Disclaimer: not mine

Sorry for the long wait. There'll be some time skips in this chapter.

So, I forgot to go to audio settings before hitting play for Bleach. Does anyone actually watch it in English? Could they have gotten less convincing voice actors?

Chapter 4

Harry collapsed on the futon, exhausted. Maybe he should have waited for tomorrow, but it wasn't like he'd had to do anything either. He'd just sat on the ground and wondered if something was up with his translation spell cause the words had made no sense. Then again, if those chants were like spells maybe they were meant to sound strange? They'd be going to the warehouse every second day, giving them a day in between to go over their findings and to give Harry a break. He planned to study and also explore on those days. Apparently there were two other kids living at the Shōten, a guy and girl, both younger than him and he'd meet them in the morning.

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Shinji sat on the couch near Hachi and looked at him. "The kid going to be okay?"

"It is too soon to tell. The parasite has had fourteen years to dig deep and latch on tightly to his soul. However, it is still a foreign body."

"Kisuke's taken to him rather fast. I get he needs help, but bringing him here is risky, last thing that kid needs is to be caught up in a battle."

"The kid has what?" Kensei asked as he joined them and Hachi sighed but explained. He listened, feeling bad for the boy. "It won't make him one of us will it?" they had enough trouble training Kurosaki without taking on another, that was if he could even survive a transformation like theirs considering he wasn't a Shinigami.

"Kisuke doesn't seem to think so, he's more worried about it killin' the kid," Shinji admitted.

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"Ah, good morning Harry-kun," Kisuke greeted as the teen wandered into the room, fully dressed for the day, minus his shoes. The spell had given him the language, but he was already picking up cultural clues as well, impressive.

"Good morning," Harry offered, before smothering a yawn.

Kisuke chuckled and waved a hand at the waiting tea pot, pouring a cup for him as he sat down. "I was not expecting to see you up so early."

"Time difference I guess," he accepted the cup and took a sip.

"Ah, how do you feel today?" he asked, there was a chance that the soul fragment would realise they were working to remove it and attempt to stop them.

"Jet lagged but good," Harry assured him.

Tessai appeared, serving breakfast and the three settled in to eat, Harry curious about the foreign cuisine and Tessai happy to explain, the two bonding over cooking to Kisuke's amusement.

"Well, what would you like to do for your first full day in Karakura?" Kisuke asked when they were beginning to move away.

"I was thinking about exploring?"

"A wonderful idea! Would you like a guide?" he offered, Ichigo may be busy training but one of his friends would surely be available.

"Sounds good."

"I know just who to ask, I shall call her immediately." He went to call young Inoue. She would make a good guide, and should anything happen she could defend them until help arrived. Not even an hour later he was waving them off to go explore.

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Harry couldn't help smiling as he listened to her as they walked. She reminded him of Ginny's Ravenclaw friend, Luna Lovegood. He figured the two girls would get along great if they ever met. He liked the quirky blond; she saw the world in a unique way, and it seemed so did Inoue. Luna had even approached him last year after his name came from the goblet and had told him that she believed him. She had even sat with him the night before the express in an unused classroom and had just kept him company, chattering away about various creatures. She hadn't pressured him to speak but also hadn't let him wallow. She had stated quite firmly that Cedric didn't blame him and that nothing that happened had been his fault. She'd even managed to write him while he was at the Dursley's and had wished him well on his trip….before he'd even met Urahara.

"Do you like Japan, Potter-san?"

"I only got here yesterday," he told her. "It's different to London."

"What is London like?" She asked as they waited to cross the street. So he told her about the city, what little he'd seen, and of Little Whinging. "Oh! Come on," she grinned and led him into a building. "Tatsuki!" she called and a short haired girl in white turned and smile at Inoue.

"Orihime. Who's this?"

"This is Potter Harry, he just arrived in Japan yesterday from England. Potter-san, this is Arisawa Tatsuki, my best friend."

"Nice to meet you Arisawa-san," he smiled at her. Knowing the language was one thing, remembering to use last names wasn't too bad since they did that at school, but remembering the suffixes to add to names that got to him.

"You too," she looked between them. "How did you meet?"

"Oh, um…" Inoue faltered.

Harry glanced at her, obviously her friend didn't know about Urahara?

"Are you one of those sword guys?" Arisawa asked him and Harry blinked.

"Uh…you mean like Urahara and his friends? No. I'm just staying with him at the moment because he's helping me with a problem. I don't think we have people like him back in England."

"How did you meet Urahara-san?" Inoue asked as they watched her friend set up some mats.

"He saved me from an attack and helped me get my cousin home. We just got talking." They might know about Shinigami but that didn't mean he could break the law and tell them about magic. He watched as some kids filed in and a class began. "That was amazing," Harry offered when the class was done.

"You know anything about fighting?"

"My cousin's taken up boxing," he shrugged.

"Want to learn?" she offered.

He hesitated before nodding, "Sure, if it won't be a bother." The average wizard was lazy, any advantage he could gain was good.

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Harry leant against a rock, tired, but focused on the fight in front of him. he could see them even better now when they fought, and it was amazing. Tatsuki was teaching him the basics of karate when they could meet up, but this was something very different to that, lethal and swift. He knew they weren't normal Shinigami, that they were in hiding, but he never asked, and he never told anyone about them or the warehouse. As far as Orihime and Tatsuki knew he stayed at the Shōten when not wandering the town.

When he was at the Shōten, he was working hard. He had seen the twins booklists over the years and had used the one for fifth year to get the books he needed. He had also visited the Japanese Ministry to get the requirements for OWL's. once he had passed the exams he would be free to do as he pleased. Despite being emancipated, he still had to take the exams, or he risked his magic being bound by the authorities. He was aiming to take the exams as soon as possible. He'd sent Sirius a letter, via the goblins for security and his Godfather had been enraged by the soul parasite and horcrux diary, he had written what he knew horcruxes, he had been raised a Black after all. Sirius and Remus were all for Harry remaining in Japan where he would be safe from Riddle and they had written of their plan to hunt down any others, with the aid of the goblins who had apparently found another within the Lestrange vault. They had destroyed the horcrux without damaging the artefact it was housed in, which should keep it from being noticed should the mad woman or Voldemort get to the vault.

Harry looked up as the trapdoor opened and a white blur shot down, startling the others but Harry held his arm up and Hedwig easily landed on his arm without hurting him. he gently stroked her feathers even as she began working on his hair. "Missed me girl," he teased, and she let out a little bark of reproach. "Sorry," he whispered, and she rubbed her head against his chest.

"Nice bird," Shinji offered, watching and Harry grinned.

"This is Hedwig, she was my first ever birthday present and friend," he introduced.

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Harry grinned, going into freefall, broom in one hand, loving the feel of the wind whipping by. He heard a startled call as the ground got closer and then he was on his broom and zooming up, barely a centimetre from hitting the ground.

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Kisuke watched with wide eyes, heart actually racing. He had come done to call Harry up for dinner, he hadn't expected to see him plummeting towards the hard ground of the training room. He was good…very good, not that he knew anything about riding a broom, but he the research he'd done said that Harry Potter was known as a natural flyer. He wondered if the kid could learn flash step, if he liked flying he'd love that. Perhaps it was time to see if he could learn Kidō. He would feel better about the teen wandering Karakura alone if he could.

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Sirius sat back and watched the Order go crazy. They were searching tirelessly for Harry but had come up with no leads. Since he knew generally where his godson was, he was finding the fuss rather amusing. He didn't mind most of the Order….other than Snape…and Molly.

The woman was a control freak. Oh, she loved her children, that would be obvious to a blind man, but she suffocated them with that love. No wonder the two eldest had left the country with the way she tried to run their lives. Percy had turned his back on the family completely all in the name of his career, the one son who had done as she wanted and joined the Ministry and yet she was still pushing for the twins to get their grades up so they could work there as well. He didn't mind her cleaning the place all that much, the senile house elf wasn't much help, too old and driven round the bend by his Mother's portrait. Her desire to run the house though…he knew others in the Order were watching, wondering how far he'd let her take it before reminding her she was a guest, not Mistress of the House.

Then there were Harry's friend. Hermione may be the smartest witch of her age, but she lacked the….spark that Lily had shown. She was too easily led by what was written in her books and authority figures said. She had ignored Harry all summer, despite having been at home for several weeks with access to a telephone, something the Death Eaters couldn't intercept, and all because Dumbledore told her to. As for Ron…he was too content to coast by in life, expecting to be handed what he wanted. His older brothers had worked hard for their marks and jobs, he didn't. the fact he'd been made Prefect, well he could see Dumbledore's meddling there. Not that he thought Harry would be back this year, he seemed much happier in Japan and Sirius hoped he stayed there. He had no doubt the kid could sit his OWL's over there, and he could do what he wanted after that. Sirius would pay for private tutors himself if that was what Harry decided on. Though he got the feeling a lot was being left out of the letter, just in case.

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Ichigo glanced over at where the younger teen lay on the ground as Geta-boshi, Tessai and Hachi worked around him. He'd been coming to the warehouse every second day now for four weeks which was a big hint at how dangerous whatever was going on with him was. They hadn't spoken much but he seemed nice enough and Orihime had gushed about him since apparently she'd been asked to show him around town by Urahara. Made sense, she could protect them both if necessary, then again Potter could see them and Ichigo could sense power from him. She'd even introduced him to Tatsuki who was now teaching him to fight. He didn't look like a fighter though, even if he'd hit a growth spurt since arriving and was starting to look more his actual age. Ichigo didn't want to consider why he'd been so small and skinny, why he'd dodged so quickly the one time Shinji had gone to clap him on the shoulder in greeting and the kid hadn't seen him coming. They'd all made sure since then to make sure Potter saw them if they were close. He'd seen the look on Urahara's face when Potter…Harry had dodged, and he got the feeling the man knew and had plans and he didn't feel at all bad about that.

The barriers went down, and Harry groaned, rolling onto his hands and knees before vomiting and Urahara's eyes widened in alarm. Ichigo grabbed a water bottle and dashed over, moving to support the other teen as he heaved before helping him sip the water to wash the taste out of his mouth. It wasn't the first time he'd helped someone being sick. That first year after Mom had died…and he did sometimes help at the clinic.

"Harry?" Geta-boshi asked.

"M'okay," Harry answered, breathing deeply.

Yeah, that's why he was swaying against Ichigo who shifted to support him better. He pressed the back of his hand to his forehead and frowned. "He's hot," he offered.

"I think a few days rest might be in order then," Urahara looked at the other two men who nodded in agreement.

"But…" Harry looked up at them and Ichigo hissed at the thin trickle of blood coming from the inflamed scar on his forehead.

Urahara was kneeling beside them in an instant. "Look at me Harry," he ordered firmly, and green eyes met his before rolling back and Ichigo was left supporting a limp body before the kid began jerking in his arms. And then he screamed and Ichigo found himself restraining him from clawing at the scar. "Lay him down but don't let him hurt himself," Urahara barked and Ichigo obeyed even as the others rushed over to watch.

Ichigo didn't move as he noticed barriers go up around them. He could take it if the kid lashed out and he wasn't going to let go and watch him hurt himself. He could hear the others yelling, Tessai talking calmly but he focused on Harry. For a runt he was struggling hard, then again pain, adrenaline and whatever was happening was probably making him stronger. "Come on Harry, you're scaring everyone," he whispered.

"I thought the distance would be enough," Urahara said from outside the barrier.

"It has bought us this long to work unopposed," Tessai answered.

"You're worrying Geta-boshi kid. You can do it, come on, come back," Ichigo offered, speaking like he would to his sisters when they were ill. He didn't know what was happening or if Harry could even hear him but then his eyes fluttered partially open, staring through him, but he hoped that meant he'd heard him. He began gagging and Ichigo rolled him, not wanting him to choke. He swore and switched his grip briefly to swipe his fingers through Harry's mouth, searching for the source of blood, hoping he'd just bitten his tongue or something. "Urahara!" He yelled when he found nothing.

"Let me in!" that was Shinji and soon the blonde was kneeling beside him, hands glowing green. "Just his throat, not internal," he called in relief. He ran his hands over Harry's forehead, and he went rigid before going limp and Ichigo scrambled to find a pulse.

"Jacket," he held his hand out to Shinji who blinked but stripped it off and Ichigo gently settled it over Harry, keeping him on his side in case he was sick again. They waited in silence for several minutes, Ichigo monitoring his pulse and then the barriers went down, and the others approached. "What happened?"

"It would appear our attempts to help young Harry have been discovered," Geta-boshi answered. "I do not wish to move him, do you mind?" he asked, and Shinji shook his head.

"He can stay."

Ichigo noticed Hiyori shift, scowling, but she remained silent. After seeing that, whatever it had been, none of them could insist he be moved. Not when he was still white as a sheet and occasionally letting out a little gasp, his body trembling from the fit. When he eventually settled into a deep sleep, Ichigo lifted him up and carried him to where he slept, settling him on his own futon. He looked at Shinji who accepted his jacket back and then left, returning with another futon. He was relieved, Hachi handled most of the Visored healing needs, but Shinji could manage as well. Between the two of them they should be able to handle anything that happened during the night.

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Lord Voldemort stared out the window of his rooms within Malfoy Manor. His sense of the boy had been very distant lately, but something had happened to open the link between them, and he had taken the chance to attack the boys mind. Something had stopped him though. He did not know what, but he had plans for the child this year that he would not let anyone stop. He had to find out what the Prophecy said, and he need Potter to do so. He glanced at the Prophet and smirked, the Ministry was doing all the work for him in ruining Potter's reputation and leaving him free to rebuild his forces. Once he had the Prophecy he would know how to destroy the boy and ensure no one could stop him this time.

TBC…