It was a beautiful morning the next day. We'd all gotten up bright and early and by the time breakfast was being served, we were ready to leave. Most of us had small bags and in some cases a backpack, although Hiei had a cloth bag slung over one shoulder and Shuura's backpack was rather small. Gon and Clapika, used to travelling at a moment's notice, both carried schoolbags. Botan didn't carry anything. Kurama's backpack was only slightly smaller than mine; Su, him and me all carried hiker-sized backpacks, partly being Kurama had all those clothes his 'Kaa-san (Mother) had given him, and Su and me had already purchased our textbooks and some of our equipment. Yokoshima's backpack was larger than Su's and mine combined; I guess he was too used to carrying so many GS equipment he couldn't leave them behind, but we suspected that the contents largely consisted of hentai magazines.
*****
We left our bags at the concierge and made our way to the restaurant. The hotel's chef was on the verge of apoplexy when he saw the amount of food being consumed by us. I guess that the hotel had prepared for maybe a hundred people, but all of the food vanished within minutes. And that was just the buffet table. Was I glad that not one of us were paying for the food. We all finished eating about one hour later. The sun had just risen.
Based on Hagrid's information, we made our way to Diagon Alley and were soon inside the place with the brick wall closing behind us. There were so many people here! We quickly made our way to Gringotts, where we waited until Kirua and Peter arrived with Hagrid, a few moments later. They gave me and my sis their money and with Kirua following us, procceeded to change the money inside.
Inside the bank, the transaction went smoothly. We proceeded to divide the money into two slightly uneven piles, with more for our group, figuring that Kurama and Botan could probably bargain with the shopkeepers about the price of the ingredients. We split up, Kurama and Hiei going one way and Su and me the other. As agreed, Gon, Kirua and Yokoshima accompanied us while Botan, Clapika and Peter followed Kurama and Hiei. Hagrid said that he would meet us at pet shop later. According to him, he had some errands to run.
We walked into Flourish and Bott's and was immediately greeted by the store assistant. We gave him the list of books and he grinned at us. "A little late to be buying books for school, isn't it?" he said. None of us replied him but were content to look around. He quickly scurried off to find the books. Among them were 'Tranfiguration for all Ages,' 'Tai-Chi for Beginners,' and translated versions of "The Differences between Ninjenkai, Makai and Reikai; Three Worlds Collide" and "Spirits, Ghosts and Demons Explained." Sukina had Gon and Kirua following her as she went around the bookstore, collecting books as she went and dumping them into the bewildered boys' arms. Yokoshima stood next to me, looking very disappointed.
"You won't find the type of things you're looking for here. If you promise to behave, I'll get it for you," I said.
"What do you think I'm looking for?" he asked.
"You know what I mean. I only want your promise to behave in return," I said..
"When I can get them?"
"If you're exceptionally good, I'll let you have them once a month."
"Once a month?" he said incredulously.
"The magazine only appears once a month. I'll give you a back issue if I don't hear any complaints about you. That's fair, isn't it?" I offered.
"I suppose," he replied.
"Here are all the books you requested," the assistant said.
"Thank you," I said, taking out our money. "How much are they?"
"Well, if you'll step here, Miss," he motioned me to the counter.
Yokoshima took the books from me and motioned to the boys. Su came over and helped me pay for the books. She shook her head at Kirua and Gon, who seemed relieved that they would not have to lug the books, but they looked askance at the books we'd just bought. They would have weighed at least 20 kilogrammes! It was not so much as the weight as it was the bulk. "How the heck are we going to carry that?" Kirua asked.
"We're not going to carry all of them, Kirua, only the heavier ones. Half-half?" Sukina asked me.
"Seven, eight, nine... Yup, that's the correct change. Thanks. Half sounds about right to me," I replied, carefully counting the change.
"Mikra, Olanbsi, Tura," my sister said and three Shikigamis appeared. All of them took human shape, but one of them wore a white tiger coat, another turtle scales and yet another had ivory. Wordlessly, they took some of the books from the asthonished boys. The rest of the few customers simply stared.
"Silara, Kim, Rajah," I called my own out. They did the same thing. The boys were left with two books apiece, which they put into the bags Su had given them. They hefted the bags onto their backs easily.
"Well, we still have about an hour left, Sukina-chan," I arched my eyebrow at him calling her so respectfully, "what should we do?"
"How does ice-cream sound to you guys?" I asked.
"Yipee!" Gon said. I grinned.
Part Two
Please be warned that this chapter contains some profanities. If you're uncomfortable with them, leave. Thanks.
As we made our way outside, we saw a pale man in black leather across the road. All of us gave him a cursory glance, but the boys glared at him. "Ikusho!" I told the boys to go. Not one of us liked the feeling of malicious qi emanating from him, but in this place, it was better not to pick a fight. None of us could really handle that amount of qi that was floating about the place. We went to this small sidewalk café that the owners assured us had jut been opened. The ice-cream served was deliciously creamy and tasty but a little thick for Kirua.
"He's still watching us," Yokoshima said.
"Should we 'warn' him?" Gon asked.
"You're taking on Kirua's qualities more and more, Gon," I chided him. "Besides, he' a magic-user. You guys are not quite ready to take him on," I said.
"Finish this up quickly. If he follows us, then we'll see," Sukina said.
We quickly finished our ice-creams. It was only a quarter to twelve, and we still had 15 minutes left. As we got up, he came and stood in front of us. "Good day. I'm Lucius Malfoy, one of the governor at Hogwarts. I presume that you are part of the new group of students from Japan?" he said. His politeness only made us more wary.
"You presumed correctly. How may I help you?" I asked, deliberating omitting our names. Names gave power to those who knew how to use it.
"I just wanted you to know that we from the Board of Governors and the Ministry of Magic will be keeping a very close eye on you all. At the slightest hint of trouble, we'll send you home," he said, leaning close and using his staff to touch my hair. Suffice to say, I didn't like his attitude. Still, I didn't want to take the risk that he would send us home, so I just bore with it. He looked at my sister in a rather suggestive manner. "You know," he began, "Barbara Sapplefuss was not much younger than you when I first met her. Now there was an obedient child. Rather good in bed too, I must say," his tone was plainly offensive.
"Watch what you say!" Kirua and Gon started.
"Especially about Barbara and my sister!" I continued.
"Well, she was amusing for a while, but too, how shall I put it... inexperienced? Maybe your sister would be better," he laughed.
He wasn't laughing long. Yokoshima's fist shot out and caught his jaw. He fell back, a purple bruise forming. Sukina cried out. "That's enough!" she said, but I knew that she was pleased to know that we wanted to protect her. She was practically suffocating me through our telepathic bond. "Forgive my friends. They're rather protective of me," she said, kneeling down and Healing him. Malfoy gave her a strange look.
"Well," he began grudgingly, "I'll take back what I said about you, but I stand by what I said about Sapplefuss. She's a slut and should not be teaching. She's not even worth thinking about," he said, getting up and working his jaw.
"Say one more word about Barbara, and I'll kill you. In fact, I'll make it easier for you. You can use your wand, but I won't use any other weapon beside a Shikigami and my bare hands and feet," I said.
"Do not mock me, child!" he said coldly.
"'Nee-chan..." Sukina said softly.
"Let's go. It's not even worth wasting my breath trying to talk to someone who's so small, he only has one child. At least the other families that have more than one are prosperous," I said.
"Would you like to have a go at it then?" he began, but we'd already turned our backs on him and were walking away.
"I'll take you up on that challenge, you little mudblooded prostitute!" he said.
I hate to admit this, but I was glad he took up the challenge. I haven't been able to get much exercise and with Siku and Sika flying off, my yearning got bigger. Still, calling me a mudblooded prostitute was sure to get anyone's attention and be the prerequisite for the challenge on its' own. "Even if I were a prostitute, I'd turn you down, you low-life excuse for a magican!" I said contemptuously.
Part Three
We stood in the center of a large clearing. There was a ring of people around us, as I had suggested not to let Diagon Alley be destroyed because of our duel. Even though Lucius had sneered, he agreed. We stood perhaps ten paces from each other, but the others kept themselves as far away from us as they could without actually losing sight of the action. Duels like this, I could guess, were unthinkable. Well, maybe for them. This would also be a good chance to test out the theory that Wizards and Witches were Qi Channellers, that is, they need a wand to use their powers. I sincerely hoped they were right, or I might have to call upon the Goddess of Death, Celeste, to get me out of this mess. Celeste would be rather annoyed.
As we stood there getting ready, a large tree came between the two of us. It was Hagrid, trying his hardest for us to stop. "Stop this!" he said. "Forgive her, Mister Malfoy, she didn't mean whatever she said, it's just the stress of her first time here in England ya know," he continued, before urging me to apologize. Before I could tell Hagrid that it had been Malfoy who'd insulted me, he spoke and that caused me to be even angrier.
"Get out of the way, you big great oaf! If I'd have my way you'd left Hogwarts a long time ago. Son of a Giantess and a Wizard. You're a disgrace!" he said. Somehow, he knew how to punch my buttons.
Get out of the way, Hagrid. I don't want him to hurt you, I said to him telepathically. This may have been against the rules, but I implanted a resigned notion in his mind as well. It would dissipate as soon as the duel was over and not before. He sighed and moved out of the way. Most of the people standing on my side had already moved back further, action or no. The grass around me had been flattened and there were eddies of wind about me, as though there was a mini-tornado and I was at its' eye.
Dimly, I heard Su cautioning the others to stay away. I blocked out her sweet melodic voice that had the power to relax and calm me. For this, I really needed my rage. "Don't get involved in this. Oh, hie Kurama-san, Hiei-san. No, please don't interfere Peter, Clapika. When she's like this it's best to stay away. Botan, I'll need your healing skills. The average for my sister to throw someone in the hospital is usally about six months, although there was a guy who was in for about 48 months. That was when she was learning to control her powers," she told me later what she'd said.
My reaction to her statement: That was 48 months minus the physiotherapy, or did you leave that out on purpose?
"I'm giving you a last chance, Malfoy. Are you going to retract what you said about Sapplefuss?" I called out. Instead, he called out for someone to help us start this weird duel.
"Excuse me," an extremely cultured voice said, "But are you talking about Barbara Sapplefuss, a druidess?" a man who seemed to be of Scandinavian descent. He had gorgeous blue eyes, light, blond yellow hair and was overall a hunk. He also stood easily apart at a little over six-and-a-half-feet.
"Dangerfield..." Malfoy sneered.
"Ah, Lucius. How nice to meet you again. Have you been throwing mud at people's honour again?" he asked pleasantly, but I heard Sukina, Gon, Kirua and Yokoshima gasp. It seemed that all of them recognized the deadly insult he'd just delivered.
Wasn't Dangerfield the name of the guy who single-handedly help Natalie destroy that group that was threathening her sometime ago? my sister asked.
At this point in time, Imouto, I don't care. If he pricks Malfoy, it's good enough for me, I telepathed back.
"Malfoy insulted Barbara and refuses to retract his statement. Calling me a mudblood is one thing, but never insult my friends," I bared my teeth in a feral grin at Malfoy for good effect.
"Indeed... Insulting one's own honour is one thing, but the honour of others unable to defend themselves..." Dangerfield's tone was pleasant but he looked angry. In fact, I recognized it, for at this point in time we were both having the same effects.
"He's mine, Dangerfield. Maybe after I'm through with him you'll want to pick up the pieces and grind them. You could always give the paste to dogs, although I doubt they'd want it. They're more sensitive than we are you know," I said.
Malfoy was livid. He spluttered, and I had the feeling that men like Malfoy didn't splutter very often. It gave me a great deal of satisfaction. I could feel strength and rage pouring from the bond my sister and I had. I did not hide anything from her, and she knew of the friendship I had with Barbara. She also knew how jealously I protected my friends' honours, sometimes at the expense of my own. In some weird way, many knew that, and it gave me even more honour in their eyes. Go figure.
"You two need someone to help start this duel. I volunteer for the task. And," Dangerfield said to Malfoy, "You'd better pray she finishes you, or else you'll have me to deal with, and you know what I'm capable of," he said.
"Ready, Be..." before Dangerfield could complete his words, Malfoy had pressed his attack. He pointed his wand at me and a bright blue bolt shot out. I easily dodged it, moving behind him.
"This is for Barbara," I hit him at the base of his neck. He fell, but turned and shot another blaze of pure energy that would have killed me if I hadn't already moved away. The bolt flew through the air.
"This is for my sister," I said, appearing in front of him and catching square in the jaw, the same spot, I noted clinically, where Yokoshima had earlier hit him.
He winced, but got up to his feet. I could feel the pure sense of his qi, gathering darkness and forbidden powers about him. Before he said it, I knew he was going to use a Forbidden Spell. "Evada Kadavra!" he shouted, a thunderclap resounding.
According to the spell, it was deadly and if it touched me, it would kill me. It didn't. My mind worked automatically, summoning a Shikigami to my side. I could feel the three wooden seals in my hands and unthinkingly, I threw them at the oncoming light. "Rikuho!" I shouted, calling the Shikigami who had once worked for an ancient family. It was one of the few who wanted to stay with me, even if I found his family.
Only when the seals left my hands did I realize what I had done. I screamed and started forward to grab them, but the seals met the white light and there was a huge explosion. I stood firmly rooted to the ground, letting the searing heat burn me, but it was not the heat that burned your skin, but your soul.
When the smoke I cleared, I raised my voice to the heavens in lament. Tears coursed down my cheeks. There was nothing, nothing! that would take the place of Rikuho. There was a huge emptiness within me, and all my Shikigamis, all of them, cried with me, even Siku, Sika, and all the others I had contacted in London.RIKUHO!!
The pain, that was all there is. RIKUHO! Inadequate tears for the sorrow I felt, rage, for the man who had caused me to sacrifice a friend. Emotions fused together, I got up and looked through blinded eyes for him. He was not anywhere to be seen. fell on my knees. RIKUHO! My cries of frustration was so horrifying, that the few birds in the area that had dared to land again fled. I cried and cried. RIKUHO!!!!!!!!
*****
We left our bags at the concierge and made our way to the restaurant. The hotel's chef was on the verge of apoplexy when he saw the amount of food being consumed by us. I guess that the hotel had prepared for maybe a hundred people, but all of the food vanished within minutes. And that was just the buffet table. Was I glad that not one of us were paying for the food. We all finished eating about one hour later. The sun had just risen.
Based on Hagrid's information, we made our way to Diagon Alley and were soon inside the place with the brick wall closing behind us. There were so many people here! We quickly made our way to Gringotts, where we waited until Kirua and Peter arrived with Hagrid, a few moments later. They gave me and my sis their money and with Kirua following us, procceeded to change the money inside.
Inside the bank, the transaction went smoothly. We proceeded to divide the money into two slightly uneven piles, with more for our group, figuring that Kurama and Botan could probably bargain with the shopkeepers about the price of the ingredients. We split up, Kurama and Hiei going one way and Su and me the other. As agreed, Gon, Kirua and Yokoshima accompanied us while Botan, Clapika and Peter followed Kurama and Hiei. Hagrid said that he would meet us at pet shop later. According to him, he had some errands to run.
We walked into Flourish and Bott's and was immediately greeted by the store assistant. We gave him the list of books and he grinned at us. "A little late to be buying books for school, isn't it?" he said. None of us replied him but were content to look around. He quickly scurried off to find the books. Among them were 'Tranfiguration for all Ages,' 'Tai-Chi for Beginners,' and translated versions of "The Differences between Ninjenkai, Makai and Reikai; Three Worlds Collide" and "Spirits, Ghosts and Demons Explained." Sukina had Gon and Kirua following her as she went around the bookstore, collecting books as she went and dumping them into the bewildered boys' arms. Yokoshima stood next to me, looking very disappointed.
"You won't find the type of things you're looking for here. If you promise to behave, I'll get it for you," I said.
"What do you think I'm looking for?" he asked.
"You know what I mean. I only want your promise to behave in return," I said..
"When I can get them?"
"If you're exceptionally good, I'll let you have them once a month."
"Once a month?" he said incredulously.
"The magazine only appears once a month. I'll give you a back issue if I don't hear any complaints about you. That's fair, isn't it?" I offered.
"I suppose," he replied.
"Here are all the books you requested," the assistant said.
"Thank you," I said, taking out our money. "How much are they?"
"Well, if you'll step here, Miss," he motioned me to the counter.
Yokoshima took the books from me and motioned to the boys. Su came over and helped me pay for the books. She shook her head at Kirua and Gon, who seemed relieved that they would not have to lug the books, but they looked askance at the books we'd just bought. They would have weighed at least 20 kilogrammes! It was not so much as the weight as it was the bulk. "How the heck are we going to carry that?" Kirua asked.
"We're not going to carry all of them, Kirua, only the heavier ones. Half-half?" Sukina asked me.
"Seven, eight, nine... Yup, that's the correct change. Thanks. Half sounds about right to me," I replied, carefully counting the change.
"Mikra, Olanbsi, Tura," my sister said and three Shikigamis appeared. All of them took human shape, but one of them wore a white tiger coat, another turtle scales and yet another had ivory. Wordlessly, they took some of the books from the asthonished boys. The rest of the few customers simply stared.
"Silara, Kim, Rajah," I called my own out. They did the same thing. The boys were left with two books apiece, which they put into the bags Su had given them. They hefted the bags onto their backs easily.
"Well, we still have about an hour left, Sukina-chan," I arched my eyebrow at him calling her so respectfully, "what should we do?"
"How does ice-cream sound to you guys?" I asked.
"Yipee!" Gon said. I grinned.
Part Two
Please be warned that this chapter contains some profanities. If you're uncomfortable with them, leave. Thanks.
As we made our way outside, we saw a pale man in black leather across the road. All of us gave him a cursory glance, but the boys glared at him. "Ikusho!" I told the boys to go. Not one of us liked the feeling of malicious qi emanating from him, but in this place, it was better not to pick a fight. None of us could really handle that amount of qi that was floating about the place. We went to this small sidewalk café that the owners assured us had jut been opened. The ice-cream served was deliciously creamy and tasty but a little thick for Kirua.
"He's still watching us," Yokoshima said.
"Should we 'warn' him?" Gon asked.
"You're taking on Kirua's qualities more and more, Gon," I chided him. "Besides, he' a magic-user. You guys are not quite ready to take him on," I said.
"Finish this up quickly. If he follows us, then we'll see," Sukina said.
We quickly finished our ice-creams. It was only a quarter to twelve, and we still had 15 minutes left. As we got up, he came and stood in front of us. "Good day. I'm Lucius Malfoy, one of the governor at Hogwarts. I presume that you are part of the new group of students from Japan?" he said. His politeness only made us more wary.
"You presumed correctly. How may I help you?" I asked, deliberating omitting our names. Names gave power to those who knew how to use it.
"I just wanted you to know that we from the Board of Governors and the Ministry of Magic will be keeping a very close eye on you all. At the slightest hint of trouble, we'll send you home," he said, leaning close and using his staff to touch my hair. Suffice to say, I didn't like his attitude. Still, I didn't want to take the risk that he would send us home, so I just bore with it. He looked at my sister in a rather suggestive manner. "You know," he began, "Barbara Sapplefuss was not much younger than you when I first met her. Now there was an obedient child. Rather good in bed too, I must say," his tone was plainly offensive.
"Watch what you say!" Kirua and Gon started.
"Especially about Barbara and my sister!" I continued.
"Well, she was amusing for a while, but too, how shall I put it... inexperienced? Maybe your sister would be better," he laughed.
He wasn't laughing long. Yokoshima's fist shot out and caught his jaw. He fell back, a purple bruise forming. Sukina cried out. "That's enough!" she said, but I knew that she was pleased to know that we wanted to protect her. She was practically suffocating me through our telepathic bond. "Forgive my friends. They're rather protective of me," she said, kneeling down and Healing him. Malfoy gave her a strange look.
"Well," he began grudgingly, "I'll take back what I said about you, but I stand by what I said about Sapplefuss. She's a slut and should not be teaching. She's not even worth thinking about," he said, getting up and working his jaw.
"Say one more word about Barbara, and I'll kill you. In fact, I'll make it easier for you. You can use your wand, but I won't use any other weapon beside a Shikigami and my bare hands and feet," I said.
"Do not mock me, child!" he said coldly.
"'Nee-chan..." Sukina said softly.
"Let's go. It's not even worth wasting my breath trying to talk to someone who's so small, he only has one child. At least the other families that have more than one are prosperous," I said.
"Would you like to have a go at it then?" he began, but we'd already turned our backs on him and were walking away.
"I'll take you up on that challenge, you little mudblooded prostitute!" he said.
I hate to admit this, but I was glad he took up the challenge. I haven't been able to get much exercise and with Siku and Sika flying off, my yearning got bigger. Still, calling me a mudblooded prostitute was sure to get anyone's attention and be the prerequisite for the challenge on its' own. "Even if I were a prostitute, I'd turn you down, you low-life excuse for a magican!" I said contemptuously.
Part Three
We stood in the center of a large clearing. There was a ring of people around us, as I had suggested not to let Diagon Alley be destroyed because of our duel. Even though Lucius had sneered, he agreed. We stood perhaps ten paces from each other, but the others kept themselves as far away from us as they could without actually losing sight of the action. Duels like this, I could guess, were unthinkable. Well, maybe for them. This would also be a good chance to test out the theory that Wizards and Witches were Qi Channellers, that is, they need a wand to use their powers. I sincerely hoped they were right, or I might have to call upon the Goddess of Death, Celeste, to get me out of this mess. Celeste would be rather annoyed.
As we stood there getting ready, a large tree came between the two of us. It was Hagrid, trying his hardest for us to stop. "Stop this!" he said. "Forgive her, Mister Malfoy, she didn't mean whatever she said, it's just the stress of her first time here in England ya know," he continued, before urging me to apologize. Before I could tell Hagrid that it had been Malfoy who'd insulted me, he spoke and that caused me to be even angrier.
"Get out of the way, you big great oaf! If I'd have my way you'd left Hogwarts a long time ago. Son of a Giantess and a Wizard. You're a disgrace!" he said. Somehow, he knew how to punch my buttons.
Get out of the way, Hagrid. I don't want him to hurt you, I said to him telepathically. This may have been against the rules, but I implanted a resigned notion in his mind as well. It would dissipate as soon as the duel was over and not before. He sighed and moved out of the way. Most of the people standing on my side had already moved back further, action or no. The grass around me had been flattened and there were eddies of wind about me, as though there was a mini-tornado and I was at its' eye.
Dimly, I heard Su cautioning the others to stay away. I blocked out her sweet melodic voice that had the power to relax and calm me. For this, I really needed my rage. "Don't get involved in this. Oh, hie Kurama-san, Hiei-san. No, please don't interfere Peter, Clapika. When she's like this it's best to stay away. Botan, I'll need your healing skills. The average for my sister to throw someone in the hospital is usally about six months, although there was a guy who was in for about 48 months. That was when she was learning to control her powers," she told me later what she'd said.
My reaction to her statement: That was 48 months minus the physiotherapy, or did you leave that out on purpose?
"I'm giving you a last chance, Malfoy. Are you going to retract what you said about Sapplefuss?" I called out. Instead, he called out for someone to help us start this weird duel.
"Excuse me," an extremely cultured voice said, "But are you talking about Barbara Sapplefuss, a druidess?" a man who seemed to be of Scandinavian descent. He had gorgeous blue eyes, light, blond yellow hair and was overall a hunk. He also stood easily apart at a little over six-and-a-half-feet.
"Dangerfield..." Malfoy sneered.
"Ah, Lucius. How nice to meet you again. Have you been throwing mud at people's honour again?" he asked pleasantly, but I heard Sukina, Gon, Kirua and Yokoshima gasp. It seemed that all of them recognized the deadly insult he'd just delivered.
Wasn't Dangerfield the name of the guy who single-handedly help Natalie destroy that group that was threathening her sometime ago? my sister asked.
At this point in time, Imouto, I don't care. If he pricks Malfoy, it's good enough for me, I telepathed back.
"Malfoy insulted Barbara and refuses to retract his statement. Calling me a mudblood is one thing, but never insult my friends," I bared my teeth in a feral grin at Malfoy for good effect.
"Indeed... Insulting one's own honour is one thing, but the honour of others unable to defend themselves..." Dangerfield's tone was pleasant but he looked angry. In fact, I recognized it, for at this point in time we were both having the same effects.
"He's mine, Dangerfield. Maybe after I'm through with him you'll want to pick up the pieces and grind them. You could always give the paste to dogs, although I doubt they'd want it. They're more sensitive than we are you know," I said.
Malfoy was livid. He spluttered, and I had the feeling that men like Malfoy didn't splutter very often. It gave me a great deal of satisfaction. I could feel strength and rage pouring from the bond my sister and I had. I did not hide anything from her, and she knew of the friendship I had with Barbara. She also knew how jealously I protected my friends' honours, sometimes at the expense of my own. In some weird way, many knew that, and it gave me even more honour in their eyes. Go figure.
"You two need someone to help start this duel. I volunteer for the task. And," Dangerfield said to Malfoy, "You'd better pray she finishes you, or else you'll have me to deal with, and you know what I'm capable of," he said.
"Ready, Be..." before Dangerfield could complete his words, Malfoy had pressed his attack. He pointed his wand at me and a bright blue bolt shot out. I easily dodged it, moving behind him.
"This is for Barbara," I hit him at the base of his neck. He fell, but turned and shot another blaze of pure energy that would have killed me if I hadn't already moved away. The bolt flew through the air.
"This is for my sister," I said, appearing in front of him and catching square in the jaw, the same spot, I noted clinically, where Yokoshima had earlier hit him.
He winced, but got up to his feet. I could feel the pure sense of his qi, gathering darkness and forbidden powers about him. Before he said it, I knew he was going to use a Forbidden Spell. "Evada Kadavra!" he shouted, a thunderclap resounding.
According to the spell, it was deadly and if it touched me, it would kill me. It didn't. My mind worked automatically, summoning a Shikigami to my side. I could feel the three wooden seals in my hands and unthinkingly, I threw them at the oncoming light. "Rikuho!" I shouted, calling the Shikigami who had once worked for an ancient family. It was one of the few who wanted to stay with me, even if I found his family.
Only when the seals left my hands did I realize what I had done. I screamed and started forward to grab them, but the seals met the white light and there was a huge explosion. I stood firmly rooted to the ground, letting the searing heat burn me, but it was not the heat that burned your skin, but your soul.
When the smoke I cleared, I raised my voice to the heavens in lament. Tears coursed down my cheeks. There was nothing, nothing! that would take the place of Rikuho. There was a huge emptiness within me, and all my Shikigamis, all of them, cried with me, even Siku, Sika, and all the others I had contacted in London.RIKUHO!!
The pain, that was all there is. RIKUHO! Inadequate tears for the sorrow I felt, rage, for the man who had caused me to sacrifice a friend. Emotions fused together, I got up and looked through blinded eyes for him. He was not anywhere to be seen. fell on my knees. RIKUHO! My cries of frustration was so horrifying, that the few birds in the area that had dared to land again fled. I cried and cried. RIKUHO!!!!!!!!
