CHAPTER 9:

BACK TO JAPAN

Sadly for Tuka, there was no change to her father's condition. However, while he didn't actually remember Tuka, he had accepted that she was his daughter, and that he had lost his memories. And while that was little consolation to the younger High Elf, it was something. Hodor, however, expressed curiosity about the world beyond the Gate, and it was decided that, besides Pina and Bozes, Hodor, Tuka, Lelei and Rory would be going to Japan as well. Indeed, aside from Hodor, those three, along with Itami, were being called up to speak before the Diet, with Mari, Shino and Tomita coming along as well. Harry would be sending along a deposition with Itami, one that Mari had to edit, to remove the stronger language, basically telling this Mizuki Kohara to fuck off.

Harry also got some more welcome news. Hermione had come over to Japan. Harry remembered mentioning her offhand to Hazama as being someone who could teach Lelei a lot of things, shortly before they went to Italica.

Hodor would also be brought to a hospital, to see if they could find out what was wrong with him. Harry had given Hazama and Yanagida the drum, as did Mari: Hodor wasn't going to become anyone's lab rat. They could take blood samples with consent, a few x-rays, and do the MRI. Beyond that, nothing, no matter how tempted others were. With Tuka's consent, a couple of trained Mind Healers would be looking at Hodor as well, seeing if they could help.

It was decided that Harry and Mari would accompany Hodor to the hospital for the MRI, while Itami, Tuka, Lelei and Rory spoke at the Diet. Meanwhile, Pina and Bozes would be heading to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to speak with the Vice-Minister, one Reiko Shirayuri, and an official who might eventually become the Japanese diplomat to Falmart, Kouji Sugawara. Afterwards, they would rendezvous and head to a hotel overnight, before Harry and a few others would speak before the Japanese Ministry, and then they would be going on a shopping trip, and then heading to the Mount Hakone onsen, or hot springs resort, to stay overnight.

Because it was approaching winter on the other side of the Gate, Tuka was warned to dress warmly. Lelei had no trouble with her robes, and Rory, being an Apostle, wasn't as affected as much by temperature extremes. She also made it clear that her clothes were a necessity for her to wear as a priestess of Emroy, though she was interested to learn of the Gothic Lolita fashion that resembled her clothes, and was considering investigating that to see if Emroy approved of any of them.

They were soon through the Gate, and were greeted by Komakado. He would be arranging the security details for the three parties. There was some disturbing interest from the Chinese in the Gate, and while it probably would amount to little, there was also some potential for attacks by those who lost loved ones in the Ginza attack. Speaking of, while they were waiting to go through the Gate, Pina and Bozes was shown a couple of Youtube videos of the invasion, and were horrified. It was one thing for the soldiers of the Empire to go and pacify what they considered to be barbarians. It was another to suddenly attack civilians with no weapons, to rape, loot and pillage.

Harry had to admit to feeling sorry for the redheaded princess. The culture shock must have been immense. Even now, she was staring around at the skyscrapers in awe, and even a little fear.

"What a strange place this is," Hodor muttered, his daughter by his side. "So barren, and yet…so interesting. And there are cities like this across this world?"

"Yes, though Tokyo, I think, has one of the largest populations," Harry said. "Space is at a premium here. The capital city where I come from, London, is nowhere near as densely populated. You've got places like Shanghai and Beijing in China, New York and Los Angeles in the United States…"

"The air isn't that clean," Tuka remarked, sniffing at the air.

"The cars here don't exactly leave the air clean. If there's one big advantage to living in a pre-industrial world like yours, it'd be that," Harry said, before he looked at Tuka. "Are you going to be all right, speaking to the politicians?"

"Mari has been coaching me," Tuka said, though she looked nervous. "Then again, Lady Mercury has stated that she has something of a trump card. Something about having experience dealing with vultures."

Komakado, who had been talking with Itami, ambled over, having read the deposition Harry had written up. "Nice work, though I can see Sergeant Kurokawa's hand in toning down the language. That vulture Kohara is one of those contrarian fools you find in governments the world over, taking an opposing stance to the government not to play devil's advocate or to act as a check and balance, but purely for her own advancement. She's been calling me constantly, demanding to know why you won't be testifying before the Diet, and why you, instead of a JSDF member, killed the Flame Dragon. Even after I told her that you had been involved in hush-hush stuff in Britain, she's still persistent. Not to mention she's blaming the JSDF for the casualties."

"Moron. I was there, the damned thing ambushed us," Harry said. "I'd love to see how well she'd do against a Flame Dragon."

"Well, Rory Mercury has shared an interesting plan to bait Kohara into overreaching herself," Komakado said. "It's most amusing. Sadly, she won't be the last. In a somewhat Faustian pact, Kohara has made an ally in a rather irritating journalist called Kazunari Komurazaki. He's rather like a No-Maj Rita Skeeter, only concerned about furthering his career at the expense of others. The JSDF, due to the Ginza incident and all that followed, has become his latest subject of interest. Don't get me wrong, freedom of speech is important, as is the need for political opposition. Quis custodiet ipsos custodes, after all(1). Unfortunately, a few rather vocal people take things too far. Then again, empty vessels make the most noise…"


When they got to the hospital, particularly the MRI room, Harry was all but bowled over by a Potter-seeking bushy-haired missile. He and Hermione had a brief reunion, before he introduced his honorary sister (aside from Mari) to Hodor Ray Marceau. A couple of Mind Healers from the Japanese Ministry were also present.

Hodor was then put into the MRI, and told to stay still. After the long, slow process of scanning took place, Mari supervising the procedure, Hermione and the other Mind Healers examined the results. "This is amazing," Hermione said, as she looked through the scans. "High Elf brains are indeed different to our own. There's a very similar structural arrangement, I think, but the parts relating to sensory information, particularly hearing, and memory…they're more densely packed, and I'm not sure how that's possible. Still…there's some damage to what would be the hippocampus and part of the temporal lobe in humans."

"That means his amnesia, right?" Harry asked.

"Yes, those parts in humans would be related to memory. Still, over 160 years is a large amount of memory to have lost," Hermione said, chewing at her lip. "Of course, I'm not an expert in these things. In fact, I'm not sure anyone can be. The last known Elves similar to High Elves are thought to have mostly died out during the Iron Age, and the House Elves, it was said, were Brownies who were bred to be their servitors. Then again, if the Gate has been appearing on Earth before…"

"Hermione, this is actually fascinating, but there's a more urgent issue at stake. Can we cure Hodor's amnesia or not?"

"With normal medicine? No, sadly. Mind Healers might have a chance," Hermione said.

"Exactly how would that happen?" Mari asked. "Harry mentioned Legilimency as a possible tool for Mind Healers."

"Yes. It's something of a last resort, given that it involves invading or at least entering the mind in question, but it can help stir up the memories," Hermione said. "Neville recently authorised it to be used on his parents. Apparently that old battle axe of a grandmother of his didn't authorise it because she couldn't trust the Mind Healers involved not to divulge any family secrets."

"And did it work?"

"Sadly, no. And the worst part is, apparently it could have worked if Augusta Longbottom had gotten off her high horse and authorised it sooner. But it's been nearly two decades now," Hermione said bitterly. "They got into such a row, it's not funny."

Soon, Hodor was released from the MRI machine, and had the situation explained to him. He readily gave his consent to the Mind Healers. As they worked their magic, so to speak, Hermione then said, "So, this girl I was told about, Lelei La Lalena? What's she like?"

"Like you, only not bossy. She's actually quite stoic and serious," Harry said. "You'd probably love her, though. I can only teach her so much about technology, but you probably could better than I can."

Mari nodded. "She's an inquisitive little thing. The only problem I have with her is that she's way too serious for a kid her age. I know you guys went through a lot at 15, but she seems…well, a bit like Rei Ayanami from Shin Seiki Evangelion(2), only with better social graces. Lelei, though, as far as I know, has always been like that. I asked Cato about that. Apparently she's been like that from an early age. No actual traumas or anything, that's just her personality."

"Right. The British Ministry has sent me over as an official observer for the ICW, for want of somewhere to put me where I won't make waves…for them, anyway," Hermione said. "They want me to try and make as comprehensive a survey of Falmart as possible, of the peoples, the cities, the geography and geology, magic, creatures, etc. Apparently Luna and Rolf will be coming soon."

"Who's Rolf?" Harry asked.

"Rolf Scamander, the grandson of Newt Scamander," Hermione explained. "Because he's got dual American-British citizenship, it's a political decision to help keep MACUSA, who have closer ties with Magical Japan since the Second World War, happy." She rolled her eyes at politics getting involved. "They don't trust the Japanese to send someone and have them fudge the results, just in case they decided to exploit those in Falmart."

Shortly afterwards, the Mind Healers were done with Hodor. As the High Elf looked around, bemused, one of them, an austere Japanese man, said, "Unfortunately, we could do little. However, even that much may be enough. We managed to retrieve some of his earliest memories of his daughter, so he is actually fully aware of her, though he's coming to terms with the fact that she's now a young adult by their reckoning. However, we're not willing to try and force the others, if they remain, to surface, lest we cause damage. The rest, we hope, will come back on their own, but retrograde amnesia is always a tricky thing to deal with, especially when it comes from physical trauma rather than Memory Charms. And considering that Mr Marceau is not a human being, well, that complicates things as you can imagine."

"Well, even restoring a little of his memories is better than nothing," Harry said. "Anything else?"

"Nothing really. He's mentally very stable, so he should be fine to release…"


They caught the tail end of the broadcast of the Diet as they left the hospital, specifically the part where that overly made-up hyena Mizuki Kohara interrogated Rory, whom she mistakenly believed to be in mourning, and tried to get her to divulge what she thought of as 'the truth', in reality, dirt on the JSDF. Rory turned it around on her brilliantly, verbally owning Kohara, and by the end of it, Kohara was left shaken. They must've taken Tuka to get a suit, as Harry had to admit, the High Elf looked very attractive in one. Hodor's mouth was hanging open in surprise, though.

They soon rendezvoused at a restaurant with the others, with Hermione meeting with Lelei for the first time, and Hodor embracing his daughter. Lelei and Hermione, along with Rory and Itami, ate together. Pina and Bozes ate with Tomita and Mari, while Shino ate with Tuka, Hodor, and Harry. "Geez, I'm over dealing with politicians," Shino remarked. "What is it about so many public servants is that they serve themselves first and the public second? We did our best with that damned Flame Dragon."

"I know," Tuka said, having mastered the use of the translation charm. "I have heard tales of the senators in Sadera being similar. Why does that woman want to hurt those who helped us?"

"Ambition," Harry said. "She's hoping to get advancement in the Japanese government by causing controversy. I'd imagine it'd be difficult for a female politician to get advancement normally, and she's probably going for the route of stirring up scandal instead. She reminds me a little too much of a woman I once knew, though I'll give Kohara this much, she's probably nowhere near as bad as Umbridge."

"How bad was this Umbridge?" Shino asked.

"Bad. As in, she tortured high school students and got away with it bad. As in, she sent soul-sucking demons to try and kill me bad," Harry said. "I severely doubt Kohara would ever go that far."

"Please tell me that she's dead…or else that I can take a trip to Merry Old England, and beat the everloving shit out of her," Shino said, her eyes filled with something dark and murderous.

Harry shrugged. "Well, an unknown assailant attacked her last year, and she's been in St Mungo's ever since in what the Muggles call a Persistent Vegetative State. Apparently someone used a combination of concentrated cane toad toxin and a few rare curses amongst other things." Which was the truth. But he wasn't going to admit that he and Hermione were the ones who did the deed, aided and abetted by Andromeda Tonks: she was a Black by blood, after all, and they were vindictive as hell when they put their minds to it.

"Why would someone like that woman be allowed to do that to you, Harry?" Tuka asked in horror.

"Because she was the then-Minister of Magic's minion, and she wanted to engage in character assassination, if not the more literal kind," Harry told the blonde High Elf. "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." He looked over at Pina, who seemed to be enjoying her meal, even if it was probably cheaper than the stuff she was usually used to. "Her father is another example of that, and from what Rory told me, her older brother Zorzal is even more so."

"Yes, I've heard rumours about Zorzal El Caesar," Tuka said. "He is said to have a harem of concubines. Actually, so too does the Emperor, but by all accounts, the Emperor takes care of his concubines. Indeed, Pina was born to his most beloved concubine. But Zorzal…he is said to be exceedingly cruel to his harem, taking them to bed whenever he feels like it, including Tyuule, former queen of the Bunny Warriors. We hear these rumours from human traders who came to Koan to…to…" Her voice caught in her throat as she remembered her village being destroyed, and Shino, who was sitting next to her, gently put an arm around her shoulders. "Sorry, sorry, I just…that beast is dead, and yet, my friends and family are still in the embrace of Hardy."

"More like Emroy, if they tried fighting against the Flame Dragon. Remember, there was an arrow in one of its eyes," Harry said. "And given what Rory had said about Hardy wanting to make her her bride, just as well. Anyway, it's okay, Tuka. The Flame Dragon is dead, and it won't hurt anyone else now." He gently patted her hand.

"Yes…yes, I suppose there is that…and my father is alive," Tuka said morosely. "But my friends…those I knew…sorry, I'm just thinking back to it. I don't mean to be maudlin, but…"

"I know, you lost those you knew and loved, and I accept that," Harry said. "Some people will doubtlessly tell you to get over it, but they don't know what loss is like. You've probably lost people already, given that you're eight times older than I am. Time can heal those wounds, but it doesn't always do so. But we're here for you, and so is your father."

Tuka nodded, albeit still morosely. "Hey, come on. When we get booked into the hotel, we're getting drinks," Shino said. "Not enough to get pissed, but I think we can all do with a drink…"

CHAPTER 9 ANNOTATIONS:

So, Hermione's back, there's some hope for Hodor, and some more development for Tuka. And while the link between Kuraha and Komurazaki is something I made up for this fic, it does sound plausible.

I've finished the Japan trip arc, so you guys are getting that over the next few days. Lucky you.

Review-answering time! Blaze1992: The Rose Knights aren't generally involved in combatting the enemy, and in the anime, Pina comes in to demand an audience of her father shortly after he gives the order for the scorched earth tactics. Pina is also…she's a bit like a more martial Sansa from A Song of Ice and Fire, naïve to the realities of war. Though unlike Sansa, she's more competent from the beginning. Keep in mind, her unit has also been used more for colour guard at parades, not for combat. The irony is, given that she's probably Molt's favourite child (even if she isn't the heir to the throne), he might have kept some of his more ruthless sides from her.

Guest: Harry is just worried that Sod's Law will take place. Thankfully, it doesn't.

Blackholelord: I decided not to include Yao, in the end. I may do another story with her as part of the pairing, but not now.

Bisaster: Look, I realised I couldn't cram Yao in, so I had to drop her. And Shino, unlikeable? That's only because she gives Itami some much-needed boots up the arse at times. Keep in mind, it's both her and Mari who come to Itami with their concerns about Tuka, and she beats the crap out of Zorzal. Please tell me you're not a Zorzal fan: he's basically a grown-up Joffrey with a little more intelligence.

1. 'Who will guard the guards?', though famously, the graphic novel Watchmen translated this as 'Who watches the watchmen?'

2. Shin Seiki Evangelion is the Japanese title of what we know as Neon Genesis Evangelion. Interestingly, the two titles complement each other, and were both chosen by Hideaki Anno. As 'evangelion' can mean 'gospel', the first title, with the Japanese words translated, becomes 'gospel of the new century', and the English (or rather, Greek) title means 'gospel of the new genesis'.