He woke up with a massive migraine. Whatever that girl took out of him, it made him weaker. For now anyway. Next to him was a boy about eleven or twelve, wearing an outfit similar to Sango's demon slaying one. This must be her younger brother Kohaku, which made that woman and girl who captured him Kagura and Kanna.
Great...I'm stuck in Naraku's fortress, and no one has been able to successfully find him twice. And he HAD to do this when I was away from Inuyasha's group. My luck has finally caught up to me it seems.
He got up and stretched. That was when he noticed that his scar didn't hurt anymore. It had been twinging for some time now, and he had just gotten used to the feeling.
He went to open the door, and Kohaku finally spoke up.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
Hari's eyebrow rose, and he did it anyway. Outside there was a dark miasma which reminded him of something though he couldn't remember what at the moment.
He closed the door carefully, and sat down. He looked at Kohaku and asked "How did he get you?"
"I...can't remember."
"What do you remember?"
"I...have a sister I think."
"You do. And I have met her. You're lucky to have someone like her."
"You know my sister?"
"Her name is Sango. Though I wouldn't peep on her in a hotspring if I were you. She tends to be a bit...violent...when her boyfriend does that."
Though Miroku certainly DESERVED it!
(Elsewhere Sango and Miroku sneezed three times.)
While his mind drifted, he suddenly remembered where he had felt that aura before. The miasma...
"Dementors!"
"Huh?" Kohaku looked very confused.
"I thought that stuff outside was familiar! Come on Kohaku, we're getting out of this dump."
Now the boy looked thoroughly confused. Hari grinned, and looked inward for his magic. This was one of the few spells he hadn't tried without a wand.
Hari grabbed the boy firmly, and held out his hand after he opened the door.
"Expecto Patronum!"
The silvery stag appeared, and the miasma dissipated in front of it. Where Prongs went, the aura disappeared. Which made it much easier for them to run.
"Going somewhere, boy?"
Hari turned, and saw a man. But he was definitely not a man at all.
This was Naraku, bane of anyone who had a Shikon jewel shard.
Beside him was the little girl. Kanna, the demon without a soul. Behind him was Kagura, the wind sorceress.
He looked...amused...that he had escaped the room. And somehow Hari knew Naraku wanted to know how he cleared the potent miasma.
Hari was fully prepared to fight the demon, and knew to keep half his attention on Kohaku as well. Sango had warned him that her brother was under the power of Naraku.
Which made him a threat as well.
As Kagura was about to attack him again, a white blur came out of the sky and struck the fan.
"Hedwig!"
The Snow Tengu was a fierce bird, and her power was only tempered by her loyalty to the one she called her nestling. Blue flames lined the owl's attack, and Hari saw Shippo coming as well.
A blade of pure energy struck Naraku. Standing in a chariot of flame was the last person Hari expected to see. Sesshomaru was helping him.
Hari kept his grip on Kohaku, and that was the reason why he felt the demonic energy begin to invade the boy. Hari felt the holy aura inside him rise in response.
It was a battle of wills between Hari and Naraku. Whoever won would control Kohaku. Naraku seemed to be winning.
Unbidden, the memory of Cedric came to mind. The feeling of helplessness as Voldemort killed the boy before him, simply because he didn't need him. Hari cast aside the tears that threatened to come out, and instead used that memory to fuel his anger.
Something snapped inside him, and the power which had been held back by an unknown force broke free. His power doubled, and Naraku was cast aside. The Shikon shard in Kohaku's back was purified in a rush of power, and flew out to join the one in Hedwig's foot.
Hari felt something change within him. His vision shifted, and he went to all fours. But his height seemed to double, then triple in size, and his sense of smell grew almost overpowering.
His magic grew along with his size, and it was massive. Never had he felt such power in his life!
He noticed Sesshomaru staring at him in complete shock. Some inner voice told him what to do, and he barked at Naraku.
Hedwig and Shippo, once they saw what was happening to him, had long since gotten out of the way, grabbing Kohaku as they got behind him. Sesshomaru took the hint and did the same.
The bark became a wave of sound, and struck the half demon. The structure behind him was reduced to splinters.
Hari knelt down beside the others, and they climbed on without hesitating. Wind sprang beneath his paws as he ran into the sky. The castle where Naraku hid was almost completely annihilated by the force of his winds.
Sesshomaru was in shock. He knew there was something which had drawn him to the boy, but never would he have believed that it was because the kid was a demon! His scent never even hinted at that!
To top it all off, Hari was an Inu-yokai. And judging from the sheer amount of power he let off, he was possibly a Daiyoukai.
But that power wasn't focused. It was strong yes, but it was uncontrollable in his current state.
The moment they touched down, Hari slipped back into his human form. Once he saw they were safely on the ground, he passed out.
Since the boy was definitely unconscious, Sesshomaru checked on their little band of misfits.
Hedwig, the snowy tengu who could sense where her nestling was at all times. Kohaku, a former demon slayer that Hari had just freed from Naraku's control. Hari, a sorcerer who apparently had daiyoukai blood in him. Shippo, an orphaned fox kit who treated Hari like his brother. And then there was him.
Sesshomaru, lord of the Western lands and known for his cold gaze.
A ragtag bunch of misfits indeed. And yet there was something they all had in common. They were drawn to Hari, the most mysterious of the lot.
But what was it about the boy? What could cause even the great Sesshomaru to follow him into danger?
Yes, he had gone with the tengu to rescue him to get at Naraku, but that wasn't the whole story and he knew it. There was another reason why he went to rescue the kid, who had managed to disperse a large amount of deadly miasma with a silver stag creature.
The more he searched, the more it confused him.
An image of Rin came to mind. And it hit him. Perhaps the reason why he was drawn to the boy was because he reminded him painfully of Rin when they first met.
So young and alone, and when confronted with death accepted it...even embraced the idea. A child almost to the point of breaking. What could cause someone like Hari to be like this? Rin had been abused by her villagers when her parents died. And then she was killed by wolves.
Was it possible Hari shared a similar background?
He had to get to the bottom of this.
She sensed the dog demon wanted to talk alone. So she had Shippo and Kohaku watch over him while they scouted ahead.
Sesshomaru followed her into the woods. When they were alone, he said the last thing she expected.
"Was your master abused?"
Stunned, she took a breath and said "Yes."
Clearly the dog demon had suspected as much.
"By who, and for how long?"
"It was his mother's sister. She never liked her sister for having magic when she didn't. So when he was orphaned by some two-bit hack he was left at her door. She took him in, but she treats him worse than you do that imp. And he has been living with her until recently."
"I suspected he was abused, but by his own kin?"
"You go after your own brother whenever you see him, don't you?" she remarked dryly.
"While I do dislike him, I certainly never would have gone after him when he was barely a pup. Even demons have standards."
That comment startled a laugh out of her.
"What about that idiot we just attacked?" she countered.
"From what I understand, Naraku was born a human. It was out of greed that he became a demon."
That...made sense. After all she was once a normal postal owl until the Shikon no Tama was imbedded in her foot. So it was plausible that Naraku could have become a demon the same way. Plausible, but highly unlikely.
"Ow...that is twice today I have woken up with a migraine," whined Hari. (Normally he doesn't whine, but he felt justified in doing so today.)
Hari quickly remembered what happened mere hours ago when he came face-to-face with Kohaku. His back seemed to be bothering him.
Hari called upon his innate magic to find out the cause, and stifled a growl. Naraku was trying to retake Kohaku again. Even though the shard was no longer in the boy, he was still vulnerable to the half demon.
So Hari used his magic to purge/heal the boy. Kohaku's eyes widened as he felt his back heal itself. The wound which would have killed him without the shard to close it was gone for good this time.
Hari was surprised to see Hedwig with Sesshomaru.
"Where's Rin?"
"She is with Jaken and Ah-Un."
That was all he needed to know. He would have been feeling extremely guilty if the little girl had gotten hurt because of him. (And that is one of the only reasons Hedwig even bothered to get them out of there during the fight. She knew her nestling well.)
"What should we do now? We're several hundred miles from Kaede's village, and I have no idea what part of the country we are in," said Hari.
Sesshomaru pointedly looked at Kohaku. He remembered the boy.
"Relax. I permanently purged that spidery bastard out of him. He's fairly harmless now."
"Fairly harmless?" repeated Hedwig.
"He is a trained demon slayer and you three are demons," said Hari with a grin.
"Make that four. You are an dog demon yourself, or possess the powers of one," said Sesshomaru calmly.
Hari blanched. So he hadn't imagined that part.
Sesshomaru began walking and was not surprised to discover the other four following him. Since he honestly could care less about that, he ignored them.
Until night fell and he found out that Hari had yet another secret few knew about. He had nightmares which could wake the dead if he didn't put a silencing charm around him every night. Shippo of course couldn't hear his big brother cry out from his horrific nightmares and Hedwig was out hunting.
Sesshomaru got up and gently shook the boy awake. He often did that for Rin when she remembered the wolf attack that killed her. Hari's emerald eyes snapped open in wide eyed terror and pain. They quickly regained focus as he stared into the amber eyes of Sesshomaru.
Hari knew what Sesshomaru wanted to know, so he calmed down first before talking.
"I...always have nightmares. But ever since I came through the well they seem to have taken a break. Every once in a while I'll get them, but thankfully they are few."
"What are they about?"
"Mostly the adventures my old sensei forced me to go through until I was fourteen. When I was eleven I had to rescue an artifact which could grant immortal life from a possessed teacher. At age twelve I was accused of setting a thousand year old snake which could kill you by looking in your eyes. Thirteen I faced creatures which drain all the good emotions out of you and if they capture you suck out your soul. But when I was fourteen it was the worst..."
Hari tried not to cry at the thought of Cedric's death.
"A...friend of mine and I were in a contest. We were about to end it when we were captured. He was killed right in front of me and the monster which killed my parents used my blood to resurrect himself. And now everyone back in my home believes I am an attention-seeking fool who is delusional."
Sesshomaru was silent the whole time, and when Hari finished he took the boy in his arms and allowed the boy to let it all out. He clearly needed someone, anyone to talk to without worrying about it later. Hari began to sob into his chest as he cried all the pain he felt for fourteen years.
Hedwig watched in silence as the usually cold demon comforted her nestling. Hari needed to get it out before it broke him. Originally she believed his godfather would be the one to begin the process, but this worked out even better. She had no problem with the dog demon, and it was clear that he had a soft spot for children like Hari.
Not that Sesshomaru would acknowledge this to anyone.
By the time Hari let it all out, he was sound asleep in the dog demon's arms. Sesshomaru laid him down next to him, and Shippo instinctively curled up next to Kohaku instead.
When they found Rin and Jaken, it was fairly interesting. And the reason was simple really.
Sesshomaru was carrying Hari on his back. The boy was still sound asleep. Hedwig was very amused at this, and Shippo was riding on her shoulder.
Hari finally woke up and when he realized where he was (and more importantly who was carrying him) he blushed wildly. Sesshomaru invoked feelings in him that he was unfamiliar with.
Soon they reached the village where Kaede lived, and parted ways. Sesshomaru did not want to see his younger brother so soon.
Hari felt the oddest sensation as he watched the dog demon leave.
Whenever he was around the demon, he felt...warm, safe. Like he would never be hurt. It felt...good. His heart would race when he saw Sesshomaru.
And that confused him.
Still, he did grin when he spotted a familiar hanyou approach. Sango was with Miroku and Kaede when he entered the village. He had been gone almost four months in the feudal era since he fell into the well.
"Hey Inuyasha, could you bring Sango out for a minute? I have a surprise for her!" grinned Hari.
Inuyasha cocked his head, but he ran into the hut to get the demon-slayer. Kohaku was upwind of the half demon, so he never caught his scent.
Sango and Kirara went up to the boy and wondered why the smirk on his face sent chills down their spines. Then she saw him.
"Kohaku!"
Kohaku was nervous, until Hari forceably pulled him from out under the trees.
"Come on now, I didn't free you from his control and remove that tainted shard just for you to freeze up when you are finally reunited with your big sister!" said Hari cheerfully.
Kagome looked at him and confirmed that Kohaku no longer had a jewel shard in his back. Then her eyes immediately went up to the sky where she spotted a white tengu with two in her left foot.
"Hedwig, come down already!" Hari said with a grin.
Kagome turned to him incredulous.
"Hedwig...as in the owl who beat Inuyasha in a shouting match the day you first came through the well?"
Hedwig landed and gave Kagome a once over. Then turned to Inuyasha and said "You are more hotheaded than that red haired idiot he (she points to Hari) used to hang out with."
Inuyasha turned red in the face as he realized that not only was this the same owl who had gotten the upper hand on him before, but now she was a full demon with two jewel shards. Needless to say he wasn't very happy about that.
"But...how?" said Kagome in confusion.
Hedwig looked at her and told her the story. And her suspicions of why she became a demon at all. Normally it would have taken the Shikon no Tama in it's original state to pull off such a transformation.
But her nestling had never been normal, so it lead to reason that she wouldn't be either. Plus, Hari's magical core had been radiating for years since he first got her, and she had been slowly absorbing that magic into her body. When she was desperate enough to find her nestling, the jewel shard opened the pathways for the absorbed magic to transform her into a full demon in order to find him.
Inuyasha of course debated that as the cause, when Hedwig gave him a look.
"Magic is an energy which is well known for defying all logic, reasoning and common sense. It can attach to anything it comes in contact with, often with unexpected results."
Hari thought that a fair description of magic.
"True. I mean I drew from my own magic to heal Kohaku before I purged that baboon creep from him. If Kagome's holy powers couldn't do that, then why not resort to magic?"
Sango was thrilled to have her brother back, even if he had repressed a good portion of his memories. Most of those were related to his time spent as Naraku's puppet, or the death of the other slayers by his own hand.
Kagome was about to head back to the present era, and Hari was seriously debating whether or not to go with her.
On one hand, he missed Sirius, Remus and (this shocked him more than he wanted to admit publicly) Snape.
On the other hand, he preferred the feudal era. No wannabe Dark Lords, no old geezers after you, and more importantly no homework. While he didn't mind reading books, he hated the boring homework assignments. He was better at practicals.
So Hari went in, and found himself confronted by a ball of flame!