Embee: So I'm bored, and I'm procrastinating over some work that needs getting done.
Legolas: You will regret not doing it.
Embee: That's a great idea! I'll make you do it,!
Legolas: -disappears-
Embee: ...I knew I would regret teaching him to Shunpo...fortunately he won't get far! I recently installed an invisible wall that follows Legolas everywhere he goes, courtesy of a can of tuna and way too much time on my hands.
Legolas: -hits wall-
Embee: LOL. So anyway, I had time to spare, so I decied to post the chapter a day early! Yay for you!
Beyond the Veil: Kira Gets Lost
It took a bit of sneaking around, and several close calls, but the foursome was able to get to the library without too much trouble. Hermione was fascinated with the way Sirius could 'Apparate', and the two boys had to constantly shush her before she could ask him questions. They figured it would be a bad thing if a random student walked by and heard Hermione's detached voice.
Actually getting into the library, however, was a different story. Many Sixth Years had open periods, and were using their free time to work on terrifying amounts of homework. Fortunately for Sirius, the students were focusing so hard on their books that he was pretty sure they wouldn't have noticed a mountain troll tap dancing in front of them. Their only obstacle was Madam Pince, but she was easily distracted with a choice item from Weasely's Wizard Wheezes.
Finally, Sirius and the Golden Trio stood in the Restricted Section.
"I can't believe we're doing this in broad daylight," Ron whispered, and Hermione glared at him.
"Quiet!"
Sirius had an odd feeling of nostalgia walking through the towering book shelves full of forbidden books, many of them chained to the shelves, others bloodstained. It brought back many memories of sneaking back here with James and Remus (Sirius refused to think about Pettigrew), on the hunt for good prank material. Hermione quickly led the way through the dark corridors, as though she was familiar with the layout of the Restricted Section. Sirius wouldn't have been surprised if she knew the area like the back of her hand.
Hermione stopped just outside a small glass room. The glass itself was so grimy Sirius swore he saw the slime moving. The door had numerous locks up and down its edges, each one rusted and ancient.
Ron gave a low whistle. "Merlin, Hermione, how did you get a 'quick look' in there? I can't see past the slime!"
"How do we open it?" Harry asked, giving the locks a dubious look. Hermione bit her lip.
"I'm not sure…Alohomora wouldn't work on them…" she said.
Sirius raised an eyebrow. "You've tried it before?"
The bushy-haired girl turned red but said nothing. Sirius grinned, guessing that she had spent a long time trying to open the door, no doubt trying to unlock the secrets within. He could imagine Oszlár doing the same thing.
Those locks look old, Sirius, came Karu no Riken's voice. Unknown to Sirius, as he turned his attention to listen to his Zanpakutou, his expression became blank. The trio, recognizing Sirius's look from before, waited to hear what Karu no Riken would say. No matter what enchantments are on them, I doubt they were charmed against a Zanpakutou.
Sirius nodded slightly. That's true…after all, wizards as a whole are unaware of shinigami…it's worth a try.
Just remember not to release me; you are using too much reiatsu as it is with Shunpo.
Dammit, I forgot about that…hopefully Hogwarts' reiatsu will mask mine, Sirius thought.
Sirius was surprised to see the trio watching him with expectant expressions, but he pushed his surprise aside to say,
"Step back, I'm going to try something."
Confused, Harry, Ron, and Hermione nonetheless obeyed and moved to stand behind Sirius. The black-haired man listened for a few moments, until he was sure no one was nearby, before unsheathing his sword.
"What's he doing?" Ron asked, but Sirius ignored him.
This was your idea, so if you break or something, it's not my fault, Sirius said, wanting to avoid any responsibility in case of a disaster.
If I do break, then it will be because you were too weak to wield me, came Karu no Riken's growl.
With that encouraging statement, Sirius swung his Zanpakutou. To his immense relief, and a little surprise, Karu no Riken's sharpened steel sliced through the rusty iron like a hot knife through butter. The locks fell away, and the door slowly creaked open.
"Wow, I can't believe that worked," Sirius said, ignoring the way Karu no Riken growled at Sirius's lack of faith in her. Behind him, Hermione gave a strangled gasp, horrified at the destruction of school property. Sirius gave her a wry grin.
"If something as small as this bugs you, I'd suggest staying away from Soul Society," he said. "I swear half of the Seireitei gets destroyed on a daily basis."
Hermione had an expression of total horror, while the two boys looked interested. Sirius brought their focus back to the mission by walking through the grimy glass door, saying,
"Let's find these records quickly, before Kira wakes up and comes to find me."
OoOoOoOoO
Kira sneezed, and then scowled.
"I bet Sirius is talking to Harry," he muttered, glaring at the ground as he walked through the hallways. "I should have known this would happen…next time I'm putting a Bakudou on him."
And then Kira remembered he couldn't use Kido.
"Dammit, how do humans survive in these bodies?" Kira asked out loud. "They're so…weak."
Kira had woken up about an hour ago needing to use the restroom. He had been frustrated to find that Sirius, and his translator, was nowhere to be found. So Kira had to sneak around the castle for a bit until he found a bathroom (and was nearly traumatized by the appearance of a very annoying female ghost), and then went off to find Sirius, as there was no way he could go back to sleep. It was proving to be a hard search, as Kira was unable to communicate with anyone, although the lack of panicking told Kira Sirius was successful in remaining out of sight.
The one thing Kira was grateful for was his Gigai's ability to disguise itself. Kira was able to don a wizard's cloak and blend in with the student population. So long as he didn't try talking to anyone, Kira could remain hidden.
If I wasn't in this stupid Gigai, though, I could try sensing Sirius, Kira thought, still wandering the now-empty hallways. He had been tempted to go into one of the classrooms to look for Sirius, but then realised that the supposed-murderer would not be in plain sight.
Suddenly Kira realised that he had already figured out where Sirius would be.
Of course he'd be with Harry, Kira thought to himself, mentally slapping himself for not thinking of it before. I should have been looking for Harry all this time, because Sirius would have gone straight to wherever he was.
Then Kira hit another problem. He didn't have the translator, so he couldn't exactly go around asking, 'Hello, have you seen Harry Potter anywhere? Or maybe a mass-murderer who's supposed to be dead?'.
Kira sighed, wondering if he could find Dumbledore. Then he remembered he had no idea how to get to Dumbledore's office.
The universe seemed to be against Kira today.
"/Hey, who are you?/" came a suspicious voice. Kira whirled around, fighting the instinct to reach for his Zanpakutou, and saw a thin, blond haired boy standing behind him. The boy had an unhealthy tint to his skin, as though he had not been outside in a long time.
"Uhh…" Kira said intelligently.
The boy's eyes narrowed, and he strode forward to peer at Kira intently. "/Did my mother send you? Well, I don't need you. You can tell her that I am handling the mission quite fine, and I don't need her peering over my shoulder. I already know she's sent Professor Snape to 'protect' me./"
Kira blinked, utterly confused. He had absolutely no idea what the blond boy was saying, but he latched on to the one name he did recognize.
"Snape!" Kira exclaimed and grabbed the boy by the arms. "Take me to Snape!"
Now it was the blond who was confused. "/What?/" he said incredulously, trying to step away from what he was sure was a madman.
"Snape," Kira repeated, knowing that it was the only word he knew the boy would understand.
"/You…want to see Professor Snape?/" the boy said uncertainly.
Thinking the boy understood what Kira wanted, the shinigami nodded eagerly. The boy looked around nervously, as though hoping someone would appear and save him. Then he beckoned to Kira and said,
"/Follow me./"
Kira walked after the boy, hoping that his message had gotten across. He could tell the boy was sending him curious and confused stares when he thought Kira wasn't looking, but the blond shinigami ignored them.
The blond boy led Kira down several hallways, until he finally stopped outside a door.
"/Professor Snape is in there,/" he said. Kira bowed and flashed him a grateful look. Then he turned and opened the door. The boy turned and quickly left.
Kira poked his head into the room, and immediately saw the tall imposing figure of Severus Snape at the front of his classroom. It looked like he was in the middle of a lecture, and didn't even look up when Kira entered. The rest of his class, however, all turned around to stare at the stranger who had suddenly appeared in their midst.
"/I do not remember telling you the class was over,/" Snape intoned. "/Therefore, you should not be facing the back of the classroom, when it is obvious I am still speaking up here./"
Several students immediately turned back around, although the few braver students continued to openly stare at Kira. Seeing as Snape was intent on ignoring him, Kira stepped fully into the classroom and walked to the front of the room. Snape fixed Kira with an annoyed glare, and asked quietly,
"/What are you doing here?/"
Kira frowned and pointed to his ear.
"/No translator?/" Snape guessed, and Kira nodded. The greasy haired professor glared at his students, who had begun to whisper amongst themselves, before turning back to Kira. "/Can you not understand me?/"
Guessing at what Snape was asking, Kira nodded. "Sirius," he said, and mimed removing the translator from his ear. Snape raised an eyebrow, making Kira feel quite foolish.
"/I have important business to attend to,/" he said. "/You will remain in your seats and read pages ten to eighty. I will find out if you leave your seats or fail to do as I have instructed./"
And with that, Snape swept off into his office, motioning for Kira to follow him. Once Snape shut the door, he began performing several incantations, muttering under his breath.
"I believe you will find it easier to speak now," Snape said, and Kira was relieved to understand him.
"Yes, thank you, Professor Snape," Kira said. "I'm afraid Sirius has disappeared with my translator."
A smirk played about Snape's sallow features. "That sounds like something Black would do. But why have you come to me? Dumbledore told you to remain out of sight during school hours."
Kira winced a bit. "I think Sirius may have gone to find Harry Potter. I need to monitor him so he does not…reveal too much."
Snape raised an eyebrow. "That is something I can relate to," he said cryptically. "If Black has gone to find Potter, then they are most likely exactly where they should not be. However, I can think of numerous places that could be."
"Is there any way I could find them?" Kira asked, inwardly groaning.
"I would suggest simply waiting until Black returns," Snape said. "Despite their limited intelligence, both Black and Potter have an irritating knack of escaping detection."
Kira sighed. He had the feeling Snape would say that. "Then is there a place where I could do some research? Oh, but I suppose it would be useless without the translator."
"On the contrary, I can provide a charm that will translate the written word," Snape said. "However, with limited preparation it will be a temporary spell, but it should last you until you can retrieve your device from Black."
"If you could do that much for me, Professor Snape, it would be much appreciated," Kira said with a bow. "Thank you very much."
Snape said nothing in reply, only removed a shard of glass from his desk and began muttering a spell. The glass glowed for a moment before returning to normal. Snape picked it up and handed it to Kira.
"There, that should serve your purposes well."
Kira bowed again. "It will serve my purposes perfectly."
"Here are directions to library. Now leave, I have a class to teach, and I am certain that not a single student has followed my instructions."
Kira couldn't help but grin a little as Snape marched out of the office. He saw several students jump and attempt to look busy.
"/Pay attention,/" Snape said, the translation spell he had cast in the office breaking once they had left. "/You have twenty minutes to answer the questions on the board. Your scores will tell me if you actually bothered to listen to instructions. I will try not to expect much./"
Kira slipped out of the classroom as groans rose from the throats of nearly every student in there. With his translation glass in one hand, and Snape's directions in the other, Kira quickly made his way to the library. He knew Yamamoto would want information on Hogwarts and wizards in general, and he was hoping to find out more about the barriers that protected it.
OoOoOoOoO
Sirius was certain he'd walk out of the library a living snowman by the time they found what they were looking for. Dust coated everything in the small room, creating layers that were whole inches thick on the covers of the few books that sat upon sagging shelves. Hermione made a beeline for the nearest one and carefully wiped off the dirt and grime on its cover. She paled once she read the title and quickly put it down.
"Oh, don't just stand there," she said, turning to the boys. Sirius was very curious as to what that book was about. "Help me look through the books!"
Obediently, the other three males walked forward and began looking at the book covers. Occasionally they'd find a book with a cover so worn the title was indecipherable. The boys usually gave those books to Hermione to figure out.
In the end, it was Ron who found what they were looking for.
"Oi Sirius, this book has a lot of squiggles on it," he said, holding up a large black book. Sirius looked up from a particularly gruesome book on curses (at least, he hoped that's what the book was about…and not some kind of cook book) and walked over to see what Ron had found.
"This is in Japanese," he said, flipping through the pages. "But it's an ancient form of it…I might have a hard time deciphering it."
But I will not.
How the hell can you read ancient Japanese? Sirius inquired. I only just started speaking it a few months ago!
Karu no Riken chuckled. Do not attempt to understand the mysteries of Zanpakutou. Souls can reincarnate, can they not?
Sirius didn't have an answer for that, so he simply shrugged and said to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, "Karu-chan says she can read it. Don't ask how that's possible."
Ron looked surprised. "Your Zanpakutou's a girl?"
For a few moments, there was silence. Sirius was trying very hard not to laugh, while Karu no Riken was just shocked.
YOU MORTALS ARE BLIND AND ASSUMING! Karu no Riken roared, making Sirius wince.
There's no need to get so offensive, Karu-chan, Sirius said, finally breaking out in laughs.
"I thought she was a guy, too," he admitted. "And she didn't like that. You should hear her cursing you…actually, it's probably better that you don't."
Harry and Ron started snickering, but Hermione frowned. "We don't have a lot of time. Sirius, please see if the book has anything about the barrier's construction."
Finally getting his laughs under control, Sirius nodded. He began flipping through the book, and felt Karu no Riken melding with his mind so she could see the writing as well.
It is a diary, she said, a little surprised. A journal of a shinigami who had come to England as a part of a diplomatic envoy…and the dates are close to when Hogwarts was founded. This may have what we need.
But no names, except for the founders of Hogwarts…
Sirius told the Golden Trio what Karu no Riken had said, and Hermione looked delighted.
"Oh, a diary is perfect! The writer may have taken part in the construction," she said. "Here, put it in my bag, we'll have to go back to the Room of Requirement so we can give it a closer look."
Sirius nodded and gave the book to Hermione. "That sounds like a good idea. Ron, go see if anyone's in the library."
While the other two student wizards attempted to figure out how to fix the locks, Ron crept through the Restricted Section under the Invisibility Cloak. Eventually Hermione managed to melt the locks back together, although she was a little frustrated that they couldn't relock the door. At the very least, they were able to seal the door shut.
Ron soon returned and poked his head out from under the Cloak. "Just one bloke left in the library, but he's pouring over some books with this glass. So long as we're quiet, we can sneak by him."
"Good, then let's hurry," Harry said, ducking under the Invisibility Cloak with Hermione. Sirius followed after the Trio, at least, where he thought they were, and carefully snuck out of the Restricted Section. They had managed to creep halfway across when the one person left in the library looked up and locked eyes with Sirius.
"It's Kira!"
Embee: Why did Malfoy think Kira had come from his mother? Simple. She was worried about what her son was doing, and had wrote to him several times saying that she was going to send someont to check up on him. Malfoy thought Kira, some stranger who may or may not look similar to a Malfoy servant, was that person.
Legolas: Now you have no excuse. Get to work.
Embee: Yes, mother. Don't forget to review, and give me another distraction!
