Once a Wizard, Always a Shinobi 45-47
Rating: M (to be safe)
Warnings: Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don’t get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)
Diclaimer: They weren't before, they aren't now.
Note: Sorry guys! Here, I finished it on FF.Net, so I'll post the rest up. T^T
Shurachi wiped a bit of baby food off his face and pushed the rubber covered spoon into Akina’s mouth gently. He cooed a little at the baby as she smacked her gums and whined at him. She didn’t like mashed peas half as much as she liked the pears. Hell, even the carrots were better than the peas.
Her new caretaker merely laughed at her and pushed another spoon full of the green goop into her mouth. She might not like it, but she was terribly hungry from not being fed very often. So she smacked her gums and swallowed it down rather than spit it on him again.
Finishing off the peas, Shurachi wiped her face and carried her over to the couch with him. Jonathan was doing his summer homework there, but he looked up to grin at them when Shurachi sat down. “How much more do you need to do?”
Jonathan looked over the pile of completed scrolls then perked up as he realized he was on the last one. “I’m almost finished with this one Sensei, then I’ll be completely done!”
Nodding, Shurachi bounced Akina a little. She burble happily and grabbed hold of the one braid Shurachi had left without weapons. He’d decorated it with bright ribbon to attract her attention if she went for his hair. They would be boarding the Hogwarts Express tomorrow to return to the school and he didn’t want his impromptu son to fail the first assignments of the year.
Several minutes later, Jonathan finished off his report with a flourish of his quill. Shurachi smoothed the hair on his head. “Alright. It’s time for bed now that you’re done. We have to get up early so we can eat and make it to the station.”
Jonathan didn’t protest, though his smile did morph into a pout. Akina burbled, but she was already asleep and simply making noises in her dreams. The baby was laid down in the shoddy cradle Remus had managed to get them.
Tugging on one of Shurachi’s more whole shirts, Jonathan climbed into the bed and settled on the right side. He watched his teacher moved around the room from the safety of the covers and clenched his eyes tight before the last candle went out.
He left them closed until the bed dipped and strong arms wound around his body. The little boy was pulled into Shurachi sturdy chest. He settled there with a little contented sigh, the feeling of dread he’d come to expect when the lights went out melting away under the assurance of safety.
In the morning, when he was strapped tightly to Shurachi’s back while Akina was bundled and tied to his chest, it was only that assurance of safety that kept him from passing out in fear. The speed and height at which the shinobi was moving left him almost wishing he would black out.
Shurachi chuckled quietly to himself as he held Akina with one arm for extra stabilization. He could feel how much Jonathan disliked the way they were getting to the station, but he had little alternative. Sabishíi was running ahead of them to lead the way.
The canine barely paused to find scent. If he didn’t know better Shurachi would almost say he was simply pausing to remember the way to a place he’d been many times before.
Their arrival produced a little upset, but Shurachi ignored it in favor of walking swiftly onto the train. He dropped Jonathan off in a compartment. “Here, you’ll need these when the train arrives at Hogsmead.” A shrunken trunk was produced, along with the small cradle. “Watch Akina for me. She’ll need her big brother to look out for her while I’m gone.”
Jonathan grinned toothily and accepted sniffling bundle. He rocked her a little while Shurachi dug around in his weapons pouch. “Here is her bottle, you remember how to feed her? Good. A nipple for her to suck on if she gets fussy. Lupin-san said that the diaper will take care of itself, so don’t worry about that.”
Green eyes peered out of wire rimmed glasses to make sure nothing was forgotten. “Sabishíi, stay.” The canine huffed. As if it would have been anywhere else when Shurachi couldn’t watch out for the kids. “I’ll be patrolling the train to make sure nothing happens. If you need me, I want you to kick this.”
He quickly made some seals, producing a shadow clone of himself, then formed several more to turn it into a cushion; Jonathan nodded. Shurachi spared him a brief smile. “I left money in the side pocket of your backpack. Remus said a lady came around with snacks.”
Then he was gone, slipping onto the platform to station himself in a spot that could see the entire place. Shurachi spent a good deal of the ride using chakra and a wind cutting jutsu to keep an eye outside the train. When it got to dark for his eyes to be much help he slipped back inside and checked on his newest children.
Jonathan was fast asleep and Sabishíi was using his wagging tail to make Akina’s cradle rock gently. She peered out at him, but was content to suck on her bottle nipple.
The train rolled into the station around nine. Remus was there, waiting to pick up Akina and bring her to the little house he’d rented with Shurachi’s money in Hogsmead. He had thought about protesting, had even opened his mouth to do so, but the shinobi had given him a cold glare that shut him up quick.
Shurachi followed the first years, trusting the strange horses to get the kids to the castle safe. They looked rather fierce after all. Chakra channeled into his feet allowed the Inuzuka to water walk, impressing the students and shocking Hagrid. Shurachi didn’t let that distract him, though he did get some amusement out of playing a bit of chase with the squid when it bumped his feet with a tentacle.
The feast went as usual and Shurachi waited until the castle had gone to sleep to make his way to the Headmaster’s office. He disliked being there, as it smelled of dusty sugar terribly. Standing in the cheerful room, he grimaced behind his mask. Sitting at his side, Sabishíi laid his ears flat in agreement. Neither one wanted to be there.
“Ah, Harry my boy! It’s good to see you made it back! I take it this is your new dog?” Dumbledore said, twinkling merrily at him from behind his desk.
Shurachi twitched a little. “Hai, this is my new partner. I have come to let you know that village has seen fit to only send me back as this has been downgraded to only a B ranked mission. Your fee has been adjusted accordingly.”
Blue eyes sharpened slightly, hidden by the twinkle. “I heard rumors that you were on the train! When did you get back and why didn’t you let myself, or one of the other professors, know? We would have been happy to have sent you transport back to the school and a place to stay for the summer!”
A small growl was suppressed. “The contract states that I am to protect the children during the school year. It was not the school year, so my mission was on hold until the welcome feast. I thought to use the time to get a better idea of the world my enemies come from.”
Dumbledore caught the slight slur, but ignored it. “Again, I would have been happy to provide you with any information you required.”
This time the growl seeped out slightly in his voice. “I will keep that in mind.”
A beaming smile was his answer. “Splendid my boy! Well, I won’t keep you for to long. I just need to know if you plan to continue with your classes? Several students wrote to ask about it over the summer. They said they’d enjoyed it very much.”
Shurachi nodded stiffly. Just because he didn’t like the man didn’t mean he wouldn’t teach the children how to protect themselves if they lost their wands.
“Good, good! I hope you don’t mind using the same rooms as you had before. I wasn’t expecting your party to decrease like it did!” Dumbledore smiled winningly, Shurachi merely turned and left.
He continued to leave until he was able to remove that portraits that had been returned to the walls of his rooms. He only settled, properly, when the three spying charms were also removed.
“I swear Sabishíi, if I have to be here another year then I will file my retirement. Dealing with that old bastard is going to give me terrible teeth.” The dog huffed in amusement, eyeing him skeptically. “Good point. I’m not sure which I would want though. Tooth decay from all the sugar or a splitting headache from grinding my teeth to powder.”
The dog barked, wagging it’s tail. Shurachi’s sour expression split into a large grin. “You’d abandon me to that place? Oh, so a baby is a better friend than me I take it?” Again the dog barked, this time covering his face with a paw. “Alright, I forgive you. I’ll introduce you to your other partner and we’ll have to set up a perimeter tomorrow. For now though, I have some clones wandering the place so we can rest for the night.”
The pair moved into Shurachi’s bedroom and settled together on the bed, Shurachi’s chest nearly crushed under the weight of the huge dog. Tomorrow they’d have to do some hard work, but for now they could rest.
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Shurachi laughed as he watched Kinobu and Sabishíi warily circle each other. He let his own form melt into the giant three headed dog that the other cerberus was more familiar with and trotted over. With his right snout he knocked Sabishíi to the ground. With his left, he bumped Kinobu’s side.
The pair of canines stared up at him incredulously, then looked at each other. Something passed between them, a silent understanding, and they both lunged at the larger dog. Neither canine would worry about the other, not while a larger target was available.
000
Hermione Granger prided herself on her knowledge. She also considered herself fairly patient when it came to waiting for that knowledge. So, when Remus didn’t contact her after several days she took a deep breath and counted to ten.
Recently, she’d gotten herself a rather smart post owl. In doing so, she hoped to use it’s intelligence to directly contact the person Remus seemed to want to keep hidden. Taking a quill and parchment, she penned a letter and sent it off.
Dear Sir,
In the skirmish that took place at Diagon Alley recently, I noticed an associate of mine vanish. When he returned, you were with him and quickly turned the tide in our favor. Since my associate seems to have forgotten my request for an introduction, I will do so myself.
I am Hermione Granger, a graduate of Hogwarts. I graduated top of my class in all but potions. I fancy myself a knowledgeable person, but I didn’t recognize the spells the used against the Death Eaters. Would it be possible to meet, or correspond? I would be very much obliged.
Sincerely,
Hermione Granger
000
Granger-san,
No.
Inuzuka Shurachi
000
Dear Mr. Shurachi,
What do you mean “no”? That’s hardly an answer at all! Is there nothing I could do to convince you to tell me about the spells? Or at least give me their names so I can research them myself?
Sincerely,
Hermione Granger
000
Dear Mr. Shurachi,
I sent a letter a few days ago. I’m not sure if it arrived as I haven’t received a reply. I have become more curious about you since I sent it however. I went over your reply several times and realized I had no idea what language would put san at the end of my name. Would it be possible for you to tell me that as well?
Also, would your speaking another language mean you are new to English? I saw that your name is foreign also. If this is the case, I would be glad to help you with your pronunciation in exchange for the information I requested.
Sincerely,
Hermione Granger
000
Dear Shurachi-san,
Did I use it right? I’m assuming it means somthinge similar to Mister or Miss in my language. I did some research, but I couldn’t find what language it was from. What I did find out was quite fascinating though!
I also did some research on the spells you used. I couldn’t find any that matched the results you produced. Are they native to your country? Would it be very difficult for me to learn them?
Sincerely,
Hermione Granger
000
Dear Shurachi-san,
I am really quite fed up with you not answering my letters. It very rude to ignore a persons correspondence. I know you’ve been getting them, as my owl hasn’t returned with an unopened letter.
Hermione Granger
000
Shurachi-san,
Now that was just rude of you! Sending my letters back unopened after I told you that was a sign of a recipient not receiving their mail! Reply to me or I will have to file a report with the Ministry about an unauthorized foreign wizard being in the country!
Hermione Granger
000
Granger-san,
I want nothing from you. I have never met you before and your constant letters are insulting as well as unwelcome. Did you stop to think that your associate may have ignored your request for a reason? I have no business with you, especially since you got my name wrong. Inuzuka is my family name.
Inuzuka Shurachi
P.S. I am authorized to be here. Dumbledore Albus hired me under a work visa.
000
Shura-chan!
It sucks that I couldn’t go with you this time! The boys say “Hi”, but I didn’t want to risk sending more than this letter with the messenger. Would you mind giving her some water by the way? Hatake-san kindly let me borrow her for this purpose, so she’ll poof out once she’s rested up.
Don’t return to the village Shurachi. The council sent your kit out with one of the sannin to collect the next Hokage candidate, but until they get back and a Hokage is named the council has absolute power.
They’ve labeled you a missing nin, S-class, with flee on site orders. If you come within the walls of Konoha we have strict instructions to kill you. Your clan has protested, but there isn’t much they can do. The council has them under watch and that bastard Danzo has been sniffing around my own complex.
Also, something happened to the little brat you were tutoring. I don’t want to put it in a letter, so it will have to wait until we can see each other again. We’ll do our best to get the new Hokage to rescind your listing.
Take care and all our love,
Haji-niisan
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Shurachi shook off the news of his banishment, though he did make sure that Remus knew to send his payments to a Gringotts account rather than the village from now on. He did his best not to think about what his pups must be going through. Did his best not to think about it at all really. He hadn’t told Jonathan yet, not wanting to upset the boy. All he could seem to talk about was what he thought Konoha must be like.
Pushing a hand through his braids, and being careful to avoid the sharp bits of metal, Shurachi sent Sabishíi after Jonathan. The eleven year old was heading home for Christmas, or rather, heading to Shurachi’s house in Hogsmead to spend the holiday with Akina and Remus.
Personally, he didn’t understand the holiday or why it deserved time off from school. Still, he would, however, get his new children and Remus presents. It would be only proper as they’d all, except Akina, told him they were going to get him presents.
Turning away from the departing students, he entered the castle once more. His clones were keeping a personal eye on the remaining students since there were so few of them. There was to be one last, unofficial Hogsmead weekend right before the actual day. He would be going to visit his new house then as the clones were more than capable of informing him should they need him.
Shurachi stretched out his hand once he was by the Great Hall. To anyone passing, it would look like he was reaching for a blank spot on the wall. He pulled it closer to his face, however, when a kikai landed on it. The insects sent images of fire, of screaming men and women. Then it switched to a dark room with a red eyed man.
Finally, it showed him the picture of another kikai. This one wasn’t his, and was obviously a little lost. He guessed from the image of a dim trail of light that his own kikai had left markers for the other follow.
The only person that could send a kikai to him was Hajime, so hopefully the little thing found the trail. He was antsy to hear about his pups in Konoha.
It was several days later, after his visit to the house in Hogsmead, when Shurachi got another kikai message. This one was frantic, chakra coming off of it in worrisome spurts. When he connected with it he realized why. There was an unknown, dangerous man near his pups. Remus couldn’t handle him, had already fallen to the man.
Pushing out of the comfortable bed he’d been using, Shurachi only paused to slip on shoes before launching himself out of his window. He landed hard, with a grunt of pain, but carried on without a hitch. His family was in danger and he couldn’t allow them to be hurt.
Bursting through the front door, Shurachi barked once, loudly. There was no answering scramble of claws on tile. He tried again, more silence. Growling low to himself at the thought of losing another partner to foreign men, Shurachi crept towards the scents of fear. They were so thick he couldn’t distinguish one person from the other.
He arrived in the nursery, and found two men knocked out against one wall. They were still alive, but not a threat. What was a threat was the man facing his two pups. Remus was nowhere to be found.
“Sensei!”
The man whirled around, fingers curled as if they were claws. Then, strangely, when he caught sight of Shurachi he relaxed. “Master!” He chirped, and Shurachi twitched a little at the term of address. Only his dogs called him that, as they didn’t really have a proper equivalent in their language. He wasn’t their proper alpha, as they looked to the strongest canine for that, but he was their leader.
“Ah, sorry. I got used to saying that. I’m glad you came Shurachi-sama. These Death Eaters-” here he spat the word, venom shooting from his eyes at the unconscious men, “-were attacking the pups. I had to knock Remus around to get him to send your bug for you.”
Shurachi’s eyes narrowed and he crept forward carefully. “Get away from my pups.” He growled, spine curving in preparation for an attack.
Gray-blue eyes blinked at him in surprise, then clouded over with understanding. “Ah, right…I forgot you wouldn’t know who I am in this form.” He moved away from the children with his hands in front of himself. “Sorry. But, um, I couldn’t deal with them as I was. They had some sort of spell over them that hindered dogs from reaching them. I think they meant it to keep Remus away.”
A frown pulled Shurachi’s eyebrows down, making his expression obvious through the mask. “Do? You are…” he tugged the mask down to sniff at the air. The putrid stench of fear, the acrid tang of pollution, and the musky scent of Sabishíi. There were no foreign scents save the two men at the wall.
“Sabishíi?” The man brightened and executed a little bow.
“I am Sabishíi! My human name is Sirius though. I was a friend of Remus’ until I was blamed for your wizarding parents murder. It wasn’t me though, it was Pettigrew.”
Shurachi felt little hands clutch at his pants and he took a little bit of attention from Sirius to check on Jonathan. The boy looked scared, but not terrified. He seemed to have confidence that Shurachi could take care of them. “Jonathan, I want you to take Akina and go into my room. Once you are there I want you to tap the blue paper on the door.”
The little boys face set in determination and he hefted the baby in his arms to carry out his orders. Shurachi kept himself in between the man and the kids until they were gone. “If you really are Sabishíi, why didn’t you answer my call?”
Sirius’ face fell. “You said not to come when you call if the pups were still in danger. I wasn’t sure if more Death Eaters would come so I stayed here instead.”
Green eyes looked him over critically. “That is true. Lupin, is this man who he says he is?” Remus stepped into the doorway.
“Yes Inuzuka-san, he really is my old friend from school. I don’t know how true what he says is though. He was convicted of betraying your parents and killing fourteen others. He should still be in Azkaban, they never announced his escape.” The werewolf kept his wand pointed at Sirius while his other hand was holding the forming lump on his head.
“I didn’t do it though Moony. Wormtail, we switched with him and when I chased him down he blew up the street, cut off his own finger, and slipped into the sewers.” He pleaded, taking a step forward. Both canine inclined men sniffed the air, testing for the scent of lies, and relaxed marginally when they found none.
“If that’s true, why didn’t you ever say anything at your trial Padfoot?” Remus asked, a slightly desperate edge to his voice.
The shaggy black head shook. “I didn’t get a trial Moony. They just said the evidence was all they needed and locked me away. I offered to go under veritaserum, they wouldn’t let me!”
Shurachi growled to gain the pair attention. “Lupin, sort this out. I want the truth of what happened here. I’m going to make sure my pups weren’t harmed in your care.” He shot a poisonous look to both men, then backed out of the room and hurried to his own.
The chakra lock recognized him and let him through when he sent a small burst of chakra into it. Jonathan was sitting on the bed, Akina cuddled to his chest.
“Sensei, are you okay? Is everything okay now?” Jonathan asked, leaning forward a little. He looked pale and sick, obviously stressed from the attack.
Shurachi sat down on the bed, waiting as Jonathan moved to cuddle against him. Then he began to stroke the boys hair. “It’s fine now. The men who were attacking won’t be getting up any time soon and Lupin is taking care of that other man.”
There was silence as the two stressed children took strength from Shurachi. Then, timidly, Jonathan spoke up. “Who is he? He was Sabishíi, then he wasn’t anymore.”
The shinobi remained silent, simply petting the soft brown hair. He couldn’t answer that question yet. They would just have to wait for Remus to finish. Shurachi wasn’t sure he would have been able to deal with questioning his former, current…well, he couldn’t deal with it. Not right now.
------------------------------------------------47-------------------------------------------
The feeling in the room was beyond awkward. It was so far past uncomfortable that he was seriously considering suicide as a viable option. Sirius Black, his once canine partner, was sitting on a short couch with Remus next to him.
They weren’t touching, nothing would really give them away about their manner, but his nose could smell their sex through it’s cover. Jonathan sat on the floor, blissfully unaware of the discomfort the adults around him were experiencing.
Akina didn’t care. She was asleep upstairs.
“So you’re not merely taking the side of, ah, your feelings?” Shurachi asked, trying to be discreet and still reprimand them.
Remus paled and Sirius pinked as they realized that their silencing charm hadn’t been enough. “Despite my feelings, I know that the person he’s accused of killing is alive. I would recognize his animagus form anywhere. I just didn’t get a chance to see it when I was teaching at Hogwarts.”
“A student had him as a pet rat. I saw a picture of him before I escaped Azkaban, but he got away before I could kill him. Then they realized I had escaped and sent hit wizards after me.” Sirius elaborated.
Green eyes closed and glasses were pulled off to try and fend off a headache. “How, exactly, did you end up in Konoha then?” Those same eyes opened, bewildered but suspicious.
“That was a fluke. I was trying to apparate as a dog, but it didn’t work properly and I found myself in some forest. I was so tired that I let the dog part of me take over and those kids caught me. Later, I realized you guys took good care of dogs and just went with the flow.” He shrugged, his shoulder brushing against Remus.
Shurachi laughed quietly, shaking his head. “Yeah, a fluke. Okay. Jonathan, go to bed pup. Its late.” The boy looked up from the conjured ANBU figurines he’d been playing with. He was ready to argue, hoping for more time, but he closed his mouth when he saw the strained expression on his teachers face.
“Good night sensei.” He leaned forward and hugged Shurachi’s legs then scampered up the stairs.
The shinobi watched him go, a bemused look on his face, before turning on the suddenly concerned men. “I am no longer a shinobi of Konoha. The mission I was hired for no longer applies to me.” He chuckled a little hopelessly, leaning back into his seat. “You may tell your Headmaster that all requests for a continuation of the mission are denied.”
Alarm began to grow in their eyes as wind picked up in the room. “I won’t leave, because I couldn’t live with myself if I let Doku’s killers live.” He rolled his head, his eyes alarmingly blank. “I’ll kill those pieces of trash, then I’ll go…somewhere.”
He closed his eyes and Sirius made to move to him. Remus grabbed his arm and shook his head. Hana had told him about what had happened when Shurachi’s first lover had died. She’d told him how the shinobi had reacted and how it had been better to let him be every now and then. He wasn’t there then, but this didn’t feel like the time to consol him.
Shurachi remained on the couch, letting his mind blank and rest. He didn’t get his break for long though, as an exhausted kikai landed on his nose and began to suck chakra from him. He opened one green eye, watching it with little enthusiasm.
It gathered enough energy to send him a picture of all his pups grinning, or in Shino’s case waving, at him. He got the feeling of love, of happiness, and he let a ghost of a smile flit over his face before plucking the insect off his nose and tucking it into a hole in his wrist.
He looked around the rather bare living room, taking in the few pictures of Akina, and more recently Jonathan. Pushing himself to his feet, Shurachi removed a picture of each child from it’s frame and left via an open window.
He slowly made his way back to Hogwarts, collected his things from his room, and returned to the house. It took little effort to break into the warded basement and remove the Death Eater prisoners. He then dragged them with him to the small cave he’d found in his initial sweeps of Hogsmead, what felt like years ago.
He tossed one against the wall and settled the other in the middle of the room. Taking a deep breath, he gathered his chakra and pushed it into his hand seals. The very nature of this jutsu required silent use and so he didn’t speak, simply let the genjutsu encircle the Death Eater.
He moved behind the throne that was formed from the man’s memory. Out of the way and out of view of the Death Eater. He used a bit of magic to wake him, and watched silently as the man looked around groggily, then fell at the feet of a man who had appeared as he woke.
“My Lord.” The man pressed his nose to the ground. “It seems your suspicions of Lupin being stationed in the village as a warning system were correct. He is there to give warning, but he’s also looking after some children. Apparently, the mercenary who denied you has left them in his care.”
The red eyed man stroked his chin in a cliché way. “Yes, this is good information, but why are you returning to me alone? Were you so careless as to loose your partner?” There was a cruel glint in the man’s eyes now. He lifted a black wand with spindly fingers. “You disappoint me. Crucio!”
The Death Eater fell completely to the floor, screaming and twitching. Shurachi watched with a frown. Nothing had been overtly done to the man, so why was he in pain? Had it been a spell? There hadn’t been any light.
Tossing a sleeping gas capsule at the twitching Death Eater, Shurachi waited for him to pass out before removing the man from sight and repeating the process with the other man. The scenario was similar, though when the word crucio was said a red light flashed, confirming that it was a spell. One that caused terrible pain if the identical reaction was any indicator.
Sighing, he pulled out his little used wand and cast a sleeping charm on the pair. They wouldn’t wake until he removed the magic. Their bodies would slow, so they could survive up to a month without food or water. If he didn’t wake them by then, well, he wouldn’t feel to bad about it.
Leaving the cave, he paused to cast a look at the darkened town of Hogsmead. He had picked a good protector for his pups, they would be safe. He could trust the message he’d sent with a bunshin to reach those who needed to know. Looking away, he continued on into the woods. He didn’t have Doku, or Sabishíi, to help him find his way, but chakra markers worked just as well as his canine companions noses. He would manage.
00000000000000
more coming
Warnings: Slash/shounen ai (maybe YAOI), Het, blood and stuff, non-con (though I'll warn you so you can skip), mentions of underage (I guess) HarryOC (OC dies so don’t get in a twist) ShuraHaku (yes, he WILL be a HE)
Diclaimer: They weren't before, they aren't now.
Note: Sorry guys! Here, I finished it on FF.Net, so I'll post the rest up. T^T
Shurachi wiped a bit of baby food off his face and pushed the rubber covered spoon into Akina’s mouth gently. He cooed a little at the baby as she smacked her gums and whined at him. She didn’t like mashed peas half as much as she liked the pears. Hell, even the carrots were better than the peas.
Her new caretaker merely laughed at her and pushed another spoon full of the green goop into her mouth. She might not like it, but she was terribly hungry from not being fed very often. So she smacked her gums and swallowed it down rather than spit it on him again.
Finishing off the peas, Shurachi wiped her face and carried her over to the couch with him. Jonathan was doing his summer homework there, but he looked up to grin at them when Shurachi sat down. “How much more do you need to do?”
Jonathan looked over the pile of completed scrolls then perked up as he realized he was on the last one. “I’m almost finished with this one Sensei, then I’ll be completely done!”
Nodding, Shurachi bounced Akina a little. She burble happily and grabbed hold of the one braid Shurachi had left without weapons. He’d decorated it with bright ribbon to attract her attention if she went for his hair. They would be boarding the Hogwarts Express tomorrow to return to the school and he didn’t want his impromptu son to fail the first assignments of the year.
Several minutes later, Jonathan finished off his report with a flourish of his quill. Shurachi smoothed the hair on his head. “Alright. It’s time for bed now that you’re done. We have to get up early so we can eat and make it to the station.”
Jonathan didn’t protest, though his smile did morph into a pout. Akina burbled, but she was already asleep and simply making noises in her dreams. The baby was laid down in the shoddy cradle Remus had managed to get them.
Tugging on one of Shurachi’s more whole shirts, Jonathan climbed into the bed and settled on the right side. He watched his teacher moved around the room from the safety of the covers and clenched his eyes tight before the last candle went out.
He left them closed until the bed dipped and strong arms wound around his body. The little boy was pulled into Shurachi sturdy chest. He settled there with a little contented sigh, the feeling of dread he’d come to expect when the lights went out melting away under the assurance of safety.
In the morning, when he was strapped tightly to Shurachi’s back while Akina was bundled and tied to his chest, it was only that assurance of safety that kept him from passing out in fear. The speed and height at which the shinobi was moving left him almost wishing he would black out.
Shurachi chuckled quietly to himself as he held Akina with one arm for extra stabilization. He could feel how much Jonathan disliked the way they were getting to the station, but he had little alternative. Sabishíi was running ahead of them to lead the way.
The canine barely paused to find scent. If he didn’t know better Shurachi would almost say he was simply pausing to remember the way to a place he’d been many times before.
Their arrival produced a little upset, but Shurachi ignored it in favor of walking swiftly onto the train. He dropped Jonathan off in a compartment. “Here, you’ll need these when the train arrives at Hogsmead.” A shrunken trunk was produced, along with the small cradle. “Watch Akina for me. She’ll need her big brother to look out for her while I’m gone.”
Jonathan grinned toothily and accepted sniffling bundle. He rocked her a little while Shurachi dug around in his weapons pouch. “Here is her bottle, you remember how to feed her? Good. A nipple for her to suck on if she gets fussy. Lupin-san said that the diaper will take care of itself, so don’t worry about that.”
Green eyes peered out of wire rimmed glasses to make sure nothing was forgotten. “Sabishíi, stay.” The canine huffed. As if it would have been anywhere else when Shurachi couldn’t watch out for the kids. “I’ll be patrolling the train to make sure nothing happens. If you need me, I want you to kick this.”
He quickly made some seals, producing a shadow clone of himself, then formed several more to turn it into a cushion; Jonathan nodded. Shurachi spared him a brief smile. “I left money in the side pocket of your backpack. Remus said a lady came around with snacks.”
Then he was gone, slipping onto the platform to station himself in a spot that could see the entire place. Shurachi spent a good deal of the ride using chakra and a wind cutting jutsu to keep an eye outside the train. When it got to dark for his eyes to be much help he slipped back inside and checked on his newest children.
Jonathan was fast asleep and Sabishíi was using his wagging tail to make Akina’s cradle rock gently. She peered out at him, but was content to suck on her bottle nipple.
The train rolled into the station around nine. Remus was there, waiting to pick up Akina and bring her to the little house he’d rented with Shurachi’s money in Hogsmead. He had thought about protesting, had even opened his mouth to do so, but the shinobi had given him a cold glare that shut him up quick.
Shurachi followed the first years, trusting the strange horses to get the kids to the castle safe. They looked rather fierce after all. Chakra channeled into his feet allowed the Inuzuka to water walk, impressing the students and shocking Hagrid. Shurachi didn’t let that distract him, though he did get some amusement out of playing a bit of chase with the squid when it bumped his feet with a tentacle.
The feast went as usual and Shurachi waited until the castle had gone to sleep to make his way to the Headmaster’s office. He disliked being there, as it smelled of dusty sugar terribly. Standing in the cheerful room, he grimaced behind his mask. Sitting at his side, Sabishíi laid his ears flat in agreement. Neither one wanted to be there.
“Ah, Harry my boy! It’s good to see you made it back! I take it this is your new dog?” Dumbledore said, twinkling merrily at him from behind his desk.
Shurachi twitched a little. “Hai, this is my new partner. I have come to let you know that village has seen fit to only send me back as this has been downgraded to only a B ranked mission. Your fee has been adjusted accordingly.”
Blue eyes sharpened slightly, hidden by the twinkle. “I heard rumors that you were on the train! When did you get back and why didn’t you let myself, or one of the other professors, know? We would have been happy to have sent you transport back to the school and a place to stay for the summer!”
A small growl was suppressed. “The contract states that I am to protect the children during the school year. It was not the school year, so my mission was on hold until the welcome feast. I thought to use the time to get a better idea of the world my enemies come from.”
Dumbledore caught the slight slur, but ignored it. “Again, I would have been happy to provide you with any information you required.”
This time the growl seeped out slightly in his voice. “I will keep that in mind.”
A beaming smile was his answer. “Splendid my boy! Well, I won’t keep you for to long. I just need to know if you plan to continue with your classes? Several students wrote to ask about it over the summer. They said they’d enjoyed it very much.”
Shurachi nodded stiffly. Just because he didn’t like the man didn’t mean he wouldn’t teach the children how to protect themselves if they lost their wands.
“Good, good! I hope you don’t mind using the same rooms as you had before. I wasn’t expecting your party to decrease like it did!” Dumbledore smiled winningly, Shurachi merely turned and left.
He continued to leave until he was able to remove that portraits that had been returned to the walls of his rooms. He only settled, properly, when the three spying charms were also removed.
“I swear Sabishíi, if I have to be here another year then I will file my retirement. Dealing with that old bastard is going to give me terrible teeth.” The dog huffed in amusement, eyeing him skeptically. “Good point. I’m not sure which I would want though. Tooth decay from all the sugar or a splitting headache from grinding my teeth to powder.”
The dog barked, wagging it’s tail. Shurachi’s sour expression split into a large grin. “You’d abandon me to that place? Oh, so a baby is a better friend than me I take it?” Again the dog barked, this time covering his face with a paw. “Alright, I forgive you. I’ll introduce you to your other partner and we’ll have to set up a perimeter tomorrow. For now though, I have some clones wandering the place so we can rest for the night.”
The pair moved into Shurachi’s bedroom and settled together on the bed, Shurachi’s chest nearly crushed under the weight of the huge dog. Tomorrow they’d have to do some hard work, but for now they could rest.
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Shurachi laughed as he watched Kinobu and Sabishíi warily circle each other. He let his own form melt into the giant three headed dog that the other cerberus was more familiar with and trotted over. With his right snout he knocked Sabishíi to the ground. With his left, he bumped Kinobu’s side.
The pair of canines stared up at him incredulously, then looked at each other. Something passed between them, a silent understanding, and they both lunged at the larger dog. Neither canine would worry about the other, not while a larger target was available.
000
Hermione Granger prided herself on her knowledge. She also considered herself fairly patient when it came to waiting for that knowledge. So, when Remus didn’t contact her after several days she took a deep breath and counted to ten.
Recently, she’d gotten herself a rather smart post owl. In doing so, she hoped to use it’s intelligence to directly contact the person Remus seemed to want to keep hidden. Taking a quill and parchment, she penned a letter and sent it off.
Dear Sir,
In the skirmish that took place at Diagon Alley recently, I noticed an associate of mine vanish. When he returned, you were with him and quickly turned the tide in our favor. Since my associate seems to have forgotten my request for an introduction, I will do so myself.
I am Hermione Granger, a graduate of Hogwarts. I graduated top of my class in all but potions. I fancy myself a knowledgeable person, but I didn’t recognize the spells the used against the Death Eaters. Would it be possible to meet, or correspond? I would be very much obliged.
Sincerely,
Hermione Granger
000
Granger-san,
No.
Inuzuka Shurachi
000
Dear Mr. Shurachi,
What do you mean “no”? That’s hardly an answer at all! Is there nothing I could do to convince you to tell me about the spells? Or at least give me their names so I can research them myself?
Sincerely,
Hermione Granger
000
Dear Mr. Shurachi,
I sent a letter a few days ago. I’m not sure if it arrived as I haven’t received a reply. I have become more curious about you since I sent it however. I went over your reply several times and realized I had no idea what language would put san at the end of my name. Would it be possible for you to tell me that as well?
Also, would your speaking another language mean you are new to English? I saw that your name is foreign also. If this is the case, I would be glad to help you with your pronunciation in exchange for the information I requested.
Sincerely,
Hermione Granger
000
Dear Shurachi-san,
Did I use it right? I’m assuming it means somthinge similar to Mister or Miss in my language. I did some research, but I couldn’t find what language it was from. What I did find out was quite fascinating though!
I also did some research on the spells you used. I couldn’t find any that matched the results you produced. Are they native to your country? Would it be very difficult for me to learn them?
Sincerely,
Hermione Granger
000
Dear Shurachi-san,
I am really quite fed up with you not answering my letters. It very rude to ignore a persons correspondence. I know you’ve been getting them, as my owl hasn’t returned with an unopened letter.
Hermione Granger
000
Shurachi-san,
Now that was just rude of you! Sending my letters back unopened after I told you that was a sign of a recipient not receiving their mail! Reply to me or I will have to file a report with the Ministry about an unauthorized foreign wizard being in the country!
Hermione Granger
000
Granger-san,
I want nothing from you. I have never met you before and your constant letters are insulting as well as unwelcome. Did you stop to think that your associate may have ignored your request for a reason? I have no business with you, especially since you got my name wrong. Inuzuka is my family name.
Inuzuka Shurachi
P.S. I am authorized to be here. Dumbledore Albus hired me under a work visa.
000
Shura-chan!
It sucks that I couldn’t go with you this time! The boys say “Hi”, but I didn’t want to risk sending more than this letter with the messenger. Would you mind giving her some water by the way? Hatake-san kindly let me borrow her for this purpose, so she’ll poof out once she’s rested up.
Don’t return to the village Shurachi. The council sent your kit out with one of the sannin to collect the next Hokage candidate, but until they get back and a Hokage is named the council has absolute power.
They’ve labeled you a missing nin, S-class, with flee on site orders. If you come within the walls of Konoha we have strict instructions to kill you. Your clan has protested, but there isn’t much they can do. The council has them under watch and that bastard Danzo has been sniffing around my own complex.
Also, something happened to the little brat you were tutoring. I don’t want to put it in a letter, so it will have to wait until we can see each other again. We’ll do our best to get the new Hokage to rescind your listing.
Take care and all our love,
Haji-niisan
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Shurachi shook off the news of his banishment, though he did make sure that Remus knew to send his payments to a Gringotts account rather than the village from now on. He did his best not to think about what his pups must be going through. Did his best not to think about it at all really. He hadn’t told Jonathan yet, not wanting to upset the boy. All he could seem to talk about was what he thought Konoha must be like.
Pushing a hand through his braids, and being careful to avoid the sharp bits of metal, Shurachi sent Sabishíi after Jonathan. The eleven year old was heading home for Christmas, or rather, heading to Shurachi’s house in Hogsmead to spend the holiday with Akina and Remus.
Personally, he didn’t understand the holiday or why it deserved time off from school. Still, he would, however, get his new children and Remus presents. It would be only proper as they’d all, except Akina, told him they were going to get him presents.
Turning away from the departing students, he entered the castle once more. His clones were keeping a personal eye on the remaining students since there were so few of them. There was to be one last, unofficial Hogsmead weekend right before the actual day. He would be going to visit his new house then as the clones were more than capable of informing him should they need him.
Shurachi stretched out his hand once he was by the Great Hall. To anyone passing, it would look like he was reaching for a blank spot on the wall. He pulled it closer to his face, however, when a kikai landed on it. The insects sent images of fire, of screaming men and women. Then it switched to a dark room with a red eyed man.
Finally, it showed him the picture of another kikai. This one wasn’t his, and was obviously a little lost. He guessed from the image of a dim trail of light that his own kikai had left markers for the other follow.
The only person that could send a kikai to him was Hajime, so hopefully the little thing found the trail. He was antsy to hear about his pups in Konoha.
It was several days later, after his visit to the house in Hogsmead, when Shurachi got another kikai message. This one was frantic, chakra coming off of it in worrisome spurts. When he connected with it he realized why. There was an unknown, dangerous man near his pups. Remus couldn’t handle him, had already fallen to the man.
Pushing out of the comfortable bed he’d been using, Shurachi only paused to slip on shoes before launching himself out of his window. He landed hard, with a grunt of pain, but carried on without a hitch. His family was in danger and he couldn’t allow them to be hurt.
Bursting through the front door, Shurachi barked once, loudly. There was no answering scramble of claws on tile. He tried again, more silence. Growling low to himself at the thought of losing another partner to foreign men, Shurachi crept towards the scents of fear. They were so thick he couldn’t distinguish one person from the other.
He arrived in the nursery, and found two men knocked out against one wall. They were still alive, but not a threat. What was a threat was the man facing his two pups. Remus was nowhere to be found.
“Sensei!”
The man whirled around, fingers curled as if they were claws. Then, strangely, when he caught sight of Shurachi he relaxed. “Master!” He chirped, and Shurachi twitched a little at the term of address. Only his dogs called him that, as they didn’t really have a proper equivalent in their language. He wasn’t their proper alpha, as they looked to the strongest canine for that, but he was their leader.
“Ah, sorry. I got used to saying that. I’m glad you came Shurachi-sama. These Death Eaters-” here he spat the word, venom shooting from his eyes at the unconscious men, “-were attacking the pups. I had to knock Remus around to get him to send your bug for you.”
Shurachi’s eyes narrowed and he crept forward carefully. “Get away from my pups.” He growled, spine curving in preparation for an attack.
Gray-blue eyes blinked at him in surprise, then clouded over with understanding. “Ah, right…I forgot you wouldn’t know who I am in this form.” He moved away from the children with his hands in front of himself. “Sorry. But, um, I couldn’t deal with them as I was. They had some sort of spell over them that hindered dogs from reaching them. I think they meant it to keep Remus away.”
A frown pulled Shurachi’s eyebrows down, making his expression obvious through the mask. “Do? You are…” he tugged the mask down to sniff at the air. The putrid stench of fear, the acrid tang of pollution, and the musky scent of Sabishíi. There were no foreign scents save the two men at the wall.
“Sabishíi?” The man brightened and executed a little bow.
“I am Sabishíi! My human name is Sirius though. I was a friend of Remus’ until I was blamed for your wizarding parents murder. It wasn’t me though, it was Pettigrew.”
Shurachi felt little hands clutch at his pants and he took a little bit of attention from Sirius to check on Jonathan. The boy looked scared, but not terrified. He seemed to have confidence that Shurachi could take care of them. “Jonathan, I want you to take Akina and go into my room. Once you are there I want you to tap the blue paper on the door.”
The little boys face set in determination and he hefted the baby in his arms to carry out his orders. Shurachi kept himself in between the man and the kids until they were gone. “If you really are Sabishíi, why didn’t you answer my call?”
Sirius’ face fell. “You said not to come when you call if the pups were still in danger. I wasn’t sure if more Death Eaters would come so I stayed here instead.”
Green eyes looked him over critically. “That is true. Lupin, is this man who he says he is?” Remus stepped into the doorway.
“Yes Inuzuka-san, he really is my old friend from school. I don’t know how true what he says is though. He was convicted of betraying your parents and killing fourteen others. He should still be in Azkaban, they never announced his escape.” The werewolf kept his wand pointed at Sirius while his other hand was holding the forming lump on his head.
“I didn’t do it though Moony. Wormtail, we switched with him and when I chased him down he blew up the street, cut off his own finger, and slipped into the sewers.” He pleaded, taking a step forward. Both canine inclined men sniffed the air, testing for the scent of lies, and relaxed marginally when they found none.
“If that’s true, why didn’t you ever say anything at your trial Padfoot?” Remus asked, a slightly desperate edge to his voice.
The shaggy black head shook. “I didn’t get a trial Moony. They just said the evidence was all they needed and locked me away. I offered to go under veritaserum, they wouldn’t let me!”
Shurachi growled to gain the pair attention. “Lupin, sort this out. I want the truth of what happened here. I’m going to make sure my pups weren’t harmed in your care.” He shot a poisonous look to both men, then backed out of the room and hurried to his own.
The chakra lock recognized him and let him through when he sent a small burst of chakra into it. Jonathan was sitting on the bed, Akina cuddled to his chest.
“Sensei, are you okay? Is everything okay now?” Jonathan asked, leaning forward a little. He looked pale and sick, obviously stressed from the attack.
Shurachi sat down on the bed, waiting as Jonathan moved to cuddle against him. Then he began to stroke the boys hair. “It’s fine now. The men who were attacking won’t be getting up any time soon and Lupin is taking care of that other man.”
There was silence as the two stressed children took strength from Shurachi. Then, timidly, Jonathan spoke up. “Who is he? He was Sabishíi, then he wasn’t anymore.”
The shinobi remained silent, simply petting the soft brown hair. He couldn’t answer that question yet. They would just have to wait for Remus to finish. Shurachi wasn’t sure he would have been able to deal with questioning his former, current…well, he couldn’t deal with it. Not right now.
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The feeling in the room was beyond awkward. It was so far past uncomfortable that he was seriously considering suicide as a viable option. Sirius Black, his once canine partner, was sitting on a short couch with Remus next to him.
They weren’t touching, nothing would really give them away about their manner, but his nose could smell their sex through it’s cover. Jonathan sat on the floor, blissfully unaware of the discomfort the adults around him were experiencing.
Akina didn’t care. She was asleep upstairs.
“So you’re not merely taking the side of, ah, your feelings?” Shurachi asked, trying to be discreet and still reprimand them.
Remus paled and Sirius pinked as they realized that their silencing charm hadn’t been enough. “Despite my feelings, I know that the person he’s accused of killing is alive. I would recognize his animagus form anywhere. I just didn’t get a chance to see it when I was teaching at Hogwarts.”
“A student had him as a pet rat. I saw a picture of him before I escaped Azkaban, but he got away before I could kill him. Then they realized I had escaped and sent hit wizards after me.” Sirius elaborated.
Green eyes closed and glasses were pulled off to try and fend off a headache. “How, exactly, did you end up in Konoha then?” Those same eyes opened, bewildered but suspicious.
“That was a fluke. I was trying to apparate as a dog, but it didn’t work properly and I found myself in some forest. I was so tired that I let the dog part of me take over and those kids caught me. Later, I realized you guys took good care of dogs and just went with the flow.” He shrugged, his shoulder brushing against Remus.
Shurachi laughed quietly, shaking his head. “Yeah, a fluke. Okay. Jonathan, go to bed pup. Its late.” The boy looked up from the conjured ANBU figurines he’d been playing with. He was ready to argue, hoping for more time, but he closed his mouth when he saw the strained expression on his teachers face.
“Good night sensei.” He leaned forward and hugged Shurachi’s legs then scampered up the stairs.
The shinobi watched him go, a bemused look on his face, before turning on the suddenly concerned men. “I am no longer a shinobi of Konoha. The mission I was hired for no longer applies to me.” He chuckled a little hopelessly, leaning back into his seat. “You may tell your Headmaster that all requests for a continuation of the mission are denied.”
Alarm began to grow in their eyes as wind picked up in the room. “I won’t leave, because I couldn’t live with myself if I let Doku’s killers live.” He rolled his head, his eyes alarmingly blank. “I’ll kill those pieces of trash, then I’ll go…somewhere.”
He closed his eyes and Sirius made to move to him. Remus grabbed his arm and shook his head. Hana had told him about what had happened when Shurachi’s first lover had died. She’d told him how the shinobi had reacted and how it had been better to let him be every now and then. He wasn’t there then, but this didn’t feel like the time to consol him.
Shurachi remained on the couch, letting his mind blank and rest. He didn’t get his break for long though, as an exhausted kikai landed on his nose and began to suck chakra from him. He opened one green eye, watching it with little enthusiasm.
It gathered enough energy to send him a picture of all his pups grinning, or in Shino’s case waving, at him. He got the feeling of love, of happiness, and he let a ghost of a smile flit over his face before plucking the insect off his nose and tucking it into a hole in his wrist.
He looked around the rather bare living room, taking in the few pictures of Akina, and more recently Jonathan. Pushing himself to his feet, Shurachi removed a picture of each child from it’s frame and left via an open window.
He slowly made his way back to Hogwarts, collected his things from his room, and returned to the house. It took little effort to break into the warded basement and remove the Death Eater prisoners. He then dragged them with him to the small cave he’d found in his initial sweeps of Hogsmead, what felt like years ago.
He tossed one against the wall and settled the other in the middle of the room. Taking a deep breath, he gathered his chakra and pushed it into his hand seals. The very nature of this jutsu required silent use and so he didn’t speak, simply let the genjutsu encircle the Death Eater.
He moved behind the throne that was formed from the man’s memory. Out of the way and out of view of the Death Eater. He used a bit of magic to wake him, and watched silently as the man looked around groggily, then fell at the feet of a man who had appeared as he woke.
“My Lord.” The man pressed his nose to the ground. “It seems your suspicions of Lupin being stationed in the village as a warning system were correct. He is there to give warning, but he’s also looking after some children. Apparently, the mercenary who denied you has left them in his care.”
The red eyed man stroked his chin in a cliché way. “Yes, this is good information, but why are you returning to me alone? Were you so careless as to loose your partner?” There was a cruel glint in the man’s eyes now. He lifted a black wand with spindly fingers. “You disappoint me. Crucio!”
The Death Eater fell completely to the floor, screaming and twitching. Shurachi watched with a frown. Nothing had been overtly done to the man, so why was he in pain? Had it been a spell? There hadn’t been any light.
Tossing a sleeping gas capsule at the twitching Death Eater, Shurachi waited for him to pass out before removing the man from sight and repeating the process with the other man. The scenario was similar, though when the word crucio was said a red light flashed, confirming that it was a spell. One that caused terrible pain if the identical reaction was any indicator.
Sighing, he pulled out his little used wand and cast a sleeping charm on the pair. They wouldn’t wake until he removed the magic. Their bodies would slow, so they could survive up to a month without food or water. If he didn’t wake them by then, well, he wouldn’t feel to bad about it.
Leaving the cave, he paused to cast a look at the darkened town of Hogsmead. He had picked a good protector for his pups, they would be safe. He could trust the message he’d sent with a bunshin to reach those who needed to know. Looking away, he continued on into the woods. He didn’t have Doku, or Sabishíi, to help him find his way, but chakra markers worked just as well as his canine companions noses. He would manage.
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more coming