Title: Saishū Yume
Author: Remus J. Lupin-Black
Rating: R
Genre: Action/Adventure/Alternate Universe/Romance
Pairing(s): Remus/Sirius, Severus/Harry, Hermione/Ron, Albus/Minerva
Summary: It starts, as a simple kidnapping. It will become an adventure unlike any other as a group of mismatched heroes find themselves drawn into a war for not only their lives, but also their very souls.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author's Note: I've been looking forward to this chapter for a while now and now that I'm here, I'm all twitchy and nervous. More thanks and love upon my wonderful beta for finding the mistakes and making some of this make sense.
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Chapter Thirty-Four
Terra
-
Stepping out onto the upper deck of the airship, Sirius paused for a moment to take in the sky around them. Clear and cloudless, it had turned a faint pink as the sun prepared to set. Walking over to the railing, he looked down at the expanse of blue ocean water below, leaning far over the railing, the wind blowing his hair across his face.

"You know, you'll fall over if you keep doing that," Narcissa advised from where she was standing. Sirius turned to look at her. She was lounging casually beside the door, her arms crossed over her chest, blonde hair flying wildly in the wind.

"Didn't know you were out here," he said with a grin.

She shrugged.

"Tell me something," she said after a moment. "What motivates you to do this?"

"To do what?" Narcissa scowled.

"This?" she gestured to the ship, uncrossing her arms for a moment. "You're so adamant on finding Regulus and stopping him. What motivates you? Why do you do it?"

Sirius leaned back against the railing, looking thoughtful.

"You know, I don't know," the bounty hunter raised an eyebrow and shook her head.

"You don't even know why you do the things you do?" she asked.

"I didn't say that," Sirius said hurriedly. "Maybe it's…I don't know what motivates me. I mean…what's all ready understood is boring. I'm sure we'll understand something when we get to Terra. I guess, I just…I do it because it isn't understood. I don't know."

Narcissa stared at him silently and then she scoffed.

"I'm starting to understand why I lost to you," she said slowly. "I lost to your way of thinking."

Sirius grinned.

"Come on, we're almost there."

-

"We're being sucked in!" the pilot said, her brown eyes widened in fear as the airship lurched heavily. Severus had one arm around Harry's waist, keeping the summoner on his feet while Hagrid supported Narcissa and Ginevra. Remus had one hand on Weasley's arm to keep himself from falling over.

"It might be dangerous to keep moving in," Weasley said worriedly.

"Are we gonna bust in on the airship?" Harry asked, looking alarmed.

Sirius shook his head.

"All we know is that this is the entrance," he said gazing out the window at the colors swirling between the stones.

"We're going to be sucked in!" the pilot shouted. "What should I do?"

"We may not be able to turn back," Severus said quietly. Sirius looked over at the mage and sighed. Why was every important decision left to him?

"Keep moving forward," he said finally. "We're going out on the deck."

"What?" Harry asked, looking frightened.

"We're going to jump," Sirius said, nodding his head as he turned toward the door leading out onto the deck. "I think it's a teleporter."

"How do you know?" Narcissa demanded.

"I don't," Sirius replied. "You'll just have to trust me."

-

The airship moved forward as the sparkling light without the stones swirled wildly into the air, creating a vortex. Sirius stood calmly on the deck of the airship as they breached the vortex, watching the various colors swirling around them. The shaking had stopped finally.

"It's beautiful," Remus breathed.

"Sirius," Harry asked from the thief's right, "what's going on?"

"I don't know," Sirius answered softly, "but we're about to find out."

Yellow energy burst from the vortex, spinning across the deck and picking at hair and fabric as it went. It swirled around Sirius in a spiral of gold light. The thief's gray eyes lit up with amazement as his feet lifted off the airship deck leaving him floating in the air. Gaining his bearing, he watched as it pulled the others off their feet and into the air.

Then, the airship was gone as a whirlpool of colors whirled around them and everything seemed to be moving in fast forward and at the same time, standing still as the world burst, blue light and then finally, a city of blue and red leaved trees and a deep purple sky. Then, everything went white.

-

Sirius gazed around him in amazement at the trees and sky as he stood in the middle of a path. He was alone. The others were nowhere to be seen. He contemplated searching for a moment, but movement to his left caught his attention. Reaching back for Angel Bless, he moved carefully toward whatever it was, only to jump back as a man appeared almost silently from the trees in front of him.

Stumbling back, he stared at the black haired man in surprise. Dressed in iridescent green robes, the man cut an imposing figure amongst the trees. He gazed at the thief, his red eyes narrowed to slits. Sirius readied himself for an attacked. The man nodded.

"So you finally came," he said coldly. "The time has come at last."

"Who are you?" Sirius demanded, pulling Angel Bless from its sheath, the blades shimmering in the red light coming from through the leaves of the trees. Looking up momentarily, Sirius saw the moon was a brilliant red color.

"Asking my name, are you," the man said with a smirk. "Then I shall have to ask; what is your name?"

"Me?" Sirius asked. "My name's–"

"What is your name?"

Sirius glared.

"I'm trying to tell you," he insisted as the man laughed.

"So you believe a given name has meaning," he said smoothly. "Boy, you have been bewitched by the light of the blue moon."

"What do you know?" Sirius growled. "You're from Terra aren't you?"

"You know nothing," the man said coldly. "Come and see for yourself, boy. See what Terra is and what you are."

"Hey!" Sirius stepped forward, but the man had all ready disappeared, leaving him alone once more. He looked around, holding Angel Bless tightly as his heart raced. He wondered momentarily if he had imagined it. "Damn it!"

"Sirius," the thief didn't have a chance to turn around as arms caught him around the waist and a slim body pressed up to him from behind. Smiling, he put his hand over the two joined on his stomach and relaxed momentarily.

"Remus," he said, turning around as the prince released him. "Are you all right?"

"Yes," Remus smiled, pulling away and taking Sirius' hand, much to the thief's surprise. "We found a path."

-

The path ran for nearly a quarter mile. Not really sure where they were going, they walked, taking in the strange surroundings. The sky was a deep violet color, trapped in a seemingly permanent twilight. The moon, near full, was a brilliant blood red color. Sirius wondered for a moment if this moon would affect Remus as well. The trees around them were a dark blue wood, the leaves as red as the moon. It was more than alien enough to make them all nervous and quiet.

As they rounded a bend, a small figure stood a few paces off, her black hair hanging nearly to the ground. Wearing black robes she looked almost exactly like Regulus, but her eyes were softer, devoid of emotion. As they neared, she locked eyes with Sirius and then turned her back to them, disappearing around the bend.

"Hey!" Sirius shouted, taking off after the woman. "What is it with the people here?"

"Idiot," Severus growled.

-

Sirius caught up with her near the edge of the forest, standing in the middle of the path, watching him from beneath a fringe of black hair. She nodded as he neared, stopping a few feet in front of her. She was pretty, her face structure almost identical to Regulus' own. It was nothing short of a shock.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"You don't remember anything, do you?" she asked lowly as Sirius stared at her in surprise. She shook her head, looking slightly irritated. "Follow me. You'll understand us," turning around, she walked out into the clearing beyond, "and maybe your own heritage as well."

"Wait a second!" Sirius shouted, running forward and grabbing her arm. He released her a second later and stepped back in surprise.

The clearing was a city. Roughly the size of Hogsmeade, the streets curved around buildings made of the same dark wood as the trees. Sirius took it in slowly, the people, each of them looking as similar to Regulus as the woman standing before did.

"What is this place?" he asked.

"It looks fake," Harry said, coming up behind him and gazing at a young girl standing nearby gazing emotionlessly at them. "You know, different from before."

"Well the people certainly aren't very lively," Sirius said finally. The woman that Sirius had been speaking to moments before walked up the steps, her robes moving gracefully with her body as she moved. When she reached the top of the steps she turned gray eyes down onto them.

"Welcome home," she said softly. Sirius gazed at her in confusion.

"What?" he gasped.

"This is where you belong. The place to which you shall offer yourself," she turned slightly, one delicate hand lifting up and motioning to the city and the archway behind her, "is here."

With a faint smile, she turned her back to them and walked into the village. Sirius started after her. "Wait!" he shouted.

"Sirius!" Remus' eyes weren't on Sirius as he turned; instead they were above his head as a massive shadow passed over them. Following the prince's line of vision, Sirius saw Regulus' airship, the Invincible, flying slowly over their heads. The others looked up as well, watching as the airship disappeared onto the other side of the village.

"Well," Narcissa said finally, looking slightly impressed, "guess we know Regulus is here."

-

She watched them impassively as they moved into town, sending the young summoner to find an inn while the rest went searching for supplies and other common use items. She barely blinked as a dark cloaked man appeared beside her.

"He's completely oblivious," the man said coldly. "Like a newborn child."

She glanced over him.

"My lord," she said smoothly.

"He doesn't know why he was given life," he said. "I fear the truth may do more harm than good."

The dark haired woman nodded, turning her gray eyes from him and toward the retreating form, the straight black hair falling smoothly down his back and into gray eyes.

-

"Excuse me?" Harry asked, approaching a black robed woman standing near a small fountain. The woman gazed impassively at him and he frowned, blowing a strand of hair out of his eyes. "Is there a place to rest around here?"

"Why do you rest?" the woman asked curiously, tilting her head slightly as she looked at him. Harry chose to stare at her.

"Don't you sleep at night?" he asked. "I'm not tired or anything, but I need to find the inn."

"By night, I suppose you mean the condition in which the light recedes?" she asked.

Harry nodded.

"Where can I find the inn?" he said, slowing his words down in the hopes that she might pick up on them this time. Clearly she had because she lifted up her arm and pointed toward a large lavender colored building.

"The entrance is there," she said smoothly. Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes and turned back down the street to find Sirius and the others.

"Weirdoes," he muttered to himself, "and they all look like Sirius."

"You, child," the summoner spun around, black hair whipping wildly as he looked at the woman that Sirius had spoken to briefly outside of the village.

"You're that girl," he said, green eyes narrowing.

"Where is Sirius?" she demanded, ignoring his statement.

"I…he's with the others," Harry replied uneasily, wondering what this woman wanted with the thief.

"Tell him after you have all settled for the night at the inn to come to the underground laboratory. It is only a few buildings down from here," she motioned to a small railing that led down under the ground between two buildings. Then, turning, she strode off purposefully. Harry gaped after her.

"I'm not a messenger boy!" he shouted after her.

-

"Sirius," glancing up from where he was seated on the bed beside Remus, Sirius grinned as Harry slipped under Weasley's arm and into the small inn room.

"What?" Sirius asked, curiously.

"That girl we saw before," the summoner explained. "She told me to tell you to meet her in this underground laboratory. She said it wasn't far. It's between two buildings."

Sirius' smile faltered and he glanced at Remus for a moment and nodded, standing up.

"Wait," Remus reached out, catching his wrist before he could leave the room. "I'm coming with you."

"No," Sirius said, shaking his head. "Stay here, Remus. I'll be back."

"You can't stop me," Remus said. "I am–"

"What?" Sirius asked, looking back at him. "A prince? A king? Maybe on our world, you are, Remus, but not here. I'm not taking orders from you. Not now."

"You've never taken orders from me," Remus said softly.

"Exactly," Harry watched in surprise, as Remus seemed to pull in on himself, releasing Sirius' wrist and looking toward the floor.

"All right," he said softly.

Sirius steeled himself, gray eyes turning toward Weasley standing at the door, daring him to say something. The knight's blue eyes were narrowing angrily, but he stepped out of the way as Sirius walked out of the room.

-

The laboratory was empty was Sirius walked down the steps, his boots thudding softly on the floor. The walls were lined with large tubes filled with water. At the center of the room were several tables covered in foreign looking objects. Sirius didn't pay any attention to them. One of the tubes set into the wall wasn't just filled with water. Floating in the water, a young man with short black hair that moved smoothly as the water swirled gently around him. His eyes, gray Sirius noted, like his, were open, staring dully across the room toward the wall.

Crossing the room slowly, Sirius placed his hand to the tube, gazing intently at the young man. He wasn't alive.

"Do you understand now?" the thief didn't bother looking away from the corpse. The woman from earlier was in the room with him now. He heard her soft shoed feet on the floor as she approached him.

"No," he said angrily. "They all look," his voice fell and he pressed his forehead to the glass. "They look like me. I'm not like this. I'm not some…some…" his shoulders shook with suppressed emotion.

"They are my peers," the woman said quietly. "They are Inferi."

"Inferi?" Sirius asked, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. "Is that what they're called?"

The woman shook her head, dark hair rustling softly against the material of the robes.

"Not just them," she replied, "but you and me as well."

Sirius shuddered, turning away from the body of the boy behind the glass. Hands shaking violently, he crossed the room to one of the smaller tables and leaned heavily upon it, hands flat on the cold surface and he bowed his head forward, black hair sliding forward to veil his face.

"No wonder I never found my home," he said with a laugh. "It's not even on Gaia."

The woman frowned.

"Are you not happy?" she asked. "You have found the place of your birth?"

"Happy?" Sirius snarled. "You can process that emotion?"

"I see," she said calmly.

"No!" the thief snapped. "You don't! Look at them! Look at their faces! They can't feel anything! They're…they're walking corpses!"

"What can we do?" she asked smoothly. "We are without souls."

"Why?" Sirius shouted, grabbing her by the front of her robes, hauling her off her feet and slamming her into the glass behind her. "Why did I grow up in Ravenclaw? On Gaia? Why do I have a soul? Why damn it?"

She gazed blankly at her, gray eyes not even seeming to have processed the pain.

"Because you are special," she answered smoothly and Sirius released her in surprise, backing away.

"What?"

"We are soulless vessels," she explained, straightening up slowly. "You were given a soul. Given a greater purpose. Lord Voldemort's will is absolute."

Sirius swallowed.

"Voldemort?" he collapsed back into the table, looking harried and exhausted.

The woman shook her head, turning away from him and crossing the room. She walked sedately up a small staircase where she had come from. Shaking his head, Sirius followed her.

The room above was silent, but several Inferi had gathered around a massive globes standing in the center of the room. They stood, watching it intently as it pulsed with soft red light.

"Voldemort watches over this planet," Sirius glanced over at her. She was gazing emotionlessly at her peers. "He seeks to restore Terra."

"How?" Sirius asked, his emotions once more under his control.

"We are all that remain," she answered. "Just as you are, we are the last of the people of Terra. This world was destroyed many centuries ago and its people's souls destroyed. Our Lord used his magic to keep us alive, but we are soulless vessels. When the time is right, the light of this planet will change from red to blue and Gaia will become Terra."

"So you're trying to take over Gaia," Sirius breathed.

"When the time comes, the souls of the people of Gaia will occupy the people of Terra. Such is the restoration of Terra."

Sirius shook his head.

"Why?" he asked, his voice angry. "Why not just wipe us all out with magic like they did Gryffindor?"

"At one point, Lord Voldemort used a more forceful method," he replied, "but he failed."

"Then why not just leave Gaia alone?' Sirius asked desperately.

"Because of this failure," she pressed on, ignoring his question, "he waited; waited until Gaia had gained power to used eidolons."

Sirius' eyes widened.

"That's why you attacked Godric's Hollow and destroyed Gryffindor," he said slowly. "That ship…it destroyed them both didn't it?"

She ignored him again, her words coming almost as if they had been fed to her. For a moment, Sirius could only stand beside her and listen. He wondered if the emotions he was feeling were real or if they had just been programmed into him.

"All planets have a cycle," the woman was saying. "A cycle of souls. All souls are born to that planet and thus remain there. Lord Voldemort planned to gain power over the cycle," she stopped, turning her sharp gray eyes on Sirius, ' and you were supposed to help him achieve that."

The world seemed to shift as Sirius took this in, gazing at the Inferi in the room. The people that looked so much like him except that they were different. They were soulless bodies moving around under the command of their lord. His heart started pounding in his chest and he looked at the woman.

"No," he said quietly, a heavy weight falling into place between his heart and stomach. "No."

The woman turned her back to him and began to leave the room, heading toward the street.

"He waits for you," she said, stepping through the door out onto the nearly empty street. "Follow me."

-
Author's Note: There. I did it. The truth is revealed. Oh shut up. You were expecting it the whole time. Right?

Next Chapter: Sirius learns more about his past…