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Balance Factor Chapter 34

Year Five

Shirogane

A/N: Read and Review as always!

Shirogane makes his appearance in this chapter! Chapter 34.5 is OPTIONAL and M-RATED. I have changed the rating for this story to suit this change.

Ryuuko didn't exactly count for the Gryffindors being up and Luna being with them. So when he walked in with a thoroughly bloody, robe-torn Harry, the shrieks that followed startled him. Ryuuko's white clothes were equally as stained, maybe more so than Harry's. At least Harry's robe had been black.

He brushed past them, placing Harry down on one of the couches. He removed his gloves and placed his bare hand on Harry's chest. Harry relaxed, the pain soothed by Ryuuko.

"How… Is he alright?" Hermione asked. Ryuuko glanced at her.

"He'll be fine. He's not fine now, but he will be fine," Ryuuko reassured her. "This level of wounds would have most certainly killed a normal human, but to us… these are merely flesh wounds." Ryuuko placed his lips on Harry's forehead. Internal damage was tricky.

"What… happened?" Ron asked. Ryuuko sighed a little, wondering how to explain.

"Sirius fell through the veil in the Ministry," Ryuuko said slowly. "Turns out the veil was a rather large hole to the Shadow Palace, because a shin came out and attacked Harry. Harry is in a vessel. Otherwise, he would have done so much better during the battle. I need to go back and seal the hole."

"Harry…?"

Ryuuko paused and slid out the mirror that Harry kept on himself at all times. Draco's face could be seen in the reflection and Ryuuko handed it to Hermione.

"Harry's… not awake right now," Hermione said tearfully.

"Oh…. Alright… I'll call back later," Draco said, looking embarrassed. He vanished in the mirror and Ron watched Ryuuko heal Harry. Ginny's mouth was open as she was told the entire story from Neville and Luna.

"Shiny," Luna commented, touching Ryuuko's cape. "You're so shiny. Brighter than you were before."

Ryuuko glanced at her and then looked at Ron and Hermione. "Ah… um…" What exactly was the right reply to that? Regardless, he was still healing Harry after all. He didn't want to be interrupted.

He wasn't that lucky though. Halfway into healing Harry, the portrait hole opened. Poppy Pomfrey ran in with Dumbledore, rushing to Harry's side. Harry's face looked peaceful, his head still resting on Ryuuko's arm. Ryuuko didn't move from his spot, but the interruption was enough to jerk him out of his control.

"Ryuuko," Dumbledore said quietly. "May I speak to you?"

Ryuuko slid his hand over Harry's body slowly. The Light shimmered under the surface of Ryuuko's skin and also under Harry's skin. Ryuuko nodded, satisfied, and stood up. Pomfrey was waving her wand around Harry, trying to see his status.

"Before that, I must seal that rather large crack in the Ministry," Ryuuko said clearly. "Because of that crack, Harry Potter almost died… Again. More accurately, Kazuki would have separated from his body when he died."

Dumbledore nodded and Ryuuko vanished in a flash of Light.

-0-

Ryuuko was looking at the veil, inspecting it. Dumbledore stood behind him, watching him. Suddenly, Ryuuko nodded and held out his scythe.

"Prophecy is to the hand of Zero. Zero is the mirror that separates Heaven and Earth."

The veil glowed, shimmering with power. Ryuuko's scythe glowed as well, floating in the air.

"Light return to Light. Darkness return to Darkness."

Holding his wand hard, Dumbledore covered his face with his hand, trying to see through the blinding light. Ryuuko seemed unfazed at the power he was displaying. Dumbledore had insisted on all members of the Ministry leaving before Ryuuko had started, as Ryuuko told him he wanted to keep his true powers a secret longer.

"Return to your Masters. SEAL!"

The veil swirled with power before it was abruptly pulled shut. But not before something large and silver passed through and tackled Ryuuko to the ground. Ryuuko gave a small start and Dumbledore fired off a stunner at the person. It hit them on the arm, but didn't stun them.

To Dumbledore's surprise, the person wrapped their arms around Ryuuko and pressed their face into Ryuuko's shoulder. Ryuuko seemed just as alarmed, but recognized the silvery white strands that flowed like water through the air.

"Shirogane…?" Ryuuko asked, his voice filled with surprise. Shirogane pulled away from the hug and suddenly lashed out at Ryuuko and slapped him across the cheek.

"Don't you ever do that to me again!" Shirogane said, his icy blue eyes narrowed. Ryuuko held his cheek, blood rushing to it as he was embraced again, tighter than before, as if he would disappear. It was almost painfully tight at this point.

"Ryuuko…?" Dumbledore asked, uncertainly.

"Ah… This is Shirogane," Ryuuko said softly, trying to pull Shirogane away from him. Shirogane allowed the movement and loosened his grip, but did not let go. "Shirogane is my counterpart."

"Where is Kazuki? We're leaving," Shirogane said in a tone that clearly meant that he didn't want any arguments about it. Ryuuko laughed and reached up, placing his hand on Shirogane's hair. Shirogane had always been a little shorter than him. And Ryuuko had teased him once about it. The glare he received in response could melt the coldest ice.

"We cannot. Not yet. Although, I can take you to Kazuki. And there is something I would like you to do," Ryuuko said calmly. Shirogane's icy blue eyes flashed and Ryuuko laughed again. "Don't give me that look. You'll thoroughly enjoy this. It's someone I've wanted to terrorize all year, but didn't have the heart to."

Shirogane looked into Ryuuko's ruby red eyes. "Seriously? It's rare that you actually want to hurt someone…"

Ryuuko leaned up, brushing his lips against Shirogane's cheek. "Mm. I think you should reserve judgment until you see her."

"A woman?" Shirogane slid off of Ryuuko, allowing him to sit up. Shirogane moved to his feet and looked at Ryuuko. "You actually do not like a human is one thing and a human woman is another. What did she do exactly?"

"I'll show you," Ryuuko said, sitting up and rubbing his head where it had hit the ground. "Alright, Headmaster. We should head back. Ah, about Shirogane's stay… "

"I am alright with him staying with you as a guest," Dumbledore said, smiling. "My name is Albus Dumbledore. I am the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." He extended his hand to Shirogane, but Shirogane merely stared at him, then looked at Ryuuko.

"Kazuki does not have the core to perform wizard magic," he said, raising an eyebrow at Ryuuko.

"The vessel he integrated with does," Ryuuko replied. He tilted his head at Shirogane and laughed a little. "No doubt, when he separates, he will lose the ability. Unless he has managed to absorb the core inside himself, which is fully possible."

Shirogane seemed to accept this answer and took Dumbledore's hand. Dumbledore gasped as a wave of Darkness surged through his body and it was abruptly cut off when Shirogane let go.

"Affinity is Light. Though the Darkness in your soul is deep," Shirogane commented.

"Shirogane! It's not very nice to be judging people when you first meet them," Ryuuko said, sighing. But he knew just as well as Shirogane that Shirogane didn't do it to be insulting. It was just… Shirogane.

Shirogane ignored Ryuuko's comment, reaching down and pulling Ryuuko to his feet by his arm. His hand then trailed down to Ryuuko's bare wrist, pale thin fingers wrapping around it. Ryuuko smiled at him and allowed the Darkness from Shirogane to wrap around his Light like a blanket. Shirogane didn't used to be so expressive about how he was feeling, but Ryuuko supposed that it was because of Akira.

"Ryuuko?" Dumbledore spoke, looking hesitant at Shirogane. It was clear that Dumbledore was wary of the white haired male, but Ryuuko seemed to trust him. In addition, Shirogane seemed very attached to Ryuuko.

"We should get back. Come with us, Shirogane," Ryuuko said, pulling Shirogane's hand a little. "You can rest with us. Ah, I should take my potion again."

"The one that limits your powers?" Shirogane asked, his eyes narrowed.

"Yes, Shirogane. That one. I do not wish to continue drawing from Kazuki when there isn't a battle to be expected," Ryuuko said, looking at Shirogane. Shirogane pursed his lips, looking displeased, but said nothing about it so Ryuuko continued. "He needs to heal by himself. How is Mr. Black doing?"

"He's… acceptable," Shirogane sniffed. "His magic is good, but he needs more training in body. Why did Kazuki choose such a weak Child?"

"He didn't," Ryuuko said. "Well, you'll understand when you see him."

-0-

Shirogane stared down at the sleeping form of Harry Potter in the Hospital Wing. His eyes glinted with a little pride as he spotted the long black hair that Ryuuko had passed onto their Child and then eyed the scars from the Ministry battle. Ryuuko saw that Shirogane wasn't looking in the right place and lifted Harry's right hand. The scars were faintly white, but carved in so deep it was permanently there.

There was a silence. Shirogane's aura exploded from his body, anger fueling his powers, his icy blue eyes burning as hot as the fire he controlled. Hermione and Ron both squeaked in terror and Draco gasped, struggling to breathe.

"Where is she?!"

The Hospital Wing was the last time anyone saw Dolores Umbridge. Shirogane's fury could be sensed all through the castle and grounds, making the balance ripple. Ryuuko took pity on the students and released his own aura to counteract Shirogane's stifling presence.

Harry woke the following day, feeling very sore, but no longer in pain. The first thing he saw was that Ryuuko was tiny again, sleeping on his chest, tucked under a blanket. But then he saw the pale hand on Ryuuko's form. He followed it to an arm, then a shoulder, until he was looking into the blue eyes of his other Father.

"Shiro…gane…" Harry said softly, his eyes wide. "What… Are you doing… here?"

"I came to get you," Shirogane said calmly. "You and Ryuuko." He pet Ryuuko's hair calmly, Ryuuko giving off a small smile in his sleep. "But Ryuuko said you cannot leave yet."

"He's got a madman after him," Draco said, sitting with one leg crossed over the other. "Who doesn't care how many people he has to kill to get to him."

"Human issues," Shirogane said dismissively.

"I am a human now, Father," Harry reminded, sliding his hand into his extendable pouch and pulling out the cane head. Shirogane sniffed, taking his old weapon and pocketing it.

"Then humans need to stop relying on you," Shirogane said. Ryuuko shifted under his hand and Harry smiled weakly at his Fathers, taking a deep breath.

"Harry!"

Ron and Hermione walked in, surprised to see him awake. Harry looked at them and hummed a little.

"Are you all alright? How are Luna and Neville?" Harry asked. Hermione beamed.

"Of course we are. You threw up a barrier to protect us," she said quickly. "Oh, Harry, when you came back looking so hurt… we were so worried…!"

"Ryuuko healed you though. It was so cool! You're really good at fighting!" Ron said, his eyes shining. "It looked like you were winning too. What happened?"

Harry wracked his brain, trying to remember when they had left. Shirogane scooped an awake Ryuuko from Harry's chest and held Ryuuko close. Ryuuko pressed his small cheek to Shirogane's, trying to comfort him, before turning his head and giving Shirogane a gentle kiss.

"Ah… When Sirius fell through the veil, he hit someone on the other side," Harry said mildly. "And then… they came out, thought I did it… And we fought. I don't remember too much detail after that though. I remember a really bad pain right here…" He placed his hand over his chest, slightly amused by both of his Fathers. "And… After that… I think I blacked out. I remember Ryuuko holding me after, and the pain going away…" His brow furrowed. "And something inside me was exploding."

"Your Darkness," Shirogane said. "When you got stabbed by a weapon made of Darkness, the impact against your Shadow inshi was too great. The Darkness poured out from the inshi you were forming. To save you, Ryuuko pulled it out and shoved it in the nearest body. Side effect is that now I have a certain Sirius Black roaming my halls of my Palace. The inshi turned Black into a shin, but was unable to keep its form, as it was incomplete. So Black is just stronger than most of the other shin and your Child."

Considering that neither Ron nor Hermione bat a lash at Shirogane's presence, Harry figured that someone must have explained. Probably Ryuuko.

"Ah, so that is what happened," Harry said calmly, not looking particularly worried. "My… Light inshi is safe, isn't it?" He looked slightly worried at Ryuuko, concerned.

"Yes. It is safe. You have begun to collect Darkness again," Ryuuko said, jumping off Shirogane's hand and landing on Harry's bed. "Harry... your body is still very much healing. I want you to be careful."

Harry nodded, not moving to get up.

"Harry?"

Draco looked troubled, concerned. Harry turned to him, wondering what was troubling the blonde.

"Yes?"

"My Father contacted me a couple days ago," Draco said. "He wants me to take the Dark Mark over the summer."

"And you do not wish to?" Harry asked.

"I was hoping that you would have some advice," Draco said quietly. Harry paused.

"I don't really know what you should do, Draco. What do you want to do?" Harry asked. "If you take it, you are swearing loyalty to Voldemort, are you not?"

"If I take it, I'll be a double agent. Regardless of whether I have the mark or not, my loyalties lie with you," Draco said confidently. "If I do not take it… I fear for my family's lives." He looked at Harry and then at the two entities. "I heard what happened in the Ministry from Father too… Thank you for that."

Harry blinked and looked at Ryuuko. He didn't remember doing anything to be thanked for, but that may have been because he was knocked out. If that was so, Ryuuko did something.

"…From my personal opinion, I think you should take it," Harry said slowly. "If your family is in danger, then you should comply with Voldemort's wishes. But take care. Voldemort is a powerful Legilimens. If you are unsure, I suggest ask Professor Snape or myself for help." He looked at Shirogane and Ryuuko. "If there is any immediate danger to your life… I will do my best to get you out of danger…"

"…" Shirogane didn't look pleased at what Harry was saying, but Harry ignored him. Ryuuko's eyes were warm.

-0-

Hearing the Prophecy didn't surprise Harry at all. Instead, it just confirmed what he already suspected. Ryuuko and Shirogane didn't react at all, which probably meant that they were in agreement that it was complete bogus.

Still, that left the problem of the person who did believe the prophecy. Voldemort was still after him. And Harry really did have to agree with Shirogane's reasoning.

"Why don't you just let us run him through? There, problem solved."

Dumbledore insisted on Harry being the one to kill Voldemort, then explained that Voldemort couldn't be killed because he had soul fragments scattered. He looked taken aback when Harry mentioned, in casual passing.

"You mean like the one I fed to the Darkness two weeks after I integrated?"

Unlike Harry and Ryuuko, the house elves were terrified of Shirogane. This may have been because Shirogane had been storming around the first three days he was in the castle, whipping out his katana at anything that moved (which was practically everything), or it may have been the fact that they had felt his presence the strongest. The centaurs flattered at the edge of the forest, looking at Shirogane with some level of respectable terror. Shirogane did nothing to connect with any of them.

Shirogane stalked around the Hogwarts grounds, disregarding almost everything and everyone. The only person he really seemed to like was Ryuuko. The student and staff population had gotten a shock when one lazy afternoon, they had walked out to the courtyard to see adult Ryuuko napping lazily on Shirogane's lap. Shirogane had his arm around Ryuuko's body, his hand laced with his counterpart's.

Harry was one of the few people to approach the short-tempered shin without fear. He would chat with him and lean on him when he was tired. Shirogane never complained.

Surprisingly, the other person who approached Shirogane without some level of guardedness was Luna Lovegood. She casually walked up to Shirogane and said:

"Wow! That is the deepest black I've ever seen! So shiny!"

Shirogane had stopped dead at that, staring at Luna with some sense of wonder. Luna giggled, reaching up to pet Ryuuko, who learned to accept the affection, before skipping off.

Shirogane, as it turned out, wasn't opposed to leaving Harry behind. But since Ryuuko drew Light from Harry, Shirogane was rather grumpy when he was told Ryuuko would have to remain behind. He had left a week after, swearing that the next time they met, Harry better be ready to leave and Ryuuko ready to follow.

Neither Ryuuko nor Harry told him of their plans of transferring the inshi to Shisui. They knew he would disapprove, so between the two of them, they had agreed that they shouldn't tell Shirogane. Shirogane might try something drastic like seal Kazuki up or, heaven forbid, Ryuuko.

When Harry stepped off the train, Ryuuko in pocket, trunk full of books, he spotted Moody, Tonks, and Lupin at Kings Cross. He smiled at them and said, "How are your injuries? Sorry you got involved in all that…"

Moody and Tonks waved his apology aside. Lupin smiled.

"We went there knowing there would be a fight. We just didn't expect someone such high level," Lupin said, shaking his head. "We're going to have a word with your Aunt and Uncle."

Harry watched Moody threaten Uncle Vernon with some level of surprise. It wasn't as if they particularly treated him badly, though Shirogane's enraged face when he had seen his back was quite amusing. Ryuuko had talked him out of hunting down his Uncle and ripping him apart.

Ryuuko shifted in his pocket and Harry placed a comforting hand on the small form of his Father. Things were starting to turn. A war was brewing.