Harry Potter & the Shipgirls

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Walking out of the building and munching the last of the popcorn, Ayane looked towards Haruto, "So... that was a movie?"

Smile on his face as he walked, the various shipgirls taking up "Escort Positions" around them, the Healer nodded, "Hai, it was." Pausing for a moment, Haruto looked over at her, "I hope that you enjoyed it though..."

Just blinking at that, Ayane gave him a look, "Enjoyed it? I loved it!" She spread her arms a bit before sighing as she clasped her hands together, "Though it was somewhat bittersweet... what with Marnie and Anna."

Only nodding, Hachimitsu chuckled, "Hai, but that is how Studio Ghibli does their films." Head tilted to the side, she had a nostalgic expression on her face before she looked over at Haruto, "Remember that time you watched Spirited Away at our home?"

Grin on her face as she hopped onto Haruto's back, Haruhime had a great big smile on her face, "Oh! Or how we watched Howl's Moving Castle? You had such an adorable look on your face..." If anything, the grin widened as she poked his cheeks, "Like right now with that blush on his face."

Looking away, Haruto's voice was nearly a whine, making the others laugh, "Please... stop..." Then, smirk on his face, he looked at the girl on his back over his shoulder, "Haruhime-Nee-Chan..."

Said Kitsune, however, flushed and buried her face in the crook of his neck, "Haruto-Kun... no fair... we're dating and you call me that!?"

If anything, his smirk grew more sly, "What's wrong... Haruhime-Onee-Chan? Don't you, Mikage-Onee-Chan, and Hachimitsu-Onee-Chan still like being called that."

Now all three Kitsune sisters were blushing and looking away with Mikage muttering under her breath a little, "Calling all of us that sort of thing still..."

His smirk now a grin, Haruto leaned towards her as he whispered into her ear, "And you love it, don't you...?"

A whine escaped from Mikage's mouth as her face went bright red and she covered her face in her hands.

From where she was walking, Ayane giggled into her hand as she enjoyed the byplay. Pulling away, she had a happy smile on her face as she looked back to the "Theatre". It had been her choice of where to go, and the others agreed with going to the theater. Back on the Reserve, she had heard so many amazing things about movie theatres, and so wanting to go to one made her day.

Of course, one of the issues that came up was which movie they should go and see. Something that was harder than one might think due to all the choices that were available. Hachimitsu had been somewhat interested in something called "Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals" as it was based on some game she had played, muttering that they better have had someone called Cecil right. They had overheard people leaving about how awesome it was, but in the end they decided that they would go with "When Marnie Was There" due to how Chikako was there.

Granted, Hachimitsu was happy when Haruto mentioned that they could go to a showing another day, maybe on Amami.

There were also other films that were showing, which had caused even the Kitsune to tilt their heads some. Mikage had been somewhat amazed at how there were a lot light hearted films and not so many horror. Though she had nodded when Haruto pointed out that due to the war, people needed things to smile about.

When watching the trailers, however, they had all snorted at a trailer for some American film. Apparently, some goth guy who was picked on by various "Popular guys" got separated from everyone else... and picked up by the Abyssals who thought that he was the legendary "Abyssal Admiral". It was something called a romantic comedy, which confused Ayane, but she had shrugged it off and snickered from what little was shown. Especially the end with the guy in question with wide eyes on a chair surrounded by Abyssals.

Stretching a little, Ayane didn't notice that Haruto was looking at her as she did so, or the smirks on the other adult females' faces. What she did notice was how Chikako, who was between her and Haruto, was excitedly chatting about the movie as they walked. Something that brought a smile to her face. Especially when she noticed how the Healer was treating the little Nekomata. Internally, she sighed a little sadly, 'He's going to be a great Otou-San...'

It was not long after that they got into the van and drove off. Though, much to the Jorogumo's surprise, they pulled into a small parking lot and Haruto nodded, "Okay, we're here."

More than a little confused, the Jorogumo furrowed her eyebrows, "Um, where is... here?"

As he got out of the van, Haruto smiled over at her, "Well... I figured that you might like a little treat as it were. So... I brought you to a coffee shop." He then shrugged a little, "They have all sorts of different coffees, so..."

Lightly blushing some, Ayane felt her heart beat faster in her chest as she got out. But then, she walked over and leaned towards him which made her shirt fall open a little, "My, my, Ha-ru-to-Kun~ Do you really want to get little ol' me drunk, hmm?"

Hachimitsu hummed a bit as she walked by, "Well, you did give him tours of the Ayane Range of peaks earlier~"

The sound of hands meeting faces could be heard as the Jorogumo clapped her hands over her bright red face, "Uuuuu... Did you have to bring that up?"

Only snickers and giggles met her, and when she looked, the Kitsune and Inugami were all smiling and winking at her. Hanging her head a little, she walked towards the coffee shop, though once they were on the sidewalk, Haruto leaned towards her and whispered a bit, "It was a rather nice tour though..."

For a moment, Ayane blinked before she realized what he meant and went red again, "Guh..."

Needless to say, it took a few seconds for her to reboot. However, she quickly walked in with a blushing face, though a slight smile tugging at her lips. Something that Haruto noticed and smiled back about. When she stopped and looked around, he gave her a chuckle, "Never been in one, have you?"

Shaking her head even as she looked around in interest, Ayane gave him a slight smile, "Um, never thought that I would have a chance." Taking a deep sniff of the air, her nose could smell the coffee and the like. She watched as the others put in orders for their own drinks, Chikako getting a iced hot chocolate, which was sort of strange to her ear, but she shrugged. Head tilted to the side, the Jorogumo frowned, "What would you suggest? I... can see a lot of choices after all..."

Hands in his pocket, Haruto tilted his head back a little in thought before turning to her, "That depends, what do you feel in the mood for? Something hot? Cold?"

With a glance outside, the spider Yokai shook her head, "Something cold, it's too hot out really for a hot drink right now, and... I can get hot coffee back in the Reserve."

Considering that, Haruto hummed a little, "So an iced coffee then?" Getting a hesitant nod, he glanced at the menu and walked over to where the others were waiting and held up his hand, "One medium iced coffee, dark, and two large expresso frappé please."

Behind the counter, the cashier nodded, "Of course, Sir. It will only be a few minutes. Would you like one of our baked goods with that...?"

A couple of minutes later, they left the coffee shop and re-entered the car.

Seated in the front passenger seat, Ayane picked up the "Frappé" that she had been given and examined it. Sure, she had heard of "Iced coffee" before, what Jorogumo hadn't? But she had never gotten the chance to try some before. The closest that she came was some instant coffee that some of the guards would trade for silk. It went without saying the Jorogumo gave them lower quality silk, but they knew that the guards found the idea of drunk Jorogumo funny and she had heard tales that some Reserves had guards who would give a lot of coffee out just to get a number of the spider Yokai there addicted, or pay them for certain... acts.

Just shaking that off, as well as the fact that a small part of her mind muttered how she would not have minded performing such acts with the Healer beside her, the Jorogumo brought her lips to the straw and took a small sip. The first thing that Ayane noted was the coolness of the drink as well as how smooth it was. As well, there was the lovely taste of coffee, along with sweetness from the milk and sugar that was added.

It was, quite honestly, a lovely drink.

Pulling the straw from her lip, Ayane licked her lips some and hummed a little, "Thank you, Haruto-Kun... Now this is a lovely drink."

Only chuckling, Haruto smiled at her, "Hai, and you won't have to worry as it's only thirty minutes to my house..."

More than a little thankful, the Jorogumo nodded at that and smiled at the thoughtfulness...

________________________________________________________

Disappointed look on her face, Aoi gave her sheepish son a raised eyebrow, "Really, Haruto-Chan? You had to get her drunk?"

Almost everyone in the room sipped their drinks and looked over at the very happy, and drunk, Jorogumo who was finishing off her second expresso frappé with the normal flush on her face that a drunk might have. It didn't help matters that Chikako was being held by said Yokai with a huffy expression on her face. Especially with how the back of her head was smothered in Ayane's chest as the Jorogumo tilted back and forth with a laugh.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Haruto chuckled a little, "Uh... I didn't think that it would affect her that much, Okaa-San. I mean, I've seen her drink coffee before back on the Reserves, so..."

Extremely amused, Haruhime snickered a bit, "Uh, Haruto-Kun? Did you forget that's instant coffee? Not an expresso? Which, you know, has a lot more caffeine in it...?"

For a few moments there was silence before Ichika laughed a little, "You did forget? Didn't you?"

Hanging his head, Haruto sighed a little, "Hai... Ugh, I'm a baka." Frown on his face, he looked over at the swaying Jorogumo, "You don't think that Ayane-Chan will be angry with me when she's sober, do you?"

It wasn't either his mother or his girlfriends, nor Chikako, who answered him.

The one who did was actually Ayane who swayed as she stumbled over to him, "Naaah, I wouldb't be angry with you, Haruto-Kuuuun~" Giggling, she smiled a little with a happy hum, "I like you too much-Whoops!"

Stumbling, she began to fall and was caught by Haruto who fell back. Wincing a bit, Haruto looked down at her, "Ayane-Chan? Are you alright?" Feeling his shirt get damp, he blinked even as he felt the arms around him tighten, "Ayane-Chan?"

Voice soft, the Jorogumo gave a weak chuckle, "Thas... That's how you are, always caring. So kind..." A sigh came from her as she sniffled, "I just wish..."

With a glance at the others, Haruto brought his hand to her head and stroked it, "Ayane-Chan? What's wrong?"

Briefly, the arms tightened, though not enough to hurt him with a small, choked sob, "Jus... me." Rubbing her face into his chest, she sniffled again, "It hurts... hurts a lot and..." Pulling away with tears going down her face, she looked at the quiet Kitsune and Inugami, "You're all so lucky to have Haruto-Kun as... as your boyfriend and husband. Seeing him look at you like that... hurts, b-but I'm happy for you."

Hand still stroking her hair, Haruto's voice became softer, "Ayane-Chan..."

A choked laugh came from the drunk Jorogumo, "Sss'okay, really... Imma Jorogu... Jorogum... a spider woman. S'hard to find someone who cares like that, ya know? Bad reputations and all tha... So I know that..." Sighing, she closed her eyes and leaned against his chest, "S'not my place, never will be. B-but I'm happy tha' you're happy, Haruto-Kun... and that my friends are happy... an tha' helps. Jus wish..." With another sniffle, Ayane smiled a little before opening her amythst eyes and glancing at a wide eyed Aoi, "Ya treated me like family... an' that makes me happy even though it is just a dream..." Eyes closing again, she sighed, "A happy one..."

The only thing that Haruto did was continue to stroke her hair as she sighed. Soon enough, however, she drifted off to slumber with the others looking between themselves. Only when she was fully asleep did Haruto pause his hand's movements. Looking down at the small smile on Ayane's face, and gently rubbing the dried tear tracks away, the Healer spoke without moving his gaze, "Hachimitsu-Chan? Haruhime-Chan? Mikage-Chan? Mie-Chan? Ichika-Chan? I... think that we need to have a talk. But you already know about what, I think."

For her part, Hachimitsu bowed a little, "Hai, and before you say anything... we already knew, but never thought that this would happen."

Haruto hummed a little, "So ka..." With a sigh, he tore his eyes away and looked at each of his wives to be, "Well, I want to know more..."

Meanwhile, his mother got up and looked bowed a little, "I'll go and get started on dinner then, it will take some time yet." She got a quiet thanks and some nods before she left. However, Aoi had a slight smile on her face, 'Now... I'm proud of you, Haruto-Chan...'

_______________________________________________________________

Groaning, Ayane lifted her head a little and blinked, "Ugh... what the hell..." Hearing a small chuckle, she opened her eyes to find that she was in the room that they had been using and that Haruto was nearby, "Haruto-Kun?"

Voice soft, the Healer nodded, "Hai, it is. How are you feeling?"

A grimace on her face as she rubbed the side of her head, Ayane shook her head a little before wincing, "Well, I have had better... uh, days? Mornings?"

Sighing, Haruto glanced towards the window, "Well, nights, the Sun just set outside after all." Turning back to her, he bowed a little, "I'm sorry for what happened, I did not know that the drink would affect you that much..."

Lightly blushing, the Jorogumo turned away, "I... it's fine, I'm actually something of a lightweight myself." With a deep breath, she blinked as Haruto got up and held out a vial, "Hmm?"

His lips quirked a little into a smile, Haruto chuckled, "Hangover potion, it helps with caffeine hangovers as well as with alcohol ones. It should clear up any of the more painful symptoms alongside the metabolism spell."

Popping the cork and draining it, Ayane sighed as she felt the headache and such of her hangover fade away, "Metabolism spell?"

The Healer shrugged a little bit, "It's... a little trick that us Healers have when we need to speed up someone's metabolism. We sometimes use it for injuries to speed up healing, which also means the person needing to eat more. But... it works well when cast on someone whose drunk as it helps them get sober quicker, without the aftereffects of the sobriety charm."

Frown on her face, Ayane blinked a little, "I, um, see." Looking around, she frowned some as she tried to figure out where the others were, "Did I do anything embarrassing? I'm... something of a clingy and happy drunk after all."

Clearing his voice, Haruto scratched his cheek, "Well... that is..."

More than a little confused, and somewhat worried, the arachnid Yokai tried to search her memories. Unlike some, she did have a good memory of what she did when drunk, not that it happened many times. So how bad was it-

Right then, she remembered and felt her cheeks blazing before looking down at the floor, "Oh, I... um..." Internally, she continued, 'All but told you that I loved you.' Something wet rolled down her cheek, "Heh, well, I..."

A hand entered her vision and she looked up to find Haruto was holding out his hand. The wizard then smiled some, "How about we go for a walk, hmm? Just a short one."

While confused, Ayane trusted him and so clasped his hand. The two walked past the dining room which had the Kitsune and Inugami in it, each of whom smiled and nodded at her. But then, Haruto lead her out into the back and into the garden. Above the walls, one could see the reds and oranges in the sky from the setting Sun turning into the deep blues and indigos of evening. It was a sight that caused Ayane to smile slightly at the beauty, especially as the first few twinkling stars appeared.

Upon reaching a small bench by the pond, the wizard sat down and patted the spot beside him. Once he was seated, he leaned forward with his hands clasped beneath his chin, "It's beautiful, isn't it? I used to come out here and just... think, when I was younger."

Looking around the small garden, Ayane smiled a little bit more, "Hai, it is beautiful." When she looked at the pond, she could see a Koi rise to the surface and snatch a mosquito before submerging. Her mind was then brought back to what happened, "Haruto-Kun, I..."

Not looking at her, Haruto frowned a little, "After you fell asleep, I talked with the others, you know. Asked them some things that confirmed a few things in turn for me. Important things." With a deep breath, he let it out, "How long have you loved me for?"

Weakly chuckling, Ayane looked down at the surface of the pond and could see their reflections in it, Haruto with a serious yet thoughtful look, "That's... not exactly a good question to ask a girl. But... if I had to say... it was four months after you arrived in the Reserve. When my youngest Imouto became ill. Remember that? You walked right into our house, not a care that you were surrounded by Jorogumo... and worked for hours until her condition began to improve. Every day, you returned to our home and spent an hour working until she was healthy again. And I asked you..."

Slowly, the young man nodded, "You asked me why I did that, wasn't I scared of you all being Jorogumo? After all, no other Healer would have come..."

Just thickly swallowing, Ayane's eyes softened, "And you told us that they were fools, because we were people in need and it was the Healer's Oath that anyone that needed medical help should get it. As far as you were concerned, you only saw a sick child that needed assistance. Nothing more, nothing less..." Gaze far off, she sighed, "I... think that I started feeling something then."

Only nodding, Haruto hummed, "I see."

In return, the female Yokai next to him shook her head, "Maybe... or maybe not." Letting out an explosive sigh, she blinked away some wetness, "But that was just the seed. After that, seeing your kindness, how you cared for all of us... The times that you were hurt because of that, and from your fellow wizards... It was the water for the seed. And the times that we talked and the like? Where you didn't show any digust towards what I am? The times when we talked, laughed, and the like? That was the Sun that shone down on the seed, making it grow."

Frown on his face, Haruto turned to her, "Why didn't you ever tell me, Ayane-Chan? That you loved me?"

Tears coming down her cheeks, she lightly laughed though there was sadness there, "Anyone could see where your heart truly belonged except for fools, Haruto-Kun. Your expression when around Hachimitsu-Chan, Mikage-Chan, and Haruhime-Chan? Especially after you met them again? And then, later, Mie-Chan and Ichika-Chan? It was easy to see where your heart belonged." Shaking her head, Ayane had a thin smile on her face as she looked at him, tears dripping, "There were a few on the Reserve who considered it, getting between you and them, you know. Who thought that maybe they could seduce you, and why wouldn't someone consider that? You're a wonderful man, Haruto-Kun. And someone who will be an equally wonderful husband and Otou-San to any children you might have. You've proven that time and again. But... not one of them succeeded, and I wouldn't even try."

Eyes filled with sympathy, Haruto looked at her, "Huh..."

Reaching up, Ayane wiped at her eyes with a sniffle and she looked at him with a broken hearted smile, "We Jorogumo are... are thought of as seductresses. Creatures that could, and would, break men to our wills, stealing them away from their wives and significant others for our own hungers. But..." Sighing, she looked away, "But that's not me, Haruto-Kun. I might flirt and tease, but nothing more. Not like that." Eyes closing, the Jorogumo gave a weak chuckle, "They say... that when you love someone, you only wish for them to be happy. And that is what I wished, that you would be happy even though it was not with me, but I could live with that pain, that hurt, as long as I could see you smile. That... that is all I want really, to see you smile and happy with those that you love."

Not saying anything for a moment, the wizard swallowed, "Why... did you not even try? You could have..."

Bitterly chuckling, Ayane turned to him and spread her arms while gesturing at herself, "Look at me, Haruto-Kun. This... this is not what I look like. My form is that of a monster, a woman with the lower half of a spider. Compared to them... what could I give you?"

Slowly, Haruto got up and walked a few steps. Gently taking her hand, he helped her to her feet, "Ayane-Chan... transform, please. Into your true form."

Confused, she blinked some, "I... Haruto-Kun? But why..."

Looking her in the eye, Haruto smiled, "Please."

Unsure, Ayane nodded and, after shucking off her pants so that they would not be damaged, she took a deep breath before releasing her transformation. Her form returning to it's natural one as she did so. For a few moments, she looked down at him, still holding her hands, "Haruto-Kun..."

However, he didn't say anything right away. Instead, he looked her over, each portion. Not just her humanoid one, but also her spider half. Letting go of one of her hands, he reached over and laid it on one of her eight legs, bristles under his palm tickling it as he stroked along it and made him shiver, "Do you know what I see, Ayane-Chan? Right now?"

More than a little lost, though her hearts were pounding, Ayane shook her head, "I... no? What... what do you see?"

Turning his attention back to her, Haruto smiled, "I see... a beautiful woman in front of me." He saw her eyes widen and her chest jerk as her breath froze in her lungs, "I see a beautiful woman in front of me. One who is caring and has a big heart... or hearts, as it may be. Because no single heart could contain the amount of love and care that she shows and has shown. Who is loyal to her friends. A woman who is intelligent and funny. One who can tease and make me flush while also getting a laugh from my lips. Who looks downright adorable when flustered." Glancing over towards the house, he chuckled, "Sort of like how Hachimitsu-Chan, Mikage-Chan, Haruhime-Chan, and Ichika-Chan can be..." The Healer turned back to her, "Seems... I have a type, as it were."

Unable to believe what she was hearing, what it could be that he is saying, Ayane trembled a little even as she tired to keep the hope from causing her hearts to explode as it felt like, "I-I... Haruto-Kun... are you... are you saying that..."

Lips curling into a soft smile, he chuckled as he gently pulled her lower body lower, "Well... I am attracted to you. And the girls agreed, so... how about this for an answer?"

Now with her low enough, Ayane only had time to feel him bring the hand that had been on her leg gently against her cheek before his lips claimed hers for the first time. Nearly immediately, her purple eyes widened in pure shock at the feel of the kiss before they closed as she brought one shaking arm up to his shoulders and then the other. In reply, Haruto placed his other arm against her waist and pulled her close. Neither of them opened their mouths to the other, no tongues brushed against the other, yet Ayane's legs collapsed underneath her just the same as tears fell freely down her cheeks

When the two separated, a similarly teary eyed Haruto smiled at her, "So... was that a good answer?"

For a few seconds, the Jorogumo stared at him before laughing even as she sobbed, holding him close, "H-hai, th-that was a g-good an-answer, H-Haruto-Kun... a v-very good answer..." Burying her face in his neck, she smiled so widely that it hurt, "A-are you s-sure that..."

Gently, Haruto took her chin in his hands and lifted her head off his shoulder while turning towards her, and then kissing her. This time, he did deepen it a touch before pulling away from the stunned Ayane with a smirk, "Pretty sure."

That only got him another sobbing laugh as she held him close.

 

[darthcourt10]

lt_agn02

Taking a sip from the bottle, the protected cruiser Despatch couldn't bring herself to give two fucks that her drink was just a bottle of lukewarm green tea that Aso bought at the nearby NX. Compared to the energy drinks and instant noodles she had to deal with, even the travesty of decaf coffee mixed with a gallon of milk and sugar would have been extremely refreshing.

"Thanks, Aso," Despatch groaned. "I needed that…"

Nervously looking around, the carrier brought up the first thing that came to mind. "Despatch-san, what is going on and what's with all the paperwork?"

Once again, a groan left the girl's lips. "I thought I would be able to take things easy, but look at this! This is all the stupid, repetitive, bullshit disposable paperwork that everyone drops the moment Abyssals appear over the horizon!" The cruiser picked up one sheet. "I mean look at this! How are we supposed to keep track of sandbags and gravel?!"

As the cruiser continued to rant about the amount of trivial paperwork left behind, Aso flitted her gaze around the room. She wondered how much of it was either optional, duplicates, or actually necessary. Gravel and sandbags for repairing runways and roads, obviously. But puffed cheese snacks? Were those worth all the hassle of submitting a supply form for? And what about the...actually, never mind.

The girl did not know why the US Navy needed several hundred thousand extra large non-lubricated condoms. Nor did she want to know. If there was even a use for those things in a survival situation like Pearl Harbor was in right now, she would love to hear it.

"...Anyway," Despatch continued, "you're not here to gloat about your stupid farm, are you? Of course you're not. What is it?"

Clearing her throat, Aso placed her requisition form on the table, allowing the protected cruiser to pick it up. The latter glanced at the sheet and scowled as she read off the items being requested.

"Fish food? Fish food?!" Despatch growled. "We need to increase food imports here and you want to waste precious cargo space and monetary resources on FISH FOOD?!"

"Despatch-san, we need that for the fish in the aquaponic system!" Aso countered. "We can't keep importing fresh produce like we're doing! What happens if something happens to the supply line?"

The cruiser glared at the sheet of paper and grimaced.

"Are you shitting me, you backstabbing Jap?! It's necessary? How the fuck is it necessary?! We're not running some sort of aquarium here, sweetheart!"

"It's not an aquarium! It's a fish farm!"

Despatch paused. "...A what?"

"It's a fish farm. The tilapia are close to the right size to eat, but we can't get them to that size without food."

The girl considered that for a moment, then turned to the carrier. "Exactly how much fish are we talking about here?"

Aso put her hand to her chin. "The logs said that the pool had over a hundred and seventy thousand."

The papers fell from Despatch's hands. With the papers, she felt her jaw hit the floor at the number. This wasn't some simple "oh, look at the fishies" aquarium at the greenhouse. Whatever kind of operation Aso was running, it had to be serious for that much fish to be stuffed into some repurposed swimming pool and get the Navy's seal of approval.

"That was last harvest though," Aso continued without acknowledging the cruiser's agape mouth. "The records say they put some sort of expansion charm before I got here, so there's probably a lot more than that this time."

The cruiser simply stared dumbfounded at the carrier's admission.

More?!

Seriously? More?! And with some magical bullshit involved?!

The cruiser slammed her head onto the desk with an audible thud. Due to its shipgirl-grade build, the only damage was, fortunately, a face-shaped dent in the steel. Thinking was too hard. The girl tried to voice a protest, but nothing came. She didn't even have the strength to retort against the part about magic, let alone how magic might actually be real.

"...Ugh…" she groaned. "...Whatever. I'll mark this one as urgent. But, Aso, if you're bullshitting me with this, I'm gonna put you on the Panama Express to New York faster than a bull goring a Spaniard."

The carrier suppressed a gulp. While she didn't understand the second part and questioned why a bull would attack a man from Spain, she fully understood the "Express to New York" part.

It meant having to go farther from home than she ever was!

She was getting used to Pearl Harbor, too! But having to go all the way to the other side of the world? A shiver ran down her spine. That was a thought that scared her most of all. She was already uncomfortable being so far away from Japan. But at least Hawaii had some trace of familiarity. She was even able to get some nice rice balls and miso from a nearby supermarket when she was running errands for Tsushima Maru and Bowfin.

But New York? The carrier couldn't even picture it, no matter how it's portrayed in the media. She would be a stranger in a strange land with nobody to rely on and nowhere to go. She hastily nodded in assent before getting up and leaving the room.

Before she could leave, however, she turned back toward Despatch and her paperwork. The cruiser brought the bottle of tea on her desk up to her lips, but as she drank, she turned the bottle upside-down. Before she knew it, she was chasing after the last precious drops of green tea like water in a desert. Her face scrunched up as she turned dejectedly to the case of energy drinks next to her.

Aso stopped moving when her hand met the doorknob.

Her thoughts turned to the reason she came to be in Hawaii. It was supposed to be a punishment by Admiral Shimada, sure, but it was also a mission to bring back information. Since it was a mission and all, did that really mean she had to go it alone?

If she had someone with her, maybe the world outside Japan would be a little less scary.

Turning to face the cruiser once more, the carrier took one step forward. Sure, they had a terrible start as far as things go, but seeing the cruiser suffer like this, even if she deserved it, didn't sit well with her. Sure, Despatch was a stupid gaijin that pissed her off with her star-spangled bullshit. But at least the two of them knew where they stood.

Even if she's a total baka gaijin, Aso thought, at least she's somebody she knows.

At the very least, Aso could go home and say she offered an olive branch.

"Um...Despatch-san?" Aso asked.

The girl never bothered to look up from her paperwork. "What? Weren't you about to leave?"

Aso took a deep breath. It was now or never.

"I...I just wanted to ask...when my work at the greenhouse is over, I have to look into a few things around the islands. Do you...want to come with me?"

Despatch set her pen down and looked up at the carrier. "Me. And you. Galavanting around Hawaii. I suppose I'm just a bodyguard then, right?"

Aso's spine shivered slightly. "...Hai? There are going to be others though, so not just us."

The cruiser raised her right eyebrow. "Far away from all this paperwork?"

Despatch saw Aso nod her head. "Hai. There really isn't paperwork. It's...more of an...I guess you could call it a covert assignment? Admiral Shimada and Admiral Smith wanted me to look into..."

A pair of hands slammed onto the table with a bang. Before Aso could jump in surprise, Despatch had already cleared the table and angrily held the carrier's shoulders with an iron grip.

"WHY THE FUCK DIDN'T YOU ASK SOONER?!" Despatch desperately yelled, shaking the devil out of her victim. "I don't care if you make me dress up like a damn monkey! GET ME THE FUCK OUTTA HERE!"

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

As she walked back into the dining room, Ayane flushed as she was met with claps and whistles from the others there. The wolf calls from Ichika really caused her flush to deepen. But what truly, utterly shocked her was something that happened after that...

Mainly, Aoi walking up and giving her a hug, "Welcome to the family, dear."

For a few seconds, the Jorogumo was stunned before she brought up her own arms and hugged the woman back, "Thank you... Aoi-San." The two women shared a smile before Ayane turned to the other girls there, "Do any of you mind about this...?"

Her arms crossed over her chest, Mikage snorted a little, "Mind? Considering yesterday and today?" She gestured at the others before grinning a little, "We were hoping that something like this happened."

Getting up, Mie walked over and hugged her before kissing her cheek, "Welcome... Nee-San."

That got a chuckle from Ayane and she allowed herself to be pulled to the table. However, what she was not expecting was for Hachimitsu to have her sit right beside Haruto. Getting a look from the arachnid Yokai, the Kitsune rolled her eyes with a slight smile, "We've gotten a lot of time with him as it is. You haven't." Then, she gave a small shrug, "Besides, there's something great with sitting beside him as you share a meal."

Lips twitching, Ayane chuckled a little and looked to her new boyfriend, "I suppose so." Just a few seconds later, she blinked at a bit that Haruhime stared which made her furrow her eyebrows, "I... what was that?"

One eyebrow raised, the red haired Kitsune gave her a look, "I said that we'll be postponing the wedding until next spring. So you'll have plenty of time to get our wedding Kimonos made."

Slowly blinking, Ayane frowned, "I... thought it was that. But why next summer? I thought that it was going to be before the new year?" At the looks she was getting, she leaned back a little, "What?"

Rolling her eyes, Hachimitsu gave her a raised eyebrow before poking the side of her head, "Ayane-Chan? We said that we're getting married. That includes you by the way." She then shrugged a little as she shook her head at the stunned spider, "Will be a few more months of waiting, sure. But all of us will get married together in one ceremony."

Upon hearing that, the Jorogumo trembled a little as her eyes became suspiciously wet, "And you don't mind?" The snorts and looks, as well as smirks, were enough of an answer and she laughed a little as she wiped her eyes, "Thank you."

Gently, Mie reached over and smiled a little, "It's fine, Ayane-Chan. After all, you do need some time with Haruto-Kun beforehand to get settled in how our relationships have changed, the same with us." Then, she winked with a little giggle that escaped from her lips, "Not to mention, it gives Haruto-Kun time to pick out a ring and you to design your own wedding Kimono~"

Despite blushing, Ayane laughed a little at that, "I suppose that is true as well." Humming, she became thoughtful with a far off look in her eye, "I do have a few ideas to that end..."

Each of the other women giggled at that. Suddenly, they noticed that Haruto was getting up and Mikage blinked at that, "Haruto-Kun? Where are you going?"

The Healer just smiled at that before grinning, "I'll be right back... Just give me a few minutes."

Once he was gone, Hachimitsu frowned and narrowed her eyes, "He's up to something..."

Lightly giggling, Aoi smiled a little before sipping some tea, "It is rather easy to tell when my son is up to something, I suppose." Humming, she glanced towards the doorway, "I wonder what it could be..."

With those words, she sipped her tea with a secret little smile as she ignored the others asking her questions.

Not that it had continued for very long as soon, Haruto returned with a grin on his face and paper bag beside him. A paper bag from which he took several wrapped objects and placed them in front of each of his girlfriends and one in front of Chikako, "Here you go."

More than a little lost, Ichika looked at her wrapped object and blinked, "Um... what is it?"

However, her boyfriend simply chuckled and motioned her on, "Go ahead and open it. I think that you'll like it...'

Still confused, the group shared looks before opening the gifts to reveal jewelry cases which they opened. Almost immediately, there were gasps as they lifted the gifts that were inside of them. Hand clasped over her mouth, Hachimitsu lifted hers up to the light to reveal it being a fox head pendant with citrine eyes, "H-Haruto-Kun..."

When she glanced at her sisters, she could see said Kitsune lifting similar ones, except the colors of the eyes were different. Haruhime's was ruby and Mikage's was a dark sapphire for example. Meanwhile, the two Inugami had pendants that had a wolf with gemstones matching their eyes on them. Excitedly, Chikako began showing off her own pendant that was a cat with amber eyes that matched her own.

But then, they heard a gasp and turned as Ayane removed her own pendant which was in the shape of a silver spider, except for the abdomen which was an amethyst that glinted in the light.'

Turning, she looked towards Haruto who smiled back at her, "I hope that you like all like them, I noticed you looking at them the other day, so..." He gave a small shrug, "I thought that you might like them as a gift. Had the chains enchanted so that they're much harder to break."

Just swallowing, the Jorogumo looked down at the pendant that slowly spun at the end of the necklace, shining in the light of the dining room. Yes, it was the sort of pendant that would not cost much for someone who lived in Japan... That was, unless they lived in the Reserves. Because then it would be a precious gift to say the least.

Of course, that was when Ayane realized that he had bought it before her drunken confession, as a gift and even more tears dripped from her eyes. Right there and then, she knew... no matter what other jewelry she might have in her life, no matter how expensive said pieces might be... This would be something that she would treasure for her entire existence.

Feeling a hand on her thigh, she looked over to find Haruto looking at her, "Ayane-Chan?"

About to turn to the others to silently ask, the Jorogumo paused as she remembered her new relationship and smiled as she placed her hands over his shoulders, "I love it..." Then, she kissed him, deepening it almost immediately as she did so, his own hands coming up to her hips before she used one hand to move them back. After a minute or two, she pulled back breathing hard and a flush on her face, "Doing such for a Jorogumo... you live dangerously, Haruto-Kun~"

Lips tilted into a smirk, Haruto kissed her again before pulling back, "Well, I did hear that a spider's mates always bring gifts to distract her..."

Moments later, that got a laugh from Ayane and she shook her head while grinning widely, though part of that was the fact that his gaze kept going to her chest as she panted a little from the make out session.

However, she smirked and moved back some as her boyfriend got a tap on his shoulder from Mie, who then pulled him into a deep kiss as well. Moving a little back to watch, she hummed as each his other girlfriends kissed their boyfriend. Granted, part of her reason was that she was also watching said girls as much as she was watching Haruto, 'Mmm... they really are quite beautiful... heh.'

Chikako, however, just gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek as she thanked him before letting go and going to her seat. A titter made them all flush as they remembered that Aoi was still there. Said woman was grinning widely as she watched, "Well, I think that soon after the wedding I will be getting a bunch of cute little grandchildren." Turning, she wagged a finger at Chikako, "You make sure to be a good Onee-Chan with them, okay?"

Said Nekomata nodded sharply and saluted, "Hai! I will be the best Onee-Chan for them, Munya!"

Just putting his face in his hands, Haruto sighed a little, "Okaa-San..."

Yet, he still had a smile despite that.

______________________________________________________________________

The van pulled into the parking spot and Haruto unbuckled his seatbelt while glancing towards Ayane who was looking around curiously, "I thought that we were done with the errands?"

Unable to help himself, the Healer chuckled a little, "This? It's something that I had been planning on for you when I decided to invite you along on this trip." Smiling, Haruto shrugged some as he turned to her, "Which I'm happy that I did."

A light blush to her cheeks, Ayane giggled some, "Thank you." Then, her purple eyes met his and she kissed his cheek, "And I'm happy that you did as well."

Only nodding, Haruto glanced back at the others who winked or smiled before they got out of the car. One thing that the eighteen year old noted was how all his girlfriends were wearing their pendants, which shone and glinted in the morning sunlight. Granted, he could not help but stare a little as they all stretched in various ways, though it had not been a long drive. Something he could tell that they were doing on purpose by the slight grins and smirks that they gave him, which made him internally sigh, 'They're going to lead me to an early grave...' Then, he smirked himself, 'And I would not have it any other way.'

Walking around the side of the van, he walked up to the Jorogumo and held out a blindfold, which made her blink as she took it, "What's this for?"

Eyebrow raised, Hachimitsu hummed some, "Well, I would have thought that you would have realized what a blindfold was..."

That got her a sigh as well as a swat that she dodged. Looking back to the blindfold, Ayane put it on and hummed a little, "So... now what?"

She could feel Haruto gently take her hand and begin to lead her somewhere, "Just trust me for a few minutes."

Just softly smiling, Ayane turned towards him, "I think that I'll trust you for far longer than a few minutes, Haruto-Kun..."

From the giggles, she knew that very likely her new boyfriend (and that word was still making her smile widely) was flustered. Placing her arm around his waist, she let him guide her where he might. She could feel herself guided through a door before they stopped and Haruto reached up to her blindfold, "And... we're here."

Blinking for a few moments, Ayane gasped as her eyes adjusted to the light level. Eyes wide, she looked around the store which was absolutely filled with fabrics of all sorts. From where she stood, the Jorogumo could see not just canvas, but also denim, khaki, cotton, and the like such as leather. Along one wall were spools of yawn of all sorts, as well as smaller spools of thread. Not to mention all sorts of beads that could be threaded into fabric and the like.

It... was like heaven to the Jorogumo.

Utterly shocked, Ayane turned to Haruto who smiled, said Healer giving her hand a squeeze, "Welcome to a fabric wholesaler that I found." He then shrugged some and chuckled, "You can buy what you want, there's enough money left over for quite a bit. So... go wild."

Very slowly blinking, Ayane stared at him before pulling him into a deep kiss. Pulling back, the Jorogumo growled at him, "Dammit... I have to wait until the damn wedding, otherwise..." She nipped a bit at his neck with another soft growl, knowing that his pulse was speeding up, "I would throw you down, wrap you in silk, and make sure that neither of us left until satisfied." With another deep kiss, the Jorogumo pulled back with swollen lips before turning with a predatory grin, "Chikako-Chan? Let's go... we got hunting to do and I'm going to teach you more of what you need to know..."

Happily bouncing after her, Chikako nodded, "Hai, Ayane-Onee-San! I'll learn all I can to make the best outfits, Munya! And get lotsa rock candy for them too!"

Meanwhile, Haruto stood there completely frozen with a red face. Beside him, Mikage tilted her head a little in thought, "Huh... guess we know what one of her switches are..."

Around her the others nodded slowly as did Haruto.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Unrolling some fabric, Ayane hummed a bit as she rubbed her thumb along it, "Hmm... this is good linen."

Just poking her head over the top of the table, Chikako blinked, "It is?" Then she tilted her head a little, "Wouldn't white get dirty easily?"

Lightly chuckling, the Jorogumo patted the Nekomata on the head, "Hai, that is very true as a matter of fact... however, it is nice and airy, which helps on the island due to the heat. Besides which..." She pointed to another table, "You can get different colors of linen as well, which helps. And, if needed, one can embroider clothing to give it a bit of a... pop as it were."

Head tilted to the side, Chikako frowned, "Um... like with beads and stuff?"

With a nod, Ayane smiled at her, "You can embroider with beads, but you can also do it with normal thread. Once you get good enough, you can make all sorts of designs." Looking at the fabric in her hand, she considered it, "This, for example, could make for a nice blouse. You can add some embroidered stitching in places such as along the hems to improve the look."

Eyes wide, the Nekomata was taking notes with her tongue sticking out some, "Hai! I see!"

Unable to help herself, Ayane giggled some which got her an odd look from Chikako, but she waved it off, "It's nothing." When the younger Yokai shrugged, she continued, "Anyways, you can also use buttons and the like to add to the design and make it look better. Some of the people back on the island are very good with that. For example, making buttons from mother of pearl."

Closing her eyes some, Chikako nodded a little, "I see..."

Gently moving her along, the older of the two smiled indulgently. After all, it was not often that someone was interested in clothes and the design of such. So she did not mind passing it on, though there was the slight traitorous thought that it was also practice for the future when she had her own children. Something that made her glance towards Haruto and smile a little as she imagined said children.

Simply shaking that off, however, Ayane examined some more linen, "Now, one thing is that there's many types of linen. For example..." She raised one finger, "I have made use of sailcloth for clothing. It wears well over the years and for those who work a lot around the sea, it makes for wonderful work clothes."

For a brief moment, Chikako closed her eyes before happily gasping as she nodded, "You also made swimsuits out of them!"

Lightly chuckling, the Jorogumo nodded some, "Hai, I have, and they are good for that as well actually since they can last a long time. Most of the dyes, however, I come up with using what I can get back on the island such as indigo, which we grow in small amounts. Most of what I used, however, was old clothes that I sewed up."

Blinking for a moment, Chikako frowned, "Like the old jeans that you made into shorts? Haruto-Nii-San really seems to like it when Onee-Sans wear them."

That made Ayane pause for a moment before smirking some as she considered her current form, 'Perhaps I should make some jean shorts for myself...' Shaking it off, she smiled and nodded, "Exactly, though I've managed to use the scraps for other things. Always keep your scraps because you never know when they might be of use."

Eyes wide, the Nekomata nodded as she wrote down in her little notebook, "Always... keep... scraps..."

Meanwhile, Ayane moved on to another roll of fabric and examined it, "Bamboo linen? Hmm..." Then her eyes caught sight of something and lit up, "Felt! Ooo! I can use that..."

Not far away, Hachimitsu was snickering as she watched the Jorogumo excitedly go through the store looking at the various fabrics with joy lighting up in her eyes, "I think that someone is enjoying herself."

Softly snorting, Mikage shook her head at what her sister had said, "Can you really blame her, Nee-San? This has to be nearly a dream for her." Turning to their boyfriend, she cast a quick illusion around them and kissed him. As she pulled back, the blue haired Kitsune smiled at the stunned young man, "You have no idea how happy that made her."

Glancing at Ayane, Haruto smiled a little bit, "Actually? I think that I do..."

By the time that they left the store, Ayane had bought a number of rolls of fabric, a box full of thread, and another, larger box with buttons of various types and beads. All of which made her happier than a clam. Of course, then they went to a second hand clothing store where another whirlwind happened. Much to the amusement of the staff there, she asked if there were any clothes that they considered too damaged to be worth much, and were shown to the bags of "Rags" which they let her have for cheap.

It went without saying that she was a very happy Jorogumo when they stopped for ice cream after.

A rather bemused expression on her face as she licked her own cone of soft serve, Mie hummed some, "Is that okay for you? I mean..."

Glancing over at her, Ayane snorted some as she licked some more of her ice cream, coffee flavored, "It is like having rum flavored ice cream for a human. The taste is good, but there's not enough there for a buzz."

That only got her nods from the others as they continued to eat their own ice cream. Taking a bite of his sea salt flavored treat, Haruto hummed some, "Well... tomorrow morning we head back to the island. The storms end this evening, but..."

From where she was beside him, Haruhime nodded, "It's best to give it several hours to settle down." Then, she looked around with a small smirk, "But... I don't think that any of us can complain about it considering what came of it."

Light blush on her face from the reminder, the Jorogumo of the group still smiled and leaned against Haruto and kissed him, "Mmm, I don't regret it myself."

Giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, Haruto chuckled some, "I don't regret it at all either.

Brightly smiling, Chikako chimed in with her own thoughts, "I got a new Nee-San out of it too! So it was good too!"

Chuckles answered her with the Healer patting her head before he turned to the others, "Anyways... we do have one thing left." At their interested looks, he smirked some, "I managed to book us a hot spring this evening. We can enjoy it before going back."

Eyes widening, Ayane looked at him in awe, "A... hot spring? An actual hot spring!?" When he nodded, she became thoughtful, "I... never thought that I would get the chance to enjoy one. I mean, I like hot baths like anyone... but a hot spring?" Lips curling some, the arachnid Yokai looked at her boyfriend with a happy smile, "You're going to spoil me."

In reply, Haruto met her own smile with one of his own, "And that's my job, and I'll do my best." His expression softened a little, "You, Mie-Chan, and Ichika-Chan missed so much having lived on the Reserve all your lives. If I can make you happy by letting you experience it now? I'll gladly do that."

Looking at her ice cream, the Jorogumo looked at the two Inugami, "Mind?"

At the shakes of their heads, Ayane leaned in and kissed him, deepening it almost immediately. Pulling back, she watched as Mie then kissed him deeply almost as soon as she had pulled back, followed by Ichika who growled into the kiss. Then, Ichika nibbled his ear some, "You make it... so damn... hard... to wait... Haruto-Kun. Hot... kind... loyal... courageous... smart... fuck, I want you so bad."

Despite the blush on his face from both her declaration as well the nibbles, Haruto coughed some, "Well... you're going to have to wait until after the wedding for that."

Pulling the ice cream away from her mouth, Chikako grinned, "Then, I become an Onee-San, Munya!"

Everyone paused at that and glanced at each other as the Nekomata went back to her ice cream.

Suddenly, however, a gleam entered Ayane's eyes and she moved behind their boyfriend. Pressing her chest against his back, which provoked a blush from him, her lips ghosted along his ear, "Oh yes... we can wait for that until we're married... But that does not mean that there not other methods for us to blow off some steam as it were, Ha-ru-to-Kun~ And ones that can be just as fun and nearly as enjoyable~"

All the Healer did at that was blink even as he felt his heartbeat quicken at the predatory looks he got, 'I... suppose that she has a point there...'

Later that night, Mie groaned as she slipped into the heated, mineral rich waters of the hot spring, "Ahhhh... this is good.'

Glancing at her, Haruto smiled some as he leaned back with the water reaching his shoulders, "Mmm, this is rather nice." Tilting his head, he looked up at the stars twinkling high above, "I'm glad that you finally are experiencing this."

That got him a kiss from the Inugami before she moved aside for her sister to take her own turn at him. As the two pulled back, they heard the door open to the washing area of the onsen before first one long, spider leg came out followed by another. Fully coming out into the open, Ayane smiled a little shyly, though she liked the fact that Haruto was looking at her with a look of awe with some hunger in her gaze, "Are you sure that this is okay?"

Quickly shaking off his thoughts, and shoving them aside, Haruto tried to ignore the fact that his newest girlfriend was nearly naked in front of him, "Hai, it's fine. This hot spring is for larger Yokai after all with a bench here and a deep spot for bigger Yokai." Looking her over again, part of him was amused at how she wore a towel around her waist, partially supported by her pedipalps. The rest of him, however, was interested in other things such as the towel hanging from her shoulders and how it just barely hid certain things from view, "So... come on in and enjoy the water."

Only nodding, Ayane walked the rest of the way to the hot spring and slipped one leg, then another, into the water. Soon enough, the spider portion of her body was covered by the water and she sighed as she sank up to her arm pits, "O-ooooh... no wonder people enjoy these so much..."

Chuckling some, the Healer nodded, "Hai, they're always a nice treat."

He glanced over to the side where Chikako was currently in Mikage's lap, head against the Kitsune's chest, before the sound of movement made him turn to find that Ayane had moved forward and was now with her arms on his thighs keeping her above water as she leaned towards him, "Mmm... a treat is right." Shifting a bit, she held her arms above her head and stretched, fully conscious of where his eyes went, "Ah... this feels good."

Feeling her pedipalps moving around his waist as she moved forward, Haruto hummed as he cupped her cheek with one hand and placed the other around her waist, "Hai, it does."

With those words, he then proceeded to capture her lips for a minute or two with his own before pulling back. Of course, it did not end there as Haruhime sided up beside him and proceeded to show her appreciation followed by her sisters. Meanwhile, Chikako moved aside and smiled as her tails swished through the water, a happy smile on her face even as she dozed some.

Of course, the others would have been embarrassed if they had known that her thoughts mainly revolved around many little sisters and brothers with fox or dog ears and tails, or little sisters with lots of legs.

___________________________________________________________

Morning sunlight and bird song woke Ayane from her slumber and she hummed happily as she stretched some with a happy sigh before adjusting her Yukata. Eyes still slightly glazed from sleep, she looked around and her gaze fell upon the sight of Haruto asleep on his futon with the others. Almost immediately, a smile bloomed on the Jorogumo's face at seeing that as the memories of the past few days bubbled up and she sighed.

Still smiling, she leaned forward until her humanoid body was horizontal to her arachnid form. Not once did she ever think that she would have gotten the chance that she had, and it was one that she was going to hold on to. Despite being certain that her dream would never happen, it had. And now, she was in a relationship with the man that she wanted, and who she had wished would be the father to many children.

Right now, however, she pushed aside such things to simply enjoy the moment that was before her, seeing her love in gentle slumber. It was just so peaceful as her eyes trailed along the scene, drinking in every bit like a person in the desert might a glass of water. Committing it all to memory for the future to revisit in later times.

Part of the Jorogumo wished that she was part of the cuddle pile before her, truly. But at the same time, despite how their relationship had moved, she did have some boundaries still. And one of those was sharing his bed like the others were at the moment. Now, that was not to say that it would not happen, because it would and she was looking forward to it. Oh, was she ever looking forward to it.

Ayane knew, however, that their relationship could not move forward that fast, not yet. It would get there, and she awaited that day with baited breath. But while she was a hungry and thirsty little spider, she knew that patience was needed and would be rewarded greatly indeed. Hence, simply enjoying the little moment.

Of course, when her gaze fell upon the other girls outside of Chikako, the Jorogumo smiled softly. Each one was beautiful, perhaps some of the most beautiful in the entire reserve. And yet, they accepted her, which made her happy that they felt that she could join them.

Gaze coming to a stop on Hachimitsu with how her Yukata had fallen open a little, Ayane licked her lips some as her eyes took on a slightly hungry gleam. No, she most certainly did not mind sharing with literal Kami. And looked forward to enjoying her time with the others as well as she had hit the jackpot, as they said, with that.

Eventually, however, the time came for the others to wake and they greeted her, Haruto with a loving, though gentle, kiss. The other girls greeted her with kisses on the cheek, with Ayane returning them. With some final goodbyes, and another lovely breakfast, the group left to head back to Kagoshima where they boarded the Kudagitsune once more and headed back to the island.

By the time they got back to the Reserve, the Sun was beginning to sink below the horizon. All of them were thankful that the village did not look worse for wear considering things, and various friends were there to greet them. In fact, Ayane's mother was there along with some of her sisters, including the one that Haruto had trained in first aid to help him in the clinic when needed. Smiling, the Jorogumo's mother scanned her daughter before raising one eyebrow, "Well now, you seem happy. Did something happen?"

Suddenly gaining a wicked smirk, Ayane laughed, "You could say that..." Turning towards Haruto, she proceeded to kiss him deeply, it turning into a near make-out session before pulling away and grinning up at her surprised mother, "Something really good."

With wide eyes looking on, Hachimitsu threw an arm best that she could around the Jorogumo's waist and winked, "She might be moving out of your home soon after all..."

Almost immediately, cheers and wolf whistles met the pronouncement as Ayane's mother smiled happily. Though Haruto's girlfriends laughed at the sheepish, embarrassed expression he gained as more than one Yokai playfully heckled him about leaving some for them. Meanwhile, his new, Jorogumo girlfriend leaned into him with a bright, happy smile, spider pendant around her neck sparkling in the light of the setting Sun...

 

[darthcourt10]

Kab2

One more snip about Sofia.
------------------------------
Lifting herself from the ground Sofia was in all fours, a trail of mixed blood and oil running down the corner of her lips, slowly dripping on the ground, her cap was taking dust near the blood pool that was getting bigger.

Coughing a bit of blood that stained her broken wand, she surveyed the situation she was in. "Captain, damage report" holding back her tears.

His report only confirmed what she already knew "We have a small breach in the hull so we can't submerge, but we will be fine on the surface, a torpedo launcher is damaged and dents all over the hull, apart from the ones we already had."

The pain Sofia felt was subsiding a bit, after all she was familiar with being this damaged, bless/curse her fleet for this.

Spitting a bit of blood that was in her mouth, she raised on her two feet "Thanks Captain, I've been worse" said in a serious tone, but inside she wanted to cry as she always did when she was hurt, but she won't let herself cry anymore for taking damage, she didn't have the right to be protected as a weakling who only cried.
Spoiler: Sofia

Cleaning the blood of her lips, her red eyes glowed as she witnessed the unbalanced fight Tarasque and Jenifer had, marveling about it, as she knew that any help she could provide would go in Jen's detriment.

The pessimistic in her knew that Tarasque was stronger than Jen, so she resigned to be captured when Tarasque kills Jen. Sofia always listened to her in the past.

The optimistic saw that Jen was winning even if she was weaker, so she cheered for her to keep going. Sofia rarely listened to her as her point of view never came into realization.

And the battle was almost finished; Jen was exhausted and Tarasque was giving her usual superiority speech before she kills her prey.

But this time she didn't listen to her pessimistic side, grabbing the tiny hope her optimistic side offered.

And it looked like her pleas were listened when Tarasque lifted her improvised sword to kill Jen, as a sound came from her rigging making a breach in her hull .

For her it was beautiful how Jen chased Tarasque and cut her in half, a brief pain passed by her engines, signaling that even if she deserved it, she would mourn her death as a member of her old fleet.

As Jen shouted her to catch something, she saw the sword that was Jen's true body spinning in the air, finally nailing into the ground at a safe distance from her.

Seeing her body disappear while Tarasque's body was sinking, she understood what Jen has done to survive, approaching the sword she said "Well done Jenifer, that bully got what she deserved, but I hoped that it would not end with her death."

Rattling a bit, the sword showed her dissatisfaction with what Sofia said.

"Hey! I didn't say that!" Sofia said, her hand taking Jen's hilt "I only wished for a mutual understanding, even if I knew it was impossible to achieve." Pulling her from the ground, Sofia quickly jumped to the side, a blast making a hole in the land where she stood a moment ago. "Looks like the other two repaired their engines and now want our blood in revenge" said as she evaded another blast, the other Abyssals now clearly aiming to wipe the floor with them.

"Let's flee from here, you have to rest so I'll put you in my cargo hold, now it's my time to repay for your kindness and help your dreams come true." A smile forming in Sofia's face, a smile that made a certain sword rattle a bit, her runes slightly reddish, but she agreed to the rest Sofia suggested, so the runes were slowly disappearing as Sofia put the sword in her hold.

"Now lets run away from here" the Sofia outside run for the east coast of the island, while the one that was inside herself turned to her crew, Abyssal copies of the souls that perished seventy years ago in the Mayda Island in a failed attempt to escape from there.

"Captain" Sofia started "Remaining crew from my old days in mother's fleet, former prisoners from Spain that are now my crew, we are facing an escape from this island, I know that maybe this would bring painful memories for you, but please endure, I need your help to go to the humans and evade my old family, will you help me?"

To this plea, the Captain only shrugged "You know that I will follow you to the end of the earth if your way of thinking doesn't change, and I think that all the others think the same as me."

"You bet!" said the leader of the former prisoners, a man in his twenties with a green military suit that was known as Felipe "Whatever divisions we had in life doesn't matter now, after all we were born Spanish, and now we are your crew members same as the remaining Germans that accepted us"

At those words, Sofia stood prideful "Then I'll focus on evade the incoming artillery, I'll assign you the mission of finding a way to contact the shipgirls without alerting those two. Good luck to us all."

Letting her inside view fade out, Sofia focused in the running she made for the east coast of the island, evading the artillery Ruthless directed at her.

{The orders from Mother was bring her back alive Ruthless} radioed Hollow, concern in her voice as she was afraid for the incoming pain they'll suffer thanks to the situation they were in.

{I don't care!} replied Ruthless {Those bitches killed Tarasque before I could so they are my new prey! It's as easy as telling Mother if asked that they killed each other}

'Of course' thought Sofia, knowing well the battleship personality, not that they will help them for that, she had enough of it when she lived with them.
Spoiler: To the sea

Reaching the shore, she summoned her rigging and began to make her way to the east, where Great Britain was; she was faster than the other two Abyssals because they barely repaired their engines from Jen's attack, but she didn't know how long that will be true.

But inside of her two things were happening at the same time.

The first one was a conversation between a Spanish veteran engineer and a novice that got assigned to him after passing for other assignments without much luck.

"My boy" said the veteran with a strong Galician accent "What I'm doing now it's not something you can always do because it put a considerable strain in the engines." Having said that, he went to a closed maintenance box whose key he only had, unlocking it he grabbed a whiskey bottle from the inside and began to cross the corridor to his destination, the fuel tanks.

"But sir" said the novice "The whiskey would help us with the engines?"

Pausing for a moment, the veteran faced "Don't you dare! Do you think this is a movie? The whiskey is almost water so that would only make the engine cough and make us slower, but this" signaling the whiskey bottle, with a colorless fluid inside "is distilled alcohol, with this the engine would give us more power, but it will put more pressure in the engines."

With that said he emptied the bottle in the fuel tanks. "This is all I can do to help you girl, the rest is in your hands"

---------

The second one was the Captain discussing with the radio manager a plan to send a message to the shipgirls.

"Anything we dial they would be heard unless we use a specific wave length, but to use it we need to inform the shipgirls of the wave length without alerting our pursuers, that is our problem."

"Why don't we use the machine?" signaled the manager an ENIGMA machine sitting rear taking dust.

"Do you think there will be someone who can translate our message after all this years? We know from the human prisoners that our Germany is no more and I am glad about it, but they wouldn't have the codes to translate our message, any code they would have is useless unless we pass the exact one to them in some way..." the Captain trailed off a bit, his mind working on an idea that suddenly popped into his mind.

Weighting the idea against the risks it entailed and considering their pursuers personality, he decided to run with it.

"You have to set the radio in open transmission mode with the longest range you can and transmit this message." He began to write in a sheet of paper the commented message, as he was writing it, the manager's mouth began to stretch, forming an evil smile. "The last part of the message I will write it down once I get it"

Only a brief reply escaped from the manager's mouth "Oh they won't see it coming!"
---------------------

Thanks for reading, comments are always welcomed

 

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

A.N. -- And it's time for a little more of Best Ehrendolch and her healing as we prepare for the start of Year Four. This is building on SkyeFire's superb Delilah/Ehren snippet here that took place 'last night' in the timeline. A Mourning of Monsters Also, i want to thank Gear-2557 for the music for this one. Thanks again!

A ButterDagger's Dream of a Daughter's Duty

19 August 2014

Castle Moulbaix, Belgium
Spoiler: A Dagger's Dreams

Ehren's pale-blond eyelashes fluttered as she yawned drowsily and began to stir.

She wasn't unfamiliar with the sensation of being cuddled in the mornings as she slowly awoke, of course.

Claire was the normal culprit who would cuddle her Kleiner Kuschelkäfer(Little cuddle bug) all night long. Some of Ehren's happiest memories were when she had awoken in the predawn gloom to just lie there with her eyes closed in perfect relaxation as she heard the musical snores of a certain Österreichischer Oktopus im Pyjama(Austrian octopus in pajamas) hugging her close like one of Claire's small army of plushies and stuffed animals.

Half-awake steel-blue eyes blinked and focused on the glowing and crackling embers of the fire that she had been staring into last night. Memories of the chat that she had shared with her aunt flickered through her drowsy brain in time with the soft popping sound of the wood being consumed. Ehren's eyes fluttered closed and she pulled the afghan quilted blanket closer around her and the sleeping Delilah.

Judging by the soft murmur of oddly disjointed words and phrases from Aunt Del, her aunt was the talkative sort when she slept and dreamed.

Just like Ehren was the kind who talked in her sleep, according to Claire.

With that drowsy insight, Ehren relaxed once more, her lips curling in a shy content smile as she listened to the babble of her aunt's voice and the pops of the fireplace.

Slowly but steadily, sleep began to pull her back into its warm embrace.

She yawned massively as she thought for the briefest instant that she could hear the faintest rhythmic throb of another heartbeat in the cozy warmth.

Her unborn cousin.

Aunt Del's firstborn.

Words spoken by her aunt last night passed through her relaxed form in a whisper of memory from the hidden place where they had lodged to reach her heart.

"After all, if I, a firearm, descended from the legendary murderous Muramasa swords of Japan, can somehow be a good person, a good aunt, a good mother, then so can my niece, the daughter of my sister, the single most heroic person I've ever known."

"Eine Gute Mutti...(A good mom)" Ehren whispered to herself, Aunt Del, and to the fire as she returned to dreamland....
-------------------

....and suddenly saw herself walking barefoot on a pebbled beach between the dark woodlands of an ancient beech forest and the steel-gray depths of the ocean. The sea breeze blew her unbound hair around her shoulders as she walked with a small shy smile on her face. This Ehren was dressed in Dirndlkleid, with the dark gray skirt down below her knees (producing a mental snort of laughter at her wearing a traditional Bavarian folk outfit from the Alps), and the white bodice blouse and apron properly tied and pressed in Ordnung. Ehren then blinked at the apron strings tied on her right hip, the sign in some regions that she was married.

"Eine Gute Mutti...."

"{Mutti, Mutti! Look!}" The words caused her to turn her viewpoint and the dream-Ehren followed suit to see a light blond haired little girl running toward her with a happy smile that showed that the Zahnfee had stolen away two of her milk teeth in exchange for coins left under the pillow as the child dreamed. "{Look what I found!!}"

Ehren in the dream and reality bent down to see the golden teardrop shape of a nugget of raw Baltic amber clutched in one grubby fist. "{Mutti, isn't it pretty? What is it?}" With a start Ehren realized that the child's eyes were the gold-brown of the amber that she held.

The dream-Ehren smiled. "{It's Amber, dear. The legends of Prussia are that they are the tears of the sea-goddess Jurate which she sheds for her dead love Kastytis.}" She gently ruffled the child's hair lovingly. "{Why don't you show what you found to your Vati too?}"

"Vati...."

Ehren suddenly realized the scene had frozen.

Even the waves and blowing leaves from the forest had frozen in their tracks.

Heavy breathing sounded from the forest behind her and she turned, instinctively stepping to shield the mother and child.

Facing her was a great wolf well over her height at the shoulder. A mouth that could have consumed her in a single bite opened, exposing ivory fangs as long and sharp as her true body. Golden eyes, the gold of the amber droplet in the child's hand, stared into hers.

Ehren spread her arms to block the way between the wolf and the family.

She looked into those golden eyes and spoke into the stillness with every ounce of courage in her frame. "I won't let you have them. You'll have to go through me first."

For a moment, all was still. Then with the suddenness of the instant between two heartbeats day turned to night. The Moon rose behind her, extending her black shadow out toward the dark forest. Silhouetted there now was an old abandoned manor house on a hill.

A fragment of one of her earliest memories surfaced, of Vati riding a horse with her on his hip up to this hill, this house before it had fallen into ruin.

Before The War.

Before Vati had... died.

She stared into those lupine eyes, now the steel gray of her Vati when she had seen him last and spoke again. "I'll protect them. No matter what."

She sensed a pregnant pause in Whomever observed her, as if more was required of her than that statement.

Another fragment of memory.

Of Vati's last words to her as he died in front of her, speaking of a family obligation. Of something terrible buried here that his family had watched over and kept quiescent.

Just like her aunt's responsibilities in the Black Hills that Ehren had agreed to assist with and shoulder one day for her.

To whom much is given, much is demanded.

She took a deep breath and felt the Wolf's eyes look into her heart and soul. "{I don't know yet what the family responsibilities are that Vati failed to discharge in his turn, but I will fulfill them to the limit of my capabilities and abilities as Ehren du Chasteler,}" she paused, thinking of the other half of her being, thinking of Vati, then continued in a resolute voice full of her steel, "{as well as according to my honor and ethics as Ehren von und zu Wolff. Tochter and only child of Helmar von und zu Wolff whose family estate this is.}"

With that the sun rose behind her and the trees grew up to obscure the manor house once more.

The wolf, now with eyes the liquid mahogany brown of her beloved sister Claire stepped back and jerked its -- her -- head for Ehren to follow. Gathering her courage, Ehren stepped away from the images of her self and her child and followed the massive canine into the dimly lit beech woods.
-------------------

Spoiler: A Dagger's Binding

How far she walked through the silent forest she did not know as she followed her guide.

The silence was oppressive, watchful, with invisible eyes seeming to peer into her heart and soul.

Even her footsteps on the dry leaves were swallowed up.

Finally they reached a clearing buried in the heart of the woods.

The dead and dying leaves lay thick here, surrounding the twin arcs of weathered and moss-covered boulders set in an oval shape.
Spoiler: Velna Laiva

A pair of of figures waited for her.

To the right, a beautiful blond haired woman wearing an exquisite masterwork gold and amber necklace that sparkled in the sunlight stood and petted the twin black cats in her arms. Her falcon-feather cloak rustled as her hawk-like blue eyes surveyed the young dagger.

To the center, a Native American woman in spotless white deerskin, and braided hair so black that it was almost blue looked at her with dark brown eyes -- the brown of the buffalo who had tested her courage and spirit during her first trip to Aunt Del's ranch in the Black Hills.

As Ehren stood, transfixed by the twin gazes, the wolf walked to their side, shifting into Claire as she did.

Albeit a Claire dressed in wolf furs and crude leather that made Ehren think of when she read The Clan of the Cave Bear.

From somewhere -- either from the trio of women looking into her, judging her, the ancient stone circle, or the woods surrounding her -- words came to her ears.

"{Blood calls to Blood, child of Erik Ulv, and Iron calls to Iron. Blood and Iron fettered what is here. Blood and Iron keeps the door to the prison shut. Blood and Iron is the key that locks the door. Blood and Iron guides those who must walk the path with honorable duty.}"

At a silent prompt, Ehren stepped out into the clearing.

When she did, her clothing shifted to the black and silver of the SS and her true body weighed down her hip at the first step that she took toward the waiting stones.

At the next step mist flowed from the trees surrounding her.

With her third step, the mist formed into ghosts. Generation upon generation of them standing in serried ranks surrounding her.

Priests.

Wizards.

Soldiers.

Witches.

Teutonic Knights.

Guardians.

Another step while the multitude of eyes surveyed her, staring at her in judgement.

The final step took her to a massive boulder at the head of the oval.

Her fingers rubbed moss off the weathered and stained stone to reveal a cross within a shield and worn runes chiseled into the granite. Slowly she read aloud, puzzling them out as magic surged from within the carved stone to illuminate them. "Járn til keðju, blóð til að binda, skylda til að vaka yfir, heiður til blindra?"(Iron to chain, blood to bind, duty to watch over, honor to the blind)

Blood... and Iron.

With that insight, Muramasa steel flashed in the sunlight as she drew herself.

Blue eyes twinkled and a smile split inhumanly perfect lips as Valfreyja witnessed this ritual as she had done so time and again in this place as an Ulv reached adulthood.

A falcon screamed as Ehren hefted her true self.

Carmine droplets watered the dead beech leaves at her feet as Kruppstahl's caress parted the skin of Ehren's palm.

The thunder of the hooves of a million upon a million buffalo shook the clearing as White Buffalo Woman solemnly observed this step upon the path of honor and duty laid before one who would be her Medicine Woman one day if she chose to be Called to the duty demanded of her.

In far-distant Moulbaix, Delilah Naomi de Breuil-Muramasa, Medicine Woman of White Buffalo Woman awoke suddenly with her niece in her arms from where her spirit had wandered in her dreams.

A bloody palm smote the stone, marking it -- and marking herself -- to bind to this place in dream as one day she would be bound in reality as the Warden.

The howl of Wolf-Mother sounded through Ehren's soul as Delilah's arms tightened protectively on her and she awoke once more with the rising of the dawn.

In far-distant Moulbaix a piano's avatar smiled in triumph in her sleep as her form blurred in her dreams to that of a great ebony and ivory wolf as she ran under the starlight and snow to the sounds of a piano and violin duet.

Blood and Iron, a hand placed where generation upon generation of the von und zu Wolff family... and the Wolfs before them... and the Ulvs before them had placed their hands in turn to take up the family's burdens of duty and honor: of sworn oaths kept and a watch set.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Frown on his face, the Auror scratched his head some as he waved his wand around in a specific pattern, "It has to be around here somewhere..." Eyes scanning the area, all he could see is the usual farmland of the polder with a single, somewhat rocky hill rising a little above the rest, probably once an island when this area was underwater. Sighing, he turned at the sound of a pop beside him and turned to look at the younger man who just appeared, "Anything?"

The answer he got made the first Auror's frown deepen, "Nothing, though there are heightened levels of magic."

A third voice then spoke up and they turned to a woman wearing shorts and shirt, "Heightened levels of magic? Is that... good or bad?"

Pausing only to give the younger Auror an elbow to the stomach when he stared at the woman a touch too long, the elder of the two shook his head, "Depends on the type of magic, Doctor De Haas." Running his hand through his thinning hair, he grimaced some before casting another spell and furrowing his eyebrow, "Though... it's not dark magic. Or light magic really, just... natural. Huh... that is odd."

Doctor De Haas nodded and looked around herself, gaze falling on a military truck nearby that had some soldiers bringing out equipment, "Well... odd certainly does seem to describe this situation. But..." Once more looking around, she shook her head, "This is where the recent earthquakes are centered. I do appreciate the help that your Ministry is lending to the investigation."

Tipping his hat some, the younger Auror chuckled, "Well, Doctor, we are loyal to the House of Orange. And with how things are changing..." He shrugged a little and gestured around them, "It is best to start working together."

Only frowning as she looked at her tablet, the Doctor narrowed her eyes some, "I just wish that I knew what was causing these tremors. Are there any records on your end of... some sort of complex that could be collapsing?"

His arms crossed, the older Auror shook his head, "None, and trust me, we made damn sure to search every inch of the Netherlands for any surprises that Grindelwald left behind, that bastard. But... while we found some and disposed of what was inside, they were pretty small and for troops. Nothing big enough to cause tremors."

Grimace on her face, De Haas looked back at her tablet with a deep furrow above her eyebrows, "This is strange. According to you, there's no magical constructions, and I still have issue with magic being real, by the way. The geology below ground is all wrong for earthquakes generally. In fact, the only earthquakes we get are from tectonic pressure from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge on the continent of Europe being relieved. We've tested the groundwater and there's nothing. Though-"

Suddenly, the ground beneath them shook and everyone looked around. Unlike before, the tremors did not stop after a minute and the trees on the nearby hill shook even as cracks formed in the earth. As the tremors continued, one crack had what seemed like steam or mist coming from it. Nearly falling to her knees, if not for the younger Auror, De Haas' eyes whipped to her tablet as an alarm sounded from the UAV that just flew through the steam, seeing that, the younger of the two magicals blinked as he tried to keep them both on their feet, "What's with the alarm?!"

Eyes wide as she tapped, the doctor shook her head and turned to him, "It's CO2! Carbon dioxide! That steam is filled with it, but there's nothing volcanic around to cause it..."

Noticing that she was trailing off as yet another tremor hit, the older Auror made his way over on unsteady limbs, "What is it, Doctor?" From somewhere nearby, there was a rumble and the Auror nearly fell before shouting, "WHAT IS IT, DOCTOR!?"

Completely stunned, she pointed, "THE TREES! LOOK AT THE TREES!"

Both Aurors looked at one another and turned to the hill nearby. Bits of dirt and detritus fell from said hill, as well as the odd tree while the others swayed. At first, they couldn't understand what she was shouting about...

Then, they realized that the entire hill was raising upwards, the ground buckling for yards around it. Centuries of sediment from when it was underwater flung into the air as the hill rocked from side to side. Then, along the crack where the steam was coming from, came another loud rumble that shook them to their bones before the ground lifted upwards.

Various soldiers fell back with the two Aurors staring in stunned amazement as a massive reptilian head rose from the ground. The top of it's head was covered in massive and thick, flat scales. Even the smallest of them were big enough to park a car on. Along the back of the head, there were small horns, though small was a bit of a misnomer as each was the size of a man. Meanwhile, poking out from the beak could be seen some teeth, with two giant tusks the size of an pickup truck curling up near the back.

Even as the stunned humans watched, another long crack grew along the ground until a massive flipper broke out of the earth, showering them with dirt and small pebbles which made the two Aurors scramble back towards the soldiers who were getting the trucks up and running as they shouted before being muted as the turtle, which it was, had another flipper break free and gave a loud hiss with steam coming from it's mouth.

Mouth working, even as she recorded the event, de Haas shook her head as she shouted over the noise, "WHAT IS IT?!"

Reaching the safety of the truck, the elder Auror watched as the turtle continued trying to break out of where it had been sleeping for likely centuries under the ground. Long enough that humans turned the water into land, "I... I don't believe it... it's an aspidochelone... my Grandfather used to tell me tales that he learned from his grandfather. B-but they were just stories... because they went extinct, vanishing from the sea."

One of the soldiers, watching as the blue whale sized turtle jerked forward, getting partway out of the hole, glanced at the Auror, "I don't think that they went extinct."

Simply looking at him, the Auror turned back as the aspidochelone pulled itself from the hole and began to use it's flippers to push itself forward, "Aye... I don't think that they are either..."

________________________________________________________________________

"{... As shown by the video taken via helicopter, the turtle, now known as 'Duchess Flevo' after one brave herpetologist got close enough to determine gender, has climbed over the ramp provided to one of the dykes and has entered the Ijsselmeer, where shipgirls have begun to guide it towards another ramp that will let it into the North Sea. While animal rights groups protested how the Dutch military used flamethrowers to force the turtle from the paths it took, the Dutch Armed Forces noted that they never touched the animal with them. Rather, it avoided the heat from them, and thus avoided a number of towns and homes in the area...}"

Sipping his tea, Harry watched as the giant turtle began swimming, a few trees still on it's back. Trees which a number of soldiers on the back began to remove via helicopter as it continued to move. Only shaking his head, the wizard ran a hand through his hair, "It was sleeping there the whole time?"

From the couch, Shiromizu shrugged a little bit with her own wide eyed look, "I guess..." Suddenly, she blinked as a thought occurred to her, "Huh, I wonder if that was one of the things that he meant."

Confused, the teenage wizard looked over at her as he flipped a pancake, "One of the things? And who?"

Blinking, Shiromizu looked over at him, "Oh, Tenjin-Sama. He had this seminar where he talked about the levels of magic rising worldwide. One of the things he mentioned in it was that some creatures hibernate through times when levels are lower, like we were, and awaken once levels reach a certain height."

That made Harry stare at her for a few moments before his mind grasped on one part in particular, "Wait, wait... levels were lower recently? I mean..."

With a hum, the Mizuchi slithered off the couch and made her way towards the fridge, "Hai, it surprised me as well." Pulling out a carton of orange juice, she poured some into a glass as she glanced at him, "Apparently they were heading even lower and none of the Kami expected them to start rising upwards until they hit bottom sometime in the 2100s, getting back up to higher levels starting in the 2400s. But the war caused them to start rising upwards in spikes."

Eyebrow raised, Harry considered that as the pancake he made joined the others on a plate, "Huh..." It took a moment, but he connected a few dots in his mind, "Because of summoning and such?"

Snatching one of the pancakes, Shiromizu nodded as she smeared it with blackcurrant jelly, then rolling it up, "Got it in one, the amount of magical and spiritual energy from that is causing it world-wide to shoot upwards. Apparently, they're reaching levels that haven't been around for a couple hundred years." Taking a bite of her pancake, she chewed it and swallowed before continuing, "Which he stated means that things hibernating could be waking up soon."

Frown on his face, the fourteen year old grimaced a little bit, "That... could be troublesome." Glancing at the television, he shook his head, "Really troublesome."

With a shrug, Shiromizu didn't say anything and simply watched as he rolled up some of the pancakes with peanut butter inside of them. Others, he squeezed out some honey and cream into before doing the same. Continuing to chew her own, she hummed before looking at him, "Heading to another practice with Ayase-San?"

Smile on his face, Harry chuckled some, "Hai, we're going to be doing some more Kenjutsu practice. I'm enjoying it because, well..."

Grin on her face, his sister figure snickered, "She doesn't kick your arse all over the place during your matches." At his slight sour look, she snickered some more, but then Shiromizu shrugged, "Not that I blame you, that can get tiring really quick."

Only sighing, Harry nodded slightly, "Tell me about it." He then turned nodded towards the peanut butter pancakes, "Those, however, are for Natsumi-Chan when I meet up with her later. After all, tomorrow she's heading out on a trip."

It took a few seconds, but Shiromizu nodded, "That's right, she's going to Rome, correct?"

Humming, he gave another shrug, "Hai, she is. Apparently, with the World Cup in a little more than a week, this is the perfect time to go since all the focus is on it. So they don't need to worry as much about people paying attention and can go on vacation." Thoughtful, Harry frowned a little, 'I wonder what Tamamo might tell her considering that Taiyang mentioned she, Tamamo, went to Rome centuries ago...'

Meanwhile, Shiromizu sighed a little and stretched, "Well, hopefully she enjoys it. I'll be busy back at my mountain as the drilling that I told you about is nearly finished. And I also got to inspect the new indoor farm."

That caused Harry to give her an interested look, "The one the size of a house, right?"

Only nodding, the Mizuchi smiled some, "Hai, with three floors. Well, it looks like a three floored house from the outside. Inside? I've been told that each floor is the size of a small stadium, with the lower one being a fish pond. They figure that they'll be able to grow enough to feed the whole mountain and then some."

Simply nodding, Harry smiled back at her though soon enough he left to head to practice with Ayase.

An hour later found the place where he met Ayase filled with the sound of wood meeting wood, and sometimes flesh or body armor. Counter and attack meeting attack and counter. Both Harry and the Light Cruiser trading blows as they defended and blocked as well as deflect, or went on the attack. Neither let up on the other and, this time, it was the teenage boy who lost.

Sitting back on the grass, Harry pulled off his helmet with a grin on his face before holding up his hand, "Okay... I think that's enough for one day."

Just sitting down beside him, the Light Cruiser had a flushed face as she nodded, "Agreed, Harry-Chan. I, too, think that is enough." Breathing heavily, she leaned back, "Just give me a second and we can... begin our cool down stretches."

Rather than say anything, Harry simply nodded as he began to pull off his armor. With the August heat and humidity combined with the strain of the exercise, streams of sweat ran down his face and neck, causing his shirt to stick to his skin. Something that Ayase noted which made her thankful that her face was already flushed from exertion.

Quickly, she turned her attention to getting her own armor off, not noticing that she had much the same problem as Harry. And, like her, said boy found himself distracted by how her shirt clung to her, and her chest heaving as she sucked in lungful's of air. Also, like her, he tried his best to pay attention to something else.

When their cool down was finally done, however, the teenage wizard dabbed at his neck with a towel before pulling out iced coffee, which the Light Cruiser accepted with relief, "Thank you, Harry-Chan."

Lips twitching, Harry chuckled a little, "You're welcome, Ayase-Chan." Pulling out a box, he opened it to reveal the honey and cream pancakes, "Want some?"

In response, Ayase licked her lips and reached over for one, "I'll take that, Harry-Chan." Biting down on one, she happily hummed before licking a bit of cream from her lips, "Mmm."

The teenage wizard lightly laughed at that as he bit into his own, "I don't think that I'll have to ask if you enjoyed it."

Only shaking her head, Ayase smiled at him happily, "No, I don't think that you will, Harry-Chan." After a few minutes, she finished off the last of the snack and stretched, not noticing the teenage boy's eyes next to her follow her body as she did so. With a sigh, the Sendai turned to Harry and found him a little bit flushed, "Something wrong?"

Simply shaking his head, Harry gave her a smile, "Nah, just getting a bit hot." Crumpling the box he had used, and picking up the cans, he jerked his head a little, "Anyways, we should get going then."

Falling into step beside him, the shipgirl smiled some, "Sounds good to me, Harry-Chan." As they began to walk, they continued to chat until Harry brought up something that made her blink, "You're wondering if I am going to be getting a sword soon?"

Harry nodded a little and tilted his head to the side, "Hai, after all I heard from Hibiki-Chan that Tenryuu-Oba has pretty much decided to clear you."

That brought a blush to Ayase's cheeks and she looked away for a moment, "I... she stated that she will give me my license in September. But even if I have been cleared? The waiting list for a sword to be forged is months long. So even with her backing me, I wouldn't be able to even order until early next year." Then, she smiled at Harry, "I'm still happy about it just the same and I cannot wait to get one."

Humming, the wizard nodded at that, "I see..."

Internally, he turned his thoughts back to a letter he had received from a certain swordsmith. According to him, the blade for Ayase was coming along very well. Not to mention, the Kitsune had been very happy with the load of sea coal that he had sent from Britain as well as the "Log" of jet, which he could burn. Same with the amber oil as well. The letter had stated that the payment had been paid in full as well. Something that made him very happy indeed.

But Harry let none of that show on his face to Ayase. After all, it was a surprise for the Light Cruiser, he only hoped that she enjoyed it. Especially as it would arrive come Christmas...

 

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

A.N. -- And a little more of a look in on the life and times of Ehren. Finally ready to respond to Ehren's meeting of Doujigiri.

A Conversation, Correspondence, and Compassion

19 August 2014

Castle Moulbaix, Belgium
Spoiler: A Morning Conversation

Ehren's eyes fluttered open as she woke up.

As she squirmed free from her Aunt Del's embrace, her fingers curled and rubbed across the smooth skin of her right palm.

Somehow, she expected to feel a ridge of scar tissue from where she had cut her hand open in her dream.

But she didn't.

Putting that odd dream aside for now as ramblings of her subconscious mind, she was about to shift back to her adult form.

Then Ehren paused and gave a mischief filled smile full of child-like glee to her aunt. "Tante Del?"

The elder Muramasa looked at her niece. "What is it, Ehren?" She sighed at the maternal feelings swelling inside her as she saw the blond haired, blue-eyed and twin tailed girl on the cusp of her teenage years.

Ehren hugged her aunt around the waist. "Thank you for the talk last night." Her voice lowered as she buried her face in her aunt's stomach. "It helped... some."

The waist of Del's blouse grew suspiciously damp as she hugged Ehren around the shoulders. The revolver whispered to the dagger. "Thank you, Ehren. I... needed to talk about that too." A faint smug smile flickered around her lips as the first tears fell from her eyes and her voice broke with emotion. "Burdens shared are lessened and you're one of the few people who I can share with... one of the few who understand me."

A jerky nod answered her and Ehren's hug tightened. "Ja, das ist die Wahrheit.(Yes, that is the truth.)" Ehren whispered back.

Finally, the two Muramasas released their embrace. Ehren blew her nose after wiping tear tracks from her cheeks with several tissues that Delilah and she had summoned. Her steel blue eyes found her aunt's leaf-green. "So, I must ask, Aunt Del, when shall you be a mother?" A small smile flickered around Ehren's lips. "Purely so I can prepare for my duties as a babysitter of course."

Delilah gave her own small smile. "March or April is the current best guess for Zamarad and me since I'm about a month along." One hand cupped her abdomen. "I'll know more today when I go in for my first prenatal visit and get the tests for Down syndrome, diseases, and the like."

Ehren;'s eyebrows raised as she noticed how Del was talking faster, and sensed the well hidden worries in her aunt's voice. With that, her heart went out to her aunt, and her new cousin. Her heels clicked as she placed her small right hand over her Aunt's hand, pressing gently against that almost imperceptible swelling containing such future potential and life.

"I have no doubt that she and her sister growing within Tante Zamarad will be wonderful and beautiful babies with no diseases or other defects, Tante Del. After all, I know you and her are the best possible mothers that they can have." Ehren said, her eyes finding her aunt's to relay her cool confidence and support.

Then her lips flickered as her gaze lowered to the small hard bump under her hand. "Guten Morgen, Mein voraussichtlich Cousin! Ich heisse Ehren du Chasteler, dein älterer großer Cousin.(Good morning, my prospective cousin! My name is Ehren du Chasteler, your older big cousin.)" Ehren spoke with exquisite precise Prussian formality as if she were introducing herself at a formal banquet, albeit with a twinkle of mischief in her eyes.

Delilah laughed. "Practicing for when she is born, then?"

"Natürlich! Übung macht den Meister!"(Naturally! Practice makes perfect!) Ehren responded gravely with a sharp nod and a suspiciously controlled face.
-------------------

Ehren hugged Tante Zamarad and Tante Del farewell for now with words of parting.

After they headed through the Vanishing Cabinet on their first leg of the trip back to America, Ehren sharply about-faced and marched down the hall to her room. Her still-youthful pigtails swished around her young head. After all, she needed to get used to this avatar that she would use at Hogwarts as well as keeping multiple avatars out to keep Claire and the others company.

With that she nodded as she sensed the other adult Ehren manifest from her hilt pin one floor below currently helping tutor Chi-chan and Misaki in mathematics.

While she did want to spend time with Claire now that the dishes from breakfast had been washed and the kitchen cleaned up, that was pleasure and she had her responsibilities that must be tended to while Mutti was absent on business in Brussels at an appointment.

Such as the stack of mail on her desk that greeted her. Ehren gave an imperceptible sigh as she surveyed the accumulation of correspondence that she was behind on. She then cracked her knuckles as she focused her efforts on the backlog.

Ehren sat down and a moment later took down her trench knife trophy from where it hung below her trio of Dürer five-century old framed Meisterstiche prints (Melencolia I in the center flanked by Ritter, Tod, und Teufel on the left and Der heilige Hieronymus im Gehäus on the right). She leaned back in her desk chair and slit the first envelope addressed to the castle with a precise flick of her wrist.

Bill.

With that the letter from the papermaker was placed in its own neat stack to the right to be paid from household funds.

Another flick of the wrist.

Advertising circular.

The advertising circular went into her antique brown wicker wastepaper basket with a toss like it was a basketball.

Unseen by the dagger as she continued her initial sorting of the backlog, the door behind her slowly and stealthily cracked open.

Two mahogany eyes gleamed with mischief at the sight of Ehren's stiff back as she idly kicked a leg after tossing yet another piece of junk mail into the garbage.
Spoiler: An Apology

Ehren reached the halfway point and pulled out a bulging package wrapped in red paper.

She blinked at the hand written address with some kind of ink brush. "To Miss Ehren du Chasteler?" She murmured to herself before the trench knife slit it open.

A pair of origami sculptures were revealed sitting atop a small wooden box with an ofuda attached. Next to it was a bottle of Japanese Green Tea.

Ehren blinked at the folded paper.

One was the sculpture of a double-headed eagle with a pair of Japanese characters on the wings.

The other was a very familiar dagger.

Her true body done in masterfully folded paper and with the familiar inscription on her hilt. Meine Ehre heißt Treue.

As she touched it, the ink flowed and the paper unfolded itself like a flower blossoming.

Dear Ehren du Chasteler,

Please forgive my words in this letter, this is but a rough translation of my feelings written in the second letter folded into the Eagle which Tokunotakai-san mentioned has such meaning to your family. They are in Japanese, so you shall have to make arrangements to read for yourself with Tokunotakai's help.

Nonetheless, I shall try to say here what I expressed with ink and brush in the second letter written from the heart.

I am truly sorry for the words that I said to you about your heritage. I spoke out of ignorance, not malice, but that does not excuse the pain that I inflicted upon you unknowingly. A sword swung by accident cuts as deeply as one swung by purpose after all. I have done so and it shames me.

After you departed with your family, I researched your origin and I was horrified by what I found. I thought that my nation's crimes and dishonorable deeds in the Pacific War were unique. It breaks my heart to realize that your nation's own honor was stained equally in those dark days.

Truly, you, like I, have had to bear the unbearable and endure the unendurable as a result. I can only say that the path of honor is hard and difficult, yet rewarding and not impossible to tread.

I am humbled by your unflagging devotion to true honor, true courage, and true faithfulness under such adverse circumstances as I have percieved both from my own observation and the tales of Tokunotakai-san. I have known many, many samurai since my life with Minamoto-no-Raikō, and of all of those whom I have known, only a bare handful would have walked upon the path that you have placed your feet upon to make amends for those faults that you participated in unwillingly before your awakening.

Know that you have earned my respect in your struggle to carry out your honor and if I can be of help in the future, ask and I shall be there for you.

Truly difficulties make you a jewel.

I enclose a small gift of hand-made treats for you as a sign of my respect, from samurai to samurai. May you find enjoyment in them. To refold the paper to the dagger or release it to the letter form, recite the following poem aloud.

tade karu fune no suguru narikeri
asa madaki kararo no oto no kikoyuru wa

Dōjigiri Yasutsuna

Ehren blinked and reread the letter twice. Tears prickled her eyes at the heartfelt words from the elder sword spirit. She sighed heavily and her shoulders slumped, then she frowned while she struggled internally with what she would write to respond to Doujigiri's apology.

Finally she whispered the spell and watched as the dagger reemerged.

A soft footstep behind her interrupted her concentration.

She instantly whirled in her chair, and her eyes widened at the figure who was sneaking up behind her.

"Claire?!"

 

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

A.N. -- Claire truly is Best Big Cinnamon Roll Piano Sister....

She Butterknifed Me Home, Can I Keep Her?

19 August 2014

Castle Moulbaix, Belgium

Ehren's room's hardwood floor directly behind her desk in line with the door emitted a familiar small creak caused by Claire's greater weight.

Ehren, wise in the ways of her Big Piano Sister's Mischief, instantly whirled out of her desk chair like a blond-haired cat (or mongoose as it would turn out).

Steel-blue eyes bulged as they stared into love-filled mahogany-brown eyes as the sisters exchanged a look of wordless communion.

Pale lips opened in a chalk-white face and Ehren's young avatar blurted out in shock, "Claire!?"

Then the piano's flying tackle of her Best Little Dagger Sister (Chibi Version) drove all thoughts of Ehren's unsettled mood, of her past, even of the events last week involving her Vati from her mind.
Spoiler: Best Big Piano Sister Strikes! (Watch This!!)

After all, she was more concerned with trying to breathe between the giggles.

Those mahogany eyes sparkled in love and joy and trollish unholy glee as Claire proceeded to show how much she loved Ehren.

By licking her avatar's face within an inch of her life.
Spoiler: Wolfie Claire Loves Ehren!

A massive cave wolf with fur the black of her ebony keys and ivory white in a pattern reminiscent of a piano's keyboard had Ehren pinned flat on her back.

A dishrag-sized pink tongue was energetically 'bathing' the pinned dagger's face, who was giggling hysterically -- Ehren, after all, was ticklish -- as Ehren's head rocked from side to side to either avoid the assault or give Claire fresh areas to attack to cause her to devolve into further giggles.

Ehren was pushing at Claire's chest in half-hearted token attempts to shift the wolf off her to make a break for it. Of course, Ehren would have about as much luck trying to shift Claire's true grand piano body in this instant. The piano had her expertly pinned while her massive white bushy tail wagged wildly like a metronome set to prestissimo tempo in a sign of lupine love and affection for her sister.

By no coincidence, Claire's true body was playing the Tritsch-Tratsch Polka by Johann Strauss in showers of playful, love filled notes to fill the castle with song.

"C--c-can't b-b-b-reath-h-h-hee!" Ehren gasped out and then redoubled her giggles and squirming as Claire promptly 'cleaned out' her left ear mercilessly.

Finally satisfied with the now disheveled state of Ehren's hair and pink and glowing face, Claire relented, padding back and sitting to survey Ehren as the dagger tried to regain the tattered shreds of her composure. Albeit, with very limited success at absolute best.

Ehren giggled and then looked into the familiar eyes of the wolf facing her. The image of the Claire-wolf from her dream last night surfaced from her memories and then across her expression. "Claire, that's you, isn't it?"

The wolf nodded and gave a remarkably smug lupine grin. Ehren sighed at the clear point-scoring done by her Big Piano Sister and then nodded to admit that Claire was now ahead of her again in their long-running friendly sisterly trolling competition.

Ehren visibly thought, then walked to the opened door and closed it for privacy before sitting on the floor opposite her Big Wolfie Sister. "How are you doing that?" Ehren asked curiously as she returned her avatar to her actual adult age.

The wolf shimmered and then reformed into Claire, dressed in her normal blouse and skirt. "It's a gift. Wolf-Mother gave me a boon since I agreed to minister to all of her children, both the two and four legged ones."

Ehren blinked in puzzlement. "Wolf-Mother?" The dagger raised a hand. "Wait, let me guess, Claire."

The piano nodded and settled herself with a smug smile as they sat side by side on Ehren's bed. "If that's the way you want to try to score the next point, Ehren."

Ehren nodded and spoke slowly. "It is the way I'd like to puzzle through this. Last night, I dreamed of you... a you in wolf furs observing me as I... performed a ritual at my family's estate...." Ehren trailed off to take a deep breath while Claire hugged her reassuringly. "Vati's estate in Prussia. You were standing alongside another woman who looked like how Aunt Del described White Buffalo Woman who she serves. The blonde one there, I'm not sure about and would have to research, although I do suspect something Germanic or Norse." Ehren looked at Claire. "That wasn't just a dream, was it?"

Claire shook her head. "Not really, no. I was asked in my dreams as a Shamaness of Wolf-Mother to help you go through an initiation of sorts. So I did it for you; I'd do anything for you." She sniffled a little. "I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you... last week."

Then the air was crushed from Claire's lungs by Ehren's hug. "I forgive you, Claire. Better that I... endured... than you had to suffer." Ehren whispered hoarsely with raw emotion in her tear-filled words. "Thinking of you, remembering you, helped me do what I had to without losing myself to the darkness or breaking."

Claire returned the hug. "I... pushed myself as hard as I could to try to be there for you, Ehren. I realized that I needed you so badly that it hurt, but you needed me more."

Ehren gently took Claire's hand in hers and ran her gentle fingers over the musician's calluses, now with fresh scarring from her attempt to reach Ehren. "You hurt yourself trying, didn't you?"

Claire nodded sheepishly.

Ehren teared up and hugged Claire again, speaking in a voice full of love for her sister. "Oh Claire!! I'm the one who takes all the hurt on me so you don't have to suffer. Mutti and I, we're strong like that. As long as I endure for you, for our family so you can remain unhurt, I can protect you." Ehren gave a gentle smile. "You just make happy music and be happy while I guard you, Claire."

The piano nodded and then gave a small teasingly smug smile after the embrace broke. "And about Wolf-Mother?"

Ehren frowned in thought. "She's clearly the reason why all the dogs love you, and you can turn into a wolf. She called you to be a champion like White Buffalo Woman for Aunt Del and Hachiman for Mutti and Stiefmutti Toku and Oma Norimune." Ehren blinked and spoke in sudden realization. "That's why Hachiman said you were sworn to another, you were marked then just like Mutti and Del and Toku are."

Claire nodded. "Very good, point to you Ehren. What I can do now is... I'm kind of like a werewolf but a werewolf as they should be." She had an adorably angry face at her next determined words. "What happened to them is wrong and I'm going to help them get fixed like I am!"

Ehren nodded and spoke in an equally determined voice. "We are, big sister, we are. You won't be doing it without me helping."
------------------------

Spoiler: A Dagger And Her Wolfie

Finally the sisters' time together was interrupted by Kasuyu's knock on the door.

"Miss Ehren?" The axe rumbled.

"Ja, Komm herein!!" Ehren responded, then resumed giving a certain large wolf belly rubs as Claire's tongue lolled out and one leg kicked automatically. Some things were more important than the mail backlog after all.

The axe's eyebrows shot up his forehead at the sight of the younger avatar of the dagger lying on her rug petting a very large canine splayed out on her back next to Ehren. Both the girl and the wolf were illuminated by warm sunbeams through her window in a scene of domestic bliss. He stared, his eyes bulging, then realized that the insufferably pleased wolf was actually the Mistress' middle daughter in her Totem Animal's form and relaxed as the franc dropped.

"A large box just arrived addressed for you and the Mistress." He intoned with admirable aplomb. "From Istanbul, according to the return address."

Ehren rubbed her chin and kicked her feet in thought while Claire's ears perked up.

"Put it on the floor beside us, Kasuyu." Ehren finally said pointing with the hand that was not scratching Claire's itchy spots to generate a lupine whine of bliss. "Incidentally, don't tell Mutti about our new pet just yet, I... we... want to surprise her."

"Very good." Kasuyu responded as he placed the large box next to the girls. "Lunch shall be ready in an hour and a half." He paused briefly and then spoke in a dry tone. "If such is required, the town of Ath has a first rate veterinarian and pet supplies store for your 'new dog', Miss Ehren. I suggest a flea collar."

"Vielen Dank(many thanks), Kasuyu, please close the door." Ehren said as she giggled while the wolf shot Kasuyu a dirty look.

After the door closed the sisters looked at each other.

Claire shifted back to human form and stretched while Ehren looked at the label.

"To Ms Colombe du Chasteler and Miss Ehren du Chasteler -- for services rendered?" Ehren read curiously from a tag written in green ink.

"What's in it?" Claire prodded her sister. "Go on, open it up!"

Ehren poked Claire back before popping the latches on the old-fashioned steamer trunk with holes drilled in the sides and subtle enchantments to cushion and protect the contents while it had been shipped on the Orient Express.

The lid creaked open.

Steel Blue and Mahogany-brown eyes widened in shocked delight at the treasures that had just been revealed.

The du Chasteler daughters squealed in delighted chorus, "Kätzchen!!"(Kittens!!)

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Having dropped by the apartment for a quick shower, as he did not want to smell of sweat, Harry made his way over to Natsumi's house. Upon his arrival, he slung his backpack over his shoulders and walked up to the door before knocking. When the door opened, the fourteen year old smiled at the face that met him and bowed slightly, "Good morning, Haru-San."

Lips curled into a small smile of her own, the Kitsune chuckled, "Good morning to you as well, Harry-Chan. It is good to see you." Moving aside a little, she let him get inside, "Here to see Natsumi-Chan before we leave?"

With a hum as he walked in, Harry nodded as he removed his shoes, "Hai, I thought that I would drop by for a little bit..." Pausing for a moment, he looked over at the amused Haru, "Um... if that is fine with you?"

Unable to help herself, Haru chuckled, "That's fine, Harry-Chan. And it will make Natsumi-Chan's day as well." Suddenly, her nose twitched and it was now Harry's turn to be amused, "Peanut butter?"

Grin on his face, the wizard chuckled a little bit but nodded, "I made some peanut butter pancakes just this morning as a matter of fact! You can have some later... if you want."

That got him a snort from Haru as she gave him an amused look, "You already know the answer to that, Harry-Chan." Chuckles and a grin answered her from the teenage boy before she hugged him, "And this is for the gift that you have given Natsumi-Chan. My family knows what sort of danger it puts you in, and so we are indebted."

As she pulled away, Harry gave her a slight nod to acknowledge what she said before he smiled slightly, "Haru-San? As far as I am concerned, it helps protect Natsumi-Chan. For that? Any danger is worth it."

For a moment, the Kitsune looked him in the eyes before smiling a little, "Understood." Less than a minute later, she watched as Natsumi greeted him and pulled him to her bedroom. Internally, however, Haru shook her head a little bit with a bemused chuckle, "Those two..."

Meanwhile, reaching her room, Natsumi opened the door before letting Harry in. Once he was inside, however, she closed the door and walked over to hug him with her tails swishing behind her, "Good morning, Harry-Chan."

Simply holding her with his arms around her waist, Harry gave her a grin before kissing her nose, "Good morning to you as well, Natsumi-Chan."

One eyebrow raised, the teenage Kitsune gave him a look before moving in and kissing him as she wrapped her arms around his neck as his own hands went to her hips. Pulling back after a short while and breathless, she grinned some, "And it is a very good morning."

That got her a chuckle and a headshake from Harry but nothing more than that and a quick peck on the lips. Looking around, his eyes fell on her suitcases nearby, "So, ready for your trip to Rome?"

Humming as she leaned against him, ears twitching, Natsumi nodded, "Hai, I am. I mean, it is Rome after all..." Ignoring the scoff she heard in the depths of her mind, she shrugged, "And it is the best time to go. So much attention will be on the Quidditch World Cup that, well... they're going to be more concerned with that than anything else. Especially with what just happened."

Eyebrow raised, the wizard nodded, "The turtle?"

Natsumi snorted a little as she continued enjoying being held close, "The turtle, what is going on in China... you saw the video, right?"

Lips pressed thinly, Harry let out a sigh, "I did, and that was... frightening how powerful they are. It puts things into perspective, doesn't it?"

Quirking her own lips, she nodded, "Hai, it does, though you do need to remember something..." At his look, she tapped his nose, "Voldemort has, at most, seventy years of experience. Those in China? Hundreds or thousands of years of the same." Unknown to him, she thought back to something that Tamamo had told him, 'And it's possible that one day, you'll reach the same level... as will I.' Dismissing such thoughts, Natsumi lead him over to the chairs that were in her room and waited until he sat down to sit in his lap, "Though that's something that we shouldn't worry much about."

Bemused even as he wrapped his arms around her, Harry lightly laughed, "Especially as we're not involved."

Kissing him with a hum, Natsumi wrapped her tails around his arms as she pulled back, "Exactly." Her expression became somewhat concerned, "While I can be sure that I'll be safe in Rome, promise me that you'll do the same? I've heard stories of some of what happens at World Cup events. There's riots at them when a favored team loses after all, and people have gotten hurt."

Just briefly tightening his hold on her waist, the teenage wizard gave her a serious expression, "I'll do my best to avoid anything like that. But you know my luck..."

Grumbling to his amusement, Natsumi scowled, "Do I ever..." Then reaching up, she poked him in the chest, "Just promise that you'll do your best to get away from anything that happens. I can't get much more than that with you."

Lopsided grin on his face, Harry nodded, "Like I said, I will try my best in any case just the same."

That only got him a nod back and the two continued to cuddle with the Kitsune of the two very happy to do so. Reaching up, Natsumi cupped his cheek before leaning into him, "Harry-Chan... I love you."

As with the other times, that made Harry's eyes slightly more wet, but he smiled as he returned the kiss that the girl in his arms was giving him. When the two pulled apart, they still had smiles on their faces and Harry gently kissed Natsumi's ear, "Thank you."

Not needing any more than that, the Kitsune only nodded.

Eventually, however, the two separated and Harry walked over to his backpack before pulling out some books that he brought over to Natsumi. Intrigued, the Kitsune looked at them before glancing at him, "These are your First Year textbooks?"

With a hum, Harry tapped them, "Hai, I'm not really using them now at the moment, so... I thought that you could." When she smiled, he held one out to her, "This is probably the one that you need to read first."

Taking it, the Kitsune tilted her head a little as she read the title, "Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling?"

Simply nodding, Harry chuckled a little bit, "I know that you know a lot about magic both since you live and breath it, as well as... you know." He tapped the side of his head which got a nod from her, "But it never hurts to actually look at how it is seen elsewhere. And who knows? It might have something that you don't know about, or a new view. Best not to... waffle about it."

Hand over her face, Natsumi snorted at that, "Harry-Chan... please don't..."

Eyebrows waggling, the teenage wizard smirked, "You know that you liked it." When the Kitsune tried her best to smother a giggle, he snickered before opening the book. With practiced ease, he flipped to the first chapter and pointed at the top part, "Also, you might want to read this bit...'

Despite being a little amused, and somewhat wondering of what he was up to, Natsumi took the book and began to read where Harry's finger was, "'Tamper with the deepest mysteries-the source of life, the essence of self-only if prepared for consequences of the most extreme and dangerous kind."

When she looked over at him with confusion, Harry grinned some, "What does that remind you of? Magic, a warning like that..."

It took a few seconds, but she realized what he meant and laughed, "T-they actually... no way! No way did they actually say that!" Reading again, she giggled madly and fell against him, "T-they actually did! To be a Magus is to walk with death!"

Unable to help himself, Harry began to laugh as well, "I know, right!? And I bet you that not many people realized that fact."

Both teens shared a look at that and broke down laughing. Needless to say, it took a while for them to stop. Especially as each time they looked at said book, they began laughing all over again.

Once the two of them calmed down enough to stop laughing, their previous hilarity reduced to snickers, Harry and Natsumi both laid back on the bed with large grins on their faces. Looking at the Kitsune beside him, the wizard reached over and took her hand in his, "I needed that."

Grin on her face even as she snickered, Natsumi nodded, "Same here, Harry-Chan." Her grin then became a soft smile as she glanced at the book and the others that he had given her, "I suppose that I have a lot of reading to get done. Though considering the reason..."

Even as the boy next to her nodded in agreement, Tamamo's voice piped up from the back of her mind, 'Yes, it is always best to have something in reserve that may well be very unexpected, which this counts as.' Pausing for a moment, she continued, 'And I will admit to being somewhat curious about what may be contained in the books. One can tell much about a type of magic from what is considered just the basics after all. And while I have seen wand magic, I never got the chance to use it before I went back to China.'

While she blinked at that last bit, the Kitsune shrugged and explained to a curious wizard. After which, Harry gave his own nod of agreement, "She does have a point." Frown on his face, he glanced at the books thoughtfully, "Though I guess that you reading them will need to wait until you get back." A snort though made the fourteen year old blink as he turned to his friend, "What? Did I forget something?"

Natsumi pointed at herself with an amused look, "Kitsune, a type of Yokai great at illusions. I'll bring the theory book onto the plane and start reading. It is going to be a long flight you know."

Considering that, Harry nodded a little, "I did forget the illusion part... and it will be a long flight." Grimace on his face, he glanced at her, "Up through Hokkaido, along the Russian coast to the Bering Strait, and down into Canada, right?"

Slowly, similar grimace on her face, the Kitsune sighed, "Hai. And from there, across Canada until it flies over Greenland, then Iceland, and finally to Scandinavia before turning towards Italy." Rubbing her the bridge of her nose, she shook her head, "All to avoid the mess in China."

Only shrugging, Harry gave her a sympathetic look, "I feel your pain."

That got him a snort and a shove as his friend rolled her eyes, "Of course you do. Ugh, being trapped in a metal can at forty thousand feet for over twelve hours is not going to be fun. Especially as Rei-Chan and Asuka-Chan will be getting bored soon enough..."

Yet again, Harry just gave her a sympathetic look. He could just imagine it or how he would be reacting if he was taking such a trip with Hoppou, 'Though I suppose that it would be one of the business jets that the JMSDF uses for transporting shipgirls from one area of the world to another... so it would be somewhat faster.'

Grimace still on her face, Natsumi shook her head, "I cannot wait for those new supersonic airliners to come into service. That can't happen soon enough." A chuckle made her look at Harry, "What's so funny?"

With a small shrug, the wizard had a slight smirk on his face, "You know HMS Eagle and how she's a Natural Born, right?" Getting a nod, he continued, "Apparently even before being Awoken, she was mad about aircraft. Always wanted to fly on the Concord, but since they were decommissioned before Blood Week, never got the chance." Grin widening, Harry snickered some, "Apparently she's been driving some of the other Carriers in the Royal Navy mad by going on about the 'Return to truly futuristic air travel' and how Britain is returning to supersonic comfort." Pausing for a moment, he then shrugged, "Granted, at least she isn't going on about piloting an SR-71 Blackbird anymore..."

For a brief moment, Natsumi had such a look of confusion on her face that Harry savored it. Then, she came to a realization and groaned, "Someone let her watch it read Hellsing, didn't they?"

At that, Harry snickered as he grinned widely, "Hai, they did. Apparently that's why she wears those yellow sunglasses of hers." Ignoring the muttering from Natsumi, he gave a small shrug, "Though I wouldn't expect much. I mean, the ones supposed to come out soon are basically business jets. And they're not really like the Concord since they fly at over sixty five thousand feet."

With a small shrug, the Kitsune sighed, "Which means that they're likely to get snatched up by the government and such first." She gave a look towards Harry, "Which means that you're more likely to get a chance on one than I am."

Her only answer was a number of snickers before Harry waved a hand at her before speaking in a posh accent, "Well, you cannot simply expect someone like myself to fly with plebeians, now could you."

The answer he got from his friend was to be given a shove and a playful growl before she leapt on him, "I'll show you plebeians, Harry-Chan!"

Moments later, all that could be heard was laughter as the two tickled one another.

Both teens stopped, however, when they heard giggling and found Taiyang there watching them with a highly amused look on her face. Head tilted to the side, the foxy Dao smiled, "My, my, Master, the two of you are acting much like Kits!"

Lightly blushing, Natsumi glanced at a similarly blushing Harry before shrugging and deciding to bite the bullet, "Well... we are still teens after all."

Upon hearing that, the sword slightly laughed a little, "I suppose so, Master. And it is good to see that the two of you can still enjoy simply being with one another in this way as well." Spotting the books, Taiyang gained an interested look and walked over to them, "And what do you have here now?"

With a small shrug, Natsumi leaned back some, "Harry-Chan brought over some of his old textbooks for me to look through since I'm learning wand magic. First Year stuff, but..."

Picking up one, Taiyang glanced at her and got a nod before she began to flip through it in interest, "Hmm... quite basic. But then, the basics are called that for the reason, for they are the foundation that one builds upon." Closing the book, she gave a small, proud nod towards Natsumi with a smile on her face, "I am quite pleased with you, Master! You're taking the time to actually build a foundation before learning more, Mikon!"

Just blinking at that, the Kitsune glanced at her friend who simply shrugged in reply. Then, Natsumi scratched the back of her head, "I mean... that's what you're supposed to do, right? Even though I got a kind of cheat with Kitsune-Tsuki, that doesn't mean that I should rely on just that and should make an effort to understand." Seeing the very proud look on her sword's face, she blinked, 'Wonder why that got that reaction from her...' With an internal shake of the head, Natsumi turned towards Harry, "So, what books would you suggest that I work on, Harry-Chan? After reading through the magical theory."

The two teens ignored Taiyang already having said book open and reading through it hungrily as Harry hummed, "Honestly? The Standard Book of Spells, Grade One is pretty much a go-to book for that. After that... either the Transfiguration textbook or the Charms one." Scratching his head, he frowned, "Or you could do 'The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection' after..."

Only nodding as she considered what she heard, Natsumi frowned a little, "I really want to get started on that one book of yours, Curses and Counter-Curses... but I guess that I need to have the rest done first."

Lips quirking into a small smile, Harry nodded a little bit, "Probably for the best, I didn't really get started on what was in there until partway through Second Year. But they're pretty useful just the same." Glancing at Taiyang who was muttering to herself, he shrugged a little, "But... you can also look at my notes and stuff if that helps." The teenage wizard pointed at a binder, "They're in there."

Even as she gave him a smile back, the Kitsune noted Taiyang also open said binder and flip through it with a thoughtful look, "I'll look at it later, Harry-Chan. Considering your own notes? I bet that it has a lot of interesting stuff."

With a slight chuckle, Harry flushed a little as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Well... I've also started copying down old spells and stuff that I found in the Room of Requirement. You would be amazed at what some students write in the margins. Never knew that there were so many variations of spells that people did."

Taiyang glanced at him with a small smile, "It is something to keep in mind, Harry-San, the more simple the spell, the easier it is to modify it. Even someone as young as you likely has a few variations of his own... And I look forward to seeing what you might write as well." Then, she licked her lips some, "Now then... what is this I hear about peanut butter pancakes?"

Seeing Natsumi turn to him, the fourteen year old boy chuckled nervously at the look in her eyes...

 

[darthcourt10]

Savato93

And I'm back! FINALLY!

I have to say, none of the snippets I've written up to this point have given me as much trouble as this one did. Hoping I can finally make progress, now that this is done.

XXXXXXXXXX

"I wanted to thank you again, Princess, for agreeing to do this bit of modeling. And also for letting me re-furnish my abode; normal beds and chairs and such just aren't suited for me."

"Of course, Miss Kaori. It's the least I could do after everything you've done to help the kids." Tanith glanced around the cabin the Jorogumo had claimed as her own. Most of the smaller pieces of furniture on the second floor had been taken out, leaving just a couch on one side, and a large, well-worn hammock strung up on the other. In the middle of the room there was some sort of circular platform, almost certainly for modeling purposes.

The Princess was admittedly still a bit uneasy about this whole process. It lacked the calm, polite, professional feel she got from the tailors in Hogsmeade, made her feel just a little bit like she was about to engage in some sketchy business in a home studio (which this technically was). That being said… her work with the human children had been nothing but positive. They weren't just happier with their custom-tailored clothes, they all seemed more confident, too, less prone to shying away when they noticed someone looking their way. Was Kaori's work really so effective as to raise their spirits like this?

Tanith heard the soft tik-tik-tik of Kaori's legs—all eight of them—on the wooden walls as she climbed up the stairwell behind her. "I'm sorry if things look a bit sparse. I've never owned much in the way of furniture," she explained, skittering past the Princess.

Tanith had expected the Jorogumo's full body to be big, and she wasn't wrong; Kaori took up almost as much space as an Oku-class. Her abdomen alone was over three feet wide and at least five feet long. The trunks of her legs were as thick as human thighs, and each one was at least as long as she was tall. What she hadn't been counting on, however, was her color—alternating stripes of bluish silver and yellow, with a bright red blotch on her bottom-rear. Even her eyes were different, changing from a soft brown to a sharp cobalt. Best as Kaori herself could tell, she belonged to one of the older subspecies of Jorogumo, the ones from which the Japanese orb-weaving spiders of the modern day got their name.

"Alright, let me just grab a couple of things, and we can get started." Kaori skittered over to the couch and rummaged out what looked like a roll of measuring tape and a notepad from the bag. "I can't wait to show you the design drafts I've been working on in my spare…" Her sentence trailed off as she turned around to see Tanith was already standing on the podium and working on getting her boots off, her gown neatly folded up on the floor beside her. "Has anyone ever told you how strangely calm you are when it comes to stripping down in front of other people?" She asked pointedly.

Tanith shrugged. "It's a quirk of Abyssals in general. But especially when your default attire consists of nothing but a C-string and a mantle, you get used to people seeing nearly everything."

"...compelling argument," the Jorogumo replied with a quiet chuckle. Holding up the measuring tape, Kaori came closer to the Princess. "Now, just hold still for a minute while I get your measurements, starting with the big three…"

The Princess was a bit nervous, but nevertheless did as told, letting Kaori gently wrap the tape around her midriff and over her breasts. "Okay," Kaori eventually said, as Tanith felt the tape fall away. "Hips are ninety-three centimeters, not bad. Waist is sixty-five centimeters—that's good, gives the hips a nice curve while, avoiding an excessively hourglass-y figure. And the bust..." Kaori's eight eyes widened. "Hot damn, one-oh-four! That's easily in H-cup territory!"

"I think that may be Renita's size, too..." Tanith mumbled.

"Hm?"

"Renita, one of my younger sisters. She…" Drifting off, Tanith shook her head. "It's nothing. Let's continue."

Kaori frowned for a moment, but quickly let the matter drop. "If you say so." She went on measuring Tanith's body, checking the circumference of her neck and upper arms. As she prepared to measure her skull, she paused. "Do you want me to make a hat to match your new outfit? I'm not the greatest at headwear, but I can guarantee you it'll look better than… that thing."

"No, thank you." The Princess tapped the diadem-like ornament woven into her hair. "This is enough for me."

"Good decision." Kaori made a disgusted sound. "I'm not gonna lie to you, that hat of yours is just absurd. It's like a fancy jar sitting on your head. Like, what is it supposed to be? A top hat? A chef's cap?"

Tanith gave an exasperated sigh. "I agree, it's over-the-top and I hate it. It makes me stand out even more in public, which means more people stop and baffle at me, probably remembering when I first appeared with my lack of attire. But I can't throw it away because it's part of my rigging—it's got several important sensors I need to fight. The moment I get my screws in the water, it's gonna vanish from wherever I stored it away and pop right back on my head." She hung her head with a sheepish look. "Still... Mother has fun with it. She would probably be disappointed if I told her I wanted to get rid of it."

"Hmph… Always considering others' feelings, as one would expect from a reasonable leader."

Tanith nodded. "I wouldn't be worthy of the title otherwise." Her expression turned thoughtful. "Hm… it's funny. I can't even remember the last time I was able to just air out my personal feelings to someone like this. It's relaxing."

"I'm sure it is." Kaori gave Tanith a sideways glance. "What with how you're all stiff and quiet a lot of the time, I figured you had some things bottled up, and I thought I'd lend an ear. Seems my hunch was right on the mark."

"...Your hunch?" Tanith looked at her with confusion. "What kind of hunch?"

The Jorogumo chewed her lip for a few seconds, considering her response, before nodding. "I've been observing you for a while now; it's part of my process for making clothes that suit my clients. And over time, I came to notice… you seem lonely. Not in the general sense; I think you miss having pals. People with whom you stand on even footing, people willing to debate, to compete, to just hang out and be informal with you." She waved a hand, gesturing to the nearby window. "Right now, everyone out there more or less looks up to you as a commander, a ruler, a mom… even those other Princesses defer to your authority. Of course, there's also the people who look up at you and see a scary Abyssal Princess that could kill them if she so chose—not saying you would, it's purely hypothetical. But nobody you interact with on a regular basis really treats you as Tanith, the woman instead of Tanith, the Princess." Kaori clasped her hands together. "Sorry if this feels like prying. I just wanted to check."

"You…" For a moment, Tanith was completely silent… and then she sagged in place a little, a solemn look in her eyes. "Are absolutely right."

Kaori leaned away a bit. "Oh. Did I touch on a sore subject? My bad."

"No, you're fine. It's just… " She stepped over to the window and looked outside, to the children and Abyssals playing in the open field. "When we were all separated from Mother, my sisters and I understood that somebody would have to take her place, lead what was left of the fleet towards a new home… and being the oldest sister, I was the obvious choice. But when I accepted this responsibility—when I stopped holding myself back, and allowed myself to mature into a Princess—I didn't realize just how much it would change our group dynamics."

A slow, heavy sigh. "All of a sudden, I couldn't interact with my sisters as equals, anymore. They spoke to me as if their thoughts and ideas were inherently less valid than mine. I'd want to shoot the breeze with my siblings to try and alleviate boredom, ask for their input on various things when I doubted my own judgement, only for them to agree to nearly everything I said with hardly any argument. Becoming a Dreadnought with an older, slower hull and outdated guns made it all but impossible to gauge my performance in regards to the other battleships. And faced with the threat of possible combat, my sisters' greatest priority wasn't to look after each other and stay alive—it was to keep me alive." Tanith hung her head. "It was as if… becoming a Princess meant I had stopped being their sister altogether."

Kaori sat back, letting Tanith's words sink in. Eventually, she crawled up beside the Princess and gently patted her on the shoulder. "I can relate," she said softly. "After my mother was sent to a Reserve, I was left being the only Jorogumo in my community. I had nobody to show me how to properly weave my silk. No spiderling peers to bicker with, or compete over who had the most intricate webs. I was just some skittish little spider girl nobody really wanted to hang out with."

Tanith looked over her shoulder. "You must have been so lonely." She said. "How did you cope?"

"The tailor I sold most of my silk to was kind enough to let me work part-time in his shop. His daughter was really nice to me." Kaori cocked her head. "I'm honestly not sure if I'd still be alive today, if not for her. That one friend, willing to hear my thoughts, support me when I needed to vent. Of course, once I managed to perfect my human guise and got into a tailoring school, I became the social butterfly I am now… but when I figured you were going through the same sort of struggle, I felt like it was my duty to pay it forward, by trying to be a buddy for you. You're not too opposed to that, right?"

Tanith's eyes began to glisten a bit, before she blinked away the tears and smiled softly. "You're a good person, Kaori. Thank you." She took a deep breath to calm herself. Once she lifted her chin back up, her moment of melancholy had subsided. "Maybe it's time I started delegating a bit. Going out more often, try to make some new connections outside of my immediate family and diplomats…"

"Good on ya, Princess," Kaori said in agreement, patting Tanith on the back. "The more the merrier, they say. Frankly, though—and I'm fairly sure you agree with me on this—as long as you're dressed up like the alpha slut of an albino stripper joint out on her holiday, any friends you try to make will probably be kinky and weird."

Tanith stared at her, jaw agape.

"Too crass?"

Rather than acting insulted, the Princess let out a snort, bringing a hand to her face to mask her grin. "When you put it like that, my normal attire suddenly feels so... absurd. Yet it's so accurate..."

"It's a good thing I'm here to rectify the issue, then!" Setting aside the measuring tape, Kaori reached over and grabbed a notebook set off to the side. "I already had a few rough drafts sketched out to go over with you. If you like what you see, I can go ahead and start sewing the outfits, have them ready for you to try on in a couple weeks; otherwise, we can talk about making changes to the designs until you're satisfied." She pointed to Tanith's metal claws. "Now, I know those are removable, but do you have something else you can socket into their place? It's not easy to come up with an outfit that matches them."

The Princess held up her arms, inspecting them. "Well, I asked my mother about prosthetics for everyday use—latex coverings like my sister Ruadri's, or maybe a more compact set of gauntlets—but right now, she's taking time off fleet-based activities to live her own life. When she chooses to pick up my request is up to her."

"I see..." Kaori said with a nod. "Any idea how long that will be?"

"I don't know, but my sisters and I agreed not to push the issue. She's earned a break from madness for a little while."

XXXXX

"This is boring."

"It's necessary. Seiko needs to learn basic stuff if she wants to come with Hoppou to school. Does Seiko want to sit around home all day with nothing to do?"

"Rrgh... no. I guess."

"Come on, it's just a few problems. Then we can stop."

"Okay."

"Alright… um… oh, here's an easy one: what's six times three?"

XXXXX

"Well, at any rate…" Kaori continued. "I've got a few more measurements to take. We can talk things out, maybe look at the concepts while I finish up, and then see where we go from there. That sound good to you?"

"Sure thing." Tanith was quiet for a moment as she felt the tape loop around her calf. "So… what was it like for you? Having to conceal your identity almost every waking minute of the day?"

Kaori mulled the question over for a moment. "Honestly…? The worst part had to be feeling like I was crammed into a set of super-skinny jeans all the damn time. Did you know Jorogumo can actually develop symptoms similar to decompression sickness if they stay in a human form for too long? I didn't. Spent two weeks at a company retreat, never found an opening to drop my disguise and stretch my legs a bit. Sat on the floor half-paralyzed for hours once I finally got back to the privacy of my apartment."

Tanith cringed. "Ooh. That does sound unpleasant. I'm not even sure if Abyssals like me can even get decompression sickness… going deep enough underwater fast enough to make it happen, would likely crush our hulls like empty soda cans."

"And speaking of water: our lower halves don't take being submerged well. Trapping air bubbles around the abdomen for oxygen may work for spiders smaller than a one-yen coin, but it does NOT scale up well in the slightest…"

And so the pair went on with their idle chatter, as they continued the fitting and design process. And for the first time in what felt like years, Tanith truly felt at ease… able to drop her formality and just be herself, in the company of an understanding spirit.

 

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

A.N. -- Well, I was planning to show 'Colombe meets the kittens and Wolfie Claire', but she grabbed me and took me a different direction. As a side note, every time Colombe is in Brussels for a planned* trip, she visits Église Notre-Dame de Laeken. (*The only times she skipped this visit were in 1944 fighting her way into town alongside the Allies to liberate Belgium and in 2014 getting to the airport in a tearing hurry so that she could fly to the Congo to rescue Ehren.)

Noblesse Oblige

19 August 2014

Église Notre-Dame de Laeken, Laeken, Brussels, Belgium
Spoiler: A Rapier's Respects

A young-seeming blond-haired woman dressed in haute couture walked up the steps to enter the soaring Neo-Gothic church built by Leopold I of Belgium to eternally house and remember his wife Queen Louise-Marie of Belgium.

As always when she entered this hallowed space, she gently squeezed the bouquet of lilies, white roses, and forget-me-nots tied with a silk ribbon patterned as the black, yellow, and red of the Belgian flag that fluttered from the flagpole that she had walked past to enter. After all, whenever she knew that she would be in Brussels, one of her preparations always was to get a very special bouquet prepared for her by the florist for the most important part of her visit.

Moving with the steady, automatic, confident stride of someone who had visited this church every time that she had visited Brussels since 1936, she walked down the nave, her eyes raising to the crucifix on the altar and to the soaring ceiling and stained glass before turning to the right so she could walk down the stairs to the Royal Crypt.

Tears prickled Colombe's eyes as she stopped to contemplate the tiled floor in the crypt's antechamber inlaid with all the coats of arms of the noble families and landholdings of what had been the Spanish Netherlands in her youth, then the Austrian Netherlands as a young woman, and finally Belgium.

Antwerp, Brussels, Brabant, Hainault, Flanders....

Her eyes lingered, as always, upon one coat of arms among the hundreds that ornamented the floor.

The coat of arms that was engraved upon the golden enchanted signet ring she now was wearing as her brothers, nephews, grandnephew...and her Papa had worn before her.

The coat of arms that was engraved upon her heart and soul from her earliest memories.

The coat of arms of the family of the Marquess of Chasteler and Moulbaix.

Du Chasteler

As always, she turned from contemplating her family's coat of arms and all that it meant to her so that she could enter the Royal Crypt.

As always, she paused upon entering to reflect upon what this visit meant to her.

The marble tomb of Leopold I and Louise-Marie greeted her, illuminated by the midday sun through the windows of the crypt and surmounted by the sculpted model of the state crown of Belgium.

Bowing her head reverently to honor those who slept eternally here, she then walked around the tomb of Leopold I down the right side of the crypt.

As always, she paused at the tomb of Leopold II, King of the Belgians and Sovereign of the Congo Free State. She scowled, remembering his misrule and exploitation of the subjects -- really slaves -- in the Congo and his patronage of her treacherous great-grandnephew Hippolyte du Chasteler.

But, as always, she was not here to deal with the most hated monarch of Belgium in her admittedly biased opinion.

Instead, she walked to the next crypt where Leopold II's nephew rested.

As always, she snapped to precise military attention, remembering the first time that she had met Albert I, King of the Belgians.

Even now, almost a century later, she could remember the sucking knee-deep mud, the smell, and the misery of that battered trench along the Yser River defending the last sliver of a free Belgium during the Great War.

Just as she could remember the mud-spattered plain uniform of a thirty-nine year old officer sharing the hardships of his men -- his subjects -- just as a noble, just as a monarch, should.

A monarch whom she had rubbed shoulders with in a muddy, filthy, stinking dugout lit only by a single flickering candle as they wondered if the next moment would be their last.

A monarch whom she had unburdened herself to during that endless night under artillery fire over iron rations, rough pinard red wine, and a crude table made from scrounged wood as exhausted soldiers snored around them like inmates serving their time in Purgatory.

A monarch who would allow his young son, the future king Leopold III, to enlist in the army as a private and fight in the ranks while his wife served as a volunteer nurse close to the front in stark contrast to the autocratic Leopold II.

A monarch who had broken from tradition to take his royal accession oath not just in French but in Flemish too in 1909.

A monarch who cared deeply for his people. Even -- or perhaps especially -- those whom life had dealt a losing hand of cards to such as Colombe d'Aubigny du Chasteler.

A monarch who disregarded the 'advice' of the then-Minster of Magic and his threat of ICW disapproval to ennoble the last child of the Du Chastelers into her ancestral titles and landholdings in a private ceremony in 1919 with the statement. "She fought for Belgium, fought for me in the trenches too. I see no criminal here, but a loyal Belgian patriot deserving of her family's honors."

A monarch who had acted to reform and modernize Belgium until his death in a mountaineering accident in 1936.

A monarch who his people, Walloon and Flemish alike, had mourned in their millions when he was brought here to be laid to rest. As she had mourned as she watched him pass her one last time to be placed here among his ancestors and successors into this place of honor -- not honor born like some others resting around him, but honor earned.

With that meditation, Colombe knelt and placed the bouquet at the foot of the marble bier holding Albert I and his beloved wife Elisabeth.

As always, Colombe d'Aubigny du Chasteler, Marchioness of Chasteler and Moulbaix, bowed her head and whispered from the heart as her tears fell to water the stone at the foot of the greatest King of the Belgians. "As you kept true faith and honor with me, so I forever shall keep my true faith and honor with you and Belgium... My Sovereign and My King."

 

[darthcourt10]

Digital Historian

Hidden in Plain Sight

Hr. Ms. Van Galen was in a stormy mood as her military driver navigated the car through the outskirts of Breda. High command had denied, denied!, her request to be put in charge of the defences on the eastern border. Her, who knew like no other what a German sneak attack looked like! Instead, they got the venerable Eendracht to lead the joint magical/shipgirl force. That airy sail-brain knew nothing of modern land warfare, for crying out loud! At least the intelligence is being gathered by Crijnsen, and she knows what she's doing.

Meanwhile, she was being sent to one of the magical enclaves of the southern Netherlands: Heksenwiel. The intent was for her to report to her superiors in government how ready the magical enclave was to potentially re-joining the rest of the world. She was a bit surprised when the driver parked at what for all intents and purposes looked like a completely normal shopping centre, as one would expect in any Dutch Vinex neighbourhood. After a few lost glances around, she was approached by a woman in her late teens.

"Goedemiddag!(Good afternooon) Van Galen? I'm Collette Heckx, Royal Magical Marechaussee. I was asked to show you around."

Van Galen looked the witch over. She wore her brown hair in a military bun, light blue shirt, dark blue blazer, and white trousers. On her breast was an insignia of a blue shield with a silver, sparking wand, while her shoulders held a single white chevron.

"Goedenmiddag, Wachtmeester.(Watch master)" The Destroyer said, following the human towards the large, copper sundial in the centre of the semicircle. "I look forward to being introduced to this other side of the city. Though to be honest, I had not expected to find an enclave, well, here"

"Well, the truth is that until the late 1980s, this used to be a small collection of houses and shops in the woods, hidden along the old drive behind that church." She pointed towards the modern brick-and-copper building across the road. "However, when the city expanded outwards, we cleared that so we wouldn't have hidden buildings inside non-magical buildings, and instead moved here. Unlike our cousins in the US or Britain, we've always had a pragmatic view of the separation of the worlds: hiding something with magic alone is good, hiding something without is better. And working together is best of all. Hence only those that are unable to control their magic, or do work that is obviously magical in nature separate themselves. Now, if you'd stand on the sundial please?"

Van Galen watched with attention as the Witch tapped the numbers on the dial with her wand. 1-6-9-2. The air shimmered for a moment, like a mirage at sea, before clearing. To the Destroyer's left, where there had been a hairdressers, there now was a passage into another row of shops. Atop the semicircle of apartments around them, two more floors had appeared. The woman smiled at the ship. "Welcome to Heksenwiel, designated enclave for magic in West-Brabant. Home to two-hundred magical families and fifteen shops of all sorts. Shall we?"

Johannes Petrus de Ketel, chair of the magical assembly of the 12 provinces (and assorted overseas possessions) sat in his office and leafed through the latest messages sent by the ambassador to the German confederation. 'Good, at least someone seems to have their heads on right there, trying to get a soft landing out of that mess'. He winced 'Then again, with German politics being what I remember, its like trying to land a cinderblock'. A knock on the door heralded the arrival of his secretary.

"Sir, the councillors are here to see you."

The minister thanked his aide. 'And here comes the fun. I suppose we all fight the battles God chose for us'. Three men and one woman entered the room. Councillors of Finance, Secrets, State, and Law. Simultaneously his stalwart allies and worst enemies; the proportional voting system made sure that none of their seats were truly safe – but also that they needed each other to get anything done. One shot a quick glance at the Square and the House of Parliament beyond.

Dutch magical politics were just as complex as their non-magical counterpart. For starters, there was the division between the Orangists and the Republicans, a division that went back even before the separation of the magical world. Loyalty to the Orange family was taken seriously by some of the older families, some of whom traced their histories back to fighting alongside the rebels at the Heiligerlee or Den Briel, and many of these families had serving members in the armed forces, magical or regular. Additionally, most of those that had entered the country since the early 19th Century fell on this side of the spectrum. The Republicans were often descendants of the wizards who had built their capital during 17th Century, when Amsterdam was the centre of world trade.

"Welcome, colleagues." Johannes said once they had seated themselves. "Last time we met I asked you to provide reports on the impending fall of the statute and integration with the non-magical world, and how your departments are preparing." He noticed a flash of irritation covering the face of the councillor of Finance, a representative of the fraction that opposed official integration into the non-magical world. This fraction was known as the 'Stretchers', and composed of those who wished to stay true to at least the letter of the statute, while leaving individual citizens free to stretch its spirit to the limits. He pointed at the man. "Benjamin, would Finance like to go first?"

Though he was heavy set, Benjamin Bovenaarde had a squeaky voice, so his attempt at sounding imperious fell somewhat flat. "I still maintain that it is a bad idea to push for integration as quickly as we have. Our economy is just not ready for it, and after the first year or so of magical products being in vogue, our craftsman, highly skilled wizards and witches who count on us to safeguard their livelihoods, will be competed out of existence by mass-produced cauldrons and industrial-sized farms. The voters will not forget this."

"You've made your position more than clear, Ben." The silver-haired lady to his left said. "How are you going to deal with it?"

The Councillor for Finance sighed. "We're not. If we are going to integrate into the mundane economy, there's little we can do. The only option would be to play with the exchange rate when we switch from our silver guilders to euro's – that way we might put enough money in pockets so that businesses can survive." That got him several frowns. "We can learn from the financial fiasco that was the reunification in '90, but we can't avoid it, not completely."

"Right, we will have to take it on the chin when it happens than." The minister remarked. "So, who wants to be next to add to my workload?"
Escorted by the wachtmeester, the blonde destroyer ambled through the shopping area of Heksenwiel, drawing looks wherever she went. For the most part, the stores were what she'd expected of a 'magical village': magical bookshop, shop for magical potions ingredients, magical cloak-store. One, however, she hadn't seen coming.

"Flying Bicycles!?!?"


AN:
Better late than never, right? This one has sat as a skeleton in my drawer for a long time, since November-December last year when Shaithan was doing the Magical Germany storyline. It was 80% done and then I just lost all motivation and IRL stuff happened, so it languished incomplete. I wanted to get this out, even as imperfect and late as it is, to give some foundation to the reactions to the Turtle incident in the main story. That should be done within a few days or so.

I will admit that while I'm okay at writing scenes, I am pants at writing characters, and it really shows here. Both the meeting and the visit didn't feel done, but neither were they going anywhere in particular. I hope it at least entertained people.

 

[darthcourt10]

Mushapi

Uggh. This past week has been hard and this snippet harder. Not totally pleased with it but it is done. Let me know your thoughts.

Just remember everything is Hoshi's fault she demanded the credit.
*-*-*


It all started when over tea Haruka thought. Siusan sat at the dining table with Haruka and Hoshi-dono as the three foxes enjoed various snacks in the rather cool abode of Haruka's. A rather lively discussion was being made on the various holidays of their respective cultures and the similarities and differences they held. And with that conversation Obon was mentioned and the thinning of the veil to the afterlife.

Siusan paused. Haruka glanced over at her and saw both pain and curiosity warring in her features. She reached over and took hold of Siusan's hand.

"Is everything all right love?" Haruka's question seemed to break whatever conflict Siusan was undergoing as Siusan shook her head rapidly and blinked.

"I just... hmmm. I just wish there was some way. Some way for Harry child and you to meet them. Those children I watched for centuries. To give him an opportunity to meet his mother... and father and all his ancestors."

Hoshi-dono raised her eyebrow appraising Haruka's love.

"And if you had a way would this be for them or yourself. Siusan-san you are still coming to terms with your past and I want you to think deeply. If this is to absolve your feelings of guilt than you will only set yourself back from the progress you have been making."

Haruka observed Hoshi-dono. What she saw on the other woman was concern. Haruka waited while Siusan found her answer.

"My guilt is my own while I admit that I would love the opportunity to speak to them again, to hold them, my opportunity is past. But for Harry who was robbed her parents and Haruka who was robbed everything I just want them to have that opportunity. "

Siusan stared into her teacup and sighed. Haruka chose that moment to speak.

"Siusan, my heart, not that I would not love the opportunity to speak with our children once more but this is not something you should torment yourself with. Just be here for Harry and I. He loves you and by being with us even if we can never meet them ourselves we meet them through you."

Siusan looked into her eyes with such warmth and smiled at her. Butterflies danced within her breast.

"Well I believe that I have seen what I wanted to see in regards to your resolve Siusan-san," Hoshi began. "While I cannot promise there is a way for Harry and Haruka to meet your descendant and Harry's parents may I recommend speaking to young Haru-chan. She may know a manner or two of communicating to the deceased that might apply."

Siusan beamed and in a moment of joy rose from her seat and hugged the larger fox woman.

"What a wonderful idea Hoshi, truly I appreciate it."

Haruka gave Hoshi-dono a smirk as the older kitsune responded with a bemused smile.

Siusan let go embarrassed at her own outburst. Straightening her dress she composed herself before apologizing.

"Sorry about that Hoshi, it just it has been plaguing me since I met Harry child and Nagato. She mentioned to me about speaking to Lily child during her, oh what's the word, refit! Yes during her refit and ever since then I had hoped to give Harry an opportunity to speak to her and James. And if that is possible it might be possible for Haruka to meet some of her decendents. Of course barring that I would be happy to give Harry some sort of journal that he could communicate with Lily child and James."

A vertible flood had been unleashed as Siusan began to plot out multiple ways to possibly allow Harry and Haruka to visit with their deceased loved ones. Hoshi-dono tilted her head towards Haruka before giving her a smug grin. Haruka gave an exasperated sigh and moved over to her love before her ridiculousness truly overcame her. She kissed Siusan to break up her ramblings before turning to Hoshi-dono.

"My apologies Hoshi-dono but it appear my love is a bit distracted at the moment, perhaps we can finish our tea at another time."

And with that she dragged Siusan into the bedroom.

Hoshi sat at the table and finished her tea. Seeing her friends so lively made her grin. Grabbing one more sandwich, she made her way out of the house and quietly closed the door behind her.

 

[darthcourt10]

RCNAnon

Weasley's Warship Workshop 19


The four 381mm shells all missed, passing by the enemy Re-class by mere feet to skip out into the Atlantic. This allowed it to finish bringing its guns to bear, the heavy 406mm guns taking aim at her from close range. With almost no room to maneuver the Re-class evil grin trained on her from close range even as her gunners desperately cycled the breeches.

The 406mm barrels finally finished their aiming and she could see the AP shell caps inside, just before fire spat and..."

Jean Bart woke with a start, her eyes blinking open as her boilers spiked higher than normal during her wake up cycle.

That wasn't what happened. That wasn't anything at all like what happened.

Sitting upright Jean Bart got out of bed and headed to her bathroom. Using the sink to splash her face with cold water she looked at herself in the mirror. With her hair down for sleeping she looked somewhat a mess, able to make a good imitation of Lady Godiva if she ever felt the need to act like her sister in public. Aside from that nothing was wrong so why…?

She'd been thinking about it, that was why.

Specifically because she was going to tell him. To tell Ron how she'd come back and the fight that had been her first and only true engagement. Even if calling it an engagement could possibly be a bit of a stretch. Still she wanted to tell him, had to tell him about it. Even if it gave her dreams like this.

Letting out a breath of air to push a rogue strand of hair out of her face, she stood and got her shower started. Today was going to be important for a number of reasons. Hopefully it would go as smoothly as she planned.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Passel House, Hampshire, England. January 4th, 2014.

Jean Bart pulled up to the drive of Passel House, finding the gate closed as it usually was. Thankfully it opened up rather promptly, saving her from thinking about anything for too long. She'd already contemplated why she kept driving there instead of inviting Ron to Toulon.

One of the reasons was simple convenience, she was not on duty much of the time and Ron had his school which was inconveniently placed for quick travel. So Passel House was as much a middle ground as they were likely to find. Secondly, she was the one asking things of him. That meant it only made sense for her to go to him, even if he would never claim such a thing. Lastly, Richelieu had recently mentioned wanting to meet Ron in person. She wasn't sure she was ready for that. She was absolutely sure that Ron wasn't ready for it and she didn't trust her sister not to drop in on them if it was convenient for her.

Reminiscing on her own reminiscing had gotten her to the front door, where she found Victoria waiting for her like normal.

"The Young Master is out back in his workshop." Victoria's voice was crisp as always, though Jean Bart was finally sure that it had eased slightly from when she'd first started coming to Passel House. "He is expecting you."

"Thank you Victoria. I'll just pull around then." Jean Bart nodded to the Head Maid.

"Shall I have any refreshments sent out?"

Jean Bart paused, her mind flitting to what she had to say to Ron. Normally she would instantly say no but…

"Tea perhaps? Green or Chamomile if you have it. I have some things to discuss with Ron today."

"I will have Lara bring some green tea for you and the Young Master. Perhaps some light pastries as well?"

Jean Bart nodded.

"Yes… Thank you again."

Victoria nodded incrementally in turn as Jean Bart turned her motorcycle back on and rather sedately cruised back around to the former garage now turned workshop for Ron and Summer.

Climbing off her bike she found the door closed, though unlocked. Knocking on it once, she waited a short while before opening it and heading inside. She'd been there a few times before, as Ron had taken her there to discuss work on her repairs and upgrades since she arrived.

This time she found him seated at what seemed to be "his" desk once more, the heavy wooden thing some indeterminate (to her at least) dark sort of wood that looked like it had been built around the time her namesake had been terrorizing Dutch sailors. It was well preserved though, despite many scars. Ron was deep into a book which seemed to contain several sketches of her power plants, along with a French-English dictionary and a notepad that was heavily marked in scribbles and scrawls which he seemed to have no issue deciphering.

He looked small behind it no doubt but she was already seeing what she was rather sure Warspite and Duke of York saw in him. It would not be small on him for long, not with the spirit he contained.

As Ron continued on, oblivious, Jean Bart decided that she wasn't going to wait on him to look up. It wasn't her to be so nervous… or admit if she was. So instead she cleared her throat and strode over to Ron, her leg nearly bumping the side of his desk before he managed to look up properly.

"Jean Bart! I'm sorry, I didn't realize you'd arrived." His voice contained a genuine happiness to see her, something which she appreciated more than ever after her latest talk with Richelieu and the gift he'd sent her.

"That's fine Ron, you are busy after all." She nodded down to the plans. "Things are still going well yes?"

"Oh yes, yes. Going very well. Summer and Angie are just about finished with the plans to build everything, though Summer is just a bit distracted at the moment. We managed to get her permission to build a few ships from the Admiralty for Christmas, she's been practically glowing ever since."

Jean Bart raised her eyebrow at that. Permission for an abyssal to build ships? It seemed strange to her to even consider it but given the general temperament she'd seen of Summer… it had some promise. The British were hardly ones to actively screw up the balance of naval power after all.

"Interesting. Though if you'll forgive the tardiness, I've got a Christmas gift for you as well." Jean Bart rested her aft lightly on the desk and pulled out a small package from her hold behind her back, before placing it in front of Ron.

"Oh! Thank you Jean Bart but you didn't have to do that." Ron took the small package with clear interest, examining it for a moment before opening up the packaging. Inside were two smallish items. One was a mobile phone, a relatively new though definitely more sturdy model, the other a small plastic card with Ron's face on it.

Ron looked at each for a moment, not quite getting what they were before his eyes went wide.

"A mobile phone? Jean Bart you really shouldn't have done this… I mean, aren't these pretty expensive nowadays?"

"Not really. At least not with all the discounts I can get from my position." It was slightly expensive, especially since she'd gotten it setup so it would definitely work in both Britain and France but it was worth it to her.

"Still… and this… this is a pass for Toulon right?" Ron peered at the card, which was written in French.

"Yes it is. It's not nearly the same as the one Warspite informed me you have for the Royal Navy but it will allow you passage inside at the very least, if you ever find yourself in need of such a thing."

Ron looked at the card for a moment more and then back to the phone for before looking back up at her.

"Jean Bart… I don't know what to say aside from thank you. I didn't even get you anything proper in return…"

Jean Bart shook her head.

"No Ron, you very much have." She pulled the folio he'd sent her out from her holds, setting it down on top of what he had been working on before then tapping it with one finger. "This folder, all of these sketches… the only thing you could have granted me even greater than this would have been to give me my rebuild. And we both know that you are already working as hard as you can on that."

Ron opened his mouth as if to dispute this, then closed it and nodded.

"I… well I'm glad you liked them so much." He smiled once more, then looked back to the phone. "I won't be able to take it to school with me though. No electricity up there unless you have an active generator."

"I remembered you mentioning something about magic not getting along with electricity very well. Even if you can't take it with you there, you can use it while you're here." Jean Bart paused, then continued as she fought down a wave of mild embarrassment. "I took the liberty of putting some numbers in there that I thought you might need or knew you'd used before. My personal number, my sisters and the one you used to contact Admiral Chirac's office to start. There's also internet access and some programs I though you might find useful. Translation things mostly."

Ron simply grinned then set the phone down and stood up.

"Thank you Jean Bart. I can tell you put a lot of thought into this." He started to lean in for what was clearly supposed to be a hug, then stopped. "I… uhm…"

"It is fine Ron. I don't mind." Jean Bart was by nature, not exactly a touchy person. Between Richelieu's… enthusiasm when it came to greetings and a few incidents which she did her best to forget about at the moment, she wasn't exactly frigid but it took the right sort of person for her to allow them close in that sort of manner. Ron was now in that group, one of a very select number. She even managed a small smile for him.

Ron grinned and leaned in again, this time wrapping his arms around her and tilting his head in an appropriate manner away from anything sensitive. Jean Bart put one of her arms around him in turn, feeling her boilers flutter at the touch.

Ron seemed to have a good feel for how comfortable she was and he pulled away shortly after, not lingering on the gesture and instead settling for one of his trademark grins.

"Thank you Jean Bart. Truly."

"You are welcome Ron." Jean Bart paused, settling slightly more on the desk. "Though if you don't mind, would you listen to a story I wish to tell you? I think it… important for you to hear."

Ron's face immediately got somewhat more serious, taking in her change of tone.

"Of course I will. Especially if it is important."

"Thank you Ron."

There was a knock at the door then, with Lara pushing in a tray with some warm green tea and pastries on it.

"Excuse the interruption Young Master, Ms. Bart. The Head Maid said you wanted this."

"Thank you Lara." Ron nodded to the woman, making room on his desk with a few efficient motions. Lara placed the items in the offered location, then quickly bustled out of the workshop.

"I guess you asked for this?" Ron looked up to Jean Bart.

"Yes. This might take a while so I thought refreshments best." Jean Bart looked at the items and then stood. "Let me get a chair and then I will start."

Ron nodded, leaving Jean Bart to grab the nearest chair along with a cup of warm tea before taking a breath.

"Like most of us it starts with my past life…"
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
AN: Another snip from me. It's a setup for something I've been wanting to write for a while, so while it's important I'm also not sure on its quality. It might just be that Jean Bart is somewhat uncharacteristically serious/more vulnerable than normal and that's throwing me off a bit. I'd appreciate any comments on what you think.

 

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

A.N. -- Colombe suddenly realizes that Hizir is a manipulative bastard and a half since she didn't want pets for her kids, buuut.... So Prepare Thine Pancreases (and click the links)!

Butterknives, For One, Welcome Their New Feline Overlords!

19 August 2014

Castle Moulbaix, Belgium
Spoiler: The Naming of Kätzchen!

The du Chasteler daughters squealed in delighted chorus, "Kätzchen!!"

Ehren then looked at Claire, seeing her excited grin mirrored on her sister's face as a chorus of soft meows provided background noise.

The icing on the cake was when the piano playing in the distance shifted from Johann Strauss to Andrew Lloyd Webber's music from Cats.

Ehren's eyes twinkled as she hurried to the table where her phone was on its charger as she mentally touched her avatar downstairs to alert the Imps about the sudden bounty of treasure that had arrived in the mail.

Claire carefully reached inside the steamer trunk to pull out one of the half-dozen eight-week old kittens from the squirming and meowing mass of white fur and fluff filling the half of the slightly space-expanded trunk (complete with their own food and water dispensers and a small litter box) that did not have books and smaller boxes separated by a divider.

The young Turkish Angora kitten promptly blinked his blue eyes at the enthralled Muramasa piano and sunk his claws into her heart to take possession of Claire with a cute little meow and yawn that caused her to visibly blush and melt.

Ehren continued to get blackmail pictures and video while Claire cuddled the kitten. Then with a sly smile, she spoke as she filmed the two. "So, Claire, what's your new friend's name? Or do you want me or the others to name him?"
Spoiler: Kittens In Moulbaix!

Claire cooed to the kitten before placing a kiss on the top of his head between the ears as she cuddled him. "Oh, he's certainly Mozart!"

Ehren facepalmed mentally at the name from the music-mad piano then grinned. "You name the white ones and I name the ones with color?"

Claire put the now-named Mozart down to begin to explore the wonders of Ehren's room and reached inside to grab his sisters. "Deal, little sister."

While the Imps charged upstairs, the green-eyed Brahms and the odd-eyed Beethoven were being named, given suitable amounts of Piano Cuddles, and were joining Mozart in playing with the fringed tassels of the blanket on Ehren's bed where they hung just above kitten head level along with a ball formed from waste paper from the basket.

After, it should be noted, Brahms had to be evicted from an unauthorized exploration of Ehren's shoe rack.

Claire picked up the fourth and final Angora kitten. Gold and blue eyes blinked lazily at Claire who cuddled her and then exclaimed in delight. "Oh I know your name! You must be Chopin!" The now-named Chopin purred and stretched lazily under Claire's petting before being deposited on the floor, where she began to fastidiously groom herself.

As Chopin finished her toilette, the door was flung open to allow Misaki and Chihiro to see what was on display. A happy chorus of "Koneko!!" sounded from the Imps as Miho and Nongqawuse looked over their heads.

Claire peeked inside the steamer trunk once more as the Imps began to play with the four white Turkish Angora kittens. "The other three all have colors, Ehren. It's your turn to name them."

The Dagger's face split in a broad grin. Ehren rubbed her hands together after handing her phone over to Nongqawuse to film her naming the remaining kittens. "Zu Befehl, meine große Klavierschwester!"(By your command, my big piano sister!")

With that, Ehren picked up the first Turkish Van kitten and gave a happy shy smile as she petted and cuddled him. "Hmm... I think for you," Ehren murmured as she stared into loving brown-gold eyes as the about-to be named kitten meowed at her, "Ja, Sie heißen Siegfried!"(Your name is Siegfried!)

With that decision, she deposited the now-named Siegfried on the floor beside her. Siegfried promptly scampered over to pounce upon the ball of paper, batting it wildly across the floor while he meowed in excitement.

Ehren then turned to the last two kittens in the box. A set of blue eyes blinked while another odd-eyed cat greeted her with a meow. "Und Sie.... Sie heißen Brünnhilde und Sieglinde! Blaue Augen für Brünnhilde!"(Blue eyes for Brünnhilde!)

The now-named Brünnhilde blinked her blue eyes again as Ehren grabbed her and began to cuddle her eagerly while Misaki reached inside to liberate her sister Sieglinde. The jorogumo child then giggled as Sieglinde purred and yawned happily in the spider Yokai's arms.

----------------------


Lunch was slightly delayed by the need to provide a plate of finely minced chicken breast and large bowls of milk and water for the new feline house guests.

Who, it should be noted, were overjoyed at the hearty 'Welcome to Moulbaix' meal provided by their new house slaves on Colombe's fine antique china.

Shortly after hastily finishing her sausages for lunch, Ehren grabbed the keys to the Reparo-Wagen, her checkbook for the family's funds, and her dagger body to head to Ath for a set of unplanned emergency purchases ganz schnell.(real quick)

Eight hundred dollars and just under a hour and a half later, Hurricane Ehren returned with the car full of bags of dry kitten food, cans of wet kitten food, cat treats (chicken, beef, and fish), kitty litter and litter boxes, seven cat beds and carriers, an assortment of cat toys (Ehren, being Ehren, had started at one end of that aisle at the pet supplies store and grabbed one of everything marked for cats like she was on blitzkrieg as she cleaned the store out with ruthless efficiency), grooming supplies, four books on the care of cats for first time owners, seven colorful nylon collars complete with copper name tags inscribed with names and the castle's phone number along with small brass bells (much to the future disgust of Brahms, Siegfried, and Sieglinde who hated giving notification that they were on the prowl hunting the castle's mouse population), and a planned schedule of visits to the vet for initial checkups, chipping, identification, immunizations, and licensing of the kittens.

Let it not be said that Ehren du Chasteler was incapable of decisive action in an unexpected crisis.

After unloading the results of her plundering Ath of available cat-related resources, Ehren bee-lined to the sound of the piano. Ehren then found out that Claire had taken over Mutti's study to serenade the seven little furballs who were being played with by Claire, the Imps, Nongqawuse, and Miho as they explored their new home.

A fast consultation with Best Big Piano Sister later (and a good deal of evil giggling by the conspirators) resulted in a cunning plan being hatched on how to spring the news on Mother, whose arrival was expected momentarily.

The plan was refined further when the unwitting Tokunotakai arrived to talk to Colombe and promptly fell victim to the adorable ambush of the Koneko-chan who awaited her.

Clearly Masamune steel was insufficient to handle cuteness of this magnitude.

Which all set the scene for Colombe's arrival later that afternoon.....

----------------------


Spoiler: Colombe Arrives

Colombe pulled the Audi up and parked in her garage.

Getting out, she stretched and walked up the steps to her front door, humming idly. The drive back had been annoying with the traffic, but the trip had been a success with all the business she needed to get done accomplished, along with lunch at one of her favorite bistros.

She then blinked at the sight of Ehren in visible distress. "What's wrong, Ehren?"

Ehren sniffled, "M-m-m-mutti, you have to come and see! It's Claire!" In the distance upstairs a piano played a Chopin nocturne softly and sadly.

Colombe blanched and sprinted up the steps with Ehren on her heels. She missed the well-hidden smug grin that the dagger had as she watched the Belgian rapier fall into the awaiting trap.

Colombe hit the top of the stairs and dashed down the hall toward Claire's sitting 'music room' where the piano was playing.

"Don't worry, Claire! Mother's coming!" Colombe shouted as behind her Ehren filmed her mad dash to her daughter's side.

Colombe flung the door open, only for her shocked face and dropped jaw to get immortalized by the phones in a suspiciously serene-faced Toku, a grinning Kasuyu (holding Claire's phone), and the smirking Ehren's hands as she boggled at the sight inside.

Ehren finished the ambush with the rehearsed line as planned by her as Colombe stared at the scene in disbelief. "Claire had KITTENS, Mutti!!"

The piano promptly shifted from the somber Chopin nocturne into a tune arrangement that expressed louder than words that she had gotten Mother good while the wolf gave a lupine smug grin and the rest of the du Chasteler household laughed.
Spoiler: We Got Mother Good!

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Bemused as he watched Natsumi chomp into a peanut butter pancake happily, Harry's lips twitched as a chuckle escaped him, "I don't think that I need to ask if you like them."

Softly scoffing, the Kitsune took another bite of the rolled up pancake smeared with peanut butter before chewing and swallowing, "That would be rather silly of you, Harry-Chan." Glancing to the side, Natsumi smirked a little, "And I think that someone else agrees with me."

When he turned in that direction, Harry could see Taiyang attempt to shove an entire peanut butter pancake into her mouth. However, the Dao paused and only bit off what was there before chewing and swallowing, finally washing it down with some tea, "Master wounds me, Mikon! There should be no doubt of it."

Lips madly twitching, the wizard laughed lightly, "I suppose so." Head tilted to the side, he looked down at Natsumi, "So... what do you want to do today then since it'll probably be a week or two before we see each other?"

Considering that, Natsumi gave the matter some thought before tilting her head, "Actually... I want to see if we can hold the Kitsune-Tsuki all day. Just... to see."

Despite her not saying more, Harry understood what she meant and smiled some, "Understood, and I don't mind."

From where she sat, the Dao raised an eyebrow, "I find myself curious as to what you look like. Master did explain a little, but... as they now say, seeing is believing after all. And I am rather intrigued."

Suddenly, Harry spoke up with a thoughtful look, "If you want... we can test it out more."

Now curious, Natsumi looked up at him with a small blink, "What do you mean, Harry-Chan?"

With a hum, the fourteen year old boy shrugged his shoulders a little bit, "Well... we could test out if we can keep up Kitsune-Tsuki when asleep. That is, if you don't mind me staying the night and neither does your family."

Head cocked to the side, Natsumi considered the question for a few moments before lightly blushing, 'Being that close to Harry-Chan... even when we're asleep...'

Deep in her mind, Tamamo chuckled a little, 'And would that be such a bad thing, Child? To have Our Harry so close to us when both you and him are at your most vulnerable? I believe that I already know the answer though...'

Mentally chuckling herself, the teenage Kitsune gave a slight nod, 'I suppose that you do.' Outwardly, she smiled up at Harry, "I don't think that anyone would have much issue with it, Harry-Chan. But..." Eyebrows furrowing, Natsumi frowned a little bit, "Won't you need to contact Nagato-San and such to ask permission? Not to mention Hoppou-Chan as well as Seiko-Chan..."

Somewhat to her surprise, Harry shook his head, "That's not that big of an issue actually. Hoppou won't mind in this case because she'll understand, and Aeroprin would be there. Probably invite Wokyuu as well..." Pausing for a moment to consider, he shook it off, "As for Mum? She's away at the moment for the next day or two."

Eyebrows raised, Taiyang blinked and looked at him, "Oh? Nagato-San is away?"

Humming, the teenage wizard nodded a little bit, "Hai, she's away on JMSDF business for the next day or so. And she wouldn't mind much at all to be honest."

Due to knowing him for so long, Natsumi understood that there was likely something else there that he was not telling her. But it was also because she knew him so well and for so long that she also understood that it was not that he did not want to tell her, but couldn't. Something that told the Kitsune that whatever was happening, it was likely top secret for a very good reason.

Thus, the teenage Kitsune only smiled and nodded at that, "Sounds good to me, Harry-Chan." Getting off his lap, even though she really did not want to, Natsumi stood and stretched. Part of her was amused at how Harry watched as her shirt rode up slightly before giggling, "So... shall we get started, Harry-Chan?"

Amused, Harry also stood and nodded, "Hai..." Reaching out, he took her hands in his, "You just want to shock your parents, don't you?"

Needless to say, the grin he got made him laugh and was all the answer that he needed.

Moments later, Harry was able to feel the tingle in his palms as him and Natsumi concentrated on performing Kitsune-Tsuki. With his eyes open, he could see how the Kitsune seemed to grow transparent, almost like a ghost, even as small sparks of fox fire fell from her and entered him before she vanished entirely. Within his mind, and soul, he could feel Natsumi's as they clicked together.

Then, he could feel his form began to shift as the two of them opened to each other fully. What he did not notice was how Taiyang's eyes widened as she watched the process as Harry's hair grew longer, coming down to midway down her back, the color a dark auburn with highlights of ebony and lighter auburn. More than that, the Dao observed as his ears grew longer, pointed, and furred as they moved to the top of his head. All the while, his figure also changed with his legs becoming slightly more longer and his form going from masculine to androgynous even as two fox tails grew from his tailbone.

Once the transformation was done, Harry's now changed face turned to her and smiled before he spoke in a voice that was a distinct blend of his and Natsumi's, "Well? What do you think?"

Silent for a few seconds, Taiyang's bronze colored eyes met the slightly different eyes of Harry's, one golden with emerald green flecks that sparkled and the other being emerald green with golden flecks which shone. Finally, she gave him a smile as she hoped to her feet, "I believe that you have done an excellent job, Master, Harry-San! Very good!" Moments later, she leapt at them and glomped them, subjecting their body to marshmallow hell, "Mikon!"

It went without saying that the shared body of Harry's and Natsumi's began to blush heavily at what just happened. Meanwhile, inside of their shared mindscape, the Kitsune was even more embarrassed, '{That is... very troublesome, Harry-Chan...}'

With an internal sigh, and more than a little mortified as he knew what she meant, Harry grumbled back some, '{Tell me about it...}'

Eventually, to their combined thankfulness, Taiyang did let go which meant that they were able to make their way to the mirror. While they were able to get a very good look before, now in the room illuminated by the morning Sun, the two were able to see a lot more. For several moments, they turned in one direction and then another as they looked themselves over fully.

After a few moments, Natsumi nodded their shared body even as she communicated to them, '{Huh... we look pretty good, you know.}' When Harry had their body strike a pose, she giggled, '{What are you doing, Harry-Chan!?}'

Snickering back, Harry shook their head, '{Just wanted to see how it looked.}'

That got a snort from the Kitsune inhabiting his body before she went silent and thoughtful even as he adjusted their clothes. After a few moments, she gave a mental nod, '{Hmm... you know, if we need to, my clothes would likely fit this form. And probably look pretty good.}'

Briefly, she got an amused mental look from Harry, '{Do you mean that I don't look pretty good anyways?}'

Once more, Natsumi snorted, '{No, you do pull off looking like a girl pretty well, Harry-Chan. Just that we could probably pull it off even better.}' Getting a chuckle, she hummed a little, '{Just thinking more that right now? The two of us look like either a slightly boyish girl, or a really pretty boy. Though we are one hundred percent male, so there is that...}'

Nodding in agreement, the male of the two did various stretches and the like before shaking their head, '{Thankfully.}'

When he fell silent for a few seconds, Natsumi raised a mental eyebrow, '{Harry-Chan? What is it?}'

Just blinking, Harry gave a mental shrug, '{It's nothing, just thinking about something.}' Getting a nudge to continue, he did so, '{Well... I know that you want to practice more wizarding magic, but... I was wondering if we could practice some Kitsune arts. Kitsune-Bi, illusions, that sort of thing. So that I can get a feel for them.}'

Moments later, he blinked as he could feel the brilliant smile the Kitsune gave him in both his mind and soul, '{Harry-Chan, all you had to do was ask. And I would be honored to start teaching you.}'

That got a smile from Harry and he nodded, '{Thank you.}' With a final nod, he turned their body away from the mirror and began walking towards the door, "So... how about we go and break some brains, hmm?"

Giggles and a mental nod as well as a feeling of anticipation were what he got in return.

Needless to say, a few seconds later they entered the Kitsune and Haru turned from where she was talking with Sakuya, "Natsumi-Chan? Where's Harry..."

Seeing their combined form, she trailed off and stared alongside Sakuya as well as Kensuke as Harry and Natsumi walked in with one combined body. Waving their hand, Natsumi smiled as she spoke in a voice that leaned more to her end, "Hello, Oba-Chan, Haha-ue, Chichi-ue." Hearing a choking sound, she turned and grinned some at a gobsmacked Hoshi, "Hoshi-San! You're here as well."

Very slowly, the Kyuubi blinked before looking at her cup of tea. Looking back at the teens, she stared for a moment, "Natsumi-Chan... Harry-San... is that really you?"

The grin she got back was the perfect combination of Natsumi's foxy grin and Harry's lopsided one, "Hai, what do you think?"

Once more blinking, Hoshi looked them up and down, "... Right now? That I really should not be surprised when the two of you pull off something that should be impossible. Because you really should not have gotten the hang of this so quick." At the snickers from the teens, she pinched her nose, "I really shouldn't be surprised."

Getting out of her chair, Sakuya walked up to them and placed her hands on the teen's combined form before smiling, "Congratulations, the both of you." Head tilted to the side, she hummed, "How long can you keep it up?"

Yet again, when the teens spoke it was Natsumi as shown by how the voice leaned more towards hers, "We're actually going to try and hold it all day and into the night. Harry-Chan is going to contact Hoppou and let her know that he's staying over. We'll see if we can keep it up while sleeping."

Considering that, Haru finally snapped out of her surprise and gave them a nod, "That... would be a good idea. A very good one as a matter of fact." Sipping her own tea, she hummed, "Any other ideas?"

With a shrug, when the teen spoke it was Harry who did so as the voice now leaned towards his, "Well... we're going to practice some wand magic, and Natsumi is going to get me started on some Kitsune arts, so..."

Each of the Kitsune there simply nodded in agreement with Sakuya telling him that she would help with the second. Granted, they did wonder where exactly Nagato was, though like Natsumi they understood that it was likely secret for a reason...

____________________________________________________________________

Roughly forty miles from Izu Oshima there was a small group of islands, with the largest of which was no more than three kilometers long. They had been some of the islands hidden by magicals before the turn of the century. Once, after WWII, it had been used as a temporary camp by ICW Occupational Forces. But after the war, it had been abandoned for years until shortly before Harry's first year, a shipgirl patrol had found them.

Now, the largest island in the group had a small airstrip on it as well as some prefab buildings. The same wards that hid them now helped hide the island against any Abyssals that came too close, and so created the perfect spot for the JMSDF to test out weapons without being noticed. Which was helped by what was on the second largest island, which was mostly flat.

There, rising above the sandy, grassy ground, stood a hull that had been built into place. Roughly the size of a WWII era Heavy Cruiser, complete with fake guns, it stood. Arms crossed as he looked at the large screen showing said fake ship, Goto had a thoughtful look on his face, "Rather impressive."

Adjusting her glasses as she glanced at the clipboard she had, Ooyodo hummed, "Hai, if that was a ship, she would be roughly twelve thousand tons." Glancing at some of the other screens, which showed various points inside, the Light Cruiser hummed, "I will admit that I am more than slightly impressed that they built the insides like an actual ship."

Yonehara just snorted a little bit as he shrugged, "Of course they did, or else she would not be effective as a test." Sucking his teeth, he shook his head, "Don't get me wrong, the fact that the spirits of ships don't seem to mind SINKEXs is a weight off our shoulders, but we can't exactly sacrifice a warship for that. Not when we need every single one. Still... I do sort of feel bad for her."

From where she stood beside her husband, Ashigara blinked, "Oh?"

Grimace on his face, the Admiral glanced towards Goto and shrugged, "Her whole purpose is to just sit there and basically get blasted and blown up time and again. All so that we can test things that would be used against the Abyssals. Just... makes you feel bad for her."

Patting his shoulder gently, Ashigara gave him a kiss on the cheek before pulling away, "It will be fine, Yonehara-Kun. Besides, we have one or two magicals who can repair her."

Only nodding, Yonehara grunted a little.

Meanwhile, Goto hummed as he looked over his own clipboard before nodding, "According to this, she has Battleship armor?"

With a slight frown, Ooyodo nodded some, "Hai, while not the same as on warships, they used Chobham armor to get a similar thickness. It should give us a good idea as to the effects on an Abyssal Battleship at least." Glancing towards one of the technicians, Ooyodo got a nod, "Ah, it seems that all the weapons stores and such have been placed on her. The test should happen in the next half hour."

Even as the Admiral nodded, twenty miles away, the JDS Asuka plowed through the waves with various shipgirls escorting her. Among them, Nagato was leading the formation of escorts as her own floatplanes flew above the islands. Enterprise launched another group of planes into the air, which flew out and around, "So, what do you think of this, Nagato?"

Glancing over at her, the Battleship considered her thoughts for several moments before frowning, "I believe that it will be... interesting and informative in any case." Remembering some recent incidents, she grimaced, 'And if it helps prevent Nagato-Chan and the others from needing to fight..."

Back in the main building on the island, Goto looked over at the timer as it counted down the seconds towards the test before looking towards one of the cameras which showed a corridor on the Shinkirō, as she had been called. Said corrido had a number of ballistic dummies set up to take the place of crew. As the counter reached zero, the Admiral glanced at the other high ranked officers and nodded, "Begin the test."

With a sharp nod, a technician contacted the Asuka. Moments later, on one video monitor, they watched as a missile was launched and climbed high into the sky on a plume of smoke and fire before turning towards the target and coming close to the ocean's surface as programmed. As soon as it entered the wards ten miles out and could "See" the target, it sped up as it locked on.

Everyone watched as it impacted the hull just after the end of the superstructure on the stern before detonating in a flash of fire and violence. One powerful enough that it blew nearly the entire stern at that point off with red hot shards of metal flung high into the air and leaving most of the stern a smoking, twisted ruin. The explosion was so severe, that the hull itself tilted slightly from it.

On the screens, various internal cameras recorded a wave of fire and shrapnel shooting down corridors, ripping apart ballistic dummies and twisting the internal structure before some of said cameras were themselves destroyed.

For several moments, those who watched the carnage simple stared for a few moments before Enterprise took off her hat and stared into nothingness as she watched the plume of fire and smoke darken as it continued to rise, the sound of the explosion and secondary ones fading away, "Holy shit..."

In the Command center, Goto frowned as he looked from one screen to another with a slow nod, "I do believe that was a successful test. Ooyodo, your thoughts?"

The Light Cruiser chewed on said thoughts for several moments even as the flames continued to rage, "I think that we need to wait until the investigation teams are done, but... Hai, I believe that this is rather successful as well..."

Later that night, Goto and the others were all gathered in a conference room as video was played of the weapons test from various angles, inside and outside the test hull were played at a slow speed. That was followed by damage reports and photos, at the end of which, Tanaka shook his head, "Fucking hell... if this is right, then a Battleship Princess would likely be badly damaged by a single one of these hitting, am I right?"

Up at the front of the room, one of the Officers for Fleet Research and Development nodded, "Hai, that is the expectation for the new warheads. If they hit, they should do much more damage than the current ones being used."

Richardson frowned a little as he flipped through the pages in front of him, being there as the USN representative for the tests, "It was mentioned that the new warheads are using the new high explosive developed, correct? With help from... a certain thing?"

Only nodding, the FR&D Officer frowned, "Hai, that is true." Then, his frown became a slight smirk, "Thanks to the gift we received, we have been able to crack mass production for octanitrocubane with the high density crystal structure that works best. It is shock proof, while still being extremely... heh, explosive."

A female Officer also from the research section gave a small shrug with a chuckle, "Of course, we are now working on an explosive using octaazacubane alongside our allies in the US, Canada, and Australia among others, which we expect to bare fruit before the decade is out. Still, this test has shown that it is very effective. And we have already started testing the new mixture for torpedoes as well, which should boost them to the point to be a true threat to Abyssal Capital Ships."

Various nods met that pronouncement and various other questions were asked and answered. But, generally, more than one of the Officers there internally chuckled and smirked at the likely reactions from the Abyssals when they got hit with the new warheads. Something that brought warmth to all their hearts...

 

[darthcourt10]

Digital Historian

Hidden in Plain Sight II

Despite the dark mood that had gotten her assigned the task to check out the place, Van Galen had to admit she'd enjoyed her time shopping. She had picked up couple of bags of sweets for Crijnsen, a stealth-charmed bracelet for O19, a Lady Chastity bodice ripper for Hertog Hendrik, and a pallet of lumpur rolls for Java and Sumatra. She leaned over the balcony overlooking the sundial and sighted contently in the afternoon sun.

They were visiting the apartment of Marie Ravensveer, the elder sister of one of her magical crewmen. The otherwise dignified centenarian had had tears streaming down her face when she was reunited with her long-lost younger brother, who had died in the defence of Rotterdam in May 1940; both the Destroyer and her escort had stepped outside to give the pair some privacy.

"Miss Heckx, if I my ask, why is all this here?" Van Galen made a sweeping motion with her arm. "I'd have expected there to be a place like this in one of the larger cities, or at least to find it closer to the centre of town."

The wachtmeester drained her cup of coffee, had a think for a moment, and spoke. "There has been some magical settlement around here in one way or the other for the better part of a thousand years. That's how the place got its name in both worlds. Heksenwiel literally means 'the witches' wheel', a wheel of course being a deep colc formed by a breaking dyke. Given that the old dyke over which the road now runs dates to the tenth century, it has been here for at least that long. Because it was a bit of a depression in the landscape, it was unsuitable for farming and a copse grew around the water, which made it an ideal ritual site for magicals of old. After a while, they started living in the vicinity to minimise the risk of being seen when coming or going. We became part of the local folklore, to the point that the local primary school has a witch on a broomstick as its logo"

"So the wheel, is that the water that we can see just behind those trees over there?" Van Galen asked.

"No, but that is a common mistake. You see, this whole area was artificially raised when they redeveloped it in the eighties and nineties, and the old wheel was lost. No non-magical today knows where it used to be."

The shipgirl looked at the mischievously grinning face of her minder. "Of course, us magicals have a longer memory. It used to be right here, underneath the sundial. The amount of interwoven wards and spells made it hard to move, so we just used them as the foundation for the modern spells hiding this place from notice. They were quite powerful, even for their age."

They spent a few minutes in silence looking at the bustling crowd below them. A woman with a pram yelled at an older man in a mobility scooter that he had to watch where he drove. Two teenage boys were doing wheelies on their bikes, and a smaller boy with glasses was leaned against the sundial, reading a book.

"So, miss Heckx, what kind of stories were there about this place? You mentioned it being part of the local folklore?"

"Mostly it was just small things, warnings for children not to go near the water or into the woods alone. The kind of general 'spooky place' that let parents frighten their children into behaving. But one that stands out is the story of the witch and the gold." The wachtmeester slipped into storytelling mode.

"So back in the fourteenth century there lived a witch here who was very wealthy and very stingy. She worked very hard and it seemed her sole goal in life was to become as rich as possible. But when her husband, who she loved very much, fell ill, she found that all the gold she had carefully hoarded was useless in curing him. So when he succumbed to his illness, she first threw all her money into the wheel, and put a curse on it. Shortly afterwards, she died as well, according to the story of a broken heart."

Down below them, the crowd still moved. The two kids on bikes had ridden up to the sundial and were now hassling the reading boy and pushing him around. Shopping carts rattled on the pavement as a pair of trolley-pushers manhandled their silvery snaking cargo around.

"But the curse on the gold was the interesting part. Every month at full moon, the wheel would be accessible to young men, magical and muggle alike, and if they so desired they could dive the murky depths to find her treasure. However, they would only survive the attempt if they desired the gold to pay the bridewealth for the woman they truly loved. If their hearts were untrue or they desired money for moneys sake, she would cause them to drown."

There was a muffled shout from below, as a girl in a yellow sundress charged through the crowd to stand up for her friend. The two other boys raced off on their bikes, but not before snatching the book their victim had been reading. Up above, Van Galen had her attention focussed on the witch next to her.

"Whether the story is true or not, I don't know. There was too much magic layered over the area to tell individual spells apart from each other. But even if its isn't it offers a good moral, right? 'Live in the present, and let those you love know, before it is too late'." A faint 'Hoi' behind them alerted them to the return of Van Galen's crewman. They were shown out by Marie, who told the destroyer she was welcome any time.

Neither to the two observers noticed an older lady seemingly appear out of nowhere, nor see her hand the girl in the sundress a banknote to buy her friend a new book. And no one, especially not the girl who excitedly dragged her friend off to the bookstore, noticed the lady turn translucent and fade away, a sad smile on her face.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

I know I promised turtles, but this one came to me last night, and it just wouldn't let me go until I had written it down. As some of you may have guessed, the shopping centre Van Galen visits exists in real life, and I know it quite well - I grew up in the neighbourhood and my parents still live a block or two away.
The myth about the witch and the gold is, near as I can tell, 'real', and was told to me by an older lady I had to interview for a school project back in the day.

 

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

1. N. -- Well since Ehren's outed as joining the Draco Fleet, I can post this one safely. Links are important BTW.
   
   A Matter Of ButterDagger Subtlety
   
   Yokohama, Japan, June 3rd, 2019
   
   "That was a really fun gig to play, Ehren." Johnston grinned as she walked down the street of the port city. "Thanks again for setting it up." She stretched, showing off her STAHLHEXE 2019 ASIAN TOURT-shirt to her band-mates Niobe, Ehren, and Cleopatra.
   
   Sadly, Nimue was working as temporary manager in Draco's absence to handle the paperwork while Tony had Piano-napped their keyboardist to use the tickets he had purchased for the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra doing 'The Music of Miyazaki'. So it was just the four of them wandering the streets after playing to a packed house of shipgirls, sailors, and Yokai fans at a club just off Yokosuka Naval Base.
   
   Ehren smiled back at her compatriot (and, she mentally added, future co-wife in marriage to each other and to Draco Malfoy). "It was my pleasure Johnston. I just wish that Draco was free to watch us play that gig for the shipgirls and sailors. That was an electric gig to sing for."
   
   Cleopatra smirked and joined in. "Oh, we can just give him a very special concert when we get home to make up for him getting stuck on business for Malfoy Apothecaries." The four girls giggled naughtily and blushed at the thought of what the very special concertwould entail.
   
   Ehren's smug smile widened fractionally as she remembered the private request that her Bärli had made of her to ferret out the preferred metal and gemstones for the other girls' wedding rings so Draco could surprise them upon their return to England from Stahlhexe's Asian Tour. She had, of course, given him her preferences for metal (white gold), gemstones (natural pearls), and style (Art Deco) and had few doubts that he would come up with something suitable when he knelt before her and opened the ring box.
   
   Niobe giggled throatily. "Indeed, Liebchen will not know what he is missing until we make it up to him by making love to him. But you look quite smugly satisfied, Ehren, more so than the normal. What is going on?"
   
   Ehren's smile grew smugger as she deployed her first decoy to keep her co-wives unaware of the planned surprise. "I recieved word that the third floor and attic renovation for my Prussian estate is proceeding ahead of schedule. By the time we finish our tour, the estate will be fully ready to serve as our private retreat and home away from home. Including the gaslight lamps and artwork I commissioned that you wished for your sitting room, Niobe. I found a source for Victorian furnishings and Mutti has signed off on the withdrawal of my funds to make our fantasy estate perfect for us and Draco." As have the Malfoys, she secretly added to herself with an internal smirk, after all what happens in privacy stays in privacy and Aunt Narcissa did tell me that she wished to have grandbabies at the earliest possible moment.
   
   Niobe hugged her. "That's wonderful news, Ehren!" Cleo and Johnston agreed, then Cleo's eyes got very big as they rounded the corner en-route to the restaurant that Great-Aunt Chisuheri had recommended to her.
   
   "Oh wow! Look at those displays!" Cleo gushed over the luxury jewelry store. "I wish Darling was here so we could seriously shop."
   
   "No reason we can't browse and come back later with him," Johnston said thoughtfully, her eyes gleaming at the gems on display. "There's vanishing cabinets between England and Japan that we can use with him...."
   
   "I'm not all that hungry yet," Niobe added, "and shopping does work up an appetite." The silver-haired shipgirl's eyes gleamed at the sight of the diamonds displayed. "They certainly have a selection of jewels fit for review."
   
   As she walked inside with them, Ehren smugly smirked to herself as she mentally added her own commentary.
   
   Just as planned by me to insure they were tempted to look and I can take notes as to what they want for their rings.

------------------------------

Spoiler: A Dagger's Subtle Plan

It was difficult not to coo too much over their selection of pearls which were a definite weakness of hers, Ehren admitted to herself, but business before cultured pearl necklaces. She then walked over to where Niobe was admiring a selection of diamonds through a viewing scope.

"Wow, look at this, Ehren." Niobe whispered as she stepped back and gestured to her fellow German.

Ehren put her eyes to the scope and gave an impressed whistle at a brilliant light-blue diamond blazing with the inner fires of its birth at the molten heart of the earth.

"Magnificent, Niobe, simply magnificent!" Ehren exclaimed in honest admiration for her fellow German's eye for quality. She then continued in a musing tone. "It would make a superb centerpiece for a ring or necklace, but what metal...?"

Niobe touched her silver-platinum hair. "Something like this, perhaps? You cannot go wrong with platinum and diamonds."

Ehren nodded. "Ja, something light to not overpower the luster of the stone."

Mentally she added. Niobe, blue and white diamonds in a platinum metal ring, check.
------------------------------

"So, find anything worthwhile to admire, Cleo?" Ehren asked as she walked beside the enthralled shipgirl.

"Oh yes. You know that Emeralds were a royal monopoly in Ancient Egypt?" Cleopatra responded as she turned from a display of emerald and gold earrings.

"Nein, I did not," Ehren admitted.

"Well, they were."Cleo responded as she turned back to the display. "There are some very fine ones here, not a lot of inclusions in the stone and well cut to bring out the hues."

Ehren nodded along with Cleo's flowing words, then decided to go for double or nothing. "Correct me if I am wrong, Cleopatra, but was not gold sacred to the Ancient Egyptians too?"

"Oh my, yes, Ehren!" Cleopatra's golden curls bobbed as she nodded vigorously in agreement. "It was called the Tears of Ra because of the similarity to the sun. Although most ancient gold was alloyed with copper impurities in the smelting process which produces the more pink and red golds than the pure golden metal we have now."

"Fascinating, Cleo." Ehren spoke as she rubbed her chin. "So most ancient gold was pink or red rather than actually gold?"

"Oh yes! That alloy then got called Russian Gold in the nineteenth century since it was popular there. My gunnery officer gave his sweetheart a Russian gold engagement ring that had been passed down through his family. His grandfather was a naval attache to St. Petersburg under Queen Victoria, you see, and met a countess there." Cleopatra spoke with a sunny smile on her beaming face as she talked about the jewelry that she loved.

"Fascinating, truly fascinating," Ehren agreed. "Thank you for the lesson that you are sharing with me." You have no idea how informative it was...

"Friends should hang together, and I really do like ancient history, especially about Egypt," Cleo said as she resumed browsing, "probably because my service was in the Med and I was home-ported at Alexandria a lot."

Ehren walked away, humming tunelessly under her breath as she thought to herself, and I will have to lean on Draco to have me as a witness when you get the Russian Gold Emerald wedding ring you clearly would desire.
------------------------------

"Anything good, Johnston?" Ehren asked as she headed to where the destroyer's spirit was almost visibly drooling at a gem on display.

"Look at that ruby necklace, Ehren! Isn't it amazing?" Johnston whispered in awe as she pointed at a necklace set with several reddish-purple pigeon blood rubies in pure gold.

Ehren swallowed at the sight. "Ja, it is."

Johnston giggled conspiratorially. "I'll have to make it worth Muffin's while to come back here with me and buy it as a girlfriend present. It even makes me an all-American girl, you know. I already have my blue aquamarines and white diamonds in my platinum anchor earrings that he got for me, and those sure bring the red for the Red, White, And Blue."

Ehren nodded jerkily. "Ja. Ja. They certainly do."

Johnston then leaned in and whispered. "Hey, you will help me give Muffin a good time so he comes with me here and buys this for me? Right, Ehren? I know you're into him as much as I am." The girls both blushed as they remembered spending time with each other and Draco.

Ehren grinned smugly as her cheeks darkened with her blush. "Oh, I'll certainly help you get your ruby fix on, Johnston. After all, what are girlfriends and lovers for?" A really nice 24 karat gold and ruby ring for Johnston, check. Also help her give Draco a good time once he gives her that ring, a promise is a promise.

"Aces!" Johnston hugged the smirking dagger spirit. "Now let's round up the others and grab some chow at that restaurant that you picked out for us! I'm starving with all this window shopping!"

Ehren grinned in triumph. "Yes, let's grab that bite to eat. I can't wait."

Oh I can't wait to see your faces when he puts those rings on us all....

 

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

1. N. -- Well and here's the last of the backlog that I have for Ehren.
   
   A Binding Of Steel
   
   Hogwarts Alchemy Lab
   
   June 21st, 2019 (Summer Solstice)

Spoiler: An Enduring Legacy

USS Johnston entered the room where three other women and one young man were waiting. Ehren du Chasteler gave her a small warm smile as HMS Cleopatra grinned and waved. Then SMS Niobe spoke in her German accented voice. "You have it then for our big day tomorrow?"

Light sparkled from Johnston's feather clip as she grinned happily. "I do. I owe Trieste big-time for retrieving this from," Her voice broke, her face turned pale, and she swallowed as the memories of what the steel in her hand represented slammed into her like the armor-piercing shells from Yamato off Samar, "my wreck."

She placed a small fragment of steel the size of her thumb on the awaiting workbench standing in the center of the room next to Draco's golden cauldron.

Stained and rusted from the decades at the bottom of the Philippine Trench twenty thousand feet below the surface of the Pacific, that small piece of steel sat as mute witness to everything it represented.

The legacy of a 'tin can' mass produced destroyer.

A ship whose three-quarter Native American skipper said upon commissioning her in his speech to her and her crew. "This is going to be a fighting ship. I intend to go in harm's way, and anyone who doesn't want to go along had better get off right now."

Brave words that would be put to the test three hundred and sixty two short days of life later on the morning of the 25th of October, 1944.

For as the largest naval battle in history raged across thousands of square miles of waters, a combination of American blunders and Japanese planning and good luck, liberally seasoned with the fog of war, created one of the most colossal mismatches in naval history.

For bearing down on the six escort carriers - converted merchant ships intended to do antisubmarine patrol and convoy escort - three destroyers and four destroyer escorts of Task Force 77.4.3 (Taffy Three) was the Japanese Center Force.

Four Japanese battleships, any one of which grossly outclassed all its opponents piled together including the mighty Yamato and the pride of the IJN, Nagato. Six heavy cruisers with the speed and firepower to savage the American ships at will. Two light cruisers and a full eleven destroyers to screen and support the mailed fist about to slam unstoppably through the light task forces in their way to then hit the defenseless transports filled with tens of thousands of men.

But on board USS Johnston, the closest ship to the oncoming Japanese tsunami, Lieutenant Commander Ernest E. Evans redeemed the bold promise that he had given his crew and his fighting ship when she was commissioned as he dashed to the bridge.

All hands to General Quarters!
Prepare to attack major portion of Japanese Fleet!
All engines ahead flank!
Commence making smoke and stand by for a torpedo attack!
Left full rudder!

Acting without the orders that would not come for critical minutes, he turned Johnston to make a doomed gallant lone charge across the six miles of water that she would have to cover under the fire of every enemy ship's heavy guns to get into range for her light guns and torpedoes.

Buying time for the carriers to make steam and run for it as she drew fire from them to herself as she went into harm's way toward a battle she could never hope to win -- or survive.

Buying time for the desperate radio messages for help to reach anyone that perhaps could help slow down the inevitable.

Buying time for their warnings to be heeded as the first heavy shells screamed in to throw tons of saltwater across her decks as she chased splashes from guns that could -- and would -- turn her into a floating and flaming coffin when her luck and skill ran out.

Buying time with his life, the lives of his men, and the life of his fighting ship sacrificed willingly so that others could live.

Later, much later, her few survivors who had been plucked from the water would be awarded the Presidential Unit Citation. They, remembering the shipmates and Chief who had died to make this day possible, would bear witness to the monument honoring her and the other ships of Taffy Three who had managed to do the impossible and fight the Japanese to a standstill that caused them to retreat in one of the most shocking battle results in history.

Later, Commander Evans' sister would christen the new destroyers that would bear his name and the name of his 'fighting ship'. His Congressional Medal of Honor that had been presented to his grieving family gleamed in the sunlight on those days as it silently bore witness to the ultimate sacrifice above and beyond the call of duty that he, his men, and his 'fighting ship' had paid with their blood and this steel as they sailed to their deaths... and to immortal glory.

A legacy of valor.
---------------------------------------

HMS Cleopatra stepped forward next and placed her own small billet of steel beside Johnston's offering. Unlike her friend and companion, this came from the spiritual hull that she had summoned, since she had gone to the breakers in 1958.

Born of the Admiralty's desperate need for screening cruisers as the Second World War approached, she had kissed the waves for the first time in 1940 and been commissioned in 1941.

She too had fought a battleship, as off Sirte she led two of her Dido-class sisters and two other light cruisers along with seventeen destroyers to screen her Malta Convoy from the Regia Marina's battleship Littorio and the heavy cruisers Goriza and Trento. With her skillful use of smoke screens and the threat of torpedo attacks from the destroyers, she managed to hold off the Italian attempt to destroy her convoy.

Despite shells, bombs and torpedoes hitting her and even a mishap in dry-dock that could have snapped her keel when the braces gave way, she soldiered on with elegance and flair throughout the war.

She would mourn the loss of her sisters, most notably HMS Hermione in front of her shocked eyes in the dark days of 1942 but nonetheless did all that she could do faithfully for King and Country.

Then after the war, she had a brief but thrilling second career in the movies as she starred in the film Sailor of the King in 1953 before finally being decommissioned and given her final rest at the breakers.

Her baby blue eyes glimmered with her salt tears when she laid down the billet of steel that had come from the spirit of a shipgirl who had lived up to the Royal Navy's proud legacy of victory at sea with verve, daring, and a flair for the dramatic no matter what her service threw at her in her short but memorable life.

A legacy of perseverance.
---------------------------------------

As Cleo stepped back, the platinum-haired elegant form of SMS Niobe stepped forward with her own offering. The protected cruiser placed her own billet of Krupp steel, the pinnacle of 1898 German industry and manufacturing alongside the other two pieces.

Nickel steel that had been formed in the legendary Krupp blast furnaces of Essen for one of the first modern protected cruisers that the German Empire would build. A cruiser named for a proud Greek princess of mythology who one day would weep for her children killed by her hubris.

Steel that had been seen by her Kaiser as she escorted his royal yacht to meetings with fellow kings and Emperors as a symbol of German pride and German technology.

Steel that had then served on the Chinese and Far Eastern squadron protecting German commercial interests in Asia.

Steel that had served during the First World War as a coast defense ship, too worn out from her colonial service to serve without the refit that the Second Reich was unable to do for her during the Great War.

Steel that had then been sold to Yugoslavia in 1925 to get desperately needed hard currency for Weimar Germany. She bid her beloved homeland farewell, knowing in her soul that she would never return, and yet with solemn pride that she could give one last dutiful service for God and Kaiser.

Steel that had been captured by the Italians in 1941, and refitted into a coastal defense and gunnery training ship.

Steel that had then been captured and recommissioned by Nazi Germany in 1943, returning her to her original name, although she wept to witness what her homeland had become.

Steel that finally was sunk in the Adriatic by British Motor Torpedo Boats forty-four years later as she escorted a convoy. One last duty performed elegantly and unhesitatingly for her homeland as her first life ended.

Steel from the spiritual hull of a shipgirl who had come back to protect Germany dutifully.

A shipgirl who would eventually find love in the arms of a man who believed in her and had given her the chance to save her friend and lover whom she viewed as a stubborn (and sometimes pigheadedly stupid) Prussian sister. A chance she had taken with both hands and never let go since the moment he ordered her into the fire to save Ehren -- and had claimed her heart and soul with that faith in her to accomplish the duty that he set for her no matter her obsolescence and past.

A legacy of duty
---------------------------------------

The final girl placed her own steel hilt pin next to the other offerings. Unlike the other three, hers was oddly patterned, with some shining like the Krupp steel of her fellow German Niobe, while other parts were the wood-grain of Muramasa's jewel steel used to make legendary weapons.

Steel that had been poured in 1937 in the legendary Krupp blast furnaces of Essen as the design studies that would become Cleopatra and Johnston were ordered and as Niobe trained Yugoslav sailors on naval gunnery and ship-handling as the clouds of war gathered.

Steel sent to Solingen in Germany where the renowned sword and knifesmiths of Germany had dwelt for centuries. There, her unfinished and unformed steel would be hand-crafted into the shape of a SS-Ehrendolch, a symbol of the Third Reich's pride and power in steel and nickel, ebony and platinum.

A dagger which had been specially handmade to be awarded to the best and brightest graduate of the officer training school for the SS at Bad Tölz in Bavaria as a symbol of the best and brightest of Germany's revival after the defeats of the Great War.

A dagger who was personally buckled to the waist of SS officer Helmar von und zu Wolff, son of a Prussian Junker family who could trace their family's history of honorable service back to the Teutonic Knights as loyal guardians of Schloss Waldhain, by Adolf Hitler during the graduation ceremonies where he was celebrated as being the best and brightest of German youth.

A dagger who had served her First Master with faithful devotion and honor as he fought in the Waffen SS, recovered from his wounds in battle to defeat France, and then worked as a secret policeman. Patterning her yet unformed spirit on his example for good and for ill.

A dagger who had been used by the enraged Wolff upon his ex-lover Colombe du Chasteler as the SS officer and Belgian noblewoman fought over the treasures of the sorceress Morgana in a hidden place of power within the Sahara as the Second World War hung in the balance.

A dagger who had been claimed as a prize of war by the sorrowful Colombe, shaken and shattered at seeing how far into darkness and evil the man that she loved had fallen as they fought on opposite sides of the Second World War.

A dagger who had served her new Mutti loyally as backup weapon and magical testbed, then acted as a hidden bodyguard for her newly manifested sister Claire when the Piano's spirit formed. Further refining and honing her spirit in the pathway of honor trod by her Vati and Mutti as she matured into their loving daughter that never was in flesh but was in spirit, light and darkness joined and intertwined in her.

A dagger who had manifested only to find out the terrible soul-shattering truth of what the Nazis had intended for humanity. Shattered in faith and wounded in body, she rededicated herself to honor and faithfulness while swearing to oppose that evil that she saw in them -- and herself -- with every fiber of her being. Death, after all, was easy, but redemption and penance were hard.

A dagger who had been adopted and accepted as Ehren du Chasteler, sister of Claire du Chasteler and the youngest of the daughters of the legendary Muramasa rapier Colombe du Chasteler.

A dagger who struggled mightily with the siren call of her darker -- Nazi -- side, with the lies and evil that she had been forged to embody, yet never revealed her inner torments and battles hidden under her cool manner and icy politeness to save but a few intimates such as the people standing with her today.

A dagger who had marched alongside her mother into the hellish genius loci of the awakening spirit of the Battle of Verdun to protect her family as honor and service demanded despite knowing that the chance of her return to her loved ones was slim.

A dagger who resisted the temptation that her Vati Helmar von und zu Wolff and his nascent Fourth Reich had represented to her when she was at her lowest and darkest point -- alone, wounded, and afraid. After all, she would know if she gave in to him and what he represented in her seemingly hopeless struggle, and her Honor was Faithfulness.

A dagger who then had to help put an end to the monster that her Vati had become in an act of sacrifical love to redeem his honor -- and hers -- despite the scar upon her wounded heart that she would forever carry as the cost of that honor and devotion to her ideals and beliefs.

A dagger who had managed to redeem the slogan engraved on her blade, her heart and her soul. Meine Ehre heißt Treue. My Honor is Faithfulness.

A dagger who put others ahead of herself endlessly until at last Draco Malfoy elected to court and win her to become the emotional support, confidante, lover, and soulmate that she desperately desired but refused to seek out for fear of compromising what he had with the other three with her darkness.

A dagger who finally learned, just as her mother had learned during her own dark night of the soul, that sometimes you needed another person entering your life to love you and care for you.

A person who could teach you to love yourself when you were unable thanks to your brokenness of spirit.

A person who Ehren du Chasteler would bind herself to forever in honorable and faithful marriage with this steel and all it represented to her.

A legacy of honor
---------------------------------------

With the fourth billet placed, the girls joined hands in a circle around the table where the cauldron stood. Draco took his place in the center of their circle as he gently placed each offering of the steel that represented their essence, their beings, their legacy into the alchemical mixture that he had prepared for this day. He waved his hawthorn wand with unicorn tail core to stir it as the power inside the ritual chamber built.

Then with a flash it happened. Five throats gasped as one as the energies crested, linking them as a bright flash of light emitted from the cauldron to arc around the circle in a timeless moment linking shipgirl to wizard to dagger to shipgirl

As the light faded, the only thing remaining in the cauldron was a glowing steel ring at the bottom.

The ring was formed from four seamless strips of steel mixed and woven together perfectly in a spiral patterned braided ribbon that was impossible to tell where one girl's steel ended and the next began. Inside the magical ring was engraved "My Heart, My Love Beats Forever True." while as the circle continued endlessly, it was repeated in Fraktur script "Mein Herz, meine Liebe schlägt für immer wahr."

Draco's hand trembled as he reached inside and took it in his hand as the girls crowded around him, hugging him gently.

Slowly, he slid it onto the ring finger of his left hand, the finger that was believed to have a vein that ran directly to his heart.

Binding him to them, as they had bound themselves to him.

Eternally.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Shiromizu had her eyes closed as she stood close to the hole that had been drilled into the earth as she sensed the heated water deep below her. After a few seconds, the Mizuchi gave a small nod with a smile as she looked at those around her, "It's ready... just one last bit needed."

Bowing, Himawari nodded with a smile, "Hai..." As her safety helmet slipped a bit, she adjusted it, "Shall I inform the workers for the final preparations?"

When her lady nodded, the Sunflower spirit walked off to the workers who were with a crane. Behind her, Shiromizu bit back a laugh at the somewhat ridiculous sight of Himawari with a bright yellow safety helmet and safety vest over her more traditional yukata. After a few moments, however, the Mizuchi shook her head and turned her attention to the well that had been dug. Said well stuck out a bit above the ground and was made of copper with concrete on the outside.

Humming a little, Shiromizu nodded towards the water spirit next to her, "What are your thoughts on the matter, Suihou-Chan?"

The water spirit in question blinked before smiling a little, hard as it was to be seen with her face composed of clear water, "Hmm... it looks as if it shall be a very nice spring, Lady Shiromizu. Though..." A frown crossed her face as she became thoughtful, "The well is rather deep..."

With a sigh, Shiromizu gave a small nod, "It is a bit deeper than I wanted, Suihou-Chan. But that is because the heated water lies under a sill beneath our feet about seven hundred feet down. I'll have to break the sill and keep the water from flowing through the cracks until we can hook in the soul." A slight grimace crossed her face, "Which might be a bit harder due to the water pressure in the fracture that contains the water."

Only nodding, Suihou glanced at the Mizuchi next to her and smiled with a slight bow. Under normal circumstances, the next words from her mouth would have never left them due to how Mizuchi could be. However, she trusted the one beside her and had grown to understand her as well, "Would you wish for assistance, Lady Shiromizu?"

Smile on her face, the serpentine woman gave a relieved sigh, "That would be very much appreciated, Suihou-Chan. I'll have enough problems doing everything that I need to do correctly as it is. Besides which, if anything goes wrong, the two of us are safe unlike what others would be."

Making a sound of agreement, Suihou watched as Himawari nodded and called over that they were ready. A few minutes later the cap to the well was removed revealing a pipe that was big enough for a person's leg to slip into, but not much else. Leaning over and looking into the darkness, Suihou blinked, "It is rather deep."

Lightly chuckling, Shiromizu gave a slight nod, "It is at that." She then nodded towards Suihou, "Please... bring me the soul, Suihou-Chan."

Bowing deeply, the water spirit quickly made her way over to where an ornate box sat that was decorated with mother of pearl as well as gold with dragons all over it. Taking it from her, Shiromizu opened the box to reveal a pearl the size of a person's fist. Every time it was moved, the colors and pearlescent sheen changed and shifted as it seemed to glow from within.

In awe, Suihou leaned in to look at it closer, "Is that... is that a dragon pearl? And it contains a human soul?"

With a slow nod, Shiromizu hummed, "Hai, and it is something to see." For a few moments, she looked at the pearl itself before nodding, "Suihou-Chan? Are you ready?" At the nod, the Mizuchi gestured at a container, "Then please, open the first container containing my water."

Not saying anything, the water spirit did so and watched as the water flowed out at a gesture from Shiromizu and then entered the well. When the Mizuchi held out a hand in offer, Suihou took it and suddenly, she could "See" where the water now was, at the bottom of the well. Down there, she could also see sand and gravel that had been dumped into the well at Shiromizu's direction. The water, brought there from Shiromizu's spring, began to swirl faster and faster in place as it picked up the gravel and sand as it began to wear away the rock.

At the same time, due to them sharing power, Suihou could also feel the difference in power between the two. Her spring, while a good size, was still at most a brook. Compared to Shiromizu's own torrent of a river, it was nothing. Yet, at the same time, the water spirit felt nothing but protectiveness and so followed Shiromizu's guiding as the rock at the bottom continued to be worn away bit by bit. First, a foot, then two which soon became four as the Sun continued it's track across the sky.

Until, finally, Shiromizu, brought her waters to a stop with little remaining rock. With a deep breath, the Mizuchi's chest heaved some before she nodded, "Release the rest of my water."

Letting go of her lady's hand, Suihou quickly opened the other clay containers, and Shiromizu gathered the water in front of her. Slowly, she inserted the pearl, which began to glow and seemed to start to disperse before the water, carrying said jewel, flowed into the well. At a glance, Suihou took Shiromizu's hand once more and closed her metaphorical eyes as she watched the pearl, still dissolving, flow down to the bottom, only to stop a few feet above the surface of the rest of the water.

Then, the water began swirling even faster than before and the rock wore away quickly before it fractured and then shattered entirely as Shiromizu's water met the buried hot water.

Far above, the Mizuchi grunted as she focused her will on holding back the water even as she drilled even deeper, the rock fracturing around it as she continued down a few more feet before stopping. At that point, Suihou's own mind joined hers in holding back the water, which was much more of a strain on the lesser water spirit. Something shown as her features became less distinct. Teeth gritting, Shiromizu brought the pearl fully down into the hole at that point and settled it on the bottom.

With that, finally, done, she began to connect the soul spiritually to the spring. Something that was far easier said than done. Cord by spiritual cord, she rooted it into the water around it. Slowly, but surely, forging the connections even as sweat beaded on her skin. At the same time, those watching could only stare as the red markings on her body glowed brighter, and brighter, followed by her own body. Until it was hard to see the actual body besides the markings.

It took over an hour, but, finally, Shiromizu gasped as the final connections were emplaced and she staggered back a bit with Suihou. Breathing deeply, the Mizuchi smiled some, "It... is done..." However, she blinked and frowned as she tilted her head, "Do you hear something-"

Before she could finish, she was interrupted by a rumble before hot, boiling hot water shot into the air above them to a height of fifteen feet.

Just blinking as she was unaffected, Shiromizu looked around even as Suihou, recovered a little, turned to her as steaming hot water fell on them both, "Lady Shiromizu... was this not a hot spring?"

The Mizuchi scratched her head a little, "I... suppose that the water was under more pressure than I thought." Watching as the hot water filled the depression around them fairly quickly, she hummed as she tapped her chin, "On the bright side, a geyser will bring in more tourism, I suppose."

Considering that, Suihou gave a small nod, "That is very much true, Lady Shiromizu. From what I have heard, such things are popular for sightseeing " Then, she shrugged some as she looked around, "When will the newest member of your court manifest?"

Head tilted to the side, Shiromizu blinked some, "Not long, I believe. Their new physical and spiritual form is already coming into being from what I can feel. Probably not more than an hour, I would think."

Even as the water spirit nodded, the water pattering down began to fill the rocky hollow where the new hot spring was spraying water out. It did not take long to fill the hollow and begin to flow outwards and down the mountainside while the water continued to spout upwards fifteen feet into the air in a steaming spray. Finally, however, the water around the spring began to bubble. Several times, it burbled into something resembling a pillar, one that more and more took on the appearance of a human made of water.

Then, after several minutes of this, it finally splashed upwards in the form of a young man who coughed and hacked as water dripped from his hair. From the waist down, however, like Shiromizu his form was that of a serpent. Unlike hers, however, the color was more of a rusty gold. Blinking, he looked around in amazement, "I... what..."

Slithering forward, Shiromizu bowed a little to him, "Welcome back to the world of the living. I am Ginzan no Shiromizu." Her expression softened a little, "Do you know... what happened?"

A shudder ran through the young man as he nodded, "H-hai, I do." Swallowing, he took a moment before continuing, "I remember... my death a couple of years ago, I think. I headed back into town when a storm broke and next thing I knew these... things... appeared and there were explosions everywhere. There was a lot of pain and..."

When he held himself, Shiromizu made her way over and gently placed a hand on his shoulder, "It's fine... that is in the past."

Only nodding, the man looked around before blinking, "Er... right... I... I remember being before the Yama Kings, and they claimed that Ryuujin-Dono asked for my soul. And then just waiting in the pearl before he told me that... that you were going to bring me back." Bowing, he took another deep breath, "I am... Etsumi, Shiromizu-Sama. And I thank you for the gift that you have bestowed upon me."

Lightly smiling, Shiromizu chuckled a little, "You don't need to thank me, I don't mind helping such when possible after all." Suddenly, she smirked and snapped a paper fan in front of her, "Though once you are fully settled and learned some things to do with being a Mizuchi, I already have a position for you..."

Curious, Etsumi glanced at the water spirit before nodding, "Of course... but what is it that I am to do?" A slight blush on his face, he rubbed the back of his neck, "After all, when I was, er, human... I was mostly a park worker who did some freshwater fishing."

Right then, a gleam entered the white scaled Mizuchi's eyes, "Why... I believe that you shall do good as a sort of go between my court and one other's. Unfortunately, as I am still young, and they're quite distant, that means that you won't have many duties. But I am certain that you might well enjoy it greatly..."

Blinking, Etsumi was about to say something when he paused as pieces snapped into place and hope filled his expression, "You mean..."

Just snapping her fan closed, Shiromizu winked at him, "Yodogawa is rather friendly with myself, and I wish to deepen the friendship with one of the Senpais who I get along with. I do hope that you do not mind spending quite a bit of time with her..."

Grin on his face, the newly reincarnated Mizuchi laughed, "No, I don't think that I will, Shiromizu-Sama..."

Meanwhile, in Osaka, Yodogawa was eating some ice cream with her daughter when she paused at an odd feeling. Frown on her face, she looked around before her gaze fell on the direction of where Ginzan was, "Mou... that is odd."

Pausing, Kinryuu frowned and looked up at her mother, "What is, Haha-ue?"

For several moments, the Mizuchi was silent before smiling, "I do not know, but I was suddenly reminded of Etsumi-Kun when we went to some hot springs... but I didn't feel sad."

In reply, Kinryuu leaned against her mother, who gently wrapped an arm around her.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Just a few hours later found Etsumi inside the dining room of Shiromizu's residence. Looking around, while it was a very fine dining room, it was not to the level of splendour that some Mizuchi had. In fact, it was rather... simple and understated. Yet, it was also warm and inviting at the same time.

His lips twitched some as he was reminded of how a natural hot spring out in the woods was much the same.

Finishing swallowing some pork ramen, very good ramen as it turned out, Etsumi looked over at Shiromizu who was enjoying her own bowl and chuckled. Some noodles hanging from her mouth, said Mizuchi blinked before sucking them in and swallowing, "Is something funny?"

Lightly blushing some, the newly incarnated Mizuchi rubbed the back of his neck, "Sorry about that, Lady Shiromizu. Just..." He gestured around them, "In my experience, a bowl of ramen is not exactly what most Mizuchi would have as a meal. Nor would the surroundings be..."

As he tried to find a word, Shiromizu chuckled some herself, "Simple? Non-ostentatious?" At the unsure nod, she simply shrugged, "I'm not like other Mizuchi, I guess. They're themselves and I'm just... well, me, Ginzan no Shiromizu."

Somewhat amused, Etsumi smiled some, "I think that I am coming to that realization." Taking another bite of noodles, he chewed before swallowing, "In some ways that reminds me of Yodo-Chan."

Rather than be insulted, the Mizuchi across from him seemed pleased, "Really?"

Eyebrow raised at the reaction, Etsumi, "You're not insulted? Considering my wife..."

In reply, Shiromizu shrugged a little, "Yodogawa-Senpai is nice and the like, I don't see an issue with being compared to her. And there is nothing wrong with liking the simple things after all." Grin appearing on her face, she gestured at her bowl, "I would rather a large bowl of filling ramen compared to tiny little bite sizes of food."

Giggles made both Mizuchi turn towards her two female attendants. Himawari had a smile on her face, "Something that we realized fairly quickly, Lady Shiromizu."

Pout on her face, the Mizuchi in question had a playful look in her eye, "So mean, Himawari-Chan..."

That only got more giggles and snickers, even as Etsumi smirked some, 'Yes, definitely not like most Mizuchi.' After a few more bites of food, and listening as well as watching the playful banter, he finally decided to satiate one of the questions he had, "Lady Shiromizu, may I ask you a question?"

Only nodding, Shiromizu blinked but had a smile on his face, "Of course, ask away."

Not saying anything, the newly incarnated Mizuchi frowned in thought for a moment, "Not that I am not thankful for being alive, because I am..." Pausing, he shook his head, "Really thankful. But..."

Understanding, Shiromizu leaned forward with her hands folded in front of her face, "But... you're wondering why me."

It was not a question, but Etsumi nodded with a confused frown on his face, "Hai, Lady Shiromizu. I don't mean any insult, but I just want to know why you."

For a few moments, the other Mizuchi had her eyes closed. Then, finally, she opened them and sighed some, "The answer comes down to something rather simple, but that I would rather have not need to deal with." Grimacing, Shiromizu shook her head, "Politics."

Etsumi blinked at that before frowning, "Politics?"

Humming, Shiromizu nodded as she took another bite of ramen, slowly chewing it before she answered, "Politics, or rather... divine politics." After another bite, she continued, "How much do you know about Mizuchi politics?"

Needless to say, that, if anything, made him frown and he glanced at Shiromizu's other attendants, "I was a normal human in my... previous life, Lady Shiromizu. But my wife's attendants did teach my just enough to understand some things. For example, despite being not as long as some, such as Fujigawa, she's still one of the more powerful Mizuchi as she counts Lake Biwa as her territory as well since hers is the only river that empties it. Not to mention the spiritual significance of the major river for Kyoto."

Slowly, Shiromizu nodded with a slight smile, "Hai, because she counts Lake Biwa as hers, she is very powerful if she wanted to throw her weight around." Her smile then turned into a frown, "Apparently that is part of the issue right there as well. If she was given the chance, she could have brought you back as a Mizuchi, which I have no doubt that she would have. However, that could have caused issues as well considering things. For one thing, some might have seen it as Ryuujin-Sama favoring your wife, which is stupid. Some might have also seen it as her throwing around her weight as it were."

Frown on his face, Etsumi considered some of what he knew about Mizuchi from his own meetings and grimaced, "Okay... I hate it, but that makes some sense." Scratching his own head, and feeling some horns behind his ear, he shook his head and turned to her, "But why you? I mean, no offense, but there's plenty of Mizuchi who could do it as well."

Lips twitching, the female Mizuchi across from him chuckled, "Hai, and probably easier as well." Her expression then became serious, "Except, that was apparently problematic as well. How many Mizuchi would do it out of the goodness of their heart and not to use you as a way to either get power over your wife, or to trade you for some sort of benefit to them? Fujigawa, for example is still a good sort despite her attitude according to Senpai... but would she be able to not use the situation to place some pressure on your wife?"

Grimace on his face, Etsumi sighed, "No... I suppose not."

Continuing, Shiromizu sighed and rubbed her face, "And in regards to Yodogawa-Senpai's friends and allies? It could have seen accusations and behind the scenes bullshite happen. Because, obviously, they would have done it for her."

Now furrowing his eyebrows, the former human frowned as he glanced to his new Lady, "And you? What makes you different?"

Slight smile on her face, Shiromizu shrugged, "Because of what I am and my river." At the confused look she got, she shook her head, "My river doesn't lead anywhere right now. Sure, it flows into a lake that's being filled, but nowhere else... yet. Hence, I'm..." Pausing, the Mizuchi searched for a word before frowning, "I guess unaligned right now is the best word. If and when my river flows into a larger one, than I would be part of their court. But right now, I am only part of my Court and Ryuujin-Sama's, no one else's. Apparently, it gives me cover as obviously Ryuujin-Sama asked me to do so, a young Mizuchi. Yet, because the only other Court that I am part of is my own? No other Mizuchi can give me an order regarding you."

Eyebrow raised, Etsumi blinked at her, "Not yet... but what about later?"

At that, she shrugged, "That I don't know. But looking at maps and such? The most likely rivers that mine might join would be either the Tenryuu, or perhaps the Ooi. Both of whom..."

Briefly, Etsumi's eyes widened a touch before he became thoughtful, "Both of whom are friends of Yodo-Chan!"

Her lips curled into a slight smirk, Shiromizu nodded, "Exactly."

It was then that Suihou spoke up for the first time, "Lady Shiromizu, while not having outright stated, is rather aligned with Shinanogawa-Sama's faction which includes Yodogawa-Sama. This would only make such official. Jin-Sama is also to an extent as well, so it does not bother Lady Shiromizu to make such a move."

Only nodding, the male Mizuchi frowned a little before turning towards Shiromizu, "Are you going to ask something of Yodo-Chan? For..."

Lightly chuckling, Shiromizu held up three fingers, "I will only ask her for two things." With that, she began to tick off on her fingers, "The first is friendship between us and our Courts, which I don't think that she will mind much." At the nod from Etsumi, the Mizuchi continued, "The second is a cuddle."

Confused, Etsumi wiggled a finger in his ear with a frown on his face, "I... had to have heard wrong. You want... a cuddle from my wife?"

With a shrug and a grin, the female Mizuchi laughed, "Hai, because I am a cuddle connoisseur and she looks extremely cuddly. Hence, I wish to test it at least once."

Scratching his head, Etsumi frowned some, "Um, she wouldn't mind I don't think. And she's very cuddly..."

A laugh escaped from Shiromizu as she snapped her fan over over her face, "Fufufufufu, I am certain that you would be an expert in such a thing, Etsumi-Kun."

Now flushed at what she said, the incarnated former human coughed, "Um... hai, I sort of am, I suppose..." Shaking his head, he decided to change the subject and remembered something, "Lady Shiromizu... you held up three fingers."

Putting the fan away, Shiromizu nodded with a slight smile, "And you are correct. I want one more thing if, and only if it is possible from you."

Eyes narrowed slightly, Etsumi frowned some in suspicion, 'It better not hurt Yodo-Chan...' Clearing his throat, he spoke aloud, "And what might that be, Lady Shiromizu."

Moments later, he blinked as the other Mizuchi's face took on a more gentle expression, "Well... I'm something of a romantic, so I want to know how the two of you got together. If, that is, you do not mind."

Blinking, Etsumi stared at her in befuddlement, "You... want to know how Yodo-Chan and I got together? Really?" At the nod, he became even more confused, "Seriously? Just that?"

With an amused shrug, Shiromizu giggled some, "Like I said, I'm a bit of a romantic. And so I wanted to know about it and..." She gave another shrug, "At the same time, it tells me quite a bit about you as well."

Still befuddled, the former human shook his head, "Well, I suppose that's not a big deal?" Humming, he gained a far off look, "I suppose that it began when I was a young child living in Osaka..."

_________________________________________________________________________

Huffing and puffing, the eight year old Etsumi was pushing along an old shopping cart filled with garbage, most of which was waterlogged. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted an old tire in the river and scowled, "Who threw that there! Bakas!" Walking over to it, he grabbed the edge and attempted to pull it out of the muck. Eventually, however, his hands slipped and he fell back with a grunt, "Itai..."

After shaking it off, he went back to trying to pull it out when a voice caused him to jump, "Mou... what are you doing?"

Turning, the boy blinked at the Kimono wearing woman who was looking at him interest. Part of him was stunned by her beauty before he shook it off, "A-ah, I'm trying to get this tire out of here, Nee-San."

Head tilted to the side, the older woman blinked, "The tire?" When she looked at it, she frowned a little, "Why did someone throw that there?"

Scowl on his face, Etsumi went back to trying to yank out the tire, "Because they're bakas who don't care about the river! But I do!" Pausing for a moment, he pointed at the garbage in his cart, "That's why I've been cleaning up the river!"

Blinking at that, the woman smiled a little, "Mou... I see!" Then she turned back to him and, with one hand and easily, yanked the tire out of the water, "But that is a big job for someone so little."

Cheeks puffing out, Etsumi crossed his arms, "I'm not little..." Then, he scuffed his feet on the dirt, "But... I want to do it because if I don't, who will? And besides..." The eight year old looked at the river, "It's a really pretty river and the garbage makes it look bad."

Much to his confusion, he found the pretty lady blushed at that, but then she smiled as she patted his head, "I think that the river is happy that you're doing so and that you think that it is pretty."

Only smiling brightly at that, Etsumi chuckeld as he rubbed the back of his neck, heedless of the dirt there, "You really think so, Nee-San?" Getting a nod, he hopped a little, "Yosh! Then I'll do my best to make sure that it always feels pretty!"

That only got him a smile and a giggle...

A few days later found Etsumi searching for stones along the river bank when a hum made him turn and found the mysterious Onee-San there, "Gah! Where did you come from, Onee-San!?"

Bemused look on her face, the Onee-San gestured around them, "Mou, from where? Why here!"

Confused, the child looked around in confusion, "Wait, you live around here?" For some odd reason, that seemed to amuse her greatly, but she still nodded. Remembering what she had asked, he suddenly smiled, "Since I got all the garbage done, I thought that I could have some fun! Like skipping rocks!"

Leaning towards him, the woman smiled childishly, "Skipping rocks?"

Nodding with his smile growing, Etsumi laughed, "Hai! Because it's fun!" Suddenly, he blinked before frowning, "Do you know how to skip rocks, Onee-San?"

Just blinking at that, the Onee-San frowned, "Mou... skip rocks?" At the nod, she tapped her chin some, "Mmm, no... why? Are you going to teach me?"

Eyes widening, Etsumi grinned, "Sure will! Come on, Onee-San! First, you need to find a good rock to skip...

Oddly, the woman seemed even more amused and went along with it. He saw her numerous times over the summer, of course. The two skipped stones to great fun and laughter, caught frogs, and the like. And often, the Onee-San taught him something about the river which he often took notes of, to her great amusement. Eventually, however, the summer ended and he went back to school.

Yet, he never forgot the lessons, or the fun, that the Onee-San taught him...

*************************************************************

A now much older Etsumi, aged eighteen, was working along the banks of the river clearing trash like he often did in the summers. Wiping his forehead clean of sweat, the teen grinned down at the now cleared area, "There we go, much prettier..."

Moments later, just like so many years before, he jumped at a voice, "Oh! You're still cleaning up the river, Etsumi-Chan?"

Twisting around, he came face to face with the same woman from all those years before, "Onee-San...?"

When he was a child, he always thought of that mysterious "Onee-San" he met that one summer to be pretty. But now as a teen seeing her again? He flushed as, despite himself, his eyes roamed over her. Even though she wore a Kimono, he could tell that she was full figured in a way that few women were.

Or, as some of the guys he knew from school might crudely put it, she was "Thicc".

Quickly shaking it off, he flushed as the Onee-San smiled at him before hugging him, "You remember! Mou... even though you were a child, you remember!"

Confused at that bit, Etsumi shook his head, "Um, of course I remember, Onee-San. I mean, how could I not?" He then gave her a smile, "Besides, you inspired me for what I want to be."

Seemingly surprised at that, the woman blinked, "Mou... I did? Inspired you to be what?"

Arms spread wide, Etsumi grinned at her, "I'm actually going to go to university and get a degree in enviromental sciences, and ecology of rivers! That way, I can help out a lot of rivers and do a lot of good! Maybe make other people fall in love with them and see how important they are. All because of what you taught me, Onee-San!"

Eyes wide, the Onee-San stared at him before her eyes watered and she looked towards the river, "I... inspired you?"

Blinking at that, Etsumi placed a hand on her shoulder, "Hai, you did. Well..." He glanced at the river and smiled, "You and the Yodagawa, don't tell the other rivers, but she's my favorite."

Oddly, that got him giggles and a small blush.

For the rest of the day, the two talked and caught up with each other. Etsumi even brought her to a nearby ice cream shop and bought her ice cream. Though he was confused about how she mumbled that it was a good offering or how she acted like she had never had any before. Among other things they talked about, he mentioned how he was trying to save up money for university.

Just a few days later, however, as he was walking along the banks of the Yodogawa, a glint caught his eye. Leaning out over the water, he noticed something gold in the river and reached down, pulling out an old, gold coin. One which, when he sold to a collector, more than paid his tuition. Something that he excitedly told Uji-San, as she had told him her family name was.

Uji-San... which over a few weeks, became "Uji-Chan" as he asked her out and she accepted.

Their relationship continued, even when he went to study at Kyoto University so that he could be close to his beloved Yodogawa. Part of him, at the time, had been concerned that she had moved just for him, but she only smiled and kissed his cheek. Then, she had giggled and mentioned that her family name was Uji, after all for a reason. At the time, Etsumi assumed that meant her family was from Kyoto.

Meanwhile, the more time that the two of them spent together, the more that they fell in love with each other. Unlike some women, she did not seem to mind that he loved the Yodogawa as much as her. Quite the opposite really, and had cheered him on when he went for, and got, a job as a park ranger for the national park along the river's bank. They also grew closer in other ways as well.

One of Etsumi's fondest memories was when, upon finding out that she did not own one, he had taken her swimsuit shopping so that the two could enjoy a day swimming in the river. Having never seen her out of either an expensive looking Yukata or Kimono, he had been stunned at seeing her in a one piece. One that showed all her curves, though her bashful look had also driven him somewhat mad as well.

Yet, he still did not know her secret... until one night.

It was late summer and Etsumi had just graduated with a Master's and was aiming for a doctorate. His chosen field of study being river ecology, of course. The two were walking along the banks of the Yodogawa when a man stepped out from some bushes. Seeing Yodogawa, he grinned at her and asked if she wanted a good time with a 'Real man'.

Etsumi, being who he was, had been angered at that and told him that she was with someone. For her part, Uji had narrowed her eyes at the man and, in a voice that sent shivers down both mens' backs, stated that she agreed. However, shaking off that anger, the man shoved Etsumi to the side and grabbed Uji, stating that he was going to show her one way or the other. More than a little furious, her boyfriend placed a hand on the other man's shoulder and told him to back off...

And, moments later, felt pain from the knife that got buried in his gut before a shove sent him falling off the bank and into the chilly river's depths. For some odd reason, however, he didn't panic as he swore the water was swirling around him and was trying to keep his blood inside his body as well as him safe. The last thing he remembered before falling unconscious was what sounded like a loud roar of rage and a scream of terror before it was cut off...

*************************************************************************

Softly groaning, Etsumi slowly came away and blinked as he stared at the ceiling above. One that did not look out of place in a traditional home, though far more fanciful. As his eyesight cleared, the young man looked around in confusion.

One of the first things he realized was that the futon he was in had silk sheets of the sort that would have costed thousands. And also was one of the most comfortable as well. Looking around, it was like he had been transported back to feudal Japan, what with how everything looked. Wall screens that each looked like they would have costed a fortune as well as furnishings that had gold and silver among other things as part of them. Outside, the Sun shone down through the open Shoji doors, revealing a traditional garden, an expansive one.

Taking all that in, as well as how his last memory was of slipping beneath the surface of the water, Etsumi blinked, "I... where am I?" As he attempted to sit up, he winced expecting pain, only to blink as there was none. Lifting the covers, he looked down at his stomach to find that there was not even a scar where he had been stabbed, "What the..."

Right then, before he could do anything else, the Shoji doors at one end of the room opened and a woman with horns on her head came in. Upon seeing him, her eyes widened and she gasped, "You're awake... You're awake!" Quickly, she ran off, "LADY YODOGAWA! LADY YODOGAWA! HE IS AWAKE!"

Lost, Etsumi blinked at that, "What... wait, Yodogawa... horns... b-but that..."

Before he could get any further, the Shoji doors opened to reveal Uji there... except from the waist down was a serpent's body and large antlers were upon her head. Seeing him awake, she gasped and began to cry before diving at him, "E-Etsumi-Kun!"

Utterly confused, the young man did the only thing he could...

And that was to check over his girlfriend for any wounds, "Uji-Chan? Are you alright? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Uji looked up at him with a blink despite her teary eyes, "No, he didn't." Her expression then took on a far more reptilian look, "And no one else shall ever be hurt by him either."

Coming to a realization, Etsumi looked her over, "So, um... Yodogawa, huh? I... guess that you are a Mizuchi then?"

Head hanging, the now revealed Mizuchi nodded, "Mou... I am." Pausing for a moment, she chewed her lip, "Does that frighten you?"

In return, Etsumi just shook his head, "Not really? I mean, you're Uji-Chan and I love you."

Needless to say, that caused a blush on Yodogawa's face, "Mou, you mean it?" At his nod,s he brightly smiled before it faded as she looked around as she buried herself in his arms, "Though now I... I don't know what to do. I was so scared seeing you hurt, that I... brought you here to be healed. And this is my bedroom... Some of the others might think that... because I am a Mizuchi and you are a human..."

Just holding her close as he parsed what she had told him, Etsumi looked around again and found his backpack nearby, "Um, Yodogawa-Chan? Could you bring me my backpack? I want to check something..."

More than a little confused, Yodogawa still smiled at the "Chan" before gesturing at the bag and it floated over, "Of course, Etsumi-Kun. But what are you checking?"

Glancing at her, he smiled which made her blush, "Oh, just a little something. But... I think that it will settle any thoughts about one thing." He then pulled out a box, "I was planning on doing this on the river bank, but... Yodogawa-Chan? The two of us have known each other for years. So would you do me the honour... of being my wife?"

For several moments, the Mizuchi stared down at the ring in his hands.

Said ring was made of gold, of course, but the centerpiece was a freshwater pearl with two blue diamonds. It would not have been considered much, not in the slightest. Yet, looking at it, all the dragon could think of was that it was one of the more beautiful things that she had ever seen. One shaking finger tipped by a claw was brought up as she nodded, "H-hai..."

His own hand shaking, Etsumi picked the ring up and then slipped onto said finger before, with a burst of courage, kissing it, "Thank you-"

Moments later, he found himself on his back looking up at Yodogawa who gave him an innocent look with a gleam in her eyes, "Mou... remember how I said this was my room? And how dragons are possessive?"

Confused, Etsumi swallowed as he nodded, "Hai?"

Leaning down, she nuzzled his neck with a growl, "This is now our room... and you are mine..."

Then, Etsumi forgot much else as she kissed him and deeply, followed soon by clothes being tossed aside while blushing attendants closed the shoji doors...

 

[darthcourt10]

Prelude
https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/harry-potter-the-shipgirls.20019/#post-6125818

Year 1

A https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/harry-potter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-8#post-6204842

B https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/harry-potter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-10#post-6208006

C https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/harry-potter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-11#post-6209094


Summer 1

https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/harry-potter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-14#post-6216923


Year 2 Prelude

https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/harry-potter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-17#post-6220145


Year 2

A https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/harry-potter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-20#post-6237058

B https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/harry-potter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-22#post-6244236

C https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/harry-potter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-27#post-6247795

D https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/harry-potter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-35#post-6259210

E https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/harry-potter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-42#post-6266357


Summer 2

A https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/harry-potter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-43#post-6266525

B https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/harry-potter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-49#post-6272384

C https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/harry-potter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-53#post-6273886



Year 3 Prelude


A https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/harry-potter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-56#post-6275278

B https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/harry-potter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-58#post-6284477

C https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/harry-potter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-63#post-6287336



Year 3

Part 1

A https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/harry-potter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-67#post-6288358

B https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/harry-potter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-72#post-6292001

C https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/harry-potter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-76#post-6298186


Part 2 Christmas

A https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/harry-potter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-79#post-6299309

B https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/harry-potter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-81#post-6300313


Part 3

A https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/harry-potter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-83#post-6304428

B https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/harry-potter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-86#post-6315935

C https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/harry-potter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-88#post-6319016


Part 4

A https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/harry-potter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-91#post-6321722

B https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/harry-potter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-94#post-6325371

C https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/harry-potter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-95#post-6334323

D https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/harry-potter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-97#post-6337259

E https://forum.questionablequesting....ter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-100#post-6338872


Summer 3


A https://forum.questionablequesting....ter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-102#post-6339335

B https://forum.questionablequesting....ter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-105#post-6346860

C https://forum.questionablequesting....ter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-108#post-6360800

D https://forum.questionablequesting....ter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-111#post-6372143

E https://forum.questionablequesting....ter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-114#post-6375259

F https://forum.questionablequesting....ter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-117#post-6378123

G https://forum.questionablequesting....ter-the-shipgirls.20019/page-119#post-6381432


*-+*-+*-+*-+-*

LINK TO NEXT THREAD [NSFW]

 

[darthcourt10]

Links to Disclaimer on NSFW Thread

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

So... was bitten by a bug, so have a bit more antics regarding Ryouma and his wife... NSFW version on HPSG NSFW Thread
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Now older, though still in his teens, Ryouma blinked away some sleep as he looked at his ceiling above him. There was a grin on his face as he remembered that his birthday was that very day. Finally, he was fifteen... once more, which was something that made him grin madly. Scratching his head, he paused a little as he realized that, despite the heat and humidty of the summer nights, his futon was rather cool temperature wise.

Looking to the side, and seeing the empty and barely slept in futon, he internally sighed.

Upon feeling a weight on his chest, Ryouma lifted the sheets to see a pair of reddish eyes looking back at him, from where the owner had placed her head on his chest. Somewhat amused, he cocked an eyebrow, "Oryou-Chan."

Happily humming even as she nuzzled him, the ghostly woman smiled back, "Ryouma-Kun... my husband." Almost like a snake, she slithered out from under his sheets and straddled and laid on top of him before her breath ghosted across his lips, "Happy birthday, my husband."

With those words, she kissed him, deepening it almost immediately. There was a hunger there in said sign of affection, Ryouma knew. A burning need deep inside her even now, nearly four years since they had once more met and which barely was lightened via the few signs of affection that they could do. And he would be lying if he claimed he did not feel the same thing. Though a good part of that was the fact that he was a teen going through puberty once more, filled with hormones.

Something that was rather obvious as she gave a low, happy hum as she shifted on top of him which made the teen flush.

Meanwhile, Oryou's hand was practically clawing through his hair as her tongue, which he now knew due to her current state was much longer than a normal humans, practically coiled around his. Which was not to say that he was passive either as his hands roamed up and down her sides and back. Under his palms, he could feel soft, silkly skin as well as actual silk at times. Due to what she was, her skin was also cooler than when he had been alive the first time.

And under said skin, he could feel the taut, lean muscle she had. Especially as his hands reached her ass, and gave them a squeeze, which got a moan from his wife. Finally, the two pulled away with him breathless, though she had a pleased flush across her face. Ryouma did note, however, that the pupils in her eyes had become predatory slits as they looked at him hungerly.

Which caused him to shiver a bit, though not in fear.

Hands still on her behind, however, he realized something as he gave them another squeeze, "Uh... Oryou-Chan? What..."

There was a smirk on her face as she looked at him filled with dark amusement before she sat up. Part of Ryouma was focused on the fact that she was straddling him still, and flushed though he still had his pajamas on... though the shirt had been unbuttoned at some time, somehow.The rest was focused on abother thing...

In particular how Oryou was currently wearing black, very lacy as well as racy, underwear.

Upon seeing it, Ryouma's mouth went completely dry and his jaw dropped as he stared. When they had first met again, Oryou's skin had been a bone white, almost like that of a corpse. But shortly after, that had changed. It was still a pale white, but more that of porcelain than anything. And right now? That caused the black lace she wore to pop against her skin.

Eyes roaming her body, the fifteen year old swallowed, "I... um... wow..."

Softly growling as she leaned down, eyes glowing, Oryou cupped his cheek, "And what do you think, husband?"

Licking dry lips, Ryouma gave her a look as he ran his hand along her thigh, "Uh... that I wish that something like this had existed back when I was first alive? Because... wow..."

Grin on her face, the ghostly woman leaned down, somehow shifting herself easily so that her chest was pressing against his, "Good... I hope that you enjoy your birthday..."

Once more, she kissed him deeply, with him returning it full heartedly....

That was, of course, until they heard the sound of wood hitting flesh. Pulling apart, the two turned to the door where Ryouma's current mother stood, eyes closed with a smile that caused a shiver to run down his back. Meanwhile, she smacked a broom handle into her palm, "Oryou... what have I told you?"

Blinking slowly, Oryou had a pout on her face even as she met her Mother-in-Law's stare, "... He is my husband."

Ryouma gulped a little as he noticed a vein on his mother's forehead throb a little as she continued to smack the broom handle into her hand, "... And he is my son. You may be married, and I accept that, but things like this are forbidden."

Moments later, Ryouma pressed himself into his futon as much as possible as Oryou shot out of bed and into the air as the broom passed where she had been, missing his own face by a couple of inches. His wife hovered there with a frown on her face as her gaze met his mother's, "... Rude."

Eyebrow twitching, his mother grit her teeth some, "I'm rude..."

Quickly getting out of bed, Ryouma ignored the sounds of his mother continuing to attack Oryou with a broom even as she dodged in the air. The fact that this was something that happened commonly made him sigh... Then, he grumbled a bit as he adjusted his pants some, 'Fucking hormones...'

Briefly, the image of that black lace against pale, white skin that was silky soft went through his mind before he had to adjust his pants again and grumble.

Reaching the dining room, he ruffled the pale haired five year old that was there, "Heya, Squirt."

Flustered, the girl swiped at his hands as he yanked them back, "I'm not a squirt, Onii-Chan!" Crossing her arms, she huffed, "Baka."

Lips quirked even more into a smirk, Ryouma chuckled, "You'll always be a squirt to me, Kita-Chan." Ignoring her sticking her tongue out at him, he turned and gave a nod to the older man, "Tou-San."

Humming a bit, his father gave him a small grin, "Morning, son, and a happy birthday." His grin then widened as he listened to the chaos upstairs, "I take it that Oryou-san gave you a gift?"

Simply ignoring the confused look that his sister was giving him, Ryouma had a dazed look on his face, "Hai... she certainly did."

With a nod towards Kita, who wished him a happy birthday, he sat down with some breakfast. Moments later, as his father was taking a sip of coffee, Oryou floated into the room still clad in her underwear as she was being chased by his mother with the broom... which made his old man spray said coffee out and cough. After a few moments of watching the "Battle", his father looked towards him and gave a thumbs up with a grin, "Nice."

Moments later, he yelped as his wife, running past him, grabbed a newspaper and smacked him in the side of the head, "Stop that!" Turning, she swiped at Oryou again with the broom, "And you! Put on some clothes right now!"

Blinking slowly, Oryou ghosted through the table and then plopped herself down in Ryouma's lap, "No."

For several moments, the teenage boy was frozen, especially feeling what he did. Then, he had to duck as his mother took another swipe at Oryou, the ghostly woman dodging via tipping over and floating along the floor. Off to one side, Kita giggled madly with glee in her eyes, "Onee-San is being silly again..."

As the two older women headed out the room, Ryouma's father rubbed his chin, "Where do you think she got the money for that? She doesn't have a job... does she?"

Ryouma just blinked and gave him a blank look, "I don't ask questions that I don't want answers to."

That got him a small shrug from his father who unrolled the newspaper and began to read it, even as the "Battle" between his son's wife and mother continued. Surprisingly enough, later, his mother revealed to Ryouma that she would allow for him and Oryou to bathe together, provided that it went no further. Neither woman would ever tell him how they came to such an agreement, but he wasn't about to complain, not in the least.

Neither did he complain when he found out that Oryou had gotten a job at a gothic themed cafe, or when she kept the uniform after it closed post-Blood Week. No, he was definitely not going to complain about those clothes, except that others had seen her in them. Something that amused his wife to no end...

 

[UCC]

Set immediately after this one.

A Prank Gone Wrong

—-

Yokosuka (Harry's 1st year)

Tamaki Ishikki gasped as her foot tripped on an overflowing trash bag. She grimaced as she rolled her body over the smelly substances, staining her ratty clothing. But she didn't have time to gag, to vomit over the disgusting smear on her clothing. She had to keep moving, to escape the robed men.

Dragging herself to her feet, Ishikki froze at the sight of a ghostly specter in front of her. Dammit, she had been found again.

"This way! It says the mudblood's over here!"

The pink haired teen's eyes narrowed as she took off in a dash towards an alleyway. Tears slowly running down her cheeks as she continued her run.

It was only six months ago, but she remember it so clearly. The men in robes. With the pointy sticks. The ones who destroyed her family.

—-

Ishikki stared at the sparkling alarm clock. Just moments ago, the clock had been broken beyond repair, the victim of a grumpy teenager who hated mornings. Now, it was fully restored, without even a hairline trace of the cracked clock face.

"I…I have magic."

"Onee-chan, you're amazing! You're like a real life magical girl!" Her sister cheered. Her parents stared in disbelief, but nodded slowly. After all, shipgirls were real. Why wouldn't magic? Ishikki was overjoyed. What an amazing gift she had!

—-
What a terrible curse she had.

Ishikki's look of horror as the robed men had barged into their home before pointing their pointy sticks at her family.

"Obliviate!"

In an instant, she had no family. No one to remember her. No one left to love her. The robed men muttered something about mudbloods and muggles, but she hadn't stuck around to hear the rest, throwing the lamp on the desk at the men before breaking off into a run.

—-

The tears ran down the pink haired teen's face as she continued her dash through Yokosuka's alleyways. The last few months had been absolute hell for her. The robbed men had given chase. She had only managed to avoid them through sheer luck. An open manhole. The back of a semi truck. Some angry bikers led by a green haired girl. A bunch of cultist abyssals. Anything that would remotely delay the robed men long enough for her to escape. But every time she thought she had escaped, the men would suddenly reappear, using their tracking creatures and machines.

"Stupefy!"

A bolt struck the pink haired girl's back, causing her to collapse. A stinging pain erupted from where the bolt had hit her, causing her to grimace in pain. Painfully Ishikki twisted her head to catch the sight of three robed men approaching her.

"You've been a major pain in the arse, you know that?" The first man grunted. "This should have been a simple statute case. But thanks to your meddling, we've been stuck chasing you for months!"

"G-go to hell." The teen muttered, fighting the darkness overtaking her.

"Normally we would take you in for Tokyo…but after all this, I'm sure they wouldn't want a troublesome brat like you." The second man pulled out the short pointy stick.

"After all, everyone knows the only thing slightly better than those yokai animals is a filthy mud blood."

Ishikki sniffled as she realized there was no escaping this time. This was the end. But she refused to accept that. There had to be hope, a second chance, a way to break free!

"Hello there."

Ishikki's eyes suddenly were filled with the image of a white cat creature. Except it had weird rings around its long ears and tail. She could have sworn she had seen such a creature before. Maybe from one of her sister's magical girl shows.

"You seem to be in a rough spot right now."

Was the cat…speaking to her?

"I can help you."

"Y-you can?"

The cat nodded. "Yes. All you need to do is make a contract with me and become a magical girl."

A magical girl? Really? But she hated magic. She hated everything about it. How it destroyed her family, her life, and taken everything away from her. Yet…

Onee-chan, you're amazing! You're like a real life magical girl!

Her feeble hands reached out towards the white cat's head, as though to confirm her answer. "I-I wish…I wish to be free."

"Very well then. Your wish will be granted."

A brilliant flash filled the alleyway, causing the Aurors to shield their eyes. "What in the world?"

When the flash faded, where once a malnourished teenager had lain dying, a warrior stood in her place. Clad in a black bodysuit covered by a white cloak, Tamaki Ishikki stood. A wicked looking mounted crossbow glistened while a dagger was sheathed in her forearm. Her eyes looked over the boggled men.

The first man recovered from his shock and pointed his stick. "Stupefy!"

The stunning spell merely whizzed by the girl's head as she tiled her head to the side. Smirking at their befuddlement, Ishikki broke into a run. Using the narrow walls of the alleyway, the teenager zipped past a pair of spells before vaulting over the men, raising her crossbow as she did.

A moment later, a trio of bolts had tore into the men's right arms, causing them to drop their sticks in pain. Another burst and the men collapsed, their knees bleeding from crossbow wounds.

Ishikki looked over her previous aggressors and frowned.

"You should go for their wands." The white cat suggested.

Wands? So that's what they were called. The girl picked up the long, thin wooden wands, looking them over with mild interest. They seemed rather generic in her honest opinion. But if these were what had caused her so much pain, best not to take chances. Holding the wands by both ends, she snapped them in half.

The pink haired teen dropped the now broken wands in surprise. She hadn't put that much strength into that? Maybe that was a magical girl perk or something.

She looked over at the white cat. "You seem to know a lot about these…magic people."

The cat's beady eyes remained unblinking as it gestured to the incapacitated men. "They're wizards. Aurors to be exact, sorta like a magical police officer."

"Police officers?"

"Yes. Their job is uphold their statute of secrecy, to prevent non magical people from learning about magic."

Well that made some sense now. She had revealed magic in some way. "You're awfully cooperative though. How do I know you're not trying to hurt me either?"

The cat shook its head. "Despite my appearance, I'm actually a good Kyubey! My creator is a good wizard who wants to help people. He doesn't care about the Statue if it means he can help other people."

A good wizard? "Who is your master?"

"Harry Potter!"

Now that was a household name. "Harry Potter? The adopted son of the shipgirl Nagato?"

"Yes! He is a very good wizard. He made me after all. I'm a good Kyubey! But no one seems to believe it. You're the first person to make a contract with me."

"What do you mean?" Ishikki asked in confusion.

The white cat froze. "Wait, you mean you don't know what I am? You don't know what a Kyubey is?"

"You look like a white cat creature."

"You've never seen Puella Magi Madoka Magica before?"

"Is that a cartoon? Sorry, I'm not into cartoons. That was my sister's thing."

There was an awkward pause between magical girl and animated plushie.

"I see." The doll concluded, "Regardless. You are a magical girl now. Which means we need to leave before more Aurors show up."

Ishikki nodded, "Agreed, and hopefully you can tell me more about this…wizard people."

"Of course!"

—

Goto looked down at the report on his desk. "Are you certain of this?"

Oyodo nodded, "Hai. Harry duplicated 24 animated Kyubey plushies in total. We have confirmed the destruction of 20 of them."

A hand made forbidden love with face. "Which means that there are four other Kyubey dolls just walking around Yokosuka."

"…yes…"

Goto sighed. "How…do we explain this to the local authorities?"

"We're working on an explanation as we speak. The good news is that Harry thinks they'll only last a couple of days at most. So if anything, they'll just disappear completely on their own."

"Got it. Just…keep an on that would you? I don't want riots to start when parents find children bringing home animated Kyubey."

"Understood."

"At least they're just dolls after all. Magical girls are just a trope from animation after all."

Right?

 

[UCC]

Set shorty after Momo Akechi is summoned.

Magical Girl Puella Nanoha

—

Yokosuka Elementary Fall 2013

Nanoha stared at the creature. The creature stared back.

"Are you sure that you're not an abomination against all that is good annd true and trying to lure girls to their deaths to combat entropy in the universe?"

"For an eight year old, you sure do know a lot of big words." The cat responded back.

"It's never too young to learn how to protect yourself from evil aliens trying to steal your soul!" The brunette proudly stated.

"Very wise of you. But I assure you. I am a good Kyubey."

"That sounds like something an evil one would say!" She shot back.

Around the brunette, a group of girls watched in dismay. "Nanoha, I don't like this at all. Let's go get Hoppou. She can handle it!" Suzuka protested.

"Ye-yeah. Hoppou has her Reppu!" Arisa agreed. "She'll blow that thing up!"

Nanoha shook her head. "We can't rely on Hoppou to solve all of our problems! We need to confront them head on!"

She glanced back at the Kyubey. "So you're not trying to steal my soul?"

The Kyubey shook its head. "Of course not! My maker wouldn't ever do something like that. He stands for family, love, and puns!"

Nanoha nodded, "I see then. Then can you make me a magical girl without turning me into a zombie?"

"Sort of? All I'm doing is taking your inherent magical power, which you seem to have a lot of, and using it as a battery to cast specific wandless magic and-"

"Good enough for me. There's a bully in the next class over and I need to show her that we should be friends instead of rivals. So I need your power so that she will stop being mean to everyone and-"

As the brunette ranted about the quiet blonde who was annoying her, Kyubey titled its head in concern. Perhaps this would not be a great idea.

—-

Ellen Baker typically spent her recess in the teacher's lounge, where it was calm, quiet, and she could get her lesson planning done in peace. After all, trying to teach a class that had Hoppou was no easy task. Especially when it came to reminding the Abyssal Installation that while she was in fact a mother of an entire fleet of warships and probably had more experience as a parent than she did, Hoppou was not allowed to "momboat" the other students. No matter how amusing it was.

The sliding door opened and Ellen paused. "Yes?"

"Sensei, we found a Kyubey downstairs."

"Oh that's nice. Have fun." The teacher dismissed the student. Where had she heard that name before? They probably found a cat or something. She would make a note to let the groundskeeper know about the cat so he could shoo it off.

A few minutes later, the door slid open again. "Sensei! Nanoha is talking to the Kyubey!"

"Oh that's nice. Is the Kyubey friendly?" Ellen called back as she tried working out a solution to teach regrouping after addition.

"I think so. It says it's a good Kyubey."

"That's sweet. I'll take a look in a few minutes ok?" She encouraged the student before glancing at her notes. Yeah, it would be ok to check on her students. Just as soon as she finished this plan.

A few minutes later, the door slammed open. Several panicked students crashed through the doorway.

"Sensei! Sensei!" One of the girls cried. "Nanoha has become a magical girl! And now she's going after Fate!"

Ellen dropped her pencil in disbelief. "Nanoha did what?"

An explosion rocked the school as the foreign teacher stumbled to the floor.

—-

Fate Testarossa really hated Japan. First her mother had to take a commission working with the Japanese Navy. Then they had to move to this horrid place. She barely understood Japanese. And no one spoke German! And there was this girl, Nanoha was it?, who kept bothering and pestering her. And everytime she tried to ignore her, the girl seemed to get more mad and upset.

She was so grateful she was in Takamichi Sensei's class. The students left her alone and Takamichi even learned a little bit of German, just for her!

Today though, that annoying girl had returned, wearing a weird white and blue outfit and carrying a weird golden staff. She demanded something that Testarossa honestly didn't want to know what it meant, so she just shook her head.

Turns out that was the wrong decision. The girl seemed even more upset and pointed the staff at her. And that's when the world turned pink.

Or it should have, as when she opened her eyes, she wasn't thrown back against the wall, but rather was standing where she had been previously. Instead, a weird golden barrier, with a series of glowing strips of paper surrounding the field, was separating her from the would be murderer.

And standing between the two, were two girls she recognized from that girls class, except they had…fox ears and tails?

They seemed to have an argument with her before the room erupted into laser fire, fireballs, and explosions. Fate understood immediately as she fled the scene.

—-

"Nanoha-chan, what do you think you're doing?"

Nanoha blinked at the twins in surprise. Where her magical beam was supposed to connect with Fate, a golden barrier had blocked it. And protecting Fate were her classmates Rei and Asuka.

"Rei, Asuka? What are you doing here? Why are you stopping me?"

"We're trying to stop you from shooting Fate in the face!" Rei shot back.

"Mou, I wasn't going to shoot her in the face. I just needed her to look at me!"

"You totally were going to shoot her in the face. And you're not supposed to shoot people anyways!" Asuka argued.

Nanoha frowned. While she normally tolerated the twins, standing in between her and Fate was not a smart idea. She knew after all! The best way to make friends was to have a massive battle where you kick the other's ass in so hard they become you friend. That's what her anime said! "Rei, Asuka. Get out of my way. I need to make friends with Fate."

"Not going to happen!"

Her eyes darkening, Nanoha pointed her staff at the twins. "Then I have no choice!"

—-

After the initial explosion shattered their hastily formed barrier, the twins skidded backwards from the blast.

Rei turned to her twin, pulling out a pair of ofuda. "You make a barrier so no one can get hurt, I'll keep her busy."

"A-are you sure?" Asuka asked in concern. "What if you get hurt?"

Rei glared at her sister. "We don't have a choice Asuka!"

Dodging a pair of pink bullets sent her way, Rei threw another pair of ofuda (thank the Kami she had "borrowed" all those old ones from onee-chan's room) at the enraged magical girl. "Onee-chan has been protecting this city for years now! Now it's our turn to help her!"

Asuka nodded, pulling out her own set of Onee-chan made ofuda. Her ears twitched before she ducked, barely avoiding another pink bullet. Running around the hallway, she slapped said ofuda onto the wall, doing a quick prayer to the Kami as she did so.

A minute later, a larger golden barrier had enveloped the hallway, leaving the twins and the magical girl alone in said floor.

Nanoha frowned at the barrier. "Mou…you really don't want me to find Fate? I guess I need to put more power in."

With that, she pointed her staff and summoned a dozen small pink orbs, allowing them to circulate around her before sending them out at the twins.

Rei's eyes narrowed as she tracked the orbs. Leaping backwards, the kitsune ducked, rolled, and dashed between the gaps of the bullet hell, throwing her own ofuda back at the magical girl.

Said ofuda seemed to crash into another magic barrier surrounding said magical girl. Nanoha frowned before incinerating the ofuda targeted at her. "Who's shooting who now?"

With that, she summoned several dozen pink bullets and changed the pattern before sending them off.

—-

Ellen Baker dashed onto the scene only to collide with several children.

"Sensei! Sensei!" One of her students cried out, "Nanoha is fighting the twins!"

Ellen looked past the children and her jaw dropped in disbelief as she saw the golden semi transparent barrier separating them from the fight inside. What the hell was going on?

Was that Rei and Asuka…with fox ears and tails? And why was Nanoha wearing that ridiculous outfit?

She glanced around before she saw a familiar teacher. "Sensei, what are you doing? Stop that fight?"

The music teacher shrugged. "You wanna go in there? This isn't just a fight Baker Sensei. This is more than that. This is Touhou become real."

Pointing his phone at the fight, he clicked the stream button before narrating. "Hey everyone, MiniLector here, today we're going to be evaluating this magical engagement. Now as a kid I played Touhou, so I think I can give a decent rating on this engagement. Let's look at the line ups here…"

—-

Yokosuka Nava Base

Goto smiled.

Kongo smiled.

They sipped black tea.

Everything was right with the world.

Then the door slammed open as Niiyodo dashed into the room. "Teitokou!"

Goto groaned, "What is it Niiyodo?"

The light cruiser shoved her phone forward to a page on SGO labeled: "Touhou is real"

Goto glanced at the scene. "Hmm…another magic incident? Possible breaking of the statute?"

Niiyodo frowned, "Sir, this is at Yokosuka elementary."

Goto's jaw dropped. Quickly composing himself, he turned pulled a pen out and began scribing orders. "Good call Niiyodo. Take the Honshu girls and intervene before any Aurors do. I'll try to call off the local law enforcement."

"Hai Teitokou!"

—-

Yokosuka Elementary

Sweat poured down Rei's face as she dodged the next set of pink bullets. They needed a new plan. And fast.

"Nanoha! Let's talk about this!" Rei called out. "We can work something out ok?"

"Fate is waiting to me." Came the response.

"Well maybe Fate doesn't want to be your friend!" Rei shot back.

Asuka shot her a glare. "Don't say that Rei!"

The icy cold response came in the form of the pink bullets vanishing. Nanoha's eyes grew dark as she hefted her staff.

Rei's eyes widened as she pulled out a special ofuda from her pouch. Asuka prepared the biggest fireball she could muster.

Throwing it outwards, she shouted her battlecry.

"Super Onee-Chan Unicorn Grade Purification Ofuda!"

"8 Year Old Kitsune Super Duper Fireball!"

"Divine Buster!"

The barrier shattered as all three girls flew out of the school building, hitting the (thankfully tanbarked) school playground. Nanoha picked herself up and raised her staff once more. "You are the worst friends ever! It seems you need to befriended properly! Gather shimmer of the star-"

Before she could finish, a loud noise explosion resounded across the playground, causing magical girl and Kitsune alike to cover their ears in pain.

"Owie…what was that?" Asuka muttered, her ears still ringing.

"You-you're all silly bakas!"

The trio turned to see a trio of shipgirls standing before then. Rei recognized them immediately.

Honshu, also known as Akechi Momo, of the Honshu costal defense ships as well as her "younger" sister Kyushu glared at the trio. One could note her main guns smoking after firing directly into the air.

"You're all silly bakas and you need a big time out!" Momo repeated herself.

—-

The powerful jet of water splashed into Nanoha, causing her to sputter and gasp as she tried to cover her face. On the other side, the twins spasmed and squirmed under the powerful jet.

The instigator of the hosing, Hoppou turned to the trio. "Hoppou spends one week in Unalaska and the school blows up. Clearly Hoppou can't trust this school to stay standing in her absence."

She paused. "Maybe Hoppou needs to use more hoses."

"N-no Hoppo-gwaaa!" Hosing resumed.

A few minutes later, wet magical girl and wet fox soon drooped on the muddy ground, staring upwards at the intimidating figure of Hoppou. "Have you understood that you're all being silly?"

"I just wanted to make friends!" Nanoha protested.

Hoppou took one look at the magical girl with a deadpan look.

"Oh poo-gwaa!" Hosing resumed.

Hoppou turned to the twins. "Does Asuka and Rei understand they were being silly?"

The twins, throughly soaked to the bone and smelling of wet fox, nodded quickly. "We were being silly."

Hoppou nodded. "Good. Now let's head back. Kyushu, Momo, pick them up and let's go. Maybe big brother might know what to do."

—-

Goto sighed as he read the report. "So let me get this straight, one of Harry's prank Kyubey's from a year ago is running around, which shouldn't be possible, contracting magical girls, which didn't exist until now. Did I hear that correctly?"

Haru frowned. "From what the children and their parents told me, yes. Harry is currently interrogating the creature as we speak."

—-

The white cat found itself in a dark room, lit only by a single lamp on the table. On the other side of the table, a young teenage boy peeked out the closed blinds of the window behind them.

"The Kyubey was white, with golden rings on its ears and tail." Harry spoke aloud, "Its tail swished back and forth nervously, like a metronome with social anxiety."

"Umm…I'm not nervous. You're my master after all." The Kyubey pointed out, "Also…1950s noir films? Nice taste. When did you have time to make all this?"

Harry shrugged. "I was bored."

"That explains a lot."

"Thank you." Harry nodded, "Also thanks for helping me set up the studio and the make up."

Akizuki, Teruzuki, and Suzutsuki gave a collective thumbs up. "No worries Harry!"

Harry returned his eyes back to the subject in question. "Now then, you're an animated plushie that I had animated a year and a half ago. How did you go from just a plushie to an actual wish granting magical girl creating familiar?"

The creature nodded, "it's quite simple actually. When you had us animated, you gave us the job of making contracts with girls who had potential. Our desire to contract magical girls combined with your desire to have us chaos resulted in our directive to seek out and find magical capable girls and offer them the chance to use magic. Naturally, this resulted in our ability to enable girls who were magical, or magical girls."

Harry nodded, "I see. That makes sense. But how have you been surviving since then? The magic I entrusted you wish should have expired long ago."

"Ah, that was the result of magical girls recharging us. Every time we make a contract, our magical batteries if you would were recharged." The creature flicked its tail. "Thus we are highly incentivized to make contracts."

Harry frowned. "I see. So how many girls have you made contracts with?"

The Kyubey paused, a confused look on its face. "I was not programmed for memory…so…I forgot?"

—-

Goto stared at Haru in disbelief. "It forgot?"

Haru nodded slowly. "Yes…unfortunately. It estimates anywhere from…well…"

Goto sighed. "Tell me the number…"

"Twenty to fifty magical girls across Japan."

Goto dropped his pen in disbelief. Oyodo dropped her coffee in fright. Kongo dropped from her listening post from behind the door in shock. Mikasa dropped from the vent and crashed onto Goto's desk in surprise.

Ignoring the desk, Goto blinked before recovering. "Right then. I'll try to explain to the higher ups about this new player on the field. Hopefully we can put together a task force to track these girls before they cause too much trouble."

Haru nodded, "Actually I have a few ideas on where to find them. There's been a string of anti magical vigilantism as of late and now I think we have the source of these hassles."

Goto groaned, "Great. A group of untrained, unsupervised, magical vigilantes with a dislike for the magical community. Just what we needed."

—-

Ishikki sneezed, jerking back to avoid sneezing on her project. Rubbing her nose, she glanced back at her homework before sighing. Couldn't magic make doing homework easier?

"Hey Bratling!" A voice called from behind the door.

"Yes Miss Hirosawa?"

"Just a heads up that your rent is due tomorrow."

Ishikki nodded, right. Paying rent. "Of course! I have the money right here. I'll drop it off in the morning."

"Be quick about it ok?"

"Hai!"

Couldn't magic make paying rent easier too?

Ishikki returned to her project. Just a bit longer. Then she could finish her other special project and finally get her revenge. Those magical classmates of hers would never see it coming.

—-

The quartet watched the magical dojo with caution.

"You're sure this dojo is run by a magical?" Nanaka turned to her compatriots.

Meiyui nodded, "Yes. My family has noted that the shrine maiden who runs this dojo has never changed for decades. She has to be a magical."

"Not to mention they churned out the likes of Kokonoe Yae." Akira added, "she can't be human!"

Nanaka nodded, "Right then. When the shrine maiden comes out, we'll jump her."

Kako frowned. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

—-

There she was. Beautiful, strong, courageous. A hero. So much the opposite of herself. She couldn't help it but be jealous of how perfect she was.

How morbidly ironic was it that they looked so alike, yet were such opposites.

Shima Isuzu stared at the shipgirl Hamakaze and frowned. If only she were as remotely brave and bold as she was. But now she had a chance.

"So will you make the contract Shima Isuzu?"

 

[UCC]

Set a month after Ishikki contracted.

Magical Girl Shima Isuzu Set Up!

—-

Sasebo Early 2012 (Shortly after the Kyubey prank incident):

Shima Isuzu sighed as she looked over the colored stationary. Recently, a new set of Fleet Collection stationary had come into the store, and everytime she had rushed over to the store, hopeful, wishing, that maybe, just maybe, they had her idol's stationary for sale.

However, once again, only a series of battleships, cruisers, and carriers greeted her. Passing over the Yamato themed notebooks, the Naka themed pencil bags, the Enterprise themed planner, and most recently, the Ashigara themed mechanical pencils, complete with wolf ears clips, Shima picked up a Shinano themed sketchbook. The Yamato carrier who was one of the great heroes of the new generation. The new generation of shipgirls who led humanity to victory. Shima kept earnest track of the new generation of heroes in the war.

Shinano, Yahagi, Amagi, Louisiana, Kana, Akizuki, and of course, her favorite, Hamakaze, Shima collected anything and everything she could get her hands on. Much at the suffering of her allowance, but Shima had considered it worthwhile.

A quick purchase later, the shy girl found herself at the Sasebo Memorial Park. Sitting quietly, the high schooler opened the new sketchbook. Pulling out colored pencils, she began to sketch.

Her hands moved as a human figure took shape on the page. Silver, light gray, and light steel highlighted the hair, white, blue, and yellow made up her uniform, and black and dark blue made up stockings.

Shima scrunched her brow as she carefully drew the confident and powerful features on the figure's face. After nearly an hour of drawing, she put down the sketchbook in satisfaction.

Spoiler: Shima's sketchbook

"If only…" she muttered.

"That's a very nice drawing."

Shima jerked her head up, looking around for the source of the voice.

"Down here."

She looked down and shrieked. Sitting next to her on the bench…was a familiar white creature.

"Kyu-kyu-Kyubey!!"

The cat titled its head in shame. "I know. I look like an evil abomination against humanity that preys on the souls of innocent girls. But I assure you. I'm a good Kyubey."

"A…a…a good Kyubey?" Shina stammered awkwardly. Why was Kyubey real? Why was it talking to her? Was she in danger?

The cat nodded, "Yes. I am. I don't take your soul and turn you into a witch…although that's sorta true I guess. I do help girls become witches in a sort of speaking…anyways. I merely observed that you are an excellent artist."

Shima paused. "Ahh…thanks. I…I practice a lot."

"That girl looks a lot like you." The cat observed.

Shima furiously shook her head. "No! Not at all. She's nothing like me! Hamakaze is beautiful, strong, and brave. She faces innumerable foes with a calm demeanor. She's the knight to Shinano's lord."

She put her hand on her chest. "I'm just plain. I'm shy. I'm so weak and pitiful. I just…I can only watch and pray that I can even remotely as strong as Hamakaze is."

Kyubey listened silently as the girl berated herself. "Would you like to become Hamakaze?"

The girl jerked her head towards the white cat. "What? Me…into Hamakaze? What do you mean?"

"I can grant you the power to become a magical girl. One that is as strong and powerful as your idol. All you have to do is make a contract with me."

Shima paused as her reasoning returned. "Wait…a contract? Like one that turns my soul into a soul gem?"

"Not at all! Shima Isuzu. You have inherent magical power inside of you. I can take that and turn you into a magical girl, no soul selling required."

Shima looked down at her body. "I…I have powers?"

"That's right. You have magic powers inside of you, bursting from the seams. To unlock them, all you need to do is make a contract with me."

The silver haired girl looked at her hands. They were so frail, weak, and powerless. But they could be strong? She could be like Hamakaze?

Slowly, she turned to Kyubey. "How…do I go about this?"

—-

Sasebo Yokai Reservation Fall 2013 (after the Nanoha incident):

"Stupefy!"

Shima ducked and rolled under the spell before raising her staff. Focusing her magic, she wordlessly sent two bolts of magic back at the attacker.

Pausing to listen for her attacker, Shima turned to the victim. "It's ok. You're not going to be hurt any longer."

The Nekomata child, mangey and dressed in rags, nodded as she watched her mysterious savior. The silver haired girl smiled softly. "Don't worry. I'll take care of these bad people and you'll be safe ok?"

Waiting until she heard the shuffling of feet ahead, Shima smiled softly before unfurling her wings.

With a powerful leap, Shima burst into the air. The pair of Aurors pointed their wands in the air, chanting some sort of spell, but the magical girl soared down and into the men. Transforming her staff into a scythe, Shima slashed her blade forward. The sharp blade slashed through the men's wands, as the girl landed.

The men stared at their broken wands in disbelief, only to receive a magically enhanced punch to the stomach as Shima used her free hand to knock out the wizards.

Satisfied with her work, Shima looked over the fallen men before sending a pair of stunning bolts into each body. Just to be safe.

Satisfied with the results, Shima Isuzu turned to the child. "It's all clear. You're safe now."

The girl slowly peered her head up from her hiding spot. "Umm…it's safe?"

Shima nodded. "Yes. You're an escapee from the Reservation right?"

"y-yes."

"Then you're fine. I know some people who can help you move northward." Shima explained. "But we do need to get moving. The Reservation guards frequent Sasebo and they don't hesitate to chase escapees once they're on the trail."

The girl nodded, her eyes fixed on the silver haired girl, her white wings hanging on her side. "A-are you the Angel of Sasebo?"

The "Angel" sighed, "I…I don't deserve such a name. I'm just trying to live up to an ideal."

A few hours later, the Nekomata waved farewell as she entered a sympathetic household who had unique transportation connections up north. The magical girl waved back until the door closed.

It had been over a year since Shima Isuzu had accepted her contract. A year of discovering magic, wizards, and the marginalized and discriminated Yokai. A year of discovering how dangerous and ruthless the magical world was. A year of trying to live up to the hero that she idolized.

Shima Isuzu powered on her phone and looked at the image of her idol. "Someday, I'll be strong enough for you to be proud of me."
As she closed her eyes, her clutched her pillow tightly, the faint spectral form of a shipgirl's rigging overlaying her.

—-

Shima stifled a yawn as she dragged herself into the classroom. While magical girls seemed to get enhanced strength, stamina, and reflexes, enhanced sleep was not one of the perks.

As she slid into her seat, she wondered if she could nap the first period. Maybe Kyubey knew some illusion magic she could use to make her look awake while she napped? She shook her head. Something to ask it next time it came around.

As she plopped her head on the desk, she picked up a few stray conversations circulating the classroom.

"Do you think we have a pop quiz today?"

"…and then he broke up with her and she's now totally devastated!"

"Did you see yesterday's episode?"

"I'm telling you, it's real guys! Magical girls are real!"

Shima jerked her head up. What?
Her eyes caught a group of boys sharing a phone.

"I don't know Kenji, it could just be CGI."

"But this was a live stream! I'm serious!"

"A magical girl fighting Kitsune miko right out of Touhou? Give me a break dude. That's totally scripted."

"I'm serious! Take a look!"

Silently, Shima moved herself behind the boys to get a better look.

"Hey everyone, MiniLector here, today we're going to be evaluating this magical engagement. Now as a kid I played Touhou, so I think I can give a decent rating on this engagement. Let's look at the line ups here…"

Sure enough, Shima could make out the forms of a magical girl fighting a pair of small Kitsune in what looked like a school hallway.

One of the boys nodded, "Well if it is CG, then it's pretty damn good. Plus the Touhou inspiration? Someone has good taste."

"Could be shipgirls."

"Good point. Hey Isuzu, what do you think? You're the resident shipgirl expert."

The boys turned towards the silver haired girl. Shima instinctively squeaked at the sudden attention. "Ahh Umm…well it could be…it's what they would call… MSSB? I mean it's not like magical girls are real or anything."

The boys looked to each other before nodding. "Good point. I'll chalk it up to shipgirl stuff."

Shima let out a sigh of relief as she returned to her seat. Magical girl secrets were safe. As she flipped through her phone, researching the video, the words "Yokosuka elementary" showed up.

Shima frowned, googling the location. It was very close to the naval base, hopefully there weren't that many shipgirls patrolling the area. After all, finding another magical girl would be worth it in the end.

—-

The next weekend, Shima found herself looking at yellow tape blocking her way to Yokosuka Elementary.

Her arms drooping, Shima sighed. Naturally the school would be shut down after such an explosive battle the week before.

Maybe she could ask around about the incident…but that…would require talking to strangers. And that…that was too much…

But…that's what Hamakaze would do right? Hamakaze is calm, brave, and strong. She wouldn't shy away from talking to strangers if it meant completing the mission.

Noticing a uniformed man standing on guard, she walked over to the man. "Umm… excuse me…"

The guard noticed the silver haired teen and nodded. "You part of the investigation team? They're already inside."

The investigation team? Well…she was investigating…

"Well…"

"There you are!" A voice interrupted them.

Shima turned around to face the voice. Her eyes widened. Right there in the flesh was Urakaze, the Kagerou class destroyer, one of Shinano's escorts…and sister ship of Hamakaze.

Shima's brain blanked out as Urakaze frowned. "What are you doing here Hamakaze? We're heading out in 10!"

"Umm…" Shima stammered out, her brain short circuiting (there were shipgirls here!) as her hand was taken and dragged her away from the school.

"Come on! Also, what's with that uniform? Ahh, there's no time to change. Harry's waiting for us!"

"Wha…umm!!"

—-

"With Sirius Black on the loose, it is imperative we maintain consistent and constant protection over Harry as we…"
The admiral's voice droned on.

Shima stood at frozen attention as her eyes darted left and right. To her left, Urakaze, Isokaze, and Yukikaze casually took notes while Shinano herself (she couldn't believe it) seemed to have her eyes glazed in some sort of daydream.

Yukikaze gave Shima a light nudge, "We're going to see Harry, isn't that great?"

Shima tried to recall who this "Harry" was, but drew a blank. "Erm…yes?"

Isokaze smiled warmly, "Shinano is thrilled too."

Shima nodded slowly, her brain still stalling.

"Ehh?"

—-

Shima emerged from the vanishing cabinet.
"You're here!" She suddenly found her body embraced by a messy haired boy.
Blushing slightly as she felt the boy hold her tightly, Shima could do nothing but just awkwardly return the embrace.

"Ehh?"

—-

Shima stood in the bleachers amidst cheering fans as teenagers riding brooms flew through the sky. Her brain tried to draw conclusions but simply shorted out.

"Ehh?"

—-

Meanwhile:
Hamakaze exited the shower, a towel slung over her shoulder. Looking around the dorm she frowned. "Where did everyone go?"

—-

Spoiler: AN: Explanation of Shima

Shima wished to be like "Hamakaze". Instead she ended up becoming a Psuedo Hamakaze. From a spiritual level, she looks like Hamakaze, but lacks the weight, power, and quirks that make up a shipgirl. Which means that the Four Winds (and Harry) are mistaking her for their sister since she has the spiritual hull of Hamakaze. Even if she isn't a perfect copy of Hamakaze (slightly different hair, a bit shorter, lacking certain…assets). Don't think too hard. It's an honest mistake and Shima is too shy (and deathly terrified) to explain that she isn't Hamakaze.

—-

Shima needed to get out. She didn't know how this had happened but everyone thought she was Hamakaze. And now she was in some magic castle in Europe cheering for a boy she who Shinano and the others appeared to care deeply about.

She watched the wizards ride about and silently shuddered. There were magicals everywhere! If she was caught, if they found out she was not only not Hamakaze, but also the one attacking wizards in Sasebo, then she was most certainly dead.

This was not how she intended on spending her weekend. All she was supposed to do was check out the school, ask for the name of the magical girl who showed up there. She wasn't expecting to actually be mistaken for Hamakaze and dragged into an actual military classified mission! And apparently the military was working with the magicals too?

Shima was so full of boggles (gozaru!) that she didn't even notice Harry lead them down a hallway until the wall slid open and she found herself in a massive hallway leading to the biggest library she had ever seen.

Harry grinned as he threw up his arms. "Panpakapan! Welcome to the Library of Secrets!"

As the messy haired boy explained the library, Shima began panicking. "Wait, we're actually going to fight down there?"

Harry nodded, "Pretty much. That's what I asked you here to help me."

"And that's why we have the hp and mana bars?" Yukikaze added.

Wait, hp and mp bars?

"Yeah, apparently it's an addition my mum made during her time." Harry snickered before pausing. "Umm…Hamakaze, is everything alright?"

Slowly, Shima glanced up and saw her hp bar…and more specifically, her name above it.

SHamakasuzu

Class: Magical ShipGirl

That was it. She was dead. They were going to kill her for impersonating her idol.

"Umm…errr…ehh…haha…" Shima's brain fought to catch up with her mouth.

"Magical girl?" Yukikaze frowned, "Like in anime?"

Harry shook his head, "I beg to differ Yukikaze! Magical girls are real! And it's all my fault!"

Yukikaze raised her brow. "Really?"

Harry smirked, "Remember when I animated all those Kyubey plushies? As a prank?"

Shinano nodded, "Yes. Musashi punted it out the window."

"It turns out, the survivors gained sentience and started contracting magical girls for real!"

"Ehh?" Shima exclaimed aloud. "You're the one who made the Kyubey?"

Harry paused. "Of course I was. You were there."

"Oh I was? I mean…erm… yeah! Of…yeah…haha…" Shima broke down again as she remember she was supposed to be undercover. "I was well…I just forgot… hehehe…"

Harry frowned as he titled his head. "Are you okay Hamakaze? You seem a bit off."

Isokaze nodded, "Come to think of it, you're wearing a different uniform. Where did you get it?"

"Also you seem kinda scared." Shinano added, "Is something wrong?"

"Do you have a fever Hamakaze?"

"Maybe we should talk to Akashi."

Shima felt her heart want to explode at all the concern and sympathy they had for her…the fake, the imitator. She just…she just couldn't take it any longer.

"I'MNOTHAMAKAZE!I'MSORRY!I'MACTUALLYSHIMAISUZUANDlIIDOLIZEHAMAKAZEBUTIMNOTHERANDACTUALLYI'MAMAGICALGIRLWHOWASCONTRACTEDBYTHEKYUBEYTHATHARRYANIMATEDANDISHOULDN'TBEHEREBUTITSALLMYFAULTPLEASEDONTKILLME!"

Harry and the other girls stared at Shima in surprise, their mouths slightly ajar.

And it was at that moment when the doors to the chamber of secrets slammed open, revealing a bushy haired girl and a very familiar white haired girl in full rigging.

"There she is!" Hamakaze announced. "She's the imposter!"

—-

When Shima saw her idol, her couldn't help but be in awe of the shipgirl. Her perfectly cut bangs covered her right eye with just the right amount of exposure, her slender but well muscled body was molded to perfection, and her eyes, those silver eyes, embodied the strength, power, and determination…as they glared daggers right at Shima.

"Ha-Hamakaze?" Harry turned his head in disbelief.

"You! Get away from Harry you fake!"

Her cool, soft voice sent shivers down Shima's bones. It took all of Shima's enhanced instincts screaming at her for Shima to be notice a set of Type 96 AA guns pointing at her face.

Transforming in an instant, Shima dived to the side just as the canon fire exploded around her. The explosion threw her onto the floor, slightly dazed.

She barely had time to get over that before she rolled over to avoid a powerful fist that crushed the floor where had just lain.

"I-I'm sorry!"

Harry stared at the actual Hamakaze in shock. "Hamakaze, what are you doing?"

"Don't worry Harry. Just stay back and I'll protect you."

Shima wanted to squeal at how amazing that line sounded. How much she wished she could be that cool. But it was quite hard when said knight was trying to kill her!

"I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to! It was an honest mistake!" She called, using every bit of speed and skill she had gained over the past year to just barely keep ahead of the murderous shipgirl.

Around them, Urakaze and Yukikaze were squinting their eyes as they tried to comprehend what looked like one Hamakaze trying to murder another Hamakaze. Shinano frowned before she closed her eyes and reopened them. And then she looked.

Suddenly, instead of two destroyers of the Kagerou class duking it out, she saw two girls around the same age, one who just happened to look like a slightly smaller and less curvaceous version of the other.

It all made sense suddenly. "Wait Hamakaze! Stop!"

Her words fell on deaf ears though as the destroyer smashed through a bookshelf (Harry winced at the property damage) as said magical girl leaped over it, wings (she had wings?) extended.

Harry's eyes widened, "She's like a Hamakaze tenshi dess!"

Shima's thoughts were not concerned with her appearance though, as she used an enhanced leap to jump over the bookshelf and glide over said shipgirls, only to cringe when she saw the array of anti aircraft guns pointed in her direction.

She hesitated a moment until she remembered something she had seen in a movie. Bringing her wings in tight, she dived towards the shipgirl, hoping to tackle the girl before she could fire said guns off.

Her vision blacked out when she saw a fist meet her face.

—-

Slowly but surely, Shima's eyes opened, even as she winced as the pain hit her. As she tried to recall what happened, a voice interrupter her thoughts.

"Hey, you're awake."

Shima's eyes took a moment to focus on the messy hair of a British born Japanese speaking boy. Who was really damn close to her. Her face lit up like a tomato. She had never been this close to a boy before.

Were all British people this intimate with people?

"Harry, you're too close to her." A voice called behind the boy, causing Shima to slowly tilt her neck to find a very unamused Hamakaze watching her like a hawk.

"Ahh…" Shima wanted to die now. Her idol hated her. That was enough of a reason to die.

"Oh sorry about that." The boy moved back, giving her space and breathing room.

Slowly Shima took in her surroundings. She was still in the familiar stone walls of the magic castle, but was in what looked like a school nurse's office. A woman in a good to honest Victorian nurse outfit was consulting…the Battleship Nagato?!?

Shima wanted to die. Nagato was here too?

Harry frowned. "Umm…are you ok Shima?"

Wait… "Y-you know my name?"

Harry flushed sheepishly as he held up a small object…her student ID.

"You had this in your pockets…sorry, we searched you for identification and weapons and such…" Harry explained, "But I'm certain you're a good person. After all, magical girls are good people…except when they're corrupt or time travelers."

Shima nodded, "Y-yes. Homura Akemi, despite her loyalty and faithfulness to Madoka, isn't a good person. Her methods are often questionable and she is willing to kill others because they hinder her plan."

"Even if Homura is so cool!" Harry added.

"Yeah."

The two of them sighed before sharing a look. The two giggled.

Harry extended his hand in greeting, "Let's try this again then. I'm Harry Potter-Nagato. 13 year old middle schooler, wizard, and little brother of the Fleet Dess!"

The white haired magical girl took the extended hand. "I'm Shima Isuzu. 16 year old high schooler, artist, and magical girl of Sasebo."

"You're an artist Isuzu-san?"

Shima nodded, blushing slightly. "H-hai. I…I like drawing ships and shipgirls."

"Wow, you've got to show me those. That's totally neat!"

"Ahem." A soft voice interrupted the two teenagers.
The two noticed Hamakaze grunt at them.

Shima blushed in front of her idol, "Oh. Umm…I'm sorry for impersonating you. I… I didn't mean to… but…I didn't tell them…"

"That's a good question actually." Harry added, "Isuzu-san, why do look like Hamakaze? Even your spiritual hull is identical."

Shima stared at the boy in disbelief. "I do? Wait, what's this about a spiritual hull?"

Harry frowned, "So you didn't know about that?"

The magical girl shook her head. "No, I knew I sorta looked like Hamakaze, but nothing more."

"Hmm…you're not a magical shipgirl, or an alternate shipgirl. Your hull is exactly identical. If you were a magical Kagerou, then you would have some differences…"

Hamakaze looked over at the magical girl. "So you're not trying to kidnap or hurt Harry?"

Shima shook her head furiously, "Of course not! I would never! I just was looking for the Yokosuka magical girl! I thought she might know where Kyubey was."

"You knew Kyubey?" Harry raised his brow. "All the way in Sasebo?"

She nodded, "y-yes! I met Kyubey about a year ago. But it vanished after I made my contract and I've been on my own ever since. Also…is it true you're the one behind the Kyubey appearances?"

Harry sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Hehe yeah. I'm not sure exactly how it happened."

A female voice yelled from the hallway behind the medical wing in English. Harry smirked and yelled something back in English, resulting in an audible smashing of steel against the stone, repeatedly.

Harry grinned, "Sorry about that. That's Hermoine. She's a fellow student here and I'm proud to say I'm the cause of two thirds of her headaches."

"That's something to be proud of?"

Harry smirked, "Dess!"

Shima's eyes widened. "That's Kongou!"

Harry's eyes twinkled.

"Nanodess?"

"Inazuma!"

"Ganbarimasu!"

"Fubuki!"

"Poi~!"

"Yuudachi!"

"Now here's a hard one. Orange is my specialty!"

"Ahh, while often attributed to the Sendai class, it's actually Nevada due to her orange coating during nuclear tests!"

The banging of metal against stone got louder.

Harry put his hand on his mouth. "Wow, you're the real thing. I've never met anyone who so perfectly passed the suffix test other than Cousin Jane."

Shima blushed at the praise. "Ahh, well…I sorta watch anything and everything shipgirl related I can find. Especially with the new generation. Though…everyone thinks I'm a weirdo."

Harry sighed, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Shima-chan, can I call you that?"

A nod.

"Shima-chan, you should never be ashamed for your passions. You clearly love shipgirls as much as I do! And you're a magical girl on top of that! How many people can genuinely say they're a real life magical girl?"

"Well…"

Harry smirked, "Now then, Hamakaze, Isuzu has apologized and admitted she wasn't trying to hurt me. I think you owe her an apology."

Hamakaze raised her brow, "I do? I was just protecting you."

Rolling his eyes, Harry grumbled, "You definitely went overkill on the firepower."

Hamakaze's eyes lit up as she understood. She flushed awkwardly. "Ahh, sorry about that. I should have held back a bit more."

Hamakaze was apologizing to her. Hamakaze, the brave, strong, and beautiful knight in shinning armor, was awkwardly fidgeting like a nervous school girl as she apologized…to Shima Isuzu.
Shima's face lit up as she tried to cement the image into her memory.

Shima slowly nodded, "Ahh…I…I forgive you. It was still my fault for deceiving everyone."

Why was blushing Hamakaze so damn cute?!?

Harry didn't seem to notice at all. "Glad that's settled! So then, Shima-chan, tell me all about being a magical girl!"

"H-hai!"

—-

Yokosuka Naval Base

"Only a week after we learned that magical girls exist…we catch another one…causing a security breach so big that I nearly needed to put the entire base on alert." Goto sighed, trying to figure out how to write this report.

Haru smirked. "At least she's cooperative. Shima Isuzu has been most informative in terms of providing us with information about magical girls and her activities."

Oyodo frowned, "Still though, the fact that someone managed to deceive an entire base of shipgirls to the point we brought her on a classified mission terrifies me."

Goto nodded, "Do we have any explanation as to how that happened?"

Oyodo sighed, "Yes. She literally was in the right place and the right time. Urakaze found her on the street and just dragged her into the base. Needless to say, she will be reprimanded for not checking her identity beyond just shiphull."

"Because up to this point, we didn't even know that could be compromised." Goto groaned. "We're going to need to create a whole new set of protocols just for magical girl defenses."

"I'll be doing my best to see what we can do about figuring out how she's doing that. Despite Isuzu's best efforts, she cannot explain how she manifested the hull. She didn't even know she had it until yesterday." Haru added.

"What's your plan?"

Haru frowned, "I was planning on sending her to Kyoto. There's some magical researchers there who I happen to know who would be very interested in examining her."

Goto raised his brow, "Haru? You'd better not being sending her to be ex-"

"I promise you. The person I have in mind is not that sort of researcher. She's actually been very valuable in her research into shipgirls and magics associated with them."

Goto shot up, "You don't mean?"

Haru smirked. "That's right. I'm sure Isuzu will be perfectly safe with her."

—-

Kyoto National History Musem

The shikigami fluttered through the air of a massive laboratory before landing on the messy nest of blue hair.

"I…I'm awake! I'm awake!" The researcher groaned as she tried to slap the shikigami out of her hair before catching it. Bringing down the paper to a pair of oversized glasses, the Masamune no Shimazu slowly read the request before rereading it several times.

"Magical girls!?!"

 

[UCC]

Happens right after the Shima set up snippet.

Warning, Parental Discretion Advised

—-

Yokosuka Naval Base Fall 2013

Shima Isuzu had survived for a year against wizards, protected around a dozen Yokai from sadistic aurors, and even lasted three minutes against a very angry shipgirl. So she perhaps had a mildly bloated ego that yes, she could handle anything.

Shima Isuzu forgot all of that as she was escorted into the admiral's office (by Kongou nonetheless! Her shipgirl fangirl instincts were screaming right now) to find one of the most well known admirals in recent history, sharing tea with a middle aged pair of adults with silver white hair. That's right, Admiral Goto was having tea with her parents. Shima wanted to die right then and there.

He noticed her entry and smiled, "Ahh, Miss Isuzu, how nice of you to join us. We were just talking about you."

Her mother leaped out of her seat and embraced her daughter. "You're okay! I… I was so worried. When you didn't come home yesterday, I freaked out! And then when the phone call came this morning, I… I was beside myself!"

"She wouldn't even let me get my work done." Her father chimed in, "But I… I was worried too."

Shima blushed, "Ahh…I'm ok. Sorry for making you worry."

"What matters is that you're ok." Her father patted her on the back. "Admiral Goto has mentioned to us that you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Ah…well…" Shima stammered. How much had the admiral told them?

"Shima," Her mother's icy cold voice froze the room. "Is there something you want to tell us about…magical girls?"

The teenager looked to the admiral before sighing, "H-hai. I'm… I'm a magical girl."

"In Miss Shima's defense, there are some circumstances that were outside of her control." The admiral chimed in, "There was a creature called a Kyubey involved and-"

"You accepted a contract from an Incubator?!?"

Shima wanted to die as she tried to curl up into the smallest ball she could. "Well-"

Her father groaned as he pressed his hand into his forehead.

"I thought I raised you better than this Shima. You of all people should know better than to accept contracts from white creatures offering wishes." Her mother stared at her daughter in disbelief.

Goto looked from the parents to the daughter in confusion. "I'm sorry, is there something I'm missing?"

Mrs. Isuzu chuckled awkwardly, "My husband…well…he's a freelance animator. And he's done quite a bit of work for Studio SHAFT, particularly on-"

"Puella Magi Madoka Magica." Her father finished. "I even worked on the little devil in some shots. So I'm very disappointed in you Shima."

"I made sure!" Shima protested, "I asked it all about whether or not my soul was being turned into a soul gem and whether or not I would turn into a witch. It said no! It was just using my inherent magical energy to let me use my powers!"

"Inherent magical energy?" Her father raised his brow, "Like in shipgirls?"

Shima froze. "Well…not really. More like…"

Goto coughed awkwardly. "I can answer those questions. You see Mr and Mrs Isuzu, your daughter has been involved with what we call the Magical Community…"

As the admiral explained the world of magic, Shima chimed in and tried to explain what she had found.

"And that's what we know so far." Goto concluded. "Is there any questions?"

Her parents remained silent for several long seconds. Shima gulped.

Finally, her father stood up. "Shima Isuzu. Stand." He spoke, his voice grave.

"H-hai!" Shima stood up, stiff and straight. Her father walked up to her as Shima braced herself, her eyes shut.

Instead she opened her eyes to find herself in a tight hug. "All those nights. All those bruises and bandages. Your mother kept worrying, that maybe you had fallen in with a bad crowd or were being bullied." He sniffled, a tear in his eyes. "But I refused to believe that my daughter would do that. Shima is brave. She is strong. And her sense of Justice is greater than despair she might face. And now, I know that my daughter wasn't a trouble maker, or in a gang. My daughter is a Ronin. She's a warrior who faces the darkness. She fights for truth, love, and friendship. My only regret…is that she had to do it alone. For that…I'm so sorry."

Her mother wrapped her arms from behind Shima, "I…I am so proud of you."

Shima blushed as she let herself melt into her parent's arms. She felt safe.

Goto smiled as he let the family reunite when he noticed an email show up on his computer.

Admiral Goto:

Concerning the girl of magical origin, I would be honored to examine her and her abilities. Please send her to the address below at your earliest convenience.

Masamune no Shimazu

 

[UCC]

Happens after the Hunt for Norimune

Enter The Foolish Foursome!

—-

Kamakura October 2013

The day was done and the sun had long since set as the last of Toku's kendo students shuffled out of the dojo.

"Goodbye Toku-sensei!"

A soft and calm smile met their farewells. "Goodbye, and make sure to hurry home alright?"

"We will!"

Watching the students leave, Toku let out a breathe. Once she locked up, she could make an small dinner before maybe calling Colombe, it was daytime over in Belgium wasn't it? Maybe she should cook something for the fencer as well. She would like that right?

As she moved towards the door, a buzzing noise interrupted her train of thought. Pulling out her Nokia (a gift from Shimazu, charmed to be even more durable and longer battery life), she scanned the ID before answering the call. "Moshi moshi? Ahh, Fudo Onee-sama, how are you?"

"…"

"Yes I'm fine. Classes just ended. I'm about to lock up for the night."

"…"

"Don't worry Nee-sama. I'm very aware of the recent string of attacks. I even strengthened the wards around the shrine. I'm fine-"

One hand holding the phone to her ear, Fudo's other hand reached for the door before stopping. Outside, she could hear the soft ringing of bells resounding throughout the Shrine.

The wards had gone off. There were intruders in the Shrine.

"Say Fudo, actually I would be interested in some company. Would you be free to join me for dinner tonight?" Toku offered as she walked back into the dojo, towards a certain sword rack.

"…"

"That's wonderful. My place in 20 minutes?" She picked up the sheathed blade from its rack on the mantle before heading towards the door.

"…"

"Alright. See you then."

Turning off the phone, the Masamune returned her phone to her pocket before pulling the door open.

She exited the dojo and walked down the small pathway before coming out in a small open area before the Minamoto Pond. Drawing her blade ever so slightly, she cast a muggle warding charm before calling out. "We're alone now. You can come on out."

She waited a mere few seconds before four figures emerged from the darkness. As they came into the light of the lamppost, her eyes widened as she saw four teenage girls dressed in outlandish outfits approach her. Their garbs reminded her of something right out of her pupil's shoujo manga.

"Can I help you?" She asked the intruders.

"Toku of the Tsurugaoka Hachiman-Gū, you are a magical. Your exploitation and cruelty towards humanity is your guilt. Prepare to face Justice." The purple haired girl declared, before drawing her twin Katana. The trio of girls behind her drew their weapons, including a pair of Tekkō Kagi, a spear, and a pair of brass knuckles.

"I see." The shrine maiden nodded slowly. So this was the reason behind the attacks? Hatred against the magical community? Which meant that these girls were probably non magical. Or at least those who only recently had exposure to the magical world. "Then I am your next target?"

The leader said nothing, but Toku could feel a darkness within the girl, an angry bloodlust that was very apparent. She had seen it far too often, a watered down variant of what she sometimes saw in some of her sisters. Or, for that matter, the darkness that she had sensed was inherent in her friend Colombe du Chasteler and some of the other Muramasa blades. The siren song of battle that had been smithed into the legendary blades of Japan.

Toku considered drawing her true self but paused. If these girls really were only recent additions to their world, how strong were they really? While she most certainly did not wish to underestimate them, was she not a follower of the Way? Lesson number one of the Way: One's path towards mastery is never complete. Perhaps she could even learn a thing or two from these girls.

Instead, she opted to take a defensive stance, her blade still sheathed. "I am ready. Are you?"

The three girls beside the leader hesitated, clearly put off. But nodded and charged.

The fight honestly wasn't that exhilarating in Toku's honest opinion. The girls' tactic was basically charging her at the same time from the same direction while trying to strike her in any way possible.

While she definitely could feel the strength behind their attacks, some basic familiarity behind their weapons, these were no masters of their craft. No true followers of the Way. Honestly, she was getting a bit bored fending off their attacks. Was this how Musashi felt all the time, constantly whittling her bokken for the next fight? Perhaps…the fight could be made more…interesting.

"Is this the true extent of your power? You truly don't seem worth my time." She taunted them, deflecting the green haired spear user before slamming the blunt end of her sheath into the girl's stomach. The girl cried out in pain before Toku grabbed her by the scruff of her outfit and tossed her away.

"Kako!" The brawler yelled out. "You'll pay for that!"

Toku shrugged. Honestly, these girls were looking less like magical assassins and more like her students on the second day of training. That's it! They were exactly like her students, all full of themselves and feeling unstoppable. Which meant that it was her divine calling to guide them in walking the Way to betetr themselves and bring forth the crudely formed raw potential that she sensed in their attacks and counters. It seemed that she had another class to teach tonight.

"You!" She parried the claw user with ease before knocking her away with the back of her blade. "You've got speed but you keep attacking from the front. Try to flank me and find my weak spots. You are the technician and need use your skill to look for targets of opportunity."

The brawler charged her, but Toku merely side stepped out of the way before dodging a sweeping kick. "You've probably got some martial arts background, probably Karate. But even so, while you have speed and force, you're sloppy and cannot hold my attention long enough for your team to exploit. You are the vanguard of your group and you need to own up to your role in a harmonious team that is greater than its individual people as you walk the Way as one."

Her instincts flashed as she stepped to the side to dodge the Katana strike from behind her. "Ahh. You finally have understood how to attack from behind," she observed the Katana user. "However? You're failing your job as the leader. You are not coordinating your teammates, nor are you observing my fighting style for weaknesses. Yet you all attack me one at a time or all at once. There is no staggering or coordination to your strikes. You are a failure as a leader."

With that, she parried the next Katana attack before slamming the sheathe of her blade on the girl's head, causing her to collapse.

As she turned to the green haired girl, watching from the side lines, she sighed. "And you, you simply lack the resolve to fight in the first place. Such half hearted commitment will surely lead to your team's downfall."

—-

"You are a failure as a leader."

Nanaka collapsed as those words resounded in her mind. She needed to get stronger. The magicals needed to pay. She had to avenge her father, no matter the cost…

—-

"Wh-who are you again?"

The moment Nanaka learned about magic was the moment her father stopped recognizing her.

The teenager had noticed the signs far before. Her father was always a bit forgetful, but lately he had been more forgetful than normal.

The morning when her father had suddenly stopped recognizing her, Nanaka knew something was wrong. When the doctor looked over him, the diagnosis was retrograde amnesia. The doctor shook his head in confusion when he pointed out that her father was in peak condition. He shouldn't have had any health issues, much less brain damage.

Over the next few months, her father's condition only worsened. The final nail in the literal coffin came when the doctor's new diagnosis came back. Her father had a growing brain tumor.

A week later, the purple haired girl stood before her father's grave, feeling utterly helpless and alone.

That was when the cat creature appeared. That was when she learned about magic and the magicians' ability to mess with the mind…much like that of her father's. That was when she made her oath. She was going to tear down the foundations of magic and bring an end to the magical society, who so casually toyed with the non magical.

With Kyubey's help, she found allies to her cause.

Akira, her best friend and martial artist.
Meiyui, a refugee from China who spoke of the cruelties the Chinese magicals had done to her country.
And finally Kako, a bookworm who they had rescued from a fire.

Together, they had agreed to help avenge her father and force use magic against the magical. In the name of Kyubey's master. Who was Harry Nagato apparently. Kyubey didn't seem to know much about him other than that he was a "good" wizard. Akira thought he looked cute. Nanaka didn't get it.

—-

Were they really that far out of their league? Was her resolve to stop magicals truly this weak? This woman…no…this monster, was nothing like the various wizards and yokai they had stumbled upon.

A dark fire erupted in her heart, as her body heated up. She stared at her blade, a purplish tint covering the blade. Somehow, her blade felt heavier, stronger, and sharper. She felt like she could cleave cleave and destroy and annihilate all who stood before her! She stood up, energy and adrenaline pulsing through her veins as she drew her swords once more.

This filthy little miko was nothing compared to her hatred, to her anger, to her-

Before she could move, the woman vanished and suddenly Nanaka was on her back, dazed as her vision went dark.

"That was dangerous you know. Good thing I stopped you."

—-

Toku frowned as she looked over the fallen assailants. While they were clearly untrained and new to this world, she could sense the raw power they possessed, particularly the Katana wielder. Somehow, her grudge and anger had caused her to awaken her raw and unrefined Qi, which, if allowed to flourish, would have destroyed the girl's life force.

Yes, these girls clearly needed direction, they needed a mentor. And fortunately, Toku happened to be certified Miko, teacher, and a follower of the Way.

"Toku, I'm here! Why do you have the people clearing wards up-"

Toku turned to see her older Masamune running to her. The woman froze as the sight of her younger sister, her sheathed blade held in two hands, standing over the crumpled bodies of four teenagers.

"Onee-sama, just in time." Toku greeted her sister. "I had just finished up our surprise guests. Would you mind helping me and bring them inside? I'll have dinner on the table in a bit."