Disclaimer (1): This is a fan written work based on the works of J.K. Rowling. It might possibly also have some elements of a number of other works. There is no money being made from this, it is merely a work meant for the entertainment of myself and the masses. This is merely for fun, and no profit. I repeat: I am not making any money out of writing this.

Disclaimer (2): I also do not own anything that has to do with Juuni Kokki, Juuni Kokuki, Record of the Twelve Kingdoms, The Twelve Kingdoms. The only things that will probably be mine to claim are some of the names that will appear in the fic.

Warning: OCs OOCs Sues, and some crack. You have been warned.

Note 1: Post-DH Disclaimer (2) anime/novel Crossover

Legend: # denotes change of time, while "*" denotes change of scene/perception/POV/center of attention/small change in time

Satisfaction

Chapter two

He wasn't really all that sure where he was going, just that his only remaining purpose, other than ruling Hou, was to locate his missing kirin, a one-in-a-million girl with blood red hair and eyes, or at least that was the description he knew of her true humanoid form. The Kingdom of Hou just kept getting better and better as time wore on, some people believed it to be the work of their interin ruler, while others believed that their taiho had managed to find a suitable ruler for them, and was just delayed.

There were also others that simply believed that heaven's light was just shining down upon them for the time being.

He had been traveling for several months now, and in his travels he had come up with nothing, not even clues as to the whereabouts of his missing kirin. It was even more frustrating than his little arguments with Tentei that he had on some days when the god and he were bored out of their minds. They might claim that they found each other annoying, but they both knew deep down inside themselves that they enjoyed each other's company.

But that was beside the point. He had spent so many months searching for his kirin that he was growing impatient and frustrated. What was worse was that Ryuuki had been bumping into him less and less, he was running out of entertainment in the form of his kirin friend. Sourin didn't really count since her form of entertainment was something else entirely, and Sou-o really didn't mind when he visited anymore.

Shushou was mostly still a very busy tween and thus couldn't be bugged at this time, and so Kurai found himself wandering the wastelands of Ryuu with nothing to do as he had run out of any potential leads. He had even had his servants retire to their little hideaway while he continued alone on his quest.

It was unhealthy of him to do so, or so Eiko claimed, but what did he care. He was just as immortal as Tentei so nothing that happened to him would kill him, it was an impossibility. He was also Shin no Tatsujin, such things as the hands of death wouldn't be able to gain a firm hold of him even with his head removed from above his shoulders.

He had grown a little tired from his constant searching, that he finally decided that it was a prime time for him to rest a bit. He had seen what relentless searching could do to a fellow immortal, not as immortal as he was though, but he didn't like what he saw could happen to him. So he chose to have a bit of a rest.

He settled down, for the time being, in the capital of Han, getting himself a very small plot of land as well as finding some work. Since no one really knew what he looked like he could blend in easily amongst the people of the capital.

He had Fuka and Kasumi walk work with him, he needed his other selves to have some rest and normalcy as well. It just wouldn't do if just him had all the rest and relaxation. It just wouldn't be right for him to just selfishly do that, even though it was for himself mostly.

He had Kasumi work as a waitress in some restaurant, Fuka run errands for random people, and himself, well he worked as a beker of all things. He didn't know what made him chose to go into baking, but he found it as a relaxing experience, he was also able to vent some of his frustration on the dough.

He didn't become some well known baker overnight, that would just be preposterous. What he did was become just another baker, a face in the crowd, and a name that rarely graced the tongue of any man. He had chosen to go by another name, he only thought about it when he realized that the name 'Kurai' was just too notable and famous to be one used.

Although it wasn't quite a name that anyone would willingly name their child since it had a rather complicated background, just as the man who it belonged to had a very complicated past and present and future.

He chose the name Asari, not that he cared if it was either a manly or unmanly name, but it just fit with what he found himself doing. He was still Karasu no Kurai, Hou-o, but it did suit him for the time being. He was, after all, searching, seeking, finding something and someone.

No one bothered him. He just kept to a routine, he didn't really make any notable friends, just customers and acquaintances. Kasumi had some suitors, which creeped out Kurai to no end since Kasumi was him and he was her. Fuka met a few people, he made them his contacts in the city, they gave him information and he did things for them.

By running his errands Fuka also managed to happen to meet iwith someone from his past in the city. It was rather odd for him to find a familiar face in such a large place filled with so many people. If he believed in fate, he might have thought something more of it. But he didn't really believe all that much in fate.

Kasumi met a similar person on accident. Who knew that there were some rulers that had a habit of walking amongst the people disguised as one of them as not all the people recognized their rulers wearing regular clothes. He wasn't bad looking at all from a female perspective, though Kurai still found it weird that he thought so in his Kasumi form.

The man was as handsome as he was eccentric and found himself rather attracted to Kurai's female form, more for her intellect rather than her beauty, something which Kurai had intentionally perfected.

He didn't know how to continue with his journey and mostly sat in contemplation while he remained in the city. It wasn't just his story anymore, it was more than that now. It was more people's stories now, like Ryuuki for one.

Ryuuki had a very interesting life starting just after that little thing with Koutei and Asen. He journeyed with a young companion that reminded him of himself ironically.

He had gone around Ryuu searching for his new master, but eventually grew tired of searching there and finding no results, so he ventured forth into other parts of the world. There were a lot of other people that could possibly cause him to bend the knee.

Kaizoe followed him, and actually was more of a caretaker than just a traveling companion. The boy knew a lot about survival, as well as how to lead, it was a bit unnerving still that the boy had been adopted by one of them.

They too eventually found themselves in the capital of Han, but didn't meet up with the Karasu trio. It wasn't really a short vacation, but more of just resting from such a long journey around the place, helping whenever they could or whenever Kaizoe insisted that they help out in some place. That didn't know that he was more or less ordering around someone of higher status in life, but there were those that knew of such things that doubted that the boy would really care since Ryuuki still did owe him his life.

Ryuuki had been forced into the role of a scholar, he found work at one of the smaller local libraries and put his mind to use when it came to all the knowledge there. Kaizoe on the other hand went out to see if he could apprentice under someone about medicine. He wanted to know more to be able to keep Ryuuki healthy as well as himself and any other person they happened to come across.

Ryuuki and Kurai kept in contact with one another via the ravens that could still be found loitering around the kingdoms, though not in the same number as they had been found. The two of them weren't look at as more eccentric than usual whenever they were seen or heard speaking to one of the birds, since there were birds that were used in such a way, though the almost automatic response time was something else to gawk about.

Neither of the two of them bothered to share with the other their whereabouts, they wanted to surprise each other when they found one another again, like a game of hide-and-seek where both parties were 'It' and the one hiding. Or a game of tag.

Kaizoe and Fuka didn't meet each other even though they had a tendency of passing by one another along the many streets of the capital. Kasumi didn't have such luck though since she kept meeting up with the eccentric ruler that enjoyed her company which caused a usually unflappable Hanrin to grow a bit green in envy at the other woman that was occupying her master's time.

Kasumi actually found that little piece of information amusing to her ears. It was something that all of Kurai really liked doing, annoying and irritating others, especially those in power.

Apparently only Fuka didn't do anything of that sort. He was the balance and total opposite of the other two thirds.

There some other people that made visited the city, though for more official business, such as trade talks that required swift decisions, with a side mission of seeking out certain individuals.

Kouko and Shushou were two such individuals, others included their kirin who either came alone or came with them. Ranjou didn't really wonder why there was this sudden interest in his country and just chalked it up to his superiority over En.

"So...anything new with you?" Kurai asked his kirin of a friend.

"Nothing really," Ryuuki said, "Bit boring actually, not that I don't like what I'm doing, but I still haven't gotten any luck with my quest and Kaizoe insists that we remain wherever we are right now."

"I know what you mean," Kurai said, "I'm staying put for the time being since I feel like I need a vacation. So good for you that you're staying put for a while. While you've gotta chose your country's well being over your own, it wouldn't do if you suddenly succumbed to weakness and they'd have to wait for a longer time once again for something good to come their way."

"Yeah," Ryu said, then cheekily added "There's also the fact that you'd miss me, right?"

"Whatever Ryu," Kurai said, "Well I've got to get back to my furnace, my buns are getting a bit too hot for my liking."

"Get to it then," Ryu said.

Their conversations usually went that way everytime they spoke to one another. They didn't get bored about it.

"Lady Kairi needs a dozen more added to her usual order!" Fuka shouted after entering the back of the bakery.

"I know! Her order's ready already!" Kurai shouted over his shoulder as he tended to his wares.

"Got it!" Fuka shouted as he left by the back of the bakery to resume his errands for the day, such as delivery, weeding gardens, and a bunch of stuff that ninjas would consider as chores rather than real missions.

That was more or less how their days went, day by day...