I have written, rewritten, tweaked, and even thrown out parts of this chapter more times than I care to count over the last two months. It still doesn't read exactly right to me, but at this point, I've stared at it for so long there's a chance I'm biased. In any case, please enjoy!


Chapter 4: Change of Plans

December wasn't very kind in the British Isles. The harsh bite of Old Man Winter stung fiercely with every breeze, let alone if the wind truly blew. Even if snow wasn't in the air, frost certainly was. It was easy for a deep chill to set into one's bones unless they were protected from the elements, wrapped in numerous layers to keep warm, or, as Kurama supposed, if a wizard used those 'warming charms' as he'd seen several students do while traipsing to classes outdoors.

Wasn't he lucky to have a natural fur coat?

It'd been nearly two weeks since he had watched Harry perform in the First Task. He was currently calling the Forbidden Forest home. Not a very creative name, however it did get the point across to the humans. With the amount of supposed dangerous creatures that were believed to live inside the forest, it was a proper deterrent. Although he noticed that didn't keep professors from sending the occasional student there for detentions, so he wasn't so sure how 'forbidden' it was supposed to be.

However it did give off a very unique energy signature. He was still trying to narrow down exactly what it was. It wasn't dangerous, per se. However, it was vaguely reminiscent of ancient forests he'd traveled through in the Makai, and nothing in Ningenkai should have a signature similar to that. So far, he'd yet to figure out a reason for it. Although he had quite the list of tasks before him, and the forest's secret wasn't high on that list.

Kurama had spent the days since the First Task preoccupying his time with getting to know his surroundings as well as switching between his four-legged kitsune form and his true demon form. It had been years since he'd spent any amount of time as a fully formed fox. The last time he had used it was when he was running for his life from the hunter Shunjun of the Reikai's Special Defense Force. Even though he was using the form as a means of stealth, it was quite obvious to those who lived deep within the boundary of the tree line that while in his kitsune form, he was no ordinary fox, not with his five tails giving him away (although he did have a means of fooling the wizards if it came down to it).

It was more than just his appearance that gave away his nature to the denizens of the forest. Creatures and animals were always more in tune with their instincts. They knew something similar to a spirit or being closely tied to nature itself now walked amongst the trees.

The first creatures to confirm this had been members of the local centaur herd. Kurama admitted to himself he was mildly curious as to what they'd make of him. He hadn't needed to deal with their kind for centuries, but from what he could remember, they had a tendency to be extremely prideful and territorial. While he could have easily stayed out of sight, he realized it would probably be less trouble if he simply showed himself and made it known he meant no harm, had no intention of causing them trouble and didn't desire their territory.

So he forced a 'run-in' of sorts by doing what he instinctively would never do: stay out in the open.

It didn't take long for two centaurs on patrol to notice him moving amongst the trees. He was more than two meters tall, with striking silver hair, ears and a tail, dressed all in white. Quite out of place in the Forbidden Forest, in all seriousness.

The sound of hooves pausing in their steps drew his direct attention. A black bodied centaur with a matching beard and a red haired male with a chestnut body, both armed with bows. Their expressions gave nothing away if they were surprised.

Kurama's own expression was equally blank, waiting for the pair to decide what to do. If this went south, he could easily show them why it was either best to leave him alone or simply ignore him for the duration of his stay. To his satisfaction, however, they nodded in greeting.

"Kitsune, we were curious when you would arrive."

Well that certainly wasn't what he was expecting them to say.

"You knew I would be here?" he ventured, voice even. He hadn't moved, and neither had they, everyone opting to keep their distance, either out of caution or respect. They both nodded, the ginger haired centaur taking the lead.

"Both Mercury and Jupiter move across the heavens," the centaur replied.

Golden eyes narrowed for a moment, trying to puzzle what exactly that meant before coming to a realization. Centaurs were also infamous for something else: stargazing. They looked to the stars for a glimpse of the future. Now while he wasn't normally one to fully believe in such a thing, they were usually far more reliable than human seers, although far more cryptic and vague. But riddles were nothing new to Kurama.

"Communication and growth," he translated.

The ginger haired centaur smiled slightly, pleased at Kurama's understanding. "Yes, Mars has refused to dim, but the transits of Mercury and Jupiter are good omens. Your arrival was not only foretold, it is also appreciated."

"Then you know I mean you no ill will."

"You are here to teach, guide and protect," the raven haired centaur nodded. "We bid you welcome, fox spirit."

Kurama hadn't seen any other intelligent magical creatures in the Forbidden Forest since then. Even so, he'd opted to give the centaurs their space out of respect, given this was their home for some time. He was pleased to know they didn't forget the history between the magical world and the Makai.

In the demon world, kitsune were considered under the category of nature spirits. So too was he regarded as such by the centaurs, and likely other magical creatures if he ever came across them. After all, if he really wanted to, he could use the forest as an extension of himself. So was the true power of a kitsune, and why a person would be suicidal to fight a powerful one such as himself in a vastly wooded area. Especially in a forest as unique as the Forbidden Forest. It was a literal beacon to beings like himself. Kurama was actually counting on that for his grandson.

Yes, kitsune were known as nature spirits. But it went far deeper than that. They actually required nature to keep them balanced and to replenish their energy. This was even more true for kits. A kitsune born in the Makai wouldn't normally leave the confines of their home forest for their first five years, and even then would have a hard time staying away too long from a wooded area for roughly five more years after that. Harry, for all intents and purposes, would still be considered a kit, even at fourteen, given how slowly humans matured versus youkai. It wouldn't be long before the forest started calling to him like a siren.

In the meantime, however, Kurama was playing a lengthy cat and mouse game with him whilst hiding in his kitsune form.

He knew Harry could sense him when he raised his reiki. That had been proven after the First Task. But he'd been even more gratified when he discovered the same reaction from his grandson when it came to his youki.

He hadn't dared chance it while in a large crowd full of wizards, but with just the small group of students in Harry's class outside with the large professor (Hagrid, if he remembered correctly.), he felt there was much less risk involved in trying out his hypothesis. Most demons wouldn't waltz right up to a wizarding school, so there was a chance there weren't any wards monitoring small blips of youki. He'd checked, just to make sure (very old habits die hard), and was gratified to discover that he was correct. There was also the chance, however small and highly unlikely, that another student amongst them could be sensitive to reiki, youki or perhaps had an inner creature of their own. One never knew how close such things could be to the surface when it came to wizards, considering their diverse ancestry. But it was still a risk worth taking.

He'd rested just beyond the treeline, tails wrapped around his paws, golden eyes watching his grandson closely as he slowly raised his youki.

The reaction had been exactly what he was hoping for. Not only had he caught his attention, but his grandson almost spotted him by the time it was all said and done. For someone who was just beginning the awakening process, the instinct of knowing his surroundings and any potential changes or threats was particularly strong.

He didn't know if he should be proud or concerned about that. Yusuke had a similar ability after being brought back to life the first time, but it was also prematurely honed due to his nature of seeking violence like it was water. Harry, however, seemed to be far from the violent type, and from what he gathered from the dossier of Harry's time in the wizarding world, the boy instead appeared to only deal with it as necessary, usually by being forced into it.

Kurama had a feeling he would need to look into that a bit further. It took more than a handful of years to develop that habit. And Koenma didn't have any information regarding Harry between the time his parents were murdered on the fateful Halloween night and his reemergence into the wizarding world …

But delving into that would be for another time. Because while that had the possibility of being concerning, there was another issue at hand that was most definitely concerning.

Harry's awakening was accelerating at a rather surprising pace, even accounting for the tournament.

Kurama discovered that fact after eavesdropping during the Fourth Year Gryffindor's Herbology class. He'd noticed the group of children wearing red and gold scarves walking towards the greenhouses and had decided to investigate. And that meant taking a different form. Not his typical five-tailed fox form that would have stuck out like a sore thumb, but instead a normal, single-tailed fox.

It'd taken slightly more effort than he expected to make that particular change. Yes, kitsune were historically natural shapeshifters, and that also extended into their ability to also mold aspects of nature to their will, but during his days as the legendary bandit, he never saw the point in hiding who he was, instead wanting both his name and appearance to strike fear in those who saw or heard of him. Not to mention he preferred his demonic form over this one. In this case, he was out of practice.

His form for spying firmly secured, and his youki under tight control, Kurama trotted up to the greenhouse. Even though he looked like a 'normal' silver fox, he made sure he stayed out of sight. After all, most, if not all foxes in this area were red foxes, not silver, and certainly not the brilliant silver of his fur coat. Then again, this was the wizarding world where abnormal colored creatures were probably the norm.

In any case, he quickly found the two children Harry normally accompanied working on some sort of bouncing plant. Kurama noted he'd never seen anything like it before, but that was inconsequential at the moment. Instead, he was curious about something a bit more pressing: where was his grandson?

Kurama edged as close as he could to the outside wall of the greenhouse. The base of the building was wood that reached up half a meter until it turned into glass, meaning he had a small amount of cover to work with. He was fortunate there were a few taller plants near the glass that gave him a little more room. The two children were stationed near these plants. Even with their backs to him and glass between them, his heightened senses made it easy to eavesdrop.

"I hope Harry's okay," he heard the girl say rather quietly.

"I'm sure he'll be fine. Madame Pomfrey will figure out what's wrong," the boy replied in kind.

"I've never seen him react that way before. It's concerning. You've seen how high his pain tolerance is," she continued in an even more hushed tone. To Kurama, it sounded as if they were doing their best to keep this conversation quiet from their classmates. "I mean, a bludger broke his arm in Second Year and he barely winced then compared to today. He could hardly walk straight this morning."

"Maybe he did get cursed by someone," the boy muttered back, his voice struggling somewhat. Kurama heard something hit dirt several times before the boy grunted a triumphant 'gotcha!' "Let's face it 'Mione, it wouldn't be the first time he's been targeted by other students. Probably a slimy Slytherin."

"But a curse that would sharpen his sense of hearing and smell to an extreme degree? I've never heard of it before."

"Well, and I know you might not want to believe this Hermione, but there might be some things out there that you don't know yet."

"Ron, that's not what I mean!" she hissed. "Anything that would enhance the senses like that would probably be a potion, not a curse. And unless someone happened to slip something into his drink at breakfast, which I highly doubt, then that can't be it. Besides, most potions are nullified if not taken straight, except for poisons." Kurama heard the young witch sigh in frustration. "You said he could smell old blood on the crocodile heart in Potions. That should be impossible, no matter what happened to him. They're magically cleaned to prevent cross contamination. There shouldn't be any old blood left to smell!"

'That's neither a curse nor a potion.' Kurama knew exactly what everything the children said meant, but it should have been impossible. It was far too soon.

It had seemed Harry's unfortunate luck had struck again.

Awakenings were a rather tricky thing, timing wise. Determining the amount of time it could take depended on a number of factors. Some were very slow, others ridiculously quick. For example, Yusuke's change from human to demon was almost instantaneous, although it required for him to die, and then have enough spiritual strength to awaken as a demon. Not a particularly easy combination to achieve.

Harry, on the other hand, wouldn't require such a process. His should have been a slow, gradual change lasting, what Kurama had hoped, at least a year. Yes, enhanced senses were the first tell-tale signs, but that should have been a gradual sharpening over the course of a few weeks, not a day. While an awakening in a magical child in this part of the world was rather uncommon, such an instance in the Far East wasn't. Kurama was more knowledgeable (and had far more respect) of the wizarding world of Asia, and had based his assumptions off of kitsune awakenings there.

This extreme acceleration made no sense at all.

'Is this an effect from the deteriorating blood bonds?' Kurama mused, still paying partial attention to both Ron and Hermione. While tossing suggestions back and forth over the reason behind Harry's sudden condition, they didn't reveal anything consequential that he didn't already have knowledge of, and thus weren't of much help in solving this problem.

Blood bonds were a form of dark wizarding magic, and weren't something Kurama was extremely familiar with, knowing only that it was old magic that could forcefully bind traits or abilities within someone. Breaking them was allegedly no easy task, especially one that was passed down generationally as was Harry's case. It could be a variable, but even that alone wouldn't explain the quick pace of the change within Harry.

'His blood has been breaking through for years already if I can sense brief spurts of youki from him, and he's already been through several life and death situations. What's changed over the last two weeks?'

Kurama pondered that question and all the possibilities that could answer it. However, It only took a fleeting thought to freeze him in place, realizing that it had to be part of the answer.

What had changed in the last two weeks was Kurama's presence and energy. Kitsune were rather instinctual creatures, especially kits. When extremely young, they would often seek out their elders as a means of protection. An awakening encouraged burgeoning kits to do something similar. However, in the cases Kurama was aware of in the wizarding culture of the Far East, a full blooded kitsune relative was normally several generations back, meaning the kit's parents had somewhat diluted blood. It was their youki and presence that helped encourage the change. He'd anticipated his relatively close proximity to his grandson would modify the speed of the emergence.

However, there was one thing he didn't account for, because there hadn't ever been a similar record to compare it to.

Kurama was an S Class youko, and even though he was reborn into a human body, for all intents and purposes, he was a full blooded kitsune, given that he could switch forms at will, and could still access his full potential. His youki was far more potent in comparison to the cases he had researched in preparation for this assignment. He hadn't anticipated it was the strength of youki, not its presence, that determined the pace of the awakening.

Not to mention Harry's awakening was far from normal, given how close of a descendant he was. This wasn't a case of blood and reiki gaining strength several generations down the line. Rather, it was only two. Harry also had a fair bit of strength, energetically speaking. For someone so young, it was already easy to see his potential. He simply needed to be trained and molded. There was something to be said for ancestry, as genetic disposition did play a part in certain traits, including energy levels. Even if he didn't take his own genetics into account, from what he understood, the wizarding families Harry descended from were fairly powerful. And he wasn't even sure of what their demonic or creature ancestry was.

Either way, it didn't matter since it circled back to the same revelation: His plan to stay close by, combined with the breaking blood bonds and Harry's own potential had added more fuel to the fire than expected.

Kurama felt like cursing if it wasn't beneath him. However, one didn't reach his age without either backup plans, or making the best play with the cards you were dealt. There was at least one benefit out of this new predicament: kits instinctively sought out their elders, meaning at some point, Harry should be drawn to him if he made his physical presence known. Even if he was somehow able to fight that instinct, then Kurama had a feeling his curiosity would be the thing to push him over the edge.

'If the dossier is correct, he has a well of curiosity,' Kurama reassured himself, hours later. He'd stayed hunkered down by the greenhouse until the end of the lesson, both in an attempt to not inadvertently draw attention to himself by leaving (given there currently wasn't any snow on the ground, and thus there was nothing to blend into) and to make sure nothing else could be gleaned from Harry's friends. 'I can use that to my advantage.'

His ears twitched slightly as the hints of a cold breeze tousled his long hair. It blew through the clearing he currently occupied, the circular wall of trees providing a fair bit of protection from the worst of it. He could tell it would soon snow, and even though his biology protected him from a good portion of the elements that the British Isles could throw at him, he realized he'd eventually need to retreat to his den.

It'd been decades since he'd resorted to using one, but they were a staple during his days as a thief. He'd had several throughout the Makai that he and his bandits used while stealing from various facilities. It'd been simple enough to use his abilities to move the tree roots that dug deep into the ground of the Forbidden Forest to create a comfortable space for his use while in this part of Ningenkai. Although he was looking forward to an actual bed again at some point.

Kurama paused in his musings as a familiar burning energy entered the area, the dropping temperature hardly a concern for its owner. His lips twitched into a soft smile as the being settled on one of the branches above him.

"How goes the patrols along the Makai borders?" he asked, his voice easily carrying to the trees above him.

"Routine, unfortunately," a deep voice grumbled. "Just the occasional human that somehow finds themselves where they shouldn't be."

Kurama chuckled, finally looking up towards his companion. Hiei blended easily amongst the branches, his dark clothing hiding most of his silhouette. His red eyes and pale skin were the only giveaway that he was there, but that was mostly due to Kurama's sharp eyesight.

Kurama's smile turned to a smirk. "So your boredom has forced you to this part of Ningenkai to find me."

"Don't flatter yourself, Fox," Hiei huffed, refusing to meet the golden gaze. Kurama's smirk never faltered, knowing his words to be partially true. Hiei wasn't necessarily bored. No, instead, he knew the half Koorime burned with curiosity. Hiei was aware of why he was in Scotland and exactly who lived within the castle walls that was the focus of his attention. He was found correct a few moments later when Hiei once again decided to break the silence.

"And what of the task of your grandson? You wouldn't still be here if there wasn't the risk of him turning into a demon."

"It's more than a risk." Kurama's eyes left the demon above him, instead looking back towards the direction of the castle. A few moments of silence floated between them before he continued. "I'll admit there have been some complications due to a number of factors."

Hiei finally looked down at the kitsune, studying his form. "What do you mean?"

Kurama explained what he'd discovered that day, going over Harry's accelerated awakening and his believed reasoning behind it. Hiei stayed quiet as he spoke.

"Of course nothing would be easy with a wizard," Hiei said with a frown. "How much time do you think he now has?"

"Far less than I anticipated. Instead of a year, it could be several months, or possibly even less."

Kurama didn't need to explain how large of a problem that actually was.

If the awakening happened too quickly, then certain, extremely noticeable features would soon start to show themselves. And given the wizarding world's notorious hatred for anything and everything nonhuman, that wouldn't bode well for his grandson. Especially since he was currently part of a tournament that was the focus of international attention. Hiding away wasn't an option, unfortunately, and added stress could only facilitate the changes more quickly.

While the external stressors were one thing, the internal stressors were another matter entirely. From what Kurama had read from Harry's file, his grandson preferred to rely on mostly himself and a select few others. Most of those were children his own age. He would be confused, if not terrified at what was happening completely outside of his control, and would likely be hesitant to share that with anyone else. Given the reactions he'd received at the revelation he was a parselmouth when he was twelve, Kurama bet Harry wouldn't risk letting others know about the changes he noticed within himself, save for perhaps his two friends.

He realized he would have to force an introduction far sooner than he had originally anticipated, lest he risk Harry turning to one of the professors out of sheer desperation. And that was the last thing he wanted.

"You'll need to think of something soon," said Hiei, echoing his thoughts. "Time isn't on your side, not that it ever was."

Kurama nodded his head in agreement. "I'd planned on making initial contact in my other form once Harry started feeling nature's draw. With how quickly this is progressing, I'd expect for that instinct to start taking hold within a few days."

"And do you also expect that meeting to go well?" Hiei raised an eyebrow. "You know how wizards are." The demon's voice held a hint of contempt.

"That is why I plan on approaching him in my other form; see how he reacts to me as a five tailed kitsune. He may not know exactly what I am, but he'll recognize my youki," Kurama explained. "From what little I've seen so far, he hasn't shown any of the normal prejudices the wizarding world holds. His dossier did say he had a werewolf for a professor last year, a friend of his parents. The fact he's already had direct contact with a nonhuman bodes well, although I'll wait to pass full judgement until further assessment."

Hiei grunted in reply, although Kurama didn't hear it. Instead, his thoughts turned inward. If he was being honest with himself, initiating contact wasn't what concerned him most. Instead, it was explaining exactly who he was while also gaining Harry's trust, which would now have to happen far sooner than he would have liked. This would be more than just explaining to Harry what was happening to him, but also why. That history was rather messy.

Harry's life was about to flip upside down, both with his physical change and the revelations of his familial lines. Yes, gaining his trust before he fell to panic, shock or anger was paramount.

Truthfully though, he wasn't entirely sure what to say to the boy. Never would he have seen himself in the situation of taking on the role of essentially a parent. It was almost comical, finding himself unsure of how to proceed on a subject. He had no qualms facing down enemies across the three realms and over the span of five thousand years. But faced with his own fourteen year old grandson, explaining the truth to him, and endearing the child enough to trust him?

He'd technically dealt with children before, given that he'd met both Yusuke and Kuwabara when they were also fourteen (although he never would have called them children to their faces), but it's true what they say that everything is different when it's your child involved. A small part of him would even admit he was slightly nervous, and he blamed that entirely on his relatively recent human upbringing.

Speaking of upbringing…

"Hiei, when are you due back in the Makai? Or were you hoping to prolong this social visit?"

"I have some time," Hiei replied vaguely. "Why?"

"Then I have a small favor to ask of you." Kurama's eyes locked with Hiei's. "I need you to go to the south east of England to a small town called Little Whinging. I need you to check something for me."


Hiei's going to the Dursley's! Anyone want to guess how that's going to go?

This chapter was particularly difficult to write, mostly because I had a hard time finding the correct 'voice' for Kurama. He's seen as infallible with his plans, perfect in his execution, the ultimate strategist, etc. I feel as if I am risking writing him a bit OOC while trying to find that balancing act. However, I am writing him to the best of my ability. Thank you for understanding.

Next time: Harry and company have dancing lessons, and he makes an interesting discovery.