Avenger
Chapter 5
Harry was tired, huffing and puffing as he ran. However, Sasuke was not even sweating. They were running towards the English Channel and Harry inwardly cursed rather colorfully, cursing not only the man that caused his family misfortune, but the snake, the pearl, and his sensei who was the one leading him on this little merry-go- round.
Flashback
It was yet another trip down to the London's zoo, Harry had accompanied his teacher once gain. Once again they both made their way through the various reptiles and passed up the venomous, dangerous creatures.
No sooner than they passed the passages and reptiles, they approached a large glass exhibit that housed an old and defanged copper serpent that had lost its eyesight.
"Old serpent, listen to me I come with the pearl." Harry spoke to the serpent which had uncoiled itself; its tongue flickering out.
"Oh speaker came back, such a surprise. How do not look as if you suffered greatly? Tell me, how I may be of any assistance to you again?"
"Tell me about the magical snakes that you know of," Harry demanded from the snake.
"Why should I?"
"You spend your last days trapped in a cage," Harry began, depanning. "You have nothing to lose by telling me."
"That is true, but I ask for something in return."
"What do you want?" Harry's eyes narrowed. He was giving the snake a suspicious look. What did the snake want from him?
"A few drops of your blood that is all."
Harry looked at Sasuke whose Sharingan burst to life. And, when he spoke in Harry's place his tone was as usual detached and cold, angry.
"Why should he offer his blood?"
The snake did not understand since Sasuke did not speak the tongue so Harry translated and asked the same question as Sasuke did.
"I have lived many years," the snake started, hissing out. "And, till now, I have never tasted the blood of one who is a speaker and I believe it to be quite exquisite to the serpent tongue. I believe it would be worth the information that you need," the snake tempted; soothingly hissing his last words.
Harry looked at the snake skeptically. "I don't believe you. Blood is considered sacred and offering mine to something whose intentions I don't even know is quite stupid." Harry shrugged a bit, probably to relax himself, probably. "And, you would be dead by teacher at your attempt."
"Ah. So you do not trust me it is good, very good. I myself wouldn't trust another snake; after all we do kill our own offspring and our own species quite leisurely, and history has always spoken of us as betrayers."
"Why are you being so forthcoming about your species?"
"Child, tell me what is blood used for?"
"Food, tracking, contracts, rituals;" Harry listed from the top of his head. "Are what I am aware of."
"True, very true. When I asked for your blood- if you had given it without hesitation and without suspicion I would have formed a contract with you forcing you give your blood and magic regularly."
"What changed?" Harry found himself asking, wanting to tremble terribly as the realization was hitting him hard. He was relieved that he was suspicious of the snake moments ago.
"You are suspicious of me, as such; the contract relies on absolute acceptance."
"Has there ever been anyone in the past that fell into this?"
"Yes. I do not know his name, but the foolish man forgot our nature and formed a contract to gain power."
"Did he gain power?" Sasuke asked and Harry translated once again for his teacher.
"No. He didn't, but he believed he did. We gave him a small gift in return - the ability to speak to us- and the foolish man didn't even realize that with each passing day he was losing his body mind and magic to us. He lost everything and ultimately filled the stomachs of my ancestors with his mistake. It is a shame that we couldn't have his children, but the damage to the mind and soul was trickled down to each and every one of his descendants."
No one knows where Harry got this wild conclusion from, but the boy upon hearing this information felt enraged.
Harry suddenly felt infuriated. He didn't know about his parents, but he knew that they had been drunks who died in a car crash. He didn't know if the snake was even talking about them, but- Harry didn't care if or not the foul creature in front of him was confessing to what was a likely situation that led to his parent's deaths.
Harry had almost taken a menacing step forward when Sasuke placed a hand on his shoulder and Harry took multiple deep breaths before continuing.
"How will that affect me?" His teeth clenched tightly.
"I do not know, but misfortune will follow you and those you hold close," the snake said as it flicked its tongue for ninth or so time.
"SILENCE" Harry shouted with a bellow. It was the first time he had ever been so angry his emotions were close to exploding. "Tell me about the magical snakes NOW!"
"You still haven't given me your blood," the snake replied
"Screw blood! I will skin you alive, nail you to a door, rip your fangs out, and pluck your eyes with my very own hands and hunt every single one of your spawns and kill them."
"Harry," Sasuke spoke. "Give him the blood after we get what we want, you can do as you wish with him then."
"Ok Sensei."
Bringing a kunai from his pocket Harry made a small cut on his palm before pouring the blood into a small test tube and showing it to the snake.
The snake hissed in satisfaction, but Harry didn't give the snake his blood, he simply kept it in his palm and said a single word, commandingly.
"Talk."
"Oh, how clever you are. I can smell the blood, but you do not offer it immediately. How snakelike," the snake commented.
"Cease the meaningless rabble and talk."
"Oh, well, you know that snakes usually are considered powerful. Based on: size, intelligence, and venom in their fangs. But, there is another way to tell its power by the number of heads it has."
Harry listened, taking deep breaths as the snake continued; explaining something about normal people could see multi-headed snakes as well. However, Harry did not care such and wanted him to answer his questions.
"It is a matter of perspective; a normal human might see a multi headed snake however; the mortal will see its death a couple of years later, but to something that bears magic they would not see death, but rebirth."
"Rebirth?" Harry asked a little bit confused.
"Yes." The snake was going to continue to explain however, Harry interrupted him.
"I do not need a history lesson. Tell me where I can find them."
"There is a nest of magical snakes near the English Channel, or whatever you may call it. All you have to do is dip the pearl in the water and wait."
"Then?"
"A single drop if you want to know more."
"Why you..-" Harry snarled and it came out as loud hiss and he poured a single drop along the inner side of the glass and saw his blood going down like a rain drop along a window as the snake followed the scent and licked the glass.
For a moment nothing happened before the snake spat; its body coiling and uncoiling and it was glaring at the boy who lived with intensity previously absent.
"What manner of creature are you?"
Harry was dumbfounded, thinking. 'What was happening?'
"Just how did our curse transfer to you? You, who has no relation to the original slave," the snake was infuriated. The boy earlier had the nerve to get angry with him, yet now was playing him for a fool!
Harry was getting angry, 'How dare-? Wait a second. Curse transfer, creature. Was his prior thoughts wrong?'
He looked at his sensei who was equally puzzled then back at the old snake.
"What are you speaking?"
"Your blood bears the taint of the cursed descendants, but it isn't inborn it is placed within you after birth. How, I do not know."
"How can you tell?"
"Blood is beginning; blood is the end it tells the history of all that you share."
His eyes were beginning to water, now he was trembling a bit outwardly; his previous anger gone. He asked with trembling breath. "M….my parents ….did ….they die of my curse?"
"No, but a cursed descendent did kill them before placing his curse on you. But, the descendent himself is no more of this world."
"Is he dead?"
"No. He exists and waits; someday he will come back to rip the curse off you and back into him."
"Why would he do that?"
"The curse feeds on your magic soul and body. With each passing day it grows and when the time comes it will overwhelm you, your strength would be his forever and you will die."
Harry was shocked into silence there was a parasite in his body which was growing and had been the cause of his parent's death. He felt stupid for his uncalled for anger and lost. Proceeding into his mind to wonder and think, he found himself jumping skyward when Sasuke spoke.
"Cursed seal," two words, but it explained everything to Sasuke. Someone had marked this child the same way he had been by that snake-freak. He did not think the seal gave the boy power the way his did, but why?
It was important to contact Naruto immediately; he was the only seal master he trusted implicitly and the way he had removed Anko's seal wasn't possible unless he was certain that the child would not die.
"Harry snap out of it and ask him other locations," Sasuke commanded.
Harry incapable of answering simply nodded.
"Tell me other locations," Harry spoke, he did not want to think about it anything right now.
"I refuse. Your blood is foul and I shall not answer anymore," the snake replied its fangs reared out in defiance.
"Is that your final answer?"
"Yes."
Harry told Sasuke what the snake said and just as Harry uttered the words; "then die," the snake's neck snapped and its whole body was on fire, burning.
The fire alarms stated blaring as the boy who lived and the last avenger left.
Flashback end
When they reached the English Channel there was a high tide going along the coast and the weather looked like the bringer of storms. During the whole run they hadn't spoken about it, but since they were here it was time to break the silence.
"Do not ponder over what has happened. What is going to happen needs your full awareness, understand?"
"Yes, sensei," was all Harry replied with.
Harry clutched the pearl in his palm; heading towards the water as; he moved closer and closer he could feel a small pulse emitting from the pearl. When he dipped it in the water, the ripples in the water were far greater than one caused by an ordinary stone, or object. For the ripples extended only towards the sea and the shore was untouched.
Harry turned, stood and walked back, heading back to Sasuke who was waiting with his arms crossed.
Cliffhanger
A/n: that why it's short the next chapter will show the channel serpents and other missions. I am thinking of bringing Naruto characters in this story as guest appearances so tell me whom you wish to see in review or something.
Thank you for reading. And, I would like the people who read this story to please review it. It is quite disappointing when the views to my story are in hundreds while the reviews aren't even in the 10's or 20's.
So please review it doesn't matter if it's two words or more. I appreciate all your reviews and opinions and make the story better than before.
Till then…