InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Demon Hunter ❯ Propositions and the Future ( Chapter 3 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Chapter 3

Harry and the strange American girl both turned to face a young man with a short, dark ponytail jogging across the lawn to where they were standing. Harry immediately recognized him.

::Flashback::

He had no good reason to be wandering around in Hogsmeade under an invisibility cloak. Not only was he banned from all Hogsmeade trips but also his OWLS were to be taken in a week. All Harry wanted was some time to get out of the castle—away from Umbridge, his visions, and the impending OWLS.

He wandered aimlessly around the dry, crowded grounds for a few minutes before growing restively tired of having the stuffy cloak draped over him. Thinking it wouldn't hurt for some fresh air, Harry flattened against the tall brick wall of one of the shops and glanced around nervously—no one was watching. He cautiously slipped the cloak from his body and folded it up in his arms.

Someone tapped him on the shoulder.

Harry had his wand under the person's chin before he had fully looked him in the face. It was a teenager, not much older than he was, with a tall athletic build and dark brown hair pulled back in a little ponytail. Harry could tell by his features that he had an oriental background. The man was dressed in muggle attire and judging by the way he was staring at Harry's wand he most likely was a muggle.

Harry wearily lowered his wand from the stranger's neck and spoke curtly, “May I help you?”

“You Harry Potter?” the guy asked. He seemed to have regained his composure after Harry removed his wand from his face.

“Yeah...” Harry said suspiciously.

“Tai Kamiya,” the boy introduced himself, holding out a hand, “guardian to the digital world.”

“Eh…?” was Harry's intelligent response as he distractedly shook Tai's hand. Tai threw a neighborly arm around Harry's shoulders and led him off away from the crowds.

“Harry my good man...you don't mind if I call you Harry do you? Well anyway, I have a proposition for you...”

For the next two hours Harry's view on everything outside the wizarding world was skewed to the point of no return. For starters he learned that there were many different dimensions on the planet Earth. One of them being the digital world, a world created from pure data. Also, while humans were the dominant specie in the mortal realm, there were other breeds that mingled within them. Such as demons. That was the one that threw Harry for a loop. While he was never religious, he always thought of demons as something the church made up. Apparently they were real. So was Hell, seeing as it was an ally to this `digital world' Tai spoke of. Speaking of Tai, he himself wasn't even human. He was half fire god.

By this point, Harry was so overwhelmed with so much information the he just waved it off. It took the young man throwing off his human cover-up in a vacant alleyway to convince Harry that his tale was real.

The reason Tai had sought out Harry was that he was that he wanted to unite many of the different worlds in some manner and gain potential allies if trouble ever arises. Originally he was looking to the ministry, but found them most disagreeable. That, Harry could relate to. So it seems that Tai had heard about Harry from someone and for some reason thought he alone would make a sufficient enough ally. Harry was pretty confused why he didn't try someone like Dumbledore. Then again, at the time, no one could find him. He informed the representative that he'd have to think on it. There was no chance in hell he could answer an offer such as that. Everything seemed so far-fetched that Harry was half convinced Tai was a distant relative of Luna's.

However, as soon as he got back to the castle, he remembered none of it.

::End Flashback::

Harry frowned. Why hadn't he remembered his encounter with Tai after he got back from Hogsmeade? He decided he'd think on it later.

“Hey, Harry. I am so sorry about this. She made me take her with me,” Tai grimaced at the lame excuse, “Oh yeah! This is Shiva. Shiva, this is Harry Potter.”

Harry felt himself stiffen unconsciously at the mention of his full name, as he often did with introductions. Wait...her name was Shiva…. That would mean that she was the half-demon Tai mentioned during their discussion—another guardian of the digital world. Harry looked at her longer and could find no trace of her being a demon. It made him wonder just how many people were walking around with demon blood.

“But he told me his name was Reg!” Shiva whined.

Tai looked at Harry incredulously.

“Did you get that off of `Boy Meets World'?” he asked. So that was what Dudley was watching earlier.

Harry just grinned at him, finding no threat at the moment in Tai or Shiva. Tai laughed at his impish response.

“So what brings you here?” Harry asked. He was suddenly in a good mood. If felt nice being able to talk with other people...even if they weren't all human.

“You have a really sexy accent!” Shiva exclaimed, suddenly very excited.

Harry looked at her feeling mildly confused, “Erm...”

Another witty response. Hadn't he been try to look cool in front of her before?

Tai bopped Shiva on the head.

“Stop it,” he commanded. He turned to Harry, “can we talk about this inside?”

“Sure,” he replied easily, without thinking. Just as he started to walk towards the house he realized that his relatives would not be happy with any company of his.

`Well', he thought, `now is a good as time as any to put Moody's threat to use.'

He stopped and faced the pair behind him, “Just agree with anything I say, ok?”

Tai and Shiva nodded before following him into the ridiculously clean house. The group didn't make it five feet into the hallway before his aunt heatedly swooped down on them.

“Who are these people?” she hissed at Harry while shooting Tai and Shiva dirty looks. Her eyes dodged around suspiciously and she craned her neck to look out the window. Probably hoping no one saw her deranged nephew associating with normal looking people, “You are not to be bringing more freaks into this house!”

“My headmaster sent them,” Harry said calmly, “he thought I could use a little company. Don't worry; we'll be quiet. You won't even know we're here...”

He breezed by her up the stairs while Tai and Shiva followed. But not without shooting his aunt strange looks.

0o0o0o0o0o

“I can tell they like you,” Tai said sarcastically as he eyed Harry's `bedroom'. Harry shrugged not really caring what they thought of him or his relatives and picked up an oversized shirt from the floor and put it on.

“So you're a wizard?” Shiva asked him as she plopped down at his desk and rifled though his homework, much to Harry's amusement.

“Shiva! Get out of that!” Tai yelled at her.

“No, it's ok. As long as she doesn't hurt it. That's my homework.” Harry said.

“Oh, WOW!” Shiva cried in excitement, “You use quills? And parchment?”

Harry laughed. He liked her; she reminded him of a little kid, “Yeah, we do.”

Shiva went back to examining odd things in the room, softly voicing her amazement. Tai turned to Harry.

“So? Have you thought about what I said?” he asked, referring to their encounter in Hogsmeade.

“I still find it hard to believe you live in a computer.” Harry stated flatly. The very notion was ridiculous. Tai laughed in good humor.

“Well, it's not so much a computer than all the data collected and merged into a parallel dimension.”

“Uh-huh...” Harry said disbelievingly.

“We live in a coliseum!” Shiva piped up from his left. He was about to tell her that that bit of information wouldn't help the argument when he caught sight of what she was wearing. The girl was dwarfed in one of Dudley's old, oversized shirts and was clutching a mass of pants that we're held up by only her hands. He couldn't help it—he threw his head back and started laughing. She was wearing his clothes!

“Shiva!” Tai was yelling at her, “What are you doing? Get out of those! And you—, “he rounded on Harry, pointing a finger at him,”—don't encourage her!”

“Are these really yours?” Shiva giggled tugging at the jumbo shirt that draped down to her knees. Harry's laughing slowed to a stop. He suddenly felt heat rise to his cheeks in embarrassment.

“Erm… yeah. They're actually my cousin's. I don't own any muggle clothes of my own,” He said hesitantly.

“Muggle?”

“Non-magic people,” he replied easily. Shiva only nodded.

“So,” Tai said, “will you ally yourself to the digital world? We're in a war and you're in a war; I think both sides can use all the help they can get.”

He had a point. And it would be good to have some leverage in the war without Dumbledore or Voldemort knowing. But he wouldn't rush into anything, not this time.

“Please, please, please, please…” at least Tai was being professional about it.

“I still really don't see how I can be of much help.” He argued.

“I can!” Shiva exclaimed loudly as she waddled to the bed.

“Shiva, take those damn things off!” Tai was scowling at her. It was easy to see who the more responsible one was.

Shiva ignored Tai and, to Harry's immense embarrassment, plopped herself right in his lap. Harry was sure he could give Ron a run for his money with how red his face must have been.

“You're going to be an extremely valuable ally after you kick Voldemort's ass. And before the war is over you will need our help. Hell—you need our help right now! Look at these clothes!”

Harry stood up alarmed, not caring if he sent the girl spiraling to the floor. He never mentioned Voldemort once, let alone his responsibility to `kick his ass'. Where was she getting her information?

“Whoa, whoa, wait. How do you know about Voldemort? And what makes you think I'll kill him? What—I mean—are you a seer?” He finally demanded.

This was getting ridiculous. Just who were these people, really?

“Yeah... how do you know that?” Tai asked guardedly. Harry looked at him. Ok, so maybe he wasn't the only one lost here.

Shiva rubbed her butt and pulled herself up from the floor, shooting Harry and agitated look.

“Hello,” she said waving her hands, “I'm Shiva... the psychic demon! I've seen this. To answer your last question, no, I'm not a seer. And I never said you would kill Voldemort.”

“You're a psychic?” Harry asked. He really needed to read up on demons…especially if there were psychic ones, “And how is that different from a seer?”

“Well, I move things around with my mind and get dreams of the future—,” Shiva started before Harry interrupted her once more.

“Wait—dreams as in premonitions?” he did not need another Trelawny on his hands.

“Yeah, whatever they're called,” Shiva waved an impatient hand, “I get them. And I can also break into people's minds if I want,” she leaned in and leered at him, “Don't worry, this is the real deal, none of that shit Trelawny gives you.”

“How did you...hey! Don't go through my head!” Harry fumed as he was avidly reminded of Snape.

“If you don't want people to go through your head my dear, you must get some walls up around it.” Shiva sang, prancing around the room until she tripped on the legs of the giant pants and went crashing to the ground.

“Just give it up,” Tai said to Harry when he opened his mouth to replay, “She's always going through mine. Annoys the hell out of me.”

“Yeah, well I have stuff in there that shouldn't be known by just anybody.” Harry replied huffily. What gave her the right to go through his mind? Although she did have a point about him getting some walls around his mind whatever that meant. Maybe it was like Occlumency? He should probably ask her to teach him a few things about building these walls.

“Don't worry about that prophecy,” Shiva said waving a dismissive hand from her place on the floor, “It's all gunna work out for you in the end.”

Harry looked at her confused.

“I thought you said I don't kill Voldemort?”

“Where the hell did you learn all this shit?” Tai exclaimed. Poor guy didn't know what the hell was going on.

Shiva ignored Tai, “You don't. You can't. His soul is immortal.”

“Well then he's obviously going to kill me,” Harry argued back, “Neither can live while the other survives… sound familiar since you went through my head? How is that `working out' for me?”

“He's not going to kill you.” She said calmly.

“Ok, now she's freaking the hell out of me…” Tai mumbled to himself.

“So the war will never end,” continued Harry.

“Yes it will. It won't last as long as the first, I can tell you that.”

“Well then he must kill me!”

“He can't. No one can.”

“I'm immortal?” Harry asked finding this very hard to believe.

“Not yet...”

Harry stared hard at her. She seemed to know the outcome of the war but for some reason or another wouldn't tell him.

“What do you mean?” Harry asked.

“I can't tell you that! It would ruin all the fun!”

“Shiva!” Harry finally yelled. He couldn't take this game any more.

“Let's go shopping.” She said suddenly, completely forgetting about what they were just talking about. Tai and Harry blinked at her, totally lost.

“Come on!” She urged, heading for the door. She was really serious.

“Shiva, we didn't come here to shop.” Tai stated crossing his arms.

“Come on. I want to play dress up Harry.”

“I'd rather not.” Harry deadpanned. What was up with this chick?

“But I have a credit card and a master plan!” Shiva exclaimed getting a dreamy look on her face.

Neither Harry nor Tai moved to follow her.

“We're leaving now.” Shiva growled sternly.

Still, neither moved.

“NOW!” she roared at them. Harry could have sworn he saw her eyes go black but didn't want to take the chance to look again. He just scurried down the stairs and out the door with Tai.

Just as the three of them stepped out the front door Harry remembered his guard.

“Wait a minute!” Harry exclaimed, grabbing both their arms and leading them back into the house.

“What now?” Shiva asked impatiently. She seemed really desperate to buy him clothes.

“I don't know if Tai told you, but there are people out there—” Harry started.

“Oh, yeah. Yes, yes, he told me.” Shiva said.

“Damn it,” Tai ran a hand through his bangs in frustration, “I forgot about them.”

Harry was mentally swearing at them too. He didn't feel like taking any of the Order's shit this year, and was just about to tell them to just ignore the guard when Shiva spoke first.

“Boys, boys, boys. When will you learn?” She threw an arm around each of their shoulders, “Women have the solution to everything?”

Without warning all three of their bodies dissolved into wisps of smoke, evaporating from the property of number four Privet Drive.

0o0o0o0o0o

A/N: Shiva and Tai are not going to be central in this fic. They just help him out in the beginning and randomly pop up now and then later on. However, someone else *coughInuyashacough* will be showing up later on who will have much more of an impact on Harry.