Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, I would be rich if I did and clearly I am not rich. I also do not own Hakkenden: Eight Dogs of the East, however I do use elements of it in this story.

Warnings: AU, mentions of neglect, abandonment and abuse

So I realized that I forgot to put down the translations of the Japanese characters at the end of the previous chapter and I apologize! The first footnote, 立ち去る, is "tachisaru" in romaji. It's another word for saying "leave". The second footnote, 秋雨, is "akisame" in romaji. It is translated as "autumn rain". Again, so sorry for the inconvenience!

Chapter Two: Haru Satome

Nondescript Location – Present Time

Sasha looked down at the unconscious boy with a frown. After he had passed out she flashed to her home to tend to his injuries. His left arm was broken in two places, three cracked ribs, numerous lacerations all over his body including his head and his ankle was sprained. She was surprised he hadn't broken more but she was more surprised at the old bruises that mingled with his new ones.

It was obvious his previous caretakers didn't treat him well. He was way too small and petite for his age which was an obvious sign of malnourishment. Sasha grit her teeth, if she ever found out who would harm an innocent child then she's sending them straight to hell via Akisame. Due to dying at a young age herself, Sasha valued children above nearly all else.

She shuddered slightly, if she hadn't saved him when she did then the kid was just as good as dead. What was a yōkai doing all the way out here anyway? The teen flexed her now exposed right arm and channeled a bit of energy to it. Dark tribal markings covered the dusky brown skin and the limb heated up. She stopped the flow of energy before the manifestation took place.

She looked down. The kid still had his eyes closed but his breathing pattern indicated that he was awake. Quirking an eyebrow and remaining silent she merely watched the kid try to stay "asleep". She leaned over the futon to brush his hair away from his forehead and paused at the sight of a familiar scar. The lightning bolt shape was a dead giveaway of who this kid was.

Sasha smoothed a finger over the shape of the scar. As she did so she pushed a bit of sensory magic into it. What signaled back was certainly not something she expected to find. Dark magic pulsed deeply within the scar and shocked her. She quickly pulled her finger back due to the shock and Harry's eyes flew open.

He was breathing heavily and his had rose to touch his scar. Unfortunately for him it was his left arm he tried to move and that arm was broken. He breathed in a sharp gasp at the pain and clutched the arm with his good one.

"Your arm is broken in two places, you've got a seriously sprained ankle, and you have three cracked ribs and cuts and bruises galore. I wouldn't move too much if I were you kid."

Harry was startled at the husky alto his savior had spoken with. He leveled his gaze with her but remained silent. She smiled gently, "I'm Sasha. Sasha Satome, and you are Harry Potter." Sasha enjoyed the panic that filled Harry's green eyes, "Calm down, you're just famous in certain parts of the world."

He stayed quiet but this time Sasha frowned lightly. "You can talk, y'know. Your throat wasn't damaged which I find remarkable. Usually yōkai go for the throat, it makes for a simple kill."

His posture became submissive, hunched at the shoulders with his head and eyes down. "Thank you." He said quietly. Sasha regarded him with a neutral look, he just sounded so… broken.

Sighing she lifted her hand to ruffle his hair. Harry saw the oncoming appendage and braced himself to be hit. When it didn't come he cautiously opened his eyes. His savior – Sasha – looked heartbroken. And Harry was curious as to why. Slowly she retracted her hand to fold with the other placed on her lap.

A growl broke the tense silence and almost immediately Sasha's face brightened. "You must be hungry! I'll go get some food, Shizuka and Kōji have prepared a feast just for you! I'll be right back."

Harry watched Sasha until she slid the door shut and he began to realize that he must've still been in Japan. The room he was in was quite spacious and comfortable. He was resting on a low set bed covered with a plush forest green comforter and equally plush white pillows. The floor was hard wood and felt cool to the touch he realized as he set his feet on it.

He noticed that the "door" Sasha exited mere moments ago was very thin and he could faintly see outlines of other people passing. The walls of the room were a neutral beige color and held various murals of trees and – what he assumed to be – Japanese words. The door slid open once more and he was greeted by the sight of a woman he didn't recognize carrying a gold accented dark brown tray.

The mystery woman smiled brightly and stepped into the room, kneeling before the form of Harry to place the tray next to him. She bowed her head politely, "Ohayō Bocchan, I hope you recovered well. I am Kamiya, Shizuka and I have been assigned as your caretaker when Satome-sama is not available."

Harry was starled. Firstly, he had no clue what the first part of her sentence was and who was Satome-sama? Wait, wasn't Satome the surname of Sasha? So she was talking about Sasha? Seeing the confused and slightly distressed look on her new charge's face, Shizuka quickly backtracked. "Ah, I apologize most humbly, Bocchan! You are only beginning to recover and I should not distress you so!" she exclaimed softly, bowing her head lower.

Her long, dark blue locks touched the floor because she was bowing so lowly. Her eyes were closed but Harry had seen the gray color before she'd lowered them. She was clothed in a light blue robe thing – a kimono, right? – And, like Harry, her feet were bare.

Quiet footsteps alerted them both to another person and soon enough Sasha stood at the doorway with a bemused expression on her face. Pale pink lips were quirked up in a sort of half smile and she sighed. "Ne, Shizuka-chan there's no need to fluster him within seconds of meeting him." She met Harry's eyes with her own hazel ones, "Shizuka brought food for you, eat it before it cools down. Shizuka you're dismissed, my friend."

Her fair skin flushing a pale red, Shizuka stood and bowed again meekly before scurrying out. The child finally looked to his left were the untouched food was. A piece of toast cut in half, scrambled eggs and two pieces of bacon lay on the finely decorated plate. It was more than he had ever received at the Dursley's and it must've shown on his face because Sasha smiled softly at him and came closer. She ruffled his hair, pleased that he didn't flinch – he wasn't looking at her to have the reaction – and sat next to him on the other side.

"I found you, so I'll take care of you." She chirped cheerfully. Harry only picked up the plate and hesitated over the fork. When Sasha nodded at him reassuringly, he lifted the fork and speared a few eggs. Lifting the fluffy, yellow food to his lips he inched the fork closer, as if he was expecting to be told no and have it snatched away from him.

The teen made no move to take it from him, so he ate. Once he tasted it he found that he couldn't stop. Before either occupants of the room realized it, the plate was clean. Harry bushed embarrassingly, and wiped the crumbs from his face, steeling himself to not lick them from his fingers. Maybe if he was nice enough and didn't cause trouble then he would get more food later on.

Sasha stood and gathered the plate and tray. She walked to the door and slid it open but before she walked off she looked back at the innocent child, "Don't worry, kid. You're safe here, because I'll protect you."

She left and Harry remained seated. That look in her eyes was just so determined and warm and caring and… he like it. He liked it a lot. For the first time since being in Japan, Harry couldn't help but have hope.

0o0o0o0o0o

Sasha gave Harry's hand a comforting squeezed. He was worried, she was worried, everyone was worried! It had only been a mere 12 weeks since Sasha rescued Harry from that horrendous yōkai and it only took those 12 weeks for him to worm his way into the hearts of those who resided at Satome Manor. It had taken a bit of coaxing for the boy to come out of his shell but he opened up some and was quite the pleasant child.

Due to the fact that Harry's "family" abandoned him he has been declared dead. It made nationwide news for a week straight and the Dursley's ended up facing charges for negligence, abuse, and abandonment. Now that Harry was "dead" it meant that he was free to some extent. Sasha knew that the Wizarding World would be in utter chaos by now so she cooked up a plan.

Now, sitting in front of each other with the rune circle drawn beneath them Harry and Sasha were about to become family. The darker skinned teen found information on a blood ritual that would legally blood adopt Harry as her child/brother. Pon, one of Sasha's many informants, agreed to do the binding and so long as Harry wholeheartedly agreed to do this then the ritual was sure to work.

The candles flickered as the clock struck midnight on this night of the blood moon and Sasha released Harry's hand. Pon had them move to the opposite sides of the circle and remain there. "No matter what," he informed them in his deep baritone, "do not move from those sides, understood?"

Sasha drew in a shaky breath, "Yeah. Yeah, understood. Just relax Harry okay?" she said to the child.

Receiving a nod of affirmation, Sasha attempted to relax herself and put her life into the hands of Pon. He began chanting and she let her thoughts drift, absently fingering the silver dagger by her side. It was nearly time for her to leave for Hogwarts again, she would be going into her sixth year and assisting Snape in his class.

She honestly had no clue why that man was still vying for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, doesn't he know of the curse? Surely he appreciated his potions class? Well, not the idiots in the class but the subject itself. Her thoughts strayed to her impending birthday, she would be seventeen soon which meant that the elders would be wanting for her to start looking for a mate. Although, perhaps she didn't need one because she has Harry and he can take over as the heir, right? But it might be nice to receive such love and tenderness from someone other than her lovable soon-to-be-son.

"Let their blood flow and unite," Pon chanted.

Harry and Sasha knew this was their clue to slice their hands. Harry only winced at the stinging sensation but otherwise let his life's fluid drip onto the circle. Sasha remained blank faced as she released her blood.

"The demon within one, shall protect both,"

Slowly but surely the familiar markings appeared on Sasha's arm. Harry looked on with awe as his mother figure raised her arm up and allowed the manifestation to happen. A beak tore through the dusky brown skin of her arm followed by skeletal wings. Sasha didn't even blink as a griffin stood proudly on her arm.

Akisame's sleek dark brown fur gleaned in the candlelight and his piercing golden eyes shone with power. He flapped his wings and took to the air, releasing his energy to complete the ritual. Immense pain tore through Sasha more so than Harry. She was taking a risk here but sharing some of the power of what kept her alive. Slowly, Harry's fair skin tanned and his left eye turned hazel. The same marking that covered Sasha's arm and torso – although you can't see the torso – formed on him and he screamed.

Soon enough he blacked out and vaguely he heard the thump of Sasha's body hitting the floor as well. His last coherent thought was happy, albeit a bit morbid.

Harry James Potter was dead.

Haru Satome lived.

0o0o0o0o0o

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Hi all! Sorry for the wait to update, college exams ain't no joke! (Please excuse my grammar). This chapter isn't as long and I apologize for the rushed feeling, I was quite excited to write it and get to the good stuff which will be next chapter! If you have looked at my profile of other works I'm sure you'll see another fic title 'Life As We Know It'. Inspiration for that one is running low but it is not abandoned, I'm just taking a break from it. Keep on the lookout however!

Thank you so much for reading and remember to REVIEW!

A.P is outty!

Ciaossu~