Harry Potter & the Shipgirls

[darthcourt10]

Maes

Barricade said:Of course, then there's 'Poultry', the name Zui's Smol answers to.
Kinda surprised she doesn't go by 'Nugget'.


Yellowhammer said:subgirl*** (...) (swimming).
Just a bit of cracky material inspired by this...
*-*-*-*-*

A shriek over the airwaves

<GOYA! Oh Kamis someone help Goya! She's capsized!!>

<WHAT? NO I'M NOT!>

<BULLSHIT YOU'RE NOT! YOU'RE FLOATING FIN-SIDE DOWN!!>

<M'PRACTICING MY BACKSTROKE!>

<. . .>

<. . . your back...what? What the fuck is wrong with you?!? Why would you do that?!>

<Some steel-hull sub-skipper bet me a million yen we couldn't do it?>

<That's just... HOW?>

<Running on the batteries! Don't want to even risk trying to start my diesels upside down, not that it'd help much with the snorkel plugged. Crew had to strap themselves down or up? or upside-down I guess? and they're hating every second of it, and you don't want to know how my galley's doing, but hey, a million yen's a million yen...>

<This is insane. You're insane.>

<Says the one who won't be a million yen richer in a few days>

<. . . how long are you going to->

<'nother half hour, maybe? Still trying to get the rhythm down but my bilges are starting to object to the whole 'existing' thing. Still, if you think that's bad, you should've seen how one of Hoppou's kids reacted.>

<Oh shit, yeah they're still used to thinking more 'ship' aren't they.>

<Yup. I think I broke her brain. Most fun I've had in days!>

 

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

A.N. -- More Greco-Belgian WAFF incoming!

Only My Buttervioline (II)

Olympic Village, Athens, Greece

23 May 2036
Spoiler: Athens

"I'm such a idiot!" Therese du Chasteler-Potter moaned as she flopped on her bed in the athletes' housing. Her roommate paused in stretching to look at the teenage violin as she moped.

Martje Van Der Voorde gave her slightly younger friend a fond smile and spoke gently to her. "So what did you do this time, Therese?"

"I went down to the port to work off some nerves by serenading the tourists and some crew from the warships keeping the Abyssals from attacking." Therese muttered as she sat upright and blushed. "Papa is right, doing the whole street performer thing like how he met Mother is a real trip. So I really got into playing myself and giving people happy emotions like Mother does to brighten their day."

"There was a really cute guy there listening to me, and I kinda..." She trailed off as the blush deepened.

"Unh-hunh, go on~." the blond Flemish heptathlete said in her Dutch-accented French as she began another set of stretches, shaking her head at yet another romantic misadventure from her friend.

"I... kinda... tossed my glasses to him..." Therese admitted in a small voice, her face scarlet.

"Only you, Therese. I swear, I'll have to put a leash on you one of these days!" Martje said with a giggle as she raised the violin another point on her unofficial 'Dork Scale' for romance. "So, let me guess, he's married already. Did you at least look for a ring?"

"Ididn'tbecausemyphonewentoffandIhadtoApparatebackhereandcheckinsoIforgottogetmyglassesbackorhisnumber!" Therese blurted out in an embarrassed rush with her face as red as her Aunt Zamarad's hair. She then facepalmed and moaned. "I'm such an idiot~~!!"

"No arguments here, Therese. You did pack your spare glasses, yes?" Martje said after a few suspicious coughs and some work to keep a straight face.

"Yeah... I did..."

"Grab 'em and your locket and let's have a jog before getting a bite to eat you silly viool."

Panathinaïkó Stádio, Athens, Greece

24 May 2036

Athena smiled in joy as, once more disguised as a mortal, she walked up the steps of this classical stadium that was also called Kallimarmo, "Beautiful Marble". It had first been founded and consecrated as a racecourse as part of the Panathenaic Games to honor her (and the other Olympians) in the sixth Century during the first days of Athens, her beloved city named for her that had nurtured and incubated many of the seeds that would reach full flowering in Western Civilization.

Here, Cleisthenes had instituted the first concept of democracy in 508 BC.

Here, the philosophers Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle had taught their students laying the foundations for the great Roman and European thinkers to build upon.

Here, Herodotus, the 'Father of History', Thucydides, and Xenophon had written the books that made history an actual science and devotion.

Here, the great playwrights Aeschylus, Aristophanes, Euripides, and Sophocles had developed the very concept of Comedy, Tragedy, and explored the conflict of man against man, and man against self.

Here, Themistocles had walked after his masterstroke of the battle of Salamis when the might of the Persian Empire was broken in one of the most decisive naval battles in history to insure Greece would develop as a free collection of city-states.

Here, the statesman Pericles had helped nurture the Golden age of Classical Athens as he headed the Delian League to protect against the Persians and financed the building of the marble buildings of the Acropolis.

This stadium had seen the feet of these great men and more. Rebuilt in 330 BC in limestone and then in 144 AD in marble, it had seen much both of the heights of human culture as well as the decline and disrepair as the tides of time and ruin had washed against it as the course of fate had moved the center of power and civilization elsewhere, to Rome, Byzantium, Baghdad, Beijing, Paris, London, America.

And yet, the seeds first planted here had flowered once more long after those men who had developed them were long gone into the dust.

This stadium had been rebuilt in marble once more to host the first modern Olympiad in 1896, an event created by visionaries who looked back to the golden age of Greece and took from it inspiration and guidance to create a better, brighter future.

Then the XXVIII Olympiad had come to Athens in 2004, forging another link between past and present as, just like their forefathers, athletes had competed for the crown of laurel that was the ancient symbol of Apollo to show excellence and glory pleasing to their peers, their nations and the Gods.

And now the XXXVI Olympiad was about to open once more where heroes and giants of human culture had trod.
Spoiler: The Opening Of The Olympics

As Athena, Apollo, and Artemis watched in appreciation, a lone relay runner began to approach with a torch carrying a flame lit at the Temple of Hera in Olympia, Greece, where the ancient Olympic games had been held. A torch that had been carried around the world, through Europe and Asia, to Australia, Africa, the Americas and back to Greece. A symbol of the common heritage born here that had spread throughout human consciousness, gaining from other traditions, from those of Japan, China, India, Mesopotamia, Egypt, and yet all returning to one of the birthplaces of human culture.

Athena grinned as the crowd roared as the flag of Greece entered the stadium alone carried by a single athlete. Traditionally, Greece always entered at the head of the Parade of Nations to show their importance to the Olympics, but as the host nation, would enter last. Instead after the Greek flag, the rest of the athletes came. Saint Lucia. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. San Marino. Angola. Azerbaijan. Egypt. Ethiopia. Haiti.

Athena silently waited as the Parade of Nations continued. Then as the Belgian team entered in red coats over black, white, red and gold dresses, Athena smirked as Apollo suddenly stared in delight at the sight of the mystery violinist waving to the crowd with her free hand as she held a Belgian flag.
Spoiler: Therese's Outfit

"It's her!" he said, grinning broadly and happily. "She's one of the athletes!" He waved enthusiastically at her as she paraded past them.

Artemis smirked and nudged her brother. "Archer. Therese du Chasteler." The Goddess of the Hunt spoke calmly.

"I have tickets to her event, Brother." Athena added as she mentally wondered how much of a favor Apollo would owe her after this week ended.

Then the Sun God stiffened like he had been shot as the Belgians took their place after their lap around the stadium.
---------------------

Therese swallowed nervously, gave a shy smile to the crowd, and waved as more athletes entered the stadium.

Then her eyes met those of her bronzed mystery man as she locked gazes with him, flanked by two beautiful dark-haired women. Oh God, OhGodohGodhe'ssodreamy...

She felt her heartstrings make the most wonderful music in her soul as she fell into those gold-flecked blue eyes, as blue as a cloudless sky.

"Therese?"

He was suntanned that warm bronze a shade lighter than her spruce-colored hair. Oh God, that light jacket showed off his muscles to perfection. She felt her avatar's knees grow weak at the sunny smile he was giving her as she smiled back shyly.

"Therese!?"

Someone waved a hand in front of her face. She didn't care, she could feel him warming her like a perfect sunlit day with a passion that made her want to serenade him forever with the music catching fire in her soul.

"Earth to Therese?! Oh God, she's totally out of it!"

His smile widened and she smiled back with stars in her eyes and a growing blush on her cheeks.

He looked like a classical statue brought to life.

She had to get his number... somehow... to try to serenade him. Maybe she could even ask his name?
---------------------

Athena and Artemis looked back and forth between Apollo and the girl he had locked eyes with.

"Apollo?"

No answer.

He was absently humming a melody that they remembered him composing to woo Daphne before she got turned into a laurel tree. This was... very very bad.

"Apollo?! Olympus to Apollo!!"

Athena looked at Artemis, then both goddesses scanned the area for Aphrodite or Eros starting mischief. After a long pause they looked at each other again and spoke, since Apollo was clearly out to lunch.

"Right, how do we get him to meet her again so he can start to get this out of his system? Preferably without blowing the Divine Accords to atoms?" Athena sighed.

"You tell me, Wisdom." Artemis snarked.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Biking along through Yokosuka, Harry had one earbud in his ears as he listened to music on his way towards Natsumi's. As he came into view of the harbour, however, he brought his bike to a stop to look out onto the ocean. Because out on the harbour sat the massive form of the USS Ranger as it made it's way to the American side of the base. However, that was not what Harry was paying attention to, though he could see the steel hulled ships of the incoming convoy heading towards Yokohama further up the bay.

What caught the teen's attention was the large ship that was just behind the Ranger.

Eyebrows raised, Harry muttered an Celtic spell designed to be wandless and which allowed for him to use one of Hedwig's senses as if they were his own without affecting her. Almost immediately, he felt a slight ache behind his eyes, but his vision sharpened and, if one was to look at his eyes, they turned amber. Focusing on the ship, despite the distance, he was able to read the name USS Juan de Fuca, CGN-49.

Blinking, he leaned against his handlebars and let his gaze roam over the newest Cruiser of the United States Navy. Thoughtful, Harry hummed a little, "Huh.. didn't know that her shakedown was done and she was being sent out on convoy runs."

Due to the spell, Harry was able to see the individual features of the crew that were out and about as they prepared to head into dock. Cancelling the spell, he could feel the ache from it disappear as he considered the ship itself from the distance. Part of him was still amused with how some of the sailors had stated that it was like a Wasp class had a one night stand with an Arleigh Burke.

Named after one of the most hard fought battles of Blood Week by the USN and RCN, the Battle of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the first of her Class was something of a beast designed to fight Abyssals due to coming in at almost 25,000 tons. Two nuclear reactors, similar to the ones used by CVNs, provided power for her various systems. From what he had heard, the radar was powerful enough to burn through Abyssal "Stealth" from the sheer power it put out, something that Harry had no doubt of.

Especially after hearing the rumor of someone literally cooking a steak by placing it in front of said radar during a test.

Of course, the big thing was the anti-air due to how the Abyssals used massed air attacks not seen since the Second World War. Something that everyone was still designing around and against. Hence the four five inch guns, each of which were ECT, and the 200 VLS cells as well as the CIWS. Though from the scuttlebutt, she was to be equipped with lasers. As he watched, two of the Eagle Eyes that said ship was equipped with took off from the hanger, heading for the American part of the base where the UAVs would be serviced.

Just watching for a few moments, Harry gave a nod before continuing his way towards Natsumi's. Part of him was happy, however, by the fact that this meant that Shinano, Louisiana, and their group was back in Yokosuka. Also, he knew that the Yokai children who Fubuki had guardianship over would also be happy for said Destroyer and her group to have come home safe and sound.

It did not take him very long to get to where Natsumi lived, thankfully. Putting his bike into the usual spot, he walked up to the door and knocked. Only minutes later, it was opened by a smiling Natsumi who greeted him with a hug and a kiss on the cheek, "Good afternoon, Harry-Chan."

Returning the gestures, Harry chuckled, "Thanks, Natsumi-Chan. Hopefully it has been a good day for you as well."

Grin slightly teasing, she gave a hum, "Well, it was, but it is going much better now that you're here for the next lesson." Natsumi gave a small sigh as she hung her head, "Who knew that Kitsune-tsuki was so hard."

With a small shrug as he came inside and left his shoes in the small cubby set aside, Harry gave her a smile, "I don't know, frankly I think that it is a good thing that it is hard quite honestly. I mean... imagine if it was easy to pull."

Frowning as she considered that, Natsumi slowly nodded, "You're right, it wouldn't be a good thing." Then she grimaced a little, "Still, it would be nice for at least us."

Only giving her a smile, the wizard shook his head, "Well, we're still making good headway." He then grinned as he knew what response his next words would get as Natsumi's ears and tails came out once the door closed, "But you might like the fact that I brought some peanut butter bread, baked just this morning~"

He was not disappointed as Natsumi's ears perked up and her tails stopped moving for a few seconds. When she turned, she could see him holding up the plastic bag containing said treat, "... Are you sure that you are not a Tenshi?"

That got a laugh from him before shaking his head, "Pretty sure that is not how it goes, Natsumi-Chan. Because I thought that I would be the one saying that to you."

Needless to say, that caused a small blush to bloom on the Kitsune's face before she looked away, "Don't say such things."

If anything, that caused Harry to grin before he looked around. After a few seconds, he turned back to Natsumi, "Hey, Natsumi-Chan?"

Blush under control, Natsumi turned to him, "Hai, Harry-Chan? What is it-" Just as she fully turned to him, Harry made his move. Next thing that the Kitsune knew, his lips were on hers. Eyes closing, Natsumi hummed before pulling back, "Ah... that's what you wanted."

Lips curled into a grin, the nearly fourteen year old shrugged as his hands were on her waist, "Hai." Glancing at her hair, he gave a hum, "Though if you want to be tsun.. maybe we should put your hair into twin tails?"

Eyebrow raised, Natsumi gave him a snort, "Just for that, I want another kiss.'

Grin on his face, Harry was just about to do so when they jumped across as someone else spoke up, "Mikon~ So this is what is taking you so long, Master?"

It went without saying that both teens jumped apart with their faces feeling like they were burning to see Taiyang there with a grin on her face. Ignoring the snickers in the back of her mind, Natsumi sighed, 'Dammit! I wanted another kiss!'

Said snickers became outright laughter at that thought, which only made her cheeks redden all the more.

Meanwhile, Harry was glancing at Natsumi before turning his attention to the foxy being in front of him. Being a teenage boy, he did notice that her blue tank top strained a little as well as how tight the jeans she wore were. However, he just shoved said thoughts away after realizing that and took in the pink hair as well as the two bronze colored eyes watching him in what seemed amusement, "... Taiyang, I take it?"

At that, he noted her eyes lit up in interest. Unknown to him, it was not just because he guessed her name. Taiyang had noted where his eyes had gone, but the fact that he swiftly dismissed that both impressed and made her want to pout. Wanting to test it, she internally smirked. The Dao then placed her hands behind her back and hopped over a bit as she made her way over, "That's right! I am the ever foxy dao, Taiyang~ Mikon!"

Chuckling, Harry gave her a bow with a smile on his face, "Hello, Taiyang, I am Potter Harry."

Of course, the fact that Harry didn't even give her a once over despite her movements only made her grin inside, 'How very interesting...' As he turned to an annoyed Natsumi and began asked her something, Taiyang examined him a bit more closely. Gaze running over him, she noted that he was rather fit, which was good in her book. At the same time, she looked a bit more deeply as her eyes glowed a very slight amount and she raised an eyebrow, 'Powerful, very powerful. Yet... he has not fully grown into what he shall be. How very interesting...' Her lips curled a little into a smirk, 'You have chosen very well, Master.' Taiyang perked up some as she noticed Harry giving Natsumi a look over as said female Kitsune stretched a bit, 'Oh yes, very well indeed~'

Inside her head, Natsumi smirked a little as she noted Harry looking at her, 'Take that, you top heavy blade, he only looks at me.' Hearing a choking sound in the depths of her mind, she simply ignored it, "So, excited for your birthday tomorrow, Harry-Chan?"

Putting his hands behind his head, the teenage wizard nodded with a smile of his own, "Hai, I really am." For a brief moment, he paused before placing an arm around her waist and seconds later Natsumi wrapped her tails around him, "How about you?"

Amused, Natsumi hummed a little, "Same, especially as we're having it out on Sarushima again. We'll be able to walk and play without worrying about hiding what we are." A sigh escaped from her, "Which I am thankful for... and cannot wait for the Statute to come down entirely."

Frown on his face, Harry pressed his lips together, "In some ways, I'm the same. But... it will not be a good thing everywhere."

Simply nodding in agreement, the Kitsune began to walk beside him, "Yeah, in this case every bit of Sun has a dark cloud as well." Both of them lapsed into silence before she shook her head, "Anyways, I'm still looking forward to your birthday."

Deciding to follow the change of subject, Harry chuckled, "Well, I get to see you in a bathing suit, so that's one thing..." Realizing what he said, he went a little red, "Um... that didn't quite come out right."

Cheeks red, Natsumi raised her eyebrow at him, "Really?"

Just coughing, the nearly fourteen year old scratched his cheek, "Heh..." Internally, he nodded a little, 'Gryffindors charge forward.' Turning back to Natsumi, Harry smiled, "Kind of, since seeing you in one is always a treat."

It went without saying that if she was not red before, Natsumi most certainly was at this point. Looking away, she glanced at him, "Well... I suppose it is much the same for me."

For several seconds, both teens were silent as they considered what the other would look like in swimwear. Much to the amusement of Taiyang, they went a bit redder and couldn't exactly look at each other. Especially amusing was how they would glance at each other and go a bit redder.

Deciding it would be best for him to change the subject, Harry cleared his throat, "Um, well... right! It is not just at my birthday party you don't need to disguise yourself at. Remember the trip we're going on after? Back to Britain?"

Relieved at the change of subject, Natsumi gave a nod, "Of course, we're going to pick fruits and berries while there before making them into preserves." Licking her lips, she hummed, "Which will be really great to have for the next few months."

Lips curling into a smile, the teenage boy nodded, "Hai, that is true." Then, he shrugged a little, "Though we might have someone extra besides Nobu-Chan and the others."

Interested, Natsumi raised an eyebrow, "Really?" After a brief explanation of Yae, she slowly nodded, "Makes sense and I don't see an issue. And I doubt that the others will either as she is a friend of Nobu-Chan's." Suddenly, the Kitsune snapped her fingers, "I just remembered something."

Curious, Harry cocked his head to the side, "Poi?"

Her lips twitching briefly, the fourteen year old Yokai gestured to Taiyang, "Taiyang was exploring the area around here and found an old tunnel that had been magically sealed with the end of the war with a bunch of stuff, including a time turner!"

Eyes wide, Harry looked towards the blade in question, "Really? A time turner?"

Brightly smiling, Taiyang gave a giggle, "Hai~" She then shrugged a little, "I didn't know what I was sensing when going past the area, so I took a look! And found a neat little treasure!" Inside her head, she hummed, 'Not that they need to know that it was not there I found it... or that I have a second.'

Unknowing of her new sword's thoughts, Natsumi turned back to Harry, "Anyways, Obaa-San and Ojii-San have had it examined to make sure that it's safe and it was confirmed that it's fine to use. We contacted some people and no one seems to know where it came from, so now it's ours." She then gave a shrug, "So we can use it on the trip to get more fruit and also do some sightseeing."

Only nodding as he considered that, the wizard hummed, "Sounds good to me actually." Then he tilted his head to the side, "Huh... I wonder if that is why there's been a lot of work in the past few days to open up all the old tunnels and such that I noticed."

That only got him a shrug from the Kitsune.

Soon enough, however, they found themselves in seiza on the tatami mats of the tea room the house had as Hoshi, Haru, and Taiyang observed them. Both teens had their eyes closed with Natsumi's hands resting palm down on Harry's, with his palms facing up. Neither teen moved much as they concentrated on performing Kitsune-Tsuki. They could feel a tingle where their hands touched, as if there was something drifting back and forth.

But, unfortunately, beyond that neither had all that much luck and they opened their eyes some with frowns on their faces. Looking at their hands, Natsumi furrowed her eyebrows, "What are we doing wrong? We've been at this for nearly six months..."

Frowning herself, Hoshi leaned forward, "There is a connection that forms there, but... it doesn't go that far."

However, any further musing was prevented as they were distracted by the sounds of a rice cracker being bitten. Nearly as one, everyone turned to Taiyang who blinked as she held part of said cracker, "Hmm?"

Just pinching her nose, Hoshi sighed, "Do you have anything to say?"

Not saying anything, Taiyang ate the other part of the rice cracker and hummed as she sipped some tea. Finally, she set it aside and seemed to float across the floor, still in seiza as she examined the two teens, particularly where they were joined, "You're both too strong."

Of all the answers that they could have expected, that was the exact last one. Blinking, Haru turned to her in complete befuddlement, "Too strong?"

Making a snapping motion with one finger, Taiyang nodded, "Hai, too strong mentally." At the looks of confusion, she shook her head, "There are two methods where one performs Kitsune-Tsuki. The most common is where the Kitsune is possessing the person without their permission. For this, the person being possessed must be weaker mentally than the Kitsune performing the possession, or else it fails. Usually, if they do not start out weak minded, a Kitsune will make them emotionally weak. Stress, such as small pranks and such that slowly wear away at the person. Fear, anxiety, grief... all emotions that leave one open to possession if taken too far." Humming, the blade spirit tilted her head, "For example, in the modern day a teenage girl highly worried about exams and such could be a prime target for such."

Slowly blinking, Hoshi gave her an odd look, "That... was awfully specific."

All the Dao did was shrug, "I've been watching television and such things as anime to understand the modern world!" Ignoring how each of them stared at her for that, Taiyang turned back, "But what you are aiming for is a symbiotic, willing possession. This is entirely different as there is more back and forth. You, Master, have the advantage here."

Confused, Natsumi furrowed her eyebrows, "I... do? Really?"

Lightly chuckling, Taiyang nodded, "Hai, you do. Have you not been trained as a Miko, Master" At her slow nod, the blade continued, "Then you know of Kamigakari? Possession of the Miko by the Kami themselves?"

It took a moment, but the two tailed Kitsune frowned in thought, "I know the mechanics of it, and Oba-Chan gave me some training in it. But... is it similar to that?"

Humming, Taiyang gave her a smile, "Very similar, but in reverse in some ways." She made a motion with one hand, "After all, there were many fox cults back in China that Master would use, some of which worshipped her as a goddess. And some of those came to Japan as well many centuries ago. Sometimes, if she had need, Master would possess one of them, thus I can say it is very similar."

Unnoticed by either teen, the two adult Kitsune were somewhat... put off by the mention of the fox cults, especially in regards to ones that had worshipped Tamamo, or Daji as she had been known. It was somewhat worse for Hoshi as she had a group of Abyssals that worshipped her for killing other Abyssals. Shaking that off, the Kyuubi took a deep breath before looking at her, "And you would know this... how?"

Amused, Taiyang looked at her, "Because some of them are from where the Kitsune-mochi families came from. The families who were to Kitsune what the human families of Inugami were." Frowning, she tapped her chin in thought, "Though I wonder if any of them became full Kitsune as the Inugami had become full Yokai."

Blinking, Haru shook her head a little, "Not really, but I think that was a goal of some of them."

Just humming again, the Dao turned back to Natsumi, "Thus, Master, that is likely the way for you to go, to reverse what you know of how to perform Kamigahari to open oneself. Once you have done it enough, it will come easily." Frowning, she looked at Harry, "Though I am unsure how to have it done for you, Harry-Kun."

Thoughtful for a moment, Harry remembered the conversation he had with Kenshō the previous day, "I... think that I have an idea." He then turned to Natsumi and held out her hand, "Want to try?"

Eyebrow raised, Natsumi nodded and placed her palms on Harry before they both closed their eyes. Slowly, they breathed in and out as they synchronized their breathing. Once more, they could feel something going back and forth between them. For Natsumi, she fell back on the training she had and opened herself to the spiritual and felt a tingle that slowly spread from the tips of her ears to the tip of her tails.

Meanwhile, Harry fell back on his exercises to become an animagi. But rather than focus on staying himself, he reversed it. Instead, he focused on becoming the other and embracing it. Something that was difficult because it went against the training to become an Animagi. But he felt himself become more open to Natsumi.

Unseen by the two teens, the Kitsune there had their eyebrows nearly meet their hairlines in surprise as a soft glow spread over the two from where their hands were touching.

Breathing in and out, the teens could almost feel the heartbeat of the other. A heartbeat that, slowly, became more and more in sync with theirs until they could not tell one from the other. Eyes still closed, the two leaned towards one another and their foreheads touched for a moment as they breathed in, and then out.

Then, suddenly, Harry found himself falling forward and he just barely caught himself from hitting the floor face first. Blinking a bit, he looked around, "Natsumi-Chan?"

A second later, he was shocked when his mouth moved and he could hear something feminine about the tone, as if there was just the hint of his best friend's voice, "Harry-Chan? W-wait, did we do it?"

Eyes wide, Harry felt a grin spread across his face that was only partially his, "I think that we did."

While surprised that they finally had their breakthrough, Hoshi still smiled in amusement, "You do know that you can talk to one another with your thoughts, correct?"

Lightly blushing, the teenage wizard sheepishly chuckled, 'Can you hear me now, Natsumi-Chan?'

From within his own mind, he heard Natsumi answer back, 'Hai, I can hear you, Harry-Chan. Perfectly.' As their body sat back, one of his arms raised though not of his own volition and the hand became a fist, 'Huh... feels different.'

Seemingly from nowhere, a grinning Taiyang appeared in front of Harry and glomped him, subjecting both teens to instant marshmellow hell as their shared body was nearly knocked onto their back, "I'm so proud of you, Mikon!"

Briefly, after a few seconds, Harry felt Natsumi become confused, 'Harry-Chan? What's that odd feel... oh. So that's what it feels like from this end.'

It took only moments for the teenage boy to realize what she meant and he became as flustered as she felt and cursed his own body even as Taiyang continued to subject them both to her glomp as she went on about how proud she was of them.

 

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

A.N. -- And you can blame the Muse, the thread discussion about animagi and Rudyard Kipling for this one. Thanks Gear-2557!

A ButterAnimagus

Hogwarts (Roughly Late Third Year for Ehren/Sixth Year for Harry)
Spoiler: The Result Of Hard Work And Dedication

"Are you ready, Ehren?"

The question hung in the air of the Transfiguration classroom.

The blond teenage witch in an immaculate Hufflepuff uniform nodded sharply to Professor McGonagall and became even more erect and proud in her position of attention as she stood in front of the class.

"Jawohl, Professor!" Ehren snapped out as she gripped her ebony wand a little tighter as her chin raised in confident pride.

"Very good, proceed then." Minerva McGonagall leaned forward with interest and watched the spell energies. A small proud smile flickered around her lips as she carefully observed the witch whom she had helped to develop her significant talent for Transfiguration.

Ehren felt an internal smile trying to break out as she fought to control her breathing and still her racing heart. She hesitated, then released the smile as she let the signs of her eagerness and happiness become visible.

After all, this was the culmination of so much hard work and dedicated study by her to achieve the goal she was finally on the cusp of.

Years of study ever since Professor McGonagall had demonstrated the Animagus transformation to her and the rest of the enthralled First Years in Transfiguration class to make her set the personal goal to cast the Animagus spell one day. Honing her mind and her will to keep her humanity intact during the transformation. Honing her magical talents for Charms and Transfiguration to a razor edge as sharp as her steel body. Using the Time-Turner that she had 'acquired' from Sieglinde Malefe during the dumpster fire that was her first meeting with her oldest sister Estelle to gain the additional study and practice time needed to develop and perfect her mastery of one of the most difficult and dangerous fields of magic.

With that her eyes flicked over to her friends and loved ones standing vigil to witness this moment.

Her fellow friends from Hufflepuff and the other Third Years watching eagerly as she stood before them.

Estelle leaned against a desk with her arms crossed and a predator's focus on her youngest sister in her sapphire blue eyes.

Professor Sprout had a confident look on her face as she sat primly to watch her prize student's big moment.

Ying gave her a reassuring smile as for once the Chinese Dao's normal inscrutable face was absent.

Aunt Del and Aunt Zamarad sat with proud smiles as they watched in turn.

Mutti stood with her hand in Toku's as her parents watched with suspiciously shiny eyes in their proud faces.

Cousin Draco was giving one of those 'I know you have it in you' smirks that caused her steel to feel like it was melting. He was flanked by Niobe, who was giving her a broad smile under the aristocratic facade from their shared heritage. Next to Niobe, Johnston was bouncing eagerly on her toes, while on the other side Cleopatra radiated support and confidence in her.

Last, but certainly not least, Claire was watching her sister intently with her fingers twitching unconsciously. Ehren could read her Big Piano Sister like a book after they had grown up together, so Ehren knew that Claire was wishing with all her heart to be at the keyboard of her true piano body to play something suitable for this moment. Probably The Carnival of the Animals, knowing the way Claire thought.

Ehren placed all those images aside. and touched her wand to her heart as she prepared to make the plunge. She grasped hold of her magic as she focused her Will to control the building spell energies. Her lips opened and she began to incant the spell that she was ready to master.

"Amato..."

For a moment she felt every pulse of blood in her veins, every puff of breath in her body, every microscopic imprint in her steel where she had been forged by the smiths of Solingen.

"...Animo..."

Her magical energies surged with a pain so intense that it was pleasure, or perhaps the other way around as she began to reshape herself.

"...Animato..."

The feeling of transformation built like it was a mighty wave off a storm-tossed ocean approaching the steel rock that was Ehren. The room around her blurred and spun as she held onto control of her very being as the wave hit her.

"...Animagus!"

The room stopped spinning with a SNAP as it came back into focus.
Spoiler: Ehren's Animagus Form

Ehren suddenly realized that her point of view was very low to the ground. "{This is very odd!}" she remarked absently to herself, only to hear a series of chatters. She gave a happy, smugly triumphant grin...or at least tried to.
Spoiler: Ehren Talking

The colors were off slightly, but her senses of hearing and smell... Ehren had never realized how many smells there were in the world. She sneezed, shook her head, and then began to catalogue them as she looked around.

Ehren blinked in puzzlement at the 'oh how cute' looks that she was getting. She absently scratched under her chin with a hind leg and fluffed out her tail a bit as she surveyed the room.

"How adorable!" Claire exclaimed with a mischievous look in her eyes.

That was all the warning Ehren got before Claire leapt toward her. Mid-leap, the Shamaness shifted into her form of a large female black and white cave wolf the size of a Great Dane. Ehren froze automatically at the sight of the massive predator heading her way before tensing to spring and dash under a desk.

Too late.

The superior experience Claire had controlling and directing the instincts of her transformation was critical as Ehren stayed exposed in the open for far too long.

"{Don't you dare do this... CLAIRE!!}" Ehren's chatters got more indignant and louder as Claire grasped her by the scruff of the neck in her jaws with a sudden gentle bite. The classroom broke up in laughter at the scene and several people pulled out phones to record it for posterity.

The steel-gray mongoose, with a black dagger pattern on the fur of her fluffed out tail, chattered and growled indignantly at this treatment by her big sister. Ehren flailed around and squirmed bonelessly with all four paws grasping vainly at air when Claire lifted her off the ground like a puppy.

Draco laughed hard enough to cause abdominal pain at the sight of his cousins' antics.

His camera phone shook uncontrollably as he took photographs of Ehren's grumpy and pouting mongoose face alongside the rest of her family and friends.

Ehren gave the room a very dirty look before visibly sulking while crossing her front paws. "{This isn't funny, Claire! You better put me down now! Put me down right now, or I'll bite your toes the next time I sneak into your bed, Big Piano Sister!! Don't think that I won't do it to you!!}" Ehren chattered dire threats of sibling retribution to the massive wolf holding her, who just gave a smug lupine smirk in response.

 

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

A.N. -- More Olympian Humour incoming!

Only My Buttervioline (III)

Panathinaïkó Stádio, Athens, Greece

24 May 2036

As the Japanese Olympic team entered the stadium, Athena leaned over to speak to Artemis. "Keep an eye on your brother, please?" Athena said, nodding at the love-struck Apollo who was still staring at that Belgian athlete.

Artemis nodded sharply. "I shall."

With that taken care of, Athena headed to the aisle and then up toward the concession levels with a steady stride. As she reached them, she walked to an out-of-the-way corner and spoke to the air after casting a privacy ward.

"We need to speak now. Don't make me have to track you down, Cytherean." Athena's voice had a definite undertone of command in it.
Spoiler: A Chat With The Cytherean

A stunning woman who was a twin of Marilyn Monroe in her prime strutted down the corridor to join her after making a purchase of a chili dog and four sodas. She was wearing a pink 'I Love Paris' baseball cap on her hair along with a painted on black miniskirt, fishnet stockings, and stiletto heels accentuating the very tight T-shirt that clung to her perfect breasts.

"No need to get huffy about it, Pallas. What do you want?" She purred before nibbling the end of her hot dog sensually.
Spoiler: Aphrodite's Shirt

Athena stared into the 'innocent' baby blue eyes and sighed. "Apollo is now love-struck for one of the Belgian athletes. Badly. Did you or your son...?"

Aphrodite chuckled throatily and shook her head, "Actually not, and I'll swear on the Styx on that point if you need me to, Pallas. That one was Phoebus' doing beginning to end."

Athena pinched her nose and sighed. "I'm sorry for misjudging you, Aphrodite. Can you explain, please? You know I don't deal well at all with these kind of squishy emotion-based illogical actions."

Aphrodite took another suggestive nibble of her hot dog. "Simplicity enough, Pallas. You remember when Apollo met the girl's mother, that wonderful pianist Claire du Chasteler, yes?"

Athena rubbed her chin as she thought back and then spoke slowly, "Yes, he fell for her briefly then, although nothing came of that that I know of."

"Tout au contraire, Pallas!" Aphrodite smirked at Athena's unamused flat stare.

The Goddess of Love then continued as her voice grew less sensual and more analytic. "Apollo granted a boon to Claire for her children to inherit rather than try to get in between her legs. Smart of him, since any attempt to rape her would have ended extremely poorly and her heart was destined to her current husband. However, that boon was freely offered and freely given as he thought about his abysmal track record with romance while giving a boon of his power as a selfless gift to someone he respected but would not touch. At most he perhaps had the vague idea of the mother being unavailable, but if she had a daughter...."

Athena frowned as she followed the chain of logic to the end, "Hence Therese?" She said in a voice filled with growing dread.

"Hence Therese. Inheritor of the lion's share of his boon of music, and the equal of her mother on her chosen instrument as you have seen. Along with an inheritance of the additional boon of archery. That led her to the Olympics where she is right now forging a bond of destined love with Apollo and him with her. It's going to either end in some prime tragedy or some prime romance; either way the love songs that will come out of this one will be epic." Aphrodite finished, then swallowed the rest of her hot dog. "Anything else for me, Pallas? I really want to get back to my seat with some popcorn before the Greek team enters so I can enjoy the other half of this little romantic comedy that's brewing."

Athena stared at the grinning Goddess of Love like she had grown a beard. "Other... half?" the Goddess of Wisdom said blankly.

"Yep." Aphrodite giggled. "Artemis' girlfriend is going to be part and parcel of that when she walks in with the Greek team. Mind if I kibitz the archery medal round with you?" She rubbed her hands together and cackled. "It's gonna be gooood...."

Athena paled. "Oh Tartarus, you don't mean?" She muttered in dawning horror.

Aphrodite stretched like a smugly satisfied cat as she nodded with a smirk. Aphrodite then took Athena's elbow and began to guide the stunned goddess back toward the seats while throwing in a hip sway that was causing heart attacks and traffic accidents in her wake.

"Oh yes. Antigone Koustris and Therese du Chasteler are headed for a collision course in the knockout rounds someplace." Aphrodite spoke with wicked relish as she guided Athena toward a beautiful Japanese deity dressed in Team Japan merchandise with a large white doG next to her with sunglasses and a Japanese flag. "Since both those girls have the gift of archery from the deity that is mutually smitten with them, well can you say sibling rivalry for bragging rights when they get into their competition? You know how those two are about showing up their twin as an archer, of course. You did get them to swear on the Styx not to burn down Athens or send a plague if they throw a tantrum when their girl loses, right?"

Athena shook her head, moaned, and facepalmed as she followed automatically. "Oh, that's not good. Well I'm sure the stadium's insured for Acts Of Us events, right?" Aphrodite said sympathetically as she steered Athena to the seats.

Athena automatically took a seat next to the doG, who began to nuzzle her reassuringly.

Aphrodite smirked and leaned over to the Japanese contingent. "Yo Uzume, Sunny, did I miss anything good? Sorry to skate out on you suddenly like that, but I had to drag my stick-in-the-mud virgin grandniece here to some truths. This is her town after all so she's interested in what's about to go down."

"WAN!"

"Nope, that Belgian Potter Butterviolin is still making gooey gaga eyes at the boy she's red threaded to. Guess she likes the 'beardless and muscular with a nice tan and an ass you can bounce yen coins off' look in her boys. Everything is going according to the CHART'S calculations. By the way did you get my Coke, Aph-chan?" Uzume said as she checked the True Love app on her smarthphone.

"Got your Coke fix right here, Uzu-chan." Aphrodite passed over a cup of soda to Uzume then a second to Amaterasu.

Athena moaned louder and began a forbidden romance between her face and her hands.

 

[darthcourt10]

mikelima777

March 22, 2014

11:23:16 AM

CFB Shearwater, Nova Scotia, Canada

"Six-One-Seven, you are cleared to land Runway 16."

"Cleared to land runway 16, Challenger Six-One-Seven"

The modified Challenger Business jet flared before touching down at one of Canada's air bases in the Maritimes. The two turbofans deploying their thrust reversers as the plane slowed down to taxiing speeds. After the aircraft exited onto the taxiway, Tsuki watched as a CU-169 Global Hawk drone accelerated down the runway before taking off, to be followed by a CP-140 Aurora aircraft.

While CFB Shearwater had been reduced to helicopter operations in the late 90s and early 2000s, Blood Week had forced the Canadian Government to reactivate the base for fixed-wing operations, to help watch the skies in this part of Canada. More recently, aircraft based at Shearwater joined the massive brawl that ensued off the coast of Nova Scotia as Abyssals attempted to disrupt the festivities and summoning during Natal Day when Halifax herself became the first "installation" actively summoned by a human nation. Citizens in the Halifax Regional Municipality were aware something was happening, as the air patrols had visibly increased, multiple vessels at CFB Halifax was preparing to sortie on short notice.

Tsuki was briefed during the lengthy flight from Vancouver International Airport to CFB Halifax, with a brief stop at CFB Trenton to refuel. There were reports of a possible lead on the frigate HMCS Halifax (FFH 330), reported as missing and presumed lost during Blood Week. The evidence was indicating they may have been stranded on an island that Tsuki was somewhat aware of. As a consultant to the RCMMP, she had gone to the Maritimes on a few occasions to help in their investigations or other projects and had heard of Jacquet island through listening in on conversations in the magical side of Canada. Though it was actually known in the no-maj world, until recently, it was simply dismissed as a phantom island, a work of fiction or mistaken identity.

After the Challenger jet parked and the airstair deployed, Tsuki and a few other passengers were led to a convoy of vehicles and were soon on their way to HMC Dockyard Halifax.

***

1:47 PM

MARLANT Headquarters, HMC Dockyard Halifax, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

In the room, Tsuki quietly observed the others waiting with her, with a pair of RCMMP Aurors guarding the room against external interference. There were a trio of women who were nervously chatting amongst themselves, their hair and facial features hinting that they were close relatives. There were others present as well, some better at hiding their magical nature than others.

Finally, the door opened and the conversations died down as a female Royal Canadian Navy Rear-Admiral stepped in, alongside two young women who were clearly shipgirls, as well as a military intelligence officer and a man with a briefcase embossed with the insignia of the Canadian Ministry of Magic.

"Good Afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Rear-Admiral Diana Lombard, commander of the Canadian Special Naval Personnel Force. I apologize for the short notice and for asking each of you to take time out of your lives to come to Halifax. But this is an urgent matter, of high importance for Canada's national interests. I'm afraid we will need to dispense with pleasantries and get to the heart of the matter. I will ask everyone to please take a seat. Ottawa, if you may?"

"Yes, ma'am."

The shipgirl nodded and helped an AV technician set up a computer projector, while everyone sat around a large conference table. The lights were dimmed down as the picture of a modern warship and a map of the waters off Nova Scotia were projected.

"Thanks to new information that we have received, we now believe that one of the ships we presumed to have lost on Blood Week may have escaped sinking along with survivors on Jacquet Island. During the chaos of Blood Week, we had lost contact with HMCS Halifax, and a search of her last know position only turned up some minor debris. At that point, we had considered the ship sunk in action.

A few days ago, during the sea trials of a brand new ship, we picked up this transmission."

Tsuki and the others heard the recording, and despite the interference, the message was rather clear. Tsuki stiffened, as she quietly used her senses to "see" the others in the room. Figuring out who some of the others present were, she started to piece together why they were assembled here.

"We know that this Jacquet Island must have magical means to conceal itself. As it were," looking at the Aurors in the room, ignoring the mutters in the room, "Protocol Orenda is in effect." The Aurors nodded and cast interwoven privacy charms and other measures to prevent any unauthorized access to the room. "We believe that help from the magical world will be key to hopefully bring our ship home. We are aware of magic, as well as the fact that not everyone here is fully human. Indeed, we believe some of you may have had a history with Jacquet Island. But rest assured, that status and your past association with Jacquet Island will have no bearing on your status as refugees, immigrants, permanent residents, or citizens of Canada. We just ask for your assistance in helping us find HMCS Halifax, and if possible, to bring our crew home."

Tsuki made eye contact with the Aurors as well as Rear-Admiral Lombard, before sighing. She felt as her illusions melted, and a couple of the others in the rooms moved their seats back as nine tails appeared behind her, and a pair of fox ears popped out from her hair. She stood up with confidence.

"Very well, Rear Admiral. I, Tsuki-no-Maeda, will offer any assistance as necessary. If I must, I'llI will break down the barriers to that island."

One of three women also stood up. Her sister was a bit surprised.

"Muriel?"

"This country gave me and my sisters a new life and freedom to be ourselves. The very least I can do is help bring those men and women home."

Others also stood up and committed to helping the efforts.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

It took a few minutes once they were released from marshmellow hell before the teens were able to get their shared embarrassment before they were able to do much at all. They did suspect that Taiyang knew exactly what she had done from her smile, but she said nothing. His thoughts turning inward, Harry shifted a little, 'Natsumi-Chan? I just want to say that I am-'

A mental sigh could be heard from the Kitsune before she began to 'Speak' back, 'Harry-Chan, stop right there. I've told you before, you have nothing to be sorry for as you could not help what happened. Also, it is perfectly natural, so there is also that. There's no reason to apologize to me.'

Briefly, Harry could feel a flash of graitude to Natsumi for being understanding, 'Thanks, though...' Getting a hum from her, he took a deep breath and looked himself over the best that he could, 'I... guess that we should start doing something?

Getting the mental image of Natsumi nodding, he heard her voice answer him back, 'Hai, that would likely be for the best, Harry-Chan. If we're going to do this, then we need to practice doing things like this...' For a few moments she went silent before speaking up, 'Um, how do you want to do this?'

Head tilting to the side, the wizard considered things, 'I guess we just practice you moving parts of my body and then the whole thing? Maybe?'

For a few moments there was silent before he got a mental nod from Natsumi, 'I... suppose? Just... give me a few moments.'

Relaxing, Harry waited as he simply allowed her to do whatever she wanted with their shared body. At first, it was just small things such as moving his eyes in one direction and then another as well as wrinkling his nose. It was an odd feeling to feel his face shift from one expression to another without him doing so. Feeling his fingers twitch, he looked down at the hand in question. As he watched, one finger curled and then uncurled. This was followed by the whole hand becoming a fist.

Once that was done, the same process happened with his other hand before his toes began to curl and uncurl followed by his feet moving.

Watching as his wrist rotated followed by his arm lifting, Harry had a bemused smile on his face, 'This feels so damn odd, Natsumi-Chan.'

A chuckle answered him from the Kitsune, though her voice held some amazement, 'It feels odd for me as well, Harry-Chan.' One leg lifted entirely off the ground before making some kicking actions, 'But also kind of cool.'

That got a laugh from Harry, though Hoshi spoke up at that moment, "Well, I take it that the two of you are enjoying yourselves? Hmm?"

Lightly blushing, their shared body looked up to find that the two older Kitsune were watching in some amusement, which made their blushes deepen. Deciding to let Natsumi speak, Harry felt his mouth move as the voice came out was his with a tinge of Natsumi's in it, "Hai, Hoshi-San. I... this is so odd, but also amazing!"

Humming, Hoshi gave a small nod with a smile, "I would imagine so." Tilting her head to the side, she considered things, "I take it that you are testing out how to move in your shared body?"

Yet again, that odd voice came out of their mouths, "We are, I mean... I don't want us to fall flat on our face."

Eyebrow raised, Haru gave them a look, "And you, Harry-San? Your thoughts?"

Taking back some control, Harry shrugged some before speaking in his voice, "I don't really mind it. Like Natsumi-Chan said, it feels odd, but also sort of cool. And, well..." Bringing up one hand, he chuckled some as he scratched his cheek, "I don't want to fall flat on my face..." Suddenly trailing off, the wizard frowned before looking at his hand, "That's... odd."

Frown on her face, Hoshi furrowed her eyebrows, "What is?"

His own eyebrows furrowed, the teenage boy shook their head, "My nails, they seem like they're longer than they should be and sharper."

Inside his head, he could almost feel Natsumi give a mental blink, 'Huh... they do?' At Harry's mental nod, she frowned, 'Could it be a side effect?'

After asking them, the two Kitsune slowly nodded, while Taiyang smiled, "Indeed it could be, Harry-San, Master. Because the two of you are sharing a body there would be changes depending on how deep you go." Suddenly, she was in front of them, and had an odd, knowing look in her eye, "Hmm... how interesting~ Mikon!"

Confused, both teens blinked their shared eyebrows before speaking as one, "What's so interesting?"

Not answering them directly, Taiyang sat back, "I think, perhaps, you should practice walking now, Master, Potter-San. You do need to be able to after all."

Still confused, Harry nodded their head and slowly shifted as he got their feet under them. Then, he stood up before giving control back to Natsumi. Moments later, the nearly fourteen year old took it back after a shaky step when they would have fallen forwards. The movement between whom was in control being so smooth that neither really thought about it, 'Uh, Natsumi-Chan? You okay?

There was a sense of embarrassment from Natsumi as she gave a mental nod, 'Sorry about that, Harry-Chan. For some reason my balance felt off...'

Right then, a chuckle came from the depths of their shared mindspace along with a voice that both recognized, 'And as well it should, Child.'

Both their mental eyes widened a bit, 'Tamamo!'

Humming, the ancient fox spirit gave the impression of nodding, 'Indeed, it is I. Now, as to your little issue, it is simple. While I never really possessed a male body myself, one must remember the differences between a male and female body. In particular, us females have a different center of balance than a male due to... two certain things among others. Thus, after getting used to such as you have grown, their absence had thrown off your own sense of balance.'

Frown on his face, Harry gave a slow nod, 'Huh, like when I used Polyjuice to transform into Isokaze-Chan as well as Kongou-Oba.'

Not a moment later, the memory came up alongside how he had felt when doing so as it had affected his balance and they could feel Tamamo seemingly thrown for a loop at Harry having become female for a time, 'I... yes, like that.' There was a pause before she gave a mental shake, 'Yes, it is like that as your balance was off due to the shifted center of gravity. As a piece of advice, allow Harry to walk around and pay attention to how he moves to get a feel for such when it is your turn.'

Simply nodding, Harry passed on what they were going to be doing to the three adults. He didn't mention Tamamo being involved, of course. Somehow, the teenage wizard knew that they would likely not react well to that bit of information at all, a fact that Natsumi concurred with.

And speaking of said Kitsune, as he got up, Harry could feel Natsumi in the back of his mind as he began to walk around. As he did so, he could also feel her paying extremely close attention to how he moved around. How his balance was affected by what he was doing, how his legs moved, and the like. Each aspect she paid close attention to. Then, slowly, he relinquished control over their currently shared body to her.

It was not long after when the teenage Kitsune was walking around with Harry in the backseat as it were as if she had always been on control of his body. Coming to a stop, Natsumi held up an hand and clenched her fist, "Huh..."

Within their mind, she could feel Harry cock his head to the side, 'Something wrong, Natsumi-Chan?'

However, she just shook her head, 'No, not wrong exactly, but...' Briefly, Natsuki paused before nodding and continuing, 'It's just weird, you feel a lot stronger than me.'

From where she had been silently observing, Tamamo spoke up, 'Of course, Natsumi. A male would be physically stronger than a female. Does not make them better, except in that one field, but it is true that physically, Harry would be stronger than you. Hence the difference.'

Only nodding, the younger fox spirit said nothing in reply, but then Harry spoke up, 'Tamamo, can I ask you something?'

Voice warm, the ancient fox gave a nod, 'Of course, Harry. Go ahead and ask, I shall answer to the best of my ability.'

Even though he was slightly confused about the tone she spoke in, Harry mentally cleared his throat, 'Its about Kitsune-Tsuki as a whole actually and I was thinking about when Natsumi-Chan was learning how to walk in, well, my body.' Getting the mental equivalent of a nod to continue, he did, 'One of the things that Hoshi-Sensei and Haru-Sensei mentioned was that while in the state of Kitsune-Tsuki, I could use Natsumi-Chan's abilities as a Kitsune. And that even after, I could know how to see through Kitsune illusions like Natsumi-Chan as it would get passed on... So, I was wondering what she gets from this? Can she learn Western magic? After all she can learn Onmyoudo.'

Several moments went by where Tamamo was silent and even Natsumi was listening intently. Finally, the ancient vixen spoke up with a hint of warmth and pride in her voice, 'As a matter of fact, you are quite correct, Harry. The process, when done in this way, is beneficial to both parties. As you mentioned, you will be able to see through illusions as a Kitsune can, and perhaps a permanent boost to some senses as you could learn how to enhance them as a Kitsune does. I would not be too surprised if, in time, you are not able to create your own minor illusions and control something like Kitsune-Bi, though that would require a much closer possession than what you currently have.' Giving them both a moment to mull that over, she continued, 'In regards to Natsumi learning Western magic? The answer is, yes, she can do so over time. The more that you practice such magic within Kitsune-Tsuki, the more she will learn. It is one of the benefits for the Kitsune who performs it as they can more easily learn mystic arts if the one they possess knows them and practiced them. Such a fact allows for them to to gain in mystical knowledge faster than usual. A... cheat, if you will.'

Neither teen said anything digested that bit of knowledge. After a few moments, Harry gave a mental nod, 'Then we're going to have to practice, Natsumi-Chan. That way you can learn as much as you can.'

If it was possible to blush when one was a spirit, Natsumi was certainly doing so at that moment. Just the same, she had a soft smile on her face, 'Thank you, Harry-Chan.'

Back in the world outside their mind, Taiyang sprang up and walked over to them, "Now that you can walk as him, Master, I think that we should show you something." At the curious look that was obviously part Natsumi and part Harry, she pulled out her blade and, after a moment, it transformed into mirror that she held up, "Take a look~ Mikon!"

Confused, the teens leaned forward in their shared body and frowned. It took a few moments, but their eyes widened as they realized that Harry's body had undergone a few changes due to the possession. The first thing that they noticed was about his emerald green eyes. Now, they had slight flecks of honey-gold colour, like Natsumi's own. And it was not just the colour that had changed either, as his pupil was now fox-like.

Examining their shared face, they noted other differences from Harry's own.

One example was his black hair now had lighter brown at the tips, almost like highlights. Said hair was also longer as it reached almost to his shoulders. It was examining his hair that they realized something and Harry moved the hair by one ear to reveal it changed some as well. While not noticeable unless one was looking for it, his ear was just slightly elongated with a more pointed tip. Mentally asking her, Harry watched as it Waggles slightly, "Huh... that's cool."

Moments later, his nose also wiggled before a girlish giggle escaped from his mouth along with the slightly tonally different voice that was Natsumi's, "You're telling me, Harry-Chan. Hmm..."

Reaching up, their finger pulled back their lip to reveal that his canines had grown as well, now looking like little fangs. Touching them with his tongue, Harry flinched a bit, 'Those are sharp!'

Unknown to them, as they continued to examine the slight changes, deep in the mindscape, Tamamo was looking out the doors of the mansion that represented Natsumi, having come from her mirror. Looking up at the sky, she hummed a little at the sight that met her eyes. Because, high above in the starry night, the Sun could be seen, though it did not turn night into day.

More interesting to her, was that the Sun and Moon were beside each other, the Moon eclipsing a small portion, a half of a quarter, of the Sun.

Sly smirk on her face, she gave a hum as she hid her thoughts from the teens, 'Well now, things are going even better than I had hoped for my plan...'

 

[darthcourt10]

SkyeFire

0t4n1z3r2019 said:Cool. A 200 VLS CAG? Missiles for days, man!
(CG or CGN -- CAG is a CV's air-group commander)

Itano Circus, man! Especially when you consider that (assuming things haven't changed) ESSMs are packed four to a cell in Mk41 and Mk57 VLSs (bigger missiles are packed solo, though).

So, assuming a 50% AAW loadout, and splitting 100 VLS cells evenly between Standards (for long-range work) and ESSMs (for medium range), that would be 50 Standards and 200 ESSMs. While still leaving 100 TASMs and/or Harpoons for ASuW work.

......d.......d.....c........d...........d........
And now, while I'm here, another installment of Optionally Canonical Theatre!

Claire stared sleeplessly at the ceiling over her bed and fretted. She'd spent the afternoon fussing over Ehren, starting from the moment Mother and the rescue party had come back through the door, kidnapped dagger in tow. She had been ably assisted by Misaki and Chihiro, with Miss Miho seemingly in a dozen places at once in the background, attending to everyone's needs. But Ehren had, understandably, begged off to bed rather early, and Claire had followed suit not long after, anticipating (in more than once sense) Clingy Sister Cuddles before long. But even now, hours later, Ehren's side of her bed remained stubbornly empty.

In her strings, she felt more than heard the "gonging" of the castle clock, marking off another hour.

Well! If her little episode with Wolf Mother while Ehren had been... away... had taught her anything, it was that there was a time to grab the initiative by the horns and ride it into the ground until it cried uncle!

Grandly indifferent to her mangling of metaphors, Claire firmly fixed what Aunt Jackie called her "War Kitten" expression in place, and hopped out of bed. She wanted Ehren-cuddles, and Ehren needed Claire-cuddles (no matter how much she might pretend otherwise), and there would be cuddles, gosh-darn it, or there would be pure and utter heck to pay!

She slipped out the door as silently as excellent maintenance and some mild sound-muffling charms could manage, and tiptoe-stormed down the short distance to Ehren's room, gathering up her determination with every step. If Ehren was being silly-stubborn again, then Claire would just have to use her best Big Eyes and Trembling Lips and claim that she couldn't sleep without her teddy-Ehren (which had the additional benefit of being true).

While Claire might not really understand why Ehren would avoid what she so obviously needed, let it never be said that she hadn't grasped her sister's patterns well enough to recognize them, and how to throw her little sister's pride a bone, no matter how silly it was.

Her plan hit its first speed bump, almost literally, in the shape of a slender blonde slipping out her own bedroom door just in time to nearly be run over by a charging piano. The sisters collided with a mutual "eep!" and ended up avoiding the floor only by dint of clinging to each other.

"Ahem! Ah... are you having trouble sleeping, Claire?" Ehren inquired formally, defiantly ignoring the pink rising in her cheeks.

Claire, for her part, looked at the floor and pushed her index fingers together like a character from one of the Japanese comic books that the Imps liked to read.

"...me, too," Ehren admitted shamefacedly after a moment. "We could--"

That was as far as she got before being piano-bulldozed (there was really no other way to describe it) back through her bedroom door, across the floor, onto her bed, and into a blanket-roll that should have been too tight to be comfortable.

Head tucked under Claire's chin, she felt more than heard her older sister gust a sigh. "Now I think I can sleep. Thank you, Ehren."

Cheeks heating to the point she was sure Claire could feel the burn through her music-scored pajamas, Ehren burrowed into her sister's collarbone and wrestled down her pride long enough to whisper "Danke schoen, große Schwester."

And for the rest of the night, if Ehren dreamed, it was only of soaring Wagnerian tragedies that, somehow, always transitioned into sad-but-hopeful arias before the end, and shadows that fled from a chorus of loving voices and a bright, rising sun.

 

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

Harry Leferts said:I mean, they are sisters, so...
And very loving sisters. Ever since Ehren manifested, they have trolled each other back and forth.

In fact I should show Ehren's revenge for the Wolf and Mongoose incident....

A Mongoose's Revenge!

Castle Moulbaix

Late In Ehren's Third Year/Harry's Sixth Year (2018)
Spoiler: A Spot Of Sibling Revenge

The castle was silent and deserted in the stillness of the night.

A door opened and a blond haired girl in a "A Taste For Snakes" mongoose T-shirt (a trolling birthday gift from Claire) and panties poked her head out and swept the dark corridor with her gaze.

Steel blue eyes narrowed in a smug smile as Ehren silently stepped into the corridor, followed by a second avatar carrying a pair of hilt pins and wearing a "Cute. Funny. Psycho." T-shirt and pajama shorts.
Spoiler: Ehren's Shirt

The girls nodded to each other and crept down the corridor like twin blond ghosts, avoiding the creaky boards in the floor by dint of long experience and habit.

They reached a door carved from African Cherry and paused. It had a piano with CLAIRE in the center carved into the rich dark hardwood. The Psycho avatar cast a Silencing Spell with her wand.

Carefully the Mongoose avatar eased the door open silently and peeked her head inside.

Claire was fast asleep in a tangle of blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals.

Mongoose turned to Psycho who nodded and cast a spell to deepen Claire's slumber in a whisper.

Matching smug smiles lit up their faces as Claire mumbled something about "Chopin, stop putting strawberry ice cream in Mozart's wig" before rolling over and snoring.

Psycho waved her wand, and the lid of the grand piano next to the bed lifted silently.

A shadow scurried across the floor and up the legs of the piano like a ghost.

The lid closed and Psycho closed the door before sneaking back to her bedroom.

The Next Morning

As was the norm for the du Chasteler family, Claire woke up early. Barefoot and yawning she padded downstairs to fix breakfast.

After her Semmeln rolls with butter and apricot jam, boiled eggs, orange juice, and Schinkenspeck smoked bacon rashers, Claire smiled as she sipped her second cup of Kaisermelange(Emperor Blend) coffee. Today was going to be a beautiful day.

She graced a happy smile to Mother and Toku as they made an appearance, drawn by the smell of food. Claire then gave another happy smile to a yawning and staggering Prussian Zombie in search of the Black Bean of Life. The smile grew more trollish as she watched the half-awake Ehren punch in commands on the massive stainless steel espresso machine that her sister relied on for her morning caffeine fix.

With a crack her true body appeared, producing a bleary look her way from Ehren as she waited for the machine to produce sufficient Kaffee for higher brain functions.

Claire sat down and began to play Jaws to troll her sister. She didn't see her sister's smugly sly smirk.
Spoiler: Troll Job! (BE SURE TO PLAY THIS!)

Then she stared at her true self in shock.

Her true self that had just produced that... that... that...

She tapped keys and then suddenly flung her lid open to see what was wrong.

She was out of tune somehow!!

Inside her soundbox, a very familiar mongoose gave her a smug smile from where it had been napping on her strings. It then chattered a clear demand to close the lid so she could resume her nap.

Claire glared at the mongoose, not noticing that the Ehren by the espresso machine was filming her with her iPhone.

"You...!" Claire ground out as her face flushed in embarrassment when the rest of her family began to laugh at the scene. "EHREN!!! I'll get you!!"
Spoiler: Gotcha, Big Piano Sister!

Mongoose-Ehren tapped several strings with her paws, playing the first notes of the theme for Catch Me If You Can, then leapt out of the way of a grab by Claire to land on the counter. One paw raised and gave a 'bring it' gesture to the fuming piano's avatar.

As the rest of the du Chastelers watched through their giggles and howls of laughter, the mongoose then shot out of the kitchen and down the hall like greased lightning with Claire in hot pursuit.

"EHREN!! THIS ISN'T FUNNY!!"

 

[darthcourt10]

Barricade

Idea:
Oh, and the link at the bottom? Yes, the singer is exactly who you think she is, if you know the song.

-=-

March 20th, 2042

A widely looked forward to wedding has just finished. Performed in the traditional sense, privately within a mountain shrine. Normally limited to an extremely few individuals, this ceremony however was performed before quite a few more guests than normal. These, the most honored of guests, had arrived from all across Japan, with special unique honors given of course to the fact that Amaterasu-ōmikami, Ryūjin-kami, and their Imperial Majesties, the Emperor and the Empress were all present, seated at the bride's own table, alongside an unagi-hime in a flowing kimono and her wife, who was in JGSDF dress whites. The groom's table, included of course his parents, sister-mothers, and siblings, all of whom looked to the bride as a beloved adopted aunt. No less than the retired Chief of Shipgirl Operations of the JMSDF, and his overly exuberant wife also shared cushions at the groom's table, in place of one of the groom's grandparents, sitting alongside his maternal grand-aunt, grand-uncle, and the stoic beauty that was his grandmother in her finest dress uniform. Politely, no one mentioned her almost ruining the groom's outfit earlier after a near loss of self-control at seeing her grandson dressed as he was. Additionally two more Rear Admirals, one from the United States, the other from Britain, alongside a Colonel in the Royal Marines, were present as both family and friends to the parents and newlyweds. Curiously, another, much more humble family - although their aged but distinguished and respected patriarch was widely known across the world - was seated at the bride's table, somewhat overwhelmed to be invited with such august company. Only slightly lower in standing was a table set for several allied Abyssal dignitaries, one of whom had snuck away to sit with her brother, and a heavily scarred young woman in a dark plum colored kimono with riverine accents who was alternating between scowling at having been poured into it no matter the occasion, and beaming with pride at her finest student's happiest day.

As the newlyweds eventually made their way down the steps of the shrine, having requested that their guests be allowed to be seated first, as they wished to make a speech, two musical groups took to the temporary stage in the wide boulevard of the village at the base of the shrine, accompanied by over a dozen distant cousins of both bride and groom, including one fresh from her 'extended vacation' in Greece. No names were given as to the second, smaller group, as it was known among the villagers that the bride had taken pains to make their presence a secret - and no one present would dare deny her the enjoyment of whatever plans she had laid.

Having only hours ago walked up this path as bridge and groom, now together as husband and wife, the couple stepped up to the stage, turned, and bowed once more to their family, guests, and the less than subtle presence of international media quite literally hovering around the reception with camera drones and brooms alike in the background. Clearing her throat, and brushing lightly over it with her painted nails, which glowed softly, the bride's voice rang out without need nor want of a mic. Soft as fresh snow, playful as a waterfall, and as silky smooth as a pool of deep water on a windless day, it immediately swept up everyone present.

"We thank you all for coming here today, and for those watching whom were unable to enjoy this in person. We welcome you all once again to our town, and invite any of you to stay and tour it's surroundings. After all, it is said that this small paradise in the east was created by and is watched over by a dragon. A land out of time with the world, where one can step back into past whilst still in the present, or take a step below and race ahead to see a glimpse of the future. Yet these lands were originally meant as a cage for the beings that were known only in fantasy. Myths. Legends."

At the high table, the elderly man went ramrod straight on his cushion, the small sampler of ale from the town's micro-brewery nearly slipping from his fingers.

"This mountain, which I have called home since my birth, was a scene of terrible tragedy and horror. But all whom you see here have climbed above that past. Look around you, at this once lost, unnamed mountain, now thriving with life and the laughter of both yokai and human. How beneath our very feet, in caverns that were old when Kyoto was new, kappa, oni, kasha, and others have built a thriving industrial complex in spaces that were once filled with squalor. Now filled with businesses and homes, where not a day goes by that one does not hear the laughter of children running through the underground parks."

Throwing her hood back to reveal her pearlescent horns, Shiromizu-no-kami, Mistress of Shiromizu-gawa, paused briefly and turned to whisper into her husband's ear and give it a small kiss, before making a small gesture towards the musicians, who readied themselves for a still as yet unseen sign.

"After many years of discussion, those who have chosen to live have, have at long last selected an anthem for our mountain and town. A decision they decided upon on their own, but one which I wholeheartedly agree with, for it is one of my personal favorite pieces, along with my family as well. As such, my family and several dear friends of mine wish to play it for us all, here at our wedding reception. It is one I think many present or watching, might have heard of before."

Her kimono slipped from her shoulders to puddle to the ground below, as her husband looked fondly but proudly on and upwards, the guests and viewers had to lift their eyes to the sky in awe, as a shining white and blue dragon, hundreds of meters long, burst into the sky with a joyous roar, her laughter easily heard by everyone present, as one guest looked to the heavens with tears streaming down his cheeks. His dream at long last, fulfilled.

"Come, and enjoy this day with us, here in a land the gods love."

And with that, the sole singer's voice echoed across the mountain with a lyric both ancient and new.

"Iro wa nioedo...."

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Still looking at their shared reflection in the mirror, Harry and Natsumi tilted their head first one way than another. Inside their mind, Natsumi gave a small hum, 'You know, Harry-Chan, those highlights don't look too bad on you.' The wizard could almost see her pointing at the reflection, 'It sort of becomes a dark chocolate colour where it blends into your own hair.

With a slight mental nod, he hummed, 'It really doesn't look that bad. And I sort of like how my eyes look here too. The green and gold do go pretty well together.'

That only got him the impression of a mental blush from Natsumi as they continued to examine their facial features. Reaching up with control one of their hands, the Kitsune fingered one of the messy bangs, 'Huh... still, a bit odd to see... mind if I?' Getting a mental nod, she turned towards the Kitsune and spoke in that odd mixture of Harry's and hers voices, "Oba-Chan, Hoshi-San, Taiyang... you mentioned that there's deeper levels. How much would Harry-Chan's body change if we go deeper? And why does it do that? And will it go back to normal after?"

An amused look on her face as she shifted position, Hoshi gave a nod, "All very good questions, Natsumi-Chan. I'll answer the second first." When the teens' shared body nodded, she continued, "One should understand a simple fact with regards to magic and appearances. Most often, when in regards to magic, the material can be a reflection of the spiritual and vice versa. It is why many practitioners of the Dark Arts find their appearances changing subtly over time. While they might not become 'Ugly', often there is a cruel look about them. Those who dive deeply in such things may find their looks becoming more and more inhuman."

Eyebrows furrowing, Harry suddenly nodded their shared body, "Like with Voldemort."

Humming, the Kyuubi gave a nod, "Hai, such as in his case as he has gone to extreme lengths in dark magic for power." She pointingly ignored Taiyang's giggle of amusement, "Jin-San would be another as many of the scars she has on her current form came from wounds of her previous' self, carried over spiritually when she was awakened to her new state forcibly."

Frown on their face, Natsumi glanced back at the mirror and their reflection, "What about us then?"

Moments later, Harry had their shared body give a nod, "I looked up Kitsune-Tsuki and there wasn't much there about appearances changing. Sure, sometimes they would act off and such, but nothing like this."

There was an amused look on Taiyang's face as she raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure, Harry-San? That there was no changes?" At his blink, she smiled a little, "Do not the old stories describe the woman as having gained 'Fox-faces'? How their nails grew?"

Now it was time for the eyes of the teenage wizard to widen, "They didn't say that they gained them, but... said that they had them. Was that a sign?"

Bouncing a bit on the balls of her feet, the blade spirit leaned forward, "That's right." Standing straight, she made a motion with one hand, "Usually, it does not go much further than that. After all, there are two souls, and the human one will push back, even subconsciously, against the Kitsune. And because the human soul is more in tune with the body, as it is theirs, the form would not change much. Hence very minor changes in appearance."

For a few moments, neither teen said anything, but then, Natsumi spoke up, "Like with Tamamo." At the interested looks from the two adult Kitsune as Taiyang nodded, she continued, "She was nearly killed before coming to Japan, but survived by possessing an unborn child that, well, was pretty much dead and whose soul had passed on. Then, over the years, said new body became a Kitsune."

Slowly, Taiyang nodded as she gave a smile, "Indeed, Master, that is how she managed it. As there was no other soul in the body, and Master's was so strong, the body reshaped itself to better fit the soul in it. Hence, going from human to Kitsune."

Harry's voice then came through, "So... if, say, a ghost possessed a body that had been given the Dementor's Kiss and had the soul sucked out, then the body would change to look like the ghost had in life?"

Tilting her head to the side, the Dao raised an eyebrow, but nodded, "That is what would happen in such a case, though it would go slower than with Master in some ways, as their soul would be weaker, but quicker in others as they would have a human soul to begin with." With a blink, she frowned, "That was oddly specific...?"

The shared teen's body gave a shrug at that before Harry spoke, "Considering how the British Ministry seems more than willing to use the Kiss? Just wondering if it could happen. Especially with Death Eaters and such."

Considering that, the two Kitsune and one blade spirit nodded as it did make sense. It was then that Natsumi spoke with the body's posture changing slightly as she placed their hand on their hip, "You still have not answered how Harry-Chan's body changed, or how much it could change besides the rest."

Only nodding as her lips twitched, Haru chuckled, "That is true enough, Natsumi-Chan. We were slowly getting to that, however." At the nod, she continued, "What you need to remember is that in most cases of Kitsune-Tsuki, the human and Kitsune are both struggling for dominance. Hence, there is little change in looks. But what you and Harry are doing is not fighting for dominance, which is obvious to anyone."

Body posture shifting back to his usual one with a frown, Harry spoke up, "It is?"

Highly amused, the five tailed Kitsune gestured to him, "The two of you change who is in charge at the drop of a hat without concern or hesitation. Hence the changes already apparent. As your souls sync up more and more, the features of your shared body will shift as more of Natsumi-Chan's become apparent, coming together."

Right then, Taiyang raised a hand, "So the question of if it would blend is yes!" Everyone gave her a look at that before she shrugged, "The Internet is fascinating! Mikon!"

No one said anything for a few moments. Then, slowly, Natsumi turned her head towards her sighing Aunt, "That scares me more than it should."

All Hoshi did was sigh and hang her head, "You and me both, Natsumi-Chan."

Turning back to the mirror, Harry frowned a little as he reached up and played with one of his brown bangs, "So, the closer Natsumi-Chan and I come to being fully in sync, the more my features will look like a blend of my normal ones and Natsumi-Chan's?" As they nodded, a thought occurred to him and he blushed, "Um... that doesn't mean that, er... we would become something part female and part male, right?"

Inside his head, he could feel Natsumi's mental blush, 'B-both?!'

Moments later, thankfully for them both, Hoshi shook her head with a hearty laugh, "No, considering that the base body is male, I very much doubt that it would be anything but." She then gave a slight shrug, "That said? Chances are that at that point? Someone seeing you for the first time might well wonder if you were female or male due to your looks." The Kyuubi then smiled and gave a shrug, "Though, to be honest, at such a depth? You would also have fox ears and tails like a Kitsune I would think, and functionally be both human and Kitsune at the same fine."

Rather thoughtful, Harry nodded their shared head, "Huh..."

It was then that Haru took over, "And before you ask, once you and Natsumi-Chan separate, you would find your appearance going back to normal." A grin appeared on her face at the sigh of relief from the teen in front of her, "So neither of you really need to worry overmuch about it."

Just thinking things over, the teens turned their shared body towards the mirror, still floating there and tilted their head as Harry spoke, "So... I guess now that we have managed it, the only thing left is to, well, get closer?"

Biting a rice cracker, Taiyang gave them a smile, "That's the way." Eating the rest, she continued, "You should practice as much as possible though whenever you can. Get a feel for one another and spend time like this."

That made the teens blink before Natsumi spoke through their mouth, "Well, we weren't going to just do this and not practice. And we are going to be testing it out... though how much time should we spend like this?"

Leaning forward, Hoshi had a thoughtful look on her face before humming, "For today, I would say spend the rest of the day like this. Just to get a feel for it. Later, I would say that you should at some point spend more than a day in Kitsune-Tsuki, even sleeping while performing it. The more time you spend together, the more in sync you'll be at the end."

Quiet, the two teens rolled the idea around in their head. And, after a minute, gave a nod with Natsumi answering for them both, "I don't think that either of us have a problem with that." Internally, she focused her thoughts, 'Harry-Chan? That alright for you?'

She got back the impression of a blink, 'Hmm? Oh, right.'

With that, he took over to give a similar answer. As they sat down for some tea, Natsumi had a frown on her face as she controlled their body, 'Harry-Chan? Is something wrong? I mean, you're not saying much...'

Once more, she had the impression of a blink before Harry answered her, 'Nothing bad, Natsumi-Chan. Just... thinking.' Feeling her curiosity, he gave a chuckle, 'Well, it is more about our shared senses.'

More than curious how, the Kitsune mentally cocked her head to the side, 'Our shared senses? What about them?'

It was then that one of their hands came up and scratched at their chin as Harry thought, 'Well... It is just that I always thought that Kitsune senses were stronger than a human. I mean, we couldn't test our eyesight really since it's not dark out. But... hearing? Scent? It doesn't seem that much beyond human right now.'

Silent, Natsumi didn't say anything though Harry noticed that he could sense her emotions through the link that the possession had created. Finally, she spoke up in their shared mind, 'Huh, I had not really noticed. But if you want...' She then continued, 'Maybe if we open ourselves to each other more, you might gain heightened senses?'

Considering that, he sent a mental nod back, 'Maybe? But are you okay with that? Going further already?'

Much to his bemusement, he could literally feel her give him a look that told her what she thought of what he said. Then, Natsumi spoke up, 'Harry-Chan, I am more than alright with it. I trust you completely and utterly.' Her tone then softened, 'I want to share as much with you as possible. And this? Sharing senses? I want to show you what it is like for me, because I think that you would enjoy it.'

Feeling his throat constrict, Harry just nodded, 'Thank you.'

Just having the impression of her giving him a nod back, he concentrated. As before, he opened himself to her and could feel her doing much the same. There was something... breathtaking... in the amount of trust that she was currently showing him. Unlike before, he could feel something going on. On the back of his neck there was an odd tickling and he swore that, somehow, his hair itched. At the same time, he could feel his ears shift around a little.

After the odd sensations disappeared, Harry turned their body to look at the mirror and found their eyes widening. His facial features had shifted just slightly, with the bare hints of Japanese looks. That said, there was more than just that.

When he looked at their eyes, the golden specks had increased in both number and size, though around their edges they looked greenish-gold. The change in hair colour had also changed in that the highlights were now far more noticeable and more of their hair had changed from black to a dark, chocolate brown while nearly reaching their shoulders. As well, their ears had grown a bit in size and the tips were definitely pointed now. Quickly pulling back their lips, the canines had grown a touch as well, 'Okay, that is pretty neat.'

He could feel the mental nod in the back of their mind from Natsumi, 'It really is, Harry-Chan.' Then, her voice took on a tone of amusement, 'Now, notice anything else~'

Pausing, Harry was about to say no, when he breathed in through their nose and paused. Doing so again, he looked around in surprise before blinking as he realized that his sense of smell had increased. While definitely nowhere near that of an animal's, it was well up there as he could smell all sorts of things. And at the same time, he realized that his hearing had also increased in sensitivity. Internally blinking, he "Turned" towards Natsumi, 'Natsumi-Chan? Is this...?'

Chuckling, the Kitsune gave the impression of shaking her head, 'Well, it is quite a way from that. But... it is probably the best that it works like this since I can teach you about the various scents and sounds without being overwhelmed by them as you would be if we had gone to my level...'

Unknown to them, in the mental mansion she now resided in, Tamamo was looking up towards the frozen eclipse in the sky. As she had expected, as the two had opened their connection further, the Sun and Moon has slid further into one another. Now, both had a quarter in the eclipse. Part of her was curious as to what would happen as things continued before shaking it off.

Lightly chuckling, the ancient Kitsune stride down the corridors and the walls went from the normal shoji, to stone and the doors from sliding panels to wood. Down and down she seemed to go until, finally, she reached a trap door. Looking at it, she smirked before reaching down and opening it.

Not bothered by the feelings, she walked down the trapdoor with a hum until she reached a wretched thing.

Head cocked to the side, she raised an eyebrow as she looked at what looked like a deformed, skinless baby before crouching down to look at it even as it looked at her in hate, "Well, well... so this is the infamous Lord Voldemort, hmm?" She raised an eyebrow before snorting and placing a foot on the creature and pressing down, "The one who dared to harm my Harry, and try to kill him."

Grinning at the whines she got, she chuckled darkly before pulling her foot back. Then, her hand lashed out and grabbed it by the head, slowly raising it to eye level as it thrashed as her claws dug in. At the same time, thousands of miles away in Britain, Voldemort himself was in bed and silently screaming in pain.

Examining it, Tamamo thrust one hand forward, finger digging into the forehead of the Horcrux. She could not do much, of course. After all, it could harm Harry if she went too far. But, she got a bit of information and nodded before pausing with a smirk as she realized something.

Sometime later, she left, but not before leaving behind a fox composed of shadow in the trap door. A little... gift if the creature was so unwise as to attempt to use the connection to try and possess her Harry. In one hand, however, there was a crystal orb with a snake. Looking down at it, she tossed it into the air and caught it with a giggle, "Such an interesting and useful ability. Yes, this will serve Natsumi well in the future... Especially if that Mizuchi reacts as I believe she will."

_____________________________________________________________________



Walking into Natsumi's bedroom, Haru smiled a little at the sight of Harry with his wand out. Her eyes widened a little as he motioned with the wand to cast a spell, but it was "Natsumi's" voice that came out, "Wingardium Leviosa"

A moment later, the black furred fox plushy that the teen was looking at slowly rose into the air shakingly. Staring at it for a few moments, Haru blinked before turning back to the teen, "Natsumi-Chan? Is that really you casting that spell?"

Just blinking as they allowed the plush to slowly drift down until it was back on the desk, the teen nodded and turned, "Hai, Oba-Chan." Rotating their shoulder a little, they gave a nod, "Harry-Chan's been casting First Year spells so that I could learn them." Frown on their face, Natsumi frowned, "It's... a lot harder than you would think. But Harry-Chan thinks that it is because of it being his wand, thus it is not quite sure whether to obey me or not."

Only nodding, Haru walked in and sat down beside her, "I see..." Frown on her face, she furrowed her eyebrows, "You do realize that ICW laws forbid non-humans such as Yokai from having wands, correct? We can do Onmyoudo, but nothing else."

That got her a smirk as Harry took control, "No... ICW rules forbid the selling of wands to non-humans. And right now, I am using the wand, it is just... I'm not in control of my body."

Slowly blinking, the older Kitsune gave a barking laugh, "Okay, I will give you props for that." Her expression fell some, "Unfortunately, even if Natsumi-Chan learned wand magic, she would not have a wand."

If she expected anything, it was not for Harry to wave her off, "Not really an issue, Haru-San. After all, technically you can cast magic though other items such as swords and such. Besides which, us Potters have a number of legacy wands stored away and like I told her, if she wants, when we go to get some fruit, we could see if any work for her." They then gave a shrug, "If nothing else, it would allow her to practice and learn until she can use other items... and I have a few other ideas."

Needless to say, that intrigued Haru and she leaned forward, "Oh? What sort of ideas?"

Lopsided smile as he cast a non-verbal Lumos and knowing that Natsumi was paying attention to the spell, the teenage boy shrugged their shoulders, "Wands are generally wood and some sort of magical core, right?" At Haru's nod, he continued, "Well, you can create wand-like objects. One of my earlier ancestors got captured by the Spanish Inquisition and managed to escape despite them snapping his wand. He crafted one in his cell from straw, some of his hair, and coating it in his blood. Only lasted a few spells before self-destructing, but... it worked."

Frown on her face, the Kitsune shook her head, "That... does not sound like a healthy way to create a wand, Harry-Kun. Rather dark is how I would put it."

In reply, Harry nodded their head, "Agreed, but that incident caused my family to look at other things as well. They figured that one could make something like a wand out of electrum and so have it work. Doesn't work half as good as an actual wand, but... you can still cast easier with it than other things. Figure that if I made one, then Natsumi-Chan could use it."

Considering that, Haru looked at him closely before shaking her head in some amusement, 'Oh yes, Natsumi-Chan hit the jackpot here.' Then, she changed the subject and hummed, "And has Natsumi-Chan taught you anything in return?"

Eyes twinkling, Harry set aside his wand and held their hand open, palm facing upwards. Suddenly, a small, blue flame appeared in the middle of their palm. It wasn't that big, about the size of a tea light candle, but it was obviously Kitsune-Bi. Sheepishly smiling, Harry shrugged a little, "It's not that big, but..."

For several moments, the older of the two stared at it before shaking her head, "Be that as it may, it is still a good accomplishment just the same." Once more smiling, Haru patted his head before standing, "I'll leave you to your practice, though in an hour you'll have to end the Kitsune-Tsuki..."

That got her a nod and she left. Sure enough, an hour later the two teens separated from one another with Harry's features going back to normal. Both had grins on their faces, however.

When he finally left, Harry glanced at Haru's house in the deepening twilight before turning to Natsumi, "This... has been an incredible day, Natsumi-Chan. We finally did it!"

Happily nodding, Natsumi smiled before giving him a hug, "Hai, we did... and I feel so close to you now." Returning the hug, the nearly fourteen year old smiled as well before pulling back. Much to Natsumi's surprise, he held out his wand to her. Gently, she took it into her hand before looking at it. With a deep breath, the Kitsune made a motion with it, "Lumos!" There was a brief moment, but then the tip lit up and she stared at the light, "... Thank you."

Lightly smiling as he watched her end the spell and hand back his wand, the teenage wizard nodded, "You're welcome." Moments later, however, he found Natsumi placing her arms around his neck before kissing him. Almost subconsciously, his hands went to her waist, something which she seemed to enjoy from the happy hum such an action got. When they pulled apart, Harry sighed a little, "I think that I just discovered a downside to the Kitsune-Tsuki."

Curious, Natsumi cocked her head to the side, "Oh? What sort of downside?"

Lips curling into a smile, Harry pulled her tighter against him, "When we're doing it, I can't kiss you..."

Her eyes sparkling, the Kitsune leaned into him and proceeded to show him how happy those words made her.

 

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

A.N. -- And the Other Shoe drops.

Only My Buttervioline (IV)

Panathinaïkó Stádio, Athens, Greece

24 May 2036

Athena said her hasty farewells to Aphrodite, Ame-no-Uzume-no-mikoto, and Amaterasu (or as she preferred to be called when incognito as a large white doG, 'Sunny') and began to hurry back to where she had left Apollo and Artemis. As much as she hated to leave the Goddess of Love and her Japanese friend unsupervised, she had a much more urgent errand to deal with. Artemis was -- according to Aphrodite -- romantically interested in the daughter of Atalanta, which spelled trouble if Athena was not there to prevent the Huntress from doing something ill-advised in the presence of her brother.
Spoiler: Antigone Enters

"Χιλή! Chile!"

After all, this kind of obsession made people do stupid things, just look at Phoebas Apollo staring at that Belgian violin spirit like she was the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen. Athena had few illusions that the twin children of Leto were more than capable of starting a nasty family squabble with one ill-considered word.

The crowd began to roar as the penultimate team entered the stadium.

"Χονγκ Κονγκ, Κίνα! Hong Kong, China!"

Athena reached the section that she had left Apollo and Artemis in before heading off to confront Aphrodite. To her distinct lack of surprise, Apollo was still mooning over the Belgian girl.

Then the roar of the crowd hammered her ears as the Greek flag was carried again into the stadium at the head of the host nation's athletes and the crowd around her went mad.

"Ελλάς! Greece!"

As Athena stared, Artemis waved both hands and gave a loud cheer, then gave a loopy goofy grin matching that of her twin brother at someone who she was looking at like a hawk. Athena, dreading what she would see, turned to survey the Greek athletes and sighed as her migraine returned with a vengeance.

A tawny-haired young woman with mysterious depths in her liquid eyes, silver 'Arrow of Artemis' earrings, and the silent stealthy movement of a born huntress smiled happily at Artemis and waved back.
Spoiler: Antigone Koustris, Natural-Born Shipgirl Of HN Meleager

Antigone Koustris, daughter of the legendary Admiral Lana Koustris, the Huntress of the Mediterranean, who was also the unawakened shipgirl of her mother's submarine HN Meleager, locked eyes with Artemis. Antigone spoke words heard by the deities attending the Games, in a voice full of devotion and faith to her divine patroness. "I dedicate my skill and success in these Olympic Games to you, Artemis Aristo!"

Meanwhile, halfway around the stadium, Therese du Chasteler with her cheeks afire with love for the young man in the crowd who was holding her glasses, swallowed and whispered reverently to the disguised Apollo, "I... just want to say that I'm going to make you proud when I compete in archery. Everything that I do in my events, I do for you, even if I don't know your name yet. Because I know you're the right person for me."

Martje Van Der Voorde tapped Therese hard on her shoulder to break her out of her reverie. "Focus you silly viool! We are supposed to swear to compete fairly and honorably now, and then they're going to light the flame to open the Games!"

Therese blushed as she finally returned to herself. Then her head raised and her jaw set as she thought to herself. Of course! What would the man of her dreams think of her if she was so weak to not do her best just like Mother and Father and Aunt Ehren, and Grandmothers Colombe and Toku all did?

Athena paled as she realized what had just happened and sat down heavily in a vacant seat as the head of the International Olympic Committe and the President of Greece began to address the crowd and the Athletes before the Olympic Flame was lit.

A large white doG nudged her elbow, then held a bag of buttered popcorn under Athena's nose.

"Wan?"
---------------------------

Finally the opening ceremony was over and the athletes dispersed. Of course, for some of them, the trouble had only just begun....
Spoiler: A Du Chasteler Family Reunion

Spiros & Vasilias Greek Restaurant, Athens

"Mother, Father! You came!" Therese said as she entered the five-star Greek restaurant where her parents had made reservations. She smiled happily and dashed over to embrace her mother then father, and then her minutes-younger twin Jacques as they sat in the waiting area. "You all came!"

Claire gave a joy-filled smile to her oldest daughter. The Piano responded gently and happily after giving her eldest child another hug, "Yes we all came to see you. Ehren, Mother, Stepmother, Estelle, and Ying are all coming too along with some of your cousins. We got tickets to watch you compete. Admiral Aetios was kind enough to put us up at her house for the Games and we plan to host a party for you there after your event ends to celebrate your triumph."

Therese blinked in surprise and spoke in a shocked voice. "Mother! You didn't need to do all that! I hope to do my best, but I'm only 27th in the world in Archery."

Tony placed a hand on Therese's shoulder and squeezed reassuring. "Therese. You're a du Chasteler from Claire's side. That means you don't know how to do anything other than your best from her. You're a Potter from my side and we stop at nothing to achieve a goal that matches our heart's desire. For me when I was your age, it was to be the best violinist that I could be, travel the world to learn and experience music, and perhaps find and win the heart of someone worthy of my skill. Which turned out to be my beloved peacock here."

He gave Claire a love filled smile, which the magnificently dressed piano returned in equal measure. "Oh you just want our next child to have a little Greek in them you wonderful Bohemian." Claire murmured with a smouldering look full of barely-leashed desire promising a wild musical interlude once they got to their rooms.

"Mother! Father! You're embarrassing me! Can't you just get a recording studio?!" Therese blurted out as her cheeks flamed scarlet.

Jacques snarked, "You don't know what they have been like all this week. Sooo... who were you looking at in the crowd?"

Therese blushed shyly and stars filled her eyes. "Oh just the most dreamy guy in existence..." She murmured, then froze at the looks her family were giving her.

"Is he a good violinist?" Jacques asked with a smirk, "I'd hate to have my big sister played by some hack."

"What's his name?" Claire probed. "When can we meet him?"

Tony muttered, "Do I need to give him a shovel speech?"

Therese moaned and gave a double facepalm. "I'm doomed..."

*-*-*
Therese du Chasteler-Potter

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Quietly, and with easy strides, Harder made her way down the hallway until she reached her destination. And, just as silently, she opened the door and slipped inside the room before smiling at the sight that met her. Because there was Naka in her usual civilian clothing that she wore when in "Management mode" of a black, pencil skirt and sleeveless blouse as she leaned forward, quietly talking with a technician that was there working on the recording equipment among others. The technician nodded some to whatever the Light Cruiser said and smiled a bit.

For a few moments, as Naka straightened, Harder just looked over her friend standing there as the Natural Born crossed her arms over her torso and tapped a finger to some beat on one bicep. Eyes trailing over her friend's form, the Submarine had to nod to herself some as, in her opinion, Naka cut a pretty amazing figure there. Her clothes had been tailored specifically for her and it showed as they hugged her form enough to accentuate her looks without being too tight. The lack of sleeves for her blouse actually showed off the toned arms she had.

Of course, that was when the Submarine's eyes went to the skirt and below, in particular the pantyhose that hugged her legs and showed that they were just as toned as her arms.

Not that Harder was too surprised at the Light Cruiser being having muscles, or at least enough to help her figure. She had seen the exercises, choreography, and dancing that Naka had put herself through. Heck, Harder had even joined in for some of the practices and found herself at the end sweaty and exhausted, while the Natural Born was barely winded. Something that had surprised the Submarine as back when she was a steel hulled ship, most singers barely moved on stage when performing, and it certainly did not look quite that exhausting. The fact that Naka could continue through an entire routine and not look completely and utterly beat was nothing short of amazing to Harder.

Granted, that thought brought up memories for Harder from when she watched such practices, with Naka telling her that she always did even better with her watching. Memories of the Light Cruiser having a bright grin on her face and a flush to her cheeks as she finished up a routine. Of how Naka's chest rose and fell with each of her deep breaths as well as how there was a light sheen of sweat over what was not covered by a tank top and shorts that caused her to glisten under the light and highlighted her toned musculature. Muscles that Harder knew were toned as any swimmer's, but covered with just enough body fat to soften the look and feel of them, giving the Natural Born a "Fit" look. And even how her clothes clung to her a bit tighter, damp as they were with sweat.

Coming out of it, the Submarine blinked as some of her engineers were muttering at the pressure in her lines climbing too high. Which was something that made her shake her head a little in confusion about it as it didn't make much sense. Then again... it was rather common when thinking about Naka at times. Ignoring the mutters of her crew, she shrugged it off as not something really all that important.

Besides, she had more important things.

Smile on her face, Harder walked forward until she was right behind Naka before moving the last few inches and wrapping her arms around the normally orange wearing shipgirl's waist, "Hey there, Naka."

For her part, Naka didn't really jump much at the appearence of the Submarine. Instead, she looked over her shoulder and smiled a bit before placing her hands over Harder's, "Hey there yourself, Harder-Chan."

Placing her chin on her friend's shoulder, the American hummed a bit, "Hard at work, I see."

With a slight shrug, Naka shook her head, "Well, you know how it is. Being an Idol and manager is a full time job and a hard one."

Just snorting a little, Harder shook her head as she tightened the embrace a little, "True, but you know what, Traffic Cone? Ain't no one better at it than you are and you're great at it."

Much to her amusement, the Light Cruiser had a light blush on her cheeks at that. But then Naka chuckled some and kissed her cheek, which made Harder hum, "Thank you, I'm glad that you're one of the ones that believe in me." Harder hummed a bit as she returned the kiss to the cheek before placing her chin back in the crook of Naka's neck, something that made the Idol hum back before she turned her head to look at Harder, "So, when did you get back?"

A warm chuckle escaped from Harder as she smiled some, "Got back about o'six hundred this morning. Managed to catch me a Nu-Class as well as six Destroyers, a Light Cruiser, and even a Ta this Cruise."

Eyebrow raised, Naka smirked a bit, "Not that unexpected considering that it's you, Harder-Chan. I would be shocked if you ever had half as much during a cruise."

That time, it was the Submarine's turn to have a light blush on her cheeks, "Hah, thanks Naka."

Rolling her eyes, Naka shook her head a bit, "What? It's just the truth when it is about you. We both know that much after all."

Soft smile on her face, Harder smirked a bit, "Still, it's good to know that you think so." Then the American gave a small shrug, "Anyways, have a few days of shore leave and figured that I would drop in on you. Checked with Yokosuka and got told that you headed up to your studio, so here I am."

Lips twitching, the Japanese shipgirl gave her a look, "So you're going to spend your shore leave with me?"

At that, Harder shrugged a little, "Why not? I enjoy spending my shore leave with you, Traffic Cone. Ain't nothing better to do with it after all."

Hands sliding across Harder's and gently pressing down on top of them, Naka leaned back, "Well, I enjoy it as well."

Neither shipgirl noticed how the others there either gave them exasparated glances or rolled their eyes at their actions though there were a number of smiles there as well.

Unknowing of the looks that they were getting, Harder raised her eyebrow as she looked into the sound booth. It always surprised her how recording rooms often looked now in the modern era. One or two of her crew had been in one and they had usually been great open rooms with windows and the like. And often had couches and chairs in them as well.

Meanwhile, the sound booth in Naka's little studio was completely different. Most of them were a good size, of course. But the walls were black or dark grey with square panelling that had lines of ridges or small pyramid-shapes. All made out of some sort of foam. Harder had been confused when she first saw them and Naka explained that the foam was sound absorbing and that the shapes helped with acoustics which made the sound clearer when recording.

As a Submarine, that made a lot of sense as they often had to listen for sonar and the like when Destroyers and other sonar equipped ships were hunting them. That meant that the best Submarines had an eye for how sound acted underwater. Water temperature as well as layers, depths, even underwater geography all played a part. Something that any Submarine understood and understood well if they were to survive for any length of time.

Heck, once Harder had been in one of the booths playing a guitar and listening. Said American was impressed with how the acoustics had worked and told Naka so. Though she still felt her engines warm at how Naka had complimented her on how well she played, and did so whenever she did so for the Japanese Idol. Heck, sometimes the two sat in their quarters with Harder playing and Naka singing some sort of song, both of them smiling and laughing as they enjoyed it.

Right now, however, she had raised her eyebrow due to what she was seeing in said recording booth.

Mainly because behind the microphone singing was a woman who, from the waist down, was a massive spider. Said woman held earphones to one ear as she sang, while to one side, a skeletal woman was playing on a violin and an woman with butterfly wings and four arms was on a keyboard while beside her a horned woman was on a drum. The final woman was one who was nearly as tall as the spider woman was and using a double bass in the same way that many would use a violin.

Eyebrow raised as she watched the female Yokai play, Harder blinked, "Huh... so the singer is one of those, uh, Jorogummy things? Though I only recognize the oni and the, uh, bone-oni..."

Snorting a bit, Naka waved her off, "Jorogumo is the spider one and Hone-Onna is the skeletal with a Hennya on the taiko. The others are a Ga-Onna from Ginzan on the keyboard, and she's incredible at it and a Hachishakusama, a mother who died after losing their children and came back as a giant, ghostly female Yokai." At the look from Harder, she shrugged, "I helped her track down her children and get custody from her ex-husband. Let's just say that I was not impressed with him and how he was treating said kids from everything the private investigator I hired dug up. And it was easy to get her custody afterwards."

Only nodding, the Subgirl hummed a bit, "Not surprised that you managed it, Naka. Fuck, you always go the extra mile." Tilting her head a little as she listened to the song, she furrowed her eyebrows, "Though not exactly the type of music that I thought you would enjoy."

There was a slight smirk on Naka's face, "I do enjoy other forms of music other than J-pop, Harder-Chan." She rubbed a thumb over Harder's knuckles while humming, "But I decided to expand my label to a bit more than just normal Idol music." Nodding towards the Jorogumo, a smile was on the Japanese shipgirl's face, "I have to admit, Akine-Chan there has the perfect voice for symphonic metal. And Kyashi-Chan, the Hachishakusama, is excellent at writing the songs. She takes the inspiration from the old legends and such of Japan, especially from the Yokai point of view."

Harder closed her eyes and listened to the song before nodding, "Huh, pretty damn good really if not really my cup of tea." Opening her eyes, she looked towards Naka, "What are they singing about?"

A smile on her lips, the Light Cruiser chuckled some, "Right now? The song that they're singing is about the legendary Minamoto no Yorimitsu and his encounters with a female Jorogumo who lusted after him. But because she was a traditional Jorogumo, that also meant wanting to kill him. There's a few others that they've made around said hero and his encounters with spider Yokai, hence why they're terming the album 'Along came a spider'."

Upon hearing the name, Harder snickered a little before shaking her head. A frown appeared on her face though and she grimaced, "Considering the Statute..."

Glancing at her, Naka sighed a little, "I know, it is a bit problematic to be honest. But... it doesn't have much life left, probably not much more than a year." Clenching her fist, she took a deep breath, "Which is why I am preparing right now for everything. I already got a number of Yokai musicians under my label and when the Statute falls? I'm striking while the iron is white hot and doing mass releases of their music. Change the shock from fright into a pleasant one. Make the fear that some might feel into something else, such as acceptence and even interest in them." Motioning around, the Cruiser lowered her voice, "I already have a number of music videos filmed, and we'll start filming theirs in the mountains next week."

Just tightening the hug, the American leaned in and her breath tickled Naka's ear, making the Japanese shipgirl's breath hitch a little, "If there was anyone who could pull it off, Naka? It would be you."

Cheeks warming, Naka turned and looked Harder in the eye for a few moments. Her expression softened when she saw the pure belief that was there and kissed her friend on the cheek before pulling back with a thankful smile, "Thank you, Harder-Chan. If you believe it, than it must be true."

Pulling away one hand to scratch at her cheek, Harder grinned, "Damn straight, besides... it's the truth." Then she shrugged and put her hand back where it was, with Naka placing hers over it, "So, I take it that you got a number of different Yokai now as Idols and stuff?"

Her lips twitching, the Light Cruiser hummed, "A number is right, Harder-Chan. Besides Akine-Chan, I got another Jorogumo, who's just barely out of her teens, that's great at J-pop. She's going to be an amazing Idol to say the least, especially as she's cute as a button and got the right attitude." She grimaced a moment later, "Just a shame that no one else would take her on because she was a Jorogumo. Fucking bakas."

That got a snort from Harder, "Well, their loss and your gain, because you do know talent when you see it."

Nearly bloodthirsty grin on her face, Naka nodded, "Damn right." Then, she gave a shrug, "Got some other bands, such as a group of Inaba Idols as well as a group of Nekomata. Both of those will be unbelievably popular once they make their appearance. Also, got another group of Hone-Onna, though they're more a metal group. Planning to have them show up at RIP-Fest 2015 in Saga next year."

Frowning, the Subgirl furrowed her eyebrows, "Weren't you talking about that earlier? Something about a new Idol group that showed up there?"

With a shrug, Naka frowned herself, "Hai, they showed up there and have done a few other gigs including a chicken commercial." At the odd look from Harder, she snorted, "Don't knock it until you try it. After all, an independant Idol group does need a way to fund themselves and commercials for local food places are an easy one. Though..." Her frown deepened a bit in thought, "Three of them I swear I know, but... one is from the damn Showa, which should be impossible as she's long dead, but..."

Only shrugging, Harder shook her head, "Maybe Yokai? Could be fans of them?"

Still frowning, the Idol hummed, "Maybe? I wouldn't be too surprised if some Yokai decide to make their human forms resemble famous people. And few would remember someone from that far back... still. I'm keeping my eye on them until I'm sure." Then, she grinned, "And if they are Yokai? Whether they were the people in question or just resembling them? I could always see if they will join my label..."

Light laughing, Harder grinned, "Just like you." Then, she hummed a bit and placed her chin back on Naka's shoulder, "So... what do you want for dinner? Because I'll be cooking?"

Just licking her lips, Naka grinned back at her, "Now I am really looking forward to it, because that will be a real treat..."

Hours later, after dinner and evening had fallen found the Subgirl out on the porch of Naka's private quarters sitting on a chair at the table there looking at the stars twinkling in the night sky. She turned as the light to said quarters turned off and Naka came walking out with a bottle and two glasses, "Got something good?"

Smug smirk on her face, Naka placed the glasses down which contained the ice for their drinks, though Harder laughed at what she saw, "I take it that you like my new ice molds?"

With her shoulders still shaking in laughter, Harder looked at the glasses, which had ice in the shape of torpedos, "Fucking hell, Naka! Where the shit did you get those from?"

If anything, her smirk got more smug, "Made the molds for them using a three dimensional printer. Only had to program it with the proper design and it took a bit of work." Sitting down, Naka hummed, "Going to sell them at Fleet Week."

Expression becoming serious, Harder held up a hand, "I'll take at least... five, they would make for great gifts."

Both shipgirls shared a serious look for several seconds before they burst into laughter and shook their heads. Naka then raised the bottle with a grin, "As for drinks... how does twenty five year old single malt from Yamazaki sound?"

Her eyes widening, Harder grinned back, "That sounds great, Naka." Holding out her glass, she watched as her friend poured the drink into it. Once it was to the proper level, she waited for Naka to fill her own before holding up her glass, which she noted was chilled itself, "To spending shore leave with the best."

Raising her own glass, Naka clinked it against Harder's, "To spending time with the best." Taking a sip, she sighed a little as she felt the slight burn go down her throat, "Ah..."

Only happily humming, the American nodded as she set down her glass, "I have to say one thing, you guys make some great fucking whiskey. Some of the best damn shit I've had outside of stuff from Kentucky, and the girls back home love it when I sneak some back."

Lips curling, Naka gave a shrug, "We do and the same with beer. And I don't blame them for enjoying it when you bring it back."

That got a snort from the Submarine as they both sat back and simply enjoyed the company as they sat under the stars. Between the two of them as they chatted there was quite a bit of laughter and grins as they passed the next hour or two with drinks in hand. Just two people enjoying the presence of the other in the cool, evening air. And after, they went inside and, after getting into bed, cuddled up to each other as they fell asleep with smiles on their faces.

Morning eventually came with the Sun rising and illuminating the room. Opening her eyes, Harder found Naka already awake and simply watching her with a gentle, caring expression on her face, something that caused her engines to warm somewhat, "Morning, Naka."

Chocolate brown eyes warmly watching the Subgirl, Naka chuckled, "And a good morning to you as well, Harder-Chan. Have a good sleep, I hope?"

Snorting, Harder gave her a look as she turned over to face her, "Of course I did, how could I not? After all, I always have a good sleep with you, Traffic Cone." A grin crossed her face and she chuckled, "Hopefully you had just as good a sleep."

Gaze warm, the Cruiser nodded some even as she brought up a finger and gently traced circles on Harder's bicep, "I did, as a matter of fact. You're pretty nice to cuddle up to after all."

With a shrug, Harder gave her just as warm a gaze even as she placed her arms around Naka's waist and pulled her close, "Not like you're not as nice to cuddle either, so don't sell yourself short, Naka."

From where it had been tracing a circle on Harder's upper arm, Naka gently brushed her hand down the Submarine's body until it came to her waist, provoking a shiver from the American, "I won't."

Both of them laid there for a time, simply enjoying the other's presence before Harder finally got up. Her head propped up by hand, Naka watched as the Submarine sat up, sheets falling away to reveal her in tank top and panties. Getting out of bed, Harder shucked off her shirt and tossed it into the bin to be clean before stretching, not really caring that Naka was watching her. Opening her dresser and pulling out a bra to put on, the Subgirl looked over her shoulder, "So, what do you want for breakfast, Naka? Anything in particular?"

Getting out of bed herself, Naka walked over and placed her arms around Harder's waist with one hand on the American's stomach, "Mmm, don't really care since whatever you cook is always good." Kissing her friend on the cheek, she chuckled, "Surprise me."

A grin on her face, the Submarine returned the kiss to Naka's own cheek and nodded as she pulled out some jeans which Naka had told her really showed off her legs, "Got it, one Harder Surprise coming up. You just make the coffee."

That got her a nod and the two soon got dressed before heading towards the kitchen in Naka's quarters.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Sun streamed in through past the curtains and into the room illuminating it in a soft amount of light. Chest rising and falling gently, Fubuki slept with a small smile on her face. A smile that grew as her eyes fluttered open and she looked around. As per usual, Kana's body was under hers with the Battleship deep in her own slumber. And on either side of her was Yuudachi and Mutsuki, with Kisaragi behind her sister and spooning said Destroyer.

That, however, was not what was making the "Mother of the Modern Destroyer" smile.

As a matter of fact, what was making Fubuki smile was the fact that she and the other shipgirls were not alone in the bed. In fact, each of the children that they had taken guardianship were also cuddled up to them under the cool sheets. Kasumi, for example, was currently curled up between Fubuki's and Yuudachi's legs, while Fu-Chan was laying on top of Fubuki herself. Slowly, and careful not to wake anyone, Fubuki reached up and gently patted Fu-Chan between the ears which got her a soft mumble as said ears twitched.

But besides that, everyone continued to sleep on. Yes, the presence of the children in the bed meant that there had been no "Fun" the night before. After all, one could claim many things about Fubuki, but "Irresponsible" was not one of them. Hence, the most that happened was kisses and cuddles that got exchanged and that was about it on the part of the shipgirls. Though, considering things, Fubuki suspected some fun might happen in the shower later.

However, that would be later, and right now? As of this second in time there was nowhere else that she wanted to be. There was a part of Fubuki that wished that this moment could continue on forever. No war to fight in or to threaten their lives. Just her and her family laying in bed on a lazy and sunny summer's day. And that was how she saw them, each of them. To her, they were her family, pure and simple.

Yes, she knew that she would never replace the parents of the orphans, and frankly she would feel like slugging someone who claimed such. But, inwardly at least, she had come to see them as her children, each and everyone of them. There was a part of Fubuki, deep down, that was rather amused that despite her claims otherwise... she was a parent now. Each child she would treat as her own and if anyone threatened them? She would utterly destroy them and have no mercy.

Laying there, Fubuki thought back to when she had that realization. Something that happened as a whole during the last legs of the convoy when she had heard, through the wizarding wireless in her radio room, the broadcast of what turned out to be the Tokyo Magical Diet's death rattle. And she was not alone in her reactions to that bit of information as the other Japanese shipgirls, who had all gotten their own Wizarding Wireless sets, all had similar reactions. Then came in the reports of the wireless of various bits of fighting that occurred. Nothing serious, thankfully, but there was still reports of Aurors from the now defunct Tokyo Diet as well as other wizards from there attacking people or groups. Hearing that, right then, Fubuki had nearly frozen.

Never before had she ever wanted to abandon her duty, to race ahead of the convoy and leave it without her.

To rush back to Yokosuka at full speed just to make sure that none of the children that she had taken under her wing were harmed and that each were safe. It had taken every bit of her self-control not to do exactly that. Yet, she had not felt ashamed that she thought that, that she was seriously considering abandoning the convoy. Still, it had taken a few moments, but she stiffened her resolve as she had to be there for Mutsuki and the others. They looked like they wanted to break with the escort around the convoy as well. Instead, she stayed and became their rock.

At the same time, however? Fubuki promised the worst retribution to anyone involved if any of the children under her protection had been harmed. If any were, she would not care if Amaterasu-no-Oomikami appeared before her and told her to stay her hand, she would ignore it and kill each of those involved. In brutal fashion at that. Much to her grim amusement, her crew were somewhat disturbed by her imagining one such case if any of her children were harmed.

Due, mostly, to the idea of taking one of her oxygen torpedoes, activating the engine, and slowly shoving it the rear end first into the mouth of a wizard or witch who harmed the children.

However, much to her relief as well as that of her crew, none of them were harmed and the fighting died out fairly quickly. Much more quickly than she would have thought and even the news of one of those who had been leading the aggressive faction literally losing his head only made her nod. Seeing them standing there at the ramp cheering and waving to their guardians, including her, had made all tension leave her. Rushing up the ramp and dismissing her rigging, the first thing she did was gather them into hugs and tell them that she was glad to see that they were alright.

It had been amusing to note that Daichi and Yoshi were both embarrassed by this, but she did not care. And it did not escape her notice that both boys, while somewhat flustered, enjoyed the affection from her and the others. Standing up, and picking Fu-Chan as well as Natsuki in her arms, Fubuki had let out a relieved sigh. And as she looked at the others, she came to a realization in that moment.

Somehow... she, Fubuki, nameship of her class... had become a parent.

For some odd reason, that did not bother her too much. Quite the opposite as a matter of fact, it made her smile and tear up a little. And the maternal warmth in her chest only made her boilers ache, but in a good way. At the same time, she also swore that if she was going to be a parent, then she would be the best one that she could be, or at least hope to be such.

Once they had given their report to the Admiral with her fairies watching over the kids, Fubuki had taken Yuudachi aside to talk with them. With a blush on her cheeks, she told them what she had realized. Just as she finished, the others had shared a look and shaken their heads before their next words made her blink...

***************************************************************

Eyebrow raised, Yuudachi gave her a look of amusement and snorted, "We knew that already, Poi."

Blinking, Fubuki looked at each of the others to find that they were nodding as well, which made her stare, "Wait, wait... you knew? Already?"

Softly smiling, Kana hummed as she held her hands in front of her, "Hai, Fubuki-Senpai, we knew that you saw them as your children." Shifting a bit with a blush on her cheeks, her smile grew warmer, "It... was good to see."

Running her hand through her hair, the first Modern Destroyer could only shake her head, "I'm not quite sure what to say." Pausing for a moment, she frowned in thought, "But... why didn't you say anything?"

Just walking up to her, Mutsuki had cupped her cheek and smiled, "Because it was something that you needed to figure out yourself, Fubuki-Chan. If we had told you, would you have believed it?" At the headshake from Fubuki, she smiled, "Exactly." Moments later, her fellow Destroyer kissed her, with both of them leaning into the kiss for a few seconds. Pulling back, Mutsuki hummed happily, "And it was amazing to see you act like a parent."

Grin on her face, Yuudachi practically skipped over and threw her arms around her fellow Destroyer's neck, "It really was, Poi. And funny too, since you didn't realize it!" Giggling, she grinned a bit before kissing Fubuki, and doing so hard with at least one wandering hand. When she pulled back, both of them had somewhat swollen lips, though the "Nightmare of Solomon" had an even bigger grin as she waggled her eyebrows, "And seeing you act like a parent is, like, super hot, Poi. Whether it is you acting like a Kaa-San or an Otou-San, both good. Gets my boilers all hot and running."

Arms crossed, Kisaragi nodded a little even as she watched Fubuki flush at what Yuudachi had just admitted to, "She has a point you know, it is pretty hot. Seriously, I had to hold myself back from jumping you."

Placing her face in her hands, Fubuki only groaned, "Not you too..." Then, pulling her hand back, she looked in the direction of where the children were, "Still... I only hope not to mess this up."

Gently, the only Battleship in their group smiled and placed her hand on the Destroyer's shoulder, "I wouldn't worry much, Senpai. You do a great job already and before you realized it. So I can't see you not doing so now."

Only sighing, Fubuki turned and gave her Battleship a kiss, "Thank you..."

***************************************************************************

In the present, the Destroyer felt her lips twitch a bit as Fu-Chan's ears flicked a bit. After all, it was an adorable sight to her. As well, it was one that she felt like she could never get tired of.

Of course, that brought her mind back to the night before...

************************************************************

Yawning a little, the Kitsune rubbed her eyes some, which made Fubuki smile down at her, "A little tired, Fu-Chan?"

Lightly blushing, Fu-Chan looked away and would not meet her eyes, "Hai, Fubuki-San, I, um..." Scuffing her shoe into the ground, she looked up at the young woman who had rescued her from the man that was a tormentor, "I couldn't sleep well last night."

Frowning, the Destroyer crouched down a little to meet her eyes, "You couldn't sleep well?" At the shake of the head, Fubuki's voice became gentle, "Why? Were you scared?"

Once more, Fu-Chan looked away, "Um, no... I wasn't scared. B-but I was really excited. Because today you were going to come home at least. A-and that you were okay."

Much to her surprise, Fubuki gently kissed the top of her head and pulled back with a smile, "I see, though I am sorry that because of me, you didn't get much sleep."

Yawning some, Daichi stretched and gave a shrug, "Well, we were all excited. Besides, we made sure that the house is super clean and everything."

Rapidly nodding, Ayame nodded as she took Mutsuki's hand, "Hai! Daichi-Nii-Chan helped out lots! And so did Yoshi-Nii-Chan! Both of them got up high and moved heavy stuff so that we could make it all squeaky clean!"

Both boys blushed at that and the smiles that they got, blushes that increased as Yuudachi gave both their heads a ruffle, "Good job, Poi. We're proud of you."

That got nods as the two nearly teenage males looked away with the Sarugami shrugging, "Yeah, well... it's sort of our job being the strongest. And it wasn't that big of a deal."

Amused, Fubuki was about to comment on that when she noticed that Fu-Chan gave another yawn. Softly smiling, she picked up the Kitsune and then her close with the Kitsune's head laying against her chest, "There we go, don't want you tripping."

Happily humming, the young Yokai nodded before snuggling into the Destroyer's chest, "Mmm... Fubuki-San? Is it alright if I..."

Gently, Fubuki placed a kiss on her forehead, "Hai, go ahead and get some sleep, I'll carry you home."

Somewhat to her amusement, it was not just Fu-Chan that decided that they needed a nap as Akane and Ayame also decided to take a nap in Mutsuki's arms while Kasumi was on top of Yuudachi's shoulders. Kana, meanwhile, simply carried Yomi with the squirrel Yokai pillowed against her chest. The others simply took hands and the like or walked beside them as they headed home.

When they got home, however, Fubuki and the others got to cooking dinner with some elk steaks that they brought from Canada. Though they did note, when opening the fridge, that there was a chocolate cake. Surprised, Fubuki and the others turned to the children and found them shuffling. Natsuki cleared her throat and blushed some, "Um... we knew that you were coming home. So we asked if Takao-Nee-San could help us bake you a cake. We hope that we did a good job..."

Looking at the cake, Fubuki and the others noted that on top of the chocolate icing, which was uneven, was white icing spelling out 'Welcome home'. A soft smile came to their faces and they thanked the children. When they had some, they found that it had been slightly burned at the bottom. And, sure enough, the icing was uneven.

It was also the best chocolate cake that they had ever had in their opinion as well.

*********************************************************

Closing her eyes, Fubuki just smiled happily as she laid back, completely content and happy with her family, both girlfriends and her children, around her.

 

[darthcourt10]

Shinr

Been working on this on and off since HarryL canonized - What Tamamo was up to between her second time in China and arriving in Japan. The exact set-up is probably canonically unlikely at this point, and the main reason for it got ditched in the end (more of that at the A/N)

----

Rome

The city that all roads lead to.

The city that birthed one of the most powerful and influential empires in history.

The city that hosts the home of the largest religion in the world.

The city that Natsumi and her family decided to go to for a vacation during her school break.

And right now, after touring many attractions and sampling the Italian cuisine, Natsumi was leisurely walking among the ruins of the Roman Forum.

"You know, if anyone told me during the time I visited this place that it would cast a long shadow on the whole world for two millennia to come, I would've laughed at them and then killed them slowly for stating something so foolish, for it was that destitute." A passenger in her mind stated. "And yet here we are, with at least half of the world at bare minimum making a show of pretending to pay respect to this grave while spewing pig Latin."

"Oh, right, Taiyang mentioned that you came here, somehow." Natsumi sighted, said Dao strapped to her waist, invisible to most.

"A waste of few decades of my life." Tamamo sighted in return.

"Oh my master, if this foxy Dao could, she would gladly go back in time and wipe the wannabe hegemons from history so that there would not even be a whisper to tempt you with, ~Mikon." Taiyang declared.

"Please, even if it is no longer possible, do not even joke about altering ancient history just because of a grudge." Natsumi deadpanned before shifting her attention to the Echo "How and Why did you even travel here, anyway?"

"Your faithful servant is also curious, my Master, as you only told this in broad strokes before, ~Mikon." The foxy dao Inquired.

"…All right." Tamamo no Mae sighted "Listen well, because it is unlikely I will repeat this story ever again."

The Ancient fox collected herself, and then began.

"It all started partly out of practical considerations. In the north, Emperor Taiwu of Wei began his unification efforts with much success, while in the south, Emperor Wu of Liu Song forged a united and powerful kingdom." Tamamo stated "Between those two, the Middle Kingdom was at its most stable since the end of the Three Kingdoms, and with that stability the conditions that I thrived in, the safety net for my life that I got used to, naturally disappeared."

"So the Authorities got their act together, forcing you to lay low?" Natsumi concluded.

"Essentially? Yes. "Tamamo answered "But to be honest, there were also some personal reasons."

"Such as?"

"I needed a break."

Natsumi stopped near the Comitium, the original assembly area of the Romans, disbelief clearly on her face.

"You… needed a break?" Natsumi asked with some skepticism.

"I got tired of China and the constant chaos it was in. Oh shush you, I can already tell what you are thinking: 'But Ero-Kitsune, didn't you want for China to be in eternal discord?'" Tamamo said in imitation of younger kitsune's voice, to said kitsune's embarrassment "It was nearly three centuries of on and off turbulence, Natsumi. The Three Kingdoms, The Disorder of the Eight Kings, The Sixteen Kingdoms of the Five Barbarians, and everything else within and in-between, almost all of it by their own hand. Sometimes, there is such a thing as getting too much of what you wished for."

"…But why Rome, though?" Natsumi asked, while she walked and looked around the Comitium.

"First, I already had my share of the neighboring kingdoms and empires, and they in turn would greatly prefer to stick my head on the spear if they found me having fun in their backyard."

"Of course they would." Natsumi deadpanned.

"Eh, that is tame compared to what the Cultivators wanted to do with us, mikon." Taiyang commented.

"Quite so. As for the second reason, I overheard Imperial officials talking of the land to the far west, ruled by a vast Empire they referred to as Daqin." the Echo continued "They, along with the accounts of Persian and Indian scholars, and even the word of the few visiting Roman dignitaries, painted that Empire as a rare peer to the Middle Kingdom. Bold claim, yet It piqued my curiosity, stirring me from ennui to start my Journey to the West."

"And then you met Son Goku on the way." Natsumi sarcastically suggested.

"…Thank the Ancestors that I did not." The echo said in shudder "That one time back during the Shang Dynasty was enough for several, very, very long lifetimes."

Natsumi was incredulous "...You met the Monkey Ki-"

"ANYWAY!" Tamamo interrupted "I did not tarry in India, and quickly arrived at the lands of the Persians, then ruled by the house of Sasan. The sights were quite something to behold, but I didn't stay long."

"Ah, I remember you mentioning something about the Djinn being particularly hardheaded during that time, something about the Shaitans getting uppity, ~Mikon." Taiyang commented.

"Yes, they were trying to undo the work of the late Bahram V, and I wanted to avoid getting caught in the crossfire." Tamamo confirmed "So I made haste, crossing the Bosporus and arrived at Constantinople, my first true sight of the so-called peer."

"The City of World's Desire." Natsumi said.

"Well, it certainty tried to live up to that moniker." the Echo said with some amusement "Traders from all corners of the west and some even from east, peddling their just as varied wares, grandiose temples dedicated to both old Hellenic faith and the then young Christianity, the Byzantine power and wealth of the Emperor, all protected by impressive double Theodosian walls, and even more thoroughly surrounded by positively labyrinthine web of favors, alliances, grudges, powerplays and conspiracies within an immensely factionalized court."

"Sounds like your kind of place." Natsumi commented.

"Reminded me of home, really." The Echo replied." And I thought that, If this is merely a frontier province capital, how much more impressive the Rome itself will be, but two things curbed my enthusiasm a bit."

"And those were?" Natsumi asked.

"I found out that they have split the Empire into two halves two centuries ago, so what I thought to be a province capital is actually a Capital of the whole Eastern portion of the former Empire, explaining its affluence in a less inspiring manner." Tamamo no Mae explained "And that the Emperor was paying tribute to the barbarians to leave his realm alone. Or it at least he was supposed to, because when I arrived the city was besieged by a vast horde of barbarians who demanded what was promised to them."

"Like a Yazuka protection racket gone wrong."

"Indeed. To their credit, the Romans of Constantinople defended their city well, thanks to skillful utilization of their thick walls." Tamamo said "But it seemed that the romans offended someone high up, for an Earthquake opened the path through both layers of the walls, and the Emperor was tripping over himself trying to collect enough gold to bribe the barbarians not to exploit the fresh new opening."

"A single breach was enough to make them scurry like panicked mice?" Taiyang commented "No wonder you found them wanting, mikon."

"There was more to that, admittingly, but we will come to that later." The echo stated. "I booked a ship to transport me to the Western Empire, the former center of the whole Rome, and even before I crossed the border I noticed how worse it was the further west I go, from the usual distance from organized authority to the northern barbarians getting bolder and bolder, many places I passed were little more than struggling hamlets built around older Hellenic ruins. And It only gotten worse as I entered the western Empire proper."

"I can imagine." Natsumi said, looking at the ruins around her.

"In the cities and countryside of the Italian peninsula, the roads were more often left un-maintained, the bridges crumbled or destroyed, the famed aqueducts have either collapsed or were streaming refuse, venerable buildings were increasingly replaced with those of more primitive make as the knowledge to build and repair the older and more complicated structures was increasingly forgotten." Tamamo explained " What few prosperous cities that still existed were protected by the poorly-equipped Legions who were almost de-facto mercenaries by that point, paid by increasingly in name only subjects of Rome. And then I reached the fabled city itself."

"And you found it wanting," Natsumi stated.

"Worse than wanting." The echo said with disdain "An obviously once great city, now even more obviously not even a shadow of its former glory, desperately propped up by its rulers to be something it no longer was, to hide ugly cracks and hideous flaws as everything that was wrong outside Rome was by magnitudes worse inside, just with the crumbling marble impressions of dung polished to a mirror sheen.

But worst of all were the people! It was as if an entire society was composed of old Chinese Eunuchs at their worst, all pride and vanity and ego with no shred of skill and diligence, only that they still retained their ability to rut and breed. They acted like they were still masters of the world despite evidence to the contrary, indulging in debauchery in their homes, in their temples and even on the streets and expecting for all of it to be paid for by the subjects they no longer controlled! They were less of proud inheritors of a mighty empire and more of arrogant squatting children riding on the name of their forefathers while simultaneously exalting themselves above them!"

Tamamo no Mae ended her tirade to collect her mental breath.

"Years of travel, wasted, just to get that dump." The Echo sighted. "I had to make my displeasure known."

"I wish that I was crafted earlier, Master, so that I could've assisted you in punishing these ungrateful scum for wasting your time ~Mikon." Taiyang mused.

"I assume that you 'complained' by messing with the local Emperor?" Natsumi asked.

"Ah no, they were already used to Emperors getting quickly deposed for any reason and just as quickly replaced, sometimes several times in a single year, so me contributing there would not really hurt them much." The older Kitsune explained "So instead of rousing internal troubles, I invited an external threat."

"The Barbarians." Natsumi said "But weren't they already doing that, burning and pillaging across what was left of the Empire?"

"Oh sure, no doubt in time the steppe riders would've ground the pathetic city to dust within several decades. But that is assuming that during those years nothing will distract the tribes from doings so, like fighting each other, or the Eastern Romans ascending and absorbing the West and rebuilding it, or a second coming of Caesar or Augustus miraculously reviving the rotting Empire." Tamamo objected. "No, I wanted the city burned, razed and salted within the decade, I just needed a bait big enough to attract a large enough brute with a huge enough army behind him."

"But what would within that worthless city even be worthy enough to spur the rough riders even more so?" Taiyang asked.

"Not what, my dear little blade, but who." The ancient kitsune cooed. "With the city experiencing disorderly times, it was pathetically easy to infiltrate the Domitian Palace and possess the Emperor's sister, using her worries over the unwanted marriage to one of her brother's senator allies."

"Wait, how did you did that and managed to get away with it?" Natsumi asked "Surely, with very little knowledge of the land, of its magical tradition and no support to aid you, you would've been discovered."

"Oh, nobody noticed me because there was no one to notice." Tamamo answered "The magicals and magical creatures of Italia saw the writing on wall a long time ago, and over the centuries they have fled the sinking ship either by distancing themselves from the mundane side or had jumped ship, sometimes literally, to their Eastern cousins. If anyone noticed, they did not care enough to report.."

"Oh by the…" Natsumi stopped herself "There was no one at all?"

"There were the Latin gods and their servants." Tamamo admitted. "But they were more concerned with trying to get the Christians back on the lion menu instead of worrying about little ol'me."

"Ha! No need to deceive the enemy when the enemy ignores you like an idiot ~mikon!" Taiyang proudly stated.

"So." Natsumi sighted. "About that princess, or whatever the Romans called them back then."

"Using what little authority she had, I sent a letter with her royal ring to the barbarian king I mentioned earlier who bested the Eastern Romans, begging him to save 'myself' from a loveless bondage." Tamamo said while mockingly mimicking a damsel in distress. "Also vaguely promising my hand and by extension the whole of Western Rome in return."

"~Ah, nothing like dangling a female-shaped carrot in front of horny man to make him do what we want, ~Mikon." Taiyang commented.

"But didn't you want Rome destroyed, not conquered?" Natsumi asked "Besides, he would've been just another Barbarian among many others and he didn't actually conquered the Byzantines, he just scarred them enough to pay him off."

"That would've been a good point." Tamamo admitted "But there was something about him that made it very obvious to the learned that he was destined to leave a mark on history. Even you might've heard of him, this Attila of the Huns."

"…Oh."

"Oh, Indeed. But just in case I subtly worked to undermine the Roman response to the Hunnic aggression, sabotaging supplies and equipment, convincing the right people in right places that the danger was overblown, the usual." Tamamo explained. "The only reason it got off the ground was due to the efforts of one Flavius Aetius, the Rome's Magister Militum of quite considerable skill and talent. This man was quite familiar with the ways of the horse riders from his days as a hostage ambassador to various barbarian tribes, including the Huns, and it is from this 'post' that he came to personally know Attila, and the true extent of the danger he represented."

"What do you know, there was someone actually smart among the Romans." Taiayng commented.

"Which is why I discretely shadowed him in case I needed to 'nudge' things, as he led the legions and his barbarian allies to the Catalunian Plains, where he forced a battle with Attila and his army." Tamamo stated "It wasn't a large battle when compared to what I saw back in China, but the sheer brutality matched, maybe even exceed, the worst of the Three Kingdoms. They weren't exaggerating about the bodies and spirits rising up again and again trying to kill each other long after the battle ended, for the spiritual wound inflicted on the material world by that battle was truly strong enough to enable it."

"…Who won?" Natsumi asked.

"The Romans, technically, for they stopped Attila's attempt at establishing Hunnic Gaul." Tamamo answered. "But they sacrificed too much in doing so. Elite Legions and their gear that took many years to train and forge now lied dead and broken on those plains, among the allied barbarian dead were the lynchpyns of pro-Roman factions, and without those the tenuous Roman-Barbarian alliances disintegrated. And if the barbarians worked and acted in any way similar to those back in China, Attila would only need to wait a year to two to recover and restart the invasion."

"A Pyrrhic victory." Natsumi commented.

"Certainly, and no matter how extremely skillful Flavius was, he couldn't conjure well-trained and well-equipped legionaries out of thin air, not without magical and divine help and certainly not enough to stand in the Barbarian King's way towards Rome and, heh, me." Tamamo said in amusement. "So I took it easy and waited for the 'good' news, while I, well, did as the Romans did in Rome."

Natsumi was confused for a moment at the last part, before she blushed in realization.

"H-Hentai!"

"Mou, Master, you're too easy, ~Mikon." Taiyang pouted.

"N-not as easy as the Ero-Kitsune here!" Natsumi retorted.

"Your comebacks need some work too, Natsumi-chan~." Said Ero-Kitsune stated.

Natsumi just simmered in annoyance.

"As I indulged in what was probably the only good thing the City had to offer, I soon heard that the Huns had invaded Italia." Tamamo stated "Despite Flavius' valiant efforts he failed to stop Attila at Aquileia, with the city itself pillaged and burned so much that no trace of it was left afterwards."

"A Taste for what to expect for the Romans ~mikon." Taiyang commented.

"And then the day arrived, when the Huns were in sight of Rome. I ascended the Rome's tallest tower, observing the approaching Horde. They were tired, they were hungry, their supplies lines were overstretched, and they were vulnerable to disease, so one would rationally conclude, when considering Rome's own pitiful state of defense, that they would be willing to settle for a hefty tribute without a fight." The Echo recounted "But no, Attila's authority and charisma pushed them far beyond their limits, and the complete erasure of Aquileia had whetted their bloodlust, ready to take and scour everything before them."

Natsumi recalled a few dreams of a much older Harry, commanding a fleet of outnumbered, desperate but unbowed Shipgirls against an entire Ocean-worth of Abyssals, and winning despite all odds. She blushed at the imagery, futilely hoping that the Dao and Echo would not notice, or more realistically at least smugly not comment.

"The Romans knew they were done for, knew that what little might and even less magic in their possession will be not enough to avert the inevitable, knew that the fate of the city will be even worse than that of salted Carthage." Tamamo recounted with some glee. "But some still held hope, however faint it was, for the Pope requested a parlay, and the King of Huns humored him, meeting on No Man's Land, and this is where things started to go off my script."

"The Pope convincing Attila to call off the invasion." Natsumi said, remembering some of the tourist pamphlets describing the city's history "But the way you say it, no bribe would've worked, what did he told Attila to make him pull back?"

The Echo was silent for a while.

"That is the thing. Despite my mastery of countless methods of surveillance, I couldn't hear what they said nor discern their lips and body language, as if there was a wool on my senses." Tamamo answered with some trepidation "Whatever the Pope said, he persuaded the Hun to back off, empty-handed at that, but I wasn't too worried, for I thought that there was no way he could order his blood-thirsty, glory-seeking, gold-greedy and flesh-desiring army to just pack up and leave with a price of Rome dangling right under their noses, that they were more likely to kill him and continue the siege.

But somehow, beyond any reasonable explanation, despite their overt displeasure and rage at being denied their chance for glory and loot, his followers obeyed. Grumbling with gritted teeth, but obeying nevertheless." Tamamo recalled with disbelief "Angry and incredulous, I was about to jump off the tower and over the walls to interfere, to ensure that the massacre will occur as I planned one way or another, with or without Attila, when…"

"…When what, Master?" The unusually tactful Dao asked, when the silence stretched.

"…When I felt a hand on my shoulder. While I was on tallest tower in Rome. Surprised, I looked back." The Echo shivered "And I saw… It."

"It?" Natsume asked.

"Black robes darker than the night, dark wings blacker than the void, long, thin hands bordering on skeletal, one of them holding…" Tamamo paused to collect herself. "…Holding an ordinary farmer's two-handed scythe, and yet, the sheer, primal weight of that tool's existence was only suppressed by that of its' wielder."

Stunned Silence was her audience's reaction.

"But the worst thing was it's face, or rather the vast emptiness in the hood where it was supposed to be." Tamamo remembered with a shudder. "As I stared at the all-consuming nothingness, it simply, smoothly, slowly shook it's head, took it's hand off my shoulder, and left. By the time I recovered from shock, it was too late to influence the events, and Rome survived, however briefly.

Furious at the heavens for denying my wish yet again, I lashed out." The Echo continued "As much as I wanted to murder the Pope, I dared not incur the wrath of that being. But I figured that Attila was fair game, and I killed him in his own tent when he sampled a latest addition to his harem, and letting the pretender fools tear apart his fledgling empire.

The opportunistic Vandals will pillage the weakened Rome two years later, but their sack did not hold a candle to what Attila could've done." The Echo said with some disappointment "And it was at this point that I decided that I had enough of the west, and started my journey back east."

Tamamo no Mae finished her tale, and took a breather before mentally turning to the younger kitsune.

"And that is that." The Echo concluded.

No one said anything for a moment, before Natsumi sighed.

"Besides apparently meeting with the Reaper there at the end, I think you over-reacted to Rome being underwhelming, you old fox." Natsumi simply stated.

"What, never had a travel regret?" The echo asked back.

"There is a difference between trying to shutdown some rundown, two-bit tourist trap and trying to erase a whole civilization!" The young fox shouted.

"There is!?" Taiyang exclaimed in what Natsumi sincerely hoped was mock astonishment.

And so the vacation continued.

----

A/N: I also planned on another part where the fox trio to discover a Temporal Echo on the roof of Curia Julia/Senate Building, a barely perceivable mirage-like haze which Tamamo explains is an imprint of a significant historical event, and in China during the Age of Gods/Heroes the sages studied similar echos in effort to both study the past and to understand Time itself, and speculates that the Time Turner or its predecessor was a result of studying one. After a bit of convincing Natsumi that no, it is only possible to view the past as a sort of spectre with this, not change nor interact with it, they dived in, finding themselves spectators of the burning and bloody Rome right in the middle of Civil War between Marius and Sulla in their struggle to "save" the Republic as they see it, with the rivers and aqueducts running red with blood and bodies, legionnaires and auxiliaries duking it out, citizens and the plebeians tearing at each other, Cerberi wrangling Giant Wolves, Pegasus riders air jousting with Harpies, Giants battling animated Marble Colossi, Deities openly supporting sides and many more, with the fight of two leading men despite their age dwarfing everyone and everything else just by their presence. Ends with the foxy trio returning to present and Tamamo lamenting in a very, very Dripping-Heart-Eyes Yandere mode about why she did not go to Rome five centuries early.

But I ran out of steam and the idea felt tacked on compared to the rest of the snip.

 

[darthcourt10]

Informational - Shinr: What Tamamo was up to between her second time in China and arriving in Japan

So I was looking up on Tamamo no Mae on Yokai.com, and it was mentioned there that after destroying the Shang dynasty she fled to India where she caused troubles to a local dynasty, before she was forced to flee back to China to screw with the Zhou dynasty, and then nothing was heard of her from 700 BCE until 700 AD, when she discretly traveled to Japan and stayed silent for another 300 years until the whole business with Emperor Konoe.

The obvious answer to what she was doing during that whole millennia is screwing over all the Dynasties after Zhou, but I can imagine that sometime during that period she had to flee out of China again and Tamamo decided that she might as well take a temporary break on causing chaos in China and go have fun abroad, beyond India this time, to the far away Empire called Rome that some scholars were gossiping about.

She was less than impressed with 400s Rome, and with the soon-to-be Dark Ages Europe in general. So in revenge for wasting her time traveling there she possessed a roman lady named Justa Grata Honoria, sister to the Roman Emperor and about to be wed to one his senator flunkies, and have sent a letter to Attila, king of the Huns, to rescue and marry her and to become Emperor of all Romans.

And everybody in the Western Roman Empire will have a really, really bad day every day for the next 3 years.

Until one day, just outside the gates of Rome and in figurative arms-reach of Tamamo!Honoria, Attila was somehow convinced by Pope Leo to turn back. Enraged, Tamamo would then possess Attila's newest addition to his harem and killed him on the wedding night, dealing a blow to the Huns from which they will never recover. Having enough of these backwards western lands, Tamamo departs for China, leaving Europe a darker place in her wake.

*Post partially inspired by Age of Empires 2 nostalgia, and the Attila campaign story:

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Unfortunately, no matter what Fubuki might have wished, her little peaceful moment in time came to an end. Eyes opening as she felt movement beside her, Fubuki turned to find the warm, cinnamon coloured eyes of Mutsuki looking back at her. Said Destroyer had a soft, loving smile on her face, "Good morning, Fubuki-Chan."

Just smiling back, Fubuki nodded, "And a good morning to you as well, Mutsuki-Chan."

Shifting slowly enough not to wake the others, she leaned over and gave her fellow shipgirl a soft kiss that was returned. As the Destroyer pulled back, Mutsuki gave a hum, "A very good morning, it seems, Fubuki-Chan." Tilting her head a little, she raised an eyebrow, "So what were you thinking of?"

Glancing at her, Fubuki lightly chuckled, "How long were you awake?"

Lips curling, Mutsuki gave a slight giggle, "Long enough to see you with that happy smile on your face. It really made you look cute."

Cheeks burning a little, the other girl let out a sight, "As to your question..." Fubuki smiled slightly more softly, "Just... a few things." At the raised eyebrow that answer got, she gave the barest shrug possible, "Mainly about how happy I am at this moment in time. With you, Yuudachi-Chan, Kisaragi-Chan, and Kana-Chan... and the children."

That made Mutsuki turn her attention to said children, in particular the two Neko cuddled into her, "It is a wonderful feeling, isn't it, Fubuki-Chan?" Humming, she reached up and gently stroked the hair of the two Nekomata sleeping in her embrace, "Do you think that this is how Nagato-San feels with Harry-Chan?"

For a few moments, Fubuki considered that before nodding, "I'm sure that is how she feels." Fond smile on her hips as she stroked Fu-Chan's head, she hummed, "It's hard to imagine how we lived before them."

Gently stroking Akane's hair, the other Destroyer nodded, "Same here, Fubuki-Chan. I don't want to go back to that, ever." A slight smirk came to her face, however, "Though you make for a good Kaa-San, Fubuki-Chan." Then, Mutsuki pouted a little, "I'm sort of jealous..."

Rolling her eyes, Fubuki gave her a quick nuzzle on the nose before smiling, "You're a great Kaa-San, as well, Mutsuki-Chan. You're just the stern one with Yuudachi-Chan as the fun one for example."

That made Mutsuki with a little and she gave her head a small shake, "I wish that Yuudachi-Chan wouldn't go ahead and spoil them sometimes... I swear, if I did not love her."

Unable to help herself, the "First Modern Destroyer" smiled, "Mainly because they deserve that."

Sighing, Mutsuki gave a small nod, "I suppose that's true." Looking at each of the children, she smiled, "But worth it... especially to come home to." Watching the cat ears on the Neko twitch, her smile grew, "Coming home to see them waiting, and seeing their excitement and love? I could see it all the time and never get tired of it." Blinking away some tears, the Destroyer smiled, "It... it's a wonderful feeling and I cannot get enough of it."

Expression soft, Fubuki reached over and cupped her girlfriend's cheek, thumb rubbing just beneath her eye, "Hai, it really is, Mutsuki-Chan."

Closing her eyes some, the other Destroyer nodded before reaching up with her hand and placing it over Fubuki's, "Mmm." Opening her eyes, she gave a soft sigh as she looked at the gathered children, "They really did miss us... though I am glad that Kashima-San and the others kept an eye on them."

Lightly humming as she stroked Fu-Chan's hair, Fubuki could only nod, "Hai, almost as much as we missed them, I think." Glancing at the other shipgirl, she lowered her voice, "Has your crew had any luck with..."

With a glance towards her, Mutsuki smiled down at the two Nekomata, "Hai, they think that they have found at least Akane-Chan's and Ayame-Chan's parents, or have a good lead on them. Once confirmed, they're going to bring them on board and I'll ask them to join my crew, so that they would be there for their children." Fingers lightly stroking the two Nekomata, she hummed, "I wonder though... considering Ashigara-San, do you think that we might gain some Yokai features?"

Silently considering that, the other Destroyer shook her head, "It is possible, I guess. She does have ears and a tail..." Frowning, Fubuki hummed, "And I do have Yuki-Onna powers, so..." A grin appeared on her face, "Though you and Kisaragi-Chan as catgirls could be fun~"

Blushing at that, Mutsuki looked away before giving her a shy smile, "Same with you having a fox tail and ears or Yuudachi-Chan with dog ears and tail..."

At that, the two of them giggled a little.

It was not long afterwards that Fubuki felt a stirring on her chest and turned her head to find that Fu-Chan was waking up. For a few moments, the still partially asleep Kitsune rubbed at her eyes before blinking, "Fubuki-K... Fubuki-San? Is it morning?"

Lips curled into a soft smile, Fubuki nodded, "Hai, it is and a good morning to you." Pausing, the Destroyer felt a shot of fear run down her keel. A fear that seemed so much greater than any battle she had faced before. Taking a deep breath, however, Fubuki gathered her courage, "Fu-Chan? What were you about to call me?"

The Kitsune looked away with a blush on her face, "Um..."

Voice becoming gentle, Fubuki sighed a bit, "Were you about to call me 'Kaa-San', Fu-Chan?"

Unsure, Fu-Chan have a tiny, unsure nod, "H-hai... I was. Um... I'm sorry..."

Placing her hand on the younger girl's back, the Destroyer gave her a smile, "Fu-Chan? You have nothing to be sorry about." Once more pausing for a moment, Fubuki's courage, which had seen her through battles that should have been far beyond her, nearly failed her before she managed to speak the next words from her mouth, "Would you like to?"

Rapidly blinking, Fu-Chan stared at her, "Y-you mean... I... you could be..."

Very slowly, Fubuki nodded with her voice soft, "I can never replace your parents, Fu-Chan, yours or the others. And none of us want to either, though we will still do our best to give you the best lives that we can. But..." Mouth dry, she swallowed, "But if you want to, I... don't mind you calling me Okaa-San, Kaa-San, or Kaa-Chan. Not in the slightest, but only if that is what you want to do, okay? That is up to you."

Tearing up, the young Kitsune felt like her heart would jump from her chest as she heard those words. Enough, that she didn't notice the others waking up. First, Fu-Chan found herself nodding, "I... I would like that... Kaa-San?" At Fubuki's gentle smile and nod, she sobbed as she launched herself forward, arms going around the shipgirl's neck as she buried her face into the crook of said neck, "Kaa-San!"

Feeling the tears soaking her shirt, Fubuki smiled as she held the young Yokai close, "Hai..." Tears prickling at her own eyes, she continued, "Hai, Musume."

She then felt movement and looked up to find Natsuki looking at her with tears in her own eyes as the Nekomata held her hands to her mouth. Silently, Fubuki opens her other arm and the feline Yokai practically jumped into it, "Fubuki-Kaa-San!"

Meanwhile, beside Fubuki, Akane and Ayame watched with wide eyes before they turned unsure gazes to Mutsuki and Kisaragi. Said Destroyers only nodded and then found their arms full of young Neko as they cried, "Mutsuki-Kaa-Chan! Kisaragi-Kaa-Chan!"

On the opposite side of Fubuki, Yuudachi was holding Kasumi close, said Inugami sniffling, "Does this mean that you're my Kaa-San too?" At the nod from the Destroyer, Kasumi gave her a tight hug; burying her face in Yuudachi's chest, "Yuudachi-Kaa-Chan..."

Holding her close, the blonde Destroyer kissed her on the head, "Kasumi-Musume..."

It did not escape Fubuki's notice that the other children were also teary eyed, with Yoshi and Daichi currently hugging a similarly wet eyed Kana.

Needless to say, it did not take long before each of the shipgirls had their arms full of youngster calling them "Kaa-San/Kaa-Chan". And, perhaps not strangely, none of them minded that much. Eventually, Fu-Chan pulled her head away from where her face had been buried in the crook of Fubuki's neck and wiped at her eyes, "Does this mean that you're going to adopt us, Fubuki-Kaa-San?"

For a few moments, Fubuki didn't say anything. Then, slowly, she gained a bright smile of joy on her face, "Only if you want it, then I'll do it." At the happy gasps, she once more wrapped as many of the children as she could in her arms, "Heh... never expected this."

A hand on her shoulder made her turn to find Kana giving her a smile. The look in her eyes saying that she believed that Fubuki would do her very best at her new title, which made the Destroyer smile all the more in regards to it and she gently kiss her. Something that got giggles from the younger kids as they watched two of their "Moms" kiss.

Once her fellow Destroyer pulled back, Yuudachi pulled her in for a hug and kiss on the cheek. The blonde haired shipgirl then looked around, "Well, what are we waiting for!? Time for breakfast!" Grin on her face, she continued, "We got something to celebrate, Poi! So we're making pancakes!"

Happy gasps met that and the youngest of the two squirrel Yokai bounced a bit on her older sister's lap, "Pancakes! Um..." Tapping her chin, she frowned, "Um... what kind of pancakes."

With the younger twin Nekos in her own lap, Kisaragi smiled, "Well, what kind do you want? And if you want, we brought a big jar of Nutella that you can put on it."

Practically vibrating, Yomi looked up at her sister, "Did you hear that, Onee-Chan! Kisaragi-Kaa-Chan said that we can have Nutella!"

Lips twitching, the older squirrel Yokai nodded even as she licked her lips, "Hai, I heard."

Meanwhile, Atsuko shared a look with her twin sister, Akari, before turning back to the shipgirls there, "Could we have chocolate chip pancakes, Fubuki-Okaa-San? We haven't had that for a while..."

Chuckling, Fubuki smiled back at them, "That's not a problem, we brought a lot of chocolate back with us. Only question is if you want chocolate chips, or for us to take a bar and cut it into small chunks."

Both young Oni locked their lips before Akari answered for them both, "Chocolate chunk, please!"

All the shipgirls had a laugh at that before they stood up with Fubuki easily holding Natsuki and Fu-Chan in her arms.

Just a short time later found the group in the kitchen making pancakes. Leaning against the counter, Fubuki simply watched them. Atsuko and Akari were at one large mixing bowl as Mutsuki watched over them making pancake mix, helping out as needed. At the stove, meanwhile, Yuudachi was teaching both Daichi and Yoshi how to cook said pancakes, the two Yokai listening intently. Hearing a clatter, the shipgirl looked to see Fu-Chan juicing an orange, the Kitsune having her tongue stuck out the side as she pushed the orange half down the juicer with Natsuki cheering her on.

Barely holding back a giggle, Fubuki shook her head before taking a short video, 'Adorable...' There was a part of her considering posting it on the secure section of Shipgirls Online to see the reactions, 'Hmm... wonder if Nagato would blow her boilers or try to one up me...?'

It was not long after that found the various children at the table watching as Yuudachi pulled out a ceramic jug that she placed on here, "Here we go, Poi! Authentic maple syrup right from Canada!"

Eyes wide, Natsuki leaned in, "Is this really maple syrup from Canada, Yuudachi-Kaa-San? Really?!"

Arms crossed, the blonde Destroyer nodded, "Hai! It is."

Somewhat amused, Kana nodded as she sat down with her own small tower of pancakes, "We actually went and bought quite a bit during our leave by crossing the border into Canada itself. Just to make sure."

Hand beside her mouth, Kisaragi smiled, "We know some Canadian shipgirls after all. And Haida-San is one and pointed us at the good stuff. Like they put into the strategic maple syrup reserve."

That got her odd looks at the last bit as none of the kids were sure if they were being had on or not. But on the end, it was maple syrup and the kids happily had some on their pancakes. Gently wiping Ayame's face as she ate one pancake, Mutsuki sighed in bemusement, "The syrup is supposed to go into your mouth, Ayame-Chan, not on your face."

Blinking after sneezing, Ayame smiled, "I know!"

Of course, that was when she went back to eating just as messily to a sigh from the Destroyer even as she turned to clean Akane's hands, which were also covered in syrup much to the amusement of Kisaragi, "I'm going to need more clothes..."

Piece of pancake in her mouth, Fubuki happily hummed as she chewed as Fu-Chan sat in her lap eating her own pancake. Taking a sip of orange juice, the Destroyer looked down at the Kitsune with a smile, "Good job on the juice, Fu-Chan. It's just right."

That got her a happy smile from the young Yokai. Giggles made Fubuki turn before sighing at the sight of Kasumi trying not to laugh as Yuudachi was trying to chew a whole pancake she somehow shoved into her mouth. Finally swallowing, the Shiratsuyu managed it and threw her hands into the air, "Poi! I'm the champion!"

Also throwing her hands into the air, tail wagging behind her, Kasumi nodded, "The champion, Poi!"

Moments later, Yuudachi jumped a bit and flushed as she rubbed her behind where a the retreating hand of Fubuki had pinched it, "Poi..."

Smirk on her face, the "Mother of the Modern Destroyer" gave her a raised eyebrow, "Don't be acting up, Yuudachi-Chan and being a bad role model." Ignoring the laughter from the children, she speared another piece of pancake before putting it in her mouth. Humming from light, fluffiness as well as the sweetness of both the syrup and chocolate, the Destroyer smiled before chewing and swallowing, "Besides, we have to finish up putting what needs to go into the freezers downstairs into them. And then we got to get ready for the party later."

Eyes wide, Yoshi grinned, "Oh yeah! Harry-San's birthday is today!"

That was met with excited chatter for a few minutes before Fubuki nodded, "Hai, it's on Sarushima again since we can have a beach party there and you don't need to hide. Besides... Daichi-Kun will especially want to be there~"

Hearing the teasing tone to her voice as well as the grin of amusement on her face, the bear Yokai blinked, "I do? I mean, Harry-San is nice and stuff, but..."

If anything, Fubuki seemed to become even more amused, "Of course! After all..." She leaned towards him, her grin growing impossibly wide, "Takao-San will be there... in a bathing suit you know~"

Just a few seconds passed before Daichi understood what was just said and flushed deeply. He then placed his face in his hands as his "Sisters" around him giggled and tittered in amusement, while his mothers grinned as well. Seeing Yoshi snicker, he groaned, 'Just wait until it is your turn, Yoshi... then I am so getting you back.'

Meanwhile, Fubuki just took another bite of her pancake with a smirk.

 

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

A.N. -- Well, I have a small mini-arc that is good to go but won't impact anyone else's plotlines, so here's The Morning After Vatipire. For reference, here's the snip directly before this one: Harry And The Shipgirls: Goblet of Feels (A HP/Kancolle Snippet Collection)

A Reward For Heroism (I)

Malfoy Manor

August 16th, 2014

"Honor is the reward of virtue." -- Marcus Tullius Cicero
Spoiler: A Trip To Moulbaix

Draco Malfoy straightened his Hugo Boss two-piece suit as he walked across the entrance hall of his ancestral home to join his sister Nimue, parents, and tutor Flynn. He nodded to the others, and then sighed minutely as Narcissa, who was dressed in the dark blue Eskandar cashmere dress that he had bought her at Harrod's, adjusted his lapels for him. "Mother!" he muttered, blushing at being treated like a little boy.

"Now now, son," Narcissa chided him as she stepped back and nodded, "you need to present the proper appearance to the Cousins du Chasteler." Over her shoulder, Lucius caught his son's eye and mouthed 'just indulge her, Draco' silently.

"Yes, Mother." Draco said sullenly. He then smirked slightly, looking forward to seeing Niobe, Aunt Colombe, Cousin Claire, and Cousin Ehren again. The smirk grew as Narcissa stepped back and nodded at the sight he presented.

Then his face darkened as he remembered the vision of the danger Ehren had been rescued from. Danger that he feared had been driven back, yes, but not destroyed.

Lucius tapped his cane against the serpentine marble flagstones to direct attention to him. "Time to go, everyone!" He declared in a powerful voice.

The Malfoy patriarch then nodded respectfully to Flynn, who began to incant and gesture as he cast one of the spells developed by the Order of Hermes.

Their Portal spell was a variation of the research that led to Portkeys, but instead of a brief pulse that took someone from where they were to the new location in a matter of instants, it instead created an image of the new location so real that you stepped through it to appear there.

It did have its weaknesses, such as needing to know the area that you were arriving at intimately, along with taking time to construct and substantial energies to maintain. But it did have one advantage for a group of often-persecuted Hermetic magicians who had been hiding from the ICW and the Ministries of Magic for centuries in a shadow war. It couldn't be tracked, blocked, or detected easily, unlike the Floo, Portkeys, and Apparition.

This was a definite advantage when your cousins wished to speak to you in privacy about matters of grave interest according to Colombe's phone call after arriving home.

As Draco watched with keen attention to how the spell was being constructed, Flynn spoke a word of command in Latin, raising an arch of shimmering greenish-golden energies the size of a door. The center hazed, blurred, and then suddenly snapped into focus. Instead of the wall containing the portraits of his ancestors, he could see a white gravel driveway through an apple orchard on the other side.

"Go, now." Flynn said in a strained voice. Lucius stepped through and appeared on the driveway on the other side. Draco followed his father and then shivered as he walked through the arch...

Castle Moulbaix, Belgium

...only to feel a mental wrench as his foot came down on gravel instead of flagstones. He stepped out of the gate to where his father waited so Nimue could follow him, then the luggage that the House-Elves had packed for him and Nimue's stay overnight was floated through.

Draco looked around and gave a small whistle. To either side, towering European Oaks gave shade for the driveway, past them, was a well-organized and laid out apple orchard. Then his eyes reached the castle at the end of the driveway. His lips curled in a small smirk as he thought to himself, well Cousin Ehren did mention growing up in a castle, after all.

He chuckled as he walked alongside his family up the driveway. As they passed the carriage house that had been turned into a garage the double doors opened and sunlight touched the blond hair of Aunt Colombe as she stepped outside. The rapier was dressed in an navy blue satin Victorian walking dress from the 1880s with gold highlights on the ruffles and flourishes, and wore a straw hat decorated with a navy blue silk ribbon and violets.

The Rapier curtsied. "Welcome to Moulbaix, Lord Malfoy, Lady Malfoy, Draco, Nimue." She gave a smug smile as she continued in that warm soprano voice. "I fear that the effects of Ehren's rescue have caused some disruption in the serving staff since Kasuyu had to restock groceries unexpectedly and Miho is supervising the Imps making your rooms presentable. So I find myself answering my own door."

Narcissa laughed, "So this gives you the excuse to wear that dress? It's quite nice. Where did you get it?"
Spoiler: Colombe's Dress

Colombe touched the silk and grinned. "Oh, this old thing? Misses' Polionaise of Paris, 1884, in fact. At least I enchanted it to not need a bustle to hang properly, those things were annoying. Just don't even get me started on corsets and hoop skirts."

Narcissa smiled and responded as Colombe guided them up the steps to her front door. "I can only imagine. Still fashion has its rewards, don't you agree, Lucius?"

Lucius nodded to his wife, "Most certainly, dear! I do confess curiosity in your mention of something important that you needed to discuss face to face with us, Cousin."

Colombe grimaced. "Several things actually that I found out when I rescued Ehren. But that can wait for a discussion in my study, I fear. Niobe's there to show you what we need to deal with."

Draco stepped inside and gave an impressed whistle at the antique grandeur of the entrance hall. Overhead, carved oak beams sprouted from stone pillars rooted in the black and white marble checkerboard of the floor, while a white marble staircase split to rise to ornately carved balconies left and right. Hanging at the split in the stairs, a larger than life portrait of a blond man dressed in 16th Century outfit leaning on a rapier dominated the room. The sound of a piano's playing echoing from somewhere within provided a perfect counterpoint to the Old World grandeur of his cousin's ancestral home.

Colombe spoke with deep emotion into the hall as she took off her hat reverently. "My Papa. Jean-Francois du Chasteler, the first son of Jean-Paul Malfoy."

Lucius rubbed his chin and then looked curiously at Colombe. "You don't have the painting of him enchanted?" He asked curiously

Colombe shook her head. "Non, both for secrecy among the Muggles and other reasons, the bulk of the paintings here have not been enchanted yet." She glanced at Draco and Nimue than then gave them a smug smile. "Ehren and Claire are playing piano in the downstairs ballroom; just take either of the doors directly ahead flanking the staircase. If in doubt, just follow the music."

Draco aand Nimue bowed to Colombe. "Yes, Aunt Colombe." Colombe in turn curtsied to them.

"Once Niobe's part in matters is done, I shall send her down to join you while us old folks talk. Lucius, Narcissa, shall we make a selection from the liquors available in my study before we get down to business?" Colombe finished with a small smug smile.

Draco watched his parents nod and head upstairs followed by their luggage. He then grinned in anticipation at his twin and walked rapidly toward the ballroom. He didn't see Nimue gave a fondly evil smile and a head shake as she followed in his wake.
Spoiler: Ehren Hatt' Einen Kameraden

(unfortunately there are no good piano versions of this one)

Draco opened the door to the ballroom and stood enthralled on the threshold. On the far side of the large ballroom, sunlight illuminated Claire sitting quietly and listening intently to the music. But his eyes were drawn to a magnificent and ornately decorated grand piano, which was ablaze from sunlight on the rich chocolate-colored mahogany wood and gilt highlighting the lion's paws and du Chasteler arms. He realized with a shock that this must be Claire's true body.

Ehren, dressed in a modestly cut jet black dress that accentuated her slim figure and with a bandage on her neck, was sitting at her sister's keyboard playing a slow, melancholy tune from memory with her eyes closed. The sunlight lit her golden hair up and highlighted a solitary sparkling tear leaking from her eyes to trickle down her cheek.

Ehren came to the end of the piece and bowed her head.

Claire gave him a shy smile, then spoke in her gentle musical voice. "Ehren, we have visitors."

Ehren's eyes popped open suddenly and her head snapped around. For a second, he saw... something... deep inside her steel-blue eyes before she gave him a smile as it vanished under her cool mask. "Cousin Draco! Cousin Nimue, Guten Tag! Welcome to Moulbaix!" She said in a cool and controlled voice as she wiped her cheeks with a tissue to remove the tear track.

"Hello, Ehren, Claire. It's good to see you again." Draco responded happily, walking across the ballroom toward his cousins.

Nimue met Claire's eyes as she walked behind him and gave a fond smile and shrug. Claire nodded minutely and then cocked her head at the piano.

Ehren stood and walked over to them briskly, then hugged Draco and Nimue, "It's... good... to see you both." Ehren said in that oddly controlled voice to him. "Thank you for sending Niobe as part of the rescue team. Her help was invaluable."

Draco breathed out a sigh of relief and spoke to Ehren while Nimue walked over to join Claire at the piano. "I'm just glad that you're all right. I had a dream, a vision of you in danger and it terrified me. Then we got your message about Moulbaix under attack. What happened then? What happened to your neck?"
Spoiler: ButterKlavier And Evil Little Sister Chip In!

She gently took his elbow and steered him out of earshot as Nimue and Claire began to play a soft piano duet. "It was my Vati." She said quietly and hesitantly, not looking at him and with subtle strain in her voice.

Draco blinked. "Your father? You mean the officer who owned your dagger body?"

She nodded shakily and swallowed. She took a deep breath, her eyes suspiciously shiny as she looked away from him through the woods and lake outside the windows to images that only she could see. Finally she spoke, her voice filled with iron control barely hiding the pain underneath the cool tones. "J-ja. He and Mutti were romantically involved in 1941 and...."

She broke off suddenly and looked down at her hands which slowly closed into fists and then opened as she stood there rigidly before continuing in that heartbreaking tone. "Their loyalties drove them apart. They loved each other very much but...." She trailed off once more.

As Draco watched in silence, Ehren breathed in and out as her fists clenched. Finally she resumed with guilt, grief, and sadness filling each precise syllable. "They fought in 1942 and nearly killed each other. We all thought Vati was dead then, but he... wasn't. He had become a vampire and hid in Africa. He... wanted me back to be his Tochter. To purify my blood and make me one of his Neue Herrenvolk." Her posture was stiff and stoic, and her eyes glimmered with the tears that she was suppressing and would never let fall.

Draco's mind whirled, then he looked at the bandage on the side of her neck. The pieces came together and he spoke half to himself in shock. "That's what happened! He tried to turn you into a vampire with a bite to the neck. We studied Vampire lore a little in Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Ehren nodded with a sudden fragile movement, like a bird with a broken wing, still not looking at him. "Ja. It didn't take since I'm not human although he thought that I was a child of his body with Mutti." She gave a very wan smile for an instant and then continued in that strained voice. "I... used an illusion to fool him, make him think that he had Embraced me. That I was his body, mind and soul as I held out while I hoped for rescue or a chance to escape."

Draco shuddered in horror at the implications. Then acting almost without thought, he embraced her, ignoring her flinch as he gently hugged her to him. He whispered savagely with heat and passion in his voice. "I'll kill him myself!"

Ehren spoke in a small, broken voice into his shoulder. "Vati and Mutti fought in front of my eyes. Mutti... triumphed." Her arms reached around his chest and then clenched, squeezing the air from him in her desperate hug as her shoulders shook with her herculean effort to keep the tears filling her voice from falling from her eyes. "Mutti... saved me."

Her eyes closed and she whispered words filled with heartbreak before releasing him and stepping back to stand as strong and proud as her Kruppstahl dagger body.

"Vati... fell."

 

[darthcourt10]

Kab2

I'll continue Sofia's adventures for a while, previous snip is [sofia] being tracked
----------------------------------------------------------
A Short Interlude


Back in the island where Sofia had her base, a certain sword's spirit was training her swordmanship with her true body, something that helped her to focus.

Dark armor over a dark dress swinging a dark sword, with her pale blond hair fluttering with the wind.

Said hair tied in a ponytail with a gift from her master, one of her master's laces, naturally that meant that her master only had a ponytail in her right side instead of two, but she said that she didn't mind, as long as Jen used the gift she gave to her; the sword spirit smiled as she focused on the training, if swinging a sword in four basic movements was considered training.
Spoiler: Training

Front swing, lateral swing, upwards swing, downwards swing; she didn't remember how to properly battle with a sword, but somehow the basics came naturally to her, maybe it was because she was a spirit and know how to handle her instinctively, or maybe it is connected to one of the only two things she actually remembers.

Front, side, up, down.

One was she clashing with another sword, one glittering so brightly that it looked like it was made from gold, not like her that seemed as dark as a room without windows, but strangely in that clash moved something inside her, in that mere moment her unformed spirit looked inside the other sword and touched the warmth radiating from from her, and because of that she knew.

She(she never had a name until her first and actual Master named her Jen) was a copy of that golden sword, forged to defeat her, only a tool for her wielder to win over that golden sword and her Master.

But she doesn't know if her wielder succeeded or not, or if she was defeated or won over her original.

'No, no' thought Jen. 'Even if I was designed as a mere copy I am myself, she was the model nothing more and nothing less'

Front, side, up, down.

The other thing she remembers before she awoken in the submerged tomb was blurry, a person visiting the tomb before it sank. She don't remember the details, nor if it was a man or a woman, the only clear memory is a sweet fragrance, like it came from a flower field.

But now she was free from that prison, she now had a Master that was like her, and knew that the time will come when they would go into a journey, and that she would try to reach her goal, find the golden sword and defeat her.

Not for revenge if she was defeated in the past, nor for destroy and supplant her, but to prove that she is different from her, to be herself not a copy, and maybe find some answers about her past.

'Why should I fight?'

Suddenly a question that haunted Jen since she awoke crossed her mind. A lot of time alone in that tomb with only time in her hands, she slept most of the time until she was discovered, but those two memories and that question were always present, and now more than ever, as her master was much stronger than her, so why bother?

It would be easy to let herself down and let her master fight, it would be so easy...

But something nagged her, something was telling her to not let it go, to improve, to fight.

'Why should I fight?'

To be better than she is now, to beat the golden sword alone may be an answer; she knew that wasn't right but she couldn't place why, maybe if she recovered her memory...

"Gaahhh, my thoughts are running in circles again!" yelled Jen frustrated, that made her anger control her and do some moves without thinking.

When the fury was placated and she regained some control of herself, she tried to remember what moves she did.

'I almost touched something there' thought Jen 'Maybe the anger makes me easier to channel some forgotten memories?'

Maybe if she let the anger control her she could remember something but it was very dangerous, she can't distinguish allies and enemies in that state, it was like she was only a killing machine.

But more important she loathed not being in control of herself.

"Jennifer" said a voice Jen knew well "I've returned from the tomb"

Pushing aside her thoughts, Jen said "Welcome home Master, did something happened? It is a bit early for you to come back."

Smiling, the red headed submarine nodded "Yes, something good, let me explain it while we eat."

"I agree, I could eat a barrel worth of food right now" to this her stomach replied, it took this instant to make a sound of agreement, but those who heard it could say that it sounded like a lion.

"Don't worry, I'll lift the food limit for today's lunch so you can eat all you want." Sofia said, offering a hand to Jen.

"It is good news indeed, to be able to eat a decent share." said Jen, gloating.

"Is the food the only thing you think? There are other things aside than food." said Sofia shaking her head, thinking about the big chunk of canned food that will dissapear in the near future.

***************

"So in short" said Jen afer devouring the insides of a meat can "There are others like you that allied themselves with humanity"

"That's right" said Sofia as she placed the now empty can with the others in a room, where a lot of other empty cans were. Sofia knew that she could use the metal as another source of material if the need arises.

"Hmm" Jen began to ponder the facts that her Master just told her, putting her armor-clad hand under her chin, slowly rubbing her cheek with a finger. "And what do you want to do now?"

Exhaling a sigh, Sofia slumped her shoulders. "I really don't know; for a part I'm glad that the shipgirls consider those of us that doesn't want to kill humans possible allies, and with them we can research who forged you and learn of yours past, but for another..." she left that sentence in the air, not wanting to ever think of the possibility, because it scares her so much.

"You are afraid to encounter her" finishes Jen, already guessed what her master fears "But honestly I think---" but before Jen expresses her thoughts, Sofia suddenly turned her head to her left "What's wrong Master? You seem more pale than usual"

"They are here" said Sofia, trembling with fear "My fleet has found me"

"Come out Sofia" said a familiar voice for her "We know that you are alone with that little human, maybe if you cooperate we won't harm her... much"
--------------------------------
Comments and opinions are welcomed, thanks for reading.

 

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

A.N. -- I may as well get all this out today, so.....

A Reward For Heroism (II)

Castle Moulbaix, Belgium

August 16th, 2014

"All the gold which is under or upon the earth is not enough to give in exchange for virtue." -- Plato
Spoiler: A Butterrapier's Family Dealings

Colombe du Chasteler walked into her study with the Malfoys in tow and sighed at the redheaded woman sitting beside Niobe. "Del, this is awkward." She muttered, glaring at her youngest sister.

Delilah looked back at Colombe with somewhat wild eyes and then spoke in a slightly panicked voice. "I know I sprang this on you, but I needed to check on Ehren after Dad told me that you got her back. Also, I need to ask you about how to be a mother, Sis!" Colombe pinched her nose at the stream of words.

Delilah broke off at the sight of the Malfoys entering the study behind Colombe and paled. "Oh fuck me!!" She blurted out with dawning horror in her voice.

Colombe muttered snarkily under her breath as she gave Delilah a dirty look, "That's how you got into this mess with Zamarad, Del." Then she spoke in a louder voice as she waved a hand to magically animate two chairs across the room for the Malfoys. "Nothing for it but to advance. Lucius, Narcissa, meet my scapegrace younger half-sister Delilah de Breuil. Del, meet my cousins Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy."

Lucius gave Delilah a flat stare. He raised an eyebrow as he spoke in a dry as dust voice. "We met two years ago, in fact at the Ministry. Aren't you dead according to Cousin du Chasteler's words and my own sources of information?"

Delilah sighed and rubbed her temples before meeting Lucius's stare. "To quote Mark Twain, reports of my death were greatly exaggerated." A small smug smile flickered around her lips. "It's a bit of a ploy to get me out of the line of fire for MACUSA for various reasons until the Statute collapses and the No-Maj take over things back home. Mother has determined that I need to stay deceased and keep a low profile until the Statute falls, and I won't be back on field ops until I give birth anyway." One of her hands unconsciously cupped her stomach as she finished.

Narcissa smiled happily and interjected, "Congratulations, Delilah. First child?" She gave her husband a 'we will talk about this later' look that caused him to nod and subside.

Delilah nodded to Narcissa, who sat in a chair next to her. "Well I can provide some advice about child-rearing and pregnancy." Narcissa said, to Delilah, who gave her a grateful smile.

Meanwhile Colombe opened her brandy cabinet. She then smirked and pulled out a dust-covered antique bottle glimmering with charmwork from deep within the cabinet. "Well this news of Del's future motherhood calls for something special, everyone. I do believe it is time to toast the health of the mother-to-be and her firstborn child with my last bottle of 1748 Janneu Armagnac aged in barrels made from the oaks of the Forêt de Tronçais. "(Troncais Forest)

Lucius gasped in shock and got an uncontrollable happy smile at Colombe's words. "Papa left me this bottle as part of my inheritance, he loved this vintner and I confess partiality myself." Colombe finished as she carefully placed the antique brandy on her desk, poured it into a crystal decanter and then began to pull out the matching snifters for her guests.
Spoiler: Colombe's Brandy Decanter Set

She glanced at the rapt Lucius Malfoy. "I trust that you do not mind waiting momentarily before I handle the business that called you here?"

Lucius shook his head, his gaze fixed on the priceless bottle of brandy. "Not in the least."


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


Lucius took a deep breath of the subtle aroma of the vintage Armagnac in the crystal snifter that he held and smiled in pure joy. "Exquisite, Cousin du Chasteler." He sipped and swished the brandy around in his mouth to savor the taste of the master distilled brandy from grapes grown before the Great French Wine Blight of the 19th Century. "Simply exquisite." His voice was that of a man experiencing religious ecstasy.

"Bon." Colombe poured her own brandy last after serving her guests, then looked to the shipgirl, revolver, wizard, and witch in the privacy-warded study with her. "To the business though. To fill you in on recent events, Lucius, Narcissa; the individual who kidnapped Ehren was an old flame of mine from the First Wizarding War. SS-Obersturmführer Helmar von und zu Wolff who was the closest thing to a father that Ehren knew."

Delilah leaned forward, her green eyes as cold as her voice. "Tell me that you finished the job on him, Sis." Colombe nodded at her sister's statement as she held the snifter in her hand to warm the brandy.

Colombe finally spoke in a hoarse voice. "He is no more, yes, and I saw him die at my blade and magic." The rapier looked distant and closed her eyes briefly. Delilah walked over and squeezed her sister's free hand. Colombe opened her eyes and gave Delilah a thankful smile.

"Good, Sis." Delilah said gently before walking back to her seat. She took a sip of her brandy after casting a spell on it to prevent the now-denatured alcohol from injuring her unborn child and continued. "I know that wasn't easy for you, but I'm glad that he's no longer a threat to you and yours."

"Just so." Colombe agreed and leaned forward to direct attention to her. "However, according to Ehren along with what I and Niobe saw, Helmar was planning some larger scheme with allies elsewhere. Specifically, he had somehow acquired a large sum of bullion that he was smelting with Deutsche Reichsbank plates that we retrieved. Niobe?" She gave the shipgirl a nod.

The shipgirl reached into her hold and pulled out a one kilogram gold bar marked with the eagle and swastika of the Third Reich. A stir ran through the room as she handed it to Lucius to examine. "We recovered seventy-six metric tons of gold, and fifteen metric tons of platinum. Also a pallet of nonmagical twenty dollar bills along with crates of Dragots and Galleons." Niobe's voice was clinical and controlled.

Lucius swore under his breath and his hand shook badly as he carefully placed the snifter of brandy on the table by his chair before taking the gold bar to examine. "According to Colombe, some of the magical coins and all the dollar bills were minted well after the Second World War." Niobe finished in her German-accented English. Colombe nodded in confirmation.

Lucius' eyes widened as he ran a thumb across the swastika stamped on the gold bar before speaking in a thoughtful voice. "That's unexpected. And troubling. The magical gold markets have been in flux of late, perhaps this has something to do with it?" He handed it to Delilah whose leaf-green eyes were cold and calculating.

Delilah frowned and tapped the gold bar with a fingernail before speaking very slowly. "Perhaps. There's other places this could have come from, though. I know for a fact that not all the Nazi gold was recovered, although as far as we know Wolff must have been lying low since we almost killed him in 1942, while the major efforts to hide the looted Nazi treasure started happening in 1944 when the war visibly turned against Germany and Grindelwald." She visibly thought as she hefted the gold in her hand. "Although...." She trailed off and then grinned smugly.

Delilah handed the brick to Narcissa finally. She then tented her fingers as she leaned back and spoke in that slow, thoughtful voice. "The No-Maj lost a bullion shipment several months ago in Africa. While they are thinking Abyssal Cultists based out of the Indian Ocean from what I heard, this may be part of it, since the re-smelting is suggestive of an attempt to muddy the waters. Or perhaps it might have been something else, unmelted wedding rings from the death camps such as Auschwitz, perhaps. The only way to find out now would be analysis of the metal content which can be done by a no-maj national mint." The others looked at her as her vicious, smug smile grew.

Lucius leaned forward. "I know a person who has contacts with the Royal Mint. I can have him set up a discreet meeting to offload the bullion from Niobe along with a copy of her report of its provenance and discovery. Best to let the muggle law enforcement handle that investigation since they're capable of it according to Delilah." Everyone nodded in agreement. "Which leaves the actual usable money, of course."

Colombe sipped her brandy and then spoke as the bar was handed to Lucius who pocketed it. "Just so. Since Wolff no longer has any need of his ill-gotten gains, we just need to deal with this windfall since we have no clue where it came from. I propose a four way split of the usable funds between the du Chastelers for one share, Tokunotakai and Norimune for the second, the Malfoys and Niobe for the third, and the De Breuils for the last. That covers both those of us who liberated it and your ties to handle this kind of money discreetly without legal issues." Colombe looked around the room as everyone nodded in agreement.

"Del, your mother has the contacts within MACUSA to handle the crates of Dragots discreetly and funnel the profits from that back to us." Delilah nodded to her sister with a smug smirk. "Lucius, I assume that the Malfoys know someone who can handle approximately thirty-nine thousand Galleons in exchange for your 25% share of the windfall for the House of Malfoy?" Colombe locked eyes with Lucius Malfoy as the question hung in the air.

Lucius grinned toothily. "Oh most definitely, Cousin." Narcissa nodded.

"Bon." Colombe said after another sip of brandy. "That just leaves the dollar bills to be dealt with." She smirked as she finished. "After all, I'm sure that Niobe will want a proper wedding in a few years." The shipgirl blushed and nodded happily.

Lucius chuckled. "Oh I can handle that, Cousin." Narcissa leaned in to whisper something to Niobe that caused the German girl's blush to deepen and her to give an enthusiastic nod.

Colombe nodded. "We can have you unload the Dragots in Del's basement, Niobe. Then you just return with Draco to get the ball rolling in England for the rest of it all and turn in your reports to the German Navy with copies for the British and Americans then."

Niobe snapped to attention. "I can do that, Colombe." She said firmly.

"Good, good," Colombe said with a grin then sobered and continued, "that brings me to the final point. Ehren was present for a crystal ball conversation between Helmar and someone named 'Sieglinde', who is a fellow Nazi magical who knew Helmar before the war. According to Ehren, she was apparently late thirties to early forties, blond haired, blue eyed. She was helping him move funds and other things around via an owl box that unfortunately got destroyed in the fighting. Specifically, mokéle-mbêmbe blood, moly, and runespoor eggs were mentioned along with spellbooks." Colombe's voice was flat. Delilah scowled murderously while the Malfoys looked thoughtful.

Narcissa spoke decisively. "That specific blood and runespoor eggs are two of the ingredients of a necromantic potion -- The Draught Of Endless Years -- to retard the effects of age, Cousin. The potion itself is supposedly quite addictive, so it is proscribed for that reason. Therefore the Draught is very rare and expensive as a result. Although it is rumored to be popular in certain circles that we have ears in." Narcissa smiled triumphantly and preened at the attention she got. "I did get an O on my Potions NEWT, after all." Lucius clinked snifters with her in triumph.

Delilah rubbed her chin as she visibly thought "Wait, Sis. You said that Ehren said her name was Sieglinde? Female, blond hair, was around during the Big One?"

Colombe nodded and refilled the snifters with the last of the bottle of liquor. "Oui, Del. Ehren said that she will be happy to show the memory of that conversation to us when we start digging."

Delilah spoke slowly with considerable heat, "That may be a lead on one of the members of the Thule-Gesellschaft that we never were able to bring to justice after the war." At the glances directed her way, she elaborated. "During the Second World War, I was seconded to Europe. When Germany fell, I was briefly one of the team leaders sorting through the Ahnenerbe-SS and Thule-Gesellschaft archives that we captured. I remember reading about a Sieglinde Böhmer who was a researcher for Grindelwald as part of the team doing work on Grendels that vanished. I'll want to talk to Ehren and see her memories of that call to compare with my own, especially if she saw any handwriting samples."

Lucius spoke up. "I'll keep my ears open in case I hear of someone matching that name. It would look very bad for the Wizarding World to be harboring a known war criminal when the Statute falls." Everyone present shuddered at the thought.

Colombe sipped her Armagnac. "Thank you again for warning us, Lucius. Your warning, Flynn's spellcraft to get us to Moulbaix in time to save Kasuyu, and Niobe's help were all invaluable." Niobe blushed scarlet.

Lucius smiled paternally at Niobe. "Draco was instrumental in that. Speaking of that, we have been keeping you from him, so please track him down dear. Draco expressed concern about you and Cousin Ehren both and would want to have you meet him in the ballroom." Niobe grinned happily and placed her empty snifter down as she stood.

Colombe smiled after Niobe departed at flank speed. "She really does love your son, Lucius. He's a lucky young man. Which reminds me, I'd like to extend an invitation to your family to visit us for Christmas. This year is my turn to host so you can meet my sister Jackie and Del's parents Jezebel and Norimune, along with my oldest daughter Wei Ying and her mother Wei Yuying." Colombe said as she looked at the Malfoys while Delilah nodded her assent.

Lucius looked at Narcissa, who gave a nod. "I certainly accept on behalf of my family." He paused and glanced at Delilah. "Ahh, there is a matter I wish to discuss in some privacy person to person."

He looked at Delilah, who stood up. "I'll head downstairs and chaperone the girls for you, Sis. When you get done, shoot me a Patronus since I need to talk to you in private too about a few things I have going on." Colombe stood in turn and hugged Delilah, who then departed.

Lucius waited for Delilah to leave and close the door behind her, then scribed an additional privacy ward before speaking seriously. "It's about Draco. He has some serious interest in your daughter Ehren which appears to be mutual. While my son is still working through his thoughts and feelings, he may very well pursue Ehren as a wife alongside the other shipgirls in the future once he comes to a decision -- if she and you are willing." Narcissa smiled happily at the thought, and wiped some tears from her eyes with a conjured handkerchief.

Colombe frowned at the statement and looked into her brandy snifter for long moments. Finally Colombe spoke in a quiet voice filled with emotion. "I have noticed his interest with Ehren as well. While they are both still young, there is a definite spark there both ways."

She paused, took a small sip of brandy, and then continued. "My Papa gave me and my sisters the choice of vetoing the husbands that he arranged for us when I was your son's age. While your son is maturing into a fine gentleman from all that I have seen and heard, I shall be giving Ehren the same choice that I was given in matters of romance. So ultimately Ehren shall have the final decision about his suit." The Malfoys nodded in understanding at Colombe's heartfelt words.

Colombe took another swallow of brandy and then resumed as emotions warred across her face. "Also as you know, Ehren is terribly traumatized by her past. Finding out what the Nazis that forged her truly were nearly destroyed her. I do not speak metaphorically, I caught her taking a grinder to her body and she spent days recovering from her injuries even with magic." Both the Malfoys blanched at Colombe's pain-filled words while the rapier's tears fell.

"Also I am not blameless in the matter of her traumas. I handled her initial manifestation poorly, to my discredit and only recently have I somewhat mended that rupture with Ehren. As for the matter of Helmar Wolff, I bungled that too. If I had spoken to her of what happened before between him and me, perhaps matters would have taken a different path."

Colombe wept and swallowed half of her remaining brandy before continuing as she looked at the floor. "I don't know what will come of her experiences in his captivity, save that she is sorely wounded in spirit once again. It cannot be easy for a child to see her parents fight, much less to the death." Colombe said in a voice filled with regret before looking up. "I hope that she does find happiness, and speaking personally, she could do far, far worse than Draco in my personal opinion as her mother. But she may be so wounded that any romance is doomed through no fault of you or your son."

Lucius nodded in understanding as he took his wife's hand. "I understand, and this is still very early, for Draco is young and still maturing from a boy into a man with all that implies. But if he does elect to pursue Ehren once he makes up his mind as a young man?" His eyes bored into Colombe as he asked the question with his own worries for his son visible.

Colombe gave a small smug smile, "If the son of Lord Malfoy elects to court my Heir in the proper manner, I shall support Draco's suit as best I may. You have my word on that point. I do want the best for my little girl and I hope that Draco can provide the healing and love that I have been unable to give her to mend Ehren's shattered heart. If he does win her heart and her hand and heal her, I shall be honored to have your son as my son-in-law, Lucius." Colombe spoke from the heart as she met Lucius's gaze. Lucius and Narcissa gave matching smiles of relief and joy as all three stood.

Their smiles widened as Colombe stepped to them to clink brandy snifters with Lucius and Narcissa in a toast to seal the agreement. "Ehren trusts Draco implicitly, which is no small thing indeed. She may trust him more than myself, perhaps. Certainly he does not have the mistakes and failures that I have made with Ehren blackening the ledger. If he does not make her happy and whole, I have trouble imagining anyone who can." Colombe said contemplatively as she looked at the sparkling crystal and amber liquor in her snifter.

Narcissa sipped her brandy and then patted Colombe on the shoulder. "Don't sell your efforts short, Cousin. Ehren is a truly remarkable young woman that we both would be honored to have as a daughter-in-law. While you have made mistakes as a parent, so have we. And I think our children will turn out well in the end despite, or perhaps because of our mistakes." Lucius nodded in agreement as he took his wife's hand.

Colombe gave a grateful smile as she savored the last of her Papa's Armagnac. "Merci, Narcissa, Lucius."

 

[darthcourt10]

baofengyu

The Mandate Pt 9
"Know that much may happen here, but above all, do not forget this—you may trust in me. We cradle each other's lives, and what threatens one of us, threatens us both. And if you find you cannot trust me, trust in your training. Trust in yourself. Never doubt what you have done. All your decisions have brought you to this point. And now, perhaps, they shall see what you have become."


PLAN Naval Base, Zhan Jiang

Admiral Li sweated as the chanting reached a crescendo. The improvised summoning chamber was dark, lit with damaged and flickering electrical lights, surrounding a hastily dug pit filled with brackish water. The locals avoided the base, many of the peasants claiming bad 'Feng Shui' or other superstitious nonsense. The base was hastily rebuilt after the events of Blood Week, and the locals claimed many innocents were massacred here by the Abyssals. He did not care when he ordered the base restored, the land bulldozed and refilled. His few remaining assets were either salvaged or hastily repaired after those dark days. Materials that were required for the summoning were added to the fetid water as the spell reached it the apex. Oil. Gunpowder. Steel. Offerings to the spirits to answer their call.

And yet two other offerings were made as well, unbeknownst to the few remaining PLAN officers.

Blood.

And hate.

Blood dripped into the pool from injured hands that dug it, filled it, sacrificed to it.

Hate from the tone and atmosphere of the summoning.

Li raised his voice, entreating the fallen to return once again, spurred by rumors of a destroyer in the west returning many times from battle. Summoned again and again.

But this was not what answered.

The water boiled.

The lights flickered and shorted out.

A hand breached the pool.

A white hand.

A banshee's scream deafened those present and the water exploded.

Red eyes full of hate.

Muffled screams echoed from the improvised summoning chamber as the few remaining soldiers fled before what was within burst out, carving a bloody trail that led to the docks.

Full of rage.

Full of hate.

Desiring nothing less than the deaths of ALL that wronged her.

But she needed to shed her birthing caul, and her eyes picked out the lone island to the south.

It would do for now.



Shenyang Aircraft Corporation, Shenyang

"Generals," an aide rushed up to the two Generals. "There has been an incident in Hong Kong."

The two Generals turned from the flight line where they were discussing the procurement of J-8s and J-11s. The aide handed over the printouts and the two read grimly.

"It's started," Chi huffed.

"We need more information," Zu replied.

"Indeed," Chi agreed. "What do you command?"

Zu felt the weight of the sword and all that it represented, not only physically but mentally as well.

"We go to Beijing."

The rest of Zu's party stood by his aircraft as it was readied and the two Generals approached. Chi stepped to the side and spoke to one of his aides, who bobbed his head several times before running to Chi's staff car. He returned moments later with a pair of cases and followed the group onto the plane as it prepared for takeoff. Zu glanced once at the young woman from the tomb as she sat quietly in the back, then turned to sit in his chair.

"General Zu, we are getting reports of a major storm in Beijing's airspace," the pilot reported.

"Contact Beijing Shahezhen and get a status update," Zu replied.

"Yes sir."

Chi's aide picked up a secure phone. "Sir, I cannot get through to Central Command. All communications are offline."

Xue's phone buzzed. She absently picked it up as Zu and Chi looked at each other with a worried expression on their faces.

What she saw on her phone caused her to drop it.

"What?" Zu turned to her as Xue forced her way to the main computer monitor. She brought a video feed up for everyone to see.

"This is no time for a wux-" Zu trailed off. He watched a fox demon with nine tails grab a falling sign and fling it towards a man in a straw hat.

"This is streaming live," Xue whispered, her eyes fixed on the unmistakable form of Su Daji.


Hidden Ministry Safehouse, Beijing

Ying stared at the teacup.

No more than an arm's length away sat perhaps the most feared female in Chinese History, who did not even bother hiding who she was anymore, sipping her own tea. The room was very traditional in layout and appearance, with simple wood paneling along the walls and simple chairs with a small table between them in which the two sat. Apart from the tea pot and two cups lay the reports of the surviving Hidden Ministry staff had quickly compiled on the state of the city and affects of the attack by Xiao's minions. The initial attack hit both the Hidden Ministry and the Great Hall of the People, which nearly decapitated the leadership of China. They were still searching for survivors.

"Your tea is getting cold," Daji observed.

Ying blinked. An ancient being who could conceivably be the most powerful magical alive and the first thing out of her mouth was not wisdom, or an explanation, but concern over tea.

A dozen emotions fought within her. And yet, she was a guest.

Hospitality. An ancient law and custom that had roots in many cultures, many traditions. It was to be respected and feared.

The tea was excellent.

Daji's actions were both confusing and familiar, but in also spoke volumes to Ying. Daji accepted the role of the Host, with all that it entailed.

"You planned this," Ying stated. "Everything that has happened."

"Not so much planned dear child," Daji sipped her tea. "I believe the saying goes, 'no plan survives contact with the enemy'. I manipulate. I watch the people, the environment, the hidden. There are a thousand things happening all around us at all times, and in time, you will be able to see those signs and be able to use them to your advantage."

"Manipulate."

"Yes. I manipulate as easily as a fish swims, or as the birds fly."

"You could have beaten those three at any time."

"Yes," Another sip. "I am old enough and powerful enough to face down gods and immortals, I could have laid waste to those fools and the entire city in our battle, but I did not. I controlled the battle until you arrived."

"You used me."

"Of course I did child," Daji smiled. "I wanted to take your measure Wei Ying. I wanted to see if the chosen of Guan Yu could hold up against Xiao's minions. I wanted to see your spirit, because what happens next will not be as easy or simple."

"I don't trust you."

"As you will," Daji fluffed a tail. "There is a rather interesting story coming out of Nanjing."

Ying braced herself. Daji had not lied about anything, but she wielded the truth like a razor-edged sword.

"Xiao Chaogui held a rally where he revealed his Treasure to his followers. He also claimed to have the Writing Set as well."

Ying hid her shock as best she could. There was no way that the Writing Set was in China, and it was very safe, and very far away. However, there was truth behind her words.

"You think he had something that was…associated with the Writing Set?" Ying's investigating skills pinged.

"Witnesses spoke of a brush." Daji fluffed another tail. "A rather fine brush."

Her mind raced.

Daji had just provided the clues, and Ying watched the fox spirit intently.

Daji watched the sword spirit intently as the younger one thought over the clues provided.

Ying slowly puzzled the clues out internally. Her mother was always meticulous in her grooming. All foxes were as shown by Daji's attention to her tails. Her mother Mei Yuying....

Ying remembered her mother's tale of how Yuying had fled China with her father Colombe's help one step ahead of the Taipingists. The loss of her mother's family in the Rebellion. Her Mother's Family!

The Mei Family.

Guardians of the Writing Set for generations.

No.

There was a sympathetic look in Daji's eyes.

"When one is deathless nothing else matters but one's own desires. Of no flesh, all appetite. No custom, no honor, no respect, nothing is beyond his desires." Daji crossed the space between them and knelt down before Ying.

"When Xiao Chaogui returned in failure to restart with the Taipingists, China was set on a course towards Civil War. This war will be like nothing fought in the past, and this war will be fought with both mundane and magical means. Whomever wins in this will control China, but before it is over we may all be swimming in blood."

"Then why am I here? You seem to have all the answers and everything well in hand," Ying frowned. "Am I nothing more than a convenient pawn?"

"You have never been a pawn Wei Ying," Daji replied. "Your presence is not just to judge the fitness of the candidate to take the throne."

Daji returned to her seat and looked over the rim of her teacup.

"You are here to judge me as well." The words hung in the air like an executioner's blade.



En Route to Beijing

"How widespread is this?" Zu frowned.

"It's all over the internal networks," His aide reported. "The internal firewalls and security routers in Beijing are not responding."

"Any news worldwide?" Chi opened one of his cases to pull out a set of folders.

"Most of the international news companies are focused on Hong Kong," the aide replied, checking his computer. "The damage to the external firewalls is minimal, and the battle in Beijing is getting out sporadically. Only a few sites have the video, and it seems someone is attempting to kill the video every time it pops up."

"I would say the ICW is putting their hand in," Xue replied. "But I would suspect that the various world governments and militaries will be examining both videos extensively."

"And the storm over Beijing?"

"It seems to be breaking up sir."

"Something else that will probably make everyone more aware," Xue spoke. "An unnatural typhoon level storm forming over Beijing and not moving?"

Zu grunted. "Any word from Central Command?"

"No sir. I have managed to contact the airbase and they are on full alert and awaiting our arrival."

Zu leaned back. Things were accelerating, almost exponentially. Without Central Command responding and issuing orders, the various Theater Commanders will be attempting to leverage their own forces to their benefit. It was something that was all to familiar in China's history. Another civil war was on the horizon, if not already begun.

"Here are the command protocols in the event of loss of contact with Central Command," Chi handed the folders to Zu. "As senior most General Officer I transfer overall command to you."

Zu looked at the older man before accepting the folders.

"I accept command," He replied formally. He did have copies of the Command Protocols in his HQ safe and wondered a bit as to why Chi carried the documents with him wherever he traveled. In retrospect it was a rather smart thing to do.

Two of the screens of the airborne command center showed two different scenes. One showed a feed from BBC World News, primarily the video feed from Hong Kong. The other was taken from Baidu showing the battle in Beijing. The fighting was pretty much over in both places, and while he did not like or respect Admiral Li, he did give the man praise for holding his ground and rebuilding the shattered PLAN by salvaging everything he could. The four shipgirls that were summoned back were fanatically loyal to the Party, and honestly he had never heard of them participating in any of the International Operations that sometimes took place in the South China Sea or the neighboring Philippine Sea. Even the Allied strike against the Paracel Islands drew no help from PLAN.

"You realize we are going to meet one of the most infamous people in China's history?" Xue remarked. "Are you sure that Beijing's military command can be trusted?"

"I don't think that is going to be an issue," Zu replied, holding up a hand to forestall discussion. "And I understand that this is new territory for some of us, but we cannot worry about what may or may not happen. Once we get to Beijing we can get some accurate information as to what is happening on the ground."

He looked at the group, then picked up his secure phone.

"But that does not mean we do not take the appropriate precautions."



Hidden Ministry Safehouse, Beijing

"Ma'am, General Zu's aircraft is approaching Beijing Shahezhen Airbase," A young woman leaned over by the fox demon's chair.

Daji set her teacup down. "Very good." Then to Ying. "We should meet the General at Tiananmen Square so he may observe the battlefield for himself."

"No disguise?" Ying was startled.

"No. I am not going to hide anymore. By now the video of our battle has spread across the Middle Kingdom, if not the world thanks to the attack. With most of China's Aurors dead in the Storm's attack, and the magical defenses of the city disabled, the people who are enlightened will notice immediately, and the ones who are sensitive will begin to see."

"The ICW will attempt to quell this."

"The Floo Network is disabled, and the Barrier's full defenses have been activated with the death of the President. The ICW will try to intervene, but if they are smart, they will focus on containing any videos that might leak out of the country."

"You expect the videos to spread."

"Yes," Daji stood. "The good General will be confused as to your presence here but say nothing for now. Once we are alone be honest with him."



The two left the safehouse and entered an awaiting car. It would not be a long drive to the square, but it gave the two a chance to observe the efforts of the emergency services crews work on searching for survivors and clearing debris.

"It is amazing that there were not more civilians harmed," Ying commented. "I take it the spells emplaced around the city were responsible?"

"Correct," Daji adjusted her seating. The back of the car was a bit cramped, and almost comical due to the fluffiness of Daji's tails. "A storm of that power would have leveled the Forbidden City were the ancient magical defenses not in place, However the additional wards around the city helped bleed off that energy."

Ying sneezed as one of Daji's tails brushed her nose.

She glared at the ancient being.

Daji laughed. "I apologize. Did your mother ever tease you with her tails?"

"Maybe when I was a child," Ying frowned. Daji's actions confused her. She almost expected an unearthly, regal, and imperial attitude from the Fox. The fact that she was a true nine-tail further made her actions out of character.

Who was Su Daji? Who was she really? Was this an effect of such a long lifespan?



Both the Military and the Police were out in force as well, keeping the curious away as the car pulled in front of Tiananmen Square. Daji stepped out, unafraid as she allowed everyone to see her as she truly was. Ying followed her, albeit nervously. She kept her true self in her hand as she stepped out and looked around.

Yes, there were a lot of people there at the square, many of whom were focused on the cleanup, but many others were staring. They had no idea what was going on, but instinctively they knew. Even with the Party's control for the past sixty plus years, the ancient ways and legends of China were never truly forgotten. Some dismissed Daji as an actress, a stunt meant to distract and misdirect. Others held prayer beads and bowed their heads as she passed. Those that did were the elderly, the ones who lived through the civil war and subsequent pogroms. Those that remembered. A quick survey of the area using her magically enhanced senses revealed that a forgotten shrine at the Forbidden City was seeing a renewed interest and use. A Fox Shrine.

Ying watched Daji as she observed the repairs being made to the Forbidden City. Her attention was drawn the PLA trucks that were pulling up. Soldiers began to disembark from the trucks and took up position around the square. Ying cocked her head as she heard other vehicles approaching once the square was secure. Heavy vehicles.

"It appears General Zu is about to arrive," Daji commented.

A pair of Type 86 IFVs appeared along with a pair of Type 96 MBTs. In the midst of it all was a CSK-131 armored personnel carrier. It came to a stop as a pair of soldiers approached and stood guard, one of them finally opening the doors.

The first one to step out was a woman, but everything about her screamed that she was not what she appeared. The weight of her spiritual power was like standing in the desert sun. Ying's eyes darted to the next to emerge. An older general who had seen much but carried the weight with a stoic grace. Another general, this one with an ancient sword in his hand. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the sword.

She stared at it, then the man wielding it.

Daji coughed lightly, but loud enough to get Ying to pay attention.

Daji bowed her head slightly, her hands crossing in front of each other, palms towards her.

Ying brough her hand up, still wrapped around her sheath, and covered her fist in greeting.

The general stood for a moment before turning and extending his hand to the young woman who stepped out.

There was much untapped potential in her.



Zu stared at Daji, as did everyone else in his party. He had not expected her to be so brazen to be in her true form in public, but this was no normal day. The young woman behind him was an unknown, but there was something about her, something that reminded him of his encounter with the Jianghu Masters. He nodded once.

"You are Su Daji," He spoke.

The fox spirit raised her head and lowered her arms to fold them into her robes.

"I am, General Zu Li Shang," She replied, turning her head. "I have prepared a room for you General and your party. If you would care to follow me I would be happy to escort you there."

"Very well," He replied.

He followed the pair as they walked into the Forbidden City, through the Gate of Supreme Harmony, to the left through the Tower of Enhanced Righteousness, and finally through a pair of open doors into the Hall of Military Might. They were shown into a prepared meeting room with a desk and chair on a dais and Daji bowed formally. On each side in front of the desk were chairs for everyone.

"The chair is yours General," She spoke. "I have prepared a complete listing and report of all current activities of the surviving Party Ministers and Officers of the Military as well as all agents and assets remaining to the Hidden Ministry. This includes the actions that transpired this morning in Hong Kong."

Zu stared at the chair and desk for the longest time before stepping forward. True, he chose this path, but the actions that led to this moment were not of his choosing. It was yet another step forward for his claim to the throne, and there was no turning back.

He sat down and started reading.

It was a butcher's bill.

Zu tossed the papers down on the desk in disgust, a part of him horrified at what had transpired, but another part understood it all too well. Even Chi did not appear to be comfortable over the battle in Hong Kong, but it was something he had experience with from years past.

"How did this happen?"

He turned on the two women sitting in the office, one of them very not human, and the other one a in a modest Hanfu and armed with a Dao.

"The…esteemed…Admiral Li saw himself as a claimant that would restore the Party to rule of China, and had received information from the Minister of Culture here in Beijing who possibly received information from Xiao Chaogui, the leader of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and holder of the First Treasure. You have claimed the Second Treasure in play to show your candidacy. I hold the Third Treasure as Arbiter. Ying here embodies the Hidden Fourth Treasure. Now Lady Green Snake on Taiwan possesses the Fifth."

"And that does not explain what happened in Hong Kong, or what happened here in Beijing for that matter."

"The Imperial Fleet in Hong Kong were under orders to make sure that the Republicans get the Coins from Hong Kong Island. If Abyssals showed up they would have engaged them as easily as they had the PLAN. The fact that Li moved all his assets to Hong Kong indicated that the good Minister was making his play. The attack here in Beijing was to force me into the open and to chastise Minister Cai for his bringing Admiral Li into contention."

"And why bring the rebels into this?" Chi asked.

Daji raised an eyebrow. "Apart from the fact that Taiwan has one of the largest shipgirl fleets in Asia outside of the Americans and Japanese? Blood Week demonstrated that we shall need this naval strength to cover our coasts until the Abyssals are defeated and perhaps afterward so we match Japan, England, and America. And you are far too canny to keep buying into the Taiwanese being rebels Chi. The PLAN shipgirls never ventured far from the coast and the only operation they participated in was in the Senkaku/Daioyu Islands assault, and that was a…less than stellar debut of the reborn PLAN. Not to mention they were more concerned with maintaining the internal order of the Party than acting in the interests of others. The Imperial spirits that responded did so as they knew the Mandate was in transition. If it is called for they will lay down their lives for the Mandate."

"Hmpf," Chi snorted. The Senkaku/Daioyu Operation was a joint mission between Japan, Taiwan, and China to eliminate the threat of an Abyssal Princess who had fortified the islands and was turning it into a major base when the Japanese and Taiwanese Shipgirls launched their assault. Then the PLAN shipgirls showed up near the end of the battle, then demanded the islands be turned over to China. That Kongou did not add four more DDs to her tally surprised the old General.

"China must be unified," Daji replied. "All of it."

"And right now we are at the start of another Civil War," Zu shook his head.

"You knew this was going to happen," Daji stated. "Beijing's theater is fractured, but they are under your control. The Eastern theater is contested, and the South is firmly in Xiao's camp."

"I would have preferred a path that did not involve killing my way to the top."

"China does not need a deathless immortal sorcerer as Emperor," Daji sighed. "To this day I don't know if Qin Shi Huang was a fool or a genius for cursing him in such a fashion. A magical cannot sit on the throne. Too many times in the past have such people ruled, and on the rare occasion it worked well, but humans fear what they do not understand. And what humans fear, they destroy."

She closed her eyes.

"The road to the Throne has always been paved in blood, and I have witnessed the rise and fall of countless Dynasties. This will be no different. Do not let those outside of China dictate your path or your choices." Daji finally said in the quiet voice of a teacher to her pupils.

"You could take the throne just as easily as I can," Zu admitted.

"Yes, I could," Daji admitted, opening her fox-pupiled eyes. "But none would recognize the Middle Kingdom or respect us."

For a brief moment, all saw the weight of history that she bore.

"My name is one drenched in blood, some in truth, some in lies. I have been known by many names throughout history. I have traveled the world and walked with murderers and holy men. I have fragmented my soul to achieve my goals and have paid the price for a thousand years. For good or ill a human must be the Emperor, with all that it entails."

"And what do you have to do with this?" Zu turned to Ying.

"Nothing," Ying replied. "I am here on behalf of myself, and no other."

"And your role in this?"

Ying drew her true body and placed her Dao upon her palms for examination. The characters written during her consecration by her mother and Guānyǔ with the Writing Set blazed on her steel, on her very soul.

"I am a sworn servant of Guānyǔ, and the firstborn child of the Guardian of the Writing Set. It will be through me that the claimant I support shall gain access to my family's Treasure to petition for the Mandate of Heaven." Ying spoke formally and precisely. As she did, Mei Ying felt the long unbroken line of the Mei Family speak through her as they had done so many times to so many Emperors as long as there had been a China.

Chi leaned forward. "An Oath-sworn. I have heard of them, particularly amongst the Jianghu, but never met one."

"Speaking of the Masters," Daji tapped her arm rest. "They will need to do their part when the time comes. There are a few of the Southern Clans that have thrown in with the Taipingists, particularly the Elementalists and the most fanatical Taoists."

"There is one thing you mentioned," Chi took a deep breath. "Lady Green Snake. I take it part of that legend is true?"

"All legends have a kernel of truth General Chi," Daji replied. "Lady Green Snake controls Taiwan's magical community and can influence their government. However, her true goals have always been to be reunited with her sister."

"And you know where she is," Ying sighed. "I think you do this on purpose."

"Lady White Snake resides in the North, amongst the Jianghu of Harbin. Out of respect for her privacy I have not looked into her reasoning for remaining among the Northern Clans."

Zu did not have to be a sorcerer to tell Ying wasn't convinced in the least.

"And what does the Hidden Ministry have to do in all of this?"

"The Hidden Ministry, as you have read, was formed from the remains of the Court of Enlightened Mandarins at the end of the Qing Dynasty at the behest of Sun Yat-sen after the Xinhai Revolution. It has remained intact since that period, with Mao only making changes to the organization to fully hide China's magical past and unwittingly copied the magical government of the United States in its strict separation of the magical and mundane worlds. For the most part this was rather successful in that too many forgot the old ways and the old tales. This was also the time when Mao feared that both the exiled Republicans and the Japanese would take advantage of China's weaknesses and he ordered the creation of the Barrier."

"The Barrier?"

"The barrier was put in place on the orders of Mao," Daji pointed to the map. "The borders, as you can see, were mainly placed along the eastern borders facing Japan and Taiwan as they feared an invasion from Japan, Taiwan, or the United States. The Western, Northern, and Southern borders had similar barriers in place, but were not reinforced as much as the east. Tibet was newly conquered at the time but it was not included in the barrier as Tibet's magicals were still fighting a shadow war with the peasant sorcerers under the command of Mao.

"That, however, was only part of what the Maoists did." Daji explained. "Mao ordered them to find a way to…ensure the loyalty of the people to the Party. The barrier keeps the people contained, while another set of spells would be used to erase dissension amongst the people."

"I had heard…rumors of this," Chi spoke. "The time after the Civil War was both a joyous and terrifying time. Mao had won, but there were many enemies that remained, and the Soviets were of little help."

"I am curious as to how you know so much of the Party's secrets Madam Daji," Zu replied.

"I can read," Daji leveled Zu with a look. "Especially what is not written. Despite the Maoist's paranoia, the Hidden Ministry kept extremely accurate records of what they had been commanded to do. The Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution were attempts to enact and anchor their spells of obedience. They were in many ways, attempting a mass Imperius Curse."

Ying's breath caught in her throat. Such an act would have turned the entire ICW against China.

"There's more to this, is there not?" Zu rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"The spell was designed to affect all Chinese, no matter where they were in the world," Daji folded her hands into her robe. "It was quite ambitious, and something that even the greatest sorcerers of the Ancient World would never have attempted but the Maoists were true believers in their narrow vision of the future. Where wisdom balked, fanaticism found a path forward to attempt such an enchantment. As usual, the ones in charge overpromised, and underdelivered when Mao attempted to activate the spell in 1976. Those responsible however…"

"The Gang of Four," Chi grunted. "That was the true reason, was it not?"

Daji nodded. "Indeed."

"Is this spell still in place?" Zu asked.

"Parts of it," Daji's tails fluttered. "Now imagine that spell under the control of an undead sorcerer, and I am not talking about that nose-less incompetent in the West." Daji snorted. "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named indeed!"

"Who?"

"A sorcerer of the West, very similar to our dear friend Xiao Chaogui, but with less ambition and power."

"Explain," Zu leaned forward, his hands folded in front of his face.

"The other claimant for the throne is a Fleshless Sorcerer who was cursed by the first Qin Emperor. His name has been lost to history, but his current disguise is that of Xiao Chaogui, leader of the resurgent Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. He is served by many followers among the most fanatical Taoists and Jianghu that reside in the Southern Kingdom. However, his most powerful servants are known as the Three Storms, the Elementalists of great power that Ying and I fought as you saw. By now he has suborned the entirety of the Southern Military Command and will seek to add the Eastern Military Command to his sphere of influence."

Daji tapped her fingernail against the wood.

"What happens next is up to you General. I am but the arbiter of the Mandate."



Temple of Heaven, Nanjing

Bones rattled.

Xiao Chaogui leaned forward on his throne, his eyes emitting an unholy light as some of his most disposable followers watched.

And died.

All around him was failure.

The fool Cai failed.

The idiot Li met his end on a fool's quest.

And his storms.

HIS storms.

Their failure was most taxing, but it revealed that the Writing Set was in play as well.

His mouth opened to draw in the souls that lingered, the light bathing the chamber in a gentle glow that belied its sinister purpose. He was taking more and more souls lately, as the power of the Treasure he possessed waned as the other Treasures exerted their own power and influence.

But yet he was not without power and resources of his own.

With the newly gained souls he stepped to the ritual altar that was assembled facing the northwest. He picked up a simple piece of terracotta. The first stage of the ritual was the gathering of the souls. Next he raised a pair of fingers to his lips and began uttering his spell. It was a complete inversion of all Taoist and Buddhist thought and prayers, a summoning using the blackest of magic.

The piece of terracotta steamed.

Far to the west-northwest in Xi'an, the earth trembled.

He released the terracotta and it floated in the air, a foul, pungent odor permeated the air as the fragment began turning black. Ichor dripped and hissed as it hit the floor.

He turned to another altar and picked up the piece of bone. Again he raised his fingers to his lips and uttered the spell. Across the various mountain ranges the earth trembled. The bone vibrated, as if fighting him. An unholy word passed his lips.

And in the distance he could hear the Dragons raging.

The third altar had little but a fragment of cloth and scroll. With the fragment he executed the last spell. The spirits trapped in the Barrier were many, but they were only a fragment of what existed in the shadows of the Middle Kingdom.

He called them forth to roam the earth once again.

Exhausted both mentally and magically, he retired to collapse on his throne. Things were accelerating, perhaps more than he had planned for, but it was nothing he could not adapt to. He could feel the Celestial Court watching. But he knew they would not violate the strictures that kept the peace among the Celestial Realms. The other deities would not allow it.

Things that remained hidden began to emerge from the darkness, and he felt that a trip to the underworld will need to be done to take the Blood of the Earth for further rituals and bindings. It would not take long for the peasants to see what was coming, and the chosen of the Fox will see that he was not to be taken lightly.

This war will be one not seen since the time of the Qin. But while martial valor will play out, spiritual valor will have its place as well on the field. There will be no neutral sides in this. He knew that he needed to even the odds, even if it drew the ire of the ones above. If this puppet of the fox based his strength in the spirit-blind mundanes then he would have to raise even greater magical power to counteract that force.

Xiao rested for a moment to regain his spiritual strength. Summoning and binding was always a drain on his magical reserves, even using foci and talismans. He had one last thing to do before taking his Storms to task.

"My lord, the Generals are awaiting you," one of the peasants spoke timidly from the doorway.

"Thank you my child," he feigned gratitude. Give them crumbs and they will follow you around like a lost dog.

He rose and gathered his power once again. The Generals from the Southern Command and parts of the Eastern Command stood waiting nervously, muttering to each other as he grandly swept into the room.

"Ah, I am pleased to see you all my friends. I hope these unsettling times are not discouraging you all from acting in the manner that benefits our great nation."

"The witch in Beijing has gone too far in helping the traitors in Taipei," their leader spat.

"Indeed!" Xiao clasped his hands together. "Now my friends, did you bring me what I asked?"

They looked to each other.

"We have," the leader spoke. "This will ensure the loyalty of our troops?"

"Of course!" He boomed. He accepted the bundle from the leader and peeked inside.

It was full of human hair.

Not exactly the best of foci to use for a spell, but it was from fresh. He held the pouch up and uttered his spell as the Generals looked on. He suddenly pointed the group.

"TINGCÓNG!"

They stiffened as the obedience spell crushed their wills. First the commanders, then the troops. He drew a weave of power, pulling the millions of hairs out of the pouch and setting them into the air in a ritualistic pattern. The pattern complete, he set his will against it, muttering the spells that crushed wills and instilled complete obedience. He was not a fool, and knew this spell was only a fragment of what it could truly be. The Maoists were onto something. Something unique.

Something he could exploit.

Yet he had to take care, for such a spell was very taxing, even with the Seal, and could easily kill the caster just to power it or leave their golden core shattered. Such was the fate of many of the Maoists when they tried it the first time and failed miserably.

"Your orders," He commanded the enthralled officers. "Find the Fox Cults and Shrines. Destroy them."



USN-JMSDF Joint Kanmusu Base, Sasebo

Cmdr. New Jersey leaned against the wall of the Operations Center as she watched the Drone feeds with one eye while the various talking heads were flapping their gums on another feed. The initial shock of battle had worn off, with the news crew evacuating the area as thick columns of black smoke rose from the battlefield. True she never liked the Commies, but she respected their sacrifice during Blood Week. The actual reports of the returned PLAN shipgirls operations were surprisingly sparse, with only one operation in the South China sea which ended in a win for the Allies, but proved that there were indeed strained relations with Taiwan and Japan as the instant the Abyssals were sunk the three sides entered into an extended shouting match of insults, demands, and recrimination. There was no love lost between the three sides, and the PLAN shipgirls rarely ventured beyond their territorial waters afterward.

"Admiral, we have a report coming in from Goya just east of Hainan Island. She spotted an Abyssal…coming out of Zhan Jiang."

"Just one?" Richardson frowned.

"Yes sir. She has a floatplane in the air and spotted the smoke."

"Does she have a visual?"

"The Abyssal is a light cruiser, Arethusa class, making a beeline for Hainan Island."

"A light cruiser?" Jersey blinked. "The commies had a light cruiser?"

One of the intel officers flipped through a book. "Yes ma'am. Started out as the HMS Aurora, pennant number 12. Entered service with the ROCN in 1948, crew defected to the PRC in 1949 and sunk in harbor by the Nationalists."

"Goya reports she's giving sounds like a Demon or Princess," one of the techs reported.

"Is there anyone on Hainan?"

"Unknown sir," The intel officer replied. "The PRC has been very tight lipped about their population numbers and locations since the war began."

"If she gets dug in we could have another Paracel situation on our hands," Jersey commented.

"Pass the intel to our ROCN liaison. Hainan is in their back yard," Richardson took a mug of coffee from a yeoman. "And let Goto know as well."




A/N- Thanks to Yellowhammer and Harry Leferts for corrections and suggestions

 

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

Roelof_V said:well. he's whipped
Funny you should say that....

A.N. -- And here's the last of this miniarc. Enjoy!

A Reward For Heroism (III)

Malfoy Townhouse, London

August 16th, 2014

"BRANDY, n. A cordial composed on one part thunder-and-lightning, one part remorse, two parts bloody murder, one part death-hell-and-the-grave and four parts clarified Satan." -- Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary
Spoiler: A Matter For Celebration

In a explosion of green flames from the fireplace, Lucius Malfoy appeared in the entrance hall of his townhouse. Lucius nodded sharply to his valet while Narcissa appeared behind him. "Goyle! I shall be expecting Arthur Weasley momentarily, when he arrives, bring him directly to my study."

"Of course, sir." Goyle said obsequiously before departing.

Lucius then cast a privacy ward and then smiled at Narcissa. "I'll see you after you talk to your niece then?"

Narcissa kissed him and then adjusted her dress slightly with the help of a nearby mirror. "I need to speak to Nymphadora. She may know if the Aurors have gotten a whiff of trade in the potion ingredients Cousin du Chasteler and Ehren mentioned. Plus any reports of unusual activity, of course. I'll pop back here after I do." She said with her eyes sparkling and eagerness in her voice.

Lucius nodded back. "Good, good. Best to keep this quiet until we get more information. Keeping it inside the family -- and those who will be family soon enough -- is a wise policy. People who don't know the extent of your plans can't reveal them."

Narcissa smirked. "You're in a good mood, Lucius, You really think our son and the du Chasteler girl will wed?"

Lucius leaned on his cane and grinned happily. "I view it as probable with her mother on board. It's cute how they ducked out during her visit to the manor to have a private conversation, and think that we didn't notice." Narcissa gave a matching grin, then the Malfoy patriarch continued in a more serious voice as she began an analysis of the match. "As for Ehren, as I have told you before, she's a very good match for him. For the members of our faction, we just play up the Malfoy link to the du Chastelers and hint that she's pure-blood, certainly her mother can be spun as a witch and her father is now dead so a spot of record changing after a few bribes and then... well."

He chuckled happily before continuing. "As for the more serious future plans, she brings a lot of valuable family ties with the pro-Muggle de Breuils as a nice bonus, as well as her mother's ties to the European Muggles in business and elsewhere. France plans to honor both her mother and her for dealing with Verdun too. The Order of Nostradamus will look good in our family when the Statute falls, plus whatever the Muggles hang on our cousins for being suicidally brave over and over again. Most importantly, Ehren's got guts and knows how to keep her mouth shut." He finished the analysis as Narcissa used her wand to make a tally in the air of a point being scored.

Narcissa smiled and responded in a thoughtful voice, "She's utterly loyal to her word, so her marriage vows with Draco...?"

"Exactly. She's a Malfoy through and through, both loyal to her family and her honor. She won't let Draco wander too far off the straight and narrow when he takes over. If our family's threatened, she is the third most deadly female I have known behind only you and then her mother. Although the de Breuils are formidable too by all accounts." Lucius said with a smug grin.

"Flatterer. Now off with you before Arthur Weasley arrives." Narcissa said with a shooing motion before grabbing the Floo Powder.
------------------

Lucius hummed happily as he reached his study. After a thoughtful pause, his grin widened, and he pulled out one of the bottles of the Sarajishvili 1896 Cognac that Colombe had gifted him and two snifters. He had been waiting for the perfect occasion to uncork this vintage, and the time was at last at hand,

After all, he spoke to himself as he pulled out of his pocket a gold bar that he had borrowed from Niobe to use to persuade Arthur Weasley of the importance of acting on his behalf, if you can't drink to your son's romantic prospects advancing and a few million dollars and thousand Galleons falling into your lap, what can you truly drink to? He laughed and poured himself a snifter full of Russian brandy, admiring the light sparkling through the caramel-colored liquor and breathing the aroma of vanilla, oak, and cinnamon before taking an appreciative sip.

The liquor lit a comfortable fire in his belly and he laughed again as he finished the snifter. Perhaps drinking this bottle was wasteful, but no less wasteful than Colombe sharing that bottle of priceless Armagnac with him as they schemed how to enrich their families and bind their children closer together to the mutual benefit of both. He decided on a refill, and matched actions to thoughts, humming to himself as the liquor splashed merrily in the cut crystal of his favorite snifter.

His hand warmed the liquor nicely, allowing it to emit its intoxicating aroma and a flick of his wand caused a box of Cuban cigars and cutter to float to hover beside him. Narcissa would fuss about the smell of smoke, of course, but he could justify it as celebration over the de Breuil woman's pregnancy resulting in Cousin du Chasteler being an aunt, he decided decisively as he took another sip of the liquor and then cut and lit a cigar. Narcissa was going to go gaga over the addition to the family anyway, so a man was entitled to his pleasures.
------------------

When Arthur Weasley arrived a half-hour later, Lucius was quite mellow and the bottle was empty. Lucius waved genially with the hand holding a half-smoked cigar as he sipped the last of the brandy in a padded chair by the fireplace, "Arthur! Come in, come in! Make yourself at home!" Lucius declared in a jolly and mellow voice.

Arthur stared in disbelief, then walked in a daze to the offered stuffed armchair as Lucius squinted at the emptied bottle. "Bother, that won't do! Goyle, my good man! Bring up the other bottle of Sarajishvili from the cellar now. Chop-chop!" Lucius commanded in that jolly voice.

Arthur sat down gingerly as the valet departed, then rotated the empty bottle to read the Russian label. His eyebrows climbed as he read the date of 1896 on it, then he spoke hesitantly. "Ahh... good day Lucius. Your note said that you needed to see me immediately about a matter of urgency?" His tone of voice suggested either a man finding a ticking bomb, or wondering who slipped the drugs into his afternoon tea.

Lucius nodded drunkenly. "Capital day, Arthur! Capital!" He declared grandly.

Arthur nodded along for lack of anything better to do. "Yes, quite. Your business, Lucius?" He spoke hesitantly, which caused Lucius to light up like a Christmas tree.

"My cousin Colombe, marvelous woman that, called me in on a matter of some importance. She had a run-in with her ex in Africa, beastly business, simply beastly, and came into possession of a large pile of gold that he stole from... somewhere. Bloody Nazis, as bad as Gaunts they are, almost as much a magpie as a Potter. Anyway, she needs a way to turn it in to be properly assayed for a reward, there's a brick of it over there on my desk so you know I'm not trying to knacker you." Lucius exclaimed in that happy jolly voice.

Arthur stood, walked over and retrieved the gold bar, whistling at the weight, then frowning at the eagle and swastika. "Bloody Hell, Lucius. I'll talk to the person I went through at the Mint to get in touch with you; you said there's more?" He sat back down absently with a dazed expression on his face.

Lucius nodded with a broad grin as Goyle appeared with the requested bottle of brandy. "Niobe packed it up in her hold, tons and tons worth. She's going to marry my boy, saw her trying to suck his tonsils out when I went down to the ballroom to speak to him. Draco's getting married to some fine girls, so come on and share a drink with me, Arthur!"

Arthur, finally realizing that the cause of Lucius's unexpected good mood and even more unexpected intoxication was that the little git of his son was getting married allowed a snifter of Russian brandy to be poured for him. "I'll have that drink, Lucius. I can toast your son's happiness if nothing else." Arthur said diplomatically.

"Capital old chap, capital!" Lucius took a large swig of the now-refreshed brandy. "Nothing else today, Goyle! Be a good chap and buy a little something for the missus!" Lucius fished in his pockets, came out with a handful of Galleons, and handed them to the shocked valet. "Arthur can keep me company!"

Arthur desperately wanted to be anywhere but keeping this strange version of Lucius Malfoy company. "Um, so, Lucius. Your cousin married a Nazi?" He said after casting about to find a semi-safe subject and taking a very small sip of his (admittedly excellent) brandy.

"Oh yes, has a daughter with him too. Sweet girl, and she's head over heels for my Draco. Say Arthur, this whole feud thing between our families is stupid, you know. Perhaps it's time to bury the hatchetman, patch up those...wound thingies, formalalize a peace treaty." Lucius's waving arm left a trail of cigar ash on his Turkish carpet as he gestured to punctuate his slurred speech, "You have some strapping young boys and my Nimi's single, perhaps I should see if she has a thing for redheads and is amenable."

Lucius paused to drain his brandy snifter and take a long puff on his cigar. "Oops, I said that out loud didn't I? This is some good brandy, you know, Arthur. Another drink?" He blinked owlishly at the pale-faced Arthur. "Put some color in you, man, so chest up!"

Arthur looked at his barely touched snifter like it had grown fangs and a rattle and spoke firmly. "No thank you, Lucius, I have plenty. Your cousin and the Nazis?"

"They're up to something," Lucius said in a drunkenly serious voice. "But we have their gold. Nazis, Nazis, how'd that tune I heard as a boy go?" He began to hum Colonel Bogey as Arthur just shook his head in disbelief.
-------------------------

Narcissa was greeted by the sound of loud male singing upon arrival.

Very VERY bad singing.
Spoiler: Drunk Lucius Singing

"Hitler has only got one ball~~!"

She marched toward the study as the off-key serenade continued.

"Göring has two but very small~!"

She threw the door open to see Lucius, his face flushed, standing and swaying with a cigar while sloshing liquor on the now-dirtied rug as he sang enthusiastically.

"Himmler is rather sim'lar~! But poor old Goebbels has no balls at all~! C'mon Albert, sing along with me!"

Arthur Weasley looked at Narcissa Malfoy with an expression reserved for prisoners getting a visit from the hangman. Then Lucius' next words caused him to turn white as a sheet.

"Wifey! Great timing!" Lucius hiccuped and stage whispered with a leer. "Where's your Naughty Nurse outfit because Doctor Love is in the house~~!"

Narcissa looked at Arthur Weasley who started to hastily sidle toward the door. She spoke in an icy voice. "Lucius's business is concluded. I'll handle matters now. I suggest you go home."

Arthur fled for his life, pursued by a potent incantation of power, dread, and terror when spoken in earshot of any husband or son.

"LU-CIUS AB-REX-US MAL-FOY!!!"

The Burrow

Molly turned as Arthur Weasley entered the house with a shell-shocked look. "Bad day, dear?"

Arthur responded absently, "Surreal." He walked over and kissed his wife, who frowned slightly at the smell of brandy and cigar smoke on his coat.

"What happened?" Molly asked with concern.

"Lucius Malfoy happened." Arthur said, still in that absent mood. He paused, then continued, "If I ever express interest in five star antique Russian brandies, be a dear and knock some sense into me until I relent from that madness."

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Breathing deeply, and steadily, the shipgirl was utterly still for a few moments. That was, until she suddenly blurred into motion. Again and again, her Bokken lashed out into various kata and movements as she fought with imaginary opponents. Eventually, she slowed and stilled once more, this time breathing even deeper.

There was a sheen of sweat across her skin made Ayase's clothes stick to her, but just the same she had a grin of joy on her face. Part of it was from the light burn she could feel in her muscles from her exercises. No matter how many times she had felt it, it felt good to her. Because that feeling meant that she was alive and that she existed in this world.

Her thoughts went to why she existed and, once more, felt a rush of gratitude which caused her cheeks to flush from more than exertion.

Quickly shaking off such thoughts, Ayase went back to her stance and continued with her exercises in the early morning sunlight. Flowing from stance to stance, move to move, she felt herself settle a little into an almost meditative state. And that was also as she started to grin even more at the feeling of accomplishment she was feeling. With each day, she got better and better at the sword. As well, the closer she got to her goals.

Because one day... one day, she would become good enough that Tenryuu would clear her to use a sword in combat or even to walk around with it. The Light Cruiser being the one that would test anyone wanting to use a sword or any other weapon out on the water. And Tenryuu was extremely strict when it came to such things. Not only did you have to be a certain level in ability, but you also needed to have the right attitude.

According to the rumour mill, some Destroyer once decided that they were going to use a sword because it was awesome. Tenryuu had shown up and demanded to see them actually use it. Being as said shipgirl had never used a blade, it was not good... and led to the Light Cruiser literally grabbing said Destroyer by the scruff of the neck. Growling, she brought their face close to hers and told them that she was not about to let them head out with a sword and get someone killed, most likely themselves. Because while an item, such as a normal sword, held by a shipgirl would become durable enough to use, one had to know how to use it.

Not to mention, she apparently tore a strip off them for disrespecting the Way.

The Destroyer had mouthed back at her, asking what right she had to do so. After all, didn't she start using a sword because it was cool? And it is not like she was trained either in its use! Yet she was one of the most well known shipgirls with regards to using her blade, Waterline.

Of everything said person expected, it was not for Tenryuu to start laughing in their face before she grinned. While, yes, she used a sword because "It was fucking awesome", not once did she disrespect it. More, she actually learned how to perform at least the basics of how to use a sword before she actually did. The Light Cruiser had put blood, sweat, and tears into using it. So like hell she was about to let someone who didn't have a damn idea how to use a blade head out and do so. Because that sort of thing lead to bullshit like deciding that you would have Abyssal POWs line up and cut off heads to show off how awesome you were, and it was not going to happen on her watch.

Shortly after, a new rule went out for shipgirls. Not one of the funny "Rules" that happened because of shenanigans. No, this one was officially sanctioned from the very top, coming from not just Admiral Goto's desk, but the JMSDF Chief of Staff. Any shipgirl who wished to use a weapon first had to be cleared by either Kiso or Tenryuu if a sword, Tatsuta for polearms, or Ikazuchi and Inazuma in regards to anchors. There was no argument, it would be one of them who would decide, and any who did not follow such rules would see them punished harshly.

During one conversation, Ayase had asked Tenryuu about the Carrier shipgirl Aso, after all she heard that she had a sword. The Light Cruiser had a smile on her face and had chuckled at the question. According to her, Kiso had, quite literally, beaten it into Aso the basics as well as how to hold respect for one's blade. Not to mention, said Carrier had been told that if they ever heard of her drawing steel against an ally for anything less than self-defense, and it had to be one where she would get badly injured? Both Tenryuu and Kiso would be coming for her ass.

Thanks to having actually seen video of both Light Cruisers taking down a Battleship Princess together in close combat with their swords when ambushed, all the Sendai could do was pray that if Aso did so that it would be quick for her.

Add in tales and video of such things as Tenryuu taking down a Re-Class as well as fighting a "Light Cruiser War Demon", or Kiso cutting a Ta-Class in half while decapitating a Ru on the backswing? There was very good reasons why the two were considered the penultimate swordmasters in the JMSDF. Granted, both laughed it off claiming that they weren't masters, not by a longshot, but still. A number had a different opinion, especially the PR department if the postures and figurines of Tenryuu and Kiso posing with their swords said anything.

Jumping as she was brought out of her thoughts by a throat clearing, Ayase turned to find that the Light Cruiser she had been thinking about was standing behind her. For some odd reason, Tenryuu seemed rather amused with her, even as she bowed, "A-ah, Tenryuu-Sensei! I didn't know that you would be here!"

Only chuckling as she waved it off, Tenryuu grinned a little, "Don't sweat it, Kiddo. I've been here for a few minutes watching you practice." Ignoring the deep flush that spread across her fellow Light Cruiser's face, her next words made Ayase's eyes widen, "Good job on the form though. Taking your crew's experiences to help?"

Brightly smiling, the Sendai nodded, "Hai, Tenryuu-Sensei! Some of my crew... they know how to handle a sword and I have been learning from their experiences. Though a number were teens when they died and still learning..." Part of her realized how that sounded and flushed, "B-but I have been practicing hard at it as well! "

Amused, Tenryuu shook her head at that, "I can see that, Ayase-San. And I gotta say, I'm impressed with ya. Good form and attitude, what one needs with the Way." Then, she gave a small nod, "Won't be long before I clear ya to carry around a blade on patrol."

Eyes wide, Ayase bowed deeply, "Thank you, Tenryuu-Sensei."

Lips quirked a little, the eye patch wearing Cruiser shrugged, "It's the truth, you've been putting in the work." She then ran a hand over the sweaty shipgirl in front of her and cocked an eyebrow before jerking her thumb towards where the dorms were, "Anyways, you should probably go and hit the showers right quick."

Blinking, Ayase furrowed her eyebrows, "I... should?"

Now even more amused, Tenryuu chuckled some, "Well, considering the time..." She then leaned forward and grinned before tapping her wrist, "Because you are heading to the Kiddo's birthday party, right? Or at least Hibiki told me that you were invited to it."

It took a few moments, but the Sendai's eyes widened as she checked her internal clock, "GAH! I LOST TRACK OF THE TIME! I'M GOING TO BE LATE FOR HARRY-SAN'S BIRTHDAY!"

Unable to help herself, Tenryuu started laughing as she watched the girl rush around putting stuff back into her gym bag in a panic. Though she did note that Ayase carefully put away her bokken before zippering up said bag and storing it in her holds. Watching as the Sendai literally hauled stern as she ran full speed towards the dorms, Tenryuu shook her head, "Okay, that was hilarious." Scratching under her eyepatch, she hummed, "Should head home myself to get ready." For a moment, the Light Cruiser paused a little, 'Hmm... probably a bit too late to invite Lieutenant Matsuda to the party unfortunately...'

Elsewhere, on the base, Tatsuta felt her cheeks redden and looked around furitively as she had the odd feeling that her sister was doing something embarrassing for her involving a certain man.

Meanwhile, Ayase ran at full speed towards the Light Cruiser dorms. Skidding to a stop in front, she twisted before quickly making her way through the door. As she passed her sisters, both dressed for their jobs at the Edo themed maid café on the base, though she did give them a wave.

Waving back, Otonase shook her head as she turned to her sister, "So, what do you think happened, Minase-Nee? She forgot again?"

Only nodding, the other Sendai giggled a little, "Hai, she was likely so into sword practice that she lost track of time. You know that she does that at times." Then she gave a small shrug, "But she'll make it for the party."

That only got her a nod in return from her twin sister. At the same time, Ayase barreled into her room. Placing her hands on her knees, she panted a bit before nodding, "Made it... in time..."

After she caught her breath, Ayase stood up and walked to her dresser before pausing as she realized that there was a book poking out from her sheets of her futon. Eyes widening, she grabbed said book and looked at the cover and blushed heavily as it showed a Onna-Bugeisha cupping the cheek of a Daimiyo with the two looking at each other in lust. Said woman's clothing was also partially opened as well.

For several moments, the Sendai stared at the book as her blush deepened remembering reading it the night before. Said book about an Onna-Bugeisha who had pretended to be a male in order to serve as a retainer, and eventually Hatamoto. Until she was found out by said Lord, and it turned into a lustful, whirlwind and forbidden romance between the two. One that left Ayase blushing heavily the night before even as she read more of it under a flashlight secretly.

Looking around, she bit her lip before looking at the book. Quickly, though, Ayase reached behind the dresser and pulled out a small locked box before opening it. While somewhat expensive, to her mind, it had been more than worth it to buy the storage item with expanded insides. Furitively looking around, she placed it in said box... besides a rather good sized collection of similar books. Some were of female Samurai, some were Kunoichi, and there were even one or two western books telling of female Knights serving Kings and the like. All of them, however, had said relationships bloom into forbidden romance between the servant and their Lord.

With another look around, the Light Cruiser closed and locked said box before setting it back into place. Sighing, she shook her head a little, "Good, none of them would have seen it."

Unknown to her, unfortunately, every single one of her sisters had seen said books and knew, they just kept silent out of amusement.

Not knowing that, Ayase opened her dresser and grabbed the items in question before heading into the bathroom. A few moments later, she was standing under the water of the shower with a happy sigh as she cleansed herself of the sweat and grime that she had built up during her practice. While doing so, her thoughts drifted back to what Tenryuu had told her, about how soon she would be cleared to use a sword.

Her lips curling into a happy smile, she barely held back a squeal at the thought. Soon! Soon she, too, would be cleared to have a weapon. It was something that she was truly looking forward to. Though... first, she needed a sword, which made her frown a little. Unlike Tenryuu and a few others, she was not summoned with such a weapon. Nor could she rely on her crew for such, as none of them had blades as they had not been in the IJN or JMSDF before her summoning. Which meant that she needed to get such a weapon on her own, unless someone gifted her with such.

Almost unbidden, as she worked shampoo into her hair, her imagination brought up an image. In it, Harry was in a Kimono with his own blades sheathed at his side as she kneeled before him. Then, he had a smith walk forward and present her with a masterwork blade, telling that now it was time for her to serve with honour. Lips curling, he reached down and gently cupping her chin, having her look at him, though he was suddenly older, "And now... you can serve me as my Hatamoto..."

Due to her imagination, the Light Cruiser felt like her face was on fire. And also her neck and part of her upper body as well. Flushed, she brought up her hand and did the only thing that she could...

Which was to reach for the dial and turn off the hot water completely, leaving the shower freezing cold.

Jumping a bit at the temperature, Ayase shook her head before leaning forward and placing her hands against the shower wall as she took deep breaths as the cold water washed over her. After a few moments, she rubbed her hand against her face and muttered a little to herself. There was a part of her that did wonder when she had fallen for the young man whose birthday party she was going to.

Maybe... it was always sort of there? When she stood on the summoning pool, looking at the faces around it, she had held back a gasp as she noticed Harry, recognizing him from the void. While she couldn't really call it 'Conscious', she did have memories of a sort from then. She remembered the golden cords that extended from his chest to her and her sisters, as well as others. How they slowly... came to actually be. That they became more than some half-formed wraiths.

Then, there was the meeting with the Admiral afterwards where it was revealed that they existed because of him. That he had given of himself, somehow, so that they could walk among others. How he had somehow taken power from an evil man, purifiying it with himself and his soul, before using that to bring them life. Any person would have been thankful to him. And whom could blame her for feeling indebted to him? Because without him, she would not exist, nor would her sisters or others. Thus, upon finding out that his goal would be to become an Admiral, she internally swore that she would repay him by serving under him.

But then, from talks with her older sisters Naka and Jintsuu, she found out more about the young man. When finding out what happened to his biological parents, she had shed a tear for him. Then, she found out that he had faced the monster that did it, a deathless and evil sorcerer, at least twice since. How he had fought and killed a massive serpent equal to any uwabami to save a young girl he barely knew, nearly dying in the process. That he had fought, and slew, a insane Jorogumo who commanded a Gashadokuro alongside a Kitsune and a Mizuchi.

And then there were the more recent things as well. Such as how he had slain a hundred Dementors. Or, more recently, with what had happened in that dark bunker. She had been one of the shipgirls out on the bay at the time, ready to fight if needed even as she guarded the Battleships, Carriers, and Heavy Cruisers who would bombard the area if Harry and the others had failed.

Fail, he had not, even when faced with the resurrected pelt of Tamamo no Mae herself!

Each thing he did was something that, alone, would have seen the person to accomplish it raised into legend itself. To become a Hero that future generations would look to and honour. And yet, it was not just one incident, but multiple! Each time, he rose to the challenge and triumphed!

It must be said that despite the fact that she had issues believing he was involved, she was not surprised that he was victorous each time.

Yet, most recently, he had caught her interest still further with how he had taken up the blade. She had even watched him sometimes when catching sight of him practicing. His form was rough, very much so. But he went to it with the determination, the stubborness, that she had expected. Seeing that was when she started to realize that, maybe, what she felt ran deeper than just respect and thankfulness. While she had dreams before with her as his Hatamoto, they really kicked into gear then.

Reaching out, she turned off the water and stood there for a few moments before drying herself off and putting on her bathing suit. For a few moments, Ayase stood in front of the mirror in the main bedroom, just looking herself over. Like many shipgirls, she didn't have any unnecessary fat on her body and her skin was clean and clear. After all, crews always considered their ships the most beautiful, which apparently carried over. But in the Sendai's case, much to her joy, all the Kenjutsu practice had caused her to gain some lean muscles as well. Something that she was very pleased by and that her dark orange two piece showed off.

Her thoughts going back to what she had been thinking of in the shower, she gave a small sigh as she put her hair up into the usual topknot, "If only... Harry-Dono." A slightly sad smile on her face, Ayase nodded to herself as she threw on some jeans and a shirt, "I'll have to make due with just serving you best that I could as a modern Hatamoto and nothing more."

With that, she walked out of her quarters she shared with her sisters before jogging towards where she knew that the others invited to the party would be waiting.

 

[darthcourt10]

lt_agn02

-+-+-
Harry Leferts said:
During one conversation, Ayase had asked Tenryuu about the Carrier shipgirl Aso, after all she heard that she had a sword. The Light Cruiser had a smile on her face and had chuckled at the question. According to her, Kiso had, quite literally, beaten it into Aso the basics as well as how to hold respect for one's blade. Not to mention, said Carrier had been told that if they ever heard of her drawing steel against an ally for anything less than self-defense, and it had to be one where she would get badly injured? Both Tenryuu and Kiso would be coming for her ass.
-+-+-
*-*-*

Around the same time in Pearl Harbor...

Aso awoke with a start, the sweat glistening off her forehead. Slowly, she emerged from her bed and walked toward the sword stand that had appeared months ago. She reached for her katana Kyoufuu out of instinct and paused.

She emitted an audible gulp. Her hand retracted as she remembered all the stinging welts that Kiso gave her during every sparring session and the lectures she gave her.

All because she wanted to have a sword of her own but didn't show an ounce of respect to the sword itself.

"...Sorry, Kyoufuu. Not today," she whispered gently as she grabbed the bokken next to it. "I'll be training with Youfuu again. I...I still don't feel ready for you yet."

Bowing toward her sword, the carrier picked up her bokken, Youfuu (洋風), and walked out of the dorm. It was strange having this urge to practice in the middle of the night. But, if Sendai was willing, maybe she could indulge in some light sparring before heading back to sleep.

As she left, the omamori attached to the left-behind katana swung left and right like a pendulum despite the lack of a breeze. As it came to a stop, the charm spun on its cord until the words written on it faced the entryway.

"Success"

 

[darthcourt10]

Yellowhammer

A.N. -- Well since people finally figured out Ehren's future romance, I can post this future snip without spoiling that plot twist for Ehren...

Ehren-Tikki-Tavi

Malfoy Manor

Spring, 2027
Spoiler: A Bedtime Story

"Time to change into your pajamas, everyone!" The cool soprano command in German-accented English cut through the babble of the children who had taken over the family room to play after dinner.

"Aww, Mutti Ehren!" a chorus of plaintive children's voices sounded as blond heads turned to the slender wheat-blond woman wearing a black Chanel silk dress with pearls at ears and neck standing in the door giving them a cool look. "Can't we stay up a little longer?"

Ehren du Chasteler-Malfoy smiled happily inwardly behind her cool and reserved face at the normal efforts from her children to bend her iron will. "The longer you take getting ready, the longer before I give you a bedtime story, Meine geliebten Kinder! I have picked out a very special story from India that you will enjoy, after all." She responded in that cool soprano and winked one steel-blue eye.

Using her combat reflexes, she was able to dodge out of the way of the stampede of the older children toward their rooms. She then nodded to Cleopatra as her co-wife scooped Hélène-Morgraine up to help her get ready for bed as the gold-haired cherub toddled after her older brothers and sisters. Niobe and Johnston followed in "Mummy Cleo's" wake to help supervise the nightly operation and referee any squabbles.

That left her alone with Draco for the moment, so she stole a kiss from her husband before carefully removing his questing hand from her knee-length skirt. "Later, after the children are asleep." She gave him a smouldering look filled with love and desire before continuing. "I must get ready for this one."

Draco nodded with a smirk at the promise she had made. He then looked curiously when Ehren pulled out a pair of her hilt pins from a hidden pocket and placed them next to a leatherbound book from the library. "The Jungle Book?" he asked curiously.

"Ja, the older ones are old enough for some Kipling, and as for the youngsters, I have something special planned for them." Ehren's steel blue eyes sparkled as she handed her wand to one of the two additional avatars that she was manifesting and then walked to the center of the room, shuffling the chairs, sofas, piles of cushions and other items of childhood play around with a series of quick wandless spells.

"Now to set the scene," she said absently in stereo to herself. "Expecto Patronem!"

With a silver flash a six foot king cobra shimmered into being at the end of the wand that her second avatar was holding. It blurred, then a second, illusionary cobra Patronus flickered into being beside it. Then, the third Ehren present shifted into the form of a mongoose.

Draco grinned slyly in anticipation as he watched the snake Patronuses and mongoose form of his wife hide behind the vase next to the fireplace.

His grin widened as the original Ehren cast layers of illusions to turn the large wood-paneled room into the image of a tropical garden from India in the days of the British Raj.

He remembered one of his personal favorite stories as a boy and laughed as he realized her plan to enthrall their children. Such a subtle and deliciously clever mind, love! he thought as he remembered how she had nearly been Sorted into Slytherin. He nodded in respect to Ehren as her second avatar controlling the serpent that was her Patronus shimmered and vanished under a concealment charm. "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi then? I'll help with the birds and the family if you want." He said to her.

"Ja, Es ist Rikki-Tikki-Tavi. Danke, das wird sehr geschätzt, Bärli!" (Yes, It's Rikki-Tikki-Tavi. Thanks, that's much appreciated, Bärli!) Ehren said in a voice showing subtle strain as she sat in her favorite chair. Draco nodded and pulled out his wand to prepare to cast illusions to help her.

The thunder of distant running feet heralded the first wave of Junior Malfoys sprinting toward one of their favorite family 'before bedtime' traditions.
---------------

After the milk and cookies (vanilla, oatmeal, and chocolate chip) were distributed by the parents, the pajama-clad children got settled on their favorite resting spots.

Doctor DOOM pajamed four-and-a-half year old Bastian claimed Mother Niobe's lap to plot World Domination via Oatmeal Cookie. Hélène-Morgraine was cuddled in Mum Cleo's arms so she could nibble on a chocolate chip cookie as she waited for her second birthday next month. Meanwhile five-year old Julia Clarisse and Ernestine Electra cuddled on either side of Ma Johnston while their four year old sister Claire Cygne rested in the destroyer's lap. The cluster of seven-year olds (Johnston Junior, Maximilian Narcissus, Thutmose Anton, Markus Seti, and Taube Lupa) took occupancy of a pillow fortification.

Ehren looked at the sea of eager faces and smirked internally. Let the show commence!, she thought to herself smugly. She then nodded to Draco as he stood in the background to supply the images of Grandpa Lucius, Gramma Narcissa, and Daddy (as a boy) as the other players in this act and opened the book to the marked page.

Her strong, rich voice filled with love sounded through the attentive audience. "Tonight I have a story from India that was told to me as a girl your age by Oma Colombe who heard it from Rudyard Kipling when she met him over a century ago in India." It was a lie since she had actually first read this story at Moulbaix, but a white lie to make it more real for her beloved family. Ehren's lips curled in a smugly happy smile as she began to read.

"This is the story of the great war that Rikki-tikki-tavi fought single-handed, through the bath-rooms of the big bungalow in Segowlee cantonment. Darzee, the tailor-bird, helped him, and Chuchundra, the musk-rat, who never comes out into the middle of the floor, but always creeps round by the wall, gave him advice; but Rikki-tikki did the real fighting."

At a mental prompt, the part of her that had transformed into her mongoose animagus form suddenly scurried out into view 'from the bushes' and sat on her back legs to cock her head curiously at the enthralled children.

"He was a mongoose, rather like a little cat in his fur and his tail, but quite like a weasel in his head and habits. His eyes and the end of his restless nose were pink; he could scratch himself anywhere he pleased, with any leg, front or back, that he chose to use; he could fluff up his tail till it looked like a bottle-brush, and his war-cry, as he scuttled through the long grass, was: 'Rikk-tikk-tikki-tikki-tchk!'"

As Ehren read, she suddenly scratched her chin with a back leg, then groomed her neck with her forepaws. The children giggled in delight and amazement as she scurried around, fluffed up her tail and then chattered at them. "Rikk-tikk-tikki-tikki-tchk!" She suddenly darted into Taube's lap, looking at her curiously, then suddenly dashing to Thutmose and Markus to be petted and then squirmed free to 'investigate' the children.
---------------

Spoiler: Ehren-Tikki-Tavi Versus The Cobras

"'We are very miserable,' said Darzee. 'One of our babies fell out of the nest yesterday, and Nag ate him.'

'H'm!' said Rikki-tikki, 'that is very sad—but I am a stranger here. Who is Nag?'

Darzee and his wife only cowered down in the nest without answering, for from the thick grass at the foot of the bush there came a low hiss—a horrid cold sound that made Rikki-tikki jump back two clear feet. Then inch by inch out of the grass rose up the head and spread hood of Nag, the big black cobra, and he was five feet long from tongue to tail. When he had lifted one-third of himself clear of the ground, he stayed balancing to and fro exactly as a dandelion-tuft balances in the wind, and he looked at Rikki-tikki with the wicked snake's eyes that never change their expression, whatever the snake may be thinking of."

Shrieks of excitement, fear, and surprise rang through the room as suddenly a glowing silver King Cobra Patronus slithered out and raised its hood to confront Mongoose Ehren who leapt back in 'surprise' as her fur fluffed out.

"'Who is Nag?' said he. 'I am Nag. The great god Brahm put his mark upon all our people when the first cobra spread his hood to keep the sun off Brahm as he slept. Look, and be afraid!'

He spread out his hood more than ever, and Rikki-tikki saw the spectacle-mark on the back of it that looks exactly like the eye part of a hook-and-eye fastening. He was afraid for the minute; but it is impossible for a mongoose to stay frightened for any length of time, and though Rikki-tikki had never met a live cobra before, his mother had fed him on dead ones, and he knew that all a grown mongoose's business in life was to fight and eat snakes. Nag knew that too, and at the bottom of his cold heart he was afraid.

'Well,' said Rikki-tikki, and his tail began to fluff up again, 'marks or no marks, do you think it is right for you to eat fledglings out of a nest?'

Nag was thinking to himself, and watching the least little movement in the grass behind Rikki-tikki. He knew that mongooses in the garden meant death sooner or later for him and his family, but he wanted to get Rikki-tikki off his guard. So he dropped his head a little, and put it on one side.

'Let us talk,' he said. 'You eat eggs. Why should not I eat birds?'

'Behind you! Look behind you!' sang Darzee.

Rikki-tikki knew better than to waste time in staring. He jumped up in the air as high as he could go, and just under him whizzed by the head of Nagaina, Nag's wicked wife. She had crept up behind him as he was talking, to make an end of him; and he heard her savage hiss as the stroke missed. He came down almost across her back, and if he had been an old mongoose he would have known that then was the time to break her back with one bite; but he was afraid of the terrible lashing return-stroke of the cobra. He bit, indeed, but did not bite long enough, and he jumped clear of the whisking tail, leaving Nagaina torn and angry."
---------------

Ehren's cool happy smile widened as she continued to read, describing the action as Rikki-Tikki-Tavi fought the wicked cobras through the garden and the house. She secretly enjoyed being the center of attention, and every eye was turned to the show that she was putting on as Rikki managed to kill Nag and then faced his wife Nagaina with the life of the boy who had rescued him at stake. A boy, it should be noted, that looked remarkably like a young Draco Malfoy just like his parents looked like the grandparents watching the show from the door silently.

Ehren's voice grew strong and fierce as the final confrontation happened both in the book and in the illusionary story that she was bringing to life. The children were enthralled by what they were seeing and hearing and their mothers, father, and grandparents were all hushed with happy smiles as they shared this magical moment as a family.

"'Rikki-tikki, I led Nagaina toward the house, and she has gone into the verandah, and—oh, come quickly—she means killing!'

Rikki-tikki smashed two eggs, and tumbled backward down the melon-bed with the third egg in his mouth, and scuttled to the verandah as hard as he could put foot to the ground. Teddy and his mother and father were there at early breakfast; but Rikki-tikki saw that they were not eating anything. They sat stone-still, and their faces were white. Nagaina was coiled up on the matting by Teddy's chair, within easy striking distance of Teddy's bare leg, and she was swaying to and fro singing a song of triumph.

'Son of the big man that killed Nag,' she hissed, 'stay still. I am not ready yet. Wait a little. Keep very still, all you three. If you move I strike, and if you do not move I strike. Oh, foolish people, who killed my Nag!'

Teddy's eyes were fixed on his father, and all his father could do was to whisper, 'Sit still, Teddy. You mustn't move. Teddy, keep still.'

Then Rikki-tikki came up and cried: 'Turn round, Nagaina; turn and fight!'

'All in good time,' said she, without moving her eyes. 'I will settle my account with you presently. Look at your friends, Rikki-tikki. They are still and white; they are afraid. They dare not move, and if you come a step nearer I strike.'

'Look at your eggs,' said Rikki-tikki, 'in the melon-bed near the wall. Go and look, Nagaina.'

The big snake turned half round, and saw the egg on the verandah.
'Ah-h! Give it to me,' she said.

Rikki-tikki put his paws one on each side of the egg, and his eyes were blood-red. 'What price for a snake's egg? For a young cobra? For a young king-cobra? For the last—the very last of the brood? The ants are eating all the others down by the melon-bed.'

Nagaina spun clear round, forgetting everything for the sake of the one egg; and Rikki-tikki saw Teddy's father shoot out a big hand, catch Teddy by the shoulder, and drag him across the little table with the tea-cups, safe and out of reach of Nagaina.

'Tricked! Tricked! Tricked! Rikk-tck-tck!' chuckled Rikki-tikki. 'The boy is safe, and it was I—I—I that caught Nag by the hood last night in the bath-room.' Then he began to jump up and down, all four feet together, his head close to the floor. 'He threw me to and fro, but he could not shake me off. He was dead before the big man blew him in two. I did it. Rikki-tikki-tck-tck! Come then, Nagaina. Come and fight with me. You shall not be a widow long.'

Nagaina saw that she had lost her chance of killing Teddy, and the egg lay between Rikki-tikki's paws. 'Give me the egg, Rikki-tikki. Give me the last of my eggs, and I will go away and never come back,' she said, lowering her hood.

'Yes, you will go away, and you will never come back; for you will go to the rubbish-heap with Nag. Fight, widow! The big man has gone for his gun! Fight!'

Rikki-tikki was bounding all round Nagaina, keeping just out of reach of her stroke, his little eyes like hot coals. Nagaina gathered herself together, and flung out at him. Rikki-tikki jumped up and backward. Again and again and again she struck, and each time her head came with a whack on the matting of the verandah, and she gathered herself together like a watch-spring. Then Rikki-tikki danced in a circle to get behind her, and Nagaina spun round to keep her head to his head, so that the rustle of her tail on the matting sounded like dry leaves blown along by the wind."

Ehren matched actions to words as her mongoose body and her Patronus cobra struck and 'fought' in the climax of the story in a deadly ballet of fang and tooth, agility pitted against venom, intelligence against hunger.

The children watched intently, cheering every time that Ehren 'dodged' a killing stroke of the cobra's deadly fangs and gasping in shock as suddenly Nagaina grasped her egg and fled with Rikki-Tikki in pursuit to her hole underground.

"No! Don't go down there!" Taube gasped in shock, and then cried out to her Mutti's avatar as she followed Nagiana into the den.
---------------

"When Rikki got to the house, Teddy and Teddy's mother (she looked very white still, for she had been fainting) and Teddy's father came out and almost cried over him; and that night he ate all that was given him till he could eat no more, and went to bed on Teddy's shoulder, where Teddy's mother saw him when she came to look late at night.

'He saved our lives and Teddy's life,' she said to her husband. 'Just think, he saved all our lives.'

Rikki-tikki woke up with a jump, for all the mongooses are light sleepers.

'Oh, it's you,' said he. 'What are you bothering for? All the cobras are dead; and if they weren't, I'm here.'

Rikki-tikki had a right to be proud of himself; but he did not grow too proud, and he kept that garden as a mongoose should keep it, with tooth and jump and spring and bite, till never a cobra dared show its head inside the walls."

There was a general rush to pet the insufferably smug mongoose sitting before the audience of children as the story ended and Ehren closed the book with a thump as the living room began to return to normal.

While the illusions faded, Ehren took the opportunity to wipe sweat from her brow subtly. She then gave her family a happy triumphant smug smile before dismissing the avatar that had controlled the magical special effects such as her Patronus. She waved her hand to summon her wand so she could hide it again in her long sleeve as she stood from the chair.

Draco walked over and kissed Ehren on the lips lovingly, as they watched their delighted children clustered around 'Rikki-Tikki-Tavi'. The rest of their wives joined them and linked hands at the sight of the magic of childhood with loving smiles and glistening eyes.

Over the babble of the children talking about the wonderful story rose a 'request' from Julia, immediately echoed from her twin sister Ernestine followed by the rest of her siblings in chorus.

"Wanna mongoose!! Pleeeease?!"

Draco smirked and responded. "If you go to bed now and are good boys and girls for us, I'll write Santa to ask about maybe getting you a mongoose for Christmas..."

 

[darthcourt10]

MagisterAurelius

Ship of Fools Special - The Hangover

Malfoy Manor the morning after

A tremulous hand rose above the top of the low stone wall. Slapping around until it gained enough purchase to allow a second hand to grip the stone parapet, the fingers of the two hands clenched as if in agony as a head containing two bleary and blood-shot eyes rose to squint in pain at the rays of the morning sun.

Lucius began to moan, only to cut off midway, clutching his aching head and grimacing as his mouth felt full of dry cotton. He staggered to the french doors that opened onto the back porch. Frowning as the doors seemed to be locked and refused to open to him, he reached to find that he seemed to be missing his wand as well. He stopped to try to think, but another wave of hangover induced nausea washed over him, forcing him to empty his stomach into the shrubbery nearby. He heaved again, missing the french doors fly open and Narcissa walking out onto the porch.

"Oh good Lucius, I see you're up."

Lucius turned to see his wife make a few wand movements and suddenly he felt invisible hands pick him up and carry him through the house into the study. On the way, he did get a glance at where he had apparently slept after Narcissa had gotten home last night. For on the porch was a somewhat dingy cheap looking plywood doghouse with a name etched over the entrance. His name. He winced as he was plopped without ceremony onto the Turkish rug. His ears rang in pain as Narcissa raised her voice to project it throughout the house.

"Children, please come to your father's study." When Draco and Nimue arrived, Narcissa smiled at them and pointed at Lucius with her wand. "Today is a special lesson. Your father has decided to demonstrate the results of imbibing too much hard liquor."

Nimue chimed in. "So we get to laugh at Father for getting completely sloshed? I'm not sure, it depends on if he did anything. After all, I got to glimpse the hangover Step-Daddy had when he got dragged home from Montreal."

"What did Flynn do in Montreal, Nimi?" Draco asked, as there were still many questions in his mind about some of the stories that his tutor had hinted about.

"Well, he celebrated a successful job and ended up wrecking an entire floor of a five star hotel. He was found with two empty bottles of Cobra Chicken Whiskey, and in a state of public indecency and inebriation covered in Elmer's glue with three equally indecent and inebriated Sasquatch prostitutes." Nimue just shrugged at Narcissa's raised eyebrows and Draco's shocked expression. "Step-mom Esme was used to that sort of thing, so she just chained him up in the basement for I think it was two weeks that time."

At first Lucius just boggled at what Nimue had said, until he caught the flat unamused glare from his wife. "Well, Lucius certainly hadn't gotten to that level yet. But he was INDISCRETE in sharing details of marital relations in front of Arthur Weasley last night." Lucius' mind raced, trying to remember everything he might have said last night, until he recalled one detail. He suppressed an urge to visibly shiver, as that might let Narcissa know he had possibly hinted at the existence of Nimue in front of the elder Weasley, and more importantly what her reaction might entail.

Her next words brought him out of the internal reverie. "It does though, make up my mind. You see Lucius, I was inclined to give you a hangover enhancement potion I spent last night brewing. But I've changed my mind. Here's a normal hangover potion." She handed Lucius the potion, and in doing so, subtly waved her wand at her feet. Lucius failed to notice the slight wooden clonks her feet made as she stepped back and he downed the hangover potion. In a couple of minutes of grimacing he felt the fog of the hangover lift.

"Oh Merlin thank you my love..."

"Yes, you need to be punished and a hangover isn't enough."

"Narcissa, I-I don't understand..."

"Lucius, I can only think of one thing that will truly remind you to never get that drunk again. Dutch foot-wear."

Lucius paled as nearly all the blood drained from his face as he whispered, "No... please Narcissa! NO!"

"Yes, Lucius, it's the only way you'll learn." Narcissa lifted the hem of her dress to reveal a pair of wooden Dutch clogs.

Draco and Nimue's jaws dropped as Lucius Malfoy, their father, shrieked like a little girl, began to do a strange hopping dance that involved clapping his hands together pat-a-cake, chanting a series of nonsensical phrases and inflicting a double titty-twister on himself.

"AAAAHHHH! Hot potato, off his drawers, pluck to make amends. OWWWW.."

"Clogs!" Narcissa hissed again.

"AAAAHHHH! Hot potato, off his drawers, pluck to make amends. OWWWW.."

"Father? Do you really have to say that every time someone says that?"

Narcissa patted Nimue's arm. "It's a piece of leftover trauma from a trip your father took to Amsterdam, and where he somehow annoyed Lily Potter."

"Huh." Draco rubbed his chin in thought. "So just saying 'Clogs'.."

"AAAAHHHH! Hot potato, off his drawers, pluck to make amends. OWWWW.."

"..makes Father do that?"

Lucius recovered just enough to interject at this point. "Yes! Draco, Nimue, that's why you must never say that word around me. If you must mention those things, call them Dutch footwear or Netherlands shoes...."

"Just not clogs?"

"AAAAHHHH! Hot potato, off his drawers, pluck to make amends. OWWWW.."

Eventually, Narcissa and the children stopped saying that word. After dinner.

-0-0-

So I was doing a re-read and I ran into an early snip where Harry went over Lily's diaries and found out that Lucius got a paralytic phobia of clogs during Voldy's war and in Amsterdam. So over course I had to use that as Lucius' punishment for embarrassing Narcissa. And included a big of Blackadder as well.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

Standing beside the pier where the motor launch from Nagato waited, puffs of smoke coming from the smokestack as it waited, Harry had his hands in his pocket. Already, he had been onboard the pinnance and helped out with the checks much to the amusement of Nagato's crew that were on it. Upon hearing the familiar throaty growl of a motorcycle, Harry turned and waved as Jin pulled up with Asuka behind said undead dragon which was followed by Kiba's car which had Ai in the passenger seat, "Asuka-San!"

The teenage Tengu pulled off her helmet and got off the bike with a grin, "Harry-San!" Walking over, her grin widened, "Happy birthday!"

Lightly chuckling, Harry nodded back at her, "Thank you." Seeing her looking at the boat, he gave a small shrug, "It's one of Mum's boats, she had it brought out to take us to Sarushima.

Only nodding, Asuka continued to chat with Harry as the others slowly arrived, though she sighed at how Natsumi's younger sister was looking at her with a slight scowl for "Stealing her name". Granted, it made the Kitsune look cuter for it... and the scowl only lasted until Hoppou arrived, at which point her, her twin, and the young Abyssal were chattering like mad with Seiko sometimes speaking between times of being grumpy. Something that Harry could not help but smile at.

Natsumi, meanwhile, walked over to Harry and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "Happy birthday, Harry-Chan."

Eyes nearly glowing in happiness, Harry returned the gesture which made her smile as well, "Thank you, Natsumi-Chan."

Both of their attention as the car that was owned by Okita's older brother pulled up. The three teens getting out with smiles, or, in the case of Nobu, grins on their faces. Holding out her arms, Nobu gave a laugh, "Hello my friends, my friends hello! A wonderful day to have a birthday!"

Amused at her friend's antics, Okita went to the open trunk and pulled out a bag which had their gifts as well as an instrument case, "As she said, happy fourteenth birthday, Harry-Kun."

That got her a nod from Harry who was happy to see it. Looking at the case though, he raised an eyebrow, "Wait, is that Nobu-Chan's guitar?"

Grin on her face, said former Warlord nodded, "It is indeed, Harry-Kun!" Nobu made a motion with her fingers, "I'm ready to head to the beach and shred some tunes when it comes time."

Right then, it was when Okita's brother, Ryouma, got out of the car and leaned against it, "I'll admit, she can really play that thing." Walking over to the passenger side, he opened the door for his wife who stepped out, blinking slowly, "Thanks for inviting myself and Oryou-Chan along."

Small smile on her face, his wife bowed a little, "Hai... thank you, Harry-San." Reaching out, she took her husband's hand in hers, "We really appreciate it." Suddenly, Oryou blinked and turned towards where Jin had paused in talking with Ai and was now looking at her, "Hmm?"

Walking over, Jin came to a stop before Oryou and leaned forward to look at her. The two didn't look away from their staring contest as everyone watched in befuddlement and utter confusion. After a minute or two, Jin blinked and stood up scratching her head, "Huh... so that's where those parts went to, huh? Fucking Old Me would be so damn confused... granted, Old Me was a fucking moron too, so..." Giving a shrug, she held out a hand, "Nice to meet you, Oryou."

Just nodding her head a little, Oryou took the offered hand and shook it with a small smile, "And it is nice to meet you as well... Hisakawa-San. And thank you."

Confused, Ryouma looked between them, "Wait, how did you know her name... Oooo, so she's the one?" At the nod from his wife, he scratched at the slight stubble on his chin, "Huh. Nice to meet you as well, Jin-San."

Despite her friends asking questions, all Jin would say is that her past self was an idiot, though it worked out in this case much to their confusion. Not even Shiromizu was able to get much more out of her than that, which only caused more people to be befuddled. Though Taiyang had a thoughtful look on her face.

And speaking of said Dao, she bounced up and gave Harry a hug, which made Natsumi's eyebrow twitch a little, "Happy birthday, Harry-San! And thank you for inviting this Foxy Blade to your party~"

Muffled mumbles came from Harry as the two tailed Kitsune next to him grit her teeth some, 'Dammit! Stop that!' Almost as if she knew what her Master was saying, Taiyang smirked at her, 'Grrrrr!'

Thankfully for Natsumi's blood pressure, it was then that Shinano and Regina arrived, with the two kissing Harry on the cheek and wishing him a happy birthday after giving him a hug. And they were not the last shipgirls or Abyssals as, soon enough, the others going to the birthday party arrived as well.

Nearly as soon as Akimi's car came to a stop, Ume and Sakura got out and made their way over to Harry before hugging him, "Happy birthday, Harry-Chan. Welcome to fourteen."

Hugging them back, the teenage wizard laughed a little, "Thank you, Ume-Chan, Sakura-Chan. Doesn't feel much different from thirteen, but still nice." As he pulled back, Harry gave them a once over and chewed his lip, "You're okay, right? I mean, I heard some stuff happened..."

Just sharing a look with her sister, Sakura turned to him and smiled thinly, "There was a small issue regarding our family. But myself and Nee-San... handled it quite well."

Beside her, Ume nodded with her own thin smile, "We don't believe that it will be an issue again."

Relieved at that, Harry sighed and kissed them both on the cheek, "I'm glad to hear that." Shortly after, he noticed Ayase jogging up and he grinned, "Ayase-Chan!"

Lightly blushing, the Light Cruiser came to a stop, "Harry-D... San, a very happy birthday to you." She then bowed a little, "Thank you for inviting me."

Waving her off, Harry laughed a little, "I don't mind, besides... you're a friend." His expression softened a little, "A close one, so those are the best to invite."

Granted, he was confused as she became bright red. Looking away, she twiddled her fingers a little, "I, uh, thank you." Clearing her throat, Ayase took a deep breath before smiling, "Still, thank you for inviting me to this, Harry-San. I truly do appreciate it."

Harry gave a small shrug at that though he was a bit confused at her reactions, as well as the knowing looks that he saw Ume and Sakura giving her. Just shrugging that off, however, he gave her a smile back, "Like I said, it's better with friends." Pausing, he realized something, "Speaking of... is your birthday when you got summoned? Or have you chosen another?"

Blinking at the question, Ayase had to give it some thought before nodding, "Ah, I think that myself and my sisters have chosen our summoning... I mean, other than Sendai-Onee-Sama, Jintsuu-Nee-Sama, Naka-Onee-Chan, and Naka-Nee-Chan."

Part of her was confused as the teenage wizard nodded at that with an thoughtful look on his face.

A few minutes later, he heard a car pull up and turned to find that it was Haruna, with the Battleship parking it. Bright smile, he made his way over even as Rose got out of the passenger side and was opening the doors to the back, "Aunt Rose! Haruna-Oba!'

Turning, the teaset Tsukumogami smiled at him, "Master!" Enveloping him in a hug, she hummed, "A very happy fourteenth birthday to you, and may there be many more."

Smile on her own face, Haruna walked over and also hugged him, "As Rose-Chan said, Harry-Chan, Haruna hopes that you have a very good birthday party." Hearing gurgling sounds from the backseat, she giggled a little, "And I think that Sumire-Chan wishes you the same."

Lips twitching, Harry leaned over to see the infant looking at him and happily gurgling as she waved a stuffed fox, "Why thank you, Sumire! I think that I will be very happy as well."

If anything, that caused the baby to laugh and wiggle around even more.

Chuckling a little, Harry took a step back to allow for Rose to take her daughter from the baby seat. He did tilt his head a little though as he looked at the tsukumogami and then at the Battleship, "Are you sure that it's okay for her to come? I mean, I don't want her to overheat or anything." Turning to Rose, he frowned a little, "And didn't you catch some sort of stomach bug, Aunt Rose?"

On Rose's face, she had a soft smile, "It is nothing, Master. Just a bit of an upset stomach, though I am hoping that it clears up as it has been a week or so." A slight grimace on her face, she shook her head, "Perhaps I caught something at that resort Haruna and I went to when Kongou and the others watched over Sumire for a few days."

Placing a hand on her wife's shoulder, Haruna gently rubbed it through the light shirt she wore, "Haruna just hopes that Rose-Chan feels better soon." Then she smiled and looked at Harry, "But Haruna also thinks that some Sun will help Rose-Chan feel better sooner as well. And Haruna wants to thank Harry-Chan for worrying about Sumire-Chan, but we already planned for it." Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a sunhat and placed it on her daughter's head, as well as a pair of sunglasses, which made Sumire gurgle happily, "See?"

Unable to help himself, the teenage wizard coughed to hide his amusement, "I see, that should help out." Glancing towards Nagato, he noted that said Battleship was looking at the infant Tsukumogami with a blush on her face before taking a picture, 'Oh, Mum...'

Once the last guest had arrived, Nagato gave a small nod before gesturing to the launches, "Thank you all for coming to our celebration of Harry's fourteenth birthday. Please, board the launch and we'll head over to Sarushima." As her adoptive son got onto her launch, however, she cleared her throat, "Harry? You forgot something..."

Lost, the fourteen year old looked at her, "I did, Mum? What did I forget?"

Reaching into her clothes, Nagato pulled out a Captain's hat and placed it on his head. At his stunned look, she gave him a wink and saluted, "For today, my pinnace is yours to command, Captain Potter~"

Stunned, Harry reached up and pulled off the hat. For several moments, he just stared at it before looking back to the Battleship, who simply nodded which made him swallow, "Thank you, Mum..." He then snapped a salute to her, "I won't disappoint, Harry will do his best!" That only got Harry a nod from his adoptive mother. Stepping onto the launch first, he got salutes from the grinning spirits there, which he returned. Once the first group were onboard, he cleared his throat, "Very well... let us be off then."

Moments later, the pinnace pushed away from the dock and began to make its way to the island with Harry at the helm.

Unknown to him, Shinano, who was beside the boat as it made its way towards Sarushima, had a blush on her cheeks as she looked at him, 'Harry-Chan looks so much like a Captain...' A glance told her that Regina was also looking at him with just as much of a awed look, 'I think that Regina-Chan agrees with me too...'

As they got closer to the island, Nobu placed her hand to her brow to shield her eyes from the Sun. Blinking, she turned back to where Harry was in the small wheelhouse, "Hey, Harry-Kun!" Seeing that she had his attention, the reincarnated Warlord jerked her thumb towards the approaching island, "Is that Louisiana-San on the island?"

There was a slight grin on Harry's face as he nodded and walked up beside her, "Hai, that's her alright. She's been there since earlier this morning working on the barbecue."

Confused, Okita leaned against the gunwale, "Barbecue? But why would she be doing that? It only takes a few minutes on the grill."

If anything, her confusion deepened as the teenage wizard's grin widened, "That's a grill, Okita-Chan. What Louisiana is doing is southern style barbecue from the United States."

Somewhat interested, Uesugi raised an eyebrow at that, "There's a difference?"

Much to her surprise, it was not Harry who answered. Rather, it was Natsumi as she licked her lips some with a glazed look in her eye, "Hai... a big difference. The meat is so tender and juicy that it just falls off the bone. And the taste..."

Upon seeing her drool a little, the three reincarnates shared a look before shrugging, though Okita promised herself to try it.

It took several trips to get everyone back and forth, but they managed. And as the last group disembarked, Harry walked down the gangplank and smiled at his mother, "Thanks, Mum."

Giving him a hug which he returned full heartedly, Nagato smiled back, "You are very welcome."

After he pulled back, Harry watched as Nobu, clad in a red shirt, pumped her fist into the air with a grin, "Now, let's get changed and get this party started! Whoo hoo!"

That got her laughs from some and a facepalm from Okita... with said former Shinsengumi smacking her friend in the back of the head afterwards to even more laughter.

 

[darthcourt10]

Harry Leferts

As he pulled away from the hug with a smile on his face, Harry took in the group that was milling around on the beach. Ryuujou was chatting with Junyou and, as expected, the other Light Carrier already had a drink in her hands. Both shipgirls turned and gave Harry a small smile, however and walked over to him. Hands on her hips, Ryuujou looked around before speaking in her usual drawl, "Well, it seems like tha' is the last of them. Time ta put up the spells ta keep attention away." There was a glint in her eye as she grinned, "Want ta help, Harry-Chan?"

Before he could say anything though, there was a small burst of fire accompanied by a song that lifted everyone's spirits. From the dying flames came a red and gold bird that landed on a piece of driftwood. Unable to help himself, Harry stared and was about to say something when he paused. Puzzled, he frowned and leaned in a bit closer, "... Wait, this isn't Fawkes..."

Eyebrow raised, Nagato had a frown on her face as the phoenix was looking up at her, "No, it's not." Furrowing her own eyebrows, she blinked, 'Why is it that I can't help but think that it is a "Her" though...?'

Meanwhile, Junyou was also watching before gesturing with her bottle, "Well, whomever the pheonix is, they got packages and a letter."

Nearly as one, everyone blinked as they noted that, yes, said phoenix did, indeed, have said items under it. When Harry looked at Ryuujou, the Light Carrier nodded and walked up alongside Hoshi. Together, the two cast spell after spell onto the items, much to the apparent amusement of the phoenix. Once they were done, Ryuujou frowned a little, "Well, they're clear. Don't know who they're from however."

Walking up, Harry took the packages and letter from the mystical bird before looking at it, "Would you like to stay at least until it is time to open the gifts? That way I can send a thank you back to whomever sent it?" Getting a nod, he smiled a little, "Thank you..." Briefly, the wizard paused before giving the pheonix a look, "Is the one who sent these your partner?"

Confused, Uesugi scratched her head a little, "Don't you mean Master? Like with you and Hedwig?"

However, the wizard shook his head, "No, I mean partner." The next words seemed to amuse the firebird to no end, "According to Professor Dumbledore, you're not a Master over a phoenix, you're a partner... or it's pet."

That got him a warble of amusement from the bird even as various people shook their heads.

Junyou took another sip of her drink before grinning and clapping her hands, "Right! Let's get the spells set up so that people can go and get changed for the par-tay!"

Laughs answered her as both her and Ryuujou, with some help from Harry and Hoshi, set up spells to keep people from knowing exactly what was happening on the island. Once said spells were up, the Kyuubi nodded, "Okay, and we're done!"

Unsure, Fu-Chan looked up at Fubuki, who nodded with a smile, "You don't need to hide anymore, Fu-Chan. Go ahead and change."

Almost immediately, two fox ears popped out of said young Kitsune's hair followed by her tail appearing as she jumped in excitement, "Yay! Thanks, Fubuki-Kaa-San!"

More than one set of eyebrows raised in surprise at that, and raised even further when seeing Fubuki smile and gently pat Fu-Chan on the head along with the others calling her such. Giving a happy shout, Kongou gave her a thumbs up, "Alright, Buki-Chan! Kongou-ulations on accepting being a Kaa-San!"

Lightly chuckling, the Destroyer rubbed the back of her neck, "Thanks, Kongou-San." Suddenly, Fubuki smirked a bit, "Though a bit odd that I'm younger than you and already such..."

Raising her finger, Yuudachi grinned some, "Shots fired, Poi!"

For her part, Kongou fell to her knees in shock with her hands held to her chest as if she had been shot, "I..." Leaping to her feet, she grabbed Goto, "Teitoku! We cannot let Buki-Chan get ahead of us!"

Eyes closed, Goto hummed a bit, "Hoppou? If you would?" Moments later, his girlfriend was soaked via hoses from said Abyssal, "Thank you."

The Abyssal in question just gave a shrug, "Hoppou thinks that Kongou was being silly."

Needless to say, that got snickers and laughter from various people as they shook their heads in amusement even as the British born Fast Battleship attempted to ward off the water from the hoses before they headed to the change rooms.

Before he headed into one, Harry walked over to where Louisiana was in her bikini top and jean shorts before he gave her a hug, "It's good to see you, Louisiana."

Softly smiling, Louisiana hugged him back, "And it is good to see you as well, mon Chéri. And a very happy birthday." Feeling him move, she blinked as he shifted a bit back, "Is there something the matter?"

Lips curling into his own soft smile, the teenage wizard shook his head, "No, nothings the matter." Then, before she could react, Harry cupped her cheek and gave her a kiss which he deepened a bit more than usual. As he pulled away, he chuckled a bit as her face was red and steam was leaking from her ears, "Just thanking you."

Rapidly blinking, Louisiana slowly came back to herself, "Ah..." Then, noticing that Harry was still close, she leaned back in, "Oui, then I suppose that it iz time to give you a birthday kiss as well..."

It was several minutes later that Harry shed his shirt and pants to reveal himself in swimtrunks though he still had a blush on his face from what happened with Louisiana.

However, it had calmed down some and so he walked out of the change room before placing his clothes into the locker for him. Part of him did note that Nobu was looking at a overturned crate marked with "Changing" on it that had a hole in one wall covered by a curtain. And, on top, was a stone to keep it there. Walking over, Harry raised an eyebrow at her, "Something wrong. Nobu-Chan?"

Glancing at him, the former warlord straightened and Harry noted that she was in a black and gold two piece, "Hmm?" With a shrug, she shook her head and gestured at the crate, "Just wondering what this is for, that is all."

Lightly chuckling, Harry shook his head, "Can't be helped." Those words got him a snort from Nobu before he continued, "Anyways, that's the changing room for the Smols."

That got him a confused blink from Nobu, but before she could ask Okita's voice spoke up, "Smols?"

When the wizard turned, he noted that Okita was there in a blue and white two piece with Uesugi behind her. Slowly, he nodded with a smile, "Hai, the Smols."

Before any of the three reincarnated teens could say anything, the curtain pulled aside and Minagato came out wearing a one piece with Alie leaning against her, "Gato! Gato gato gato!"

Also walking out, ShiNANO nodded as she adjusted her glasses with one hand as she wore her own bathing suit, "Shina."

Various other Smols walked out and Harry nodded a little, "I'll dig the bunch of you a small hole to relax in, okay?"

Hearing that, Minagato gave him a thumbs up, "Gato."

With that, they walked off and the birthday boy nodded before turning to the three other teens, each of whom looked stunned. Blinking, Nobu pointed at them, "Wait... those are Smols?"

Just shrugging, Harry grinned a bit, "Hai, they're Smols because they are very... smol."

Crossing her arms, Nobu hummed as she nodded, "I see! I see!" A frown appeared on her face and she rubbed her chin, "I wonder how one can get such beings... would make it easier to take over Japan after all."

Facepalming, Okita groaned, "Nobu-Chan, no!"

In reply, however, the former Oda Clan Head cackled, "Nobu-Chan yes! Always yes! Yahtzee!"

Rolling his eyes, Harry sighed a little, 'Why am I not surprised?'

Only shaking her head at her friends, Uesugi turned to Harry with a small smile, "By the way, Harry-Kun, did you bring your copy of The Hobbit? I have been meaning to read them as well as the Lord of the Rings trilogy as you recommanded since my grasp of English has gotten better."

With a small shrug, the fourteen year old wizard nodded, "Sure, I brought it in my bag so if you want to read it later, you can. I also got the trilogy to read. And if the others want to read them, they can as well."

Placing her hands behind her head, Nobu closed her eyes, "Eh, read them? I don't bother with novelizations as they're just the scripts, sometimes older versions, with some descriptions tacked on. And mostly, they're one hundred percent shit." Wiggling her finger in her ear, she frowned, "If I wanted to enjoy them, I would just watch the movie-ARGH!" Suddenly, a hand clamped down on her head and squeezed, "OKITA-CHAN!"

However, when she opened her eyes, she found that Okita was blinking with wide eyes. Slowly, Nobu turned her head to find Harry glaring at her with glowing eyes, "What the hell did you just say?"

Despite the shiver that went down her back, Nobu gave a shrug, "That I wouldn't read the Lord of the Rings novels because movie novelizations are shitty-OW! OW! GAH! STOP BEFORE MY SKULL BREAKS!"

Tilting her head to the side as she watched the trainwreck, the former Shinsengumi blinked, "Huh... so that's what it looks like from this end."

Just adjusting her glasses, Uesugi nodded, "Indeed."

But, thankfully for Nobu's skull, one of the change rooms opened up and Natsumi came out in her two piece, "Harry-Chan?"

Looking over at her, the teenage boy blushed a bit and dropped the groaning Nobu before smiling, "Natsumi-Chan!" Wiping his hands on his trunks, and ignoring how Okita was now poking a face down Nobu in the head with a stick, he gave the Kitsune in front of him a once over, "Um, wow... that looks even better on you than it did last year."

Unable to help herself, Natsumi blushed as well as she held her hands behind her back, "Thank you, Harry-Chan." Walking over, she gave him a once over and blushed a bit more before kissing him on the cheek, "You're looking better than last year as well, Harry-Chan."

Inside her head, she could almost feel Tamamo lick her lips, 'Oh yes~ And just think... in just a few years...'

At the image that popped up in her mind of an eighteen year old Harry, the Kitsune flushed deeply, 'ERO-KITSUNE!' Ignoring the laughter from the ancient vixen, she turned to Okita and Uesugi before nodding, "Those are nice swimsuits." Hearing a groan, Natsumi blinked and looked down at Nobu, "Um... what happened to Nobu-Chan?"

Bright smile on his face, Harry gave a shrug, "Just a difference of opinion in literary subjects, that's all. Can't be helped!"

Only looking from Nobu to him and back, Natsumi blinked slowly, "Um, right..."

Moments later, Uesugi helped her friend to her feet, "Here we go, Nobu-Chan. Up we go..."

Swaying in place, Nobu blinked some, "Ah, Okita-Chan... could you help me?"

Confused, said former Shinsengumi nodded, "Sure, Nobu-Chan. What do you need-"

Before she could finish, Nobu leaned against her, head on top of the pale haired girl's chest, "Ah... much better. Let me rest for a bit..."

Eyebrow twitching even as her face went red, Okita took a deep breath before sweeping Nobu's legs out from under her and walking off. She returned a few seconds later with a hose in hand which she used to spray her friend, who yelped, "How about you cool off!?"

Harry and Natsumi watched as the former warlord yelped and tried to get away even as the grinning Okita continued to spray him with cold water. Looking at each other, they began to laugh. Which only became louder as they saw Nobu attempt to wrestle the hose away from her friend, getting them both soaked before they tripped... ending up with Okita landing face first in the former warlord's chest. Even Uesugi was snickering madly at that.

Placing her hand on her hip and cocking it to the side, the Kitsune smirked, "Guess that you can't keep you hands off each other?"

Just shrugging, Nobu grinned madly, "Can't be helped!"

With a huff, Okita pushed off her friend and got up before looking towards the grill and barbecue, "You know what? I think that I'll go and get something to eat first."

Quickly scrambling to her feet, Nobu gave a nod, "Haaaa, that sounds good." Throwing an arm around Okita's shoulders, she grinned, "And at least this time I don't have to empty my wallet for you-UGH! MY SKULL!"

Only shaking her head, Uesugi sighed, "Sometimes, I wish that I could say that I don't know them."

Meanwhile, Harry and Natsumi shared a grin and a snicker at that before their attention was caught by Taiyang's voice from the changing booth, "Oh Master~ Your ever foxy blade is ready to make an appearence~"

Eyebrow raised, the wizard looked towards the Kitsune beside him, "Uh, Natsumi-Chan?"

Before they were able to get any further, however, that was when the doors to the changing booth opened and Taiyang launched herself out and into a series of flips. Coming down, the Dao grinned as she landed revealing her in a blue bikini with fox head patterns on the top, "Master! What do you think of your Taiyang?" Bouncing on the balls of her feet... she bounced which caused a number of eyes to watch her, "Well~"

When he turned to Natsumi, Harry could see such a look of suffering on her face that he had to turn away with a snort. A reaction that got him a punch to the arm from his friend, "HARRY-CHAN!"

Unfortunately, that only made him laugh. Laughter that only increased as Taiyang tackled Natsumi and brought her into marshmellow hell, enough so that he fell over.

 

[darthcourt10]

KiMaSa

In response to Nagato chan and Harry's Birthday, Nagato chan has been given the chance to give Harry a present that no one else can. Please Enjoy:

One Precious Gift

Nagato chan frowned, staring at herself in the mirror, scrutinizing every inch of the dress uniform she wore. She felt like a little child playing dress up in her mother's uniform but she put that aside as she assured herself that her appearance was completely in order. Her attire, pristine, shining like a newly minted coin. Outside, Yamato chan and Little -E were also in full dress uniform. Stingray looked at them all with amusement.

"What's up with the uniforms?"

"It's my birthday present to Harry!" Nagato chan explained. "You see, mom was originally supposed to attend one of those political dinners in Tokyo. Politicians want to look good so they like to be seen around a National Hero. The Defense Forces want happy politicians and so they wanted mom to attend. I convinced Mom and Admiral Goto that I was perfectly capable of going in her place and to make the deal better, Yamato chan and Little E are coming too. So that means mom can stay at the party with Harry and Hoppou!"

"You're all volunteering to spend an evening with a bunch of politicians and a plate of plastic vittles?" Stingray shook her head.

"It's for family." Nagato chan agreed.

"Don't ever change, you guys. Just don't." Against all principles, Stingray saluted.

 

[darthcourt10]

Kab2

I bring you the next part of Sofia's life
-------------------------------------------
Resolution

"Let's go" said Sofia, still trembling with fear "I don't want them to harm you"

"But it is my duty to fight your enemies, Master" replied Jen grabbing her true self, as black as a new moon night "Let me fight them to offer you time to escape."

In that moment, Sofia stopped trembling and said with resolution "No, I won't allow anyone more to be hurt because of me." she went to the door while she continued to talk. "Come with me, but don't fight them, at least this way they won't harm you."

Not content with that, Jen only sighed "As you wish, Master. But I'm bringing my true self and that is out of discussion."

They reluctantly went to the beach, where three abyssals were standing in the water.

One was a torso emerging from a collumn-like jaw armed with turrets, and where the torso's head would have been, it was a metallic plate with teeth in it's place.

Another was a beautiful pale woman with black hair and glowing green eyes dressed in an sleeveless suit, with turrets at her back and in her hands she carried two turret columns as tall as her.

And the one in the middle was the more normal one, as she was the only one that hasn't summoned her rigging yet, a black dress that started just over her breasts and finished just below her knees, with two slits at the sides with red motifs along them, mesh at her arms and legs, her boots decorated with spikes at the ankle as well as her bracers, a horn protuding from the left side or her forehead, long black hair fluttering in the air.

"So you have come." said the one in the middle "I was expecting you to run again."

"It would be pointless, Demon" said Sofia, accepting her fate "I knew it was you when I hear you voice. You are much faster than me so I don't have any chance to escape"

"Oh-ho, looks like the little sub reminded her place in the fleet" said the Demon laughing, the other two laughing with her "But this is boring, so you have to entertain us for a while." with that she made a sign to the Ru-Class battleship. "Ruthless, make them jump."

Jen was at her limit, she waited for the moment they will shoot to approach them and stick her true self in their faces, she knew that they won't hesitate to kill her if they had half the chance, and judging them, her intuition told her that in one to one combats, she may slay the torso one, Ruthless would be very difficult, but the Demon will be impossible to defeat as she was now, but if she caught them by surprise...

'Why should I fight?'

Gritting her teeth, she prepared to jump, but before she did anything, Sofia moved between Jen and them.

"Please wait." said Sofia, determination in her voice "Do with me whatever you want, but leave Jen alone."

"Hmm" said the Demon, approaching Sofia. "You have changed little sub, before you never replied to anything we told you and did whatever it was told, what changed that now you stand against us?"

When the Demon stopped in front of Sofia she began to talk "Well, you see I just found tha---Offf!" Sofia was interrupted as the Demon's fist made contact with her stomach.

"Do you think I care?" said the Demon laughing, trimming her hair with her right hand "You are a traitor that betrayed the princess so you deserve to die!"

"Fucking woman, leave my Master alone!" said Jen, sword at hand she made a jump to attack the Demon from above.

"Heh, a valerous human that know that we are the superior race" the Demon then evaded the attack and thrusted a kick in her side, making Jen retreat a few meters. "Don't move and your 'Master' won't receive more suffering than necessary."

"Please stay put Jen" said Sofia, still embracing her stomach. "I'm used to this harsh treatment, so please endure it for my sake"

"If it is what you wish" said Jen visibly angered by her lack of power, her hand gripping the hilt so hard that hurts.

"That is how humans should be, obedient filth for our entertaiment. Now" the Demon turned to where Sofia was "I will impart you discipline, but not the same that I had to give to that stupid Hi-Class that questioned our mission, as the princess stated that she wants you alive"

At the last sentence Sofia's eyes widened "So it was you who killed her!"

"Oh, so you found the corpse, what a coincidence." she put her hand at Sofia's neck, grabbing and then lifting her "She dared to say that your search was worthless, that we will be killed by the others who help the humans, so I had to whack some sense in her, I thought she was more resilient but she was." in that instant the demon threw Sofia against the ground, causing her to cry in pain. "So this time I'll be very careful not to kill you." then she began to stamp her foot on Sofia's back.

While Sofia endured the physical torture, Jen was struggling with herself, for one part she wanted to jump and kill that 'Demon' that was hurting her Master, for other she knew that she was no match for her, and for the last, the question that always acomppanied her was resounding in her head as hard as it could.

'Why should I fight?'

Having to see her Master hurt because of those that should be protecting her, her family, if she could she would slaughter all of them because the pain Sofia has gone through.

"Here, catch!" the Demon said, kicking Sofia with enough strengh for her to fly a few meters, directly where Jen stood.

Catching her, Jen saw all the bruises that Sofia had, they went from light cuts to a big bruise that was already turning purple at her back.

And she only could grit the teeth.

Anger boiling, almost reaching the no-turning-back point, she felt a hand caressing her cheek.

"Don't worry about me" said Sofia with a gentle voice "I'm not worth to die for, try to live however you want without thinking about this failure of friend, I was happy the time I spent with you."

That sounded like a death sentence for Sofia, but the worse wasn't that, the worse was the self-deprecation that Sofia just said.

And that was the last straw it needed.

Something inside Jen snapped as the anger and hartred rised to unknown levels, crying at her lack of power to prevent any of this.

And with that snap a memory of her past came forth.

************************************************************************

In a battlefield where soldiers fought, one side were clad in black armor while the other side was in white, from the outside it looked like they were equal in forces, none of them giving an inch, but the battle was over, as the leader of the black army was in the ground, coughing blood as his left hand pressed a wound in the stomach, in his right a black sword.

In front of him, clad in a white armor, was the leader of the white army, in his right a sword bathed in blood that was the twin of his rival's black sword, a steel sword with runes carved in its blade, its guard bathed in gold and a blue handle with a gold pommel, and in the knight's left side was hanging a beautiful golden scabbard riveted with blue lines, with runes from the same language as the ones in the sword carved in the middle.

"How you defeated me?" the black knight said with difficulty "This sword should have been superior to Excalibur and I still lost!" his maddened eyes locked into the white knight.

Rising his visor to discover a beautiful face with deep green eyes, the white knight said "Because you failed to discover the true purpose behind being a King; you only seeked power and that isn't the solution, I fight to protect the people of this country and I try to eventually bring them peace to this land."

"Nonsense, no king protects the people, the people serves the king however he pleases." his breath turning more light each passing second, pointing that his end was near.

"And that is why you rebelled against me, but you ultimately lost"

"I know, but I lost fair and square this time, so with my last strengh I'll stop this fight." said the black knight, he raised himself from the ground despite his wounds by his willpower, leaning on its blade he shouted "Soldiers of mine, surrender your weapons! I have lost so I recognize Arthur as the legitimate King of Britain, serve him as well as you have served me!" and with this he knelt, his strengh spent "King Arthur, please send my dead body to my family along with this sword, I want it to be buried with me" and with that last sentence the black knight finally fell, his life ended at last.

"It will be done, althought you did it to gain power for yourself, you tried the best to keep Britain from falling, this little merit I'll acknowledge." said King Arthur as the memory began to fade. "Rest well, lord -----" and before he said his name, the memory ended.

**************************************************
Spoiler: Resolution

Back from the memory, Jen looked at Sofia's face and with the hate and anger receding the old question came to her.

'Why should I fight?'

The question that nagged her heart and soul since the beginning now seemed pityful; at the light of the memory she just retrieved and the clash with her twin she understood something.

That wasn't the right question to ask.

She was forged to fight, but for what?

To protect her Master, who in spite of the time passed between their births had a similar past like hers. She who answered her call from where she was buried.

Her only friend as she finally understood its meaning. And for that reason only, her friend will sully her hands with the blood of her family.

'What is worth fighting for?'

That was the real question all along, and with that revelation, she felt something unlock inside her like like a mist dissipating in her mind, something locked since her forging.

Her other nature; she was a sword, but also a magic battery, designed to accumulate magic from its wielder as a mean to power the sword.

And with that her plan was clear.

"Mast- no, Sofia, can you stand?" said Jen in a gentle voice, devoid of any of the hate and anger she felt before.

Sofia, strangely worried about the sudden behaviour change of Jen replied "Yes I can"

"Good, let's talk a bit while they are gloating over our fate." with that said she helped Sofia to stand.

"It's no use, let them have their way with me, them maybe they will spare your life." said Sofia in a lifeless voice, already resigned to her fate.

"Listen carefully Sofia, I'm about to do something reckless that should buy you time to escape." Jen saw that Sofia was going to protest, but she put a finger in her lips."Let me finish first, if is goes well they should be confused for a while, giving you time to make way, in the worst..." she didn't say it, but both knew what would happen to Jen, but she anyways began to whisper in Sofia's ears her plan, all this time the three abyssals enjoyed Sofia's pained face and secretly plotting how to make her suffer more.

When she finished whispering, Jen confronted the three abyssals giving her back at Sofia, and started to walk towards them.

"Why? Why do you risk your life for someone like me who is a failure to their kind?" asked Sofia, tears rolling down her cheeks, but unable to stop her friend.

"Do I need a reason to help a friend?" replied Jen turning her head to Sofia, with a smile never seen before in her face "Don't worry, it will be over soon." and with that she focused all her feeling of anger and hatred to the Demon.

"Oh, so you have finished your farewells" said the Demon, visibly amused by Sofia and Jen's behaviour. "Are you prepared to die, lowly human? Or have you come to plead for your live? Either way we could have some entertaiment." the three started to laugh, like those who like to bully the weak.

"I am not here for your entertaiment." Jen said dryly. "I'm here to make you pay for what you have done to Sofia." with that said, she prepared her true self in and horizontal pose, its tip pointing backwards.

"You, make us pay? This is hilarious!" they started to laugh, but soon the laughs stopped "What a joke! But for humoring us I'll even let you strike the first move" 'Not that you can harm us in any way with that giant toothpick'

"I won't dissapoint you, this I'll promise" Jen's true body ignited, her red motives shining brightly red as she started to absorb magical power, the only visible physical change in her avatar was a surge of power around her, but...

*********************

Meanwhile, in other place in Britain, two sister were sightseeing their homeland after a long time away from it, anyone who saw them knew they were twins, the only difference between them was their hairstyle and cloth style, one wore a very elaborated hair bun, her cloth style tending to blue colours while the other wore a ponytail tied with a black string in a white outfit.

They were chatting between them when suddenly the blue one turned her head to the west.

"At last" she said with a gentle smile in her face. "She has awoken."

"You mean the black one?" asked the white one with enthusiasm "Can we go and meet her? I want to see if---" she was interrupted when Blue patted her head.

"She makes a good wife for Carn?" said Blue finishing her sentence, the only reply White gave was a pouting face. "Don't worry Val, something tells me that our fates will cross someday, then you can see how she is for yourself, but for now we will go and inform Pr- I mean Gwen about her."

"Okay Lib" said Val making rapidly a smile "That way we can see her face to face, it has been a long time since we saw her."

"A long time indeed" said Lib, reminiscing about that last time.

**************************
Spoiler: Jen's power

The first thing she noted was the sound, a howl made by the magic being forcibly absorbed and compressed inside her true self, which was shining darker and darker, the magic compressed to the extent that it was made visible, growing outside the blade to form a sword of complete darkness.

This was her true power, a power that she knew shared with her golden twin, capable to demolish a fortress to shreds, so in theory it would be enough to kill those three eyesores.

"What.. what the fuck is that!?" said the Demon visibly shaken by the sight, the others quickly ordering their imps to cover inside their hulls, fear filling their minds.

"This" began to say Jen, a smug smile in her face, her sword howling as it grew, its form like an rough cross that swallowed all the light around it "is the sword of a promised victory against you, to break Sofia of her past to begin a new life far from you."

With that said, she swang her sword towards them, unleashing the onslaught of magical power that engulfed the three Abyssals.
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I hope you like it, thoughts and comments are always welcomed.