubbing his chin in thought, Carnwennan, "Hmm... while I was not involved, there was one incident that I heard of that involved Galahad."

Andraste perked up some and blinked, "Galahad?"

Chuckling, Carnwennan leaned back a little, "Indeed... Now, this happened when he was but a young member of Camelot, before he had fully joined the ranks. He was a young lad of fourteen at the time, but already showed that he was quite the warrior." The dagger glanced towards the Kitchen where he knew Harry was, "Now, one of his duties was to go out on patrol with some other lads to make sure that banditry and such were kept to low levels. Arthur had orders that if any bandits were found, they were to be dealt with in a permanent fashion, if you catch my drift, with examples made."

Frown on her face, Nobu hummed a little, "Can't be helped, you need to stop bandits."

Happily smiling with her tail swishing behind her, Taiyang had a gleam in her eye, "Were they to be put into gibbets to show their corpses as they rotted and were fed on by the birds and worms?" At the looks, she grinned, "I read all about it! Wonderful idea, Mikon!"

Only shaking his head, the dagger snorted a little, "Not really..." Waiting until the others relaxed a bit, he continued, "We would hang their decapitated heads from the tree branches above the paths by their hair as a warning to any other who wished to try such. It was quite effective."

Grin widening, Taiyang giggled a little, "I approve!"

Tipping his goblet towards her, Carnwennan hummed, "Ah, right, back to Galahad and his... adventure." Ignoring the confused looks, he sipped some more wine, "Well, Galahad and the others came upon a large group of bandits, which included a druid. The battle went well, until the druid, upon his death, called upon the weather and caused a massive thunderstorm to break above them. It was how they would attack travellers, by creating a storm and attacking the disorientated people trying to get out of the rain."

Now leaning forward, Kenshō had wide eyes, "What happened next?"

Finger tapping against the table, the Arthurian weapon spirit hummed, "Well, Galahad, kept fighting. But he was separated from the others by the storm and thus sought shelter. As it turned out, not far from where they were was a small Roman fort in the form of a stone tower. Galahad knocked on said door and it was opened to reveal a woman who allowed him in when he identified himself as one of Arthur's men... and that was the last anyone saw of him for the next six months until he returned to Camelot with a limp."

Eyes wide, Natsumi stared at him, "What happened?"

Small smirk on his face, Carnwennan chuckled, "Well, one thing that people need to remember is that Christianity was not really all that powerful in the Isles at that time. The ways of the Old Gods were still strong and hale, and it would be centuries before they yielded in any true way. However, this meant that sometimes you had odd... mixes between the new and old religions. In this case, the group in question was a fertility cult of sorts who believed that the Christian God's 'Go forth and be fruitful' alongside the idea of 'Nuns' meant that they could be rewarded through their marriage by the Christian God sending someone to help them, ah, be fruitful."

Biting her lip to keep from laughing, a few chuckles still escaped from Usagi, "I, uh, take it that Galahad had an... interesting time then?"

Tone dry, the dagger gave her a raised eyebrow, "One could say such, yes. They saw Galahad's arrival as a sign, to say the least. Now, they didn't force him to do anything, mind. But... well, they knew combinations of herbs and such that would help. I believe that some of those potions still exist in some of the older books that the Potter family has." Giving a look towards Natsumi as well as the Submarines, he was rewarded when they went red, "It should be noted, that after his return and Arthur confirming his, ah, prowess at battle, that the King made him a full-fledged warrior, or Knight, I suppose that it should be said. Not that Galahad ever lived it down... Especially when they came across the hamlet founded there with a large number of people whom looked like Galahad. Or that Lancelot ever did anything but grumble."

Everyone blinked at that story, but before Carnwennan could start a new one, Harry came walking in with Taigei and Ryuuhou with covered trays. With a gesture, the covered plates and such came to rest on the table. Looking at the interested looks, Harry reached over to two of the covered dishes and pulled the metal tops, "Dinner is served, and first we have roast geese."

More than one eye widened at the look of the two roast geese, resting upon a bed of vegetables such as roast potatoes. Steam gently wafted upwards from it and almost immediately, the more carnivorous of the Yokai drooled. Wiping a little from her mouth, Natsumi swallowed, "Looks delicious, Harry-Chan."

Lips curling a bit in satisfaction, the wizard pulled the lid off a pot to reveal a creamy looking soup, "For those of us less interested in meat, we have leek and potato soup. Along with..." Another bowl was uncovered showing various vegetables with redcurrants dotting them, "A nice summer salad."

Clapping her hands, Usagi licked her lips, "Now that I am interested in!"

Unable to help himself, Harry snickered before revealing a bowl with a serving spoon filled with a reddish sauce with bumps before gesturing at the gravy bowl, "Here we have the redcurrant and raspberry sauce for the goose meat. Not to mention the gravy."

That was followed by another bowl with more roast potatoes, another with bread that had butter in a bowl to be spread on it, and a final one with peas still in their shell, shiny from butter.

In more than a little awe, Yae looked at the meal before her even as her stomach grumbled. She did watch as Sheff carved the goose and places slices onto plates for those whom wanted it before passing said plates to those people. Even as hers was placed in front of her, she watched as Okita spooned some of the redcurrant sauce onto the goose meat and then took a bite. The Kendoka felt her eyebrows raise as the former Shinsengumi closed her eyes in bliss and held her hand to her cheek, "Um, Okita-San? Is... is that good?"

Once she swallowed, Okita nodded with a happy expression on her face, "Hai, it is." Licking her lips, she took another forkful, "The goose is really good, and the sauce goes really well... I mean, it's somewhat tart, but tastes great with it!"

Chuckling, Harry gave her a grin as he sat down with his own plate, "Well, not surprising. Where the Americans might have cranberry sauce, here in Britain we have redcurrant." Taking a forkful of meat, he took a bite and hummed as he chewed before swallowing, "Still pretty good."

Usagi happily hummed as she ate a spoonful of leek and potato soup, 'Mmm... now this is really good...' After she swallowed, she turned to Harry and gestured with her spoon, "Thank you for this, Harry-Kun. I know that you went out of your way to make something for myself."

Just shrugging, the wizard in question shook his head, "It's fine, Usagi-Chan. Besides, I know that neither you nor Uesugi-Chan eat meat and there's plenty for you."

That made the two girls mentioned nod happily as they went back to their meal.

However, once the main meal was done, Harry left and came back with covered bowls which he placed in front of each of them. Then, with a slight flourish, he used magic to lift the tops off them, "And now for dessert! Rote Grütze with vanilla sauce!"

A happy gasp came from Hachi as she clasped her hands and looked at Harry, "You made Rote Grütze!?" Licking her lip, she looked at the dessert in front of her before her eyes widened, "That was why you bought groats from that small grocery store!"

Smirk on his face, the fourteen year old boy nodded, "Got it in one, Hachi-Chan." He then gave a small shrug as he sat down, "Redcurrants are used in it as well as things like blackcurrants and raspberries. So, I figured, why not? And I wanted to try some of the recipes that Marie passed along to me... Hopefully it's good."

Upon hearing that, Hachi snorted at him, "As if there is any doubt, Harry-Chan." A grin appeared on her face, "Though RO-Chan will be so jealous that she was not here."

Just grinning back, Harry gave her a shrug, "Then I'll just need to make some for her when we get home." He then winked some, "Just don't tell her."

That got him grins and giggles from the two Subgirls, even as Taigei and Ryuuhou shook their heads at him in amusement.

Looking at the dessert, Kaku raised his eyebrow even as he hoped that he had enough room for the treat, "Um, what exactly is it?"

With a blink, Harry looked over at the Tanuki and smiled a little, "It's a German dish that uses redcurrants with some other berries to help the taste. A sort of pudding."

Yae had an odd look on her face at that before she turned towards Harry, "Um, wait, this is a pudding?"

Shrugging, the teenage wizard nodded before pausing, "Well, it can be considered such, though I suppose that porridge might be better. Groats are a type of oat after all."

Eyebrow raised, Uesugi took a spoonful of the confection and raised it to eye level before putting it in her mouth. After a few moments of chewing, she blinked before swallowing, "It's... quite good."

It was not long after that the other teens joined her in eating the dessert, happily smiling as they did so. Though Hachi, especially, was a source of amusement for all of them. After all, she was making very happy sounds as she ate spoonful after spoonful.

________________________________________________________

Entering the bedroom in her swimsuit, Hachi stretched a little, "Ahhh, that was good."

Amused, and noting that Harry was watching the blonde Submarine as she stretched, Iku raised an eyebrow, "What was good? The dinner? Dessert? Or the swim and hot tub afterwards?"

Just looking over her shoulder, the blonde Submarine giggled, "All of the above, Iku-Chan." Coming to a stop, she turned towards Harry and hugged him, "Thank you for that, Harry-Chan. Hacchan really enjoyed dessert."

Lightly chuckling, Harry placed his hands on her hips before smiling as he kissed her, which deepened slightly. Pulling back, he hummed, "It's not a problem, Hachi-Chan. I'm just glad that you enjoyed it."

This time, it was Hachi who kissed him, arms over his shoulders before pulling back with a happy smile, "Ja, I did."

Even as his lips twitched, the teenage boy kissed her again before doing the same with Iku, who returned it as much as Hachi had.

Once their baths were all done, the group settled in for bed with Kenshō sipping some of the hot milk drink that Harry often made for Hoppou. Out of the corner of his eye, however, the wizard noticed that Taigei had winced slightly and frowned, "Taigei-Chan? Something wrong?"

With everyone looking at her, the Submarine Tender blushed and glanced at her "Twin sister" before shaking her head, "It's nothing, Harry-Chan."

Completely unconvinced, Harry just gave her a look as he crossed his arms, "Uh-huh... want to try again?"

Just wincing, Taigei glanced away, "Um... its just my welds, Harry-Chan, nothing more." Rolling her shoulder, she briefly grimaced, "It will go away soon enough..." Feeling the bed sink a little, she turned to find Harry there behind her with a frown, "Harry-Chan...?"

Gently placing a hand on her arm, the green eyes of the wizard met her own reddish-pink eyes, "Taigei-Chan... do those welds trouble you even now? I thought..."

Sadly smiling, Taigei placed her hand over Harry's, "Its fine, Harry-Chan. They're something that I have grown used to after all, and unlike Warspite-San, they were part of my actual construction, not something added later. You can't just magic them away like her damage was."

Frown on his face, Harry was about to say something when he paused and considered the thought that appeared in his mind. After a few moments, he gave a small nod, "Not now..." Shaking that off, he ignored the confused look that she gave him and smiled, "I... might know of a way to help, Taigei-Chan. If that is okay?"

Blinking, the Submarine Tender looked at him before smiling, "Of course it is, Harry-Chan. After all, I do trust you."

Only nodding, Harry moved his hand away from her arm before getting up. Walking over to a small box, he opened it and took out a small bottle which caused Natsumi to blink, "What's that, Harry-Chan?"

With a glance, the teenage boy smiled some, "It's something that my family came up with centuries ago. Not really a potion, but... well, it helps for muscle aches and such. Normally you would place it into a cloth and place it on the area, but, my Dad figured out another way that he used to use on my Mum, my biological one." Pausing, he blushed a little, "He, um, found out that it was great for massage..."

A blush on her face, Taigei was about to say something when she swallowed and took a deep breath. Then, she shifted a bit before taking off her nightshirt, which meant that it was now Harry's turn to blush as it exposed her upper body. With a smile, despite the heavy blush on her face, Taigei turned to him and moved onto the bed before laying down, "U-um, it might be better like this..."

Unable to help himself, Harry looked her over for a few moments before taking a deep breath, "Right..." Getting up on the bed, he straddled her some and his eyes met hers once more, "If you feel uncomfortable..."

Reaching over, the Submarine Tender took his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze, "I'll tell you, Harry-Chan. Besides... I trust you."

Those words did something to Harry and he blinked away some tears before nodding. Pouring a little bit of the oily salve into his hand, he corked it and then rubbed his hands together. With a deep breath, he leaned down and placed his hands on Taigei's shoulders, which made her gasp and he paused, "A-are you alright?"

Just looking over her shoulder, Taigei nodded a bit, "I am, Harry-Chan." Then, she smiled, "Please continue."

With a small nod, the teen began to work the salve into her with gentle, but firm hands. Remembering a little bit from an earlier massage he had given, Harry used some Onmyoudo to create a heated aura around his hands, which sank into the shipgirl's skin as she let out a soft sigh. A glance showed him that she was smiling, 'I... guess that she likes it.'

Meanwhile, inside of the representation of Taigei's Captain's Quarters, the shipgirl gave a groan as she felt Harry work, "O-oh... that... Mmm..." Another soft sigh escaped her and she bit her lip a little as she felt the wizard work at one particular stubborn weld, which seemed to melt under his touch, the aches and pains slowly disappearing, "A-ah... s-so good..."

Back in reality, Harry frowned a little as he looked at her skin. It was impossible to really see, but it felt like there were small scars under his hand that were not visible. As if they were under the skin, 'Are those the defective welds...?'

Remembering his earlier thought, his eye went towards one of the few ornaments that were there he had made, the model of his Aunt Mutsu composed of rock crystal from her wedding to Admiral Richardson. He had made it from a number of smaller rock crystals he had made one via using transfiguration to "Flow" the material together. Now, looking at Taigei, he wondered a little.

Eventually, Harry reached Taigei's lower back as he continued to work before nodding as he worked at the last knot. As he straightened, however, he felt her reach over and grab his wrist, "Taigei-Chan? Is... something wrong?"

Only shaking her head, the Tender smiled, "No, Harry-Chan, but, um..." Chewing her lip, she flushed a bit more than she had with a little bit of steam coming from her ears as her voice became a whisper, "Could you do my sides as well? Some of the welds there..."

For a few moments, Harry blinked before smiling, "Sure, I can do that."

This time, after he added a bit of salve to his hands and placed his hand just under her armpit, Taigei gave a happy groan which made him flush a little before be began working. Once he was done, the purple haired shipgirl turned and smiled happily at him as she felt almost all her aches and pains gone for now. Turning under him carefully, she sat up before looking him in the eye and kissing him.

For his part, Harry blinked only for a moment before returning the kiss as his hands went to her hips. As they pulled apart, he sheepishly smiled, "Guess I don't need to ask if you liked it..."

Just snorting, Taigei leaned her forehead against his, "No, you don't, Harry-Chan." Kissing him briefly again, she shook her head, "No, you do not." Pulling away, the Tender looked towards Ryuuhou, "But I think that there is one more who could use some of the same attention."

It took a few seconds, but his eyes widened and he looked over at a slightly flushed Ryuuhou, "Ryuuhou-Chan?"

Humming, the Carrier's eyes met his, "Well... I do have the same hull as Nee-Chan, Harry-Chan. Could you...?" When he nodded, Ryuuhou glanced at her sister before taking off her shirt and moving beside her twin and then laying down, "Go ahead, Harry-Chan."

With a small nod, Harry moved over until he was straddling Ryuuhou and proceeded to work out the knots and such that she had as well. Much to the relief of the Light Carrier, who relaxed almost immediately. Like with Taigei, she had him do her sides as well before turning and kissing him, the teen returning the affectionate gesture. Both sisters shared a look before giggling and smiling, Harry rubbing the back of his neck with a slight grin of his own.

 

NotHimAgain

I come bearing gifts! Okay, one gift. But it's a nice one!

I've been having trouble getting the next Dana snippet out of my head--I know how it goes, but I just can't get it started. And for some reason, it just doesn't make sense to finish the Select storyline before that. In the midst of this mental conundrum, something that's been percolating a while finally pumped itself out. Maybe with this out of the way, I'll be able to finish the others. Here's hoping.
-----

Yumeno woke to find herself nuzzling Tanya’s hair, arms wrapped around the Abyssal’s stomach, and for a moment she panicked. Fortunately, the small flash of terror brought clarity with it. With a sigh that ruffled Tanya’s hair, Yumeno set about extracting her arm from under her bedmate.

Nothing had happened last night. It had nearly happened, but it hadn’t happened. Thank goodness. Thank goodness?

This all was driving her crazy.

Caffeine. And breakfast. Those would clear her head.

Successfully freeing herself, Yumeno pulled the covers up to Tanya’s shoulders. Then she walked silently out of the room.

As she set about setting up the coffee pot, she had time to reflect. Tanya’s interest in her was… obvious. And growing more so. Now that she was looking for it, Yumeno had to ask if it had always been there. At the same time, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. For almost as long as she had known Tanya, she had been looking to her as if she were the sun come down to earth. From where Yumeno was standing, it sure felt like love.

How did she feel about Tanya? She cared about her, yes. You had to care about people after all, on some fundamental level. And Tanya had been her patient up until this year. You bond with people after knowing them that long. And… and yes, Tanya was attractive. Yumeno often found herself thinking about her in ways she’d never thought about anyone before. Ways she didn’t always feel comfortable thinking about others. Tanya had figured out what she… what she liked, and knew how to play to it…

How should she feel about Tanya? That one was a little shakier. She wasn’t Tanya’s doctor any more now, she knew that well enough. But whatever feelings were there had been born through that… relationship… so she… where the hell were the coffee grounds?

Yumeno checked another cupboard. And another. The fridge. She finally located the sorry, empty bag inside the garbage can where she had dropped it yesterday morning oh good lord she’d forgotten. And she hadn’t drunk instant coffee since high school, so of course she didn’t have any of that on hand. And tea was okay, but it didn’t exactly do it for Yumeno…

Well, she could go and buy more. The convenience store was open this early, and it was ten minutes there and back. She could be there and back right as Tanya was waking up. Easiest thing in the world. Fresh air would probably clear her head a little more, help her think better.

Wouldn’t hurt to leave a note first.
-----

Eighteen minutes and one bag of coffee grounds later, Yumeno was no closer to an answer than she ever had been. The question was pushing ever harder in the back of her head, so much she could almost feel it physically, and the answer that would abate the pressure just wouldn’t come, no matter what she did.

“Oh, Doctor Norihara! You are out early, are you not?”

Yumeno grinned. “Hello, Karasu-san. How’s your husband doing?”

The elderly woman peered up at her through pince-nez glasses that sat on a nose large and beaky enough Yumeno could easily imagine her as her avian namesake. She and her husband ran a grocery stall at the market with the help of a small army of grandchildren.

“Very well, thank you,” she said in her odd formal tone. “That hospital in Kyoto that you recommended to us has done wonders.”

Yumeno’s first recommendation had been for a hospital in Tokyo. She still couldn’t understand why they had turned it down so vehemently. “Glad to hear it,” she said aloud. “I’ll see you later.”

“Doctor,” Mrs. Karasu said, raising a hand. Almost involuntarily, Yumeno slowed. “Is there something amiss? You appear to have something on your mind.”

What? Was she that obvious?

In any case, she didn’t want to burden anyone with her problems. Yumeno opened her mouth to deny it…

On the other hand, the Karasus had been married… fifty years now? Sixty? More? Maybe…

“Last night,” Yumeno started, “something nearly happened between me and Tanya.”

“Is that so?” Mrs. Karasu asked, adjusting her glasses and gazing more closely at her. “What sort of “something” would that be, hmm?”

“Well, it didn’t happen, but…” Yumeno winced, recalling how she had pulled away with bitter relief. “Something intimate.”

“Do you mean to say that you two are—”

“No! No, we’re… I…” How was she supposed to put this? Stepping away from the road onto the grass, Yumeno looked down at her feet. “You… do know how Tanya and I met, right?”

Grass crunched beside her, and she looked down to see Mrs. Karasu lowering herself into a sitting position. “I do believe that the poor girl was your patient, yes?” she replied, patting the ground beside her.

It was a little more complicated than that, but… Close enough that Yumeno didn’t feel the need to clarify. She sat down and winced at the… huh. Dry grass, this early in the morning. You’d think that her elderly confidante had done it herself in preparation, somehow.

“That’s about the gist of it. And Tanya’s been interested in me for… I think for almost as long as I’ve known her. It’s just…”

“Such relationships between doctor and patient are frowned upon,” Mrs. Karasu finished. “And justly so, hmm?”

Yumeno shrugged. “Yeah. That. Except now, now she’s not my patient anymore, and I… I don’t know who we are any more.” Or maybe there was a better way to put that? “I mean, I know who we are, but I’m not sure where I go from here. I-I know that she’s… attractive, and we’re close, but that could easily be a mistake. And some mistakes, you can’t take back. But it’s so… I want it, but I don’t know if I…” She trailed off, biting back a whine of frustration.

Mrs. Karasu gave her a dry look. “That sounds very complicated,” she said. Yumeno specifically didn’t look at her as she twisted her lip.

“I just don’t know if I should keep treating her like my patient, or…” she reached down, rubbing a blade of grass between her fingers. “Or something else.”

“I see,” Mrs. Karasu said, nodding sagely. “I don’t think I can answer that question for you.”

What?

“Karasu-san?”

The elderly woman said, reaching down to push herself upright. Yumeno nearly scrambled to her feet trying to help her up, but Mrs. Karasu popped into a standing position with all the ease of someone half her age.

“This relationship is between you and her, is it not?” she pointed out. “Your positions have changed, yes, but that means that you must be the one to choose whether or not it is acceptable. Asking advice is all well and good, but do not try to foist matters upon others, hmm?”

Something in her chest… lightened, and Yumeno let out a bark of laughter. “That’s still a pretty heavy decision to make, isn’t it?” she asked, climbing to her own feet.

“Yes, I suppose it is,” Mrs. Karasu mused. “Tell me, how does she smile at you?”

“Smile?”

“Never mind. With time, you will understand.” The old woman adjusted her glasses again. “But please wait until December. Hibiki would like to take her children to Okinawa.”

What.

That was… There was a betting pool?

People were betting on her?

People were betting on her relationships? With money?

What?

“Oh dear.” Mrs. Karasu smiled, and reached over to pat Yumeno lightly on the wrist. “Just forget I said that, hmm?”
-----

“I’m home!” Norihara shouted from the doorway.

“Welcome home!” Tanya called back. “I’m in the kitchen. What took you so long?”

“I got coffee,” Norihara replied, swiftly walking into the room and raising a shopping bag into view. “And… I had a lot to think about.”

Tanya nodded. “Well,” she said, smiling, “I hope you worked everything out.”

Norihara didn’t respond. She was too busy gaping at Tanya. Had she done something wrong?

“… Norihara?”

“I-I’m okay,” the woman startled back to life. “I’m just… I… damn. That’s what she was talking about.” She laughed, pressing a hand over her eyes.

“What do you mean? Is everything alright?”

“Everything… everything’s fine.” Norihara dropped her coffee on the kitchen table. “Tanya… there’s something we need to talk about.”

Somewhere in the pit of Tanya’s stomach, a butterfly opened its wings. “Yes?” she asked nervously.

“How do you feel about me?”

Several seconds passed, and Tanya felt her face flush with heat. She looked away.

“I see,” Norihara said, sitting down. “And I’m…”

“I’m sorry,” the Norihara inside of her head shook her head. The butterfly leapt from its perch, and two more woke slowly.

“I’m going to be level with you, Tanya. I’m not completely sure how we should be approaching our relationship now that I’m no longer your doctor. For years, I’ve known you as your caretaker. That’s… that’s not…”

“I know,” Tanya replied, butterflies shaking themselves loose by the dozen even as her stomach curdled. “That would be wrong.”

“It would,” Norihara nodded. “But… as things stand now, we… we don’t actually need to let that define what we mean to each other anymore. And I…”

Tanya’s stomach was going to war with itself as she sat down across from Norihara. The woman in question lowered her gaze, whispering something to herself.

“And you?”

“… I actually… I do kind of want to have a relationship,” Norihara said. “A romantic one.”

The butterflies in Tanya’s stomach exploded into fireworks.

“I mean… I don’t know that it will end up working,” Norihara added hastily. “We’ve been… we’ve been like this for so long. And I… there are things I’m still not sure that I’m comfortable with, not yet. I just… I need…”

“Norihara,” Tanya said gently, reaching out and taking her hand. “I understand. We can…” She paused, thinking about what she was saying. “If we… if we decide to do this. We can take it slow. Have boundaries. And if it doesn’t work out, I’ll understand.”

“You’re sure?”

“Of course!” Tanya smiled. “It’ll happen if you decide it’s the right thing to do. And that’s why I fell in love with you in the first place!”

Norihara shifted her right hand around, brought her left one up. She clasped them gently around Tanya’s. “I think that would bother some people,” she said, amusement worming its way into her voice.

“Then those people are fools,” Tanya replied resolutely. “You’re you. I couldn’t ask anything from you but that, Norihara.”

Norihara chuckled quietly.

“Thank you,” she said quietly. “And… And if we’re doing this…”

“Nori—”

Norihara immediately released her hand, reaching up and pressing a finger to her lips.

“If we’re doing this, Tanya,” she said, her voice a little louder, a little clearer, “then I want you to use my first name. Call me Yumeno.”
-----

*Ame-no-Uzume unicycles into the room*

*Takes out a pair of sunglasses*

"My work here..." *puts on sunglasses* "... is done."

*Unicycles out*

 

Harry Leferts

Natsumi took a deep breath of the steam laden air before opening her eyes. Various flowery scents tickled her nose, her senses as warm water lapped at her body as she laid there, her dark auburn hair spread out like a fan around her. Here and there, lotus floated in the pure water. But she barely noted that.

Instead, she was focused on the woman in front of her.

Part of Natsumi mused at how strange it was to see her, to examine her as the other woman was examining her. She, with mostly Japanese features and the slight hint of Chinese blood. And the woman in front of her with nearly all Chinese features. Yet, they were alike in many ways. Said woman, like her, had her hair fanned out in the water though her hair color was that of a dark night. And, like her, she had fox ears and tails.

Except, unlike Natsumi, she had nine.

Continuing her examination, part of the younger Kitsune couldn’t help but admire her for her beauty. It was the sort of beauty that would cause artists to weep in the hopes of using such in their art. The kind of beauty that would send nations to war and Emperors to fall. And why would it not? For Natsumi recognized whom was in front of her. It was not Tamamo no Mae, despite the near identical looks to said Kitsune.

For it was, truly, Daji.

Neither spoke for some time, simple examining each other. Being no fool, Natsumi knew that she stood no chance in a fight, even here. Yet, for some odd reason, she felt no fear. There was no anger or hate in Daji’s eyes, just a curiosity of some sort... and a deep seated tiredness.

As if she found what she was looking for, Daji smiled at her, “You know who I am, do you not, Ono Natsumi?”

Slowly, Natsumi nodded even as she felt a tingle at her name being spoken, “Hai... you are Daji.”

Only humming, the Thousand Year Vixen leaned back in the bath, “Indeed.” Tilting her head, she seemed... amused by something, “You are not frightened?”

Eyebrow raising, the younger fox spirit met her eyes evenly, “Compared to before? No, not at this moment as I know you cannot harm me.”

Twinkle on her eye, Daji rose out of the water, the clear liquid streaming and dropping off her form as she stood. Part of Natsumi knew that she should feel jealous of the fox spirit for her beauty. Yet... she didn't. And while she knew that Daji was attractive, there wasn't any more anything sexual about it to her like for most.

In a way... it was like looking into a mirror, for one could tell that their reflection was attractive without actually falling in love with it.

Walking forward, the much older of the two smiled as she reached Natsumi and sat back down into the water, “But are you sure of that? For you spoke my name aloud.”

Cocking her head to the side, Natsumi’s gaze met the elder’s, “Yes. You spoke my name first.” Narrowing her eyes, she frowned, “Besides which, you have other matters and yet to make a decision. And you cannot yet hold power over I.”

Lips drawing away from her teeth in a smile, Daji chuckled, “Ah, I should have known you, of all people, would understand.” Her gaze went to the water where it rippled and showed the fight against the pelt. For several moments, she was silent. Her gaze less on the pelt and more on the boy fighting it. Then, Daji turned back to Natsumi, “One day, however... we shall meet.” Her body moved through the water without a single limb moving until she was once more opposite Natsumi, “And, perhaps, I will test you.”

Natsumi’s next words caused Daji to pause, “Or, maybe, it is you who will be tested.”

There was a thoughtful look on the other fox spirit’s face before she hummed, “Who can tell?” Slowly, the steam began to thicken, “But until then, I shall watch...”

Out of the corner of both their eyes, the two vixens caught movement and looked to the side. There, in the shadows, was a third. Except, she had one aspect that the two noticed.

She had a mark around her neck that was visible for only a brief moment before the steam blocked the vision...

____________________________________________________________

With a blink, Natsumi woke to the sound of birdsong outside the window. Her nose was still tickled by the scent of the purfumed water and she could almost feel the warm bath lapping against her skin, even as both sensations faded into nothingness. For several moments, she just laid there before looking up to see Harry’s sleeping face that was there before laying her head back onto his chest. Listening to his heartbeat, she felt her own calm down, ‘Did that... was that real?’

From the depths of her mind, Tamamo sighed, ‘Yes, it did happen. It being real, however, is a matter of... perspective, let us just say.’

Considering that for a time, the two tailed Kitsune nodded, ‘I see.’ Thinking back, she had a small frown on her face, ‘Though... the fact that she is able to do that worries me.’

Just chuckling, she could almost see Tamamo shake her head, ‘She will do nothing as of yet. At least until the Mandate is secure, and only then.’ Pausing for a moment, she continued, ‘Thus, we have nothing to worry about for now.’

Natsumi grimaced a little, ‘At least from her. But what about that other woman who appeared? Daji seemed as surprised to see her as I felt.’

This time, the older Kitsune didn’t say anything for what felt like minutes, ‘I think that I know who that was, though it should be impossible.’ Ignoring the silent question from Natsumi, she changed the subject, ‘Now, I noticed that you did not feel any fear.’

A small snort escaped from Natsumi at that, ‘Should I have? I... somehow knew that I could not be harmed by her. And considering things... well, I just felt wary of her, that is all.’

Humming, Tamamo gave a mental nod, ‘As to be expected. Though considering that she may be on the move, perhaps... I should see about gifting you a little more help.’ This time, she answered the unasked question, ‘At the same time that I forged Taiyang, I created another weapon. A flying claw, I suppose that she could be considered a sister of sorts to Taiyang and to compliment her. Where Taiyang was close combat, Huixing was more long range. She is a bit harder to control, however... but it would come to you. In time.’

Nothing came from the younger of the two for a few moments before she sighed, ‘Are you trying to turn me into a Wuxia heroine?’

Laughter came from the depths of her mind before Tamamo answered, ‘And would that be such a bad thing? Imagine, however... Our Harry as a Wuxia hero. Hmm? Is not that an enjoyable image?’

Grumbling and ignoring the snickers as well as her blush, Natsumi just laid there, enjoying the sound of Harry’s heartbeat. Gaze drifting to a sleeping Hachi, she hummed, ‘I remember, you mentioned that you had considered sharing your husband with other women. Did you mean your Sisters from the legend?’

For once, Natsumi felt like she had surprised the echo of the ancient vixen. But then, she heard a soft chuckle, ‘If the Celestial Bureaucracy had followed through with the promised reward and incarnated him with all his memories? Then, yes, I had considered the idea of asking them to join us. I believe that he would have made them happy as they would make him happy. As well, they would make sure that him and any child of ours would be well protected so that the tragedy of the past would not happen again. If you mean before his... death, then there was one woman I would have been happy with.’

Curious, the Kitsune mentally blinked, ‘Really?’

Slowly, she could feel Tamamo mentally nod, ‘Her name was Lianhua, or at least that would be the modern version of her name. She was a young woman in our village who loved my Husband. Despite that, she was happy because he was happy with I. Lianhua was beautiful, and I will admit that I was attracted to her. As well, she was strong, for she trained herself in the way of fighting. Myself and my Husband had talks and before... they came, were planning on approaching her. When my husband was executed, she attempted to free him, but was unable to. I watched, weakened, as she ran with my son, trying to get to safety when she was outnumbered and struck down. They killed her on the spot because they felt that she had been possessed... but it was that she loved my Husband and tried to protect the one thing that she could. And, for that, she has my respect.’

Quietly, Natsumi sighed, ‘I’m sorry.’

However, Tamamo mentally waved her off, ‘You have nothing to be sorry for, Natsumi. It was a long time ago, and anything that came from it was of my own fault. All I am to do is to make it up now.’

Simply nodding, the younger of the two closed her eyes and enjoyed the time cuddling with Harry.

Eventually, the teenage wizard began to stir as he awoke from his own dreams. Upon opening his eyes, his gaze met the amber eyes of Natsumi, gently smiling at him, "Good morning, Natsumi-Chan."

Lips curling into a soft smile, Natsumi happily hummed, "And a good morning to you as well, Harry-Chan." Shifting a little, she gently kissed him, with the other teen happily returning it before she pulled back, "A very good morning."

Chuckling a little, even as his eyes seemed to glow with happiness, Harry smiled, "It is at that."

The feel of a body beside him shifting made the teen turn to find a happily smiling Hachi there with a slight blush, "Hacchan thinks that any morning she wakes up with Harry-Chan there is a good morning."

Only reaching over, he cupped her cheek, thumb brushing under her eye, before kissing her. Pulling back after a few seconds, Harry sighed, "That is very true, Hachi-Chan."

In reply, the Submarine blushed before smiling and kissing him.

Roughly ten minutes later found Natsumi and Harry walking out the bedroom door before he paused and lifted a finger, "Give me a moment, Natsumi-Chan." The teenage Kitsune nodded and watched as Harry knocked at Ayase's door and waited until he got confirmation to come in. Opening the door, he paused for a moment as he noted that she had a blush on her face and was hiding a book under the covers, 'Wonder what that is about?' Shaking that off, the wizard smiled, "Ayase-Chan? Can I ask you something?"

Blinking, and blush slowly calming down, the Sendai nodded, "Of course, Harry-Chan. What is it?"

Smile on her face, Harry leaned against the door which seemed to bring back Ayase's blush a little, "Do you remember one of the reasons why I asked that you come with us?"

Confused, Ayase blinked and frowned, "One of the reasons..." It took a few seconds, but her eyes widened and she gasped a little, "You mean practicing with your swordsmanship?"

Humming, the teenage wizard nodded, "Hai." Scratching his cheek, Harry continued, "I was wondering if you could meet me just outside in... ten minutes? So that we could get some practice in before breakfast."

Eyes still wide, Ayase nodded rapidly enough that Harry was concerned that she might hurt herself, "O-of course, Harry-Do-Chan! I'll be down there!" After a moment, she blushed, "Um, front or back?"

Lips twitching, Harry chuckled a little, "Back, near where the kitchen's door is there's an even area of grass that we can use."

That made the Light Cruiser nod and smile, "Hai!"

With that, Harry backed out of the room and shut the door behind him even as he heard what sounded like a squeal, 'Wonder what that is about?' Shaking the thought off, he turned towards a highly amused Natsumi and held out his arm, "Shall we?"

Hooking her arm through his, the Kitsune smiled, "We shall." As they started walking, Natsumi hummed a little, "I think that I'll join you, however."

Eyebrow raised, Harry turned to her, "Really?"

Simply shrugging, Natsumi shook her head, "I need to get some practice in with Taiyang if I am going to use her properly after all. Might as well get some in now that I have the chance."

Even as the other teen nodded, Tamamo chuckled in the depths of her mind with amusement colouring her mental voice, 'And also show off as well for Our Harry.'

Not denying it, the teenage vixen decided to, instead, not say anything at all. It did not take them long to reach the room that some of the blades were staying in and opened it to find Carnwennan already dressed and chatting with Taiyang. Said Dao perked up as soon as she saw Natsumi and seemingly leapt across the room to subject her Master to marshmellow hell, "Ah! Master, this Foxy Blade has been waiting for you!"

Voice muffled, Natsumi blinked in a way that those whom knew her meant that she had a look of suffering on her face. Glancing at Harry, she noted that his lips were twitching and he looked away, 'Of course...' Once she was free of her soft, warm prison, she took a deep breath before turning towards Carnwennan, "Um, I was wondering if we were ready for... you know."

Carnwennan got up and smiled at her, "Aye, we are as a matter of fact. I was just discussing it with Taiyang here." Patting himself down, he stepped around the two teens, "Now then, if you'll follow me..."

It did not take them long to reach the place in question on the ground floor. Said place was a room roughly the size of a small dojo, though unlike most of the manor the floors, while flat, were rough stone and the walls were similar in that they, too, were made of large blocks of stone. Looking around, and then above where more stone beams made up the ceiling, Harry cocked an eyebrow, "Is this the dueling room?"

The Arthurian blade gave a small nod, "It is indeed, Master Harry. After all, I am sure that you remember when you first got a wand." Seeing the blush, he smirked a little, "The walls are sound proofed in here and any damage can be easily repaired." Before either teen could say something, Carnwennan gestured at the tables in front of him, "And here we go."

Eyes wide, Harry walked forward and examined one of the tables, which had small, wooden cases. On some of the cases were names of members of his family, now long dead with their births and deaths recorded. Others, however, were unmarked as well. Slowly, he ran a hand along the polished wood of one case, "Are these..."

Coming up beside him, Carnwennan nodded, "Wands, Master? Yes, some are legacy wands and others are ones that the Potters came into ownership of through... other means, let us say."

A snort made them turn to where there was a painting of a messy haired man who looked to be in his fifties at least, "Yes, I do suppose that is one way to put it..." Smirking a bit, the painting gave a small bow, "I am Harold Potter, former apprentice to Geoffrey Ollivander and operator of the Hogsmeade Branch of Ollivander's. I am also your many times great-grand uncle."

Eyes wide, Harry stared for a moment before frowning, "Wait..." He gave him a thoughtful look, "I think that I know you... weren't you killed by the Goblins during the Rebellion of 1612?"

Leaning back in his painting, Harold hummed a little, "That is correct, my descendant. When the goblins attacked, I hid the wands we had as they attempted to break in and, when they could not find them, proceeded to... try and get the secret from me." He grimaced a little bit, "I will not go into detail over what happened, but needless to say I have had an idea as to how those muggles tortured on the rack as well as drawn and quartered felt.' After a moment, the painting shook his head and waved his hand, "But enough of such dark things, from what I have heard you are here to have a wand selected for your lady love, or one of them, correct?"

Both teens glanced at each other before blushing which amused the painting. Looking away from Harry for a few moments to get her flush under control, Natsumi pointed at her ears, "It... does not bother you that I am not human, does it?"

The painting snorted at that and shook his head, "Not at all, as a matter of fact. Quite the opposite!" Scratching his chin, he hummed, "Besides which, you would not be the first one that us Potters have gotten a wand for despite it being against the law."

Curious, Harry raised an eyebrow at that, "Really? There's been others?"

Lips twitching, Harold nodded, "There have indeed! Elm, a female centaur, was gifted one. Another of our relatives, whom had a dragon famililar, also gifted her with a wand. Thus, it does not truly bother me much to see another be given one." His expression then became serious, "I do ask, however, that you keep it secret. While I have been informed that the Statute is going to fall, it is best not to ask for more trouble than one already has."

Simply nodding, Natsumi glanced at the pile of wand cases with a thoughtful look, "Could Harry-Chan get a second one?"

Grimace on his face, the painting shook his head, "While he could, indeed, get a second wand, it is best not to. Places such as Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, and so forth often have spells that can sense if someone is carrying two wands on them. While the Aurors will accept a parent carrying their child's wand as punishment, they would not do the same for you. At best, it would be a hefty fine, and at worst, some jail time as you could be suspected of going to use your extra wand to commit a crime."

Just frowning at that, Harry internally sighed a little, 'I was afraid of that.' Turning towards the wands, he tilted his head a little, "I know that we have legacy wands here, but... where did all the unmarked ones come from?"

Leaning back, Harold had an amused look on his face as he chuckled, "As mentioned, many places. Some, various Potters have claimed from those whom they killed in battle, though not many and none from dark lords as such wands are tainted with dark magic. However, you should see some boxes there marked with a crown, yes? And others with what looks like the Flag of the United States?"

Eyebrow raised, the teenage wizard nodded, "I do."

With a motion of his hand, Harold smiled, "The first are from various Spanish ships that were shipping wands to the New World for the Spanish colonies there. Some of ours were privateers. It is much the same origin for the ones marked with the flag of the United States from the War of 1812. You will likely find ones there, as well, from the wars with the French among others. All of them were seized and brought here in case a Potter ever needed them." Head tilted to the side, he hummed, "Now, the ones marked with what looks like the stones from Stonehenge are my personal wands that I made for the family."

Simply nodding, Natsumi looked over the contained wands before letting it out, "I... suppose that we should get started." Pausing for a moment, she frowned, "Do I need to do the tape measure and such?"

A laugh came from the painting as he shook his head, "No, no, there's no need for that now." Calming down, Harold's eyes met Natsumi's, "While it is true that such measures do, in a way, give us an idea as to what wand would be suited, it is not needed. And usually, it is the reactions that one gives us wandmakers when being measured that gifts us with the most knowledge."

Blinking, Natsumi glanced to Harry before taking a step forward, "Okay... let's start with... willow and Kelpie hair?" At the nods, she picked up the wand and gave it wave, only to be knocked on her ass by a loud bang, "Itai..."

Hand covering her mouth, Taiyang tittered, "I do not believe that wand is the one for you, Master."

Grimace on her face, the Kitsune accepted the hand from Harry and got up as she rubbed her ass, "No, really." With a sigh, she put it back into the case and closed it as it was moved aside, "Let's try... willow and lindorn heartstring? Huh..."

One by one, she tried the wands to various effects. Some were funny, others were not such as when she had to put out a fire.

Minutes turned into an hour, then an hour and a half before she picked up one wand and looked at it, "Hmm... Oak and Pooka hair?" Head tilted to the side, she lifted the wand upwards and her eyes widened as it warmed in her hand. From the tip, blue sparkles appeared and spread out into a cloud that formed a fox that sprang and danced around her before fading away. Staring at the wand in her hands, Natsumi blinked, "Um... I think that this is the one?"

Unable to help himself, Harold nearly tipped back in his painting, "Oh yes! I do believe so as well." Flicking away a tear, he leaned forward, "Still, how very intriguing that such a wand picked you."

Cocking her head to the side, Taiyang blinked, "Oh? How so?"

In the painting, the wandmaker clasped his hands together, "There are many meanings to various things. Oak is known as the King of the Forest from the Winter Solstice to the Summer, as the days lengthen. And as the days shorten, holly becomes the King of the Forest. In my experience, oak demands a certain type of wizard or witch. One whom has inner strength, fidelity as well as courage. One whom will stand beside someone no matter what storm breaks, sheltering those they wish to protect under their boughs. That tree, is also rather interesting. For a cruel lord once used it as a hanging tree until, one day, it was struck by lightning in a storm that killed said lord as he prepared to hang another unfortunate. It was thought to be dead, but... a year later, a single green branch appeared, soon joined by others. After which, during a bandit attacked, the local children were able to hide among the branches."

Eyebrows raising, Natsumi looked at the wand in her hands, 'Something that was dark... which died and turned into something that was protective.'

Unknowing of the Kitsune's thoughts, Harold was rubbing his chin, "As for the Puca... that is another interesting creature, a type of fae. You see, like its relative the kelpie, it is a shapeshifter. At night, it will waylay travellers by transforming into a horse to tempt them onto it's back. Then, it will ride wildly through the countryside at night, going from this world to the Otherworld and back at a moment's notice. The rider will be unable get off the horse and will hang on. Said person will have a wild and terrifying journey. Yet, as the horizon lightens, the Puca will slow and then allow the rider off, unharmed, before galloping away with a laugh. They can also be helpful, sometimes preventing people from coming across more malevolent fairies by calling out to them and identifying themselves as Puca and giving their names."

That made Harry blink and he turned towards the painting with wide eyes, "Wait, they identify themselves? But... isn't that strange? I mean, I thought that Fae and such never gave their names, because such is power."

Slowly, the painting nodded, "And you would be right. They would, indeed, hide their names, but not the Puca. If one gained one as a friend, then you would have a loyal protector from the supernatural, one whom would help as needed. To have such a hair in your wand is... highly interesting."

Fingering her new wand, Natsumi smiled a little before levitating a box, "Hai... very interesting indeed..."

 

Harry Leferts

Having left the Dueling Room behind, Natsumi walked alongside the others as she continued to finger her new wand. Under her fingertips, she could feel the warmth of the wood under it, the tingle of magic. With a smile on his face, Harry chuckled a little as he watched her, “Nothing like it, huh, Natsumi-Chan?”

Only humming for a moment, the Kitsune glanced at him with a bright smile on her face, “Hai, nothing like it."

Lips twitching as his smile grew, Harry nodded a little, "I'll get started on making you a holster for it, Natsumi-Chan. Like the one that I have." His fingers tapped the metal sheath for his own wand that hung from his belt. Due to the small bit of wood sticking out, most non-magical people assumed he had a pencil in it for some reason and so ignored it. Internally, he gave a small hum, 'Not to mention that I am already done with the wand holder for your bed...'

Part of the teenage wizard wondered, for a moment, what Natsumi's reaction to the metal block with two Kitsune whose tails would hold said wand might be.

Shaking that thought off, however, Harry chuckled a little. But before Natsumi could ask, Taiyang spoke up, "It is a very nice wand, Master. And I feel that it will serve you well in the years to come, Mikon!"

With a glance at her, Natsumi smiled, "Thank you, Taiyang." Looking back at the wand, she sighed a little, "I'd love to play with my wand and test it out more, but I don't have the time right now..." Hearing a cough, she looked to the wizard who was blushing and trying not to laugh. Confused, the Kitsune went over what she just said before flushing herself and smacking him in the arm, "Lewd."

Grin on his face, her friend only laughed, "You were the one who said it, Natsumi-Chan, not me." He then gave a small shrug, "Anyways, you can do a few spells once we get back to the room since we have to get ready for practice."

That only made Natsumi nod before Taiyang perked up, tail swishing behind the Dao, "I am looking forward to practicing with you some more, Master!" Clapping her hands together, she grinned, "We're going to have such fun, Mikon~"

Any euthusiasm that Natsumi felt vanished right then and she hung her head a little, "Yay. More bruises." Getting only giggles from her sword, she shook her head, "Though I wish that we could get something to eat first. Not much though..." Noticing the smirk on Harry's face, she blinked, "What did you do?"

Humming, Harry looked away from her, "Nothing much really, Natsumi-Chan. But... I did ask Taigei to leave a little something for us to munch on when we got back. I think that you might like it~"

Needless to say, the teenage Kitsune cocked an eyebrow at that, but still felt her stomach grumble a little. Before they reached the Master Bedroom, she glanced at Taiyang, who smirked, but said blade still bowed slightly, "I'll go back to my room now, Master, and gather the practice sword for you."

Carnwennan also had a slight smirk on his face, "I will as well Master."

Both of the two blades bowed slightly with a nod and walked off to their rooms in the manor. Part of Harry was curious about it, but he decided that he did not need to know at exactly that moment, and so shrugged it off. Instead, however, he walked up to the room door and opened it before walking inside, only closing it once Natsumi was through.

What he did not expect was that as soon as the door was closed, Natsumi to walk up and embrace him. Automatically, Harry's hands went to her hips as he tilted his head to the side, "Natsumi-Chan? What is it?"

Lips curled into a happy smile, the Yokai's tails swished behind her, "Just wanted to say thank you, Harry-Chan. For the wand." Her eyes then softened, "You could get into quite a lot of trouble."

Giving her lips a peck, Harry shook his head, "I don't care about that, Natsumi-Chan. Besides, for you? It would be worth it."

Eyes shining a little with wetness, Natsumi shook her head, "Harry-Chan, you baka."

Then, leaning in, she kissed him with it deepening moments later. Harry, for his part, fully returned said kiss as the Kitsune wrapped him in her tails... that was, until she reached down and gently moved one hand of his from her hips and further behind and down. That made the wizard pull back a little, "Um, Natsumi-Chan..."

Despite the blush that was on her face, Natsumi smiled and giggled slightly, "It's fine, Harry-Chan. I don't mind it being you and I trust you..."

As if to show him what she said was true, the Kitsune then took his other hand and did the same with it before kissing him again.

For several minutes, the two teenagers kissed each other, with the female of the two humming a little into it as Harry pulled her close. Eventually, the two pulled apart panting with Harry having a dazed look on his face and a grin, "Wow..."

Unable to help herself, Natsumi giggled some and kissed him briefly, "Wow indeed, Harry-Chan." As they pulled apart fully, she hummed as she walked over with a slight sway to her hips, which she knew from a glance in the mirror that Harry was following, "Now, we should be getting ready for our practice..." Seeing the smirk on Harry's face, she raised an eyebrow, "What?"

In reply, the wizard tapped a box that was on the desk with a chuckle, "Well? Don't you want something to snack on first? That way, we don't have hunger distracting ourselves?"

Happily humming, Natsumi walked over as she licked her lips a little, "That's true enough, Harry-Chan." Opening the box, her eyebrows raised some and she could feel her mouth water, "Cherry tarts!"

Grin on his face, Harry came up behind her and placed his arms around her waist before kissing the bottom of one ear, which made it flick a little, "Hai, I made them up last night. Just asked that Taigei toss them into the oven and place them into the box here to keep them warm so that we could have a snack." He tilted his head towards a thermos, "As well as some black tea to wake up fully with."

Twisting around in the embrace, Natsumi gave him another kiss, which he returned. Once she pulled back, she had a happy smile on her face as her tails wagged, "You know me far too well, Harry-Chan."

All he did was shrug at that with a smile of his own before the two poured some tea and each ate a tart.

Not long after, the two met up again with Taiyang as well as Carnwennan, though, that said? Natsumi was somewhat annoyed by the fact that said Dao was using a martial arts Gi... done up in such a way to show off cleavage. Ignoring that, however, they used the time turner and went back to shortly after they had left the bedroom for the first time. All four of them ducked into an alcove until the sounds of their past selves disappeared. Stepping out of said alcove, Natsumi shook her head a little, "I am never going to get used to that."

For her part, Taiyang gave her a slight smile, "And you should not, Master. For when you become used to something is when you make mistakes for not noticing something that you should have."

Eventually, they reached the backyard area where they would be practicing. Stretching her arms a little, Natsumi nodded some as Ayase arrived already dressed much to the Kitsune's amusement, 'Wonder how long that took...?' Shaking that off, she got down and began her stretches though she noted that Taiyang seemed amused for some reason by that, "Taiyang?"

The Dao shook her head a little and got down to do her own stretches, "It is nothing, Master. Just somewhat amused by the fact that such things as these stretches are done now for the most part. It was uncommon in some ways before I was sealed."

Glancing at her, Natsumi leaned forward to touch her toes, "I guess? But they do help keep one limber and flexible. And a lot less cramps too if you warm up."

Amused, Taiyang glanced towards Harry, noting that he was watching Natsumi stretch, "I see, that is very interesting." If anything, she became more amused when her Master sighed as the blade spirit leaned forward which meant that her Gi's top revealed a bit much. Once their stretches were done, and Harry as well as Ayase had begun their own, the foxy blade helped Natsumi to her feet before handing her the wooden Dao that she would be using, "Now then, Master, we shall begin with the basics of using the Dao."

Simply watching as Taiyang summoned her true self with a motion of her hands, the Kitsune nodded, "Right, that does make sense."

Lips curled as she hummed, the Dao made a few motions with her true form, "Now then, my blade is primarily used for chopping and slashing, Master. While you can stab, it is much less effective than it might be with a Jian. Though I do have some special abilities as well due to my creation."

Observing the reactions as well as how the other blade spirits had come out to watch, she placed her palm on the spine of her blade and ran her hand along it. Everyone's eyes widened as her blade became more curved until it took the form of a piandao. Moving her hands back, the sword straightened to how it was originally. Gripping her hilt, she pulled on it with said part lengthening in her hand until it formed a podao. With practiced ease, she went into various motions, stances, and the like, the wind whistling as she moved. Coming to a stop, she gripped the hilt and pushed it back to nearly normal.

Yet, she was not done as she grasped her blade and pulled, with said sword's blade lengthening until it could have matched Norimune's own sword in size. With that done, the Dao performed various moves and the like as if fighting against invisible enemies. This time, when she came to a stop, she shortened the blade by a bit, but then placed her palm on the flat, slowly moving it towards the edge, with the blade widening into a bagua dao. Done, she proceeded to once more fight various invisible opponents before stopping, and transforming her blade back to normal.

In the crowd watching, Kenshō clapped her hands excitedly, "That was so cool!" Turning, she looked towards Juuchi, "Wasn't that cool, Juuchi-Oba!?"

Smug smile on her face, Juuchi hummed a little as she bit into a blood orange, "It was somewhat impressive, yes."

That only got her a smug smirk from Taiyang before she turned back to an amazed Natsumi, "As you can see, one of my abilities is to transform into... many types of Dao. Which means that I am effective at short and mid ranges. Isn't my true self amazing, Mikon!"

Blinking, Natsumi gave a slow nod, "That... is pretty awesome, Taiyang." Pausing for a moment, she frowned, "Does that mean that Tamamo had mastered all those forms?"

With a slow nod, the Dao smiled, "She did, Master. Each and every one of them she perfected. But do not worry, I do not expect for you to do so for a few decades yet." Placing her true self back into it's sheath, "Now then, as I stated, we shall begin with just the basics. It is said that to become competent with the spear takes a month of training, and with the Jian a year... and only a week with a Dao." There was a twinkle in her eye before she lashed out, the tip of the training blade almost touching Natsumi's nose with the Kitsune yelping and jumping back, "But competency does not mean mastery, Mikon! And that will come with time."

Rapidly blinking, Natsumi rubbed her nose, "Um, right..." Shaking off her surprise, she took a deep breath and let it out, "So how will we do this?"

Taiyang then walked up beside her and motioned for her to take her wooden blade out of the sheath, "We shall start with the basic stances used by the soldiers of the time. Once you are competent in such, we will move on to my Master's style. It was nameless, but effective." Pausing, she hummed as she crossed her arms, "It was like... water, or perhaps the wind. Master would flow around attacks rather than block them, redirect them when she could not. Always moving and never stopping. And as she did so, would attempt to strike where the opponent did not expect, using holes or from behind. Combined with her illusions, which could make one think her elsewhere, it was extremely effective."

Cocking her head to the side as the Dao showed her a stance, and attempting to copy it, the Kitsune considered that. After a few moments, she frowned, "Wait, how did Huixing fit into her style?"

Eyebrows raising, Taiyang looked at her before smiling and chuckling, "Ah, I see that you have been informed about my sister." Correcting Natsumi's stance some with a whack of her tail, the blade spirit continued, "She was the long range component of my Master's form of fighting. With her, she could grab an adversary's weapon at any range and redirect them, possibly even disarming her opponent in the process by yanking the weapon from their hands. She could even grab said people themselves and yank them towards her." Crossing her arms, she hummed, "Huixing even killed as, if they got around an opponent's throat, Master could crush or lacerate it. Once, she even threw it with enough force it punched into a man's ribs and tore out his heart."

Grimace on her face at that, Natsumi corrected her stance at another hit, "Um, right..."

Amused at the reaction, the Dao chuckled before wagging a finger, "Remember Master, any way of ending a fight is a good one." Humming, she thought back, "Now, one of her enchantments was that Master was able to control her midfight by channeling her magic and Qi into the chain. So even if the person attempted to avoid the weapon, it would follow and even continue the attack despite being blocked. Something that surprised more than a few." Taiyang suddenly frowned a little, "Though... my sister is a little more simple than most, being more akin the cannon in some ways."

That made everyone blink and look over at Big Iron, who blinked, "Um, who?"

However, that got said cannon shakes of the head as they turned back to Taiyang teaching Natsumi.

Meanwhile, Harry had gotten his Kendo armor on and turned towards Ayase who had her own on. Bowing towards the Light Cruiser, who returned it, he then brought up Kitsune-Bokken into a stance as he faced his sparring partner, "Ready, Ayase-Chan?"

With a nod of her own as she brought up her own bokken, Ayase smiled behind her helmet's mask, "Hai, I am, Harry-Chan."

Neither one of them moved as they watched the other, even after Carnwennan told them to begin. But then, the two narrowed their eyes before attacking, their bokken meeting with the sound of wood against wood. Again and again, their strikes met the others, either blocking or redirecting the hit. Yet, neither stopped, always on the move as they sparred.

Coming out, Yae's eyes widened slightly as she looked between the two pairs before focusing on Harry and Ayase, "Gozaru..."

Just sipping some tea, Nobu hummed some, "Hai, he it is impressive for someone of his level." Watching as he blocked a strike to his ribs before sweeping his bokken up, aimed at Ayase's armpit, she raised an eyebrow, "Interesting..."

Beside Nobu, Okita nodded a little as she rubbed her chin, "Harry-San and Ayase-San do seem roughly equal. Hmm..." Narrowing her eyes, she gave a slight nod, "Ah, do you see the same thing that I do?"

Frown on her face, the lone non-reincarnated human frowned a little even as Uesugi commented that she did, 'What do they...' It took a few seconds, but her eyebrows raised as she realized what was happening, "Her stance. Sometimes she changes them as if... as if she is trying to figure out what style she is using."

Arms crossed as she sipped her coffee, Nagato gave a nod, "That would make sense." When they looked at her, she smiled a little thinly "Us shipgirls can pick up skills from those who served on us. It is how ones such as Ikazuchi-San and Inazuma-San become very effective at martial arts as they could well have a dozen whom have learned such. Of course, that is when they are learning just one style. But with Kenjutsu..."

Her own arms crossed, Nobu hummed, "I see, I see... while some of Ayase-San's crew may know styles of Kenjutsu, chances are that they are all different styles. Thus, she is still learning how to make them flow together. Therefore, she is the perfect opponent for Harry-Kun at this time."

Yae had a slight smile on her face, "Hai, because while she helps Harry-San perfect his path along the Way, in turn he helps her perfect her own skills and learn how to use them in combat."

Meanwhile, Harry and Ayase continued their match against one another. Unknown to the wizard, inside of the Light Cruiser's head their surroundings had been replaced by a dueling field in Feudal Japan. Despite that, she was still keeping up with him, though she felt her boilers pound as he met her blow for blow. Each strike transmitted through her bokken to her hands, as she knew they were for him. To her, it was... exhilerating, to say the least. Here, she was matching blades (of a sort) with the man she had decided would be her Lord.

Finally, however, something had to give.

Having spotted how she sometimes hesitated for a second between stances as if not sure which one to choose, Harry took his chance. Without any hesitation, he swept out with his foot a little as he blocked her bokken. With her off balance, he then struck out and scored a hit to the wrist which knocked her blade from her hand before following it with a strike to the ribs. Something that knocked her to the ground.

Neither one did anything for a moment before Harry placed Kitsune-Bokken at his side and then held out a hand, "Here, let me give you a hand."

Unknown to him, Ayase's face was bright red and steam leaked from her ears as she grasped his hand, 'He... he defeated me... That... that was...' Briefly, she swore that her boilers were going "Doki-doki" before dismissing it. As she got to her feet, the Light Cruiser cleared her throat, "U-um, thank you, Harry-Do-Chan."

Cocking his head to the side, the teenage wizard rubbed the back of his neck, "You're welcome, Ayase-Chan. Though that was a great match."

Now looking away, Ayase scuffed her feet into the grass a little, "H-hai, it was... though I did lose."

In reply, Harry shrugged some, "Win or lose, it doesn't matter in the end, does it? The two of us were giving our all there, learning from it. And from that, we improve and become better for the next time."

The sound of clapping made him turn to where Uesugi was smiling at him, "Well said, Harry-Kun. Very well said indeed, for that is what those of us know as we journey along the path of the Way."

At that, the wizard chuckled a little as he rubbed the back of his neck, not knowing that Ayase was staring at him. Inside her head, she rolled around his words, and felt her boilers warm at what the meaning was, 'He was learning from I as much as I was learning from him.' Walking over, the shipgirl picked up her bokken before going into another stance, smile on her face, "Shall we continue, Harry-Chan?"

Blinking, Harry grinned himself before going into a stance as well, "Hai, because that is what we're doing here after all."

Upon him saying that, he got a sharp nod from Ayase and moments later, the match between the two resumed as their bokken met.

________________________________________________________________

It was a sweat drenched Harry who sat back on the grass with a grin on his face, helmet beside him. Just to the side, Ayase was not in much better shape after nearly forty minutes of practice, but she too had a grin, "That was..."

Looking over at her, the fourteen year old boy chuckled, "Amazing?"

Only nodding as her brown eyes met his green, Ayase's grin became a smile, "It was indeed that, Harry-Chan." Her grin widened a little, "I... have not had a match like that before."

That little bit of information made Harry turn to her, "Really?"

Humming, she brushed some hair from her sweaty forehead, "Hai." Ayase then shook her head a little, "I have had matches with other shipgirls, such as Tenryuu-Sensei, Jintsuu-Onee-San, Kiso-Sensei, and the like. But they all held back a lot when facing me. But this..." The Light Cruiser made a motion with her hand, "It was... so close."

Just considering the final score, which meant that he was ahead by two points, Harry could only nod, "I know that feeling, Ayase-Chan. After all, I get my arse kicked all the time. So having someone who is my level to spar against..." He then gave a shrug, "It helps a lot, and I hope that it helped you."

Shy smile on her face, Ayase simply nodded at that, "It did, help I mean."

The Light Cruiser then leaned back on her hands as she closed her eyes and simply enjoyed the cool, morning breeze that brushed past her. Unnoticed by her, the tank top she wore stuck to her due to the sweat and said sweat glistened in the morning light. Something that was noticed by Harry as he looked at her laying there in the grass. However, he shook his head free of any thoughts that entered it from watching her there with a brilliant smile on her face.

Instead, he turned his attention towards Natsumi, and thus missed Ayase open her eyes and look at him as he was also drenched in sweat. Sweat that shone on him and caused his own shirt to stick to his skin. It went without saying that Ayase's flush at that point was not just because of her previous exertion, nor was the steam that wafted from her ears. Instead, she grabbed a bottle of sports drink and took a few sips, though her eyes kept glancing back to him, 'He does look like a Lord after a period of exercise and practice...'

Part of her fully expected that such an image would show up in her dreams that night.

Meanwhile, Harry was watching as Natsumi was going through stances as taught by Taiyang. Like him and Ayase, the Kitsune was sweating. It was not long after, however, that the Dao stated that they were finished for the day and so had Natsumi perform her cool down stretches. With a nod, Harry patted his legs and, despite not wanting to, got to his feet before offering Ayase a hand to get up. Something that the Light Cruiser accepted happily. Smiling at her, he stretched his arms over his head before picking up his gear that was already in the gym bag he used for it, "Thanks again for the match, Ayase-Chan."

Bowing a little, Ayase smiled back at him, "I should be thanking you as well, Harry-Chan. Because you were helping me along the Way as I did you."

However, moments later, her blush returned as he nodded before pausing for a moment, "You know... we should do this more often. Just you and I sparring with each other, you know."

Ayase could feel her boilers heat up at that and she swallowed, "You... you want to spar more, Harry-Chan? With me?"

Only nodding, Harry glanced towards where Natsumi was getting back to her feet after finishing her stretches, "Hai." Lightly laughing, he rubbed the back of his neck, "After all, you can only learn so much from having your arse kicked. Sometimes, you need someone who is able to push you, but not overwhelm you, in order to improve. And frankly? I enjoyed our match." The wizard laughed again, "Though I suppose that it will only be a matter of time before you start kicking my arse all over the place as well."

There was a part of the teen which wondered why the shipgirl's flush deepened at that.

But he shook that off a few seconds later as Natsumi reached them with a sigh and smile on her face, "Ready to go and hit the showers, Harry-Chan? Because we really need them." Playfully sniffing him, she grinned as she waved a hand in front of her nose, "You especially."

Mock angry look on his face, Harry growled a little, "Are you saying that I stink?"

Smirking, the Kitsune hummed, "Well... hai, I am."

Not even a second later, she ducked under his hand laughing as he swipped at her. Shaking his head, Harry turned towards Ayase, "Ayase-Chan, I don't stink, do I?"

A little out of it still from the compliment, Ayase shook her head, "No, you smell nice..." Realizing what she said, the Light Cruiser flushed still deeper and could hear one of her engineers shouting about pressure valves, "U-um..."

Blinking, Harry felt his own cheeks blazing. A glance towards Natsumi showed him that while surprised, the Kitsune seemed highly amused about something. Shaking it off, he gave Ayase a smile, "Thanks." Pausing for a moment, he gave her a kiss on the cheek before nodding, "I'll see you in a little bit then."

Unseen by him, the Light Cruiser had quite a bit of steam now coming from her ears as he walked back into the manor, rubbing her cheek where he had kissed her.

Several minutes later found him having gathered together a change of clothes and reaching for the door to the bathroom before noticing that Natsumi was behind him with her own clothes, "Um, Natsumi-Chan... are... are you..."

Despite the blush on her cheeks, Natsumi gave a small smile as she nodded, "Hai, after all it is not much different than a bath."

About to say something, Harry paused before nodding a little, "Right..." Taking a deep breath, he gave another nod and walked inside, "Right, nothing different from a bath."

Once inside, the two took off their dirty, sweat dampened clothes and tossed them into the hamper to be cleaned. Running her hand through her hair, Natsumi grimaced a little, "I cannot wait to be clean."

Having become a little more comfortable things, Harry chuckled a little, "Same here."

Natsumi waited until he had joined her inside the walk in shower and had closed the door behind before reaching towards the dial and turning them. Moments later, warm water spouted from the showerheads along the sides of said shower and she sighed some as she tilted her head back, 'That feels good...' With a shake of her head, Natsumi turned and looked towards Harry, "Well? Is that okay?"

Rapidly blinking for a moment, the teenage wizard coughed and nodded, "Hai." Running a hand through his soaked hair, he grinned, "It does feel good after all."

Giggling, Natsumi gave him a nod, "Agreed, Harry-Chan." Pausing for a moment, she looked him in the eyes and softly smiled, "Um, mind doing my back and hair for me? My tails as well?"

While he had a blush on his face, Harry smiled back, "Sure... as long as you do the same for me." After a second, he scratched his cheek, "Besides the tails though."

That got him a barking laugh from the Kitsune as she shook her head, "Sure thing, Harry-Chan." Grabbing a cloth, she soaped it up before handing it to him, "Here you go, Harry-Chan."

For a moment or two, Harry watched as the water cascaded down her back before swallowing, 'R-right...' With a deep breath, he closed his eyes and centered himself before he went to work soaping up her back. Getting a happy hum, almost a purr, his smile widened, 'This... is pretty nice.'

Inside of Natsumi's mind, Tamamo chuckled a little bit, 'My, what a clever little vixen you are~'

Eyes closed as she enjoyed the feel of Harry soaping up her back, Natsumi gave a smug smirk towards the older vixen, her next words getting a laugh, 'I am certain that I have no idea what you are talking about at all...'

Half an hour later found both teens stepping out of the shower and drying themselves off with towels, though they did take glances at each other as they did so. Seeing Natsumi grumble a little as she worked her towel along her tails, Harry reached for a brush and smiled a little, "Here, give me a second."

Sighing, the Kitsune smiled at him as he took one of her tails and began to brush along it, "Mmm... thank you, Harry-Chan."

Lips twitching a little, Harry only shook his head, "You don't need to thank me, Natsumi-Chan. I don't mind it."

Just happily sighing for a moment before she continued to dry her hair, Natsumi snorted, "And I really appreciate it, makes things a lot easier for me." Part of her noted that it really did feel relaxing, and also imagined it happening more often, which caused her smile to grow, 'That would be kind of nice...'

Eventually finishing with one tail, the fourteen year old boy got started on the next, "You know... have you thought about having Taiyang teach you some unarmed fighting?" At the curious look he got as Natsumi wiggled a towel covered finger in her ear, he shrugged, "I mean, she should know a lot about the fighting style that Tamamo used, right? Including as Daji."

Letting the towel drape over her shoulders, Natsumi turned her head to look at him, "I've thought about it actually. And, well..." Glancing at the door, she paused for only a moment, "Tamamo has offered to teach me as well."

That made Harry blink and he straightened up to look at her, "Really?"

Not even worried about her state of dress, the Kitsune turned fully around, "Hai, she has. And, well... I have considered it. Despite everything, she does know a lot and often spied on practioners, so..." Chewing her lip, she looked down at her feet, "Not to mention that she is... and I am..."

Stepping forward, Harry's voice dropped to a whisper, "Natsumi-Chan, look at me." When she did so, he reached up and cupped her cheek, "I know... and I don't care. Now or ever.

Eyes glistening, Natsumi searched his, "You... knew? And don't care at all?"

Only nodding, the wizard smiled at her as he gently rubbed her cheek under one eye with his hand, "Hai, I've guessed it for a while. And no, I don't care because to me... you're you, not Tamamo no Mae or Su Daji. You're Ono Natsumi-Chan. The girl who helped me when I was a young child somewhat lost in a new country. And someone that I..." It seemed like he was trying to say something that would not come out fully before he swallowed and closed his eyes. When he opened them, they locked onto hers as he took another step forward, "Someone that I care deeply for... and always will be."

Understanding what he was saying, and the meaning behind the pause, Natsumi blinked away some tears, "Hai." Softly smiling, she leaned in and kissed him, a few last words passing her lips before doing so, "Just like you're Potter Harry-Chan... my Harry-Chan..." After a minute or two, they pulled from the kiss and Natsumi buried her face in the crook of his neck, "Thank you."

Just holding her, Harry leaned his head onto hers, "You're welcome... and thank you as well, Natsumi-Chan."

Some tears slipping between her eyes, the Kitsune smiled, "You're welcome as well."

 

Harry Leferts

Adjusting the backpack that sat on her shoulders, Nobu hummed a bit, “Well, this looks interesting! Hopefully we brought enough food since both Okita-Chan and Yae-Chan will be hungry-Ugh! My skull!”

Simply rolling his eyes at their antics, Kaku sighed a little, ‘You would think that she learned by now... Though I suspect that she does it to get a rise from Okita.’ With a hum, he adjusted his own backpack before looking towards Yae who had a blush on her face, “Something wrong, Yae-San?”

The teenage girl in question coughed a bit, “Um, no, but... I don’t eat that much.”

Not saying anything at first, Uesugi adjusted her glasses a little, “You are two breakfast rolls, three pieces of toast with peach jam on them, as well as a plate of bacon, eggs, sausage, ham, and potato cakes.”

More than a little bemused, Harry looked over his shoulder with a smile, “I would ask if you were a shipgirl, but I can tell that you’re not.”

Blush deepening, Yae looked away, “I’m a growing girl and keep very active with Kenjutsu, Gozaru. Nothing else.” That got her chuckles and she turned to the wall beside them, “So what is this, Harry-San?”

Deciding that he had enough fun, the teenage wizard patted the stone wall as he came to a stop, “This is part of a Roman wall called ‘Hadrian’s Wall’. Named because it was commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian in order to create a border for Roman Britannia and the Picts as well as Britons to the north that were yet unconquered by the Empire.”

Intrigued, Nobu looked at the wall of stone with new eyes, “I see, I see.” Rubbing her chin, she hummed a little, “How long ago was it commissioned?”

Glancing at her, Harry smirked a bit, “Oh, about AD 120... or around the same time as Queen Himiko lived in Japan.”

It went without saying that several eyebrows raised at that in surprise before turning awed looks towards the wall.

Highly amused, Goldie gave a nod, “Indeed! It was truly a Roman feat of engineering!” The Roman blade made an expressive gesture around them,

“The Wall stretched from the North Sea to the Irish Sea, cutting across the entirety of Britain in this area! A full seventy three miles! Construction took thousands of good Roman soldiers working for almost a decade with forts every five miles, Umu. Truly an example of how great Rome was.”

Placing her hands in the “T” shape, Okita frowned, “Hold on a moment.” She then gestured at the wall beside them, “You mean to tell us that this wall stretched from one coast to another, and was built in a decade.”

Extremely amused at the looks she was getting, the Roman nodded, “Indeed, Umu!” She then pointed towards the top, “Though there is more to it than that. For you see, the top of the wall is eight feet, meaning that you could have a patrol of Roman Legionaries patrolling along it at all times.” Goldie then pointed to the area on the opposite side of them, “Along there, following the length of the wall, would be a Roman road. You can even see some of the earthwork despite the centuries!”

Rubbing her chin on though, Taiyang hummed, “Most impressive.”

Unknown to everyone, Natsumi blinked as Tamamo grumbled a bit on her head, ‘If only I arrived a few centuries earlier...’

However, shaking that off, the Kitsune turned to Harry and Goldie in interest, “Okay, but how effective was it? It doesn’t look like it was very high...”

At that, Harry nodded a little, “And you’re right, it isn’t that high. But the Romans never believed or planned that it would hold against a true attack. Rather, they built it in order to make it as difficult for raids to get into Roman Britannia as possible, nothing more or less. Any raids that did get though would be noticed and the power of the full Roman Legions brought against it. And if a full scale attack happened, it would buy enough time for the Romans to react.” He pointed down the wall, “That’s why you had forts every five miles. Because they would provide a lookout over the wall itself and they could send messages via fire over the length as well.”

Uesugi made a thoughtful sound, “The enemy of good enough is perfection. I must admit, it was very intelligent to understand that they would not be able to make a perfect barrier and focus on just making things difficult. After all, if you were a leader or a warlord, would you attempt something difficult for little gain? Especially as the others would have no reason to support you.”

With a nod, the wizard smiled, “Exactly.” He then gave a small shrug, “Though it should be noted that about a hundred miles to the north, you have Antoinne’s Wall, begun twenty years later which also stretched from the Irish Sea to the North Sea, this time across the Scottish Lowlands. But it was abandoned later and the Romans retreated back here, to Hadrian’s Wall. They did try to reconquer to Antoinne’s Wall, but...” Harry gave a shrug, “Never fully managed it. Hadrian’s Wall, meanwhile, stood under Roman control until they left Britain in the 400s.”

Placing his hands in his pockets, Carnwennan looked around as if looking at something only he could see, “It was... magnificent to see even a hundred years later. My Master, Arthur, was most impressed as it was still manned by the Last Legion. Descendants of the Romans who stayed behind when the others left, and led by Coel Hen, or King Coel, a magical child of a Roman General. His soldiers were some of the finest in Britain and he lended his aid to my King as needed. As well, closer to Antoinne’s Wall, you had Dyfnwal Hen, a fellow King who was no less a warrior. Together, they held the line against the Picts and the Anglo-Saxons.”

With a nod, Andraste smiled a little, “On the magical side, Hadrian’s Wall was also an important meeting place, a neutral place between those of the North and those from the South. The old Wizard’s Council used to meet in one of the old Roman Forts for discussions when, um... they were all killed.”

Under his breath, the Arthurian dagger cursed, “Fucking dammit, Prydwen.” Seeing the looks, Carnwennan sighed a little and ran his hand through his hair, “My sister, Prydwen, the shield of Arthur who could become a ship, was the one who killed them... the fecking idiot.”

Eyebrow raised, Usagi tilted her head to the side, “Wait, why did she do that?”

Sighing, Carnwennan shrugged and threw his hands into the air, “Because she was being bloody fucking stupid!” Rubbing his face, he turned to the others, “Thirty years before this, I managed to manifest an avatar. It did not take me very long to realize the dire situation that was facing Britain at the time. The Battle of Camlann shattered the unity of Britons, Camelot had been sacked, and various factions were fighting each other to prove that they were Arthur’s Heir as often as they were fighting the Anglo-Saxons. And speaking of the Anglo-Saxons, they were still pressing the Briton for control of the Isles. One could see how dire it was, thus... I decided that I would set out and attempt to do as my King would have wished and get the Britons to work together against the Anglo-Saxons.”

Jin had a frown on her face as she considered that before chewing her lip, “That... could not have been easy to even try.”

Snorting, Carwennan shook his head, “To say the least.” Grimace on his face, he looked out onto the countryside, “I decided that the best way was to start with the easiest, the magicals. There were still memories, though fading, of the Druid councils that once dotted the Isles. But the issue was getting them to work together. So I went out searching for wizards who would best fit what I needed. And I found them, though sometimes I had to help them gain control over their areas.” None needed to guess what he meant by that, “But I would gift them with some of Merlin’s artifacts. With such, they could proclaim that they were Heirs to the wizard and High Druid in question. Due to that, they were able to pull together the various magical factions beneath them. I even helped negotiate marriages between their lines with the hope of bringing forth a peace. Because of that, the conflicts between the magical factions became a simmer rather than the boil from before. And were they given maybe forty more years, maybe... not even that.”

Head cocked to the side, it took only a few seconds but Taiyang gained a small smirk, “Except, you forgot to mention one thing~” When people turned to her, she continued, “Merlin was an Advisor to King Arthur. The members of this Council... they held sway over magical advisors as well and were such themselves.”

Just smirking, Carnwennan chuckled, “I did not forget, but... you are right. Through them, I was able to have magical advisors start to... advise their Kings and Warlords in certain ways. And I was able to also get information from them, though mostly about what their leaders were like. From that, I picked the best that I thought would suit my purpose, to unite Britain in face of the Anglo-Saxons. Some, I supported from the shadows, striking down their foes with, heh, a knife to the back. I also disguised myself and acted as intermediaries for negotiations. A few of those, the best suited, I entrusted with artifacts from the Round Table that I managed to find to legitimize them in the eyes of the people. There was even one girl...”

Eyebrows raising, Juuchi stared at him, “Wait, hold up Gramps, did you...”

Only shrugging, the Arthurian blade sighed, “Arianwen was... a beautiful woman. I had met her when she was but a young girl of eight summers. Skin fair and hair as white as snow with pink eyes, an albino. It was only because her father was a powerful warlord that she was alive. To her, I gifted the Crown of Guinevere while her father had the sword of Sir Ector, for he reminded me of the old sod.” For several moments, he was quiet, “She grew from a girl into a beautiful woman. One day, she asked her father to wed us, which I... was not against at the time. It was a suitable match after all, and he had little problem after I had saved his life from an assassin. But I needed to check on some things first as I had sensed something, which she understood. And so, I set out... and found the first sign of trouble when I arrived at where Camelot had been, only to find the ruins had vanished. Great magic had been done there and I had to find out what. But before I could... I received word that the Wizard’s Council were dead.”

Eyes narrowed, the Roman blade frowned, “Prydwen.”

Bitterly chuckling, Carwennan tilted his head back, “Prydwen.” With a sigh, he grimaced, “She had shown up at a meeting which was to discuss the upcoming negotiations with those kingdoms to north of Hadrian’s Wall. Which had a good chance of securing enough of a peace for the rest of the work to be done in order to force back the Anglo-Saxons and relieve pressure while buying time. Without missing a beat, she called them all thieves, insulted their honour, and then declared that they were to turn over Merlin’s artifacts to her to keep until their ‘Proper’ owner returned or face her blade. You can guess what happened.”

Facepalming, Sabah sighed, “Blunt as a shield...” Then she turned to the purple haired girl beside her, “No offense, Andraste.”

However, the shield in question waved her off, “None taken.” Turning back to Carnwennan, she frowned, “So she killed them and took the artifacts.”

Lips pursed thinly, Carnwennan nodded, “Indeed, after which I went after her... and she nearly killed me.”

More than one head whipped around to stare at him. For her part, Juuchi did not have a snarky comeback as she boggled at what she had just been told, “You never said that she attempted to kill you...”

The Arthurian dagger shrugged, “She... did not realize that it was my avatar and attacked me on the spot without letting me speak. When I demanded to know what she was doing, she claimed that she was doing as Arthur would have wished. Things were... said to me by her, hurtful things though she did not know who I was. I.. could have ended it then, maybe I could have salvaged things. My blade can kill anything when I use it against it, possibly even gods. And despite having all the spiritual might of Camelot as the Fortress backing her, I could have taken her down. Yet...” Clapping a hand over his eyes, he chuckled bitterly, “I could not draw myself fully against my sister, no matter how angry I was with her.”

Slowly, he reached for his shirt and pulled it up to reveal a scar before turning to show that it appeared on his back.

Letting his shirt fall, he sighed, “That was where her sword pierced through me. I still to this day remember the taste of blood in my mouth as I stumbled back... but I had a bit of luck. For you see, we were fighting on the banks of the River Wharfe in a place called the Strid.” Scratching his head, Carnwennan let out a breath, “The river, which is two miles wide, narrows there to where one could leap across it and it is very deep. Beneath the surface, the rock is riddled with caves. To fall in... is certain death, with your body possibly never to be found. I remember Prydwen rushing forward to grab my true self as my avatar tumbled with it backwards into the deadly waters, only to miss and for my body to vanish beneath the surface. Almost as soon as I was under, I dismissed my avatar and let the current take me. Dark things sleep down there, dark and dangerous things... but I passed through and washed up. It took weeks before I was able to summon my avatar, and four more months before I was healed enough... but the damage had been done.”

Understanding on her face, Goldie nodded, “With her efforts, all was undone.”

Just snorting, Carnwennan frowned, “To say the least. Prydwen had gone after the most obvious of those whom had the artifacts... the ones that I had gifted. Arianwen’s father was one, she challenged him to a duel and killed him before taking the crown I had gifted to her as well. And without her father to protect her and being an albino...”

Groaning, Harry shook his head, “They thought that she was at fault for what happened, didn’t they? Believing that she was evil or bad luck.”

Breath escaping him, the Arthurian dagger nodded, “Yes.” Eyes once more going distant, his voice took on an edge of pain, “I... they beat her mercilessly. When I found her, I killed those doing so, but... it was too late. Her injuries were too severe and I held her as she breathed her last. Even now, I can feel her bloody hand cupping my cheek as she smiled at me and said that I came, just like I promised.” With sigh, he ran his hand through his hair, “I took her where Arthur had been taken to Avalon and met with the Fae. And... I asked them to take her to rest beside my Master. In exchange, I was to serve the Fae for two hundred years, which I did and do not ask what I did, for I will not speak of it. But... it was worth it, for Arianwen now rests in Avalon where the Sun is forever warm, the breezes cool, the grass green and the flowers always bloom... and where there is peace.” Lapsing into silence, he then shook his head, “It is amazing though... thirty years of work undone in an instant. With the destruction of the Wizard’s Council, the peace between magical factions broke and they were soon at each other’s throats, blaming one another. And with the more powerful warlords dead, their kingdoms splintered. Less than two centuries later and the Anglo-Saxons ruled over Britain. I had failed. Failed Arthur, failed his dream... and failed Arianwen. All because I could not strike down my sister...”

Moments later, he found himself being hugged.

At the same time, thousands of miles away, a blonde girl was looking sadly into a mirror which showed Carnwennan along with the others. Wiping at tears, she sniffled, “Carn...”

Hearing a sound, Avalon turned and saw Prydwen staring at the mirror. The shield/shipgirl had an completely stricken look on her face. Not saying anything, she got to her feet shakingly and walked away from the mirror before stopping at a sneering voice, “What? Where the fuck are you going sister?”

Barely looking over her shoulder at the blonde sneering at her, Prydwen was about to say something when she stopped. Just shaking her head, she walked to the door and out, “I... I need to be alone.”

Grumbling under her breath, the blonde glared at the now closed door, “Bitch.”

A gasp escaping from her, Avalon wiggled a finger at her, “Clarent!”

Utterly unrepentant, Clarent placed her hands behind her head, “What? She is a bitch and she’s walking away rather than own up.” Scoffing at the glare her sister sent her, which was more like an angry puppy, she shrugged before looking back at the mirror. After a few moments, her expression softened, “You did damn good, Carn... really fucking good, and never doubt that.”

All Avalon did was nod with her own remorseful look.

____________________________________________________________

Groaning after getting out of the minibus, Nobu stretched with a frown, “Shame that we can’t check out the Giant’s Causeway! I really wanted to see it.”

Behind her, Natsumi shook her head a little, “Unfortunately, the area is still locked down after an Abyssal attack a bit ago. It’s going to be a bit until they reopen.” Then she gave a shrug, “At least we’ve gone to see some castles.”

Yae gave a nod as she looked at her phone, “Those were pretty neat. And different from the ones back in Japan, Gozaru.”

Hands behind his head, Harry hummed a little, “Speaking of castles, maybe we should drop by Ireland and go to Blarney Castle and have Nobu-Chan kiss the Blarney Stone.”

Eyebrow raised as she stepped out, Uesugi frowned as she adjusted her glasses, “The Blarney Stone, Harry-Kun? Why would we have Nobu-Chan kiss a stone?”

It wasn’t Harry who answered, however, but Dracul, “The Blarney Stone is a famous rock built into the castle there. Supposedly, kissing it will give one the gift of gab. The ability to speak and tell even lies convincingly... one legend says that a boy who was mute from birth kissed it and gained the ability to speak! Though... he never stopped talking after and could talk your ear off.”

For several moments, no one said a thing. But then, slowly, Ayaka turned to Harry and gave him a look, “Why would you have Nobu-Chan kiss it then?! She already talks a lot and you want to make it worse?!”

The reincarnated warlord in question grinned and opened her mouth, only for Harry to speak up and comment in a dry tone, “Mainly because I am hoping that it would have the opposite effect on her.”

Moments later, Nobu’s mouth snapped shut and everyone looked at her and nodded with Okita crossing her arms, “Yeah, that does seem legit.”

Looking at her friends, Nobu grumbled some, “You all suck.”

Needless to say, that got only laughter from the others. They continued to give verbal jabs to Nobu the whole time that they spent before they entered the English pub. For those from Japan that had never been in one, it was something to see as it was different,

Upon finding a spot in a corner, the group sat down and looked at the menu that was there. Finding one, Ayaka licked her lips some, “I’ll probably be having the sausage roll.”

Pointing at one bit, Okita nodded, “I’ll have a pork pie because that does sound interesting.”

The various carnivorous members of the group nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, Usagi rolled her eyes, “I’ll have the Plowman’s Lunch. That’s good enough for me, what about you, Uesugi-Chan?”

Said former warlord gave her own nod, “That sounds fine for me, Usagi-Chan.”

Eyebrows furrowing, Yae looked at one bit with a frown, “What is... sticky... toffae...”

Smile on his face, Harry chuckled, “Sticky toffee pudding? You mean this?”

When he pointed at the one in question, the Kendoka blushed some and nodded, “Hai? I mean...” She sighed a bit, “I’m not nearly as good at English as the rest of you.”

Much to her surprise, Kaku patted her on the back, “It’s fine, Yae-San. The rest of us wouldn’t be as good either if we weren’t friends with Harry-Kun here.”

Asuka gave a rapid nod, “He’s a huge help since it is his first language. Same with Jin and some of the others as well.”

While various others chimed in, said wizard had a flush on his cheeks, “Um, thanks guys.” Then, Harry shrugged it off, “As for what it is? It’s a dessert made of sponge cake and covered with caramel sauce while served with vanilla custard or ice cream.”

For a few moments no one said anything before the teens looked at each other and grinned as they loudly agreed that they wanted some.

Of course, they did wonder why Harry walked off to give another order to the waitress, but she shrugged it off and nodded. After a half hour, their meals came to their table and they blinked at the gelatinous mass on the plate in front of Harry.

It was Rika, however, who spoke up as her pupils became slits, “Is that... fish?”

Lightly laughing, the teenage wizard nodded as he took a bit before chewing for a few moments and then removing a bone, “Hai, jellied eels as a matter of fact.” Seeing the Nekomata staring at his food, Harry chuckled, “Want to try some?”

Even as Rika nodded, Okita had an odd look on her face as she swallowed some of her own food, “Jellied... eels? Really?”

With a shrug, Harry smiled as Rika took some onto her own plate, “Well, they are pretty good. And are a traditional British food, so...” Smirk appearing on his face, he grinned, “So who wants some?”

The various teens looked at each other before those of a more meat eating bent nodded. Usagi, for her part, rolled her eyes as she took a bite of her cheese sandwich, ‘Carnivores...’

Not long after they finished with their meals, their sticky toffee pudding was brought out and they happily dug in. Off to a side where he was sipping a mug of beer with Jin, Carnwennan smiled, “Good to see them enjoying themselves.”

Leaning back after taking a bite of her own pudding, Jin chuckled, “Same. It was a good thing for Asuka that she became friends with the others.” With a sip of her Guinness, the Mizuchi hummed, “Well, we still got, what? Nine more days of picking with the turner?”

The dagger nodded some as he ate his own dessert, “Roughly that, not counting the last day of sightseeing and then dinner before we pack up.” That got him a nod from his companion before they continued their chat, though he smiled some as Harry wiped Kenshō’s mouth and face after she had eaten most of her dessert, ‘Ah, this is what makes it all worth it...’

 

Harry Leferts

Letting out a loud groan, Rika flopped back onto the couch with her head landing in Usagi’s lap before she stretched, “Ahhh, tomorrow is the last day of our time here!”

Amused, the rabbit Yokai smiled down at her friend before applying more preserves to the scone she held, “Until September or October at least when we come back to harvest the apples and stuff.”

Rolling her eyes at the groan that got from the Nekomata, though she could see a slight smile playing at Rika’s lips, Asuka stretched her wings out a little, “I’ve actually enjoyed it. This has been kind of fun and...” The Tengu’s voice lowered to a near whisper, “It reminded me of when I used to help Tou-San out on the farm...”

Simply reaching over, the Tanuki of the group gave her shoulder a squeeze. Then, Kaku turned to the rest, “It was pretty fun. And I don’t think that anyone could complain about it.” His tone then became dry as he turned to Usagi, “Though some people seemed more interested in eating the crops than harvesting them.”

With a smirk on her face, Usagi bit into her scone with a smirk, “What can I say? I’m a growing bunny after all.”

That got her eyerolls before Nobu snickered some and nodded towards Yae who had eaten half a scone in a single bite, “You’re in good company there, I think.”

Yae flushed at that, only for the rabbit among them to get up, placing Rika’s head to the side, and throwing an arm around her, “I feel like I have found a long lost sister! Just somehow missing the cute, poofy tail and ears.”

Despite the blush, the Kendoka still snickered a little, “Same, Gozaru.” She then smiled a little as she looked at her scone, “I think that my family will be happy with what I bring home, however.”

Watching as Yae finished off her scone and went to eat another, Harry internally snorted, ‘I’m just thankful that I got enough ingredients for everyone to be fed.’ Then, he gave a small shrug, “Anyways, since tomorrow is the last day, what say I make a full Sunday roast for all of us? In celebration?”

Each of the other teens nodded and made sounds of agreement at that though Usagi and Uesugi asked that some vegetables dishes be made.

Glancing over at Nobu, Harry raised an eyebrow, “So what do you think of the tea, Nobu-Chan? It’s Chamomile.”

Just closing her eyes, the former warlord took a sip of said honey sweetened tea before humming. Then, Nobu opened her eyes and swallowed as she set the cup aside, “It is interesting and different herbal tea from what I am used to.” Rubbing her chin, she made a motion with her other hand, “You mentioned that it is made from a species of flower?”

Harry gave a nod before smiling, “Hai, they’re similar to daisies actually. In the olden days, the tea was used for medicinal purposes. Like helping with, um, that time of the month for girls and giving some relief.” Then, he shrugged a little, “But it also helps one to relax and get some sleep.”

Considering that, Nobu raised her eyebrow before taking another sip and nodding, “Perhaps it could be useful then!” Another sip went down her throat as she swished the tea over her tongue, “It is an interesting blend of herbal tea just the same, what do you think, Uesugi-Chan?”

Said former warlord gave a nod of her own, “Agreed, Nobu-Chan. I wouldn’t be against having some on sleepless nights.” Eyes closed, she hummed a bit as she wet her own throat, “Though I prefer lemon rather than honey.”

Lightly laughing, her friend shook her head and commented that it could not be helped. Meanwhile, Okita placed some heavy cream onto a cut scone and added a dollop of peach jam before biting into it. Once she chewed and swallowed, she washed it down with some of her own tea before speaking up, “Speaking of relaxation... tomorrow will be just that, right?”

From where she sat in Harry’s lap, Natsumi smiled at the former Shinsengumi, “Hai, tomorrow is just a day to relax and lounge around. Anything goes.”

Perking up some, Yae gave them a smile, “I already know that Juuchi-San wants to have a match with me. And I am looking forward to it.”

With a hum, the wizard of the group chuckled a little, “I’ll probably have another match with Ayase-Chan myself. Our last one was fun.”

Knowing smirk on her face, Uesugi hummed, “Indeed, I suppose... what were the words you used? Ah, yes, not having your arse kicked all over the place would indeed be something that you would cherish.”

That got laughs from the others even as Harry rolled his eyes at them, “Yeah, yeah, laugh up the fact that I keep eating grass, you bunch. One of these days I’ll surprise you.”

Grin hidden behind her cup, Okita snickered, “And I’ll look forward to that day.” The good natured grumbles she got only made her grin the more. Looking around, the swordswoman’s expression softened a little as she observed the group. Soft candle light lit the room, giving a warmth to their surroundings as they chatted and laughed while drinking tea with treats,

‘This... was so worth it as a trip.’

A glance at Nobu got her an understanding nod from said girl, which made her smile grow.

Moments later, Kaku sighed some as he stretched and smirked, “Pool party tomorrow afternoon?”

The answering grins made him laugh.

Hours ticked by and everyone had gone to bed when Harry awoke. On either side of him, Taigei and Ryuuhou had smiles on their faces with the Submarines spooning them. For a few moments, the teenage wizard wondered what awoke him when he felt a nose rub against his own and he blinked a bit as he could see Natsumi’s eyes looking back at him. Voice nearly a whisper, Harry blinked a little, “Natsumi-Chan? What is it?”

She glanced at the others before speaking, her own voice a whisper, “Harry-Chan? Mind getting up out of bed? I... want to show you something.”

With that, she slipped back and out of the bed and paused at the foot of it. It took all his skill, but Harry managed to do the same as well without waking the sleeping shipgirls sharing said bed. Then, he followed Natsumi out into the hall.

Distantly, he could hear the grandfather clock in the main entry hall chime the midnight hour as he followed the Kitsune. The various lights brightened and then dimmed as they passed them until they reached the grand staircase heading flesh to the entry hall, “Natsumi-Chan? Where are we going?”

Glancing over her shoulder, the pajama clad girl had a small, shy smile, “Just... outside.”

For a moment, Harry frowned some, but... he knew that this was Natsumi and so followed her out the door, carefully and quietly opening then closing it behind them. Soon, their feet touched the damp, dewy grass and they continued to walk until they came to the millpond, fireflies dancing above the surface.

For several moments, the two didn’t do anything. But then, Natsumi took a deep breath and looked up at the sky, “It’s beautiful out, isn’t it, Harry-Chan?”

Also looking up, Harry could only nod as his gaze swept across the starry night, the nearly Full Moon brightly illuminating the area, “Hai, it is.” He then turned towards Natsumi, “But... you didn’t bring me out here to stargaze, did you?”

Turning to him, Natsumi let out a slow, deep breath before nodding, “No, I didn’t.” She then reached over and took his hands in hers before taking a step until she was pressed against him, her forehead against his, “I... it is about the other night, Harry-Chan. When we took that shower and I told you my secret.”

Part of the teenage wizard couldn’t help but remember what it felt like as the two of them hugged. But the rest simply nodded, “I remember. And like I told you, that changes nothing for me, Natsumi-Chan. Absolutely. Nothing.”

Lips curling, Natsumi sighed a little, “Hai, and I know that. You... you don’t know what weight you lifted off my shoulders, Harry-Chan. It’s been weighing me down, and you simply took it on, and for that I thank you. But I remember one part of our conversation and... it made me think over the past few days. Think long and hard... and so I want to show you something.” Her honey brown eyes met his emerald, “Do you trust me?”

Not even thinking about it, because it was Natsumi, Harry nodded, “Always.” Understanding what she wanted, he leaned forward and opened himself as she did herself. And moments later, only he stood there even as his hair lengthened and lightened, while his features became more androgynous and his ears lengthened and pointed. After a few moments, he opened his eyes and blinked, ‘{Natsumi-Chan?}’

Her mental voice softly answered him back, ‘{Harry-Chan? Could you open yourself as much as you can? For me?)’

Blinking, Harry nodded a little after taking a breath. Within Natsumi’s mindscape, Tamamo lounged back as she watched the “Eclipse” in the sky progress until the Sun and Moon covered half of each other, ‘I wonder what you are doing, Natsumi...? Hmm?’

Meanwhile, the fourteen year old boy was wondering what Natsumi could want. He could feel his hair lengthen until it reached his shoulders, and his ears move a bit upwards. Part of him even swore that he could feel a little something where his tail bone was. Yet, from Natsumi, there was nothing...

Until there was.

From deep within him, he could feel something well up. It was warm, like a bath. Yet, at the same time, it felt like it was lifting him upwards as well, buoying him. Harry could tell that it was from Natsumi, that it was her. Said feeling also conveyed a gentleness, care.

Voice thick with emotion as he recognized it, Harry blinked away some wetness, “N-Natsumi-Chan...?”

Tone gentle, but carrying a soft mental smile, Natsumi spoke up, ‘{Can you feel this, Harry-Chan? This... this is how I feel for you.}’

A tear slowly trickled down Harry’s cheek followed by another.

Then, another.

More followed as Harry stood there in the night, the Moon shining down along with the stars as fireflies danced. Slowly, Natsumi brought up their arms, gently holding Harry as if he was hugging himself as the Kitsune spoke, ‘{I know that you find it hard, Harry-Chan, but this... this is how I feel for you. And I’m not alone in that.}’

Swallowing, the teenage wizard nodded as he fell to his knees, ‘{I... I know. A-and I...}’

Harry could almost swear that he felt Natsumi’s finger against his lip, ‘{I know, Harry-Chan. As we are right now... we can feel each other. We cannot hide from each other. I understand that you can’t say it quite yet, but I can wait for you. Will wait for you. For as long as you need. Some might say that I am too young, that I don’t understand...}’ After a moment, she continued, ‘{But right now, this is how I feel for you. And how you feel for me. I weep that you’re hurt, that you cannot say what I can tell in this state that you want. That you want so badly. But... for you? I can say them. I can speak for us both.}’

Right then, Harry could tell that some of the tears dripping down his cheeks were Natsumi’s. He could feel her around him in an embrace as she mentally and spiritually held him, ‘{Natsumi-Chan...}’

Mental voice soft with gentleness and something else, Natsumi spoke the words that the boy she cared for needed. Words that he could not deny the truth of, not carried by the emotions from the Kitsune that he could feel as well as he could his own. Ones that caused even more tears, from both of them, to run down their face.

‘{Harry Potter... I love you.}’

And he came undone.

 

Harry Leferts

Neither Harry nor Natsumi knew how long they knelt there under the watchful Moon and Stars, for time lost meaning to the two. Those five words, just five... simple words... caused something inside of the wizard to come undone. There was no lie, no chance of one, because Harry could feel the true emotion behind those words. And so he wept and openly with no shame, as it had no place in that moment. The only one to witness being someone he trusted with all his being.

For Natsumi, too, wept with him even as she embraced his best she could in the Kitsune-Tsuki. Her feelings surrounded him, swaddling him like a warm, comforting blanket. Even the Kitsune’s soul seemed to wrap around his. And she continued to whisper, softly, those same words into his mind.

‘{Harry Potter, I love you.}’

Each time, another wave of tears came from the teenage boy’s eyes. The voices that would have argued against the words silenced, unable to penetrate through the emotions being wrapped around him. Each time those words were spoken, they were like a battering ram being used against a castle gate. They were like the sharpest sword, cutting through chains with ease.

‘{Harry Potter... I love you.}’

And so Natsumi wept alongside him. For she knew what her words were doing, the emotion behind them was accomplishing. Because as they were, in that moment, she could not lie to him, and he knew. They were bared, almost fully, to one another right then. No walls between them.

She wept for him, for the wounds on his heart and soul. Tears metaphorically rolled down her cheeks as her words acted like a lancelet as they cut open old wounds and caused him pain. Pain that she took on herself to help him, shouldering his burden as her own.

‘{Harry Potter... I love you.}’

Pus composed of old hate, both directed and self-inflicted, as well as anger, despair, and the like bubbled up as the scars were cut open as the infection was exposed. So too did come the poison of hurtful words and looks that had been trapped inside the closed wounds. The words... those simple words cutting open wounds that they yet festered in. Draining those wounds.

‘{Harry Potter... I love you.}’

Yet, words alone might not have been enough, but in this case they were not alone. In the state that they were in, Harry could feel Natsumi’s emotions, her true feelings for him. Emotions that became more clear as she opened herself still further, pushing past her own walls around her soul with him doing the same as they reached for each other. Inside the mindscape, Tamamo watched in surprise as the eclipse went beyond the half way mark, nearly three quarters complete and continuing.

Neither teen noticed that the ears of their shared body had become fully fox-like and nearly reached the top of their head. Nor did they notice the small bit of bushy tail poking out from behind them. Instead, they were focused on the other, on the words being said and what was being felt.

‘{Harry Potter... I love you.}’

Those emotions coming from Natsumi, those true feelings she felt, acted like the purest and cleanest water against the reopened wounds. They gently washed out the poison and the pus that had festered there. For such things could not stand against it, only... become dissolved and washed away. And once that poison, that pus and infection, was washed away? Once the scarred wounds were clean?

Those words that had reopened the old wounds sutured them close. Acting as stitches to keep the wound closed so that it could finally heal fully. The feelings behind them acting as a bandage to keep them clean.

‘{Harry Potter... I, Ono Natsumi... love you with all my heart, know this to be true.}’

Finally, the healing that had begun years ago, could fully do so.

Within the mindscape, Tamamo’s echo looked up at the sky in wonder as the Eclipse was complete, the corona dancing as an aura rippled across the sky. At the same time, the scar on Harry’s forehead ripped open a little with some drops of black blood dripping out. Elsewhere in Britain, in a ruined manor, an deformed looking infant screamed in the purest agony possible while nearby, a snake writhed in pain. A mousy looking man squeezing himself into a corner as he looked on in terror.

Eventually, the tears stopped running down their face, slowly drying.

Blinking bloodshot eyes, Harry looked up from where they kneeled. Somehow, the world seemed so much brighter now. At the same time, he felt lighter, as if a weight that he had not known existed was now... not gone, not yet, but greatly diminished. The cool night breeze brushed past him, not chill enough to shiver from but almost refreshing. Around him, flowers gently bobbed in the breeze, the whisper of the grass and nearby tree branches carried in the air along with the chirp of the crickets.

Above, the Moon shone down gently, its light turning the millpond into a mirror of argent. The dew on the blades of grass and on the wildflowers twinkling in the starlight even as the small glowing dots of fireflies danced in the air. In that moment, that private moment that only the two would share to the end of their days in the far future, the world felt... new. As if it, or they, had been reborn.

Neither spoke, for no words were needed. Their emotions, how they felt for one another, bared fully to each other and entwined. It seemed as if their very souls were embracing each other completely and fully. Nothing more was needed in that moment but the other, and that was what they had. For them, the moment continued for an eternity.

But, all things come to an end, though they would forever share that moment. Still emotional, Harry had a small smile playing at his lips, ‘{Natsumi-Chan... I... feel that way too. I just wish...}’

Part of him swore that he could feel her take his hand in hers, giving it a gentle squeeze, ‘{I know, Harry-Chan, and I understand. You don’t need to force yourself, not to me, not like we are. We can feel each other, I know how you feel without words. Right now, we don’t need them. One day, you’ll be able to share those words, and that is enough for me. I love you, and I will keep saying it for as long as I can.}’

Throat feeling constricted, the teenage boy nodded, ‘{I know. Thank you.}’

He could feel her give a metaphorical nod in return, as well as somehow see her smile in his mind. It was then, however, that one of his ears twitched. Blinking, Harry went to scratch it only to not find it where it was supposed to be. Slowly, he moved his hand upwards, and found something that felt like a fox’s ear on the top of his head.

Neither of them said anything as that bit of information filtered into their minds. Moments later, they felt something move behind them and Harry looked over their shoulder and boggled a bit at the two, dark furred and bushy tails that were there and attached to him, ‘{... Natsumi-Chan?}’

From over their link, he could feel her surprise as well, ‘{I... I think...}’ Their eyes blinked again, ‘{D-did we actually...}’

The two shared a metaphorical look before slowly raising to their feet. It took a little bit of effort as Harry found his balance slightly off. But they walked towards the millpond and he “Wrote” an ofuda in the air using a glowing tip of his finger while whispering a spell. Said spell caused the water that they were looking at to still and become smooth as glass and reflective. A short spell to create an orb of light showed that the water had become a mirror, and the teen’s eyes widened at the slight that met them.

Because, reflected back at them was a different person. The boy, and they knew that from various things, was completely androgynous. One of the very first things that caught their attention was the face. In particular the eyes as one was emerald green speckled with gold, and the other was a golden colour with specks of green. But both eyes practically glowed with power. The rest of their face had an almost aristocratic look, but with feminine aspects and definite Japanese looks, like one parent had been Japanese and one European.

On top of their head, two fox ears twitched. Said ears were nestled in a head of dark auburn, nearly black hair that grew to about mid back. One thing that they noted was that it was slightly messy, showing aspects of Harry’s hair. The rest of their body was somewhat slender in a way that would confuse one in whether they were male or female, as one might think that they were either a boyish girl or girlish boy.

Meanwhile, behind them, two fox tails the colour of their hair swished to and fro in the night air.

It went without saying that their jaw dropped a little. Something that revealed another fact. Mainly the enlarged canines, practically fangs, that were in their mouth.

Stunned, they then brought up their hand and examined it. The skin had a shade somewhere between their original ones. But, touching it, it was completely smooth. As they continued down it, they came to their slender fingers which each had a long, sharp nail, really a claw, at the end. Tilting their hand until the palm was facing upwards, they ignited a flame of fox fire in it as easily as Natsumi could, though it was roughly the size of a basketball instead of the baseball sized orb that they had aimed for.

Neither spoke for a few moments after extinguishing the Kitsune-Bi. But then, Harry glanced back at their arm and blinked, “Well... I guess that if we ever want to become competitive swimmers, we won’t need to worry about shaving...”

After a moment, he heard a snort from Natsumi in his head before it became full blown laugher. Soon after, he too began to laugh and fell to the ground as he laughed. Both of them had tears running down their faces once more, but these were happy ones.

When they finally stopped laughing, Natsumi shook their head as she spoke, “I can’t believe that we did it... and accidentally at that!” Pausing, she reached up and rubbed at their throat, “Huh... our voice even sounds like a perfect mix. That will take some getting used to.”

From deep within their mind, Tamamo spoke up with a chuckle in her voice, ‘{Perhaps. But allow me to congratulate the two of you on completing the Kitsune-Tsuki transformation. And well ahead of what even I had expected as well.}’

That made them blink before Harry answered for the both of them, ‘{Um, thank you?}’

Laughter in her voice, he could almost imagine the old vixen bow slightly, ‘{You are quite welcome, Harry.}’

Head tilted to the side as he examined their new claws, a frown crossed his face, ‘{What does this mean, by the way? I mean... are we human? Or Kitsune like this?}’

Natsumi gave a mental nod of her own at that, ‘{I’m wondering that myself, though I don’t mind how close it makes us.}’

Amusement colouring her voice, Tamamo spoke up, ‘{No, I don’t suppose that it does~}’ She took a moment to enjoy the embarrassment from both teens before continuing, ‘{As for what it means as to what you are? Right now, as far as magic is concerned... the two of you are both fully Kitsune and fully human at the same time. A sort of... quantum state, if you will.}’

Furrowing his eyebrows, Harry frowned, ‘{So we’re a... Schrodinger’s Kitsune in a way?}’

Moments later, a hum came from the ancient fox spirit, ‘{That is a rather apt way of putting it. One thing to note is that you gain the benefits of both aspects when it comes to magic. You could choose if magic that would affect only one aspect of your combined state would affect you. For example, magic that might exclude a human from a place, but not a Kitsune, would not affect you if you do chose. As well, magic that could be beneficial for a human, but have no effect or a negative one for a Kitsune, can still be used for or on you as if you were a normal human. Quite useful, is it not?’

Utterly stunned, the two teens could only nod as they spoke the same thing, ‘{Wow... so cool.}’

Chuckling inside the mindscape, Tamamo smirked a bit as she looked at the orb that contained the snake representing parseltongue. After a moment, her smirk widened as she glanced at the chained pelt and held a copy of the orb, but empty, above it. Moments later, she began the walk towards Harry’s portion of the mindscape as she tossed the new orb up and down...

A small fox curled up inside of it.

Laying back on the dew covered grass, Harry stared up into the sky. With human eyes, he could only see so much. But now? He could use the vision of a Kitsune, which showed so much more of the heavens above, ‘{Its beautiful, isn’t it.}’

That got him a happy hum from the teenage Kitsune, ‘{Hai, it really is.}’ He could feel her mentally look towards him with a smile, ‘{Especially with you.}’

Once more, there was that warmth, that love, that came from Natsumi and made him smile.

Eventually, however, all things end. And the two of them came out of Kitsune-Tsuki. Now separated, Harry took a deep breath before letting it out and turning towards Natsumi. A small bit of wetness in his eyes, he hugged her close, with the Kitsune returning it, “Thank you.”

Hugging him tightly, Natsumi nuzzled him, “You don’t even need to thank me, Harry-Chan.” She brought one hand and cupped his cheek before rubbing their noses together, “Ever, because I love you.”

Blush on his face, Harry just smiled before kissing her, something that Natsumi returned full heartedly. This time, his hands were not on her hips, which made the fourteen year old girl smile into the kiss. As he pulled back, Harry looked into her eyes for a few moments with a smile before it fell off and he chewed his lip, “Natsumi-Chan? You mentioned the others... and said that they, um... that they also...”

Expression on her face gentle, even as she cursed once more Harry’s relatives, the Kitsune nodded, “They do love you, Harry-Chan. Just like I love you and just as much. Believe me on that.” Shaking her head, she gave him a quick peck, “And one day, they’ll tell you those words. But that will be on their own time and in their own ways, but understand... they love you, each of them.”

Lost look on his face, Harry licked his lips some, “But... why? Why love me?”

Cocking a eyebrow, Natsumi shook her head before leaning in, “Harry-Chan? I think that you already know the answer. You felt it in me, but... you’ll understand, I believe in you. And love you as well.”

With that, she pulled him into another kiss there under the Moonlight.

 

Mushapi

A bit short but since I returned I wanted to continue writing about Siusan even if its only short blurbs for now. Let me know your thoughts. I realize that parts may be a bit stilted.
*-*-*


As they walked through the forest outside the village Siusan considered Haruka. She was just as beautiful as she remembered. Perhaps a different kind of beauty than when she had been Bridget, but sill a beauty of equal measure. It was how nature absolutely adored her. The way the plants strained to be closer to her, the birds singing more brightly. As Haruka chittered happily as she showed Siusan the forest telling her about each of the forest members with the very same joy and wonder Siusan lay her head on the now taller Haruka.

"Haruka dear, when you are ready I would like to show you our forest again," She said. "Back on the isle I kept our forest in good health and safe. And your keep well it may not be in the best repair, but well our children rest there."

Haruka stilled.

"I don't mean right away or any time in the near future but when you are ready I would like to reintroduce you to our old forest like you are introducing me here. So much has changed love. Like remember that squirrel that lived in the ancient oak tree in the courtyard that liked to sleep on your head, his descendant are absolutely overrunning the forest now," Siusan quickly added.

"Perhaps..." Haruka drifted into silence as she sat down under the boughs of an ancient tree, beams of light haloing around her. "But not now, maybe soon but I am still not ready yet. I hope you understand."

"I do love, I do. But when your are I will be waiting. Perhaps we can take Harry child, his queen and court with him. It would be good for him to meet more members of his family even if they are long passed." Siusan curled around her, where a moment ago there had been two women now two foxes lay in the sunbeams lancing down between the leaves.

"When I am ready I think I would like that. I just need a little more time. I don't know why it should be easy to return but I hesitate." The Japanese fox trembled

"Shh love its okay." Siusan wrapped her tail around Haruka.

The two foxes lay together under the ancient tree content in eachother's presence. Only as the sun began to set did they rise and begin to return to the village. Two old souls healing together.

 

Third Summer Holidays - Summer THREE G, Split Point due to Keep Filesize Down

START
​

 

Harry Leferts

Stretching as she sat up in bed, Yae let out a soft, happy sigh as she looked towards the window where the Sun was shining in. Over the trip, she had a lot of fun. Not just picking fruit and the like, but also seeing various sights. For a girl whose household could at best be considered “Upper-Middle Class”, it was amazing and practically the trip of a lifetime. Hence why her parents had agreed to it upon talking with Nagato.

And the teenage Kendoka had not regretted it one bit.

With a soft sigh, she walked over to the window and opened it, allowing the morning breeze to enter the room. Here and there, she could see some clouds of mist stubbornly clinging to the ground. Along with the dew, it was a magical sight, said thought making her giggle a little considering things. Walking over to where her phone was, Yae took it off the charger and made her way back to the window in order to take another picture to share with her family.

Upon returning to the window, she gasped a little at the sight that met her. Because slowly making its way across the grounds was a doe along with what had to be her faun. For a few moments, Yae just stared in awe before remembering her phone and taking some pictures. With that done, she just leaned against the windowsill and watched with a smile. For someone who spent nearly their entire life in the city, this... This was a true treat to see and she spent minutes just watching.

Later, the Kendoka joined the others at breakfast, tucking into it with gusto. Now, she didn’t shovel her food into her mouth like some character from an anime, she did have manners. But, she still ate a lot for a girl of her size and age. Finishing off her first breakfast roll, she swallowed and watched as Harry set down a bowl in front of first Usagi and then Uesugi, “Here you go, some freshly made Muesli. Hope that you enjoy!”

Smile on her face, Usagi shook her head as she took up her spoon, “I’m sure that I will, Harry-Kun.” Taking a spoonful, she raised an eyebrow before putting it in her mouth and chewing for a few moments. Then, her eyebrows rose as she swallowed and she hummed, “Oh I am definitely liking this.”

More than a little curious, Yae ate some more eggs as she looked at the oat filled dish, “What is that, Usagi-Chan? It looks like oatmeal...”

Just swallowing another mouthful, the Inaba shrugged some, “It’s a European dish that Natsumi-Chan told me about. I wanted to try some since, well, vegetarian.” Taking another bite, she soon continued, “I mean, it is different, but good.”

Beside her, Uesugi nodded as she ate her own breakfast though she had some of those pancake-like “Oatcakes” beside her, “Indeed, it is pretty good.”

For several moments the lone non-magical considered that before raising her hand, “Could I have a bowl, Harry-San? It looks good!”

Lightly chuckling, the wizard nodded some, “Sure thing. I’ll even make it in front of you.” That caused the others to perk up and Harry brought over the ingredients with the others watching. Opening up a mason jar, he spooned out a soggy mixture that he placed into a bowl, “Now, first, we have our oats. These have been soaked overnight in milk, making them nice and soft for breakfast. Then we add...” He picked up an apple and tossed it into the air spinning with a flick of his wrist. Catching it on his arm, he rolled it down to his elbow before bouncing it into the air and catching it, “A fresh apple.”

Grins in their faces, the other teens applauded as did various members of the Potter Armoury as well as the shipgirls, though Kitakami-Maru was taking notes. Eyes wide, Yae shook her head a little, “Gozaru...”

Meanwhile, Harry picked up the grater and went to work, “Now, we grate the apple that we’re using into the mixture, skin and all...”

Curious, Okita tilted her head as she watched the wizard practically shred the apple with expert ease. Blinking, she furrowed her eyebrows some, “Um, Harry-Kun? I think that you got to the core...”

Lightly chuckling, the wizard looked up at her, “When I said we grate the apple, I mean all of it, Okita-Chan. That includes the core.” Ignoring the blinks that got, he continued once he was finished, “Now, we add a little lemon juice, which will keep the pulp from browning. Then, in goes the sliced almonds and chopped hazelnuts. Followed by a good selection of berries in the form of redcurrants, blackcurrants, raspberries, and blackberries...” Reaching for a bowl, Harry picked it up, “Finished by heavy cream sweetened with honey, which we mix in fully...” About a minute later, he held out the bowl with a small bow as he handed it to Yae, “And there we go! Fresh muesli, perfect for the summer morning.”

A few moments later, Yae picked up a spoon and used it before looking at the food. Furrowing her eyebrows, she frowned for a moment before putting into her mouth and smiling. After swallowing, she nodded, “It’s good!” That got chuckles from the others, but Yae didn’t care as she began to consume what was in the bowl, ‘I wonder if Sensei would like this...’

The various conversations continued around the table as they ate. At one point, Harry got up and took some of the dishes with him into the kitchen where they would be cleaned later, not knowing that Hachi was following him with an odd expression on her face. Setting down the plates, the teenage wizard felt the arms of the Submarine go around his waist, "Hachi-Chan?"

Setting her chin on his shoulder, Hachi nodded some, "Ja, Harry-Chan." She looked at him and furrowed her eyebrows, "Harry-Chan... did something happen last night? With you and Natsumi-Chan?"

Needless to say, that made Harry blink before he looked over his shoulder at her. For a few moments, he was quiet before he nodded, "Hai, something did, but... nothing bad. Why?"

Her lips curling into a smile, the Submarine gave his waist a small squeeze, "Because you seem... different, this morning." Seeing him about to say something, she placed one finger against his lips, "Not in a bad way, Harry-Chan." Pausing for a moment, Hachi continued, "But more like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders."

For almost a minute, Harry didn't say anything, but then he gave Hachi a smile as he brought his own arms up and hugged her around the waist, "You could say that, Hachi-Chan. Natsumi-Chan... told me some things in a way that I could not ignore. In a way that no one else could and... it made me realize some things. Good things."

Watching his face, and focusing on his eyes, Hachi smile grew. Part of her was curious about the conversation in question, but she could see that it was a personal one and so only nodded, "I see, Harry-Chan. That's good to hear."

Gaze going to her face for a moment, the teenage boy glanced towards where the dining room was. Where they were at, there was a small wall blocking those in the dining room from seeing anything. After a second or two of thought, Harry leaned in and kissed Hachi, the Submarine happily returning it even as it deepened a touch. But then, remembering one of the earlier kissing sessions with Natsumi, he moved his hands from her waist further behind her and down. Briefly, Hachi's eyes widened in surprise, but then she closed them and gave a happy murmur.

As they pulled apart, Harry looked at the flushed look on the Shipgirl's face and smiled a little, "Um... I hope that is alright?"

Only glancing at the dining room, Hachi smiled and leaned down, "More than okay, Harry-Chan. Just don't do it in public for now, okay?"

After getting a nod, her smile widened and she kissed him again for a couple of seconds before winking as he removed his hands before the two went back to the table.

Upon getting back, they found Natsumi turned in her seat towards them with an amused look on her face, "We just found out something about Yae-San, Harry-Chan." She then jerked her thumb towards said Kendoka, "She's never been fishing in her life."

That made Harry blink before his eyes widened, "You've never been fishing, Yae-San?" At the shake of the head from the slightly blushing Yae, he hummed, "Well... I do have a rod or two at least. So we could go and do some fishing on the stream here. Though..." Frown on his face, the wizard shook his head, "It also depends on what sort of fishing you want to do, and I mean besides fly fishing which takes some practice."

Hands behind her head, Nobu snorted, "What's to know? You put a worm on a hook and use it-Itai!'

Picking up an apple seed, the teenage wizard flicked it with deadly accuracy and it bounced off Nobu's forehead, "Ara, ara, you are not dismissing the noble art of angling, are you?" Ignoring the snickers from Okita, he turned towards Yae who seemed to be trying to smother a grin of her own, "Anyways, different fish have different habits and perferred bait. Sure, a normal worm on a hook is a general one, but..." He then gave a small shrug, "Take pike, worms don't work in that case, but something like a dead fish on a hook would."

Just blinking at that, Yae furrowed her eyebrows in thought before chewing her lip. Then, she gave a small nod, "Maybe... just normal fish?"

Natsumi then raised her hand, "I wouldn't mind trying for some pike."

Various others nodded and Harry clapped his hands together, "Sounds great, I'll get the rods and such together as well as bait..."

An hour later found them above the millpond where there was a stream running past. Looking from it down to the millbrook, Okita scratched her head, "This is actually a fishing stream? But it doesn't look that big..." Leaning over the bank, her frown deepened, "Or deep."

Chuckling, Harry was setting up the rods, "Actually, the water is at least to your waist if you decided to take a dip, so it's deeper than you might think." He then pointed at the millpond, "The pond over there is deep enough that some parts are over your head and there's a second pond further downstream where it ends. Had them add a fish ladder so that fish down there could migrate back up."

Nobu gave him a look before taking a running leap and managing to clear the stream entirely, though at the end she had to windmill her arms a little to not fall in, "Still not that big of a stream."

In return, the wizard gave her a small shrug, "Still pretty big, from here it circles the inside of the property right up to a small tunnel that connects it to Gryffindor Stream which passes by Godric's Hollow with smaller streams leading into this one around the property and through the orchards. And having fished here? There's plenty of fish, especially game fish along with ones like perch, carp, and even some catfish as well as eel." He then shook his head a little as he straightened, "But with how little fished this brook is? And how there's some rapids that block fish from going back up? Some of them, like the pike, have gotten big."

Licking her lips some, Rika's tails twitched behind her, "I'm definitely looking forward to some fresh fish. That would be delicious..."

That got a chuckle from the others as they had expected it from the Nekomata after all. Watching as Harry placed a sardine onto the hook she was using, Natsumi tilted her head a little, "So... they'll eat sardines?"

With a glance at her, Harry nodded, "This is called dead baiting and is pretty much used for predatory fish like pike. Sardines are really good for this because they're kind of oily and disintigrate in the water over time, making sure that there's scent all over which draw in the pike." A frown appeared on his face and he shrugged, "Best time for pike is really in the fall when they're nice and fat preparing for the winter months, but... anytime of year is good except for when they're spawning."

Only nodding at that, the Kitsune looked around, "So where would you say the best spot is?"

Raising his hand, Harry pointed upstream a little, "See that spot where the stream bends? And how there's some lilies there?" At her nod, he continued, "That's a great spot for pike, the water is nice and deep with the current being slow. The lilies also give a good spot for them to lay in wait for prey." The teenage boy then gave her a kiss on the cheek before standing, "Just give me a moment to set everyone else up, Natsumi-Chan."

In reply, Natsumi gave his own cheek a kiss, "Hai, not a problem."

After a stretch, he watched over to where Yae was waiting and held out a fishing rod which she took with an unsure expression on her face. Just smiling, Harry then began to show her how to work it even as Rika moved a bit further down and started to fish herself, "Now then, we're using dead bait with you because the bigger, older trout eat small fish..."

Yae listened intently as he explained what to do before he helped her cast for the first time, which basically meant gently flicking her rod so that the hook and floater landed in the middle of the stream and began to drift before she stopped it. After that, Harry walked up to where Natsumi was and brought her to her spot. Said Kitsune had just barely gotten her own hook into the water when a shout made them turn to Yae.

Said girl had her eyes wide as something tugged at her line, jerking it around in the water, "I have something, gozaru!"

Jogging back, Harry came up beside her with a slight grin, "Great job, Yae-San! Someone get a video!"

Grin on her face, Usagi was already recording, "On it!"

Eyes wide as she pulled back, Yae watched as the line jerked up and down the stream as she reeled it in best that she could, "Go-gozaru!" There was a flash of scales and the fish, a trout, leapt into the air, "Wow..."

As she brought it closer to the bank, the wizard was waiting with a net and scooped it up as soon as he could. Grin of approval on his face, Harry looked over at the awed Yae, "Nice one! Now let's get it weighed..." Bringing it over to the scale that was there after removing the hook, he placed the flopping fish onto it and hummed, "About... ten pounds, very nice."

When he picked it up and brought it over to Yae, however, the teenage girl blinked, "Um, what am I supposed to do?"

Raising an eyebrow, Harry snickered a bit, "Well, we should be taking a picture you know, of you and your first fish."

The teenage girl smiled at that and soon, said picture was taken with her having a large grin on her face.

A triumphant shout made them turn to where Rika lifted a fish of her own, a perch, into the air, "Woo-hoo! Got one!" Weighing it, she nodded, "And it's two pounds!"

Crossing her arms, Usagi snorted some in amusement, "It's just a perch, and smaller than what Yae-San just caught."

In reply, the Nekomata shrugged, "Don't care, got fishy." Simply ignoring the laughter, she licked her lips, "I'm going to enjoy eating you..."

Both Rika and Yae went back to fishing, but a half hour later it was Natsumi's turn to catch something. The Kitsune, having layered her human disguise over herself, began reeling in her catch, even as it was giving her a fight, "Guh! Come on!" Straining as she pulled back on the rod, she grunted as she dipped it and began reeling, the line rapidly going upstream before jerking back and forth, "You're... not... getting away from me...!"

Recording it on Natsumi's phone, Taiyang grinned, "Get that fish! Mikon~"

Upon reaching her, Harry brought out his net even as Ayaka brought up the scale for weighing. As the pike, which everyone could see it was as it broke the surface in it's struggles got close, the wizard looked from the net to the fish and then shrugged before leaping into the water as various people shouted, "HARRY!"

However, he ignored how he was in waist deep water and used the net to get the pike from the tail end and lifted it until it was deposited, snapping its jaws, onto the bank and then got out himself with some help from Nobu and Okita. Leaning forward, Usagi let out a yelp as the carnivore attempted to bite her, but the teenage wizard shook his head and pinned it down, "Enough of that from you."

Seeing him bring out pliers, Taiyang leaned in as she continued to film, "Ah! Very smart to do with teeth like that."

With a snort, Harry glanced at her, "Learned from the first time one nearly tore open my hand." It took only a few seconds, but he removed the hook and nodded as the fish flopped around, "Now to weigh you..."

Once they did, more than one of them stared. Yae's eyes were wide as she looked at the scale, "Thirty pounds... that's a big fish, Gozaru."

Lips twitching, the wizard chuckled, "It is... and now for pictures! Natsumi-Chan, come on over."

Moments later, the Kitsune was holding the still alive, and somewhat snapping, monster pike in her arms which seemed about half her size with a massive grin on her face as Taiyang and Harry both took a picture.

By the end, the group caught five trout, almost all of them over five pounds, three perch of at least one pound, and Rika tried her hand at, and caught, a fifteen pound pike. Along with the two carp, they considered it a good trip. The "Fishermen" all having massive grins as they took in their catches, though the Nekomata stated that she was going to be bringing some of hers home for her family. After all, they hadn't had some of the fish in question before and it would keep under stasis charms.
_________________________________________________________

Whistling as sizzling came from the pan, Harry flipped the fillets in it with practiced ease before nodding, "Okay... it looks about done." Sliding it onto a plate, he opened the boxes beside him with had ofuda on them to reveal other cooked fish in them. A minute or so later, he entered the dining room with the plates behind him, "And here we go!"

As the plates were set down, everyone licked their lips though one plate was set down in front of Yae. Said Kendoka blinked at Harry, "Um..."

Smile playing at his lips, the fourteen year old magical nodded towards it, "That's your trout that you caught. Pan fried with some herbs and lemon." Placing another plate, this time in front of Natsumi, he smiled, "And here's your oven baked pike, milady."

Unable to help herself, Natsumi giggled some, "Why thank you, kind sir."

Then, Harry placed another plate in front of Rika, "And some fried perch." Other plates which also had the fish were placed onto the table for people to take from before a plate of greens were added, "Also, some nice watercress salad for those that want it, gathered fresh from one of the nearby springs."

Licking her lips, Usagi grabbed nearly a half plateful, "I'll take that!"

Meanwhile, the Kitsune of the group took a forkful of pike before popping it into her mouth. For a few moments, she chewed before pausing and humming, "Huh... this tastes pretty good."

Rika perked up at that and looked over at her friend even as the others took from the plates offered, "Really?" At Natsumi's nod, she reached over to the plate that had some more pike on it and took a small bit. Biting down on it, the Nekomata practically purred, "Mmm... it does taste good."

For her part, Yae was happily eating her trout with a smile on her face. What made it better was that she was going to be able to bring home the fillets for her family to try as well, and she could not wait to show off the pictures. As she ate, however, she frowned as a thought occurred to her and she turned to Harry, "Um, Harry-San? You mentioned that the stream there has been there since the beginning? Same with the ponds?"

Glancing up from his own meal, Harry nodded, "Hai, the lower pond has been there since before the mill was actually built. And the stream was built using earth moving spells. Why?"

Confusion on her face, the Kendoka took another bite of fish, "Just wondering why. You had the spring, so you didn't need water, right? So why have a stream and such?"

For a few seconds, Harry blinked before he nodded with a small smile, "Actually? There's a pretty good reason for that." Seeing everyone turn towards him, he continued, "Way back, for Christians one abstained from eating meat on Fridays. Meat, that is, except for fish which were perfectly acceptable. Of course you got some silliness like beavers being declared a fish so that they were able to be eaten on Fridays and Lent, but still." The wizard then gestured towards the fish, "So a lot of Manors, castles, and monastaries, had ponds and moats where they would raise fish for their suppers on Friday. My family simply connected their brook to Gryffindor Stream so that young fish would swim down, but not be able to return."

Happily eating her fish, Cathy hummed, "Yes, the French Potters actually had something similar as a fish pond. And from memory, the German Potters built up around a stream for the same reason."

Rubbing her chin, Nobu nodded some, "That's pretty smart when you think about it." Internally, she continued, 'And a way for protein when you need it and can't leave the local defenses...'

Eventually, the fish disappeared into empty stomachs and left behind happier, filled teens.

Once that happened, Juuchi got up from her seat with a smug smile on her face as she looked towards Yae, "I believe that the two of us have a practice spar?"

That made said Kendoka blink before she got up and smiled, "Hai, I'll go and get my gear then."

Just as she was about to leave, Cathy also stood up, "Perhaps, after, you would not mind sparring against I? It is not often that I am given the chance."

Eyes widening, Yae's smile widened even as the others chimed in as she bowed, "I look forward to it."

It only took her a few minutes to get ready before she arrived at the area behind the manor that was put aside for sword practice. Doing her stretches, Yae stood and faced Juuchi, who held Kitsune-Bokken in her hands. The Muramasa had a smug smile on her face, not bothering with armor. Slowly, she gave a nod as she slipped into a stance with an ease born of decades of experience, "Now then, let us see how that Miko Sensei of yours has trained you considering she spent most of her time lazing around."

Her eyes widening for a moment, then, Yae narrowed them into a glare. Part of her wanted nothing more than to wipe that smug smirk off the sword spirit's face for what she had said about her sensei. Something that Juuchi seemed to notice if her smugness increasing said anything. Then, Yae let out a breath and focused, "You shall see soon enough."

Smirk growing, Juuchi gave a slow nod as she cocked an eyebrow, "Perhaps."

Then, the Muramasa launched her attack, which the Kendoka barely deflected.

Watching, the other teens outside the Reincarnates had their eyes widened as they watched the two exchange a flurry of blows. Arms crossed, Goldie tilted her head to the side a little, "Most impressive for one of her age." Eyes tracking the movements of the duel, she smiled a little, "A true natural... a diamond who has been revealed fully, it would seem, Umu. I am entertained."

Her own arms crossed against her chest, Nobu chuckled some, "Of course! She is a match for the Three Kendoka Goddesses of Yokosuka Middle School!"

Rolling her eyes even as she kept her eyes on the fight, Okita sighed, "I still say that is far too Chunni." After a few minutes, she narrowed her eyes some as she noticed Yae about to do something, "Hold on, is that..."

Chest heaving, Yae focused on Juuchi before bringing her Bokken to the side. Then, she struck. For the Muramasa, time seemed to slow thanks to senses honed by centuries of combat. She watched as Yae's Bokken approached her along one path... and also another from the opposite direction though that one seemed to flicker, 'Not master, not yet... but perhaps...'

Her own Bokken lashed out as she blocked one blow and ducked under the other, Juuchi smuggly smiled. Before Yae could recover, however, Kitsune-Bokken lashed out and struck Yae behind one knee followed by a leg sweep knocking her to the ground. Suddenly, the Kendoka found the end of said Bokken almost touching her face shield as she laid there.

Above her, the Muramasa blade gave her a raised eyebrow only to nod as she pulled back, "Acceptable." Placing the Bokken to the side, she helped Yae to her feet, "Though, perhaps, you should not use a move that you have not yet mastered even in a practice fight. Still, impressive enough for one of Tokunokai's pupils, I suppose."

Breathing hard, Yae only nodded, "Hai, and thank you. Though you pressed me enough to attempt it."

Lips curling into a smirk, Juuchi tapped the top of the Kendoka's head with her Bokken, "That may be, but you are not a Potter with the Devil's own luck having been pottered by them that you can attempt it and pull it off fully." There was a beat and then she gave a nod, "At least, not yet." Bokken against her shoulder, the Japanese sword spirit went to join the others, "Now then, I believe that first Cathy and then Vala wished to test your skill as well..."

Yae grinned behind her mask as she got her breathing under control as Cathy walked up with a smile.

 

Yellowhammer

Harry Leferts said:Should be fine by now, I think.
A.N.-- Ok since I have the green light, time to do some future of the Potters and Malfoys by crossposting this arc. Well I have some 'in the future' ideas that the Muse cranked out, so here we go.

A Malfoy And Dagger's Excellent Adventure (I)

Halloween, 2036

Hogsmeade
Spoiler: A Friendship Between Dokis and Daggers

Taube Lupa du Chasteler-Malfoy stepped out of the carriage that had carried her from Hogwarts to the village and stretched to work the kinks out of her avatar. Absently she waved her wand to summon a mirror and looked at the girl reflected within its depths as she holstered her wand.

Pale blonde hair in her normal French braid (slightly lighter than her Mutti's wheat-blonde locks), golden eyes the color of Baltic amber, and a somewhat bony and triangular aristocratic face with high cheekbones (another inheritance from Mutti Ehren and Papa Draco) gave a small self-satisfied smirk.

Her gaze flickered down to her precisely tied and centered silver and emerald silk tie, white cotton shirt, emerald-trimmed gray sweater vest (Scotland being notably cool in late October), black skirt trimmed with silver and green, thick and warm gray wool stockings (a Christmas gift from the Dokis last year), and black leather knee length low-heel boots.

Perfect, she thought to herself, adjusting the silver Prefect badge with the silver serpent on green showing her rank where it glimmered from her chest before dismissing the mirror with a thought.

Then acting on habit, she mentally checked her other assets as she walked toward the waiting village. Her wand of ash wood and magical wolf fur rested in her right forearm holster, ready to be deployed instantly, likewise her hunting knife true body rested in the hidden sheath on her left forearm. Finally, last but not least, the weight of her 7.5 Brno pistol with two spare clips rested in the enchanted holster on her upper left thigh under the skirt.

Taube spared a small smirk for the memory of the looks on the shocked faces of her fellow Slytherin girls when she had revealed that her 14th birthday present was a set of custom pistols designed to fit her avatars' handgrip and balance along with a summer's worth of intensive private lessons under the demanding eye and expert tutoring of Aunt Del and her de Breuil cousins. While she was not as good a shot as Aunt Del, or even her older cousins Lou and Emma, she was almost on par with the jinn half of the De Breuil family. On her very good days.

Considering that Lou, Emma, and Del were all the spirits of pistols with all that implied for marksmanship on the range and when hunting, that was reasonable progress. For now of course, she added mentally as she scanned the clump of people waiting for the students on Hogsmeade Weekend to arrive, because Mutti did not raise a slacker. With the Abyssal War an ongoing hot spot, and other troubles magical and mundane popping up periodically (not to mention the potential for the garden-variety 'kidnap the Malfoy Heiress for ransom' potential types and the odd folks stalking cute girls), she intended to be ready for any trouble should bad luck come her way. After all, Mutti had not raised a unprepared fool either and one thing any du Chasteler Daughter was quite familiar with was the potential for trouble to come unexpectedly. Hence her habitual preparations to put a bullet, hex, or ten centimeters of Muramasa master-forged jewel steel in it someplace vital if today was her lucky day.

Her eyes lit up at the sight of dark purple hair atop a buxom and mature young woman's head. "Yuri! Over here!" she called with a wave and smile.

Her friend bustled over and hugged her. "Taube! It's good to see you again."

Taube gave a small cool smile and returned the hug. "The pleasure is mine. Just you, Yuri?"

Yuri squeezed her in the hug and whispered. "Just me. Natsuki's taking a cooking class with Otousan Harry, while Monika and Sayori are taking Minato to a Halloween costume party. So I used a Time-Turner to come here for my lesson with you before I head back to complete the loop."

Taube smiled smugly and whispered back. "Just like I'm planning to use a Time-Turner with this avatar to get in a Hogsmeade trip while working on my Runecrafting after we get done."

As she broke the embrace she reflected on her friendship with the self-named 'Dokis'.

She had met them two years ago while she was at winter break. Her Mutti and she had journeyed to the Arashi Clan's farmlands to celebrate Ian Potter's 175th Birthday alongside Aunt Claire and her family, who were providing music of course. Ian, in addition to being the father of the Arashi Clan, had also saved Oma Colombe's soul in the early 1900s so Ehren had felt honor-bound to attend, as did Taube as a representative of the du Chasteler-Malfoys.

Honor, after all, was the ironbound structure of her life that let her control and productively channel some of her less savory impulses, just like Mutti Ehren did. One thing that she had ground into her steel bones from her earliest days is that family supported family with honorable service and love.

Plus, the Arashi Clan gathering was quite a lot of fun and a good place to network with her extended family.

She had met her cousins roughly her age from the far-flung Potter family, including Harry Potter's brood.

Including his 14 year old son Minato and the four girls who he had summoned into being from their existence as AI programs before their computer self-destructed. Natsuki, Sayori, Monika, and Yuri, all of whom loved Minato deeply and utterly. Something Taube acknowledged privately, for she sensed some of the same darkness that she struggled with, a legacy of her Muramasa bloodlust through Mutti and Oma's line.

Following that meeting, she had corresponded with the Dokis and Potters via letter and email as well as spoken on the telephone with regularity.

Taube in particular was drawn to Yuri who shared several of her interests such as literature.

And knives.

Yuri had admitted to her shortly after meeting that she wished to help the other Dokis keep their Minato-chan safe and secure until they could marry him, which was a plan that Taube wholeheartedly approved. However, while Yuri and the other Dokis were far faster and stronger than normal humans and even had some magical potential, there were things out there that were threats to humanity that they would need an edge against. Things like some of the remnants of the Death Eaters and other Dark Wizard terrorists, certain Dark Creatures... and of course the hostile Abyssals.

For those foes, Yuri would need an edge, and thanks to thinking about Aunt Estelle and her family, Taube had a solution to the Doki's problem of how to keep Minato safe. Using some of her mother's family contacts (and pleading eyes on Aunt Estelle to get the information from her) she had learned that it would be possible to forge another spellbreaker dagger to keep Minato safe if a magical attacker came for him and the Dokis.

It wouldn't be cheap or easy, and the wielder would need to be trained to handle the blade. However, Yuri had the innate ability needed to use the dagger being crafted for her to the utmost level of her abilities once she gained the skills via practice and teaching.

All she needed was a trainer in Western-style knife fighting along with someone willing to help finance the smithing and the rare and exotic magical ingredients used to ground out magic into the steel matrix.

Such as a certain hunting knife's spirit who was naturally highly skilled in fighting with her steel and quite capable in her spellwork, along with being quite wealthy thanks to her inheritance as Papa Draco's second oldest daughter and Mutti Ehren's oldest child.

And if in exchange a hunting knife's spirit got to deepen her friendship with some people who understood her need for obsessive love of people and ideals that she could protect, semi-periodic attacks of bloodlust, and capability for shocking levels of lethal violence when required, who could in turn help her manage and control the worst impulses that she struggled with?

Well then.

It really was a win-win friendship in Taube's eyes.

 

Harry Leferts

Almost everyone was seated around the table as scents drifted out from the kitchen as evening arrived. Before arriving in the dining room, they had taken time to grab a shower and the like, and were now waiting. More than one stomach grumbled a little at the smells as they awaited the dinner to come. As it turned out, they did not need to wait very long as Harry walked out of the kitchen alongside Taigei and Ryuuhou with various covered plates and the like which were set down on the table.

Grin on his face, the wizard chuckled a little, "Is everyone hungry? Because we got a nice, Sunday roast."

Licking her lips as she focused on one of the covered plates, Natsumi glanced at him before commenting dryly, "What do you think, Harry-Chan?

That got a chuckle from Harry as he grinned at her, "I think that you might all be wanting some food. Now first, for the vegetarians as well as for the sides we have..." He began to uncover plates, "Roast potatoes, steamed beans, peas, and carrots with butter. Along with that, we have some brocolli, also steamed with butter, cauliflower cheese, which is lightly boiled cauliflower with chedder chease sauce. And, finally for the sides besides the bread rolls, we have the Yorkshire pudding with your choice of beef gravy or onion gravy." Waiting as he watched the others look even more hungry, the teenage wizard reached over and grasped the last two covered plates, "With that we have the centerpiece... the roast beef!"

More than one of the teens made an impressed sound as he pulled off the covers to reveal said hunks of meat gently steaming in the air.

Unnoticed by them, Harry glanced at Nagato who gave a small nod before he continued, "There is only one last thing." Seeing their attention on him, he made a gesture and a jug came from the kitchen, "Being as this is a celebratory dinner for a great job, and how magical law is... after the dinner, you can have your choice of cider from last year's apples or some damson wine."

Eyes widening, Yae stared at him, "W-wait, we can drink some?"

Nagato raised a finger, "As this is a private residence in Britain, yes, you can. But I will allow you all to have one glass of your choice and that is all. No more than that." A smile appeared on her face, "It is a celebration and reward for all your work."

Much to her amusement, a sigh came from Nobu as she leaned back, "Ah, finally... I'll get to drink alcohol again."

Various people there snickered at the reaction and turned back to Harry as he began to cut the roast beef into slices which were put onto plates while the others took what sides they wanted.

Humming to herself as she took various vegetables and the Yorkshire pudding, Usagi smiled as she put the onion gravy over it, "Now this does look, and smell, amazing."

From where she sat beside her, Ayaka was practically drooling as she looked at the hunk of tender meat that was placed in front of her, "You're telling me." Licking her lips, she swallowed before taking a piece and eating it with a happy hum, 'So good...'

Meanwhile, as she was eating, Okita turned to Yae who was looking at her goblet in thought, "Something wrong, Yae-San? You seem puzzled."

The Kendoka blinked before flushing a little, "Just looking at the silverware. It's really impressive, Gozaru."

Unable to help himself, Harry chuckled from where he sat beside Natsumi at the head of the table, "It's not silverware actually. That's still in the cabinet."

Blinking, Kaku raised an eyebrow at that and noted the twinkle of mischiviousness in Natsumi's eyes and frowned, 'What are they up to...'

Rika, for her part, chewed and swallowed the roast beef she was eating and cocked her head to the side, "It's not silver?" At the nods she got, she frowned, "Um, is it that other stuff? Pewter?"

Just barely keeping himself from laughing at what was likely to happen, the wizard among them shook his head, "Nope, not pewter either."

When he glanced at her, Natsumi's grin widened to massive proportions. She waited until Ayaka was sipping her drink to answer, "It's actually platinum."

There was a beat of silence as they others heard that before there were various reactions from the teens. Usagi had some cauliflower drop out of her mouth while Ayaka nearly sprayed her drink. Meanwhile, Nobu actually dropped her fork to the table and Okita leaned back while Rika's eyes widened far more than a human's should be able to as her tails and ears stuck straight up.

For her part, Yae worked her mouth for a few moments before she finally managed to speak, "P-platinum... t-this is pla-platinum...!?"

Acting as if he was not bothered at all, Harry hummed and ignored how Natsumi had buried her face in his chest, her shoulders shaking madly, "Hai, platinum." He then gave a small shrug, "One my of ancestors back in the Sixteenth Century traveled to the New World along with another wizard due to reports of the Spaniards having found a mystery metal. One that they were dumping because they found it utterly useless. So they bought a massive amount for some gold and brought it back here to Britain. In this case, since it is very resistant and is hard to tarnish, my ancestors found a dwarf who would forge some into a full fledged dinner set." Taking a bite, the teenage magical shrugged with a slight smile, "Figured that you might like it... though I could bring out the good silver if you want instead."

Due to having recovered from her little "Fit", the Kitsune beside him smirked, "Or the goldware. I mean, you do have that dinner set made of pure gold after all..."

Only tilting his head, Harry hummed even as his eyes practically glowed from amusement, "That is very true. But I thought that the platinum would be nice for tonight."

Holding her face in her hands, Yae groaned some, "I-I... I don't even know, Gozaru..."

Kaku, for his part looked at the dinnerware, at Nagato who nodded, then at the reactions of his fellow teens. Finally, the Tanuki looked at his extremely amused Kitsune friend before standing. Smirk on his face as everyone looked at him, he tipped the goblet he held towards Natsumi, "Well done, Natsumi-Chan."

Just standing herself, Natsumi bowed a little, "I could not have done it without Harry-Chan's help in this case."

For her part, Ayaka only groaned and shook her head, "Freaking Kitsune..."

Close to where Harry was sitting, and across from Nagato, Ooi shook her head, 'Heh, that was good timing, Otouto.' She then took a bit of the roast beef before dipping it in some of the gravy on her plate. Holding it out, the Light Cruiser smiled, "Here you go, Rika-Chan."

Leaning over, Kitakami took said food into her mouth and slowly chewed it happily, "Mmm..." With that done, she stabbed one of the small Yorkshire puddings and also dipped it into gravy before holding it towards her girlfriend, "And here you are, Yuuko-Chan..."

That got the two smiles, even as Kitakami-Maru giggled at the actions of her Mama.

Various conversations began to happen as the shock of the dinnerware wore off. At one point, Usagi shook her head as she looked at the cauliflower cheese impaled on her fork, "It is a bit of a shame, you know that Natsumi-Chan?"

Eyebrow raising, the Kitsune looked at her, "A shame? What is?"

With a shrug, Usagi shook her head some, "Well, a lot of this uses dairy, right?" At the nod, she continued, "That means that as I get older, I'd be able to enjoy it less. Lactose intolerance and such." The Inaba grimaced a bit, "It's something that my Otou-San and the others mentioned."

Chewing on some of the food, the Nekomata of the group swallowed, "That's not a problem for me or my Clan."

Snark coloring her voice, Ayaka looked at the smug feline, "Gee, does that have anything to do with how cats love milk, I wonder...?"

In reply, Rika smirked even more and shrugged, "Who knows~"

Dabbing some bread into gravy, Natsumi gave her own shrug, "I'm not too worried about that actually. Harry-Chan has a pretty easy ritual in his library that he offered to use with me. Said ritual will make it where I'm able to eat dairy like, well, him or any other European by gifting it to me from him and pass it onto my Kits and their kits in turn."

Once more, there was silence at that before Uesugi adjusted her glasses and looked at Harry, "There's a ritual for that? Truly?"

With a hum, the wizard nodded, "Hai, and like Natsumi-Chan said it is pretty simple and makes it able to be inherited by any children. Her family is pretty interested in it to be honest." Seeing the interested looks, Harry shrugged, "If you want, I can perform it for you as well."

Kaku sipped his Butterbeer for a few moments before giving a nod, "I might just take you up on that, Harry-Kun. Same with the rest of my Clan, though... could you give it to just one of us and then they handle it from there on?" At his nod, the Tanuki rubbed his chin, "Yeah, we'd be extremely interested in this."

Raising her hand, the Inaba at the table snorted, "Your clan is not the only one that would be interested." Considering the wizard, Usagi nodded some, "I'll have to get back to you on that, Harry-Kun. But if you are offering..." At his nod, she glanced at Natsumi who also nodded before smiling, "Well, we'd be very happy with it since we are vegetarians generally."

After dinner, which was individual trifles for each of them using a little bit of the preserves and jams that they had gathered, the group went back to their rooms briefly to get on swimsuits. Then, they made their way outside to the hot tub where new goblets were waiting, this time gold with gemstones as they chose their drinks. Looking at the dark, red wine in her goblet, Yae sniffed it curiously, "Is this made from damsons?"

Simply nodding as he leaned back in the hot tub, Harry took a sip of his own, "Hai, it is as a matter of fact. And it's pretty sweet."

Curious now, the Kendoka took a sip of her drink and her eyebrows rose some at the sweetness that was there, 'Gozaru...'

From where she was sitting, Usagi sipped her own cider and happily hummed, "This does taste pretty good. And this is from the apples that we picked last year?"

Natsumi hummed some as she sipped her own wine from her goblet, though she had made sure to take a picture of the entire group with the Yokai in their human disguises holding up said goblets with the jewels glinting and gold shining. Not that she was trying to enflame jealousy from certain people at their school who had been nasty to Harry, and herself, when they were children. Not at all, and she promptly ignored Tamamo's cackles, "Hai, a number of the apples we picked last year were cider apples after all. And Rose-San is very good at making cider and so are some of the others."

When they looked at him, Carnwennan gave a small shrug, "It was one of the things that I did pick up over the years and cider has always been a British thing." Sipping his own drink, he smirked some, "But one of these days, you might want to try my mead. I'm making some bottles as it is now."

Much to the interest of the teens and shipgirls, various members of the Potter armory perked up at that, Vala especially. But it was Juuchi who surprised them, "You are making some of your mead?" At his nod, she hummed and rubbed her chin, "Perhaps I shall send some bottles to my sisters then... as well as neices and Honjo."

Blinking, Kenshō tilted her head to the side from where she sat on Harry's lap drinking some cherry juice, "Mou... what do you mean, Juuchi-Oba-Chan? Why send some bottles to Kaa-San and the others?"

The other Muramasa became somewhat smug, "Because, Kenshō, Carnwennan's mead is quite strong and it will be very amusing to see their actions once they get into their cups..." Pausing, she shrugged, "Or bowls, as Carnwennan prefers one to be traditional."

When they looked at him, Carnwennan shrugged some, "Arthur learned how to make it and I paid attention. It was a favorite for Camelot when he did so." Rubbing his chin, he frowned a little, "Though I think that they had drunk quite a bit before that time they decided that invading the Otherworld was a good idea since they were out of food..."

Needless to say, most of those there were extremely amused by that.

Some time later, the group left the hot tub behind and went back into the manor as it was nearly time for bed. None of the teens had enough wine or cider to get drunk, or even buzzed, since they only had one goblet each. But it was enough that they were all feeling slightly mellow just the same as they entered their rooms.

Getting into the bathroom, Harry shed his clothes even as he heard the door open though he was curious at how it was open for a few seconds longer than normal. Once his shirt was off, he blinked as he turned. Not because Natsumi as well as Hachi and Iku were there, but because of two others who had joined them and were even now taking off their bathing suits, "Ryuuhou-Chan? Taigei-Chan?"

Lightly blushing, the Submarine Tender glanced at her sister before turning back to Harry, "Hai? Is something wrong?"

Unable to help himself, Harry gave the two a once over before shaking his head, "Um, no, not really." With a deep breath, he then smiled, "So... how are we going to do this?"

Iku chuckled some before shaking her head, "Well... we thought that as you do Natsumi-Chan, us four could wash your back and arms as well as shampoo you..." She suddenly seemed a bit bashful, "If that is alright..."

Just blinking, and blushing some after he looked towards Natsumi to see her nod, the wizard nodded, "I... would not be against that. Then I suppose that I do Hachi-Chan's back and hair, yours, Iku-Chan, followed by..."

A smile on her face, Ryuuhou hummed, "Me first followed by Nee-Chan, Harry-Chan. Then we can all soak in the tub." Turning towards it, her voice became slightly amused, "It does seem big enough."

That only got her a nod from Harry and they set to work with Natsumi sitting on the stool in front of him as he started to wash her back.

No one really complained as it took some time, though the girls had him do their arms as well as under said limbs. Then, they all did as mentioned and relaxed in the tub, Taigei and Ryuuhou cuddled up to him as they simply soaked and let the strains of the day wash away before heading to bed. Which left them sleeping with pleasant dreams aplenty.

Elsewhere in the manor, in her room, Ooi was reading a book in bed with a small smile on her face as Kitakami combed her long hair as she sat on the edge of said bed. After a few moments, the black haired Natural Born hummed, "You know, Yuuko-Chan, this is our last night here."

Looking away from her book, Ooi blinked before smiling as she looked around, "Hai, that is true." With a happy sigh, she stretched some, "Otouto really did a great job on our room, huh, Rika-Chan?"

Head tilted to the side, the other Cruiser nodded, "He really did, but... not quite what I meant."

Confused, Ooi paused for a moment, "Um, what do you mean?"

Moments later, she flushed as Kitakami snatched the book from her hand before crawling over the bed. Then, in a flash, the black haired girl pinned Ooi to the bed by gripping her wrists with her hands as she straddled the other Cruiser before leaning down. Smirk on her face, Kitakami hummed as she nibbled, kissed, and sucked at Ooi's neck and began moving downwards, "What do you think, Ooichi~ Kitakami-Maru is in her own guest room and we're all alone..." Looking up, the dark haired Natural Born licked her lips as her eyes met her girlfriend's, "And with the stone walls, it will muffle certain sounds."

Eyes widening, and face blazing, the reddish haired girl swallowed, "O-oh..." She then smiled a bit as Kitakami moved back up, "Well... I wouldn't mind a bit of fun then..."

Cupping Ooi's cheek, Kitakami grinned, "Good... though there's going to be nothing 'bit' about this..."

Then, she kissed the other girl hard as they both moaned some with hands wandering, with Ooi thinking that it was going to be a very good night indeed...

________________________________________________________________________

Sipping his breakfast tea alongside Natsumi, Harry smiled a little, "So is everyone ready to head out?"

Okita thrust her hand upwards some, "Already packed last night. We'll just do any dirty clothes left when we get home."

Also sipping some breakfast tea, Nobu smirked some, "Indeed, I think that we're pretty much all ready. And what's left shouldn't take more than an hour or so." Taking another sip, the former warlord hummed, 'This is good tea to wake up with... I wonder where they get it back in Japan...'

Stretching, Yae let out a soft sigh. While she had a number of bruises the day before, they were practically gone now after Harry had given her some 'Bruise cream' which was to help with them. Now they all felt like they were days old at the least, "Mmm... this was a fun trip, but I can't wait to get home."

Only nodding as she ate some bannock bread coated in honey, Usagi smiled, "It will be nice to get home and see everyone else. But this has been seriously fun just the same."

Just swallowing the eggs in his mouth, Kaku grinned a little before jabbing with his fork, "I can't wait until the fall when we come back for the apples, pears, and so forth. That is going to be so good..."

Nagato's lips twitched a little as she nodded at that, "Yes, well, speaking of such we have the final amounts for everyone involved." Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a paper, "You all did an excellent job of harvesting fruit. Now then... for the berries, split between you all, each one of you will have about forty pounds of jams and preserves of each type, from just the berries, in eight ounce jars. For the cherries, you'll each be taking home about a hundred pounds and roughly the same for the plums. And for the peaches, it will be closer to two hundred pounds each. Now, these are the minimums... Yae-San... are you alright?"

Said girl just slowly nodded some, "H-hai..." Then, Yae blinked and raised her hand, "Y-you said minimum?"

Leaning back, Nagato gave her a nod, "Yes, minimum. In reality, that is from just one day's worth of work for each of you, and you can triple the amount each of you are owed. What is left will be going to the JMSDF."

Just blinking, Okita looked at her friends who seemed just as stunned before turning to Harry, "Er... I think that we'll be needing those expanded trunks, Harry-Kun..."

Not able to help himself, Harry laughed a bit, "I figured as much. Don't worry, we already have them ready for use and will drop them off with you."

Considering the copy of her sheet, Nobu rubbed her chin a little, 'I wonder if Kote-Chan would like some and which ones... A few of these might pair well with some tea treats after all...'

Meanwhile, Yae was just slumped in her chair and looking ahead, 'Gozaru... I knew that they said that we would be bringing home a lot of fruit and such, but I never expected so much!' Then she blinked and crossed her arms a bit as she became a little amused, 'I don't think that Tou-San and Kaa-San expected this when they said that it was fine. At least we won't need to worry about jam and stuff for a long while...'

The other teens all had their own thoughts as they ate breakfast, though Asuka could not wait to get back home in Zuchi. After all, with all the members of the JNHRO who came through, it was sure to help out with the food bills. Something that she knew Kiba would be pretty happy with.

Roughly six hours later for them after using the time turner to go back until early morning in Britain so that it was late afternoon in Yokosuka, the group returned to Japan through the vanishing cabinets. Juuchi took Kenshō home to the Potter apartment as it was the next day that they were going to meet up with the other Muramasas to give them some of what they had picked. The others, for the most part, all split up with the Yokai teens being picked up by family members. All of whom were very pleased with the haul and how much fun said teens had.

With Yae, Nagato drove her home with Harry in the passenger seat, the two teens chatting as they journeyed to the apartment that said Kendoka called home.

Buzzing her apartment, the teenage girl let the other two into the building and, after a ride in the elevator, arrived at her home. Almost as soon as the door opened, there was an elderly woman there with a smile, "Yae-Chan."

Eyes widening, Yae rushed over and hugged her, "Obaa-Chan!"

Chuckling, the older woman accepted the hug and returned it. After a few moments, she pulled back, "Now, let's have a look at you..." Raising an eyebrow, Yae's grandmother nodded, "You certainly seem to be in good health, and so very tanned! You must have been working hard out in the fields as it were."

Grin on her face, the Kendoka nodded, "Hai, I was and I brought back a lot!" She backed up some and introduced Harry and Nagato who bowed. Once they were inside, the Battleship brought out a small, though wide, trunk, "This is where all the fruit preserves and jams are."

At seeing the somewhat bemused looks from Yae's parents and grandmother, Nagato smiled, "You know of magic and how it exists, I believe?"

With a glance at her daughter, Yae's mother nodded, "We do, though it is still a... little unbelievable, even with Tokunotakai-San proving such. But..."

Harry turned to his adoptive mother who nodded before he opened the trunk, "There's magic that lets you expand the inside of something by a lot. Like this trunk..."

Much to Yae's amusement, it was now her family's turn to boggle as they saw the sheer amount of fruit product inside of the trunk as well as the size. So much so, she had to bite back a giggle. Something that she failed to do when her mother muttered about letting her go on such trips more often as she examined a jar of peach jam...

 

Yellowhammer

A.N.-- Time for today's crosspost to allow the plot to thicken....

A Malfoy And Dagger's Excellent Adventure (II)

Halloween, 2036

Hogsmeade
Spoiler: A Visit To Hogsmeade

Yuri smiled at Taube, admiring the blond girl's cool and aristocratic good looks. She then raised an eyebrow as she noticed the beautiful amethyst, diamond, and silver Victorian earrings that the other girl was wearing. In fact, the dark purple teardrops almost exactly matched Yuri's natural hair tone.
Spoiler: The Earrings

"Taube-chan? Are those earrings new?" Yuri asked curiously as they walked together toward the picturesque village.

Taube blinked and then responded. "New for me, but actually a heirloom. Grandma Cissy was gifted these from the House of Black from her grandmother in turn. They were part of her bridal trousseau that she brought when she married Grandpa Lucius." Taube touched one earring with a fingernail and the amethyst sparkled with magical light, forming the heraldic shield of the House of Black within the dark violet gemstone. "She gifted them to Mutti on her wedding day, but Mutti prefers pearls to amethysts. So I was lent them to wear when I turned sixteen and achieved my full growth. I knew that you would be coming, so I wanted to show off a bit."

Yuri admired the jewelry as they continued their walk through the village. "They're beautiful. What's the symbol in that stone?"

Taube preened a bit. "The symbol of the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black. I have their blood through Grandma Cissy." She paused at the stone circle atop the hill outside the village. "Oh! That reminds, me. I read something fascinating in the private Slytherin library that I'd like to share with you."

Yuri followed her friend. "Wait, a private library?"

Taube nodded with a smile. "Yes, some of Salazar Slytherin's researches into some fields of magic were kept by us to be studied rather than placed into the Hogwarts library like those of Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Godric Gryffindor. Knowledge, after all, is power." The smug smirk widened. "Specifically, Salazar was copying some older spells that date back to the Druids and the time of King Arthur or even before. One of the reasons Hogwarts was established where it is is proximity to this stone circle."

Yuri's eyes got wide as she looked at the moss-covered monoliths around them. She then blinked as Taube pulled out her wand. The witch chanted in Old Irish and scribed several symbols on one of the granite bluestone slabs that had fallen to the grass. The symbols glowed with power and then the monolith vanished, revealing a stone-lined ancient passage leading down into the heart of the hill.

"Amazing!" Yuri gasped out as she stared at it. "Where does it lead?"

Taube waved her wand and cast a spell. "Lumos!" A floating ball of amber light formed on the tip. "There's a stone chamber down here. No one knows what it was used for, but there is some evidence of ancient magics present in the rocks. Salazar thought it had something to do with temporal magic perhaps. Dad has studied druidic magic and he agrees with Salazar, the Celts were interested in prophecy, divination, and the interplay of the past and the future. In fact, a lot of the megalithic structures around England are oriented toward sunrises, sunsets and the like on specific days. The sunrise today on All Hallow's Eve illuminates the chamber through a hidden niche in the sod outside."

Yuri blinked and then smiled. "And with a Time-Turner we can see it!"

Taube grinned and headed inside. "Exactly. Nowadays this place gets used by some of our students for ahh," The dagger broke off and blushed heavily before continuing, "romantic trysts according to House rumor in the girls' dorms. Although there's a secret passage that we know about to the hidden room in Hogwarts that we nicknamed the Slytherin Snog Shack that is the one that gets used the most these days since it was built in the early 1800s. Great-aunt Lyra told me about that one and as a Prefect I have had to check it regularly, just like this one. Mutti told me that the Puffs had something similar going on, but I didn't think to ask her for details at the time. That one isn't my responsibility anyways; I have enough of a hard time keeping the Slytherins under control."

Yuri blushed in turn, thinking of her Minato-chan -- an older Minato-chan who had come into his full growth -- arm in arm with her and Natsuki exploring this ancient place and then....

Taube noticed Yuri's eyes hooding as she nibbled her lip with a sultry smile. The dagger's own cheeks heated as she thought about the likely images that were causing her friend's light purple eyes to sparkle so. Especially considering that she had her own memories of a few of the romantic trysts that she had interrupted as a Prefect doing her rounds after dinner.

Taube then coughed to get Yuri's attention as they reached the end of the passage.

The chamber was roughly hexagonal with a floor of hard-packed earth while the walls and ceiling were granite slabs. Yuri looked around curiously. "Wow, Taube-chan. This is something else."

Taube grinned and used her wand to scribe privacy glyphs. Faint hints of amber light glowed from the stone walls and formed a net over the passage as she finished, reinforcing the ones that she had cast earlier. "Isn't it just? I figure that we can jump back to just before dawn, watch the sunrise, and then get in a knife fighting lesson before we leave here ahead of ourselves and explore Hogmeade on the next part of our personal timeline."

Yuri laughed and took Taube's hand as her friend pulled out the Time-Turner. "That's one reason I like you, Taube. You're so organized. Let's go!"
-------------------------

Alternate Timeline Two, Halloween

Hogsmeade

A young man's shadow crept out of the darkened and fearful village, dodging the Dementor patrols.

Fortunately the fire in the town square had finally died down.

He didn't want to think about who had fueled the flames for the crime of 'Defiance of Lord Voldemort'.

At least he had a lead on a secure location where he could try to make right what he had made so terribly, terribly wrong.

With that thought, he cast the spell to cause the toppled monolith to vanish and breathed a sigh of relief.

Snape's information was accurate enough.

He waved his wand, and the roman numerals etched on it glimmered to light as a amber ball of light formed over the tip.

The amber light illuminated light blond hair, high cheekbones, and gray eyes as he hurried to the ritual chamber while behind him the monolith sealed him inside.

As he began to incant, a faint hint of amber power formed in the stones of the hidden chamber in the heart of the Hogsmeade Stone Circle.

The amber energies in the stones intensified as he cast spells of privacy and non detection with desperate haste.

Spells of concealment and empowering to prepare to change the flow of time once more.

Spells of divination and wisdom to try to find the right path, the single turning in the infinity of possible futures caused by a pebble that started an avalanche, to save his friend and his timeline.

Spells that had been cast before in this place with cruder tools.

Ancient yet potent spells formed into a matrix of power with the application of the offered blood of animal and human sacrifices here, as yet unknown to this wizard in whose blood flowed that of the Great Druids through his father's line.

Like calling to like.

He then pulled out a Time-Turner, and whispered to himself. "I'll save you Al."

 

Yellowhammer

A.N. -- Crosspost time again! Yes, yes, I know I'm taking some extreme liberties with Cursed Child here. I'm borrowing Albus and Scorpius for this one, and it might wind up noncanon crack anyway, depending on HL's own plans.

A Malfoy And Dagger's Excellent Adventure (III)

Alternate Timeline Two

Halloween

Hogsmeade Stone Circle
Spoiler: A Journey To The Past

Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy stared at the Time-Turner in his hand.

It had seemed to be so easy at first.

Help Amos Diggory by using this advanced Time-Turner to save his son Cedric, murdered by Lord Voldemort when their parents were still in school.

Scorpius' heart had gone out the bereaved man, especially since Scorpius' own mother Astoria Malfoy had died the year before thanks to a blood curse carried by the Greengrass family. After all, he was achingly aware of this wound in his life, the person now only present in his memories and dreams, present by her absence.

So he and his best friend Albus Potter had... borrowed... this advanced experimental Time-Twister. Unlike the standard models, it could jump them back unlimited distances in time, and allow the people using it to stay there for a hour before snapping them back to their own timeline.

While there were laws against meddling in history, they could surely make such a small insignificant change for the better by themselves, right?

Wrong.

Their first effort to save Cedric Diggory had resulted in Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley never getting together, resulting in their friend Rose never being born. Worse, Albus' father Harry had ordered his son to break off their friendship.

So they jumped back in time once more to fix things, to make right what was wrong.

But once more their change had backfired.

When Scorpius snapped back to the present in this new alternate timeline, he was alone.

Thanks to their meddling, Cedric had indeed survived... as a Death Eater who had killed Neville Longbottom. That murder had in turn lead to Harry Potter's death and Lord Voldemort's triumph.

So Scorpius had returned to a Hogwarts ruled with an iron fist by Headmistress Umbridge, with his alternate self here famous, powerful, rich, and popular among the student body, who called him the 'Scorpion King'. Thanks to his father Draco's position as head of Lord Voldemort's Aurors, he had everything he wanted here.

Except true love and friendship rather than fear-filled devotion from girls who would do what he said rather than have them and their family suffer.

Those looks sickened him, and the changes to his 'father' here terrified him.

He had resolved to fight on alone, to destroy this dark and twisted future and save his friend. to do what was right for himself and his family. With the help of a few allies in the desperate resistance against Voldemort, who had explained that if he managed to shift the timeline once more to allow it, the 'temporal echo' of Albus Potter would reform, he had come here to try once more.

As many times as it took to make a better ending for his friends and himself.

A Malfoy could do nothing less for his family.

With that in mind, he began to twist time, uncaring of how the magical energies he had raised in this place of power surged and built around him as he began to move through time once more.

----------------------------

Harry and the Shipgirls

Halloween, 2036

Hogsmeade Stone Circle

Taube twisted the Time-Turner that her family owned, speeding backwards through time so that she could show her friend Yuri the sunrise illuminating the tomb. As the blurring passage of time slowed for them, an image swam into their vision.

Two men holding burning bundles of branches as crude torches clad in rough fur and hide garments stood on either side of a third naked man in the prime of life who was forced to his knees between them with his wrists bound by strips of rawhide.

A fourth man, with beads of amber around his neck, wolf-fur garments, and hair of Malfoy blond stood before the other three then gestured and chanted as the first rays of the sun crawled across the floor toward the far wall.

The blond took up a stone-tipped club with wolf tails tied to it from the ground with slow, ritual motions and slammed it into the prisoner's head with a powerful two-handed swing, stunning him.

Scarlet blood patterned the ground and began to glow and smoke as the sunlight touched it as it proceeded.

One of the torchbearers slipped a garrote around the prisoner's neck and began to choke the life out of him.

As he gurgled and his face turned dark, the energies being raised visibly built.

The blond picked up a crudely hammered copper knife which suddenly blazed with arcane fires as it ignited with Power.

Copper flashed in the light as he cut the dying prisoner's throat and then used the bloody knife blade to scribe symbols of arcane power across the stone wall opposite the entrance.

As they blinked into the recent past, Yuri and Taube heard the far off echoing howl of a she-wolf -- that sounded rather like the large wolf-dog that Aunt Claire had been seen with from time to time.

The hunting knife and the Doki looked at each other in shock.

For long minutes, all that could be heard in the predawn dark was their raspy breathing.

Taube gulped and whispered."Did you see that too, Yuri?"

Yuri nodded, her violet eyes wide. "Men from the distant past conducting a human sacrifice here? Yes."

Taube turned and slowly walked to the far wall almost in a trance. "Me too Yuri, me too."

She chanted a detection spell and then traced the symbols that she had Seen painted on these ancient stones with human blood.

Symbols placed there in an era where the iron making up her steel true body was a gift cast down from the Sky-gods who walked the earth in the darkness beyond the flickering light of the fires keeping primordial Night back in hopes that the Sun would rise the next day.

An era before the 'ruddy bronze' of Homer's Iliad would rise to dominate the earth, heralding one of the earliest steps in the development of science and magic.

Her wand tingled under her fingertips with the Power surging through her as she finished inscribing the symbols.

Amber magics sprang to life at her command, magics first placed there by a long-dead shaman of the Great She-Wolf who ran alongside the hunters to give them skill and strength in the hunts that ensured survival for their clan.

Their family.

Their pack.

A pack whose blood flowed in her veins from her father and her mother's father both.

The room spun once more and then as the surging energies suddenly broke, it seemed to waver, turning into a infinity of identical chambers with misty forms in them like a fun-house mirror maze stretched to infinity.

Then reality snapped into focus once more.

A young man in Slytherin student uniform, who looked like the photographs of her father as a student, holding a Time-Turner in his hand stared at her with matching shock in his face. His Time-Turner flashed and a second man with dark, messy hair formed next to him from a sparkling mist that it released.

Gray eyes met those of amber-gold as Yuri stared in shock at what had just happened.
Spoiler: The Boys
Albus Potter
Scorpius Malfoy

 

Harry Leferts

Sitting on the café balcony, Kathleen Dippet smiled a little as she looked out onto Portsmouth Harbour and the base. Out on the waters, she could see various shipgirls training with some most likely enjoying the lovely August day. Above, the sky had a few puffy white clouds that practically glowed in the sunlight while the breeze coming off the ocean brought not only the scent of the sea, but also a gentle coolness that kept the heat of the day away. Something that made the Medi-witch sigh a little, 'Ah... another lovely summer day.'

Moments later, her smile grew as an Irish accented voice spoke up, "And here we are, Kath, some nice tea along with treats."

Kathleen had a small grin on her face as she turned to find the green eyes of HMS St. Patrick, or Patty to her friends, looking at her. Slowly nodding, the witch took the offered tea and small treat, "Thank you, Patty. A nice little snack on a summer day."

Only humming, the N3 Battleship slipped into her chair, "It is a rather nice day..." Eyes twinkling even as the red bangs of her hair fell into them slightly, Patty smirked, "Though all the better for having some pretty company..."

Blushing, Kathleen waved her off, "Stop..."

That only got her a chuckle as Patty grinned, "Never, because your blushing face is something to see." Leaning back, white shirt straining at her chest, the shipgirl looked out onto the harbour with a fond smile, "It looks like the Maltas are enjoying the day as well."

With a nod, the witch pulled her gaze away from the other woman and towards the harbour as well, "They certainly are, it would seem." Distantly, she could hear some booms as well as just barely see some plumes of water, "As it seems, so too are your sisters."

Humming, Patty rubbed her chin a little, "Andi is certainly biting a little at the bit to get out there. And our training is almost done enough to start going out for short patrols into the North Sea." Seeing the worried look, she smacked one hand against her stomach which produced a small clang, "Don't worry much about us, Kath. This armor belt is as thick as the Yamatos and even stronger with British steel."

Just sighing, Kathleen gave her a small smile, "Sorry, I can't help but worry about someone that I hold as a dear friend. Especially when they go out into danger that I cannot help with."

Much to her amusement, the shipgirl looked away with the slightest bits of a flush to her cheeks, "Yes, well... I see." Clearing her throat, Patty turned back to her, "Still, I much prefer you not to worry, you look better without it."

Yet again, Kathleen found herself feeling her cheeks heat up, before she shook it off with a small smile. The two had become close friends after all, teasing and flirting with one another. But the both of them enjoyed such things and it often lead to laughter and smiles as they tried to see who would make the other blush more. Sipping her tea, Kathleen put it aside as she took a forkful of her cake before giving a once over to the other woman, "Hmm...? Not your usual outfit..." Part of her noted how the shirt showed the bust of the other woman while the skirt clung to her if longer than normal. But part of her took in the well toned arms that were shown off by the white, buttoned shirt, 'Oh my...'

Scratching her cheek, Patty gave a small shrug, "Ah, well... came across the Orion sisters... I have told you about them, yes?"

Eyebrow raised, the witch nodded, "The four Battleships from WWI? Who do work for the government outside the Navy?"

Patty smiled at that, "Just so." She then cleared her throat a little bit, "Well, they came across my sisters and I sometime back and decided that we needed to do a shopping trip." The shipgirl then took a sip of her tea, "They have an eye for fashion, you see."

Humming as she leaned forward some with her hands folded in front of her face, Kathleen made a show of looking the other woman over, "A very good eye, it seems. You look a rather lovely sight today."

Mentally, the Battleship put up another tally mark for their little game for the witch across from her as she felt herself blush a little under her scrutiny, "I would hope so considering the company that I have to match." Another mark went up as Kathleen flushed some and smiled, something that Patty enjoyed seeing, 'Well... I am not going to tell her that I asked them for advice in regards to you...'

She could still remember the teasing that she got from her sisters when she had told them about the weekly meetings between her and Kathleen. You would think that all three were sharks with how they had grinned at that. Not helping was how some of the others of the "Dippet Fleet" had teased her or grumble good naturedly about her "Dates" as they put it. Even Dreadnought, for all her Edwardian Matrony attitudes had commented that at least she had found someone "Of the proper breeding" to chose with a slight smile.

Right then, St. Patrick almost died of embarrassment.

Thankfully for her boilers, the Orions didn't tease her or anything when she had gone to them for advice as to how one should dress. Instead, they had simply smiled and then taken her out... for almost the entire day. Most of which was spent trying on different clothes and the like. Granted, her own sisters were dragged along, which made her smirk as they grumbled and the like. But still, taking in the glances that Kathleen was giving her, Patty was happy that she had done so.

Oh, she would admit that she was attracted to the witch, very much so. Kathleen was, in her eyes, quite beautiful, what with the dirty blond hair that shone gold when the light hit it just the right way. And seeing her with a tan brought out the Italian blood in her as well. The fact that she was slender with good hips was also another bonus.

Be around enough equally busty women and you start looking for something different.

However, it was more than just looks as well. The woman across from her was funny with a sometimes wicked sense of humour. Being a Medi-witch, she also had interesting stories about the trouble that some got into, which at times had made Patty snort and laugh in disbelief. The way that her eyes sparkled drew the Battleship in, because she was just so full of life. Even her temper was attractive as it was firey, but directed and it made her so lively as well.

Needless to say, Patty enjoyed their weekly get togethers, even though the two had not moved beyond chatting and every so often placing hands on top of the others. Something that frustrated the shipgirl at times, but that she understood as her friend was not looking for that sort of relationship even though it was obvious that the witch was attracted to her... yet. And it was that yet that Patty was keeping an eye on for now.

Though if she took too long, the shipgirl was going to just kiss her to get her feelings across.

It was then that a thought occurred to her as she remembered something and rolled it around in her mind for a few moments. Sipping her tea, she gave a small nod before turning to Kathleen, "Speaking of the others..." When the witch turned to her, Patty continued with a small smile and blush on her cheeks, "The others are thinking of a beach party, to celebrate our training to be complete you see. Not on the ocean, but one of the lakeside beaches. I was wondering if you would like to join us?" Internally, she continued, 'So that I can see what you might look like in a bathing suit...'

Despite her own flush at imagining the Battleship across from her in a bathing suit, Kathleen thought it over before humming, "They... know about me, don't they? Who I am? Is that why..."

Moments later, Patty reached over and placed her hand over Kathleen's and gave it a gentle squeeze, "No, they do know of you but that is not why, or at least fully." Seeing the questioning look, she smiled, "They do want to meet you, and a small part is to thank you for what your grandfather did, allowing us to actually exist. But they also understand that you watched over us until we were picked up by the Royal Navy, and whom watch over us even now. They also want to know more about you and the man who gave us life."

Simply eating a forkful of cake, the witch considered that, "I..." Blinking away some tears, she gave a small smile, "I might like that, I suppose." Pausing, Kathleen looked at her, "But you said that there was more to it than that?'

A sheepish smile on her face, Patty scratched her cheek, "They... know about how we meet each week here. And simply want to see you for that."

The meaning obviously got through as Kathleen blushed at that. But after a few moments, she chewed her lip some, "I'll need a time so that I can check it against my schedule, to make sure that it doesn't interfere with any rotations."

Frown on her face, the Battleship nodded, "Of course, at Saint Mungo's, I assume?"

However, to her surprise, Kathleen shook her head, "Not entirely." At the confused look, the witch sighed, "We're running a small, temporary clinic out where the Quidditch World Cup is happening and running shifts. I'm one of those who have been tapped for it, and let me tell you, some of the people camped out there are bloody fucking morons. I swear, if I see someone try to enlarge a mosquito to the size of a small cow in order to send it against someone supporting the other team, I am going to just bloody scream and show them why Medical wizards and witches are not people to piss off!"

Rapidly blinking, Patty gave her a look, "... Mosquito the size of a small cow? Why..."

Sighing, the other woman rubbed her brow, "Don't ask, it was because the Bulgarian was pissed that an Englishman who was supporting Ireland called his team 'Vampiric Blood suckers' or some such thing. It was a mess since, even though it was too big to fly, the damn thing still attacked people. Thankfully, no one was killed, but some blood replenishment potions were still needed... And don't get me started on that other fucking idiot who enlarged a grasshopper since it was green like Ireland and he wanted to ride one. Aurors had to shoot it down and the guy responseble was covered in bug guts complaining about them killing Bessy."

For several moments, Patty considered what she just heard in disbelief. But then, thinking back to various incidents she knew of regarding football in Europe... it didn't seem all that unbelievable. Though she felt a shudder go down her keel at the idea of British football hooligans with access to magic.

Just shaking that off, Patty then smiled over at Kathleen, "Well, it does seem like things are busy."

With a snort, Kathleen rolled her eyes, "You have no idea..." Looking around, she shot the shipgirl across from her a smile, "Which is why I am thankful for these meetings. They help me blow off steam to say the least. And also to relax at seeing a pretty face."

Much to the Battleship's relief, she barely had a blush and only smiled, "Hmm, I see."

Chuckling, Kathleen shook her head before pausing and giving Patty a smile, "Saint Patrick..." Seeing the blink, her smile grew, "You know... I have two tickets to the actual game. And being Saint Patrick is the Patron Saint of Ireland..."

That made Patty's eyes widen a touch though she felt a little bit of steam waft out of her ears, "W-well, I would need to check my own schedule, but I don't think that many would mind. And I know that the Orions are going as well..." At the interested look, she shook her head, "Apparently, they were invited by a family by the name of Longbottom. I think that you mentioned them before..."

Frowning, the witch rubbed her chin in thought, "Actually, I do know them. Augusta Longbottom was something of a friend to my Grandfather and Alice Longbottom, her son's wife, had been the Medi-witch that I was apprenticed to when I started out in Saint Mungo's, though only for a few months before she had to go into hiding..." At feeling the pang of sadness at said witch's state, Kathleen shook her head, "I wonder how they met?"

All she got from Patty was a small shrug, "Now that, I do not know, Kath. Only that they do know..." She then got a small grin on her face, "Though, since you are speaking of supporting the Emerald Isle, I would be amiss to miss such an oppontunity for it. Especially if I am to share it with you." Much to enjoyment, that made the witch across from her blush heavily before she took a sip of tea, "But however did you get two tickets? I would have thought that you would only have been able to buy one at best..."

In reply, Kathleen rubbed her face, "You remember how I told you about Sabastian?" At the nod, she continued, "His girlfriend was a Quidditch fanatic... was being the keyword there as he caught her in bed with a Quidditch player."

Wincing, the shipgirl shook her head, "That... could not have ended well."

Kathleen only shrugged, "Let me put it this way... he had to go to his own team doctor as the rest of us at Saint Mungo's were rather busy with other cases and it was not life threatening. His girlfriend, meanwhile, found herself needing somewhere new to stay as she wasn't living in the same apartment anymore."

Understanding, Patty frowned a little, "So he had bought the tickets for her and him, but with their breakup..."

The witch nodded a little, "He gave them to me after I traded my old ticket to him and he sold it. After all, they're now nearly four times the original price, so he more than made back the money he spent." She shook her head a little, "So I was wondering if you might want to go...?"

Smile on her face, Patty reached over and took her hand in hers, "I'd love to."

Happily smiling, Kathleen gave the hand in hers a squeeze.

From their, their conversation drifted back and forth as they enjoyed some time just the two of them. Drinking tea and eating cake, though Kathleen teased Patty some about her "Snack" being half a cake in itself... though then the shipgirl turned it onto her by stating that she was willing to share. An embarrassment returned when the witch agreed. Laughter from snickers to chuckles to outright booms could be heard from the two as they enjoyed their time together.

Near the end of it, however, Patty raised her eyebrow at the woman across from her, "So... you mentioned the last week about that book on Skeeter? From what you said, it was coming along quite well?"

With a slow nod, and a vicious smirk on her face, Kathleen nodded, "Aye, it is coming along quite well. Already have the title for it as well... 'What's the Buzz, the Life and Lies of Rita Skeeter'."

Raising an eyebrow, the Battleship considered the title for a few moments before setting it down, "Hmm... interesting title. Any meaning behind the first part as I can guess the second?"

Just shrugging, Kathleen frowned in thought, "The second part just seems... right, somehow. As for the first?" She frowned a little bit, "One of the things that came up was that in her Sixth Year, Skeeter was noted as studying about Animagi. I even have photos from penseive memories of Skeeter reading said books. When added to how a number of people confirmed that there was no way for her to have known some of the things she did unless she snuck in... well, it makes sense. And she always did seem like an annoying fly."

On Patty's face was a small frown as she considered that, "I see, and the idea of her being an Animagus would be... problematic for her?"

Grin on her face, though there was nothing nice about it, the witch chuckled darkly, "Definitely, especially as she isn't registered. Of course, there would be an investigation, likely done by Amelia Bones herself. There's spells to confirm if someone is an animagus, you know. And her denying having the spells cast on her would good as confirm it, which someone I know personally on the Wizarding Wireless from my school days, and whom also has a bone to pick with her is very interested in knowing." Straightening, Kathleen sighed a bit, "Issue is more about how much there is to put in it. Even with it being cut down, it's still going to be a big book. And we're aiming for it to be on the shelves no later than November."

Remembering how Skeeter had treated Dippet after his death, and the reactions of the rest of the "Dippet Fleet", those given life through his sacrifice, Patty had a smirk on her face that would have frightened many Abyssals.

Shortly afterwards, however, the two women left the café behind and went their separate ways with Patty returning to the quarters she shared with her sisters. Unfortunately for her, they were already there and waiting. Almost as soon as she got inside, Georgie gained a shit eating grin on her face as she leaned forward, "So...? How was your date with Kathleen today? Hmm?"

Patty only sighed at that and gave her a look, "It was not a date... merely the two of us getting together to chat."

Massive grin on her face, Andi, or HMS Saint Andrew, chuckled, "Ach, but you wish that it was, hmm? Perhaps carry the lass to the bedroom before going all night long in a personal battle between th' two of yeh. With explosions in the magazine as it were."

Her sister had a flush on her cheek as she imagined such a thing. But then, Patty shook it off and gave her a glare, "Oh, shut up. Besides, we have to get to know each other first."

Utterly unrepentant, Andi shrugged with a grin and waggled her eyebrows, "Maybe yeh be right. But, ach, what a fine stern that woman has. Like ta claim said highlands in the name o' the Queen and country."

Grumbling under her breath about the Scottish, the green eyed N3 shot a look at her fellow red head before shaking her head. Coming out of the kitchen, Saint David, or Davie as she liked to be called, chuckled before speaking in an Welsh accent, "Away with you bunch and let Patty be for now. She'll catch her quarry before long without help from the peanut gallery." Setting down some tea, the Welsh speaking shipgirl looked at her sister, "So, see anything interesting?"

Confused, Patty gave her a look, "See anything interesting? Such as?"

Davie shrugged a little bit, "Heard over the grapevine that some strange woman was seen a few hours back at one of the bars. Matches the description of that one who has been draining pubs dry, if you will, for the past few days. Blonde, green eyed, a pair of tits on her that turn heads and legs that stretch fer miles. Supposedly a castle on a wee boat too."

That got her a look from her Irish accented sister before she shook her head, "Sorry, haven't seen her."

Rubbing her chin, Davie frowned some and shrugged, "Oh well... one must wonder anyways..."

_______________________________________________________

In the village of Sully, Wales, there was a small Naval base staffed by shipgirls, HMS Cambria. Originally a "Reserve Naval Station", it had grown since Blood Week with a shipgirl section added to it. There had been an argument about transferring it back to Cardiff, but in the end it stayed in the village. Mainly because there was no room with the new dock facilties coming online with the war, the rebuilding of said city, and that the local politicians really did not want to draw the attention of the Abyssals to what was the head of government in Wales more than they had (though they did not say as much).

Not helping was the comment of placing some sort of military base staffed with supernatural beings had led to a lot of jokes regarding if they were to call it Torchwood.

Thus, with how there was land to expand upon, HMS Cambria grew outside the village into a proper, though small, naval base. With where it was, the shipgirls and few warships there could respond to any attack on the Bristol Channel as well as the Irish sea side of Southwest England. Mostly composed of WWI girls, they nonetheless anchored the area.

Due to the development of the base, which included a wharf where HMS Sir Bedivere, first of the new Round Table class Shipgirl Support Ships, was tied up. Said design being a much downsized version of a Dock Landing Ship with a well dock for shipgirls, some Command spaces, and an Emergency Repair Dock for any injured girls. Her sisters, HMS Sir Lancelot and Sir Galahad were to be delivered later in the year.

But along with increased size for the Royal Navy station, now base, came a need for other things. There were a few entertainment centers that sprang up in the village, but the major thing that happened was an increase in the local pubs and bars. After all, sailors, and shipgirls could be considered such, often needed their drinks. And so, according to some locals, places to do such sprang up like mushrooms. One such pub was given the ever so imaginative "Golden Hind" as a name.

Yet, what could catch someone's eye was someone at a corner table surrounded by empty glasses and bottles.

Said woman, and there was no doubt of that, was currently face down with her head pillowed on her arms, Blonde hair, somewhat messy and out of place fell around her head and her clothes were unkept. Oddly, no one really seemed to notice her unless she called for another drink or bit of food, mostly of the first however. Otherwise, people would pass right on by her table without even a glance.

That was... until someone sat down on the otherside of the table and spoke in a Welsh accent, "Well, hello there. Mind if I take this seat?"

Raising in her seat, Prydwen blinked some bleary before her eyes widened, "Carn..." Then she blinked and her vision cleared as much as it could in her drunken state and she realized that the man in question couldn't be her brother because his hair was more reddish and he had some stubble around his chin, "No... wait... you're not him."

Eyebrow raised, the man hummed a bit, "Carn? Do I resemble someone that you know?"

Frown on her face, Prydwen furrowed her eyebrows and squinted, "... M-maybe..." Dropping her head to her arms, she snorted, "But whatver... sit and drunk... bunk... drink, I guess."

If anything, that only made the man hum before he held out his hand, "Where are my manners, the name is Hen."

Once more, Prydwen raised her head from her arms and blinked, "Hen?" Frowning, she shook the hand and was surprised by the man's grip, "S-strange name fer a stranger..."

Lightly laughing, which brought a blush to the Castle/Shipgirl's face, he gave her a rougish smile and wink, "Maybe, but that is what they called me." Watching as she reached over and drained a bottle of cheap, though potent, alcohol Hen frowned, "Hmm... judging by how you thought that I was someone else, I would wonder if you're drinking to forget. Boyfriend?'

Snorting, Prydwen shook her head as she slurred, "No... little brother..." Holding her face in her hands, she groaned, "I bloody well fooked up wit him... fuck..."

Just scratching his chin, Hen gave her a look, "Sounds like a story... but you know, sometimes it helps to talk it with over with someone. Get your burdens off your shoulders and all that."

Grumbles escaped from the shipgirl as she tried to drink the rest of her bottle only to find that she already had, "Bugger it all... where the fuck is all my drunk... and you wouldn't understand... or believe it..."

Chuckling, Hen had a twinkle in his eye, "Oh, I think that I might actually. But why not give it a try? At worst, I don't believe you and think you merely a drunk..." Moments later, he called over for a bottle of mead which was placed in front of Prydwen, "So then, how about that story since I'm buying drinks?"

Yet again, Prydwen grumbled before she sighed, "Like I said... I fucked up..." Tears sprang to her eyes as she looked away, "I... never had a good relationship with my brother. He tried so hard when we were young and new, b-but myself and the others, except maybe Avalon... we were so damn dismissive of him... Now I can see he was... he was doing his best, and still is. B-but I was such a utter bitch..."

Slowly, yet surely, the story came out in bits and pieces. The part of Prydwen that wasn't quite so much into her cups was confused that the man just nodded, though at certain parts he either frowned or grimaced, something that made her shift in her seat. Somehow, such expressions made her feel like dirt.

Finally, however, she reached the end of her story and stared morsly at her now empty bottle as well as plate of food that she had devoured. Not saying anything, Hen nursed his glass of beer, the third in fact, while picking at what was left of his own meal. He had laughed at her declaring 'Hunger was the Enemy' before ordering her some food as well. After a few moments, he gave a small nod, "So you believe, Prydwen, that Arthur would hate you? Be angry with you for what you did?"

Head in her arms, Prydwen nodded, "Diss..."

Rubbing his chin, Hen tilted his head in thought, "And that your brother, Carnwennan, would hate you for what happened? Correct?"

That got a snort from the shipgirl before she looked at him with bloodshot and teary eyes, "Of course he would? How couldn't he...? I hurt him when we were young, dismissing him. He did great things, but I couldn't... couldn't get my fat head out of my fat ass to see it. Never a damn kind word... I deserve to have my ass kicked." She then placed her head back into her arms, "T-then when I returned, what did I do...? I fucked up all the things he was doing, stuff that Arthur would be proud of! Because I was too much of a pig in the head, like I am at food, to realize it!" Bringing up one fist, she snarled, "I nearly fucking killed him! My own brother! Become a damned Kinslayer because I would not fucking see!"

Even though the table had a crack in it, the man wasn't concerned and only hummed, "Hmm..."

Just rubbing as more tears came to her eyes, Prydwen wept, "A-and I... he was in love with someone... b-but I had to ruin that. Got her killed..."

Eyebrow raised as he sipped his drink, Hen frowned, "You didn't touch her, however."

Scoffing, the former shield glared at him, "I still killed her... if I didn't kill her father because he would not give me that stupid fucking sword... if I didn't take Guinevere's crown back even though she didn't deserve it... they would never have killed her." Clenching her fists, which shook, she snarled, "It might as well have been these two hands that did the deed! That tore his heart from his chest!"

Once more, Hen hummed, "Yet, you could not have known at the time." Leaning back, he sipped his drink some, "Still, that is a bit of an issue. So, the question becomes how are you going to fix it? Because this..." The man gestured at the table and the empty bottles and glasses piled high, "Is not going to do that."

Frown on her face, Prydwen looked at said items, "Ssss'kay, I deserve this."

Eyes rolling, the man shook his head with a sigh, "No, you do not." Leaning forward, his own greenish-gold eyes met Prydwen's green ones, "Did you fuck up? Yes, of that there is no doubt. Would Arthur be disappointed in you? He would, of that I am sure. But there were those in the Round Table who fucked up as well. Of being angry, perhaps for a time, but then he would calm, Prydwen. He would not hate you, however, because you do recognize that you fucked up with the only problem in not knowing how to fix things."

About to say something, Prydwen glared at him, "How do you kno-"

Before she could say anything else, Hen's hand slapped itself over her mouth, holding it shut, "But, I do think that if there is one thing that Arthur would be most disappointed in and angry about? It would be of the fact that you are sitting here, getting drunk off your ass rather than doing something about it!" Pulling back his hand, he sat back, "Think about it, you screwed up, but would he want you simply wallowing in grief? Or do something about it? To fix what you can of what you broke? To be your own person and move on from the shades of the past, both Arthur's and your own?"

Unsure, Prydwen blinked a little, "I... I don't know where to start. How to not have Carn hate me... to be such a disappointment."

Reaching over, the man paused as Prydwen flinched expecting him to cover her mouth or maybe slap some sense into her. But then, Hen continued to move his hand and gently put it on her head and rubbed it, "As a certain movie put it, do or do not, there is no try. It is a problem, and not an easy one to solve, Prydwen. One that will take much effort on your part, more than any quest by one of Arthur's Knights. Do you take this on your shoulders, Prydwen? This grand quest to make things right once more? I warn you, you may yet fail in it, but if you succeed..."

Frown on her face, Pyrdwen had a look of deep thought, "... Could I?"

Lips curling into a smile of hope, Hen chuckled a little, "If anyone could? It would be you." Stretching some, he got up and grabbed his jacket which had a red dragon on it, "As for your little, ah, what did you call her?"

Blinking, the shipgirl frowned, "Alter. She was..." A grimace crossed her face and she shuddered, "One of my biggest mistakes. I knew that Camelot's grudge was strong, as was the grudge of some of the knights and such. And I had the idea to cleave it from me, as one would a diseased limb. Despite Merlin and the others telling me it was a bad idea, I still sought out ways and found some in the Far East..." Her expression darkened some, "I... did so, cleaving that part of me that still troubled me, that pushed me to do some of the dark things that Camelot's spirit wanted in return for being left broken and ruined, to bring back that which belonged, even if it meant killing those whom were of pure heart. And from that... that... that creature that warped reflection of me was born. One whom did such horrible things before I was able to put her down..."

For several moments, Hen was quiet before he spoke, "We all make mistakes, only the Gods know that I have in my life. Ones that I am still paying for to this very day." Ignoring the questioning look, he turned back to her, "You too, made a mistake, many of them. Alter is one of the greater, but you took steps to resolve that, to fix it the best that you could. For that, I think, Arthur would be proud of you. Just remember that you can fix others, because I am certain that Carnwennan does not hate you, because you are his sister. He just wants to be acknowledged and to be a family, a proper one." Checking his watch, the man nodded, "Well, I must be off. Maybe think over our chat, or don't. It is up to you... but can you simply leave things lay as they are?"

Upon seeing the thoughtful look on Prydwen's face, he smiled some and walked towards the door.

As he opened it, there was another girl there who looked like Prydwen, though younger and less... developed. When she saw Hen, her eyes went wide, and he brought his finger up to his lips and winked, "Shhh." Then, he patted her head and whispered something into her ear which made tears spring to her eyes before she hugged him and he hugged her back before stepping away, "Your sister is in the far right corner at the moment, utterly drunk. She'll have a hangover in the morning to say the least the size of Camelot."

That made Avalon smile as she wiped away her tears, "She will, and I won't cure her of that as she needs to learn. But... I'll take care of her."

With a final pat of her head, Hen nodded as he walked out into the rainy evening, "I am certain that you will... Avalon."

It was not far away when a car pulled up and the door rolled down to reveal a brownish haired woman with a deep frown on her face, "Admiral! I finally found you!"

Chuckling as he slipped into the car, Hen smirked, "Sorry about that, my dear Revenge. Had some business to take care of you see. Won't happen again."

Just snorting, Revenge shook her head a little as she began driving back to base before giving him a mock glare, "I am certain that it will not, my Admiral." A sigh escaped her as she shook her head, "Honestly, you've been gone maybe five hours and already the base is going nuts. How you manage the bunch of us, I will never know!"

Grin on his face, the man laughed, "Oh, I have some experience in such things, and so much easier than I have had it in the past." He ignored the snort that got before shaking his head, "Granted, at least the personalities and looks of the girls are much better. Churchill was a downright arse and a half at times, with the looks to boot, even if he was the leader that was needed for the most part..." Then, her Admiral gave her a look, "And what did I say? You can call my by my name."

Rolling her eyes, though agreeing Churchill, Revenge wondered how it was that the man beside her sounded like he actually knew the former Prime Minister. And it was not the first time he sounded like he knew someone from the past of Britain either. Granted, there was that one time that Golden Hind came to visit before freezing as she caught sight of him. Then the pirate began to laugh uproariously as the sheepish Admiral smiled at her before stating that she should have guessed, 'She never explained why she acted like that either...' Seeing the raised eyebrow, she sighed some, "Very well Admir... I mean, Arthur."

Not saying anything, simply with a smug smirk on his face, Arthur reached over and turned on the radio to listen to for now.

 

Kab2

Second and last part of this visit, I hope you enjoy it
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A surprise meeting (II)

13th August 2014

Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, Kamakura, Japan

Seeing the back of the woman that took care of her and her cousin since that fateful day nine years ago, Matsudaira Yoshi waited until Yuuki was no longer visible.

She came here to fulfill something important to her.

Standing in front of the millennial ginkgo tree that had witnessed all of the temple’s history since this became its actual placement, she reached for her bag and opened it, with trembling hands she reached for a floral offering that she made.

Sniffing it, she put her feelings in the offering and placed it in the red wooden fence that restricted the access to the actual tree, but for what she wanted it was enough.

Closing her eyes, she clapped her hand together and bowing her head, she began to speak.

“Nephew, grand-nephew, I’m here to apologize to you; I’m sure the disaster that ended in your deaths came to be because of my curse to my brother.” A little wetness appeared in the corner of her eyes. “He deserved his fate, but you were innocent of his crimes, if I just died a bit sooner...” At this point her feelings of regret overcame her and she began to water the stone floor.

Because she felt that what happened to her past life’s brother offspring was her fault.

The fault of Minamoto-no-Yoshitsune, a man who valued the family above himself but his brother, the one who he fought all his life for, betrayed him and killed him and his direct family.

As she tried to compose herself again, the wind began to stir, causing the people start to hear a faint voice in the wind, it wasn't clear enough to distinguish any words, except for one.

“Do you think so...?”

Surprised, Yoshi cleaned her eyes of the now unwanted wetness and looked around her to search for the voice owner, but no one was near enough her to be it, the wind stirring some more.

“Follow me to the truth...”

That voice again, for Yoshi it was clear now that the wind wanted her to go somewhere, but she was cautious as it may be unwanted danger; touching her bokken’s hilt she reassured herself that if this was an ambush she could escape ‘No one knows except Yori-nii-san that I am not only Matsudaira Yoshi’

“Follow me to the truth...” the wind whispered again.

Now focusing in the wind, she went south passing the Shimohaiden, causing her a prick of pain and regret in her heart, as it reminded her of Shizuka.

But this wasn’t time to think of the past or the things she could have done so she continued until the wind changed directions, pointing her to a bridge over the water.

Directing her steps there, she noted that the people unconsciously avoided it, as if something told them to stay away; approaching it, she began to feel that she shouldn’t be there, that she has come to do other things, that she...

And suddenly all the odd feelings went away, the wind urging her to cross the bridge.

‘Strange, very strange’ were her thoughts as she crossed the bridge, she looked back to the plaza and she saw that the other visitors avoided the bridge like before. Walking a bit more, she looked around and noted that there wasn’t anyone near, like the people were told to not come near this place until she reached to an opening, a feeling of dread slowly rising inside her as she got a feeling to where the wind was directing her to.

And when the wind pointed her to go northeast, that feeling skyrocketed.

“No, I don’t want to go there” she spoke, fear imprinted in her voice “I know what’s at the end of this road” and she turned her back to the wind and the road leading to a shrine.

“Are you afraid of the past...?” the wind asked like it was mocking her.

“No!” she replied “It is just that I don’t want to... want to...” the words failing her.

“Aren’t you a hero...?”

It was stupid, why she was so afraid to visit a shrine? It didn’t matter who was enshrined there, not that she would find any ghost or something, right?

Psyching herself, she took the short steps necessary to stand in front of the offering box and behind it, the closed shrine’s door.
Spoiler: Her sight

The shrine where there are buried Minamoto-no-Yoritomo’s remains.

Also it is the shrine where her brother is enshrined.

'Brother...’ thought Yoshi, her hatred coldly burning, while sorrow and anguish were freely running.

Suddenly, the door slowly opened without help, creaking all the way until it was fully opened, and the wind that stopped earlier was slowly caressing her cheeks, inviting her to enter in the shrine.

Yoshi was hesitating, she knew that she shouldn’t enter, but at the same time her instincts told her that she had to enter.

Finally following her instincts that helped her so many times in her past life she crossed the door and looked at the beautifully crafted structure that dated from the 1200, roughly a decade after her past life’s death.

While she was admiring the structure the wind around her became more and more swift until a gust of wind made Yoshi close her eyes.

And when she opened again, in front of her stood a beautiful woman dressed in clothes from the Heian era, green hair speckled with gray flowing down until her waist, big brown eyes with a timeless gaze watching her.

Bowing to present herself, she began to speak to Yoshi “Welcome to the Shirahata-Jinja shrine Minamoto-no-Yoshitsune, now known as Matsudaira Yoshitsune; I am the spirit of the great Ginkgo tree in front of where you were praying before”

Surprised, Yoshi was speechless, after all she didn’t found before any spirits in this life or in the other, but when the surprise came off she began to speak.

“Pleased to meet you in person, Great Spirit” she said bowing to the tree spirit “It was you who guided me here and shooed the people?”

Grinning, the spirit replied “Yes it was me; one doesn’t have all my years without learning some magic.” And her eyes turned to the horizon, her gaze losing in it “But even with that a decade ago I was almost dead”

Gasping, Yoshi asked “What happened?”

Sighing, the spirit began to tell her story “The rot had almost consumed me, a strong gale could have blown me down at anytime, but when those spirits from the sea attacked mankind a miko from the shrine learned about my bad state and with her prayers helped me to regain my former strength” she passed her fingers through her hair “This strands of white hair is the rot that still persists in my body, as you can see it is almost gone.”

Now that her brain wasn’t overloaded, Yoshi took something into account “It is a pleasure to talk to you like this Great Spirit, but you haven’t guided me here only to talk, right?”

“As intelligent as they said you were, my dear Yoshi-Chan” she smiled, but it wasn’t a happy smile “I guided you here because someone want to talk to you alone.”

As this piece of information clicked in her mind, a voice that she wasn’t expecting to hear again called her.

“Welcome to my humble resting place, brother” said Minamoto-no-Yoritomo’s spirit, making his presence visible to Yoshi.

When Yoshi saw his solemn face, the hatred inside her ignited like napalm, causing her to overcome the surprise and she began to rant.

“Welcome? And for what did you wanted to see me? For cursing me because your sons’ deaths? Or for boasting about how you tricked me?”
Spoiler: Brothers bonds

But she never expected the kind of response he gave to her.

“Hontouni gomenasai, brother” he said, bowing in a 90 degree angle “I caused so much pain to you without deserving it that I can’t repay you for what I did.”

Speechless, Yoshi’s brain tried to reset after the bluescreen that happened after hearing those words, unbelieving words that she never hoped to hear “This has to be another of your schemes brother, I don’t believe you.”

“I expected so from you after all what I’ve done to you” said Yoritomo still bowed. “But one of the conditions imposed to me for meeting you here was that I cannot lie to you about anything; if you don’t believe me you can ask her about it”

Yoshi looked at the tree spirit with a questioning gaze “It’s true, he can only speak the truth or he would expect unimaginable suffering for lying”

Reassured that her brother wasn’t lying, she began to inquire him about his side of the story.

“First you have to understand my position, you know the story but let me elaborate, it will be easier this way” with this words he started to tell his life. “I was the 3rd son of our father, so my plans were go out and find a way of living out of our father’s shadow; but at the age of 13 our father and the Fujiwara arrested the Emperor and the Former Emperor in the war that was later called the Heiji rebellion, which caused the deaths of our father and my elder brothers, father was betrayed and killed in the bath, the eldest was betrayed too and killed by the Taira and the second was killed by our father’s hand just before he was killed, so I became the eldest of our Minamoto branch at that age; we were all exiled to the Izu province except you and Noriyori, your mother took you, an infant one year old, and escaped to an indeterminate place, Noriyori never told how he survived” The ghost took a momentary break to collect his memories.

Yoshi compared what he just said with what she knew from her past life “I knew all of what you just told, so what’s new about it?” said her with a little irritation in her voice tone.

“But what you don’t know is how it affected me; I nearly broke with the pressure suddenly over my shoulders, the only thought that kept me sane is that if our father and brother hadn’t been betrayed, they would still be alive; so I became suspicious of everyone that wasn’t close to me in the years after the exile, when the Prince Mochihito made the call to what was later known as the Gempei war, I took the our Father’s mantle to be the head of our Minamoto branch, but I was betrayed by our uncle Yokiie and cousin Yoshinaka; and suddenly I had two new allies, Noriyori and you.” Yoritomo’s face became sad as he spoke the next words “In my mind you were strangers that will take advantage of me and betray me at the best opportunity so I took advantage of you two; never realizing that your offering was devoid of malice” at this moment he covered his ghostly face with his hands, lamenting his fate “If I trusted you more than what I did the story could have been very different”

Pitying his brother a bit, but not much as her hatred won’t disappear, she spoke to him “Well, now I understand why you did what you did, but how did you concluded that what I told you was true?”

Sighing (Yoshi wondered how the ghosts sighed) Yoritomo explained to her “After the retainer of Raikou’s sword made us leave Shizuka and what I supposed was your son...”

“Wait!” shouted Yoshi “Sensei stopped you so you didn’t kill Shizuka? And what is that about my son?! I thought that...”

“I killed your son and wanted to kill her?” cut his brother “I thought so, but it seems that Shizuka tricked me and when I returned to Kamakura she had already escaped with him, I tracked them down to where you had grown in your first years, but a female samurai holding the Yasutsuna Doujigiri in her hands drove me and my followers back to Kamakura, that event made me think that maybe I was wrong but what is done is done; I built my shogunate and prospered, but I sometimes had nightmares about the prophecy you said in your last breath; nightmares that were more and more frequent as time passed by.” Yoritomo shrugged “nine years had passed since your death and rare was the night that I didn’t have nightmares when I had an unexpected visit; your wife Shizuka visited me in secret aided by my wife but she didn’t come to kill me; she only came to retrieve your sake conserved head and your sword to do a proper burial; tired of the nightmares I conceded her wishes, but in exchange she had to tell me the truth about you, what you thought about me all these years ago.” His face took a very grim face “And she told me, she told me...” his voice failing him.

With a fond smile Yoshi finished his phase “That my loyalty for you was so great that if you wanted her dead, I would kill her and later I would kill myself for doing it” tears coming to her eyes “The best is that she understood my feelings, Sato understood it too. I didn’t deserve such good wives, only to suffer pain from my actions.”

“And I am sorry again for what I did, I didn’t deserve such a good brother only to betray his loyalty” time passed as their feelings flowed out. Now more calm, Yoritomo continued “As I was saying, Shizuka left with your head and your sword, and I has left broken; I did to you what they had done to our father and brother, so I did what I feel was my only option; I began to prepare the necessary to be ordained as a monk here and aid to the weak as a way to atone for my sins, but the kami had a weird sense of humor, two days after I was ordained monk I fell from my horse chair and broke my neck.” Yoritomo finished with his story, finally taking a weight off his shoulders, because since the day Shizuka revealed Yoshitsune’s true feelings, his only wish was to tell his brother his side of the story.

“This is a lot to take, brother.” Said Yoshi, finally coming to terms with her brother’s side of history, her hatred receding but not extinguishing as that would never happen, but they now at least can begin to heal their relationship a bit. “But how you aren’t mad at me for the curse I placed in you and your sons?”

Taking a step forward, the tree spirit answered to the question “I can answer to that question; for one part the ‘curse’ was actually the origin of the nightmares haunting him, but it was no curse at all; it was your lingering feelings that were slowly turning into a Goryo, but when they felt that Shizuka took your belongings and that Yoritomo truly regretted what he did, they disappeared without a trace; as for the other part what you did in your last moments of life was a prophecy; I felt it when Kugyo hide behind me before assassinating Sanetomo; so you didn’t have any part in the events that lead to their deaths.”

Yoshi was again speechless at the sudden revelation. “So I was taking blame for something out of my control? I feel... relieved” she closed her eyes, feeling the warm breeze of the summer in her face.

They chatted a bit more, mainly to help Yoshi to finally let go of one of her biggest traumas from her past life, but it was the only one that she lamented, but taking account of the time, Yoshi waved goodbye to her brother, now in a more proper way between siblings, a bridge built over the chasm between them.

As Yoshi turned right to take again the bridge, the spirit asked Yoritomo “You didn’t say anything about her sword or her caretaker’s real identity, why?”

A sad smile crossing his face, Yoritomo replied “She didn’t ask, and I can’t tell her about Usumidori’s actions or her caretaker as I learnt about them in the spirit realm.”

------------------------------------

In front of the Gingko tree, Yoshi waited until her legal tutor arrived, the meeting hour slightly passed.

“Gomenasai Yoshi-Chan” said a well-known voice from the stairs “I couldn’t meet with my friend but I spent time with one of her pupils”

Yoshi turned to the stairs to see a familiar figure followed by another one, a vaguely familiar black-haired girl whose face was very pale.

“She fainted under the weather at the middle, so I was taking care of her until she was well enough to go to her house.”

“I’m well enough now D-Yuuki-San” Yae replied, biting her tongue for almost saying Douji’s true name. Bowing to the girl she knew from somewhere, she presented herself “Pleased to meet you, I am Kokonoe Yae”

Widening her eyes a bit, Yoshi bowed too “The pleasure is mine, finally knowing the kendoka that defeated the famous Three Goddesses of Kendo from Yokosuka, I am Matsudaira Yoshi.”

“The winner of the Tokio regional by a wide margin, I’m impressed” said Yae, but she was more impressed that Yoshi did all that without Douji’s teachings, as Douji told her that Yoshi didn’t know anything about her true identity.

“It’s good to know about the possible matches in the nationals; I presume you did the same as me” replied Yoshi with a smug smile.

But before they continued, Douji cut the conversation “Sorry to make it short, but we have to reach the station soon or we’ll miss the train.”

“I’ll accompany you to the station.” said Yae.

They chatted all the way to the station; located at the end of a pedestrian street flanked by cherry trees and azaleas named the Danzakura that was a beautiful sight in spring, when the trees bloom; but now in summer the green of the trees was calming as the shadow provided by them was enough to bear the heat.

Near the end of the street, a woman was standing at one side of the street, looking from one side to the other while the trio was approaching, when she saw them her eyes widened and approached them.

“Congratulations! The woman is the passerby number ten thousand so you have won this ticket for the Yokosuka Exhibition in September!” She handed the ticket to Douji.

A bit stunned, Douji replied “Thank you, but I think that you can give it to one of the kids here as I have no interest.”

Not giving up, the woman tried again, a wolfish smile crossing her face “Sorry, but you are the winner so I insist that you take the ticket and go to the Exhibition!”

This time, Douji something in her smile told her that not doing what she was told would be a very bad idea, so taking the ticket she said “Ok, I’ll take the ticket, thank you.”

“Thanks, I’ll be expecting you there” and looking to the kids, she got from her pockets two little boxes “And for this kids a surprise box to each one. Take care and goodbye”

Then she went towards the temple, giving her back to the trio, but when Douji turned to ask her about something she noted something white get out of her field of vision, but the woman was gone.

Douji was puzzled about it because the woman was vaguely familiar to her, but she shrugged it off as the train came, so she mounted it with Yoshi, and waving goodbye to Yae, she forgot about the woman.
------------------------
Questions, comments and suggestions are always welcomed. After this I'll go back to Sofia's storyline.

 

RCNAnon

Weasley’s Warship Workshop 17

While it was not the work of moments since moving anything the size of a King George V battleship took skill and effort on a good day, it was the work of only a few minutes. A pair of surreptitiously placed tugs had been waiting on the wings when Duke summoned her hull, immediately moving forward once the massive steel behemoth had fully risen from the waves. A few minutes of properly securing lines and the pair gently pushed Duke’s hull up against the pier that had clearly been set aside for just that purpose. It was a well oiled military operation, which along with the added guards around the base meant the even Ron noticed it was probably pre-planned.

Once Duke’s hull was fully secured against the pier, again with appropriate line handlers coming out of where they had been either busy doing something else or waiting for this exact moment only to back off once they were done, a gangplank sliding down to the pier and being placed as securely as one could be signaled the end of the evolution, with Ron and Duke smack dab in front of it.

Ron looked up at Duke, who smiled at him and gestured towards the gangplank.

“You first.” Her voice was soft but it was quite clear that this was meaning a lot to her.

Ron simply nodded to her, making his way to the gangplank. It was a short distance all things considered but it seemed to make his step somewhat heavier. As he reached the end of the gangplank, a whistle sounded from above and he could see the ghostly outlines of a number of sailors on either side of where the gangplank was laid. Somewhat surprised by the greeting, he nevertheless maintained an appropriately still face, trying to remember what he needed to do.

At the top of the gangplank as if something was helping guide him along he paused, turned towards the ensign and saluted. Making his way down onto the main deck, the whistle’s pitch and tune changed, until he reached what was clearly the officer of the deck. Saluting once more, he received a return salute and stepped to the side as he knew Duke would be coming over after him.

The same process was repeated with Duke, though Ron thought that her salute was much better than his likely had been. She focused on the ceremony completely until it was done, allowing Ron a look at a side of Duke he saw much less than others would think.

This was Duke as she was on duty, poised, graceful and just as deadly looking as her hull given the sword by her side. Even her hair blowing slightly behind her merely enhanced the image, painting her like a portrait of a heroine preparing for battle. She was very much on in those moments, as the avatar of forty two thousand tons of steel and firepower should be. The moment didn’t last of course, the piping only took a few moments to complete and then Duke turned towards him once more with a smile that seemed almost nervous.

“My crew were eager to receive you.” Her voice did not betray her nerves, whatever they might be, her tone clearly proud of her men.

“I’m… it’s very much appreciated.” Ron had been about to say he didn’t deserve it but Duke and her crew clearly thought he did, so it was best not to denigrate himself too much.

That caused Duke to smile at him and nod, turning her head towards her own superstructure as the images of her crew faded in and out as they moved around on her deck.

“So… where would you like to visit Ron? This is for you.” Duke had moved to Ron’s side, slightly to the right as they both looked around at the objects visible on her deck.

Ron looked upwards, as even the “small” turrets of Duke’s 5.25 inch guns were as tall as Summer, her main battery and the super-firing guns even higher, all of which was dwarfed by her superstructure. As thoughts ran through Ron’s mind, a plan was formed and he grinned.

“Lets start with the engine room.” He smiled at her, his tone knowing but not revealing his intentions.

Duke’s chest fluttered as her boilers spun up inside. Ron was clearly thinking of something but she couldn’t be sure… nor would she ever think of denying him access to her heart. Especially on today of all days.

“Very well.” She smiled at him in turn, then pointed towards her superstructure. “Lets make our way inside then, it will be faster.”

Ron nodded at her, the two of them making their way inside as shades got out of their way. Though he was guided by Duke, it was Ron in the lead. Much the same as had been done by Warspite as she had shown him her hull. As they passed one of the many water-tight hatches inside of Duke, Ron paused and looked around.

“Is something wrong Ron?” Duke asked, having stopped just behind him.

“No.” He turned around and grinned at her. “It’s perfect.”

Duke flushed slightly at the comment, though her composure did not crack. Yet.

“What’s perfect?” They were in a passageway above one of her boiler rooms, close enough to feel the heat of the still warm vessels but not yet fully inside.

“You are.” Ron knew what the words meant and what they might do to Duke but he didn’t care at the moment. He instead gestured around him. “I don’t think there’s ever been a more well put together ship.”

For her part, Duke managed to keep her face relatively straight. She was red as a tomato but she didn’t quite break down and sputter.

“I… Ron… that’s not…” Duke finally managed to quiet herself, shaking her head. “That’s not true.”

Ron for his part merely stepped forward and wrapped his arm around Duke, turning his head as it pressed to her chest.

“Yes it is Duke. In my opinion at least. Warspite was prettied up from my magic and she hasn’t shown me since so I don’t know if she’s as spic and span.” He turned his head enough so he could look her in the eye. “But even if she is as perfect as you she’s not more perfect.”

Duke had wrapped her arms around Ron as he spoke but her face had not recovered one bit. If anything it was worse, though she refrained from wiping the moisture in her eyes.

“...Thank you Ron.” That was all she could say at the moment, though that was also the only thing that needed to be said.

He smiled at her once more, leaning up as far as he could to just barely press a kiss to her cheek. “Now come on, I wanna see how perfect everything else is too.”

Duke followed after him, a smile clearly visible on her face even as she dabbed at the corners of her eye.

The journey they took was thorough. With Ron, only occasionally assisted by Duke for better direction, leading her down the starboard side of her own hull. He inspected all the major rooms, A and X boiler and engine rooms, her machinery spaces and the magazines. Then he went up her port side, through Y and then B engine rooms and boilers in turn.

Each step of the way he was practically gushing about what he was seeing. Even if he’d memorized the designs of her, each bit was more impressive in person. Duke for her part managed to maintain an equilibrium with the praise, to the point where boiler room B was noticeably hotter than A where they had started.

When Ron made his way up into the superstructure instead of heading into her turrets, Duke finally clued on to what Ron was doing. Though she didn’t say anything, she did feel a burst of pride mixed with other emotions like impatience and longing. Those were thoroughly suppressed of course.

When they reached the bridge, Ron looked around just as wide eyed as ever. The bridge windows gave a great view of Portsmouth Harbor and the docks, busy even in the chill winter weather. A somewhat large group was visible up one of the roads, Ron focusing on them for a minute.

“Is that your friend?” He turned to look at Duke as he spoke.

“I believe so.” Duke’s eyes focused outwards, her eyes able to see much farther even with her hull summoned. “They’ll be here in time.” She turned to look down at Ron. “Don’t worry. There’s no need to rush.”

Ron nodded to her, the redheaded teenager's eyes drifting towards the Captain’s chair.

“Can I?” He nodded at the object in question.

Duke felt her turbines spin at this, though she nodded immediately.

“Please.”

It wasn’t quite a plea but Duke clearly wanted Ron to sit in the chair just as much if not more than he did. Ron approached it with all due dignity and slowly climbed inside. Sized as it was for a fully grown man and lacking a convenient lap to sit in he was not nearly as comfortable as he had been in Warspite’s.

“Guess I don’t quite fit.” He was a bit put out by this but did his best to seem unperturbed.

“You’ll grow into it.” Duke’s voice was solid, completely sure of that opinion. She smiled as she stepped up next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Everyone starts from somewhere.”

Ron nodded to her, the quiet but unshakable confidence of Duke radiating clearly into him. They both stayed like that for a few seconds, Ron raising his hand up to lay it on Duke's.

“Shall we continue?” Duke’s voice was quiet still, though a small grin was hinted at on the corners of her mouth. “I think we’re both waiting for… a certain location.”

Ron’s eyes widened slightly as Duke's words hit him but he merely grinned again and nodded at her.

“Let's go.” He stood, the pep in his step even clearer as they neared the final destination. They made a few detours along the way, stepping outside to take a look at one of her 5.25 inch turrets and a few of her 40mm “pom poms” before they made it to their, for now, final destination.

A turret was no different than Y turret in any meaningful way, yet neither of them could deny that this was where the tour should end as a location. When Ron entered the turret he immediately began to look around, his feet carrying him to the controls and equipment he had so diligently studied in the process of trying to find a way to assist Duke.

Duke stood back, watching as Ron near reverently ran his hands over multi-ton breech blocks as if they were made of paper thin glass. There was no need to but the way he ran his hands over her, much as she would try to deny it, only made her happier that they had both waited as long as they had to come here.

For his part Ron was equally as glad, as the culmination of the visit was all that he could have wanted. He could tell that Duke was excited just as he was and as he ran his hands over her cannon in wonder, knew that there was nothing better he could have done to make it memorable for her as well.

It took Ron several minutes to notice the singular though somewhat significant change in A turret, which could be forgiven due to the sheer enthusiasm he’d approached the opportunity with.

As his hand ran down the breech of gun two, Ron’s eyes widened and his hand stopped along a minute line along the steel.

“Duke…” Ron’s voice trailed off as he felt Duke approach behind him, her arms wrapping around his waist from behind.

“You finally noticed.” Her voice contained humor, even as she pressed tight behind him. “But to answer the question, yes. That is your work.” Her face pressed into the top of his head. “I noticed the first time I summoned after you gave me your gift.”

“Can… can I try something?” Ron’s voice showed the awe with which he was clearly filled.

“Of course.”

Ron pulled his wand from where it was concealed, placing it against the line he could see and letting out a pulse of magic.

Immediately light blazed, traveling up and down in all directions as it filled channels that were nearly invisible to the naked eye. Gold and silver light filled the turret, what had been very tight details made in thread and cloth now much larger and all the more powerful for being etched ever so slightly in the steel of a summoned battleship. Ron gasped at the sight, his eyes even wider than before. Duke had raised her head, eyes taking in the spectacle for herself.

As quickly as the light appeared it dissipated, the brief burst of power not enough to provide a continuous light. The quiet that followed lasted longer than the light had but neither felt the need to break it immediately.

It was Duke who finally broke it, her arms still wrapped around him as she now laid her cheek onto his head.

“It’s not just here you know.” Her voice was quiet, contemplative. “B turret and Y turret have it too. You have, in a quite real sense, marked me Ron.”

Ron didn’t speak, as from her tone and the way she held him he knew that doing so would be interrupting something that Duke would be hard pressed to continue if he did.

“I’ve told you how I started this new life. How I was more focused on being the sword and shield that Britain needed me to be instead of a person. I don’t regret what I did at the time, not one shell or hit from that first brutal year. After…” The silence was pronounced, even as Ron felt her arms tighten around him.

“After I still don’t regret doing my duty. I do regret not opening up to others, to my peers and co-workers more than I did. When I finally realized how isolated I had made myself it was almost too late. Thankfully Warspite pulled me back, showed me how to muddle my way through being more than just a battleship properly.”

Ron moved one of his hands up to Duke’s, clasping the glove covered flesh with his own. In response, Duke moved her own. First pulling it away, she removed the glove so her hand could touch his directly.

“Then… you. It was a slow change with Warspite, from seeing you as a child to seeing the man you could become. I wouldn’t have noticed, not with where I was even then but she did. Thank God that she did.”

Duke’s voice had turned almost wistful, memories and thoughts that she’d suppressed for a long time spilling out in a stream of consciousness.

“I was jealous, I’m honest enough to say that. Not at first I think but soon enough. Her eyes would light up when she talked about you, how hard you were trying to find a way to fix her. It wasn’t romantic not then but she cared, cares, about you so much Ron.” Duke paused for a sigh, her warmth radiating into Ron.

“With the book… oh I don’t think even now you know what those mean to us Ron. Hers… I couldn’t hold back my jealousy. I told her actually.” A chuckle from Duke. “She volunteered to introduce us immediately you know. She could have had you all to herself and she trusted you and I enough to offer right away.” Another chuckle. “She’s too good to us.”

“Mhmm.” Ron squeezed Duke’s hand as she spoke, the muttered utterance all he felt comfortable with.

“Then… everything you’ve done Ron. You accepted me as I was, accepted what I did and opened your heart to me just as you did to Warspite. Letting me see what she saw in you as well.”

Duke squeezed Ron once more placed one more kiss on his head before letting her arms loose and stepping back. Ron turned around as Duke drew her sword, the hiss of steel leaving a scabbard echoing in a chamber designed for more powerful destruction than any one blade could ever hope to achieve. Standing as she was, with sword held in front of her like out of some period play of a knight making an oath Duke looked both powerful and vulnerable, a warrior who could bravely face down the most vicious foe opening up her heart with the hope that it would not be smashed by that who it was offered to.

“You have marked me Ron and I gladly bear that mark. You have done everything to earn the right to do so, through both words and actions. I cannot and will not offer you my everything, for part of me is sworn to my nation and the crown.” A pause. “Aside from that, everything that I can offer you will be yours from now on… if you accept it.”

Ron opened his mouth to respond, closed it, took one step forward and wrapped his hand around Duke’s as best he could given the way she was holding her sword.

“Of course I accept Duke. With all my heart I accept.” Ron smiled at the tall blonde woman in front of him. “From here on I offer you the same, such that it is.”

Duke’s face did not normally change very much given her mannerisms. This time it split wide open with a smile, the joy radiating out from her visible to anyone who could have seen. The very air of the turret seemed happier as the shades of her crew moved at a quicker pace.

“Thank you Ron.” Simple, heartfelt and direct, even as a small stream of liquid spilled down her cheeks.

Ron smiled back at Duke, his hand falling from hers so she could sheathe her sword.

“Thank you Duke. For opening up to me.”

Duke’s smile continued even as she dried her tears, a book appearing in her hand once she was done.

“If you would Ron…” She offered the tome to him along with a pen.

Knowing what it was this time, Ron took the book carefully and flipped through it. Not nearly as long as Warspite’s book, it was still the record of the thousands of men who had helped to make Duke who she was today. Finding his way to the end, Ron signed it with all due care, marking down his name and rank appropriately.

Ronald B. Weasley, Captain, HMS Duke of York.

Duke took the book and smiled at it, tracing the fresh writing with her bare hand before the item disappeared once more into her holds.

“I… I cannot say how much this means to me Ron but I hope I managed somewhat.”

“Of course you did Duke.” The smile on Ron’s face spoke volumes. “I know how you feel. You and Warspite… I can never fully repay the both of you for what you’ve done for me either.”

Duke simply nodded in response, her voice somewhat raw from that much emotional speaking.

“Though… if you let me… I’d like to try.”

Duke’s eyebrow raised slightly, drifting down to where Ron had re-gripped his wand.

“I trust you Ron.”

Ron nodded in turn, raising his wand to the same place he had before. Taking a deep breath he steadied himself and then pushed. Flooding the somewhat invisible line with power, the young wizard focused his power in the same manner he did when casting enchantments on normally much smaller items.

Once again the turret was flooded with light, this time with Ron’s eyes closed while Duke looked around in more wonder as the light flared brighter and brighter. Soon enough sweat broke out on Ron’s face, his arm starting to quiver as he put so much effort into what he was doing.

Just as Duke was about to step forward and stop him, Ron gasped, forcing his arm away from Duke’s guns. Nearly stumbling, Ron found himself held up by Duke’s hands under his arms.

“Ron, what did you…” Duke trailed off as she received a report, her head darting towards her guns.

“Heh…” Ron chuckled, somewhat out of breath though not having passed out like he had with Warspite.

“Ron…”

“M’not done yet… but it’s a promise.”

Duke’s eyes focused on the lines decorating her guns, gone from nearly invisible to merely fine.

“Yes… yes Ron. I understand.” Duke’s voice was choked up once again, though this time she merely shifted, bringing her head closer to Ron’s as he recovered. “I really do…”

For several minutes afterwards there was silence in the turret, as both of the two occupants recovered.

Once more the silence was broken by Duke.

“Ron?”

“Yes?”

“Are you ok?”

“Yeah… are you?”

“Yes. Are you ready to meet my friend?”

“...Yeah.”

“Alright. Lets go. She’s heading this way.”

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Ten minutes later found Ron, Duke and a very large portion of her crew at the railing.

“Duke?”

“Yes?”

“Is that who I think it is?”

“Who do you think it is?”

Ron glanced over at Duke, who had a smile worthy of Warspite on her face.

“I think that’s the bloody Queen of England!”

Duke just continued grinning.

“Then yes, it’s who you think it is.”

“Oh great. Just great. First Dreadnought and now Her Majesty the Queen!”

“Well, would you rather someone less important come visit?”

“I… not exactly but some warning would be nice!”

“Well, maybe next time someone less important will come visit.”

“Next time? What next time?”

“Shh, she’s about to board.”

Ron forced down a gulp, setting himself as best he could as Her Majesty Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of her other realms and territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, boarded HMS Duke of York to the full fanfare she was entitled to as sovereign of the realm.

One day. He promised himself even as the bosun’s whistle rang out in full. One day I won’t be surprised by who visits a newly returned ship.

Needless to say… that day would be a long time coming.
----------
AN: I cranked this out today, unlike most of my writing so I hope it's acceptable.

Comments very welcome, as it's somewhat rambling but hopefully gets the picture across.

 

NotHimAgain

Me: "WHY CAN'T I WRITE DANA?"

Dana: (is written)

Me: "Oh, okay."

This one has been a long time coming, and I had fun writing it.
*-*-*

Dana's Big Adventure, Possibly Part 5

Nemo’s boilers roared in the back of her head. Her engines howled frantically, pushing her from roof to roof to street to roof again. Her entire being was focused on three points.

She needed to escape.

She needed to protect Takumi.

The Abyssal from the Fleet of Laughter was still following her. Hence the need to escape and protect Takumi.

She couldn’t outrun them in the long run. Whatever the FOL was, she was faster by far. So Nemo started dodging around. Ricocheting at odd angles. Ducking between buildings. Jumping backwards so that the pursuer would overshoot.

Nothing worked.

Every card she played was countered. The FOL always knew what angle to catch her at. Would drop down to the openings of every alley, forcing her up and out. Could stop and reverse direction just as well as her.

She hadn’t been caught yet, thank goodness.

The thought had barely a moment to flicker through her head before her boilers drowned it out, like everything else around her. Because she had Takumi with her, dammit! She had to run! Run! RUN!
-----

Dana’s older sister was nowhere near as fast as Regalia, but she had an annoying habit of pulling off hairpin turns that made keeping a bead on her tricky. Fortunately, Regalia’s experience with roof-hopping was much more extensive. Slowly but surely, she was boxing the kidnap victim in—and then Mother and Grandmother would be there, and everything would be taken care of.

“She’s going right again!” her passenger cried.

“I see her!”

This time, Regalia had to drop into the street briefly to bleed off some speed, but she quickly had Nemo and her captor back in her sights.
-----

“Onee-chan!”

Sayaka sighed, wiggling the bike chain as best she could. “No good,” she grumbled, “it’s off completely.” Standing, she sighed and shrugged. “Oh well, we’re pretty close to home anyways. I’ll walk it back.”

“Onee-chan!”

“No, Momo, I’m not going to call Potter and ask him to fix this for me. This is something I can take care of myself, okay?”

“Onee-chan, if I may?” the third member of their party asked, stepping forward. “If it’s just the chain, I believe that I can deal with it easily.”

Sayaka glanced at her second... well, honestly, it still felt weird to be referring to her as “sister,” but Momo insisted and her parents had agreed to take her in. It was still kind of uncomfortable, though—first she’d lost her only sister, and now suddenly she had two.

No. She couldn’t be like that. Kyushu openly considered Sayaka to be her older sister (as weird as that was, looking at the two side-by-side), so she owed it to her to be the best… smaller older sister… She was trying, okay?

“You could do that for me, Kyushu?”

“Yes, of course,” the Shipgirl replied, smiling widely, “just let me see for a second.” She knelt by the bike and examined the loosened mechanism.

“Boo!” Momo huffed irritably. “You should have called Potter-san.”

“Momo,” Sayaka groaned, “I shouldn’t just call Potter for something I’m perfectly capable of doing myself.”

Her little sister widened her eyes, staring up at her quizzically. “Even if you just want to hear his voice?”

Lub-dub. Lub-dub.

It… it had been a while… And… Potter wasn’t really the sort to mind, was he? Maybe… just to catch up…

“Done!” Kyushu announced proudly. She stood, lifted the bike, and presented it to Sayaka. “There you go, Onee-chan!”

“AHAHA!” Sayaka shrieked, grabbing the bike and attempting to mount it. “Home! Yes! Let’s!” What had she been thinking just then? Calling Potter like… like that! It was simple—

The ground two feet from her cratered as something shot past. Sayaka shrieked and toppled over. Momo and Kyushu went rigid.

“Oh… geez…” Sayaka groaned as she righted herself. “What the heck was that—”

“Kyushu.”

“Onee-sama.”

“VISIT JUSTICE UPON THEM!”

“ONEE-SAMA!”

“No! Wait! I just—”

And with a crack, Sayaka’s younger sisters shot into the air.

“… tripped,” she finished with a groan. “Aww, man…”

Well. Nothing to do except go after them.

… And pray that Mom and Dad never had more kids. Two younger siblings were hard enough to deal with as was.
-----

Regalia dropped to a halt on the roof of a convenience store. Watching Nemo’s IFF on her radar, she dropped into a runner’s stance.

“Why are you stopping?” Dana squawked, “they’re gonna get away! We need to save Nemo!”

“We’re going to,” Regalia replied, calculating the distance, how much weight she was carrying, the speed of her opponent, “she’s holding a serpentine pattern—I think that I can catch her if I charge straight down the middle. We just need a minute…”

“HEY!”

Regalia’s plan vanished. She glanced around—had that come from behind her? It sounded a little familiar, but who had said it? Doing her best not to break her stance, she craned her neck around to see a pair of figures leaping towards them.

“Regalia?” Dana asked nervously. She wasn’t quite sure who these two were yet, and Nemo was starting to draw away.

“One moment. Maybe they’re here to help.” It was possible, after all. Mother had called in some help, hadn’t she?

Regalia focused on the two, looked harder…

… and leapt away frantically, boiler pounding at the sheer rage in their eyes.

“WHAT’S GOING ON?”

“GET BACK HEEERRE!”

“THEY’RE NOT HERE TO HELP! THEY’RE NOT!”

“ARE THEY HIPERTIZED TOO?”

“I DON’T KNOW! MOMMY! MOMMY! HEEEELP!”
-----

Revina was booooooorrreeed. Not “bored.” “Booooooorrreeed,” with a capital letter 8.

Oh well. At least there was ice cream.

(It should, at this point, be noted that in cities where Shipgirls were based, dessert industries of all kinds were booming more often than not. It balanced out the risk of operating in an area that might be hit by Abyssals if an attack came by an order of magnitude, even more so than regular restaurants. Thus, one could hardly turn a corner in Yokosuka without happening upon some cake store, confectionary shop, or ice cream parlor)

The door dinged, and two young girls stepped in. Revina glanced over at them—nah, still bored. Even if one of them was dressed up like it was the Taisho era. She returned her attention to the window, where boring people were walking about their boring ways. Boringly.

“I can’t believe you’re dressed like that.”

“What’s wrong with it? We’re on leave—I can dress however I want.”

“It makes you look like a boy.”

“And you look like a period drama, what’s your point?”

“Y-you!”

Revina remained more concerned with her ice cream, only barely paying heed as the duo noticed her and ducked their heads together for a quick and quiet conversation.
-----

“Ooyodo?” Yuudachi said, wedging the door open with her shoulder, “We’ve got those incident reports you asked for. And the other reports.”

“Thanks, Yuudachi, just set them over there—oh, Yoshi?” The secretary ship looked up from her work, raising an eyebrow. “Didn’t you go out with Fubuki for ice cream?”

The sarugami grinned. “We’re gonna join up with them later. Kisaragi kind of passed out after finishing with her work, so I figured I’d help out.”

Ooyodo smiled quickly, returning to her work. “That’s very kind of you. But please ask Kisaragi to drop by later for me, will you?”

“Poi!” Yuudachi cheered. “Come on, Yoshi! Let’s wake Kisaragi up and get out of here!”

“Way ahead of you!”

“Guess I should tell her myself,” Ooyodo muttered as the door shut behind them. “Wha… Go ahead Fubuki, over—”

SLAM

Yuudachi frowned, glancing down at Yoshi. “Fubuki? What do you think she was calling in about, poi?”

The boy shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe they’re offering a special? It happens sometimes.”

“We’d better get their quick, then—”

“SOMEONE’S BRAINWASHING ABYSSALS?”

The shout was loud enough to pierce the office’s soundproofed walls. Yuudachi and Yoshi staggered in shock, looked at each other, and bolted.
-----

“How is that even possible?” Ooyodo asked, panic rising in her voice as it drove her upright, “the only things capable of controlling Abyssals like that are—eh? What did you say? Uh, over.”

She listened a moment longer, then slumped back into her chair, relieved. “Oh. Oooh,” she chuckled, bringing a hand up to her brow. “Yes, that makes much more sense. Alright, I’ll see if there’s anyone who can help out. Over.”
-----

“Excuse me?”

Revina looked away from her ice cream. One of the little girls from earlier was looking up at her, expression solemn. The blonde one, with the butterfly hairclips. Cute.

“Hee~eey!” she replied, letting a grin spread across her face. A corner of the little girl’s mouth twitched into a frown before she caught it and forced it back up. “I’m Revina. Have we met?”

“Er, yes, hello,” she replied. “I don’t believe that we’ve been formally introduced—my name is Asakaze, of the Kamikaze class destroyers—”

“Great! Let’s be friends!” Asakaze of the Kamikaze class destroyers blinked in confusion as Revina’s hands enveloped her own and the Re-class began to shake heartily. The girl who she had come in with glanced over and snickered before returning to ordering her ice cream.

“H-hey!” Asakaze of the Kamikaze class destroyers yelped, pulling her hands away. “That’s not—”

Something shot by the window.

Slowly, Abyssal and Shipgirl turned as one to face out towards the street.

“Did you just see a Ne class shoot by with a human boy in her arms?” Revina asked. Asakaze of the Kamikaze class nodded dumbly.

Another figure shot past. This time Revina recognized it as Regalia. She was carrying a much smaller figure, piggyback.

What was going on here? Was this…

Two more. This time it was the little girl who used to be dead, and her little big sister. And everyone was jumping around, chasing each other. Somewhere in the depths of Revina’s insides, the left kidney by her prognosis, interest was beginning to blossom. But why…

“Er, Miss Revina?”

They were racing, of course. But it wasn’t just a race—that much was certain. They were bounding around the city. Bouncing… bouncing… bouncing…

“Miss Revina? Is something the matter?”

Wait a minute! She was the bouncing queen! Young and sweet! Eternally seventeen! Someone needed to show these upstarts how to really bounce! And that someone was her!

But then, each contestant had been carrying a smaller-slash-weaker sidekick. And while Revina had her tail, that wouldn’t be fair to Regalia. She’d sprung for a whole separate sidekick. Going without one of her own would just be mean…

Revina glanced down, noticing that hey, there was a little friend-shaped person next to her.

“No time to explain!” she shouted, grabbing Asakaze of the Kamikaze class destroyers and tucking her under her arm. “Hang on tight—we’re riding!”

“WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY???” Asakaze wailed.
-----

The doors banged open as Yuudachi stepped out of the building. Already, she was scanning her radar, looking for unfamiliar signatures. The only thing capable of any kind of control over Abyssals was a princess, after all. Maybe they weren’t anywhere close—it certainly wasn’t a good idea to get in close with whatever target one was after. On the other hand, actually intelligent Abyssals tended to be unfortunately few and far between—at least, in her experience. There were yet many more Abyssals out there than had allied, and this could be one of them.

“I’m going.”

“No, Yoshi,” Yuudachi said sternly, focusing on her search. “This could be dangerous—”

“You think I don’t know that?”

She glanced over her shoulder at him. The boy was standing, hands and teeth clenched to hold himself together.

“Of course this could be dangerous,” he growled. “Didn’t you hear what Ooyodo said? But… I can’t just stand aside and do nothing. Staying here… I don’t think I could live with something like that!”

“Yoshi…”

Before Yuudachi could think of a response, something caught her attention. On the radar were several clusters of rapidly moving signatures. One was Nemo, another was Momo/Honshu, another was Regalia…

And with Regalia was a signature that she’d never seen before.

There.

Gathering her feet under her, Yuudachi leapt.

She stumbled as she did, as an unexpected weight attached itself to her.

“YOSHI!”

“I’M GOING!”

“Fine!” she shouted. She could drop him off at a safe distance before she went into battle anyway.
-----

“Omigosh! Omigosh! Omigosh! Kamikaze, Asakaze just got kidnapped!”

“What? What do you mean?”

Matsukaze breathed in deeply. “Okay, okay… We went to get some ice cream for when you girls got back from the game store, and there was this Abyssal there. One of the ones from Wanko’s fleet. So, Asakaze decided to walk over and talk to her, find out what was up and what she was doing there. Then a bunch of people ran past, and suddenly she grabbed Asakaze and ran out the door!”

“Uh, okay. Where are you now? Do you know who it was that took her?”

“She said her name was Revina.”

“Revina? That doesn’t make any sense, she was the shy one—Harukaze? The… which other one?” Kamikaze paused. “Okay… so Revina’s actually the crazy one. That’s not good.”

“I’m calling this in,” Matsukaze said. Whatever was going on, they were going to need backup for a Re-class.

“No, don’t. We’re here on leave, and Revina’s an allied Abyssal. We don’t need to trouble anyone with our mess.”

“Are you sure? I’ve heard things about Revina, I don’t think we can take her on all by ourselves.”

“We don’t need to take her on,” Kamikaze’s voice was slow, reassuring. “Like I said, she’s an ally. We’ll work something out. We’re going to spread out and try to get a bead on them—stay in contact.”

Matsukaze blinked. Ran over Kamikaze’s words in her head. Shrugged.

“Well, if it’s come to that,” she said brightly, “might as well go out with my boots on.”
-----

“Kisaragi,” Fubuki said, struggling to keep her voice anything but threateningly low. “When you say you don’t know where Yoshi is. What exactly do you mean?”

“Just that!” Kisaragi wailed. “I figured that I’d catch a few winks after finishing my reports—” She had been up late working on those, Fubuki reflected, “and when I woke up both of them were gone! Ooyodo was the last one to see them!”

“O-okay.” One hand came up to massage her temple. “Yoshi… he’s probably with Yuudachi. Problem is where she is. You were going to come meet up with us here, right?”

“That was the plan. And now Yuudachi’s gone and she isn’t listening to my hails—”

“Probably just her not paying attention,” Fubuki groaned. “Look—don’t worry, I’ll see if I can track them down out here. Ask around the base a little more, try to figure out where they might be going.”

“I… yes. Okay.”

“Thanks. I’ll talk to you later.”

Fubuki turned to Mutsuki and Hoppou. “Sorry, but I’ve got to take care of—”

“Don’t worry,” the tiny princess replied, “Hoppou understands. Family is very important.”

Fubuki nodded her thanks, smiled at Mutsuki’s reassuring nod, and ran out into the street.
-----

“Where are we going?!?” Takumi groaned. He was looking a little green—oh. Oh no. Nemo was being too rough, wasn’t she—they had to get away, but could he take much more of this?

“I don’t know,” she said aloud. “The Fleet of Laughter is still chasing us—I don’t know when it’ll be safe to stop, I’m sorry…”

She needed help—get in contact with the Naval Base, figure out what was going on…

On the street below them, a flicker of motion caught her eye—a familiar figure from back when negotiations were beginning.

“Hey! It’s that destroyer girl—the one with the snowy name! Fubuki! I’ve got it—Hang on just a little bit longer, she can help!”
-----

I like how everyone's playing off of each other in this one. Kind of reminds me of a chapter of My Monster Secret. I can't wait to see how it all comes together.

Well, what do you think sirs?

 

Harry Leferts

Bringing her motorcycle to a stop, Jin let out a soft sigh of relief before pulling her helmet off. With a grunt, she cracked her neck and the rolled her shoulders before getting off her bike, “Seems everything’s in order, Porkchop. Nothing is on fire after my trip.”

A laugh burst from the pig Yokai as he grinned, “Of course not, Boss. Did you expect anything else?” Seeing the look he was given, he winced at some memories, “Right, right... forget that.” Porkchop than gave a small shrug, “Anyways, the others were pretty damn happy with the jam and stuff you brought back.”

That got him a snort from Jin as she shook her head, “The kids needed it. You just fucking know that they’ll enjoy it.” Stretching, she grunted, “Still, good to fucking know that nothing went wrong... Porkchop, what’s with that look?”

Porkchop gave an unsure laugh as he glanced away, “What look? Anyways, shouldn’t we continue the patrol? You know... for the neighbourhood?”

Now suspicious, the Mizuchi narrowed her eyes some, “What the fuck are you not telling me now, Porkchop? I’ll fucking find out one way or the other.”

Tugging a bit at his collar, Porkchop glanced away, “Uh, it’s nothing bad, Boss. At all, ya know? But we should just continue...”

Frown on her face, Jin narrowed her eyes venomously, “Fuck that shit. I’m getting my goddamn slushy. You know that I always get one on my ride, Porkchop from this place.” She jerked her thumb towards the Lawson’s, “So we’re going in and getting my fucking slushy.”

With that, she turned and walked towards the store, ignoring how her companion’s shoulders slumped before he followed, “Ah hell... here we go...”

Simply ignoring that, Jin walked into the store and made her way to the slushy machine that was there. Upon seeing what was in said machines, she grinned, “Oh hell yes! Strawberry, blue raspberry, orange soda, Coca Cola, fuck me!” Grabbing one of the larger cups, she proceeded to fill it with some from each flavour, mixing them, “Heck yes! This is just great.” Walking up to the counter, the Mizuchi reached into her pocket for her wallet, “Hey, Chouko-San, quiet night...”

Lifting her head, the fallen Kami trailed off as it turned out that beside the somewhat busty and glasses wearing girl who normally manned the counter... was a Re-Class in a Lawson’s uniform. Grin on her face, the Abyssal spread her arms, “BEHOLD! THE DARK ONE GRACES THOSE OF US UNWORTHY WITH HER DIVINE PRESENCE!”

For several moments, Jin blinked at her “Priestess” and then turned slowly to Porkchop who shrugged, “Didn’t want to dump this on you, Boss.”

Taking a deep breath, Jin let it out before turning to the Re-Class who was already ringing in her slushy, “... Not that I am against any of you bunch getting a job... but what the fuck are you doing here?”

Hands on her hips, the Re-Class thrust out her chest, “I am now an employee here, Dark One, praises be your name! Thanks to your blessing I have successfully entered the job market and are now making moolah!”

Blinking slowly, Jin turned towards Chouka, “Wat.”

Just rubbing her neck, the cashier chuckled weakly, “W-well, it was two days ago while you were, um, gone, I guess? I was doing the night shift as usual when, well... um...”

******************************** Two days before *****************

Looking up from her phone as the door opened, Chouka looked up at the somewhat scraggly man who walked inside. She placed her phone just under the counter as she watched him make his way through the store. As usual, she got a small thrill down her spine seeing someone this late after midnight.

Granted, she wasn’t too concerned since with Jin and her group most people were smart enough not to fuck around on their turf.

Unfortunately, a few moments after reaching the cash with a bag of jerky, the man showed he was not one of those as he pulled out a knife, “Give me your damn money, NOW!”

Eyes wide, Chouka pressed the speed dial for the police before bringing her hands slowly up into the air, “Whoa there... its fine, no need to use it.”

Glancing around, the man didn’t notice movement outside the store as he then glared at the woman, “What did I say, bitch!? Now hand over the money... and any cigarettes you have!”

Just taking note of how shaky his hand was on the knife and the bloodshot eyes, Chouka swallowed, ‘He’s strung out on something...’ Nodding, she gave him a weak smile, “S-Sure, give me a moment...” Unnoticed by the man, she trailed off as the door slowly, quietly opened and the Abyssal “Priestess” of the Dark One poked her head in. Taking in what was happening, the Re-Class narrowed her eyes and slipped inside. Eyes wide, Chouka looked back at the man, “E-er... L-look... you don’t need to hurt me or anything, I-I’ll get you the money and cigarettes... just... calm down. You know that Hisakawa Jin won’t be happy...”

Eyes bulging, the robber snarled, “Calm down?! Fuck you! Now give me what I want or else that pretty face of yours will not be so pretty!” Then, he looked over Chouka in a way that made her shudder a bit before licking his lips, “Though maybe you can do a little something for me...”

Watching from behind the counter as the Re-Class slowly rose up behind the man, Chouka gave him a shrug, “Um, look... you really don’t want to do that. Hisakawa Jin rules this area and she don’t like crime being done here...”

Only laughing, the man grinned at her nastily, “Fuck that pale skinned whore! Fucking bitch is good for only one thing and that is being on her knees like you! Now give me the money and I might only have a little bit of fun with you-Argh!”

A pale skinned hand with black fingernails closed over his hand and nearly broke the bones as it squeezed, though it made him drop the knife. Then, slowly, said hand raised him upwards and he was turned upon which the robber paled seeing an angry Re-Class glaring at him, “You do not know the true meaning of terror from the Dark One!” She then grinned showing all her sharp teeth, “But I shall help you to see!” After a moment, her grin fell away and she looked down, “Did you just empty your bilge tanks?”

Having taken her phone from under the counter, Chouka held it to her ear with a slight smirk on her face, “An officer will be here in five? Thanks! Oh, the robber?” Glancing at the whimpering man as the Abyssal’s tail nudged him, she shrugged, “He’s fine though detained.”

Sure enough, five minutes later, one of the local officers came through the door jogging, only to blink at seeing the Re-Class holding the scared shitless robber, who also had a stain on his pants, “Ah, you got him. Good to hear, I am sure that the Dark One approves.”

Ignoring the looks from his fellow officers, he walked over and had her drop the robber, whereupon he arrested him. Much to his amusement, said criminal was happy to be shoved into the back of the squad car. And when the manager arrived a half hour later, the older man declared that if the Re-Class wanted something to eat, he would give it to her in thanks.

What he did not expect, much to the amusement of the police there, was for said Abyssal to hold out a dirty napkin that was written on in crayon with a smile, “I noticed that you had a sign stating that you are hiring! And I would be happy to be hired!”

Taking the napkin, the manager looked it over in thought for a few seconds before rubbing his chin, “Would you mind night shifts? We really should have more than just Chouka on...”

Brightly smiling, the Re-Class nodded, “Of course!”

Smiling himself, the manager held out his hand to be shaken, “You’re hired!”

***************** Present *****************

Proud look on her face, the Re-Class placed her hands on her hips, “And thus, after doing your work and receiving your blessing, I have now become employed!”

Slowly blinking, Jin gave a slight nod, “Uh, right.” Scratching her head, she frowned some, “They are treating your right? No problems?”

The Abyssal shook her head, “No, Dark One! For they pay me well and even give us food at a discount!”

When the Mizuchi looked at her, Chouka shrugged, “The manager lets her take the trays and such right before they get expired. We’d just throw them out anyways and it goes on expenses.”

Considering that, Jin shrugged some, “Well, good job I guess?” Somewhat uncomfortable with how happy her “Priestess” looked, she frowned, “Wait, is it just you that has a job?”

Much to her surprise, the Abyssal shook her head, “No, Dark One! Some of the others have been blessed by you and thus have jobs as well! Blessed be they, for Rumia works at one of the human bars as a bouncer! She claims it is great fun! And Tania-”

Eyebrows furrowed, Jin frowned, “That’s the Ta-Class that Mom helped, right? The one with the teddy bear?”

Her own eyes widening, the Re-Class nodded, “Yes! You do know of us and our names, Dark One! But yes, that is her, blessed by the Womb of Calamity!” She then shrugged a little, “She works at what the humans call a burger place. Her shift manager, Maou, is quite good to her as well! He even allows her to bring home any cooked food they have when they close up at night! ”

For a moment, Jin frowned a little as she scratched her head before nodding, “I think that I know the place. Dude gives me an odd feeling, and so do some of his employees, but they seem pretty good.”

Looking over the candy choices, Porkchop nodded, “Yeah, that place is great to eat at.” Frown on his face, he gave a small shrug, “Though that robber... damn, how stupid do you need to be? Wonder if there’s anyone else like that out there...”

*********************** Meanwhile, in the United States ***************

Hidden in the shadow of the ice cream shop, a man narrowed his eyes as he looked at a girl who looked close to eighteen with black, curly hair beside an older man eating ice cream after they stepped out. He could just barely hear the girl say something about “Needing to get away from her sisters”, which made him internally shrug. Internally cursing at the August heat as he put on the mask, the man slipped his hand into his pocket and made his way over to the two after making sure that no one was around, “Hey! Hey you two! The guy and girl!” As they turned around, he brought out his gun, “Your money and your valuables now!”

The man seemed to have a bemused look on his face as he looked at the stunned girl next to him, “A mugger...? Really?”

Now seeing the girl’s face, the Mugger frowned some, “Wait, do I know you from somewhere....? Ah, fuck it, you heard me! Money and valuables or else it’s your life!”

Muttering under her breath, the girl sighed and shook her head, “Uh... are you... robbing me?”

Completely nonplussed at this, the Mugger growled, “Yes!”

Slowly, the girl nodded with a slight smile, “Ah, I see...”

From behind the mugger, there was the sound of numerous guns cocking and he slowly turned to find about twenty Fletchers grinning at him with their rigging deployed alongside with at least a dozen or so Escorts lead by Sammy B. Behind them was Iowa and Jersey, also with their rigging deployed. Slowly, jerkily, the would be Mugger turned back to find the girl that he had been accosting also with rigging, which declared her to be the “USS Taylor”. Utterly stunned, the criminal didn’t do anything as Jersey walked up and plucked the gun from his hands. Then, the Battleship lowered her aviators to look at him down the bridge of her nose, “So... how does it feel to be a Rocket Scientist?”

The Mugger only whimpered in reply.

***************** Back in Japan ****************

Jin gave a shrug and shook her head, “Who fucking knows, Porkchop.” Turning back to the Abyssal, she gave a sly grin, “So, do I get a discount?”

Blinking, her Priestess shook her head, “Sorry, Dark One, but store policy states that we do not give out discounts.” She paused for a moment, “And your mother, Mary the Womb of Calamity, told us not to. And that if you did, we were to tell her...” There was another pause, “She is much scarier than you, Dark One.”

Jin only had one thing to say to that as she slumped her shoulders at the thought of what her Mother would do when she found out.

“Fuck.”

___________________________________________________________

After getting off the bus and watching it head down the road, the fifteen year old boy looked around before rolling his shoulders. Seconds later, two fox ears popped out of his hair and a tail swisher behind him as he made his way onto a nearby, nearly overgrown path. Not that he was bothered much by his surroundings, not in the slightest. In fact, he actually relaxed a little with a small bounce in his step.

Taking in the trees around him, the teen hummed some as he made his way deeper and deeper into the forest and the mountains. For a brief moment, he paused and looked down before crouching, “Hmm... wolf tracks.” Glancing around, he smiled, “Maybe I’ll be lucky enough to see them... haven’t seen actual wolves for years now.”

With a small nod, the teenage Kitsune continued to make his way through the woods with all the skill of someone decades older than him.

Eventually, he reached a small cabin that was nestled beside a hill. But seeing no smoke from the chimney nor, when he peeked through the windows, was there anyone inside, he sighed, “Because of course she would not be here. Why would she be here...”

Just sighing once more, the Kitsune began walking again until he came to a mountain stream which he hopped across. Then, turning, he followed it up the mountain. Until, that was, he reached a waterfall that cascaded over a ledge into the stream he was following. And, that the bottom of said falls with the water falling over her as she sat in a lotus position, hands clasped, was the one he had come for.

Rather than interrupt her, however, the teen continued to walk up the path until it reached the top of the falls and sat down to wait. To pass the time, he pulled out a small penknife and grabbed a piece of wood that he began to carve it. Though not before glancing at the stream and shuddering.

Mainly due to the fact that said stream’s source was meltwater in the nearby mountain. Which meant, even now in August, said water was extremely cold, nearly freezing. A fact that the teen knew from experience. But then, he shrugged it off and began to carve a small fox. He had most of the outline done when he noticed a log moving down the stream, but still did nothing but watch as it went over the falls. Leaning over, he noted that the woman’s fox ears twitched before she blurred into motion.

Not even a second later, the log practically detonated into splinters as a trough was cut through the water to the top of the falls.

Ignoring the spray that even now twinkled in the sunlight, the teen grinned as he looked at the woman, “Hoo? That was impressive, Oba-Chan!”

Softly snorting, the woman shook her head, “No, it was not that impressive, Nephew.”

Grin on his face, the Kitsune teen laughed, “True! That time you killed a Tsu-Class with martial arts was impressive.”

Lips curling into her own smug grin, the older Kitsune, though only a one tail, rolled her shoulders, “Give me a moment and I’ll come up to speak with you.”

With that said, she crouched down before leaping upwards. Then, her foot touched the waterfall before she seemed to run up it, touching only the surface, before she reached the top. As she landed on a rock, the teen clapped his hands, “Well done, Ren-Oba-Chan.”

Amused, the now named Ren gave him a look, “Thank you, Naoki-Kun. Shall we walk then and talk? I have some lovely tea in the cabin.”

Only nodding, Naoki fell in line with his aunt as they began the walk back. As they did so, he did glance at her out of the corner of his eye. The teen was utterly unsurprised to note that despite having been sitting under the waterfall, the older of the two was bone dry. Of course, he knew that under her training clothes, which were an old Gi that was likely older than he was, her body was mostly corded muscle, though still shapely.

Of course, that along the fact with how she had Chinese blood being half-Huli Jing alongside the Kitsune blood that ran her veins. He also had some Huli Jing blood in him as well, but not noticeable like his aunt and mother. Though that only gave them an “Exotic” look compared to most, which he internally shrugged off, ‘Neither of them can compare to... her...’

At the sigh, Ren had a sad smile on her face as she reached over and patted his shoulder, “One day, you will come across the one that you love. The gods and Ancestors will make sure of it. But you must just wait, Nephew, for as the American saying goes, good things come to those who wait.”

Only shaking his head, Naoki shrugged a little. Both of them were silent until they reached her small cabin where she unlocked the door and opened it. As he had expected, the teen could see that there were only the bare essentials as normal when his aunt went on her training trips. That was, except for a number of photographs in a sort of shrine. All men that his aunt had known, most whom were dead.

He was brought out of his musing when said aunt brought over a cup of tea, “Here you go, Naoki-Kun. Wet your throat a little before you tell me what my sister has asked of you to bring to my attention.”

Lips curled into a small smile, Naoki took a sip of tea and softly sighed, after all her tea was always excellent. With another sip, he set it aside before turning to her as she drank her own tea, “Haha-ue asked me to come and inform you that the paperwork for your new dojo in Yokosuka is now complete. All that is left is how you will set it up after the repairs are completed on it as it has been abandoned for some years now.” He then gave a small shrug, “Though Haha-ue is asking what you wish to teach there.”

Smug smirk on her face, Ren chuckled, “Whatever else? Martial arts.” At the look she got, her smirk widened a little into a grin, “Not good enough, my nephew?”

Just snorting, said younger fox spirit rolled his eyes, “No, it’s not.” His tone then became dry, “Though considering how many you know and have mastered...”

Only taking another sip of tea, Ren hummed, “Know, yes. Mastered? No, one never masters the Art, they simply improve upon themselves with it.” Head tilting a little, she had a thoughtful look on her face, “As to what I shall teach... I have not yet decided as there are many choices. Though, perhaps, I shall make use of my Shikigami and have them as teachers as well.”

Rubbing the side of his head, Naoki ignored the twinkle of amusement in his aunt’s eyes, “Choices are putting it mildly, you know how many styles of Kung-fu? The five main styles as well as Dog style? Not to mention how you learned Shaolin in California...”

Bemused, the older fox spirit nodded, “Ah, yes, Master Caine is a very good teacher. Very wise even now and happily teaching his grandchildren.”

That made Naoki blink as he looked at an old picture of his aunt beside a middle aged man with stringy, greying hair and dressed in a brown leather jacket. Completing the look was the fedora he wore on his head. On his aunt’s other side was a younger man in a police uniform, “He’s still alive? After all these years?”

Chuckling as she shook her head, Ren grinned a little, “Oh yes, and still as active as always.” She then tilted her head some with a thoughtful noise, “Though from what I have heard, his son Peter has been contacted by members of the No-Maj government in the United States since they need... experts... in regards to the supernatural with the Statute falling apart.”

More amused than anything, her nephew shook his head with a snort, “Considering what you told me about regarding your adventures with him? I wouldn’t be surprised.” Taking another sip, his eyes fell on a different picture, “You could also teach his style.”

Following the gaze, Ren’s eyes fell upon another picture, of her with a famous martial artist that had been taken when he declared that she had finished her training under him, “...Master Lee may like the idea of his style used to fight for humanity... but I shall have to think about it.” After a moment, she sighed and shook her head, “He was taken from us far too soon, damn that spirit that haunted his family.”

Just nodding, Naoki frowned as he looked at his aunt, “By the way, why Yokosuka? I know that there’s shipgirls there and that the JMSDF has asked for those who are experienced in martial arts to help train shipgirls and you know various Japanese martial arts alongside the others, but still...”

Not saying anything for a few moments, Ren then nodded, “I have felt a... pull... there. And also seen visions in my meditations on such matters. Destiny calls us there, nephew. For what reason, remains to be seen, but it is best to follow it.” She then reached over and clapped him on the shoulder as she finished her tea and stood, “Now, time to see how well you are keeping up your training in the Art...”

All the teen did was groan as he could already feel the bruises forming.

Later that night, after he left, Ren meditated under the Moon before opening her eyes. Her gaze fell upon a pool that was there, the moonlight shimmering on it, “Jiějiě, my training progresses, but... it yet feels like it is never enough no matter how far I go. I failed you, so long ago, and because of that you fell. You fell so far... I can only hope that you forgive me even in this second chance.” Bowing, she stood and walked away, “If I am given a chance, I will not fail again.”

“Never again...”

 

Yellowhammer

A.N. -- Next crosspost up, and things get fun! Aren't Malfoy Family reunions grand?

A Malfoy And Dagger's Excellent Adventure (IV)

Halloween, 2036

Hogsmeade Stone Circle
Spoiler: A Meeting In The (Alternate) Future

Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy stared at the two girls across from him in the stone-walled chamber that he had used to travel back in time in. His eyes locked on the time-turner the blond girl in a Slytherin Prefect's uniform had in her hand and his eyes widened in shock.

She had a face and hair clearly related to his own, and at her ears sparkled the amethyst and diamond earrings that were his deceased mother's favorites. Earrings that he would inherit one day to pass to his own wife and daughters.

A daughter such as this young woman staring at him with recognition in her eyes might very well be.

Her eyes widened, she licked pale lips, and then whispered in a shocked voice, "Papa? How did you travel forward in time!?"
-------------------

Taube stared in disbelief at the young man facing her with matching shock in his face.

She had seen that familiar face before, from her earliest memories as a child, then a girl.

He looked almost exactly like the magical photographs of her father Draco dancing with her mothers at the Triwizard Tournament's Yule Ball in his Fourth Year.

She licked her lips and then whispered. "Papa? How did you travel forward in time!?"

She knew that saying that was wrong, that she was violating the Laws of Time Travel with potentially terrible consequences, but she didn't care.

He was a Malfoy, just as she was.

She could read in his eyes that he was in terrible danger that threatened him and his family.

And Malfoys stood up for each other, for family, always.

Always.

With that she lowered her wand.

He blinked and followed suit as Yuri and the strange dark haired man looked at them with shock. He swallowed and finally spoke in a whisper. "You.... What's your name?"

She gave a small proud smile and curtsied. "Taube Lupa du Chasteler-Malfoy, Papa. I go by Taube."

Then she suddenly turned white, remembering the family gossip from Mother Niobe about how her parents had not yet started dating by his Fourth Year while the rest of the Malfoy Squadron had firmly linked themselves to Papa Draco. She then waved her hands and squeaked out. "Don't worry, you and Mutti resolve your differences! It's a tough fight for her heart but you eventually triumph Papa! Don't be discouraged but fight for her love!"
-------------------

Scorpius blinked and then gave an uncontrollable relieved grin as his daughter's words sunk home. Rose Granger-Weasley didn't truly hate him so he would actually go out with her one day!

"Thanks Taube, I'll remember that!" He said with a goofy happy smile. "I promise that I won't be discouraged and win your mother's hand!"

Then his best friend Albus nudged him. "Hey, aren't you going to ask about her friend and introduce me?" He muttered under his breath to Scorpius.

"Oh, Um. Who's your friend, Taube?" Scorpius replied in a daze as his mind whirled with a stream of blissful thoughts. Albus was back and Rose didn't hate him! Albus was back and Rose didn't hate him!

The purple haired young woman spoke in a mature and elegant tone. "Yuri Doki, girlfriend of Minato Potter. I'm sorry, I didn't get your names?"

Albus grinned. "Albus Potter at your service, Miss Yuri, Miss Taube. Wait! Minato... Potter?"

The alarm bells started to dimly penetrate through the happy haze that Scorpius found himself in with her next words. "Hai, Minato-chan is Harry Potter's sixth son and fifteenth child. Who is your friend, Albus-san?"

"Oh this git is Scorpius Malfoy, Draco's son." Albus replied absently, then fainted as the words suddenly registered. All the blood drained from Taube's face and her eyes were huge in her shocked expression.

Then Taube staggered back to the stone wall and slid slowly down it to sit on the ground with a dazed thump as Yuri turned to her with an evil grin. "Taube-chan, you never told me that you had this younger brother. Which of your mothers carried him~?"

Scorpius swayed in shock as the alarm bells finally registered, shattering his daydream of a happy date with Rosie. "Wait, MOTHERS?!?!?!?!?!"

Yuri looked around the room at the other three teens in varying states of stunned disbelief and gave a small smirk. She absently spoke to herself in Japanese, "Sometimes it pays to be so conversant in visual novel and harem tropes," before heading to render medical assistance to the others.
-------------------

Scorpius stared in disbelief as they exited the ritual chamber and stood on the hill overlooking Hogsmeade. While the village and Hogwarts in the distance had changed little from his time -- or perhaps his universe -- there were other changes that made it clear that this was not his timeline. Beside him, his... sister... Taube gave a relieved sigh and muttered to herself, "So he's the dimensional traveler."

The group of female students on the waters of the Black Lake, some of whom were skating across the water like it was ice while others were on Muggle jet skis playing what appeared to be a variant of Quidditch were well outside his experience.

As was the fact that with his vision enhanced with a spell, he could tell several of the girls skating across the water were not human. One was pale skinned and haired with glowing blue eyes and dressed in a witch's robes, while another had fox ears and a fox tail as she dodged and wove through the chaos. Also they had some kind of metal harness surrounding them, with the pale girl's being oddly gleaming black metal, while a third tall and slender redheaded girl had hers made of wood with honest-to-Merlin oars on the sides.

That last harness made him think of some of the stories in the books he had read about magical galleys in the time of the Roman Empire. Although her clothing was that of Ancient Egypt.

Taube sighed beside him. "Well Chione's leading the Ravenclaw team in practice today before their game against the Puffs, so there's no chance that I can pry Tut away to meet you until she's done." She muttered under her breath. "That big dope of a brother; I don't know what she sees in him."

He glanced at the girl who was apparently his sister in this timeline and asked her curiously. "How many siblings do you have?" Behind him, Al and Yuri chatted quietly as they looked around.

Taube shrugged as they walked down the hill. "The full list will be a while, honestly. Tut... Thutmose is my older brother and got Sorted into Ravenclaw right after the Hat put me in Slytherin. Chione Sunriver-Weasley, the shipgirl with the oars, there is his girlfriend." Taube made a gagging gesture as she talked about Chione. "I also have JJ, that's Johnston Junior, Max, and Markus within a week of me, but they all are going to other schools. Max is at Eton, JJ will be be going into the Navy like Ma Johnston so she's at Pangbourne Nautical College preparing to graduate into Brittania Royal Naval College, and Marcus is at Ilvermorny, he's Tut's twin brother."

Scorpius blinked. "Wait, you talked about a Mutti but Ma Johnston?"

"Oh, yeah, your Papa married someone different." Taube said. "Thanks to changes in the laws, Papa married four. JJ was carried to term by Ma Johnston, Max by Mother Niobe, and the twins by Mum Cleo. All of them are shipgirls. Then Mutti Ehren du Chasteler carried me, and I'm the youngest of us five, though not by much. They all got knocked up on the honeymoon."

He nodded absently, mind whirling. "What's a shipgirl?"

"Oh, you don't have those either." Taube exclaimed, then frowned. "They're the spirit of a ship, and come back as a young woman. No one knows why they're all girls, but they helped save humanity from the Abyssals. You probably don't have them either, come to think of it. Suffice it to say for now shipgirls and Abyssals came back in 2005 and the Statute of Secrecy came down in 2015 for us, so the Muggle and Magical worlds integrated fully. Hard not to believe in magic when Abyssals killed millions of people in Blood Week when they came out of nowhere in 2005. Long story short, the war against the Abyssals is ongoing although we have the upper hand by now, much to JJ's disappointment since she wants to kick their sterns but might not get the chance."

Scorpius blinked. "Wait, what year is it?"

Taube glanced at him. "2036 for us, where did you come from?"

"2019" He responded absently as they walked through the streets. Scorpius then stared in shock as a dozen girls with animal ears and tails that looked to be a year or two younger than he was stormed into the Honeydukes' branch with a loud cheer, followed by a smiling older woman dressed in a matching JMSDF.KANSUBGRU.13 "Baker's Dozen" T-shirt (with additional Japanese lettering under the smiling cartoon animal girl in a baseball jersey and chef's hat who was using a torpedo as a bat) and jeans.

Taube gave a rueful grin. "Shipgirls. That's one of the Japanese squadrons. They are no doubt going to cheer on their big sister who you saw with the fox ears and tail when she competes." She paused, and the grin morphed to a smug smirk. "Once they clean out the candy and chocolate stock."

With that they reached their destination and Taube opened the door. Scorpius blinked and then smiled. For all that this world was very different, the tea house that he had passed a few times while going to book shop in Hogsmeade was still here, even if this was the first time that he had been inside.

Taube smiled and nodded to the server as she bustled over. "Your usual Miss Malfoy?" She asked as she arrived.

Taube shook her head. "Not the Patio today, Brigit. The Gothic Room if it is available, I promised that I would show it to my friend Yuri and the boys. My treat for all the orders, they are new here, so menus for them." She nodded to the purple haired girl who approached arm in arm with Albus Potter. "I shall also be buying extreme privacy for this one, but shall be having my mother and perhaps my other parents joining me for morning tea once I call them from here. When they do, send them in immediately." Her voice was cool, calm and controlled and he marveled once more at how self-possessed and confident his sister was considering the shock to the system each of them were.

As Scorpius watched, the server checked a board, nodded, and then grabbed four menus. "Follow me please!"

He followed Taube and their hostess down the hall to an old wooden door which the server unlocked and entered. "Ring the bell when you are ready to order, please, ladies, gentlemen."

Inside the room was that out of an ancient castle with a dozen chairs surrounding a ancient table, stone walls covered in tapestries, a suit of armor, and lit by candles in holders and floating overhead. Above them, gargoyles scowled and brooded from their stone perches.

Yuri's eyes got round and she squealed in joy at the sight. "It's amazing, Taube-chan!"

The other girl gave an incredibly smug smirk. "I told you that you would like it, Yuri."

As they sat with their menus, Taube pulled out a small black and silver unadorned metal and crystal tablet and placed it on the table. She took a deep breath and then waved her wand to summon the time. "Half past seven. Mutti should have sufficient Kaffee in her to be coherent." At his curious glance, the blond girl elaborated. "Mutti is not a morning person. Please be quiet now while I call her."

Taube then pressed her thumb to the black crystal which suddenly flickered to life. He watched in shock at the spellcraft and enchantments that must have been involved in this magical artifact as a double dozen images formed over her hand to float in the air. They spiraled as she moved her thumb across the black crystal, then she tapped it twice. One, a circle with an odd C-shape expanded and blinked. Taube then took a deep breath and spoke. "Siri. Activate speakerphone. Call Mutti's private secure mobile number."

The enchanted crystal responded in a female voice. "Understood, Mistress Taube. Calling Mutti's private secure mobile number."

A repeating hum sounded and then a cool soprano voice snapped out in German. "Ehren du Chasteler, Guten Tag."

 

Yellowhammer

A.N. -- Two for one on crossposts today, I think, so enjoy! Mutti knows best! (Even when she doesn't.) Also, Draco is so, so doomed....

A Malfoy And Dagger's Excellent Adventure (V)

Halloween, 2036

Malfoy Manor
Spoiler: A Malfoy Happy Day

Ehren du Chasteler-Malfoy rubbed her eyes and yawned before placing her freshly emptied coffee cup under the spout of her espresso machine and punching in the command for a refill. She then gave the others at the breakfast table a smile filled with love and actually a little bit of life after cup #4 of her favorite Dragonroast Hacienda Lealtad espresso brew.

John Paul and Wilhelm, with the towheaded Zweihänder sword spirit towering over his red-blond older brother, were eagerly discussing their master schemes to get ALL THE CANDIES when the Malfoy Children trick-or-treated tonight with their other assorted cousins under Gramma Jez, Auntie Del, Auntie Zammy, Auntie Jackie, Auntie Aomi, and Auntie Nimmie's supervision. Their trio of natural-born shipgirl siblings in this wave of pregnancies (Charlotte, Ariadne, and Elsa) were contributing to the pending battle plans with additional five-to-seven year old enthusiasm between their sips of milk from chocolate and vanilla cows and bites of bacon, eggs, and toast.

Ehren was -- certainly not for the first time -- privately wondering what kind of spellcraft that children of that age could conjure up to be that bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this early in the damn morning.

Apparently the goals were set for a pirate (not Jackie thank all that was holy! -- with allowances made for a Zweihänder to be a suitable -- and safe -- piratical weapon!), a ghost (Brand-- err John Paul being persuaded to go as Vincent Van Gogh), a princess (Ariadne, of course, was going as Princess Elsa from THAT DAMN MOVIE), an angel (Ehren had stifled a snort at the image of Elsa the troublemaker as angelic anything, especially whoever this 'Flonne' person was), and a lion (Charlotte having enjoyed her retelling of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe almost as much as Taube had done, albeit more of an Aslan-fan than a Lucy-fan).

Ehren silently wished the American branch of her family luck running herd on this group of incorrigible ruffians. They'd need it.

With a little luck for her, the sugar highs would subside before they got handed back to her supervision day after tomorrow.

With that in mind, her lips curled minutely as she gave her husband, Johnston, Cleo, and Niobe an inwardly happy hungry smile. She, after all, had dug out those Uhlan uniforms from her Prussian estate's attic at Cleo's request, suitably modified them to increase her attractiveness to her loves, and she was sure that they wouldn't mind doing a 'cavalry review' of her and Cleo wearing those knee-high polished black leather jackboots and plumed helmets.

(Nine months later as she nursed her newborn infant while a cavalryman's lance manifested in the hospital maternity ward, Ehren was seen to have an incredibly smug smile at the outcome of her plans. She was somewhat less smug when Clarisse was nicknamed 'Beanpole' by her siblings as she made a serious run at Wilhelm's title of 'tallest Malfoy'. The Basketball scholarship offers did help though.)

Alas, her plotting involving an actual night without potential interruptions of her darling young children having the damnedest rotten timing when the parents wanted to 'place orders with the storks for new siblings' was rudely interrupted when her cellphone began to ring.

Fishing for it in the pocket of her morning robe, she blinked at the screen as it began to play the Prelude from Das Rheingold.

Her lips curled in a happy smile as she punched the 'accept call' button for Taube. Automatically she placed the now-emptied-once-more coffee cup under the spout as she snapped out with a hint of warmth in her cool tones. "Ehren du Chasteler, Guten Tag!"

Then Ehren's eyes widened in shock, and her head snapped around to give her husband a look as her wand appeared in her hand. She hastily scribed a privacy ward that cut off the chatter from the 'Junior Malfoy Table' from her and the other parents as the others looked at her.

Niobe gave her a curious look. "Was ist los, Ehren?"

Johnston rubbed her chin "What's wrong, Ehren?"

Cleo blinked. "What got set on fire, luv?"

Draco paled under the laser focus of Ehren's steel blue eyes. He swallowed twice as she surveyed him.

Ehren slowly lowered the phone to the table, and tapped the icons to put it on speakerphone as she continued to look at Draco.
Spoiler: A Duitiful Älteste Tochter's Phone Call

"Taube, please repeat that for me?" Ehren said in a voice of icy command with very precise enunciation.

"Mutti, I'm here at the Dragon's Teapot with Scorpius Malfoy. He is apparently Papa's son from another dimension with Astoria Malfoy nee Greengrass." Taube's voice sounded from the phone. Draco's eyes widened in shock.

Ehren spoke in that cool and controlled voice of hers as she surveyed Draco. "Vielen Dank, Taube. Ein Moment, bitte.(Thank you Taube. One moment please) I must discuss this in privacy with your Vati." She tapped the hold icon like a headsman dropping the axe.

Draco turned chalk white, and waved his hands frantically. "I swear by everything that I have always been faithful to my wives and whoever this doppelganger is who is getting extradimensional nookie is NOT ME!! I'm too tired and worn out to be able to carry on affairs!"

Draco's head shaking and hand waving intensified at the look in Ehren's eyes and the hungry smile on her face. "Sehr Gut. I would hate to think that my current efforts to keep you happy with me were inadequate, my loves. I can of course be more active if you need me to...." She trailed off meaningfully as the other ladies began to give their own matching smiles, looking rather like a starving wolf pack seeing a plump and tender rabbit struggling in a trap.

Draco frantically shook his head with a look of utter terror on his face in response to that 'offer'. Ehren nodded in satisfaction and the hungry female smiles were hidden once more before she spoke again. "Also, if this was a case of Pansy Parkinson being the mother of this new Malfoy, I would have you committed to an asylum for going stark raving mad. Astoria Greengrass as the selection shows that this other you has not lost all his wits and reason, at least. Just most of them."

The other wives nodded in agreement while Draco mopped cold sweat from his brow.

With that, Ehren punched the button once more."Thank you for holding Taube. I shall be there momentarily along with your Vati and," she glanced at the other wives present and then nodded as she made a selection, "Cleo. That leaves Niobe, Wash, and Johnston to try to prevent your siblings burning down the Manor as they prepare for trick or treating."

"Understood, Mutti. I made arrangements to have you come right in."

"Until then then, Taube." Ehren paused and spoke with notable warmth in her reserved voice. "Well done, dear. Keep up the good work. Auf Wiederhören!"(Speak to you soon)

Draco spoke rapidly as the call ended. "I'll cancel all my appointments! And get my coat! And a Portkey to Hogsmeade, love!"

Ehren walked over him and kissed him passionately. "Sehr gut! I'll help you ensure that this situation is resolved for us. I suppose it was a matter of time before the Potter Luck would slop onto us." She smirked, licked her lips, and her eyes glittered. "The gray Burberry suit for today, we want to make the right impression."

"Yes, dear."

 

Harry Leferts

The distant horizon was just barely lightening and the sea breeze was cool as it came off the waves as the group of shipgirls made their way across the ocean surface. Slight smile on her face, Hiryuu hummed as the ends of her headband trailed in the wind behind her along with her dark brown hair. Bringing up her bow, the Carrier sighted down her arrow before letting it loose, the arrow bursting into a group of Suisei that climbed into the sky. Head tilted to the side, the smile on Hiryuu’s face grew a touch, “The new model 54s are something else, huh, Souryuu-Chan?”

Only nodding as she fired off her own group of planes to keep an overflight, Souryuu nodded, “Hai, and I’m happy to have them.” Glancing over at her half-sister, the green clad Carrier smirked before her tone took on a teasing note, “Though it is good to see that you’re in a good mood again. I thought that with Hayate-Kun having been reassigned you would never cheer up.”

At that, Hiryuu flushed as she looked away before puffing out her cheeks, “S-stop that!” Poking her fingers together, she grumbled a little, “We’re just friends...”

Eyebrow raising, her fellow member of CarDiv2 had her smirk grow, “Friends, hmm? Is that why you were so mopey as the Americans say for days after finding out he was transferred?”

If anything, that only flustered Hiryuu even more, “Y-yes! Because he was transferred to another base before I could contact him.” Crossing her arms, she had grumpy look on her face, “And I had just found out that he had been promoted to Commander. We were going to celebrate.”

Unnoticed by her, like a shark sensing blood in the water, Souryuu’s attention was focused entirely on her fellow Carrier, “Celebrate, you say?”

Not knowing that bomb sights were now locked on her, the orange clad shipgirl nodded, “Hai.” Sighing, Hiryuu shook her head, “I was going to take him out on my new motorcycle and maybe look at the Moon while sharing a drink afterwards.”

While that last bit caused Souryuu to raise an eyebrow as she knew Hiryuu’s history, she still went on the attack, “Take him for a ride on your motorcycle, huh? Would it be you driving with his body pressed against your back and arms around your middle... or would it be you pressing into him and holding him close?”

It went without saying that it was a direct strike that set her face ablaze as Hiryuu stumbles a little at the images, “Y-you! Stop that!” Holding her face in her hands to hide how red it was, she groaned, “Why do you do this?”

Smirk on her face, the black, nearly dark blue, haired Carrier twirled some of her locks around one finger as she grinned, “Because it’s fun~” Then, she gave a small shrug, “Besides, the two of you make a good, and cute, couple.”

Once more, Hiryuu looked away as she grumbled, “We’re just good friends...” She then brushed at her skirt a little, ‘Cute...?’ A sigh then escaped the Carrier, “Though I was looking forward to showing him my new gear I got in America.”

Making a show of looking her sister up and down, Souryuu grinned, “Are we talking those tight jeans with the rips in them along with the leather jacket you picked up that was fitted for you... or the full body leather motorcycle suit which fits you like a glove.” At seeing the blush, she laughed a bit, ‘Direct strike!’

Hanging her head, Hiryuu groaned, ‘She’s not going to stop... though I do wonder what Hayate-Kun would think of me in that suit... Gah! Dammit, Souryuu-Chan! And stop grinning, Tamon-Maru! It’s not funny!’

Said fairy only smirked some inside of her hull on her bridge, “Desu, desu desu.” Then he shrugged a little, “Desu desu desu desu desu desu desu desu.”

In the real world, Hiryuu flushed at that before shaking it off. Then, she gave a small sigh before running her hand through her hair, “I guess that it will be a bit until the next time I see him since we’re at different bases...”

She missed the twinkle in Souryuu’s eyes as the other Carrier nodded, “I suppose so.” Then, the green clad woman smiled a little, “So what do you think of what is happening?”

Considering, the other half of CarDiv2 frowned thoughtfully, “I... can’t say that I mind much outside one little bit. After all, it is a tropical island. And it is not like we can’t go places since they’re rebuilding Amami City and that is less than a half hour cruise away. So it is not like there’s nowhere to go unlike the guys at Midway and Chichijima.”

Grin on her face, Souryuu chuckled and placed her hands behind her back, “Well, there should be some fun in Amami at least. And not a bad place to go on dates either. I did hear that they’re setting up one of those new high speed ferries though. And not just between Fushūjima and Kikaijima, but also to Amami Ōshima.”

A frown on her face, Hiryuu gazed towards where their destination awaited, still an hour or two away at best, “There’s not that many on the island though. I mean, there’s enough to support the base, but...” Chewing her lips, she shook her head, “Though that might be for the best. I mean, people from Fushūjima will be visiting and aren’t going to hide that they’re Yokai...”

That only made her fellow Carrier nod, “Hai, and that will be something to see. I mean, it will look like something from a fantasy story.”

Said image got her a nod as well as a laugh and the two continued to chat as their escorting Destroyers listened while keeping an eye out for any sort of Submarine while the two Carriers kept their planes continuously up to keep a CAP.

Eventually the coral cliffs of Kikaijima came into view as shifted course. Looking at it, Makigumo shifted her sleeves to shield her eyes, “Wow...” Turning, she had a bright smile on her face, “Did you know, Hiryuu-Sama, that Kikaijima is one of the fastest growing islands in the world? It’s continually rising after all!”

With a hum, the Carrier in question nodded and gave a nod, “I did remember reading about that when I did some research.” As they rounded the island, they could see the main rebuilt settlement. Eyes scanning the shore, Hiryuu pointed at a collection of buildings with a pier at which some ships were tied up, and there is the base. Looks like...” Squinting, she hummed, “It looks like the JS Tone as well as some Hayabusa.”

Stretching some, Furutaka gave a grin to the shipgirl of the same name, “Ne, ne, you must be happy to have your daughter ship here, eh Tone-Chan?”

The Aviation Cruiser in question nodded, “Hai, and I’m looking forward to serving alongside her.”

Giving them a smile, Hiryuu shook her head. Yes, she still felt a bit odd that her own “Daughter Ship” was a Submarine rather than a Carrier, but it didn’t bother her. Especially with the record that said ship held over the war having sunk quite a few Abyssals. With a soft sigh, she shook her head and turned back to the base, “Remember, upon arrival we are to report to the Base Commander.” At the snickers, she blinked before shrugging it off, ‘Wonder what that was about...?’

Soon enough, they reached the launch ramp and walked up it as they looked around the base as they walked. Part of Hiryuu remembered that buildings on the base had been strengthened to deal with typhoons that often roared through the area. Hence why fill had been transported and the buildings themselves sat above ground level with entrances at the top of stairs. Reaching the main administrative building, the assembled shipgirls walked in and greeted the receptionist that was there before making their way to the second floor where the Base Commander’s office was.

Entering, Hiryuu closed her eyes and came to a salute, “Hiryuu Class Carrier, Hiryuu! Leave the Carrier battles to me. I can fight on against any and all adversity!”

Briefly, there was silence before a familiar voice made her eyes snap open, “Hiryuu-Chan?”

Utterly shocked, Hiryuu stared at the form of Fujioka Hayate standing there in his Dress Whites, the insignia of a Commander on his shoulders, “H-Hayate-Kun?! What are... you’re base commander?!”

Slowly, Hayate scratched his head, “Um... yes? Didn’t you know?”

Mouth moving, the Carrier noted that she could hear snickers and turned to find Souryuu taking pictures, “SOURYUU-CHAN?! YOU KNEW!?”

Grin on her face, Souryuu nodded, “Of course we did, we all did.”

About to say something, the orange clad Carrier paused and then looked at Hayate, “Wait... you said that I should have known...?”

Confused, the disguised Tengu nodded, “Hai? I mean, I did call you after all to tell you how happy I was that you were coming. But all I got was Ojii-San and he said he would... pass... it... on...”

Both Carrier and Yokai turned to Hiryuu’s shoulder where said fairy now stood, a smug as hell look on his face, “Desu desu.”

Hands clapping over her face, Hiryuu gave a muffled scream into them, “TAMON-MARU!”

Utterly unrepentant, the fairy shrugged, “Desu desu desu desu desu desu desu desu desu desu, desu desu desu desu.” He then walked into Hiryuu’s hair and disappeared, “Desu desu desu desu desu desu desu.”

Blinking as a high pitched whistle filled the air and steam rushed out from her fellow Carrier’s ears, Souryuu raised an eyebrow in amusement, ‘I know that he wants Hiryuu as his daughter, but to tell her to give him grandbabies and for her and his grandson to just fuck and make some.... wow.’ A glance to where Hayate stood frozen, his face as red as Hiryuu’s as papers fluttered in a breeze only made the shipgirl more amused, ‘Oh yes... we’re going to have fun here...’

Despite his embarrassment, Hayate sighed as he rubbed the side of his head with one finger, ‘Fucking dammit, Ojii-San...’ With a deep breath, which he released, the Commander began, “Okay, moving on from that, we should discuss your duties while here.” Waiting until Hiryuu had gotten over her embarrassment enough, he continued, “As you all know, there are two main reasons for the base to be here. One, the official reason which is true, is that this base is to anchor the Ryukyu Islands and to protect the southern coastline of Kyushu by providing a first line of defense.”

Head tilted to the side, Chikuma frowned some, “Which is true... though there is the American base in Okinawa.”

Just nodding, the Tengu smiled thinly, “Hai, but considering politics...” That got him nods from the shipgirls there. They all knew that some factions in the non-magical government did not like the idea of the Ryukyus being defended by just Americans. Walking up to a map, Hayate on it, “As such, from here we are to cover the Satsunan Islands made up of the archipelagos of Ōsumi, Tokara, and Amami. The Americans, which we will be working with, will handle Okinawa and the surrounding environs. Now, our patrol area includes out to the Daitō Islands. I want to keep an eye on them especially.”

Frowning and now all business, Souryuu examined the map, “Abyssal activity?”

Only shaking his head, Hayate sighed, “Nothing permanent thankfully. But I have my suspicions that some smaller Abyssal raiders have been using the Islands as a place to supply. There’s plenty of crops and such that were left behind during the evacuations in Blood Week. On the magical side... there’s been rumors' of Yokai and magical survivors on the island. Nothing concrete and normally would be ignored as impossible, but after the recent situation in the Izu Islands? I don’t want to take any chances.”

That got him nods and sounds of acknowledgement.

With a hum, he continued, “Now, as you well know, the other part of the reason for a base here is the Fushūjima Reserve. You will be working alongside the shipgirls who live there. I want you flying the flag when possible, to actually take time to come ashore there and do meet and greets with the local. Let them know that we are here, that we care, and that we will protect them.”

At that, the shipgirls snapped to attention, “Hai!”

Moments later, Hiryuu had a frown on her face, “Is... something wrong, Hayate-Kun? When speaking of the island...”

His next words, delivered with a grimace and in a quiet voice, stunned her, “That was the Reserve that I lived in before we were smuggled out in the 1990s.” Seeing the stunned looks, he raised one hand, “No, the JMSDF did not know this when they assigned me here. I informed them after I was told, and if anything that caused them to consider it an even better move as some on the island likely remember me or my parents and Obaa-Chan. I suppose, in a way, I am to show them that the outside world has heights that they can reach.”

Various gases softened as the girls smiled at him as the briefing went on. At the end, however, Kako yawned before raising her hand after being given a book, “Commander? Why are you giving us these?”

Scratching her head, her sister nodded, “Hai, I’m wondering that myself. These are phrase books?”

Just nodding, Hayate leaned back, “You are, of course right. They’re phrase books for the Kikai language, a local dialect. Part of the reason is that a number of people on Fushūjima speak it, so best to know it in a passing way so that you can at least get a conversation across. But... I do have another reason.” Hands steppled in front of him, he continued, “The language in question is a nearly dead one, unfortunately, not helped by Blood Week. I’m sure that you remember the Navajo Windtalkers of the Americans back in the war? I do know that you remember a few years back when some of the Canadian and American shipgirls used CB speak over their radios...”

Lightly chuckling, Souryuu nodded, “Hai, that was sort of funny. Especially Kaga-San using it... wait...” She gave him a concerned look, “I also remember...”

The Tengu leaned forward, “One Abyssal being so frustrated that they demanded over our own channels that they speak clean English.” With a sigh, he moved back, “While I am certain that our current codes have not been broken, as of yet, it is an interesting idea. And the shipgirls on Fushūjima do speak the language as well.”

Rubbing their chins, the other shipgirls slowly nodded in agreement.

Eventually, however, the briefing came to an end and the girls were dismissed to head to their quarters as the Commander turned back to his work. A few hours later, however, Hayate was brought out of his work as a knock could be heard at the door, “Hai? Come in.” When it opened, he blinked some, “Hiryuu-Chan?”

The Carrier in question had a small smile on her face, “Hayate-Kun.” Walking in, she brought a tray which she placed on his desk, “I thought that you should have something to eat since no one saw you in the mess hall.”

Running his hand through his hair, Hayate smiled at her which caused her cheeks to pinken, “Thank you, Hiryuu-Chan.”

Only nodding, Hiryuu sat down across from him, “You’re welcome.” Eyebrows furrowed, she watched him as he stretched, “Hayate-Kun? Why didn’t you try and contact me more than the once?”

Grimace on his face, the Tengu shook his head, “Trust me, Hiryuu-Chan, I wanted to. But as soon as I got here...” He rubbed his hand down his face, “I was swamped with various things. Too much work, too little hours in the day.”

If anything, that made the Carrier frown yet more, “Don’t you have a Secretary Ship?”

Sheepish, Hayate rubbed the back of his head, “Um, not yet? I mean... I’m still getting used to this. Besides which, well...”

When he looked at her, Hiryuu felt her boilers heat up, “M-me? You want me as your Secretary Ship?”

Once more, he laughed weakly, “Yeah, I know. I mean, you did have an Admiral on board and were able to operate as a flagship. But, um, I know that you might not want it what with those rumours and such-“

“I’ll do it.”

Pausing, Hayate blinked and looked up, “Um, what?”

In reply, Hiryuu took a deep breath, “I’ll do it, I’ll accept being your Secretary Ship, Teitoku.”

That last bit made the Yokai blush some before he shook it off, “Thank you.”

Happily, Hiryuu smiled at him and nodded. After a few moments, her shoulders slumped and she placed her head on his desk, “I am sorry about them... and how they act. Ugh... we’re just friends.”

Lips twitching, Hayate chuckled, “Hai.” Reaching over, he began to stroke her head, “They mean well though, and do care.”

Grumbling, the Carrier huffed, “I wish that they would care less then.” At hearing his chuckle, Hiryuu smiled some as she continued to enjoy his fingers running through her hair until she rose as she realized something, “Hayate-Kun? Why... are you still in human form? You don’t need to hide here, not from us.”

For several moments, those words gave Hayate pause as he considered them, “I... suppose that I just got used to hiding what I am. Live your life so long being something else and... it becomes normal.”

Hands clenched, Hiryuu glared at the desk, “I hate it... I hate that you feel that way and have needed to feel that way!”

Gently, he placed his hand on hers, “I know.”

Simply giving her hand a comforting squeeze, he took a breath and unbuttoned his shirt to reveal his black undershirt. What he didn’t notice was how Hiryuu’s cheeks had pinkened at seeing it. Moments later, two large wings burst from his back, the charms in the undershirt allowing for them to go through the cloth without ripping it. Moments later, feathers burst through his skin except for his hands and partway up his forearm as the skin there turned greyish with scales while webbing appeared between his fingers. Meanwhile, with his face, his nose and lips merged into a black beak.

Unlike with Ai, however, his head resembled less a crow and more a cormorant. Something that made sense as he was a Kawa Tengu. Transformation complete, Hayate looked himself over the best that he could. Part of him was reminded of the history that he had been taught about his species, and why they were so rare now.

When most people thought of Tengu, they thought of either the Great Tengu, or the Kotengu. But there were other species as well such as the Guhin Tengu, which resembled Kotengu with dog heads instead of a crow’s (though they claimed to be the oldest form of Tengu, no one was sure). Then there was the Konoha Tengu, the Tengu of the forest, who were often mistaken for their Kotengu cousins, though they were slightly larger with the head of the raven.

And then there was his species, the Kawa Tengu, the Tengu of the Rivers, lakes, and ocean whose head and wings were those of the cormorants.

Once, they roamed the waterways of Japan in groups. Sometimes they tricked people, especially fishermen for their catch. But often they would just fish themselves. They would set themselves on branches and rocks above the water and wait for a fish. And seeing one, they would dive into the water to catch it. Equally at home in the air like other Tengu, and under the waves like other aquatic Yokai, the Kawa Tengu were expert fishermen.

In fact, according to his mother and grandmother, Kawa Tengu had gifted the first Ama, the female pearl divers of Japan, with knowledge how to dive deep and not drown. Something that he was willing to believe himself as he has dove as deep as some WWII Submarines had for long stretches of time with the techniques passed down to him... And which he surprised one Submarine girl when she didn’t expect him.

During the old days, the Kawa Tengu would roam across Japan. They would move up the rivers in the warmer months and then back towards the sea as the weather turned cold with the onset of autumn. The whole way living as they did and fishing. Of course, this brought them at times into conflict with other aquatic Yokai, but generally put they were evenly matched. Still, they were not tied down to any one place in particular and unlike their Kotengu brethren, were not ruled over by the Dai Tengu.

However, this was what nearly ended them along with how they did not belong to just the water or air.

Because they would roam up and down the rivers as well as the coastline, the Implementation of the Statute meant that the newly formed magical government and the ICW had to crack down on them. And crack down on them they certainly did. Unlike Kappa who could swim deep and stay there, Kawa Tengu still had to surface to breathe... and often find themselves under spellfire from wizards and witches who were waiting. And while Kotengu had the Dai Tengu and were under their protection (with Konoha Tengu hiding among them), and the Guhin joining them as guards for the greater Tengu, the fact that they were never under the control of the more powerful Tengu meant that they had no one. Some managed to get the support of local Mizuchi, but generally, they were on their own.

Hayate remembered his grandmother telling him when he was old enough of those days. Of seeing wizards and witches appearing from nowhere and attempting to capture any Kawa Tengu they could even as their encampments burned around them in magic flame. Those that took flight were attacked by those on brooms with dozens of stunners, even if they were hundreds of feet in the air. Others tried to flee by the safety of the water... only to find nets cast in which some got caught in. Any that surfaced were hit by spellfire to knock them out if lucky...

If not lucky, or in a hurry, sometimes the ICW and aligned groups would simply use blasting charms on the water to “Drive them to the surface” with the expected result.

Due to that, they went from one of the more common groups of Tengu to one of the most rare in a matter of decades. And the life in the reserves were even more harsh due to them being aquatic and aerial. Any water areas were overcrowded by Kappa and the like, which meant that they were unable to fish. And any flight above a certain height would find Guards coming down on them. It was a cage in the worst way, and according to his grandmother for a species such as theirs that once valued its freedom... it was a literal hell and she had seen more than a few of her fellows head out into the woods with a knife or rope after despair had gotten to them.

While he was ten years old when they were smuggled out in the 1970s, he still could remember the feeling of almost claustrophobia that the restrictions enforced on him. On bad nights, he would wake with a cold sweat and need to head outside to allow the cold air to brush past him. Even now, nearly fifty years on, it affected him and the island Reserve wasn’t even the worst one for their kind.

Suddenly, he was brought out of his thoughts by a warm, though concerned, voice with a hand placing itself on his hand, “Hayate-Kun?” Blinking, he looked up to find Hiryuu looking at him, “Are you okay?”

With a dry chuckle, the Kawa Tengu rubbed his face, “Hai, just... thinking of something, that’s all.” At her look, he sighed, “About the history of my people.”

Expression turning stormy, Hiryuu growled, “I wish that the others had let me climb Mount Niitaka with the Tokyo Magical Diet.”

Unable to help himself, Hayate chuckled, “Somehow, I doubt that would help.” Stretching his wings a little, he pulled his tray close before noticing that the food was cold. Hiryuu was about to apologize when he conjured a flame in his hand and reheated said food which he took a bite of, “Huh... is this your cooking?”

Almost immediately, the Carrier flushed, but then nodded happily, “Hai, it is. It was just something quick though.”

Swallowing, the corners of his beak where it met his face turned upwards into a smile, “It’s wonderful.”

That only caused Hiryuu’s blush to deepen, though she also smiled.

Just a few hours later after night had fallen found the two sitting on a coral boulder. Holding out his dish which was filled with sake, the still transformed Hayate thanked Hiryuu before drinking it with a sigh, “Ah...” Clacking his beak, he turned to the Carrier who was sipping her own drink, “So you wanted to celebrate my promotion with drinking sake under the Moon?”

On the Carrier’s cheeks there was a slight flush, which made Hayate also flush some as he found it made her look... cute. Nodding, Hiryuu smiled, “Of course! I enjoy doing so.”

Considering that Hayate chuckled, “Well I can’t complain. Good sake on a beautiful night...” He paused for a moment before continuing, “And with equally beautiful company.”

That got him a light slap, but Hiryuu grinned just the same, “Flatterer.”

In reply, the Tengu shrugged, “Well, if the truth makes me guilty, then I never want to be innocent.” At that, Hiryuu’s blush deepened, but he only smiled lightly as he looked out to sea, “You know... it’s odd, this is my second time serving in the navy.”

Head tilted to the side, Hiryuu blinked, “The second?”

A hum escaping from him even as she refilled his dish, Hayate looked out on the water, “I remember Obaa-Chan telling me all about Ojii-San. About how he was a pilot and the like... because she looked him up after we got out. I wanted to be a pilot of a plane like him, but...” Tilting his head back, he sipped his drink and looked to the stars, “I served on the Shirane when she was commissioned, got up to Commander then as well before I had to get out. Couldn’t get too high, you know, might get too noticeable.

Same with most Yokai who went into the JSDF if they were not Non-Coms. Flew a helicopter off her, I know that it wasn’t a plane like Ojii-San used, just an ASW copter, but-“

Before he got any further, Hiryuu leaned forward and grasped his shoulder, “Stop.” When he turned to her, she continued with a angry look on her face, “You have nothing to be ashamed of! And everything to be proud of as you followed in Tamon-Maru’s footsteps. I can tell you that he is proud of you even if you flew a helicopter.”

Now, it was his turn to be embarrassed and, after a moment, placed his hand over hers and gave it a squeeze, “Thank you.” Getting nod, he let out another sigh, “As for second time... it was about 2003, I had gone through school, again, and rejoined up. A few months before Blood Week, I was put in charge as the Captain of the JDS Uotaka. She is a hell of a ship and I would not have survived without her.” Hayate nodded towards one of the smaller ships, “That’s her right here... she was there for me when the Shirane sank and we fished as many as we could out of the drink. I remember crying as I saw my old ship slip beneath the waves... but with her, we saved a number...”

Not saying anything, Hiryuu only laid her head on his shoulder before one of his wings came up and wrapped around her.

 

Yellowhammer

A.N. -- And another crosspost. One-two more and I should be caught up to the arc and actually start writing again. Suffice it to say,Taube is definitely Ehren's daughter.

A Malfoy And Dagger's Excellent Adventure (VI)

Halloween, 2036

Gothic Room, the Dragon's Tea Pot.
Spoiler: A Matter Of Malfoy Family Loyalties

Taube spoke with a small happy smile on her lips. "Auf Wiederhören, Mutti!"

Then, with a click, the phone connection went dead.

She looked over to her brother from another universe and to her shock, saw tears in his eyes as he wept uncontrollably. Beside Scorpius, Albus hugged his friend.

Taube blinked her own tears away and then moved around the table to join the hug of Scorpius, followed by Yuri.

"Scorpius, what's wrong?" Yuri asked gently.

Scorpius sobbed out. "M-my mother.... I remember h-hearing her voice b-before...."

Taube paled, remembering where she had seen this utterly bereft expression on a face before. On Mutti's face when she had told Taube about the death of her Vati Helmar von und zu Wolff over his grave at her Prussian estate in the Wolff family cemetery. Then Taube's jaw firmed up and her teeth clenched as she nodded once, decisively.

She would find a way to help her brother, after all, she could do nothing less for him. For Family.

Her eyes caught Yuri's and the Doki nodded with her own resolute expression, agreeing with the message in them.

Then Taube guided Albus Potter aside as Scorpius began to return to normal. She cast a quick privacy ward and then turned to him. With a jerk of the head at Scorpius, Taube leaned in and asked in a no-nonsense tone of cold command. "What happened to his mother!?"

The messy haired young man sighed and ran fingers through his hair. "It was a blood curse that runs through the Greengrass Family. Giving birth to him weakened her significantly and sapped her vital energies. She died last summer when her life force finally gave out. Scorpius and his father both were shattered by it, him especially since he grew up alone in that house of theirs with no one but his parents and his books for company until he met me on the Hogwarts express."

Taube frowned thoughtfully and nibbled her lip. Finally she nodded and looked at him, speaking with warmth in her normally cool voice. "I see. Thank you for filling me in, Albus." With that she extended her hand. "I'll help him."

He shook her hand and returned to Scorpius, sitting beside his friend.

Yuri came over to Taube's side as the dagger began to pace with that frown on her face. "{What is it, Taube?}" She said in Japanese.

Taube nibbled her lip again and responded in accented Japanese. "{I want to help him, I think the reason he is traveling in time is to gain the knowledge to go back and save his mother. But that is very risky, since one mistake and he's never born....}" Yuri nodded along as Taube resumed her pacing. "{I might have a plan, but I need more data. Research blood curses, especially any on the Greengrasses, would you? Hit the usual sites. Pirate Bibliotheca, SGO, Wizarding World, Pottermore, WikiMagic then shoot it to my phone. I need to make a call to talk to the family specialist in breaking enchantments.}"

With that she picked up her phone and scrolled through the numbers, muttering a prayer under her breath that the person she wanted was free. Finally she reached the family member she wanted on her list and punched her number in. A series of clicks and then a warm smoky female voice like liquid honey spoke in Spanish. "¡Buenos días, Pequeña Loba!"(Good morning, Little Wolf)

Taube hid a sigh at the cute childhood nickname that six-year-old her had acquired. She then responded in the Spanish that her other avatar had studied and transferred to her, "{¡Buenos días, Tía Estrella! Do you know anything about how to negate a blood curse on a family? Specifically one that drains the life from a woman?}"

A long pause on the other end of the phone, then her aunt's voice spoke once more. "{It depends on the power of the curse of course. I could draw it out of someone who was afflicted by it if and when I taste her blood, but it is like absorbing the Killing Curse. It latches onto nearby life forces and tries to drain them then. Very dangerous and difficult to handle. Why do you ask?}"

Taube grinned as the pieces came together and lied through her teeth. What the authorities didn't know, they couldn't forbid, after all. "{The subject came up during my NEWT Charms class and I thought to ask the expert I know about curse-breaking since the Professor's explanation was lacking.}"

"{I see. Well, I hope this helped you with your studies, Sobrina.(Niece)}"

"{Very much so! ¡Adiós Tía! ¡Nos vemos!}(Goodbye Aunt! See you!)" With that Taube hung up and smirked. She then punched in the speed-dial number at the top of her contacts list.

The phone rang once more and then her own voice sounded. "Hello, you have reached Taube Malfoy, I'm not here right now, but leave a name and number and I'll get back to you when I'm free."

Taube smirked and then spoke. "Something major and unexpected came up here. I need you to send a copy over to me ASAP and see if Yuri's present is done. I'll need it. Pay whatever it takes to get it done ASAP and send it too, it's of utmost importance. I'll explain what is going on when we meet ourselves, it is a matter of significant secrecy like the purchase of Lyra's naughty books."

Taube hung up on the voicemail of her other avatar that was attending Cheltenham Girl's College as a boarding student to network with other upper class young-ladies-to-be while preparing for business school. She then gave Yuri a thankful nod and grin as the Doki shot her a data packet wirelessly and began to speed-read the information that her friend with the superior computer and research skills had dug up on her smartphone.

Absently she sipped her coffee as across from her Scorpius gradually recovered. She then focused on him. "My parents will be coming soon to meet you, just to let you know. Yuri, can you please show them the Pensieve photos of them that you have on your phone while I do my research?"

Yuri nodded and pulled up a series of holograms of Taube and her interacting with the Potter and Malfoy extended families off of the data library on her smartphone. As she did, Taube continued to speed-read about blood curses between sips of coffee and bites of her pumpkin tart. Meanwhile Albus and Scorpius boggled at the magical images of Harry Potter, his Fleet, and horde of children.

Finally, the door opened, causing an end to the conversation. Scorpius stared at the distinguished man in the lead wearing a fashionable gray suit coat and emerald green and silver school tie who was holding a silver and ebony cane carved with Celtic knotwork and a light raincoat in his left hand. Light sparkled on the plain steel band of his wedding ring and from his gray eyes as he surveyed the room.

"Dad..." Scorpius gasped out, getting a smile and nod from Draco Malfoy.

To either side of Draco Malfoy, a pair of beautiful blond women entered in unison to flank him.

The one who stood on the right had her pure golden hair falling around her round and soft face in waves like those of the sea. An ornate Egyptian styled emerald and gold earring and necklace set complimented her classical peaches and cream complexion, as did her warm golden sundress. She gave the room a happy, sunny smile, her bright blue eyes twinkling. An additional large emerald sparkled from HMS Cleopatra's wedding ring as she posed with her hand on her hip like a fashion model.

The one who marched into position to the left was a stark, yet complementary, contrast to her co-wife.

Ice to fire, shade to sunlight, coolness to warmth, darkness to light.

Light wheat-blond hair in straight and orderly lines fell to her shoulders in an apparently plain, almost severe, haircut that nonetheless flattered her high cheekboned triangular aristocratic face with her sharp features. Steel-blue eyes surveyed the room with an expression of calm command and control, lighted on Taube, and then her lips twitched in a surprisingly warm small smile as she nodded in approval.

Ehren's jewelry was equally apparently plain at first glance, with pearls set in silver and highlighted by diamonds at her ears and upon her wedding ring which held a natural black and white pearl pair as the centerpiece. The severity of her style of dress was relieved by the ornate flourishes of an antique white gold and natural pearl necklace from the Baroque 1700s accentuating her pale throat. Likewise her clothing was an apparently simple black Yves Saint Laurent V-necked long sleeved but knee-length dress with white stockings and black leather ankle boots bound at her slender waist by a silver chain belt.

Taube smiled at the trio as the door closed behind them at Ehren's subtle gesture. "Mutti! Mum! Papa!" She called out joyfully.

 

Harry Leferts

The Sun had barely started to rise over the horizon in the Ryukyu Islands and, already, in one household in Fushūjima there was quite a bit of noise. Cooking at the small stove, Haruto smiled as he watched Chikako bounce around happily in a new dress and shirt, "Nya! We're going to the mainland! Going to the mainland, Nya~"

Chuckling a little, the Healer smiled at her, "We are, Chikako-Chan. Now settle down a little, breakfast is almost ready." Still brightly smiling, Chikako did so even as her tails twitched behind her. Lips twitching, Haruto turned back to the breakfast he was cooking only to feel two arms wrap around him and he looked over his shoulder to find Mie there, "Hmm? Mie-Chan?"

Said shy Inugami smiled at him and gave his waist a squeeze before kissing him. As she pulled away, Mie sighed as she laid her chin on his shoulder and chewed her lip a little, "Haruto-Kun... do you think that we'll be fine?"

A small smile on his own face, Haruto nodded, "I think that we'll be fine on the mainland, Mie-Chan. And that you'll enjoy yourselves."

Leaning back where she sat at the table, Hachimitsu laughed and grinned, "Trust us, you'll love it on the mainland."

Just blushing a little, Mie hummed some, "I-I guess... it's just that I've never been away from the reserve before. And while my crew was..."

Her sister nodded from where she sat with a glass of Tang, "Things have changed." At the nod, Ichika turned to the three Kitsune, "You have to remember, neither myself nor my sisters have ever been off the island. We were born and lived here all our lives so leaving it is..." She chewed her own lip, "Kind of scary..."

Blinking, Chikako's ears twitched some before she got up and hugged Ichika, "Don't worry, Ichika-Onee-Chan!" She then raised one fist and nodded with a serious, though adorable, expression on her face, "We'll protect you! And so will Haruto-Onii-Chan!"

Unable to help herself, Mikage snickered at the gobsmacked expression on Ichika's face as the Nekomata continued her declaration, 'Oh... this is the best way possible to start the morning...' Clearing her throat, she took a sip of juice herself, "Just remember that we're not going alone."

That made Haruto blink before he nodded, "That's right, Ayane-Chan is going along with us as well, isn't she?"

Humming, Haruhime smirked a bit, "Hai, she's coming along with us. And she hasn't been outside the island either."

Only nodding as he flipped some rehydrated powdered eggs, "I have a few ideas to be honest what to do with her since we got two days out there. Okaa-San and Otou-San already stated that we can stay the night at their home and they have no issue with Ayane-Chan staying with us either." He gained an odd look on his face, "For some reason, they had this weird look on their face..."

Unnoticed by him, the shipgirls outside of Chikako glanced at each other as they held a silent conversation over the short range radios they had. Haruhime frowning a little, '{You don't think that they know... do you? What we're doing?}'

With a small shrug, Mikage shook her head some, '{Normally? I would say no... but we are talking about Aoi-Chan and Hiashi-San. Considering those two...}'

A mental sigh came over the radio from the eldest of the three, '{They might well know... or at least have an idea.}' Bemused smile on her face, Hachimitsu snorted a little, '{Those two are far too sharp at times.}'

Still hugging Haruto, Mie glanced at them, '{Though are you sure about this, Mikage-Chan? Bringing along Ayane-Chan and the reason behind it?'

Leaning back, Mikage was silent for a few seconds, '{Honestly? Out of all the other girls here who have been attracted to our Haruto, Ayane-Chan is the only one who has not once crossed any boundaries on purpose. She's been professional when needed, and while she can be flirty at other times, she has never tried to get involved. Hell, remember that one time that she made us dresses for our date to that dance here? Just so that we would look good soon after we began dating Haruto-Kun?}'

For a few moments, Ichika considered that before nodding, '{I remember that actually. She just showed up and stated that we needed new dresses for our first real date with Haruto-Kun to make an impression. We all saw that she is, and was, interested in him deeply... Yet, when the chances came up she instead did her best to make sure that we made good impressions.}' Closing her eyes, the Inugami Carrier hummed, '{You know... thinking back now, Ayane-Chan has done her best to set us up right with Haruto-Kun.}'

Not even a moment later, Chikako piped up, '{That's because Ayane-Nee-Chan already decided that Onee-Chans were good for Haruto-Onii-Chan and should be with him, Nya. And that there was no way that she should get between you.}'

That bit of information made the others blink before Haruhime turned to the Nekomata, '{Chikako-Chan... what are you talking about? And how did you know?}'

For her part, the Repair Ship shrugged some even as she fiddled with her dress, '{Um... when I was on the streets I learned how to be really, really quiet. So I could sneak around and get food.}' The other girls winced at that reminder before Chikako continued, '{Anyways, I was playing hide and seek when I heard her crying. I was going to go and give her a hug and everything when I heard her Okaa-San asking what was wrong. And she said it was because she saw Haruto-Onii-San kiss you.}'

Unknown to her, the shipgirls all felt like a hand had grasped their boilers and squeezed. Swallowing a lump in her throat, Hachimitsu glanced at the others, '{She was crying... because Haruto-Kun kissed us?}'

Only nodding, Chikako shrugged, '{Hai... Her Okaa-San was also sad, because she was sad, and asked her why she didn't do anything before, because she could have ensnared Haruto-Onii-Chan. And she said that she could not have done that to him, because she could tell that he already loved you, mnya.}' Head tilting to the side, she frowned, '{I looked through a crack and she had this smile on her face that made me hurt. And then she said that she was happy, because Haruto-Onii-Chan was happy, stating that she saw a happy smile on his face after he kissed you... And then her Okaa-San hugged her and I left because it hurt to see how sad she was...}'

Rubbing her face, Ichika groaned, '{Fuuuuck me. That was... she honestly did...}' She glanced at her sister, who nodded before she turned back to the others, '[You know what? Screw it, us Inugami respect and adore loyalty. And going out of your way to help someone you love get whom they love and help said loves even though it kills you on the inside? That's beyond normal loyalty. So fuck it, we're going all in and we'll give it a shot to see what happens. If it works, great, she'll have a good man and we'll have a good sister. And if it doesn't... at least we tried.}'

Mie then spoke up some, '{Doesn't hurt that she's, what is the word? Hot, that's it, doesn't hurt that she's hot as well.}'

Each of the other adult shipgirls hummed and nodded in agreement. Chikako just blinked at them before shrugging, 'Grown ups are weird...'

Not long after, their breakfast was eaten and they left their hut as they walked out into the cool, though warming, morning air. Looking around, Haruto frowned a little bit as they walked, "Going to be another hot day..." Suddenly, his lips twitched as he looked at Chikako who was dancing beside him, "Nurse Chikako! What do we do if someone gets heatstroke?"

Blinking rapidly, and not noticing the amused looks both her and Haruto were getting, Chikako furrowed her eyebrows before thrusting her hand into the air, "Give them lots of fluids to help recover! Like, um... PediaLight!"

Chuckles escaping him, Haruto patted her head, "Very good, though it's PediaLyte, not light. Still, you are fully correct..." Rubbing his chin, he looked around, "Which means that I'm going to have to pick some up just in case I need it."

The others nodded at that even as he added it to his small notebook.

It did not take them more than a few minutes to reach one of the larger huts in the village. This one, unlike the others, this one had what looked like webbing on parts of it. Unconcerned with that, Haruto walked up to the door and knocked. After a couple of moments, there was noise inside before the door opened to reveal Ayane, "Haruto-Sama?"

Smile on his face, Haruto took in her messy hair and clothes that were askew, which got a blush from her, "Uh, Ayane-Chan? You did remember that you're coming with us to the mainland, right?"

Choking a little, the Jorogumo looked between them, "W-well, I wasn't sure if you would be taking me or not..."

In reply, Haruto frowned and furrowed his eyebrows, "Of course I was, I did promise after all." He then held up a gemstone on a small string, "Anyways, I brought the, uh... ward stone, so that they would recognize that you're allowed to leave the island."

Gently, Ayane took it before looking at it in awe as tears sprang to her eyes. It took some effort, but she nodded, "R-right, I'll be right back... give me a few minutes." They just nodded and stepped back as she went back inside after closing the door. And just as she said, roughly five minutes later the door opened to reveal Ayane there in a human disguise, her hair brushed and the like as well as a backpack on her shoulders, "Well, here I am... Haruto-Sama? Is something wrong?"

Unknown to her, the teen Healer in question was staring a little as he had never seen her in human form before. It wasn't really needed after all, so seeing her in tight, homemade pants with legs that went on for seeming miles caused him to stare for a moment before he shook himself free, "Nothing, Ayane-Chan, nothing at all. Though... did you make those?"

Looking down, the Jorogumo had a proud look on her face, "Hai, I did. I mean, it's not jeans, but the canvas that you brought really does work out pretty well. Don't you think?"

When she turned, Haruto's eyes widened a little at seeing just how tight said pants were. Light blush on his cheeks, he glanced away, "They really do look great on you."

Brightly smiling, Ayane nodded, "Thank you." Closing the door behind her, the spider Yokai took a deep breath before letting it out, "Well, I guess that we should be going now, Haruto-Sama."

Hachimitsu, however, then raised a finger with a smirk on her face, "One thing, Ayane-Chan... you can't call him 'Haruto-Sama' off the island. That would get some attention..." Her tail swished behind her as her smirk widened, "Why don't you call him Haruto-Kun instead?"

Moments later, her amusement heightened as the Jorogumo's face blazed. And when Ayane turned to Haruto, he just shrugged with a smile, "I don't mind."

Taking a deep, calming breath, Ayane nodded before smiling, "Okay... Haruto-Kun." She fell in with the others as they began to walk down towards the docks where the Kudagitsune was tied up. As they walked, she heard a rumble and turned to where an ATV drove past with a small trailer that had survey equipment on it. Watching as it passed, she hummed, "They're doing more survey work?"

Only nodding with his hands in his pockets, Haruto smiled a little, "Hai, they said that there's still a lot of work to be done before they start upgrading the infrastructure. They're already talking about a water treatment plant with clean water throughout the island as well as catchment for the rain. Not to mention better roads and the like."

Just shaking her head, Ayane chuckled a little in wonder, "I'm still amazed... all this work, for us. I... I don't quite know what to think."

Reaching over, the Healer smiled, "I know what to think. That this is about damn time."

That got him nods from the others and soon enough, they reached the Kudagitsune. Climbing down, Haruto did a quick check before helping each of the others onboard, Ayane last. Untying the boat, he pushed off before radioing the Harbour Master that he was off and then starting the engine.

At first, he slowly made his way out of the small bay that the main village sat around, and then put on speed once they were on open water before moving around the island to head towards Kyushu. And soon, the island began to get smaller behind them before he noticed that Ayane was staring at it with tears in her eyes. Concerned, Haruto reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Ayane-Chan? Is something wrong?"

Quickly, she shook her head before wiping at her eyes, "Sorry about that, Haruto-Sa... Haruto-Kun. It is just that... I've never been away from the island. Ever."

Gently, Haruto gave her shoulder a squeeze, "Ah, well, hopefully we make it good." For some odd reason, he felt that the look she gave him said that they already had. Lightly chuckling, he gave her a wink, "Besides, it's odd not to see you all teasing and such."

Briefly, Ayane blinked at that before she grinned a little, "Well, if you want..." Leaning forward, her shirt fell a little to reveal quite a bit as she practically purred, "I can be teasing~"

Massive grin on her face, Mikage winked at her, "You have our full permission to be as teasing as you want."

For a few seconds, the spider Yokai stared at her and the other shipgirls who all nodded at her with grins, "Well then, I'm looking forward to more, Ha-ru-to-Kun~"

Chikako noted that Haruto had gone red and was muttering to himself, but she simply shrugged it off. Instead, she moved to the side and put her face into the air as the cabin cruiser sped along and smiled, "Munyaaaaaa~"

 

Yellowhammer

A.N. -- And the next crosspost arrives. Well here we go, the plot thickens, and Parental Authority Figures are Reasonable.

A Malfoy And Dagger's Excellent Adventure (VII)

Halloween, 2036

Gothic Room, the Dragon's Tea Pot.
Spoiler: Meeting The Malfoys

Lord Draco Malfoy stepped inside the room and his eyes widened in surprise.

Sitting across from him was a young man who could have been his younger self from two decades ago as a student at Hogwarts alongside a young man who bore a startling resemblance to Harry Potter. However, his messy Potter hair was more dark reddish-brown than Harry's dark black and he lacked the glasses and scar. Still, it was like stepping back in time for Draco, especially since he could remember his first civil conversation with Harry Potter in one of the other rooms of this tea shop over two decades ago.

Judging from the the sudden sharp hiss of steam release from Cleo and the subtle grasp of his hand from Ehren, they saw what he saw too.

The images of the past, of a road perhaps never taken in their lives.

"Mutti! Mum! Papa!" Taube called out joyfully. Draco refocused on the familiar face, smiled, and hugged his second daughter around the shoulders when she stood and hurried to his embrace.

"Well done Taube, well done!" Draco spoke warmly to the beaming Taube. "Your Mum wanted to give you a hug too."

He watched with a fond smile directed at his little girl as the blond haired shipgirl pulled Taube into a warm and tear filled hug.

Draco glanced to the side, reading Ehren's thoughts underneath her habitual cool mask as they made eye contact thanks to over one and a half decades of happy marriage. The Ehrendolch's spirit stiffened to attention at his wordless command, her heels snapping together. Ehren's wand appeared in her hand as she twisted her wrist. Then Ehren began to cast additional privacy wards with her normal finicky precision.

Satisfied that they would not be interrupted or spied on, Draco looked at the boys and gave a reassuring smile, extending his hand as he walked to them. "Lord Draco Malfoy at your service. May I introduce two of my four wives? The lady in gold is Cleopatra Malfoy, the shipgirl of HMS Cleopatra; the lady in black is Ehren du Chasteler-Malfoy, the daughter of Marchioness Colombe d'Aubigny du Chasteler of Belgium."

Ehren finished the wards then she gave Taube a hug. The two spoke quietly in German in the hug. Ehren had a small proud smile on her face while the girl she was obviously the mother of nodded several times with suspiciously shiny eyes. Meanwhile, Cleo bustled over and hugged Yuri in turn. Yuri returned the hug as Taube's somewhat solemn face split in a happy smile as the hug ended.

The young man looking like Draco stood and extended his hand with tears in his eyes. "Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, only son of Draco and Astoria Malfoy in my dimension." He paused. "It's good to meet you."

That was all he got out before Draco pulled him into an embrace and clapped him on the back. Quietly, Draco said, "What little Taube has told me about you makes me proud that my counterpart from your world had such a son. Your friend is...?"

Scorpius nodded and then took a deep breath. "Al.. Albus Severus Potter, the youngest son of Harry and Ginevra Potter."

Draco boggled. "Wait, he married Ginny Weasley?" Then the elder Malfoy laughed hard enough to begin to double over at the boys' nods. "She's like a younger sister to him here! Still things clearly are different where you came from." With that observation, Draco turned to Albus and extended his hand. "Pleasure to meet you Albus. Any son of Harry Potter or the Weasleys is a friend of me and mine."

Albus shook Draco's hand hesitantly. "You're... different... from what I expected." Albus said curiously. "Dad and Scorpius' Dad don't get along well at all and Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione hate the Malfoys."

Draco sighed heavily and his lips twisted. "To be fair to them, I was an unpleasant spoiled brat and little git when I was younger and in school with them. But a few things that happened back then to me that caused me to grow up a bit. Not least was seeing what kind of path into darkness that I was on back then, plus realizing that I was hurting other people who needed me by being such a prat and a fool." His eyes flickered to the strong and proud form of Ehren speaking to their daughter and a fond smile full of memory flickered around his lips as he broke the handshake and waved a hand to move a chair for him to sit down in.

They then sat back down as the ladies joined them, moving their own chairs into a conversation circle.

Draco clasped his hands on his knees as he leaned forward to survey Albus and Scorpius before continuing. "Marriage and fatherhood changed me as well, and I'd dare say for the better. That said, whatever I and mine can do to help you two with your problem, I shall."

"We shall, dear," Cleopatra said a bit tartly as she sat beside him.

Ehren nodded and summoned her own chair. "Ja. We." She spoke and then glanced at Taube. "Family looks after family, always." Her steel-blue eyes surveyed the boys. "I am led to believe from my daughter that you are using a Time-Turner to repair damage to the timeline caused in an attempt to save Cedric Diggory?" Her voice grew cool and analytical at their nods. "He was Head Boy when I was a First Year in Hufflepuff and I can easily see how he could have died back then during the Triwizard Tournament."

Scorpius nodded. "That's correct. The last timeline I was in... well... Lord Voldemort was Minister of Magic and ruler of Britain."

Draco sucked in a shocked breath as his jaw clenched.

Cleo's sunny face hardened and turned resolute and determined.

Ehren's eyes became as cold as ice and as hard as steel as they flamed in her suddenly mask-like face. Scorpius shivered at what he could sense was lurking deep inside Taube's mother under that iron control.

Taube and Yuri shared a puzzled glance at the unfamiliar name.

"There, Headmistress Umbridge ran Hogwarts while you... the you there was head of Magical Law Enforcement. While I was the most 'popular' boy in school because of his power..." Scorpius trailed off with a sick look on his face. "It was HELL!" He finally snapped out as Albus placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

Ehren suddenly headed over to hug Scorpius, speaking in a quiet voice filled with deep emotion. "I don't know how much Taube has said of my origin and nature yet, but I understand what that temptation is like to face. Rest assured, I'm as proud of you refusing that siren call into darkness as if you were my own steel and blood like she is. We cannot let that stand, but the risks must be handled carefully...." Ehren trailed off and glanced at the other two adults.

Cleo spoke thoughtfully as she tapped a finger against her lips. "If anyone trustworthy we can get a hold of discreetly can figure out how to mend that timeline, Bastian can. Should I get him?" Ehren and Draco nodded to her.

Draco spoke to Cleo while Ehren returned to her seat "Grab Bastian and meet us at the Manor. The younger children should be packed off to their American cousins by the time you get back and we can go from there. How did you travel dimensions, though? We need to pin that down."

Taube spoke up. "I'm pretty certain it has something to do with the Time-Turners -- we both were using one -- and the ritual chamber under the stone circle here. Some of the books in the Slytherin Library hinted at the ritual chamber having uses in Divination and suchlike." Yuri nodded in agreement. Taube then took a deep breath as she finished. "It may be linked to the date since the chamber is only illuminated today of all days when the sun rises."

Draco gave Ehren and Cleo a look of command and then a small smile and nod. He spoke. "That sounds like a good starting point. Also even if this is related to time, let's not waste any."

Ehren snapped to attention and spoke in her precise voice while Cleo headed out of the room at flank speed to take the Floo to Durmstrang. "I'll handle Hogwarts, Draco. Headmistress McGonnagal knows me well and trusts me. I shall explain our needs and fill her in. Taube, come with me and grab those books you read from the Slytherins while I raid the main library and get you excused for a 'family emergency'." Ehren's lips twitched in a brief smug smirk. "It's even true and not her fault... from a certain point of view. Mutti will be proud."

"Jawohl, Mutti!" Taube barked out as Ehren turned to her and stood from her chair.

Draco nodded sharply to the two ladies, who headed out on Cleo's heels. With that settled, he turned to the other three teenagers. "Well then, I'll handle the bill here and invite you to Malfoy Manor for the weekend while we decide how best to help you, Scorpius, Albus." He smirked, "If anyone asks, just say that you're some of Taube's du Chasteler cousins here for a visit."

 

Yellowhammer

A.N. -- This is actually the first Ehren/Draco piece I did back on November 9th of last year. So have another look at the Good Ending for Best Ehrendolch (after I cleaned it up a bit to fix some continuity issues like the date and Ehren's scar from Vatipire being on her throat and not her cheek).

Ice After The Thaw

Malfoy Manor

February 4th, 2024
Spoiler: An Ice Princess Thaws

Draco's breath caught in his throat as he entered the Egyptian Room.

Framed in the sunlight of the windows and flanked by a pair of statues, Ehren stood with her back to him. She was dressed in a bright crimson backless silk dress with a string of cultured Akoya pearls at her throat as she surveyed the grounds where the children were playing in the snow.

He grinned smugly as he looked at the trim and regal form of the elegant young woman standing at stiff parade rest seemingly oblivious to his presence.

Time to play 'spot the dagger' in her new dress.

He immediately discarded her wrists and upper arms, since the short sleeves and creamy puffy lace would not give her ample room to hide herself.

Obviously her back was out as well soo....

His eyes slid down her hourglass waist to her hips and then her mid-thigh length skirt and black fishnet stockings. Finally he reached her black mirror-polished leather knee boots with silver trim around the top.

He grinned smugly and licked his lips as he came to his conclusion.

Got you, Ehren.

With that he stepped to her side and ran his hand up her right thigh. Steel-blue eyes sparkled in hidden anticipation as his questing hand found her garter and then touched the heraldic shield of the du Chasteler Heiress impaled with the House of Malfoy upon her hilt as she rested within the hidden sheath sewn into her garter belt.

"Right here."

She squeaked suddenly as his hand then took advantage of the location to cop a feel of her. She then leaned into his embrace, her steel blue eyes hooding as her lips curled into a smugly satisfied smile.

"So, how did you know this time, Bärli?" Ehren purred while she nibbled her lip as he continued to caress her.

He chuckled and nibbled her ear. "You tried too hard to divert the attention to those boots of yours. I know your penchant for misdirection, and that you place your sheath for your dagger on the right by choice."

She giggled happily and spoke with no heat in her voice. "Curses, foiled again...."

He then laughed as his hand slid out of her skirt to embrace her around the waist. "More to the point, I know how your deliciously deviant and subtle mind works, Ehren du Chasteler-Malfoy. If I deduced where you had hidden yourself in your birthday present from the Fujiis, well, I would get a handful of something nice."

He made a point of visibly looking down the low-cut front of her dress as she gracefully turned in his embrace to face him. "And if you planned to hide it in your bosom, you would have turned to face me when I walked down the hall. I know that your hearing is sharper than a human's is, and that you are a deliciously paranoid little witch. Which has saved us all more than once. So you know fully well that it was me walking toward your back."

He gestured with the cane in his left hand, a legacy that he had adopted from his father to carry a concealed wand at all times. "Easy enough to know that with my third leg here." She raised one pale-golden eyebrow in her aristocratic face at his statements, with a smugly amused look on her face.

For long moments they stared into each others eyes, then began to chuckle in stereo.

She laughed throatily and kissed him passionately as her hands found his cheeks. "Guilty as charged, Bärli. The lingerie you just discovered is new too and I'll show it to you later tonight once the children are worn out from making snow forts and Niobe, Cleo, and Johnston join us. I have already arranged for suitable means of rehydration for us."

She then turned back to the window and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Thank you for coming up here. I was... indulging my nostalgia while the children are playing while the others watch them."

Draco reached up and gently traced the near-invisible scars on her throat that she had been given by her late and never to be sufficiently damned Vati as he spoke reminiscently. "The first time we spoke here. The day where you declared that you were not good enough for me. Not worthy of our love."

Ehren sighed softly as her lips curled in a nostalgic smile. "Ja. I was a foolish young girl then. More foolish than I am now, certainly. One would hope." Her voice was equally soft as he hugged her to him.

She then smiled and looked up into his eyes. "I have often said this to you and the others, but it bears repeating. Thank you for believing in me and loving me when I was finding it difficult to love myself."

Draco gave a matching smile as he responded, "Thank you, Ehren, for giving me the chance to claim your heart. Even if it was a group effort between my sister, your sisters, our parents, and my Fleet to coordinate our efforts and carry a plan to win your hand in marriage."

He then leaned in and kissed her passionately on the lips before chuckling with an undertone of self-depreciation. "I find it quite ironic that my fate was sealed with Johnston, Cleopatra and then Niobe with little understanding of events, or understanding that they would not take no for an answer. Especially when I cemented their love with my efforts to build them up and draw out what I saw. Then I turned the tables on the story of my life and delivered the same to you, Ehren du Chasteler, once I saw that you were in desperate need of someone such as I. Despite your attempts to deny what you needed."

Her eyes gleamed with memories as her own shyly happy smile blossomed on her face. "Indeed I was in desperate need of someone such as you. Claire, Mutti, Ying, Estelle, Toku, Del, Zamarad, and Jackie all sustain me in their own ways, but you, my Bärli, you completed me. I didn't deserve you then, and still do not. You helped teach me that love is not about what we deserve, for we don't deserve it and all fall short in our own ways. But love is about what we accept as a wonderful gift given to us."

He spoke as he stared into her shining loving eyes. "I was a foolish boy not worthy of Johnston's love when we first met, as you well know from our stories. You through no fault of your own," his voice grew commanding and he mock-scowled as her smile widened, "had your own darkness that caused you distress. Having known your mother and family for the last years, I can say that you get your penchant to take the hard way when it is the correct way honestly."

She nodded sharply, her voice steely and resolute. "As it should always be. As I told you that day, once you find something deserving of your faithfulness and honor, as my family and yours is worthy, if you follow your honor to the bitter end, you shall never go wrong."

He laughed and scooped her up in a bridal carry with the aid of a Weight-Reducing charm as his discarded enchanted cane floated behind him. "That is why I love you so much, my beautiful Ehrendolch. Whenever I have questions as to what honor demands of me, of us, what the right way forward is, you always help us find the correct answer for ourselves since Deine Ehre Heisst Treue."

She blushed and then gave him a tender look filled with the things that she sometimes struggled to say as her arms encircled his neck.

Finally she whispered quietly with her heart in her tear-filled eyes. "And you help me in my turn express the things I'm unable to say by myself, Draco. My love."

Their lips met as he carried her into their ancestral manor.

 

Mushapi

So here is another snippet of Siusan and Haruka. Love writing these two. If you have any questions or thoughts for a future snippet let me know.
*-*-*


"And that is why if you find yourself in the woulds and you ever hear the baying of hounds whose call fills your very being with ice run! Run fast and run far until you can run no more lest Gwyn ap Nudd and his Wild hunt will claim your souls."

The children in front of Siusan cowered in fear as she dramatically raked her arm toward her captivated audiance. Haruka watched with a bemused smile. When she had noticed Siusan growing restless because of the nebulous threat permeating around her she had asked Hoshi-Dono for ideas. The Kitsune had comiserated as Siusan had begun to drive everyone a bit spare with her fretting which often took the form of cooking which while enjoyable to a degree had begun to overwhelm the Ono household. But Hoshi quickly came up with a solution which was to occupy her time at the local daycare. Like most Fae Siusan adored children and quickly became distracted enough that she could relax.

"That's not real... is it?" Asked a boy who at first puffed himself up before failing to meet Siusan's eyes out of nervousness.

"Aye, child who smells of raindrops it is very very real. The Wild Hunt and its riders go by many names and their hunting grounds cover much of Europe but I am afraid they are quite real. For this reason I implore you to run lest you become their quarry." Siusan looked at the children with eyes familiar with loss, Haruka remembered. His name had been Boyd, Siusan told her, He liked singing and playing in the woods and had a way with animals similar to herself. One night he failed to return to the Keep. The baying of hounds had been heard and the who family had shuttered up except Siusan. She had noticed that the child had not returned from his outdoor adventure. She returned in the morning with his broken body.

Forcing a smile Siusan sighed, "Well enough about that tale of caution who want to help me make some cookies." The children all raised their hands and followed her into the daycare's kitchen where the old fox began to impart the ancient art of baking.

Seeing this Haruka wanted to wrap her up in her arms and kiss her, so she did. Just a small peck on the cheek. "Are we baking some cookies?"

"Ah yeah, Lily Child's recipe. Though the Children could use a pick me up." Siusan gave Haruka a kiss back while some of the children made funny faces.

Siusan stopped to ponder her head tilted to the side considering, "Don't know if Harry Child has the recipe himself or for that matter any others so I have been practicing them until I get them right. I watched all our children so much that really its not to remember their recipes but I want to make sure I get it right before writing them down. I noticed how much Harry Child enjoys cooking for those he cares about so I thought a family cookbook featuring the recipes of all of his ancestors might make a nice gift."

Haruka looked at her love, "Ohhh, is that why you've been baking as much as you have?" She helped up one of the children so that she could help stir.

Siusan blushed, "One of the reason I suppose. It is just incredibly nerve racking, Harry Child's predicament. The lad is surrounded by extreme danger on all sides!" She punctuated her statement with a plop of cookie dough onto the baking sheet before allowing the children to copy her. "Fortunately there are enough people that love him and are protective of him that for now its not immediate. I just wish that this blasted war could end so I do not have to worry as much."

Sliding the cookies into the oven Siusan led the children back to the main room of the daycare where soon she was dragged into playing an evil dragon for the children to heroically defeat before suddenlly it turned out she was actually a princess in need of rescue. Haruka looked on a with a smile on her lips. She may have been robbed in her first life from growing old with Siusan but now she had found her lily and despite the years and pain things were slowly becoming better.

 

Harry Leferts

After they were out of sight of the island, Haruto pressed a button and then pushed the throttle wide open. With a throaty growl, the Kudagitsune practically leapt forward as it sped up. Behind him, Ayane stared wide eyed as the wind really whipped up as they seemed to skim along the surface, "How fast are we going!?"

Glancing back, Haruto laughed a little, "Right now? About ninety miles per hour or so which is about seventy knots." Gently patting the dash, he grinned some, "She's a fast little girl after all."

Smile on her own face, Hachimitsu stroked the side of the boat that she was leaning against, swearing that she could feel a small shudder, "Hai, she most certainly is. And a lovely one as well."

When Ayane turned back to him, the Healer shrugged, "As for how? I got one of those supercavitating propellers on her. Also enchanted her so that she's a bit lighter with a modified flight charm so that she is able to get the most speed possible, which lets me make the trip to Kagoshima in about... three hours or so. Fast enough that Abyssals can't really target me since by the time they know that I'm in the area, I'm already leaving."

The shipgirls there only nodded a bit as they smiled some, hair whipping in the air.

For the next two hours or so, they chatted about various things and, once they were close enough, Haruto turned on the radio to give them some music. Eventually, Ayane noticed a column of what looked like smoke rising high into the sky in the distance. Blinking, she shaded her eyes with her hand, "What's that now? A thunderstorm?"

Only looking in the same direction, the wizard shook his head, "No, that would be Iōjima." At the looks from the Jorogumo, he pointed, "A chunk of the island is made up of an active volcano. No one is quite sure what happened, but the Abyssals did something when they tried to set up on the island and it's been practically blowing its top ever since. Don't want to get too close due to the pyroclastic flows heading into the sea, but it acts as a signpost of sorts." Haruto slowed the boat and shook his heads at the confused looks he got, "We're pretty close to Kagoshima and don't want to attract attention due to going too fast."

Hopping up onto the bow, Chikako blinked as she scanned the sea before pointing, "Haruto-Nii-San! Look! Right over there!"

Eyebrow raised, Haruto turned in that direction before smiling with a small chuckle as he saw a greyish-white object bobbing in the sea, "Well now, that would be a hunk of pumice." Suddenly, he glanced around before turning to Chikako as he slowed the boat, "Chikako-Chan? Could you head over and grab it?"

Confused, the Nekomata nodded as she scrambled to the side of the boat before pausing as she looked over at him. "Um, why, Haruto-Nii-San?"

Seeing the similar questioning looks, he smiled a little, "Pumice is a rough stone. However... it is really effective as a skin abrasive. Or, more importantly, for things like when reptilian and arachnid Yokai molt." Looking over at a surprised Ayane, he smiled, "Just rub it along and it can rub off dead skin and such."

Interested, Ayane looked at the rock bobbing in the water even as Chikako leapt over the side, summoning her rigging. It did not take the Repair Ship long to bring over the breadbox sized lump of stone, "Here you go, Haruto-Nii-San! I got it!"

Now looking around, Mie sent out some broomstick fliers. At the looks, she winked, "Well, there might be more floating around, so..."

Grin on his face, Haruto laughed, "Thanks, though depending on the amount..."

However, the Inugami Carrier only shook her head, "We can store them on our hulls for now, we have the room after all.:

Simply nodding at that, Haruto held the stone in his hand before turning to Ayane, "So, what do you think? Willing to try it?"

Thoughtful for a moment, Ayane took the stone and rubbed her hand along it, feeling the roughness. Molting was always a hard time when it came to Jorogumo, and it was also somewhat difficult to remove the dead exoskeleton. But this... this could help. Grin on her face, she giggled some as she hugged him from behind, "Thank you for this, Haruto-Kun, it will make my next molt so much easier~"

Blushing, the young man coughed a bit, "U-um, right then, glad to hear it."

A glance at the others told Ayane that they were more amused at how much blushing Haruto was doing and her actions than anything. So she gave him another squeeze before backing up and helping Chikako back onto the boat. Within a half hour, the group had gathered quite a bit more pumice before they came into sight of southern Kyushu. Bringing up her hand, Haruhime pointed at a some cliffs, "There's Cape Sata!"

Eyes wide, Ayane leaned against the side, "Is that... Japan? The mainland?"

With a hum, Haruto smiled at her some, "Hai, or at least the island of Kyushu. We'll be entering Kagoshima Bay in about fifteen minutes. Now then... I'm just going to contact the Harbour Master..."

Moments later, Haruto pulled out the radio as he began to speak into it. Siding up to Ayane, Mikage smiled a little at her, "Excited?"

Glancing at her, the Jorogumo stared for a few moments before shaking her head, "You have no idea, Mikage-Chan. I..." With brief look at Haruto, she took a deep breath before letting it out, "I never thought that I would leave the island. Ever. Yet here I am about to reach the mainland and... and it's because of..."

Her own gaze following Ayane's, Mikage chuckled a little, "Because of our Haruto-Kun."

Slowly, Ayane nodded some before she turned her head to look at Southern Kyushu as they entered Kagoshima Bay. Even from here, she could see some of the coastal fortifications surrounding it. For a few moments, the arachnid Yokai was quiet and when she spoke, it was in a near whisper, "I... know that it was different for you, Mikage-Chan, same with your Nee-Sans. But... it is something of a dream for us young girls born and raised in the Reserves. To have a handsome young man arrive and carry us away from them, to bring us to freedom. And for Jorogumo..." She held up one hand which became covered in chitin, "... We dream of someone, when young, who accepts us for whom we are and looks beyond the legends."

The Kitsune didn't say anything, and she could see that her sisters and the Inugami twins were listening closely.

Ayane, meanwhile, continued quietly, "I'll admit... I had that dream when I was a young spiderling. That I would find a handsome prince who would wisk me away from everything into a wonderous adventure that was on the mainland, away from the Reserve. But as I grew older... I realized that was just that, a dream of a young girl who didn't understand the world." Turning, she smiled at her friend with some tears in her eyes, "So this..."

Understanding appeared on Haruhime's face as she nodded, "That was why you were so surprised this morning when we picked you up. Because you figured that it would stay a dream and you wouldn't be able to come with us."

Only shrugging, the Jorogumo shook her head, "And can you honestly blame me? I am a Jorogumo, I know how most of Japan on the magical side sees us, as the monsters that our ancestors were. The chances of me being allowed, even now were..." After a moment, Ayane sighed some before looking towards Haruto, "Which was why I wasn't even prepared."

Gently hugging her, Hachimitsu sighed some, "You know, Haruto-Kun did argue for you to come." Seeing the surprised look, she grinned a little, "It was something to see when he argued with the guy from Kyoto overseeing the Reserve until the Statute falls entirely. His issue was that you were a Jorogumo, but Haruto-Kun? Well, his argument that there was no difference between you and a normal person, because you are a normal person, and thus safe? It won because one of the representatives from the No-Maj government was there and agreed."

Hearing that, a single tear rolled down Ayane's cheek as she hugged herself, "He... he did that, huh?" At the nods, she looked at the Healer and sighed some, "You... are so lucky to have him be your husband to be. So very lucky."

What she did not see was the others look at each other and nod. However, what she did notice was when Ichika grinned at her and winked, "Well... you know that dream?" At her confused nod, the Inugami continued, "None of us have an issue if you were to act like you were living it out. Not in the slightest."

Eyes staring, the arachnid Yokai boggled at her, "Are you serious?" Seeing the nods, she chewed her lip, "Um, you do realize what I was talking about, right?"

Lips curling into a smile, Mie shook her head, "We trust you, Ayane-Chan. So go ahead and enjoy yourself."

Only nodding, the Jorogumo smiled back at her happily.

Roughly an hour later, Ayane was staring in awe at the clustered buildings including high-rises along the waterfront, "How many people live here...?"

His lips twitching, Haruto chuckled, "Well over five hundred thousand people actually." Staying out of the way of a cargo ship which he kept a close eye on, the wizard hummed a little, "Just stay close when we get off the boat, I don't want you to get lost."

Still gobsmacked, the Jorogumo looked at him, "No kidding." Then, she smiled and hugged him, "So how close do you want it~"

Briefly, Haruto flushed but then smirked as he looked over his shoulder, "Well, this is fine. I suppose. At least this way you won't get lost."

Moments later, he laughed as Ayane went red. Not long after, he pulled up to a pier and grabbed the rope tossed by him by a somewhat burly man and tied the Kudagitsune up to the pier. The man in question looked over the girls before grinning, "Oy! Hinata-San, taking some girls on a bit of a boating trip, hmm?"

Lightly laughing, the Healer rubbed the back of his neck, "Ah, well, you know how it is, Higashi-San. Decided to visit from the local islands and they wanted to experience some city life."

That only got him laughs as the man continued to tease them until they left. Watching as they disappeared towards the nearby parking lot, the man snorted some, "Lucky guy has that many hot girls." Pausing for a moment, he tilted his head a little, "Wonder which one of them is that little girl's actual Onee-San though..."

____________________________________________________________

After getting into the small van that Haruto owned, and which had slightly expanded insides making it more comfortable for all of them to sit, they were off. Bouncing in her seat a little, Ayane grinned widely, "So this is a car?"

Glancing in the mirror, Haruto found himself blushing a little due to what the Jorogumo's bouncing did, "Um, well, more a van, but hai?" Quickly, he focused back on the road, "Though it's more of a Kei Van than anything."

Curious, Hachimitsu looked back from the front passenger seat, "Hmm... I take it that you remove the seats when using it to get things?"

With a nod, the wizard smiled a little, "Pretty much, I don't need the seats myself, after all. And it makes things easier to transport. While Apparition is speedy, it's hard to hold onto everything when doing it. Besides, it was less noticeable to anyone from the Diet who might be watching."

Only listening with one ear, the rest of Ayane was focused on looking out the window at the streets and buildings. Never had she seen so many people in an area before after all. The sights and smells, as well, were nearly overwhelming. Hearing her name, she looked over to find Hachimitsu raising an eyebrow at her, "Hmm? Sorry about that..."

Just chuckling, the blonde Kitsune shot Haruto a look before turning back to her friend, "Haruto-Kun was wondering if you wanted something to eat. Since you've never been off the island before."

Nodding, Haruto looked in the mirror, "So, anything in particular that you might want to try? Name it and I'll do my best."

That caused the Jorogumo to blink and give it some thought as she thought it over. Eventually, however, Ayane nodded and smiled a little, "I think that I might want a... burger, I think it was called?" She gave a small shrug, "I've heard about it from Hachimitsu-Chan and the others who came from Outside, so..."

Rather bemused at the choice, Haruto chuckled a little, "A burger place it is."

Fifteen minutes later found him pulling up to the curb and Mie looked out the window at the sign, "MOS... Burger?"

Small grin on his face, the wizard chuckled some, "Hai, it's a good place for burgers... so then, I know what Hachimitsu-Chan, Haruhime-Chan, and Mikage-Chan would have." He winked at said Kitsunes, "After all, they used to take me here all the time." That got Haruto chuckles before he looked at the others, "But I don't know what the rest of you might want."

Head tilted to the side, Chikako ignored how the others told him to surprise them before the Nekomata perked up, "Do they have fish, Onii-San?" At his nod, she grinned widely and threw her hands into the air, "Then I'll have fish!"

Winking, Haruto pointed a finger at her, "Right, one fish burger for the cutest Nekomata. As for the rest..." He hummed some, "I have a few ideas... so I'll be back in a couple of minutes."

Interested, the two Inugami as well as the Jorogumo watched as the young man walked into the fast food place. Considering that, Ichika looked at the Kitsune, "So... that's the burger place that you used to go to with Haruto-Kun?"

Haruhime grinned a bit and nodded, "Hai, it is." Licking her lips some, she hummed, "We used to go to the local MOS Burger after going to the park and such. It was always a treat to do so as well since, well... you know."

Sigh escaping from her, Mikage nodded a little, "Ah, how I miss those days..." Then, she grinned as well, "Though I am looking forward to the days to come as well."

It wasn't long before Haruto returned with their food and waving at the people inside. Getting into the van, he sighed a little as he set down the large bags, "There we go... just let me find somewhere that we can stop and eat." Once he did, the Healer proceeded to start giving out the food, "Now then, for Haruhime-Chan, we have the teriyaki chicken burger, Mikage-Chan the chicken burger, and Hachimitsu-Chan, the tsukune rice burger."

Each of the Kitsune took said burgers and, if their tails were out, they would have been wagging them. Unwrapping hers, Hachimitsu looked at her burger which instead of bread buns, had rice cakes with a chicken burger between them. Licking her lips, she grinned as she leaned in, "Come to Kaa-San you beautiful thing, you..."

That got snickers from her boyfriend as she bit into it and had a joyful look on her face. Shaking his head, he reached into the bag and pulled out the next one, "Let's see, for Ichika-Chan we have a bacon cheese burger, and just a bacon burger for Mie-Chan..." Both Inugami took theirs as he passed one to Ayane, "For Ayane-Chan, they had one of their double patties, one chicken and one beef, with bacon."

Her eyes wide, Ayane took the offered food and looked at it, "Um, thank you..."

Grin on his face, Haruto nodded, "You're welcome, Ayane-Chan." Pulling out one last item, he passed it to Chikako, "And, for Chikako-Chan, we have a fish burger."

Bouncing happily on her seat, Chikako took it and quickly unwrapped it before nodding, "Thank you, Haruto-Nii-San!" She then opened her mouth and chomped down with a purr, "A-humpf!"

Only shaking his head, even as he found it adorable, he pulled out his own burger, "And, for me, one of their spicy burgers."

Moments later, he passed each of them drinks. Those from the reserve watched in some bemusement as the Kitsune practically moaned as they sipped their sodas before looking at their own, Ayane took a hesitant sip before pulling back with a blink and sniffing some, "It fizzes? Huh..."

Placing it aside, the Jorogumo looked at her friends and how they were eating their own burger before unwrapping hers. For a moment, she sniffed it before her mouth began to water at the smell of cooked beef and chicken. Beef, especially, as it was not something that she had ever really had outside of jerky, which was good itself, especially when transfigured into something rehydrated. Though, from what she had been told, it lost something in the taste.

With a swallow, she opened her mouth wide and bit down, teeth going through the bun followed by the vegetables, and then the meat. Almost immediately, her eyes widened before drifting close with a low groan, "Ish is amazing..."

Once she swallowed, she took another bite with a groan, which unnoticed by her made Haruto pause and flush a little. Not helping matters was how the two Inugami were also making very happy noises as well. Of course, Hachimitsu and her sisters were just giving him smug smirks as they ate their own meal.

Chikako, meanwhile, considered asking them not to be so silly before shrugging it off and continuing to happily eat her own fish burger.

Swallowing another bite of her burger, and washing it down with a coke, Mikage looked over at Haruto, "Haruto-Kun? What did you get for the sides?"

At that, the others perked up and waited to hear what he had to say, though the Healer nearly laughed at the sight of the two Inugami and one Jorogumo with their cheeks puffed out. Instead, Haruto gave a small shrug, "Couldn't decide, so I went and got the mix boxes, you know? So some fries, a few pieces of different chicken, fried mussels... that sort of thing."

That only made the Kitsune nod happily and, as it turned out, those from the Reserve loved the sides as well with Ayane adoring the black pepper chicken.

Of course, when the arachnid Yokai licked the wrapper from her burger, she didn't notice the wince from Haruto, though she noted he looked uncomfortable when she handed it to him to place in the garbage as she shook her head, "That... was amazing, though..." She gave him a look, "You didn't need to spend so much money on me."

Rather confused, Haruto looked at her in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Blinking, Ayane gestured at the empty bags, "The food, it had to be really expensive due to how good it was. I mean... that is how it works, right?"

For a few moments, the Healer looked at her before wincing, "Actually? It is rather cheap... it's called fast food for a reason after all."

Now, it was Ayane's turn to look at him in confusion, "I... that was cheap? B-but it was good, and filled with meat! So it had to be gourmet, right?"

Once more, Haruto winced at that before turning around in his seat and placing his hand on hers, "Ayane-Chan, it wasn't. Food like that is common off the reserves."

Staring at him, the Jorogumo boggled before looking at the trash, "I-it is? Really?" At the nods not just from Haruto, but the Kitsune, she slumped back a little in her seat, "Huh..."

Haruto looked at her with a sad look before he looked out the window. When he did so, something caught his eye and he blinked before smiling some and opening the door, "Come on, everyone out!"

More than a little lost, the others looked at each other except for Chikako. Said Nekomata was already wiggling out of her seat and heading for the door, "Okay, Haruto-Nii-Chan! Munya!"

Lightly laughing as the others followed, the Healer patted Chikako on the head as she gave a small purr. Arms crossed, Haruhime gave him a look, "Okay, what's the big idea, Haruto-Kun? I mean, wanting us out?"

Not saying anything, Haruto helped Chikako up on his shoulders before looking towards an amused Haruhime and then pointing, "I thought that everyone might want some crepes. And there's a stand right over there for it."

Eyes widening, Mie looked over at the stand and placed her finger against her lips, "I... I've heard of crepes. But never tried some..." Swallowing, she took Haruto's hand in hers as they walked over to the stand and looked wide eyed at the selection, 'Wow...'

Minutes later found them at a picnic table that the wizard placed some privacy charms around. Watching as Mie bit into a strawberry crepe, he chuckled at the blissful look on her face, "I don't need to ask if you liked it."

Swallowing, the Inugami shook her head, "No, Haruto-Kun, I love it." Leaning over, she kissed him before deepening it. As she pulled back, Mie flushed some, "Mmm... chocolate."

Grin on her face, Hachimitsu shook her head, "Well, Haruto-Kun always did have a sweet tooth after all..." Then, she pulled him into a kiss before pulling back and licking her lips with a sly look, "And still sweet after all these years."

It went without saying that Haruto had a deep blush on his face, one that only deepened as his other girlfriends joined in.

At the same time, Ayane was also eating hers happily, even as she watched the antics with a smile. A giggle escaping her as she saw Haruhime bit into Haruto's treat, 'This... was everything that I could have hoped for.'