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Balance Factor
One-Shot
Rubies, Emeralds, and Sapphires
A/N: Regarding Shirogane and Ryuuko's names, I tried to go off of what I knew in Chinese and the Japanese translations. Sorry if it's a little off!
This might not make much sense if you've never read Balance Factor.
Please Read and Review!
-0-
"Kazuki says it customary to celebrate one's date of birth," Ryuuko said cheerfully to Shirogane. Shirogane blinked, raising his eyebrows at Ryuuko, a vein on his head. Ryuuko had showed up to the teacher's meeting twenty minutes late, and spouted off something about birthdays. The rest of the teaching staff was giving Ryuuko strange looks, though Shirogane noted that Snape was shooting Ryuuko a suspicious look.
"It is," Shirogane said, recalling Akira's indifference to his birthday, though Kengo and Aya always made a fuss.
"Our birthday is coming up, isn't it?" Ryuuko asked, looking at Shirogane. Shirogane blinked slowly, unsure. They had never discussed this before at all. He had no idea when he was born; let alone what day it had been. Time just didn't pass the same way in the Shadow World and the Light World.
"Ryuuko, are you feeling okay?" Shirogane asked, his eyebrows raised. He didn't deny that he would rather be pondering dates for their make-believe birthday than be chatting about the children in his class, but this really wasn't the time for it. On the other hand, this topic was making Ryuuko quite happy, and Shirogane rather enjoyed seeing his counterpart so absorbed into something.
"Shirogane, do you understand?" Ryuuko asked, grasping Shirogane's hands. They had both chosen to wear wizard robes, designed by Kazuki, but neither looked that much different than their regular clothes. "It's customary! We should celebrate."
"Okay, Ryuuko. I understand," Shirogane said evenly, his tone hiding the exasperation he had dealing with Ryuuko's human customs.
"Oh! Your birthday is coming up?" Sprout asked, her eyes shining. "How old will you be?"
"Twenty-seven," Ryuuko said cheerfully, sitting in his seat next to Shirogane. Shirogane always reserved a seat next to himself for the late Ryuuko. The teachers learned from the first meeting that anyone who tried to take that particular seat got shoved out of it quite quickly.
"Both of you? How convenient," Snape drawled, his lips pursed. Shirogane ignored him, watching Ryuuko's laughing face with a level of affection.
"We should invite Harry. He would want to be here," Shirogane said calmly, taking a deep breath. "And his friends, of course."
-0-
"Eh? Ryuuko and Shirogane's birthday?"
Kazuki looked thoughtful and Snape raised an eyebrow at him. Then Snape spoke.
"They were talking about it last meeting. When is it?" Snape asked, his eyebrows raised. "They're your friends, aren't they? Shouldn't you know their birthday?"
"They don't like to talk about themselves," Kazuki said casually. "Especially anything private."
A twinge of doubt ran through Snape's mind. Why did it seem like Potter's words were lies, but not? Snape, himself, had told many half lies in his days. Could it be that Potter knew more than he was letting on? Or could it be that Potter really didn't know?
Some level of doubt must have shown on his face, because when Potter turned to him he spoke in a rather defensive tone. "They don't freely share information with just anyone. You've been their Headmaster for two months now. Can you tell me anything else besides the fact that they are close?"
Snape flattered. It was true that he didn't really know Ryuuko or Shirogane that well. He knew that they showed up for meals in the Great Hall, but ate nothing. He knew that they were quite secretive. Ryuuko was an exceptional teacher and Shirogane's students were utterly terrified of him. Not that Snape could really blame him. Something didn't feel right with Shirogane.
He had debated on using Legilimency to search Shirogane's mind, but one look from those cold sapphire blue eyes stopped him dead in his tracks. Why did he feel like it was a very bad idea?
Snape was a very instinctual man. He usually followed his gut instinct when it came down to determining whether it was a good or bad choice. And in this case, his gut told him that it was a very, very bad idea to provoke Shirogane.
Now that he reflected over the past two months, he realized something strange. Neither Ryuuko nor Shirogane had used any spells. In fact, Snape had never even seen their wands.
"They never eat," Snape said bluntly, looking at Potter. Potter sighed a little and shook his head.
"They do. Just not in front of you. They prefer to eat less heavy meals, as English food is quite… heavy," Kazuki said calmly. "They eat together in their private room."
"How did you know they had a private room?" Snape asked, his eyes narrowed. He gazed into the sapphire ones that belonged to Potter, feeling like he was being searched again.
"Shirogane told me, last time I was here," Kazuki said simply.
Snape stopped himself from jumping in shock when he recognized that the sapphire blue was the exact shade that Shirogane possessed. But… That was impossible! There was no way Potter could be Shirogane's son!
-0-
Severus Snape rummaged through the photographs he had of Lily Potter. To his dismay, none of the photographs he possessed had a picture of little baby Potter.
His eyes landed in the Pensieve in the corner of the room. He turned to Dumbledore's portrait and spoke.
"Albus, remember the day we went to the Potters to celebrate the birth of little Harry Potter?"
Dumbledore gazed at him over half-moon spectacles. "I do believe I dragged you along that day."
Snape paused, recalling his absolute reluctance to go and how he was stiff the entire time. But now that he looked at it, it may have been the only memory he had of baby Potter. He silently thanked the Headmaster as he dove into his Pensieve.
Green.
Vibrant, emerald green.
So when had they turned blue?
Snape withdrew from his memories, trying to recall his first Potion's class. If he remembered correctly, Potter's eyes then… had been green. He remembered quizzing the eleven year old, trying to gauge how much the child knew.
But then… his memories of Potter's eyes would change. In second year, they had been sapphire blue. And in forth year…
Why had he agreed to help Potter out with potions again?
The memory of ruby red eyes and white hair flashed in front of his mind. Snape clutched his head, his brow furrowed in confusion. What was that? What was he trying to remember?
He wondered if he had been Obilivated. Or if it was another memory modification charm. Or if someone had spiked his drink. But Snape knew that it couldn't be that simple. He had protections against those kinds of things. And his memories in his Pensieve… They wouldn't have been altered.
Was it Potter's doing? Or was it someone who knew both Potter and Snape? Snape hesitated, thinking about what he knew. He pulled up a sheet of parchment and wrote down what he knew.
Potter's eyes used to be green.
They are blue.
Ryuuko and Shirogane know Potter.
Snape paused at his list. Then he looked at his list again.
Speaking of which, when did Potter get to know such powerful beings like Shirogane and Ryuuko?
"…"
And why did he call Shirogane and Ryuuko "beings" instead of "wizards"?
-0-
Ron Weasley wasn't the smartest one of his year. But even he knew that something was wrong.
Harry was… different. He couldn't remember a time during his schooling years where he had felt that there was something off about Harry, so why did he suddenly feel it now, months later? Why did he feel like he was suddenly cut off, or missing a huge chunk of his life?
And he could have sworn that there had been a girl in their group.
Draco Malfoy looked at Ron over his teacup and sighed, lowering it.
"You feel it too, huh?" Draco asked. Ron gave him a frown.
"If you mean the fact that I seem to be missing something, yeah, I do," Ron said, looking at Draco, leaning back. They had agreed to meet in a café, a muggle one at that, to escape the Prophet and the crowd. Draco had been hesitant at first, but Harry had introduced them to this particular one. Since then, Draco had brought his family in. Narcissia absolutely adored their pastries.
"That feeling I get from Potter. It's highly annoying. And, I can't really pinpoint why I seem to feel that way either," Draco said, looking over his tea. "Like he's got a big secret and we knew about it, but suddenly forgot."
Ron nodded, taking a biscuit. "My memory seems very fragmented in regards to Harry. I trust Harry, but it's really uncomfortable."
"Why don't we write down what we do know in regards to Harry?" Draco asked. "And compare for any inconsistencies. Should we meet at your house? Father still doesn't like that I am friends with a Weasley."
Ron looked at Draco and nodded a little.
-0-
"Draco? May I speak to you for a minute?"
Draco looked at Snape, pausing in his preparations. He had taken to assisting his godfather during the weekends for Potions, as he was still in the midst of training to become an Auror. Harry, surprisingly, had refused the position of Head Auror and said, in a calm, but even voice.
"I have had enough excitement to last me a lifetime. I would rather relax."
And so, Harry Potter had not taken a job in the Ministry. Personally, Draco thought it was because of all the nasty, degrading things they said about him in his fifth year and seventh year, but Potter insisted that wasn't the case.
Instead, he was something of a consultant for Kingsley.
Draco moved from the cauldron he was looking at, walking up to Snape's desk and looking at him. Snape hesitated, before speaking in a calm, but reassuring voice.
"What do you remember about Potter?"
"Potter?" Draco thought about it a little, blinking.
"Yes. More specifically, his appearance," Snape said calmly. "His eyes."
"They're green," Draco said calmly.
"No, they're blue."
Snape and Draco looked at each other baffled. Snape spoke first.
"They used to be green. Now they're blue. His mother's eyes were green," Snape said softly. "I don't know when this was, or what happened… but they're blue. He spoke to me two weeks ago and I took note of his eye color."
"James Potter… What color were his eyes?" Draco asked, wondering if Snape had made a mistake. Perhaps, they were both wrong?
"Hazel. But Potter's eyes are blue. Sapphire blue. And on one occasion…"
"Ruby red…" Draco said suddenly, his eyes widening. Then, he clamped his hand over his mouth, his eyes wide. "What? I don't know where I got that…" He paused and then looked at Snape. "Could it be polyjuice?"
"His mother would not feed a month old baby Potter polyjuice," Snape said. "What function would polyjuice serve to a boy coming back to Hogwarts to meet his friends? Especially since the polyjuice, if indeed it was polyjuice, contains the hair that looks so much like Potter himself. There would be no point in polyjuice."
There was a silence and then Draco blinked. "Then a charm or something?"
"The question is, why would Potter feel the need to change his appearance?" Snape said calmly. "Ruby red, sapphire blue, and emerald green… What is the point of changing just your eye color?"
"It's not just his eye color! When his eyes are red, his hair becomes white!" Draco said suddenly.
There was a silence and Draco's eyes glimmered with recognition.
"Draco?" Snape said slowly.
"Oh… Merlin…" Draco said slowly. Memories were rushing back at a rapid pace. Shin, rei… and Kazuki… And Ryuuko and Shirogane…
"Draco, what?" Snape asked. Draco looked at him with his eyes wide. "You remembered didn't you? You remembered! What did you remember?"
"Severus… do you remember what Ryuuko and Shirogane are?"
-0-
"Ice cream, ice cream!" Ryuuko cheered softly, humming under his breath. He had requested an ice cream cake from the house elves, as he really missed eating the sweet treat. Shirogane sighed deeply, watching his counterpart prepare for Kazuki and his friend's arrivals.
Hermione and Luna were coming as well. And, although he had no idea why, so were Homurabi and Shisui. Akira was coming with Kazuki. Draco and Ron, as well as McGonagall were due to arrive in two hours.
They had chosen Janurary 1st for their make believe birthday. The birth of a New Year. It had been Kazuki's idea, as Ryuuko wanted it to be during winter.
Ryuuko loved winter. He loved the snow, the frigid air, the sight of everything covered in white. Shirogane never really understood it, but since it made Ryuuko happy, he wasn't willing to complain. Shirogane supposed there was a reason Ryuuko had the power of ice and cold air. But then again, why love something you can already produce whenever you want?
"Shirogane?" Ryuuko was looking at him concerned. Shirogane jerked a little, realizing he had been staring at Ryuuko for the past twenty minutes with a thoughtful look on his face.
"Ryuuko, do you remember when we first woke up?" Shirogane asked, looking at his counterpart. Ryuuko sat next to him, smiling.
"Of course I do," Ryuuko said calmly. "You called me "Hey, you" for a while, didn't you?" He gave a smile and looked at the set places. "It wasn't until you hit me did you realize we had powers, wasn't it?"
Shirogane turned away, a light flush on his cheeks. He remembered that a little too clearly. Ryuuko, being Ryuuko, had been inspecting some plant in the Shadow World and asking questions that Shirogane didn't know how to answer. In a rage, Shirogane had thrown a book at him. It hit Ryuuko on the head and Ryuuko had been knocked to the floor, dazed.
Except that instead of landing on the floor, he had gone straight through it. Shirogane panicked and went around, trying to find out where Ryuuko had landed. There was a nice size hole in the ground with no sign of Ryuuko after Shirogane was done. After all, for all of Ryuuko's annoying habits, he was the only company Shirogane had and Shirogane didn't really want to lose him.
Ryuuko had showed up a few hours after that, meeting a hysterical Shirogane and grabbed him on the arm, dragging him to the new found Light Palace. Shirogane had realized, for the first time, that Ryuuko wasn't like him. No. In the Light Palace, he was vibrant, almost unearthly.
It both depressed and intrigued him. In addition, Ryuuko had found out that he was able to decompose shadows. His name was originated from such.
Ryuuko or "劉黒". The name was a combination of "Ryuu" meaning "Kill" and "Kuro" meaning "Black". Shirogane had fashioned his name when he had seen his abilities for the first time.
On the other hand, Ryuuko had chosen his name based on his appearance. Shirogane or "白銀". The name was a combination of "Shiro" meaning "White" and "gane" meaning "silver". Ryuuko loved his hair and had always loved it.
Ryuuko reached over and placed his hand on Shirogane's hair, stroking it a little. "I won't force you to if you don't want to be here."
Shirogane scowled at his counterpart. Ryuuko was using the tone again. The tone was reserved for only when Ryuuko thought he was troubling someone and felt guilty about doing it. He was sure the other had no idea he was doing it, which only served to annoy Shirogane even more.
"I'm fine," Shirogane said, looking at Ryuuko's ruby eyes. "Do you think that Kazuki will come early?"
"He probably will," Ryuuko said calmly, his eyes warm. "I do love your hair." He spoke quietly, running his hands through the long white strands.
Shirogane made a noise of annoyance in the back of his throat, but remained still, letting Ryuuko play with his hair. He didn't expect Ryuuko to break the silence.
"Why didn't you look for Kazuki when you knew he was still alive?"
Shirogane remained silent. But then he looked up at Ryuuko. There wasn't a hint of disappointment in Ryuuko's gaze, so Shirogane felt it safe to tell the truth.
"That Child is our son. Half of me and half of you," Shirogane said softly. "However, he takes on your half more often than mine." There was a pause as Shirogane struggled to find the words he wanted to say. "You understand how submission of your Child affects you, don't you? Kazuki is my Child. Part shin. But he is also half of you. Part rei." He looked at his hand, sighing deeply.
"Without you or Akira, he is the closest thing to my counterpart," Shirogane said slowly. "It would not do for me to use him as a substitute for you or Akira while I searched for your successor."
Ryuuko looked surprised, but then nodded in understanding. "I believe humans coined the term 'rape' for instances similar to this… But Shirogane, do you trust yourself so little?"
"But Kazuki would have willingly submitted," Shirogane said quietly. "I know Kazuki would have. In addition, I was weakening at the time. I wasn't sure if I could resist the lure from the Darkness I placed inside him… There is also your Light that he contains… So I stayed away. I asked for…" He gave a distasteful sneer. "Kou to search for him."
"You always have thought of Kazuki, don't you?" Ryuuko asked. He smiled a little, gently stroking Shirogane's hair. "Always. Even when you found Akira."
"Homurabi hadn't been put in his place yet. The danger for Kazuki was very great if I searched for him…" Shirogane said, looking a bit miffed. "I was not willing to lose him."
-0-
"Happy Birthday," Kazuki said holding out a gift for Shirogane and a gift for Ryuuko.
As Ryuuko predicted, Kazuki had arrived earlier than everyone else. Akira gave a soft 'Keh' of irritation, but threw a wrapped present at Shirogane. Shirogane had opened it, only to reveal a black traveling cloak. Shirogane's excitement only served to irritate Akira more.
Ryuuko accepted the two packages, smiling at his son. "You didn't have to," he said softly, his eyes shining with warmth.
"I wanted to," Kazuki said softly. Ryuuko unwrapped his package to reveal a pure white dagger.
"Is this…" Ryuuko started, looking up at Kazuki. Kazuki smiled.
"I forged it from the Light. It's not perfect by any means," Kazuki said softly, looking down, embarrassed at the simplicity. "I'll do better next time." He looked up at Ryuuko's face, expecting to see him smile and nod. He was completely taken aback by the look of stunned silence that both Ryuuko and Shirogane sported. Shirogane was holding the black dagger that Kazuki had forged from Darkness.
"Kazuki…" Ryuuko looked at him with tears in his ruby eyes. Kazuki gave a small start, shocked.
"I… Father? Is it that bad?" Kazuki asked, now worried. But Ryuuko didn't respond. To Kazuki's surprise, it was Shirogane who did.
All of a sudden, he was wrapped in a tight hug from Shirogane. Shirogane's arms were laced around his waist, his face buried in his shoulder. Kazuki's eyes widened, but then he returned the hug, smiling a little.
"Thank you, Kazuki… I'll be sure to use it well."
Kazuki smiled a little, sighing with relief. Shirogane pulled away, putting his hand on Kazuki's head and ruffling his hair affectionately.
"Father… Stop that. My hair is dreadfully hard to untangle," Kazuki said, batting his hand away, but smiling. Ryuuko embraced him from behind, laughing a little.
"Kazuki, really… thank you…" Ryuuko murmured.
It was then Ron, Hermione, Draco, and to Kazuki's surprise, Severus Snape, tumbled into the room. Shirogane's eyes narrowed, but Akira stopped him from drawing his katana by placing a hand on his arm. Shirogane's eyes flickered to Akira, but then back to the group that just fell in his private rooms.
Draco was the first to detangle his limbs from the pile.
"What is going on?" Kazuki asked, immensely confused. Draco pointed a finger at him and Ryuuko pulled away, surprised.
"You! You are a bastard! How could you make us forget?!" Draco demanded.
"Hermione, you don't look different," Ron said, looking at the girl.
"Oh, Ron, that's because I'm wearing a Temporary Doppelganger!" Hermione said testily, wearing a white coat with red lining and a cloak over her shoulders. "Of course I wouldn't-Hi Harry!"
"What? I didn't make you do anything, Draco. I told you… When you left the Shadow Palace… Why is Severus here too?" Kazuki asked.
"Balancer," Snape said leaping to his feet. His black eyes were narrowed, but there was a glint of relief in them. Kazuki gave a small start, surprised. Then he let out a breath of exasperation.
"I did not expect you guys to remember so quickly," he admitted, his eyes calm and his voice smooth. "I suppose that's what I get for affiliating with Draco and Ron so closely in my human vessel." He looked at Snape and gave him a shake of his head. "As for Severus…"
"Lily!" Snape said, scowling. "I loved Lily!"
"Ah, my vessel's birther," Kazuki said, nodding. "The only significant change would be my eyes. The only thing I had left from Lily Potter. You noticed the change then. When did the rest of you all remember?"
Draco said "Snape's office" at the same time when Ron said "When I saw Hermione". Then they both looked at each other and exchanged grins.
"Actually, we suspected it since we came back from the Shadow Palace," Ron said. "There were too many gaps we couldn't fill."
"This is exactly why I avoid humans," Shirogane said grumpily. "Too nosy." He sat down again, watching Ryuuko accept the ice cream cake from Dobby.
"But that's the fun of it," Luna said dreamily, trailing behind them, a smile on her face. The white robes made her look even more pale and unearthly, her hair almost shining.
"Annoying," Akira imputed. "When are you all going to sit so we can have some cake?"
"How many candles do we put on this cake?" Kazuki asked, looking at the large cake, smiling at Ryuuko.
"As many as it'll fit," Ryuuko replied.
"You don't really have a birthday, do you?" Homurabi asked, walking out of the portal he had opened. Shisui followed him, a warm smile on his face. Homurabi turned to Shisui.
"No," Shirogane said shortly in response to Homurabi's question, watching Ryuuko look at the choices of candles Dobby had brought.
"Ah… Ryuuko," Shisui said warmly. "Happy Birthday."
"Thank you, Shisui. Even though I don't really have a birthday," Ryuuko said. Shirogane reached over and grabbed Ryuuko's hand.
"Remember that this is an ice cream cake. Too many candles would melt the cake when lit," Shirogane said.
"Oh! That's right. So how about we just put two? One for you and one for me!" Ryuuko said cheerfully.
Shirogane sighed deeply. "Yes, I think that would be best."
"But I really did want to see the whole cake on fire…" Ryuuko added.
Kazuki laughed, his eyes sparkling with amusement.
-0-
A/N: And here is your One-Shot!
In the manga, it takes Aya years to remember. I made it only months for Draco, Ron, and Snape because they still had a reference to go back to. Harry Potter wasn't erased from their minds, but Kazuki was. In Aya's case, she didn't see Akira on a weekly basis, but remembered almost immediately after she did see him. Which is why Ron remembered when he saw Hermione (who was erased from his mind completely) but did not remember when he saw Kazuki (because he would recognize him as Harry Potter).
In Snape and Draco's case, they worked it out. I think Snape is definitely clever enough to question the inconsistencies. Draco, on the other hand, would need a push to remember, which Snape provided him.