Hey minna-san! Sorry for the extreme lateness of this update. You know how college can be. Or if you don't, you can guess. Finals week was particularly trying, but I did fairly well. I have no excuse but procrastination for the last couple weeks, though. All the ideas are in my head, it just takes a while to get them onto the computer. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! And review!

Mary had a lamb.
His eyes black as coals.
If we play very quiet, my lamb,
Mary never has to know.

-Evanescence, "Lose Control"

Time and place mean nothing if you have a fear of death.
Think too much of living and you cannot take a breath.
Think too much of weeping and you find you cannot smile,
Apart but not far distant – Exile.
-"Exile," Pay the Piper, Jane Yolen

Something was wrong. Aislinn could feel it like an itch between her shoulder blades. She always listened to her instincts; it had saved her life many times before, both in and out of the sea.

The minutes passed. Two hours after Kestrel was supposed to meet her, Aislinn could stand it no longer. She dove into the lake. Her long, brown hair followed every contour of her body, sinking into her skin as her body shrank and changed. A moment later a dark brown seal raced up the river to the northeastern part of the forest where Kestrel had been scouting.

Death was in the air. Aislinn could smell it, taste it, as she hoisted herself onto the riverbank, and her hair escaped, floating around her wet human body. She prayed it was not Kestrel. Anyone but her sister-friend.

Her prayers were in vain. Five minutes into the shelter of the trees she found Kestrel lying spread-eagled on the ground. Aislinn froze when she realized what the Death Eaters had done and trembled with rage. They dared! They dared to desecrate her body!

The feathers that grew from her scalp and skin had been plucked, leaving behind patches of bare skin dotted with dried blood. Kestrel's proud nose had been broken, her talons clipped.

Something inside of Aislinn snapped, and she fled to the water, keening her pain and hatred. They would pay, every last one who had done the deed. Whatever it took, they would pay.

"Wait," Hermione said, flipping through her Russian-English dictionary and glancing between it and the front page of the newspaper in the window.

"L-let's go," Ron chattered impatiently, stamping his feet in a vain attempt to warm himself as he huddled within his thick coat. "We don't have t-time to wait-t."

Harry glanced around nervously, but no one paid the three any attention. It was their last stop before heading into the frozen wilderness of northern Russia, desperately trying to track down the cup Voldemort had made into a horcrux. Godforsaken Dark Lords with their godforsaken ideas to hide horcruxes in the most godforsaken places. Why couldn't they have gone somewhere warm?

"Oh," Hermione murmured quietly, and her tone caught her companions' attention.

"What is it?" Harry asked, huddling close to the other two.

"At least a dozen Death Eaters were killed in an explosion back home," she said.

"Good," Ron hissed viciously.

"Does it say what caused the explosion?" Harry asked curiously.

"Even with a dictionary, it would probably take me hours to get that far in the article, and we need to go," the young witch replied.

"Let's go, then," Ron said impatiently, and the group began walking.

The doorbell rang just as Sakura was putting a kettle on to boil. "I'll get it!" she called into the next room where Syaoran and Eriol were glaring daggers at each other. Well, Syaoran was glaring, Eriol was simply smiling at him.

She opened the door and was surprised to see the tall, dark form of her uncle with a very uncomfortable expression on his face. "Severus-jisan! Come in, come in."

"I do not wish to be an imposition," he said stiffly.

"Don't be ridiculous," Sakura said, stepping aside to let him through before closing the door. "I'm the one who nearly begged you to come. And I'm sure you could use a break from everything."

"If you are certain." The wizard entered the living room and froze when he saw the two boys were watching him. Hiiragizawa's expression reminded him uncomfortably of Dumbledore, with the serene expression and knowing glint in his blue eyes. Severus half-turned to address Sakura, keeping her guests within his sight. "The Dark Lord has seen fit to send me abroad, as the man-hunt for me has grown to be ridiculously obsessive."

"Does he know where you were planning to stay?" Syaoran asked sharply.

"No, he does not," Severus replied coldly, fixing the young man with a glare. "He does not care because when he calls, I will either come to him or die."

"You will need a way to blend in, and your Japanese is very…distinctive," the blue-haired man said thoughtfully. That was Eriol-speak for 'your Japanese is atrocious.'

Sakura smiled wryly. "If you've ever lived in a small town before, you'll know how quickly news spreads about anything new."

"I suppose I could confine myself to the house," Severus said with an expression of distaste at the thought of being cooped up inside for weeks on end. "Perhaps use a glamour."

Syaoran shook his head. "People would still know that someone new was here, and you wizards can sense your disguises." He exchanged a look with Eriol, even as Snape's gaze focused on him with alarming intensity.

"Yuuko," Eriol nodded, and Sakura lost her smile completely, a hint of wariness in her emerald eyes.

"Enough," the spy interrupted with a dangerous glower. "You've danced around my questions long enough. Do not think I haven't noticed how you do not refer to yourselves as wizards or witches, nor how my niece is able to do magic in such a manner and with such power that I have never seen before. I was promised answers and I want them now, before I commit myself to living under this roof."

Sakura bit her lip as her two sorcerer companions nodded encouragingly at her. "Severus-ojisan, what do you know about sorcerers?"

An hour later explanations had been briefly given and Kero-chan had been introduced to Snape. They did not get along at all, and it got to the point where Sakura had to send the Guardian to her room to play video games before one of them snapped and ended up killing the other.

At last Severus, still a little twitchy from the shock, returned to their initial problem, in that he stood out far too much for someone who was in hiding from various government agencies. "Did you have a solution?"

"As I said before, I think Yuuko is our only option at this point," Eriol said, eyes glittering behind his glasses with an emotion Severus couldn't decipher.

"Is she another sorceress?" the wizard demanded, lip curling slightly in a sneer.

Sakura shifted uncomfortably as Syaoran shook his head. It wasn't that Sakura disliked Yuuko-sama. Indeed, there were very few people in the world that Sakura disliked. However, the Witch intimidated her, and she was uncomfortable with the strict, unbending rule of an equal price, which could be anything up to and including your soul. For someone who gave with no thought to herself or a reward when it came to writing wrongs, it was difficult to witness at times. Still, Yuuko-sama was always friendly and happy to see her.

She shook herself out of her reverie in time to hear Syaoran's reply.

"Yuuko-san is no sorceress. She is called the Dimensional Witch, although she is not a witch like you know. She is one of a kind, I believe, and is known throughout many worlds. Yuuko-san deals in wishes, but there is always an equal price. Be very careful what you accept because the price could be very dear to you indeed. Your most prized possessions, your memories, your soul."

Severus swallowed, the only evidence that he was uncharacteristically apprehensive. "You think she will help?" he asked neutrally, once he was sure that his voice would not betray his nerves.

"If someone finds her shop and is willing to pay the price, then she must," Syaoran replied, his amber eyes unwavering in their seriousness.

Severus thought for a long moment, arms crossed against his chest. Despite the danger, he was curious, and he did need a foolproof disguise. Perhaps he might even find something that could assist in the horcrux hunt. Assuming, of course that Potter and his sidekicks would accept a mysterious benefactor. He was sneering at his thoughts before he caught himself, and at last he nodded. "Let us see this Witch."

"It will take us nearly two hours to get there by car," Sakura thought out loud, and checked her watch. "We shouldn't be too caught up in traffic on the way up, though the way back will be different."

Severus raised an eyebrow. "You cannot simply Apparate or teleport or whatever it is you sorcerers do?" he questioned in a rather scathing tone that Sakura ignored.

"Oh," the Card Mistress said, blinking. "I suppose we could. Usually don't use magic except to train or solve a magical problem," she explained further. "But alright. Eriol or Syaoran?"

"I'll do it," the English sorcerer said calmly as he and his descendent stood. A negligent wave of his hand, and suddenly they stood outside of a gate, the posts topped with crescent moons. A rather large and well-kept building stood at the end of the drive, and the hair on the back of Severus' neck stood up at the heavy concentration of power. He barely noticed, however, as he was still somewhat reeling from the abrupt arrival and casual use of such powerful magic.

"What did you think of our travel arrangements?" Hiiragizawa queried softly with that irritating knowing smile Severus had hated so much on Dumbledore.

The dark wizard turned away. "Interesting," was his only reply.

"Come," Eriol said, leaving off his tormenting of the older man for the moment as the gate swung open. "I'm sure Yuuko can hardly wait to see us."

"We weren't expected," Severus asked more than stated. He wasn't sure how he felt about this strange and powerful magic he was so suddenly coming into contact with. It kept him off-balance, and that was dangerous in his profession.

"I would be surprised if Yuuko-sama didn't foresee our arrival," Sakura said with a smile, and patted his arm lightly in a gesture of comfort.

Severus Snape would not admit, even under torture, how much he enjoyed his niece's small, caring actions toward him.

Then the sight at the sliding door caught his full attention. He had not had time to picture what this Yuuko would look like, but he was sure that this was not it. She was beautiful, in her own way, a supernatural beauty. The folds of an elegant bright red kimono contained butterflies hovering in flight, and her long black hair was held back by some sort of elaborate gold clip. Her lips were red, her mouth curved into a sensual smile, and her dark eyes gave nothing away. His spy instincts were screaming danger.

"Ah, my former four-eyed cousin," the woman cooed, smirking maliciously as she pinched the spectacled sorcerer's cheek. "It's been ages."

Severus thought he detected a hint of annoyance in the young man's countenance and smirked to himself. So there were ways to irritate him. That was good to know.

"Yes it has. Quite a few centuries," Eriol replied somewhat pointedly, and continued before she could retort. "You know Sakura and my cute little descendant, of course. And this wizard is Severus Snape."

"Of course." She nodded to them, but her eyes were focused uncomfortably on Severus. "I think I have just what you need. Come in." She led them into the hallway, and then motioned to the kitchen. "This will be a private transaction, but I had my helper leave refreshments in the kitchen for you three," she said, and Severus was instantly on his guard. "Please remain here." For those who knew her, Yuuko was being uncharacteristically serious. Her eyes caught Eriol's and there seemed to be a hidden message when she said, "We will be interrupted."

Eriol nodded in ascent, and Yuuko led the dark-haired wizard into another room with a low table and motioned for him to sit. "Maru and Moro will be along soon."

Almost as soon as she spoke a black marshmallow bounced onto the table. "Yo!" it said and bounced onto Snape's shoulder, quickly leaping over to Yuuko when he scowled and made a violent grab for the creature.

"What is that thing?" Snape growled, incensed at its daring to touch him, never mind bounce on him.

"Mokona is not a thing! Mokona is Mokona!" the thing protested.

Two young girls skipped in with a wide brown belt before things could become more heated. At once Yuuko was all business.

"This," she said, placing the article on the table, "is made from the hair and tongue of a part-selkie, freely given shortly before she died. Not only will your Japanese sound as if you had been speaking all your life, you will blend in completely with any crowd, be they wizard or mundane. No one will take a second look unless you will it."

Severus' natural caution asserted itself, bolstered by Li's words of warning, and he made no move to touch the belt yet. "What is the price?"

Perhaps he imagined her brief glimpse of approval, but it hardly mattered when she spoke. "Your soul."

In spite of himself, the wizard recoiled. "How would that help?" he snapped. "I would simply be a husk, unaware and unable to do what needed to be done."

"You misunderstand me," she said, a sly smile making its way onto her face, although he couldn't imagine what she could have to smile about. "I do not speak of what the wizards believe the soul to be. I mean a most prized possession, one you regard with great depth of feeling."

"And what part of my soul will I be giving you then?" Severus asked warily.

"Your mark of service."

It took a moment for him to realize what she meant, and he recoiled. "You're insane!" he shouted before he caught himself. "I do not care for the Dark Mark at all."

"Oh, but you do," the Witch countered lightly, and the fleeting smile made him want to curse her. "You hate what it is and all it represents. You loathe that mark with all your being, and that is quite a lot of hatred. In order to hate something so deeply, you must care deeply. If you did not, you would be apathetic, and you would not react as you have."

"And this is my 'price,' my sacrifice?" he said flatly. "I have always wished to be rid of the Dark Mark and you expect me to believe that the price for one wish is to be granted a second wish?"

"But you do not wish for me to remove your mark," she replied, hardly affected by his vitriol.

"You are a fool! I have always wished – "

"That you had never taken the mark in the first place."

Snape paled, and his complexion, sallow to begin with, looked sickly.

"Now you have it, you cannot stand to be parted from it. It is your penance, a symbol of the foolishness of your childhood, and a reminder that you can never make up for the lives you ruined and the innocents you killed."

"And how would I know when the Dark Lord called for me?" Severus whispered to himself as his mind registered the consequences were he to take such an action. "I cannot simply disappear forever from the Death Eaters. I could no longer spy, either. If I were caught they would demand to know what happened. At best they would mark me again. At worst I would be tortured and then killed. The whole Wizarding World believes me to be a traitor. I could expect no mercy from anyone."

"You understand, then," Yuuko said, sitting back. "Take your time. I am expecting a call soon, but you may stay." Her eyes glittered with mischief as she patted the black Mokona's head. In but a moment the jewel on its forehead glowed and a picture of four people formed in midair.

Severus worked hard to keep his expression neutral. He recognized all of them, but it couldn't be possible.

He recognized a much more confused and vacant Sakura sitting in a grassy field with a quiet and more open Li at her side. The irritating wizard, Fai, who should have been dead, hovered with uncharacteristic worry over the man Severus couldn't look away from.

Kurogane.

Kurogane the samurai-wizard. Kurogane the murderer. Kurogane the callous, heartless bastard.

Kurogane who was seriously injured and being hovered over by Fai D. Flowrite and watched with concern by two children.

"What are you looking at?" Kurogane growled aggressively at Severus, in spite of his unhealthily pale color and the grimace of pain.

"Kuro-puppy shouldn't be so mean," Fai admonished in a tone of voice that made Severus grit his teeth. Merlin, even without trying this man could get a rise out of him.

"Would you shut the hell up with the nicknames!" Kurogane bellowed, and then grunted when a fresh wave of blood escaped his chest wound.

"Kuro-nyu should be careful," Fai said softly, and Severus noticed with surprise the vague frown of guilt that passed across his features.

"Please, Yuuko-sama," the other-Sakura begged, "he was hit with some sort of poisonous blade. You must have something that can cure him."

Severus ignored the dialogue, much more interested in the interactions of this strange group of people he knew to be dead and people he knew to be safe in the next room. He had heard of how Kurogane and Fai had killed each other, the Dark Lord's greatest warrior and Dumbledore's other Spymaster. But these two…perhaps this was how they could have been if the Dark Lord had never existed, this caring without seeming to care. He shook off an uncharacteristic feeling of melancholy. What did this group of strangers matter to him? He had his own problems that needed resolving.

"Oi. You in the black."

Severus looked up and narrowed his eyes at the ninja.

"Watch out for the Time-Space bitch."

"Kuro-puu, that's not nice at all," Fai protested, waving his arms effeminately.

"I will get my sword back," Kurogane growled at the woman.

"Oh, but I already sold Ginryu."

The ninja froze and turned a rather unbecoming shade of red. Fai took the opportunity to shove whatever came through Mokona down his throat.

"You-you – "

"Oh, but you would probably approve of the new owner. Or perhaps not. Anyway, he is dead and the sword is returned, so no harm done," Yuuko concluded brightly. She loved to rile up the ninja.

Kurogane's wordless scream of rage was cut off and communications between the two Mokonas ended before he could attempt to leap at Yuuko's image, near-fatal wound or not.

Yuuko turned to regard Severus. "And have you made your decision?"

He looked at her uneasily and nodded. "Yes," he said gruffly, "I have. Take my mark. I will find some way to continue my spying."

"Very well." She nodded her hand and reached out for his arm, baring the ugly tattoo for all to see. Severus scowled, but refused to look away as she ran a long-nailed finger down the design. He grunted in pain as the image slowly detached itself from his skin and hovered in midair, glowing darkly. He looked away at last as she guided what had once been such an integral part of himself into a glass vial. Severus should have been relieved, should have been elated, but he wasn't.

"Done," said the soft feminine voice.

Following the Time-Space Witch's lead, he rose and headed toward the kitchen.

"What was your price, then, for the power to grant wishes?" Severus asked suddenly.

She whirled to face him, eyes wide in something akin to shock. He met those dark eyes and was pulled into a swirling sea of crippling grief and lonely despair. Severus felt as though he were drowning, unable to breathe, and then her eyes were hooded, all-knowing smirk once again upon her face, and the moment was gone.

The wizard blinked, disoriented.

"Now that would be telling," she said teasingly, and slipped into the kitchen ahead of him. "And in exchange for dinner, you may give me a large batch of hangover potion."