Chapter 20: Doesn't mean I have to like it…

"KATDO!" Harry whispered in a nearby clearing within the Forbidden Forest with a large Cheshire cat-like grin.

Sirius only raised an eyebrow but did not ask. He knew already what was making his Lord and Friend happy. He could still pick up the faint scent of arousal and orange flowers on the other raven-haired youth's body. Sirius knew of only one person, who carried that particular scent. It was his Lord's Dark One. Sirius was silently pleased that Harry had begun the Chase, or better equivalent to nin-nus courtship. As once a nameless demon, Sirius found himself with a better understanding of noble politics, seeing as he lived in the shadows as either an observer or an assassin. He knew it would have been a matter of time before the other Lords, both lesser and major, would begin to pressure his Lord into finding a Consort for the throne.

Among demon nobility, a Consort could be either a true mate or a mate via arrangement. The latter being the most common due to the rarity of finding one's true mate. However, despite that fact, Sirius knew that his Lord and Friend would never consent to finding a mate via arrangement. For Harry, and even for himself, the only mate needed or ever wanted would be their true Mate and no other. Having grown up without love had pretty much ensured that only true love would be a factor in selecting a mate. A corner of the stoic demon's lips twitched upward as he thought of his own Chase.

Immediately Sirius felt a calm befall over his two warring sides as he thought about the calm and timid Nev-ill. But soon the calm dissipated as the ever-alert hybrid surveyed the area in which he and Harry had arrived. Sirius noted absently a deep frown on his Lord and Master's face as he glared at the portal device.

"I swear by Merlin's Beard this thing has a mind of its own." Harry growled before tucking the alchemic device away.

In the far distance, both demon youths could see the peak of a tower spire. It was the Great Tower Library, which sat at the furthest eastern corner of the Palace Grounds. Open to the public and scholars alike.

"So… how long do you think it'll take at top speed?" Harry asked as he himself guessed approximately four to five hours.

"Four. Maybe five hours." Sirius confirmed.

"Thought so." Harry mumbled then disappeared. He did not even look back to see if Sirius had followed. The young Lord knew that the Child of War would follow. Harry smiled at the knowledge; knowing that he had someone he trusted watching his back, especially so shortly after discovering his former friend's treachery. With a shake of his head, Harry was home for the time being, and he was not going to let ill thoughts ruin it for him.

As the duo leapt from treetop to treetop, Harry could not shake the sense that they were needed in this portion of his territory. It would not be the first time, nor the last, Harry suspected, that the Portal Gate had led him and Sirius to an area in need. However, this would be the first time that the Gate had led them so far out of his City's walls. Harry hoped that whatever discourse was in his lands, that it was not too serious. As they traveled through the tree tops, Harry thought back to what could possible caused the Gate to send them there. Nothing came to mind save for an inkling of rumors… Rumors of demons with mixed heritage disappearing to never been seen again. Unfortunately, there was no way to confirm such rumors. Harry did not like that in the least bit.

Glancing over to his companion, emerald green orbs locked for a brief moment with crimson-red. No words were ever needed between them, which Harry found refreshing in comparison to his adventures with Ron. Again shaking his head free of stray thoughts, he needed to focus on the problem at hand. Looking down at his feet, Harry frowned again as he landed gracefully on the forest floor.

"Damn trainers…" Harry grumbled as he bent down to retie his broken shoelaces.

"Hn." Sirius grunted in response.

"That's it… I'm gonna stick with boots… Screw nin-nus opinions…" Harry continued to grumble as he continued to battle with his shoelaces.

Sirius watched as his Lord fumbled with the odd-looking strings.

Suddenly the duo disappeared just as the ground exploded due to a high impact from a strange demon's fist. The explosion separated the two friends and brothers-in-arms.

Harry quickly found himself surrounded by at least four demon with fire-like hair and armed with a variety of pointed swords and spears; making the young Lord wonder if it was 'stick Harry with pointy objects' day, and he just did not receive the memo. Harry watched for a brief second from his peripherals that Sirius was also surrounded by these demonic bandits; however, the other teen was disproportionately surrounded, which told Harry that these bandits had no idea who he was and yet held some sort of grudge against Sirius.

"This one is nothing more than a half-blood yelp." One of Harry's aggressors sneered; drawing Harry's attention back to his aggressors.

Harry placed a perfect mask of worry and concern about his face while he observed his assailants. The four before him were large and without a doubt physically strong. However, the teen barely felt any level of demonic aura coming from them, which could mean nothing or something. The weapons each carried revealed that these bandits preferred to attack from a distance, which meant that Harry would have to get up and personal with these guys. Not a problem for Harry, who had demonic speed and Seeker-reflexes. But first he had to see, what these foolish nimrods were capable of.

"Please, sir, my friend and I meant no harm. We're just passing through." Harry quietly said, hoping that a confrontation could be avoided. However, the sneering jeers on the bandits' faces told the young Lord that his hope was futile.

"'No harm'…" Another aggressor echoed in a sickly high-pitched wail in poor attempts to imitate Harry's own words. Harry winced at the pitch. "No harm indeed you filthy piece of scum… You're very existence is harmful… mingling our pure blood with that of disgusting, filthy humans'… Disgusting… Filthy little freaks of nature…"

Suddenly the air became devoid of warmth.

But the bandits paid no heed.

"You and that piece of garbage over there… Both of you pieces of filth… Polluting the purity of demon kind… You both will pa-- Achk!" The speaking demon gasped as he felt his throat being closed by a steely grip.

His eyes widen when he realized that he had been taunting an afterimage of the young Lord. His bulging eyes glanced down to find himself staring into a pair of glowing green eyes. His mind barely processed the fact he was also several feet in the air. His throat was held by a tendril of shadow that came from the half-demon's own shadow!

"You've made a very grave mistake, my friend." Harry's voice was cool and devoid of any emotions. "All of you did… No one attacks my Pack and lives."

Then darkness encased the bandits.

Sirius glanced to where he last knew his Lord to be. He had felt a sudden chill in his soul before he was flooded with the familiar protective warmth that the young hybrid attributed to his Lord. However, he only saw a globe of shadows swirling around; keeping whatever the globe encased inside. A mental frown graced Sirius' thoughts as he wondered what these fools had done to piss his Lord off. It was not that the young Child of Fire and Ice pitied the fools; it was more that he was concern for his Lord's mental health afterwards. No thanks to those idiotic nin-nus that controlled the young Lord's life, Harry had a difficult time in accepting that his anger and rage were a part of him and not something to be objected.

"You should be more concern about your own neck, Abomination…" Growled one of Sirius' attackers.

Sirius casually glanced back his group of assailants. They were weak. The only thing they had going for them was the fact that they were large, physically strong, and of course more of them. Sirius could not sense any level of demonic aura that could pose a problem to him. A discrete whiff of the air around them, and Sirius could pick up the telltale scent of fire. They were fire-wielders, and again weak ones.

It was not hard for any demon to learn what type of creature Sirius was. After all it was in his scent. The scent of fire and ice mingled together, bringing to the forethought of war and destruction. A stray thought went to his nin-nus, whose own scent brought to the forethought of peace and construction.

Again glancing back to the globe of shadows, Sirius wondered what his Lord would do now. The globe had not disappeared.

"DO NOT IGNORE US, YOU FREAK OF NATURE! YOU AND THE HALF-BREED WILL DIE! AS WILL ALL THOSE THAT THREATEN THE PURITY OF OUR RACE!" Roared one of the bandits.

Ah! They are one of them. Sirius thought and quickly surmised that one of his Lord's bandits had said a certain little word that normally sent the Shadow Hound over the edge. Nope, Sirius did not pity these fools.

Well, if they wish to continue their folly, then I might as well stretch out my muscles. The young bodyguard thought as he widen his stance and lowered his center. His hands automatically rested on the twin jutte at his low back. His eyes never wavered from the lead bandit before him. The bandits jeered at the younger demon youth. As one, the bandits lunged at the lone teen. Sirius closed his eyes for a moment then slowly re-opened them. He would eliminate any threat to his Lord and his Lord's people.

"WE'LL RID THE WORLD OF YOUR IMPURITY! YOU AND THAT HALF-BREED BASTARD!" The bandits roared.

"KILL HIM!" They cheered as they rushed him.

Sirius remain still, waiting for the first to approach.

Two reached him before the others.

Ducking low, Sirius pushed himself into the air.

The two collided with shocked expressions at their own stupidity. Neither moved again.

Somersaulting in the air, Sirius used his body's rotation to pull out his twin jutte. Upon returning to terra-firma, the Fire and Ice blocked a thrusted pike as the agile youth twisted his body for a powerful and effective roundhouse kick.

The bandit was still alive but will not move in this lifetime.

The pike still trapped between the jutte, Sirius spun around, using the pike to knock down the remaining bandits.

The three remaining bandits were dazed, stunned and in a lot of pain.

They did not realize the strength that the Child of War possessed was great. In fact even Sirius was surprised by him own strength. Sirius always knew that he was strong and knew that he could get stronger, which apparently was what had happen. He would have to thank the First General, Sather Reddenhound. Annoyed and slightly disturbed at the ease in which he defeated the bandits, Sirius then turned his attention back to his Lord, who was still in the Globe of Shadows.

A slight frown marred the teen's face as he tried to remember what he had heard about the powers of a Shadow Hound. Shadow Hounds, to begin with, were rare, and their abilities a closely guarded secret. However, he had heard one of the much older Council Elders make the comment that the Globe of Shadows was in reality another dimension, where the sins of the captive were laid bare and examined for judgment. As Harry learned more and more about his abilities, albeit mostly through trail and error, Sirius wondered if maybe the Shadow Hounds were somehow related to the Hell Guardians of old Lore. With another frowned, Sirius pushed such thoughts back as he watched the globe suddenly melt away to leave behind a highly agitate Shadow Master.

"Shih'nus." Sirius called.

Harry looked at the source of the voice. His vision was blurry from unshed tears. He had seen the horrible crimes that those bandits had committed. It sickened him. It also sadden him to know that even in the demon world there were prejudicial purist and racists. He palmed his eyes to get rid of the tears, unaware that his Friend and Brother in all but Blood had come closer.

"Siri…" Harry's voice was strained and tried.

"Haita." Sirius answered as he placed an uncomfortable hand on the teen's arm.

Harry gave the usually stoic demon a weak smile.

"I won't stand for it." Harry decreed.

Sirius tilted his head to the side. He understood what his Lord was referring to. The Northern Lord was not going to stand by and allow bigotry and hatred ravage his land. His Lord was going to fight it with everything he had. Sirius nodded, physically showing his support and his commitment to stay by his Lord's side.

~*~

"SHIH'NUS HAIJIME!" A strong voice bellowed, drawing the teen's attention as they finished securing the bandits to a tree. "YOUJIN'TORES SIRIUS!"

Harry sighed a breath of relief, one of which he had not realized that he was holding. The teens had felt a strong surge of demonic aura coming toward them and had first thought that it could have been the bandit's more powerful friends coming. However, the shout of their names told them that it was a friend and not an enemy. Harry did not know if he could handle any more enemies. He was hiding his fatigue, even though it was moot point to do so because Sirius was the ever-so-attentive friend and protector already knew. Despite the fact that Sirius knew of the young Lord's exhaustion, Sirius did not push the matter. Sometimes it was better to power through a situation rather than to think about it. Harry knew that he would have to deal with the consequence of his actions, but right now, he just wanted to get it over with. Harry released another sigh of relief as he watched the imposing figure of his First General, Sather Reddenhound.

Reddenhound was an imposing Blood Hound from another continent. He reminded the younger dog demon of the ancient Celts that once ruled Britannia prior to the Romans. Reddenhound was not tall in regards that his height would pose a threat. It was the male's entire presence which screamed warrior. He was thick built and well muscled. His hair was a vibrant shade of auburn with surprisingly natural curls. Many of other demons learned not to make fun of the Blood Hound's locks or else they would find themselves at least two weeks at the hands of a Healer. All and all, the older demon's physical appearance did pose an over-baring figure, but it was his eyes that caught the younger half-demon's attention. In some ways, they reminded the younger man of his late Godfather. Not in color, for Reddenhound's eyes were to shade of early dawn blue while his Godfather's eyes were a deep royal blue. No, what made Harry remember his Godfather was the fact that both men's eyes were soft, kind, compassionate and sparkled with a playful mirth.

"Shih'nus!" Reddenhound bounded toward his young Lord and Charge.

His bright baby blue orbs scanned the area for any further threats that the teens may have forgotten, but found none.

"Reddenhound." The Shadow Monarch called back while the Child of Fire and Ice gave the barest of nods of acknowledgement.

"What happened?" Reddenhound demanded, ignoring proper protocol when dealing with nobility. His main concern was the fact that two younglings under his care were attacked.

Unfortunately for the captured bandits, who were being carried off by the reinforcement that Reddenhound had brought with him, the bandits will be facing the full brunt of the elder Dog Demon's wrath once they have safely returned to the castle proper.

"The Gate brought us out here and we were attacked by these men." Harry began, "I want them interrogated. I want to know how many are in their group and how many have infiltrated into the Northern Lands… Find them and remove them from my Lands!"

The soldiers immediately saluted and took their prisoners for questioning. They would carry out their Lord's orders to the letter. They all could sense the wariness in their young Leader, and they did not like it. They loved their new Lord, and whatever grieved their Lord, grieved them as well.

"Are they assassins?" Reddenhound asked as he personally escorted the two teens back to the City Gates.

"Ii-lus." Sirius muttered.

A red brow arched in surprise to hear the Hybrid speak. The young youjin'tores rarely spoke to anyone save for his Lord and the young kit-ling, Kisa.

"I don't think they knew who I was." Harry replied. "All they seem to know was that I'm a half-demon and apparently that Sirius is a Hybrid."

"You mean Purists?" Reddenhound asked.

"They seem to be everywhere…" Harry whispered as he subconsciously thought of Voldemort and his merry band of Purist bullshiters. The younger man sighed.

"Hatred is unfortunately a trait shared by all living beings. To have no hate is to have no love, and to have no love is to have no life." Reddenhound sagely stated.

"It doesn't mean I have to like it." Harry childish mumbled.

Reddenhound chuckled lightly at the truth of the statement.

Translations:

Haita (youma-lingua) - yes

Ii-lus (youma-lingua) - no

Jutte - Japanese single handle sai

KATDO (youma-lingua) - Home, place of affection

Nin-nus (youma-lingua) - human

Shih'nus (youma-lingua) - Lord

YOUJIN'TORES (youma-lingua) - Bodyguard