Harry Potter & the Shipgirls

Yellowhammer

A.N. -- And here... we... go.... All new content to write to keep going on this arc.

A Malfoy And Dagger's Excellent Adventure (VIII)

Halloween, 2036

Hogsmeade

Draco Malfoy glanced at the young boys -- no, men -- walking with him alongside his daughter's friend Yuri through the streets of the village. Inside the privacy of his own mind, he saluted mentally. While Scorpius was not his son exactly, he was someone who Draco would have been proud to call his son. The young man had definite promise and Draco was glad to see it.

Hearing of that other world, where he had never had a sister -- even one as annoying and exasperating as Nimi had been sometimes after they met -- and never met the four ladies who filled his life had been hard for him to listen to, though.
Spoiler: A Phone Call With A Taffy

He looked at the trio, and then chuckled as his phone began to ring with "Anchors Aweigh". He pulled it out, accepted the call and spoke in one long practiced motion. "Hello Johnston! The Anti-Candy Halloween Task Force has set sail?" He grinned at the mental image of the peach-haired shipgirl who was no doubt lying on her stomach kicking one foot in the air as she made her call. The shy, gentle, and sensitive woman hidden within the brash and heroic Taffy that she only allowed few outside her family to see. Such as him and the others who knew the girl inside one of the most decorated and respected badasses in the history of the United States Navy.

"Aye Aye, Muffin! Wash just left port with them. She plans to refill her candy bunkers too and have fun with her sisters while the rugrats are busy." A pause, and her energetic chipper voice became more serious. "How are things on your end?"

He smirked. "Taube's new friends are about to come over. I'll brief you and Niobe in under four eyes and they will probably be staying the weekend. Cleo's picking up Bastian so we can pick his brain. Ehren and Taube will be along separately with some spellbooks with any luck. Once we have everyone assembled we'll go from there."

Johnston spoke with a note of approval in her voice. "Aces! Taube had an avatar pop in with a warded box that she ran up to her room. She told Niobe that it was something that she had been working on that her other self asked her to pick up. Know what's up with that?"

Draco shook his head. "Not a clue, honestly. She's Ehren's daughter that way and doesn't see fit to tell her old man anything. Remember how I had to interrogate JJ when they were thirteen to find out why she was moping all the time?"

Johnston giggled and he could see her nodding enthusiastically with that happy smile on her lips. "Yeah, she found out that Seeker for Ballycastle that she had the massive crush on was actually married. Dunno what she saw in him, she could do so much better. And he wasn't even any good."

Draco shrugged as he responded. "Beats me, honestly. I rely on you and the others to fill me in on the mysteries of women anyway, honey. Or not, and you four treat me like a mushroom, keep me in the dark...."

The two chorused with matching happy smiles as they finished the saying "....and open the door from time to time to toss shit on me!"

"I'll be bringing Taube's friend Yuri and the other two over. Ready for me?" Draco asked.

There was a pause. "Give us thirty to get the house cleaned up a bit? I'll call you when we get all the toys picked up and Brand's paints stowed once more. He's really good, you think that he should pursue painting?"

Draco smiled. "He loves to paint and actually sits in with me a lot in my studio for private lessons. So yes, I'm going to see about some professional education for him if he doesn't outgrow this as a phase. It will be a hit to the wallet, but I'm going to see about the École des Beaux-Arts for him. Colombe has the in with them anyway since she knows the professor that identified her Monets and Renoirs. Remember it's not what you know..."

Johnston finished. "...it's who you know. And who you can write the big checks to! Either Ni or I will call you back when we get the house cleaned up. Seeya then, Muffin!"

"Looking forward to it, honey!" Draco said as he ended the call.
----------------------------

Malfoy Manor
Spoiler: Stahlhexe

With a bang of displaced air, Scorpius Apparated into his family's home alongside Albus, Yuri, and this version of his father. He blinked and looked around his father's study curiously.

The ambiance was a mix of familiar and alien. The layout, the paintings, and the furnishings were familiar... mostly. But mixed with them were discordant touches.

Instead of the painting of Grandfather Abrexus next to the door to the Green Parlor, a magical photograph of six young women on stage dressed in short robes, basilisk skin jeans, and with a variety of musical instruments playing in the Great Hall at Hogwarts was hung.

Curious, Scorpius walked over and examined it.

Two of the young women in the band were immediately familiar. Ehren was singing in the center with a look of desperate passionate desire and intensity in her eyes that caused him to shiver. Behind her, Cleopatra was playing a guitar flanked by a silver haired young woman and another who looked identical to Father who were backing her with identical smiles on their faces. A reddish-peach haired girl with her face painted like an Indian was energetically playing the drums. Finally a black haired girl was enraptured as she played the keyboards with her eyes closed and a blissful smile on her face. Over them all a magical illusion flickered and flashed spelling out one word.

STAHLHEXE

Scorpius frowned thoughtfully, then started slightly in surprise as Draco walked to stand at his shoulder. "That's from the Yule ball my Fourth Year. You have met Cleo and Ehren already. Niobe's on Bass Guitar, and your Aunt Nimue, my twin sister, is on Rhythm Guitar. Your Aunt Claire, Ehren's sister, is on keyboards and Johnston's 'the best damn drummer in the US Navy'. Nimi, Claire, and Cleo formed the band and roped the rest in. We still sometimes do gigs for old-times sake, but we were big back in the day as teenagers."

Scorpius nodded, not sure what to say in response to that explanation.

Draco patted him on the shoulder. "I know I'm not your father, but I'd like to share a little advice with you that was shared with me when I was your age, Scorpius. If and when you find something, or someone worthy of your love and devotion, if you follow that love and devotion to the bitter end honorably, you can never go truly wrong. Also, the harder the road to victory, the sweeter the triumph at the end."

Scorpius looked at Draco's face and saw a smile on it that made him look decades younger as he looked at the photograph. The older Malfoy was lost in memories as he spoke quietly. "Back then, when I was your age, I wasn't sure about a lot of things. Not least, my feelings towards Ehren and hers toward me; she had... has trouble expressing herself. I didn't know if she truly loved me back then, until she sang that night. Later I found out that Nimi, Claire, and the others had goaded her into it, helping her articulate feelings on their behalf that she could never express on her own as she was then. Friends are like that. As is family."

Draco's voice was hushed and filled with memories. "She felt tainted by her past, by her heritage, by her origin. She still loved me desperately and deeply, but was willing to destroy that part of herself to not cause us pain since at that time Johnston, Cleo and Niobe had all secured a place in my heart. She loved me and them enough to suffer in silence behind her masks so our happiness would not be hampered by her darkness."

Scorpius nodded and spoke. "But you married her, though."

Draco nodded, still looking at the photograph of the band. "Indeed I did. After I realized what she felt for me despite her best efforts to deny and suppress it, and after I realized that I felt the same way toward her in my turn I found out that the others loved her as I did. Well. We set out to win her hand and her heart. It wasn't easy or simple for us; Ehren is incredibly strong willed and stubborn and was badly damaged back then to boot thanks to no fault of hers. But as I learned on the day she finally accepted my courtship and my engagement ring, the harder the road to victory is, the sweeter the triumph at the end becomes. You'll find that out one day as I did, son. I have faith in you as my loves had faith in me."

A German accented female voice from behind the Malfoy father and son spoke with a note of approval and deep love. "Well said, Liebchen(sweetheart). I brought up a light lunch buffet for everyone."

 

RCNAnon

Weasley’s Warship Workshop 18

A Very Weasley Christmas

Christmas 2013

Ron looked over the gathered presents once more as he and his guests for Christmas finalized there preparations. The numerous presents, from him Warspite and Duke mostly, filled several hampers. The sight still made him shake his head, as even now he still somewhat expected to have a dearth of packages under the tree instead of the plethora that his family passed around now. Certainly they were all heartfelt and his parents did their best by the entire family but the little boy in Ron was still somewhat giddy for the large pile of packages that they now passed around to each other.

“Alright. I think we’re good to go.” He turned to look at Duke, Warspite and Summer.

“I think so too.” Warspite gave him a smile and Ron returned it. There had been some question as to whether or not she’d be able to make it but a possible sortie order had been canceled at the last minute, leaving her just enough time to make it back to Passel house.

“Uhm… Yardmaster… is… is it really ok for me to go?” Summer was quite nervous still despite numerous reassurances, the massive abyssal not so sure about meeting so many new people. Even if they were family or prospective family.

“Yes Summer it’s fine. My mom said she expected you to be there, so there’s no reason not too.” Ron did his best to put on a gentle smile to reassure her, reaching out to touch her on the arm.

“Okay...” Summer still didn’t look so sure about things but as always when he was there for her she perked up a bit.

“I’ll make sure to introduce you to everyone. Especially Percy and Supprin.”

Summer nodded somewhat meekly and grabbed his hand with hers. Ron knew that Supprin was about as harmful as Summer was in most cases but Summer didn’t. Her experiences with other abyssals had been near universally negative as far as he could tell.

“She’s nice I promise.”

Ron turned to see Warspite and Duke smiling at them, Duke still with a somewhat rosy glow on her cheeks after the very successful tour by Her Majesty just the other day. Ron still couldn’t believe he’d actually met the Queen but he had and he had something very nice because of it.

“Master, your Portkey is about ready.” Victoria’s voice cut through their little gathering.

“Thank you Victoria.” Ron turned to grab some presents but they had already disappeared into various holds, much more safe for the Portkey ride that way. They’d thought about using the floo since it was only to the Burrow but Summer simply wouldn’t fit that way.

A few minutes later and one semi-nausea inducing journey later found the four of them outside of the Burrow, the lights and noise coming from the interior showing the gathering was already in swing.

“Come on Summer, lets get you introduced to everyone.”

Ron pulled Summer along behind him, the Abyssal following behind with an expression on her face that was half nerves, half bemusement.

Just as they made it to the door it opened, someone clearly having noticed the Portkey activation from inside.

“Ron!” cried Charlie, a good natured grin on his face, “What’s this I hear about you being too good to use the Floo like…” His older brother paused, finally catching on as to who was behind him.

“Charlie, this is Summer. Summer, this is Charlie my second oldest brother. He researches dragons.”

“H-hello.” Charlie seemed somewhat dumbstruck looking at Summer.

“H-hello…” Summer replied meekly.

“Charlie! What are you doing leaving the door open like that!” The very clear voice of his mother came from indoors, as she bustled over and pushed Charlie to the side through sheer presence. Ron just grinned as Charlie shook himself and called for Bill, his last words being something about “again!” which Ron didn’t catch.

“Ron! Summer my dear!” Mrs. Weasley bustled out of the door at the sight of her youngest son, giving him a hug and then taking Summer by the hand. “So good to see you both!” Catching sight of Duke and Warspite hanging back she turned a grin to them as well. “Welcome back to the Burrow Warspite and you too Duke.”

“It’s very nice to be back Mrs. Weasley.” Warspite smiled and returned a small bow to the Weasley Matron.

“A pleasure as always.” Duke smiled and did the same.

“None of that! It’s Christmas, call me Molly!” Ron grinned as his mother took control of the situation as always. “Summer! Come on, let me introduce you to the family! Watch your head dear, the ceiling is low I know.”

Ron grinned and followed after Summer and his mother, Warspite and Duke coming right after.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Abyssal Interlude

Summer was… confused. At least somewhat.

She understood the gist of things. They were going to the Yardmasters’ home port to be introduced to the rest of the family and have a celebration. That was good.

What she hadn’t quite expected was the sheer noise and light involved.

Ron’s mother had pulled her into the main room, which was packed with red haired people of various size and shapes. She’d been introduced to all of them by Molly and then been given a seat by the fire. That made things easier for Summer, as she had her back to a wall and could keep track of everyone easier.

It especially made her feel better since she could keep track of the two strange shipgirls and the other abyssal in the room.

One of the shipgirls was as far as she could tell, relatively normal. Made of metal, she was cruiser displacement though lightly armed for her size. Summer didn’t mind that, it made her less scary in her mind. Her name was something kind of funny sounding… Ooyodo? She was having trouble keeping track of all the names, though her admin department at least had them written down somewhere.

The other one was weird. For one she was made of wood! Of Wood! Summer knew how to make a boat out of wood of course since she was a shipyard. Nobody ever wanted to build one though since they could be destroyed simply by running through them with a destroyer even on a good day. She was nice though and had said something about a “Pharaoh” and “Blessings of fertility” to Summer. She really wasn’t sure what those were but… Amisi… seemed nice enough.

Of course then there was the other abyssal in the room. Supply Princess was… not as scary as Summer had feared. Her Yardmaster had told her as much of course but even if he was the best Yardmaster of all time she couldn’t be sure until she saw for herself. So far he seemed to be right. At the very least Summer could tell that she didn’t have all that many guns compared to most abyssals of her power. She was even a base like her! Summer hadn’t met another installation before.

Her musings were cut short as said Princess got up and moved towards her. Summer felt herself freeze and desperately wished she could hide behind the Yardmaster like she normally did in situations like this. Even if he was just across the room talking with the two twins whom she weren’t sure were Gred and Forge or Fred and George. She was pretty sure it was Gred and Forge, it made sense for the Yardmaster to have a properly named family member somewhere.

“Hello Summer.” Said the not-quite-as-scary-as-possible other Princess, who had thankfully stopped several feet away.

“H-h-hello.” Summer did her best to not scrunch herself up in a ball as the other abyssal looked at her. Even if she was used to having Meanie Princess around, Meanie Princess had no guns and Summer was used to dealing with her. Supply Princess not so much.

“Percy has told me about you. I am sorry to hear how you were treated. I was treated much the same before my new Princess killed my former masters.”

Summer perked up slightly at hearing that. She wasn’t the only one who was treated like that?

“R-really?”

Supply Princess nodded.

“We installations… are not well thought of by other abyssals. They see us as lazy or sedentary.” Supply Princess sniffed. “They are short sighted fools for the most part. Though the ones who aren’t are all the more dangerous because of it. Thankfully Lady Wanko is an installation as well and treats her fleet properly. You remind me of her somewhat.”

The first part wasn’t news to Summer, as she’d been treated poorly as far back as she could only hazily remember. The rest though… other installations? Who had fleets?

Summer had always dreamed of having a proper fleet like she wanted but she’d never had the resources. Well… now she did but the Yardmaster was making her fix herself first. Not that she minded since he was a good Yardmaster who treated her well and gave her yummy full bodied steel instead of rusty scraps…

Realizing that the other Princess was still looking at her, Summer did her best to look pleasant instead of still nervous like she really was.

“I… I’ve never… met… another installation before.” It was somewhat hard to admit but Summer was glad she had, since Supply Princess really seemed nice.

“I’m not surprised. The Atlantic is a bad place for our kind. In the Pacific there are lots of little islands where you can hide and build up forces. Over here...”

Summer nodded in understanding. One of her earliest memories was searching for a place to call her own, only to be ambushed by another fleet. It got fuzzy from there and she didn’t particularly care to remember.

It was then that Ron came over with an absolutely enormous tray full of various things that sizzled, popped and looked absolutely delicious. He smiled at her and Summer couldn’t help but smile back. The Yardmaster always made her feel better.

“Having a nice talk with Supprin?” He asked, even as he came over and sat down in her lap.

Settling her arms around him even as Duke and Warspite sat to each side, Summer nodded.

“She is… nice.” Summer glanced back up at Supprin, who gave a small smile of her own.

“It was nice meeting you too Summer. If you ever want to meet Lady Wanko, I’m sure she would welcome you. Miss Hoppou as well.”

Summer glanced down at Ron, who held up a piece of food for her to chew on before he replied.

“Hoppou and Wanko are nice too Summer. You should meet them sometime.”

Chewing on the very tasty meat, Summer managed to nod without rocking her Yardmaster too much.

“T-then… someday I would… like to meet them.”

Supply Princess nodded in return and glanced back to where her Yardmaster and fleet were.

“I will let them know. I am sure they would welcome you, as would I. Until then.”

The other abyssal withdrew at that and Summer felt herself relax a bit, especially as Ron gave her another piece of food.

“Not so bad was it Summer?”

Summer nodded and made a small noise of affirmation as she focused on food for the moment, alternating between grabbing some of her own food and being fed by Ron. It was all so good! She didn’t know why but it was definitely just as tasty if not more so than what Victoria gave her.

Some time later, when even she was full, the Yardmaster's family began to pass around the brightly colored packages that they’d all brought. Inside were various items that seemed to be important to each, though they varied widely. Summer of course approved when Amisi’s gift turned out to be a chess set for the Yardmaster. She wasn’t very good at it but with three sides she could watch him, Duke and Warspite play at the same time and that made her happy.

She didn’t expect anything herself, so she was thoroughly surprised when Molly came over with an enormous lumpy package with a smaller lumpy package on top. Duke got the smaller one, while the big one got dumped on her and Ron’s laps.

“I’ve heard big news about the two of you, so you both get the Weasley family special.” Molly grinned, even as Summer went wide eyed.

“Thank you Molly.” Duke took her package and opened it with a few swift movements, the wrapping tearing apart to reveal a nearly crimson colored knit sweater, which Duke smiled at. “Thank you very much.”

“Now you Summer dear.” Molly’s gaze turned to Summer, causing her to look even more wide eyed.

“F-for me?” she nearly squeaked.

“Yes dear, now open it up, I want to see how well I did.”

Summer looked down at Ron, who merely nodded and rocked the package with his hands playfully.

Now faced with a dilemma, Summer found it impossible for her to tear the pretty paper. It was her pretty paper now and so she very carefully slit the adhesive tape open with her gloves to unwrap what was inside.

Out spilled a pale blue sweater, knit much the same as Duke’s was though sized for Summer. It was almost the color of her eyes and Summer felt Ron wiggling out of her lap as her valves started to leak somewhat.

“Go on dear, put it on.” Molly’s voice was gently cajoling.

Summer just nodded, taking off her hat long enough to put the enormous sweater on. It fit her wonderfully and it was nice and toasty and warm. She smiled at Molly.

“Thank you...” Her voice was soft but very heartfelt as she smiled at Mrs. Weasley.

“I’m glad you like it dear. Even more happy it fits properly.” Molly tugged at it in a few places before stepping back, quite pleased.

It was then that the Yardmaster stepped up, holding a package that was clearly very heavy.

“This is my gift, our gift to you Summer.” He nodded to Duke and Warspite who were still on either side of her. “We weren’t sure it was going to be approved but Duke’s friend had a word with some people and it got through just in time.”

Summer nodded, having been told about Duke’s friend who was called “Queen” something or other and how she was like a Princess but more. Her admin department even had copies of the papers she’d signed that said how people wouldn’t hurt her and Duke’s friend was on those as well.

Ron stepped forward and handed the package to her. It was wrapped in pretty paper as well, though Summer could feel the box inside was holding something.

“Open it up Summer.” Ron grinned, seeming very pleased with himself.

Summer nodded, feeling something warm inside of her as she did so. Again the pretty paper was kept intact, being hidden away in one of her storage areas along with the other one. When she was finally done she had a wooden box with a dozen large ingots of steel inside, clearly enchanted by her Yardmaster like always, along with a piece of paper.

“You’ll want to read the paper.” Her Yardmaster’s gentle suggestion drew her out of staring at the bounty of metal and Summer picked it up.

She didn’t understand most of it, as her admin department hadn’t quite been fully filled out yet and even then she had no concept of a legal department at all. Yet a few words did make it through quite clearly.

“Her Majesties Government… words she didn’t understand yet … does so hereby authorize the Abyssal Princess known as “Summer” to construct a small number of light ships massing no more than…”

At that Summer’s eyes froze, going wide and starting to flame. She looked up at Ron, even as her steam plant began to spike. It… was it? Could it be?

“Y-yardmaster?” Summer felt her voice quaver as she sought confirmation from her anchor.

He smiled at her, even more pleased.

“That’s right Summer, you can build ships! Only a few…”

Summer didn’t hear the rest of what he was trying to say. She didn’t care what he was trying to say at that point. Even as her main plant reached full overload and her primary substation started to throw breakers left and right, shades swearing all the while as they dodged sparks, Summer reached out to grab her Yardmaster.

He was clearly surprised, putting up no resistance as she drug him into her fuel dumps. Even covered as they were his face disappeared, muffled words ceasing a few seconds later as she held him close. He was the best Yardmaster and she would show him that appreciation in a way she knew he liked, even though she wasn’t quite sure why he liked her fuel dumps. At least not all the way.

Even as he started to struggle, Summer could feel a warmth starting to burn in her lower body. Foundries began to stir, the first signs of enormous coke fires being brought to life by eager shades. It had been too long since she could build properly. Too long since she’d even truly thought about building a new ship from the ground up.

Now though… now her Yardmaster had given her the best gift she could ask for. One she wouldn’t even have dared yet ask for herself. He’d given it to her though, proving once again how right she was to choose him. Still holding him close, even as Duke and Warspite began to tug at her arms, Summer finally manged to speak once more.

“Yardmaster… thank you...” More heartfelt words had never been spoken.

Summer did eventually let Ron go… but not before everyone had a nice laugh at his predicament.

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

Hours later, Ron found himself seated between Duke and Warspite in a lounge back in Passel House. Summer was off with Angie, discussing the fact that she could build, leaving the trio alone for the moment.

Presents had already been given. Ron having received a very nice naval chronometer from Warspite and surprisingly, a sword from Duke. She’d promised to teach him how to use it properly. He’d given Duke a rather nice set of crystal decanters for what Warspite assured him was a very nice, if still somewhat small, alcohol collection. He’d given Warspite a hairband topped with a jeweled outline of her crest much like he’d given Duke on her clip.

Now feeling merely pleasantly full instead of stuffed, quite warm and pressed on both sides by very beautiful ladies, Ron was quite content with life.

“Did you have a good Christmas Ron?” Warspite asked lightly.

“Very good Warspite. Did you?”

“Yes. I was very happy I could make it to your families Christmas.”

“I’m glad you got to make it as well.” He paused a moment. “What about you Duke?”

“It was a very good Christmas Ron.” Duke’s slightly more mellow voice was quite pleased sounding as well, even as she swirled a glass of bourbon in her other hand. “I’m happy your family accepted everything.”

“I’m pretty happy too. I’m glad everyone got along.”

Smiling to himself, Ron nestled back in against the love seat they were on, closing his eyes as the days toll began to wear on him.

“Though there is one thing that would make it better.”

Ron’s eyes opened as Warspite’s voice, filled with just a bit of teasing, reached his ears.

“Oh? What’s that?”

Warspite didn’t speak, instead turning towards Ron and leaning in close to his face. Of course after that Duke had to have a turn as well, which left Ron quite red by the end.

“A very good Christmas indeed…” he murmured once they were done. “A very good Christmas indeed.”

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

Toulon, France. The same time.

Jean Bart stared at the papers in front of her, continuing like she had off and on for hours. It shouldn’t have mattered as much as it did to her. It really shouldn’t have.

There were only a dozen of them, various sketches of her internals, showing how to install boilers and where connections to steam lines should be made. She’d seen their like before, even if they were much more finely made than most. Hand drawn on paper with neat straight lines, clearly done with care. Very nice but they were just drawings.

Of course, drawings meant things. Words added context, measurements provided scale. In this, an arrow had slipped past her defenses and slammed into her heart.

“Ligne vapeur… la salle des chaudières..”(Steam line... The boiler room) She whispered to herself.

They were only words. Just words. She covered her face with one hand and let out a breath of air.

That was a lie.

It would have been true if it wasn’t from him, if it wasn’t so clear that the author still was struggling somewhat with the proper vocabulary in the face of complex engineering terms.

Yet it was from him and he was clearly trying. Which in the face of things made it all the sweeter to her, even if she had trouble admitting it to herself.

Sliding the papers back in the folio they had come in, Jean Bart laid it back on her nightstand and rolled back over. She needed to get some sleep, as she had yet to call Richelieu to talk about this. She wasn’t looking forward to listening to her sister try to explain all the other things she thought Jean Bart should do with her tongue instead of merely teaching French to someone.
----------
AN: Hope you all enjoy what should be my final snip of HatSG 2013. Meaning I'm only about six-seven months behind now!

Comments very welcome as always.

 

Harry Leferts

Seated beside Chikako, who had a window seat, Ayane looked out the window as they passed building after building, street after street. Yet, despite that, her excitement had not died down, if anything the opposite happened. There was just so much to see! And every new street was just that...

New.

Which meant that as they stopped for lights, and wasn't that a surprise! That there were so many people and vehicles that one needed such things just to keep things running. Well, each time, Ayane would lean over Chikako to look out the window. Her eyes would scan the area around them, finding new discoveries each time. Part of her was excited as she could not wait to tell her younger sisters all about her trip.

Granted, she was a bit confused about how Chikako would mutter about how she didn't want a hat, but she ignored that as she was so much more focused on what was outside. Of course, besides the shops and the like, what caught her attention was the clothes people wore! While she was aware that there were a large number of styles and the like from the old clothes that Haruto brought back, and which she fixed the rips and tears of, not even she had expected that there would be this many! Never in her life had she seen so many different styles, shapes, and colors.

Frankly, it was giving her ideas as to what she should do herself come her return to the island.

When the car stopped near the outskirts of the city, the Jorogumo blinked as she looked outside to find a small store? Or at least she assumed that it was a store though she blinked at the name "Ama Exchange" on it. Haruto got out and gestured that they could follow him, which they did. As they entered the store, one of the things that caught Ayane's attention was the various things laying about, including off masks attached to tanks and the like.

Of course, her focus soon shifted when they came upon an elderly man sitting at a desk muttering as he looked through some paperwork. That was until he noticed them and looked up, a smile on his face, "Ah! Hinata-San! Back for another exchange?"

Slight grin on his face, Haruto chuckled a little, "Hai, Hamasaki-Oji-San." At seeing the curious look the man was giving the others, the Healer nodded towards them, "Some of the girls that I know. Mie-Chan and Ichika-Chan are the ones who go looking for what I bring to you."

Eyebrow raised, Hamasaki looked at the group of girls and, in particular, the ones that Haruto had gestured to before holding out his hand, "Pleased to meet you, all of you." As he shook her hands, Ayane wondered in her mind why he was missing part of a finger from the first knuckle up, but shrugged it off internally and decided it would be impolite to mention. Once he shook the others hands, Hamasaki pulled out a scale followed by a jeweler's eyepiece, "Now then, let's see what you brought me now..."

Just nodding, the Healer reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, velvet bag which he handed to the older man. With a hum, Hamasaki opened said bag and poured out a handful of pearls into his hand. Placing them into a small bowl, he picked one up and began to examine it.

For her part, the Jorogumo blinked at that as she looked at the pearls. It wasn't her first time seeing them after all, after all oysters were pretty common around the island. Though she had noted that a number of guards used to grab any pearls that had been tossed, muttering it as payment. But she simply kept one eye on the old man who would examine each one carefully and then weigh it on a scale before making a note. Her other eye was on Chikako who was looking at the various items on display as well as the pictures of smiling Ama divers.

After nearly a half hour, Hamasaki finished his examination and looked at his notes before pulling out an old calculator and doing some calculations on it, "Hmm... ya know, Hinata-San, the prices of pearls went up a touch since the last time that you were here."

Leaning forward against the counter, Haruto tilted his head a little, "Really?"

That got him a grunt from the older man before he pulled out a cigarette and lit it, "Really." Letting out a puff of smoke, he nodded as he pulled out a checkbook, "I can give you... ¥200,000 total for it."

Not saying anything right away, Haruto rubbed his chin in thought for a few moments before nodding, "I'll take it, you know how it is after all."

Writing the check, Hamasaki snorted a little, "Hai, damn this war and all that. Was born after the last one, but I heard all the stories." Pulling it from the checkbook, he handed it over, "You take it to the usual bank and get the cash. If they give ya any trouble, well, tell them that Hamasaki sent ya as usual." With a few more pleasantries, Haruto was about to leave with the others when the older man called out and he turned only to get a nod, "Ya a good kid, Hinata-San, never let anyone tell you different."

In return, the wizard bowed a little, "Thank you, Hamasaki-Oji-San."

And, with that, he left the small exchange behind with Hamasaki blowing out some smoke before walking into the backroom with the safe in it. Sitting in a large chair, and watching video was a younger man who looked up, "You really like Hinata-San, don't ya Ojii-San?"

That got him a whap upside the head, but the old man grinned, "Hai, of course I do." Unlocking the safe, he glanced at the younger man, "You know what he does with that money as much as I do. Damn kid doesn't spend a cent on himself, and we never forget our roots, Gaki. Not once."

Stretching some, Hamasaki grunted a bit before heading back to the storefront as the younger man nodded and turned back to watching the surveillance video of the store. 'Have to admit... those older girls were smokin' hot. Especially that leggy one...'

He knew better than to say that aloud, however, especially around his "Ojii-San"...

Meanwhile, Haruto headed to the bank and got out the cash he was paid which was a quick trip. Especially when the usual elderly woman handled the transaction. Heading back to the van, he got inside and drove away before looking over his shoulder, "Sorry about this, guys, it's going to be a little bit."

Rolling her eyes, Hachimitsu huffed a bit though there was an amused look to her eyes, "That's fine, Haruto-Kun. Besides, this is what you normally do, right?"

Even as he turned, the young man nodded, "Hai, this is how my usual trip goes after all. I take what pearls Mie-Chan's and Ichika-Chan's divers find when catching them back to Oji-San there and he pays me for them. Helps out a lot... Ah, and here we are, the local magical district for Kagoshima."

Interested, those from the island got out and followed Haruto as he entered the small alleyway. There wasn't much there, just a couple of general stores such as for potion ingredients, a magical grocery, and a small clothing store among others. But the main one that Haruto headed towards was a small bank though he paused for a moment.

Upon noticing that, Haruhime frowned a little and lowered her voice, "Something wrong, Haruto-Kun?"

He glanced at them and lowered his voice, "Just a little worried, the wards might pick up that you're a shipgirl. I'm... not sure about that, and if they also pick up that you are a Kitsune, which I know that they would..."

Grimace on her face, Mikage nodded, "Probably for the best that we stay outside then."

That got her a nod and he reached into his pocket and pulled out a couple of coins which he handed to them, "Go ahead and see if anything catches your interest. It's not much, but..." Haruto trailed off as he got kisses to the cheek and a hug from Chikako as well as Ayane before the girls walked off, 'Huh.'

With a shrug, he walked up to and entered the bank which only took a few minutes. Say what you will, they cashed paychecks from Kyoto just as fast as they did from Tokyo, adding in the severance pay... Which Haruto assumed was just a way that a number of higher ranked bureaucrats and politicians used as a way to both drain what was left of Tokyo's funds in order to not have them go to Kyoto and to also line their own pockets one last time.

And with that done, he turned to the rest of the shopping trip after meeting up with the others, which didn't take long as he stocked up on potion ingredients as well as ready made potions at the apothecary using his Healer's License. Though he did get confused looks from the others as he visited the small jewelers and bought some very cheap gold and silver chains. Confusion that ended when he visited a pawn shop and traded it for more cash.

Not long afterwards, they pulled up towards a massive building. Though what caught Chikako's eye was what was on the roof as she gasped happily, "Haruto-Nii-San! Look! It's one of those Ferris wheels, nya!"

Chuckling a little, Haruto gave her a small smile, "And later, we'll go and ride it." Part of him was extremely amused at the stars that were in the little Nekomata's eyes as she practically started bouncing. And it was not just her, but Ayane as well as the Inugami sisters also looked excited. Of course, getting out of the door, the Healer opened theirs and bowed a little, "Welcome to Amu Plaza here in Kagoshima. We have a few hours shopping before we need to head home-Oof!"

He stumbled back a little as Chikako practically leapt into his arms, "YAY!"

Just shaking his head free, the Healer set her down and patted her head before helping the others out. As she stepped out, Ayane was staring at the large building in wonder and some fear, "It's... so large. Is that really a market?"

With a hum as he placed one of his hands into his pocket, Haruto smiled some, "Hai, it is as a matter of fact. Over a hundred shops are in there."

Awed, the Jorogumo just shook her head in disbelief, "Over a hundred..."

Lips twitching, Haruto internally chuckled before holding Chikako's hand as they walked towards the mall that was within sight. Entering, he was unable to hold back the small laugh as the gust of cold air from the air conditioning made Ayane jump. At her pout, he shrugged, "Sorry about that, Ayane-Chan. Couldn't help myself with how cute you were."

Hearing that, a light blush appeared on her cheeks and she looked away, 'Cute...?'

Unnoticed by either of the two, the older shipgirls all had grins on their faces before they made their way through said mall. One of the first places that they stopped was a wholesaler where Haruto bought several boxes of vitamins and other things such as cough drops, boxes of laundry detergent, dish soap, and the like which he hauled out to the van... before the girls placed them into their hulls out of view of cameras. After that, they visited a number of other stores as well.

It goes without saying that one of Chikako's highlights was when they visited the candy store.

Looking around, the little Repair Ship gasped some before running around. Coming to one of the bins, she looked into it with an awed look. "Gemstones..."

Rather amused, Haruto looked over her shoulder and chuckled some at the sight of the rock candy that had been made into the shape of gemstones. Grabbing the scoop, he filled a small bag and handed it to her, "Here you go, Chikako-Chan. We'll pay and you can have it later."

Eyes wide, Chikako hugged him tightly, "Thank you, Haruto-Nii-San! I have all sorts of gemstones now, Munya~"

Only shaking his head, Haruto paid for some other items which included his usual order of lollipops, suckers, and Jolly Ranchers. He also bought some candy for the others, though a slight grin teased his lips when he gave a very happy Ayane some chocolate covered coffee beans, in various types from white chocolate to dark. He also bought some coffee flavored chocolate bars for her to bring back for her family.

Though he did not expect for her to glomp him tightly with his face shoved into her rather substantial bosom, though his girlfriends seemed amused while Chikako called them silly.

At one point as they walked through the mall, he noticed that the girls stopped at one booth to look at what was there as the woman manning it looked on with some amusement. However, they soon walked on, though Ayane kept looking back at it with a somewhat saddened look. Something that Haruto made note of. Shortly after, he excused himself to go to the washroom and disappeared for nearly fifteen minutes before turning.

Eventually, they reached Amuran, the Ferris wheel for the mall. Tilting her head back, Mie had wide eyes as she stared at the top, "Wow..."

Following her eyes, Haruto smiled some, "So... how are we going to do this?" At the blinks, he rolled his eyes a little, "It's four people per gondola."

With a hum, Hachimitsu rubbed her chin before gaining a sly smirk, "I think that I know how we can do it..." At the looks, she made a motion with her hands, "Myself, Mikage-Chan, and Haruhime-Chan for the first ride along with Haruto-Kun and Chikako-Chan on one of our laps. The second ride will have Haruto-Kun with Mie-Chan, Ichika-Chan, and Ayane-Chan. How does that sound?"

Both the Healer and Jorogumo blinked as the others agreed and the male of the two found himself pulled into the line by the giggling, disguised Kitsune as an excited Nekomata jumped around them.

Simply watching as the group of five made their way towards the Ferris wheel, Ichika leaned towards Ayane with a small smile on her face, "What do you think of the trip so far, Ayane-Chan?"

The Jorogumo looked around for a few moments before leaning towards her Inugami friend, "It's... amazing. Never did I think that I would have seen any of this, or if even half of the things I've seen existed. And to be given the chance..." A soft smile appeared on her face as she sighed, "Haruto-Kun is a wonderful man, and you're wonderful friends." Ayane then gave them a smile, though there was some sadness there, "You're so lucky to have one another."

Of course, that was when Ichika and Mie shared a look with each other. A look that communicated one thing... And that was the agreement that they held with the others.

Meanwhile, the three disguised Kitsune reached the ferris wheel and, after a chat with the attendant, sat inside with Haruhime beside Haruto while Chikako sat in his lap as the gondola's door was closed and it slowly rose upwards. At first, all that could be seen was the stores as they passed, but then they rose above the roof and they could see the city spread before them. Hopping off, Chikako walked over to the window and pressed her face against the glass, an expression of wonder on her face, "Wow..."

Giggling softly as she leaned against Haruto, Haruhime smiled, "It is a sight to see, isn't it."

She then turned towards her boyfriend and kissed him deeply. Almost as soon as she pulled back, Hachimitsu sat in his lap and kissed him just as deep followed by Mikage with some hand roaming going on as the Nekomata was too interested in the view of the outside to notice. Each of the three taking turns as the gondola reached the top of the Ferris wheel and began to descend. As it re-entered the mall, Haruto coughed a bit while Chikako took her seat in his lap again with a happy smile, "Well... that was something."

Near identical grins were on the faces of the Kitsune before they shared a look and spoke as one, "That is one way of putting it~"

The attendant was somewhat amused at how the three older girls were giggling madly and the young man was blushing as they exited the gondola, the younger girl shaking her head with a grin as she pulled her "Nii-San" towards the others stating that he had to take them up next. Sure enough, when Haruto arrived with the Inugami sisters and Ayane, the attendant let them into another gondola. Once it started it's ascent, he shook his head, 'Lucky bastard... wonder which one is his girlfriend though.'

Inside the gondola, to her somewhat embarrassment, Ayane was sitting next to Haruto as it rose into the air. But she was able to ignore that as they slowly passed the stores. Instead, she had the look of a child in a candy store as the gondola continued to ascend past the mall and past the roof, the cityscape surrounding them, "Amazing... this is... so amazing..."

Looking over at her, Haruto smiled some, "It really is."

Moments later, he felt a hand on his knee and turned to find Mie had moved over, and was now kissing him deeply. Something followed by her sister, Ichika. Ayane gave the two a slightly sad smile, but one also filled with happiness before she twisted around to continue to look out the window. Suddenly, the ferris wheel began to slow and the Jorogumo looked around, "What's going on?"

Chuckling, the Healer shook his head, "Nothing, just someone else getting on most likely."

After a moment, Ayane nodded and stood up a little to look out the window for a better view, especially now that they were near the top of the ferris wheel, ninety one meters above the ground. For a second, Haruto watched her with a slight blush as due to the way she was leaning and he was sitting, his face was close to something. Movement out of the corner of his eye made him blink as Mie was nodding towards the Jorogumo. Then, she held out one arm with it slightly curved and nodded towards Ayane again.

Rapidly blinking, Haruto boggled at them before bringing his own arm up and curving it, then nodding towards the unsuspecting arachnid Yokai, 'They can't be serious-' When both Inugami nodded with wide smiles, he blinked again, '... Guess they are.'

Slowly, he rose to his feet and made his way beside Ayane before placing an arm around her waist at the nod from Ichika. The Jorogumo jumped a little and looked at him, "Haruto-Kun?"

Deciding to just smile, the wizard chuckled a little as he nodded, "An amazing view, isn't it."

Briefly staring at him, Ayane noted that the two Inugami were nodding and that one made a motion with her head before leaning into the other. Gulping, she did exactly that and leaned into the Healer, "Hai... it is." Then she winked at him with a small smile, "Especially with the company~"

Face slightly red, Haruto gave her waist a squeeze, which made her squeak and blush deeper, "Odd, I was thinking the same thing..."

All the Jorogumo did was smile at that even as the ferris wheel started turning again and she was still smiling widely when they got off after returning to their seats as it re-entered the mall.

 

Yellowhammer

A.N. -- I changed the arc title since it's turning into the Taube and Scorpius show apparently. Anyway, here's the next one. And yes, Johnston loves Popeye, go figure.

A Malfoy And Dagger's Excellent Adventure (IX)

Halloween, 2036

Malfoy Manor
Spoiler: A Lunch Conversation

"Well said, Liebchen. I brought up a light lunch buffet for everyone."

Scorpius turned at the words to see an elegant silver-blond haired woman in a midnight-blue Victorian dress with gold-set diamonds sparkling at throat, ears, and wrist standing in the door with floating silver trays carrying an assortments of breads, butter, cold cuts, cheeses and several bottles hovering behind her. Violet eyes gleamed as she smiled demurely and spoke in her warm German-accented English. "I'm well aware that growing boys at your age are empty stomachs on legs. So we fixed a platter of meats, cheeses, bread, and other fixings to make your own sandwiches."

Scorpius spoke as they walked to the table in the Green Parlor next door. "Good since I am hungry. Ahh, Niobe, yes?"

The woman's demure smile widened noticeably as she nodded and smiled in response. "Yes I am. The spirit of Seiner Majestät Schiff(His Majesty's ship) Niobe, Niobe Malfoy. I'm pleased to meet you." Her voice was refined and elegant, making him think of a bygone era. "In our little pentad, I'm the trophy wife alongside Ehren along with being one of Liebchen's primary political advisors. Cleo, Ehren and I share the Lady Malfoy formal duties; Johnston's too big a badass to do things like entertain and host garden parties, serve on the board of charitable foundations, and the like. Johnston burnishes our family by being herself, as you will soon see. It's a system that works for us all as a team as parents and as nobles."

The trays floated to the surface of a polished oak dining table dominating the Green Parlor and as they landed a fourth woman stormed into the room with energy nearly crackling off her.

Hazel eyes shone and peach-colored hair swished, barely contained by a jeweled hairclip shaped like feathers. Scorpius stared since she was in tight-fitting Muggle clothing, namely a pair of short jean shorts, tennis shoes, and a black T-shirt with a cartoon sailor with a jutting jaw, corncob pipe, and massively muscled forearm clutching a torn open tin can that read TAFFY SPINACH, 1000% WHOOPASS in his fist. Above him in an arc read 'All Men Are Created Equal' and below 'Only A Few Can Become Destroyer Sailors' above the outline of a Muggle ship.

"Muffin!!" The newcomer squealed as she jumped into Draco's waiting arms, hugged and kissed him passionately, and then looked at the others as they broke the embrace. "Hi Yuri! Let me guess, Scorpius is the blond and Albus is the one with the Potter hair?"

Yuri smiled back. "Hi, Ma Johnston. That's right."

"Aces!" The peach haired girl gave a beaming smile then hurried over and extended her hand for Albus and then Scorpius to shake. "Johnston Malfoy, spirit of USS Johnston, Dee Dee Five Five Seven and card carrying member of Taffy Three. Pleased to meetcha!"

Scorpius stifled a wince as her energetic handshake crushed his fingers a bit. "Um, what's a Taffy Three?"

Johnston's eyes sparkled as she responded. "Oh let me tell you about my first life...."
---------------------

Taube smiled slightly in happiness as she entered the Green Parlor on Mutti's heels. Headmistress McGonnagal had agreed to have her classes excused for the 'family emergency' (helped by her near-spotless school record and penchant for staying ahead of her studies) and finding the books that she needed was simple enough, even if the Slytherin library was not exactly well-organized.

So she was getting the weekend off to spend time with her 'brother by another mother'. Taube giggled internally at the fact that those words were literally true.

Plus there was one other thing.

Her other avatar had texted her back that Schützenrosendorn(Sagittarius rosethorn) was in fact ready for pickup and had paid out the costs of the forging plus a bonus for fast service. So that needed element of her plan was ahead of schedule and waiting for her. She'd just have to explain to Yuri in privacy that she would be getting the next one forged, since her planned present was needed elsewhere.

Considering the need, she was sure that Yuri wouldn't mind. Mutti and Papa when they got the bills would grumble a lot and accept it once Taube made her plans a reality.

The smile widened as she saw Mother Niobe and Ma Johnston flanking Papa as they talked over lunch. Johnston paused in her chatter to take a bite out of one of her 'Dagwood' sandwiches with meat and cheese and more meat and more cheese....

Meanwhile Mother gave Mutti a smile and nodded toward the small tray of sausages with spicy brown mustard waiting for her. Ehren sat down beside Niobe after giving Niobe a kiss and promptly poured herself a measure of Halberstädter Broihan Berliner Weißbier(Halberstadt Broihan Berlin wheat beer) with a happy sigh and a small smile. Ehren's smile grew as she added some homemade raspberry syrup to the bowl-shaped glass that this beer was traditionally drunk in to cut the sourness of the beer a little.

Taube smirked at seeing Mutti in her happy place with some of her favorite comfort food and promptly grabbed her own personalized porcelain Maßkrug(beer mug) beer stein (a gift that Mother Niobe had given to her and all her immediate siblings on their fourteenth birthday) and two bottles of Löwenbräu Münchner Dunkel(Löwenbräu Munich dark). The tray of cold cuts was targeted next and she rapidly assembled a roast beef sandwich with extra horseradish before sitting next to Scorpius and Yuri.

The Doki smiled back at her. "Good to see you again, Taube. Raiding your father's beer cellar once more?" The splash of dark amber liquid into Taube's white and gold beer stein (decorated with a painted image of SMS Niobe's hull sailing with her name painted above it and the pewter lid scuplted like an anchor) punctuated her question.

Taube paused in her response to put the fire of the bite of horseradish-covered roast beef out with the rich malt of the dark beer. "Always. After all, Mutti and Mother trained him to appreciate a proper Rheinheitsgebot(purity law) lager, and I have to carry on the tradition. I am half-German after all." She winked and licked foam from her lips after another swig of one of her favorite beers.

Yuri giggled and tapped her own glass of beer with Taube's stein. "Hear hear."

With that, Taube turned to Scorpius and nodded to him. "So, Scorpius, holding up all right?"

He nodded and leaned closer to her. "It's a bit like a dream in some ways. You're really lucky with your family. Don't ever take them for granted, Taube."

She nodded back. "I don't. Even if I want to strangle them sometimes. Listen, after lunch, you and I need to talk in private. It's about...."

Ozone-smelling smoke and an ear-splitting crack of thunder interrupted her words.

"SHAZAM!!!!"

 

KiMaSa

And furthering the saga of Princess Jingo:


A Meeting With Jingo

It was comfortable for a cage, Jingo mused. She wondered just how long it had taken the humans to set all this up for it certainly had taken longer than her journey from Amsterdam Island to outfit. Especially the small nuclear bomb set up as a 'going away present' if she should be foolish enough to try and leave their hospitality early. She would certainly have approved, were she in their place, that the device in question could be detonated from any one of three separate control stations that were manned around the clock.

Still, it was rather homey for being at the bottom of an abandoned mine shaft.

Not that Jingo would ever dream of leaving without permission. It was, after all, also fairly secure from the many abyssals who would very dearly wish to see her dead. While accepting that death might still be the result of her trial, death at the hands of her mother's lackeys or other tools was definitely not in her plans.

What would I even do if I were released? Jingo wondered to herself. Write my memoirs and go on a speaking tour?

Currently, she was seated in the interview room, waiting the arrival of the attorney assigned to her defense. The clear partition between them was just a formality, of course but formalities had to be observed. She was surprised to see a tall (for a human) male wearing sunglasses and carrying a white cane. He sat down in the chair opposite her and smiled.

"I take it you've never met a blind lawyer."

"No. I take it, you've never sat in front of a living abomination?"

"You'd be surprised," he replied. "The state of being 'human' says little about ones capacity for humanity or for the capacity to act in an inhuman fashion." The man smiled. "Anyway, justice is blind. So who better than a blind attorney?"

"Well said," Jingo laughed lightly. "Just don't give me any 'left handed' compliments." She raised the stump of her arm in genuine humor. "I'm afraid I wouldn't catch it."

"That's part of what convinced me to take your case. The guilty are much more willing to sacrifice of others rather than themselves."

"Don't start lining me on the side of the angels just yet. We're here, after all, because I was party to a War of Aggression."

"The Devil," the man smiled. "Is in the details. And that's what you and I need to discuss." He held up a report that had been translated into braille. "It says here that when you established control of human settlements, You informed the inhabitants that acts of insurrection would be met with the destruction of the settlement?"

"Yes," Jingo admitted.

"Did you, in fact, ever destroy any human settlements?"

"No. It was never necessary."

"I see, And what happened to the Re class ship named 'Reaver'?"

Jingo wondered how he knew about that. Probably from Ruiner. "I sent her to secure a small fishing village. The fuel stocks and oil supplies caught fire. Reaver blamed it on the villagers and I was told that she declared that 'Since the humans had destroyed the only useful resources in the village,' she would simply destroy the rest." Had lives not been lost, Jingo would have settled for 'chastizing' the Re class but the Re had taken that which was not her prerogative to take so a harsher penalty had been required of the unrepentant Re. Jingo had to make certain the lesson sunk in with the rest of her fleet.

"I sentenced Reaver to execution by firing squad. Sentence was carried out."

"I see," The lawyer nodded. "Now..." He pulled out a file and opened it. Jingo flinched in revulsion as she recognized the photos of a Wa class transport.

"Now... It is known that many abyssal fleets, certainly the fleet under Sub-Continental Princess, used these 'Wa class' transports. For the record... Were you aware of the Wa class?"

"I was."

"Were you aware that a Wa class can only be built using a human 'plugged in' to function as its nervous system so to speak?"

"I am."

"And that said human is in a constant state of agonizing pain as a result?"

"Yes."

"Did You ever use Wa class units?"

"No."

"Did you ever consider using them?"

"Yes," She answered. "In three cases, I considered it as punishment for humans found guilty of certain particularly violent crimes."

"Why didn't you?"

"First, it was wasteful of resources. Secondly, if I agreed to do it once, it becomes much easier to do again. I aspired to rule, not tyranny."

"So, what did you do with these prisoners?"

"They were hung."

"I see. So... Without using Wa class units, what did your fleet use instead?"

Jingo actually smiled here. "Boats of course! In an island Empire, there were more than a few boats owned by the locals. We contracted our cargo work to them! After all, what good is building an Empire if you destroy the local economy in the process? We merely required that they keep their paperwork with them, have a working IFF beacon issued by us, and no weapons larger than those useful for defense against any human pirates that might set up in our waters."

"Well! I think it looks like we have a promising case..."

 

Mushapi

Another snippet of Haruka and Siusan, a peak into a special day.
*-*-*


From her window Haruka watched as the morning fog encapsulated the village. Siusan slept peacefully in Haruka's bed and what a delightful surprise it had been to see her in this life. In the reflection of her window Haruka touched her lips as breakfast sizzled on the stove. Being reborn into not only the future but a whole other culture had been odd for the Kitsune. She did admire that if she was going to be reborn it was as a fox and everyday she made sure to thank Inari for that blessing.

It was only in the future that Haruka would come across Siusan. To hold her and comfort her as she recounted her life. And with Siusan had come the tales of her descendants and one particular young boy that seemed to be blessed by Cerridwen herself. Although Haruka had only met the lad a few times he was a sweet soul that she was proud of.

As the aroma of the grilled ayu began to drift out of the kitchen Haruka could hear Siusan begin to stir. Haruka moved the fish to the plate set upon the the breakfast table and then quietly snuck back into bed. She wanted to watch Siusan wake up, it had always been such a treat for her to see the woman's nose twitch as awareness of her surroundings caused her eyes to widen into wakefulness.

"What a wonderful smell," Siusan murmured as she nuzzled into Haruka. "I could eat you right up, Haruka." She said lightly kissing Haruka's neck.

Haruka chuckled in response even as she fought off a blush, "But then the breakfast I made would go to waste, and that would make me sad. I worked so hard on it." She began to pout.

Siusan Languidly rose from the bed pulling Haruka into her arms, "We can't have that now can we." She gave Haruka a quick kiss on the lips before she made her way to the breakfast table. Haruka watched her leave the bedroom before joining her.

"So what do we have today Haruka, I don't recognize this fish." Siusan started to pat rice into each of their bowls, Haruka poured the tea.

"Ayu, it is a type of smelt that has a rather sweet taste I thought it would be perfect for this morning." The two women starred at each other before breaking out into matching blushes.

"After all," Siusan began. "Today was the day when two young women so long ago declared their love for each other." She popped a bite of fish into her mouth sweetness of the flesh contrasted with the ever so slightly bitterness of the charred skin to enhance the overall flavor. Her eyes widened in shock.

"Oh my Haruka truly this is wonderful." Siusan purred.

Haruka's eyes glistened. "I'm glad," she said before taking a bite of her own fish. The fish was sweet and the flavor reminded her of watermelon. She hummed happily her tail swishing behind her. She would have to thank Hoshi-dono for the suggestion.

As the fog lifted over the village below the two fox women enjoyed the first of many anniversaries during this second chance of life.

 

Harry Leferts

"Munya!"

Blinking, Haruto looked into the rearview mirror as Chikako practically pressed her face against the glass of the window. He was about to laugh and comment when Ayane did the same, said Jorogumo having a similar look of awe, "Oh... my..." The spider Yokai turned and pointed a little, "Haruto-Kun? What's that?"

However, it was Chikako who answered as she pointed, "That's Godzilla, Nya!"

Confused, the Jorogumo frowned, "Godzilla...?" Frowning, she tilted her head some, "I think that I remember some of those sent to the Reserve telling stories of them." Suddenly, Ayane gasped, "Oh! I remember now! A great monster Yokai who defends Japan, but can be wrathful!"

Somewhat amused, Haruto brought the van to a stop, "Hmm? So even in the reserves they know about Godzilla?"

Just giving him a nod, Ayane smiled a little, "Hai, there were all sorts of stories that some of those who came from outside the Reserve used to tell. Like the time that Godzilla fought a Mizuchi! Or the giant Sarugami who was defending his mountain!"

Needless to say, the Healer blinked a little in bemusement at that before remembering some stories he had overheard in the Reserves, 'Huh... wonder how much fodder Toho will get... or other companies considering how they took characters and such to tell stories to children.'

Only shaking that off, he looked to where Ayane and Chikako were looking and saw what looked like an almost box shaped stage with the "Open" part being a plane of glass. Inside, he could see a man sized, and transparent, version of Godzilla walking around and sometimes waving to the people or roaring with him shooting blue beams. Various people were taking pictures and the like.

A quick glimpse around showed him several trucks nearly with wires leading to the "Stage" and generators chugging which made him nod, "Ah! That would be some of the new holograms that the No-Maj have come up with." He pointed at a large sign, "See? Kagoshima appeared in Godzilla Vs. SpaceGodzilla. I know that Toho has an entire set where you can go see holograms of the Kaiju in their headquarters in Tokyo."

Lost, Ayane blinked a little, "Holograms? Is that some sort of magic?"

However, Haruto shook his head, "Not really, it is..." Pausing for a moment to gather his thoughts, he nodded, "They use light and things to generate images as well as sound. I saw one of the Hatsune-Miku concerts using it and said event was amazing to see the characters dancing and singing on the stage."

Tilting her head to the side, the Jorogumo shared a look with Chikako who shrugged a little bit.

Soon enough, the van continued along with Haruto glancing at them, "Anyways, we have one more stop to make before we head to Haha-ue's and Chichi-ue's home in Nagato."

Rapidly blinking, Mikage who was in the front passenger seat frowned, "Nagato? Did your parents move, Haruto-Kun?" At the amused look, she flustered a little, "I mean, we all lived in Heki after all."

Chuckling a little, the wizard shook his head, "That's right... you were taken to the reserve just before..." With a breath, he smiled at her, "A few months after you were... taken..." Mikage reached over and gently held Haruto's hand before he continued, "Heki, Misumi, and Yuya were all merged into Nagato City."

With a hum, Hachimitsu frowned a little bit, "That does make some sense... though it would be a few hours from here to Nagato, right?"

Lips curling into a smile, Haruto nodded at the question, "Hai, about four hours as a matter of fact. We'll take the Kanmon Tunnel, however, under the Kanmon Strait from Kyushu to Honshu and we'll stay the night at my family home with Haha-ue and Chichi-ue."

Hearing that, Ayane paled a little, "W-wait, stay at your family home? With your parents!?"

More than a little lost, the only male in the van nodded, "Hai? I mean, I did mention it before... Why? Is something wrong?"

Wringing her hands, Ayane looked at the others, "Haruto-Kun... you do realize what I am, right?"

That made Haruto frowned some before he sighed as he realized what was the problem, "Ayane-Chan, look, my parents already know that you're both coming and are a Jorogumo. The only thing that Haha-ue wanted to know was whether you preferred chicken, pork or beef and that was it. Oh, and worrying over whether the bath would be big enough for you."

Eyes stinging a little, the Jorogumo found that it felt like there was a lump in her throat, "You... they know that I am a Jorogumo? And... just want to know what sort of meat I prefer? I... and a bath?"

Coming to a stop, he turned around best that he could and placed his hands over hers as he looked into her purple eyes, "Hai, that was all they cared about, not about what you are, but that you're a friend of mine. While my Nii..." Briefly, Haruto looked like he had bitten into a lemon, but continued, "While Ichiro-San disliked Yokai greatly, my parents on the other hand are much like, well... me." He then shrugged and nodded towards Hachimitsu, Mikage, and then at Haruhime, "As they can tell you, they're friends with a number of Yokai and see them as people and friends. Don't know if they ever met any Jorogumo, but... they wouldn't care either."

Gently hugging her from beside her, Haruhime smiled at her, "Aoi-Chan and Hiashi-San are very good people and don't really have a hateful bone in their body. Trust me when I say that they'll love you."

Unsure still, Ayane flicked away a tear with a small smile, "I hope..." Then she gave Haruto a much bigger smile, "Thank you, though..." A giggle escaped her and she winked, "But bringing a girl home to meet your parents on the first date? Really?"

Seconds later, the Healer was rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly as the other girls giggled. Then, he winked back, "And why wouldn't I?" That got a flush from the spider Yokai and he laughed, 'Cute.'

Letting go of her hands, he turned back to the driver's seat and restarted the van with them soon being off.

It was only forty minutes later that they pulled into what looked like a slightly rundown warehouse on the outskirts of Kagoshima. As they got out of the van, a large and muscular young man walked out of the door and grinned some, "Oy! Hinata-San! About time you showed up."

Grin on his face, Haruto bowed to him before holding out a hand, "Good to see you, Konishi-San-Oof!"

Just laughing, the man pulled him close into a hug after shaking his hand, "Is that all you got to say, Hinata-San? Hahaha!" Letting him go, he noticed the girls and blinked, "Hoo? And who are these now?"

Regaining his wits, Haruto shook his head, "Ah, these are some friends of mine, Konishi-San." He pointed to the three Kitsune first, "These are Hachimitsu, Mikage, and Haruhime, I think that I mentioned them before?"

In reply, Konishi nodded as he rubbed his chin, "Haa, I remember now. So these are the three..." At the nod, he slapped the smaller man on the back and made him stumble, "Damn, Hinata-San, you did good. Knew that you could pull it off..."

Only rolling his eyes some, the Healer began pointing at the others, "Anyways, these are Ichika-Chan, Mie-Chan, Ayane-Chan... and finally, Chikako-Chan."

Said Nekomata walked up to the much bigger man and blinked with wide eyes, "Wow... how did you get so big?"

Unable to help himself, Konishi laughed as he was taller than Haruto by more than a head and much more muscular. Leaning down, he winked some at the little Yokai, "By eating all my vegetables and lots of milk, Chikako-Chan. Lots and lots of vegetables." Seeing the suspicious look that Chikako gave him, his grin widened and he laughed again before shaking his head and giving Haruto another backslap, "Anyways, we got your stuff ready for ya if you're here for it and not to just talk. Been what? Over a month?"

With a small shrug, Haruto nodded some, "Hai, or there about." Glancing around, he lowered his voice, "We had the whole issue with the Diet and such, you know."

Humming, Konishi frowned some as he also glanced around, "Yeah, I can guess. Those fuckers left behind one hell of a mess." Grimacing, he shook his head a little, "Wasn't no tears shed here when they went down finally, trust you me."

Curious as she followed, Hachimitsu glanced at Haruto before turning to the taller man, "Konishi-San? Can I ask you something?" Getting a hum and a nod, she continued, "How do you know Haruto-Kun?"

Just blinking at that, the taller of the two men raised an eyebrow, "How did I meet Hinata-San?" At the nods, he scratched his head, "Had to have been... a year or so after you were, well, ya know." When they grimaced, Konishi continued, "Anyways, it was at some local magical celebration. Wasn't really all that powerful as a wizard, just barely above a Squib, ya know? The other gakis were bastards to say the least, but Hinata-San told them off, even as they called him a Yokai lover."

Amused, Mikage shook her head, "That does sound like our Haruto-Kun."

Laughing, Konishi grinned some, "Ain't that the truth though? Well, the two of us became great friends and his parents helped me get into a No-Maj school. My parents didn't care much because, like I said, barely any magic. Helped him out with some supply runs and such before cottoning on that maybe I could make some money." He nodded towards the warehouse, "So I started up this little business, mostly manned by guys like me with little magic or Yokai, though I treat all of them the same, no matter what. We make runs up and down Kyushu for businesses that straddle the line, magical and non-magical."

Right then, there was a beeping sound and a man driving a truck waved at them, with both Haruto and Konishi waving back. One thing that they noticed was how said man had horns which disappeared before he reached the gate and headed out. Watching them, Chikako blinked a little, "Wow..."

Gently ruffling her hair, Haruto smiled before turning back to Konishi, "So you got this month's supply run then?"

That made the taller man snort before he threw an arm around the smaller man, "What? Have I ever disappointed you, Hinata-San? Ever?"

One eyebrow raised, Haruto hummed, "There was that one time three years back... The one when you were nearly late and I had to-"

Almost a blur, a hand clapped itself over his mouth as Konishi flushed, "Hey! I thought that we swore as men never to talk about that, Gaki!" Getting a shrug, he sighed and rolled his eyes, "Okay, maybe once, but still."

Both friends continued chatting as they walked to the warehouse and inside. For a few moments, they all stood there watching as forklifts went back and forth. That was, of course, until something dropped from above, "KUMAKICHI-KUN!"

Konishi stumbled forward from the new weight, but laughed, "Oh come on, Aichiyo-Chan! Must you do this every time?"

From his back, rose a feminine form who winked, "Hai, I must since I'm testing you to see if you'd be able to survive out there without me." Placing her hands on her hips, she grinned, "Fortunately, you can't."

Even as Haruto laughed some, the others there boggled a little at the small Jorogumo that was on the playfully complaining Konishi. The spider portion of said body was only the size of a miniature pony, and the human body was similarly small compared to the normal humanoid half of a normal Jorogumo. Granted, it was obvious that it was a grown woman, even if smaller than a normal one.

Seeing the confusion on his girlfriend's faces, as well as Ayane's and Chikako's, Haruto shook his head, "It's fine, guys, Aichiyo-Chan here is a Bonin Islands Jorogumo."

Her eyes widening, Ayane stared a little, "I've... heard of the Jorogumo from the Bonin Islands, but... never met one. Ever... Though I didn't expect one to be so, um..."

More amused than insulted, Aichiyo hopped from Konishi's back and landed, "So small?" Seeing the sheepish look she got as well as the nod, she waved them off, "Don't worry about it, I get it a lot."

Only nodding, the larger of the two Jorogumo, even though she was disguised, simply nodded. Meanwhile, Haruto shook his head in some amusement even as he remembered back to when he had met Aichiyo and his own research. The rarest of the Jorogumo, the Bonin Islands Sub-species had gotten started, apparently, when a boat containing a Jorogumo had landed on Chichijima. The sailors on board had lasted for a time, until the last was killed by the spider Yokai it was assumed. But while her descendants spread to the other Bonin Islands, the lack of prey outside of fish drove their size downwards. And other than the odd sailor who washed ashore and some Polynesians, there were not many males available either.

Which meant that, eventually, the sub-species became smaller than the normal Jorogumo and adapted to fishing for the most part, as well as taking the odd male aquatic Yokai as mates. They were also more peaceful than their mainland counterparts due to the fact that it was better to work together than apart. Shipwrecked sailors were not eaten, but rather kept by the community as a source for offspring, sometimes passed around between islands. Not exactly a good fate, but also not one where they became a meal either.

Unfortunately, the implementation of the Statute meant that many were driven off their home islands in the Bonins out of fear of the No-Maj coming across them starting in the 1830s when an American established a colony on Chichijima. The result of which was MACUSA herding them all onto an island in the Bonins and hiding it while destroying any physical evidence that they had lived on said islands. Something that had lead to many of them dying. Later, the remnants were transferred to the mainlands after WWII. Some had escaped due to their size out into the wider area of Japan though according to the last census, there were maybe only five hundred left, total.

Needless to say, Haruto was surprised when he met Aichiyo and healed her after she had been hit by the car driven by Konishi, said man having called him. It had amused him then how the much bigger man had taken care of the smaller, mostly, spider woman. And, a year later, the two got married without Konishi letting his parents know. Not that they would have cared since they had already cut all contact with him due to not having much, if any, magic.

It still amused him if only due to the fact that her human form was so small next to her husband, but they loved each other a lot.

Shaking his head free of such thoughts, Haruto grinned a little at seeing Ayane and Aichiyo get into a conversation with one another about being Jorogumo. When he glanced out at the forklifts and such, he frowned a little before turning to his friend, "Konishi?"

Just blinking, said man turned to him, "Hai? What is it, Hinata-San?"

Haruto nodded towards the floor of the warehouse, "Do you have anywhere that Chikako could stay while we go and get the stuff? I mean... normally I would not mind bringing her, but..."

Understanding, Konishi chuckled a little, "Not a problem, she can stay in the breakroom while we go and get the stuff. Some of the guys as well as Aichiyo-Chan can look after her." A light blush sprang up on his cheek, "She, uh, needs the practice for the future."

Eyes widening as he came to a realization, the Healer punched his friend in the shoulder, "You sly dog! How far along?"

Bright smile as she cradled her midsection, Aichiyo giggled a little, "A month and two weeks. We got another three weeks at least before they start to show, but..." Skittering over, she leaned against her husband with a sigh, "We're happy just the same."

Happy smile on his own face, Haruto chuckled, "Congrats, the both of you."

That got sheepish chuckles from the taller, muscular man, especially as the other girls did the same. After dropping Chikako and Aichiyo off into the small breakroom (though they had to raise eyebrows at the poster for some Idol group on the wall, with Konishi muttering about how one of his guys was a hardcore fan), they walked over to a small storeroom in the back. Flipping on the light, Konishi nodded some at the bins that were there, "And here we go, all your orders."

Walking over to one, Mie opened it to reveal small shampoo bottles which made her blink, "Huh..."

Just looking over her shoulder, Haruto gave a nod of his own, "Nice haul this time..."

Arms crossed, Konishi shrugged his shoulders, "You betcha it was. There's two bins of those..." Walking over to another bin, he opened it to reveal soap inside, "Five bins of these... even got a surprise for ya!"

One other bin was opened and the smaller of the two men stared a little, "Wait, are these... shingles?"

Seeing the disbelief, Konishi nodded, "One of the guys here, they know someone in construction. Sometimes when they're building homes or redoing roofs, they have some left over which isn't worth using elsewhere... So he got them to donate them to ya. All they want is that they get used as needed." He nodded towards a group of trunks, "Same guy got you some wheelbarrows, hammers, screwdrivers, and the like as well if you want them. All used and almost busted, but... a good Reparo means that they would be fixed right there."

In reply, Haruto shook his head before grinning, "Oh man... you don't know what this means for me."

Eyebrow raised with a slight smile, the other man shook his head, "I think that I do..."

Not long after, once they shrunk everything down and loaded them into the van, Haruto went and got Chikako from the break room.

All the way back to the van, however, the excited Nekomata was going on about what she had seen on one of the laptops, "... It was so cool though, Haruto-Nii-San! The girls were singing when they were struck by lightning, BOOM!" She hopped some and waved her hands around, "And then they were all glowy! And sang kind of funny, but so cool too! And shot beams from their fingers too!"

More than a little bemused, Haruto nodded, "I see... well, maybe we can look them up later." Internally, however, he was frowning, 'Some kind of magical group? I mean... Raiju might not be bothered by lightning, but I have never heard of them doing something like that...'

__________________________________________________________________________

Driving through Kanmon Tunnel, Haruto hummed a little before glancing into the backseat and smiling. There, Chikako was softly sleeping against Ayane with the Nekomata's head pillowed against the Jorogumo's chest. It made him smile at the sight of it and, when he looked up, said Jorogumo smiled back at him before going back to looking out the window.

Not that the Healer expected much more seeing as the tunnel had amazed the spider Yokai when she had laid eyes on it and as they had entered.

But now, the tunnel was about to end and a few minutes later the van exited into the night outside. Voice soft, he looked over his shoulders briefly, "Welcome to Honshu, Mie-Chan, Ichika-Chan, Ayane-Chan."

Looking over at him, Ayane continued to smile as she stroked Chikako's hair, "Thank you again, Haruto-Kun... for everything."

Only nodding, the Healer smiled back at her, "You don't need to thank me, I'm enjoying having all of you along after all." Getting smiles from not just his girlfriends, but the Jorogumo, he knew that he had said the right thing. Haruto then reached for the radio and turned it on, "Let's listen to something, okay?"

He got noises of agreement and, soon enough, soft music filled the van as it continued to drive along.

Yet, that was not to last as the weather report began and they turned their attention to it, "{... A major storm system is making its way up the Ryukyu Island Chain bringing with it strong winds and heavy rains. While not a typhoon, residents are still advised not to go out into the storm. Residents are also advised to steer clear of the beaches as well as wave heights will be much higher than normal. The system is expected to continue into the overnight tomorrow...}"

Frown on his face, Haruto shook his head, "Looks like we'll be staying here longer than expected. I'm not taking the Kudagitsune out into that weather if it is as bad as they're saying."

Also frowning, Haruhime wagged a finger at him from where she was now beside him, "You better not! Because we'd smack you upside the head if you even considered it! So don't you even dare!"

Only nodding, the wizard smiled some, "Trust me, I'm not about to tempt fate like that..."

Concerned, Ayane looked out the window, "I hope that everyone else is alright. Storms like that can be bad..."

Beside her, Mie smiled and gave her a small hug, "I woudn't worry too much. Remember, the No-Majs have set up a radio station and started handing out crystal radio sets to everyone. They'll know that the storm is coming long before it hits." Then, she smiled a bit more, "And besides, they're building those new storm shelters as well, that's going to be a big help when typhoons come."

Each of the others nodded in agreement and made various sounds to that end.

Meanwhile, Haruto had a slight frown on his face, 'Still kind of odd... they were calling for good, clear weather over the next day and a half...'

 

Barricade

For lulz.
This is completely non-canon, unless Yellowhammer falls over laughing.

______________________________________________________________________________


Taking a tour through the classic muscial haunts of southern California, a violin and her lyrist - cleverly disguised as two giggling twenty-something lovers or newlyweds, if however horribly out of style with clubbing clothes dated from the 2040s - slipped into the famous red color club along the Sunset Strip for a little 'adult' time away from their children. Raising an orchestra, one instrument at a time, was usually melodic. Occasionally though, when childish tempers ran hot, it was nothing but a disharmonic racket and even they had to get away on occasion. And for this family vacation tour of North America, the couple finally called it quits in Hollywood, after the massive blow-up between their cello triplets as to which was better for movie music, Skywalker Sound, Madison Square Gardens, or Staples Center, which got a little too heated after two of the triplets had suggested that the youngest in the trio only preferred the Gardens because she could show a little more neck there and get away with it. Things rapidly devolved from sniping to all out verbal warfare, taking cues from their Muramasa heritage to reenact a three-way Sengoku Jidai inside their hotel room, before inevitably a quickly dodged cello bow whacked one of their other siblings, and the civil war was on in full.

God or not, first chair violinist and conductor of the Athens Philharmonic Orchestra or not, there were some battles even parents knew to get out of the way from. Letting the kids get their tempers out, exhaust themselves, only to then face dual parental wrath when too tired to flee, was the wisest course. On the other hand, seeing as they were demigods, that could conceivably take hours. Thus, the couple exited stage left after ensuring both locking & silencing charms were in place and that nothing in the hotel room would be damaged - something about a mother-in-law being horrified at finding out, likely via the media and not the privacy of daughter-to-mother gossip, of her grandchildren acting like, like, like a grunge band - the pair quickly made their way into town. After slowly walking past all the requisite tourist traps and giving the proper 'oohs' and 'aaahs', giving themselves time to relax, each thinking up ever more deviously evil proper parental punishments that made the other laugh, the immortally young god's wife let her hair down before they hit the real points of interest: The music clubs of legend.

And here they were. Right at the perfect time if both guessed, as the stage was filled with equipment, the lights were flashing, and a group was playing to an already energized crowd.

Up on the Whisky a Go Go stage, after playing through possibly the most infamous way to earn a thoughtless speeding ticket in the early 1980s if listening to the radio, a young man slicked back shoulder length black hair. Nodding to an older man that could have been his father or uncle off to the side, who silently smiled back with pride and gestured with both hands, wiggling his fingers a little. Giving a slight lopsided smirk back, rolling his eyes at the silent suggestion, if pausing to note a young lady at the front who was looking on bliss at his performance. Thinking twice on it, shrugging with a smile while also giving a wink to the cute willowy blonde in glasses, he launched into a solo that in 1978 changed the rock world forever. Smirking at the so called 'warm-up tune' that was still considered the gold standard for soloists, even if it had probably been driven into the ground by this point, he whispered to his strangely silent wife a joke that he knew would very likely get a desired blush from, "That guitarist better be using an older guitar, because I'm pretty sure he broke a g-string fin..."

With a maternal slap over his mouth that stunned the shocked god, with his eyes jerking to hers before stilling under a glare that silently rooted husbands in place since time immortal, Therese hissed out lowly, "If you finish that joke, you'll find out what other uses I have for horsehair when they're squeezing tight around your shorthairs. Because if you would look closer, that's our daughter gazing at him like I did at you when we met! When did she sneak out?"

The God of Music snapped his head around and paled at the realization that mousy looking girl up front, really was Jeanette Potter-Mousike, the family's normally quiet, shy, and reserved viola. Now looking on in absolute rapture at the red, white, and black stripe suited individual. Gone was the awkward wallflower that they had so often tried to coax from her shell, and in its place was a maiden in full bloom, hair band gone with her locks free flowing, mouth pressed tightly together as if biting her lower lip, while looking for all the world as if having found rapture. Somewhat worried, as his little girl never was one to look like that, let alone act like that, Apollo turned back to the man who was effortlessly holding the audience's attention in the palm of his hand as he took the solo further into experimental places that only a few had previously dared attempt pioneer.....and flawlessly mastered them.

Possessing sight beyond his own wife he looked closer, first spotting the tell-tale signs of an arm just a hair too long, teeth a bit crooked, but with a gift of sound that resonated even to his own soul and callouses that showed it wasn't merely through gift, but constant struggle and effort to further refine it, that led him to that stage. Looking even closer, what little color in the god's face drained entirely to white as the wispy form of a guitar - often copied, but truly one of a kind - floated in overlay with the lad. And what was worse, especially as a father, was seeing how Jeanette was constantly grasping somewhat uncertainly at the locking clasps to her carrying case that she was pressing into her chest hard enough to make the leather creak.

"Oh no. Oh dear grandfather no. Not him. We're never getting her back."

___________________

Apollo Mousike = One of Apollo's titles as God of Music ('Mousike' translates to 'Music'). I figured Therese would prefer it as the family name, over any of the other choices.

 

Yellowhammer

A.N. -- For obvious reasons, Bastian is Nobu-chan's favorite Malfoy. Since it ain't Chunni if you can back it up.

A Malfoy And Dagger's Excellent Adventure (X)

Halloween, 2036

Malfoy Manor

"SHAZAM!!!!"

In a clap of thunder that shook the estate, Cleopatra appeared from the smoke holding onto the hand of a young man a year younger than Scorpius was. The newcomer had a mop of unruly light blond hair, a silver monocle sparkling with enchantments, and a maniacal grin as he wore a Durmstrang uniform under a rumpled lab coat.
Spoiler: Bastain Severus Malfoy

Niobe moaned and lowered her head as Ehren patted her co-wife on her back sympathetically with a suspiciously stone-faced controlled expression.

Albus and Scorpius boggled at the new arrival.

Yuri grinned and began to golf clap, joined by Johnston's enthusiastic claps and cheers.

Taube winced, shook her head and muttered in a long suffering big-sister tone. "Bastian, Bastian, Bastian...."

Bastian Severus Malfoy grinned at his impassive father. "Hey Dad! I've been practicing some different entrances now that I got my Apparition license. I call this one 'Go Loud, Go Proud!'. Soooo, Mum said that there's a dimensional and temporal crossrip for me to get my teeth into?" His voice was the happy tone of a little boy realizing that Santa had delivered all the presents under the Christmas Tree.

Draco spoke in a controlled 'Dad' voice. "Yes, the young men over there are Scorpius Malfoy and Albus Potter from a different dimension. They were looking to repair their timeline when they jumped into ours. Also, good you could make it for lunch."

Bastian rubbed his hands in glee as the monocle shifted, whirred, and began to display floating glyphs in front of his eyes as it focused on Albus and Scorpius. "Tachyon radiation traces yesss.... Mu-theta particle emission over nine thousand. Time-Turner harmonic wave degradation, yes?"

While Bastian looked at the readings and then examined the two Time-Turners used by Scorpius and Taube, he grabbed the first things that came to hand and began to assemble a 'sandwich' using a slice of cheddar cheese for the bottom and a dill pickle pilfered from Ehren's tray as the top with a slice of bread someplace in the middle. He never noticed the haphazard construction of his meal before he summoned a pad of paper and a quill and began chatting to himself in mathematics as it obediently took notes between bites.

Taube facepalmed and muttered to herself in German before draining her beer stein in one long pull.

Scorpius leaned close to his sister. "Is he always like that?"

Taube sighed and nodded her head as she refilled her beer stein. "Ja."

"He's not existing in the same world as the rest of us, right?"

"Ja."

"He can help us, right?"

"Ja."

A long pause.

"His necktie is purple and green! What House is THAT?"

A deep sigh.

"Doctor DOOM."

"Doctor DOOM?"

"Don't ask him about it. Just... don't. Trust me."

"I... see."

Another long pause.

"Why not Ravenclaw?"

"Durmstrang has equal academics to Hogwarts and a more liberal policy when it comes to allowing students to experiment and test the boundaries of magic. He's also triple-dipping at the Sorbonne and Heidelburg thanks to VR distance learning, a Time Turner, Apparition, and Papa writing a bunch of checks to keep them happy and Bastian out of trouble. He's got Mutti's work ethic and focus when something interests him and got more brains than me and the rest of the family piled together."

"....."

"Your family is weird sometimes, Taube."

"You have no idea, Scorpius. None whatsoever."
---------------

Finally Bastian's stream of observations slowed down and he blinked at the remnant of his lunch sandwich. "Hmm, kosher dill, ham, mayonnaise, onion, pumpernickel, ketchup, turkey, salami and cheddar. Interesting."

Draco spoke patiently to Bastian. "Your initial observations, son?"

Bastian focused on his 'brother' and his friend. "They are definitely dimensional travelers using temporal mechanisms. So, what's their problem?"

Scorpius coughed. "We were using a prototype Time-Turner to try to save Cedric Diggory and botched things. Now Lord Voldemort's in control of our timeline and we need to set it to rights once more."

Bastian shook his head. “Wait, you're telling me you managed to break your own space-time continuum and you want to set it back to before? Are you certain the two of you have never in the past, present or future been members of the Unspeakables?”

Scorpius blinked. "No.... Why would we be?"

Bastian sighed, "Because that's what they would pull. It never works as they intend. I can speculate good news and worse news from my observations and analysis."

Draco spoke to his son in that patient tone of command to guide Bastian along. "Good news first for those of us without the advanced degrees, son."

“Good news is that, yes, it is possible to undo the events you brought about.” Bastian explained. "Specifically by travelling back and taking steps to nullify the key shift that diverted the timestream. Ideally by inducing a counterbalancing action to strengthen the desired change in the timeline. Don't just have Mum and Dad meet when you messed it up to cause a breakup, but have them meet in a more romantic setting, for instance, although that runs into Fuchida's First Law of Temporal Observation...."

Scorpius and Taube nodded along with the explanation. Then the intent amber-eyed girl spoke in turn. "You said worse news, Bastian. What is that?"

“Worse news? Taking it back to the unchanged state before you corrected it is not going to happen. The only way you can undo things that way is to use a time-turner within say about 20 minutes at best. So all you can do is prevent the issue you described from coming about, but your universe will be still be different. I suggest you watch Blackadder: Back and Forth, before attempting to fix your temporal problem. For something produced as entertainment, it is a useful 'small words' explanation of the issues.” Bastian shrugged and finished off his sandwich.

Taube nodded, "I'll have the boys watch it with me before they head back to fix their timeline. That said, you can have a positive change in the results during the correction, right?"

Bastian shrugged and responded absently. "Sure, as long as you don't mess with the key juncture points in the timestream. Trying to kill Hitler before 1945 never ends well for the mage responsible as the classical example of a fated individual." A cough caused him to glance over at Ehren. "Is it something I said, Mutti?"

Unseen in the ensuing discussion, a small smug smile flickered around Taube's lips.

 

Harry Leferts

Navigating the narrow streets, Haruto pulled into a side street with a hum. A few minutes later, he brought the car to a stop as he pulled up to a small, walled compound, "And here we are. Finally, home."

In the seat behind him, Ayane looked nervous as she looked at the walls before taking a deep breath. Gently, she shook Chikako to wake her, "Chikako-Chan, we're here. We're at Haruto-Kun's home."

After a few minutes, Chikako blinked and rubbed at her eyes, "Mnya?" Then her eyes widened and she noticed an older man framed in the door to the compound. Unbuckling herself, she quickly opened the door and rushed over before hugging him, "Ojii-San!"

Laughing, the older man grinned as he picked up the little Nekomata, "Well, hello there Chikako-Chan! We've been waiting for you!"

Unable to help himself, Haruto also chuckled as he opened the door and got out before walking over, "Chichi-ue..."

Softly snorting, even as he returned the embrace, Hiashi shook his head, "Otou-San at most, Haruto-Chan." Pulling back a little, he gave a small nod, "You are looking well, your Okaa-San will be happy about that."

Just shrugging, the Healer shook his head some, "She will, I have no doubt." Turning, he gave a small nod to the group behind him, "You know Hachimitsu-Chan, Haruhime-Chan, Mikage-Chan as well as Mie-Chan and Ichika-Chan..." Haruto then nodded towards the Jorogumo that got out, "This is Ayane-Chan."

For her part, Ayane bowed to the older man with him returning it, "Ah, thank you for allowing me to stay the night, Hinata-Sama."

Moments later, she blinked as Hiashi snorted and shook his head before looking at his son, "What have you been telling them, Haruto-Chan?" Turning back to Ayane, he smiled, "Call me Hiashi-San at most, or maybe Oji-San." In his eyes was a twinkle as he shook his head, "Now, let's go and head on inside, hmm? Your Okaa-San has been working most of the evening to get a dinner ready for all of you."

Utterly stunned, the Jorogumo just stared for a moment before a bump caused her to jolt. Looking to the side, she saw a grinning Mikage there who winked, "Come on, that means you as well, Ayane-Chan."

Blinking away a little wetness, Ayane nodded some, "Hai..."

Grabbing her overnight bag, she followed the others into the courtyard that was ahead of her. Due to being a Jorogumo, the darkness of the night didn't bother her and she could see perfectly around her. Here and there, stone lanterns glowed in the darkness of the garden. And fireflies danced over a small pond that was there while glowing, magical lotus, opened their petals to the night. Later on in life, when Haruto was old and grey, she would tell him that in that moment his family home compared in her mind to the stories that she had heard of palaces of old, with said palaces coming out the lesser. It was something that always got a laugh out of the Healer.

In the here and now, however, she just took it all in as she followed them towards the lit front door of the traditional home with an older woman silhouetted there.

Once they reached said door, Aoi walked out all smiles as she greeted first Haruto with a hug, and then followed it up with pulling the each of the three Kitsune into a similar embrace, "Hachimitsu-Chan... Haruhime-Chan... Mikage-Chan... it is so good to see you again after so long."

Having dropped their disguises, the three Kitsune hugged her back with happy smiles and tails swishing as Hachimitsu spoke for all three, "Thank you... Aoi-Kaa-San. It is good to see you again as well."

Upon hearing that, Aoi never looked happier and she gave them each a kiss on the cheek before turning towards Mie and Ichika before bowing which they returned... and then hugging them as well, "Welcome to our home, my Musume to be."

As they tearfully nodded back, she pulled away before walking towards Ayane who bowed, "Ah, Hinata-San, I am Shirai Ayane."

Quickly giving her a bow, the older woman then pulled her into a hug, "Like I said to the others, welcome to our home."

For a few moments, Ayane stood there stiff before relaxing some and bringing her own arms up before hugging back. As she pulled back, she flicked away a tear, "Thank you, though Haruto-Kun has told me you know what I am?"

Seemingly amused, Aoi chuckled some, "That you are a very good friend of his?" Waiting until the Yokai opened her mouth, she continued, "Who just so happens to be a Jorogumo? Hai, we know." Patting the stunned spider woman's arm, she turned, "Now, you are a guest and must be hungry after your trip so I prepared a number of foods for dinner. Come along then, we need to get you nice and full." Aoi gave a small sniff, "The Kami above knows that the Reserves wouldn't be giving you enough."

Gobsmacked, the Jorogumo followed her automatically, only pausing as a green haired missile appeared and tackle hugged the older woman, "Munya! Obaa-Chan!"

Lightly laughing, Aoi looked down at Chikako with a smile as she ruffled her hair, "Indeed, Chikako-Chan." She then giggled a little and rubbed noses with the Nekomata, who grinned happily as her tails swished, "You are so adorable! Now, let's go to the dinner table, hmm? I have some Kamaboko for you after all."

Everyone couldn't help but laugh as Chikako bounced a little as she threw her hands into the air with glee, "Kamaboko! Kamaboko! We're all going to have some Kamaboko, Munya!"

The adults all shared a smile as they followed the dancing Nekomata and soon sat down around a table. Looking around, Aoi frowned some as she turned back to Ayane, "I hope that there's enough room here for you dear if you feel the need to stretch your legs, as it were. I cast some expansion charms, but... I am unsure if that was enough."

Waving her hand, the Jorogumo blushed a little, "No, no, this is fine, perfect even! I'll just stay in my human form for now." Pausing, Ayane smiled a little and bowed, "But thank you, just the same."

Both older adults bowed back and soon, food was passed around.

As a bowl was placed in front of her, the Jorogumo blinked and looked up, "Um..."

Giving her son a knowing glance, Aoi smiled at Ayane, "My son happened to mention when I asked him that you liked pork. As it turned out, I know the recipe for tonkotsu ramen as he loved it when he was younger."

Just clearing his throat, Haruto looked away, "I... just liked it, okay?"

Hachimitsu snorted a little bit as she turned to him, "That is like saying water is wet. Every time we didn't go to MOS Burger, you wanted to go to the local ramen stand and eat some tonkotsu ramen. Every time." Now blushing, the Healer gave her a betrayed look, only to get a smirk back before the Kitsune chomped down on some of her own ramen and gave a low moan. Quickly swallowing, she gave Aoi a happy look, "I've missed your ramen so much, Aoi-Chan."

With a giggle, Aoi waved her hand, "Stop, you're making this Obaa-San blush." Then, she shook her head a little, "Though it is not hard as I used to work at a ramen stand... until I met my Hiashi-Kun one day when he came to eat there during a lunch break from the Diet." Winking at the others, the older woman leaned forward before speaking in a stage whisper, "Every day from then on, he would come to visit me. And one day, asked me to marry him!"

Blushing a little, Hiashi ignored the giggles before kissing his wife on the cheek, "And every day with you has been a wonderful one, my lovely wife."

Tails twitching as she watched this, Chikako simply continued to eat her ramen with a happy smile, 'I'm glad that Obaa-Chan and Ojii-Chan are happy.' Then, she turned towards one of the kamabako and began munching on that as well, 'Yummy fish!'

Soon enough, the ramen was gone into hungry stomachs and soon, they began eating the other foods there. For her part, the Jorogumo was not alone in being unsure whether to eat or not as the two Inugami were as well. Especially as they were each given a steak to eat. When they looked at Aoi, she just winked and commented that with magic, a little can go a long way.

Cutting a piece off, Ichika took the small piece of steak and dipped it into the small bowl of steak sauce before eating it. Almost immediately, she groaned a little at the taste of said food. Swallowing, and ignoring the similar sounds from her sister as well as Ayane, she cut off another piece, 'This... is a great welcoming meal...'

Once the last of the food was gone, Aoi left for the kitchen and brought back some bowls that she placed in front of them all, "Now, I know that shiruko is normally served in the winter, but Haruto-Chan has always enjoyed it and I thought that some of you might want... to... try it?" She blinked a little and frowned, "Mie-Chan? Ichika-Chan? Ayame-Chan? Is something wrong...? You're all crying..."

Just swallowing, Ayame rubbed at her eyes, "Y-you did this... for us? And Haruto-Kun? I..." She looked down at the traditional dessert with blurry eyes, "I... I heard of shiruko, b-but never..."

Reaching over with tears in her own eyes, Haruto's mother placed one slightly wrinkled hand on hers, "Oh, dearie... Hai, I did make it for you and for the others, because I felt that you would enjoy it."

With a sniffle, Mie looked at her with a smile, "Really?"

Softly smiling, Aoi reached over and placed a hand between her ears, "Really, because you are our Haruto-Chan's precious people. And so you more than deserve a lovely treat when coming home."

That only made more tears flow, but smiles grew just the same. And when those from the reserve tried the dessert? One that they had never had, but had overheard guards talking about? But that had been made for them with love?

Never... had they had something so sweet and delicious.

___________________________________________________________________`

A soft, happy sigh escaped from Hachimitsu as she dumped hot water over herself and washed away the suds from her body. Shaking her head a little, she blinked her eyes open with a hum, "Now that feels nice..."

From where she was lounging in the bath already, Mikage grinned a little, "It's nicer here in the bath, Nee-San." Stretching her arms over her head, she grunted some, "Our bath in the reserve is nice, but nothing compared to this."

Mie dunked her head under the surface before rising back up, "Hai, though it is really nice just the same since we built it together."

That got nods from the others who were either in the bath or were getting washed. Sitting behind Chikako and doing said girl's hair, Aoi smiled a little, "That is always a good thing." Looking at the Yokai, she sighed a little good naturedly before shaking her head, "Still, I wish that I was as youthful as you all are."

Bemused, Haruhime wagged a finger playfully at her, "You're not that old, Aoi-Chan! Only, what? Forty five?"

Giggling a little, Aoi winked some, "I won't say that you're wrong... but a lady never discusses her age."

Rapidly blinking, Ayane looked over at the witch with a surprised look, "You're in your forties?" At the nod, she frowned, "Huh..."

Eyebrow raised, the witch hummed a little, "How old are you, Ayane-San?"

That made Ayane blink before she shrugged a little, "Myself? I'm about fifty. Still pretty young for a Jorogumo, but..." She gave a shake of her head, "But then, my age doesn't make me an Elder at our Reserve."

Interested, Aoi tilted her head a little, "Oh? And what does?"

Simply rubbing the back of her neck, the Jorogumo chuckled a little, "Well... the bigger thing is that I'm the owner of the local clothing store and, well... there's not many of us who are successful merchants in a way. Which meant that when talk of a new Elder came up, the others agreed on myself being asked to join."

A small snort escaped from Ichika as she smiled, "Haruto-Kun is kind of an Elder."

Chuckling, Ayane shook her head with a small smile, "Only kind of because he doesn't want to accept the job as he believes that he's not worthy of it. Though..." Placing a finger against her lips, she winked, "Don't tell him that's why we keep inviting him to meetings as an 'Advisor'...'

Various giggles, laughs, and snickers escaped from the others at that even as Aoi smiled, feeling happiness and pride rise in her for her son. Looking down though, she had to bite back a giggle as she worked in the shampoo into Chikako's hair as the little Neko had a look of happiness on her face, "Nya, nya nya nyaaa~"

Unable to help herself, however, the witch did laugh as Chikako sang using "Nya", which made the little Yokai blink, "I'm sorry dear... you're just too cute."

Head tilted to the side, the Nekomata blinked, "Munya?" Moments later, she felt warm water washing over her and rinsing the shampoo from her hair, "Nyaaaaaa~"

Even as the last of the water dripped off Chikako, Aoi smiled and patted her butt to get her moving towards the bath, "Now, you go and have a nice soak with your Nee-Sans, okay?"

Bright smile on her face, Chikako nodded, "Hai, Obaa-Chan! I'll go and do that, nya!"

Lips twitching, the older woman sighed a bit before cracking her back. Aoi then turned towards where Ayane was and frowned slightly, "Dearie, you can transform into your normal form. I made sure that the bath was large and deep enough at one end to cover you."

At that, a bright blush appeared on Ayane's face, "Ah, well... I wasn't sure..."

With a glance at the others, who nodded, she let her transformation cancel and turned back into her usual form which had a spider's body as her lower half. Much to her surprise, Aoi simply smiled at her, "There we go, much better." Humming, she frowned a little, "Though I suppose that it is a bit hard to get your back done..."

However, a snicker made her turn towards Mikage who had a number of fairies with brooms and buckets, the last of which they filled with warm soapy water as the Kitsune winked, "We can take care of that, Aoi-Chan."

More than a little bemused as she watched the fairies clamber onto Ayane's spider half, Aoi chuckled, "My, what useful little fellows they are."

One of them nodded to her with a smile and gave a pudgy thumbs up, "Desu!"

Then, they went back to work scrubbing down the Jorogumo as said Yokai worked on the rest of her body that she could reach. Meanwhile, Hachimitsu leaned against the side of the bath, "Trust me, Aoi-Chan, you have no idea at all how useful they are. Trust me, they're extremely useful when we use them."

Just chuckling, Aoi gave a nod, "Ah, I see. That is good to hear."

Stretching a little, she went over and began filling buckets with warm water for Ayane and passing it to her once she was ready. As she dunked herself under one, the Jorogumo sighed a little before the fairies did the same with the rest of her, which made her hum a little in enjoyment. After all, out on the reserve, hot water was precious and while Haruto did supply soaps and shampoos as much as possible, they were still used as sparingly as possible since one needed to heat up a bath and then soap up.

Granted, everyone was rather happy when they managed to work up some public shower units that could be used for a quick scrub down using designs that the Healer had found.

Not too long after, Ayane gently made her way into the bath before slipping into a deeper end and curling her spider legs under her body, which brought the water level with her chest. Frown on her face, Aoi shook her head some, "Still not deep enough, I see."

Blushing a little, the Jorogumo waved her hands, "N-no, this is more than fine, Aoi-San. Trust me, I like this quite a bit."

For a moment, Aoi narrowed her eyes some before sighing, "Very well, but that means that I will need to work on it some more for the next visit." She gave a laugh at the flustered look that the Jorogumo sent her before calming down and sighing, "It is good to meet my son's girlfriends and future wives in person, though Chikako-Chan is more his daughter."

Lightly blushing, Chikako blinked some and gave a "Nya", though she had a smile on her face.

Meanwhile, Ayane had a much brighter blush on her face and couldn't look either Aoi or the other women in the bath in the eyes, "Um... m-me and Haruto-Kun are not like that, Aoi-San. We're just friends after all."

Eyebrow raising, the witch gave her a look, "Hmm, just friends, eh? Could have fooled me."

However, Ayane shook her head, "No, I'm just a friend." Pausing for a moment, she gave the lone human in the room a look, "Wait... why did it sound like that did not bother you?"

Softly snorting, Aoi gave her an understanding smile, "Because, it would not bother me if you were his girlfriend, Ayane-Chan, nor become his wife."

Rapidly blinking her purple eyes, the spider Yokai boggled a bit, "It... wouldn't? But I'm a Jorogumo..."

One eyebrow raising nearly to her hairline, Aoi gave her a once over, "Truly, I had not noticed." Then she shook her head and walked over before sitting on the rim of the bath. Reaching over, the witch placed one hand on Ayane's shoulder, "But no, that does not bother me as it is obvious that you care. My son is many things, but a fool who thinks with his lower head he is not. He sees you as someone precious and that is more than enough for me." Looking around, she gave a small nod, "And that goes for all of you."

With a glance towards the stunned Jorogumo, Mie smiled a little and looked back at Aoi, "Why though?"

For a few moments, the human woman was silent before speaking in a soft voice, "Did you know... my own Okaa-San was a Yokai? A Tanuki, as a matter of fact."

More than one eye widened at that, though only the Kitsunes were not surprised. Haruhime nodded a little, "Hai, you told us that."

There was a sad smile on Aoi's face as she leaned forward a little, "My Okaa-San was a wonderful woman, but she died when I was but five years old during a raid. I was born as a human leaning Hanyou, thus never had any signs. And back then... it was not good to be known as the child of a human and Yokai couple. Hiashi-Kun, bless his heart and soul, wasn't bothered by it, but... I never really spoke of it. I-Ichiro-Chan..." Tears slipped from her eyes before she wiped them away, "He wouldn't hear of it when I told him, declared that there was no way Yokai blood ran through our veins. I should have guessed then, but..."

It was not any of the Kitsune, nor the Inugami or Nekomata who moved, but Ayane. The Jorogumo placed a hand on Aoi's and gave her a comforting smile, "You could not have known, and you were his Okaa-San, no one could blame you for loving your child."

Lightly smiling, the human woman placed a hand over hers, "Thank you, Ayane-Chan, dear. I am getting better now, though the pain will always be there." With a deep breath, Aoi let it out, "Of course, as I said, due to that any of you being Yokai does not bother me. I do not care if any grandchildren I may get are human, have fluffy tails and ears..." She then turned to the Jorogumo who tears up at her next words, "Or have eight lovely legs." Aoi then winked a little, "I have seen those pictures that No-Maj took of jumping spiders and they are cute little things after all. So that would not bother me at all."

Somehow, despite there not being much room, Ayane sunk into the water until it reached her nose as her face was bright red. When she glanced at the other grown women, to her surprise it was not the expected annoyance or anger. But, rather smiles and smirks as well as chuckles. Not helping was when Ichika gave her a knowing wink, which made her cheeks blaze all the more, 'They're... they're not bothered?'

After she rose back above the water, Aoi patted her shoulder and gave the others their own pats. Though instead of a pat, she hugged a giggling Chikako to her and kissed her cheek before she left.

Once she was gone, the Jorogumo continued to stare at the door in confusion, "Um... I did not expect that."

Just shrugging, Haruhime shook her head, "That is just like Aoi-Chan, to be honest. But like we said, she's a good person."

Frown on her face, Ayane turned to them, "Did... did any of that bother you?"

Gathering Chikako close, Mikage allowed the Nekomata to pillow her head on her chest as she gently stroked the hair of the smaller girl, "Should it?" Looking at the others, she tilted her head a little, "Because it didn't bother us, not really."

That only made the spider Yokai blink, "Ah..."

Her thoughts were interrupted as the door opened and Haruto stepped in, which made her blush as she noticed he only had a towel around his waist. Giving them a smile, he chuckled a little, "Enjoying the bath?"

Leaning back in it, Haruhime groaned as she stretched her hands above her head, "We are, trust you me." One eye open a crack, she smirked as Haruto followed her movements before she relaxed as he dunked himself in water, "It has been so long since we have had a proper bath,"

Even as she said this, Mie got out of the bath and made her way over to Haruto, "Do you want me to do your back, Haruto-Kun? And maybe your hair?"

A smile on his face, he looked over his shoulder as he soaped up one cloth and handed it to her, "I would appreciate that, Mie-Chan." As she began, he sighed a little, "Now that feels good..."

Grin on her face, Ichika snickered a little as she propped herself up with her arms to look over the edge of the bathtub, "Heh, I bet that it does." She then gave a wink, "After all, Nee-San is one of the most wifey of us all."

That got her a stuck out tongue from said sister even as the others playfully complained. Sitting where she was in the tub, Ayane smiled some as she enjoyed the atmosphere, 'Now this is nice... like I am a part of this family.' Watching as they playfully teased each other, and Mie especially, over who was the best wife made her smile grow. Of course, that was when she felt a poke and looked to find Haruhime there, "Hmm?"

With a look around, the red haired Kitsune leaned towards her with a sly grin, "Hey, you should keep an eye on Haruto-Kun right now. Especially as Mie-Chan is about to rinse him off~"

It took only moments, but soon, Ayame found herself blushing as she looked over to see that. The sight of the water flowing across his body as Mie cleaned him of suds caused her hearts, the one in her chest and the one in her thorax, to pound even as she bit her lip some. She had to admit, even to herself, that it was not just his personality that was attracted as the hard work he did around the Reserve most certainly showed in his physique. Just the type that she really liked as well.

However, when he got up and stepped into the bath, taking off his towel before sinking in, the Jorogumo felt like her face was about to catch fire even as she could not help but stare a little and lick her lips. Of course, Ayane froze moments later and looked towards Haruhime, except said Kitsune winked at her. Something that puzzled her even as she enjoyed her first proper bath... and the company that she had.

Granted, she did tease Haruto as she got out of the bath before him, allowing him a full view of her even as she grabbed a towel to dry herself off... Something that he returned when he used his wand to create a stream of hot air to dry her exoskeleton as well, which got a shiver from her. Transforming back to her human form, she slipped on the Yukata that she was given until she got to their rooms...

Or, rather, room as Aoi had only one ready for them which was Haruto's, something that got said witch amused glances from the Kitsune as she apologized for it.

Transforming back after slipping on her "Sleeping" skirt to take the place of the bottom of the Yukata rather than tear the pants, Ayaka settled in after setting up some webbing. Her last sight was that of her friends all cuddled up together, though she had the odd image of them joining her on her web as she drifted off, the image of them all cuddled together with her, and a number of young Jorogumo and humans with purple eyes as well as ones with the features of Haruto's girlfriends also there to meet her in her dreams...

 

Yellowhammer

A.N. -- And Taube is Mutti's daughter in truth so has a plan so cunning she can stick fox ears and a tail upon it to call it Taiyang, Mikon~!

A Malfoy And Dagger's Excellent Adventure (XI)

Halloween, 2036

Malfoy Manor
Spoiler: A Sibling Discussion

After lunch, Scorpius followed Taube through the familiar corridors of his ancestral house. He blinked as she reached a particular door and then started to laugh.

"What's so funny?" she asked him as she unlocked it with a spell and then pushed the door open.

"Back home, this is my room." He explained, still giggling. She stared and then started to laugh too, joined by an identical laugh from inside.

Scorpius boggled at seeing a second Taube sitting in a metal and leather desk chair next to a bookcase reading a well-worn book bound in faded tan leather. The second Taube looked up, closed the book, and nodded to them. She stood up with a swish of her green and black plaid skirt, adjusted her green, black and white necktie and green wool sweater and then looked at Taube.

"I hope that you know what we're doing." Taube's second avatar said to her other self.

Taube nodded silently and then embraced herself.

Scorpius sensed something fundamental pass between the two.

Tears fell from both and then the Taube in green's lips curled in a small smug smile. "Twenty-Three then?" She said quietly in a resolute voice full of steel.

"Ja, you will be Twenty-Three in our plan. Family looks after family...." The Slytherin Taube said quietly with tears in her eyes.

"....with loyal and honorable service followed to the bitter end." The second one finished for her in that steely voice. "Auf Widersehen."

Gold letters flashed from the book's spine in the light of the desk lamp as she set the book down on her desk next to a small wooden box, an ash wand and a small steel pin.
GADSHILL EDITION.

The Works of Charles Dickens

In Thirty-two Volumes.

With Introductions, General Essay, and Notes

by Andrew Lang.

VOL. XXI.

The second Taube stepped back, stood straight and proud with steel in her spine, and then extended her hand. "Scorpius. My other half will explain about me. I'll see you on the other side, brother." Her voice was calm and controlled with an undertone of steel-deep determination.

Puzzled, he shook her hand.

Then she stepped back and vanished with a crack of Apparition.

The steel pin on the desk glimmered next to the book.

Curious, he leaned over her desk, opened the book, and read the words that she had underlined on the page aloud while Taube closed the door and cast multiple privacy charms. "'Keep where you are because, if I should make a mistake, it could never be set right in your lifetime.'" He gave a puzzled look at the clearly well-worn and well-loved book with carefully written margin notes in Taube's hand and that passage underlined

Taube smiled as she walked to his side and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Yes, Charles Dickens could turn a phrase. I have a plan that may be able to save Cedric Diggory when you repair the timeline and save your mother too in the mending, but you will have to trust me."

He looked at her with dawning hope in his eyes. "H-how?" He gasped out, grasping her upper arms with desperate force. "Tell me!"

She smiled smugly and told him.
-------------------------

After she finished speaking, he looked at the desk again.

Slowly he opened the box there. Inside, glimmering with magic, a dagger rested. Its basket hilt was forged of bronze in the shape of twin roses and their thorn covered vines, and the pommel was a single sphere of amber, matched by two smaller amber droplets in the center of the roses.

His wand waved as he cast a spell. "Lumos!" The sphere of light was formed and immediately vanished as the magical energies were drawn into the steel of the blade to be consumed.

Taube smiled with pride. "Isn't Schützenrosendorn beautiful?"

He nodded in awe. "But how...?"

Taube unbuttoned her shirt sleeve and rolled it up. Scorpius stared at the forearm sheath built like a spring-loaded bracer and carrying a second dagger with the pommel as a snarling silver wolf's head with amber eyes. "This is my true body like I told you about, Brother."

Taube blushed as she unsheathed herself and then handed herself over hilt first for him to examine. "My Aunt Estelle is another dagger who was forged as a spell breaker three centuries ago. I commissioned Schützenrosendorn from the son of the smith that forged her, she's dwarven make too and another spell breaker. Originally she was intended to serve Yuri as her weapon to protect Minato and the other Dokis, but...." She trailed off and gave a sad smile. "To quote Sir Phillip Sidney as he lay dying of his gangrenous wounds and saw a fellow dying soldier desperately thirsty for the water that he had just been given, 'Thy necessity is greater than mine.' Or, as Mutti would put it to me, Family supports Family with faithful honorable service unto death."

He nodded and hugged her after handing her true body back. "Thank you for everything. I'll handle the rest of your plan. I swear."

She smiled and hugged him back. "Good, I'm glad that you have the Polyjuice Potion that Professor Snape gave you before he got captured in that other timeline. I'm not that skilled at Potioncrafting yet and besides I had him for DADA anyway."

He chuckled. "It's my best subject honestly." Then he sobered and looked into her amber eyes. "Taube, I'll probably never see you again, but I wish that I had a big sister like you. Strong, brave, cunning, hot -- never mind I said that!" He blushed and they broke down in laughter.

Finally the giggles subsided and he looked at her once more. "Thank you again."

She smiled. "You're welcome. I wish I had a little brother like you, you've got steel in you deep down. Honestly, this Rose girl doesn't know what she's missing out on in my opinion. If you want, I can give you a few tips that might help her notice you."

"Anything!" Scorpius said desperately.

Taube gave a confident big-sister grin as she steered him to sit beside her on her bed. "First and most importantly, be confident and don't be discouraged by setbacks. You only fail when you give up. Attitude's half the battle, go in worried about losing and you are more than half defeated, think about your paths to victory and how you will triumph instead. Also she is like you, we put our shirts on one arm at a time just like boys do. She's got her weak points and school subjects too that you can help her with just as she can help with yours...."

Finally a knock on the door interrupted the sibling advice session. Ehren poked her head in. "Dinner's ready you two!"

 

Harry Leferts

Blinking his eyes in the early morning sunlight, Haruto was the first of the group to wake up and looked around. A soft smile appeared on his face as he looked at each of his girlfriends, as well as Chikako who was nestled in the cuddle pile of girls on and around him. Of course, his eyes then fell upon Ayane who was sleeping in her web beside the others. Her lower body had lowered itself to the silken lines of said web with the legs curled up beneath her. Meanwhile, her human half was leaning forward with her arms wrapped around her body.

Despite how uncomfortable the position looked, the Healer could tell that she was gently sleeping away the morning. Yet, it looked like, to him, that Ayane was having a nice dream considering that she had a soft, happy smile on her face. Seeing her right now, calm and peaceful, as well as content? It made Haruto smile as well himself.

Of course, he went over what happened the previous day at the same time.

He had enjoyed the day before after all. While the three Kitsune along with Chikako were from outside the Reservation, in the case of the triplets enough time had passed that things had changed. And with the Nekomata, she had mostly lived on the streets and thus not had the chance to really enjoy things. Which meant that there had been things that had awed them to say the least about how the non-magical world was now like.

But it was the three who were born and lived all their lives in the Reserve that really caught his attention. The two Inugami as well as the one Jorogumo had only known the state of living in the Reserve, one that was barely any better than what had existed in the Edo and Meiji Era in most of Japan. Yet, compared to modern Japan? It might as well be an entirely different world for them. Even Mie and Ichika, who had memories of their crews, had been utterly shocked as well as amazed at how outside the Reserve was.

Needless to say, Haruto had enjoyed every minute of their time together outside the Reserve. To see the wonder and awe in their faces as they took in the sights or, in the case of those who had only every known the Reserve, the taste and smells of food that was common outside said Reserve? It had made his heart soar to see it and had turned a somewhat boring routine into something fun. Mind going back over the previous day, a happy smile bloomed on Haruto's face even as he swore that he would do it more often for them.

With that, he began to scratch Mikage behind the ears which made them twitch as she happily hummed in her sleep while he began to think back over the previous day. Besides the excitement and such shown by the various girls, he still managed to fit in time with each of his girlfriends. Not just with them sitting in the front passenger seat, but also through small stops and the like. Often, him with one or two would wander off and spend some time together.

Granted, said moments often turned into make out sessions, which he was not about to complain about in the slightest at all mind you.

But yes, he spent time with all of them as they travelled in sort of mini-dates. However, that was not what was making him think. Rather, what was making him think was some of their actions regarding one of their group, which made him look over at the still sleeping Ayane. More than once, they had moved aside to take care of Chikako and give him and the Jorogumo some time to spend together. One example was when she was looking over some new fashion magazines, which he proceeded to buy. Another was during the Ferris wheel ride when Mie and Ichika had him hold Ayane close as they looked out over the cityscape of Kagoshima.

And, Haruto had to admit, he had quite a bit of fun around the spider woman. Not only was she a good conversationalist even with her limited education, but very intelligent. At times, she could be a tease, and sometimes sprinkled her conversations with innuendo. The Healer would also be a fool, in his mind, how she would tease him in other ways. Like hugging him from behind with her breath tickling his ear as she spoke to him, which he was not about to complain about as a guy, especially as none of his girlfriends seemed to really mind all that much. Or how she often wore shirts that were either loose, which meant that when she leaned over he got a view. And when she wore button down shirts, the first few buttons were usually undone as well.

Though, when it came to business matters? It was like a switch was flipped and she was all professional. After all, she had done the tailoring for his outfits, which meant that she had done his measurements. Yet, when doing so, not once did the playful, teasing "Onee-San" personality come out. Each pin was put into place carefully and safely as to not jab him. And he had to admit, when they were done and she would take in her work with an expression of pride on her face, it made her beautiful in different ways.

Of course, afterwards she would revert to her teasing self and often make comments that flustered him regarding how lucky any woman would be with him... though, looking back, he noted that she seemed somewhat sad about that.

Now, Haruto did enjoy the times when he teased her back and managed to get some direct hits in. While her teasing, flirting, personality was, dare he say it, sexy? The times that he got her back were ones that he treasured as she sometimes got flustered. And a flustered Ayane in his mind was a very adorable one to say the least. One that he loved to see and treasured when it happened since it was not too common... which also made this trip a very good one as he had seen it often. Not to mention how he found the childishly excited Ayane to be equally as adorable as well.

Hand now gently scratching behind Hachimitsu's ear, he considered things. Now, he was not an dense idiot and could see that she was attracted to him. Indeed, a number of Yokai back in the Reserve were attracted to him and that was plain for him to see. But most of them carried on their flirting too far, unlike with Ayane. Not to mention, some of their parents hinted or outright mentioned that they would make him good wives or lovers. Something that often brought a blush to his face when it happened though it had toned down greatly since he had gotten together with the three Kitsune and two Inugami. Part of him suspected that his girlfriends and wives-to-be were a good reason for that.

Which is why he was somewhat puzzled over what was going on right now with Ayane. He had his suspicions, but... it couldn't be that, right? Already, he considered himself extremely lucky for what he had. Yet... he could not help but wonder if his suspicion was correct.

As well as what he might do if it was.

Unfortunately, he had still not come to a decision by the time that the girls laying on and around him woke up. Between kisses, Haruto watched with some amusement as Chikako slipped out of the cuddle pile and mumbled as she stood up and rubbed her eyes. Moments later, he became even more amused as she dropped down to all fours and stretched out, her fingers curled in even as she bent her back, "Nyaaaaaa~" Hearing snickers and giggles, the Neko blinked her eyes and looked over at them, "What's so funny, munya?"

Lips madly twitching as she fought back even more giggles, Hachimitsu shook her head, "It's nothing, Chikako-Chan." When the Nekomata tilted her head in confusion with a loud "Nya?", the Kitsune had to bite back a coo, 'So adorable...'

Freed now from the weight of his girlfriends, though he would never put it that way, Haruto also stretched before getting up. Noticing that Ayane was still sleeping, he looked over at the Kitsunes and Inugamis, each of whom gave him a nod and a "Go on" gesture. With a small shrug, the Healer walked over and placed his hand against Ayane's shoulder, "Ayane-Chan... it's morning." Getting a mumble, he shook her a little, "Ayane-Chan, time to get up and greet the new day-Mmphgf!?"

Moving quickly, the Jorogumo grabbed him and pulled him off the ground before embracing him. This, unfortunately, meant that his face was shoved into her chest. Not helping matters was how her Yukata had loosened over the night, which gave him something of a view of her "Valley between peaks" as it were.

Due to the giggles and quiet laughter behind him, Haruto knew that no help was coming from that direction, not to mention the sound of someone fiddling with a camera, and so sighed, 'Of course they would be enjoying it...'

The Healer ignored the part of his mind muttering that he was enjoying it as well to say the least, even if it was true. Moments later, the still mostly asleep Ayane pulled him even closer and sighed as she nuzzled his head, "Haruto-Kun... my Haruto-Kun..." About a minute later, she finally woke up enough to open her eyes with a smile on her face, 'That was a nice dream...' It was then that she felt something and looked down through bleary, but rapidly clearing, eyes, "Hmm?"

Which was when her eyes met those of Haruto... who currently had his face stuffed into her cleavage due to how tightly she was holding him.

Neither did anything for a few moments, but Haruto watched as her face slowly grew red with said blush crawling down her neck and fully across what could be seen of her body. Something which made him blink a little, 'Huh... never seen her blush that much. And she does look cute...'

Seconds later, he was dropped and the Jorogumo placed her face over her hands, 'Ahhhhhhhh! What was I doing!?' Peeking out from her fingers, her blush grew as Mikage gave her a wink and Ichika a thumbs up, 'Gaaaaaaaah! Someone wrap me up and leave me in my web for eternity... please...'

It was a still embarrassed Ayane who sat down for breakfast a couple of minutes later in her fully human form. Unable to look at Haruto without blushing heavily, the Jorogumo instead decided to concentrate on the food and blinked at seeing the eggs in the form of omelets, bacon, some sausage, as well as grilled fish along with the usual rice and miso soup, "Um... this is quite a lot of meat..."

Lightly laughing as she poured some tea for a thankful Mie, Aoi smiled at her, "Well, you are all carnivores, are you not? And big eaters to boot! So I thought that it would be best to make sure that you had the protein needed." She gave Ayane a wink, "While you are not so much in some ways, you are still too thin."

From where he sat reading the morning paper, Hiashi nodded a little, "And do not worry about the amount of food. Aoi-Chan is quite capable at using duplication on the stores of food that we do have and we have prepared for this after all. So have as much as you want."

Happily gasping and smiling brightly, Chikako gasped as she looked down at her own plate with starry eyes, "FISH! FISH FOR BREAKFAST!"

Giggling softly, the lone witch at the table reached over and ruffled her hair between her ears, which made the Nekomata close her eyes in happiness, "Of course, just for you. Now, eat all your mackerel, a growing Nekomata needs her fish to grow big and strong!"

One fist thrust into the air, Chikako gave a sharp nod, "Haaaaai, Obaa-San!"

With a small sigh, Haruto gave his mother a look at that, "Really, Okaa-San? You're going to spoil her you know..."

A smirk on her face as she went back to ruffling the young Neko's hair, Aoi hummed, "It is the duty of a proper Obaa-San to do exactly that, Haruto-Chan. And how could I not do such? Just look at this adorable Koneko-Chan..."

Eyes closed in bliss as she rocked back and forth with the strokes, said Nekomata sighed happily, "Nya... nya... nya... nyaaaaaa~"

Biting her lip, Ayane snickered a little, "That is so adorable it should be illegal."

The others snickered and laughed at that while making sounds of agreement.

_________________________________________________________________

Looking into the side mirror of the now larger van that was being driven, Ayane blinked some before turning to Haruto who was driving said van beside her, "So, Matsumoto-San gathers together used oils and grease from restaurants... which he then gives to you?"

With a hum as he turned a corner with one final wave to said man, Haruto smiled a little, "Hai, he's one of the guys who do it." At the odd look he got, the Healer shrugged, "Believe it or not, most places would simply toss them or dump them down drains or what have you. Heck, the restaurants and such practically pay him to take said used oils. He gives me barrels of the stuff since I showed him how to transfigure it into fuel oil or oil for use in lanterns and such. Matsumoto-San makes a mint off selling it to the magical side as he can get it cheaper than anyone else and make a tidy profit."

From where she was seated behind them, Mie hummed a little in thought, "That does make a lot of sense. Lanterns and such are still used on the magical side of things. Though..." A frown crossed her face, "I do wonder what he'll do when the Statute comes down and things on the magical side begin to modernize."

That got her a shrug from the lone male in the van, "Actually? Matsumoto-San thinks that he could likely expand his business. Transfiguration is easy between related materials as long as they're not precious. So transforming cooking oil and grease into something that could be used for lubrication or fuel stock? Really easy as it turns out and can be done in large amounts at once."

A frown on her face, Chikako stuck out her tongue a little, "Ick... I don't like the taste just the same, Haruto-Onii-San." She then pouted a little and crossed her arms, "I don't like drinking it."

Gently patting her head, Ichika chuckled some, "We don't like drinking it either, Chikako-Chan. But it is one of the easier ways for us to be resupplied..." Then, she shrugged a little, "Hopefully with that naval base on Kikaijima, we won't need to worry about that much."

In the front seat, Haruto nodded some, "That is the hope anyways." He then turned back to an interested Ayame, "Anyways, it still helps since when transfigured into fuel, it can be used in boilers and such."

Stretching a little, Mikage hummed a little, "So where to next, Haruto-Kun?"

Tapping a finger against the steering wheel, he tilted his head a little before nodding, "Next one will be to the local port." At the interested looks, he smiled a little, "I know a person who works in the dockyard there offloading ships. It's where I get all the old pallets and such for wood. Hopefully you girls won't mind as it usually takes me a while to repair the wood."

Much to his surprise, that got a snort from the shipgirls, including Chikako. Then, each one brought up a hand to reveal the fairy that was in said hand who then waved their wands to create sparkles. Amused, Hachimitsu gave him a look, "If it is help that you need... we have plenty."

Unable to help himself, Haruto laughed a little, "I forgot about that..." One eyebrow raised, he gave them all looks, "As long as you don't mind helping, it will help a lot."

Yet again, that got him snorts and he shook his head a little.

Not long after, he was waved through a gate and headed towards an old warehouse. Pulling up, he saw an older man there waving to him, "Yo! Hinata-San!"

Lightly laughing, Haruto waved back at him, "Takahashi-San!" Bringing the van to a stop, he walked over and clasped the man's arm as he did the same, "Good to see you."

Amused, Takashi gave him a snort even as he grinned, "Good to see you as well, Hinata-San." Noticing the girls getting out, he gave his friend a light shove, "Think that it's a good idea bringing some real lookers with dockworkers here, Hinata-San? Some of them might try and get a date."

Ichika snorted a little as she put a hand on her hip, "Sorry, Takahashi-San, we're all taken."

Eyebrow raised, the dockworker looked at her and then at Haruto before shaking his head, "Wooo, you damn lucky dog." Clapping the other man on the back, Takahashi gestured for them to follow, "Anyways... we got one hell of a haul for ya."

When they walked in, Chikako had wide eyes at the tall stacks of shipping pellets as well as broken crates and the like, "Wow..."

Chuckling as he adjusted his hat, Takahashi nodded, "It really is something to see. What you see here is all the old, busted pallets and crates we can't make use of anymore. So we store them here until it's time to get rid of them."

Simply nodding, Haruto reached into his wallet and began to pull out a wad of bills after counting them, "This should be enough for them."

Being given them, the dockworker counted the cash before nodding, "Looks good, take as much as you want."

Eyes narrowing a little, Haruhime looked at him, "And if we were to... empty the warehouse."

That only got her a look before Takahashi grinned, "Guys won't ask any questions as we know about certain... facts, shall we say. But hey, the more you take the less we need to pay someone to take and dispose of them." He then nodded towards a few crates in the corner filled with what looked like bent nails, broken screws, and shavings of metal, "Over there are all the nails and shit we sweep out of the containers and the like if you want them, same deal.'

Just nodding, Haruto smiled at him and shook hands, "Thanks for this, Takahashi-San."

Only clapping his shoulder, the other man grinned, "Not a problem, Hinata-San. Now, if you excuse me, I'll go and get some paperwork done. Don't cause any trouble while I can't see any of you..."

With a wink at that last bit, he walked through a door and it closed behind him.

Rolling up his shirt sleeves, Haruto brought out his wand and looked at the others, "Well, let's get to work then."

Everyone thrust their fists into the air with a cheer. An hour later found said warehouse having had nearly half of all the broken crates and pallets now gone. Working together, the magical fairies of the group had helped Haruto, first repairing the pallets to an unbroken state, and then using magic to separate them into individual pieces of wood with the nails going in their own crate for use later. Tons upon tons of wood that were slipped inside Mie's and Ichika's hulls to be handed over to the Reserve upon their return.

Not enough to cause much issue for them as shipgirls, but still quite a bit. Haruhime had taken the crates of scrap nails and such and had her crew strap it to her hull, they would provide the blacksmiths back in the reserve with a lot of metal to make tools and the like from. Holding five such pallets above her head, Ayane used her spider legs that came from her back to help her climb down from the stack before movement made her look to the side with a bemused smile, "Chikako-Chan? What are you doing?"

His eyebrow raised, Haruto also turned and snorted a little at the sight of the Nekomata sitting behind a crate with two larger ones on either side, "Chikako-Chan?"

Looking over at him, Chikako raised one hand, "Look, Haruto-Nii-San! I have a workshop now! Give me lotsa rock candy, munya!"

If anything, the Healer became more amused at that before shaking his head as he laughed a little, "Well, if you want them, you can have them."

That got him a cheer from the Nekomata as she thrust her hand into the air.

An hour later found them leaving the shipping yard, the warehouse now far emptier than it had been with Takahashi thanking them for the job cleaning up. Once they left the gate behind, Haruto looked over at Mie who was now beside him and Ichika with a slight frown, "How are you girls doing? Any issues?"

Both of the Inugami shook their heads with slight smiles, Ichika answering for them both, "None at all, Haruto-Kun. Our crew shrunk the wood and tied them into bundles at the back of our hangers. So they're safe and secure."

Smile on his face, Haruto nodded at that, "Thank you, Mie-Chan, Ichika-Chan." The two girls smiled back at him as he continued onwards, "Well... that did save a lot of time for me. Only place left on my list is... a wood mill up in the mountains." Glancing in the mirror, he shrugged a little, "It's where I pick up the sawdust as well as branches that I bring back for fuel. They have plenty."

Leaning forward, Mikage hummed a little, "What should we do then?"

Just considering the question, the Healer gave a small nod, "Whatever you all might want to do, actually. We'll have plenty of free time, especially as I haven't gotten the call yet that my order is in-" Right then, Haruto's phone went off and he flipped it open, "Hinata Haruto here, how can I help you? Oh, it's in? Really? Thanks! I'll be by in a few hours to pick it up. Thank you again."

As he flipped it close, the others gave him a look of curiosity with Haruhime blinking, "What was that for, Haruto-Kun?"

Grin on his face, Haruto winked at her, "You'll see~" At her grumble, he laughed, "Let's just say that it is something that I had built based on something that I saw in a book. And it will be very useful for myself in the Reserves." When he glanced in the mirror and somewhat to the side, the wizard could almost swear that he saw question marks above their heads. However, he still would not answer their questions and only told them to wait to see, 'I wonder how they'll react...?'

Like with the warehouse full of pallets, the shipgirl's magical fairies helped him craft the sawdust into blocks and then put them away, which was much easier. Same with placing the branches into bundles that went into old, beat up trunks with expanded insides. Once they were done, off they went again...

 

AntonioCC

Okay, this is something that I have been working for quite some time. It¡s sort of a prequel to my other snippets (which I'm still working to continue them) as well as setting some story elements for later.
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Rota Naval Base. Quarter's section. September 9 2013.

Battleship España, known as Espe by her friends, awoke with a start, looking wildly around, until she realized that she was in her quarters in Rota.

"Another nightmare?" a voice she knew very well said from the door.

"No, the same one, my sisters killing each other as I could only watch." Espe said with a sigh, as the Battleship Pelayo got close to her and gave the younger shipgirl a hug.

"I can't imagine what you must feel." Pelayo said, still hugging the younger battleship.

Espe didn't answer immediately, basking in the warmth of her momboat's embrace.

"Thanks, for everything... Mom." she finally said as she disengaged from the older shipgirl.

Pelayo, known as Pel, rolled her eyes, but she couldn't avoid a slight motherly smile to appear on her lips, before sighing.

"As much as I'd like to stay here, you must get ready, there is a summoning in one hour." Pel finally said.

"Ah, yes, the opening of the new Summoning Chamber." Espe said as she got up and removed her nightshirt, before starting to put on her uniform.

"Yeah, we get to be the first ones here." Pel said with a nod, "And not only us, Trini and Mercy will be here, as well as a delegation from Germany. Mom... I mean Numancia, couldn't make it, unfortunately." Pel added, referring to her own momboat, Spain first armored frigate, "She is still busy with that mess in Cartagena."

"Mercy is back from the States?" Espe asked, smiling. She and the older Unprotected Cruiser got along very well.

"Yes, and this time for keeps." Pel said, with a smile, as they walked out of the Barracks.

"So, the situation with the Americans has finally got sorted out." Espe said.

"More or less. There was some deal under the table, but everything is resolved." Pel said, adjusting her glasses up her nose, before she started to grumble under her breath about how some things never change.

Espe wisely decided to stay silent, waiting for her mother to finish her grumbling, while her thoughts went back to the dream she had about her sisters. The immediate meaning was pretty obvious, as her sisters had ended fighting on opposite sides on the Spanish Civil War, but she couldn't avoid thinking that there was something that evaded her about its meaning. So focused was she in thinking about the dream that she missed Pel talking aloud again.

"What?" Espe said, "Sorry I was lost in my thoughts."

"That was pretty obvious." Pel said, and then pointed to the building in front of them, one of the newer buildings in the base, "We are almost there."

Espe looked around, smiling as he noticed the people who was coming. The old Summoning Chamber dated from the early days and it was actually not bigger than a classroom, so few people could attend to the summonings. The new one was far bigger, as could be guessed by the number of people that was arriving to the location. And then she saw something out of the corner of her eye that stopped her in her tracks.

She turned around and saw a couple with two daughters, a young girl, who looked ready to run around at a moment notice, and a teen, who looked distracted, talking to an older woman in a wheelchair being pushed by another woman with Asian features. The couple was quite different, with the father being as American as they come, tall, fair haired and with blue eyes, with a bearing that screamed military despite his civilian clothes, and speaking surprisingly good Spanish, though with a noticeable accent. The mother, on the other hand, was short and curvy, with dark hair and olive skin, and if the accent was any indication, she was local, her Gaditan accent being as strong as her husband American one. The young girl was cute as a button, with dark hair in a pixie cut, a white t-shirt and pink overalls.

But what had called her interest was the older girl, thirteen or fourteen years old, with a build that indicated she had mostly inherited her father swimmer physique, with hints of her mother curvier build. A hair color that went from dark blonde to light brown depending on the light, blue-grey eyes, the color of the sea, she noticed, and a pretty face that showed she smiled a lot. She wore a navy blue t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. But all of that took a back place to the ghostly carrier hull she could see around her. The hull was too indistinct to notice any features, but it seemed to be a light aircraft carrier, and giving the circumstances of her parents...

*Do you think she could be...?* Pel said to Espe through the radio.

*Dédalo? I think that there is a good possibility. Of course, she could prefer to answer as Cabot.* Espe answered, with the mental equivalent of a shrug. *Do you know the woman in the wheelchair?*

*Carmen Díez-Japón, from a well-to-do local family, they have vineyards and a winery. The woman pushing the wheelchair is Sakura Hayashi, her assistant.* Pel said, *There are more things about them, but I would have to talk first with Captain Romerales, before saying more.*

'Wizards,' thought Espe, knowing fully well the main task of the Navy Intelligence captain on the base
---***---

A few minutes before

"Miranda! Stop right there!" Lourdes "Lou" Martin said, running after her younger daughter together with her oldest, Dana.

Daniel Martin, USMC (retired), hobbled as best as he could with his prosthetic leg after his family. As he turned a corner he saw that his wife had managed to reach her, but not before she crashed, if he was reading the signs right, on an older woman on a wheelchair, pushed by a younger woman.

"Sorry, ma'am. Miranda is a good girl, usually, but..." Lou was saying, but she trailed off as she got a good look at the face of the older woman., "Doña Carmen?" she said in a surprised tone.

"Yes, and you are... Lourdes Martínez, right? Sebastián's grandniece?" Carmen said.

"Yes, Doña Carmen." she said, "I came back with my husband not too long ago... ah, here he is."

Answering his wife's prompt, he walked with as less of a limp as he could toward where they were.

"Thanks God you caught Miri, Lou. I can't go too fast with my leg as it is." he said, and then he looked at the other two women, "Good morning, ma'am. I'm Daniel Martin..."

"Lourdes' husband, yes, I know." Carmen said.

"And you are...?" Daniel asked.

"Carmen Díez, Mister Martin." Carmen said

"Sakura Hayashi, Ms. Díez aide." Sakura said.

"Doña Carmen is sort of related to my family." Lourdes said, "You see, ehm,..."

"My would-be-husband, and father of my only son, was Lourdes great-uncle Sebastian Martínez." Carmen said, closing her eyes and sighing, "He died a week before the wedding, when the plane he was piloting crashed."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know..." Daniel started to say.

"Don't worry," Carmen said with an understanding smile, "You would not have any way to know." She then looked to the side, "It seems that we are going to have company."

They looked to the side to see two women approaching. Correction, not just two women, two shipgirls, the Battleships Pelayo and España, which were pretty well-known thanks to being the face of the Spanish shipgirl program.

"Doña Carmen, good to see you here." Pel said, giving a quick look to the older girl, "We were going to attend the ceremony when we saw you here."

"I come to every Summoning Ceremony since they become open to the public," Carmen explained, and then asked, "Have you ever assisted a summoning ceremony?"

"No, we live quite inland, actually, so..." Daniel said, trailing off.

"Daddy, can we go to the ceremony?" the younger girl said, "I have always wanted to go to one, please? Pretty, pretty please?"

"Yes, dad, can we go?" the older girl asked.

"...Okay." Daniel said, with the resignation of a father that knows that his daughters have him wrapped around their fingers, "But, Dana, Miri, behave. There is going to be a lot of important people, and you don't want you to behave like cousin Bobby at Aunt Daisy wedding, right?"

"Yes, dad." both girls said at the same time, "We'll be good."

He nodded, though he looked at his wife, with a commiserating look, clearly resigned to her daughters antics. But before he could say anything, one of the shipgirls, España he thought, called to somebody that was behind them. He looked back and saw a group of women, who were probably shipgirls too, as three looked too young for their rank in a modern uniform, probably German Navy if he wasn't wrong, another was wearing what looked like US Navy Dress Whites, with Lieutenant rank, and the last woman wore an honest-to-god Revolutionary War era uniform, complete with three-cornered hat.

Once the presentation were done it turned out that the German shipgirls were three U-boats, U-109, U-208 and U-374, and the other two were the USS Reina Mercedes, which had apparently had been a Spanish ship captured during the Spanish-American War and served as a barracks ship in the US Navy for many decades, and the older ship had been the Spanish flagship at Trafalgar, which went by the name of Trini, as her full name was quite a mouthful. They talked a bit before heading toward the summoning chamber, the shipgirls haven't decided to broach the subject of Dana's nature later, after the summoning.
Rota Base Summoning Chamber

Ursula Fischer, also known as natural-born U-109 shipgirl, looked around with interest, while the supplies were placed in a daïs to the left of the Summoning pool. The floor plan of the Summoning Chamber was not all that different from the one on Wilhelmshaven, the only one she had seen, but the decoration was another thing entirely. While the anchors, cannons and battle flags were expected, and the couple of incense burners hanging from the ceiling fit with the almost church-like ambience of the chamber, it was the mosaics decorating the walls and the ceiling what had caught her attention, as they depicted scenes of myth and history depicting nautical events, it represented a well muscled man fighting against one monster with three heads, six arms and six legs, or it was three monsters joined at the hip?.

'Whatever,' she thought, as the musicians started to take their places into another daïs, opposite from the one where the supplies had just finished to be placed. Interestingly enough, there was a full orchestra, most of them military musicians, clad in a mix of Spanish and American dress uniforms, but it was one of the few civilians attracted her attention, a short, curvy, black-haired woman wearing a black and white dress in a traditional style, carrying a guitar case, who was waving at somebody in the audience. To her surprise, it was the older woman with the group of shipgirls, Carmen Díez, who waved back.

"Who is she?" Ursula asked.

"Teresa Ruiz, she is family, and a really talented guitar player." Carmen said, and then added, almost as an afterthought, "She is invited regularly to play on summoning ceremonies here in the base."

She was going to answer but she fell silent when the base commander and the head of the american contingent stepped into the central daïs, and the ceremony started. While the officers did the petition for whatever spirits to came back, the musicians started to play. At first they played a arrangement of some kind of military march, not unlike many she had heard in both her lives.


But as the officers finished just as the march did, one of the guitar players in the orchestra, wearing a Spanish enlisted uniform, with the rank of a Chief Petty Officer, stood up and got near a microphone, looked at the woman who had attracted her attention before, who nodded with a smirk, and she started to play again the guitar, the sound of it having changed somehow resembling now something close to an electric guitar, while the man started to sing.


As the song neared its end, the material started to disappear, dissolving in flecks of light, that rose into a whirlwind over the water on the pool, glowing progressively brighter and brighter as the audience could feel a heaviness in the air, that suddenly dissipated as the whirlwind of light exploded, blinding the audience momentarily.

When they could see again, four women, no, four shipgirls were now standing on the center of the pool. Giving the swimsuits two were submarines, one of them a dark blonde Type VIIC U-Boat that looked awfully familiar to Ursula, and the other an American one, Balao class, if she was not wrong. One of the other two was an unfamiliar destroyer, a brunette girl wearing a green uniform, but it was the final woman who had become the focus of everybody's gazes, not only for her looks, but because she was clearly a battleship, and one that she hadn't seen on both her lives, though her hull resembled somewhat a smaller version of the British Queen Elizabeth class, down to the two close funnels in the center and four twin 15 inches turrets.

"Type VIIC U-boat U-573..." the U-boat said, looking around, "...or you can call me G-7 or S-1, ready to serve. This is Rota, right?"

"Yep." the other sub said, looking at the admiral who were approaching them as much as the pool allowed him, "USS Kraken, or maybe you can call me García de los Reyes, or S-31. Ready to kick ass!."

"Cut it out, you two." the destroyer said, with a long suffering sigh, before saluting the admiral, "Destroyer Velasco, Alsedo class, admiral, sir."

The fourth member of the group looked down, holding her hands over her bountiful chest.

"Battleship Reina Victoria Eugenia, sir." she said, "I don't have any experience, but I'll do my best."
Mayda Island. Somewhere in the Atlantic

To the casual observer the island would look as a volcanic island, where nature was steadily reconquering the surface after the last eruption, with the only clue that it had been inhabited in the past was a low-slung building on a natural bay that was placed halfway on dry land, half way on water. A more in-depth look would note some things that would clash with that theory, such as the melted remains of buildings close the one that still stood, and signs of fighting on the outer walls of the remaining building. Such hypothetical observer would haven't lasted long, though, thanks to the current inhabitants of the island, a small Abyssal fleet.

One of the members of that fleet, an Abyssal light cruiser was towing an Wa-class to the berth inside the building where the Princess had her work space. On one side of the chamber was a row of makeshift cells where seemingly inanimate Abyssals were lying down on cots. The destroyer repressed a shiver, those were the ones who had failed the Princess were kept in mothballs to serve as test subjects for her experiments.

She looked ahead, seeing the area where the Princess conducted what she called experiments. Right now she was checking on a Demon she didn't recognize at first, but then she remembered that one of the battleships had vanished a few days ago. Well it seemed that she had ascended.

'Wonderful, just wonderful.' She thought, sarcastically. The few battleships in Mother's fleet were horrible bullies, if we excepted Rikki, who was more aloof and standoff-ish than anything else. It seemed than the former Ta-class would become even worse now.

As she approached the pier, she saw one of Mother drones appear from inside the Battleship Water Demon rigging, skittering with its eight spider-like legs over the rigging before jumping on Mother shoulder and disappearing inside her.

"I think that I know how to improve your armor, Tarasque." Mother said, in the cheerful, childlike tone she always used, even when vivisecting one of her children, "But I'll need to test in some of your sisters before I do."

"All right, Mother." Tarasque said with a shrug, before jumping onto the water and speeding out. She kicked her with a smirk as she passed to her side, but fortunately it was only the usual bullying from Tarasque, so while it hurt, it seemed not to have made permanent damage, which the other Abyssal was perfectly capable to do, even before ascending.

She stopped there, nonetheless, waiting for Mother to notice her arrival. Her Princess was small, like a human child of ten or twelve years, wearing a white and black dress that had made some of the human prisoners call her Psycho-Alice, a moniker that she felt was not wholly undeserved, and her white hair falling to the sides, collected with a black bow on her back. The only discordant note in that image was the black, spiky choker she always wore..

"Ah, Tori, come here." Mother said, looking at her briefly, before examining the transport, "Is this the older one?"

"If the logbooks are corrects, it is, mother. She was made by the Northern Horde Elder Princess Fleet." Tori said, trying to keep the façade of professionalism.

"Really? Interesting, I had no idea any of the ones I inherited from Mother had survived so long." the Princess said, before smiling in a way that would have made Tori to run for the hills if it was directed to her. "You can go now, but don't forget to tell Sofia to come here in a couple hours. I need to check that useless sub engines."

"Yes, mother." Tori said, and sailed out as fast as she could without looking as if she was running away, specially as Mother drones started to swarm over the poor Wa-class, getting inside to examine every nook and cranny inside her hull, for whatever project had tickled her fancy.

 

Yellowhammer

A.N. -- I want to shout out to Harry Lefferts pointing out that I screwed up my characterizations here bigtime. Consider this as me fixing the obvious plot hole that he brought to my attention. I'll be doing the old part 12 as 13 to get this fixed and delete/repost it to not fuck up the sequence.

A Malfoy And Dagger's Excellent Adventure (XII)

All Hallows' Day (1 November), 2036

Malfoy Manor
Spoiler: Meeting The Potters

"Nervous, Albus?" Scorpius asked his friend as they walked down the hall from breakfast.

"A bit, Scorpius, a bit." The young man replied, vainly trying to put his messy hair into some kind of order absently. "Your parents are so different; I wonder how different mine are here, growing up in Japan and all..."

"Well, I'll stand beside you, you know. You're my friend." Scorpius said, patting Albus on the shoulder reassuringly. "Family looks after family and friends look after friends, you know."

Finally they reached the great hall. Draco Malfoy was standing there with Yuri and Taube chatting nearby with her mother Ehren. The elder Malfoy leaned on his cane. "I'll be using a Hermetic spell to open a Gate between here and Potter Manor. Once it's stabilized just walk through it and you'll be there. Taube and Yuri are coming with you as well, just so you know." As the teens nodded, Ehren fingered a gold coin glimmering with magic before tucking it away in the pocket of her business suit.

Taube smiled. "Yuri and I will help introduce you to the family, at least until she sees Minato-chan." The older Doki elbowed the grinning Malfoy girl in the ribs as she continued. "Then she's going to abandon us for Minato-chan cuddles as is right and proper."

Albus ignored the squabble and took a deep, nervous breath as Draco cast his spell. A silver shimmer the size and shape of a door flickered into existence in the air. The shimmer wavered, then flashed into being, forming the image of a gravel path leading toward a manor house's gardens. "Go now!" Draco grated out, and Ehren promptly hurried through, appearing on the gravel.

Taube, Albus, Scorpius and finally Yuri followed suit. Behind them the Gate slammed shut as the image of Malfoy Manor faded.

The five walked to the door and as they approached, it opened. Standing there was a messy haired man in glasses dressed in the white undress uniform of a JMSDF Rear Admiral with a beaming grin. "Good to see you!"

Albus dashed forward into his father's arms. He teared up at the parental embrace. "Dad...."

After all the more things changed in this dimension, some things remained eternal.

Harry gave him a proud smile. "Welcome home, Albus. Now, let me introduce you to all your new siblings and parents and you can tell us about the other me in your dimension...."
------------------------

Potter Manor

Scorpius leaned against the wall and looked at the hall filled with Potters.

Albus had not lasted long in his company, for it seemed that Harry... this version of Harry... wanted to show him around so he could introduce him to all the wives and children in residence.

One of the first ones they met inside was a redheaded young man about a year older than him named 'Minato Potter' surrounded by three older girls -- two pink haired girls (Natsuki and Sayori) and an emerald green-eyed girl with long brown hair named Monika. Yuri had been immediately pulled into their circle and judging by the hugs and kisses exchanged this was the Doki-doki Literature Club that she had mentioned.

Taube broke away from a conversation in German with three blond women in their twenties. She smiled at him as she walked over with them in tow. "Relax, Scorpius, I know this can be overwhelming but you're among friends here. Let me introduce you to some of Mutti's close friends who were sometimes my babysitters growing up. Here's Hanna Potter, she's the shipgirl of Lutzow..."

Hanna extended her hand. "Pleased to meet you, Scorpius. Taube spoke highly about you to us."

The second blond girl adjusted her glasses after shaking his hand. "I'm Hachi, but you can call me Hacchan. You're a bibliophile too?"

Scorpius nodded, relaxing somewhat. "Yes, yes I am."

"Good, let's get out of the crowd and hit the library." Hachi said, steering him through the chaos of the family reunion with the ease of long practice.

The third girl, with blond hair and a deep tan grinned and hugged him as they entered the library. "I'm RO-500, formerly U-511. I'm glad that I was off patrol to be able to meet you."

Scorpius gave a somewhat relieved smile as he began to relax. "So, what are your favorite books...?"
------------------------

Taube smiled at the sight of Scorpius, nervous and overwhelmed no longer, talking about literature with Hachi and Hanna. She then took a deep breath at the sight of a pink haired woman with two twitching fox ears who had just entered. She walked over with a smile for one of her primary tutors in the uses of her abilities. "Aunt Taiyang. You got my message that requested a chat then."

Then Taube hastily took and held a deep breath as the Blade of Tamamo-no-Mae embraced her, mashing her head into her bosom. "Taube-chan, Mikon~! What is giving you trouble?"

Taube sighed and then nodded to the others after working her way out of Marshmallow Hell. "I need privacy for this one. If it gets revealed, I'll not be able to carry out my plan."

In a flash they Apparated to a hill with a Grecian temple -- the tomb of Joachim and Elm Potter -- overlooking the orchards. The elder dao cocked her head after casting a privacy charm. "Now spill." The bubbly flirtatious voice was totally absent and her bronze eyes were firm and resolute.

Taube sighed and sat down on a bench in the temple. "I'm sending an avatar back with Scorpius and Albus to help mend their timeline. I'll... never get that part of me back. I think the rest of me can survive the shock; Aunt Kyoshu survived worse according to what I heard as family rumor. Also...." Taube trailed off and looked at the sculpted centaur and human resting together eternally as her voice faded.

Taube finally spoke with quiet resolution. "According to Bastian's analysis, the death of Cedric Diggory in their timeline was a key point. Without his death as a martyr to rally around for inspiration, the opposition to Voldemort will never crystallize until far later and with worse results. As it was, things apparently stood on the edge of a knife for Harry Potter and the rest then. And while I have the means to hopefully heal his mother Astoria Malfoy of her Blood Curse by drawing it out and absorbing it before it kills her, that would leave her in a world where Voldemort won unless steps are taken to prevent that. I will never let that happen to my family. Never."

Taiyang placed a clawed finger under Taube's chin as the rush of words trailed off. "A Thanatos Gambit?" She said after probing the younger spirit's thoughts.

Taube nodded in response to the question.

Taube then swallowed several times before whispering. "Here's where you stop me, isn't it, sensei?"

Taiyang turned to look at the monument. "No."

The Dao spoke thoughtfully as she looked at the centaur. "Human sacrifice is considered among the darkest and most powerful forms of magic. Destroying a sentient being's potential, promise, and very future to empower yourself is black indeed and stains the soul forevermore. That's how our version of Voldemort created his Horcruxes. But...."

A ball of ebony foxfire flickered into existence above a clawed palm and shifted from dark fire to purest silver light. "A sacrifice willingly given out of love and faith and compassion is equally great and powerful in its own ways. Even, or perhaps especially, when it is unmarked and unremembered by history and those whom it will touch."

Taube stood and hugged her teacher. "Thank you." Her lips quirked in a small smug smile. "I always did love my Dickens, after all."

As the two blades vanished to return to the party, the echo of Taube's whisper rustled the grass.

"It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known."

 

Yellowhammer

A.N. -- Time to get this dumpster arson on the road (with a side of Honor Before Reason because Taube is Colombe's granddaughter and Ehren's daughter). Deleting/reposting this to fix a plot hole HL pointed out to me.

A Malfoy And Dagger's Excellent Adventure (XIII)

All Souls' Day (2 November), 2036

Malfoy Manor

Taube took the small circular golden amulet from Bastian. "So this will allow memory transference?"

"Yeah, the Eye of Agamotto will do that, Sis." Bastian responded, tapping his prototype artifact. "It's a copy and paste of memories for those people who suck at Legilimency. You're a half-decent Legilimens, though, so why do you need it?" He blinked at his older sister.

Taube glanced at Albus Potter. "I need it so Albus will retain his memories of his time here. When they jump back to his dimension he will fade since his father was killed before having him. Then when Scorpius fixes the timeline by repairing his meddling with the Second Task, Albus SHOULD reform, but he would have no memories of the time that he spent away, right?" Her voice was carefully controlled and calm with an angelic innocent expression that would have immediately raised alarm bells with her parents if they had not been distracted with giving Scorpius last-minute briefings while showing their memories of watching the Triwizard Tournament's Three Tasks to help him correct what he had thrown out of balance.

Bastian, bless his heart, was totally clueless -- just as Taube had planned.

"Oh yeah, that. Yeah he would need a C&P download of the gap in his personal timeline. That's actually good thinking, Sis." Bastian shrugged. "You must be related to me. Anything else for me before I head back to Durmstrang and catch up on my Transfiguration studies? Oh hey! I got my Animagus license! Wanna see?"

Taube muttered under her breath as she nodded with a forced happy smile on her face, "I wish I wasn't related to you sometimes...."

She then resisted the urge to facepalm as Bastian shifted to his Animagus form of Doctor DOOM, summoned a throne-like floating chair, and posed grandly as he sat in it. "Behold the power of DOOOM!!"

Taube stifled a groan before politely clapping with that forced smile on her face.
--------------------

Taube finally pried herself away from her brother with the help of Johnston's distraction since DOOOM needed to 'lose the armor so he could wash his hands before dinner'. She headed to where Scorpius and Albus stood. "Here's the amulet Bastian promised, Albus. Wear it, and think of the memories of us you want to store in it, then once your timeline is restored, have your other self wear it and Scorpius will activate it with the spell Bastian taught him."
Spoiler: Bastian's Amulet

Albus nodded and then hung the amulet around his neck. As he tapped it with his borrowed wand, the orbs around the center sphere moved. Then the line in the center opened to expose a green glowing gem. A silver stream of memories flowed from Albus' temples to the Orb, which snapped shut.

The young Potter blinked several times. "Wow, that was... WOW." He took it off shakily and handed the amulet to Scorpius who placed into the pack next to the pin, dagger box, and wand that Taube had given him that morning.

Bastian grinned broadly. "It works!! YESS! It works!!!" He fistpumped and did a victory dance as the others stared at him.

Taube slowly spoke. "You didn't test it, did you?" Her voice was that of a person asking a question that she knew the answer for already.

"Not on human subjects, but I ran the calculations and spell design twice, Sis."

Several hands met faces in forbidden romance.
--------------------

Spoiler: A Final Parting

Finally, it was time for Scorpius to go. He hugged Taube, and his gray eyes stared into her amber ones. Quietly he spoke. "You've given me so much, and I don't know what to give you back. Once I go back, I won't ever be able to return here,. Even if I tried, after I do... what needs to be done... I'll be giving up this prototype Time-turner and accepting my punishment from my father." His voice broke. "I'll never see you again."

Taube gave a sad smile, "Just remember me fondly and do your best to live up to our family's legacy with honor, brother. I'll never know whether or not you succeeded, but I know that no matter what you'll do your best for us."

She hugged him once more then stepped back and brushed tears from her eyes. Her spine stiffened and her heels clicked together. Her chin raised and she spoke in German as their eyes met for the last time. "Und jetzt ist es Zeit, auf Wiedersehen zu sagen."

He gave her a smile back and spoke in halting German. "Auf Wiedersehen." With that he walked to where Ehren, Draco, and Albus were waiting and took their hands.

With a crack of displaced air, they vanished as they Apparated to Hogsmeade.

Taube took several deep breaths and visibly braced herself mentally and physically.

Niobe walked to her side and spoke in a concerned voice. "Taube. What is it?"

The young dagger spoke absently. "I don't know how this will work but...." Suddenly her eyes widened and she screamed at the top of her lungs as every muscle in her avatar spasmed.

Taube half-collapsed, only saved from the floor by Niobe's sudden grab. Johnston and Yuri hurried over to help support Taube as she writhed in pain, whimpering uncontrollably as waves of agony passed through her.

Bastian followed and waved his wand, frowning at the displayed glyphs from his monocle. "Hmm, mana flow through a subspatial cross-dimensional wormhole... There, it's stabilizing as the wave harmonics equalize in the quantum flux. Fascinating. Truly fascinating. I'll have to look into this." He grinned happily. "This gives me some ideas."

"BASTIAN!" Johnston snapped as the sobbing Taube clung to Niobe and her. "What's happening to her!? In English, dammit!"

Bastian was still looking at the displays. "The spiritual energies that make up Taube had an element of them pulled into another dimension. There's an energy drain through a subspatial rift in what would correspond to her soul. It's stabilizing though as the energies rebalance... and there. Down to a steady trickle at the Planck constant. Sustainable unless the rift is opened wider to drain more from her." He spoke with extreme laser focused interest as he watched the analysis of what was happening to the soul of his older sister.

Finally, Taube's screams of agony trailed off to whimpers and then she raised tear-filled eyes and gave a smug smile full of triumph.

Niobe stared into her eyes and spoke with steel in her concerned voice. "Taube. What did you do?!"

Taube breathed deeply, fighting down the throbbing spiritual agony from the other avatar that was lost to her forever now. "What I had to do, Mother."

Draco and Ehren appeared once more without Albus and Scorpius. They rapidly hurried over to Taube's side. Taube looked into Ehren's shocked steel-blue eyes and something passed between them as Ehren knelt to help support her. The Ehrendolch gave her daughter a nod full of a mixture of pride, respect, and exasperation.

"What honor demanded of me." Taube finished as she was helped by her family and friends to her waiting bed to begin to recover from the drain on her energies and the piece of herself that she had lost forever.


"What honor demanded of me to save family...."

 

Harry Leferts

Sitting in the booth, Ayane looked around somewhat nervously. All around her, there was the buzz of conversation that could be heard. Of course, this as her first time in such a place like this with so many people around.

Thankfully, for her, a few moments later a hand reached over the table and placed itself on hers, "Hey, Ayane-Chan." When she looked up and her eyes met Haruto's, she calmed down a little, "There we go, just relax, there's nothing to worry about."

With a deep breath, Ayane relaxed a little, "Right... sorry about that."

Gently stroking her knuckles with his thumb, Haruto smiled at her, "That's fine, Ayane-Chan. No one would blame you for being a little bit frightened as this is, well, somewhat outside your comfort zone."

However, the disguised Jorogumo shook her head as she looked at the others even as she flushed a little bit at the feel of Haruto's hand on hers and what he was doing. It did calm her though, and the others smiled at her softly, "Well, we all wanted to try this, so..."

The smile on Hachimitsu's face turned into a grin, "Trust us, you'll love it."

Only nodding, Ayane turned to her drink and looked down in it's dark depths. From what she had been told, this "Coca Cola" had caffeine in it, though not enough really for more than a really light buzz. Bringing it to her lips, she took a sip and hummed a bit at the fizzy sweetness that invaded her mouth. With a sigh, she set it down and waited, still looking around.

Every so often, however, she turned to Chikako who was coloring in some picture that was given to her as a child with crayons.

Part of the Jorogumo suspected that if she had been undisguised, the Nekomata would have had her tails twitching along with her ears. As it was, however, she was still adorable as she stuck her tongue out from between her lips. Only shaking her head, Ayane took another sip of her drink. Thankfully for her nerves, their meal arrived soon after and she blinked a little at seeing the "Pizza" that was in front of her.

Once the waitress was gone, and Haruto set up the spells to hide their conversation, Ayane looked down at the extra large meal with furrowed eyebrows, "So this is pizza? I've heard of it from some of those from outside, but..."

Chikako tilted her head a little bit, "Munya... I had some before, but they were all from the dumpsters."

Needless to say, the others grimaced at the reminder of how Chikako had once lived on the streets. Shaking it off, Mikage smiled at her, "Trust us, Chikako-Chan, this is much better than those pizzas."

Rubbing her hands together, Haruhime licked her lips, "It has been so long since I have last had a pizza... and this one looks good for a meat lovers..."

Head tilted to the side, Mie shared a look with her sister before looking at the pizza, "What sort of meat is on it?"

Amused, the Healer pointed at them, "Let's see... besides the pepperoni, we have dry cured ham, pork belly, a little bit of ground burger spread among it, beef jerky that's been shredded, normal sausage, Vienna sausage, and bacon." He then nodded towards a much smaller pizza in front of Chikako, "On that one, you have shrimp, clam, anchovies, and some fried fish."

Eyes closed, Chikako smiled brightly, "I have fish, Munya!"

Winking at her and lips twitching, Ichika grinned a little, "You'll let us have small pieces of it, right, Chikako-Chan? Hmm?"

Her eyes now narrowed, the Nekomata gave her a suspicious look, "I'll think about it. But only small pieces if I do, nya!"

Upon hearing that, everyone chuckled a little before they turned to the larger pizza. Taking a slice, Ayane considered how to eat it before looking over at Haruto and the three Kitsune. For a moment, she observed how they were eating their own slices and noted that the two Inugami were doing the same thing. Then, she opened her mouth and took a hesitant bite.

Almost immediately, her eyes widened at the taste. There was of course the somewhat sweetness of the tomato sauce with a slight spiciness to it, not to mention the cheese which she liked. Beneath that was the crust, but there was also the meat. Pulling away, with strings of cheese following her, the Jorogumo chewed as said strings snapped before swallowing.

For a few moments, she stared at the food even as she licked her lips free of sauce. Hearing a chuckle, she looked up to find Haruto smiling at her, "Well? What do you think?"

Lips curling a little, Ayane chuckled herself, "I like it, and I think that the others will too when you have it for your wedding."

Reminded of the fact that he had planned for his wedding to have burgers, fried chicken, and pizza, Haruto chuckled, "That's good to know..."

With that, they both went in for another bite.

Meanwhile, Chikako opened her mouth wide and lunged forward towards her own slice, "A-humpf!" Chomping down, she began to chew happily, "Mnya, mnya, mnya..."

Needless to say, both pizzas as well as the sides soon vanished down into hungry stomachs. Of course, after that came dessert in the form of something that resembled a pizza, but with an yellowish color, brown crumble on top, and lines of icing across it. For a moment, Ichika had a look of puzzlement on her face, "Um, what's this now?"

The waitress glanced at Haruto before nodding, "This is our peach dessert pizza made with peach filling, brown sugar crumble, and icing on top. It is one of our seasonal choices and we hope that you enjoy."

Only nodding, the others thanked her and she walked off.

However, much to Haruto's amusement, it was not just those from the Reserve who were hesitant to try it. Lightly chuckling, the Healer took one of the slices and bit into it with a hum, "Mmm... that hits the spot."

Much to his great amusement, the next one to try a piece was Chikako who sniffed it curiously for a few moments before chomping down, "Mnya... mnya... mnya..." She then opened her eyes and swallowed before taking a deep breath, "It's good, Munya!"'

Sharing a look between them, the older Yokai all took their own pieces from the dessert pizza and began to eat them as well, and happily at that. By the time they left, while the shipgirls were not really close to filled, Haruto and Ayane were pretty full. The Jorogumo also feeling a very slight buzz from the Coca Cola's caffeine as well. Though she did blink a little as another group got their pizza, "Yandere pizza...?"

Just blinking at that, Haruto looked over and winced at the sight of the pizza that seemingly covered by what he could tell was very hot peppers. The mention of very spicy sausage as well as the spices used in the sauce, and the cheese, only made him mutter a prayer in his mind for the poor fools eating it, 'Though that is a very apt name, I suppose...'

As they passed by a second hand store, however, the Jorogumo slowed down and stopped. Something that was noticed as the others also came to a stop and looked back at her. Eyebrow raised, Mie walked up and looked in the window, "Ayane-Chan? What caught your attention?"

Practically jumping away from the window, Ayane sheepishly chuckled, "It's nothing."

When he saw her glance back with a look of longing, Haruto narrowed his eyes a little and walked up to the window. Looking through the window, he ignored Ayane telling him that they should continue on when his eyes caught sight of something. Eyebrow raising, the Healer pulled back and looked at her with a knowing eye, "It's the sewing machine that's in there, isn't it?"

Upon seeing the blush that appeared on the spider Yokai's face, the others also got knowing looks. Finally, she sighed and slumped her shoulders a little, "It's... well..." She raised her hands some, "I've really only sewn with my hands, and I always wanted a machine to use, but, well... the chances of that?" Ayane then nodded towards it, "And it's a treadle, which means that I can use one of my legs to power it."

For a few moments, Haruto was silent before he glanced at the others, all of whom smiled and nodded. Then, he grabbed Ayane's hand and pulled her towards the store, "Well then, it's your lucky day, Ayane-Chan. Because you're getting it."

More than a little flustered, Ayane sputtered some, "H-Haruto-Kun! You don't need to do so and-"

She was cut off as she was dragged fully into the store to the amusement of the others. A few snickers escaped from Hachimitsu before she walked in, and several moments came out with the keys to the van, "I'll go and bring around the van..."

Even more amusement was had when a starstruck Jorogumo walked out with the sewing machine on a trolly. Carefully, they loaded it onto said van with them crawling in after... when Ichika pulled it into her hanger. Chewing her lip, Ayane looked at the Inugami, "It's... safe, right? And secure?"

Lightly laughing, the Inugami gave a nod, "Hai, it is secure, so don't worry about it being damaged." She then jerked her thumb at herself, "Some of my crew used one before, so... they'll be able to teach you how to operate it."

Haruhime gave Ayane a pat on the shoulder, "Don't worry, myself and Mikage-Chan have also used one before. So we can teach you as well since we know the basics." At the thankful look, she smiled, "You'll be handling it like a pro in no time..." Suddenly, the Kitsune frowned a little, "Sort of surprised to see a new one though..."

Beside the Jorogumo, Haruto shook his head, "I'm not, they became kind of popular." Seeing the questioning looks, he shrugged, "Back after Blood Week, due to attacks, you sometimes had power outages that lasted for days to say the least. Along with things like cutting power to turn off lights for blackouts? Well... along with other things like that, non-electric appliances made a comeback." The Healer frowned a little and scratched his head, "They're still producing them last I heard because they became a sort of retro thing or something like that and a lot of older people know how to use them and are making money repairing clothes, so..."

That got interested blinks from the three Kitsune with Mikage humming, "Huh... that is sort of neat."

With a glance towards her, Hachimitsu walked up to Ayane and gently nudged her. When the Jorogumo looked down at her, she smiled before whispering, "Go ahead, Ayane-Chan. None of us will mind at all."

It might have been the caffeine that was still in her veins, or something else, but the Jorogumo nodded and walked over before a surprised Haruto in a hug followed by kissing his cheeks. Her face feeling like it was on fire, Ayane pulled back a little, "Thank you, Haruto-Kun... this means a lot for me."

Rubbing the back of his neck with a light blush of his own, Haruto just chuckled a little, "I'm glad that you liked it."

All he got in return was a massive smile that was so big it looked like it hurt even as his girlfriends also smiled and nodded.

_____________________________________________________________

Unable to really do much except drop the blocks of sawdust into the expanded trunks, Ayane blinked a little as she looked up at the massive silo-like structure, "So this is where you get the fuel?"

With a hum as he continued to work alongside a number of the shipgirl fairies, Haruto smiled, "Hai." After he waved his wand, he held up a brick-like object, "I basically just take the sawdust and transfigure it into, well... a compressed version about the size of a brick. Then I put them into the trunks there, and each is the size of a warehouse. When I get back to the Reserve, a quick enlargement charm quadruples their sizes..."

Blinking a little, Chikako nodded, "Which means that they burn for a long time, right?"

Gently patting her head, the Healer chuckled, "Hai, they can burn for a couple of hours. Heck, a doubling charm also adds to the amount. So then everyone gets enough fuel that they're able to go for month of hot meals or baths."

A thoughtful sound escaping from her, Mikage watched as a number of her fairies produced more bricks that they floated over to a trunk, "You know... it is pretty smart. I wonder why they don't do that here?"

Haruto gave a small shrug at that, "I asked them once and their response was that while they can, and do, it is still a bit of work. But they don't mind me coming here and taking as much as I want of the sawdust, same with the branches as they just see that as waste that they need to get rid of anyways, so..."

That got him nods from the others as they continued to work for the next hour until they were done and left with more than enough fuel for the reserve for the next month or so.

Glancing back at the retreating sawmill in the rearview mirror, Haruto smiled a little before looking to where Chikako was excitedly chatting with Ayane who was smiling at the younger Yokai. His eyebrow raised a little as he overheard the Nekomata asking all sorts of questions about clothes and the like with the Jorogumo answering them as well as stating that she would not mind Chikako coming by her shop to learn about sewing and the like. Only shaking his head, he turned his attention back to the road as he drove down it, "Just one last thing and we're done."

Interested, Ichika looked over from where she was in the front passenger seat and raised an eyebrow, "So we'll finally know what the secret that you're holding is?" At his laugh and grin, she rolled her eyes playfully, "Fine, don't tell us then."

Simply shrugging, her boyfriend smiled a little, "Sorry, you'll see soon enough. But I think that you'll be very happy with it..."

Only grumbling, the Inugami shot him a look before stretching some, "Mmm... still, looking forward to some free time." Ears flicking, Ichika looked over at him, "Though considering that we're stuck on the mainland until those storms clear up..."

Frown on his face, Haruto glanced over at her, "Any word on them? I mean, besides that they're a line of storms..."

Behind him, Hachimitsu grimaced and shook her head, "That's just it, they seem to be a normal line of storms making their way up towards Japan. Nothing more or less, no Abyssal activity according to our new radios."

Looking up from her chat with Ayane, Chikako nodded, "Hai, Haruto-Nii-San! Nothing about them being anything but normal storms."

With a shrug of her own, the Jorogumo sighed a little, "I mean, it is the tail end of the rainy season after all. So... something like this isn't odd." She then grimaced a little, "And at least it's not a typhoon..."

The others nodded at that, thankful for that little mercy, especially Haruto. There were some old stone warehouses built before the Second World War when the dry docks had been built there for the magical navy. Said warehouses had been built to hold ammunition, and thus built with stone, interlocking walls that were two meters thick and reinforced with armored steel doors several inches thick themselves. Due to how fortified and strong they were, the Reserve used them as storm shelters when the typhoons roared through the area. Even if the rest of the buildings in the Reserve were wrecked outside the guard station, they stood strong enough that they were generally undamaged in the high winds and debris flying through the air. Even storm surges were not an issue as the Jorogumo and Tsuchigumo often sealed the doors shut with their webbing and added webbing higher in the warehouse in case water began to flood through. Something that happened extremely rarely as they were on high ground.

However, the Healer did shudder at how they were also the designated shelters in case of a tsunami as there was no area on the island high enough for proper protection except for a very few hills. Everyone hoped that the walls and armored doors would be able to withstand the waves if it happened, helped by how the wards around the island would weaken any tsunami by forcing it to expend energy when they were struck. Probably not enough to actually save the island, but... those on the hills and maybe in the warehouse would have a better chance of survival.

Rapidly shaking off his morbid thoughts, Haruto turned back to the conversation and steered it elsewhere. In particular what he was picking up as he let them guess. Granted, the wizard did laugh at Chikako's comment of it being a big tuna (or, in her words, a "huuuuuuge tuna, munya!").

Only about a half hour later found the van pulling into a small garage that was open. Getting out, Haruto smiled at the man who met them as said person wiped their grease covered hands on a rag, "Sakurai-San."

The man grinned back before bowing a little, "Hinata-San! Good to see you." Walking over, he shook Haruto's hand firmly, "Good to see you, picking up your order?"

Just chuckling as he rubbed the back of his neck, Haruto chuckled, "Hai, I decided to come by and grab it since I was in the area. Get it out of your way and such."

Moments later, Sakurai snorted some and shook his head, "Bah! It's not in my way, not in the slightest." Walking over to a tarp covered object, he grabbed said fabric and yanked it off, "Got the painting done three days ago along with the enchanting."

Behind Haruto, the Yokai all blinked at what was there. At the front was what looked like a recumbent cycle, though a bit higher than usual, which looked like an adult sized tricycle. But what caught their attention was at the back, where there was a sort of trailer attached with a large box... one painted in white and with a red cross painted on it. Walking up, Mie examined it closer, "What... is this?"

Smile on his face and a proud expression, Haruto chuckled a little, "This... is the first true ambulance in the Reserve." He then gave a small shrug, "I mean, it's not much, but..."

Just blinking rapidly, Hachimitsu looked at him, "Ambulance?"

With a chuckle, Sakurai patted the vehicle, "Hai, human, or Yokai powered as needed." He walked up to the back and unlatched the door and stood there with his hands on his hips after opening it, "Expanded the inside so it's the size of a small room, placed some charms so that anyone going inside wouldn't feel the bumps and such. Heck, added some of those No-Maj battery powered lights as well."

Humming, the Healer walked into the "Ambulance" and looked around. In the center, there was a small table that could function as a bed that was nearly ten feet long, with a crystal that he could cast a light spell into in order to keep it going so he could use magic to heal. In one corner, he could see a hospital gurney as well as a wheelchair. Under his feet, rather than a wooden floor, it was tile instead though charmed to not be slick no matter what. Haruto could even see some seats along the side for family to sit in.

Very slowly, Haruto nodded as he took it in with a smile, "This... is very, very nice." Walking over, he shook Sakurai's hand, "I can't tell you how useful this will be for the Reserve."

A snort escaped from Sakurai as he shook the Healer's hand, "Don't mention it, just let me know how well it works, okay? Worked quite a bit on her for everything." As he watched the others examine the inside, he glanced towards Haruto, "Anyways, also added a small flight charm to it so you can really put the boot to the pedal like the No-Majs say. Won't go high, not anymore than, say, fifteen feet, but damn... it will let you ignore roads and the like to get somewhere real fucking quick."

Only nodding, the Healer smiled, "Thank you."

The others only shook their heads as they came out, though with smiles on their faces as they watched Haruto make the payment for the work done, this time with what he had gotten from Kyoto for "Upgrades to his Clinic". Granted, they did wonder how the No-Maj doctors and such who were supposed to arrive on the island might take it...

 

Yellowhammer

A.N. -- Rest Assured that I shall be doing more stuff with Taube and Bastian (I love the scene-stealer a lot!) at some point down the road. But time to put a bow in this one.

A Malfoy And Dagger's Excellent Adventure (Epilogues)

Epilogue I

All Souls' Day (2 November), 2036

Malfoy Manor

Ehren's steel-blue eyes burned and her hands balled on her hips as she glared at the girl lying in the sickbed (having been hustled there by Cleo and Johnston). She took several deep breaths, letting the red in her face subside somewhat, and then continued in her precise Prussian German with her voice cracking on the edge of self-control. "{I raised you better than this Taube Lupa du Chasteler-Malfoy!! Where did I go wrong as your parent?!?!}"

Ehren's eyes briefly widened in her face at the sudden memory of Colombe saying those exact words to her as she stood at attention in front of Mutti's desk in Moulbaix after meeting Draco Malfoy. The thought 'Mein Gott, I have just turned into Mutti!' flickered across her face briefly and then was ruthlessly quashed as the habit of a lifetime of iron self-discipline and self-control reasserted itself. As much as she currently wanted to throttle the stupid out of her oldest daughter.

Taube winced and spoke in a weak voice as she focused on Ehren's love and concern-filled eyes through the waves of pain from permanently severing a part of her soul from herself. "{N-not so loud, Mutti...}" she whimpered.

Ehren's heart went out to her child in such visible distress once more. She took a deep shuddering breath to help fight down another wave of murderous black rage directed against the enemy responsible for the suffering that her own steel and blood, her family and kin was enduring.

Unfortunately, she reminded herself once more, Taube's self-sacrificial streak of pigheaded stupidity couldn't manifest to be properly bled out with her Ehrendolch body on the carpet in her room. God and His Saints knew that image was so tempting. But if she succumbed that easily to the siren song of her cold murderous wrath, she wouldn't be Ehren du Chasteler-Malfoy.

In deference to her child's injuries -- and more importantly, her undeniable maddening heroism -- she did lower the volume of her voice from the prior shill shriek at the top of her lungs before she continued the necessary lecture and correction. "{You could have been lost to us -- lost to me!! -- for good with your actions, Taube Lupa! You're staying in that bed until I and your other parents decide upon suitable punishment and you're healthy! I shall be manifesting an avatar to watch over you and pick up your homework to be done so you do not fall behind in your studies! No visitors, and no entertainment until told otherwise!!}"

Taube groaned weakly. "{Yes, Mutti...}"
-----------------------------

Epilogue II

Alternate Timeline Two

24 February 1995
Spoiler: A Sacrifice....

"Protego!"

An ash wand slashed up sharply in the casting gesture for the Shield Charm.

A wave of invisible force surrounded the form of Cedric Diggory as the young wizard stood at the edge of the lake in his swim trunks. Seconds later, another hex cast by the alternate of the young man next to the caster hit the invisible barrier around Cedric and deflected away.

Unknowing as of yet of the actions surrounding him, the young wizard cast the Bubble-Head Charm and dove into the lake to rescue Cho Chang.

Amber-gold eyes met gray eyes from where they floated on a 'borrowed' broom under a series of concealment charms. "That's one down, now for your mother, Scorpius."

1 April 1995

Astoria Greengrass walked alone down the fourth floor hall from the study area where she had just spent the last hour studying Potions privately with Draco Malfoy. She blushed at the thought of the older boy as he bent over her shoulder to help guide her with his notes about Shrinking Solution.

As she walked along humming happily, a mirror silently opened behind her. Inside the secret passage was revealed a young man with hair of Malfoy gold who stood next to a blond figure cloaked and masked like a Death Eater.

The young man's eyes widened at the sight and then he looked at his companion and nodded shakily.

"Stupefy!"

Astoria staggered from the Stunning Spell. Her eyes widened as the Death Eater loomed over her and drew an enchanted dagger.

She whimpered in terror as her skin parted in a shallow cut the length of her forearm. Blood gushed across the stone as an evilly glowing dark crimson mist spiraled out of the wound to be sucked into the glowing steel.

The Death Eater staggered and breathed heavily. Then her head cocked at a male shout from behind her.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" She half turned to see Draco Malfoy staring at the scene in shock.

As the last of the mist faded, the Death Eater staggered to the mirror and slammed it closed behind her.

Through the one way glass she saw Draco send a message spell down the corridor as he hurried to the side of Astoria to hastily heal her injury.

Taube pulled the hood back and spoke in a pained whisper. "Let's go!"

As Scorpius Malfoy activated the Time-Turner he looked at his sister in concern. "Will you be OK?"

Taube du Chasteler-Malfoy hissed to herself through her gritted teeth. "Just a little longer...." She gave a smug but weak smile as the enchantments took hold for their penultimate jump through time.

As they arrived in Scorpius's present, Taube whispered out a verse of poetry in a sad voice that caused Scorpius to tear up as he recognized the meaning.

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep."

Fumbling fingers pulled out a hilt pin crafted of Muramasa jewel Kruppstahl, and slid it home into a notch in the handle of her spare ash and unicorn hair wand.

A gasped out spell transfigured the wood around it to make it appear as part of the wand that she would be buried with in the next... and final... step of her plan to make right what was wrong with her willing sacrifice.

They hurried to the Quidditch pitch where -- a quarter-century before -- the final task of the Triwizard Tournament had taken place.

As they stood upon the spot where the hedge maze had been, Scorpius paused. "Taube. You know that you don't have to go through with this." He spoke with desperate intensity and worry in his voice. "You already saved Mother, I'm sure that she and Father would love to have you as my older sister as much as I would."

Taube sighed, shook her head, and spoke in a pain-filled voice. "It's too late for me. I'm dying, Scorpius." His eyes widened in shock and horror. "The Blood Curse I absorbed from your mother is killing me by inches. Maybe if all of me was here I could handle it. But every moment that passes rips more of my soul, my essence, away. All I can do now is choose the manner and time of my death."

He hugged the trembling girl as she whispered in a nervous voice. "I wish it wasn't this way too, but I can't do otherwise and stay true to myself, my heritage, and my honor. I can make my life here... and my death... mean something and that's not a bad epitaph to have, is it?" She gave a wan smile as she finished before she buried her fears and pain once more behind the mask of smug confidence. "Leaving this world a better place when I depart than when I arrive."

He swallowed and nodded, seeing in her now the visible signs of his mother's last pain-filled weeks as Astoria slowly faded away into death. "Mother told me once that seeing Father stand up to his parents to marry her was the bravest thing that she ever saw. I just wish that she could have seen you tonight, Taube."

Taube smiled in relief at the heartfelt message in his words and then spoke in a resolute voice. "I do too. Scorpius. I'm giving you and her a better life with my sacrifice. Make the most of it, and remember me fondly when you do, please?"

He swallowed, unable to speak, then slowly nodded.

Finally he whispered. "I will, Taube. I promise."

"Good." A deep, pain filled breath and then words of confident reassurance. "It's time, Scorpius."

One last hug between siblings as they departed for the fork where the path that they had walked together would split them apart forever.

One last thought from a young woman of the words that she had read upon the final page of one of the great works of English Literature, describing the sacrifice of a heroic man who gave his life upon the guillotine to make the people he loved happy.

"What I have been thinking as we came along, and what I am still thinking now, as I look into your kind strong face which gives me so much support, is this:—If the Republic really does good to the poor, and they come to be less hungry, and in all ways to suffer less, she may live a long time: she may even live to be old."

"What then, my gentle sister?"

"Do you think:" the uncomplaining eyes in which there is so much endurance, fill with tears, and the lips part a little more and tremble: "that it will seem long to me, while I wait for her in the better land where I trust both you and I will be mercifully sheltered?"

"It cannot be, my child; there is no Time there, and no trouble there."

"You comfort me so much! I am so ignorant. Am I to kiss you now? Is the moment come?"

"Yes."

She kisses his lips; he kisses hers; they solemnly bless each other. The spare hand does not tremble as he releases it; nothing worse than a sweet, bright constancy is in the patient face. She goes next before him—is gone; the knitting-women count Twenty-Two.

"I am the Resurrection and the Life, saith the Lord: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die."

The murmuring of many voices, the upturning of many faces, the pressing on of many footsteps in the outskirts of the crowd, so that it swells forward in a mass, like one great heave of water, all flashes away. Twenty-Three.


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

Epilogue III

Alternate Timeline Two

Hogwarts

2 May 1998
Spoiler: ...For A Better Future

Two young men appeared in the Potions Storeroom. The blond haired one waved his wand in a shield pattern after drinking a vial of Veritaserum.

"Finite Incantum!"

The older boy stood up as the Full Body-Bind Curse that had been cast on him faded. He leveled his wand at Scorpius. "Right, talk. What the bloody hell is going on?"

Scorpius took a deep breath and began to speak. "I'm Draco Malfoy's son from the future. Lord Voldemort's back and going to attack Hogwarts tonight in the final battle of the Second Wizarding War. Taube, my sister, exchanged places with you to die in your place at Voldemort's hands three years ago. I promised your father Amos and your niece Delphi that I'd save you; your father was shattered by your death."

Cedric blinked. "Niece?! I can't have a niece, Ma and Da both are only children!"

Scorpius paled and he muttered to himself. "She's up to something! But, later. I was planning to take you back to just after today so you would be able to live out the life that you deserved, but I can't just stand by and let other people fight those battles. Not anymore! It's what my sister would have done in my place, after all. I'm going to help defend Hogwarts from Voldemort's attack and I have a trump card that might save someone else." He touched the sheathed dagger at his hip.

Cedric visibly thought and finally nodded. "Right. Either you're crazy or..." He paled as the Head Boy badge he wore began to hum. "Hogwarts is under attack! You're not crazy." His jaw firmed. "I won't let it happen, but I'll want the full story from you later on."

Scorpius took a deep breath and drew his wand and then the enchanted spellbreaker dagger. "If we survive, I'll tell you everything and show you my memories of what happened. I give you my word of honor. Right, what now?"

Cedric paused at the sound of female voices and hurrying footsteps from outside. "That's Cho Chang's voice! No way she won't fight the Death Eaters." He looked at Scorpius and snapped out orders. "Cast some concealment charms and let's link up with her!"


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

Epilogue IV

Alternate Timeline Two

Malfoy Manor

2 November 2030

"...And what happened then, Daddy?" The young girl fought off a yawn and smiled angelically at her parent.

The blond haired man with scars across his cheek causing his lips to curl in a permanent smile -- caused by a Sectumsempra Curse cast by Bellatrix Lestrange as he dueled her in the Battle of Hogwarts -- replied to the young girl with copper-blond hair and blue eyes with matching love in his eyes.

"After we beat the Death Eaters? Well, Cedric and Cho got back together and are happily ever after married. I popped back to my time and got into a lot of trouble; your grandma and grandpa were furious with me. Less furious when they found out what had been going on and were able to stop Delphini Lestrange, but I was still grounded for YEARS!" He chuckled.

"And they made you eat your veggies for dinner too? Yuck!" A small pout from his daughter.

"Yes I had to eat all my veggies then. So I could grow up big and strong like your mommy and Uncle Albus and Uncle Cedric and Auntie Cho." Scorpius admitted

"But I don't wanna grow up. I wanna be your little princess, daddy!" A massive yawn as blue eyes fluttered closed.

A cough at the door as Rose Granger-Malfoy stood smiling at her husband as he gently tucked their firstborn child into bed before turning the light down.

"You'll always be my little princess, Taube." Scorpius whispered and then kissed her forehead as Taube Granger-Malfoy drifted off into childhood fairy-tale dreams of princes, princesses, and heroic deeds to defeat great evils.

Scorpius quietly walked to his wife, kissing her as they closed the bedroom door. Rose smiled gently and cradled her swelling stomach with Taube's next sibling growing within. "That story, Scorpius?"

He nodded. "That story. She's old enough to start to learn about her namesake and realize that she can be a hero like my sister was too when she grows up."

"A hero like you are, you know, dear." Rose gave him a fond smile and sighed. "When they opened the grave after Cedric came back, there was no body. Just that wand you have mounted in your study. I wouldn't have believed you if Albus Potter didn't vouch for your story, and the amulet and dagger backed it up with further proof. But at the end, even Mother had to admit that you were a hero."

He nodded as they walked to the library in the house. "It seems unbelievable to me sometimes. But then I look at my mother and my younger siblings. I look at you. I look at our friends in the Diggorys. Then I remember who made it all possible. Then I remember her last request to me, to make the most of this life that I was being given."

His lips curled in a bittersweet smile. "I hope that I'm doing a good job to honor her sacrifice."

Rose nodded and squeezed his hand. "You are, my love. You are."

They sat down together in his favorite chair by the crackling fireplace in the library. He opened a well worn and beloved leather-bound book and began to read as his wife cuddled into his side. Firelight flashed to illuminate the gold letters on the spine.
GADSHILL EDITION.

The Works of Charles Dickens

In Thirty-two Volumes.

With Introductions, General Essay, and Notes

by Andrew Lang.

VOL. XXI.

A TALE OF TWO CITIES.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only...."

 

Harry Leferts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It was, quite honestly, a lovely drink.

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

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

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

________________________________________________________

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

_______________________________________________________________

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Only nodding, Haruto hummed, "I see."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

lt_agn02

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The cruiser glared at the sheet of paper and grimaced.

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

“It’s not an aquarium! It’s a fish farm!”

Despatch paused. “...A what?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

More?!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Aso stopped moving when her hand met the doorknob.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Harry Leferts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yet, he still had a smile despite that.

______________________________________________________________________

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It... was like heaven to the Jorogumo.

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

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

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

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

Around her the others nodded slowly as did Haruto.

 

Harry Leferts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

___________________________________________________________

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Kab2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

---------

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

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

“Why don’t we use the machine?” signaled the manager an ENIGMA machine sitting rear taking dust.

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

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

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

Only a brief reply escaped from the manager’s mouth “Oh they won’t see it coming!”
---------------------

Thanks for reading, comments are always welcomed

 

Yellowhammer

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

A ButterDagger's Dream of a Daughter's Duty

19 August 2014

Castle Moulbaix, Belgium
Spoiler: A Dagger's Dreams

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Her unborn cousin.

Aunt Del's firstborn.

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

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

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

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

"Eine Gute Mutti...."

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

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

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

"Vati...."

Ehren suddenly realized the scene had frozen.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Before The War.

Before Vati had... died.

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

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

Another fragment of memory.

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

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

To whom much is given, much is demanded.

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

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

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

Spoiler: A Dagger's Binding

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

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

Even her footsteps on the dry leaves were swallowed up.

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

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

A pair of of figures waited for her.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Priests.

Wizards.

Soldiers.

Witches.

Teutonic Knights.

Guardians.

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

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

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

Blood... and Iron.

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

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

A falcon screamed as Ehren hefted her true self.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Harry Leferts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

________________________________________________________________________

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Yellowhammer

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

A Conversation, Correspondence, and Compassion

19 August 2014

Castle Moulbaix, Belgium
Spoiler: A Morning Conversation

Ehren's eyes fluttered open as she woke up.

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

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

But she didn't.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bill.

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

Another flick of the wrist.

Advertising circular.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ehren blinked at the folded paper.

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

The other was a very familiar dagger.

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

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

Dear Ehren du Chasteler,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Truly difficulties make you a jewel.

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

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

Dōjigiri Yasutsuna

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

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

A soft footstep behind her interrupted her concentration.

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

"Claire?!"

 

Yellowhammer

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

She Butterknifed Me Home, Can I Keep Her?

19 August 2014

Castle Moulbaix, Belgium

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Claire nodded sheepishly.

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

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

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

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

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

Spoiler: A Dagger And Her Wolfie

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

"Miss Ehren?" The axe rumbled.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

After the door closed the sisters looked at each other.

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

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

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

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

The lid creaked open.

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

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

 

Harry Leferts

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Savato93

And I’m back! FINALLY!

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

XXXXXXXXXX

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Hm?”

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

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

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

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

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

“Hmph… Always considering others’ feelings, as one would expect from a reasonable leader.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tanith stared at her, jaw agape.

“Too crass?”

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

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

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

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

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

XXXXX

“This is boring.”

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

“Rrgh... no. I guess.”

“Come on, it’s just a few problems. Then we can stop.”

“Okay.”

“Alright… um… oh, here’s an easy one: what’s six times three?”

XXXXX

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Yellowhammer

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

Noblesse Oblige

19 August 2014

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Du Chasteler

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Digital Historian

Hidden in Plain Sight

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Sir, the councillors are here to see you.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Flying Bicycles!?!?”


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

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