"You say that I have no power? Perhaps you speak truly... But you say that Dreams have no power here? Tell me... what power would hell have if those here imprisoned were not able to dream of heaven?"
-Anonymous
Chapter 12 Come What May
"My, my, you've really done a number on yourself." Washu hummed, grinning down at Inuyasha as he sat on the cot, his kimono and undershirt discarded, revealing the large gash on his shoulder.
The half demon glared at the pink haired genius. "What are you doing, anyway?" he had tried to simply head off to the room the Queen had given him when he arrived, but Washu had intercepted him, demanding to look him over.
"Well, I'm not a medical specialist, but I am a genius. And I'm taking samples of your blood. I've never encountered a half demon before, y'know." Washu grinned wider, and raised a strange needle-like object.
Inuyasha stared at him, his mind briefly remembering something Kagome said about these things-
And then Washu stabbed it into his arm.
The half demon gave off a loud yelp of pain, and reflexively jumped backwards, glaring at the pink haired genius. "What the Hell was that for!" he demanded angrily.
"Just needed a sample. And from the looks of it," Washu clucked her tongue and shook her head, "You've got a bunch of damaged nerve endings and muscles. That's pretty crippling for a human... in fact, if you weren't a half demon, it's a fair guess to say you'd be dead from blood loss already."
"Tch. I'm not as weak as a human." Inuyasha said gruffly. "And my arm'll be useable soon enough."
"I suppose you'd know, wouldn't you." Washu said airily, smiling brightly. She opened a cabinet, and pulled free a bottle. "This potion should help you heal faster."
The container was filled with a thick, blood red liquid and Inuyasha stared at it dubiously. "What's in it?" he asked suspiciously.
"Dunno." Washu shrugged. "The makers keep the ingredients pretty close to the vest, and I've been too busy to analyze it myself. Now drink up." She grinned and thrust the bottle in his face.
Harry felt as though he'd been punched in the gut. Leaning heavily against the wall, feeling the now returned exhaustion in himself, he managed a fake, sickly thing of a smile. "H-Harry. Harry Potter."
"Oh!" Ginny's eyes widened and she dropped her spoon, looking rather excited. "You're the boy who brought me here! Thank you!"
The words fell on ears only half listening. "No problem." Harry said weakly. Feeling sick and exhausted and just plain tired, he plastered a poorly acted grin. "I'd love to talk more, but I'm beat. Good night all." And with that, he closed the door and turned around sharply.
Kurama bit his lip and reached his hand out towards the Boy-Who-Lived. "Harry. Perhaps-"
"Not now." Harry said cuttingly, and his head turned slowly, eyes glistening with the sort of heartbreak only someone whose been beaten down so badly they can't even try anymore holds. "Please, Kurama. Not now."
Kurama nodded, looked at him pityingly. "I'm sorry Harry."
The Boy-Who-Lived didn't respond, and as he walked down the corridor, he looked much like a lost child.
"So he didn't take it very well." Zelda sighed, rubbing her temples tiredly as she sank into her now seldom used throne. "I thought as much."
"It's more than that. I believe he's... he's losing the will to fight. He has tasted the bitterness of battle, and the harshness that comes with making a choice." Kurama said quietly, leaning against the wall.
"Such is the way of the world. Why do the best of us suffer the most?" the Queen murmured pityingly, her voice thick and heavy with sorrow.
"He is strong... he will overcome." The fox demon assured her. "Even Hiei believes... as much as he attempts to hide it."
"But he has adversity ahead." Zelda replied slowly, her voice full of prophetic sureness. "Opposition, evil like nothing ever known is in his way. And at the end I fear he will face it alone."
"Then we will pave the way for him, until he is strong enough to meet that end." Kurama said passionately.
The Queen regarded him for a moment, and her mouth set into a line. "I know... but I wish we could do more."
Footsteps echoed in the hallway beyond the throne room, and both turned towards it.
"It seems we will have to place this discussion on hold, Kurama." Zelda said lightly, before raising her voice, staring straight at the newcomers, "Yes, Colonel Mustang? Is there something you and Lieutenant Hawkeye need?"
The black haired man nodded, back straight and shoulders squared. "Ma'am. The nearby villages have reported a large amount of Heartless moving throughout the fields. I request permission to deal with them." He said smoothly, but Zelda saw into the plea within.
The Queen smiled slightly. "I'm not your superior officer, Colonel." She reminded him. "But permission granted. Take as many volunteers as you think are necessary."
"Thank you." Mustang inclined his head respectfully, and left.
The blonde woman behind him, who hadn't spoken a word, turned sharply and followed him out.
"Now, back to our current situation with the Keybearer." Zelda bit her lip, and sighed. "I'm going to allow Anna to train him for a while. Perhaps we sent him out too early..."
Kurama balked slightly, barely regaining his composure. "Are you sure that's wise? The girl is... rather harsh." He said carefully, gauging his words and keeping his geniality as best he could.
"That sort of treatment might be just what he needs." The Queen replied solemnly. "Besides... the powers she has to offer to Harry are invaluable in the coming times. He will need all the skills any can offer."
"I will respect your wisdom, then." Kurama inclined his head, and turned to leave.
"Impa?" Zelda called out, turning her head towards the wall next to her throne. "Tell Miss Anna that she may do as she wishes."
The woman, who had been hiding in the shadows, made a single bow of respect and departed silently.
"Washu..." Ginny said slowly, looking at the pink haired genius intently.
The older girl turned towards her, placing down the sample of Inuyasha's blood. "Yes, Ginny? What is it?" Washu had taken a liking to the girl, and was deeply interested in her special condition.
"Who is Harry?" Ginny asked, biting her lip in apparent distress. "He seems familiar to me... but when I tried to talk to him, he said he had to go."
Washu sighed and cursed under her breath. She should have found Harry and informed him of the situation beforehand. Plastering a smile on her face, she said cheerily, "He's just tired, Ginny. He'll answer all your questions when he feels better."
Satisfied, the redhead thanked her and left, her gait slightly unsteady, a testament to the time she had spent asleep.
"Round and round the world spins... and it keeps getting darker." Washu murmured to herself. "Times like these I could use my old powers... times like these I wish you were still here, Tenchi."
Harry awoke sometime in the night, though from the sounds of bustle outside his room, it wasn't too late just yet. Not feeling like leaving, he sat himself up, propping the pillow against the headboard.
He lifted his hands up, inspecting them with his critical emerald eyes. There were small cuts and callouses decorating the tanned skin of his lined palm. "Useless." He murmured bitterly, letting them fall to his sides. "Useless."
What had he done? What great blows had he struck against the Dark Lord?
Nothing. He was still weak.
"Some hero." The Boy-Who-Lived chuckled darkly, a bitter light in his eyes.
There was a timid knock on his door. "Yes?" Harry called out, curious.
"Um... Mister Harry... I brought you some dinner." Ginny's voice was shaking and nervous, as though she were a little girl with a crush on him again.
Frowning, the Boy-Who-Lived was sorely tempted to send her away, but the response died in this throat and he sighed. "It's open."
The door opened slowly, and the redhead smiled timidly and she pushed it open with her back, holding a large tray of food unsteadily. Harry stood and grasped the plate, steadying her quickly and without thought.
Ginny looked up at him and smiled gratefully, setting the plate down on a study table near the bed.
"Erm... thank you." Harry said awkwardly. "But really, you didn't need to..."
"I insist." Ginny replied graciously, bowing slightly. She paused, and bit her lip tightly, the smile slipping away and leaving nothing but sorrow. "I... I'm sorry..."
Harry stared at her strangely, unsure of what she was saying. Without heed, Ginny continued, "I don't remember anything, I'm afraid." She apologized, a note of hysteria in her tone as her voice picked up. "I can't remember! Nothing! Not even my name, my parent's names, your name..."
Harry could listen no longer and, on pure instinct, did something he had never done before, with anyone- he grabbed Ginny tightly, encircling her with his arms and wrapping them around her, pressing her to his chest. Barely aware of what he was doing, he stroked her hair soothingly. "It's okay... it's okay." He murmured softly, into her ear. "I promise you I'll help you remember."
Ginny sniffled slightly, muffled by his clothes. "Thank you." She whispered softly, barely audible.
They stayed there for an unknown amount of time, every heartbeat ticking away as both their hearts began to beat as one.
A knock on his door caused Harry to start, and his head had just come up when Kurama's head poked in.
"Harry, I'm terribly sorry but-" the fox demon began, and then his mouth snapped shut as he saw what was going on. A mischievous, fox-like grin crossed his face and Harry swore he heard a snicker. "Forgive me for interrupting." He apologized, only the barest hint of smugness in his tone.
The two broke apart quickly, Harry feeling his face hot and he was torn between laughing and wanting to hide. "No... it was nothing." Harry said quickly, looking straight at the other boy and praying his cheeks weren't red.
"Well, good. Harry, the Queen needs to see you about something important. If you would, please." Kurama said, stepping lightly away from the door and gesturing out.
"I'm afraid the meal will have to go a bit cold, Ginny." Harry apologized softly, smiling gently at her. "But thank you."
"Hm... I see your problem with Miss Ginny has faded quite quickly." Kurama quipped, nearly the moment they were in the hallway.
"Shut it Kurama." Harry gritted out, annoyed, staring straight forward determinedly.
Another faint snicker from the fox demon was heard as they turned the corner, heading straight for the meeting room.
With no more words passed between them, the two boys stepped out of the hallway and into the large meeting chamber, where Zelda sat, alone at the massive wooden table.
"Harry. I apologize for calling you here so suddenly, but this is important." The Queen said politely, bowing her head slightly.
"It's alright." The Boy-Who-Lived said slowly, shooting Kurama a deadly glare, as if to say 'don't say a word'. "What's up?"
"Since you left... there have been a small upsurge in refugees." At Harry's crestfallen look, Zelda added swiftly, "But they've been doing fine. And a few have expressed an interest in passing on skills that may prove useful to you and your cause."
Harry looked at her questioningly.
"Tomorrow, Kurama will take you to Kakariko village. There, your new trainer will be teaching you some new skills that will prove invaluable." The Queen instructed. "I'm afraid you will have to go alone though."
"How long will this take?" Harry asked quietly.
"I don't know. In her words... 'As long as it takes to get this wimp into shape'." Zelda quoted, coughing and smiling slightly at the choice of words.
"Alright... tomorrow then." The Boy-Who-Lived murmured. "Good night."
Inuyasha frowned, leaning against the courtyard window, feeling the open breeze dance across the bridge of his nose, glaring up defiantly at the empty, moonless sky. Being human, being this weak was bad enough... but now, he was in a completely alien world, alone.
It hit home just how alone he really was, without Kagome, without Miroku, without Sango, without Shippo, without anyone and everyone he had known throughout his whole life. He was more alone than he had ever been.
The idea was a hollow wound in his side, eating away at his soul.
"Kagome..." the now mortal Inuyasha murmured softly, feeling the wind carry his words away.
"Inuyasha! Is that you?"
Cursing his lack of demon powers, Inuyasha turned, glaring slightly at the obviously confused Harry Potter.
"What happened to you?" Harry asked, his eyes running over the now raven black hair and violet eyes of Inuyasha's human form.
"... none of your business." Inuyasha grunted. "Why are you wandering around?"
"I just got out of a meeting with Zelda." The Boy-Who-Lived replied easily. "We'll have to wait a few days to go to the next world, since someone's asked to train me."
"Do what you want." Inuyasha said gruffly. "It's not like I can go anywhere for at least another day with my arm like this." Still, there was a note of disappointed wistfulness in his tone, and Harry remembered that the other boy was looking for someone.
"I promise I'll help you find whoever it is you lost." Harry swore softly, looking the mortal dead in the eye with shining determination. "You're helping me... I'll help you."
Inuyasha looked away, unable to meet those eyes, once again. "... do what you like." He said indifferently.
"Well, I've got dinner waiting for me. I'll see you in a couple days." Harry said in lieu of goodbye, and smiled slightly, and left.
As the Keybearer turned the corner, Inuyasha murmured softly, "Thanks."
Robin wandered through Castletown, alone. Inuyasha had all but disappeared, Harry was off training, and she was left alone.
A few children laughed and ran past her, chasing after one another with innocent glee, and the witch couldn't help but smile.
"Did ya hear? There's a guy organizing people to attack the Heartless." An elderly man gossiped, leaning towards his equally aged friend.
"Humph. Sounds like the sort of impetuous thing youngsters like to do." The other huffed.
Curious, Robin leaned over and asked, "Where is this man?"
The two shot her strange looks, before the first one replied, "In the center of town, missy."
Thanking them, she made her way through toward a large crowd of people, crowding about the figure of a blue clad, black haired man, and the golden haired woman in the same uniform, standing behind him.
"Please, if you have any unusual powers, your aid would be appreciated." The man said, his voice full of determined charisma. "But if you have family, friends, a loved one, remember that these are the Heartless. They are more dangerous than any common enemy."
A few murmurs swept through the crowd, and a few shouts on the affirmative.
Biting her lip, and remembering that Harry would be gone for a few days, Robin wavered.
"But they took my son!" an elderly woman sobbed. "Please... let me fight!"
They took Amon, she remembered, remembered him fighting to his last breath to defend her.
"I'm sorry." The man replied slowly, sorrow etched on his hard, pale features. "But offworlders have more power, and-"
"I'll go." Robin shouted, her voice ringing out, tearing apart the noises of the crowd.
The man turned towards her, gauging her with careful eyes. Recognizing something in her, he nodded. "If you insist."
"So who's this person I'm going to be talking to?" Harry asked, keeping a careful eye out for random Heartless. "The Queen said 'she'."
Kurama too, seemed mostly occupied with watching for Heartless, not turning when he responded carefully. "I was told not to say a word... she prefers to make an impression herself."
The village of Kakariko was small but now, probably due to the dangerous climate, heavily armed, with obvious offworlders walking about, yet they seemed to fit perfectly alongside everyone else.
"Oh, not again!" a woman shrieked, slapping her forehead as a pen full of chickens opened and the fowls flew off.
Flew?
Harry did a double take, staring for a moment, before Kurama's urging tugged him onward.
The fox demon led him through the village and into-
"A graveyard?" the Boy-Who-Lived murmured, stopping just outside of the high, spiked fence. He hadn't set foot in a graveyard since...
Since Cedric. Since Voldemort's rebirth.
"Harry? Is something wrong?" Kurama asked softly.
"... it's nothing." Harry said, trying his best to smile. It's in the past.
"Ah... and here is your new master." Kurama said, staring up at the center of the graveyard.
Harry followed the fox demon's eyes towards a small, slim figure.
"That's her!" the Boy-Who-Lived demanded, pointing towards a young blonde girl in a wavy black dress that was sleeveless, and a rosary of teal beads encircled around her neck, hanging against her arm, with part of it wrapped around her wrist. Her shockingly red bandanna was massive, running down her back even as it completely encompassed her head, all but covering her blonde hair. Cold black eyes gauged him.
"It's rude to point." She said, rolling her eyes.
"She's just a kid!" Harry shouted.
"I could say the same about you." She replied slowly, glaring at him defiantly, before turning towards Kurama. "Are you sure he's the one?"
Taken aback and stung by the insult, Harry snarled, "I am the Keybearer!" he moved his hand to call the Keyblade.
"Calm down, Harry." Kurama said slowly, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Let us try to start again. Harry, this is Anna Kyoyama. Anna, this is Harry Potter."
"We've got a lot of work to do." Anna said coldly, turning away, so that only one of her black eyes could be seen as she glared at him. "First, run a hundred laps around the graveyard. That should be easy enough."
"WHAT!"
Kurama sighed. "I hope Zelda was right about this..."
Harry fell down onto his back, collapsing with a relieved groan as sweat fell off of him like a heavy rain, his clothes clinging to him, as though they too were exhausted.
"... a hundred... laps... she's... worse than Wood." The Boy-Who-Lived complained tiredly, remembering that he once thought Oliver Wood, his old Quiddtich Captain had insane training methods.
"Now that you've warmed up," Anna said, sitting atop the same gravestone she had sat upon when he began running, "We can move on to part two." She leapt off of the stone, and kicked it, causing it to move backwards, revealing a hole in the ground
Curious, Harry moved towards it, peeking inside inquisitively, seeing a long, deep hole with nothing but darkness. "What's in there?" he asked, turning towards the blonde.
Instead of answering, Anna kicked him inside the grave.
Robin shifted, looking around herself. There was a variety of people, old and young, dressed plainly and dressed strangely. Some carried weapons, some didn't.
"Alright. I'd like to first off thank you all for coming. Some of you I've met, some I haven't. To those I haven't, my name is Colonel Roy Mustang." The black haired man said, inclining his head. With a flourish of his hand, he gestured behind him, towards a stern looking blonde woman behind him.
They were both wearing the same uniform, navy blue, thick shirts and pants. The man was decorated a bit more heavily than the woman, and Robin saw a chain extending from his pocket, looped to his belt, like a pocketwatch. His hands were gloved in white, and there was some marking made in red on them.
"This is my second in command, Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye. I, and then she, will be in command of this operation." The Colonel, for just a moment, looked tired, but it passed quickly. "I want all of you to prepare. In a few hours, we will march into Hyrule Field, where a large gathering of Heartless have been spotted to the south."
Mustang searched each face, as if looking for something.
"Thank you for choosing to do this. Good luck... and tomorrow, I hope that I can say the same to all of you at the end of the day."
Robin, however, saw beyond that, and saw that this man was prepared for what lay ahead, in a way that only seasoned military could.
A perception Amon had held as well.
I'm going to KILL that bitch when I get out! Harry thought angrily, as he felt wind and shadows push past him as he fell further into the earth.
Then... he did what all things falling do.
He hit the ground.
Hard.
Listening to the explosive cursing coming from the grave, Kurama frowned, shooting Anna a curious glare. "Just what were you thinking? He might have broken something!" he reprimanded.
"He didn't." Anna responded coldly. With slow, careful movements, she grasped a plain, unadorned sword and tossed it down. Looking down into the grave and crossing her arms, she said, "Use this against your opponent."
Harry hurled himself out of the way, letting the blade clatter to the floor. He shot Anna an angry glare. "Why can't I use the Keyblade?"
"This will make it harder for you to focus." Anna replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "So that when you do use the Keyblade, it'll be easier. Now..." she lifted the beads tied around her arm, and closed her eyes.
Kurama felt it, a subtle tugging on the spirit realm, but so strong and so demanding that no one could escape its grasp.
This is her power, the fox demon realized. To call spirits, no matter where they are.
Anna's eyes snapped open. "It's done." She murmured.
Harry heard the blonde's voice drift down. "What's done?" he demanded, looking up... but then a chill in the air froze him in place.
Slowly, the Boy-Who-Lived turned around.
Floating, just above the ground, was a creature wearing a ragged tan cloak and black hood, obscuring two eerie, empty blue eyes. It had no feet, and no normal features could be seen, completely covered as it was. In one cloth covered hand it wielded a long, wicked looking scythe.
Harry swallowed nervously.
Anna looked down at him emotionlessly. "The people here call it a Grand Poe. Defeat him, and escape this grave. This is part two of your training."
The scythe clicked in the shadows like a hungry mandible. Silently, the Grand Poe was suddenly in front of him, weapon upraised.
With a gasp, Harry hurled himself backwards, tumbling end over end until his back hit the sword. Quickly, he turned and grabbed it in a blind panic, spinning aside and swinging.
The sword met the scythe with a loud, angry snap of sparks and sound, and Harry used the force of the swing to break the block, trying to get another, clearer strike.
Effortlessly, the Grand Poe pulled aside in a blink, and then closed the gap as Harry's momentum spun him away, scythe upraised once more. Gritting his teeth, the Boy-Who-Lived spun faster, blocking the scythe again in a burst of sparks that lit the grave.
Once more, the Grand Poe disappeared with insane speed.
Harry cursed under his breath, and settled to wait for the next attack, breathing harshly, every breath hard and heavy.
"It's too fast for him." Kurama murmured, looking at Anna curiously as he arched his eyebrow. "You do know you can't get him killed, right?" he said dryly.
"Trust me, he needs this. Those guys are strong... strong enough to beat Yo-" Anna's mouth snapped shut and she looked away.
Wisely, Kurama did not press the subject. "So, what is it you're trying to teach him?"
"He's exhausted. That means he'll be able to unconsciously draw upon his spirit for power to improve his reaction, speed, and strength. That should help him win this fight." Anna replied coolly.
Kurama was impressed, but deigned not to show it. "Let's hope Harry's as quick as you think, then."
Harry ducked aside the scythe as it tore through the air, but winced as he was a bit too slow, receiving the tip of the blade as it began scraping his forehead. Immediately, it began to bleed profusely.
The Boy-Who-Lived concentrated as he hurled himself backwards, trying to weave his power and channel it into the wound, lest it begin to blind him. He felt the power, but it was disorganized, lacking a nexus point to gather at.
Without the Keyblade, Harry realized, he couldn't channel a Cure spell.
"Bugger." He muttered, blocking the Grand Poe's swing, causing him to be pitched backwards a few steps, gritting his teeth. Desperation began setting in, an almost blind panic. His vision turned red, courtesy of his blood.
Blinking furiously, the Boy-Who-Lived shut his eye, hard.
The Grand Poe came at him mercilessly, weaving its scythe again and again, down and down, each time Harry narrowly avoided or blocked the attacks, feeling himself losing his control.
Is this... Is this how I'm going to die?
The ghost's scythe came down hard, cutting deep into his arm, blood welling up and flowing freely, warm and slick against his hands.
Without- Without accomplishing anything?
The blade was knocked out of his hands with a vicious swing, the harsh blow resonating throughout his arm, freezing him in place.
The Grand Poe raised its scythe.
Not yet.
The blade whistled through the air, tearing apart the silence of the grave.
NOT YET!
A light shone behind Harry's eyes, his entire body glowing with a faint white light.
Dust kicked up in a violent miniature storm as the scythe came down on nothing but air.
Kurama sucked in a breath. Anna looked impassive.
Harry Potter stood, five feet away, head down, shoulders slumped and arms a foot above the floor. "What is this power?' he murmured softly, placing a hand on his chest, the scratches and cuts fading away as he spoke. "It's... so warm..."
The Grand Poe moved again at its same incredible speed, scythe raised.
But to Harry, it suddenly seemed much slower, so much easier to read. He lifted his head up, and his emerald eyes were hard as diamond. Twisting his body, he avoided the downward blow, and, cocking his fist, punched the Grand Poe, hard.
A blow like that shouldn't have done much to a ghost of this level, instead, it sent it crashing backwards, kicking up dust and dirt as it fell.
A soft clink brought his attention to the discarded sword at his feet. With a grim, mirthless smile on his face, he picked it up.
"I won't. I won't be defeated." His voice was unquestionable, like Destiny.
The Grand Poe raised itself up, and lunged forward, its empty blue eyes shining in the shadows of the grave as the scythe came down, hard.
"YOU'RE TOO SLOW!" Harry roared, and brought his own sword down, slicing the Grand Poe and its scythe apart, right between its eyes.
The halves of the Grand Poe fell apart, dissipating into nothing but black smoke.
Inuyasha crossed his arms, doing his best not to move too much, lest his injury pain him again. It was a little stiff and, most likely, if he tried using his claws or the Tetsusaiga, it wouldn't be very strong.
He couldn't sense, nor smell Harry's scent other than a few day old ones, and Robin's trailed out into the city.
Not that he was feeling alone, because he wasn't.
His feet were taking him in a sort of roundabout, bored walk around the castle, into the gardens where he found he was a bit more at peace than inside the thick stone walls.
"Excuse me? Do you know where Harry is?"
A girl with fiery red hair popped into his vision, and Inuyasha cursed his lapse of concentration as he leapt backwards. "Don't do that!"
"Oh... I'm sorry, mister." The girl apologized meekly, bowing her head. "I was just wondering if you knew where Harry was. His name's Harry. Harry Potter."
"Last I heard he was off to do some training." Inuyasha replied carelessly, about to cross his arms behind his head and flinching as he felt a surge of pain. Damn... it still hurts.
"Are you Harry's friend?" the girl questioned, looking at him curiously, her eyes lingering on his ears for more time than the half demon cared for.
"I guess." Inuyasha shrugged. He wasn't all that great with friendship.
"Please... when you see him, tell him I'm sorry for crying like that earlier." The girl paused, and blushed slightly as she blurted out, "Oh, how rude of me! I'm sorry... my name's Ginny. Ginny Weasley."
"Why were you crying?" Inuyasha asked, before he could stop himself. God, he hated it when women cried.
Ginny smiled brightly, but there was just the slightest hint of tears in her eyes as she spoke. "Oh, it's not important. Could you tell him that?"
"Er... sure." Inuyasha grunted, rolling his eyes.
"Thank you!" Ginny said, bowing her head and smiling at him.
"Hey, don't go acting like this is some big favor!" Inuyasha said irritably, looking away with a haughty sniff. "Geez..."
Still smiling, Ginny skipped off, her footsteps rebounding across the corridor as she passed him, waving. "Goodbye!"
Inuyasha rubbed his head, puzzled as he watched the girl run off. "What the heck was that about?"
Robin marched alongside the others, various conversations going on, about weather, about powers, about the Heartless. She participated in none, feeling quite strange to have joined up with a band of warriors without a second thought.
Then again, isn't that what she had done with Harry and Inuyasha? Joined them without thinking?
"You look a little too young to be going out to fight. And from the looks of it, you haven't got any weapons." A deep, masculine voice said, bemused from behind her.
Turning, Robin blinked as she came face to face with the Colonel. "Uh... hello, Colonel Mustang." She greeted, inclining her head respectfully.
"No need to be so formal." He said, waving his gloved hand dismissively. "So tell me... what's your power? I've seen a lot of crazy things since I got to this place, so I won't be surprised."
"Fire."
Mustang blinked, before an ironic smile crossed his face. "You too, huh?" he said gently, sympathy on his face. "It's a hard thing to control... Fire."
"How do you use it?" Robin asked curiously.
"These gloves." The Colonel replied, motioning to one hand, and turning it so the back of it was visible. On it was an intricate, blood red circle. "I use them to create a spark, and then transmute the air so that it makes an explosion."
"You can... change the air?" Robin whispered, amazed. "That's... incredible."
"Not really. It's just a matter of chemistry." Mustang said, shaking his head. "How about you?"
"It... it just... appears when I will it." The witch said quietly, her fingers fiddling with her dress. She remembered... she remembered fires springing up when she was angry, or sad, when she was furious or scared...
"That must have been tough. Not being able to control it." Mustang said, correctly reading her emotions. "Fire is so destructive... wouldn't you agree? All it does is bring pain and devastation."
Robin frowned. It was true... she had only used her powers to hunt witches before, to burn them alive for their sins against God and Humanity. In that way, she had been nothing but a child playing with fire.
Still... that wasn't her power's fault. She was the one using it. "But... but fire can bring help, too. It lights the way, helps keep the darkness from spreading. It can keep people from dying." Robin said quietly. "I think... I think its all just a matter of how you use it."
Mustang looked at her for a moment, and chuckled slightly as he turned away.
"What an idea."
The blonde woman who had been standing next to him earlier stepped crisply to his side. "Colonel. We've spotted them."
Mustang had a grim, humorless smile on his face as he turned away from Robin. "Thank you, Lieutenant." He cocked his head so that one of his eyes met hers. "Miss..."
"Robin. Robin Sena." The witch said quietly.
"Well, Miss Robin. For now, it seems that we must use Fire in the only way we know how." Mustang said humorlessly, and walked away.
"Now... it's time for part three." Anna said calmly, not the least bit perturbed as Harry jumped up the entire depth of the grave to land in front of her, glaring indignantly.
"Wait a bloody minute!" Harry snarled, brushing himself off with his free hand (the other holding the sword). "You kicked me in there!" he shouted irritably, pointing down with violent movements towards the hole he climbed out of.
"So I did. What are you going to do about it?" Anna asked, crossing her arms and giving him a glare, the likes of which not even Professor Snape had been capable of.
"Now then, as I was saying..." Anna waved her hand, and suddenly a silver haired man in a black kimono and with a white cloak and red shoulder guards over the cloth appeared on top of a gravestone. He was a samurai, from the looks of his two sheathed blades at his waist.
"This is an old spirit I knew on my world, Amidamaru. Defeat him, and you will have completed your training." Anna said plainly. "Normally, I wouldn't move this fast, but we are pressed for time."
Harry, despite himself, grinned. With the strength he had gained, there was no way he'd lose.
"Oh, and one more thing." Suddenly, Anna flung the teal beads that were wrapped around her hand, and immediately, they wrapped around the Boy-Who-Lived's throat and torso, but still leaving his arms with most of their mobility.
"What the-" suddenly, an incredible shock ran through his body, like being struck with lightning, and Harry crashed to one knee, breathing hard.
"What... did you just do?" Harry demanded breathlessly, trying his best to muster up a glare through the pain.
"These beads will drain away at your spiritual energy, though I've heard your world calls it 'magic'." Anna seemed to scoff at the term 'magic'. "Think it'll be easy to defeat Amidamaru now?"
"You... bloody sadist..." Harry complained, rising to his feet, feeling his body suddenly twice as heavy. The incredible power he had felt earlier had diminished substantially.
Anna smirked coldly.
"Begin."
"Long distance unit! Open fire!" Mustang roared, throwing his hand forward. "Those without ranged attacks, hang back and hold the line!"
Lightning bolts, bullets, and a rainbow of different colored energy blasts flew forward, tearing into the large, writhing mass of Heartless that came charging across the field.
Robin watched as the other refugees unleashed their righteous fury down upon the enemy that had stolen their homes, before deciding it was time to fight as well.
Well... time to see how much of my Craft I've regained.
Robin narrowed her eyes and a large, meter length fireball erupted, encompassing the line of Heartless, incinerating a number of them with relative ease, leaving a trail of blackened earth and smoky mist.
Mustang caught her eye for a single moment, before he snapped his fingers. The witch barely caught the spark on those gloves before a thunderous explosion rocked the area, and a crater where a score of Heartless once stood was smoking in the distance.
Feeling a rare bit of power envy, Robin wondered if it was possible to mimic that technique. Incineration had always been her strategy before... but against the Heartless, there had to be more ways to crush an opponent.
A Soldier Heartless leapt into the air, avoiding the energy blasts that were directed toward it.
Robin bit down hard on her lip in concentration, and a blazing inferno stopped the creature dead in its tracks, until it was reduced to nothing but drifting smoke.
Once again, she met Colonel Mustang's eyes for a brief moment, and conveyed her message to his understanding obsidian eyes.
For now... for now, I have to use this Fire to destroy. But there has to be more to it than that.
There has to be.
Before Harry could even blink, Amidamaru was moving like quicksilver, his katana nothing more than thin flashes of light as the samurai charged the Boy-Who-Lived.
Harry swung his sword out in an attempt to block, wincing as he felt his muscles strain and quiver with effort, the magic pulsing sluggishly in his body. Amidamaru slammed his katana down, forcing Harry backwards as sparks and a raucous clap snapped through the air.
I need... I need more power! Digging deep, Harry tapped into the magicks in his soul, pulling as much of it as possible-
And screamed, raw and hoarse as he felt another surge of agonizing lightning tear through his body, sapping that power in seconds.
The Boy-Who-Lived stumbled backwards as he narrowly blocked through the haze of pain, feeling the dirt giving way beneath his feet as he tried, vainly, to push the samurai backwards.
His feet continued to give way, and Harry, in desperation, sent a carefully concentrated amount of magic into his legs, trying with all his might not to activate the beads again with a large surge of power.
Luckily, it seemed his theory had worked, and the Boy-Who-Lived kicked the ground with all his might, propelling himself into the air and away from his opponent.
"I get it..." Kurama murmured, looking approvingly towards Anna. "Those beads are meant to restrain him from using too much power." The tone of his voice no longer hid the respect that this girl richly deserved.
"That dumbass was leaking power like a faucet on full blast." Anna replied slowly, easily and without a single change in expression as she watched. "He's wasting too much of it."
Harry spun aside as Amidamaru came down hard, feeling the wind whip by as he gave a powerful lunge forward, thrusting the sword forward.
Amidamaru parried the blow with astonishing speed, and the sound of the deflection had barely passed when the samurai charged, going in for a powerful forward thrust.
Sending another controlled burst of power into his legs, the Boy-Who-Lived jumped with a powerful, swift movement, leaving a whirl of dust in his wake as he reached the apex of the jump.
With a loud shout, Harry came down hard, swinging the sword with all his might, the power surge almost unconsciously being sent now.
Amidamaru rapidly pulled backwards, managing a small distance away from the Boy-Who-Lived before he collided with the ground, creating a large cloud of dust and debris.
The samurai carefully clutched the hilt of the katana, watching every shadow within the miasma of dust and debris.
All of a sudden, rapid footsteps echoed out of the cloud, and then, like a vengeful spirit rising from the mist, Harry charged forward, blade at the ready.
Amidamaru gave a low grunt as he swung the katana, meeting the Boy-Who-Lived's attack head on.
In a loud, angry clap of applause as the swords collided, the battle ended.
Robin wandered through the now almost silent battlefield in the wake of the ferocious, but rather quick battle with the Heartless, who had finally been annihilated for the moment. She put her glasses away, into a pocket in her coat, barely noting they were covered with soot.
No battle, even with victory in hand, had not been without consequences.
The area had been decimated, in no small part to the incredible powers that were wielded mostly by the refugees, and was now little more than a wasteland that would take months, if not years, to recover. And that was not even counting the cost in human terms...
Somehow, no one had been killed in this battle, something that Robin was duly thankful for. Still, there were a large number of wounded, many of which who might need intensive care for a long while.
Feeling helpless, she knelt down next to a blue haired girl who moaned slightly, leaning against one of the trees which had survived the battle. "Are you okay?" Robin asked quietly.
The blue haired girl had soft blue eyes and was wearing an ornate ivory armor over her chest with gold trimmings and blue inset jewels, and matching boots and gauntlets. Underneath was an out of place school uniform, predictably in a sapphire color as well.
However, what disturbed Robin was the deep, growing patch of red against her side, that was staining the uniform.
Blearily, the girl looked at her with pained blue eyes. "It's just a scratch." The girl murmured softly. "Thanks for the concern. I'm Umi Ryuzaki."
"Robin Sena." The witch said softly. "Hang in there, okay?"
Umi nodded weakly, her head lolling to one side. "Sure..." she whispered softly, but whimpered as her face twisted into a pained grimace.
Robin bit her lip tightly, looking down at her hands. They could devastate this once beautiful plains, but they couldn't save the life of a single girl, probably the same age as her.
Please... let me do something, anything! Robin begged, whether to God, to her power, or to whatever guardian angel was listening at the moment, it didn't matter.
Slowly, Robin placed her hands against the bleeding wound gently, a quiet, lone light in her eyes. A gentle indigo light began to shine from Umi's injured side, lighting the clearing with its single bright spark, full of the fires of life.
Umi opened her eyes, disbelief etched across her face. "The pain... its gone..." she whispered, her ocean deep blue eyes glistening as she looked into Robin's emerald eyes. "Thank you... thank you so much..."
Robin decided not to question this new power, and stood as she smiled back gently.
There were more people who needed healing.
There was silence, predictably. Followed by a whirring, humming noise as metal spun through the air at high speeds.
And lastly, a soft crunch as Amidamaru's katana bit into the ground hard as it finally landed, having been knocked free from its wielder's grasp by the Boy-Who-Lived.
"Well... he's going to be a great swordsman one day, I'll tell you that." Amidamaru breathed, thankful he was already a ghost.
"Indeed... he grows by leaps and bounds every time I see him." Kurama agreed softly, watching the Boy-Who-Lived with amusement. "Should we let him continue like that?" he asked, looking towards the blonde girl.
"He did pretty well, for an amateur. We can start again tomorrow." Anna said indifferently, but there was the tiniest of curls in her lip. "I still have permission to train him for a few more days."
Kurama smiled and shook his head, still looking at the Keybearer.
"You're a very interesting young man, Harry Potter." And despite his normally serene nature, the fox demon laughed.
Because the Boy-Who-Lived, utterly exhausted by the day's training, had fallen asleep with his sword plunged into the ground, resting his head against the cool metal, light snores coming from his sleeping face.
Author's Notes
I'm a lot more satisfied with these split chapters. They make the story flow a bit better, wouldn't you agree?
I made up the Grand Poe. Since none of the Poes I could think up fit, why not make one?
I'll try to have the next chapter up quicker. It'll be fun battles from here on in people, because the plot is mostly set up.
Harry and Robin have some new powers now, and boy, they'll going to need them against the next opponent. Trust me, this one ain't gonna be nearly as easy as the last fight. Inuyasha didn't get as much coverage as I thought he might, but I'll make up for it next chapter.
New Anime cameos: Shaman King, Full Metal Alchemist,Magic Knight Rayearth.