Harry Potter, Inuyasha 1. Kurama and Miroku

Kurama bit back a growl as he stealthily followed the oblivious priestess to the well house. He could not believe he had actually accepted this mission of Koenma's. Just because Yusuke and Hiei were on their honeymoon -which still boggled his mind- and Kuwabara was too busy in vet school to do anything else, there was absolutely no rationalization that Koenma could make that would justify sending Kurama to investigate an unknown phenomenon with absolutely no backup.

He refocused on the girl before another growl could rise. She was dressed casually but lugging a backpack that looked like it had to weigh as much as she did. She was definitely well supplied for a journey, but he could think of no explanation that he would like for the journey to start in a temple well house and even though Koenma had informed him that the disturbance had all the markings of a portal, Kurama did not like speculating what on the other side would require her to be so well supplied, assuming, of course, that it was not a bunch of magazines and instant ramen cups.

Kurama peeked around the door and watched as the priestess jumped into the well, carefully shielding his eyes from the blue glow. He grumbled as he fingered the charm in his pocket that Koenma swore would let him travel through any portal. He counted to one hundred slowly. Not being knowledgeable about what would be on the other side, Kurama wanted to give the girl plenty of time to move away. While he fully planned to finagle his way into her travels, he thought it would probably be much less suspicious if he was not obviously from the same portal she traveled through. Upon reaching one hundred, he took a deep breath and jumped.

Bright blue filled Kurama's vision through his eyelids and there was a slight sensation of falling. When the feeling stopped and the blue faded, Kurama slowly opened his eyes. He was slightly startled to see himself still in an old dry well. Plant roots were visible in the walls and he grinned. He did not know how the girl got herself out of the well but he certainly would not have any trouble.

Miroku stretched and grinned as he walked through the village. Kagome was back so they would start on their journey again but it was late enough in the day that they had decided to wait until morning. That left the rest of the day for Miroku to wander around the village and enjoy the view while Sango and Kagome were busying catching up on gossip with Kaede. His grin widened because that meant that no one would call him on being a lecher.

The village always had great scenery too though he was very careful not to allow anyone to catch him admiring the men's bottoms as well as the women's. It was nominally acceptable for a monk to be a skirt-chaser; it was another matter, and usually not so easily accepted, for a monk to go after men as well. Miroku honestly believed that the rest of the group would be alright with his leanings but he did not want to risk it and he knew that if he let it slip that he admired men's asses equally, he would end up admitting that he really enjoyed watching Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru battle for more than just being in awe of their skill in fighting each other.

Speaking of spectacular views, Miroku quickly checked his chin for drool after spotting someone who had to be a visitor to this humble village. Long, luscious, red hair trailed to a point just above a fine, firm ass. The figure had strange clothing but after seeing Kagome and some of their foes, Miroku barely noticed strangeness in attire any more. But that ass! Miroku's hand twitched; he desperately wanted to touch. His entire awareness narrowed to that figure. He would not have noticed Naraku appearing and offering lap dances to the villagers. Even Sango and Kagome proposing a ménage a trois would have deterred him from his goal. Well, he paused at the image his mind presented at the thought. That would distract him, but nothing short of that would prevent him from just… a little… touch.

He stealthily crept up alongside the figure with his hand outstretched slightly. Now, how should he do this to avoid getting slapped? Or rather, how could he do this to get the longest possible touching time before the slap? Would touching without warning cause a slower reaction time or would alerting the person to his presence by speaking result in that slight delay where the mind of the gropee has to connect the feeling of contact to the groper and allow for the smallest lengthening of groping time for the groper, Miroku to be precise.

"What brings such a lovely one as yourself to our tiny village?" Miroku shrugged philosophically as he groped and spoke at the same time. "Please bare my children." He was so busy losing himself in feeling the flesh beneath his hand that his customary pick-up words for women slipped from his mouth without thought.

The figure turned, eyebrow quirked, and seized his wrist, pulling Miroku's hand from his body. Miroku almost let out a slight whimper before collecting himself.

"Let me rephrase that. Would you like to celebrate life in the most primeval way? It is pleasing to the gods, after all." He gave his most charming smile. Now that the young man had turned, Miroku could see the rest of the body was just as pleasing from the front as the back. The clothes were just tight enough to hint at sleek muscles and the young man had the most bewitching green eyes.

"While I would normally take you up on your offer, I am afraid that I must refrain though I know Inari will be most disappointed in me." This time Miroku did let out a whimper; he could have easily lost himself in the husky melodious voice. Then the young man's words registered and Miroku gaped slightly at the realization that the young man had used his distraction to look over his body. Miroku was shocked to realize that he was blushing, something that he hadn't done in years. He almost missed the next words.

"You see, I was sent here by my employer to investigate something but became quite distracted when I smelled another kitsune. I feel I had best introduce myself and reassure him as to my intentions. He seems quite young and I would hate to alarm him." Then the man turned sheepish. "But it appears that he's been all over this village and my nose is not what it should be at the moment so I haven't been able to locate him."

Miroku startled a little then paused. Now that he wasn't quite so transfixed by the man's ass, he finally noticed that he did detect the slightest hint of youki coming from him. He was impressed; to maintain an illusion hiding all his foxy features while keeping his youki suppressed to an almost undetectable level, the man had to be powerful indeed. Miroku knew he would have to tread carefully.

"My good sir, I know the kitsune of whom you speak. Please, allow this humble monk to carry a message to him for you." Miroku bit back a grin, being wary did not have to mean giving up his flowery ways.

"Tell me your name first, monk. Mine is Kurama." He smiled and bowed slightly.

"Oh of course, I am Miroku. Please, tell me what message I should take." Miroku returned his bow, delighted to have the name of the man in front of him.

"I merely wish to greet a fellow kitsune and inform him that my intentions are benign. Do you know of a place I might meet him to do so?"

"Let's see," Miroku mused out loud, "the best place would probably be the Bone Eater Well just outside of town. Do you know it?"

"Yes, I do. Shall I meet him there in half a candle mark? And will you be there to provide introductions?"

"I would be happy to." Miroku turned to go then stopped abruptly, staring down at his hand as if it had betrayed him. How could he have not noticed that Kurama had never released his wrist… and was in fact softly stroking along his pulse point with his thumb.

"Hmm, yes, I suppose I do have to let you go. Perhaps later we can 'celebrate life' as you called it." Miroku gulped at the hooded eyes and sultry smirk that accompanied the words. Though he knew scent would inform Kurama of his interest, he was still intensely glad that his robes would hide his interest from the villagers. As soon as Kurama let go, Miroku hurried to go to the safety of the group and Kaede's hut. He was very conscious of the weight of the eyes following him and half hoping that the promise of that gaze and those words would be fulfilled.

Kurama could not stop smirking as he watched Miroku walk quickly away. He had sensed a presence sneaking up on him and out of curiosity, allowed the person to come close. He had been expecting an attack but not a sexual one. However, he had not been displeased. The monk was quite handsome and Kurama had always been one to reward audacity when it came in such a good looking package. He shook himself before he could get lost in his rather explicit daydreams. He had half an hour to gather information so he had best find some shopkeepers, they were always willing to gossip.

Thirty minutes later, Kurama was strolling up the hill to the well. He was mildly concerned at the size of the group there to meet him. If this meeting went badly, he could have trouble extricating himself. He quietly cursed Koenma again.

"Well, my good monk, please begin introductions." Kurama spoke as soon as he was close enough that he didn't need to shout. He gave the group a welcoming smile.

"Of course." Miroku was quick to respond. "Everyone, this is Kurama. Kurama, the growly one to my left is Inuyasha." The newly identified Inuyasha growled louder. "The lovely ladies to my right are Sango and Kagome. Sango is holding Kirara." He gestured to each of the girls as he said their names. "And last but certainly not least, is Shippo, the kitsune you so desired to meet."

"Charmed." Kurama bowed. Before he could say anything else, the wind shifted and Inuyasha, Kirara, and Shippo all started twitching their noses. Kirara promptly sneezed and Inuyasha drew his sword.

"Who are you!" Kurama tensed but resisted pulling his rose whip from his hair.

"Inuyasha, what in the world are you doing?" Kagome shrieked.

"Keh, he smells like you. Like the world does when I go fetch you." Inuyasha kept his sword pointed at Kurama but Kurama was relieved to see that he was not yet tensed to charge. Kurama interrupted before Inuyasha could say more.

"I had not expected the kitsune I wanted to present myself to for politeness sake would be in the same group as the portal traveler." He gave a wry smile and ignored their shocked looks. "I suppose with my luck, I should have. Let me begin again. My name is Kurama and I was sent to investigate the disturbance at a Shinto shrine in Tokyo. However, my mission is information only; I have no desire to fight you. Now, if you don't mind, we appear to be in the past but I have not yet been able to ascertain how far back the well placed us."

"Five hundred years." The response from Kagome was dazed. Kurama kept a professional look on his face but couldn't help but inwardly smirk at the shock that he had caused the group. Before he could continue taking advantage of the group's mind-numbing amazement however, he feel victim to his own surprise.

A small portal opened to his side. This time, he didn't suppress the desire to be armed and quickly shook out his rose whip. He just as quickly stored it away again as he recognized Botan, of all people, coming out of the portal.

"Hiya, Kurama." Botan didn't appear to notice the group behind her as she hopped on her oar. "Koenma wants a status update. Have you found out what's going on yet?"

"Hello, Botan." Kurama carefully modulated his tone to not reveal his anger at the toddler godling. "Why, precisely, was Koenma not able to determine it was a temporal portal without sending me through? And why didn't a ferry girl investigate since you can apparently travel dimensions so easily?"

"What do you mean temporal portal?" Botan looked completely puzzled and neatly avoided his second question. "The well is a dimensional portal."

"What? But this is the Feudal Era, isn't it?" Kagome spoke up from where the gang was watching, having recovered from her shocks faster than the others.

"Er, no." Botan turned to face her. "Actually, it's not. You and Kurama are from one dimension and this is another. It just got started a little bit later than yours. And the barrier dividing the dimension into the Reikai, Makai, and Ningenkai hasn't gone up in this one." She was carefully avoiding looking at Kurama.

"So, how did the Shikon No Tama end up in a different dimension than its original?" Botan winced at Kurama's question and mumbled something. "Excuse me, I didn't quite hear."

"Paperwork error." Kurama raised a single brow in question. "Koenma is a god after all; he resides in the Reikai by choice but he still governs other dimensions. When two ogres collided, well… papers went everywhere and weren't exactly sorted correctly apparently." Botan refused to meet anyone's eyes.

"I see." Kurama folded his arms and looked sternly at Botan. "So not only was I sent on this mission without any back up and no way to contact anyone, but he didn't bother giving me complete information either. Do you seriously expect me to believe that he didn't know exactly what was causing the rift?"

"Eh heh heh." Botan scuffed her shoe in the dirt.

"Well, if I'm to be cleaning up his mess, I expect compensation. Especially since, if it really had been just a recon mission, he could have sent a ferry girl." Botan looked up, startled and slightly alarmed. "Once I'm done, I'll be taking Miroku back with me." Miroku flushed a dark red and the others started to splutter.

"What!" Botan screeched. Kurama just smirked.

"Botan, my dear, what kind of thief would I be if I didn't steal something from this dimension while I was here? Koenma will just have to be satisfied with the fact that I'm giving him advanced warning… and be glad that I think the Shikon No Tama would be more trouble than it's worth."

**Author: VessaMorana**

**Betaed by: TZAG**

**Round Robin info on profile.**


	2. Draco and Itachi

Itachi smiled softly and watched out of the corner of his eye as his brother ran to retrieve the mis-aimed kunai. It was as he pulled his attention away to focus on his own practice that he heard the cry.

"Aniki!"

Itachi was at Sasuke's side in an instant, searching for whatever had caused the smaller boy to call for him so urgently. To his immense relief, there was nothing wrong, only a small, trembling animal curled up in carefully folded arms.

"Sasuke?"

Sasuke tore his eyes away from the creature in his arms, instead fixing them on Itachi. "Can you heal it, aniki? It's hurt bad."

"Let me see it." Gently, Sasuke raised the animal up to where Itachi could see it properly. It was a ferret, as long as the older boy's forearm and half as thin. Pale fur was matted and stained with dried blood, and unfocused gray eyes stared up at him with pain and fear. Such a small thing, so fragile. The young shinobi could not help but wonder if it would be best to put the animal out of its misery. And yet, there was a spark in its eyes – a tiny spark, dulled nearly beyond recognition, but a spark nonetheless – that made the boy think otherwise.

"Aniki?"

Itachi gave Sasuke a reassuring smile, "Hold him still."

His hands darted through the signs, his mind focused intently on the small ferret. Itachi had used this jutsu before, but never on something so small. Concentrating, he gently ran a glowing finger over the matted fur. The ferret's eyes were wild with terror, and it hissed as it struggled to move.

"It's all right. Aniki won't hurt you." Sasuke did his best to reassure the frightened creature and, as it realized that the jutsu wasn't causing pain it seemed to calm, though its eyes were still wary.

It didn't take long to finish, and once done, Itachi pulled away. "It should be alright now. What are you going to do with him, Sasuke?"

Sasuke bit at his lip, eyes darting from the ferret to Itachi nervously. "Do you think Father would let me. . . do you think I could keep him?"

"I'll talk to Father if you really want to keep him."

"Thank you, Aniki!"

"You will have to take good care of him. Keep it away from Father, and don't let him make a mess." Sasuke nodded solemnly. "Good." Itachi stood, poking Sasuke on the forehead. "Come on, you can practice more tomorrow." The two began the walk back to their home. "What are you going to name him?"

"Itachiko." Sasuke answered without hesitation. The creature in question chittered angrily, but was hushed as the small boy ran a hand through his fur.

Itachi nearly laughed out loud, managing to turn it into a cough at the last second. "Are you sure?"

"You don't like it? I can change it." The ferret looked to Itachi with what seemed to be a plea for help in his eyes. Itachi just smiled.

"It's your animal, and Itachiko is a fine name."

XxXxX

_Little Weasel!_

If there was anything that could have made his life even more miserable that it already was, it was being named "Weasel". He could survive being turned into a ferret by the crippled Defense teacher; he might even be able to live down the humiliation if he ever returned. He could even live with Potter's misguided 'help', even if it had resulted in him ending up in the middle of a forest full of dangerous creatures who's only goal in life was to make themselves a ferret meal– one halfway across the world if the language was anything to go by – but being called a weasel as if he was one of the red-headed horde . . . the very thought made him wish the older boy had just put him out of his misery.

And since the blame rested mainly on the older boy for ignoring his silent plea, Draco vowed that he would make him regret it. After all, there was a lot that a ferret could do to make someone's life miserable – ah, that brat was rubbing his fur the wrong way. He hissed at the small boy who held him, still too weak from blood loss to do much else. The boy just smiled and patted his head. "Do you like your name, Itachiko?" Draco could almost hear the older boy's smirk.

With one final angry glare, Draco buried his head between his paws, his mind racing to formulate the perfect revenge. It was not long before his eyes fell closed, and he drifted away into dreams of dark-eyed boys and sweet, sweet vengeance.

When he awoke, it was to discover that he had been made a bed, soft pillow and all, on the floor next to a flat mattress where the smaller boy was asleep. The scent of meat wafted up from a small bowl, and Draco felt his stomach rumbling. Unfortunately, his attempts at standing weren't very successful. So he settled for chittering loudly, hoping that it would be enough to, if not wake the sleeping boy, summon someone else who would feed him.

It worked, and Draco smirked as the older boy appeared in the doorway.

"You are going to be trouble, aren't you." The boy said as he walked in, pushing the bowl closer.

XxXxX

Itachi realized just how true those words were over the next few weeks. Demon (it didn't take long for Sasuke to realize just how much the ferret hated his name once he was up and about, and after realizing just how sharp those small teeth were, he decided it wasn't worth it) was intelligent, energetic, and very, very slow to forgive. And he held a grudge against the young ANBU. Suffice it to say that it took everything Itachi had to keep the little demon (he had no qualms in accepting full responsibility for the ferret's new name) from mutilating his belongings, something his teammates were all too quick to tease him about.

After having every single article of clothing dyed pink, despite the locks on his door, Itachi decided that enough was enough. He tucked his pride away, and apologized to the rodent for whatever he had done to offend it. Demon seemed to accept the apology, chittering away happily before darting up to make himself comfortable around Itachi's neck.

Needless to say, Demon wasn't exactly a normal ferret.

XxXxX

Though he'd never admit it, Draco was relieved when the older boy apologized. (He refused to even think of the boy by his name.) It had been fun at first, but too many pranks in too short a time had worn him ragged though it would have been a stain on the Malfoy honor had he allowed the boy to believe he could get away with his misdeeds.

Now that he had admitted his wrongdoings, Draco was free to leave him be. Or at least, to leave off tormenting him. The boy made a rather comfortable resting place, and he smelled wonderful – like grass and oil with an iron under-scent that might have been blood. It wasn't the most pleasant of thoughts, especially as it reminded Draco of the discovery that the boy was a shinobi – an assassin and spy, who had probably killed more people than Draco could count despite not being much older than the young Malfoy, but the scent was somehow comforting.

More and more, Draco found himself drawn to the boy, curling up in his warmth at night, and running to greet him alongside Sasuke when he returned home, his eyes a little darker each time. Draco knew that nothing could ever happen. He was a ferret, and if it was ever discovered that he _wasn't_, he would be thought a spy. So he settled for merely being in the boy's presence, allowing the unspoken wish to sleep in the back of his mind.

XxXxX

It had been a year since Sasuke had found Demon in the woods, and Itachi didn't think he could imagine life without the mischievous little rodent. He was almost like a member of the family with the way he slipped into every aspect of their lives. And Sasuke didn't seem to mind that Demon liked Itachi better. If anything, he took it as inevitable, after all, who didn't like his aniki.

More often than not, Itachi would wake from his nightmares to find silver eyes staring at him sadly before a soft muzzle nudged at his hand until Demon was granted his petting. And Itachi was grateful; the warmth of the small creature was distracting him from the horror of his memories. He almost forgot that Demon was just an animal, telling him things he'd never dared speak of – his hatred of battle, of death and killing, his wish that Sasuke would never have to experience what he had, even how much his father's expectations weighed down on his now-fourteen year old mind.

Demon took it all in, and did his best to comfort Itachi, in his own ferret-y way: distracting him with pleas for attention, pulling him along to play with Sasuke, bringing him flowers or sweets stolen from Mikoto's kitchen.

And then, everything changed.

XxXxX

Draco purred, or whatever it was called when a ferret nearly vibrated with pleasure. His boy was due back that evening, and Sasuke had deemed it a suitable reason to celebrate. Thus, the reason for the lovely sweets that the two, brother and ferret, were sharing. Pocky, Draco had decided upon first being introduced to it by his boy, was this world's way of making up for his terrible ordeal.

Sasuke held a stick in both hands, one for himself and one held up to where Draco could nibble at it from his perch around the small boy's neck, as he made his way back home from the store. They were drawing a few odd looks, but by now most people knew of Draco and his attachment to the two Uchiha boys.

It was as they entered an alley, taking a shortcut home, that Sasuke dropped like a stone, hitting the ground with enough force to send a shock through Draco's bones. Worried, and more than a little fearful, Draco wormed his way out from where the boy had landed on him.

Relieved to discover that nothing was broken, even if his entire body ached, Draco chattered anxiously to Sasuke.

_Wake up, Sasuke! Please wake up. Please-_

The sudden appearance of a strange man, draped in black cloth from head to toe, so soon after Sasuke's unnatural unconsciousness, set Draco on guard. He hissed angrily as the man moved closer and, as he bent down to lift Sasuke's small body off the ground, Draco attacked.

Sharp teeth latched on to fingers, exposed by the half-gloves that shinobi seemed to favor. Draco ignored the foul taste in his mouth as he dug in deeper, flailing his paws to get a firm grip on the cloth of the man's arm guard.

The man shook his hand, desperately trying to dislodge the ferret. Draco only bit in harder, he could hear voices outside the alley, and knew that whatever this man wanted, witnesses were not part of it. Once his claws were securely latched into the cloth, he pulled his muzzle away from the hand and bit down again, this time in a new place.

The man screamed, or as close to a scream as a shinobi makes. It was a noise though, and that was what Draco needed. The shaking of his perch was jolting his body hard enough that it felt like his insides were being crushed into jelly, and the man had begun snatching at him with his free hand.

"What are- Somebody help! Enemy shinobi in the vill-!" The man was cut off abruptly.

Out of the corner of his eye, Draco saw the telltale signs of the shinobi version of apparation, the cloud of leaves and dirt.

"Sasuke?"

The familiar scent of grass and oil drifted through the air, and Draco knew it was safe. With an inward sigh of relief, he let go, flying to the ground with a thud. As his vision faded, he saw the man's hands flying through a series of signs. He never felt the jutsu hit him.

XxXxX

At the frantic cry from the marketplace, Itachi had Flickered from where he had just finished turning in his mission report. He was the first shinobi on the site, the first to see the civilian face down in the dirt with a puddle of blood forming below his neck. Seeing Sasuke in the dirt sent a wave of horror through him, until he saw the minute rise and fall of his chest.

He heard more than saw Demon hit the ground, and in a single swoop sent two kunai on a path towards the unknown man's heart and head. One was caught in mid air, and returned with a shower of blood. The other was taken by an arm, sending the man stumbling backwards as his hands moved clumsily through the motions.

The jutsu hit Demon before Itachi could interfere, but the man was dead almost before the chakra left his hands. Five kunai, one after the other had lodged themselves into his skull, with another three in his heart. And for the first time, Itachi did not feel a single shred of guilt at the death.

Demon writhed and convulsed, sparks of light moving across his fur, and Itachi was at the ferret's side in an instant. Touching Demon sent shocks up his arms, but Itachi stoically ignored the pain. He heard the crowd gathering, and signaled for the newly arrived shinobi to take over for him.

With Demon's still shaking form cradled carefully in one arm, and Sasuke in the other, Itachi vanished from the site in a cloud of smoke and leaves.

Once safely ensconced in the privacy of his bedroom, Itachi laid Sasuke across his futon, and Demon on the pillow. The cloth smoldered underneath the electricity still traveling across the thin form, and Itachi was at a loss to find a way to stop it.

Instead, hoping to think of something, he woke Sasuke up, breaking the genjutsu as he should have done upon finding them, and was quick to wrap the smaller boy in a warm hug as he blinked his eyes wearily.

"I-Itachi? What're you doing?" Sasuke asked, though he returned the embrace. "Where's-" Itachi could feel Sasuke stiffen and he knew why. "Demon?"

"He saved you." Itachi looked over Sasuke's head at the still shaking ferret. "You might have been taken but Demon stopped the man from getting to you. He was amazing."

"What's wrong with him? Is he going to die?"

Itachi tighten his embrace, "I don't know."

At that moment, Demon stopped convulsing, the sparks fading into his fur. For a moment, there was a heavy silence as the brothers held their breaths. And then the tiny form began to. . . twist and grow, mutating with sickening cracks of bone and flesh stretching. Itachi shielded Sasuke's eyes, his own eyes a swirling red as he watched warily.

Slowly, a human form emerged from what had once been the ferret, Demon. A boy, who couldn't have been that much older than Itachi, with hair the same shade of yellow-white that had been Demon's fur draped over his shoulders and numerous white scars across his naked body. With a sigh, the boy seemed to wake, slowly pushing himself up, until familiar eyes, pale as the moon, blinked at him with first, confusion, and then overwhelming relief.

"I did it. He's safe. Sasuke's safe." The boy muttered to himself with a heavy breath as he sank back down to the ground. Then he saw his fingers, the pale, fur-less skin, and his eyes darted up to meet Itachi's. "I'm human again. . ." Itachi's eyes narrowed, even as Sasuke gaped at the boy that had been Demon. "I never thought- I dreamed, but I never actually believed it would happen."

"Sasuke, go to your room."

"But-"

"Go!" Shocked by Itachi's raised voice, Sasuke ran from the room.

"I wouldn't hurt him. I'm still Demon. Did you not notice the part where I nearly got myself killed to save him?" The boy's voice was part hurt, part reproachful.

"How were you an animal?"

The boy scowled, "Idiot teacher thought I needed an attitude adjustment. And then _perfect_ Potter has to go and mess up whatever he was trying to do and send me here – though I'm still not completely sure where exactly _here_ is."

"You are not a spy?" Itachi could not help the bitterness in his voice, as he remembered how he had confided in Demon, how he had spilled his deepest secrets to the ferret.

"Wha-" The boy's eyes widen. "I'm only here because you and Sasuke took me in. You healed me, saved me. And I enjoyed being with you. I wanted so much to talk to you, to tell you that I- to tell you what I was, but I couldn't. I was an animal. I never thought that would change. I won't betray your trust just because you didn't think I would be able to."

Itachi caught it when the boy stopped himself, "Tell me that you what?"

"That I. . . That I lo. . . dammit!" Before Itachi knew it, the boy was in front of him, his face only millimeters away, and then their lips touched, and it was like nothing Itachi had ever felt before.

Far too soon, the boy pulled away, his eyes glaring daggers as if daring Itachi to reject him. "I think I fell in love with you."

Itachi used every fiber of his will to keep his hand from shaking, to keep from touching his lips to see if it had really happened. "You know I have to turn you in."

"Yeah."

"Why don't I want to?"

"Maybe you know that I am still your Demon inside?" The boy answered with a smirk before swooping in and devouring Itachi's mouth.

_FIN._


	3. Cloud and Harry

CloudxHarry

Wolfspeaker01

Harry shivered in fear under the cold scrutiny of the thin man who - despite looking nothing like Wormtail with his dark hair and slender build - he could only describe as rat-like. His aura reeked of blood and death and sickness.

There was nothing Harry wouldn't have given in that instant to be far away from there. Anywhere in this strange world, or even being back in the wizarding world and faced with the Kiss would have been better than being studied like a bug under a microscope by a man who scared him more than Voldemort ever had. If only because Voldemort had made his intentions perfectly clear, while this man could have wanted anything from the former Boy-Who-Lived.

The man spoke up in the same language everyone else in this world used - one that Harry had not been able to learn more than a few basic words of - and the men on either side of Harry grabbed him and followed the ratty man out of the room.

"Where are we going?" Harry struggled against his captors, but he was weak from being locked away in a dark room for what must have been days and they weren't exactly wimps in the strength department. "What's going on?"

His questions were ignored - whether because they didn't understand him or because they preferred to ignore him, Harry didn't know. He rather expected to be tossed back into his cell, so when they arrived in a too-white, too-clean room that looked far too much like the scientific labs in Dudley's cartoons he couldn't help but wonder what they had planned for him. Nothing good came to mind.

The man spoke again, pointing to the long white table in the center of the room. Harry was dragged over to it, and forced to lay down as heavy leather straps were pulled across his chest - effectively locking his arms down at his sides - and his legs.

The stoic guards left the room the moment Harry was restrained. As the creepy man approached him, a cold smile on his face and a glowing needle in one hand, Harry wished that they had stayed.

Then the needle pierced his skin and all he knew was pain. Blinding pain that spread from his arm throughout his body. The iron taste of blood filled his mouth, as he strained at his bonds, a shrill keening tearing at his throat unbidden.

And then everything went black.

XX

This was how many of Harry's days passed. When he wasn't passed out from the pain, he was being cut open and injected with all kinds of strange colored concoctions. The doctor was quick to discover the healing affects of Harry's magic, and that had only made him all the more willing to take the young wizard apart piece by piece.

It was rare for Harry to be both conscious and lucid, and he almost preferred it that way. It was easier to be in a foggy haze due to experimental drugs and pain than to be forced to think about the hopeless state he was in. He had tried to escape. He had tried so many times, but each time he had been caught and subjected to even more painful treatment than usual. The last time it had been an experiment that had involved removing several of the bones from each of his arms before injecting him with a dark liquid that had set his blood on fire. The bones had not grown back, though the skin and muscles around them had mended themselves. When the doctor had discovered it, he had reopened the wound and returned the bones to one of his arms. It had been just as excruciating the second time.

Today however, seemed to be different. Harry had been conscious for almost a full day, and yet he had not been dragged from the small, dark room where he was kept between sessions.

When the door finally opened, it was not too drag him out, but to throw two unconscious bodies in with him. The men who left them spoke, and though Harry could not make out the words, he knew they were mocking him.

To be around people, even unconscious as the two men were, was nerve-wracking to the boy who had known no one but the scientist and his guards in what seemed like a lifetime. Especially when one of them was so much bigger than him.

With a lame arm and no energy, he would not be able to fight them off if they decided to attack him upon waking, so Harry forced himself into the furthest, darkest corner of the room and waited.

The taller figure woke first, and to Harry's awe, his eyes glowed a luminescent blue in the dim light. "_Cloud? Seph?"_ He asked anxiously, his glowing orbs scanning the room. Harry shrank deeper into his corner, only to find the bright eyes locked onto him. The man seemed to ask a question - likely about Harry's identity - but as usual, Harry did not understand the language. He said as much, only to have the man's face contort as if trying to understand his words.

It seemed as if the man would stare at him forever, as Harry shifted nervously under the scrutinizing gaze. It was only the smaller man waking up that distracted the first. Blue Eyes rushed to the other - they seemed to be friends, if the nervous babbling of words as Blue Eyes pulled the smaller man into a gentle embrace.

It did not take long for Blue Eyes - or Zack, if the vigorous pantomiming and mass repetition was anything to go by - to befriend Harry. His hyper and optimistic personality reminded Harry of better times, even as he did his best to teach Harry the language of his world. And yet, it was Cloud - the small, spiky-haired ball of strength and pure grit - who woke the emotions Harry had locked away to better protect himself.

It was Cloud who woke the urge to escape, as he fell to the ground, pale and trembling after his first session with the scientist - who Zack had told him was called Hojo. And, after it seemed as if the two men had never _not_ been there, it would be for Cloud that Harry would allow his inner monster to be unleashed upon the evil scientist.

_Darkness and hunger. _That was what had caused Harry to be exiled to this horrible world in the first place, when the demon inside of him had killed so many people in his haste to get to Voldemort. They had all been death eaters, but the Wizengamot hadn't cared. Even Hermione and Ron had looked at him with terror in their eyes, all the way down to the ritual circle where he had been banished into another world. And now, as Zack was tossed roughly through the open door, shouting and cursing, without Cloud. . . . Now, the waking darkness finally began to free itself, breaking the chains that Harry had so painstakingly built around it.

"_Where is Cloud?" _Harry asked, fighting the darkness as best he could with the pain of losing Cloud looming over him so closely. It had not been at risk of escaping when he had been on the table - he was used to pain, and would have died before unleashing the monster ever again - but Cloud was so innocent, so beautiful, that Harry could not bear to see him in so much pain. He still fought the darkness, but each time it grew harder and harder to keep himself from slaughtering Hojo. Only the fear that he would not be able to control it, that it would end up hurting Zack or Cloud, allowed him to keep it under control.

"_He was. . . s-shaking so badly. I couldn't do anything. I tried so hard. . ." _Harry knelt down, staring into the blood-stained, Mako-bright eyes.

"_Where is Cloud?"_

Pulling himself together, Zack replied, _"Hojo kept him for observation. Said something about him being ready for the J-cells. Bastard!"_

J-cells. Harry wasn't sure what they were, but he knew what they did. He had heard the voice calling to him until his defenses had attacked the cells and destroyed the connection they had been building between him and whatever the cells had come from. Cloud had no defenses. He would be helpless against the cells.

An unearthly shriek erupted from Harry's throat as claws stretched from his fingertips and his face contorted as his teeth sharpened into fangs. Blinded with rage, only one thought remained in his mind. _CLOUD!_

The door crumpled as a wave of dark magic flew from his fingertips. He could hear Zack behind him as the man scrambled to his feet - a flash of regret at the realization that Zack would be wary of him vanished in an instant. He could live with Zack being scared of him, so long as Cloud wasn't lost.

Harry stalked down the hall, tossing aside the few guards that dared to get in his way. Their pretty toys did nothing but irritate him even further, and after the first few men had their guns shoved down their throats, they seemed to understand the futility.

The lab was the final destination, a white room of death and pain. It was here that Harry found his targets - Hojo was prepping a needle as thick as Harry's arm while Cloud lay curled in the bottom of one of the Mako tanks, thankfully devoid of the thick green liquid, though the air mask over his mouth seemed to indicate that it would not be long before he was left to soak in the emerald energy.

Harry's temper spiked, and it was a matter of seconds for him to cross the room and gut the torturer like a pig. Hojo never even knew he was there.

With Hojo dead, Harry turned on the blond prisoner. Nearly comatose, Cloud smelled so good, and with Harry lost in his darkness he barely realized what he was doing.

"_Harry. . .?_" Cloud's eyes were open and he stared at Harry with confusion. The demon faltered under the scrutiny, and Harry took the opportunity to lock it away once more, horrified at how close he might have been to hurting the blond. With his strength drained from the effort, Harry fell to his knees.

"I'm sorry, Cloud. So sorry. . ._" _With that, Harry drifted into a deep sleep.

XX

Harry woke enveloped in warmth. Snuggling into it, he was surprised to find it moving.

"_Harry?"_ The tired voice asked.

Harry's eyes snapped open only to find himself in Cloud's warm embrace, his face buried in the blond's hair. He struggled momentarily, wanting to be anywhere but with the blond who had seen his darkness in action. Cloud just tightened his grip.

"_Go back t'sleep. Zack'll make sure we're safe._"

Turning his head, Harry locked eyes with the taller man. Zack was sitting close at hand, a giant beast of a sword leaning up against the wall next to him. A weary smile crossed his lips, "_Hey, Green Eyes. 'Bout time you woke up._"

"_Zack?_" The man had seen him lose control, might have been a victim had Harry not been solely focused on the blond. "_You don't. . ._ "

"_Nah," _Zack waved off Harry's concern. "_You were worried about the chocobo("Hey"_ Cloud's protest was ignored.). _And you got us out of there. With Hojo gone, nobody seemed to care about getting us back._"

"_We're free?" _For the first time, Harry got a good look at their surroundings. The trio were in a darkened cave, with a sputtering fire. Zack sat at the entrance, and Cloud and Harry lay in a nest of leaves and blankets.

Eyes brimming with tears, Harry latched on to his bedmate, allowing the tears to fall silently as he returned the embrace. Cloud smiled, he had done the same thing when Zack had helped him carry Harry out of the old Shinra mansion and Harry had been a 'Specimen' for far longer than the two of them put together. Leaning down, Cloud nuzzled Harry's neck, muttering soft words of comfort. He could wait to tell Harry what he thought of him. For now, he would settle for being the one Harry cried on. 


	4. Trowa and Tidus

Lessons for a commander; never partner partners.

Trowa (Gundam Wing) X Tidus (Final Fantasy 10)

By Artic_uno_13

Preventer special Agents Memories and Stoic were reporting to Commander Une following a not-so-according-to-protocol-mission.

The slightly taller blonde one looked at his lean brown-haired partner and dryly commented, "Well, at least we managed to get the smuggling ring dismantled."

Agent Stoic simply looked at his partner with his normally hidden eye and commented, "Next time, try and not fall off a cliff while doing it, though."

"Heh. You still going on about that? I'm fine, and the smugglers are in jail." Then he looked at his partner's heavy limp and bandaged torso and winced. "But I'll try not to distract you next time." He then stopped their passage through the hallways and smiled lovingly at Agent Stoic, no Trowa, and softly kissed him. "Forgive me?"

Trowa looked at Tidus and smirked. "Only if you cook that stew and get me some chocolate ice-cream."

Then he lightly pushed Tidus away and knocked at the office they'd conveniently stopped next to.

"Come in."

Tidus held open the door and motioned Trowa in.

Commander Une looked up from the report she was reading and took in their dusty, disarrayed looks, and, in Trowa's case, blood and field bandages.

"When I said promptly, I did not mean immediately gentlemen." She scowled slightly at the former gundam pilot and pointed him harshly to a chair with the silent command obvious.

Then she turned her stare on the other agent, one who had an affinity for blades and animals but lacked childhood memories.

"What happened?" she ground out.

"The smugglers thought it smart to release their… merchandise."

"And what exactly was their merchandise?" Une questioned scoffing at his choice of term.

"A few rare bear cubs, tiger cubs, a few poisonous snakes, that type of thing. The complete list is in our report."

"And which one did this damage?" she asked pointing at Trowa.

"I wouldn't know, ma'am, I was dangling off of the edge of a cliff."

"Agent Stoic?" she asked turning.

"The smugglers in combination with a wolf cub, ma'am. We managed to recapture all but one of the animals."

"And what exactly is that one?"

"A lion cub, ma'am." Trowa replied. Before shifting in his seat and winching.

"We were forced to kill it; it tried to bite through Stoic's neck." Tidus said, remembering at the last minute to use the codenames.

"In its defence, it was hungry and I was bloody." Trowa interjected.

"That will do for now. I want the full report within the week. Dismissed to med bay! And I do mean NOW!"

And with that the two scampered out and towards Sally's gentle *cough*sadistic*cough* care, and a hot shower.

Trowa entered the med bay and was only slightly surprised *not* to see Heero, or Silence, all ready being berated for setting his own leg, again. While Duo, or Chaos, was off to the side and laughing at his predicament.

"Oh for the love of… Tidus, get him in the med showers and clean! I can't treat his wounds like this!" Sally complained while pushing the two of them to the room for longer term patients, attached was a shower stall big enough for more people in case of broken legs, etc. After all, working with the Preventers never got boring or routine. And they never, ever, went to regular hospitals for duty related injuries.

So after stripping himself down to his boxers, Tidus gently helped Trowa onto a stool and helped him out of his jacket and sweater. Then he simply swept Trowa up in his arms and entered the shower stall. There he leaned Trowa up against the wall before helping him out of his work pants, shorts and into the nude.

Then he adjusted the temperature and quickly helped Trowa underneath the spray.

"You know? You're almost mothering right now." Trowa spoke up for the first time in awhile.

"Well, this is my fault after all." Tidus shortly said before holding Trowa up under the spray. The gash in his side going down his leg nastily and keeping him off balance.

They shared another sweet kiss and Trowa simply said, "Well, maybe this time you'll be able to keep that promise of a romantic get-away."

The end


End file.

Harry Potter, Inuyasha, Romance