Anaya's Creator: Last chapter! (sniff)

Kaiba: (says sarcasticly) Oh darn.

Anaya's Creator: Here the reviews:

Adele S:

Hi from the US! I imagine he would be. Read on to find out!

Setoglomper:

Read the chapter and see. Enjoy!

Zuko's 1 and Only:

Well, you hit the nail on the head. Do you want a sequel?

Anaya's Creator: (gives reviewers cookies) I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh or Inu-Yasha or Harry Potter.

Chapter 18: I've Always Been Human

"W-what?" Kaiba stammered, stunned that she had proposed such a ridiculous question.

"Will you love me even if I become human?" Sakura repeated.

Seto was speechless; unable to believe she would think her becoming human would change anything. One of his arms snaked around her hips and he crashed their lips together. His tongue barged into her mouth, drawing a pleased growl from his girlfriend's lips as he savored her sweet mouth.

It happened so fast Sakura would have dropped her precious urn if Seto had not reached out his other arm to help her support it. She loved when he was rough with her like this. It made her hungrier and drove her to retaliate with all the zeal she could muster, but as she began to return the kiss, he tore his lips away.

"Does that answer your question?" he asked breathlessly.

Sakura nodded, her lips parted and swollen from the kiss. She shook her head slightly to regain her composure. "Let's go inside. It's starting to get nippy out here."

"Good idea," Seto agreed, keeping his one arm around her waist as they walked to the stone steps of the castle.

Once back in the Gryffindor Tower, Sakura went up to her room and placed the urn in her trunk, wrapping one of her older shirts around it so it wouldn't break. She then dashed back downstairs and sat down with her boyfriend on the couch.

"So, you've decided to use the Jewel to become human?" Seto asked her as she climbed into his arms, settling between him and the back of the couch.

"Yep, it's been in the planning for a few months now. Uncle's going to take me to Japan as soon as everyone leaves the school tomorrow. We're going to take a portkey. I'll say goodbye to my relatives in the feudal era for the last time and then, after coming back to the present, I'll use the Jewel to become human. The portal will be sealed up and the Jewel gone for good."

"That's it?" Seto remarked, slightly stunned by the simplicity of what she was planning. "You don't have to do a complicated ritual or anything?"

"Not unless we want to make this more complex then it needs to be."

"Great. No more monthly transformations."

"I'll be human."

"No more fierce temper."

"Nope, that's here to stay. My personality shouldn't change, but Uncle says that my knee might be healed and straight again."

"Good, you'll be taller."

"Not by much, I just won't be limping, but I'll probably be a better dancer so you're toes won't hurt as much while you teach me. You're coming back again next year, right?"

"Dumbledore didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"The governors might be closing Hogwarts after this year; it all depends on their decision. Several students have already been taken out by their parents."

Sakura's jaw dropped as she sat up. "They can't close this school. Hogwarts is my home. Where will I go next year if not here? What'll happen to the teachers? What about the other students? Where will they finish their schooling if not here?"

Kaiba put a finger to her lips, silencing her. "While you were out of it, your uncle said that regardless of this incident, the school should remain open if there is at least one student who wishes to learn. All the teachers agreed with him and that's what they presented to the governors. I don't know if any of the students from here are coming back next year, but I am and sois Mokuba, Yugi, and Ryou."

"Good, 'cause I don't want to be the only student here. I'd be so lonely without you and the others, especially you."

On some subconscious impulse, one of Kaiba's hands traveled to the crown of Sakura's head and stroked one of her furry ears.

A deep throated purr rippled from the albino's vocal chords. She moved on top of him, straddling his hips, and began ferociously kissing him. Her tongue forced its way through his lips, swirling around his tongue and exploring everything she could reach.

The C.E.O. tried to put up a fight with her tongue but was forced to retreat as she became rougher and more passionate the more he caressed her ears. He groaned as she moved from his mouth to his throat, her hot tongue leaving steaming moist trails in its wake.

Sakura's hands traveled to his robes and unfastened it and then moved to his shirt. Her fingers quickly undid the buttons and eagerly pushed the material away from his chest. Blushing in anticipation, her palms ran eagerly down his sculpted torso, her claws lightly brushing against his skin, not scratching him, but creating enough sensation to make him moan in delight. She bent back down to his lips and crashed them together with a bruising force. Suddenly realizing she was losing her grip on her demon instint, she murmured, "Seto, stop please," as she moved to his neck.

"Stop, you're the one that's doing all this." He felt her fangs brush against his neck, her hot breath causing all his nerves to stand on end.

Her hands traveled up his arms to his hands which were still massaging her ears and seized his wrists, slamming them against the arm of the couch. "I meant that!" she growled.

"You seemed to like it well enough," Kaiba pointed out, letting out a hiss of pain. Her grip was tight and having his wrists hit the arm of the couch was not pleasant.

"Sorry," Sakura apologized, letting go of his wrists. She got off of him and sat on the floor. As he sat up, she took one of his wrists in her hands and gently rubbed where it had hit the arm of the couch. "Of course I liked it when you touched my ears like that," she explained. "That's one of the most sensitive places on my body. But if you had continued touching them so, you would have had a pretty black bite mark on your neck as a souvenir. It's demon instinct, to mark a mate or enemy. My mother had a mark like that, but she said it didn't hurt her. When I asked her about it, she said symbolized the same thing that human wedding rings do. On enimies, it's very painful andsymbolizes that you've made it one of your goals in life to kill him. The bite mark on his hand is why Lucius Malfloy hates me so. After he had killed my parents, he set the shack that hid the well on fire, holding me back so I could watch. His hand was covering my mouth, muffling my screams. Hagrid showed up and Lucius wouldn't let me go so I bit his hand.'

"In my second year at Hogwarts, he showed up here with his house elf, Dobby. Dobby worked for the Malfloys before Harry set him free and Dobby came to work here in the castle. He saw me and told me I'd pay for what I'd done when he killed my parents. He took off one of his gloves and I saw the hand I had bit. It had gone all black and the puncture holes were still there. And it looked like it really hurt. That's why he wants to kill me."

"Just because you bit him?"

"Yep, guess it was a huge blow to his ego that a ten-year-old kid gave him a lasting injury."

"And people think I'm crazy for holding a grudge against Yugi for him beating me at Duel Monsters."

"Lucius Malfloy's grudge may be warped, but yours is just plain childish." Sakura stared into the fire for a few moments, contemplating what to say next. "Come on, we should go up to bed. The train's leaving tomorrow at eleven o'clock sharp anda twelve hour flight to Japan tomorrow, you'll need our sleep."

"You know, you and Dumbledore could come with me on my jet. There's plenty of room to spare for two extra passengers," Seto told her as they walked to the stairs.

"Good idea, I'll talk to him tomorrow after breakfast about it."

-8-8-8-

"Remember Harry, Uncle and I are going to pick you up in a week and bring you to the Order of Phoenix," Sakura called as Harry walked away with the Dursley's (his mother's sister's family).

"I won't forget," Harry yelled back and he left King's Cross Station.

"Why is he going to the Order this summer?" Seto asked,jealousydripping from his words.

"He's going to help Sakura and I track down Voldemort's other Horcruxes this summer," Professor Dumbledore explained. He had considered Kaiba's offer and had come along on the train with his niece. "Hopefully, we'll be able to track down most of them before the summer is out. That would make it all the easier when we confront Voldemort for the last time."

Pushing their trolleys, Seto, Yugi, Ryou, and Mokuba walked out of King's Cross Station with Dumbledore and Sakura to a limousine that was waiting for them. Kaiba had called ahead on the train.

"Guys, something's just occurred to me," Yugi said when they had piled into the limo. "Won't all our school stuff look strange going through customs?"

"Indeed," Ryou agreed. "I don't think they'll let our wands and magic books go through security without explanation."

"We won't have to deal with that. We're flying on my jet, remember?" Kaiba pointed out. "And if there's one thing I hate, it's the super-tight airport security. It may make normal people feel safe, but, for me, it's nothing but a waste of time."

"Airport security?" Sakura asked, clueless.

"Security guards at airports scan luggage and flight passengers for things such as bombs, guns, and other muggle weapons, dear. It's to prevent someone from committing a violent act on the plane," Dumbledore told her.

"Why would someone want to do that? Kinda stupid place to do it really."

"Why does Voldemort go prancing around the Wizarding World killing everyone that opposes him?" Seto inquired.

"Don't know, I ask him when I get the chance."

"You've never been on a plane before, have you, Sakura?" Mokuba asked.

"Nope, seen them, but never set foot in an airport."

"Then how did you come to London when you were young? (1)" Yami asked as he appeared in his transparent form beside Yugi.

"Using a portkey, of course."

At the airport, Sakura could not stop looking at the huge planes outside the windows of the airport. "They're so huge," she exclaimed, eyes wide. "It's a wonder how muggles get these things off the ground without magic."

They boarded the plane and everyone got into their seats. "Your attention, please, we are going to lift off in about five minutes. Please fasten your seatbelts," ordered the captain's voice from the loudspeaker.

The jet ran smoothly down the runway and gracefully left the airport behind. Sakura didn't dare look out the window as the scenery below them shrunk as the airplane rose higher and higher. She was already queasy and knew that vomiting on the fine plush seats in her boyfriend's aircraft would not be a wise thing to do.

A bit of static sounded over the speakers before they heard the captain's voice. "Please make sure you have your seatbelts fastened. We'll be encountering some mild turbulence for a few moments."

Oh great, Sakura thought. Her nausea did not ease as she felt a warm hand wrap around hers.

"Are you feeling okay?" Seto asked her, seeing her pale face.

"Just a little sick to my stomach."

He offered her a bottle of water. "Need a drink?"

"I think so." She opened the bottle of water and took a sip, only to spray it all over her lap and the carpeted floor when the plane started to jostle and sway in the wind.

"Good thing it was only water," Seto muttered.

Sakura's eyes closed tightly as she grasped her boyfriends hand desperately in an attempt to keep the cauldron cakes and chocolate frogs she had eaten for lunch from spilling out of her.

"Pet, your grip... too tight..." Kaiba hissed through gritted teeth.

The albino opened her eyes and noticed that Seto's hand had gone white from lack of circulation. "That's something you won't have to worry about once I'm human," she croaked, trying to remain humorous in this situation that utterly terrified her. Her grip loosened and she took deep breaths to try andcalm herself.

The sign above them finally flashed green showing that the passengers could unbuckle their seatbelts. Sakura quickly unfastened hers and dashed frantically to the restroom, instantly dropping to her knees and emptying her sugary lunch into the porcelain toilet. Thoughts swam in her head and she felt for a moment as if she was going to faint, but then she vomited once more.

A few dizzying moments later, she exited the dim cramped room and nearly ran into Seto, who was just out side the door.

"Airsick?" he taunted.

"Oh shove it," Sakura retorted bitterly, leaning against the wall for support. She was still dizzy from tossing her cookies. "Where can I get some Headache Emulsion around here?"

"I don't have that, but there's some aspirin in the kitchen."

"That'll do."

Seto looped his arm around her to support her and half lead, half dragged Sakura to the kitchen. Dumbledore was already there, holding a double-decker sandwich of tomatoes, lettuce, ham, cheese, and mayonnaise.

"My dear Sakura, are you all right?" he asked, putting down his sandwich before he could takea bite. "You look pale."

"I don't think airplanes and I mix, Uncle. Do you have any Headache Emulsion with you?" She pulled herself away from Kaiba and leaned against the counter.

"Of course, my dear," Dumbledore reached into his robes and pulled out a small violet glass bottle.

Sakura took the bottle, uncorked it, and took a mighty swig.

"Don't take in too much," her uncle cautioned. "It'll knock you out in a heartbeat."

"I just need to be conscious long enough to make it back to my seat," Sakura replied woozily, setting down the bottle. She teetered slowly through the narrow hall back to her seat and collapsed into it just as the medicine kicked in.

When Seto sat in his spot next to her, he leaned down and pulled the lever that reclined her chair back so she could lie more comfortably. Some of her hair had fallen out of place. His hand drifted up to the stray strands and gently put them back into place.

"She's really changed you, know that bro?" interrupted a voice from next to him.

Kaiba twisted around and saw his little brother had sat beside him, playfully swinging his legs from the too high seat of the chair. "How do you mean?"

"You're kinder, a lot more like how you used to be, before Gozaburo."

After twelve long, painstaking hours the captain finally announced that they would be landing in the town of Domino. Once they had touched down, Seto noticed that Sakura was still asleep. The Headache Emulsion had knocked her out for the whole trip.

"Sakura, you need to wake up," he said, shaking her.

"I don't wanna," she groaned, turning the other way in her seat.

"The flight's over."

Sakura's eyes snapped open. "Really, it's over?"

"Yep,"

"Thank God," Sakura jumped out of her seat and dashed out the door into the walkway. "Uncle, we are so taking a portkey home," she told him as she passed.

Outside the airport, Yugi ran to meet his grandpa and friends, who were waiting for him at the entrance. After exchanging "So glad to have you back" and "We missed you so much" greetings as well as one of Tea's friendship speeches (which mand Sakura want to barf again), the group left with Ryou tagging along.

A limousine pulled up and as the chauffeur put their belongings into the trunk Dumbledore, Sakura, Seto, and Mokuba piled into the roomy back seat.

"Uncle, could we visit the Feudal era later? I'm really tired," Sakura whined as she sprawled out over one side of the auto.

"That's what you get for swallowing so much Headache Emulsion," Dumbledore chastised. "If you had wanted to sleep for the rest of the trip you should have said something and I would have given you a sleeping draft."

"So what's your answer?"

"No, you'll just have to sleep it off until we get there."

"Damn."

"Watch your mouth; there's no need to cuss."

With a soft growl, Sakura snuggled her face into her folded arms and fell asleep, moving occasionally.

About ten minutes later, someone was proding her arm. "Come on, sleepy head, it's time to go to the Feudal era." Rubbing her eyes, Sakura pulled herself off the leather seating and out of the limousine.

After he got out, Dumbledore poked his head back inside the vehicle. "I don't know how long this will take so you boys should go home. We'll meet you there."

Kaiba saw the seriousness in Dumbledore's light blue eyes and knew the professor was right. "Take us back to the mansion," he ordered the driver, closing the door as Dumbledore went to catch up with his niece.

Memories rose amongst the dust that stirred by her feet as Sakura walked up the stairs to the ash heap that had once been her home for the last time. Now there was no snow and she could see the true extent of the damage. There was less ash than she had expected, she wondered how much of it had blown away with the happy times she had once known with her parents. Soon she stood at the mouth of the chasm that contained the Bone Eater's Well, she stared down into the center where the well stood waiting for her, symbolizing another happiness she would loose. She was about to jump into the hole when a peculiar thought flooded her mind. Why? Why was it she and/or Harry whose life was put in danger or whose happiness had to be sacrificed for the better?

It was Harry who had faced Lord Voldemort in first year on the third floor corridor. Not a year later it was the two of them who had gone down into the Chamber of Secrets when Gildory Lockhart had been so quick to bail. Harry and she had driven away the dementors in third year then Hermione and Sirius Black had passed out and Ron was her injured to move. Harry had been forced to risk life and limb in the Triwizard Tournament during their fourth year when one of Lord Voldemort's supporters had put his name in the Goblet of Fire. In fifth year, Dolores Umbridge had taken the blunt of her unquestionable devotion to the Minister of Magic and persecution of half-humans out on the two of them. Why should she sacrifice being able to see what little family she had left for the sake of these pitiful humans?

"Is everything okay?" Dumbledore asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"I was just thinking. Uncle, why is it always Harry and me? Why must we always bell the cat for these mortals who are too dumb or lazy to do it themselves?"

"That is one question, my dear, I'm afraid I cannot answer," he answered. "Perhaps one day you will figure it out. Do you still want to do this?"

Sakura thought for a moment, looking around her at the destruction the Death Eaters had done to the temple, but she wasn't just looking at the temple grounds. She was looking across her whole life, scared and burned all because of the Sacred Jewel. She saw small trees and other plant life jutting out of the black dust. To her, they seemed like omens of hope, foreshadowing good things to come. She realized that in spending almost her whole life surrounded by humans, she had become one of them, maybe not her body, but her soul and mind. "Wait here for me. I shouldn't be too long." She jumped down into the chasm, swung her legs over the well and jumped inside.

-8-8-8-

Knock, knock!

The white front door to the Kaiba mansion opened without a sound, exposing a short butler. The fluorescent lighting bounced off his huge bald cranium. He peered at Dumbledore and the cloaked figure behind him. "May I help you?" he inquired, his voice dark and raspy.

"I am Albus Dumbledore and behind me is my niece, Sakura," Dumbledore explained over the sound of the rain. "Master Kaiba (2), should be expecting us."

"He is," the butler hissed. "Come in, and I shall tell him that you two have arrived." He moved aside and Dumbledore and Sakura stepped inside the white front hall, rainwater dripping of their cloaks and onto the red carpet beneath them. The butler turned and walked up the huge stairs.

"How did those two boys get this gigantic house?" Dumbledore asked Sakura as he peeled off his plum cloak.

"They inherited it," she answered, not removing her red one. "From their stepfather."

"Hmm,"

A few minutes later, Seto and Mokuba had arrived at the top of the stairs. "Sakura, Professor, I'm glad to see you both made it here," Seto greeted as he and his little brother began walking down the stairs.

"The rain was a bit of a setback, but it didn't interfere with much," Dumbledore replied.

Sakura's declawed hands threw off the hood of her cloak. No longer was she leaning to one side with her limp, she stood an erect half-inch taller and human ears stuck out from under her unbraided jet black hair.

"So what do you think?" she asked, her amber eyes glittering.

"Lovely," Mokuba told her as he reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Thanks Mokuba."

The boy grabbed her hand. "Come on, you wanna play video games?"

"Sorry, Mokuba, I can't," Sakura apologized sincerely. "Uncle and I are going back to Hogwarts now. We just came by to say our goodbyes."

He dropped her hand and ran off into the other room, pouting.

"Maybe I could come over some other time," she called after him. Guilt darkened her cheerful face.

Seto put a hand on her shoulder.

Sensing the couple should be alone for a few moments, Dumbledore spoke up. "I'll wait for you out on the porch, Sakura."

Once Dumbledore had left them alone, Seto pulled Sakura into his arms.

"I like this new you," Seto told her, threading his fingers through her onyx locks.

"I do too, but the downside is that I can't hear or smell as good as I used to. It stinks."

Chuckling at the pun, one of Seto's hands wrapped around hers, entwining their fingers as he bent down and kissed her with all the passion he could. "I love you, mitsuki."

"I love you too."

For a moment the two simply stood there in each others' arms, not saying anything; the sapphire and tawny of their eyes reflecting mutual love, desire, and the wish not to be apart, even if it was to be for only three months.

"I'll send letters with Fawkes," Sakura whispered as if speaking any louder would ruin the moment. "To keep you and Mokuba posted."

"Please come here again, at least once."

"I'll try." After one last kiss, she broke away from his embrace and, pulling on her red cloak, walked out the door.

"Grab on," her uncle instructed when she had stepped outside. He was holding out the bottle of Headache Emulsion.

Sakura grabbed on and instantly the Kaiba mansion melted into a whirl of color and indistinguishable roar of sound. She felt the familiar sensation of being hooked up by the seat of her pants as the portkey carried her along. Finally, the spinning of reality ceased and she was standing in her uncle's office back at Hogwarts.

"Now," she heard her uncle say. "Let us gather all the information we have on Voldemort's Horcruxes so we are ready for Harry when he comes here at the end of the week."

The End!

-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-

(1) They used a portkey to get to Japan over break.

(2) This is an honorific, duh.

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