Summer Vacation III: Honeymoon in Japan, Part 10

by Geri ([email protected])

My homepage: http://www.geocities.com/geri_chans_fics/index.html

Rating: NC-17

Pairing: Aric/Takeshi, Snape/Lupin

Author's note: {} Indicates character's unspoken thoughts

Disclaimer: Based on the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling; no money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.

Warning: This is a continuation of the Always series, but the main focus is on Aric and Takeshi, and Snape and Lupin appear mainly as supporting characters.

Sequel to: Always, Summer Vacation, For Old Time's Sake, Three's a Crowd, Return of the Raven, Phoenix Reborn, Phoenix Rising, Aftermaths, The Revenant, and Ash's Story. Although it's not so much a sequel to the latter two stories as it is a companion piece. The Revenant, Ash's Story, and Summer Vacation III all begin at around the same time, a couple of days after the ending of "Aftermaths," and pretty much run concurrently.

Summary: Tsubasa and Aric have a friendly duel; Lupin seeks to learn more about lycanthropy from one of the Japanese werewolves.
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A few days after the festival, Tsubasa stopped by the Kimuras' cottage carrying a large cloth-wrapped bundle. "I've thought it over, and discussed the matter with my parents, and I've decided to accept the job at Hogwarts," he announced.

"Oh, that's wonderful, dear!" Haruko exclaimed delightedly. "You must stop by and visit us often!"

"Yes, you're welcome to stop by the Sakura for dinner whenever you get homesick for Japanese cooking," Isamu added, smiling warmly at his nephew. "The food at Hogwarts is tasty, I'm sure, but very different from what you're used to."

"I'm so glad that you're taking the job, Tsubasa-nii," Takeshi said, giving his cousin a brief hug. "But I hope that your parents weren't too upset about it."

"No, actually they encouraged me to take it," Tsubasa assured him with a smile. "They feel reassured that I'll have family nearby, and they promised to come visit me often through the Portkey."

"That's great!" Aric said, feeling pleased that everything seemed to be going according to plan; he had been a bit worried that Tsubasa would turn down the job. Now all he had to do was get Tsubasa and Ash together. "We'll have to introduce you to all our friends when you get to England."

"Yes," Takeshi agreed. "We'll have to introduce you to Aric's pack. I think you'll get along well with the werewolves."

"It will be nice to meet some fellow shapeshifters," Tsubasa said, and Aric tried not to grin too smugly.

"Lukas might enjoy sparring with you," Takeshi continued.

"Oh yes, that reminds me," Tsubasa said, unwrapping the bundle he had brought with him to reveal two wooden swords. "I believe that you requested a match with me, Aric?"

"Yes," Aric said, his eyes shining eagerly. "Although I'm glad that we're using wooden swords, after the display you put on at the wedding!"

"Please don't hurt him too badly, Tsubasa-nii," Takeshi said, only half-jokingly. "I'd like him back in one piece, if you don't mind."

"Don't worry," Tsubasa said with a grin and a wink. "I'll go easy on him, and send him back to your arms--and your bed--unharmed."

Takeshi blushed and scolded, "You've been among the tengu too long."

"And you're starting to sound like Kazuhiko," Tsubasa said, laughing good-naturedly.

Haruko made a shooing motion with her hands, saying briskly, "If you're going to be fighting with swords, do it outside. I don't want you breaking anything in here."

A few minutes later, Aric and Tsubasa were slowly circling around each other in the front yard like two rival wolves sizing each other up, while Takeshi watched from the porch. Aric knew that it was often wiser to wait for your opponent to attack first, in order to better judge his abilities, but on the other hand, one of them had to attack eventually, or they'd still be out here circling around each other come nightfall. It didn't look like Tsubasa was going to make his move anytime soon, and Aric's inner wolf was growing restless. Well, actually, it probably wasn't fair to blame it on the wolf; Aric's fencing instructors had always said that he was too impatient.

{Oh, screw it!} Aric thought, and lunged forward. Tsubasa immediately raised his own wooden blade and parried, easily knocking Aric's sword aside, with more force than Aric had expected. The crane swordsman's graceful, willowy body looked deceptively delicate, almost frail, but Tsubasa was obviously much stronger than he looked--probably not as strong as a werewolf, but strong enough that Aric felt the force of the blow run down the sword and into his arm. He jumped backwards before Tsubasa could counterattack, and grinned widely at his opponent. Both the human part of Aric and his inner wolf loved a good fight, and Tsubasa was the most challenging opponent he'd had since he'd met Lukas.

Then Tsubasa went on the offensive, and Aric was hard-pressed to defend himself. The crane man was fast, as fast as a werewolf--but he should have expected that after watching Tsubasa's performance at the wedding reception. Aric wondered for a moment whether it was a natural crane trait or simply the result of his years of training with the tengu, but soon the battle required his full concentration, and he had no time to think about it further.

His werewolf reflexes allowed him to parry the first few attacks, but then the tip of Tsubasa's wooden sword managed to slip past Aric's guard, striking his arm with a small but stinging blow. If they had been using real swords, it would definitely have drawn blood although it would not have been a life-threatening wound. Still, Aric suspected that it had left behind a welt beneath the sleeve of his robe.

Tsubasa struck several more light but painful blows on Aric's arms and chest as they continued to duel. Aric was filled with admiration for his opponent, because it was obvious that he was even better than Lukas, but at the same time, he found himself growing irritated because he suspected that Tsubasa was toying with him. If he was as good as he seemed, he should have been able to land a solid blow by now.

Aric let his anger and aggression take control, heightened by wolf's instincts, and he charged his opponent recklessly, with a strong forward thrust of his sword. Tsubasa appeared to be caught off-guard by that unexpected move, and wasn't able to parry effectively; he got his blade up in time to meet Aric's, but wasn't strong enough to turn aside a head-on attack with Aric's full strength behind it.

Instead of fighting it, Tsubasa moved with the momentum of Aric's attack, allowing it to propel him backwards. Aric felt a brief moment of triumph, thinking that he had managed to knock his opponent down as Tsubasa fell to the ground, but then he continued moving, smoothly tumbling backwards and somersaulting back up onto his feet as if he were a circus acrobat.

Aric stood there gaping in shock for a moment, which was a mistake, because Tsubasa took advantage of his hesitation to run forward and leap up into the air. Aric saw the crane man's wooden sword plunging down towards him, and then suddenly he was flat on his back, staring up at the sky, wondering why there were little stars floating in front of his eyes when the sun was still out.

"Aric?" an anxious voice asked. "Aric, are you all right?"

The stars receded, and Aric saw his mate gazing down at him with a worried look on his face. "Oh, hi, 'Keshi," Aric said weakly.

Takeshi turned on his cousin and said accusingly, "You promised that you wouldn't hurt him!" He was glowering at Tsubasa, looking fiercely protective. Aric found it kind of sweet, actually, that his mate was so concerned about him. The good-natured mediwizard hardly ever lost his temper, and in a slightly perverse way, it pleased Aric that he could make Takeshi lose control of himself.

"I never said that," Tsubasa replied in a mild voice. "I just said that I'd go easy on him, and I did. And anyway, you never asked me not to hurt him; you just asked me not to hurt him too badly and to return him to you in one piece. And if I am not mistaken, your mate is somewhat bruised, but still intact."

"Are you sure he's intact?" Takeshi demanded, still looking rather upset. "He seems to have a concussion; I'm afraid you might have fractured his skull."

"I was careful not to hit him in the head," Tsubasa protested.

Which made Aric realize that his shoulder hurt a lot more than his head did, and he reached up to loosen his robe and pulled it aside to reveal a huge purple bruise spreading across his left shoulder.

"Tsubasa!" Takeshi cried.

"Take it easy, 'Keshi, it's just a bruise," Aric assured him, wincing slightly as he carefully moved his shoulder to make sure of that. He gingerly reached up to touch his head, which also seemed to be intact. "I think I bumped the back of my head when I fell, and it must've knocked me out for a second. But I'm okay now."

Takeshi knelt down to examine him. "Nothing seems to be broken," he grudgingly acknowledged, then held up his hand, his index and middle fingers forming a "v" sign. "How many fingers do you see?"

"Four?" Aric asked, then laughed at the look of alarm on Takeshi's face. "Just kidding! I only see two."

Takeshi crossed his arms over his chest and glared at his lover. The expression on his face reminded Aric of McGonagall confronting a misbehaving student--except that Takeshi was much prettier than McGonagall, of course.

"You know, Aric, I'm rather tempted to give you a concussion myself right now."

"And here I thought you were so concerned about me," Aric teased. "But seriously, 'Keshi, I'm fine." He slowly sat up, brushing off his robes. "I've been hurt worse in Quidditch practice at Durmstrang. I once took a Bludger in the chest and spent a week in the hospital wing."

"Are you sure that you didn't take a Bludger to the head?" Takeshi asked dryly.

"It might have been better if I had," Aric laughed. "I'm very hardheaded, or so I've been told."

"I can't imagine why," Takeshi said sarcastically.

Tsubasa offered Aric a hand up and helped him to his feet. "Sorry, Cousin," he said with a grin, not looking particularly repentant. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Aric said, grinning back at him. "No need for apologies; that was a great match!"

Takeshi rolled his eyes heavenward. "Merlin save me from warriors," he said dramatically to the sky.

"Thank you for the match," Tsubasa said, ignoring his cousin. "You were a good opponent."

"No need to flatter me," Aric said with a wry smile. "You were holding back; I could tell. And even then, you kicked my arse. If we'd been fighting for real, you could've killed me a dozen times over."

"Your physical strength is superior to mine," Tsubasa told him, serious now. "And your reflexes are excellent. The main difference between us is merely experience." He gave Aric a thoughtful, appraising look. "It would be interesting to see how your werewolf strength and speed would benefit from tengu training."

"Unfortunately, he doesn't have ten years to spend training with the tengu," Takeshi interjected, still sounding a bit peeved. "He's due to start his new job at St. Mungo's in August."

"But maybe you could teach me a few things while you're here?" Aric asked hopefully.

"I'd be delighted," Tsubasa said.

Takeshi sighed heavily, and Aric teased, "But I thought you wanted me to get along with your family!"

"This is not quite what I had in mind," Takeshi informed him.

Aric thought it was probably time to placate his mate a bit. He slipped an arm around Takeshi and kissed him on the cheek. "Sorry for making you worry, love," he said contritely.

Takeshi glared at him for a moment, then relented and smiled. "This is what comes of taking a werewolf as a mate, I suppose," he said with a little sigh. "They seem to have a predilection for brawling. It's probably related to the need to establish pack dominance."

"But at least we heal quickly," Aric said with a grin.

"Fortunately for you," Takeshi said. "But for my peace of mind, if nothing else, let's go into the house and put some healing salve on your bruises."

Besides the large bruise on his shoulder, Aric had a number of small bruises and welts on his arms and chest, although those were already beginning to fade. But he didn't complain as Takeshi applied salve to his wounds, the gentle touch of his hands as soothing as the salve itself.

Tsubasa grinned, looking very amused. "You know, Takeshi, you've seen me and my tengu friends suffer much worse wounds in practice, but you've never fussed over any of us that way."

"That's because you're not my mate," Takeshi replied, and his cousin laughed.

"You used to think it was funny that Lukas and I enjoyed 'beating on each other with big wooden sticks,' as you put it," Aric reminded him.

"That's because I had never actually seen anyone beating on you before," Takeshi said with a rueful smile. "Watching Tsubasa and the tengu practice swordplay never bothered me that much, although as a healer, it goes against the grain to watch two people deliberately inflicting harm on each other. But with you, Aric...I think that it would probably be better if I didn't watch any more of your practice sessions."

"It's protective instinct, I suppose," Tsubasa said with a shrug. "An automatic reaction to seeing your mate in danger." He grinned again. "Even if that mate seems perfectly capable of taking care of himself."

"All right, all right!" Takeshi grumbled good-naturedly, throwing his hands up in defeat. "I admit that I overreacted. I'm sorry. The two of you have my permission to beat each other up as much as you like."

The three of them laughed together. "Everyone thinks that healers are gentle, but in my experience, they're usually quite fierce, at least when it comes to protecting a patient," Tsubasa said with a sly smile. "And doubly so when that patient is someone they love."

"Someday you'll find a mate," Takeshi retorted. "And then we'll see how they feel about you getting bruised and battered in practice, or performing a sword dance with razor-sharp blades."

"Well then, I'll just have to choose another warrior to be my mate," Tsubasa said lightly. "Someone who won't fret over a few bruises, perhaps even someone who would join me in practice, and we could inflict bruises on each other."

"Sometimes I think that all warriors are masochists," Takeshi said, shaking his head.

"Perhaps we should introduce him to some werewolves," Aric suggested innocently. "Since we like to brawl, and heal quickly."

"Well, I should probably concentrate on my new job first before I start looking for potential mates," Tsubasa laughed. "But I'll be happy to meet your friends when we go to England, Aric."

Tsubasa left soon after that, but promised to come back the next day to spar with Aric again. Takeshi sighed in a resigned manner but offered no further arguments. Aric was gloating inwardly--or so he thought, but some of his glee must have shown on his face because Takeshi said in an amused voice, "I know what you're trying to do, Aric."

"What are you talking about 'Keshi?" Aric asked, feigning bewilderment.

"Don't play innocent with me; you're too much of a Slytherin to pull it off," Takeshi retorted, giving his lover a knowing smile. "You're trying to play matchmaker for Ash and Tsubasa." Aric grinned sheepishly, and Takeshi continued, "I don't really have any objection to it; in fact, I'd be thrilled if my favorite cousin and one of my best friends got together, but Ash is a bit of a playboy. I don't think he's really interested in a serious relationship."

{Oh, I think you're wrong about that,} Aric thought to himself. He'd seen the way that Ash looked at Takeshi, and it wasn't fond remembrance of a brief fling. It was a kind of a wistful longing for something that he'd lost, or perhaps something that he'd never really had to begin with. Aric still wasn't exactly sure what had happened between Takeshi and Ash, but whatever it was, he suspected that Ash had taken it a lot more seriously than Takeshi thought he had.

"Maybe he just hasn't met the right person yet," was all Aric said. "And anyway, there's no harm in introducing the two of them, is there? At the very least, your cousin might make a new friend. And if they get together...well then, everyone's happy, right?"

"And you're doing this solely out of the goodness of your Slytherin heart?" Takeshi asked, raising his eyebrows skeptically.

"I'm in love!" Aric declared, throwing his arms out in an expansive gesture. "I want everyone else to be happy, too!"

"That's very sweet, my love," Takeshi laughed, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "But you do know that you don't have to be jealous of Ash, don't you? I promise, there was never anything serious between us. We're just friends."

"It doesn't matter," Aric said with a possessive, wolfish grin. "I am jealous of every man you've ever been with, every man who's ever touched you." He wrapped his arms around Takeshi and pulled him onto his lap.

"There's no need to be jealous," Takeshi whispered, winding his arms around Aric's neck. "I belong solely to you, my wolf."

Aric had just closed his mouth over Takeshi's, when Haruko pushed the sliding door open and asked, "Did Tsubasa leave already? I was going to ask him if he wanted to stay for dinner..." Her voice trailed off as Takeshi and Aric hastily pulled apart, blushing furiously, then she exclaimed, "Oh, excuse me! I didn't mean to...ah...interrupt." She quickly but gracefully backed out of the doorway and slid the door shut, and Aric could hear her giggling almost girlishly as she walked away, sounding both embarrassed and amused at the same time.

"Arrgh!" Aric growled, running his hands through his hair in frustration. "Remind me to cast a locking spell on the door next time!"

"You didn't really give me much opportunity, my love," Takeshi laughed, then laid his head on Aric's shoulder and cooed, "But I could cast one now if you like."

"I'm not in the mood anymore," Aric said sulkily.

"Well, that's very rare," Takeshi said, grinning. "I've never known you not to be in the mood."

"I just don't think that I can have sex with you when your parents know that we're doing it," Aric grumbled.

"That's what comes of living with a family," Takeshi said pleasantly, kissing him on the cheek. "Shall we go see if Okaasan needs help with dinner, then?"

Aric followed his mate to the kitchen, muttering under his breath that he ought to take a cold shower first. But in spite of his complaints, Aric felt almost cheerful. He still missed his parents and grandparents, but he was glad to be part of the Kimura family now. He had been a complete stranger to Haruko and Isamu up until a few weeks ago, but they had welcomed him as a son and offered him unconditional love and acceptance. It was a precious gift to someone accustomed to living among the Slytherin elite, who never gave away anything without strings attached--not even affection, and not even to members of their own family. The sense of comfort and belonging that he felt with his new family was well worth any awkward or embarrassing moments that might arise, now or in the future.

{They are pack,} Aric's inner wolf growled contentedly, and Aric silently nodded in agreement.
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Naoto Kamiyama and Severus were busy working on developing new variations of healing potions, a complex project that Lupin could provide little help with, since he had never had much talent for potion brewing. So Naoto had arranged for Lupin to meet with his son-in-law Seiji, a member of the local werewolf pack. They had met only briefly during Lupin's last visit to Japan, and Lupin was curious to learn more about the other werewolf. Having grown up in isolation, feeling like a freak and a misfit, Lupin was fascinated by and a little envious of werewolves like Lukas and Seiji, who had spent most of their lives living in packs.

Seiji was nervous around strangers, so they were meeting in the woods nearby the temple, where there was less chance that the local Muggle villagers might stumble across them by accident. Lupin left early so that he could take his time and stroll leisurely through the woods, humming cheerfully as he walked. On one arm, he carried a basket that contained bottles of Wolfsbane Potion (brewed by Naoto and Severus for Seiji's pack) and a packet of tea that he had purchased in the village as a gift for Seiji. Then Lupin chuckled to himself, suddenly feeling like Little Red Riding Hood on her way to meet the Big Bad Wolf.

"But I guess that's a bad analogy," he said. "Since I'm missing the red coat, and of course, I'm a wolf, too." Then he laughed again, and said, "No doubt Severus would make disparaging comments about Gryffindors who talk to themselves if he were here." And then he tried to picture Severus as Little Red Riding Hood and himself as the Big Bad Wolf, and burst into giggles at the mental image of the Potions Master clad in a red hooded cloak, skipping through the forest carrying a picnic basket. No, Severus would never skip; rather, he'd slink or skulk. And of course he'd never wear red. So Lupin began to create a new fairy tale in his head, about a brave Death Eater spy clad in a shadowy black cloak, who was skulking through the woods carrying a basket of Wolfsbane Potion on his way to a secret rendezvous with a handsome and charming werewolf...

"That would be me, of course," Lupin said, when a voice called out, "Lupin-san?"

Seiji stepped out from behind a tree, looking much the same as he had when Lupin had last seen him a few years ago, with his feral golden eyes and shoulder-length white hair that was incongruous with his relatively youthful face (he was about the same age as Lupin). His clothing, too, had not changed much: clean but faded kimono and hakama, although he was also wearing a necklace that Lupin had never seen before, that appeared to be made of bits of polished bone and claws and fangs.

"It's good to see you again, Seiji-san," Lupin said in Japanese, bowing politely.

"It's been awhile," Seiji replied in the same language, bowing in return. "I'm glad to see that you're looking well. Were you speaking to me just now? I'm sorry, but I don't understand English."

"Oh no, I was just talking to myself," Lupin laughed. "I guess I got into the habit of it after living alone for so many years, although Severus would probably blame it on my being a Gryffindor." Seiji looked a little puzzled, but just smiled politely and nodded. "Anyway, thank you for coming to meet me," Lupin continued, then held out the basket. "I've brought some Wolfsbane Potion for your pack, and some tea that Miyako helped me pick out."

"Thank you, Lupin-san," Seiji said, accepting the basket, then seated himself on a fallen log with a small sigh. As Lupin took a seat next to him, he noticed that the other werewolf looked very weary.

"Are you all right?" Lupin asked. "If you're not feeling well, Severus might be able to brew a potion for you..."

"I am not sick," Seiji said with a sad and slightly ironic smile. "Just tired, in body and spirit." He reached up and touched the bone necklace. "Do you know what this is, Lupin-san?"

"No, I don't," Lupin replied, shaking his head.

"This signifies leadership of the pack," Seiji said, and Lupin raised his eyebrows in surprise. He wasn't sure whether to offer congratulations or not, since Seiji did not look very happy about it.

So all he said was, "I take it this was a recent occurrence?"

"Yes," Seiji sighed. "I had to defeat the former pack leader in combat in order to take control of the pack."

"Oh!" Lupin exclaimed, even more surprised than before. Seiji did not seem like the type who was hungry for power, so he must have had some other reason. "May I ask why?" Lupin inquired diffidently.

"For the future of our children," Seiji replied solemnly. "We are very isolated, Lupin-san. Few of the pack other than myself ever descend from our home in the mountains to mingle with the other shapeshifter races and the human wizards. And even I'm uncomfortable being around non-pack members, other than my wife and her family. But we can't continue as we are. Our numbers grow smaller with each generation, and most of the pack are related to each other. Soon we won't be able to find mates within the pack without the relationships being incestuous."

"My mate's mother said that the British purebloods are in danger of dying out from inbreeding," Lupin said softly.

"Yes, it is much the same thing," Seiji agreed. "But it isn't just that. I am afraid that our pack is slowly losing our humanity. The Wolfsbane Potion helps, but even so...a few of the older pack members spend most of their time in wolf form even when the moon isn't full. If things continue as they are, I'm afraid that in a few generations, we may become completely wolf and forget that we were ever human."

"Is that even possible?" Lupin asked, startled. "To remain in wolf form even after the full moon has passed? I know that brief transformations are possible if the wolf feels threatened enough, but to remain in wolf form for long periods of time? There are stories and legends of werewolves who lost their humanity and became trapped in wolf form, but there are no actual documented cases of such a thing occurring, at least in the research that I've read."

Seiji shrugged. "Perhaps it's peculiar to my clan. Legend has it that long ago we were able to change form at will without losing our sanity, like the kitsune and crane folk and other shapeshifters. The humans revered us as guardian spirits, and we watched over and protected them. But we somehow offended the gods, and they cursed us by taking away our control over our ability to transform."

"A similar story was passed down in my family," Lupin said. "The tale says that the werewolves grew arrogant and began using their power for ill instead of good, so the gods cursed them by taking away their humanity once every month during the full moon."

"No one really knows the reason why we were cursed," Seiji said. "There are many different versions, but the most common one is that a man of the wolf race became enamored of a young priestess. When she rejected his advances, he was overcome with rage, and in a moment of madness, he struck and killed her. And by killing a servant of the gods, he brought down their wrath not just upon himself, but his entire clan. Because he had behaved like a beast, we were cursed to become beasts, in mind as well as body, and once every month, we are overcome with the anger and madness of our ancestor. Or so the stories say. No one knows if the legend is true, but whatever the reason, the curse remains."

"So some members of your clan still have the ability to transform at will?" Lupin asked.

Seiji shook his head. "Not at will. But sometimes one of us will lose the desire to remain human. It might be triggered by a traumatic event, like the death of a mate or child, or sometimes they just lose the strength to fight off the wolf's instincts--although this was more common before we started taking the Wolfsbane Potion. A very few get addicted to the pleasures of being in a wolf's body, to its strength and power, and the thrill of the hunt. And the longer one remains in wolf form, the harder it is to change back."

"I've heard of that happening to Animagi," Lupin said, nodding. "If they spend too much time in animal form, they begin to forget what it's like to be human." He shuddered, thinking of Sirius, who had spent most of his imprisonment in Azkaban in dog form, risking one form of insanity to escape another.

"I do not want our children to deny the part of them that is wolf," Seiji said. "For good or for ill, it is part of what we are. But neither do I want them to lose their humanity. So I proposed that we start sending them to be schooled at Mahou Gakkou, where they can be reminded of what it is to be human, and form friendships with the human wizards and the other shapeshifters." He smiled slightly. "And perhaps to find mates and bring new blood into the clan. But the pack leader and most of the clan elders were vehemently opposed to this idea. So I had no choice but to fight for leadership of the pack."

"But that must have caused hard feelings among the pack," Lupin said. "Will they obey your orders?"

"They will," Seiji said firmly, with no trace of hesitation or doubt in his voice. "As I told you, we are more wolf than human, and in this instance, that works to my advantage. I am the pack leader, so they will instinctively obey me, even if they don't like my orders."

"But if someone challenges you?" Lupin asked.

Seiji gave him a fierce and feral grin that exposed long, fang-like canines and made Lupin swallow nervously and slide a little further down the log away from Seiji, suppressing the urge to whimper and tuck his tail between his legs, figuratively speaking.

"They've already tried," Seiji said. "And no one in the pack had the power to defeat me. None of them will defy my rule."

"I believe it," Lupin said fervently. For all that he was usually quiet and soft-spoken, Seiji was definitely an alpha wolf. And he had the strength of his convictions behind him, which sometimes counted more than physical strength.

"The older werewolves, myself included, will never really feel at ease in the outside world," Seiji sighed, his menacing grin fading. "But it is not too late for the children. I believe that they are young enough and flexible enough to adapt. We can no longer afford to live in isolation if the pack is to survive." Then he smiled at Lupin. "But forgive me, Lupin-san, for burdening with you with my troubles."

"Not at all," Lupin assured him. "A burden shared is a burden lessened, and I am more than happy to lend a sympathetic ear to a fellow werewolf."

"I do feel a little better now," Seiji admitted. "It was a heavy burden to bear, going against the wishes of my packmates. I haven't even told my wife about it yet, although I suppose I will have to explain why I'm wearing this necklace now."

"You didn't tell her that you were challenging the pack leader?" Lupin asked.

"I did not wish to worry her," Seiji replied. "Usually the duel will end when the weaker wolf submits to the stronger, but occasionally such battles can end in death."

"Tsuneko-san will be very cross with you when she finds out," Lupin said with a grin.

"Yes, I'm sure she will be," Seiji said with a rueful smile. "She will voice her displeasure most strongly, and I will most humbly apologize and beg her forgiveness. There are times when even a pack leader must bow before his mate."

"I think that is true of any mated pair," Lupin said, and they both laughed.

"I suppose so," Seiji agreed. "Well, you have been very patient, Lupin-san, listening to my troubles. So what can I do for you? My father-in-law said that you wanted to talk to me."

"I wanted to learn more about werewolves, and what it's like to live in a pack," Lupin said, smiling. "So I have already learned a great deal, just from listening to your 'troubles'. Although inherited lycanthropy runs in my family, I was the first one in generations to actually develop the disease. I spent my childhood in isolation until I went to school at Hogwarts, and I never met another werewolf until...well, until I met you, actually. And then later I met my friend Lukas and his pack. I would like to learn more about what it means to be a werewolf. Up until recently, the werewolves in Britain tried very hard to keep their condition a secret, for fear of being ostracized. We confided in no one, and we certainly didn't seek out the company of others of our kind."

"A wolf is not meant to live alone," Seiji said sympathetically. "That must have been very hard for you."

"Yes," Lupin replied. "But eventually I found human friends who were able to accept me for what I am, and I guess you could say I formed my own pack, even though I'm the only werewolf in it." He paused, then asked curiously, "How many members of your pack are wolf, and how many are human?"

"We are all wolves," Seiji answered, much to Lupin's surprise. "Well, except for my wife, of course, but she doesn't actually live with the pack."

"What?!" Lupin exclaimed. "Even with inherited lycanthropy, the disease usually skips a generation, or even several generations. I assumed that some of your pack would give birth to normal children, even if one or both parents were werewolves."

"Our wolf blood runs strong in us," Seiji said. "You must remember, we were originally a race of shapeshifters, like the tengu and kitsune--or so we believe. So long as we mate with other werewolves, our children are born werewolves also. We have only rarely married with humans or the other breeds of shapeshifters, and in those few instances, almost all of the children resulting from those marriages have inherited the werewolf parent's lycanthropy--like my own daughter Miyako. Oh, and over the years, a few outsiders have joined the pack by being bitten and turned. We try to keep away from the humans so that we won't hurt anyone during our transformations, which is why we live in such a remote location, but every now and then someone will be foolish enough or unlucky enough to venture into our territory during the full moon, by intent or chance. But that hasn't happened for over a hundred years."

"It was assumed that the gene that causes inherited lycanthropy must be recessive," Lupin said, frowning thoughtfully. "Since it so rarely manifests itself. But in the case of your clan, it seems to be dominant. That's very interesting. But occasionally a normal human child is born within the pack?"

Seiji nodded. "There are none at present, but there have been in the past, although only a few. As you can imagine, it was very difficult for them, to be set so far apart from the rest of the pack."

Lupin smiled ironically. "I was an outcast, a werewolf living among humans, but in a pack of werewolves, I guess the humans would be the outcasts. So what happened to them?"

"Some lived as best they could, accepting that they would never be the same as the rest of the pack," Seiji replied. "The ones who couldn't accept it either left to live among the humans, or..." He hesitated, then finished, "They deliberately allowed themselves to be turned in order to truly become part of the pack."

"What?!" Lupin cried out, aghast. "They deliberately allowed themselves to be bitten? But isn't that terribly dangerous? Not all victims of a werewolf attack are turned; in fact, many are killed!"

"It is not something that we encouraged," Seiji said gravely. "But for some, it was worth the risk. They would rather have died than live as outsiders within the clan. And once or twice, a human member of the pack was turned by accident, when they did not remain in a place secure enough during the full moon. This was, of course, before the Wolfsbane Potion was invented."

Lupin shook his head, still feeling rather stunned. For all that he had come to embrace his inner wolf, he found it difficult to imagine someone willingly facing a werewolf in its full madness and deliberately allowing themselves to be turned.

"It may sound horrible to you, Lupin-san, since you were raised among humans," Seiji told him. "The need to belong to a pack is strong in wolves, but even humans possess the desire to belong, do they not? Even being part of a group of outcasts is better than being an outcast all alone."

"Yes..." Lupin said slowly, nodding as he thought of his own desperate need to belong to the Marauders. He flushed with shame as he remembered all the times that he had kept silent when they had done something wrong, even when they had taunted and humiliated Severus, because he had been afraid of losing the only friends that he had. Because he had been afraid of being alone.

"Yes," Lupin repeated quietly. "I understand. In the past, I did things that I'm ashamed of now, because I wanted to fit in with my friends at Hogwarts. But in doing so, I hurt someone that I cared about, and it took a long time for him to forgive me. At least the members of your pack who chose to be turned weren't hurting anyone but themselves."

"Well, that's not entirely true," Seiji admitted. "If they were killed instead of turned, the pack would feel much guilt and grief over having slain a member of the clan. But the pack understands and accepts the need to belong, even at the risk of death. Perhaps that is a selfish need, but a wolf follows its instincts and doesn't worry about whether they're selfish or not."

"I guess there's a combination of selfishness and selflessness in all of us," Lupin said with a smile. "A wolf will fight to protect its pack; that's pretty selfless, isn't it?"

"But the wolf sees the pack as an extension of itself," Seiji countered, smiling back at Lupin. "So one could say that in essence, the wolf is protecting itself by protecting the pack."

"Well, I guess that's a question for philosophers," Lupin laughed. "Which I most certainly am not! I'll just stick to following my instincts; they've served me well, most of the time."

Both the mood and the conversation lightened then, and Seiji described life in the Japanese werewolf pack for Lupin. They lived a quiet life, hunting and growing their own food, and had little contact with the outside world, except for Seiji, who regularly journeyed to and from the temple to visit his wife and daughter and pick up the Wolfsbane Potion for his pack.

"What is it like, turning into a wolf when the moon isn't full?" Lupin asked curiously. "It happened to me only once, in the heat of battle when we were fighting the Death Eaters. I had lost my wand while dueling with a Death Eater, and when I saw one of my students in danger--a boy who later became my foster son--I found myself transforming spontaneously. I didn't retain my full human consciousness, but I remained sane enough not to attack my comrades. I didn't feel the madness of the full moon, but only a strong desire to protect my cubs--my students--and my mate." He smiled wryly. "I did feel plenty of aggression towards the Death Eaters, though."

"It is much the same with us," Seiji said. "When we take wolf form outside of the full moon, our minds are partly animal and partly human, although as I said, we become more animal and less human the longer we remain in wolf form. Our wolf minds seem to be calmer, and we don't feel the madness and aggression that the full moon provokes. However, if a human should happen to cross our paths, then the desire to bite and pass on the curse reasserts itself. A true human, that is, not a werewolf in human form. The wolf can tell the difference; I believe it's the scent. A werewolf just smells different from a normal human, somehow, even when it's not in wolf form."

"Really?" Lupin asked interestedly. "I've never noticed that before."

"Well, it's quite a subtle difference," Seiji said. "Perhaps the difference is more obvious to us, since we spend so little time among humans."

"Ah!" Lupin exclaimed. "I remember now; you knew as soon as we met that I was a werewolf even though we were both in human form at the time. You could smell it on me." He remembered being startled when the strange werewolf had leaned over and started sniffing him like a dog.

Seiji smiled sheepishly. "I apologize for that; it was very rude of me."

Lupin just laughed and waved off his apology. "Oh, not at all. I was a strange wolf intruding on your territory, after all. I envy you a little, you know. You grew up in the pack, and you knew what it meant to be a werewolf. You understood how the curse worked, and how best to keep from infecting innocent people. Lycanthropy ran in my family, but I was the first one in several generations to develop it, so my parents weren't much better prepared to deal with it than a normal human family would be. We had to learn about lycanthropy piecemeal, through a few old family legends and what information we could find in textbooks--which was sparse, and often incorrect." Lupin sighed wistfully. "I remember the fear and loneliness that I felt as a child. I wonder what it would have been like to grow up in your pack?"

"I'm sure that you would have been much less lonely and frightened," Seiji replied. "You would have been loved and protected by the pack. Even the human wizards do not really ostracize us, although they treat us with caution and respect. It is we who have chosen to live in isolation. But Lupin-san, if you grew up in Japan, then you probably would not have met your mate, would you?"

Lupin realized with a start that Seiji was right. If he had grown up here in Japan, he would never have met Severus. Or...possibly they might have met when Severus traveled to Japan to work with Naoto on the Wolfsbane Potion? But Severus had only been interested in developing the potion because he had wanted to help Lupin. If he had never known Lupin, then he likely would never have chosen to work on the potion.

Lupin felt a sudden sense of fear and emptiness at the thought of Severus not being part of his life. "Thank you, Seiji-san," Lupin said humbly. "Thank you for reminding me to be grateful for what I have, instead of wishing for what I don't have. Severus is...he is my life. Any hardships that I endured were more than worth it, if they resulted in the two of us meeting."

"I feel the same way about Tsuneko," Seiji said softly.

They chatted for a few more minutes, then Lupin excused himself and headed back to the temple, eager to see his mate and reassure himself that Severus was really his.

He found Severus alone in their room, going over some of the notes he'd made on his potion research. "Ah, you're back, Lupin," he said, looking up from his notes and absent-mindedly brushing his shiny-not-greasy black locks away from his face. "Did you learn anything interesting from Seiji?"

"Yes," Lupin replied. "I did." And he wrapped his arms around his startled mate and hugged him fiercely.

"Ah...are you all right, Lupin?" Severus asked. He sounded bewildered, but put his arms around Lupin and returned the embrace.

"I am now," Lupin whispered, a contented smile spreading across his face.

Chapter 11

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