Author's notes:

For all intents and purposes, god's of death from Britain are technically called 'Reapers' instead of 'Shinigami' (makes sense, different culture... different language, hence different name). This fic is a continuation of 'Enter the Reaper'.

Disclaimer: Yanagi-sen and I are only borrowing the characters from Yami no Matsuei and Draco Malfoy from the Harry Potter books to torment for a while... Don't look for Harry to be appearing at any time in this fanfiction. We claim no ownership over any character that does not belong to us... Itami Korin and Ishida Nanjiro are mine... those I claim and abuse at will.

The Reaper's journey.
Chapter three.

He knew that he looked completely out of place amongst all the wizards in their robes... but honestly, Korin didn't care. The pyrokinetic ignored all of the curious eyes that followed him and concentrated on locating Watari and Draco. Casually he scanned the surface thoughts to see if he could gather any indication of whether anyone here had seen the two gods of death. There was a glimmer at one of the herb/potion stalls. A young blond with a winged cat had bought some ingredients. There was also a curious blank spot at one of the small cafes. As if there was a person there who's mind was shielded.

Skimming through the memories of the person at the herb/potion stall, he finds that a second individual inquired about them. Jumping from mind to mind, eye to eye, he located the person who was also asking about those two... Mentally he cursed, why did it have to be the man who's mind was shielded? Skirting around that shield, Korin tries to find any place that he might be able to slip in. It was like trying to force his way into a castle. With very thick walls. The man was well trained and obviously used to hiding secrets. Sighing, the shinigami went and found a place that was out of the way and more or less out of sight to leave his body while he tried to wrest the information out of that man.

There was an annoying 'tickle' on the edges of his mind. The wizard put down his coffee in disgust. What was it with these foreigners and their need to try to poke through his shields? He had spent years refining his skills, no one had tighter shields in England save Dumbledore. He sighed and tossed some money on the table. He wasn't going to get any peace until he found the interloper and encouraged him to look elsewhere.

While Korin's body may have looked like a lifeless marionette, the mind of the eternal teenager was trying to gently prod its way through the shields on several different levels. Everytime he made some progress... he ran into another wall. It was like trying to weave his way through a castle dungeon, featureless tunnels and corridors that resembled a maze. It was probably the snake motif which was repeated throughout the entire place that unnerved him slightly. But he continued forward.

Snape was getting more than annoyed. This... 'intruder' was getting deeper than nearly anyone had ever invaded before. Only three men had ever gone farther, he did not want to add a fourth to that list. He started to trace the mind, if he could find the person responsible...

Korin hated doing this... splitting his concentration, he left his body behind completely.

The irritated wizard focused on following the thread back to the intruder's body. He frowned as the trail he was following shifted a bit. This was... odd. He turned another corner, this area was quieter, more secluded.

Turning another corner in the man's mind, Korin has to remind himself that tearing down mental shields is a bad and potentially harmful thing to do... even if it is these shields that are keeping him from what he wanted to know. Any other occasion he would enjoy the challenge of this mind, just not now. His progress is suddenly blocked by a large silver snake coiled in the corridor. It lifted its head to look at him, tongue flickering.

Splitting yet again, Korin attempts to talk to the snake while his other form tries to slip past. The snake's voice was hissing. "Whossss you?"

"Just someone looking for information... and trying not to wreck the place in the process..." the pyro replied in a monotone.

"What isssss it you sssseeek?" It turned to watch the other form, eyes sparkling like emeralds.

The Korin being watched turned to respond this time as the other started to move. "I need to know where Malfoy Draco and Watari Yutaka are... "

"Draco... hmmm... no." Its tail flicked dangerously.

The blonde shinigami shrugged, "fine. I still have to find them before anything undesirable happens."

The tongue flickered and eyes narrowed. "Undesssssirable?"

"Undesirable."

"As in... danger to Draco?"

"I am not certain."

The serpent seemed to ponder it for a moment. It slipped a bit to the side. "Procccceeed... but the massster issss looking for you..."

"Wakatta!" Darting off, the two blondes rejoined.

A boy... he had finally located his intruder and it was a teenager! And muggle-born from their appearance. Snape scowled. He had to deal with the brats most of the year and now on his 'vacation' he had another one? The teen was sitting almost crumpled in a corner, hidden amongst some discarded crates. Large amber eyes were completely unfocused as unconsciously they blinked from time to time. Snape feared that perhaps the boy had stumbled upon his mind by accident. If the child was untrained, he could have gotten lost and was now unable to get back to his own body. He knelt beside the boy, reaching out to gently shake his shoulder.

The boy's aura flared back to life at the touch and amber eyes blinked rapidly as they refocused. Inhaling sharply, the small blonde instinctively grabbed the older man. "Shimatta!"

Snape pulled back. The boy's aura... he hadn't seen anything like it for a very long time. It shifted and moved... like flames. The teen pulled away from the wizard. "Who are you?"

"Itami Korin."

"Why were you in my mind?" He scowled at the child.

Korin let his features fall into a scowl as well. "Where is Malfoy-san and Watari-sensei?"

Snape's expression became guarded. "Why do you want to know?"

"You know where they are."

"So."

The teen sniffed, "very well. Do not tell me... I will find them myself."

"Why do you want them?"

"For reasons that do not concern you."

"When Draco Malfoy is involved, I make it my concern. And I want to know how a young man like you got into my mind... Did you really think you could get anything?" He was bluffing a bit and he knew it. The boy had gotten much deeper than he should have been able to.

Getting up Korin dusted off his black jeans. "Not hard to get information."

"Not hard!"

/Not hard/

"But you're practically a child!"

"Hai, and?"

"You should not be able to do that. What training have you had?"

Korin picked a speck off of his sleeve. "I have no time for this. Where is Malfoy-san and Watari-sensei?"

"I would assume in their room. Draco should be recovering still."

Amber eyes flashed, "Where is their room?"

"How do I know you are not going to attack them?"

"I left your castle intact, ne?"

---

Standing in front of the door to the room, the pyro knocked on it. He had hoped that the man, Snape would have left him alone instead of coming along. When the older shinigami answered the door, the two just looked at each other for a moment... as though sizing the other up. Watari closed his eyes and dropped unconscious, into Korin's arms. "Konnichiwa Malfoy-san."

The smaller blond was standing beside the bed, dressed only in a towel. He had obviously been looking for clean clothing for the day. On the bed, a cat-like creature was sprawled, tail twitching rhythmically. "What did you do to Watari?"

"I forcefully put him to sleep."

"Why!"

Korin half dragged, half carried the older blonde back into the room and set him down on the floor. "The seals need to be reset, and that is something you do not know how to do," Folding the scientist's arms across his chest, the pyro looked up at Draco with complete indifference. "Taking you from England was good for you... you are beginning to heal." The Reaper frowned... then noticed Snape... and his own near nakedness. He blushed and grabbed the closest clothing he could, darting into the bathroom to change. Amber eyes locked on the rabbit, "Hn, one of the poached animals."

"Poached? That is the thing that was trying to remove Draco's arm last night."

The blonde shrugged and started to remove some candles from the bag he carried. "That does not surprise me."

"It doesn't?"

"Not at all." Placing the candles around the shinigami, a piece of chalk is then retrieved from a pocket of the bag and the teen starts to draw an ornate magic circle around the unconscious man.

"It is a dangerous breed?"

A fuda is placed on the blonde's hands. "Not very dangerous if you know about it... but they are very vicious."

"Ah. Draco has frequently shown a tendency to impulsiveness."

The candles flickered to life just as Draco was emerging from the bathroom. "What are you doing?"

"Resetting his seals." Korin said calmly as he sat cross-legged about a foot back from Watari's head.

"Seals? What seals?" Draco started to move forward, not really caring that Snape himself was standing well back.

"You do not know... hardly surprising since this is something that he rarely speaks about to others, unless it is out of necessity."

The blond stopped just short of the candles. "I don't know what you are talking about."

Korin blinked. "Thank you for not destroying the circle."

Draco scowled. "I don't want to hurt him... and I don't know what you are doing."

"I am ensuring that the Watari you know, remains being the dominant personality... by sealing the other."

"Draco... back off and let him work." Snape finally ordered quietly from his corner. The former student opened his mouth to argue... then turned and went back to the bed. He sat nervously on the edge.

Korin started to chant. Flames on the candles burned brighter and higher than before. Raising another fuda, power ran through it before it was laid across Watari's forehead and the blonde's eyes opened. Instead of being their usual warm hazel, they were a deep indigo color with white slits in the place of his pupils. Puss crossed to sit next to his master. Laying his ears back he hissed a soft warning. Draco's fingers found the soft furr and stroked it for support. Symbols took form in the air above the two Japanese males, only to disappear in a whisp of smoke... trailing down to wrap around Watari.

Snape watched avidly. This was an entirely new experience and would require some study. Draco just watched with concern for Watari. The blonde kept chanting, and finally tapped the center of the fuda on the scientist's forehead. With that last motion, the candles burnt themselves out and the circle vanished... leaving an exhausted pyrokinetic and an unconscious blonde in the middle of the circle created by the candles. "Dekimashita."

Draco was off the bed and beside his partner moments after the circle disappeared. "watari?"

"He is fine..." Korin assured the Reaper.

"You're sure?" The teen seemed a bit lost. Puss jumped off the bed and trailed over, sitting and leaning against the wizard.

Nodding, Korin started to move Watari to the bed. "You have seen when he must go visit Kira-san... and returns looking quite drained?"

"A couple times... I guess."

"Usually happens on a friday?"

Draco got up and crossed to the bed. "I don't know. I guess so."

"You really are not the abrasive kid that I picked up in England anymore..." Going to the end of the bed, Korin leaned against the footboard and watched the Reaper.

"No." The blond climbed up to sit next to the scientist, his focus on Watari.

"Britain's department tried to have you taken back to England a few weeks after you arrived in Japan."

Draco looked up at that, a little bit of fear flicking across his face. "why?"

"Watari and Tatsumi had several nasty things to say to that department about the state in which you arrived." The pyro shifted his position se he could better watch the reaper's reactions to his words. "Untrained, completely unprepared, unaware of the duties required by your post... as well as the fact that they didn't even bother to inform you about the necessity of acquiring a new wand."

Several emotions crossed Draco's face; anger, anxiety, nervousness; Snape was intrigued by this new openness in the boy. Silver eyes dropped to stare at his hands twisting together in his lap. "so they wanted me back to cover for their humiliation..."

"To save face.. and then you would have been buried under paperwork and other menial tasks until they could find a convenient manner in which to dispose of you." Korin shrugged, "They wanted to send Black-san in your place."

"Black?" Snape tilted his head, looking at Korin intently. "Black's been dead for a couple years."

Large amber eyes turned towards Snape, "I am well aware of the fact that Black Sirius died several years ago."

The wizard's eyes flicked to his former student and then back to Korin. "Is Draco dead?"

"You did not know?"

"No. Rumors abound in England with nothing substantial. Watari gave me quite a runaround the other day when I asked him." Draco was watching their conversation nervously.

The corners of Korin's lips twitched up slightly, "he is around telepaths quite often... it is not surprising that he was able to circumvent your ability to detect lies."

"Its like dealing with Dumbledore... I would assume that Draco will remain in Japan?"

"Until he decides to break the partnership that he has with Watari... and does not want to form a new partnership with any other shinigami."

"Good. I have to leave soon. Draco... it's good to know you are well. Take care of yourself, be wary of Lucius... I do not trust him. He has found you once... he may find you again. He has a plan, you can be sure of that." Without waiting for Draco to come out of his shock, the potions master left.

On the bed, the shinigami curled in on himself slightly... oblivious to the fact that Puss had decided to perch on him. The room had seemed oddly empty after Snape had left, and then even more so when Korin had excused himself. Draco was pacing back and forth. He would pause to look out the window, then cross to the door or bathroom. Sometimes he would stop to watch the blond for a bit before pacing again. Disturbing the shikigami, Watari rolled over onto his stomach and one hand fell off the bed. The Reaper gave Puss an apologetic look before stepping to the side of the bed. He knelt and carefully lifted the scientist's hand to set it beside him on the mattress.

It wasn't until an hour later that the older blonde started to wake. Tired hazel eyes slowly opened as he tried to get up. Draco had finally settled beside the window, leaning against the glass. He had fallen asleep, a line of worry creasing his brow. Puss was still hogging most of the bed. Pulling himself to his feet, Watari frowned, he was sore... and if Korin wasn't already dead, he would have contemplated murdering the boy all over again. Puss lifted his head and blinked at the blond. He yawned widely, displaying a number of small but sharp teeth. The shiki stretched, got up, turned around, and lay back down again.

With a yawn himself, the shinigami went to where his partner was leaning against the window pane. Gently he tried to pick the teen up without waking him... Draco mumbled softly, turning his face into Watari's and nuzzling it. The side of his body that had been against the glass was a bit chilled. Carrying the reaper back to the bed, Watari tried to put him down, but found that Draco wasn't willing to relinquish his hold. Fingers clutched the older blonde's shirt. Draco made a slightly discontented sound when Watari tried to pry his hands open. Sighing, he settled down into the bed next to the teen... The Reaper cuddled closer, using his partner as a kind of living pillow. Puss looked up, Watari could swear the cat was laughing inside. Reaching over, he pet the cat. Puss purred loudly. He shifted a little closer and started to knead gently.

Wrapping his arms around Draco, Watari let himself doze off once more.

---

Flipping long dark hair over a shoulder, Erika frowned at the latest shipment... since their supplier met with an untimely demise, their selection was starting to dwindle somewhat. Kenneth came stomping in, carelessly throwing his outer cloak over the edge of a chair. "It's raining again, damn it." He flicked water out of his hair.

"Have you found that thrice-damned creature yet?"

"Does it look like I found the bloody thing?" He flopped into a chair. "It's pouring out there. You can barely see down the street let alone find a rabbit with big teeth."

"Wonderful... bloody wonderful."

"It is really worth my effort to find the bugger? I mean... it's just a rabbit!"

The woman rummaged through a box and tossed a towel at her twin. "Just a rabbit he says..."

"Hey!" He caught the towel before it smacked him in the face. "It's got big teeth... the bloody thing bit me, remember!"

"Which is why you let that thing escape in the first place..."

"I don't see you out in the damn rain!"

"I'm looking through the new shipment... and sorting out the previous orders." The top of the next crate was opened, "Something that you always seem to muck up in one way or another..."

Kenneth grumbled, leaning over to towel off his hair. "I tried catching that cat-thing you know."

A cage containing an animal that Erika couldn't readily identify is pulled out of the crate, "and you ran into trouble doing that as well."

"How was I supposed to know the thing was smart enough to get help!" He snarled defensively, tossing the towel back at her. Erika was hit directly in the head by the towel. The young man snickered.

Laughing, she pulled the towel off her head, "Okay you little snot... You will pay for that offense!" Erika yelled jokingly as she started to run at her brother to tackle him. Kenneth pushed out of the chair and headed for the door. He was pretty sure he wouldn't make it... she had too much of a jump on him. Jumping on his back, the long haired woman tried to drag him down... but failed spectacularly.

Hitching her up, he easily carried his elder twin out of the room. "Those beasts secure?"

"All of them are completely secure..."

"Good... lets go get dinner. I'm starving." He set her down and went to find a dry cloak.

Erika sighed heavily as she picked up a long black shimmery robe, "Kenny, you are always hungry..."

"It's all this Chinese food... you know, an hour later you're hungry again..." He protested lamely.

Personally she thought that it might have something to do with that hunger charm that she slipped into his bed over a week ago, but she wasn't a squib to confess to playing such an underhanded trick on her baby brother.

Kenny grabbed her arm and steered her towards the door. "Where shall we go?"

Smirking, she let him lead her. "Alright, but you are paying for it this time..."

"Me! Why me!"

"Because you order at least three times as much food as I do, and end up eating at least half of my plate as well." The young man grumbled about it all the way to one of their favorite places to eat. A place that had cheap prices and large portions.

---

Noticing that silver eyes had finally opened, Watari sighed, "Awake?"

"Hmmm... yeah." Draco blinked a couple times then his brain caught up with what he was seeing. "Watari, you're okay!"

"A little tired, but other than that... I'm fine," he smiled down at the teen.

The boy smiled. "That's good. I was... scared, when you went down. I didn't know what was going on."

"Korin has little to no tact whatsoever..."

Draco looked away, coloring slightly. "I wasn't very nice to him when we first met. I don't think he likes me."

"It's not that he doesn't like you... he just isn't a very sociable person."

"He said I was healing... but I wasn't hurt when he took me to Japan."

Watari blinked a couple of times before nuzzling the top of Draco's head affectionately, "He wouldn't have meant physically..."

The teen snuggled back. "I don't understand."

"Draco... Korin is a telepath..."

"So?"

Chuckling, the older blonde gave one last nuzzle, "come on... let's get going... I need Puss to track where our little friend came from..."

"That means I have to get up, right?"

"Hei hei..."

Draco's stomach chose that moment to growl loudly. "ohhh."

"Maybe we should get something to eat first?"

"Maybe we should." He shoved Puss aside so he could slide off the bed and stretched. His hair was sleep tousled. He turned and smiled at Watari as his stomach grumbled again. "I guess we should go soon." The shinigami watched as 003 flew out the window, hit a tree and then fluttered up into it's branches. Draco shook his head. "She flies worse than you did at first."

Picking up a comb from the dresser, Watari quickly brushed his partner's hair back into at least a semblance of order. "To think, she's been improving too."

The teen sighed. He grabbed a couple coats. "It looks like it's raining, here."